Author Archives: Anna Washenko

Minecraft is ending all virtual reality support next spring

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For Minecraft players, virtual and mixed reality will soon go the way of a hissing creeper. Developer Mojang announced last month that March 2025 would be the last update for the game on PlayStation VR. Yesterday's patch notes for the Bedrock edition of the game use similar language, stating that "Our ability to support VR/MR devices has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025."

All is not lost for the block builders who have been enjoying Minecraft in virtual reality. After the final March 2025 update, the patch notes clarify that "you can keep building in your worlds, and your Marketplace purchases (including Minecoins) will continue to be available on a non-VR/MR graphics device such as a computer monitor." It's a sad development for a game that was such a good match for the VR experience. And with the huge sales figures Minecraft continues to put up year after year, it's also a bit discouraging for the broader virtual reality and mixed reality ecosystem to lose such an iconic title.

There is a silver lining for the Minecraft community, however. After a very long wait, the game finally has a native edition available for the PlayStation 5. Sony's latest console generation has been relegated to using the PS4 version until now, but going forward the game will have 4K resolution and 60 fps even at a longer draw distance. If you're a PS5 owner who already has the PS4 version of Minecraft, you can claim the new update for free in the PlayStation Store. And with the Bundles of Bravery update rolling out yesterday, it's a promising time to start a new blocky adventure.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/minecraft-is-ending-all-virtual-reality-support-next-spring-212953347.html?src=rss

Apple’s M2 MacBook Air drops to a new low of $700

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Amazon has a great deal running now on the M2 MacBook Air, where you can get the slimline laptop for just $700. The main deal price is $849, which is nice at 15 percent off the regular cost. But you can also apply a coupon to the space gray model for an additional discount, bringing the price down even further. For now, you can also nab the silver and starlight colors for $700 without adding in a coupon.  

This is the 2022 model of the MacBook Air, and it's some of the best we've seen out of Apple laptops. The M2 chip is a big factor in what takes this laptop from a lightweight to a powerhouse. By using Apple's own silicon, the computer reaches pretty high standards in performance, with 10 GPU cores and a 35 percent boost to the speeds of the previous M1 chip. It's also got a gorgeous Liquid Retina display. The model currently on sale has 8GB RAM and 256GB of solid state drive storage. And once Apple Intelligence starts rolling out next week, the M2 Air is prepared to handle the extra workload of those AI-driven tasks.

The Air is also Engadget's pick for your best budget Apple laptop. In other words, this is a good deal on the model that's already a good deal. It's very possible that Amazon's supply will be snapped up quickly, so if this catches your eye, we suggest you act fast. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-m2-macbook-air-drops-to-a-new-low-of-700-195147706.html?src=rss

Netflix and TED are hopping on the daily word game bandwagon

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Netflix announced the next addition to its gaming roster, and it's a collaboration with the TED nonprofit. TED Tumblewords is a daily puzzle game where you slide rows of letters around to make words. There will be three puzzles available each day, and you can play rounds against friends, other online players or the TED bot. In addition to the daily word challenges, which are designed to improve critical thinking and vocabulary, players will see interesting facts from the TED library. The game will be available to play on Netflix and TED.com on November 19.

Since it began offering mobile games, Netflix has amassed a lot of high-quality titles in its lineup. The collection is a mix of licensed indie game projects, such as Hades and Kentucky Route Zero, alongside in-house creations centered on its popular shows, like the retro-styled Stranger Things game. However, the streaming service just today shut down its in-house AAA game studio before the team ever released or even announced a single project. While we wait for TED Tumblewords to arrive, here are some other excellent choices for your daily online gaming fix.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-and-ted-are-hopping-on-the-daily-word-game-bandwagon-230014184.html?src=rss

Amazon is reportedly working on a low-cost storefront to rival Temu

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Amazon may be working on a secondary online sales platform that would compete with the absurdly low prices of Chinese retailer Temu. The Information reported that it has seen internal information sent to Amazon merchants that detail some of the price caps for this new storefront.

The outlet claims the upper limit of prices are set at $8 for jewelry, $9 for bedding, $13 for guitars and $20 for sofas that are shipped from its fulfillment center in Guangdong, China under this new "Low-Cost Store." According to the site's sources, orders from this storefront would have slower shipping timelines of nine to 11 days, but would also charge lower fulfillment fees to sellers. A seller would be charged between $1.77 and $2.05 to ship a 4-8 ounce item through the Low-Cost Store, compared with a $2.67 to $4.16 charge for an item of that weight shipped under Fulfillment by Amazon from a domestic warehouse, according to The Information.

Amazon has not set price limits on its eponymous online storefront, so this new platform will be a markedly different strategy from its usual approach. It's more in line with the pricing policy followed by Temu, which launched in 2022. In just two years, the bargain basement ecommerce platform has garnered a reputation for selling items of dubious quality as well as questions about relying on "forced" labor.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-is-reportedly-working-on-a-low-cost-storefront-to-rival-temu-225049485.html?src=rss

OpenAI and Microsoft are funding $10 million in grants for AI-powered journalism

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OpenAI and Microsoft are funding projects to bring more AI tools into the newsroom. The duo will give grants of up to $10 million to Chicago Public Media, the Minnesota Star Tribune, Newsday (in Long Island, NY), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Seattle Times. Each of the publications will hire a two-year AI fellow to develop projects for implementing the technology and improving business sustainability. Three more outlets are expected to receive fellowship grants in a second round.

OpenAI and Microsoft are each contributing $2.5 million in direct funding as well as $2.5 million in software and enterprise credits. The Lenfest Institute of Journalism is collaborating with OpenAI and Microsoft on the project, and announced the news today.

To date, the ties between journalism and AI have mostly ranged from suspicious to litigious. OpenAI and Microsoft have been sued by the Center for Investigative Reporting, The New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet. Some publications accused ChatGPT of plagiarizing their articles, and other suits centered on scraping web content for AI model training without permission or compensation. Other media outlets have opted to negotiate; Condé Nast was one of the latest to ink a deal with OpenAI for rights to their content.

In a separate development, OpenAI has hired Aaron Chatterji as its first chief economist. Chatterji is a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and he also served on President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers as well as in President Joe Biden's Commerce Department.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-and-microsoft-are-funding-10-million-in-grants-for-ai-powered-journalism-193042213.html?src=rss

Anthropic is letting Claude AI control your PC

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Anthropic's latest development gives its Claude AI assistant the ability to control a PC, reportedly just like a person would. The feature, dubbed 'computer use,' entered public beta today. With computer use, Claude can be directed to execute tasks such as "looking at a screen, moving a cursor, clicking buttons, and typing text," according to the company's announcement. 

In theory, this could make the AI even more useful in automating repetitive computer tasks. However, a second blog post focused on computer use acknowledged that this application of Anthropic's AI models is still early in development and, to paraphrase, buggy as heck. The company said that in internal testing, Claude stopped in the middle of an assigned coding task and began opening images of Yellowstone National Park. While that is uncannily human behavior (who doesn't want to take a break to stare at natural beauty during the work day?), it's also a reminder that even the best AI models can have errors.

In addition to unveiling computer use, Anthropic also released an upgraded version of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model alongside a brand new model called Claude 3.5 Haiku that will be released later in October. In August, Anthropic joined OpenAI in agreeing to share its work with the US AI Safety Institute.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-letting-claude-ai-control-your-pc-181500127.html?src=rss

YouTube is testing a new version of its Premium Lite subscription

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YouTube is testing a revamp of its Premium Lite subscription tier. User screenshots made the rounds on social media this week, and today a Google rep later confirmed to multiple other outlets that the plan is being tested in Australia, Germany and Thailand. This new version would have "limited ads," which the fine print describes as most videos being ad-free, "but you may see video ads on music content and Shorts, and non-interruptive ads when you search and browse."

The original Premium Lite subscription began testing in Europe in 2021, but it only lasted a few years, with the video platform eliminating the option in October 2023. The plan's only benefit was removing all ads; it didn't offer the offline or background viewing options of the regular Premium offering.

We were able to confirm that the pricing model in Australia is $9 a month for Premium Lite, compared with $17 a month for full Premium access. That's in line with the costs from the original Lite, which were about half the rate of a regular plan. With the current costs of a YouTube subscription — $14 a month for an individual or $23 a month for the family option — having a mid-tier choice could certainly be appealing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-testing-a-new-version-of-its-premium-lite-subscription-220050877.html?src=rss

Unity mounts a comeback with launch of Unity 6 game engine

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Unity has released the latest version of its engine for developing games and interactive experiences. Unity 6 has new workflows for creating online multiplayer games and more tools for projects intended for mobile platforms, including mobile web support for Android and iOS browsers. The engine promises improved performance, particularly in graphics rendering, and adds several features for creating more realistic environments via global lighting and other VFX. And it wouldn't be a tech announcement without some AI component; the company has also released the latest version of its Sentis neural network inference library for using AI models within the Unity engine.

The company took a real hit to its public perception when it attempted to revise its pricing structure last September. The proposed payment model would charge devs a fee whenever a player downloaded their creation. The move led to outcry among game developers, particularly the indie scene. After a leadership shakeup and a massive workforce reduction, the company walked back most of the changes it had announced. This September, the controversial fee was dropped entirely.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/unity-mounts-a-comeback-with-launch-of-unity-6-game-engine-205332034.html?src=rss

Remedy’s new game is FBC: Firebreak, a co-op shooter in the Control universe

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After a long and winding road, Remedy Entertainment has unveiled its multiplayer follow-up to Control. FBC: Firebreak is for teams of three, and the trios will face down waves of enemies with an intriguing arsenal of weapons. For instance, the trailer shows a gatling gun of gloopy poison and a gun with a launching piston attached to the front for aerial attacks.

Since FBC: Firebreak is set in the same world as Control (and Alan Wake II), there will be more for players to explore about this surreal place. The trailer showed off gunfights in the Federal Bureau of Control and the Oldest House, familiar settings to those who have played Control and its DLC. But with the different approach to gameplay, FBC: Firebreak isn't intended to be a direct sequel to the psychological hit game. "I guess you could say that it’s a spin-off, but in the most positive sense of the word," Game Director Mike Kayatta said. "It’s not designed to be some kind of lesser, bite-sized Control. FBC: Firebreak is its own, fully formed thing."

A co-op project from the studio was first teased all the way back in 2021. Firebreak has clearly gone through some refinements from the original concept Remedy announced with 505 Games. At the time, it was also working on a free-to-play co-op shooter with the conglomerate Tencent, but the codenamed Project Vanguard was scrapped in 2023. The duo attempted to reenvision the game as a premium title, but that also fell by the wayside.

FBC: Firebreak is currently scheduled for release in 2025 on the Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5. Remedy announced that the game will be on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch, as well as on the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium members. 

Update, October 17, 3:55 pm ET: Article has been updated with full launch platform and service information. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedys-new-game-is-fbc-firebreak-a-co-op-shooter-in-the-control-universe-180702570.html?src=rss

FCC now requires georouting for wireless calls to 988, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline

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The Federal Communications Commission has passed rules that will require all wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline to be georouted. Geographic routing ensures that attempts to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline for intervention services will be sent to the location where the call is placed rather than to the location of the caller's area code and exchange.

Once the rules take effect, national providers will have 30 days to implement georouting for these calls. Smaller, non-national providers have a timeline of 24 months to comply. The agency also issued a proposal that the same georouting policy be applied to texts sent to 988.

The FCC has taken several steps to expand the reach of the 988 Lifeline over the past few years. After voting to make the three-digit number the shortcut for reaching the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in 2020, the agency expanded the service to include text support in 2021. T-Mobile was one of the first telecoms to activate 988 for customers to access mental health services.

If you are struggling and need someone to listen, please, call 988. The full number is 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK), or you can reach the Lifeline by webchat.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/fcc-now-requires-georouting-for-wireless-calls-to-988-the-national-suicide-prevention-hotline-192030468.html?src=rss