If you suspected a Death Stranding sequel was in the works, you were probably spot-on. Lead actor Norman Reedus told Leo in an interview that work had "just started" on a second game. He didn't share any more details. However, it's safe to presume any follow-up is a long way off. Reedus noted that it took "two or three years" to complete motion capture for the first game, and we wouldn't expect it to be much speedier this time given Hideo Kojima's fondness for lengthy cutscenes.
We've asked Kojima Productions for comment. It's easy to see why the studio would greenlight a second Death Stranding game, though. The first sold five million copies between its November 2019 launch and July 2021, and that was before the Director's Cut releases. A sequel would help the company build on that success, not to mention bolster Kojima's post-Konami reputation.
Yet another major Star Wars character is about to drop onto the Fortnite island. Obi-Wan Kenobi will hit the Fortnite Item Shop on May 26th, just hours before his eponymous series debuts on Disney+.
Along with being able to play as the iconic Jedi Master, you'll be able to snap up some related cosmetics including back bling, a pickax, a Jedi Interceptor glider and an emote. Those will be available to buy separately or as part of a bundle that includes an Obi-Wan loading screen.
You'll have the chance to win the outfit and back bling early if you take part in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Cup. That's a duos event that will take place on Sunday with lightsabers and E-11 blaster rifles making a temporary return to the island.
The six-episode Obi-Wan Kenobi series will premiere on Disney+ on May 27th. Ewan McGregor reprises his role from the prequel movies. Hayden Christiansen also returns to play Darth Vader once again.
Epic Games and Lucasfilm have been working together for several years to bring Star Wars characters to Fortnite. Boba Fett and The Mandalorian, the main characters of other Disney+ Star Wars shows, have joined the fray, as have Rey, Finn, a Stormtrooper, Zorii Bliss and Kylo Ren.
We're one week out from Memorial Day weekend and we're already starting to see the sales roll in. Apple's latest AirPods are back down to $150 while a four-pack of AirTags remains discounted to $89. You can pick up a few Fire TV devices for less, including the Fire TV Cube for only $70, while Solo Stove's fire pits have already been discounted one week before the holiday. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple AirPods (3rd gen)
Billy Steele/Engadget
The latest AirPods are $30 off and down to $150, which is only $10 more than their all-time-low price. We gave the buds a score of 88 for their improved audio quality, more comfortable design and longer battery life.
A pack of four AirTags is down to $89 right now, or $10 off its regular price. If you have a few things you want to keep track of, this is a good opportunity to pick up a few AirTags that can help you do so. AirTags show you the location of your things in Apple's Find My app, and if you have an iPhone that supports Precision Finding, it can lead you directly to your stuff.
1Password is offering 50 percent off paid plans for a limited time, which means you can sign up for a personal plan for $1.50 per month (when billed annually) or a Families plan for $2.50 per month. 1Password is one of our favorite password managers because it stores all of the dozens of login credentials you have safely and securely, while also making it easy for you to fill in the correct ones without remembering them as you browse the web.
Amazon's Fire TV Cube is down to a record low of $70 right now, or almost half off its regular rate. This is the most powerful streaming device that Amazon offers and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and hands-free Alexa commands.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is 30 percent off and down to $35, which, while not a record low, it's a good sale price on this handy streaming stick. Like the Fire TV Cube, it supports 4K streaming and Dolby Vision, but it takes up much less space and can hide behind your TV. And if you want to spend even less, you can pick up the Fire TV Stick Lite for only $20.
Solo Stove's Memorial Day sale knocks up to 46 percent off fire pits, so you can pick one up for as low as $200. You'll find the deepest discount on the big Yukon, which is $350 off and down to $400. We like these fire pits because they create much less smoke than their cheaper competitors and, out of the three models available, two of them are pretty portable, too.
Amazon's latest deal on the GoPro Hero10 Black includes a dual battery charger plus two rechargeable batteries for $400. If you were go to directly to GoPro, you'd spend the same amount on the camera alone, so you're essentially getting the batteries for free if you go through Amazon.
A bunch of Google Nest devices have been discounted ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Wellbots has the Google Nest Hub Max for $179 when you use the code EGDT50 at checkout, so you'll save $50 off its regular price. You can also get various discounts on Nest WiFi packs as well — the Nest WiFi router is down to $119 with the code EGDT50, the router with one access point is on sale for $189 with the code EDGT80 and the three-pack is down to $249 with the code EDGT100.
All three of Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones are at their lowest prices ever, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra down to $950, the S22+ on sale for $750 and the standard S22 for $675. We gave the premium S22 Ultra a score of 89 for its bright, colorful display, built-in S Pen and solid cameras.
SanDisk's 1TB Extreme Pro portable SSD is 42 percent off and down to $180. That's close to the best price we've seen, and it's a good option for those that need a tough drive that they can take with them on the go. In addition to drop protection and an IP55 rating, the Extreme Pro supports read and write speeds up to 2,000 MB/s, password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
Roku's Streambar Pro is down to an all-time low of $150, which is 17 percent off its regular rate. This larger soundbar has all of the features of the standard Streambar, plus even better sound quality, a lost remote feature with Roku's companion mobile app and support for private listening.
Razer's Kishi game controller for Android devices is half off and down to $45. It lets you more comfortably play games on your smartphone while on the go, and it has a USB-C port for charging.
Amazon has discounted a number of Samsung's latest Mini LED smart TVs for the first time. The 65-inch Neo QLED 4K model is $200 off and down to $1,797, and you can also pick up 75-inch and 85-inch models at lower than usual prices, too.
Hydrow has knocked $669 off its Memorial Day package, so you can get its smart rowing machine, a mat and a 1:1 coaching session for $1,995. With the monthly membership, you'll get access to a bunch of on-demand rowing classes, plus the built-in screen swivels so you can do floor routines as well.
In the wake of the cryptocurrency market crashing, Coinbase said this week it was joining a number of tech companies by slowing down its hiring plans for this year. More details have emerged about Coinbase's efforts to cut costs after The Informationobtained emails that were sent to employees.
The company is said to have frozen hiring for two weeks (though it will honor offers that have already been sent) and put new projects on hold. It is also reportedly trying to reduce how much it spends on hosting services.
Along with not hiring as many people as it previously expected to this year, Coinbase is looking to minimize employee attrition. According to the report, the company is giving workers more shares. Coinbase's stock has dropped by over 75 percent in the last six months.
Coinbase is said to have paused some projects, such as a business banking initiative, while it focuses on increasing revenue from core products, including retail and institutional trading. It's reportedly planning to offer retail customers more cryptocurrencies and to expand operations outside of the US.
When asked for comment, a Coinbase spokesperson directed Engadget to a tweet thread from chief product officer Surojit Chatterjee. While the company is renewing focus on its "high-impact products" and trying to "improve efficiencies by seeking improvements in developer productivity," Chatterjee noted that Coinbase doesn't plan to stop investing in strategic and venture projects. "We believe the down market is a great time to build for the longer term," Chatterjee wrote.
The company revealed in its first-quarter earnings report last week that, at $1.16 billion, net revenue fell by 27 percent year-over-year and by over half from the previous quarter. Trading volume also dropped. Amid a hiring spree (it's said to have brought in more than 1,200 new employees this year), operating expenses increased by nine percent from the previous quarter to $1.7 billion. Coinbase had a net loss of $430 million in Q1. All of that was before the cryptocurrency market nosedived earlier this month.
Stablecoin TerraUSD (which is supposed to be pegged to the value of the US dollar) and sister token Luna effectively collapsed, causing a ripple effect to other cryptocurrency prices. Though it has since rebounded a bit, the price of bitcoin also dipped below $26,000 for the first time in 16 months last week amid a sell off that saw over $200 billion wiped from the crypto market in one day.
Coinbase's shift in hiring strategy reflects a broader trend among prominent tech companies. Meta and Uber are among the major businesses that are cutting costs and slowing down recruitment plans. Meanwhile, Netflix laid off around 150 staff in the US this week and canceled some animated projects. The company's stock plummeted after it reported its first-ever quarterly drop in subscriber numbers last month.
Bandcamp won't have to worry about Google pulling its app from the Play Store in the near future. The music service has entered into an agreement that will let it use its existing in-app payment system on Android while parent company Epic Games continues its antitrust lawsuit against Google. Artists will keep receiving the same share as before, but Bandcamp will put 10 percent of Android-related sales revenue in escrow until the case is resolved. The company said in a blog post that it would absorb that cost rather than pass it along to musicians.
The arrangement takes effect June 1st, the same day Google is set to enforce a new rule requiring that apps like Bandcamp's use only the Play Store billing system for in-app purchases. Google will still have the power to enforce Play Store policies beyond the exception carved out through this deal.
The move is a compromise for both sides. Epic had filed for a preliminary injunction that would have barred Google from pulling Bandcamp's app without the escrow requirement. It has long argued that Google's billing requirement would hurt both artists and its own bottom line by reducing their revenue shares and delaying payouts. Google, meanwhile, claimed Bandcamp and Epic were simply trying to avoid paying for the Play Store's "value" and that the 10 percent fee is less than what those companies charge through their own systems.
Regardless of the arguments, the pact may be good news for music makers. While Bandcamp may change its payouts if Epic loses its lawsuit, that's not likely to be imminent. Artists can expect the status quo to continue for some time.
A bunch of Google Nest devices have been discounted ahead of Memorial Day weekend, making it a good opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in your smart home ecosystem. Wellbots has the Google Nest Hub Max for $179 when you use the code EGDT50 at checkout, so you'll save $50 off its regular price. You can also get various discounts on Nest WiFi packs as well — the Nest WiFi router is down to $119 with the code EGDT50, the router with one access point is on sale for $189 with the code EDGT80 and the three-pack is down to $249 with the code EDGT100.
The Nest Hub Max is the biggest of Google's smart displays and it also has the best sound quality. Its 10-inch display is large enough to comfortably watch YouTube or Netflix videos, or even take a Zoom call. Inside are stereo speakers that help the Hub Max sound better than any other Nest smart display, making it a good option if you want an all-in-one device to stream videos, listen to music and control devices like smart lights, cameras, thermostats and more.
The Hub Max does include a video camera and, aside from enabling things like Zoom calls, it also works with Google's Face Match feature. This helps the device recognize who's using it so it can display relevant information to them like personal calendar events, messages and more. If you end up using the Hub Max in your kitchen or living room, this will come in handy as it will show each person in your household information that pertains to them.
As for the Nest WiFi packs, we gave the system a score of 84 when we first reviewed it. Both the router and the access points have minimalist designs and they're easy to install. They also have a built-in smart speaker inside, so you can call upon the Google Assistant from wherever you have the access points in your home. The biggest issue we have with the Nest WiFi system now is that it doesn't support WiFi 6, which may be a dealbreaker if you're looking to upgrade your home WiFi to the most advanced protocol available right now.
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As part of Cooking Week, we set out to test some of the most niche (and, in some cases, ridiculous) kitchen gadgets we could find. We wanted to know if these impressive-looking appliances actually do what they claim and if they’re worth the splurge. These are our findings.
What if you could get a perfect glass of cold brew coffee in just a few minutes, without the hassle of steeping grounds overnight? That's the basic pitch behind the Osma Pro, a quirky $695 gadget from designer Joey Roth. You may remember him as the guy behind those gorgeous ceramic speakers from over a decade ago — this time, he's set his sights on something even more ambitious: Creating an entirely new form of coffee brewing.
Osma
The Osma Pro relies on acoustic cavitation, or a wave of continuous pressure that agitates grounds, to extract a smooth and mellow shot of coffee. It has the nuances you'd find in cold brew (something you lose with heat-based methods), but it also adds layers of complexity you'd expect from espresso, like a delicate bit of crema at the top. The result, based on a few months of testing, is one of the most unique coffee experiences I've ever had.
Now I wouldn't consider myself a true java expert, but I know my way around an espresso machine, and I've tried almost every other coffee brewing method over the years. During the summer, I typically rely on homemade iced lattes or cold brew (via OXO's nifty kit). If I'm really lazy, I'll buy a bottle of concentrated cold brew from the store (Gradys, in particular, is just lovely).
Those methods have kept me alert and productive since college, but Osma's coffee adds a bit more depth, with a velvety texture reminiscent of nitro cold brew. It's also noticeably stronger than a typical glass of cold coffee, at least based on the amount of coffee grounds Osma suggests. After adding ice, water and a dash of soy milk, I'm left with a drink that gives me a nicer buzz than a glass of cold brew, but doesn't make me as jittery as a triple-shot iced latte. So long iced coffee, hello chill coffee.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
As much as I like the Osma, though, its high price and multi-step process makes it best suited for coffee shops and true obsessives. Pulling a shot involves grinding fresh beans and securing them in the portafilter, as you'd expect. But you also have to place a glass of water under the intake straw, in addition to something under the filter to grab the coffee. (Roth says future designs could have built-in reservoirs, like my beloved Breville espresso machine.) You then have to pre-infuse the grounds by hitting the pump button a few times, wait 30 seconds or so, and only then can you start pulling a full shot. I can usually 5 ounces in under a minute, but you could also go for more or less depending on your taste.
Osma's stark anodized aluminum case makes it stand out in kitchens typically filled with gleaming stainless steel appliances. The 18-pound machine itself feels substantial, but I'd love to see Roth round out its sharp corners. I've already stabbed myself a few times while making coffee, and I'm worried about leaving it on the counter where my wife or toddler could inadvertently run into it. It's skinny enough to stuff into a drawer, but its weight also makes it difficult to maneuver easily. It's best suited for a corner that doesn't get much traffic.
Given how quickly nitro cold brew took off, I wouldn't be surprised if Osma finds a foothold in boutique coffee shops. Roth says it's already a permanent fixture at Chromatic in San Jose, and he's in discussions with other cafes. It's hard to anticipate demand for traditional cold brew, after all, so plenty of shops would likely welcome a faster way to craft a cold cup of joe.
After entering into a partnership with Zynga last year, TikTok has been testing a pair of mobile minigames on its platform in Vietnam, Reuters has reported. The move could soon allow users to play games directly on the app in what Reuter's sources called a "major push" into gaming.
TikTok confirmed that it has been testing HTML5 games on its app via partnerships with Zynga and other third-party developers. it reportedly plans to release ad-supported games drawing from TikTok parent ByteDance's library to boost revenue and engagement. "We're always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community," a representative told Reuters via email.
Last year, TikTok announced a partnership with Zynga on an app called Disco Loco 3D (above), an HTML5 app that could work inside the app. The company also created Garden of Good, a FarmVille-style minigame that allows players to earn points to make donations.
While ByteDance is starting with minigames, it supposedly plans to go beyond that, presumably into more advanced types of games. The Chinese version of the game, Douyin, already offers games, and TikTok has also tested streaming via its Live Studio PC app. The company counts over a billion users worldwide and has projected $11 billion in ad revenue this year, more than the Twitter and Snap combined.
Amazon is running a deal on the GoPro Hero 10 Black right now, and you can get the device bundled with a dual battery charger and two rechargeable batteries for only $400. Considering the website is also currently selling the device alone for $400 — or $100 lower than its typical retail price — you're getting the batteries for free. The GoPro Hero 10 Black is a waterproof action camera that no longer needs a housing for most uses and can capture 23-megapixel photos, as well as videos with a 5.3K resolution at 60fps.
We gave the device a score of 92 in our review, where we praised it for having a markedly better image quality than the Hero 9 for both photos and videos. The Hero 10 can reproduce colors closer to real life and can capture more details than its predecessor. In addition, the newer camera can capture videos in a higher resolution, which could translate to better looking footage after you crop it.
The Hero 10 is also the better choice if you typically edit your videos to show all the action in slow motion. It has a new 120fps mode for 4K videos that gives you the capability to produce footage in 4x slow-mo or to put out really smooth-looking videos in normal speed. The Hero 10 also features a faster user interface, and as a huge plus for an action camera, its lens now comes with a hydrophobic coating to repel water and keep the device safe.
To note, GoPro is also selling the Hero 10 with a bunch of accessories that include a spare battery, a magnetic swivel clip, a Shorty mini tripod, a 32GB microSD card and a camera case for $400 on its website. However, you'll need to be a GoPro subscriber to take advantage of that deal. If you think the $50 yearly membership fee is worth paying to get the discounted bundle, you can head over to GoPro's website through the link below.
If you're looking forward to the unofficial kickoff of summer on Memorial Day, you can prep your backyard ahead of time by picking up one of Solo Stove's fire pits for less right now. The company's sale to mark the holiday has begun and it knocks up to 46 percent off its fire pits, plus up to 35 percent off accessories and more. You'll find the biggest savings on the Yukon, Solo Stove's largest fire pit, which is more than $350 off and down to $400. That's slightly cheaper than we saw in the company's previous sale at the end of April. Also, the midrange Bonfire is down to $220 while the compact Ranger has been discounted to $200.
You may think of using a fire pit like the ones from Solo Stove mostly in the fall, but it's a great gadget to have all year round. And with Sol Stove's models, you're getting a fire pit that actively channels smoke away from you while you're using it. They have a double-walled design that pulls through vent holes and back into the fire, keeping the flames hot while creating fine ashes and reducing smoke. We also appreciate that all of Solo Stove gadgets have one-piece, stainless steel designs, making them easy to set up and, depending on the model you choose, fairly simple to transport.
That said, if you plan on moving the fire pit around your yard or taking it with you on a long weekend away, the 15-pound Ranger or the 20-pound Bonfire are your best options. The Yukon weighs in at 38-pounds, so while you could move it, it's probably better to find a permanent place for it. And if you want to keep the fire pit protected from the elements, you can pick up a "backyard bundle," which includes a weather-resistant shelter bag and a shield that protects you from pops and embers.
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