Author Archives: Mat Smith

The Morning After: The US Treasury finalizes tax rules for crypto

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Welcome to the first day of July. Summer is here in earnest, but let me keep you, briefly, indoors with tales of finalized rules for crypto in the US, and how Lego is making bricks from stardust. 

A new rule finalized by the US Treasury Department will ensure that people that dipped their toes into crypto (and crypto trading) are paying the proper amount on their sales. The new rule will require cryptocurrency platforms like exchanges and payment processors to report their users' transactions to the IRS. Brokers will have to start reporting sales proceeds on digital assets in 2026 for all transactions accomplished in 2025, which means crypto traders are still on their own for now.

The rule will make easier for people to declare their earnings because their brokers will now have to provide them with a 1099 form. The form has a threshold of $10,000 to report on transactions involving stablecoin, which are cryptocurrencies that track fiat money like the US dollar.

— Mat Smith

China is plowing $11 billion into a solar, wind and coal energy project

Samsung’s Unpacked 2024 event: What to expect

Amazon Prime Day 2024: The best early Prime Day deals

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Officials insisted in a press conference Friday afternoon that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are not “stranded” on the International Space Station. “We’re not in a rush to come home,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Boeing’s Starliner has been docked with the ISS since June 6 for what was meant to be a 10-day flight test. However, during approach, the craft experienced problems with five of its thrusters, and a known helium leak appeared to worsen.

It was initially stated that Starliner could only stay docked at the ISS for a maximum of 45 days due to limitations with its batteries, but Stich said during the conference that these batteries are being recharged by the space station, so this can be extended.

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The US has a higher incarceration rate per 100,000 people in its population than any other NATO country. Hashem Al-Ghaili, a molecular biologist and science communicator, claims he’s got the solution. In an interview with Wired, he outlined how a virtual prison could work. Instead of locking prisoners up for long periods of time, prisoners would be subjected to artificial memories in a virtual environment. The system creates customized AI-generated content that’s converted to visual information and delivered to the prisoner’s brain as well as the parts of their DNA and RNA linked to memory formation to establish a long term memory pattern. There are a lot of wrinkles and road bumps, but the biggest may be that such technology just doesn’t exist.

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Image of a lego brick made with moondust
Lego

Lego has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to make Lego pieces from actual meteorite dust. They are on display at several Lego store locations until September 20, although it all isn’t just for giggles, or Lego kit upsell. It’s a proof of concept to show how astronauts could use moondust to build lunar structures.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-us-treasury-finalizes-tax-rules-for-crypto-111534062.html?src=rss

The Morning After: What to expect at Samsung’s Unpacked 2024 event

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Samsung's latest Unpacked event will kick off on July 10th. The company has already released its latest flagship phones this year, unveiling the S24 family. But now it’s time for its spinoff smartphones: the foldables. That and the long-teased Galaxy Ring. The tiny wearable is slated to arrive “in or around August,” so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn’t appear at Unpacked. The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep.  

I’m expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to appear, although with minor tweaks that might not warrant an upgrade from last year’s foldables. That said, rumors suggest that Samsung might use the same 50MP camera as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 in the Flip 6, which has traditionally had less-powerful cameras than the other Samsung flagships.

On top of all that, Samsung is likely to offer refreshed smartwatches and possibly an update to its wireless buds. (Yes, there have been leaks.) Samsung is set to mimic Apple’s AirPods by adopting a stem design on its buds. That’s funny, because when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds Live in 2020, it trumpeted the lack of an “awkward stem.”

— Mat Smith

 

Please don’t get your news from AI chatbots

Bluesky starter packs help new users find their way

Amazon is giving away 15 free video games ahead of Prime Day 2024

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Dune director Villeneuve casts scorn on Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket

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Marvel

A Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket will apparently appear alongside the movie, featuring the yellow Wolverine’s head, with a mouthful of popcorn. And people have opinions. Movie people.

“I’m not saying I don’t like the bucket,” Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve said. “I’m just saying it was difficult to beat the Dune bucket. It was like one of a kind.” Until it came out. Theaters and studios produced special buckets for other movies, like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ghost trap and ECTO-1 buckets, Wonka’s hat bucket and Inside Out 2’s core memory receptacle bucket. 

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Ubisoft boss, Yves Guillemot, revealed in an interview on the company’s website that Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works. In the remakes, the company could revisit and modernize older AC worlds — something the first three games could benefit from hugely. I’m up for prettier raytraced Renaissance Italy. 

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag may be one of those remakes. This entry introduced naval battles, which were spun out (and mired in development hell) in Skull and Bones. Fun fact: I watched a demo of the pirate sim in 2017, played a demo in 2018 but the game didn’t come out till 2023. 

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Valve has added a list of the 100 most-played titles on the Steam Deck. You can sort information by the past week, month or year, and it will update daily. The top 5: Elden Ring holds the top spot after the recent DLC launch. Then, Stardew Valley and my new favorite deck-builder, Balatro. Intriguingly, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is in fifth, beating out Fallout 4. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-what-to-expect-at-samsungs-unpacked-2024-event-111539176.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Microsoft’s Surface Pro Copilot+ is the best Surface tablet yet

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Twelve years on, Microsoft has finally made an Arm-powered Surface tablet that doesn’t send our reviewers into a rage. The 2024 Surface Pro, or the Surface Pro Copilot+, is the fastest and most efficient Microsoft tablet we’ve seen, especially when paired with its Flex keyboard. The new OLED screen is great, and its NPU allows for powerful AI features.

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Engadget

However, those much-hyped AI features are far less compelling than the one-two punch of speed and solid battery life. (Take note: That’s most of what we want, laptop/tablet makers.) You can use Cocreator in Paint to generate AI images alongside text prompts and doodles, and the device can translate 40-plus languages into English using Windows 11’s Live Captions feature. The controversial Recall capability, meant to help you find anything you were doing on your computer through a natural conversation, is nowhere to be seen. There are security concerns other accounts could get into your Recall data.

A shame the keyboards are sold separately, though. Check out the full review right here.

— Mat Smith

Rabbit R1 security issue allegedly leaves sensitive user data accessible to anybody

Even FromSoftware agrees Elden Ring’s DLC was too difficult

Amazon Prime Day 2024: The best early Prime Day deals

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University of Tokyo

A team of scientists from the University of Tokyo and Harvard University is investigating how to create humanoid robots with skin that feels real. The process includes creating partly terrifying and partly adorable experimental machines with skin, like this smiley face. Broadly, the process tries to attach the skin to a layer beneath it, like real skin. The technique is called perforation-type anchors.

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Of course, AI nonsense will be connected to this year’s Olympics. “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” will let you choose your favorite sports and highlight types for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and an AI-generated Michaels will read a 10-minute customized recap of the previous day’s events based on your preferences. In fairness, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the AI-generated speech from Michaels’ real voice.

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Amazon may be working hard on a new chatbot called Metis. The company is using a different generation model, called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). RAG “redirects the LLM to retrieve relevant information from authoritative, predetermined knowledge sources.” This means the model can tap into data that can be updated separately without retraining and could allow it to access up-to-date information. According to a Business Insider report, the model would be for consumers, not businesses, where it’s already offering its Amazon Q AI model.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-microsofts-surface-pro-copilot-is-the-best-surface-tablet-yet-111534749.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Microsoft might be the latest company to violate antitrust laws

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Nearly a year after the European Commission opened its investigation into Microsoft, the European Union’s executive body’s preliminary findings say the company violated antitrust laws by tying Microsoft Teams to its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 business suites. (Microsoft pulled Teams for users in the EU back in October.)

This all kicked off in 2020 when Slack — rival work chat software similar to Teams — filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft, claiming it broke the EU’s competition rules in bundling Teams.

The European Commission said Microsoft “may have granted Teams a distribution advantage by not giving customers the choice whether or not to acquire access to Teams when they subscribe to their SaaS productivity applications.”

If you think you’ve heard similar EU-versus-tech very recently, you’d be right: Apple could face a similar fine for its App Store. I wrote about that only yesterday.

— Mat Smith

Julian Assange pleads guilty to espionage but defends himself in court

UE’s Everboom speaker is a smaller, floatable version of its Epicboom

Tesla’s Cybertruck has been recalled again

Samsung’s next Unpacked event is set for July 10

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Engadget

Just like last year, Motorola’s foldable Razr line has two devices: the flagship Razr+, which starts at $1,000, and a more affordable foldable from $700. Both feature a 6.9-inch flexible OLED interior display, with a 165Hz refresh rate for the Razr+ and a 120Hz panel on the cheaper version. Both have an expansive front screen with cut-out spaces for the cameras. Now, you can open basically any app on the Razrs’ front display, with the only exceptions being apps that require more pixels and space. Both the Razr and Razr+ will be available for pre-order from July 10, with official sales slated for July 24. Oh, and the company unveiled its own Bluetooth tracker too.

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A 13-year-old boy with severe epilepsy has become the first person in the world to receive a brain implant that keeps seizures under control. In the United Kingdom, Oran Knowlson had a Picostim neurostimulator fitted into his brain to address Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare treatment-resistant form of epilepsy. Since receiving the implant, Oran’s daytime seizures have been reduced by 80 percent. Previously, his seizures were so severe he required constant care and, after some attacks, often needed resuscitating.

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Watch this creepy AI-generated origin story made by Toys ‘R’ Us

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Toys R Us

Toys ‘R’ Us’s current owner — the original company went bankrupt a few years ago — WHP Global, worked with the Emmy-nominated creative agency Native Foreign to create a short brand film called The Origin of Toys ‘R’ Us using OpenAI’s text-to-video creator Sora. It hits the rough beats of an earnest child dreaming, while surrounded by bikes and a tiny toy giraffe. The film premiered at Cannes, somehow.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-microsoft-might-be-the-latest-company-to-violate-antitrust-laws-111516739.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple may face another huge EU fine

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The European Union isn’t entirely happy with Apple’s approach to its Digital Markets Act and there could be financial consequences. In preliminary findings of its investigation, the European Commission says the company breached Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules by failing to let App Store developers freely tell users about alternate payment options outside of Apple’s ecosystem, what it calls anti-steering rules.

It has been investigating Apple’s behavior since March. Regulators added that although Apple is entitled to receive a payment for helping developers find new customers through the App Store, “the fees charged by Apple go beyond what is strictly necessary for such remuneration.”

Apple told Engadget in a statement, “We are confident our plan complies with the law and estimate more than 99 percent of developers would pay the same or less in fees to Apple under the new business terms we created.”

There are wider repercussions: Apple is reportedly planning to withhold those intriguing new AI features in Europe due to regulations and the possibility that they could affect privacy rules.

— Mat Smith

Paramount+ is raising prices again for all of the Tulsa King fans out there

Google is reportedly building AI chatbots based on celebrities and influencers

Uber is locking New York drivers out of its apps and blaming a city pay rule

New difficulty mod in Stardew Valley will purge your saves if you use a guide

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The US government has issued a warning to employees with Pixel phones, mandating a security update by July 4. It’s a high-severity firmware vulnerability in the Android operating system that could open up devices to “limited, targeted exploitation.” Government employees who do not install the security update by July 4 must “discontinue use of the product.” However, patch notes and comments aren’t specific about how it works.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison and has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act. According to a letter from the US Department of Justice obtained by The Washington Post, Assange is specifically pleading guilty to “conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defense of the United States.”

He will return to Australia, his country of citizenship, right after the proceedings. The Justice Department prosecutors are reportedly recommending a sentence of 62 months, and as Assange already spent more than five years in a UK prison, he won’t be spending any time behind bars in the US.

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FromSoftware

Elden Ring’s giant Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dropped on Friday, and the first big bad you’ll face is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a fearsome creature that uses wind, lightning and ice attacks. But it’s not really a lion. It’s two giants in a costume, a la traditional Chinese dance lions. That information, however, probably won’t help you beat it. The DLC is even more punishing than the base game.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-may-face-another-huge-eu-fine-114236055.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Elon Musk deepfakes are pushing crypto giveaways

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It’s been a weekend of crypto scams, hacks and deepfake chaos. Late on Friday, someone hacked 50 Cent’s accounts to push memecoin GUNIT and made off with millions. The exact amount is unclear; Fiddy himself wrote on Instagram, “whoever did this made $3,000,000 in 30 minutes.” The rapper’s X account and website were hacked at the same time.

Then, multiple deepfakes of Elon Musk were spotted on YouTube, telling viewers to deposit their crypto on a suspicious website, promising free crypto in return. Now taken down, the looped video showed Musk at what looked like a livestream from a Tesla event, with an AI-generated version of his voice instructing viewers to visit a website and deposit their Bitcoin, Ethereum or Dogecoin to enter the competition. Over 30,000 viewers tuned into the stream at one point, pushing it to the top of YouTube’s Live Now recommendations.

Don’t take investment advice from rappers and social media network owners.

— Mat Smith

Doctor Who: Empire of Death review: Take your dog for a walk

Watch our BTS guide to Summer Games Fest 2024

Amazon Prime Day 2024: The best deals ahead of Prime Day

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Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew on the heavily delayed first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner craft, won’t be returning from the International Space Station until sometime next month, instead of, well, earlier this month. NASA announced last night that it’s pushing the date of their return trip even further to review problems with Starliner’s first flight.

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I love it when an Engadget writer solves a problem I have. You might be used to using VPNs to stream video content from other regions, but it falls apart a bit if you’re trying to view it on your TV. That’s where this guide comes in. Alongside guides for smart TVs and TV dongles, there’s a great tip I hadn’t thought of: using an HDMI cable to pipe video directly from your phone. Smart!

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Jetflicks once boasted visitors could watch just about any TV show or movie “Anytime. Anywhere.” A jury in a Las Vegas federal court found the people behind the site guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Jetflicks used computer scripts and software to scour the internet for illegal copies of movies and television shows and posted hundreds of thousands of illegal copies as far back as 2007 from torrent and Usenet sites — back when illegally watching shows and movies was a little more challenging.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-elon-musk-deepfakes-are-pushing-crypto-giveaways-111500963.html?src=rss

The Morning After: How small claims court became Meta’s customer service hotline

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Did you know Meta has a customer services department? If you have a problem with Facebook, Instagram and the rest, you might find it hard to get some of that service. Instead, people have been taking Meta to small claims court to get some kind of response to their complaints. Engadget spoke with five individuals who have sued Meta in small claims court over the last two years. In three cases, the plaintiffs were able to restore access to at least one lost account, but all eventually got the attention of Meta’s legal team.

The company has argued that it is not liable for more than $100 in damages according to its terms of service. However, some plaintiffs were awarded thousands of dollars — which still might pale compared to lost earnings for those whose businesses revolve around their Facebook or Instagram presence. We chart the mixed results of these users and Meta’s logic in giving them so much attention.

— Mat Smith

The best SSDs in 2024

Apple reportedly has plans for a thinner iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Apple Watch

More than 1,000 students pledge not to work at Google and Amazon due to Project Nimbus

Netflix House will open two locations in Texas and Pennsylvania in 2025

The Webb Telescope’s dazzling nebula image supports a long-held theory

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You may have already noticed, but Amazon says it's reduced its use of plastic airbags included with its packages, shifting to compostable paper filler in most cases. It plans to eliminate using them by the end of the year. It’s a move in the right direction: In 2021, the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana estimated that the waste produced from plastic air pillows alone “would circle the Earth more than 600 times.”

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Ubisoft

Ubisoft has released a trailer for its remake of the cult classic game Beyond Good and Evil, adding that it will launch on June 25. The understated cult hit has been upgraded to 4K and 60FPS – it was initially released on the PS2, so you’ll see the difference. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with physical copies going on sale next month, too. What about the sequel that has been revealed, teased, promised, and… seen (by me!)? No word.

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The Biden administration has taken sweeping action to ban Kaspersky Labs from selling its antivirus products to US customers. A source told Reuters that the company's connections to the Russian government made it a security risk. In a statement included in the report, Kaspersky added that its activities did not threaten national security and that it would pursue legal options. The FCC put Kaspersky on its list of companies posing unacceptable security risks in 2022, while back in 2017, federal agencies in the US banned Kaspersky products. The company cannot sell to new customers starting in July.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-how-small-claims-court-became-metas-customer-service-hotline-111555251.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Congress’ clean energy bill passes with major focus on nuclear

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The Senate has passed a sweeping bill that includes a lot of incentives for nuclear energy. The Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act passed in a vote, 88 to 2. The earlier version of the bill also garnered bipartisan support in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Those incentives will include financial awards for the first companies to upcycle recycled nuclear waste. The bill will change the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, streamlining the application and regulatory process for new reactors. Following the bill's passage, US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works chairman Tom Carper said in a statement: "The ADVANCE Act will provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the tools and workforce it needs to review new nuclear technologies efficiently while maintaining the NRC's critical safety mission and creating thousands of jobs."

Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey were the two opposing votes, with the latter arguing that the ADVANCE Act turns the NRC into a facilitator rather than a regulator. "This bill puts promotion over protection, and corporate profits over community clean-up," Markey stated.

Environmental groups have reacted strongly both for and against the bill. Dr. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said in a statement: “Make no mistake: This is not about making the reactor licensing process more efficient, but about weakening safety and security oversight across the board, a longstanding industry goal.”

— Mat Smith

Pornhub to leave five more states over age-verification laws

More than 1,000 students pledge not to work at Google and Amazon due to Project Nimbus

Sennheiser Momentum Sport review: Fitness earbuds that lack finesse

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Engadget

For just $80, Logitech’s Keys-To-Go 2 is a surprisingly versatile universal travel keyboard. Its battery lasts a long time, it has a handy built-in cover, and it is easy to use between multiple devices. It’s also incredibly thin. Niche, yes. Good, yes.

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Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has issued a statement supporting efforts to restrict the use of smartphones in schools within the state. He did so mere hours before board members of Los Angeles’ school district voted to pass a proposal for a school phone ban. Newsom said he will work with lawmakers "to restrict the use of smartphones during the school day" this summer, because children and teens "should be focused on their studies — not their screens." While LA's board members ultimately passed the proposal for a phone ban, two members voted against it. One told The New York Times that he voted no because teachers are already having difficulties imposing existing restrictions. He added that parents need to be able to contact their children during emergencies, like school shootings. And that is bleak.

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Wera

The march of big-budget Tolkien fantasy has hit gaming yet again. While ignoring Gollum’s misadventures, another game, Tales of the Shire, offers a gentler, low-stakes way to play in the universe of Bagginses, lembas bread, and Gandalf. Don’t expect fighting of any kind, but if you’re looking for a gentle Animal Crossing / Stardew Valley experience, this might hit the spot.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-congress-clean-energy-bill-passes-with-major-focus-on-nuclear-111554248.html?src=rss

Tales of the Shire is a cozy village sim where you can’t run, but you can skip

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The march of big-budget Tolkien fantasy has hit gaming yet again. While ignoring Gollum’s misadventures, another game, Tales of the Shire, offers a gentler, low-stakes way to play in the universe of Bagginses, lembas bread, and Gandalf.

Set somewhere between the end of The Hobbit, but before it all kicked off in Lord of the Rings, Tales of the Shire sees you settling into Bywater, helping fellow villagers achieve their tasks and dreams. That involves fishing, farming vegetables and cooking up a storm to improve your relationships and unlock new recipes and possibly other activities.

The game’s simple but effective home decoration system allows you to move a single book or an entire table (and everything on it). In fact, the whole of Tales of the Shire seems designed as a gentle introduction to cozy gardening game mechanics, with its cooking and general good-neighborly activities. A cute system of bluebirds helps you navigate the snug but packed hamlet. (If it’s not a village, it’s a hamlet, right?). And when you run – you don't run, you skip.

If anything, it’s a bit too familiar. You can fish, farm and cook some dishes, and these activities offer rewards that can all be tracked elsewhere in the village, just like countless other farming and village life sims. The overarching aim is to help turn Bywater into a bonafide village by helping your neighbors with their various projects and challenges. During a brief demo, I was tasked with developing a new menu for the local inn. I had to pick my ingredients and seasonings carefully to hit the right flavor profile of dishes representing the story of Bilbo Baggins’ adventures to steal treasure from a dragon. But Tales of the Shire isn’t reinventing the genre.

The Tolkien references are present but not overwhelming — this is another cute countryside village that needs a bit of help — just that everyone has hairy big feet. The development team told me their writing team included a “Tolkien expert” to make sure that sidequests, stories and characters still fit cohesively into the author’s vision. I think that generally means maximum whimsy. Expect lots of food-based chilling by the riverbanks and cozy errands.

Tales of the Shire
Weta

Even the relationship mechanism between your customizable character and the rest of the village is based on making dinner to forge bonds and deepen connections. Hosting a mean dinner party opens up more quests, and – just as crucial – more potent recipes for schmoozing and feeding other villagers. Meal crafting itself is a relatively short minigame in which you can riff off base ingredients to incorporate your guests’ favorite flavors. Some fish, for example, may have a salty or hot flavor profile, improving your odds of making a new friend. A little graph guides your cooking prep as you aim for the best consistency and texture for your culinary creations.

According to the team behind it, Tales of the Shire is intentionally slow-paced. It aims to be forgiving and doesn’t punish the player if they mess up a task or fail to complete it. Time passes slowly, giving the player enough time to walk (or skip) to other parts of the village. My demo was a relaxing, if predictable, jaunt around the Shire, but could be a tempting new game for Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley fans, all with the cultural pull of Tolkien.

Tales of the Shire will be released later this year for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tales-of-the-shire-is-a-cozy-village-sim-where-you-cant-run-but-you-can-skip-130027018.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The biggest announcements from Nintendo Direct

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Nintendo sidestepped sharing the spotlight with all the other gaming companies at Summer Game Fest last week, promising its own Direct later in June. And that happened yesterday, teasing a lot of new games with Nintendo favorites. Mario games, yes. Zelda games, yes, and even a new Metroid game, confirmed. (More on that below the fold).

The funny thing is the new Zelda game is all about… Zelda. You play as the princess in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It opens where most Zelda games finish, with Link defeating Ganon. But just as he frees Princess Zelda, our usual hero is sucked into an alternate dimension. The game is played top-down and borrows the art style of the Link’s Awakening remake. However, Zelda’s main weapon and tool is the trirod. With this, she can copy many items and use these “echoes” to navigate the world. You can even create echoes of monsters to fight for Zelda.

Nintendo’s 40-minute update also included release dates for the forthcoming Dragon Quest remake, a new Mario Party title and news that feline adventure Stray is coming to Switch.

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— Mat Smith

Here are all of the just-announced Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X chips

Black Myth: Wukong is pretty, intriguing and as challenging as it looks

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Engadget

The Solo Buds cover the basics, but that’s about it. Audio quality is flat, unless you’re listening to Dolby Atmos content in Apple Music, but at least the earbuds are comfy with long battery life. Then again, they only cost 80 bucks.

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Fisker has officially declared bankruptcy. The US-based startup filed for Chapter 11 protections and plans to restructure its debt and sell its assets. This means the Alaska EV with a designated cowboy hat space — not a joke — will likely never happen. Fisker revealed in a recent report that it had produced 10,193 units of its sole EV available, the Ocean SUV, in 2023, but only delivered 4,929 vehicles.

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Habbo Hotel: Origins, on Mac today, revives the 2005 PC game in all its nostalgic glory. If you never played Habbo Hotel 20 years ago, the game is an online community, in the format of, well, a hotel. Your avatar can chat with your friends in the virtual hotel lobby and spend in-game credits on furniture and accessories.

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After 18 years and a complete reboot, Samus Aran will return in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, next year. We got our first glimpse of the game too, with Samus duking it out with aliens in typical Metroid style. The teaser ends with the reveal of a new big bad. It’s wearing a suit like our hero but is flanked by two floating metroids. Ominous? Yes.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-biggest-announcements-from-nintendo-direct-111547910.html?src=rss