Tag Archives: author_name|Anna Washenko

Remedy’s new game is FBC: Firebreak, a co-op shooter in the Control universe

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After a long and winding road, Remedy Entertainment has unveiled its multiplayer follow-up to Control. FBC: Firebreak is for teams of three, and the trios will face down waves of enemies with an intriguing arsenal of weapons. For instance, the trailer shows a gatling gun of gloopy poison and a gun with a launching piston attached to the front for aerial attacks.

Since FBC: Firebreak is set in the same world as Control (and Alan Wake II), there will be more for players to explore about this surreal place. The trailer showed off gunfights in the Federal Bureau of Control and the Oldest House, familiar settings to those who have played Control and its DLC. But with the different approach to gameplay, FBC: Firebreak isn't intended to be a direct sequel to the psychological hit game. "I guess you could say that it’s a spin-off, but in the most positive sense of the word," Game Director Mike Kayatta said. "It’s not designed to be some kind of lesser, bite-sized Control. FBC: Firebreak is its own, fully formed thing."

A co-op project from the studio was first teased all the way back in 2021. Firebreak has clearly gone through some refinements from the original concept Remedy announced with 505 Games. At the time, it was also working on a free-to-play co-op shooter with the conglomerate Tencent, but the codenamed Project Vanguard was scrapped in 2023. The duo attempted to reenvision the game as a premium title, but that also fell by the wayside.

FBC: Firebreak is currently scheduled for release in 2025 on the Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5. Remedy announced that the game will be on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch, as well as on the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium members. 

Update, October 17, 3:55 pm ET: Article has been updated with full launch platform and service information. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedys-new-game-is-fbc-firebreak-a-co-op-shooter-in-the-control-universe-180702570.html?src=rss

FCC now requires georouting for wireless calls to 988, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline

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The Federal Communications Commission has passed rules that will require all wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline to be georouted. Geographic routing ensures that attempts to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline for intervention services will be sent to the location where the call is placed rather than to the location of the caller's area code and exchange.

Once the rules take effect, national providers will have 30 days to implement georouting for these calls. Smaller, non-national providers have a timeline of 24 months to comply. The agency also issued a proposal that the same georouting policy be applied to texts sent to 988.

The FCC has taken several steps to expand the reach of the 988 Lifeline over the past few years. After voting to make the three-digit number the shortcut for reaching the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in 2020, the agency expanded the service to include text support in 2021. T-Mobile was one of the first telecoms to activate 988 for customers to access mental health services.

If you are struggling and need someone to listen, please, call 988. The full number is 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK), or you can reach the Lifeline by webchat.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/fcc-now-requires-georouting-for-wireless-calls-to-988-the-national-suicide-prevention-hotline-192030468.html?src=rss

Apple will launch a Business Caller ID service next year

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Apple introduced some new tools to its Apple Business Connect program that could be useful for the everyday consumer. The most notable update is the introduction of Business Caller ID. When this feature rolls out next year, companies of any size can register to have their name, logo and department appear when they contact customers. In practice, that can help people distinguish between a phone call from a legitimate business and spam.

Apple Business Connect allows companies to have more control over how they appear within different apps across the Apple ecosystem. In 2023, Apple offered businesses customization for their listings in Maps, Messages, Siri and Wallet. Today's updates make Business Connect branding tools available to any company, including those without a brick-and-mortar location. In addition to the eventual rollout of Business Caller ID, the program is also adding brand info within the Mail and Phone apps. Participating companies can also add their logo to the Tap to Pay feature for contactless payments.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-will-launch-a-business-caller-id-service-next-year-223913262.html?src=rss

The Kindle Oasis will be discontinued as Amazon says goodbye to page-turn buttons

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Amazon is sunsetting the Kindle Oasis. This decision means there will be no models of the ereader remaining with physical buttons for turning pages. "Once current inventory of Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will not restock the device," Amazon rep Devon Corvasce told The Verge. "Today, all of our devices are touch-forward which is what our customers are comfortable with."

The Oasis model debuted in 2016. Its lightweight, asymmetrical design for one-handed use was a standout, but the high price tag may have kept most people from really considering the product. If you are not most comfortable with a touch interface for your reading, there are still options for flipping pages via buttons on the market. The Kobo Libra Color is one of our favorites.

Even with the Oasis becoming nothing but a mirage, the Kindle family isn't getting any smaller. Amazon announced several upgrades to the device line this week, including its first ever color ereader in the Kindle Colorsoft. We also got hands-on time with the latest Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Paperwhite has also received a refresh.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/the-kindle-oasis-will-be-discontinued-as-amazon-says-goodbye-to-page-turn-buttons-213538052.html?src=rss

SpaceX is suing the California Coastal Commission for not letting it launch more rockets

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Last week, the California Coastal Commission rejected a plan for SpaceX to launch up to 50 rockets this year at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The company responded yesterday with a lawsuit, alleging that the state agency's denial was overreaching its authority and discriminating against its CEO.

The Commission's goal is to protect California's coasts and beaches, as well as the animals living in them. The agency has control over private companies' requests to use the state coastline, but it can't deny activities by federal departments. The denied launch request was actually made by the US Space Force on behalf of SpaceX, asking that the company be allowed to launch 50 of its Falcon 9 rockets, up from 36.

While the commissioners did raise concerns about SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's political screed and the spotty safety records at his companies during their review of the launch request, the assessment focused on the relationship between SpaceX and Space Force. The Space Force case is that "because it is a customer of — and reliant on — SpaceX’s launches and satellite network, SpaceX launches are a federal agency activity," the Commission review stated. "However, this does not align with how federal agency activities are defined in the Coastal Zone Management Act’s regulations or the manner in the Commission has historically implemented those regulations." The California Coastal Commission claimed that at least 80 percent of the SpaceX rockets contain payloads for Musk's Starlink company rather than payloads for government clients.

The SpaceX suit filed with the Central District of California court is seeking an order to designate the launches as federal activity, which would cut the Commission's oversight out of its future launch plans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-is-suing-the-california-coastal-commission-for-not-letting-it-launch-more-rockets-204610537.html?src=rss

Sony’s Until Dawn movie gets April 25 release date

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Sony announced in January that it planned to create a movie adaptation of its 2015 PlayStation game Until Dawn and the project is moving quickly through production. Earlier this month, director David F. Sandberg posted on Instagram that the film had wrapped shooting, and today Sony production house Screen Gems announced that the movie's release date will be April 25, 2025.

Until Dawn became a cult favorite among the horror game fans, with a branching narrative that offers dozens of different endings based on a player's choices. If you haven't had a chance to experience the original Supermassive Games title yet, the game recently received a timely spooky season remake from Ballistic Moon. One of the big questions around creating a film from the game source is which of the many possible outcomes will the team choose for the plot? And the other big question is whether Until Dawn will follow in the footsteps of successful game adaptations like The Super Mario Bros. Movie or be an absolute trainwreck like Borderlands? 

So far, the signs seem promising. Director Sandberg has a solid track record in horror with Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. The final script was written by Gary Dauberman, who worked with Sandberg on Annabelle: Creation as well as penning words for other Annabelle movies, It (2017), It Chapter Two and The Nun.

The game had some notable actors involved, including Hayden Panetierre and Rami Malek. For the movie, Screen Gems tapped a cast including Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Odessa A’zion and Maia Mitchell. Peter Stormare will also reprise his role of Dr. Hill in the film version.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sonys-until-dawn-movie-gets-april-25-release-date-223735333.html?src=rss

The Apple Pencil Pro is 30 percent off, taking it down to an all-time low price

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Update 10/16/24 2:55pm ET: Amazon has raised the price by $5, so while the Pencil Pro isn't at a record-low anymore, it's still available at a good sale price. Also discounted now is the USB-C Apple Pencil, which has dropped to a new low of $65.

Apple doesn't offer many discounts for its product lineup, so seeing one of its tablet accessories on sale for a third off the usual cost is exciting. The Apple Pencil Pro is available on Amazon for just $90, the lowest price we've seen for it. This is the most recent stylus model from Apple, with a design overhaul that was just announced in May, and it quickly rose to prominence as one of our favorite accessories for an iPad.

The Pencil Pro has some useful features for optimal control and navigation, such as squeeze and roll gestures. The stylus boasts pressure sensitivity; in other words, it will make darker marks if you press harder and lighter marks if you use a light touch. It delivers haptic feedback to your fingers and if you have a habit of misplacing accessories, the Pencil Pro also can be tracked down with Find My. And as with other Apple Pencils, the Pro will attach magnetically to your iPad's chassis for charging when it's not in use.

There are a few downsides to the Pro model, most notably that it's still not universally supported across all iPads. We've got a rundown of all the different Apple Pencils' features and compatibilities, but the tl;dr is that this high-end version works with the M4 iPad Pro, the M2 iPad Airs and the latest model of the iPad Mini. So this may not be the right buy for every iPad owner, but it's a great tool for taking full advantage of everything those tablets can do.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-pencil-pro-is-30-percent-off-taking-it-down-to-an-all-time-low-price-210311608.html?src=rss

Riot makes more cuts, this time to crown jewel League of Legends

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Riot Games is cutting jobs from its League of Legends team. Marc Merrill, the studio's co-founder, co-chairman and chief product officer, announced the cuts today on X. "This isn’t about reducing headcount to save money—it’s about making sure we have the right expertise so that League continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond," Merrill said. A rep from Riot Games told Engadget that 32 jobs will be eliminated across the company in this move.

The spin seems to be that the developer is trying to reprioritize behind the scenes, especially with Merrill's insistence that "we’re not slowing down work on the game you love" and that the team "will eventually be even larger than it is today as we develop the next phase of League." He didn't add any more details about what that new focus would be or which departments will bear the brunt of the cuts.

It's a bold move for Riot to make now, especially since League of Legends is right in the middle of its much-viewed World Championships. We received confirmation that the esports team would not be impacted by the cuts. The company also downsized at the start of 2024, eliminating 11 percent of its global workforce. That move mostly impacted employees "outside of core development," so the League of Legends team likely didn't see any changes at that time. The company also separately announced in January that it would shutter the Riot Forge publishing project.

All these changes point toward a bigger picture of changing and narrowing focus for Riot. The company has tried a lot of new ideas since the explosive success of League of Legends; a first person team shooter, a mobile auto chess battler, a fighting game and an animated TV show, to name a few. But it seems like Riot's time for experimentation may be ending.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/riot-makes-more-cuts-this-time-to-crown-jewel-league-of-legends-192548888.html?src=rss

FCC launches a formal inquiry into why broadband data caps are terrible

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The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will open a renewed investigation into broadband data caps and how they impact both consumer experience and company competition. The FCC is soliciting stories from consumers about their experiences with capped broadband service. The agency also opened a formal Notice of Inquiry to collect public comment that will further inform its actions around broadband data caps.

"Restricting consumers' data can cut off small businesses from their customers, slap fees on low-income families and prevent people with disabilities from using the tools they rely on to communicate," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. "As the nation’s leading agency on communications, it’s our duty to dig deeper into these practices and make sure that consumers are put first."

This topic has been a hot one of late, and the FCC launched another notice of inquiry about the practice of capping Internet access last year. In April 2024, the agency successfully required that ISPs offer clear information labels on their service plans, detailing additional fees, discounts, and upload and download speeds. Data caps could also come under additional fire as the FCC attempts to restore net neutrality rules, which classify broadband as an essential service. Returning net neutrality has not been a simple journey, however, as the agency faces legal challenges from broadband providers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/fcc-launches-a-formal-inquiry-into-why-broadband-data-caps-are-terrible-182129773.html?src=rss

The first company to use upgraded Apple Wallet tickets is… Ticketmaster

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Ticketmaster announced that it will be the first ticketing company to take advantage of new features that arrived in Apple Wallet with iOS 18. According to a blog post from the business, Ticketmaster tickets viewed in the Apple app can show enhanced information such as venue maps, parking directions, local weather forecasts and recommended listening from Apple Music. Teams and event spaces can also choose to add links to their own apps or websites that customers can access from their Wallet tickets.

The company is first applying the new tech to two sporting events this year, and said it will be rolling out the capabilities to more events in 2025. While Ticketmaster is touting its role as the first adopter of the new Wallet ticket experience, the new features will not only be available to that company. Considering Ticketmaster was in the PR images announcing the new features, it seems likely that the companies had an agreement about how they'd jointly promote the updates.

Apple Wallet boasts several upgrades in the latest operating system release, such as a new Tap to Cash feature for faster money transfer. The initial iOS 18 rollout last month had some good stuff, but the marquee debut of Apple Intelligence likely won't happen until later in October.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-first-company-to-use-upgraded-apple-wallet-tickets-is-ticketmaster-230141866.html?src=rss