Tag Archives: author_name|Anna Washenko

Amazon is making a Mass Effect television show

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BioWare had told Mass Effect fans to expect a quiet N7 day without any updates on the new game in the works, but there is still some exciting news for the franchise today. Variety reports that Amazon MGM Studios is developing a TV series based on the sci-fi universe. Rumors first emerged about the tech company's interest in a Mass Effect show back in 2021, but now it's official.

Daniel Casey will be the series' writer and executive producer. He has action credits on the screenplay for F9: The Fast Saga and made contributions to sci-fi films Kin and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Variety noted some of the other executive producers, but there have been no details shared yet about the cast or plot of the project. Since a large part of the original Mass Effect games' appeal was players making their own choices about Commander Shepard's moral compass and love life, it seems likely that a show would want to tell an original story within that universe rather than retreading the same path as the trilogy.

Amazon had a huge win with its TV adaptation of Fallout earlier this year, and it seems the company is going to continue mining video games for source material. After some stumbles, Amazon is also reviving its plans for a live-action God of War show. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/amazon-is-making-a-mass-effect-television-show-185111285.html?src=rss

Sega apparently has a new Virtua Fighter game in the works

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Virtua Fighter may soon be punching its way back into the public eye. Justin Scarpone, Sega's global head of transmedia, casually dropped the news about a new game in the franchise during an interview with VGC. "We have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket, which we announced last year at The Game Awards," he said. "Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and we have another Virtua Fighter being developed. And so all that’s very exciting."

Exciting indeed. Most of those titles were indeed showcased during The Game Awards as part of a new era for Sega, but Scarpone's mention of Virtua Fighter is a new revelation. The last numbered entry in the series was Virtua Fighter 5 all the way back in 2006. That's not to say the fighting game franchise has been static since then; there have been riffs and redos such as Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown in 2015 and 2021's Virtua Fighter Ultimate Showdown. But it has been nearly 20 years since fans have gotten an all new game.

Beyond this offhand confirmation that Sega is working on a follow-up, we know nothing about what the future might hold for a possible Virtua Fighter 6. It seems likely that Akira Yuki and other familiar faces will return, but anything's possible for the characters and mechanics.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sega-apparently-has-a-new-virtua-fighter-game-in-the-works-235417627.html?src=rss

Roblox details two new safety policies for protecting children

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Roblox is implementing new safety policies intended to better protect the platform's young users. We learned last month that changes were in the works for the game, and a post on the Roblox developer forum today detailed more about those rules. The big takeaway is that a greater section of Roblox content will not be available to players under age 13.

The first part of the new Roblox policy is that starting December 3, users younger than 13 will not be able to play, search or discover any unrated experiences on the platform. However, they can still view information on the experience detail page via a direct link. Roblox is thus requiring creators to confirm that the information on their experience detail pages — such as the thumbnail, title and description — meets the company's criteria for either all ages or for ages 9 and up.

The second part of the policy will restrict access to Roblox's Social Hangouts and Free-form User Creation experiences to users who are over 13. This rule will take effect on November 18.

Roblox has a rocky history when it comes to safety for youth and preteen users. Since 2018, at least two dozen people have been arrested by US policy on accusations of abducting or abusing child victims met through Roblox.

Update, November 6, 2024, 6:27PM ET: Article has been updated to fix an incorrect date. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-details-two-new-safety-policies-for-protecting-children-225053423.html?src=rss

Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts can unionize without being full-time employees

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Massachusetts has passed a statewide ballot initiative that gives rideshare drivers the opportunity to unionize while remaining independent contractors. The initiative was brought forward by the Service Employees International Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. It passed with a narrow margin of about 54 percent of the vote.

The measure will allow the state's 70,000 rideshare drivers to form unions and leverage collective bargaining power, which is not permitted for independent contractors under the National Labor Relations Act. These workers can unionize if they receive signatures from at least 25 percent of active drivers in Massachusetts. The initiative also creates a hearing process so that drivers for companies such as Lyft and Uber can bring complaints about unfair work practices to a state board. However, the ballot initiative does not contain language about strike protections. It also does not extend to food delivery drivers.

Uber and Lyft did not actively campaign against the Massachusetts measure, but they have raised concerns about the specific language. Some labor advocates also opposed the initiative, cautioning that it could hamper efforts for rideshare drivers to win recognition as full-time employees. "We're not against unionization," Kelly Cobb-Lemire, an organizer with Massachusetts Drivers United, told The New York Times. "But we don't feel this goes far enough."

Independent contractors often are not protected by federal or state labor laws because they aren't full-time employees. The Massachusetts ballot measure could create a precedent for other states to offer unionization options for gig workers. California has been a battleground for labor protections for gig workers who drive for Uber and Lyft for several years. Most recently, a court allowed California drivers to retain independent contractor status.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rideshare-drivers-in-massachusetts-can-unionize-without-being-full-time-employees-212202426.html?src=rss

Sony will discontinue its pricey Airpeak S1 camera drone in March

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Sony announced that it will stop selling the Airpeak S1 camera drone. Sales of the product will end on March 31, 2025. Sony will also stop selling most of the drone's accessories next year, but replacement batteries and propellers will be available until March 31, 2026. Inspections, repairs and software maintenance will continue through March 31, 2030.

The Airpeak S1 was initially introduced during a virtual presentation at CES in 2021. The drone was intended to capture high-definition footage with Sony's full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. It could fly for 12 minutes with a camera attached and achieved a max flight speed of 55.9mph. While the high-end drone would set buyers back about $9,000 even before buying accessories, it had middling to flat-out negative reviews.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/sony-discontinues-its-pricey-airpeak-s1-camera-drone-in-march-234823252.html?src=rss

The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is fully back in action with saving pages

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The Internet Archive is continuing the recovery process after a series of DDoS attacks that took down its servers in early October. On Monday, the nonprofit digital library posted on X that its 'Save Page Now' service has been restored to the Wayback Machine.

The Wayback Machine resumed operation in read-only mode on October 14; now users can upload new web pages to record their information and access them later. As the X post notes, the Wayback Machine will begin collecting web pages that have been archived since October 9 when the entire site was taken down.

The October DDoS attacks coincided with the Internet Archive's move to disclose a data breach that saw more than 31 million records taken. Security researcher Troy Hunt, who runs the Have I Been Pwned? service for monitoring compromised accounts, said that the two actions against the Internet Archive were "entirely coincidental" and likely taken by "multiple parties."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-internet-archives-wayback-machine-is-fully-back-in-action-with-saving-pages-223736576.html?src=rss

Mozilla Foundation cuts 30 percent of its staff

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The Mozilla Foundation has made steep cuts to its team. The 30 percent staff reduction will completely eliminate the nonprofit's advocacy and global programs divisions, according to an internal email sent by Mozilla Foundation Executive Director Nabiha Syed. TechCrunch reported on the news, and Mozilla confirmed the cuts in a statement to that publication as well as to Engadget. 

"The Mozilla Foundation is reorganizing teams to increase agility and impact as we accelerate our work to ensure a more open and equitable technical future for us all," according to the statement from Brandon Borrman, vice president of communications at Mozilla. "That unfortunately means ending some of the work we have historically pursued and eliminating associated roles to bring more focus going forward." 

While the standalone advocacy division will end, Mozilla did affirm its commitment to that work. "We want to clarify that the restructuring has not dropped advocacy; on the contrary, advocacy is still a central tenet of Mozilla Foundation’s work and we are in the process of revisiting our approach to it," Borrman said in an additional comment.

The Mozilla Foundation is a nonprofit arm under the bigger Mozilla umbrella; Mozilla Corporation is the arm responsible for the Firefox browser. In February, Mozilla announced that about 60 workers would be laid off, primarily on the product development team.

Update, November 5, 2024, 4:56PM ET: Post has been updated with additional comment from Mozilla.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/mozilla-foundation-cuts-30-percent-of-its-staff-203951504.html?src=rss

Kia unveils two new EV designs, including a nifty modular van

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Kia debuted two new concept vehicles at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas today. The real standout in the company's SEMA announcements is the PV5 concept EV van. Dubbed WKNDR, it's based on Kia's Platform Beyond Vehicles approach to modular design, which the business unveiled earlier this year at CES.

The PV5 uses an adaptable storage solution called Gear Head that can serve multiple functions, including an off-board, sheltered storage space for outdoor gear when the van is stationary. It can be powered by solar panels on top and by the hydro turbine wheels.

Kia also introduced the EV9 ADVNTR concept EV SUV at the event. This is an all-electric vehicle with a custom roof rack and a combination of tires and wheels designed for offroading.

The company did not provide any details about pricing or availability dates in the press release. Based on the limited information we have about Kia's plans for PVB production, the modular WKNDR van probably won't hit the roads (or charge off the roads) until some time next year at the earliest.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/kia-unveils-two-new-ev-designs-including-a-nifty-modular-van-193156344.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s Recall AI tool for Copilot+ PCs faces a third delay

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It's deja vu all over again for Microsoft's AI-powered Recall tool. After a delay in June and then a second one in August, Microsoft is once more pushing back testing of the feature intended for its Copilot+ PCs. The Verge reported that Recall now won't enter previews for Windows Insiders until December.

"We are committed to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall," Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager of Windows, told the publication. "To ensure we deliver on these important updates, we’re taking additional time to refine the experience before previewing it with Windows Insiders."

When it was introduced, Microsoft positioned Recall as a way to give your computer a photographic memory, improving the search process on PCs. But since that photographic memory would demand a high degree of access to a computer's systems and data, Recall has been the target of privacy and security concerns. Microsoft has tried to assuage those worries by presenting Recall as an opt-in feature, so users will have to give explicit permission for the AI assistant to log their computing activity. The company has also detailed other privacy protections, but today's third delay could mean that it's proving more difficult than expected to keep security on lock.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsofts-recall-ai-tool-for-copilot-pcs-faces-a-third-delay-191301031.html?src=rss

The next version of Android will arrive in early 2025

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Android users had to wait longer than usual for the release of Android 15 this fall, but Google is already setting the timeline for the next two operating system updates. In a change of pace, the next major release for Android will arrive in the second quarter of 2025.

"We’re planning the major release for Q2 rather than Q3 to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner," the company said in a blog post addressing developers. That's good news for third-party phone manufacturers that have historically had to wait a few months before they get the latest OS updates.

In addition to the main release in the first half of the year, there will also be a minor update to Android slated for the fourth quarter of 2025. The Q2 release will be the only one next year to have behavior changes that can impact apps. The smaller release toward the end of the year will focus on "feature updates, optimizations and bug fixes," but will not have any behavior changes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-next-version-of-android-will-arrive-in-early-2025-175013566.html?src=rss