First ‘The Mandalorian’ season three trailer reunites everyone’s favorite Star Wars family

With D23 underway this weekend, Disney had a lot to share with Star Wars fans. In all, the company debuted three trailers at the expo. First, there was a final look at Star Wars: Andor ahead of the show’s Disney+ premiere on September 21st. Then, we got to see Tales of the Jedi, a new animated anthology series that will begin streaming on October 23rd. But what you can here to see is the first trailer for season three of The Mandalorian.

The clip is the same one that was shown behind closed doors at Star Wars Celebration. Spoilers for season two of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett follow. 

After he left to train at Luke’s Jedi Temple, Gorgu and Din (Pedro Pascal) are reunited and back to their usual hijinks, but Mando’s decision to take his helmet off at the end of season two has damaged his relationship with the Armorer and what’s left of his clan. The fact he also took the Darksaber from Moth Gideon is also a source of conflict between him and Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff). Based on the trailer, it looks like season three will tell a more focused story with fewer detours for Mando and Gorgu to get into trouble.

The Mandalorian season three will arrive on Disney+ in 2023.

FCC proposes ‘five-year rule’ for dead satellite disposal

The Federal Communications Commission wants to do something about space junk in low Earth orbit. On Thursday, the agency published a proposal (via Ars Technica) that, if adopted, would put a deadline on how long non-geostationary satellites can stay in space.

As things stand, voluntary NASA guidelines published in the 1990s recommend that dead satellites should be deorbited within 25 years. The FCC wants to adopt a five-year rule that would require domestic satellite operators and companies that want access to the US market to dispose of their non-functioning satellites as soon as they can. “We believe it is no longer sustainable to leave satellites in LEO [low Earth orbit] to deorbit over decades,” the FCC states in its proposal.

Our space economy is moving fast. For it to continue to grow, we need to do more to clean up after ourselves so space innovation can continue to expand. That is why I am proposing to shorten the 25-year guideline to no more than 5 years. https://t.co/u8uImI25hQ

— Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcelFCC) September 9, 2022

Satellites already in space would be exempt from the FCC’s guidelines. The Commission is also proposing there be a two-year grandfathering period that start on September 29th, the day it plans to vote on the regulation. That carveout would give organizations that previously obtained approval for a future satellite launch time to develop a disposal plan for their spacecraft. The FCC said it would also grant waivers case-by-case after NASA expressed concern that the five-year limit would impact its CubeSat missions.

The proposal comes as the number of satellites in low Earth orbit is expected to increase over the next few years dramatically. With contributions from companies like SpaceX, Amazon and OneWeb, as many as 18,000 new satellites could be floating above the planet by 2025. Those satellites will not only make it more challenging to observe the night sky, but the probability of a potential crash will increase too.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is up to $150 off at Amazon

If Apple’s announcement of the Series 8 didn’t do much for you but you would still like to buy an Apple Watch, you might be in luck. Amazon has discounted its remaining Series 7 stock. At the moment, you can find a handful of the cellular models for as much as $150 off. For instance, the 41mm variant with graphite stainless steel case and abyss blue sport band is $550 currently, down from $699, while the 45mm model with silver stainless steel case and starlight sports band is $99 off, making it $650 instead of $749.

Buy Apple Watch Series 7 at Amazon - $400 and up

Engadget deputy reviews editor Cherlynn Low gave the Apple Watch Series 7 a score of 90. Apple’s smartwatch was already one of the best fitness trackers you could buy in 2021, and the Series 7 made it even better with a larger screen, faster charging and overnight respiratory tracking.

With the Series 8 arriving in stores on September 16th, you may not think it’s worth buying the older model. For what it’s worth, the Series 8 is an iterative update on its predecessor. New features are limited to a temperature sensor, crash detection and a low-power mode that can extend the life of the wearable by up to 18 hours. Those are valuable additions, to be sure, but there’s also something to be said about saving a bit of money on some of the more premium Series 7 models still in stock if cellular connectivity and a stainless steel case are important features for you.

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CD Projekt Red releases an official modding tool for 'Cyberpunk 2077'

Cyberpunk 2077 now has an official modding tool. CD Projekt RED has launched REDmod, which provides players integrated support to easily install and load mods onto the PC version of the action RPG. As the developer's official announcement notes, it will also allow players to modify and personalize their game by using the custom sounds, animations and scripts that come with the tool. CD Projekt Red promises to update the tool alongside future patches to ensure that it remains compatible with the game. It is a free DLC, though, and players don't have to install it at all if they don't want to.

Mod yourself up from the bottom to the very top ⬆

REDmod is our new tool dedicated to all #Cyberpunk2077 and modding enthusiasts!

Learn more at https://t.co/9qhLrSO9dj and leave your own mark in the dark future world of Night City! 🌃 pic.twitter.com/zyVoWKYjWk

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 7, 2022

As popular mod website Nexus Mods clarifies, while new mods are required to use a specific format to be compatible with REDmod, old mods will continue to work just fine. Older mods that aren't compatible with the tool simply won't show up in the new REDmod menu. That's also were players can toggle mods that are compatible with the tool on or off. 

The free DLC is now available for download from the official Cyberpunk 2077 website, but players can get also get it from GOG, Steam or Epic.

Twitter's $7 million whistleblower payout violates purchase deal, Musk's lawyers argue

A judge recently ruled that Elon Musk can use the allegations made by Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko as part of the arguments in his countersuit against the company. As it turns out, Musk intends to use not just Zatko's claims to win his case, but also the fact that the former Twitter executive received a settlement to get out of the $44 billion acquisition deal he made with the social network. As The Washington Post reports, Musk's lawyers sent a letter to Twitter, telling the company that the severance payment worth $7.75 million that it made to Zatko in June violated a provision in their sales agreement. 

In the letter uploaded to the SEC website, Musk's lawyers cited Section 6.1(e) of the merger agreement, which says Twitter promised not to "grant or provide any severance or termination payments or benefits to any Company Service Provider other than the payment of severance amounts or benefits in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and subject to the execution and non-revocation of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its Subsidiaries." Former employees are considered Company Service Providers.

Musk and Twitter entered the purchase agreement in April, and it wasn't until June when Zatko received his severance pay. The company didn't seek Musk's consent before making the payment or notify him of the transaction, the lawyers said in the letter. Musk apparently only found out about the settlement when Twitter included the information in its court filing on September 3rd. As such, Musk's camp argues that the settlement serves as an additional basis to terminate the parties' purchase agreement. As The Post notes, it's now up to Twitter to prove that such a big payout to a former employee wasn't out of the ordinary. We've reached out to Twitter for a statement, and we'll update this post when we hear back.

Also known as "Mudge," Zatko accused the the social network of having "extreme, egregious deficiencies" in security. He said in a complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Twitter violated the terms it had agreed to when it settled a privacy dispute with the FTC back in 2011. The whistleblower also claimed that he couldn't get a direct response from Twitter regarding the actual number of bots on the website. If you'll recall Musk previously accused Twitter of fraud for hiding the real number of bots on its platform and told the court in a legal filing that 10 percent — not just 5 percent as the social network maintains — of its daily active users who see ads are inauthentic accounts.

Twitter and Musk are set to face off in court in a five-day trial scheduled to start on October 17th.

Marvel is getting the 'Pokémon Go' treatment thanks to Niantic

Marvel has teamed up with Pokémon Go developer Niantic to create an augmented reality mobile game that will be available worldwide next year. In Marvel World of Heroes, you can create your own superhero in a Marvel game for the first time, according to a Niantic blog post

Players will be able to forge their hero's identity and origin story. They'll be tasked with patrolling their neighborhood to thwart crimes, take on missions and fend off interdimensional threats and super villains. As you level up, you'll unlock more gear and abilities. You'll be able to team up with your friends, as well as the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America and Wolverine. It seems players can also visit multiple alternate realities — in a virtual sense, anyway.

If you're interested in checking out the game, you can pre-register on the Marvel World of Heroes website. As it often does, Niantic will soft launch the game in select markets before rolling it out more broadly. 

Ford updates its BlueCruise driver assist with hands-free lane changing and more

BlueCruise, Ford's intelligent adaptive cruise control system, already offers drivers a number of assistive features such as lane centering, street sign recognition and hands-free highway driving along more than 130,000 miles of US roadways. On Thursday, Ford announced that it will begin releasing the program's version 1.2 update later this Fall beginning with the 2023 Mach-E and will include new assists like hands-free lane changing, in-lane repositioning, and predictive speed assist. The same additions are also coming to Lincoln owners with the release of ActiveGlide 1.2 (Lincoln's reskinned version of BlueCruise). 

Ford

Hands-free lane changing is what it sounds like, just tap the turn signal and the vehicle will slide over one when it's safe to do so. It'll also preemptively suggest changes if it sees you coming up on a slower vehicle. Predictive speed assist is built to spot sharp turns ahead and safely guide the vehicle through them, while in-lane repositioning will cause the vehicle to hug either line so as to provide some additional padding between your bumper and the semi in the next lane.

The new features will first appear with the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Select and 2023 Lincoln Navigator Standard. Owners will also need to have the Ford Co-Pilot360 system installed and subscribe to a $600 three-year service plan, which keeps the hands-free driving maps up to date. They'll also have to have either the FordPass or Lincoln Way companion app installed on their phone. 2023 Mach-E and Navigator owners will receive the first three months of service free as an introductory demo.

Marvel's Midnight Suns will arrive on December 2nd

Marvel's Midnight Suns has a new release date, and it's sooner than you may have expected. It was revealed during the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase that the tactical RPG from Firaxis will hit PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 2nd. The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will arrive at a later date.

The game was initially slated for October, but publisher 2K announced last month that it was pushing back the release date until sometime later in its fiscal year, which ends in March. Thankfully, you won't have to wait that long to play it. In the meantime, the first Marvel's Midnight Suns prequel short will hit Marvel's YouTube channel on October 31st. 

It looks like the 'Uncharted 4' and 'Lost Legacy' bundle is coming to PC on October 19th

It seems that nine long months after a remastered bundle of Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy debuted on PlayStation 5, PC gamers will be able to find out what all the fuss is about. According to a listing on the Epic Games Store spotted by Twitter gaming deals maestro Wario64, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will hit that storefront on October 19th. It appears Epic published the information ahead of schedule, as the game's page currently displays a 404 error. The leak backs up a previous hint from SteamDB that October 19th was the release date.

Legacy of Thieves Collection is supposed to be coming to Steam before the end of the year as well, but it appears that if you pre-order through Epic, you'll gain access to a Sully's Seaplane glider in Fortnite at no extra cost. Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer skins arrived in that game earlier this year to promote the Uncharted movie.

The apparent timing of the Legacy of Thieves Collection PC release is interesting, since Sony said Spider-Man: Miles Morales is coming to that platform sometime this fall. One would think they'd try to space things out a bit. In any case, perhaps Sony will soon host a PlayStation showcase that clears everything up.

UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection will release on PC on Oct 19th according to EGS. Preorders on EGS will get a Fortnite glider in the shape of Sully's seaplane https://t.co/O1JRMM1MhE

The game is slated for Steam as well pic.twitter.com/1IVwTa1Yyo

— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 9, 2022

Valve’s Steam Deck repair centers are now open

Steam Deck owners have a new option for repairs if their device breaks. Valve has opened its own Steam Deck repair centers, which should streamline the process for fixes.

The new service should come as welcome news to Steam Deck owners who will now have a simpler way of addressing hardware issues, without hunting for a third-party service. Notably, Valve says that it also supports people who prefer to go the DIY route, and points to iFixit’s guides on the subject.

Those who prefer to hand off the fix will be able to use the new service via the company’s support channels. “If you encounter an issue and need to send your Steam Deck for repair or replacement, devices will now go to one of our repair centers,” the company explains. “Once there, our team will diagnose the device, repair if needed, then ship the fixed unit back to you.”

The repair centers will cover both in-warranty fixes, which will be free of charge, as well as repairs for damage that happens outside of the device’s warranty. The company will charge for out-of-warranty fixes, though it’s not clear how much these repairs may cost.

For now, there are few other details about how the repair centers will work. The company hasn’t provided a list of the types of repairs it will be able to handle, or what the expected turnaround time will be. However, in a comment on the post, a Valve representative confirmed the repair centers will be able to handle battery replacements, which could be a common request for the handheld device.