While Minecraft was officially released in 2011, it was first introduced to the public back in 2009. This year, Minecraft is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and as part of the festivities surrounding that milestone, Netflix and Mojang Studios have announced that they're making an animated series based on the iconic sandbox game. It's a computer graphic-animated show that's being developed by Canadian studio WildBrain, which was also behind the animated Netflix shows Carmen Sandiego and Sonic Prime.
The companies said the series will feature an original story based on new characters that show "the world of Minecraft in a new light." We'll most likely find out what that means exactly before the series launches when they start releasing previews and trailers. The video Netflix and Mojang have published only announces their collaboration — we'll just have to wait for more information on whether the show will still include characters we all know from the game, like Steve, creepers and zombies, or if it will truly only feature characters we've never seen before. If the long-delayed Minecraft movie ever gets made, we'll still see Steve in an adaptation anyway. Earlier this year, Deadlinereported that Jack Black is set to star as the game's blocky protagonist alongside Jason Momoa.
Over the past couple of weeks, Minecraft has also released special items to celebrate its 15th anniversary, including free party add-ons, a free map, a cape and wallpapers. You can see all of Mojang's anniversary items and announcements on the Minecraft website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-is-developing-a-minecraft-animated-series-130023691.html?src=rss
While Minecraft was officially released in 2011, it was first introduced to the public back in 2009. This year, Minecraft is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and as part of the festivities surrounding that milestone, Netflix and Mojang Studios have announced that they're making an animated series based on the iconic sandbox game. It's a computer graphic-animated show that's being developed by Canadian studio WildBrain, which was also behind the animated Netflix shows Carmen Sandiego and Sonic Prime.
The companies said the series will feature an original story based on new characters that show "the world of Minecraft in a new light." We'll most likely find out what that means exactly before the series launches when they start releasing previews and trailers. The video Netflix and Mojang have published only announces their collaboration — we'll just have to wait for more information on whether the show will still include characters we all know from the game, like Steve, creepers and zombies, or if it will truly only feature characters we've never seen before. If the long-delayed Minecraft movie ever gets made, we'll still see Steve in an adaptation anyway. Earlier this year, Deadlinereported that Jack Black is set to star as the game's blocky protagonist alongside Jason Momoa.
Over the past couple of weeks, Minecraft has also released special items to celebrate its 15th anniversary, including free party add-ons, a free map, a cape and wallpapers. You can see all of Mojang's anniversary items and announcements on the Minecraft website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-is-developing-a-minecraft-animated-series-130023691.html?src=rss
While the cinema is still the best way to experience movies, it’s admittedly hard (and expensive!) to corral kids for a theater trip. And don’t even bring up babysitting costs. These days, it’s far easier to turn your house into the perfect entertainment cocoon, with all of your required creature comforts. Here are a few suggestions to help dads get their kids into Across the Spider-Verse (or perhaps catch up on all the Marvel and Star Wars shows they may have missed).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-home-entertainment-gift-ideas-for-dad-134509519.html?src=rss
Last week, Sony published a seemingly innocuous round of interviews that centered the company’s nebulous “creative entertainment vision”. Neil Druckmann, head of the Sony-owned game studio Naughty Dog, was one of those — but his interview wasn’t quite what it seemed.
Druckmann, who headed the team behind The Last of Us series, was apparently wildly misquoted by his own employers. A few days after the interviews were published, he took to X and said, “This is not quite what I said.” He even posted a section of the original interview transcript, which was hugely different.
Sony has since pulled the interview and issued an apology on the old page, saying the article had significant errors and inaccuracies, encompassing “animation, writing, technology, AI and future projects.” So, if all that was inaccurate, what was accurate?
Japan’s hit virtual pet, Punirunes, comes to the US this summer. A play on puni-puni, which means ‘squishy’ in Japanese, it’s a slightly different kind of digital pet. There’s a doughy button at the center of the device that simulates physical contact with your Punirunes. When you pet it, your finger even appears on the device’s screen. Punirunes makes its US debut in August for $40.
Amazon is permanently offering free Grubhub+ restaurant delivery as part of its Prime subscription. If you pay $139 per year for a Prime subscription and are up for spending more to eat, you’ll pay no fee for eligible GrubHub orders over $12. You’ll also see lower service fees, 5 percent credit back on pickup orders and, apparently, exclusive offers. Unlimited grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh still costs an additional $10 per month.
The attacks have knocked the site offline a few times.
If you couldn’t access the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine over the past few days, it’s because the website has been under attack. The nonprofit organization has announced it’s in its “third day of warding off an intermittent DDoS cyber-attack.”
The Internet Archive has yet to identify the source of the attacks, but it did talk about how libraries and similar institutions are being targeted more frequently these days. One institution it mentioned was the British Library, whose online information system was held hostage for ransom by a hacker group last year.
The headset is slated to gain PC support this year.
After teasing PC compatibility earlier this year, Sony has apparently created a PC adapter for the PS VR2, according to a Korean filing unearthed by VR and mixed-reality enthusiast Brad Lynch. There are no details on how the adapter works, what it looks like or how much it will cost, but it lends credence to previous evidence that the headset would have a wired PC connection. The company will be hoping that PC support will drive sales of its headset, which hasn’t exactly set the world alight.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-sony-apologizes-for-fabricated-interview-with-last-of-us-studio-head-111549333.html?src=rss
Last week, Sony published a seemingly innocuous round of interviews that centered the company’s nebulous “creative entertainment vision”. Neil Druckmann, head of the Sony-owned game studio Naughty Dog, was one of those — but his interview wasn’t quite what it seemed.
Druckmann, who headed the team behind The Last of Us series, was apparently wildly misquoted by his own employers. A few days after the interviews were published, he took to X and said, “This is not quite what I said.” He even posted a section of the original interview transcript, which was hugely different.
Sony has since pulled the interview and issued an apology on the old page, saying the article had significant errors and inaccuracies, encompassing “animation, writing, technology, AI and future projects.” So, if all that was inaccurate, what was accurate?
Japan’s hit virtual pet, Punirunes, comes to the US this summer. A play on puni-puni, which means ‘squishy’ in Japanese, it’s a slightly different kind of digital pet. There’s a doughy button at the center of the device that simulates physical contact with your Punirunes. When you pet it, your finger even appears on the device’s screen. Punirunes makes its US debut in August for $40.
Amazon is permanently offering free Grubhub+ restaurant delivery as part of its Prime subscription. If you pay $139 per year for a Prime subscription and are up for spending more to eat, you’ll pay no fee for eligible GrubHub orders over $12. You’ll also see lower service fees, 5 percent credit back on pickup orders and, apparently, exclusive offers. Unlimited grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh still costs an additional $10 per month.
The attacks have knocked the site offline a few times.
If you couldn’t access the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine over the past few days, it’s because the website has been under attack. The nonprofit organization has announced it’s in its “third day of warding off an intermittent DDoS cyber-attack.”
The Internet Archive has yet to identify the source of the attacks, but it did talk about how libraries and similar institutions are being targeted more frequently these days. One institution it mentioned was the British Library, whose online information system was held hostage for ransom by a hacker group last year.
The headset is slated to gain PC support this year.
After teasing PC compatibility earlier this year, Sony has apparently created a PC adapter for the PS VR2, according to a Korean filing unearthed by VR and mixed-reality enthusiast Brad Lynch. There are no details on how the adapter works, what it looks like or how much it will cost, but it lends credence to previous evidence that the headset would have a wired PC connection. The company will be hoping that PC support will drive sales of its headset, which hasn’t exactly set the world alight.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-sony-apologizes-for-fabricated-interview-with-last-of-us-studio-head-111549333.html?src=rss
Instagram is expanding two of its safety features in an effort to ramp up its bullying protections for teens. The company is changing how limiting and restricting work in its app to give teens ways to deal with potential bullies that it claims are less likely to lead to further retaliation.
With the changes, Instagram users will have the ability to “limit” their post interactions to “close friends” only. That means that users will only see comments, direct messages, tags and mentions from people on their close friends list. Other followers will still be able to interact with their posts, but those comments and messages won’t be visible to others.
The company previously introduced comment limiting as a creator-focused anti-bullying feature in 2021 with the goal of preventing the kind of sudden flood of harassment experienced by several UK football players. The latest changes, according to Instagram, are geared more toward teens who are dealing with bullies, but may be hesitant to use the app’s block feature due to fears of escalating potential conflicts,
For cases when people may be dealing with one particular bully, Instagram is making similar changes to its “restrict” feature. Users will be able to prevent restricted individuals from tagging or mentioning them. Comments from those on the restricted list will also be automatically hidden from others.
The updates comes as Meta is facing scrutiny over its handling of teen safety and other issues. The company was sued by dozens of states last year for allegedly failing to protect its youngest users from harmful aspects of its service.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-is-expanding-its-anti-bullying-features-for-teens-100037418.html?src=rss
Instagram is expanding two of its safety features in an effort to ramp up its bullying protections for teens. The company is changing how limiting and restricting work in its app to give teens ways to deal with potential bullies that it claims are less likely to lead to further retaliation.
With the changes, Instagram users will have the ability to “limit” their post interactions to “close friends” only. That means that users will only see comments, direct messages, tags and mentions from people on their close friends list. Other followers will still be able to interact with their posts, but those comments and messages won’t be visible to others.
The company previously introduced comment limiting as a creator-focused anti-bullying feature in 2021 with the goal of preventing the kind of sudden flood of harassment experienced by several UK football players. The latest changes, according to Instagram, are geared more toward teens who are dealing with bullies, but may be hesitant to use the app’s block feature due to fears of escalating potential conflicts,
For cases when people may be dealing with one particular bully, Instagram is making similar changes to its “restrict” feature. Users will be able to prevent restricted individuals from tagging or mentioning them. Comments from those on the restricted list will also be automatically hidden from others.
The updates comes as Meta is facing scrutiny over its handling of teen safety and other issues. The company was sued by dozens of states last year for allegedly failing to protect its youngest users from harmful aspects of its service.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-is-expanding-its-anti-bullying-features-for-teens-100037418.html?src=rss
Last week, Sony published a seemingly innocuous bit of fluff, touting its long-term "creative entertainment vision" in broad terms, along with some interviews of key employees. Neil Druckmann, studio head of Sony's Naughty Dog, was one of those — and his interview made waves in the game world. According to the interview, Druckmann said AI could "create nuanced dialogues and characters" and also said that the new game Naughty Dog was developing (but hasn't officially announced) "could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming." Some mighty strong and potentially controversial statements from the head of a studio beloved for its The Last of Us and Uncharted franchises.
Problem is, Druckmann was wildly misquoted by his own employers. A few days after Sony published its interview, Druckmann took to X and said "this is not quite what I said." He then went full Ellie-in-revenge-mode on Sony, posting a section of the original interview transcript. (He was actually pretty polite if we're being honest — even the powerful can only bite the hand that feeds so hard.) Regardless, things here do not add up.
In editing my rambling answers in my recent interview with SONY, some of my words, context, and intent were unfortunately lost. Well, here's the full long rambling answer for the final question about our future game... pic.twitter.com/tVuxX3LYJF
Gaming reporter Stephen Totilo shared his own comparison of what Druckmann said and what Sony published, bolding the words in Sony's answer that Druckmann never said — and those words were the majority of the quote. Sony basically put words in his mouth and published them, kicking off a classic gamer freakout.
To be fair, if I was Druckmann, I'd be pretty pissed too. Look at this butchery!
If you're curious (about what he said; and how I spend a Friday night when my wife and kids are away), here's a comparison of the original answer and the edited one.
Many changes
No surprise, this was cut: "Not because games need to be movies, or they need to be TV shows" pic.twitter.com/FkxNkqQPY2
Now, five days later, Sony has removed the interview from its site entirely. However, they didn't just delete the page — they left it up with an apology to Neil and the Naughty Dog team "for any negative impact this interview might have caused."
My favorite bit is easily this:
In re-reviewing our recent interview with Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, we have found several significant errors and inaccuracies that don't represent his perspective and values (including topics such as animation, writing, technology, AI, and future projects).Sony
So everything he said about animation, writing, technology, AI and future projects had errors. Hey, at least they nailed his name and title.
For the morbidly curious, you can still read the "interview" on archive.org.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-pulls-fabricated-interview-with-naughty-dog-head-neil-druckmann-210340146.html?src=rss
Last week, Sony published a seemingly innocuous bit of fluff, touting its long-term "creative entertainment vision" in broad terms, along with some interviews of key employees. Neil Druckmann, studio head of Sony's Naughty Dog, was one of those — and his interview made waves in the game world. According to the interview, Druckmann said AI could "create nuanced dialogues and characters" and also said that the new game Naughty Dog was developing (but hasn't officially announced) "could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming." Some mighty strong and potentially controversial statements from the head of a studio beloved for its The Last of Us and Uncharted franchises.
Problem is, Druckmann was wildly misquoted by his own employers. A few days after Sony published its interview, Druckmann took to X and said "this is not quite what I said." He then went full Ellie-in-revenge-mode on Sony, posting a section of the original interview transcript. (He was actually pretty polite if we're being honest — even the powerful can only bite the hand that feeds so hard.) Regardless, things here do not add up.
In editing my rambling answers in my recent interview with SONY, some of my words, context, and intent were unfortunately lost. Well, here's the full long rambling answer for the final question about our future game... pic.twitter.com/tVuxX3LYJF
Gaming reporter Stephen Totilo shared his own comparison of what Druckmann said and what Sony published, bolding the words in Sony's answer that Druckmann never said — and those words were the majority of the quote. Sony basically put words in his mouth and published them, kicking off a classic gamer freakout.
To be fair, if I was Druckmann, I'd be pretty pissed too. Look at this butchery!
If you're curious (about what he said; and how I spend a Friday night when my wife and kids are away), here's a comparison of the original answer and the edited one.
Many changes
No surprise, this was cut: "Not because games need to be movies, or they need to be TV shows" pic.twitter.com/FkxNkqQPY2
Now, five days later, Sony has removed the interview from its site entirely. However, they didn't just delete the page — they left it up with an apology to Neil and the Naughty Dog team "for any negative impact this interview might have caused."
My favorite bit is easily this:
In re-reviewing our recent interview with Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, we have found several significant errors and inaccuracies that don't represent his perspective and values (including topics such as animation, writing, technology, AI, and future projects).Sony
So everything he said about animation, writing, technology, AI and future projects had errors. Hey, at least they nailed his name and title.
For the morbidly curious, you can still read the "interview" on archive.org.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-pulls-fabricated-interview-with-naughty-dog-head-neil-druckmann-210340146.html?src=rss
In the last few months, news organizations have leapt into bed with OpenAI, hatching Faustian bargains where the cash-strapped media industry exchanges a monetary pittance for OpenAI's right to scrape and integrate their content into things like ChatGPT. Those that have signed in blood include News Corp (publisher of the Wall Street Journal), the Financial Times, People magazine publisher Dotdash Meredith, the AP, and now, The Atlantic and Vox Media.
The Atlantic and Vox Media quickly confirmed these new deals shortly after Axiosfirst published the news.
The Atlantic says that it'll be a "premium news source" in OpenAI and that all its citations will be clearly attributed to The Atlantic with links back to the original content. There are concerns from publishers that users of AI chatbots don't actually need to go to the original sources; perhaps the calculus is that, for an industry in the twilight of its lifespan, some inbound link traffic is better than none. Then again, by agreeing to be scraped at all, perhaps The Atlantic is effectively wading directly into the tarpit of its own extinction (and of media as a whole). There will also be an experimental "microsite" called Atlantic Labs that'll showcase "new products and features to better serve its journalism and readers."
Vox Media (publisher of its flagship news site Vox, tech site The Verge, the network of sports blogs under the SB Nation banner and many more) says it'll have a similar style of attribution and linking out to its content.
Vox Media will also use OpenAI data both internally and in public-facing content. Specifically, it'll "enhance" Vox's The Strategist Gift Scout tool that helps visitors find stuff to buy (and helps Vox Media earn affiliate revenue). It'll also be built into the publisher's in-house advertising platform, so expect ads that are even better at following you around the internet and learning about what you want to buy.
There's no indication yet that that either company will publish anything created directly by AI, as sites like CNET and Sports Illustrated have tried with disastrous results, though neither company said anything about keeping AI out of its content either. Over at The Atlantic, it seems likely that any such experiments will be kept to the new Atlantic Labs section, at least for starters.
While a number of publishers have been quick to embrace AI, not everyone is so enthused. The New York Timessued both OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement in December, saying that both companies use its material without permission to train their models. More recently, eight publications owned by the Alden Capital Group, including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News,sued both companies with a similar complaint. At this point, it seems like it's either spend time and money in a lawsuit to go after OpenAI's rampant intellectual theft or cut a deal that'll make you some spending cash in a dire media market.
It was only last weekThe Atlantic published its own screed decrying media organizations which had taken petty cash from AI interlopers in exchange for something of significantly greater value. The odds unfortunately suggest this story (and my moral high ground) will age just as poorly in the near future.
Update, May 29, 2024, 12:20 PM ET: This story has been updated to include details from Vox Media's official statement on the deal.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-atlantic-and-vox-media-made-their-own-deal-with-the-ai-devil-161017636.html?src=rss