Author Archives: Kris Holt

Sony is bringing MLB The Show to iOS and Android

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Sony is bringing another of its long-running game franchises to iOS and Android in the shape of MLB The Show Mobile. This is a free-to-play “standalone experience built from the ground up to deliver realistic baseball gameplay on mobile devices.” San Diego Studio, the developer of every MLB The Show game since the series debuted in 2006, is behind this mobile game as well.

MLB The Show Mobile, which was spotted by Gematsu, doesn’t feature crossplay with console games. For now, it’s only available in the Philippines and it went live there on Wednesday. Sony says it doesn’t have a timeline in place for expanding availability to more territories, but it certainly plans to do that. It’s not uncommon for mobile games to have a soft launch in select regions before they’re made available elsewhere. Sony is doing the same thing with a Ratchet and Clank multiplayer game.

Sony is optimizing MLB The Show Mobile for more recent mobile devices. On the iOS side, that means “iPhone 16 or comparable” devices. As for Android, you’ll get the best experience on Samsung Galaxy S25, Sony Xperia V or a comparable device, according to the game’s website.

MLB The Show Mobile features solo and player-vs-player modes. There are more than 1,100 cards representing baseball players in the game. You’ll be able to build out an all-star roster of MLB players past and present, and upgrade their cards. San Diego Studio appears to be tapping into the Ultimate Team modes of EA Sports games, as you’ll be able to buy and sell cards with other players in a marketplace. Sony also notes that in-game purchases can include random items.

Each of these player cards has a momentum cost. These are stat points you can use strategically to better your chances of winning. The gameplay is skill-based. You’ll need to get the timing right to throw a great pitch or hit the ball out of the park. You’ll have real-time control of runners as well, so you can try to steal bases.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-is-bringing-mlb-the-show-to-ios-and-android-163300468.html?src=rss

Amazon rolls out a find-a-scene Alexa+ feature for Prime Video

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Amazon is rolling out a new Alexa+ feature on Fire TV that can take you to a specific moment in a given movie on Prime Video based on a natural language voice command. The company says that, when you describe a certain scene, quote or character action, Alexa+ can start playing that part of the film. The company previewed this feature at its Devices and Services event in September.

According to Amazon, you can say something like “Jump to the card scene in Love Actually" or “Jump to the Ozdust ballroom scene in Wicked with Glinda,” to quickly get to that moment. Alexa+ can apparently figure out which movie you're referring to if you don't say the title. So if you say, for instance, “Jump to the scene when John McClane says ‘come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs,’” Prime Video will start playing that bit in Die Hard where McClane is in an air duct.

To make this work, Alexa+ uses "visual understanding" and captions to determine what's happening in each scene so it can take you to the one you're looking for. It's all processed through the X-Ray feature in Prime Video. As with Alexa+, it's built on Amazon Bedrock and it harnesses large language models such as Amazon Nova and Anthropic Claude.

Alexa+ has indexed tens of thousands of scenes across thousands of movies on Prime Video so far, including many that you can purchase or rent. Amazon plans to expand this feature to more films and scenes, as well as TV shows, in the near future. 

While this is pretty interesting from a tech perspective and how Amazon’s able to make it work, I’d be interested to know how many people actually end up using it. This isn’t how most people who genuinely love cinema watch movies — maybe just start at the beginning of a film and take it from there? Besides, if you really want to watch a specific scene, YouTube exists.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-rolls-out-a-find-a-scene-alexa-feature-for-prime-video-150557530.html?src=rss

Ball x Pit is evolving with a string of free updates in 2026

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Ball x Pit is a fiendishly good time. The frenetic blend of Breakout and Vampire Survivors is easily one of the best games of the year. It’s immensely replayable. However, one reaches a point (after 36 hours in my case) where there isn’t much left to do other than run through New Game+ modes and so it becomes time to step away.

But this darned game is about to dig its hooks into me again in 2026, as developer Kenny Sun and his collaborators have lined up three free updates for Ball x Pit. The updates will drop in January, April and July and each will add fresh balls, evolutions, buildings, characters and “more” — which hopefully includes new levels and lore.

The trailer didn’t reveal too many specifics for each update, though more info on the first one is coming soon. I’m excited to discover more killer combos of characters and balls, and to unleash extra chaos. I’m glad there will be more buildings as well, because there’s a lot of empty space to fill in my version of New Ballbylon.

Publisher Devolver Digital said the game has now sold more than 1 million copies (Ball x Pit is on Game Pass too). According to the narrator of a video announcing that milestone and the updates, “if we want to keep this ball rolling, we need more people to buy Ball x Pit, so it sells another ‘balljillion’ copies, so Kenny has to make more Ball x Pit, so more people buy Ball x Pit, so he has to make more more more Ball x Pit.” Be right back, I’m gonna go buy Ball x Pit on the platforms where I don’t already have it so I can have even more Ball x Pit in the future. Ball x Pit is available on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, the Xbox PC app, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ball-x-pit-is-evolving-with-a-string-of-free-updates-in-2026-181947946.html?src=rss

A ‘Sonic universe’ movie will hit theaters in 2028

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The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have been a success for Paramount and Sega, and the pair are looking to build on that with a spin-off movie. An expansion of the Sonic cinematic universe, if you will. The companies haven’t revealed more details about this “Sonic universe feature,” as Deadline described it, but the flick is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2028.

There have been rumors for a while that a film focused on Shadow the Hedgehog is in development, so that might be the direction Paramount and Sega take here. Keanu Reeves voices Shadow in the film series. There have also been suggestions that a movie starring Amy Rose is in the pipeline. I’m hoping there’s one centered on my fave, Tails, in the works too, even though it took me decades to realize that his full name, Miles Prower, is a pun on “miles per hour”.

This Sonic universe film will arrive after Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 19, 2027. A Knuckles spin-off series arrived on Paramount+ last year. Meanwhile, just before the Sonic spin-off movie, Paramount will bring a hybrid live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film to theaters on November 17, 2028.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-sonic-universe-movie-will-hit-theaters-in-2028-163424265.html?src=rss

Apple Music Replay 2025 is here to highlight your unimpeachable music taste

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Music streaming services are starting to unleash their year-in-review features for 2025, and Apple Music’s version is out now. Apple Music Replay is here to lay bare your listening stats for the year — at least so far, because these tools go live with a whole month of the year left to go. You can check out the 2025 edition from the Home tab in the app.

As ever, Replay shows your total listening time, the number of artists you checked out, your most-listened-to song and album and more. New this year is a discovery stat, which highlights new artists you started listening to in 2025. The loyalty factor will tell you which artists you listen to year after year, and “comebacks” shows which artists have slotted back into your rotation.

The most popular song on Apple Music overall this year was the ultra-catchy “Apt.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars. “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA; “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Mars; “Not Like Us” by Lamar; and “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish rounded out the top five. “Apt.” is also the most Shazamed song of the year.

I really didn’t need Replay to tell me that party metal vanguards Electric Callboy and kawaii metal pioneers Babymetal were my top artists for 2025, since I’ve had both on extremely heavy rotation since the spring — their stupendously fun collab, “Ratatata,” was my top song this year. I was a little surprised that the wonderful Japanese math rock band Toe were in third place and that post-punk revival crew Editors made the top five, though I did listen to the latter’s The Back Room a bunch at the start of the year.

Early last year, Apple Music rolled out a monthly version of Replay, which shows the top songs, albums and artists and personal listening milestones for each month. You can also go back and listen to previous versions of your personalized Replay playlists, and check out a Replay All Time one, which highlights the songs you’ve listened to most on Apple Music overall.

Update, December 2, 4PM ET: This story was update after publish to clarify that the comebacks information is folded into your recap, rather than available as a separate tab.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-music-replay-2025-is-here-to-highlight-your-unimpeachable-music-taste-151224318.html?src=rss

Shopify was down for much of Cyber Monday

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Here’s hoping the retailers offering tasty Cyber Monday deals that caught your eye aren’t having trouble with Shopify. The ecommerce platform is experiencing some issues. According to a support page, some merchants were having trouble logging into the Shopify platform, which was experiencing outages with the checkout and admin systems. Shopify’s point-of-sale (POS), API and mobile and support systems also saw “degraded performance.”

Editor's note (on December 2 10:35AM ET): The outage appears to have been resolved, with Shopify posting on X at 6:11PM yesterday that it “had a system degradation that has now been mitigated.” The statement further clarified that checkout and storefronts remained online during the outage, while admin interfaces were “temporarily unavailable for some merchants.” Also, the outage “briefly extended to POS but was quickly resolved.”

In an update at 12:39PM ET, Shopify wrote “We are continuing to investigate and apply mitigations for the issues with accessing Admins and POS systems.” It added “Some merchants may also see an issue with POS checkouts, due to not being able to access POS systems.”

At 2:31PM ET, the company posted an update to its status page, saying “We have found and fixed an issue with our login authentication flow, and are seeing signs of recovery for admin and POS login issues now. We are continuing to monitor recovery.” You might start to see some services go back to normal, and it should hopefully not impact your holiday shopping too much.

Shopify said in a blog post just last week that it powers 12 percent of ecommerce in the US. Brands including Netflix, Mattel, Supreme, Glossier and Converse are among those that use the platform.

When asked for more details about the outage, Shopify directed Engadget to its status page as well as a tweet posted at 10AM that read, “We're aware of an issue with Admins impacting selected stores, and are working to resolve it.”

Somewhat ironically, that very account posted on November 27 that 56 seconds was the average amount of wait time the prior week and that its team was ready to “keep that pace” for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping rush. It has been hours since the outage was first reported this morning.

Update, December 1 2025, 2:48PM ET: This story has been updated to include Shopify’s latest post about resolving a login authentication issue, as well as its tweet from November 27.

Update, December 2 2025, 10:35AM ET: This story has been updated to include an Editor’s note with the latest on the outage, which seems to mostly have been resolved.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/shopify-was-down-for-much-of-cyber-monday-180958407.html?src=rss

Netflix ends casting from mobile devices for users of newer TVs

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Netflix is ending support for the ability to cast from mobile devices to many TVs. According to a help page spotted by Android Authority, "Netflix no longer supports casting shows from a mobile device to most TVs and TV-streaming devices. You’ll need to use the remote that came with your TV or TV-streaming device to navigate Netflix." 

The company indicated that casting should still work with older Chromecast devices and TVs that support Google Cast, but only for users who are on an ad-free plan. However, if you have a Google TV Streamer, Chromecast with Google TV or a television that runs on Android TV, casting may no longer be an option in the Netflix app.

It appears that Netflix has been quietly winding down support for casting in recent weeks, as some users reported in mid-November that it was no longer an option for them. I have an ad-free Netflix plan and the latest version of the iOS app on my phone. While I can still tap the cast button, the app doesn't list any devices for me to cast to, including my Android TV-powered television.

This is a disappointing move from Netflix as many folks find it easier to search for something they want to watch on the mobile app and then cast that to their TV. If, for instance, you dozed off while watching something, it's also much faster to get back to the point you last remember seeing by scrolling through the episode or film on a mobile device than with a remote on a TV app.

Netflix has noted that it sometimes sunsets features that aren't widely used to invest more resources elsewhere. The company previously axed AirPlay support in 2019 because of "technical limitations."

Update December 1, 2025, 12:22PM ET: Added some clarification from Netflix.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-ends-casting-from-mobile-devices-for-users-of-newer-tvs-151921578.html?src=rss

AI horror, a dinosaur platformer and other new indie games worth checking out

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Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Even though it's a truncated week in the US with the long holiday weekend, there's still been a spate of new releases and news on upcoming games. There'll be plenty more over the next couple of weeks too, with The Game Awards, Day of the Devs and several other showcases in the pipeline. 

In the spirit of the season, one thing I'm thankful for is indie studios being able to make the games they want despite external pressures. We've seen both extremes of that in recent months. This week, the team at Santa Ragione said it respects players enough to release its latest game, Horses, as intended. However, Valve has blocked the horror title from Steam in what seems to be quite a messy case. As a result of not being able to sell Horses on the biggest PC games storefront, Santa Ragione said it's at risk of closure.

On the other end of the scale, Team Cherry was able to take all the time in the world to make Hollow Knight: Silksong because of the success of its previous game, which has sold more than 15 million copies. Although Hollow Knight fans spent years clamoring for updates on Silksong, the small team had the financial freedom to spend as long as it wanted crafting and polishing the sequel. The devs were able to just keep their heads down and do that until Team Cherry announced a release date just two weeks in advance.

Those are two very different stories. Still, they both resulted in fully realized games based on seemingly uncompromised visions. 

New releases

A.I.L.A — from Pulsatrix Studios and publisher Fireshine Games — has a decent-enough concept. It's a first-person horror title in which you take on the role of a VR game tester. The games that the protagonist plays are crafted by an AI (which, by itself, is a horrifying prospect) and adjusted based on your feedback. In a stunning development, the AI begins to tap into your character's deepest fears and blur the virtual and real worlds. It sounds like a blurb for an airport novel, but it's a solid-enough foundation on which to base a game.

The structure of A.I.L.A allows for Pulsatrix to craft a few distinct experiences in various horror subgenres within a larger game. You'll encounter a cult, zombies, aliens, creepy mannequins, puzzles and more as you play through chapters rooted in the likes of psychological horror and survival horror. There are a lot of ideas packaged together here. I’ve played a chunk A.I.L.A and it’s okay so far, even if it does feel a bit like a tribute band playing the hits of yesteryear. A.I.L.A is out now on Steam (usually $30, but there's a 20 percent discount until December 9), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

If you can't get enough of fairly lengthy open-world action RPGs, Of Ash And Steel might be one for you to sink your teeth into. Fire & Frost and publisher tinyBuild claim there's over 45 hours worth of main story material to dig into here.

One interesting thing about Of Ash And Steel is that there are no quest markers. Exploration is a major factor and you can mark locations on your map. Otherwise, you'll need to pay attention to things like what other characters are saying to figure out where to go. Also, the trailer's final shot shows a pair of titans that seem ready to battle, and that has me intrigued too.

Of Ash And Steel typically costs $30. There's a 20 percent discount until December 8 on Steam and GOG.

Young Suns is the latest project from Ko_Op (Goodbye Volcano High). When the team announced the game this week, it immediately became available on all Game Pass tiers as a game preview on Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Cloud. If you'd prefer to buy it outright, you can also do that for $20.

This is (appropriately enough) a co-op life sim for up to four players. The team readily admits that Young Suns is still in development and that means some features and quest content aren't available in the current version of the game. However, as game director Graeme Lennon wrote in an Xbox Wire post, "The game is playable and fun for its intended pattern of play: checking in for an hour or two daily, slowly building up your perfect ship-home and making new friends."

The game is set on Jupiter and you can explore space stations, planetoids and ruins. You can collect resources and other items to help upgrade your ship/home. There are 30 characters (more are on the way), and most have "over two months of unique daily chat content." Young Suns is also coming to Steam down the line.

Dinopunk: The Cacops Adventure is the first of two dinosaur games in this week's roundup. This one is an adorable-looking retro platformer from The Dude Games and publisher Meridiem. It's said to pay tribute to classic games like Wonder Boy, Alex Kidd and Contra. 

As an amphibian dinosaur, you can collect special items to upgrade your attacks. There are arcade-style minigames as well. My favorite thing from the trailer, though, is a boss called Gatling Saurus. Love it. Dinopunk: The Cacops Adventure is out now on Steam. It usually costs $8, but there's a 10 percent discount until December 1.

Upcoming 

Ferocious is a very different kind of dinosaur game. This one is a first-person shooter from OMYOG and tinyBuild in which you have a device that allows you to communicate with and control dinos. Sending a rampaging triceratops into combat or riding on the back of one looks pretty fun. You can even take charge of a T. rex.

The gist is that an evil corporation is out to change the world in its favor with the help of these prehistoric reptiles, and it's up to you to stop this cabal. Ferocious will hit Steam on December 4 for $25.

Engadget's UK bureau chief Mat Smith got to try out There Are No Ghosts at the Grand back at Gamescom, and now you can check it out too. Friday Sundae has released a demo for the odd-looking "spooky, cozy musical mystery" on Steam.

After you inherit a rundown hotel, you have 30 days to fix it up using talking power tools (such as a furniture cannon)... or else. At night, you'll have to fend off ghosts. Maybe the title of this game is a bit of a misdirect! 

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand seems a bit strange, but I'm on board with it. It’s coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S next year and it will be a day-one addition to Game Pass. It will hit other platforms later.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ai-horror-a-dinosaur-platformer-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-180000059.html?src=rss

US patent office says generative AI is equivalent to other tools in inventors’ belts

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While generative AI systems cannot be considered inventors under US patent laws, the US Patent and Trademark Office has updated its guidelines on how they can be used in the process of creating innovations. The agency's director, John Squires, said in a notice obtained by Reuters that the USPTO deems genAI to be "analogous" to other tools that inventors might use in their process, including lab equipment, software and research databases. 

"AI systems, including generative AI and other computational models, are instruments used by human inventors," Squires wrote. "They may provide services and generate ideas, but they remain tools used by the human inventor who conceived the claimed invention." 

The notice [PDF], which is set to be published in the Federal Register on November 28, notes that there's no separate process for evaluating whether an AI-assisted invention qualifies for a patent. "When multiple natural persons are involved in creating an invention with AI assistance, the traditional joint inventorship principles apply," Squires added.

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that "AI cannot be named as an inventor on a patent application (or issued patent) and that only natural persons can be inventors." There's no change to that stance under the latest USPTO guidelines. But the updated rules do offer more clarity as to whether things like new medications that are developed with the help of genAI systems can be patented. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/us-patent-office-says-generative-ai-is-equivalent-to-other-tools-in-inventors-belts-211700837.html?src=rss

A Google Maps power-saving mode lands on Pixel 10 devices

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If you have a Pixel 10 phone that you use for turn-by-turn directions in lieu of a dedicated GPS device, Google has an update that might be right up your alley. A Google Maps power-saving mode is now available for Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The company announced this feature earlier this month as part of its November 2025 Pixel Drop.

Power-saving mode is only available in portrait orientation and it works on your lock screen. If you tap the power button while using the driving navigation tool, the app will switch to a simpler monochrome look that retains the map layer, as 9to5Google notes. It looks a bit like the dark mode map in the Uber app.

You'll see only see key details your journey, such as your next turn and expected travel time. Other elements, such as your current speed, are stripped out. You can still swipe down to see your notifications.

If you press the power button or tap the screen, Google Maps will revert to the standard view. The app also turns off power-saving mode when you get to your destination.

Google says that the power-saving mode can extend your Pixel 10's battery life by up to four hours, so this could come in handy for long drives when you don't have an easy way to charge your phone while you have it mounted on your dashboard. The more streamlined look could perhaps help to mitigate distracted driving too.

Google will probably bring the feature to other devices down the line, but it’s disappointing that the company is limiting it to the Pixel 10 lineup for now. Perhaps it will end up offering this stripped-down UI on the Android Auto version of Google Maps someday. too

It seems that Google is enabling power-saving mode by default via an update on its end. If you'd rather not be able to use the feature, you can switch it off by going to the settings in the app, then Navigation > Driving options and tapping the toggle for power-saving mode.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/a-google-maps-power-saving-mode-lands-on-pixel-10-devices-180000601.html?src=rss