The Morning After: Everything we know so far about Nintendo’s next console

The Nintendo Switch is now over seven years old and due for a refresh, even if the storied console maker isn’t chasing technical specs, like its rival. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors (again, I’d wager real money it won’t be called that) have been bouncing around for years, even. Sometimes they teased DLSS, NVIDIA’s “deep learning supersampling” upscaling tech to add polish and higher resolution to existing Switch games. Other times, rumors just ended up being the OLED Switch — largely the same console as the original.

Will this be something like the Wii? Another left turn, console wise? Or something evolutionary, like the Wii U or GameBoy Color. It’s unlikely the company will ditch the hybrid form-factor as it effectively married home and portable consoles together — and is probably a huge reason for the Switch’s success.

We’re expecting it to be backwards compatible with the Switch’s game library, while Nintendo’s account system management should make it smoother to swap between console generations than in the past. Crucially, when will it launch? While it’s mostly speculation, Nintendo’s next console could arrive March 2025, but couch that with the necessary levels of skepticism.

We’ve pulled together all the reports, leaks and rumors right here.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Ultimate Ears Everboom review

Google searches now link to the Internet Archive

The Apple Watch Series 10 deserves more than 18-hour battery life

Adobe previews AI video tools that arrive later this year

You’ll be able to create AI clips from text, still images and existing video.

Adobe’s Firefly AI video generation tools will arrive in beta later this year. Like many things related to AI, the examples are equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying as the company slowly integrates tools built to automate much of the creative work done by folks who buy its software. The company, of course, reiterates that these tools are supplementary. Of course!

Continue reading.

The audio earrings Kamala Harris didn’t wear during the debate barely even exist

Sometimes, it’s not the tech.

Associated Press

With even Fox News and senior Republican figures admitting Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday night’s presidential debate, some supporters of former president Trump are chasing the same old conspiracy theories: an earpiece used during debates. A tale as old as 2012, the same accusations were cast at President Joe Biden in 2020, at Hillary Clinton in 2016 and at Barack Obama in 2012. However, internet sleuths’ finds boiled down to a Kickstarter startup called Nova and earring-styled earpieces that never quite made it beyond vaporware. We detangle the nonsense.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/ulgTMcn

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/ulgTMcn

PS5 System Update 24.06-10.00.00 Brings Major New Features

PS5 system software update 24.06-10.00.00 is rolling out now, patch notes for which reveal major new features including 3D audio profiles, adaptive DualSense controller charging, and the Welcome Hub. These features were in beta for a while, and are now available to all players. Do note, however, that adaptive charging is only available for specific console models.

PS5 system software update 24.06-10.00.00 patch notes (September 12, 2024)

Complete patch notes for today’s PS5 firmware update are as follows:

• The Welcome hub is now available in the home screen. For users in North America, this enhancement replaces the Explore hub.
  • You can customize the Welcome hub with widgets and backgrounds.
  • Widgets display information like storage, battery levels, online friends, and more.
  • Widgets can be added, removed, resized, and moved one by one. You can also choose from preset widget layouts based on your preferences.
  • A limited number of users will receive the Welcome hub in this update. All users worldwide will receive this enhancement within 1-2 months.
• You can now create a personalized 3D audio profile for your headphones that’s optimized to each user’s ears. This allows for a more immersive 3D audio experience than ever before.
  • Each 3D audio profile is uniquely optimized for each user, created by taking detailed measurements of how you hear 3D audio through headphones.
  • To create a personalized 3D audio for your headphones, go to Settings > Sound > 3D Audio (Headphones).
  • You can still select from 3D audio presets like before.
• Adaptive charging for your controller is now available for when your PS5 (CFI-2000 model group)is in rest mode.
  • Adaptive charging allows the duration of power supply during rest mode to adjust depending on how much battery your controller has left, helping save power.
  • To use adaptive charging, go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode, and then select Supply Power to USB Ports > Adaptive.
  • Adaptive charging is supported on the PS5 CFI-2000 model group, using the USB Type-C port. Adaptive charging works with the DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, PS VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller.
  • After your PS5 enters rest mode, if a controller isn’t connected, the power supply to the USB port will stop after a certain period of time.
• When you’re in a party, you can now share a link to that party. Share the link with players using other services to invite them to that party.
  • This feature will be gradually rolled out after this system software update is released.
• You can now set which users can connect to the PS5 using Remote Play.
  • Go to Settings > System > Remote Play > Enable Remote Play, and select the users who can access your console through Remote Play.
• The restore licenses feature has been improved, and you can now restore one license at a time.
  • Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses to select the license that you want to restore.
  • To restore a license from the home screen or Game Library, go to the game, press the options button, and then select Restore License from the menu.
• We’ve added a friendly recommendation about your storage space that you’ll sometimes see in Settings > Storage.
• We’ve made it simpler to access the most popular activities from game hubs.
  • Game hubs now only display activities that are currently in progress.
  • To play a specific activity, start the game first and find it using in-game menus.
• The Invite to New Game option, which is available from multiple locations, is no longer available when sending game invites.
  • To invite friends to a game session, start the game first, then send the invitation to the session.
• We’ve updated the device software of the DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers, PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller to improve stability.
• We’ve improved system software performance and stability.
• We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.

The post PS5 System Update 24.06-10.00.00 Brings Major New Features appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

from PlayStation LifeStyle https://ift.tt/xCFVkWU

US senators urge regulators to probe potential AI antitrust violations

The US government has noticed the potentially negative effects of generative AI on areas like journalism and content creation. Senator Amy Klobuchar, along with seven Democrat colleagues, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Justice Department to probe generative AI products like ChatGPT for potential antitrust violations, they wrote in a press release. 

"Recently, multiple dominant online platforms have introduced new generative AI features that answer user queries by summarizing, or, in some cases, merely regurgitating online content from other sources or platforms," the letter states. "The introduction of these new generative AI features further threatens the ability of journalists and other content creators to earn compensation for their vital work." 

The lawmakers went on to note that traditional search results lead users to publishers' websites while AI-generated summaries keep the users on the search platform "where that platform alone can profit from the user's attention through advertising and data collection." 

These products also have significant competitive consequences that distort markets for content. When a generative AI feature answers a query directly, it often forces the content creator—whose content has been relegated to a lower position on the user interface—to compete with content generated from their own work.

The fact that AI may be scraping news sites and then not even directing users to the original source could be a form of "exclusionary conduct or an unfair method of competition in violation of antitrust laws," the lawmakers concluded. (That's on top being a potential violation of copyright laws, but that's another legal battle altogether.)

Lawmakers have already proposed a couple of bills designed to protect artists, journalists and other from unauthorized generative AI use. In July, three senators introduced the COPIED Act to combat and monitor the rise of AI content and deepfakes. Later in the month, a group of senators introduced the NO FAKES Act, a law that would make it illegal to make digital recreations of a person's voice or likeness without their consent.

AI poses a particularly large risk to journalism, both local and global, by removing the sources of revenue that allow for original and investigative reporting. The New York Times, for one, cited instances of ChatGPT providing users with "near-verbatim excerpts" from paywalled articles. OpenAI recently admitted that it's impossible to train generative AI without copyrighted materials. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/hGNzwQb

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/hGNzwQb

Celebrate 25 Years Of The Sega Dreamcast With This Great Merch Collection

Believe it or not, the Sega Dreamcast turns 25 years old today. When I think back on my formative years playing games, and more importantly Tim Walz’s youth, it’s the first console that comes to mind. I’m positive that if I were to go looking through one of my closets right now, I’d be unable to earth mine, on which I…

Read more...

from Kotaku https://ift.tt/EdCbNU4

Polaris Dawn is finally headed to space for its groundbreaking civilian mission

A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the four private astronauts of the Polaris Dawn mission has launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the early hours of September 10 after a few weeks of delays. The mission was scheduled to lift off at the end of August but was postponed first due to technical issues, then because of poor weather conditions forecasted for the crew’s return. On board are Jared Isaacman — the billionaire who funded the mission — retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. They’ll attempt several firsts during the five-day flight, including the first-ever commercial spacewalk.

That attempt will also mark the first spacewalk from a Dragon capsule. Among Polaris Dawn's other goals is to send its crew farther than anyone has traveled since the Apollo program, targeting an altitude of about 870 miles from Earth. The journey will take the capsule and its crew briefly into the Van Allen radiation belt.

The @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn mission will be the first crew to perform a spacewalk from Dragon, fly higher in Earth’s orbit than anyone since the Apollo program, test laser-based @Starlink communications, and conduct research to help provide insight on human health during… pic.twitter.com/RW387QWShY

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 22, 2024

Polaris Dawn is meant to be the first of three human spaceflight missions under Isaacman’s Polaris Program. Its crew will put SpaceX’s new Extravehicular Activity space suit to its most important test yet, as they’ll all wear it for protection against the vacuum of space when the Dragon’s doors open for the spacewalk. The spacewalk will take place at an elliptical orbit roughly 435 miles above Earth’s surface, and two crew members will leave the capsule.

Liftoff of Polaris Dawn! pic.twitter.com/VeGfJxzWKl

— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 10, 2024

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/VEjhKb4

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/VEjhKb4

PS5 Pro Price, Editions, and Release Date Reportedly Leaked

It looks like someone got a hold of marketing material for PS5 Pro, revealing its price, editions, and release date. The mid-gen upgrade has been Sony’s worst-kept secret — from its existence down to its planned reveal. But we’ll finally hear about the console in an official capacity today at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET. However, some important information seems to be out there already.

PS5 Pro may have 2 editions, the release dates for which might be a few weeks apart

Known leaker billbil-kun, who accurately revealed PS5 Pro’s design, sparked some speculation that the console might only have a digital edition because they didn’t find any evidence of a disc edition at the time. Enter a random X user BrianTheInsider (via Reddit) who has been sharing info about PS5 Pro since August, much of which has now been confirmed.

BrianTheInsider was the only person to have accurately leaked not only the PS5 Pro presentation date but also its runtime, which leads us to believe that he has marketing material for the console. According to him, the PS5 Pro’s digital edition will launch first on November 14 (possibly staggered by region) and its disc edition will launch around December 5. This possibly explains why billbil-kun could only verify the existence of the digital version last week.

As for the prices, BrianTheInsider suggested a £499.99 price tag for the digital model, and £589.99 for the disc edition. It remains to be seen what this translates to in other regions. Bear in mind that we can’t simply convert these prices into other currencies. Based on Sony’s history, we’re looking at about $500 for the digital model and $600 for the disc model.

Last but not least, the insider claims that PS5 Pro will come packed with a DualSense that offers enhanced triggers and better battery life. Additionally, PS5 Pro will support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision on select streaming services and physical media.

The post PS5 Pro Price, Editions, and Release Date Reportedly Leaked appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

from PlayStation LifeStyle https://ift.tt/Fsv9cNj

Google loses its seven-year fight against $2.7 billion EU antitrust fine

Google has lost a seven-year battle with the European Commission as the EU's highest court upheld a $2.7 billion antitrust fine against the search giant, Reuters reported. Antitrust regulators originally levied the penalty against Google in 2017 for favoring its own shopping service against local rivals. 

"Google's strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn't just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals," EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager said at the time. "Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors."

Google lost its first appeal with a lower court in 2021, sending the appeal to Luxembourg's Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The company argued that it was being punished for its dominant position in the market and that the original decision "erred in law by treating quality improvements... as abusive." 

However, the CJEU judges upheld the lower court's decision that the company is allowed to have a dominant position but not to abuse it. "In particular, the conduct of undertakings in a dominant position that has the effect of hindering competition on the merits and is thus likely to cause harm to individual undertakings and consumers is prohibited," they noted. 

Google is also fighting a legal battle in the EU that could force it to sell parts of its adtech businesses over similar arguments that it favors its own services over those of competitors. The EU commission found preliminarily that since Google is unlikely to change its behavior, only the "mandatory divestment" of part of its services would address competition concerns. All told, Google has accumulated 8.25 billion euros ($9.12 billion) in EU antitrust fines over the last ten years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/h4KRAp6

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/h4KRAp6