It's hard to believe that it was only in late 2021 that Wordle blew up. The social aspect of sharing results and stickiness of the one-round-per-day format proved to be a winning formula. So it's little surprise that many other daily games have found success by going down this route. Some are as fun or even more enjoyable than Wordle. Others are actually educational, even helping you learn about the makeup of a country's exports. Yet more will have you scratching your head as you try desperately to remember the title of a movie based on some stills. In any case, there are many, many daily online games out there. Since most are free to play, we're here to help you figure out which of the best online games and puzzles are worth your time.
Sony refreshed its affordable earbud offering in 2021 when it debuted the $100 WF-C500. While that model delivered a refreshed design with 10 hours of battery life, support for 360 Reality Audio and more, budget-friendly sets have dropped well below the initial price of the C500. Now Sony is back with an even cheaper option, the WF-C510, that will be available for $60.
The company tweaked the design once more for this budget-friendly pair, engineering earbuds that are 20 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the C500. In fact, Sony says this new model is its smallest design ever for closed-type buds. The C510 maintains its predecessor's IPX4 rating, so they should still be okay to use during workouts, and the earbud housing and case are made with recycled plastic. Thankfully, Sony added ambient sound (transparency) mode even though the earbuds don't have active noise cancellation (ANC). Ambient sound typically only comes on ANC sets, so the added convenience is notable here. The company also tacked on multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, which will bring another handy feature to the C510.
Sony extended the battery life by an hour up to 11 on the earbuds themselves. Just like the previous model, the charging case provides enough juice for one additional full charge. What's more, a quick-charge feature will give you up to one hour of use in just five minutes. The C510 will work with Sony's headphones app to allow you to tweak settings, and both 360 Reality Audio and DSEE upscaling, a tool that recovers detail lost to compression, are on the spec sheet.
The WF-C510 are available for pre-order now in black, blue, white and yellow colors for $60, and are scheduled to ship in early September.
Update, August 26 2024, 2:57PM ET: After this story was published, Sony clarified that the price of the WF-C510 is $60. We have updated the story where appropriate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sonys-new-budget-friendly-earbuds-have-a-transparency-mode-and-longer-battery-life-160018370.html?src=rss
Nintendo fans have a lot to look forward to, including the company'snew museum, a Donkey Kong theme park expansion coming to the US and, of course, the follow up to the Switch. But everything all boils back down to the games, and we now have a clearer idea of what's coming to the Switch thanks to a double Nintendo Direct that the company streamed this morning at 10AM ET.
There were several announcements that could change your game plans today: A free update to Balatro brings custom decks to the smash-hit card game. The first decks are crossovers with The Witcher 3, Among Us, Dave the Diver and Vampire Survivors. There was also a surprise Switch release for Pizza Tower, a breakout platformer from last year which is one of the highest-rated games on Steam. Another same-day drop is Castlevania Dominus Collection, which brings together three DS titles — Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia and Portrait of Ruin — into one title.
Further down the line, Sega will bring Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first Yakuza game released in 2016, to Nintendo Switch on October 24 — the same day as the quirky dating sim Date Everything. Neva, a platformer we adored at Summer Game Fest, will arrive the week before on October 15. Konami’s delayed Suikoden remaster will now launch on March 6, 2025. Capcom announced another fighting game collection, this one including the Dreamcast classics Power Stone and Power Stone 2 along with some solid 2D fighters including Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro.
There are dozens more announcements to enjoy in the full stream, which is still available on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
Update, 8/27/24, 1:05PM ET: This story was updated after publishing with details on the games announced at today's Nintendo Direct.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-biggest-announcements-from-the-august-2024-nintendo-direct-150333340.html?src=rss
After teasing them at CES 2024 earlier this year, Samsung has officially launched the Premiere 7 and Premiere 9 ultra short throw (UST) 4K projectors. They offer enhanced picture quality compared to the previous Premiere LSP9T and LSP7T models, particularly in the areas of brightness and color accuracy. Samsung's main goal with the new products, it said, was to give buyers a "cinematic experience."
Smart TV features are available via Samsung's Tizen OS, offering access to Samsung TV Plus, Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services. The newly integrated Samsung Gaming Hub also comes with more than 3,000 titles from Xbox and others, with no console needed. Both models include 4K AI upscaling and Vision Booster, which automatically adjusts color and contrast for different lighting conditions.
The Premiere 7 looks like a solid mid-range contender in the UST category with 2,500 ISO lumens of brightness and 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 HDR standard. That should allow for accurate colors and expanded dynamic range, though most projectors fall well short of required HDR specs in terms of brightness.
Speaking of HDR, the Premiere 7 only offers HDR10, while others like the Formovie Theater can handle Dolby Vision content. As for sound, it comes with Dolby Atmos tech and 30W 2.2ch speakers.
Samsung
Meanwhile, the Premiere 9 sits a notch below the Premiere 8K UST projector also announced at CES. With the triple laser engine, it ups the brightness to 3,450 ISO lumens, below the Premiere 8K's 4,000 lumens but higher than most 4K UST projectors (Epson's EpiqVision Ultra LS800W 4K 3LCD projector is a notable exception with 4,000 ISO lumens).
It also comes with Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision, HDR10+. Considering the brightness and 154 percent DCI-P3 color accuracy, the picture should be impressive. It also features 40W speakers with Dolby Atmos in a 2.2.2 channel up-firing configuration.
Samsung projectors can be expensive compared to others and the new models are no exception. The Premiere 7 retails for $2,999, while the Premiere 9 doubles that to an eye-watering $5,999. Both models are now available at samsung.com and across select retailers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-expands-its-ust-projector-lineup-with-the-premiere-7-and-premiere-9-150002515.html?src=rss
Since it started offering subscribers access to mobile games in 2021, Netflix has built up one of the best gaming libraries around. With a balanced mix of titles built for the service and exclusive rights to the mobile versions of several popular indies (and a few blockbusters), Netflix has something for everyone in its lineup.
Sure, you could download and try every game available through the service. But to save you some time, we’ve rounded up some of the best Netflix games you can try on iOS or Android right now.
To find and play these games, open the Netflix app on your phone or tablet and search for the name. You’ll be taken to the App Store or Google Play to download the app. You might then need to log in with your Netflix credentials before you can dive in.
Several Volkswagen EVs and other models will soon have access to a range of casual multiplayer games that you can play using your phone as the controller. VW teamed up with AirConsole to bring its gaming platform to the ID.7, ID.5, ID.4 and ID.3 product lines, as well as the new Passat, Tiguan, Golf and Golf Estate. VW expects to roll AirConsole out to vehicles in some European markets by mid-September ahead of a broader expansion with more games and territories.
After firing up the AirConsole app on the VW Active Info Display, you'll just need to scan a QR code to connect a smartphone. Passengers in the rear will be able to join the multiplayer games too. Bear in mind that AirConsole will only work when the vehicle is in park, so it's primarily intended as a way to help everyone pass the time while waiting at an EV charging station or otherwise idling.
VW isn't the first automaker to incorporate AirConsole into its vehicles as BMW started doing so last year. The platform is also available on a desktop web browser as well as Android TV, Google TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Offering games in cars has become a bit of a trend over the last few years, with Tesla even offering access to Steam in some models (at least until it ended support for that earlier this year). Personally, I'm more interested in installing a PS5 in an ID.Buzz, Pimp My Ride-style.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/vw-is-bringing-casual-multiplayer-games-to-evs-and-other-cars-090034594.html?src=rss
Polaris Dawn, a private space mission that aims to complete the first-ever civilian spacewalk, is expected to launch this week. On X, SpaceX said it’s targeting Tuesday August 27 at 3:38AM ET for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Polaris Dawn crew to orbit. Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn plans to send its crew of four private citizens as far as 870 miles from Earth — farther than any human has traveled since the Apollo program. The spacewalk, in which two of the crew members will step outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule, will take place at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth.
The Polaris Dawn crew includes Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, as commander, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet as its pilot, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon as mission specialists. Menon will also serve as the medical officer. The mission is expected to last about five days.
Polaris Dawn and SpaceX completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/qz2RD5bnVM
While only two crew members will actually leave the spacecraft during the flight, all will be exposed to the vacuum of space when the hatch opens — the Dragon capsule doesn’t have an airlock. It’ll be a critical test for SpaceX’s new Extravehicular Activity space suits, which the entire Polaris Dawn crew will have to wear to keep them safe. In an interview with Florida Today ahead of the mission, Menon said the suits have gone through extensive testing on the ground and expressed confidence in their performance. “We absolutely know the suits can pressurize there,” Menon said, adding that the team has “spent a lot of time pressurizing the suits at this point.”
Polaris Dawn will also put Starlink laser-based communications to the test in space for the first time, and gather data to support research into the effects of spaceflight on human health. The mission comes several years in the making and is the first of three planned Polaris spaceflights.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-will-soon-send-the-polaris-dawn-crew-off-to-attempt-the-first-commercial-spacewalk-171538506.html?src=rss
A new Zombies mode is headed to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. A new cinematic trailer released on Friday shows that the DLC will take players to a small town called Liberty Falls infested with the running dead.
The trailer starts in a picturesque piece of America with an old-timey song setting the tone. Then everything goes to hell and our unnamed hero wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world from what was just a nightmare all along. He receives a bulletin that the running dead are on their way so he picks up a shock rifle to start popping off some zombies’ tops. The big reveal at the end features some kind of menacing villain that feels like a cross between ZAX from Fallout 76 and GLaDOS from the Portal games.
This is just a premature judgment based on the trailer but it looks and sounds a lot like Fallout, another game that takes place in a world where humanity ends and mutant humans roam the landscape.
There’s no official wide release date for Black Ops 6’s Zombies DLC or any indication that it will or won’t be available when the game launches on October 25. The first gameplay footage of the Liberty Falls maps and story mode will premiere on August 28 at Call of Duty NEXT in Washington DC. Open beta access will start on August 30. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on launch day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-trailer-for-call-of-duty-black-ops-6s-zombies-dlc-has-risen-191550462.html?src=rss
iFixit took apart Samsung's Galaxy Ring, scrutinized its components and wrote its findings, which could make you think twice about buying the device. It warned that the Galaxy Ring is "100 percent disposable" which is to say: once the battery died, the whole thing becomes junk. It "isn’t designed to last more than two years," iFixit warned.
To be fair the website did say that "all smart rings like it" are disposable, because they can't be non-destructively opened. It explained that lithium ion batteries "have a shelf life," and while they could be replaced on other devices, it's not possible to dismantle a smart ring to do that without wrecking the device completely. If the battery dies in the ring, you'll have to throw it away.
The website also put the Galaxy Ring through a CT scanner found that Samsung used a press connector to attach the battery to a circuit board. A press connector, as its name implies, connects components inside a device without solder. iFixit said it typically loves press connectors, because they make replacing individual parts easier. However, the one inside the Galaxy Ring is apparently sealed and doesn't make the device repairable. It said that the company most likely used a connector instead of soldering the components for its own benefit, because the parts came from different production facilities.
We gave the Galaxy Ring a score of 80 in our review; we found it basic and expensive at $400 — $100 more than its competitor, the Oura Ring. That said, Oura charges $6 a month to use its software, which does add up over time.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ifixit-put-the-landfill-bound-samsung-galaxy-ring-through-a-ct-scanner-131529577.html?src=rss
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has been in the works for about three years now, but with its release date fast approaching we now have our first trailer. It's one of the more unusual and intriguing projects under the Lord of the Rings franchise, an anime-style standalone movie that covers events in the kingdom of Rohan some 200-ish years before the War of the Ring.
The trailer starts with some iconic footage from the '00s Lord of the Rings films focused on Rohan before diving into the animation. It's immediately obvious that this project is connected to Peter Jackson's films, as the designs for key areas like Edoras and Helm's Deep clearly reference those earlier movies despite the distinctly different style. As for characters, we're introduced to King Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Hera who, judging by the trailer, will likely be our main protagonist. It looks like an attempt to marry her off goes south, angering the family of suitor Wulf — things get decidedly more tense after that, with plenty of action and Oliphaunts and, naturally, some teases of ring-related events to come.
The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who has been a writer and director on various anime including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East. He's also directed episodes of Star Wars: Visions and Ultraman. Most of the cast is still under wraps, but we know Brian Cox is voicing King Hammerhand, while Gaia Wise is voicing his daughter Hera. Miranda Otto is also reprising her role from the Lord of the Rings films as Eowyn, who will serve as the narrator for the story.
The movie is set to be released on December 13, and it's the first of several Lord of the Rings films in development — Andy Serkis, perhaps best known for his performance as Gollum in Jackson's Middle-earth films, is directing a new film tentatively entitled The Hunt for Gollum. While that movie is years away, fans can also catch Middle-earth on-screen in a week when season two of Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/first-trailer-for-lord-of-the-rings-the-war-of-the-rohirrim-shows-an-anime-styled-middle-earth-202139240.html?src=rss