Tag Archives: author_name|Jackson Chen

This retro-inspired handheld comes with Banjo-Kazooie and Battletoads built in

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Who would've guessed we'd get to play the original Banjo-Kazooie on a handheld with just a D-pad in 2026. HyperMegaTech!'s latest release is a collaboration with Rare Ltd., the legendary game developer known for the Banjo-Kazooie franchise and, more recently, Sea of Thieves, called the Super Pocket Rare Edition.

The vertical handheld features 14 classics from the British developer, including two Battletoads titles, Conker's Pocket Tales and many more. While most of the games were released on 8- or 16-bit consoles, Banjo-Kazooie will be the headliner since it was originally released on the Nintendo 64. It may sound weird to control Banjo and Kazooie with a D-pad, but HyperMegaTech! assured that the game has been enhanced and optimized specifically for the Super Pocket handheld.

Since HyperMegaTech! and Evercade share Blaze Entertainment as a parent company, that means the Rare Edition handheld will be compatible with Evercade cartridges. Once you're done with the 14 included games, you can expand your Super Pocket's library with cartridges that feature collections from Taito, NeoGeo or Atari. HyperMegaTech! said the Rare Edition handheld will be available for $69.99 in June 2026, but has already opened preorders.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/this-retro-inspired-handheld-comes-with-banjo-kazooie-and-battletoads-built-in-203111135.html?src=rss

Alaska could be the next state to crack down on AI-generated CSAM and restrict kids’ social media use

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Alaska's House of Representatives unanimously passed HB47, a bill that imposes sweeping limits on when and how minors use social media apps, along with bans on generating or distributing harmful deepfakes of children.

The bill's original form was focused on prohibiting the possession and distribution of sexually explicit images of children using AI, but Alaska lawmakers decided to add amendments that would impose social media restrictions. The proposed limitations include a statewide curfew on using social media between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM, banning "addictive design features" and requiring social media platforms to verify user ages and get parental consent if they are minors.

While the House bill saw 39 votes in favor and zero against, the amendments offered some hints at potential upcoming revisions. Before the bill went to a vote, some of the House representatives expressed concern about adding such broad rules on social media without consulting the companies behind them first.

The bill still has to make its way through the Alaska State Senate, which already has presented a companion bill, and the governor. Alaska is following the footsteps of many other states, and the House even modeled its social media amendments in the HB47 bill after Utah. While Utah was the first to propose social media restrictions for kids, it was later met with a preliminary injunction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/alaska-could-be-the-next-state-to-crack-down-on-ai-generated-csam-and-restrict-kids-social-media-use-190506366.html?src=rss

Shuttered studio Bluepoint reportedly pitched a Bloodborne remake, but it got shot down by FromSoftware

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Bloodborne fans may not be happy to hear that a remake was reportedly rejected, but that doesn't mean it's completely off the table. Bluepoint Games, Sony's closed-down studio behind many PlayStation remakes, pitched remaking the classic Gothic horror RPG in early 2025, but was blocked by the game's developer, FromSoftware, according to a Bloomberg report.

As Bloomberg reported, Bluepoint pitched a Bloodborne remake after several years of working towards a live-service title in the God of War franchise that was ultimately canceled. Looking for the next project, a modern-day version of Bloodborne made a lot of sense, considering the title came out in 2015 and Bluepoint was responsible for the successful Demon's Souls remake in 2020. However, Bloomberg's sources said that FromSoftware was against it, but didn't offer a concrete reason why. With some digging, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier pointed to an interview from Kinda Funny Games with PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida, which aired last year. In the video, Yoshida mentioned that FromSoftware's president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, wanted to pursue a Bloodborne remake, but was too busy to do it himself and "doesn't want anyone else to touch it."

After failing to get the Bloodborne remake greenlit, Bluepoint wasn't able to secure another project for more than a year, according to the Bloomberg report. Now that Bluepoint has been shut down, we're likely even further away from a remake. That's not to say a remake will never happen, but when it does, it'll have to get a stamp of approval and likely a lot of oversight from FromSoftware.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/shuttered-studio-bluepoint-reportedly-pitched-a-bloodborne-remake-but-it-got-shot-down-by-fromsoftware-173744228.html?src=rss

Anthropic accuses three Chinese AI labs of abusing Claude to improve their own models

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Anthropic is issuing a call to action against AI "distillation attacks," after accusing three AI companies of misusing its Claude chatbot. On its website, Anthropic claimed that DeepSeek, Moonshot and MiniMax have been conducting "industrial-scale campaigns…to illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities to improve their own models."

Distillation in the AI world refers to when less capable models lean on the responses of more powerful ones to train themselves. While distillation isn't a bad thing across the board, Anthropic said that these types of attacks can be used in a more nefarious way. According to Anthropic, these three Chinese AI firms were responsible for more than "16 million exchanges with Claude through approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts." From Anthropic's perspective, these competing companies were using Claude as a shortcut to develop more advanced AI models, which could also lead to circumventing certain safeguards.

Anthropic said in its post that it was able to link each of these distilling attack campaigns to the specific companies with "high confidence" thanks to IP address correlation, metadata requests and infrastructure indicators, along with corroborating with others in the AI industry who have noticed similar behaviors.

Early last year, OpenAI made similar claims of rival firms distilling its models and banned suspected accounts in response. As for Anthropic, the company behind Claude said it would upgrade its system to make distillation attacks harder to do and easier to identify. While Anthropic is pointing fingers at these other firms, it's also facing a lawsuit from music publishers who accused the AI company of using illegal copies of songs to train its Claude chatbot.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-accuses-three-chinese-ai-labs-of-abusing-claude-to-improve-their-own-models-205210613.html?src=rss

Bungie says ‘no second chances’ if you’re caught cheating in Marathon

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Bungie isn't taking any prisoners when it comes to cheating on its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. In a detailed blog post explaining its anti-cheat measures, Bungie took a very declarative position against those caught trying to gain an unfair advantage.

"We are taking a strong stance against cheating and anyone found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from playing Marathon forever, no second chances," the blog post read, adding that there will be an appeals system in place.

However, Bungie's anti-cheat standards go beyond punishment. In the blog post, Bungie detailed that Marathon's dedicated servers have full authority on movement, shooting, actions, and inventory. Since these key actions rely on the server, it will translate to smoother gunplay for players as well as the prevention of cheats related to teleportation, unlimited ammo or damage manipulation. Bungie is also incorporating a "Fog of War" system that limits an individual player's client to see only certain regions of a map, which should prevent wall hacks, ESP cheats or loot revealers. 

On top of these robust regulations, Bungie is utilizing BattlEye, a kernel-level anticheat that's seen with other popular multiplayer shooters like Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege and Destiny 2. Bungie added that in the event of disconnecting, you'll be able to reconnect to your run without any hitches. If players can't reconnect due to an issue with the servers, Bungie said it will "attempt to return the starting gear to all impacted players."

Marathon isn't out until March 5, but Bungie is doing a preview weekend with the Server Slam event starting February 26. Still, it's obvious that Bungie already wants to get ahead of the competition, since Arc Raiders, another recently released extraction shooter, has been dealing with its own cheating problem. To address the rise in cheating, the game's developer, Embark Studios, implemented a three-strike system, which some players have criticized as too lenient.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bungie-says-no-second-chances-if-youre-caught-cheating-in-marathon-191633998.html?src=rss

Lamborghini ditches plans for its all-electric supercar due to ‘close to zero’ buyer interest

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Looks like we won't get to hear the powerful hum of an all-electric Lamborghini on the streets anytime soon. According to a report from The Sunday Times, Lamborghini has abandoned making a production version of the Lanzador EV concept, which was expected to hit the market in 2029.

Stephen Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, told The Sunday Times that there was "close to zero" interest from its customer base for battery-powered EVs. Winkelmann also revealed that the verdict to kill off the Lanzador was made late last year, but this is the first public confirmation of the decision after Lamborghini's grand reveal of the EV concept in August 2023. The automaker's CEO told The Sunday Times that "EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection," adding that the lack of noise could have played a part in failing to attract customers.

Instead, Lamborghini will replace the Lanzador with another plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, like its Reveulto and Urus. With this change, Lamborghini's entire lineup will be hybrid EVs by 2030, with Winkelmann confirming that the company would continue making internal combustion engines "for as long as possible." Still, the CEO hinted to The Sunday Times that Lamborghini could pursue another all-electric car in the future, but "only when the time is right."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/lamborghini-ditches-plans-for-its-all-electric-supercar-due-to-close-to-zero-buyer-interest-173441263.html?src=rss

Colorado is working on a bill that would make it illegal to 3D print firearms and gun parts

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A collective of Colorado lawmakers wants to put an end to "ghost guns" and their rising popularity. Earlier this week, the state's House Judiciary Committee voted in a 7-4 majority to pass the bill, HB26-1144, along for a decision with the full House of Representatives. The proposed law would "prohibit the use of a three-dimensional printer, or similar technology, to make a firearm or a firearm component."

Ghost guns are typically made from 3D printers or similar machines without serial numbers, making them virtually impossible to trace and allowing users to skirt the federal requirements for purchasing a firearm. While the bill targets using a 3D printer to make guns, large-capacity magazines and other related components, it even bans possessing and distributing the instructions to manufacture guns in this way. However, these rules would be exempt for federally licensed firearm manufacturers.

"These ghost guns are increasingly found at crime scenes, making it harder for law enforcement to track down a suspect because the gun isn’t traceable," the bill's sponsor, Lindsay Gilchrist, said in a press release.

Prior to this proposal, Colorado passed a law in 2023 that banned owning ghost guns or making frames for them. While SB23-279 laid the groundwork, HB26-1144 can be seen as the next step since it's much more encompassing by targeting ghost guns even before they're made. According to the bill, first-time violations will be treated as a misdemeanor, while repeat offenses will be upgraded to a felony charge. Looking ahead, HB26-1144 still has to secure a vote from both the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives before being delivered to the governor to be signed into law.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/colorado-is-working-on-a-bill-that-would-make-it-illegal-to-3d-print-firearms-and-gun-parts-211508169.html?src=rss

Apple is reportedly considering red as the next premium color for its iPhones

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First, we got iPhones in Hermès orange, and now we might get them in Louboutin red. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is already mulling over what the next premium colorway will be for its iPhone Pro models. While we're not expecting iPhone 18 announcements until later this year, Gurman reported that "red is the new flagship color in testing for the next iPhone Pros."

Gurman added that there were rumors of purple and brown shades, but predicted that these could just be different shades of the main red option. Red is definitely a departure from Apple's usual palette of more modest tones, but the company could be trying to continue the momentum of its flashier Cosmic Orange option that has been boosting sales in China. The bold orange option has been informally rebranded as Hermès orange among fans and is becoming somewhat of a status symbol in Chinese markets. With red as a potential frontrunner for the next iPhone Pro colors, Apple could capture even more sales in China, especially since the color is seen as lucky in Chinese culture.

It's not the first time Apple has offered red iPhones, though. Previously, Apple manufactured iPhones in deep red hues in collaboration with Product Red, with the last available models being the iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. On the other hand, Gurman reported that Apple will play it much safer when it comes to the rumored foldable iPhone, sticking with its basic tones.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-is-reportedly-considering-red-as-the-next-premium-color-for-its-iphones-185748052.html?src=rss

Apple’s first event of the year will reportedly bring at least five products over a ‘three-day blitz’

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Ready your wallets if you've been thinking about upgrading your Apple products. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will announce "at least five products," starting on Monday, March 2, and extending to its scheduled "experience" on Wednesday, March 4.

There's a long list of potential options that Apple could announce next month, but Gurman is confident in a few. According to the report, Apple is "very likely" to reveal the low-cost MacBook, especially considering the event logo's choice of colors that could reference the new laptop colors. Gurman also predicted that Apple could announce the iPhone 17e, since its predecessor was launched last spring, and an iPad Air that's updated with the M4 chip. Previous rumors point to Apple getting ready to drop the upgraded MacBook Pro, which will likely get M5 Pro and Max chips, and the new MacBook Air with the base M5 chip. If that wasn't enough, Apple could even debut the refreshed Mac Studio and a new Apple Studio Display since the two desktop-oriented options were already expected to be released in the first half of the year.

There hasn't been any confirmation from Apple directly, but it may have left behind some hints for this "three-day blitz" of product announcements. Going off Apple's wording, the March 4 event will be an "Apple Experience" with locations in New York, London and Shanghai, which doesn't sound like the typical format of an event with keynote addresses that's paired with a livestream. Gurman also noted that Apple usually announces its new products on Tuesday, unlike the official Wednesday timing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-first-event-of-the-year-will-reportedly-bring-at-least-five-products-over-a-three-day-blitz-175017716.html?src=rss

The Stop Killing Games campaign will set up NGOs in the EU and US

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The Stop Killing Games campaign is evolving into more than just a movement. In a YouTube video, the campaign's creator, Ross Scott, explained that organizers are planning to establish two non-governmental organizations, one for the European Union and another for the US. According to Scott, these NGOs would allow for "long-term counter lobbying" when publishers end support for certain video games.

"Let me start off by saying I think we're going to win this, namely the problem of publishers destroying video games that you've already paid for," Scott said in the video. According to Scott, the NGOs will work on getting the original Stop Killing Games petition codified into EU law, while also pursuing more watchdog actions, like setting up a system to report publishers for revoking access to purchased video games.

The Stop Killing Games campaign started as a reaction to Ubisoft's delisting of The Crew from players' libraries. The controversial decision stirred up concerns about how publishers have the ultimate say on delisting video games. After crossing a million signatures last year, the movement's leadership has been busy exploring the next steps.

According to Scott, the campaign leadership will meet with the European Commission soon, but is also working on a 500-page legal paper that reveals some of the industry's current controversial practices. In the meantime, the ongoing efforts have led to a change of heart from Ubisoft since the publisher updated The Crew 2 with an offline mode. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-stop-killing-games-campaign-will-set-up-ngos-in-the-eu-and-us-203359604.html?src=rss