Netflix has launched a full trailer for its upcoming animated adaptation of Tekken, Bandai Namco's famous fighting game franchise, and with it comes the show's premiere date. Tekken: Bloodline is arriving on the streaming service on August 18th and will be available in several languages, including English and Japanese. The show focuses on Jin Kazama and takes place between the events of Tekken 2, which features his mother Jun Kazama as one of The King of Iron Fist Tournament competitors, and Tekken 3. Jin made his debut in the franchise's third entry released back in 1996 after losing his mother and his home to Ogre, one of the franchise's antagonists.
In the series, Jin trained under his grandfather Heihachi Mishima, the tournament's founder, in his quest for revenge. You'll hear Heihachi tell Jin to shed the pacifist Kazama ways and to "stoke [his] Mishima fire." Yes, Heihachi sounds positively villainous, because he's the franchise's main antagonist. The trailer also shows faces that would be familiar to long-time fans, as characters from the games also appear in the show. They include Hwoarang, Julia Chang, Nina Williams, Paul Phoenix, Ling Xiaoyu and Heihachi's son Kazuya Mishima.
Vizio has long been known as a budget TV brand, but over the past few years the company started to push into premium territory with its P-Series and OLED TVs, as well as the rotating Elevate Dolby Atmos soundbar. This year, Vizio is focusing on its more affordable mid-range devices. That includes its M-Series Quantum X (MQX) TVs, which deliver a bevy of features that gamers will appreciate, as well as the M-Series Elevate soundbar, which brings the rotating Dolby Atmos functionality of the original Elevate down to a lower price-range.
All of the devices make it clear that Vizio is trying to aim for a market that's demanding better specifications and features, but also doesn't want to pay too much for Vizio's most premium hardware. The 50-inch 4K MQX TV is particularly geared towards gamers, as it offers a 240Hz refresh rate while playing in 1080p. Players who want to see faster frame rates typically lower their resolutions to 1080p, even with 4K or higher-resolution monitors. So it's not hard to imagine the 50-inch MQX being paired up with a gaming PC, especially since it supports AMD FreeSync Premium VRR.
The MQX family of TVS — at 50, 65 and 75-inches — are loaded up with Quantum dot technology and VIzio's new IQ Ultra Plus Processor. The company says they'll cover 80 percent of the Rec. 2020 color space, which technically makes it one of the best TVs on the market for color accuracy (at least, according to RTings's testing). The MQX TVs also have full-array backlighting and 32 local-dimming zones, which should help to improve contrast and black levels, as well as 1,000 nits of peak brightness.
When it comes to gaming, the MQX sets offer a 120 Hz native refresh rate (the 50" model is a bit unique with its 1080p 240Hz mode), as well as sub-8ms lag at 120Hz. That may sound a bit high compared to PC monitors touting less than a millisecond of lag, but it's on the faster end of current TVs. There are also four HDMI 2.1 ports, enough for every new console and a PC, as well as a new "Game" menu that should make it easier to adjust your settings.
Vizio
During a brief demo on Vizio's traveling demo bus (which definitely stood out in a nearby suburban park), the MQX TVs looked almost as good as Vizio's 2020-era P-series TVs. Colors popped off the screen during daytime scenes in Moana, and the bevy of local dimming zones kept light from bleeding into dark areas of the screen. It's clear that Vizio has made plenty of progress since the last batch of M-series sets. The new MQX TVs will start at $630 when they arrive later this month.
Vizio is still keeping its existing higher-end sets on the market, but you'll see some changes across the rest of its lineup too. The M-series Quantum 6 TVs also feature Quantum Dots and Full Array backlighting and a few helpful gaming features like FreeSync VRR, Dolby Vision and three HDMI 2.1 ports. The 43-inch MQ6 TV will start at just $350, but there will also be sizes between 55 and 75-inches to choose from.
Vizio
Stepping another level down, there's Vizio's new V-series TVs, which also have quite a few gaming smarts with a much lower $290 starting price for the 43-inch entry. Those will also range up to 75-inches and will include features like VRR and three HDMI 2.1 ports. From the demos I've seen, these appear to to be the ideal choice for gamers on a budget. At the bottom end, once again, are the D-series 1080p sets. These have always excelled at being cheap TVs for small rooms, and it looks like Vizio is continuing that trend this year. Still, even they have some gaming features, like low input lag and VRR. They'll range from 24 to 43 inches and will start at $160 when they arrive this month.
Vizio
If you've been eyeing Vizio's first Elevate soundbar, which features rotating speakers that can bounce off of your ceiling for over-head Dolby Atmos sound, you've now got a cheaper option to consider: the aptly-titled M-Series Elevate. Starting at $800, it offers 5.1.2 sound (five speakers, a subwoofer and two height channels) across 13 speakers, along with two small rear speakers for surround sound. During normal programming, the Dolby Atmos speakers point towards you to widen the sound stage, but once it detects an Atmos source, they flip up to give you enveloping sound.
Judging from the bevy of Moana songs I listened to, the M-Series Elevate sounds impressive, but I was surprised that it felt a bit tinnier and weaker than Sonos's Arc soundbar. That device goes for the same price, and while it doesn't include rear speakers or a subwoofer, it delivers far richer sound and more believable Atmos imaging. The M-Series Elevate may make more sense if Vizio lowers the price a bit. The original Elevate is only $200 more, after all, you'd think there would be a bigger difference for a mid-range alternative. If you're looking for something more compact, there's also the new M-Series All-in-One, which features dual built-in subwoofers, DTS:X and a low $200 starting price.
The zealous online campaign that helped pave the way for the "Snyder Cut" version of Justice League was boosted by a large number of bot and fake accounts, according to a report from Rolling Stone. An investigation commissioned by WarnerMedia seen by RS found that "at least 13 percent of the accounts that took part in the conversation about the Snyder Cut were deemed fake, well above the three to five percent that cyber experts say they typically see on any trending topic." In other words, while many real fans certainly pushed for the new version, their voices were amplified disproportionately by bots.
As a reminder, director Zack Snyder stepped down during the editing of Justice League for personal reasons and Joss Whedon completed the film as an uncredited director, overseeing reshoots and other changes to reduce runtime and increase humor. When the film was released in 2017, it was a critical and commercial failure. Following that, an online fanbase pushed for Snyder's darker original vision, aka the Snyder Cut. When released in 2021, it became the fourth most viewed film on HBO Max and was generally praised as superior to the original.
However, questions arose as to whether the fan interest was completely organic. WarnerMedia decided to launch an investigation following some severe cyber harassment that included calls for boycotts, firings and even death threats. It identified communities "made up of real and fake authors that spread negative content about WarnerMedia for not restoring the 'SnyderVerse," and directed harassment toward Warner Bros.' then-CEO AnnSarnoff and other executives and creatives involved with the project.
Rolling Stone also hired a security company to check suspicious activity, and it said that "there's no question that bots were involved." Another firm used by WarnerMedia to investigate inauthentic activity around the forsnydercut.com domain traced it to a defunct ad agency promising "cheap, instant Avatar traffic to your website." Snyder fanned the online flames with social media posts including one showing a photo labeled "JL Director's Cut Running Time 214 [minutes]," but it's not clear what role, if any, he played in the online campaign.
As we implied in our review of Zack Snyder's Justice League last year, the report shows the power but potential pitfalls of fandom. "There are positive ways to influence change for any piece of pop culture, but shouting at each other on social media, not to mention sending death threats, shouldn't be normalized," wrote Engadget's Devindra Hardawar.
Some TikTok employees have already lost their jobs, while others are told to prepare for a meeting with the HR department as part of the video platform's global restructuring efforts, Wired reports. According to the publication, European employees were warned that their jobs were at risk and to expect an HR meeting in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, employees in the UK were told to expect colleagues across departments to lose their jobs. In the US, some personnel were told that they were being let go shortly after they came in for work on Monday morning.
One of those US employees was David Ortiz, who was among the first executives TikTok parent company ByteDance hired outside of China. In a LinkedIn post, Ortiz said that his "role is being eliminated in a much larger re-organization effort." A TikTok spokesperson did not deny that layoffs were taking place when Wired asked. However, they also didn't confirm that the company is going through a global restructuring and didn't provide the publication with a detailed statement on why TikTok is cutting jobs.
A staffer who talked to the publication said the company is only cutting employees and teams that managers believe haven't been contributing enough. They claimed that only 100 employees are being laid off, which is but a small percentage of around 10,000 employees across the US and Europe. That said, TikTok is merely one of the companies in the big tech, gaming, AV/EV and social media sphere that's downsizing its workforce.
Some of the companies in the industry that had to let people go due to the economic downturn include Netflix, Unity and Twitter. Tesla reportedly laid off 200 Autopilot employees and closed an office in California. Bloomberg said Rivian plans to lay off 5 percent of its workforce. Finally, Meta told employees to identify low performers, The Information said, and move them to exit the company if they're unable to get back on track.
GM previewed its 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV today, adding the two-row mid-size crossover [in a variety of trims, including the SS performance model,] to its growing lineup of all-electric cars. As far as SUVs go, the Chevy Blazer hasn’t ever been the most eye-catching or highest rated. But the new Blazer EV could stand out as a solid, reasonably priced electric mid-sized SUV in a market filled with (way too many) options. The vehicles include a 11.5 kW AC charging module for at-home charging and charging capability of up to 190 kilowatts. Roughly 10 minutes of charging will add up to 78 miles of range.
The 2024 Blazer EVs take things in a dramatically different direction than older models of the Blazer, at least design-wise. The exterior is a tad more aggressive and futuristic than older models of the Blazer. The RS model features 21-inch wheels and a black grille and accents and the SS features a black roof, ultra-thin 22-inch wheels. Depending on the size of the battery pack, the RS has a maximum range of 320 miles, while the SS can run for 290 miles. The SS model can produce up to 557 horsepower and has a high-performance mode known WOW (Wide Open Watts) mode that can enable 0-60 mph times of less than 4 seconds. Both the RS and SS models feature heated front and rear outboard seating (though on the RS it’s an additional charge) and a flat-bottom steering wheel and sculpted vents.
The most bare-bones option of the bunch, the LT (with two different trim levels), comes with 18-inch wheels and a monochromatic coat. The 2LT delivers an estimated range of 293 miles, while the 1LT can go for 247 miles on a single charge.
The vehicles are all equipped with a 17.7-inch-diagonal screen and Chevy's infotainment system. To top it off, the Blazer EV is built on GM’s Ultium EV platform, which kind of serves as a unified battery system for all of GM’s electric vehicles. The automaker believes that using just one battery — the Ultium — for all of its EVs will cut down production costs and allow it to easily convert to an all-electric lineup by 2035.
The new cars will arrive next year: The 2LT and RS will debut in the summer of 2023, and are priced starting around $47,595 and $51,995, respectively. The SS will arrive later next year, and starts at $65,995. Finally, the 1LT will debut sometime in the first quarter of 2024 and start at $44,995.
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of payment card issuers accuses Apple of illegally profiting from Apple Pay and breaking antitrust laws. Iowa's Affinity Credit Union is listed as the plaintiff in the complaint, filed today in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit alleges that by restricting contactless payments on iOS devices to Apple Pay and charging payment card issuers fees to use the mobile wallet, the iPhone maker is engaging in anti-competitive behavior.
While Android users have options for contactless mobile wallets, iOS users can only use tap-to-pay technology through Apple Pay. In other words, while iPhone users can download the Google Pay app, they can’t use it to make contactless payments in stores. Android doesn’t charge payment card issuers for use of any supported mobile wallet. But it’s a different story for Apple Pay, which charges card issuers a 0.15% fee on credit transactions and half of a cent on debit transactions. These fees have brought in up to $1 billion annually for Apple, the lawsuit alleges.
“In the Android ecosystem, where multiple digital wallets compete, there are no issuer fees whatsoever, ” said the complaint. “The upshot is that card issuers pay a reported $1 billion annually in fees on Apple Pay and $0 for accessing functionally identical Android wallets. If Apple faced competition, it could not sustain these substantial fees.”
The suit alleges that by restricting iOS users to only Apple Pay for contactless payments, Apple is blocking competing mobile wallets from the market. Payment card issuers are essentially forced to pay Apple’s transaction fees if they want to offer their service to iPhone users.
Apple is facing a similar challenge over its payment system in the EU, where an antitrust commission in May said that the tech giant is illegally blocking third-party developers from enabling contactless payments. Apple has denied the EU’s allegations, arguing that giving third-party developers access would be a security risk. This is an argument that Apple has used before as a reason why it doesn't open up its platform, such as in the case of third-party app stores.
Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment on the lawsuit and will update if we hear back.
Uber is settling a Justice Department lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging riders with disabilities. The ridesharing company has agreed to pay at least $2.2 million to passengers who were charged wait time fees despite disabilities that required more time to enter a vehicle. The payout includes nearly $1.74 million for over 1,000 riders who complained about the fees and $500,000 for “other harmed individuals.” Uber will also offer credits to more than 65,000 people who've obtained waivers for wait time fees, all of whom will receive double the wait time fees they were charged.
Uber implemented wait time fees in 2016, when it began charging customers extra if a driver waited more than two minutes after arriving at a pickup location. This left people with disabilities paying more than other passengers. The Justice Department alleged that this violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which bars discrimination by transportation companies.
In a statement to Engadget, Uber said it was "pleased" by the agreement and maintained that it was "always working" to bolster accessibility for users. It encouraged customers to sign up for the waivers.
The agreement requires that Uber continue offering the waiver to all eligible riders for two years. Refunds will also be "easily available" to riders who don't have waivers, the Justice Department added. Uber has promised to advertise the waiver system, which launched in 2021.
This settlement might not satisfy some critics. It indemnifies Uber against future claims linked to wait fees. The company has also faced multiple lawsuits over a lack of ADA-mandated wheelchair-accessible vehicles — the agreement doesn't address those concerns. Even so, this may be a win for riders who've had no choice but to pay a premium due to their disabilities.
Amazon is introducing a new Prime Video interface that will be familiar to anyone who has used Netflix – or, for that matter, any other modern streaming service. To make the Prime Video experience “less busy and overwhelming,” the company has relocated the platform’s main navigation bar to the left side of the screen and arranged the icons into a vertical column. From top to bottom, the six menus are Search, Home, Store, Live TV, Free and My Stuff.
Most of the menus include subcategories to simplify navigation further. For instance, the Home section has subcategories for movies, TV shows and sports. Other Netflix-inspired features include a top 10 list of popular content and poster-style thumbnails that expand to play a preview when you navigate over them.
Amazon
However, the most helpful change Amazon has introduced is a new set of icons that make it easier to know if something is part of Prime Video. A blue checkmark means the TV show or movie you want to watch is included with your subscription. By contrast, a gold shopping bag means you need to either buy or rent the content to view it.
According to The Verge, Amazon spent 18 months working on the redesign. Ben Smith, vice-president of product for Prime Video and Prime studios, led the project. Notably, he previously worked on Hulu’s 2017 redesign. That effort saw the service try something radically different only for it to return to a more familiar design a few years later.
Amazon
Amazon will begin rolling out the new Prime Video experience starting this week. The redesign will first arrive on Android and compatible streaming devices — including Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV — before landing on iOS and the web later this year.
The new experience won’t roll out to every device where Prime Video is available, and among the more notable omissions are the third-generation Apple TV and Sony’s PlayStation 3. If either of those are how you watch Prime Video, you won’t lose access to the service as a result — you'll just have to get by without the redesigned interface for the time being.
On the same day it officially became a PlayStation studio, Bungie filed a lawsuit against a Destiny 2 player it accused of persistent cheating and making threats against its employees. The developer claimed Luca Leone violated the game's Limited Software License Agreement (LSLA) on multiple occasions. It's seeking $150,000 in damages and an injunction preventing Leone from “harassing, stalking or otherwise engaging in unwanted or unsolicited contact with Bungie, its employees or Destiny 2 players,” as Kotakureports.
Bungie said it banned Leone multiple times for using Destiny 2 cheat software while streaming on Twitch. In an attempt to evade the ban, Leone created 13 accounts, each of which constituted a fresh breach of the LSLA, according to the filing. The studio claimed Leone violated the LSLA on other fronts, including by selling Destiny 2 accounts that contain emblems, or non-transferable badges that players can earn. Bungie says these "are prized by many players, especially collectors."
In addition, Bungie claims that Leone has made threats regarding the studio and its employees. According to the suit, Leone tweeted "about his desire to 'burn down' Bungie’s office building and [wrote] that specific Bungie employees were 'not safe' given Leone’s intent to move into their neighborhood."
In May, an image of Destiny 2 community manager Dylan Gafner's employee badge appeared on a Twitter account that's said to belong to Leone. "I just realized I’ll be moving to a place that’s 30 minutes away from dmg,” Leone allegedly wrote, followed by “he is not safe." Bungie notes that "dmg" likely refers to Gafner, who uses the Twitter handle @dmg04.
Leone's purported Twitter account has since been locked. His reported Twitch channel features no content other than a bio reading "[23-year-old] Bungie playtester from Los Angeles." Engadget has contacted Leone for comment.
The filing follows a number of instances of harassment against game developers. Forbes' Paul Tassi wrote that Destiny 2 sandbox design lead Kevin Yanes has all but left Twitter. Players reportedly reacted with fury to Yanes saying an item from the original Destiny will not return. "I dream of a day where videogame developers (from any studio) can openly discuss their work without being harassed," Gafner wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Cases of harassment against our developers have actively made it harder for us to communicate with the broader community. It has impacted more studios than just ours.
I hope that more folks can stand against this behavior in any community, whether it be gaming related or other.
A few weeks ago, Sony Santa Monica developers received threats and unsolicited photos of genitalia for not revealing the God of War: Ragnarök release date when the studio was reportedly planning to. Sony Santa Monica announced the release timing just a few days later.
This isn't the first time Bungie has targeted players with legal action. Just last month, it sued someone who allegedly uploaded music from the Destiny 2 soundtrack for filing fake DMCA notices against content creators.
EA has announced the cover stars for FIFA 23and, for the first time in the series, a female player will feature on the Ultimate Edition, which will be available internationally. Chelsea's Sam Kerr is one of the two cover stars, along with Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain. This will be the third straight year Mbappé has appeared on FIFA covers.
Kerr is a more than worthy player to showcase on the game's cover. She has been shortlisted for the women's Ballon D'Or every year since the award's inception and finished in third place in last year's voting. Among her many other honors, Kerr has helped Chelsea to win the Women's Super League in each of the three seasons since she joined the club.
EA put women on the cover of its soccer games for the first time with FIFA 16. Steph Catley, Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair featured on the Australian, US and Canadian covers, respectively. They appeared alongside Lionel Messi, who was the cover star on other editions.
Meanwhile, Eurogamerreports that the Women's Super League, which is the highest-tier of pro women's soccer in England, will make its debut in the FIFA series this year. Until now, FIFA fans have only been able to play as women in the Volta and Pro Clubs modes, as well as in international teams through the kick-off mode.
EA will reveal much more about FIFA 23 when the first trailer debuts at noon ET on Wednesday (you'll be able to watch the video below once it's live). This will be the last annual EA soccer game that bears FIFA branding in its title. The name of the series will become EA Sports FC next year following a messy divorce from FIFA.
