Monthly Archives: November 2023

PlayStation One-inspired Handheld Console has a Built-in Disc Reader for Offline Gaming On-The-Go

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The PlayStation 5 may have gotten a design refresh in the form of a detachable disc drive… but this handheld concept gets a feature we never thought we’d see… handheld disc gaming! The MOI3D is a concept controller from the brains of Vadim Danilkov, who wanted to build a modern variant of the PS One. Debuted in 2000, the redesigned PS One was the highest-selling console that year (even outperforming the more capable PS2 which launched in the same year)… its highlight, a detachable LCD screen that made it a complete gaming solution that you could play with sans a TV. MOI3D builds on that retro vision, with a handheld variant that lets you play all your disc-based PS games going all the way back to the first PlayStation made. Pop the disc in the back and the console fires up, allowing you to relive almost 3 decades of gaming a la PlayStation!

Designer: Vadim Danilkov

The MOI3D was created as a part of Vadim’s broader CAD modeling and plastics rendering course back in the day, and only recently revived as a concept tech device given Sony’s odd PlayStation Portal debut that really confused the entire gaming world. While the Portal looked like a spiritual successor to the PSP, it turned out to be a glorified controller that only worked when wirelessly tethered to an existing PS5. The MOI3D has no such problem, given that it physically runs games on the device thanks to that built-in CD player.

The MOI3D’s aesthetic gets defined by the presence of this CD reader. While most handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck have a rather sensible rectangular shape, the MOI3D looks sort of like if a rectangle ate a circle. The weird form may be a deterrent for some, but I think it’s a classic example of form following function… and what the MOI3D loses in sleek appeal, it makes up for with its gaming chops and incredible backward compatibility.

The level of detailing in this concept is maddening to the point where I feel like it should just be a real product by now. Vadim’s pretty much built out every PCB, button, and plastic component in this device and that in itself is a design feat that’s difficult to achieve.

Keeping in line with current handheld consoles, the MOI3D has all the bells and whistles, including all the action buttons (even the L1/L2 and R1/R2 buttons on the shoulders), an HDMI out, and a USB-C port for charging. A centrally located button on the top surface helps open the CD tray, and at least from the looks of it, the one thing missing is a 3.5mm audio jack. To be fair, the MOI3D does have its own front-firing speaker units. That should definitely hold up wonderfully for some of the older games you’ll find yourself playing on the MOI3D, given its ability to support games from the original PS dating back to 1994! Online gaming could never compare itself to this…

The post PlayStation One-inspired Handheld Console has a Built-in Disc Reader for Offline Gaming On-The-Go first appeared on Yanko Design.

Tesla sues Sweden for blocking license plate deliveries during labor strike

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Tesla sued Sweden’s transportation agency and postal service on Monday over a union strike blocking the company’s license plate deliveries in the country. The workers are striking to demand the non-unionized automaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, a standard practice that mechanics’ union IF Metall describes as “the backbone of the Swedish model.” However, the Swedish Transport Agency says it already received an interim decision from a district court ordering it to consent within seven days to Tesla’s request to collect license plates or face hefty fines. The agency says it’s too early to say what exactly that means for the standoff.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Tesla, which delivered over 9,000 EVs to Swedish customers in 2022, described the actions of The Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) as a “unique attack” on the US company. Tesla’s lawsuit reportedly urges a district court to fine the Swedish Transport Agency 1 million kronor (US$95,803) while allowing Tesla to “retrieve license plates.” The registrations are held up because workers at state-owned postal service PostNord stopped supplying the plates to Tesla after its workers joined the strike.

The lawsuit allegedly claims the Swedish Transport Agency refused the automaker’s request to pick up the license plates itself or, failing that, send them through a different channel. Reuters reports Tesla filed two lawsuits: one against the Swedish Transport Agency and another against PostNord.

In a statement to Engadget, Swedish Transport Agency spokesperson Ann-Sofie Masth confirmed the lawsuit and revealed the court’s interim decision. “The Swedish Transport Agency has now received an interim decision from the Norrköping district court to consent within 7 days to Tesla collecting license plates directly from our sign manufacturer. It appears from the decision that our sign manufacturer has announced that it is prepared to provide the signs directly to Tesla, provided that the Swedish Transport Agency agrees to this. We at the Swedish Transport Agency now need to analyze the announcement and assess what consequences this has for us and what measures might need to be taken to implement the decision. It is currently too early to say exactly what that would mean.”

FILE- Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at Tesla's design studio March 14, 2019, in Hawthorne, Calif. A Florida judge ruled Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, that a jury should decide whether Tesla and Elon Musk oversold the electric car company's Autopilot system that caused the fatal crash of a software engineer who engaged it and took his hands off the steering wheel. A trial is scheduled for 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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Tesla, not exactly a union-friendly company, has a policy against signing collective bargaining agreements, claiming its employees already have equal or better terms than what the union proposed. The argument that it takes good enough care of its employees to void the need for a union echoes one Tesla CEO Elon Musk made in 2017 when accused of allegations of poor working conditions and low pay at the company’s Fremont, CA factory.

IF Metall, Sweden’s most prominent manufacturing union, began striking on October 27. Although Tesla doesn’t have a manufacturing plant in the country, it has several service centers, which stopped working on Tesla vehicles after going on strike. Other unions in the Nordic nation, including dockworkers, cleaners and electricians, have joined the strike in an act of unity. A component maker joined the unions on Friday in a sympathy action.

In Tesla’s court filing, the company reportedly described the decision as “a unique attack on a company operating in Sweden,” claiming the refusal to deliver the license plates would affect “a large number of consumers who ordered a new car from Tesla.”

In a statement to The AP, an IF Metall representative said, “We are doing this for the sake of our members, to ensure that they have safe working conditions.” A Swedish Transportation Agency spokesperson reportedly told Reuters, “We at the Swedish Transport Agency do not share this view and therefore Tesla has decided to have the issue tested in court, which is their right.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-sues-sweden-for-blocking-license-plate-deliveries-during-labor-strike-190547427.html?src=rss

Cyber Monday deal brings the Xbox Series X down to a record low of $400 on Amazon

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There are tons of great gaming deals floating around this Cyber Monday but few are better than one we've spotted for the Xbox Series X. After you apply a $49 coupon at Amazon, Microsoft's most powerful gaming console is available for $400. That's a record low price for the system — you could even put the savings toward a few months of Game Pass access. You'll probably need to act quickly if you're interested, though. There's no telling when this deal will vanish.

Along with the PlayStation 5 (which has its own Cyber Monday Deals), the Xbox Series X is your top choice for a current game console. There are a few factors to consider when buying a gaming system. If you need something more portable, a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck is the way to go. If you prefer Sony's formula of polished single-player adventures like The Last of Us or Spider-Man, the PlayStation 5 is likely your best option. Still, it's hard to beat the combination of power, 4K gaming, game library and price that the Xbox Series X offers.

The value of an Xbox Series X gets even better if you have an Xbox Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Xbox Game Pass ($11 per month) grants you access to a vast library of games on your console, including third-party titles. You'll be able to play every first-party game at no extra cost on its release day too. Game Pass Ultimate ($17 per month) adds online multiplayer and access to the PC Game Pass library, Xbox Cloud Gaming and EA Play (i.e. an extra batch of games from that publisher).

Xbox Game Pass includes hundreds of titles from major first-party games like the Halo series, Starfield, Minecraft, Doom Eternal and Forza Horizon 5 to stellar indies such as Hollow Knight, Jusant, Celeste and Cocoon. There are plenty of big-time third-party games available through the subscription too, including Assassin’s Creed Origins, Mortal Kombat 11, Madden NFL 23 and Grand Theft Auto V.

Best of all, you won't need to wait for those to download to your Xbox Series X if you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You can check many of them out via cloud streaming to decide whether it's worth downloading them.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cyber-monday-deal-brings-the-xbox-series-x-down-to-a-record-low-of-400-on-amazon-185303684.html?src=rss

Evernote is reportedly testing a severely restricted plan for free users

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Evernote is experimenting with severe restrictions to its free plan, which may nudge users to upgrade or quit the app entirely. According to a report from TechCrunch, some Evernote users were greeted with a pop-up message announcing that the free plan would be limited to a single notebook and 50 notes. The pop-up also introduced a "special 40 percent off" offer, encouraging users to upgrade to a paid plan to create notes and notebooks without limits.

But despite the in-app notification, Evernote's website has no mention of changes coming to its free plan. A representative for the company explained to TechCrunch that the website had not been updated because the change was not yet final. The company confirmed it has been testing the limited plan with less than 1 percent of its free users. Based on how that goes, Evernote will determine whether to implement the new plan. If that does happen, the representative said the company would then communicate the changes to “the relevant customer touch-points.”

The limited version of the free plan would not prevent users from managing, editing or deleting their current notes. It would only take away the ability to create new notes unless users took the plunge and paid for their plan.

For years, Evernote was the go-to app for countless power users and productivity gurus. However, the app has been kind of on a downward slide for a while. In 2020, it appeared Evernote was trying to reclaim its crown with the release of a major cross-platform redesign. But the updates weren't enough to revive the app, which was once valued at almost a billion dollars. Last November, Evernote was purchased by a Milan-based company called Bending Spoons, which went on to lay off 129 staffers. Bending Spoons later announced it would be abandoning most of its US operations, shifting Evernote development to Europe.

If implemented, this would be a dramatic change for die-hard Evernote fans who have stuck with the free plan for lightweight note-taking purposes. The change would make the free plan basically useless, and there would be no compelling reason to use Evernote over something free and more powerful like Apple and Google’s own note-taking apps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/evernote-is-reportedly-testing-a-severely-restricted-plan-for-free-users-184607336.html?src=rss

The Vitra ACX Is The Sustainable + Sleek Office Chair Of The Future With Essentially No Physical Controls

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One of the most important pieces of furniture in an office is an office chair. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office or a corporate one. Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic, and aesthetic as well. It needs to be back to support our backs and butts through a long day of dealing with tasks and completing important assignments. And, an exceptional office chair that would make a great addition to your office is the Vitra ACX.

Designer: Antonio Citterio and Vitra

Designed as a collaboration between Antonio Citterio and Vitra, the Vitra ACX is the tenth task chair created by the collaborators. The Vitra ACX is an evolution and culmination of the long-lasting partnership, and it is a neat fit for your home office or corporate office. The goal of the chair is to have a “long service life with the smallest possible carbon footprint”.

Vitra is dubbed as ACX’s most sustainable task chair available, and this claim is backed up by the fact that the chair has a 100% recyclable construction. It is built with a limited number of components to ensure that service and maintenance are simple and efficient. Citterio explains, “The use of up to 100% recyclable materials was the single most important factor in the design process.”

The Vitra ACX features a three-dimensional form-fitted knit that covers the backrest pretty minimally, without causing any intrusions of the seam. The fabric has a tactile imprint design which provides supportive softness. The mesh fabric design is quite airy, and an excellent option for those who want a lightweight fabric rather than a heavily padded traditional support. Also, the Vitra ACX doesn’t feature too many controls. Physical controls have been eliminated resulting in reduced weight, and the eradication of any confusion or doubt when it comes to operating the chair. Instead, ACX is equipped with a mechanism that automatically adjusts itself to the different kinds of users and their body weights. The seat’s height is still manually adjustable though.

The post The Vitra ACX Is The Sustainable + Sleek Office Chair Of The Future With Essentially No Physical Controls first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bungie confirms Destiny 2 expansion delay after team layoffs

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Bungie has officially delayed the forthcoming Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape, until June 4 of next year, according to a video posted by game director Joel Blackburn. This delay has been rumored for a couple of months, ever since the company laid off an unknown amount of staffers working on the project. The expansion was originally supposed to come out in February and will act as an end to the game’s main storyline.

Bungie, however, says the expansion's delay is just because it “needs more time to become exactly what we want it to be,” going on to note that staffers are polishing the title “to deliver an even bigger and bolder vision.” To that end, the company’s rejiggering its release calendar a bit to ease the burden of the just-announced delay.

Season of the Wish, the final season in the game’s calendar before it moves onto an episodic model, starts tomorrow and will now include more content than previously anticipated to offset the delay. Starting in February, there will be weekly progression-based quests called Wishes that offer unique rewards. Bungie’s also moving the Guardian Games up to March with a renewed focus on class vs. class combat. Finally, in April players will get a two-month content update called Destiny 2: Into the Light that will act as something of a bridge to The Final Shape.

The forthcoming expansion wasn’t the only title slapped with the delay hammer after those layoffs. The studio has also pushed back the release date for the extraction shooter Marathon all the way until 2025. This is a rebooted IP for Bungie that first came to Macs all the way back in 1994.

As for The Final Shape, the expansion will include new dungeons, new maps, new character classes and much more. You’ll also get a final bow wrapped on the story, for those who play online shooters for the narrative arc.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bungie-confirms-destiny-2-expansion-delay-after-team-layoffs-180529846.html?src=rss

PS5 Cyber Monday sale 2023: Deals on a console bundle with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 included

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The PlayStation 5 has been around for three years, if you can believe that. If you don't already have Sony's current console, there are some solid deals that might tempt you to take the plunge. The system is $50 off at GameStop with some caveats, but if you're planning to play Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there are bundles at Amazon that might make more sense for you. You can buy the new, slimmer PS5 model and either game for $499. In other words, you'll be getting a $70 game you might have already been planning to check out for free.

While many folks found it difficult to get their hands on the PS5 during the console's first couple of years, Sony has smoothed out the supply issues. Both the standard and all-digital versions of the console are readily available. Sony released updated models that are slimmer and lighter earlier this month.

The PS5 is a great console and an excellent entry point for those looking to get into modern gaming. It's certainly a worthwhile upgrade from the PlayStation 4 at this point. While we've seen many major games hit both PS4 and PS5 over the last few years, publishers and developers are making more titles exclusive to the current generation of consoles.

Sony's current system has a fantastic controller in the DualSense. When a game embraces the feature fully, the vibrations of the haptic feedback add an extra level of immersion. A high-end version of the controller is available for serious competitive players, while the highly customizable, accessibility minded Access controller will be available in December.

The PS5 is capable of delivering impressive visuals at framerates of up to 120 fps. While the library of games perhaps wasn't the most enticing at the outset, there's now a ton of great titles available for the console (nearly every PS4 game is playable on PS5 too).

On that note, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an excellent followup to the previous games in the series, Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. You'll switch between Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the two superheroes attempt to (what else?) stop bad guys with nefarious plans. Hot tip: don't skip the side missions. These include some truly lovely stories and they offer a nice break from the main missions.

As for Modern Warfare 3, the campaign is underbaked, but let's face it: you're probably more likely to be interested in the multiplayer and/or zombies modes. Multiplayer has a major nostalgia factor as it includes all of the launch maps from 2009's original Modern Warfare 2. In addition, for the first time in the Call of Duty series, almost all of your gear will carry over from last year's game, the rebooted Modern Warfare 2.

Meanwhile, if you'd prefer just to have a discount on the standard PS5 model, you can snap one up from GameStop for $450, or $50 off. There are a few things to keep in mind here. The discount is for the original, beefier model and it only applies if you opt for same-day delivery ($13) or in-store pick up (in which case GameStop will give you another $5 off). As such, you'll need to be close enough to a GameStop to be eligible.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-cyber-monday-sale-2023-deals-on-a-console-bundle-with-marvels-spider-man-2-included-173911763.html?src=rss

Nissan Hyper Adventure concept lets you have an eco-friendly outdoor trip

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If you’re the type to go on adventurous trips but would also like to take care of the carbon footprint that you leave behind, you are lucky to live in an era where brands are also intentional about the products that they create. Having environment friendly products are now the norm if you want to score points with Mother Earth and with the eco-conscious market. The latest vehicle concept that Nissan unveiled seems to fit into this category.

Designer: Nissan

The Nissan Hyper Adventure is the second concept in the Electronic Vehicle category that they have announced and is specifically designed for those who want to go on eco-friendly outdoor adventures. The renders show a futuristic design for a vehicle that can survive going through a snowy mountain or the rainy trail in a rainforest. It is designed with the e-4ORCE all-wheel-control system so you can get to your destination safely. It also looks pretty spacious inside so you can drive comfortably and even use the vehicle as your shelter if you feel like going “camping” or sleeping outdoors.

The vehicle has a glass that integrates the roof and side windows as well as the flush surface of the back. It also has crampons or snow traction gears on the wheels and bumpers so it can drive through snowy areas. It also has a wide field of view since the instrument panel is connected to the bottom of the windshield. There is enough cargo space for things like tents, skis, and can even fit a kayak. The rear bench seat can be rotated 180 degrees so you can sit facing outside and it even has automatic extendable and retractable steps.

The Nissan Hyper Adventure comes with a large-capacity battery that can also become an energy source. It should be able to power the gadgets and equipment that you’ll use on your outdoor adventure. It also uses the V2X (vehicle-to-everything) capability so it can even power a house. It’s an interesting concept but we’ll have to wait if it becomes an actual vehicle.

The post Nissan Hyper Adventure concept lets you have an eco-friendly outdoor trip first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dyson Cyber Monday deals for 2023: Save up to $250 on cordless vacuums, plus the Airwrap for its lowest price yet

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It’s Cyber Monday and Dyson is celebrating with deep discounts on a wide variety of cordless vacuums and related products, with a sale that’s basically an extension of its Black Friday offerings. The highlight is $250 off the V15 Detect Absolute stick vacuum, which is now $500 instead of $750. This is actually a better deal than the company presented for Black Friday.

The V15 boasts an integrated laser light and a dust particle counter to show you just how much dirt and grime it has picked up from your floor, which is great from a cleanliness perspective but bad from an “out of sight, out of mind” perspective. We really enjoyed the vacuum when we tried it back in 2021, touting its superior cleaning abilities and calling it “reliable, powerful and habit-forming.”

The V15 Detect Absolute also includes a laser-powered optic cleaner head and a handy LCD on the handle that displays the level of dust particles rummaging around the floor, along with battery life and other important metrics. To that end, you get around an hour of use per charge, with an eco mode to conserve battery life and a boost mode to do the opposite. Of course, you can also convert this little bud into a stubby handheld for hard-to-reach areas.

If $500 is just a bit too spendy for a vacuum, Dyson is also holding a sale on the V8 Absolute, bringing it down to $280 from $520. The motor isn’t as powerful as the V15, but there are plenty of other bells and whistles. This is a lighter model than the V15 that ships with two cleaner heads, with a battery that gets 40 minutes of use per charge.

Finally, Amazon is selling the Dyson Airwrap for $480, instead of the typical asking price of $600. This hair styler features a powerful motor that constantly moves air around, so there’s a reduced risk of accidental follicle damage when compared to rival products. This set comes with several accessories, including two different barrels, a smoothing brush, a round brush, a protective case and more.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dyson-cyber-monday-deals-for-2023-save-up-to-250-on-cordless-vacuums-plus-the-airwrap-for-its-lowest-price-yet-160454162.html?src=rss