Liquid Swords’ debut title is a $25 ‘noir action game’ coming next year

The debut game from Liquid Swords will arrive in early 2026, it was announced at today's PC Gaming Show. Samson: A Tyndalston Story is billed as "a consequence-heavy noir action game" by its developer, and focuses on the eponymous Samson McCray, a man who's got himself into serious debt in a city that doesn’t seem particularly forgiving. 

The debut trailer doesn’t give too much away in terms of story, but I’m getting gritty Max Payne-y vibes. Combat looks crunchy and visceral, and it sounds like Liquid Swords is going for an oppressive atmosphere. "Samson is built on a simple, brutal truth: every day costs you," writes the studio in a press release. "Debt grows with interest, and time works against you. Each job burns a limited pool of Action Points and every decision shifts how the city treats you—there are no do-overs. You move forward because standing still makes everything worse."

Liquid Swords has been teasing its first game for a while. The studio has some serious pedigree, being founded in 2020 by Christofer Sundberg, who created the Just Cause franchise when he was at Avalanche Studios. Developers who previously worked on Mad Max and the Battlefield series have also joined Sundberg at Liquid Swords, and the studio says it drew on its collective experience in combat systems, systemic design, animation and action-oriented storytelling to create Samson.

Just Cause was an open-world series, but it sounds like Samson will be a more focused experience, possibly reflected by its $25 price tag. At the beginning of the year, the studio laid off an undisclosed number of employees, something it said was necessary to ensure its “long-term sustainability” amid challenging industry conditions. Samson: A Tyndalston Story launches in early 2026 on Steam and the Epic Games Store. We don't yet know if it's coming to console as well. 

Correction, December 5 2025, 3:25PM ET: This story originally misspelled Christofer Sundberg's name. We apologize for the error.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/liquid-swords-debut-title-is-a-25-noir-action-game-coming-next-year-215544328.html?src=rss

Amazon Luna’s December lineup includes Hollow Knight, Lego 2K Drive and a few Fallout games

Amazon Luna’s December lineup of games has been announced, and there are plenty of early Christmas presents to sink your teeth into. For those unaware, Prime members automatically qualify for Luna standard, the entry-level tier of Amazon’s cloud gaming service, and each month the company also hands out a number of codes for PC games that permanently join in your library once redeemed.

Among those claim-and-keep-forever games this month are the underrated open-world Lego racing game, Lego 2K Drive, the very pretty Metroidvania, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, and a couple of retro Fallout games, just in time for the new season of the Prime Video show. Here’s the full list of games for December. Most come in the form of codes you can redeem on GOG, but a couple are tied to the Epic Games Store or Legacy Gaming.

  • LEGO 2K Drive

  • Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus

  • Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

  • Fallout 2

  • Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection One

  • Gylt

  • Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Two

  • Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm

  • Gunslugs 2

  • Ashworld

  • Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Three

  • Dreamscaper

On the cloud side of things, Luna members can stream the likes of Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition, with Fallout 3 and fan favorite New Vegas already available. Quite the month for wasteland wanderers, then. Mafia: Definitive Edition, Hollow Knight and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition also feature in the current library.

Amazon relaunched its revamped Luna service at the end of October, when it also added a beginner-friendly collection of smartphone-controlled multiplayer games for Prime subscribers to play at no additional cost.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/amazon-lunas-december-lineup-includes-hollow-knight-lego-2k-drive-and-a-few-fallout-games-180048528.html?src=rss

You can get three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free right now

Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales might be over, but the company is still running a deal on its premium music streaming service. Right now, you can get three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free if you’re a new subscriber.

As with most offers of this nature, your subscription will auto-renew for the full price of $12 per month (or $11 for Prime members) after your three months are up. But you can cancel whenever you like and won’t be charged a penny if you do so before the trial ends.

Amazon Music Unlimited offers lossless streaming and podcasts, and as you’d expect, it works best with Amazon’s ever-swelling army of Alexa devices. It’s a bit clunky compared to the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, and not as good for music discovery and curation, but the app has made strides over the years. It even has its own Spotify Wrapped-alike now.

If you do take advantage of this deal, bear in mind that Amazon Music Unlimited is more expensive than Apple Music, YouTube Music and Tidal without a Prime subscription, after Amazon put its prices up earlier this year. A paid Spotify Premium Individual plan costs the same as Amazon’s service (sans Prime), and you can also try that for free right now, with the company offering four months without payment provided you’ve never been a Premium subscriber in the past.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/you-can-get-three-months-of-amazon-music-unlimited-for-free-right-now-175508803.html?src=rss

Waymo’s testing AVs in four more cities, including Philly

Waymo is adding four new US cities to the gradual rollout of its robotaxi service. As reported by TechCrunch, the company said it has already started trialling self-driving cars in Philadelphia, albeit with a human safety monitor, and that it will now commence similar manual tests in Baltimore, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

After the initial supervisory and data-collecting stage, the plan is to deploy fully autonomous vehicles, as Waymo recently did in Miami, ahead of launching in five new cities across Texas and Florida in 2026. Waymo's taxis currently accept passengers in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, and it recently announced that San Diego, Las Vegas and Detroit would soon be joining them.

Also key to the company’s aggressive nationwide expansion is New York City, even if a fully functioning robotaxi service is likely still some way off. New York state law currently prohibits the operation of vehicles without a driver behind the wheel, but back in August, Waymo was temporarily granted the permit needed to be able to test autonomous vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. The testing phase ran until late September, marking the first time a permit for the "testing deployment" of AVs in the city had been signed off.

Waymo has international ambitions too. Next year it will partner with Moove to launch a robotaxi service in London, which will be its first major expansion outside the US. Fully driverless cars are currently banned in the UK, but new legislation will begin a long regulatory process that starts with government-approved robotaxi pilots in the Spring.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/waymos-testing-avs-in-four-more-cities-including-philly-161709279.html?src=rss

Amazon halts AI anime dub ‘beta’ after widespread ridicule

Amazon appears to have quietly removed its terrible AI-generated English dubs for several anime shows currently streaming on Prime Video, following widespread ridicule from viewers and industry professionals. AI dubs were recently added to Banana Fish, No Game, No Life and Vinland Saga, where they were labeled "AI beta" in the Languages section of the app.

As shows that previously only offered English subtitles, the option of a dub for those who prefer it could have been seen as a win for Amazon. But it quickly became clear that the dubs were really quite bad, completely devoid of any emotion or convincing intonation in dramatic moments. Particularly awful clips of the AI English dub for Banana Fish soon started circulating on social media, and the National Association of Voice Actors released a statement in which it branded the dubs "AI slop."

In his own statement, voice actor Daman Mills called the AI-generated dub for Banana Fish a "massive insult to us as performers." In a post on X, which at the time of writing has been liked 14,000 times, he said: "Voice Actors deserve the same level of respect as on camera performers. Anime already pays talent very little. Dub production costs shouldn’t make a dent in these companies’ pocket books. Using AI for a dub of a show that released nearly 8 YEARS AGO AND HAD NO RUSHED SCHEDULE just spits in our faces, has infuriated the consumer, and completely destroys the art." 

Decision-makers at Amazon apparently noted the backlash, as the English dub options no longer show up, as acknowledged by Mills and others yesterday. An AI-generated Spanish dub for Vinland Saga appears to have survived the silent cull, but otherwise it’s back to Japanese language-only and subtitles for the other shows.

The company is clearly committed to introducing more AI to Prime Video — along with its various other services — despite this latest public shaming. It launched an "AI-aided" dubbing program for Prime Video earlier this year, piloting English and Latin American Spanish dubs in 12 licensed series and movies on Prime Video in March. Last month, it also introduced video recaps that summarize shows’ "most pertinent plot points" using generative AI. The feature is currently in beta for select English language Prime Original shows in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazon-halts-ai-anime-dub-beta-after-widespread-ridicule-141501051.html?src=rss

Superhuman (formerly Grammarly) has some AI updates for its Superhuman Mail app

Superhuman, the AI-powered mail app, is heading in a more agentic direction with its latest update. Its "write with AI" feature, which you could previously activate when drafting an email, now works across your inbox, calendar, and the web. This means it can now pull in information from other emails or research a topic online. The AI will think for as long as it needs before responding to a prompt and will open its Ask AI tool if it needs clarification.

Ask AI now lives in a left sidebar when you’re on desktop, so it’s always accessible should you need to draft a note, ask a question or quickly schedule a meeting without digging around in your emails. You can also now check your Ask AI history on iOS and desktop for previous conversations. Write with AI is also now available on Android, which will soon gain the other new features too.

Superhuman Mail
Superhuman

Superhuman was acquired by Grammarly earlier this year, with the latter recently rebranding so all of its AI apps now sit under the Superhuman umbrella. The mail service is seemingly primarily targeted at business rather than consumers, with its most advanced version of Write with AI and Ask AI being included in Business and Enterprise plans. The more basic standard version of Write with AI is rolled into the Starter plan for desktop and mobile.

Superhuman is promising further agentic updates in the near future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/superhuman-formerly-grammarly-has-some-ai-updates-for-its-superhuman-mail-app-140017716.html?src=rss

Apple Cyber Monday deals include a four-pack of AirTags for an all-time low

The list of truly affordable Apple products is short, but the company's AirTag Bluetooth trackers are definitely on it. For Cyber Monday, you can get a four-pack of Apple's AirTags for $63 at both Amazon and Walmart. That's a record low price for one of the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhones, lowering an individual tracker's price in the bundle from $29 down to $16.

If you use Apple devices and are prone to losing stuff, AirTags are the obvious choice of Bluetooth tracker to buy. Adding one to your account requires little more than a single tap, and with Apple’s Find My network offering such extensive coverage these days, it’s never been easier to find missing belongings.

Tracking down a still nearby misplaced item is as easy as using your iPhone to trigger a sound from the AirTag’s built-in speaker, or alternatively you can use Precision Finding to pinpoint its location through Find My. You just follow the instructions on your iPhone’s screen, paying attention to its vibrations as you get closer.

If you only need a single AirTag, they’re also on sale right now for $18, another record low. It works out a bit better as a deal if you purchase the four-pack, but if you just want to attach one to your keys or backpack, $65 might seem like a stretch. Just remember that AirTags can’t be attached to items right out of the box. You’ll need to add an accessory in order to turn one into a keyring, or even attach it to your pet’s collar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-cyber-monday-deals-include-a-four-pack-of-airtags-for-an-all-time-low-184222220.html?src=rss

Cyber Monday deals include Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones for an all-time low

The previous generation of Sony's wireless headphones, the excellent WH-1000XM5, are available for as low as $248 for Cyber Monday. That's nearly equal to the record low the headphones hit on Prime Day, and $152 off their normal $400 price. Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones are now the WH-1000XM6, but if you're on a budget, you'll still get a fantastic audio experience from the older model, especially at this heavily discounted price.

We awarded the WH-1000XM5 a score of 95 in our 2022 review, praising the supremely comfortable redesign, sound quality and powerful ANC. Battery life is also very respectable at 30 hours. We found the punchy bass an improvement over their predecessors, and the overall sound deeper and more immersive than the M4 headphones. As for noise-canceling, Sony’s decision to double the number of microphones and processors used for ANC means an improvement in blocking higher frequency sounds, such as human voices. They aren’t entirely baby scream-proof, but then few headphones are.

Naturally, the WH-1000XM6 that this year replaced the M5 as Sony’s flagship model offers even better sound quality and noise cancellation, while remaining extremely comfortable throughout long listening sessions. But they’re also a lot more expensive at $450 — they're on sale now for $398 for Cyber Monday, so you have the option to upgrade to the latest flagship if you're willing to spend a bit more. However, we still think the XM5 deal is the best value for most people here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-deals-include-sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-for-an-all-time-low-154524430.html?src=rss

Apple’s founding document is heading to auction

Exactly how many iPad Pros do you think Apple’s founding document is worth? Quite a lot, by the sound of it. The written agreement that made official the formation of Apple Computer Company — as it was initially known — in 1976 is reportedly going to be auctioned, where it’s expected to fetch up to $4 million.

As reported by Apple Insider, the British auction house Christie’s, which has a number of international salerooms, including one in New York, will feature the three-page document in an auction in early 2026. It features the signatures of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne, as well as their respective stakes in the company that would go on to become one of the biggest in the world.

While undoubtedly an item of historical significance, the agreement that people will be bidding for was ultimately a short-lived one. By the time Apple Computer Company became Apple Computer, Inc less than a year later, Wayne had already sold his 10 percent share back to his other co-founders. 

In fact, he left the company less than a fortnight after its creation, a decision he insisted he didn’t regret in a BBC interview in 2016, despite the fact that a 10 percent stake in Apple would have been worth around $60 billion at the time (and presumably quite a bit more than that now). He was paid just $1,500 to sign away of all of his remaining business interests in Apple several months later. And to rub even more salt in the wound, Wayne eventually sold his own copy of that original agreement for $500, something the former Atari employee told the BBC he did regret. 

According to Apple Insider, the soon-to-be auctioned Apple agreement is valued at between $2 million and $4 million, and it will feature in the "We the People: America at 250" auction in New York on January 23. It won’t be the first time an important piece of Apple history has been sold off. Back in 2023, an unopened first-generation iPhone fetched $190,000 at an auction, which was around 300 times its original price.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-founding-document-is-heading-to-auction-170547522.html?src=rss

Switch Online adds Bionic Commando, Battletoads and more to NES and GameBoy offerings

There continues to be no real discernible rhyme or reason to the way Nintendo distributes games on Nintendo Switch Online, but its latest drop brings some notable additions to the library for retro gaming fans. The NES and Game Boy apps — both of which are available to all NSO subscribers — have each got a pair of new games in the late-November update, and they’re all from well-known franchises.

Joining the NES app are Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Battletoads, while the Game Boy library gains Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters and Bionic Commando. The most significant of the four is probably Battletoads. Rare’s platforming beat ‘em up was a NES exclusive when it launched in 1991, before being ported to other platforms later on. It’s notorious for its extremely high difficulty, but with the NES emulator on the Switch allowing you to rewind any time you mess up, perhaps a few more people will see the game through now. Battletoads was also included in 2015’s Rare Replay collection, so it was admittedly already relatively easy to play, but there’s arguably a certain charm to playing NES classics on Nintendo hardware.

The Game Boy version of the side-scroller Bionic Commando is also worth a look. The handheld version was an adaptation of the NES original and features a different setting, while retaining the bionic arm mechanic that is essential for traversal, given the protagonist’s inability to jump. The grappling gun/hook is used to swing around levels and also doubles as a weapon.

The latest update also adds remappable buttons for the Nintendo Classics Game Boy and NES apps, and as spotted by Vooks, features an Easter egg that triggers the original Game Boy boot screen and sound when you wiggle the left analogue stick as you’re launching it. Nintendo previously added a similar feature to its Game Boy Advance and Switch 2-only GameCube app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/switch-online-adds-bionic-commando-battletoads-and-more-to-nes-and-gameboy-offerings-140507414.html?src=rss