Back in the old days, there was no sure-fire indicator of box office poison more than a video game adaptation. The two mediums just didn’t gel. That has changed in recent years and now all kinds of gaming mascots are getting their chance to appear in a major motion picture or, at the very least, a streaming series. Case in point? They’re now making a movie based on Shinobi, as reported by Deadline.
For the uninitiated, Shinobi is a famous hack-and-slash game developed by Sega in which you play as a ninja. There have been plenty of sequels throughout the years, though they mostly share the same basic story. Joe Musashi, the ninja, must beat up a bunch of very bad dudes. That’s pretty much it.
In other words, this is a blank canvas in which the filmmakers can do pretty much whatever they want without angering the online lore-keepers. Sam Hargrave has been tasked to direct the film for Universal, which is actually a decent choice. He made both Extraction films, with a third one on the way. These are solid action flicks and Shinobi is an action game.
Ken Kobayashi is writing the screenplay, after working on the extremely underrated Sunny for Apple+. He was also involved with Moonfall and the Marvel adaptation Hit Monkey. Sega’s Toru Nakahara, who has produced everything from the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe, is also onboard.
Shinobi is still in the early stages of development, just like how most Shinobi players only get past the early stages of the game because it’s so dang hard. We don’t know when it’ll come out, nor do we have any casting news. We are, however, only a couple of months out from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Keanu Reeves is in that one.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/shinobi-is-the-latest-video-game-to-get-the-big-screen-treatment-164013985.html?src=rss
If you’re looking for a versatile oven and have a little counter space to spare, this Prime Day deal may be for you. Amazon has the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro on sale for $100 off. The stainless steel appliance that can do everything from toasting and roasting to slow cooking and dehydrating usually costs $400, but today, you can get it for a mere $300.
The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is Engadget’s pick for the best budget air fryer toaster oven. The appliance has a versatile skillset, including (deep breath) toast, broil, bake, roast, warm, pizza, proof, air fry, reheat, cookies, slow cook, keep warm and dehydrate. It has an internal capacity of one cubic foot — enough to fit a 14-pound turkey, five-quart Dutch oven, 9 x 13-inch pan or 12 muffin trays.
The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro makes for a terrific second oven. But you could even use it as your primary one if you aren’t in the habit of cooking things like a giant rib roast or full-sized New York-style pizza. However, it does take up a decent amount of counter space (at least as far as toaster ovens go), so make sure you can accommodate the 21.5-inch wide x 17.5-inch deep x 12.7-inch high appliance.
The oven has an LCD to indicate which mode you’re using, and you control it with a snazzy-looking series of knobs and buttons. It supports temps from 80 to 480 degrees Fahrenheit and includes a feature that automatically begins counting down the cooking timer when it finishes pre-heating. One thing to note is the appliance isn’t app-friendly despite its “smart” branding. For that, you would need the Joule upgrade model, which (unfortunately) isn’t on sale.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/brevilles-smart-oven-air-fryer-pro-is-100-off-for-prime-day-163111071.html?src=rss
Hot Wheels has leaped into the high-octane world of Formula 1, bringing the excitement of F1 racing into your home, combining the precision of motorsport with the signature thrill of Hot Wheels. This limited-edition collaboration brings the thrill of Formula 1 racing to a die-cast model. It’s a miniaturized piece of racing history featuring custom livery, real Pirelli tire compounds, and an F1-inspired tire rack that gives collectors an authentic taste of the pit lane experience. Let’s break down the details that make this partnership a must-have for collectors and racing fans.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
Designer: Hot Wheels x F1
A Design That Thrills
The Hot Wheels x F1 collaboration showcases a collector’s die-cast that combines the signature Hot Wheels aesthetic with the bold and dynamic spirit of Formula 1. It’s a blend of speed, style, and nostalgia, engineered down to the smallest detail to capture the imagination of racing enthusiasts and Hot Wheels collectors alike. The base color of the car is a clean metallic silver, accented by bold Hot Wheels graphics that snake across the bodywork, emphasizing movement and energy. The contrast between the glossy black highlights and bright red accents gives the model a sharp, eye-catching appearance, making it a centerpiece worthy of any collection.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
Unique to this model is the number “68” emblazoned on the nose, marking the year Hot Wheels debuted in 1968. This thoughtful detail connects the present to the brand’s history, reminding fans of the origins of Hot Wheels. The car also features bespoke Real Rider wheels with interchangeable tires inspired by the actual tire compounds used in F1—whether it’s the soft, medium, or hard options seen in real Grand Prix races. The inclusion of different tire colors—red, yellow, and white—is visually exciting, it adds an interactive element that brings the thrill of F1 race strategy to life.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
Wheels That Tell a Story
The interchangeable tire set is a detail that speaks to the thoughtfulness of this collaboration. The wheels are designed to reflect the technical precision of F1 while maintaining the fun flair of Hot Wheels. Each tire features Pirelli’s “P Zero” branding, emphasizing its role as the official tire supplier of Formula 1. This ensures the model’s authenticity and direct connection to the real-world sport. This branding lends an air of authenticity as if the miniature car has just rolled off the paddock of a Grand Prix weekend.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
The color coding of the tires—red for soft, yellow for medium, and white for hard—perfectly mirrors the real tire strategies used in Formula 1. As Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer of Formula 1, put it, ‘The exciting collaboration will bring together the adrenaline of motor racing and the excitement of toy cars, providing opportunities to see the fine details that go into an F1 car, all in the palm of your hand.’ This combination of detail and play makes it an immersive experience. This adds another layer of depth for collectors, giving them a hands-on connection to the sport’s tactical nuances. The tire detail doesn’t stop there; each tire features an industrial, machined aesthetic with small rivet-like details around the central hub. It’s a rugged, functional look that pays homage to the no-nonsense engineering of an F1 car, offering just the right balance of realism and fantasy.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
The Ultimate Tire Rack Accessory
The tire rack that comes with this set is a thoughtfully designed display piece right in your living room. As Stanichi mentioned, ‘We have put together a program that allows kids to replicate the thrill of F1 racing where they can drive like the pros and engages with our loyal communities on a global scale.’ This sentiment shines through in the tire rack design, making the entire set feel complete, like a miniature slice of a real F1 paddock.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
The red F1 logo stamped on the tire rack seamlessly complements the rest of the color scheme, creating a cohesive visual identity throughout. This display element is a key reason why this is a complete collector’s piece that tells a story, from the track to the pit lane.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
Precision Meets Play and A Celebration of Racing Passion
Hot Wheels’ collaboration with Formula 1 creates a model that reflects the intricacies of motorsport. The aerodynamic front wing, featuring Hot Wheels flames, and the halo device are designed to reflect the performance-focused nature of Formula 1 cars, emphasizing safety and speed. The model features a full-metal body and chassis, giving it a satisfying weight that makes it feel substantial in hand. The metallic silver paint shimmers under the light, adding a level of detail you’d expect from a display model, not just a toy.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
The rear wing is designed with a broad span and intricate details, replicating the aerodynamic focus of a real F1 car. The Hot Wheels logo is placed prominently on the rear wing, reinforcing the collaboration’s emphasis on bold design and fun.
This limited-edition release is a collector’s item—it symbolizes what happens when childhood imagination meets the pinnacle of motorsport. Emily Prazer emphasized, ‘It’s more than just a partnership; it’s a celebration of speed, creativity, and innovation that will bring fans a new way to engage with the sport.’ Whether swapping out the different tire compounds like a pit crew or displaying it proudly, this collaboration encourages fans to engage with the magic of racing truly.
Image: Hot Wheels x F1
Key Takeaways
Authentic F1 Details: From the bespoke Real Rider wheels to the official Pirelli branding, the model captures the precision and authenticity of a real F1 car.
Interactive Tire Compounds: The interchangeable tires—soft, medium, and hard—mirror actual F1 race strategies, giving fans an immersive and hands-on experience.
Collector’s Tire Rack: The thoughtfully designed tire rack adds to the display value, offering a pit lane-inspired accessory that ties the entire set together.
High-Quality Build: The full-metal body, chassis, and shimmering metallic paint make this model a true collector’s piece, far beyond just a toy.
Nostalgic Touches: The number ’68’ on the nose is a tribute to Hot Wheels’ debut year, connecting the brand’s rich history to this exciting new chapter.
With the days drawing shorter and the weather cooling, you may not be spending as much time outside so you might not have a great need for a portable speaker to take to the back yard, park or beach. Still, it's handy to have one that you can easily move throughout the house. You can always take advantage of a good deal to start preparing for next summer too. Apple revived the Beats Pill line just a few months ago, but the portable speaker is already getting a hefty discount for Prime Day. You can snap one up for a record low price of $100. That's $50 off the regular price.
There's a marked improvement in bass performance compared with previous Beats Pill speakers. While the Pill+ had a dual-tweeter and dual-woofer setup, the latest model has one of each. The new woofer is larger and pill-shaped to match the speaker's body and it "provides more robust bass with less total harmonic distortion (THD) and a lower frequency range," according to Engadget senior reporter Billy Steele.
At higher volumes, the audio suffers, but the Beats Pill gets loud enough long before you crank it all the way up. When the speaker is plugged into an audio source via USB-C, it can deliver lossless audio. You can also boost the sound by placing two Beats Pills next to each other or pair them for stereo audio.
The battery life is definitely a plus, as it's double that of earlier models at 24 hours. This model is more rugged than the Beats Pill+ too.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-day-deals-include-the-latest-beats-pill-for-50-off-160254307.html?src=rss
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is set for an October 17 release, making it the first video game spinoff from the Quiet Place franchise. The premise involves sound-sensitive creatures that hunt by listening for prey, and one wrong move spells disaster, making it perfect for a horror game adaptation. The developers have just announced that A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead will feature noise detection support.
Fans of the films already know that silence is the most important thing about this franchise. The characters try to move around without making noise because any sound will attract aliens with an extraordinary sense of hearing. To boost immersion, developer Stormind Games is implementing a “Microphone Noise Detection” feature. If you make a sound in real life, the aliens can hear you through your microphone and potentially kill you.
Playing without the microphone can be challenging enough since movement and interaction with objects make noise. But by activating it, the difficulty is sure to skyrocket. We expect increased heart rates and lots of screaming. The game is set to arrive on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and you can pre-order it for $30 now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-quiet-place-the-road-ahead-can-hear-real-world-sounds-through-your-controllers-microphone-153821754.html?src=rss
Laptops today are truly powerful computers worthy of the title of “desktop replacements,” but despite their name, they have never really been great to use on your lap. Yes, you can put them there, at least until they get too hot, but they’re not the most comfortable nor the most ergonomic positions. Some laptop desks or trays, particularly the ones with cushions, try to fix some of that by slightly raising the laptop while still pressing down on your lap and preventing proper blood circulation. The ones with legs, on the other, are best used in bed or sometimes on desks, undoing the benefit of portability. This rather curious design, however, promises to address all those and let you use your laptop in your seat or even have food or a drink on the side.
Unlike a typical laptop desk with legs, the Fansdreams Pi takes a few pages from the Japanese art of paper folding to keep its form slim and light. In a nutshell, it uses downward force to lock the legs in place and uses flat planes to hold the desk up. Thanks to that, the Pi is only 0.5 inches (12.7mm) thin when folded, while the use of PU leather and high-strength fiberglass gives it its durability and light 2-lb weight.
Perhaps more interesting than its appearance is the different functions the foldable desk serves. Of course, it holds your laptop up at a higher level, but there’s also enough space to put other items at the side, like a game controller, a bowl of food, or even a drink. Ideally, you wouldn’t put liquid near a laptop, but it can happen at times. And when not in use as an actual laptop desk, the Fansdreams Pi can function as a car table for actual eating or maybe working white paper.
The Pi laptop desk has one rather curious form where you turn it upside down and use one of the legs to raise the laptop at an incline. This configuration is good for having the screen at a higher level, though you’ll probably have to use a separate keyboard to type more comfortably. Either way, it’s also a good demonstration of how sturdy and stable the legs can be if they can support the weight of the laptop directly.
The Fansdreams Pi’s thin and lightweight design makes it easy to bring anywhere, though its rather long surface might not fit some smaller bags. And while it does bring the convenience of being able to work even in a car, it does encourage a rather unusual and somewhat unhealthy lifestyle of simply working and eating anywhere.
Meta AI is beginning a big international rollout. The AI assistant will arrive today in Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay, Philippines and the UK. It is also slated to debut in Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Yemen over the coming weeks, although the company did not offer specific dates for those countries.
This expansion is also adding new language support to Meta AI. Starting today, it is getting support for Tagalog, while Arabic, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese will join the assistant "soon." Customers can use the Meta AI assistant on the web or within the company's social media apps: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
The final element of today's announcement is that Meta AI will be launched on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in the UK and in Australia. The UK launch will only include voice support for now; Meta did not provide a timeline for when UK customers might get the full multimodal capabilities on the glasses.
The EU is a notable absence in this expansion. Meta said this summer that it would not introduce multimodal AI services in the EU due to concerns over regulation in the bloc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been public with critiques of how European regulators are handling the proliferation of artificial intelligence.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-ai-will-launch-in-six-more-countries-today-including-the-uk-150057934.html?src=rss
A day after recognizing former Google vice president and engineering fellow Geoffrey Hinton for his contributions to the field of physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has honored a pair of current Google employees. On Wednesday, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and senior research scientist John Jumper won half of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with the other half going to David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington.
If there’s a theme to the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, it’s proteins. Baker, Hassabis and Jumper all advanced our understanding of those essential building blocks of life that are responsible for functions both inside and outside the human body. The Nobel Committee cited Baker’s seminal work in computational protein design. Since 2003, Baker and his research team have been using amino acids and computers to design entirely new proteins. In turn, those chemicals have contributed to the creation of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and more.
BREAKING NEWS The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 #NobelPrize in Chemistry with one half to David Baker “for computational protein design” and the other half jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction.” pic.twitter.com/gYrdFFcD4T
As for Hassabis and Jumper, their work, and that of the entire DeepMind team, on AlphaFold 2 led to a generational breakthrough. Since the 1970s, scientists have been trying to find a way to predict a protein’s final, folded structure based solely on the amino acids that form its constituent parts. With AlphaFold 2, DeepMind created an AI algorithm that could do just that. Since 2020, the software has been able to successfully predict the structure of 200 million proteins, or nearly every one known to researchers.
“One of the discoveries being recognized this year concerns the construction of spectacular proteins. The other is about fulfilling a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences,” said Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. “Both of these discoveries open up vast possibilities.”
More broadly, the 2024 Nobel Prizes highlight the growing importance of artificial intelligence in modern science. Moving forward, it's safe to say advanced algorithms will be essential to future scientific discoveries and breakthroughs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-pair-of-deepmind-researchers-have-won-the-2024-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-145056306.html?src=rss
Those looking forward to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s November 19 release may get an early taste of what the flight simulator feels like. The developers have opened up sign-ups for the software’s technical alpha test. We still don’t know when the alpha will be online, but Microsoft is saying it will be on a weekend this October. Additionally, this test is confined to PC only.
The image below includes Microsoft’s minimum, recommended and ideal PC specs. Your PC should at least reach the minimum requirements for a chance of selection. Spots are also limited, so not everyone who signs up will be selected. Microsoft says that all who sign up must run a DxDiag test and provide their PC specs. Selected participants will be informed of the test dates via email, and access should be limited to two or three days.
Microsoft
If you weren’t selected, you’ll have to wait until the game launches on November 19. The full release, for Xbox Series X/S as well as PC, should be a much better experience.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-technical-alpha-happens-this-month-144231252.html?src=rss
Every once in a while, I’ll come across a horror story on my feed about accidents involving furniture toppling over and badly hurting someone. As a regularly clumsy person, it is not outside the realm of possibility that I may be a victim of this someday. The STURDY Act (Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth) is a welcome development for kids and grown-ups alike. IKEA has now become the first to apply this into their new furniture line.
Designer: IKEA
The Storklinta and Gullaberg collection from IKEA come with their patented Anchor and Unlock mechanism which took into consideration the aforementioned STURDY Act’s guidelines. This way, they have made sure that their furniture are safe especially for young kids but still have the design and style associated with the Swedish brand. When properly installed, this mechanism lets you use the items as they’re meant to be used without the risk of it tipping over, even when multiple drawers are opened.
The Gullaberg collection is classic IKEA with its framed sides, tapered legs, and white and gray finishes. There are several dressers, chests, wardrobes, nightstands, and combinations available in the collection. The Storklinta has a more sleek and contemporary design and also comes with chests, drawers, bedside tables, and wardrobe combinations with the PAX system. These furniture come with clean, integrated handles.
Both collections are already available in the IKEA US stores and online but there are still some items that have limited stocks. They will also be launching more safety-enhanced designs later this year. As always, these are items that are self-assembled so you still need to be able to follow instructions on these Anchor and Unlock mechanisms for the furniture to be truly safe.
