A new tactical RPG game for PCs from Ubisoft requires NFTs to play it. Per IGN Ubisoft Quartz, the publisher’s NFT platform, has released Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles without much fanfare.
It’s not really billed as a Web3-based game in the trailer, probably because NFTs are as popular of an investment as Blackberry phones or fax machines. However, it still plays a major part in Champions Tactics. The game starts you with a handful of free temporary figurines to start you off but you’ll need to buy your own NFTs to compete using in-game currency or cryptocurrency that can reach into the thousands. The highest figurine called the "Swift Zealot" will set you back $63,000.
Ubisoft launched its NFT platform Quartz a little under three years ago to a wave of backlash. The announcement video on YouTube attracted more than 35,000 dislikes in 24 hours and open criticisms from consumers and employees who felt its environmental impact was not worth the risk. The launch included a set of 15 NFTs in the form of skins and guns for Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The publisher only sold 18 NFTs in its first few weeks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/ubisoft-stealth-released-an-nft-game-absolutely-no-one-needs-172145079.html?src=rss
Autonomous delivery vehicle company Avride has a fresh design — and NVIDIA AI brains. The company’s engineers have swapped out the old six-wheel configuration for a more efficient four-wheel chassis. It can make 180-degree turns almost instantly, effortlessly park on inclines and move faster without compromising safety.
Avride has been working on autonomous delivery robots since 2019. It began as part of Russian tech company Yandex’s autonomous driving wing. But the spun-off company divested its Russian assets after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and rebranded as Avride. It’s now owned by the Netherlands-based Nebius Group (formerly Yandex N.V.), headquartered in Austin, TX and making deals with the likes of Uber.
The company’s latest delivery robot shakes up one of the few constants from previous iterations: They all had six wheels. The new four-wheel robo-buggy uses a “groundbreaking chassis design” that eliminates some of the rough spots from older generations. These included additional friction and tire wear caused by excessive braking required for turns, lower maneuverability and less precise trajectory execution. Avride says the new model dramatically improves on all of those counts.
Avride
The new vehicle’s wheels are mounted on movable arms attached to a pivoting axle. For turns, each wheel glides along a circular path stabilized by the central arm. “This design allows the wheels to rotate both inward and outward, reducing friction during turns,” the company wrote in its announcement blog post.
Central to the new design is ditching the traditional front and rear axles for mechanically connected wheel pairs on each side. Avride says this enables simultaneous turning angle adjustment, leading to more precise positioning and maneuvers.
Among the results of the fresh approach are almost instant 180-degree turns. Avride says this especially helps when navigating narrow sidewalks, where sudden adjustments could be necessary. Parking on slopes is also more energy efficient: It now sets its wheels in a cross pattern to park in place without careening downward. The tighter controls also let the company increase its maximum speed. “This means faster deliveries for our customers,” the company wrote. (And, presumably, more profit.)
Avride
Not only did the new generation of delivery bots get a new body, but it also got smarter. Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform, essentially an “AI brain for robots,” the vehicles can now tap into neural networks as powerful as those in full-size autonomous cars. This lets them process “vast amounts” of sensor data like lidar inputs and camera feeds in real time.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a delivery buggy without a cargo compartment — and that got an upgrade, too. The new model has a fully detachable storage section, allowing for modular swap-outs for different purposes. Avride says its standard cargo hold is big enough to hold several large pizzas and drinks or multiple grocery bags. It also adds a sliding lid that only provides access to the correct section, helping to avoid delivering orders to the wrong customers.
Engineering and design nerds can read much more detail about the new robots in Avride’s Medium post.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/avrides-next-gen-delivery-robot-ditches-two-wheels-and-adds-nvidia-ai-brains-171053813.html?src=rss
Panic is holding another showcase for its Playdate portable console on October 31, and you can watch it via the company’s YouTube page. We’ve dropped a stream below for your convenience. The developer promises a focus on upcoming games for the diminutive yellow console, in addition to updates of released titles and “a couple more surprises.”
The livestream starts at 1PM ET. Previous showcase events have lasted around 40 minutes, giving the company plenty of time to detail a whole slew of new crank-powered gems. The stream also heralds the beginning of the second-ever Playdate Catalog Sale, which will run from October 31 until November 14.
Panic says that over 160 games will be on sale, including popular titles like Root Bear, P-Racing, Echo: The Oracle Scroll and Zero Zero: Perfect Stop. Some of these games will be available at their lowest prices ever. The previous sale was an absolute boon for those looking to winnow down their wish lists.
Panic
For the uninitiated, the Playdate is a retro-styled portable console that looks sort of like an OG Gameboy. It’s bright yellow and features a hand-controlled crank that’s used as a primary control input in many games. We love the thing and have called it an “inspiration machine” and “the future of game development.” There are hundreds of indie games available for the console, and many of them are quite good.
The only bad news? The Playdate console itself is currently on back order. Shipments for new orders won’t start going out until December, at the soonest.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-latest-playdate-showcase-170055652.html?src=rss
In a new video caught by TechCrunch, Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot Atlas can be seen working autonomously in a demo space, sorting engine parts between numbered bins. The company claims that Atlas doesn’t need to be controlled by humans to do work.
According to the video description, Atlas uses machine learning to detect environmental changes and work around them. It also has a “specialized grasping policy” to help it maintain a firm hold on objects, continuously estimating the state of what it’s holding. After receiving some bin locations to move parts between, Atlas will get to work without prescribed movements, opting to perform tasks independently.
In contrast, Tesla’s Optimus robots were said to receive human remote assistance despite autonomy claims. The Optimus robots were at a live event and, when asked, answered that they were being assisted.
The video shows Atlas sorting and moving the engine parts to designated locations. It does well, transporting them without much awkwardness. After placing one part into a bin, the robot will repeat the process for other parts.
Atlas has undergone plenty of changes since its 2013 reveal, including swapping from hydraulics to electric after almost 11 years of testing. The older Atlas and the current one are markedly different from each other. Take a look at the video below to see for yourself.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/boston-dynamics-atlas-robot-can-now-pick-car-parts-on-its-own-170052539.html?src=rss
Cyberpunk 2077 is finally coming to Mac computers. The first-person open world adventure was first released back in 2020, so Apple fans have been waiting nearly half a decade for this release. Developer CD Projekt RED hasn’t issued a launch date yet, but says the game will be available “early next year.”
This isn’t the base game. Mac owners are getting Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which features all pre-existing DLC and patches. This includes the massive Phantom Liberty expansion, which brings Idris Elba into the mix. The expansion was first released last year for consoles and PC.
The developer says this port takes “full advantage of Apple Silicon and the advanced technologies of Metal.” It’ll boast all kinds of modern bells and whistles, like path tracing, frame generation and built-in spatial audio.
As indicated, this port is only for Apple Silicon Macs, but CD Projekt RED hasn’t announced if there would be any barriers beyond that. We reached out to the developer to ask if the game will run on every chip, from the M1 to the recently-announced M4 Max. We’ll update this post when we hear something.
There’s also a cool policy in place for pre-existing players. If you own the game on PC via Steam, the purchase will carry over to Mac.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/cyberpunk-2077-ultimate-edition-will-be-available-for-macs-early-next-year-164520024.html?src=rss
As someone allergic to a big sect of food (hey gluten free eaters!), I know how important accurate allergy markers are on a menu. Yet, a new criminal complaint alleges that a former Disney World employee intentionally altered a menu's allergy information to state foods didn't contain peanuts that, in fact, did, 404 Media and Court Watch reported in collaboration.
The complaint alleges that Michael Scheuer was fired by Disney and then used still viable passwords to access a third-party created proprietary menu creation and inventory system. Over the course of his misdoings, he allegedly changed the allergy information along with adding profanity, altering prices and changing the font to Wingdings. Those wingdings were what initially tipped off employees. All menus in the database were deemed unusable and the application went offline for one to two weeks to fix the issues.
Disney changed the passwords, but then Scheuer allegedly broke into multiple of the third-party company's FTPs, to change the allergy markers and altered QR codes from directing to a menu to a boycott Israel website. He also tried to break into Disney employees' accounts nearly 8,000 times. Disney claims that the altered menus were identified before being shipped out to restaurants.
This case is unrelated to a doctor who died of an allergic reaction after eating at a Disney Springs restaurant last year. Notably, Disney tried to get a lawsuit filed by the doctor's husband thrown out in August, alleging that he had agreed to settle lawsuits out of court through arbitration. The reason? He had signed a terms of service for a one-month Disney+ trial in 2019 and again when making an account to buy park tickets.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-fired-disney-employee-allegedly-altered-menus-to-change-allergy-markers-161549481.html?src=rss
There are two kinds of people when it comes to chairs and stools. Those who like cutely-designed seats and those who want comfortable resting places for their behinds. While I am always the latter, there are a lot of people looking for the former. That’s why we see uniquely designed chairs and stools that can also double as a sort of art piece, even though they don’t look the most comfortable to sit on.
The Rio Pouffe is a concept for a chair that is able to combine modern aesthetic with an eco-friendly design. Because there is a trend (hopefully, a lasting trend) of people looking for products that are made from sustainable materials, this kind of design can hit it off with that segment if it reaches the production stage. They did not give details as to what these eco-friendly materials are but if we’re to look at the planters that Harshdeep, the company that they made the design for, we’re looking at materials like bamboo, coffee husks, etc.
The chairs themselves look like inverted onions with a seat surface and a small backrest. They are shaped that way to attract people’s attention and are designed to be lightweight and durable to “make sitting a breeze”. The colors are also in earthy tones like warm browns, soothing greens, calming blues, and neutral grays in keeping with the natural aesthetic that they are going for. It seems comfortable enough although for me, the small back rest may not be enough if I’ll be sitting on it for a long time.
As a concept, this seems to be pretty interesting if you’re the type looking for good-looking chairs that are also eco-friendly. It would have been better to see what are those recyclable materials that they will use to produce the chairs. But in terms of design, this seems to be a simple but solid one.
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition is Nothing’s latest smartphone, using designs submitted by the community — and it glows in the dark. Depending on your location, you can register for a chance to buy the device starting today, but that doesn’t guarantee a purchase. Only 1,000 of them will be available, and they won’t be sold in North America, Taiwan and Korea.
Nothing first called for the community to design a product back in March. The contest had four stages: creating a new look, crafting wallpapers, designing a new package and then developing a marketing campaign. People would then submit their ideas and the winners chosen later. These entries later went into the final design as seen now. Those who participated in the community event are given priority to register for a Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition, but it will still be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. You can find out how to get one in this post.
Interestingly, those in Malaysia (like me), Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines don’t have to register to potentially purchase one. They can buy one through Nothing’s official partners, although they have to be fast as there are only 25 devices per country. Fans of Nothing’s phones in Japan can also register for the phone, but the ones they’ll get are based on the older Nothing Phone (2a).
Besides buying the phone online, fans in London and Delhi can visit a physical store for one. The Nothing Store in Soho will stock 50 of them starting November 16. However, those in Delhi have to stay tuned for the location, and the phone will become available on November 23.
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition will launch on November 12 and sell for £399, around $430. It comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothings-first-community-designed-smartphone-glows-in-the-dark-152002042.html?src=rss
For the second time in less than two years, Dropbox is laying off a substantial portion of its workforce. In a blog post penned by CEO Drew Houston, the company said it would cut its global headcount by 20 percent or 528 employees.
Dropbox will provide impacted workers with up to 16 weeks of pay, with tenured employees eligible for one additional week of pay for each complete year they worked at the company. All impacted employees will also receive their year end equity vest, and the company will provide dedicated support to immigrant workers with one-on-one consultation and extra transition time.
Per a filing with the SEC, Dropbox anticipates this latest round of layoffs will cost it up to $68 million in cash expenditures. At the same time, the company expects it will recognize between $47 million and $52 million in incremental expenses related to all the severance and benefit payouts it now needs to make before the end of year and into the first half of 2025.
“As CEO, I take full responsibility for this decision and the circumstances that led to it, and I’m truly sorry to those impacted by this change,” Houston wrote. “We continue to see softening demand and macro headwinds in our core business. But external factors are only part of the story. We’ve heard from many of you that our organizational structure has become overly complex, with excess layers of management slowing us down.”
Partway through last year, Dropbox laid off 500 employees, or about 16 percent of its workforce at the time. Comparing the memo Houston shared then with the one he posted today, there’s a common theme: slowing growth.
“First, while our business is profitable, our growth has been slowing. Part of this is due to the natural maturation of our existing businesses, but more recently, headwinds from the economic downturn have put pressure on our customers and, in turn, on our business,” Houston wrote in 2023. “As a result, some investments that used to deliver positive returns are no longer sustainable.”
Unfortunately for Dropbox, things haven’t improved on that front. As TechCrunch notes, the company only added 63,000 users during its most recent fiscal quarter (PDF link). Year-over-year revenue growth also stalled at 1.8 percent, the lowest in the company’s history.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/dropbox-is-laying-off-20-percent-of-its-workforce-151023877.html?src=rss
