Microsoft just released a bunch of software updates for the ROG Xbox Ally

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Lawrence Bonk

Microsoft just released a spate of software updates for ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handheld consoles. Perhaps the most notable feature is the introduction of default game profiles, which are available in a beta mode starting today.

These are performance profiles tailored to specific games so they run perfectly on the handhelds. Once enabled, the software will automatically balance the frame rate and power consumption to strike the perfect balance. This means that players won't have to head into the settings to make manual adjustments.

These profiles are currently available for 40 of the more popular games on the platform, including Fortnite, Gears of War: Reloaded and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Microsoft says that using the default game profile while playing Silksong, for instance, will add an hour of battery life. To that end, the profiles are only used when playing on battery. I hope this becomes a regular part of the Ally experience and comes to many more titles.

There's a new search filter that lists games by how they perform on the device, which is sort of a riff on Valve's "Steam Deck Verified" badge. Microsoft also boasts that gamepad responsiveness has been improved and that game libraries will now load quicker. The company says this is especially noticeable for "players with large game libraries."

The cloud gaming page should now load quicker and be more responsive. Finally, there's the usual array of bug fixes and performance enhancements. This is a nice little batch of upgrades, just in time for the holidays.

For the uninitiated, the ROG Ally and Ally X are handheld gaming consoles that run an Xbox-adjacent version of Windows 11 and can play pretty much any Xbox game. We praised the "top-notch performance" in our official review. These handhelds are the real deal, and consumers agree. Sales have been so robust that ASUS recently began ramping up production.

The success of these consoles should ensure more software updates down the line. Microsoft has already committed to adding game save indicators for crossplay. It also plans on improving sleep and wake reliability and upgrading the formatting options for microSD cards. The more powerful Ally X is getting AI upscaling next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-just-released-a-bunch-of-software-updates-for-the-rog-xbox-ally-164802697.html?src=rss

IKEA is releasing a new family of Bluetooth speakers in partnership with Swedish designer Tekla Severin

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Andre Revilla

IKEA has teamed up with Swedish designer Tekla Evelina Severin on a new line of products dubbed the Teklan collection. The collaboration includes three new standalone Bluetooth speakers and two lamp speakers, each clad in Severin's distinctive colorful style. The company originally announced this family of products at the start of the year with an expected launch in early 2026, so it seems they will hit shelves ahead of schedule. The ready-to-assemble furniture giant has already released a few speakers since ending its partnership with Sonos earlier this year, but this feels like a more concentrated push to replace those old Sonos products.

A line of round speakers IKEA is calling the Solskydd will be available in three different sizes, each sporting a colorful geometric design. The smallest of the three will be an 8-inch portable speaker with a rechargeable battery, and will retail for $80, while the larger two, measuring 11 and 18 inches, will sell for $100 and $140 respectively and will require a wall outlet.

The smaller of the two can be displayed either hung or on its accompanying base, while the largest version is designed for wall mounting. The Solskydd will also be offered in a plain white version for customers who prefer a more understated aesthetic. The speakers can all connect to one another as well as any other compatible IKEA Bluetooth speaker for multi-speaker mode. Spotify Tap is also supported, letting users pick up right where they left off in their music from within the Spotify app.

The Teklan collection will also include a set of Bluetooth speaker lamps, called the Kulglass. The $130 lamps, whose shades IKEA says were inspired by soft-serve ice cream, come in shades of either green or red and feature a built-in volume knob.

The line also includes a vibrant take on the budget-friendly Vappeby Bluetooth speaker, which is both waterproof and ultra-portable. The Teklan lineup also includes a slew of braided charging cables. Both of these products were released earlier this year. The new products in the Teklan collection will arrive in December, with exact launch dates varying by market.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/ikea-is-releasing-a-new-family-of-bluetooth-speakers-in-partnership-with-swedish-designer-tekla-severin-160800338.html?src=rss

FX orders a Far Cry TV show from Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley and Rob Mac

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Matt Tate

The number of video game franchises not being adapted for TV must surely now be nearing the single-figure mark, and we’ve known for a little while that a Far Cry show is on the way too. Ubisoft has now confirmed previous leaks that Alien: Earth’s Noah Hawley and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob Mac will helm an anthology show based on its long-running FPS series. FX is making it and it will stream on Hulu in the US.

Every Far Cry game is a standalone experience with no obvious narrative links between them (even if a quick Google tells you that hasn’t stopped series devotees from looking for them anyway). Likewise, the plan for the Far Cry TV show is that each season will feature new characters and a new setting.

"What I love about the Far Cry game franchise is it's an anthology. Each game is a variation of a theme, the same way each season of Fargo is a variation on a theme," said Hawley in a press release. "To create a big action show that can change from year to year, while always exploring the nature of humanity through this complex and chaotic lens is a dream come true. I'm excited to partner with Rob and bring our shared irreverent, ambitious sensibility to the screen."

This technically isn’t the first time Far Cry has gotten the TV treatment. The 2013 "Blood Dragon" expansion for Far Cry 3 was the inspiration for Netflix’s 2023 adult animated series, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. However, while that show featured plenty of enjoyably chaotic action sequences and deep cut Ubisoft cameos that ensure you’ll never look at Rayman the same way again, there wasn’t much that was obviously Far Cry about it.

Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Noah Hawley had signed a multi-year deal with Disney that will see him produce shows for a number of the corporation’s networks, including Hulu. As well as the Far Cry adaption, the Fargo creator will be heading up the second season of Alien: Earth, which will reportedly go into production in London in 2026.

As for Ubisoft, raising the profile of its various franchises — notably even the ones that haven't had a new game for years — through TV seems to be an ongoing strategy for the French publisher. Back in the summer, Netflix finally greenlit an Assassin's Creed show, five years after penning a deal with Ubisoft, while the long-awaited animated Splinter Cell show started streaming in October and was well received by critics.

The most recent Far Cry game was 2021’s Far Cry 6, which starred Giancarlo Esposito as the dictator Aston Castillo.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/fx-orders-a-far-cry-tv-show-from-alien-earth-creator-noah-hawley-and-rob-mac-154654744.html?src=rss

Meta’s Oversight Board is fine with leaving manipulated content on Facebook

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Sarah Fielding

Apparently misleading protest videos are welcome to stay on Facebook now. Meta's Oversight Board has ruled that the company was right to leave up a manipulated video that made footage of a Serbian protest look like it took place in Holland and was in support of Rodrigo Duterte, former president of the Philippines. A user reshared it within days of Duterte's March 2025 extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands.

The original video gained additional audio and captions, including chants of "Duterte" and the song Bayan Ko — which accompanied many Filipino 1980s anti-martial law protests — played in tagalog. About 100,000 users viewed the manipulated video, alongside "hundreds" of shares.

Meta's automated systems flagged the video as potential misinformation and lowered its visibility for non-US users. However, despite it being added to the fact-checking queue, the "high volume of posts" meant it was never reviewed. Fact-checkers in the Philippines checked some similar viral videos and labeled them as false. It reached the attention of the Oversight Board only after a separate Facebook user reported this video and appealed it when Meta left the content up.

But the Oversight Board now says it agrees with Meta's decision to leave a completely inaccurate protest video public. It just notes that Meta should have given the video a "High-Risk" label "because it contained a digitally altered, photorealistic video with a high risk of deceiving the public during a significant public event." How something with that description merits staying up on Facebook is very unclear.

The Oversight Board further states that Meta should have prioritized a video of this nature getting fact-checked. Moving forward, it recommends that Meta create a separate fact-checking queue for any content of a similar nature to what has been fact-checked in that market — and that fact-checkers should have improved tools to more swiftly find misleading viral media. It also wants Meta to better describe its labels for manipulated media so users can understand the criteria.

Meta notably suspended its fact-checking program in the US in January, opting instead for Community Notes. However, it's now looking at expanding that system other countries and has asked the Oversight Board for advice on locations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-oversight-board-is-fine-with-leaving-manipulated-content-on-facebook-151919279.html?src=rss

Disney teases an Olaf robot for its parks

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Steve Dent

Disney has unveiled a new animatronic in the form of Olaf, the carrot-nosed snowman from the Frozen series of films. The robotic character will roam the streets of the upcoming World of Frozen (coming soon to Adventure World at Disneyland Paris) and make "limited-time special appearances at World of Frozen at the Hong Kong Disneyland resort," Disney wrote on its parks blog.

Olaf, seen in prototype form in a 30-minute Disney video, can walk on his little snowball legs, emote realistically and speak with visitors. During the video, Disney Imagineering Paris exec Michel Den Dulk removes and replaces the robot's nose and arm, something park visitors will also be able to do.

To help make Olaf look authentic and toon-like in his movements, the Imagineering team used AI reinforcement learning. That allowed them to teach the robot how to walk and perform "graceful" motions in far less time than it would have taken to program it manually, Disney said. The fact that Olaf has a soft, snow-like exterior also let them "fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and removable carrot nose and arms."

The timing of the announcement is pretty wild considering that Defunctland, the amusement park history site, just released a four-hour YouTube documentary about the broken promise of Disney's animatronics. The main point was that Disney has announced many such characters but only shows them off at a few special events before shoving them away, Westworld basement-style, never to be seen again.

A few examples of those are the Wall-E robot in the aughts and, more recently, Groot and Star Wars droids. Those served mainly as marketing pieces for Disney, as they only appeared in the parks for specific tests and then disappeared. Disney even made a robot called Big Dino that was 13 feet tall and weighed 11,000 pounds — though it's probably best that one wasn't roaming around the parks greeting visitors.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-teases-an-olaf-robot-for-its-parks-151017739.html?src=rss

China launches emergency mission to its space station

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Mariella Moon

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft that China launched on November 25 has already reached the Tiangong space station, according to SpaceNews and Chinese state media. Now that it’s docked with the station, the astronauts onboard are no longer left without a vehicle that they can use to head home in case of emergencies. The astronauts part of the Shenzhou-21 mission haven’t had a lifeboat since November 11, because the team before they arrived had to use their vehicle to return to Earth.

On November 5, the astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission were supposed to make their way back home aboard their own spacecraft. But just hours before their departure from the station, China’s space agency discovered minor cracks in their vehicle’s window from a suspected debris impact. The Shenzhou-20 crew flew back to Earth on November 11 using the Shenzhou-21 vehicle, which means the newer team stayed in the station with no way to leave for over 10 days.

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was supposed to carry three more astronauts to the station in April or May 2026. Instead, it flew much earlier and without a crew, filled with supplies to make up for what the Shenzhou-20 mission astronauts consumed during their extended stay. It will return back to Earth next year after the current crew is done with its six-month stint.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/china-launches-emergency-mission-to-its-space-station-143000171.html?src=rss

Apple lays off part of its sales team

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Mariella Moon

Apple has laid off dozens of employees across its sales team to streamline the organization and eliminate overlapping roles., according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” the company told Gurman, though it didn’t say how many people were affected. Apple also said that it’s hiring for new sales roles and that laid off employees can apply for them. They have until January 20 to secure a new position within the company, or they will be let go with a severance package.

Some of the affected workers told Gurman that while Apple’s official internal reason was to streamline its organization, the layoffs were primarily driven by its plan to shift sales more towards third-party resellers. By relying on third-party channels further, Apple could lower costs like its spending for people’s salaries, especially since it eliminated longtime employees. They reportedly include managers and other staff members who’ve been with the company for 20 to 30 years.

Apple’s government sales team, which works with the Defense and Justice departments, was one of the biggest groups affected by the layoffs. It’s not quite clear if it was a direct effect of the recent US government shutdown. As Gurman notes, the layoffs have taken place in the middle of a record-breaking period. After posting a $102.5 billion revenue for the quarter ending in September, it’s now on track to make $140 billion in sales for the quarter ending in December.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-lays-off-part-of-its-sales-team-140000749.html?src=rss

This Dyson heater and fan is one of my favorite devices, and now it’s on sale for Black Friday

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Valentina Palladino

Most people think of vacuums or viral hair styling devices when they think of Dyson, but I think of heaters and fans. That's because one of my favorite pieces of tech in my home is this Dyson AM09 heater and fan, and now it's on sale for $300 for Black Friday. That's one of the best prices I've seen, and we last saw it so low during October Prime Day earlier this year.

My love for the AM09 is well documented. I picked it up over five years ago for $280 on super-sale at QVC. I'll get into what I love about this fan in a moment, but I have to point out that the AM09 has been a staple in Dyson's lineup for at least five years at this point. To my knowledge, this particular model hasn't been changed or upgraded since I bought it. That's impressive, particularly in the world of tech in which any device more than two years old is probably obsolete in some way, shape or form. I took the plunge and bought the AM09 after having a good experience with a Dyson tower fan for many years. At the time, I had been living in apartments that were consistently cold during wintertime and downright stifling during the summer months.

Now, my house is slightly better than my apartment — but certain areas get chilly in the winter and nearly sweltering in the summer (we don't have central air). The AM09 does a great job circulating air in the summer and cutting the chill in the winter. Just the other day, my husband toted it down to his man-cave in the basement to raise the temperature a bit. I love its handy remote, which attaches magnetically to the top of the fan so you don’t lose it and lets you control the fan speed and heater temperature with just a few presses of a button.

Truly, the kicker is how lightweight the AM09 is. At just under six pounds, it’s incredibly easy to pick up and tote upstairs, downstairs or in the other room, wherever you need it the most. It's almost like a Dyson shadow, following you around wherever you need a quick temperature adjustment. It's pretty common in my house for it to go from my office upstairs to the den on the main floor and down to the basement all in one day.

Am I a little miffed that, in my impatience, I bought a discounted Dyson heater/fan/air purifier over the summer because I desperately wanted another AM09 and it wasn’t on sale at the time? Yes — but at least you can learn from my shopping woes and get the AM09 instead.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-dyson-heater-and-fan-is-one-of-my-favorite-devices-and-now-its-on-sale-for-black-friday-135001165.html?src=rss

DoJ agrees to settle with RealPage in rent collusion software case

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Steve Dent

Last year, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against software company RealPage, accusing it of manipulating the rental housing market and driving up prices. Now, the DoJ has announced a proposed settlement that would put limits on RealPage's ability to collect and use sensitive information gathered from landlords. Under the terms, though, RealPage would pay no damages and admit to no wrongdoing.

Texas-based RealPage’s software is said to manage over 24 million rental units globally. The DOJ’s original complaint accused the company of working with landlords who agree to share “nonpublic, competitively sensitive information” about rental rates and other lease terms. RealPage then uses that data to train algorithms for its YieldStar software, which generate pricing and other recommendations “based on their and their rivals’ competitively sensitive information,” according to the DOJ.

If approved by the court, the settlement would require RealPage to only used landlord data that's 12 months or older in its algorithm. RealPage would also need to "remove or redesign" features that discourage landlords from lowering prices or prompt them to match competitors' prices. Its software would not be allowed to offer "hyperlocalized pricing" information that can manipulate rents "block-by-block," according to the DoJ's assist attorney general, Abigail Slater.

"Competing companies must make independent pricing decisions, and with the rise of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools, we will remain at the forefront of vigorous antitrust enforcement," Slater said in a statement.

However, as the dedicated real estate site Propmodo put it, the "outcome looks much closer to a reset than a punishment," adding that the government will likely focus enforcement on tools that steer collective behavior. "Algorithms will continue to shape pricing strategies, but with clearer boundaries."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/doj-agrees-to-settle-with-realpage-in-rent-collusion-software-case-130002364.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The best early Black Friday 2025 deals

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Mat Smith

Yes, it’s Tuesday, but the Black Friday sale bonanza continues to start earlier (wielded by even more retailers) each year. Our team was, is and will be curating the best Black Friday tech deals for this year’s retail push and with less than a week to go, plenty of the best offers are already live.

One surprise: PlayStation 5 discounts, with $100 off all the versions of the console . That brings the PS5 Digital Edition down to $399, the standard PS5 to $449 and the new PS5 Pro to $649.

It’s also a good year for home tech, whether you’re looking for an air fryer upgrade or even a Dyson robot vacuum with $600 off. It’s not the right season for it, but Ninja’s ice cream maker is down to $180 too.

In recent years, Black Friday sales have included even the most premium recent models, though the discounts are a little less remarkable. For example, the AirPods Pro 3 are currently on sale with a $29 discount on Amazon. Sadly, no discount for the iPhone Pocket.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories on Engadget.com

Black Friday streaming deals include one year of HBO Max for $36

Get the ad-supported plan for $3 per month for one year.

HBO Max has rolled out a limited-time one-year subscription for $3 per month, a total cost of $36 for a year. The deal’s Basic With Ads plan, which allows full HD streaming on two devices, costs $11 a month at full price.

The MasterClass Black Friday deal has up to 50 percent off subscriptions. Annual plans cost $120 to $240, so it’s a notable discount — and it works for returning users too.

Meanwhile, Audible is offering three months for $3, with access to Audible’s enormous library of published audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals. Sadly, it’ll then revert to the usual $15 a month.

More Black Friday deals on subscription services.

Meta allegedly buried research showing its products are harming users

Deactivating Facebook may lessen depression, anxiety and loneliness.

Meta allegedly suspended internal research into the mental health effects of its products after it showed that people who stopped using Facebook experienced less depression, anxiety and loneliness. This comes from unredacted court filings in a lawsuit filed by multiple US school districts against major social media companies. According to Reuters, the filings also showed internal research staff expressing the findings had merit. One compared the findings to the tobacco industry “doing research and knowing cigs were bad and then keeping that info to themselves.”

Yesterday, Malaysia announced it plans to ban social media for young people, like Denmark and Australia.

Dell 16 Premium laptop review

Stylish to a fault.

Dell’s 16 Premium looks as beautiful as ever, but the company’s usability issues from the XPS lineup remain. It’s kept the invisible trackpad, and the keyboard’s function keys disappear under sunlight. It’s gorgeous and fast, but as a premium device, we want more functionality, more battery life, more ports. Just… more.