Apple lets apps feature streaming games, chatbots and other built-in experiences

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Devindra Hardawar

Apple's app platform is finally opening up a bit. Today, the company said that it will allow developers to utilize new in-app experiences, including streaming games, accessing mini-apps, and talking with chatbots. That means devs can create a single app that houses an easily accessible catalog of their streaming titles. Perhaps we'll finally see a usable Game Pass app from Microsoft (or even its long-awaited mobile game store).

The new in-app experiences, which also includes things like mini-games and plug-ins, will also get new discovery opportunities. Apple isn't being clear about what that means, but it could involve new sections of the App Store pointing to specific features. It wouldn't be too surprising to see a collection of apps feature chatbots, for example. Apple also says the new built-in experiences will be able to use its in-app purchase system for the first time (like easily buying a subscription to a specific mini-game or chatbot).

The changes follow Apple's recent moves towards opening its ecosystem (mostly in response to pressure from the EU). The company is now letting developers link to third-party payment solutions through apps (of course, it still wants a cut), and it will reportedly charge developers who offer side-loaded apps outside of the App Store.

"The changes Apple is announcing reflect feedback from Apple’s developer community and is consistent with the App Store’s mission to provide a trusted place for users to find apps they love and developers everywhere with new capabilities to grow their businesses," the company said in a blog post. "Apps that host this content are responsible for ensuring all the software included in their app meets Apple’s high standards for user experience and safety."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-lets-apps-feature-streaming-games-chatbots-and-other-built-in-experiences-180016453.html?src=rss

Newegg just started selling refurbished electronics

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Lawrence Bonk

Budget electronics retailer Newegg just opened up a program to sell refurbished gadgets. The appropriately-named Newegg Refreshed promises to offer “top pre-owned products at competitive prices.”

The service is already live and is available in multiple product categories, from Apple products like iPhones and MacBooks to GPUs and even robot vacuums. The program also includes laptops, gaming desktops, monitors and all kinds of smartphones and tablets. Newegg has teamed up with “industry-leading refurbishing partners” like CTS Warehouse and Back in the Box to provide the stock.

The company says that each item is professionally inspected, tested and cleaned before being put back on the digital store shelf. Newegg also offers a guarantee on all refurbished products, giving customers 90 days to return the product.

Newegg’s pre-existing graphics card trade-in program has also been folded into this service. For the uninitiated, the company offers credit toward new GPUs by trading in old ones, and provides customers with a 14-day window to mail in the new chip. This gives people time to test out the new GPU before mailing in the old one. These traded-in graphics cards will then be moved to Newegg Refreshed to be resold.

To celebrate the launch of the program, Newegg’s offering customers 15 percent off (up to $150) on refurbished Apple products, though you have to use the “buy now, pay later” service Zip and use the promo code “rezip.” This offer ends on February 28.

Newegg touts the environmental benefits of choosing refurbished products, as it reduces waste. With that in mind, this program is a part of a larger industry push toward sustainability. This push includes the sale of refurbished items, but also involves the right to repair movement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/newegg-just-started-selling-refurbished-electronics-175250892.html?src=rss

Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PC on March 21

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Kris Holt

Another former PlayStation 5 exclusive is coming to PC very soon. It's been known for a while that Horizon Forbidden West would be Sony's next title to make the leap, and now the company has revealed that the PC version of the game will drop on March 21.

This is the game's Complete Edition, which includes last year's Burning Shores expansion (which is next up on my list of things to play). It also has a bunch of additional features for PC, including ultra-widescreen support, unlocked frame rates, DirectStorage and NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS upscaling technologies.

Custom graphics options are at your disposal and you can set up mouse and keyboard controls however you wish. Players can expect support for a wide array of controllers, though if you have PlayStation's DualSense at hand, you can take advantage of its adaptive triggers and haptic feedback functions.

Sony has brought several of its high-profile games to PC over the last few years as it chases more opportunities for extra revenue. Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, God of War, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and The Last of Us Part 1 are among the titles that have landed on PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/horizon-forbidden-west-is-coming-to-pc-on-march-21-173643297.html?src=rss

Anker battery packs and chargers are up to 30 percent off

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Kris Holt

It's happened to pretty much all of us. Unless you're very organized or hyper attentive to your phone's battery life, your device will have died at least at one point while you're away from home or the office. Rather than scrambling to borrow a charging cable or get a top-up from someone else's device, you can nip this problem in the bud by making sure you have a battery pack on hand. Anker is currently running a sale on its battery packs and chargers. One of its products, the Anker 334 MagGo MagSafe battery pack, has dropped to a record low of $31.49 in this sale. It typically costs $45.

This pack attaches magnetically to compatible iPhones (iPhone 12 and later). It has a capacity of 10,000mAh, which Anker says is enough to increase video playback time on iPhone 14 by up to 22 hours. It can charge the iPhone 15 Pro 1.7 times over, the company claims. You'll also be able to charge the battery pack via a USB cable and top up your phone's battery at the same time.

Elsewhere, some of our favorite power banks are included in the sale, though you'll need to make sure to clip a 20 percent off coupon on Amazon to get the best price. The Anker Prime 20,000mAh 200W power bank is available for a record low of $104.

This is our pick for the best premium power bank. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port capable of delivering a total charging output of 200W. That means you can charge two laptops at 100W each simultaneously. That 100W charging goes the other way too, so you can fully recharge the power bank in 75 minutes.

The Anker Prime is a fairly compact power bank despite its large capacity. It also bears a digital display that provides details on remaining battery capacity, power input and power output.

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/anker-battery-packs-and-chargers-are-up-to-30-percent-off-165838626.html?src=rss

Porsche’s all-electric Macan SUV boasts a 381-mile range and up to 621hp

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Lawrence Bonk

Porsche just officially revealed the new all-electric Macan SUV, after giving us a little tease last year. Along with the reveal, the company dropped specs, pricing information and an approximate release date.

This looks to be a direct rival to vehicles like Jaguar’s I-Pace and the Polestar 4. To that end, this is a well-equipped vehicle. First and foremost, the battery is on point, allowing for 381 miles before running out of power. That’s Miami to Jacksonville on a single charge, with some juice to spare. It’ll be available in two variants: the 397hp Macan 4 and 621hp Macan Turbo. The company promised 600 horsepower and it looks to have delivered, with the Turbo at least. It’s worth noting that the range here dwarfs the popular Porsche Taycan EV, though that model’s made for speed and not distance.

On the interior, the EV Macan features three digital displays as part of a robust infotainment system. There’s a standard 12.6-inch curved instrument cluster and an 11-inch infotainment touchscreen. The vehicle also offers another 11-inch touchscreen for passengers, to allow them to stream content and adjust controls. The whole platform’s powered by Porsche’s proprietary voice assistant, which is built on top of the Android Automotive operating system. There’s even a dedicated app store, appropriately named the Porsche App Center.

You’ll also notice a streamlined exterior that looks exceptionally sleek when compared to earlier iterations of the Macan. The rear even boasts a retractable spoiler that automatically adjusts positioning to increase downforce. The front motor was developed by Bosch, but the rear motor was made in-house at Porsche’s manufacturing center in Zuffenhausen, Germany.

There’s also a new electronically-controlled traction management system, which Porsche says is up to five times faster than the four-wheel drive system of the existing gas-powered Macan. The vehicle also includes Porsche’s Torque Vectoring Plus system, for enhanced steering behavior.

The Porsche Macan EV, which is no longer called the E-Macan, will be sold alongside the gas-powered version until next year, at which point the company will sunset the OG model. This is part of the company’s promise to transition 80 percent of global sales to electric vehicles by 2030.

Porsche should release the car by the end of the year, though it was originally supposed to show up in 2023, so we shall see. The EV Macan SUV will cost $88,600 for the standard model and a whopping $120,000 for the Turbo, according to Autocar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/porsches-all-electric-macan-suv-boasts-a-381-mile-range-and-up-to-621hp-163940921.html?src=rss

Microsoft slashes 1,900 jobs across Xbox and Activision Blizzard

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Kris Holt

We're not even one month into 2024 and it's already been another brutal year for workers in the video game industry. Microsoft is the latest company to announce a major round of layoffs in its gaming division as it's cutting around 1,900 workers from its Xbox, Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax (aka Bethesda) teams. That brings the total number of video game layoffs this year to around 6,000 already. There were around 9,000 layoffs in the industry in all of 2023, according to some estimates.

"As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told employees in a memo obtained by The Verge. "As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1,900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team."

The majority of the cuts are said to be within Activision Blizzard, three months after Microsoft finally closed its $68.7 billion takeover of the publisher. Some positions on the Xbox and ZeniMax teams will be affected too. The cuts equate to around eight percent of Microsoft's gaming division.

"The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here," Spencer wrote. "We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws."

Spencer added that Microsoft will "continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. Although this is a difficult moment for our team, I’m as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together."

Xbox confirmed to Engadget that Spencer sent this memo to Microsoft employees on Thursday morning.

Among those leaving the company is Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who is exiting of his own accord. "I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives. It’s an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted — this is in no way a reflection on your amazing work," Ybarra wrote on X.

"To the Blizzard community: I also want to let you all know today is my last day at Blizzard. Leading Blizzard through an incredible time and being part of the team, shaping it for the future ahead, was an absolute honor," Ybarra continued. "Having already spent 20+ years at Microsoft and with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard behind us, it’s time for me to (once again) become Blizzard’s biggest fan from the outside." Microsoft’s game content and studios president Matt Booty told staff that the company plans to appoint a new Blizzard president next week.

I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives. It’s an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted – this is in no way a reflection…
— Mike Ybarra 🎄 (@Qwik) January 25, 2024

The layoffs included most of those remaining in Activision Blizzard's esports organization, according to reports. The publisher previously let go around 50 esports staffers last summer ahead of a reorganization of the Overwatch competitive circuit — Blizzard has outsourced operations of the new Overwatch Champions Series to ESL FACEIT Group. This round of layoffs included Call of Duty League and Overwatch League broadcast staff, onscreen talent and observers (folks who keep an eye on the action to make sure the broadcast team is catching the biggest plays).

“Our esports business is not going away, but we’re being thoughtful about how to evolve to better deliver for our players and fans. With a continued commitment to competitive esports, we have landed on a model that more closely aligns with our game franchises," Activision Blizzard told GamesBeat. "We’re not stopping esports, instead, we are adapting to a new business model to better serve the community. The people who are directly impacted have all played an important role in the success of our team, and the success of Activision Blizzard. We are grateful for their contributions, and we will provide our full support with severance, equity, bonus, healthcare, and job support.”

After 7 years of service, I've just been laid off by Blizzard. It was a dream come true to work there & I'm saddened that my time was cut short.

(Yes, I was rdy for this call with champagne...gotta celebrate the good times & opportunities I had!)

What's next? I am available! pic.twitter.com/kSbiNG8dCu
— Soe Gschwind (@Soembie) January 30, 2024

One other major consequence of this reorganization, according to The Verge, is that Blizzard's survival game, codenamed Odyssey, has been cancelled. That would have marked Blizzard's entry into a new genre, but it did not reveal any other details about the project since announcing it two years ago. Some of the developers who were working on the survival game are being moved over to "one of several promising new projects Blizzard has in the early stages of development," Booty wrote.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Odyssey had been in the works for six years. Partway through development, Blizzard execs reportedly told the team to switch from making the game in Unreal Engine to an in-house engine called Synapse. However, the tech was taking too long to come together. Despite positive feedback for early versions of the game, it was going to take several more years before Odyssey would be finished. In the end, Activision Blizzard canceled the game after reportedly determining that Synapse was not ready for prime time.

Layoffs are commonplace following major mergers, especially once higher-ups pinpoint areas of overlap. Oftentimes, that's seen in positions on the corporate side, such as marketing and human resources.

This is the largest single slate of layoffs in the gaming industry so far this year, outstripping the 1,800 workers that Unity is letting go. Twitch and Discord are also laying off hundreds of people each. This week, Riot Games said it was reducing its headcount by around 530 people. Dead by Daylight studio Behaviour Interactive, Tiny Tina's Wonderland developer Lost Boys Interactive and Outriders maker People Can Fly are also among the many gaming companies to have conducted layoffs so far in 2024.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) told Engadget in a statement that none of its members were hit by the layoffs. The union represents hundreds of people across Microsoft's gaming division, including around 300 quality assurance workers at ZeniMax and others at the likes of Raven Software.

Last June, as it was trying to appease regulators and close its purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft pledged to adopt a neutral stance when employees covered by an agreement with the CWA express interest in joining a union. In turn, the CWA backed the planned merger.

Update 1/25 3:59PM ET: Added more details regarding the cancellation of Odyssey from Bloomberg's report.

Update 1/26 1:20PM ET: Added confirmation from the CWA that none of its members were laid off.

Update 1/30 3:14PM ET: Added details about layoffs in Activision Blizzard's esports division.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-slashes-1900-jobs-across-xbox-and-activision-blizzard-145304693.html?src=rss

Facebook and Instagram will block DMs to teens unless they’re from a friend

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Mariella Moon

In 2021, Meta restricted adults on Instagram from being able to message under-18 users who don't follow them. Now, it's expanding that rule to help protect younger teens from potentially unwanted contact. Users under 16 — or 18, depending on their country — can no longer receive DMs from anybody they don't follow by default, even if they're sent by fellow teens.

This new safety measure applies to both Instagram and Messenger. For Messenger, in particular, young users will only be able to receive messages from their Facebook friends or people in their phone contacts. Since this setting is enabled by default, teens who have accounts under parental supervision will need to get any changes to it approved by their guardian. Of course, the setting will have to depend on a user's declared age and Meta's technology designed to predict people's ages, so it's not 100 percent foolproof.

"We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps," Meta said in its announcement. Earlier this month, Meta announced that it will start hiding content related to self-harm, graphic violence, eating disorders and other harmful topics from teens on Instagram and Facebook. If a user is under 16, they won't see posts with those topics in their Feeds and Stories even if they're shared by accounts they follow. It also recently rolled out a mindfulness feature that will send "nighttime nudges" to teens under 18 to close the app and go to bed if they've been scrolling for more than 10 minutes.

Meta made these changes after being hit by lawsuits and complaints related to how it protects its younger userbase. An unsealed lawsuit filed against the company by 33 states accuses it of actively targeting children under 13 to use its apps and websites and of continuing to harvest their data even after it's already aware of their ages. A Wall Street Journal report also accused Instagram of serving "risqué footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos" to accounts that follow teenage influencers. In December 2023, the state of New Mexico sued Meta, claiming that Facebook and Instagram algorithms recommended sexual content to minors. And just this month, The Wall Street Journal reported on unredacted internal Meta presentations related to that case. Apparently, 100,000 child users were harassed daily on Facebook and Instagram based on employees' estimates, underlining the need for stricter measures on its platforms.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-and-instagram-will-block-dms-to-teens-unless-theyre-from-a-friend-130552718.html?src=rss

Facebook and Instagram will block DMs to teens unless they’re from a friend

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Mariella Moon

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-and-instagram-will-block-dms-to-teens-unless-theyre-from-a-friend-130552718.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The Mac turns 40

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Mat Smith

The Mac turned 40, putting Apple’s longest-running product squarely in middle age. But like someone who sees the back half of their life approaching and gets in marathon-runner shape, the Mac is in the strongest place it’s been for decades. While (its own) smartphones have chipped and undercut PC revenues for Apple, it follows years of growth and a major milestone for personal computers: the introduction of Apple Silicon.

But before all that, let us take you on a journey through Macintosh, Macs, MacBooks and more, with Nathan Ingraham… who has also turned 40. (A few years ago.)

— Mat Smith

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Wired headphones are about to have a mini revival

New models make any phone Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless ready.

It’s been over seven years since Apple found the courage to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone, forcing wireless headphones into the limelight. Now, listening to hi-res lossless music on a phone usually means a hunt for a rare handset with a 3.5mm jack.

However, a new breed of wired headphone has emerged, and it promises audiophile quality on any phone, with no need for a dongle. Of course, there’s a marketing term to go with it: True Lossless Earphones (TLE). James Trew explains.

Continue reading.

Esports are messy in 2024

And our new gaming video series.

With the news that Blizzard and ESL FACEIT are preparing to launch a new esports circuit for Overwatch 2, mere months after the death of the Overwatch League, it’s a good time to take stock of the entire esports’ scene — and introduce our weekly video series, with Jessica Conditt.

Continue reading.

The Pokémon Company is investigating ‘Pokémon with guns’ satire Palworld

It will address products that infringe on its IP.

The Pokémon Company knows about Palworld and is very much aware the game is drawing a lot of comparisons with its intellectual property. Palworld, released on January 18, is an open-world game featuring monsters resembling Pokémon, except they can use guns. It also has a darker tone, allowing players to sell their “pals” to slavery, kill them and eat them as well as being able to battle them to the death.

While the company didn’t explicitly name Palworld, it said it will investigate a game “released in January 2024” and will “take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.”

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-mac-turns-40-121528390.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The Mac turns 40

Posted on 25/01/2024 by Mat Smith

But before all that, let us take you on a journey through Macintosh, Macs, MacBooks and more, with Nathan Ingraham… who has also turned 40. (A few years ago.)

— Mat Smith