Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Threads begins testing swipe gestures to help train the For You algorithm

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Threads has begun testing swipe gestures to help users improve the algorithm that populates the For You feed. It’s reportedly called Algo Tune as, well, it helps people tune their algorithms. It’s pretty rare when any social media site, particularly one run by Meta, allows users to adjust the parameters by which the great and powerful algorithm operates, so this feature is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

It works a lot like Tinder and other dating apps. If you don’t like something on your feed, you swipe left. If you like a post and want to see more like it, you swipe right. That’s pretty much it. The algorithm is allegedly tuned over time by these responses, adjusting your feed to provide more of the content you want and less of the stuff you don’t want. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls it an “easy way to let us know what you want to see more of on your feed.”

This is just an experiment, for now, so the feature’s only rolling out to a select number of Threads users. The company also hasn’t released any specific information as to how all of the swiping actually influences the algorithm, but that’s par for the course when it comes to these things. The algo must remain protected at all costs.

The social media app sure has been busy lately, adding new tools at a rapid clip. Threads finally rolled out trending topics to all users, after experimenting with the feature since February. Meta also recently previewed fediverse integration, which would allow Threads posts on fellow social media app Mastodon. The company’s also been testing some features that let users save drafts and take photos directly in the app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-begins-testing-swipe-gestures-to-help-train-the-for-you-algorithm-175004586.html?src=rss

Overwatch 2 players won’t have to pay or grind through a battle pass to unlock new heroes

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Blizzard is finally making it easier to unlock new heroes in Overwatch 2. This is big news, as players regularly complain about how difficult it is to obtain new characters in the live-service shooter. Currently, people get new heroes by paying for and grinding through a battle pass, buying them outright or waiting until they become available as a reward for winning a certain number of games. That changes with the forthcoming season 10, as the company will make new and old heroes available for free to all players.

This not only pertains to Venture, a new hero created for season 10, but all of the game’s previously released heroes, like Mauga, Illari, Sojourn and Lifeweaver, among many others. New players will still have to complete the intro, but “once the heroes from the original Overwatch roster have been unlocked, all Overwatch 2 heroes will also become available.”

This will even extend to future heroes. The entire roster of Overwatch 2 characters will be playable in all game modes when season 10 officially begins this April.

This is just one change coming to how the game handles its battle pass, as suggested by director Aaron Keller in a video. Blizzard is also going to start selling mythic skins that were previously available only through a paid battle pass, though pricing and availability is still up in the air.

In addition, Overwatch Coins, the game’s dominant currency, will soon be easier to earn. Right now, people accrue coins by accessing a premium battle pass, completing weekly challenges or buying them outright. In season 10, they’ll become available in the free tracks of the game’s battle pass system. Fans will be able to earn up to 600 coins per season for free, up from 540.

Finally, there’s a new in-game competition called Clash, which was first announced at last year’s Blizzcon. This team-based PvP mode features five points lined up in a row, and the first team that captures all five points or reaches a maximum score wins. It looks like the full Clash mode won’t launch alongside season 10, but will come later this year and will include two dedicated maps.

Blizzard also previewed season 11 today, which is due later this year and will include a new Push map set in Peru, as well as a reworked version of the Rome-based Colosseo map.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/overwatch-2-players-wont-have-to-pay-or-grind-through-a-battle-pass-to-unlock-new-heroes-183729811.html?src=rss

Overwatch 2 players won’t have to pay or grind through a battle pass to unlock new heroes

Posted on by

Blizzard is finally making it easier to unlock new heroes in Overwatch 2. This is big news, as players regularly complain about how difficult it is to obtain new characters in the live-service shooter. Currently, people get new heroes by paying for and grinding through a battle pass, buying them outright or waiting until they become available as a reward for winning a certain number of games. That changes with the forthcoming season 10, as the company will make new and old heroes available for free to all players.

This not only pertains to Venture, a new hero created for season 10, but all of the game’s previously released heroes, like Mauga, Illari, Sojourn and Lifeweaver, among many others. New players will still have to complete the intro, but “once the heroes from the original Overwatch roster have been unlocked, all Overwatch 2 heroes will also become available.”

This will even extend to future heroes. The entire roster of Overwatch 2 characters will be playable in all game modes when season 10 officially begins this April.

This is just one change coming to how the game handles its battle pass, as suggested by director Aaron Keller in a video. Blizzard is also going to start selling mythic skins that were previously available only through a paid battle pass, though pricing and availability is still up in the air.

In addition, Overwatch Coins, the game’s dominant currency, will soon be easier to earn. Right now, people accrue coins by accessing a premium battle pass, completing weekly challenges or buying them outright. In season 10, they’ll become available in the free tracks of the game’s battle pass system. Fans will be able to earn up to 600 coins per season for free, up from 540.

Finally, there’s a new in-game competition called Clash, which was first announced at last year’s Blizzcon. This team-based PvP mode features five points lined up in a row, and the first team that captures all five points or reaches a maximum score wins. It looks like the full Clash mode won’t launch alongside season 10, but will come later this year and will include two dedicated maps.

Blizzard also previewed season 11 today, which is due later this year and will include a new Push map set in Peru, as well as a reworked version of the Rome-based Colosseo map.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/overwatch-2-players-wont-have-to-pay-or-grind-through-a-battle-pass-to-unlock-new-heroes-183729811.html?src=rss

NVIDIA partners with Ubisoft to further develop its AI-driven NPCs

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NVIDIA has been working on adding generative AI to non-playable characters (NPCs) for a while now. The company is hoping a newly-announced partnership with Ubisoft will accelerate development of this technology and, ultimately, bring these AI-driven NPCs to modern games.

Ubisoft helped build new "NEO NPCs" by using NVIDIA’s Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) technology, with an assist from dynamic NPC experts Inworld AI. The end result? Characters that don’t repeat the same phrase over and over, while ignoring the surrounding violent mayhem. 

These NEO NPCs are said to interact in real time with players, the environment and other in-game characters. NVIDIA says this opens up “new possibilities for emergent storytelling.” To that end, Ubisoft’s narrative team built complete backgrounds, knowledge bases and conversational styles for two NPCs as a proof of concept.

A lady NPC talking about a bank heist or something.
Ubisoft/NVIDIA

These are fully-fleshed out characters with “environmental and contextual awareness” along with conversational memory. NVIDIA says each character excels with “collaboration and strategic decision-making.” The company also incorporated its Audio2Face technology to allow for appropriate facial animations and lip syncing. NVIDIA suggests that these characters push “the boundaries of game design and immersion.”

The company didn’t explicitly announce that this technology would be coming to Ubisoft titles in the nearish future, but it’s a safe bet it's on the roadmap. Perhaps soon you’ll be able to see what the sweet old man outside of the inn thinks about you absolutely obliterating the whole town. Won’t that be fun?

This isn’t the only big AI-adjacent announcement from NVIDIA this week. The company just unveiled its next-generation of GPUs, an evolution of the chips that are used to train large language models. The company promises that its Blackwell chips are seven to 30 times faster than the H100 series and use 25 times less power.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-partners-with-ubisoft-to-further-develop-its-ai-driven-npcs-160432137.html?src=rss

NVIDIA partners with Ubisoft to further develop its AI-driven NPCs

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NVIDIA has been working on adding generative AI to non-playable characters (NPCs) for a while now. The company is hoping a newly-announced partnership with Ubisoft will accelerate development of this technology and, ultimately, bring these AI-driven NPCs to modern games.

Ubisoft helped build new "NEO NPCs" by using NVIDIA’s Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) technology, with an assist from dynamic NPC experts Inworld AI. The end result? Characters that don’t repeat the same phrase over and over, while ignoring the surrounding violent mayhem. 

These NEO NPCs are said to interact in real time with players, the environment and other in-game characters. NVIDIA says this opens up “new possibilities for emergent storytelling.” To that end, Ubisoft’s narrative team built complete backgrounds, knowledge bases and conversational styles for two NPCs as a proof of concept.

A lady NPC talking about a bank heist or something.
Ubisoft/NVIDIA

These are fully-fleshed out characters with “environmental and contextual awareness” along with conversational memory. NVIDIA says each character excels with “collaboration and strategic decision-making.” The company also incorporated its Audio2Face technology to allow for appropriate facial animations and lip syncing. NVIDIA suggests that these characters push “the boundaries of game design and immersion.”

The company didn’t explicitly announce that this technology would be coming to Ubisoft titles in the nearish future, but it’s a safe bet it's on the roadmap. Perhaps soon you’ll be able to see what the sweet old man outside of the inn thinks about you absolutely obliterating the whole town. Won’t that be fun?

This isn’t the only big AI-adjacent announcement from NVIDIA this week. The company just unveiled its next-generation of GPUs, an evolution of the chips that are used to train large language models. The company promises that its Blackwell chips are seven to 30 times faster than the H100 series and use 25 times less power.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-partners-with-ubisoft-to-further-develop-its-ai-driven-npcs-160432137.html?src=rss

How to watch the Microsoft Surface, Windows AI and Copilot event

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It's almost time for another Microsoft livestream event, the first since September of last year. The festivities start at 12PM ET on Thursday, March 21. The best way to watch everything unfold is via the official Microsoft stream; it doesn't look like they'll have a stream on YouTube this time. This is the first Microsoft live event without former chief product officer and longtime keynote presenter Panos Panay, who departed for Amazon last year.

What to expect from Microsoft

The event is being advertised as a “new era of work”, so there’s going to be a major focus on the commercial space. There are plenty of rumors that Microsoft will take the opportunity to unveil a spate of new Surface devices. Windows Central claims that an OLED Surface Pro 10 and a Surface Laptop 6 will headline the event.

The Verge suggests that both devices will only feature minor spec bumps compared to the previous generation. There’s also conflicting reports as to whether or not these Surface devices will get a more comprehensive redesign later in the spring to suit non-business consumers. We won’t know until Thursday.

A closeup of the Copilot key.
Microsoft

There’s one safe bet. Microsoft will continue its commitment to AI. Rumors swirl that the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 will be powered by Intel Core Ultra and Snapdragon X Elite silicon CPUs with next-generation neural processing units (NPUs) that have been designed specifically for advanced AI tasks. To that end, there are reports that these devices will be called “AI PCs” and will include a dedicated button to bring up the company’s Copilot digital assistant. The Intel variants are expected to launch in April, while the Arm-based Snapdragon ones will reportedly show up this June.

AI, AI and more AI 

The rumor mill has been grinding overtime for this event. Reports also suggest that Microsoft will unveil a suite of new AI features that could be coming to Windows computers, including real-time captioning and translating, upscaling and frame-rate smoothing for games and upgraded Windows Studio Effects.

There’s also likely to be something called AI Explorer announced at the event. This is rumored to be a built-in timeline feature that is searchable via natural language. It’ll reportedly live on your device and log everything you do and see. So, you could ask AI Explorer to “find that thing I looked at earlier about dinosaurs” and it would search through every moment in your PC’s history to find the relevant content. This could be a privacy nightmare, but it could also finally make digital assistants actually useful. We fully expect Microsoft to offer security assurances when it comes to AI Explorer.

These AI features won’t be exclusive to the Surface Pro Pro and Surface Laptop 6, as reports indicate they will be part of the company’s annual feature update for Windows 11, which is expected this fall. Engadget will offer full coverage of the event and will spotlight all of the interesting tidbits.

Catch up on all the news from the Microsoft Surface and AI event right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-microsoft-surface-windows-ai-and-copilot-event-150049410.html?src=rss

How to watch the Microsoft Surface, Windows AI and Copilot event

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It's almost time for another Microsoft livestream event, the first since September of last year. The festivities start at 12PM ET on Thursday, March 21. The best way to watch everything unfold is via the official Microsoft stream; it doesn't look like they'll have a stream on YouTube this time. This is the first Microsoft live event without former chief product officer and longtime keynote presenter Panos Panay, who departed for Amazon last year.

What to expect from Microsoft

The event is being advertised as a “new era of work”, so there’s going to be a major focus on the commercial space. There are plenty of rumors that Microsoft will take the opportunity to unveil a spate of new Surface devices. Windows Central claims that an OLED Surface Pro 10 and a Surface Laptop 6 will headline the event.

The Verge suggests that both devices will only feature minor spec bumps compared to the previous generation. There’s also conflicting reports as to whether or not these Surface devices will get a more comprehensive redesign later in the spring to suit non-business consumers. We won’t know until Thursday.

A closeup of the Copilot key.
Microsoft

There’s one safe bet. Microsoft will continue its commitment to AI. Rumors swirl that the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 will be powered by Intel Core Ultra and Snapdragon X Elite silicon CPUs with next-generation neural processing units (NPUs) that have been designed specifically for advanced AI tasks. To that end, there are reports that these devices will be called “AI PCs” and will include a dedicated button to bring up the company’s Copilot digital assistant. The Intel variants are expected to launch in April, while the Arm-based Snapdragon ones will reportedly show up this June.

AI, AI and more AI 

The rumor mill has been grinding overtime for this event. Reports also suggest that Microsoft will unveil a suite of new AI features that could be coming to Windows computers, including real-time captioning and translating, upscaling and frame-rate smoothing for games and upgraded Windows Studio Effects.

There’s also likely to be something called AI Explorer announced at the event. This is rumored to be a built-in timeline feature that is searchable via natural language. It’ll reportedly live on your device and log everything you do and see. So, you could ask AI Explorer to “find that thing I looked at earlier about dinosaurs” and it would search through every moment in your PC’s history to find the relevant content. This could be a privacy nightmare, but it could also finally make digital assistants actually useful. We fully expect Microsoft to offer security assurances when it comes to AI Explorer.

These AI features won’t be exclusive to the Surface Pro Pro and Surface Laptop 6, as reports indicate they will be part of the company’s annual feature update for Windows 11, which is expected this fall. Engadget will offer full coverage of the event and will spotlight all of the interesting tidbits.

Catch up on all the news from the Microsoft Surface and AI event right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-microsoft-surface-windows-ai-and-copilot-event-150049410.html?src=rss

Rivian owners can use Tesla Superchargers now, once they get their free adapter

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Rivian owners can now use Tesla Supercharger stations to juice up their electric trucks and SUVs, after a software update issued during the weekend. The company first announced the integration last year, along with plans to include Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports in forthcoming vehicles. These ports won’t start showing up until 2025, so Rivian has also started a program to send Tesla-made NACS adapters to current customers.

The adapters will be free of charge, which calls to mind the move Ford made last month as it continues to transition to the NACS charging standard. Rivian will send out one free adapter per customer, based on the vehicle’s VIN number. The company hasn’t announced whether this is a limited time offering or how much additional adapters will cost. As a comparison, Ford will begin charging $230 for these adapters in July.

Rivian owners can select Tesla Superchargers as a charging option via the vehicle’s infotainment system or the manufacturer’s smartphone app. Everything is handled by Rivian, so there’s no need to download or use the Tesla app to pay for charging. Rivian’s chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, told The Verge that this will give customers access to over 15,000 more DC fast chargers across the country.

The move to incorporate NACS charging into its vehicles will not impact Rivian’s proprietary network. The company still plans on installing thousands of DC fast chargers at hundreds of locations throughout the next few years, as part of its growing Adventure Network.

Tesla’s charging standard is widely considered to be the best available option for EV owners, as these chargers are known to be more reliable than CCS and CHAdeMO chargers. Tesla’s standard is also more readily available, with more than 55,000 Supercharger stations worldwide.

It wasn’t so long ago that Tesla’s Supercharger network was exclusive to the company’s vehicles. Those days are gone. Just about every major automobile manufacturer has announced plans to join the NACS party, including Subaru, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Lexus, among many others.

As for Rivian, the company says customers can access most V3 Tesla Superchargers using the adapter, but only some V2 chargers. The just-announced Rivian R2, R3 and R3X vehicles will all come with factory-installed NACS ports.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-owners-can-use-tesla-superchargers-now-once-they-get-their-free-adapter-170804461.html?src=rss

YouTuber Dunkey’s publishing company is releasing its first game on May 9

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YouTube sensation Dunkey, aka videogamedunkey or Jason Gastrow, has added game publishing to his resume. He started a company called Big Mode last year, which is releasing its first title on May 9. Animal Well is a sidescrolling Metroidvania platformer that will show up on the PS5, the Nintendo Switch and PCs. There’s a trailer that’s absolutely oozing with retro-gaming goodness.

Now, Dunkey didn’t make this game. Big Mode is a publisher and not a developer. A company called Shared Memory is behind Animal Well, which is just a solo dev named Billy Basso. He’s been working on the game for seven years and his hard work shows from the trailer. 

Animal Well looks to lean a bit into psychedelia. There’s a blistering color palette, a synth-heavy soundtrack and, of course, a giant white cat that takes up the whole screen. There also looks to be tough platforming sections and the kinds of power ups that populate the Metroidvania genre. In any event, this looks like yet another delicious appetizer before Hollow Knight: Silksong eventually releases in the year 2087.

While Basso hasn’t released any games on his own yet, the developer did work on Octodad: Deadliest Catch and Bugsnax, among others. As for Dunkey, he’s a YouTuber, but one with pretty good taste. He knows his stuff and loves trashing bad games. If you’ve ever seen a meme taking the piss out of the beleaguered PlayStation mascot Knack, Dunkey probably had something to do with it.

Animal Well is the first game published by Big Mode, but not the last. The company has major plans for the future, including a bullet hell shooter called Star of Providence. Big Mode is also accepting submissions from developers, though not if the game includes “NFTs, crypto or blockchain.” If only Starbucks had such discerning taste.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtuber-dunkeys-publishing-company-is-releasing-its-first-game-on-may-9-152519368.html?src=rss

Walmart is selling the M1 MacBook Air for only $700

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The M1 MacBook Air has dropped to its lowest price ever, thanks to a sale at Walmart. You can pick one up for just $700, which is $50 cheaper than the previous low and a whopping $300 discount from the original asking price. If you’re looking for an entry-level Apple laptop, this is a mighty fine option.

Now, the M1 Air is over three years old and a full two generations behind the newly-released M3-equipped laptops. Despite getting a bit long in the tooth, the M1 chip is still no slouch, so this MacBook Air is plenty capable. It’s a solid machine that excels with basic everyday computing tasks, like streaming content and surfing the web. It’ll even do fine with light video editing and music production. We called it “faster than most PCs” in our official review back in 2020.

That doesn’t exactly track anymore (the march of progress and all) but the M1 Air features a gorgeous Retina display and no fan noise to speak of, in addition to an excellent keyboard and trackpad. The battery life is great, going for over 16 hours before having to hit the outlet. That’s only an hour or two shorter than the new M3 MacBook Air computers.

Apple Silicon chips are pretty dang impressive, but the M1 will struggle when you go beyond everyday computing tasks and into the worlds of serious video editing and AAA gaming. Also, the M1 laptop still has that wedge-shaped design, whereas the newer models feature a uniformly flat design. Some people actually prefer the wedge, but I’m not one of them.

This is the bare-bones standard M1 Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The 720p webcam isn't going to win any visual clarity awards, but it’ll get the job done. This isn’t the most future-proof computer around, as Apple recently discontinued it, but it’s also $700. The M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,100 and the M2 starts at $1,000. 

Best Buy has the M1 Air on sale for even cheaper, at $650. This is one heck of a deal but it looks to be tied to specific locations. The retailer's also offering open box models.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/walmart-is-selling-the-m1-macbook-air-for-only-700-171500495.html?src=rss