It’s a gaming heavy week! Devindra chats with Engadget Senior Editor Jessica Conditt about one of our most anticipated games of the year, Horizon Forbidden West. Plus, they dive into the lackluster Street Fighter 6 reveal, the PlayStation VR 2 and what’s up with Elden Ring. Finally, we explore what went wrong with the Uncharted movie.
Listen above, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Intel and AMD announce powerful new chips for ultraportables – 28:08
A new tool on Steam will check your library for Steam Deck compatibility – 30:17
Working on – 33:00
Pop Culture Picks – 34:29
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Credits Hosts: Jessica Conditt and Devindra Hardawar Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos and Luke Brooks Graphic artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Most advanced electronics PCB assembly lines have pick and place machines to pick components from an SMD reel and place it on a PCB. But this is not possible when you are doing medium-scale production or using THT (through-hole type) components on your PCB. This scenario holds true, in most low-cost board assemblies like LED drivers, transformerless power supplies, etc. In order to help speed up this assembly process and prepare the required number of components we have built this Arduino Based Resistor Cutting Machine.
This morning is brought to you by a lot of phone news. To start, we’ve got our detailed review of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 (and S22 Plus) by the latest addition to Engadget’s editorial team, Sam Rutherford. We also have a first look at Oppo’s latest attempt at a flagship, the Find X5 Pro, written by yours truly, who’s been here a little too long. Hah.
Oppo’s new phone, a few days early, is kicking off our coverage of MWC – the world’s biggest mobile show hosted in Barcelona. Due to the pandemic’s ebbs and flows, we’re covering all the announcements remotely, but expect more news from Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo and many others over the next few days.
The Find X5 Pro has impressive specs, a partnership with camera experts Hasselblad and a pretty-looking phone. The challenge for Oppo is getting people to consider its device as a compelling, reliable alternative to the big players like Samsung, Apple and, well, all the other companies jostling for second place. And even if you like what you see, there’s no word of US availability for now.
Beyond the world of tech, we’re all sadly watching the developments in Ukraine this morning. If you’re looking for ways to help those affected, NPR’s put together a list of organizations asking for assistance.
Twitter Safety has also posted tips in Ukrainian on how to keep accounts secure.
Twitter has admitted that it mistakenly removed accounts sharing Russian military activity during its invasion of Ukraine. The deleted accounts, which have since been reinstated, included an aggregator of user-generated posts from Ukraine and accounts owned by people doing open-source intelligence (OSINT) to debunk fake news and claims.
Oppo’s latest phone looks and sounds like an expensive, powerful flagship. With a 6.7-inch WQHD+ screen that can hit 1,300 nits of brightness, adaptive refresh rates and a new AI chip, made in-house to amp up low light camera performance – even at 4K. There are also two 50-megapixel primary camera sensors, a new (but familiar-sounding) Hasselblad collaboration and a gorgeously curvy design to help it stand out from the competition. US-based readers, however, might never see one.
After Samsung ticked the new design box with last year's S21, now the company has refined it further with the Galaxy S22 and S22+. While they might look a lot like last year's phones, there have been some notable upgrades, especially on the S22's display, performance and camera. The Galaxy S22, starting at $800, offers a boatload of premium features in an attractive chassis with excellent build quality.
A lawsuit alleges the company is trying to squash rivals.
OnlyFans is facing a pair of lawsuits over claims it conspired with Facebook to disable adult entertainer accounts by placing their content on a terrorism database. One suit was launched earlier this week by a rival platform called FanCentro, and the other is a class action lawsuit made on behalf of three adult entertainers. Both Facebook and OnlyFans were named as defendants in the latter complaint.
The phone starts at $900 and features active pen support.
Back in 2020, the Moto G Stylus quickly became one of the company’s most popular phones, featuring stylus input on a phone outside of Samsung’s Note series. But now, Motorola is stepping up its ambitions with the new Edge+, which is essentially a more affordable take on a Galaxy Note. Unlike with Samsung’s devices, Motorola’s Smart Stylus is an optional extra that comes bundled with a folio cover, which addresses the phone’s lack of built-in stylus storage. Prices start at $1,000 (or $900 at launch), but again, you’ll pay extra for that stylus.
OlliOlli World, the delightfully offbeat skateboarding platformer, launched a few weeks ago on basically every gaming console you could ask for. It’s a clean break for the series, taking familiar gameplay but putting it in a totally redesigned world that allows for more exploration, competition and tricks. The original OlliOlli was released on the PS Vita handheld, meaning its appearance on the also-can-be-a-handheld Switch seems like the most appropriate home for the reboot.
You can get the 6-quart Instant Pot Max for half the price on Amazon right now if you've been wanting to try the multicooker or if you've missed out on previous deals. The electric pressure cooker is currently listed for $75, or $75 off its original retail price of $150. While Instant Pots have gone on sale on the website in the past, this is the lowest price we've seen this particular model go for.
The Instant Pot Max is capable of reaching 15 pounds per square inch (psi), which in theory means that it can cook food faster than other models that can only reach 12 psi. It has a large touchscreen display where you can set the temperature, pressure level and cooking time, can program the time for when you want the device to start cooking and can ensure the food inside stays warm.
You also have access to multiple settings, based on what you want to cook or do: pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, soup, rice, canning, sous vide and yogurt. The Max comes with automated venting and lid-lock features, as well, and you can release steam simply by tapping "vent" on the touchscreen display and choosing either "pulse" or "quick release."
If you're completely new to Instant Pots, you can consult the free recipe app that comes with your purchase to look up instruction videos. You can also consult our Instant Pot primer for tips on how to make the most out of the kitchen gadget.
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The UK government is introducing a bill that will require Facebook, Google and other tech platforms to verify the identities of users. The measure is part of the government's Online Safety Bill announced last year and is ostensibly designed to help users block anonymous trolls online.
“Tech firms have a responsibility to stop anonymous trolls polluting their platforms,” said UK digital Minister Nadine Dorries in a statement. “People will now have more control over who can contact them and be able to stop the tidal wave of hate served up to them by rogue algorithms.”
Tech firms would need to decide how to carry out the checks when users create social media accounts. Some options proposed by the government include facial recognition via profile pictures, two-factor authentication and government-issued ID. The UK's media regulator Ofcom would be in charge of laying out the rules.
Tech firms have a responsibility to stop anonymous trolls polluting their platforms.
The government has also proposed measures that would force companies to filter out "legal but harmful" material. That would allow parents, for instance, to apply settings stopping their kids from receiving search results about certain topics, or putting "sensitivity screens" over them.
Tech firms in violation could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global annual revenues, which could be in the billions with companies like Google and Facebook. The government could also block services from being accessed in the UK under the proposed rules, which would need to be approved by parliament to become law.
“We are reviewing the details of the new proposed duties,” a Twitter spokesperson told CNBC. “Our focus remains on a safe internet for all — whether or not someone is able to or chooses to verify themselves.” It add that it sees anonymity as “a vital tool for speaking out in oppressive regimes."
The UK government said it would introduce online safety rules back in 2018, and the idea has gained impetus following recent racial abuse of Black England soccer players by anonymous trolls. On top of that, a petition in favor of the idea has gained nearly 700,000 signatures. However, critics of identity verification have said that anonymity can help protect LGBTQ+ and other oppressed minorities, whistleblowers and critics of oppressive regimes.
HTC has teamed up with a company called Holoride to let you use its Vive Flow VR headset to transform your car into an amusement park — without making you carsick. The idea is that when you don the headset, you'll appear inside a roller coaster or other experience, but the motion will match up perfectly with the movement of the car.
Holoride is backed in part by Audi with the aim of creating "an entirely new media category for passengers by connecting Extended Reality (XR) content with data points from the vehicle in real time," according to the press release. The Vive Flow, meanwhile, is a lightweight (189 gram or 0.42 pounds), $499 VR headset built specifically for entertainment and wellness.
It's not just amusement parks you'll be able to visit virtually, but also "virtual worlds" along with 2D content on a "virtual, motion-synchronized cinema screen," Holoride notes. In other words, it sounds like it'll also let you watch movies or other content without barfing as you normally might on a regular screen.
Holoride is not exactly reinventing the wheel here, as I had a similar experience back in 2017 with Renault's Symbioz concept EV, that drove me 80 MPH while I wore a VR headset. The experience was surprisingly seamless, even back then, as the virtual environment matched up perfectly with the vehicle's movement on the autoroute (freeway) — keeping me from feeling sick. Audi, Volvo and other automakers have also played with VR headsets that synchronize visuals with vehicle movement. We previously tested out Holoride on a larger VR headset (above).
Holoride will operate on what is perhaps a more practical and lightweight headset, though it's not exactly cheap at $499. It offers decent visuals with two 1.6K, 75 Hz displays with a 100-degree field of view. However, one downside for this purpose is that it doesn't have as many motion sensors as more classic VR headsets, so it requires a mirror-mounted dongle to help track vehicle motion.
A headset also isn't very social, but it could be useful on long trips if you or the driver want to take a conversation break. There's no word yet on when the experience might arrive, but Holoride will be showing it off at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona from February 28th to March 3rd.
The Xbox Game Pass rival that Sony is cooking up for the PlayStation will have three tiers that cost $10, $13 and $16 a month, according to VentureBeat's GamesBeat. Bloomberg first reported about the all-in-one game subscription service codenamed Spartacus back in December. Based on the documents the publication saw, Spartacus would merge the perks offered by PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus and would likely be available for the PS4 and the PS5. This new report gives us more details about the service and what each tier will get you.
Sony is reportedly calling the Spartacus tiers Essential, Extra and Premium, with the first one being PlayStation Plus in its current form. It will still cost $10, and it will give you access to games every month that you can add to your library. Meanwhile, the Extra tier will cost $13 and will include access to those monthly games, as well as to a game catalogue with hundreds of older games that you can download. That catalogue could possibly be the same as PS Now's.
Finally, the Premium tier will set you back $16 a month and will include all the aforementioned perks, along with access to PS Now's streaming capabilities and a library of classic games. In addition, it will give you access to a feature called "game trials" that will let you download and start playing new PS games before their release. If it's similar to EA's game trials, then you can only play a title before its official launch for a set number of hours.
At this point, it's still unclear if Sony will add new first-party exclusives to the service when it becomes available. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan previously said that it wasn't sustainable to put new releases that cost hundreds of millions to develop in a subscription service. However, Microsoft has purchased Bethesda since then and has also recently started the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard. The tech giant is adding both developers' titles to the Xbox Game Pass, so Sony will have to think of ways to make Spartacus a more enticing option.
Spartacus is reportedly entering the testing phase in the coming weeks. GamesBeat says Microsoft could also officially reveal the details of the subscription service in March.
Social audio app Clubhouse is adding a text chat function to its voice rooms, it announced Thursday. Similar to what you see in Discord or a Zoom call, users who don’t want to speak can write out their opinions in the room’s chat channel. While it may seem counterintuitive for an audio-only app to also feature text, it’s a change that some users have been gunning for. Especially in extra-large rooms or rooms dominated by a few celebrity speakers, an in-chat function may be the only way some people can join the discourse.
But a chat function can also be a moderation nightmare, as anyone who has spent a few minutes on Twitch can attest to. Clubhouse has laid out a few ways for creators to keep their rooms from flying off the handle. Creators can appoint mods to delete messages and kick out disruptive users from the room. You can also report messages that violate Clubhouse’s user guidelines to the platform. For those who would rather keep their rooms audio-only, the in-chat room function is optional. Creators can opt-out of in-room chat when they create their room. And if you choose to record your room’s audio, the written chat log will also be saved.
As social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit add Clubhouse-like features, Clubhouse is starting to resemble the rest of social media. Once only available as a mobile app, Clubhouse last month rolled out a way for people to listen to conversations on their desktops. Users can also send direct messages to each other with Backchannel. As live voice chat rooms become less of a novelty, Clubhouse will likely have to get creative in order to keep up with competitors.
Elon Musk isn't about to catch a hoped-for break from the SEC any time soon. Sources for The Wall Street Journalclaim the SEC is investigating whether Musk and his brother Kimbal violated insider trading regulations with recent share sales. Officials are concerned Elon might have told Kimbal he planned to ask Twitter followers about selling Tesla stock, leading the brother to sell 88,500 shares just a day before the November 6th tweet. If so, the company chief might have broken rules barring employees from trading on undisclosed information.
Kimbal Musk has frequently traded Tesla stock at regular intervals under a plan. He didn't on November 5th, according to an SEC filing.
We've asked the SEC for comment. Tesla isn't available for comment as it disbanded its communications team sometime in 2020. Musk clearly isn't on friendly terms with the Commission, however, as he said a day earlier that he "will finish" a fight he believed the SEC started.
If the report is accurate, the investigation will add more tension to a years-long feud. It began in 2018, when the SEC took action against Musk over tweets about taking the company private. While Musk agreed to a settlement that included approval requirements for any financially relevant social media posts, that wasn't the end of the fight between the two. The SEC has been looking into Musk's tweets over the past few years over concerns production-related tweets weren't approved, and just days ago subpoenaed Tesla for information on the EV maker's processes for honoring the 2018 settlement.
Musk has publicly sparred with the SEC at the same time. This year, he accused the regulator of conducting a "harassment campaign" that unfairly singled him out and excluded the court from monitoring. The SEC denied the accusations. Whatever the truth behind those claims, it's safe to presume Musk won't welcome any new investigation with open arms.
Apple reportedly told employees its stores and authorized third-party repair shops will soon be able to resolve Face ID hardware issues without having to replace an iPhone entirely. Technicians may have access to a TrueDepth camera part that includes the Face ID and front-facing camera modules. They'll be able to swap it into an iPhone, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.
The company reportedly said the part may lower the number of whole-device replacements, which will help reduce the company's carbon footprint. Although Apple didn't mention pricing for such repairs in the memo, it would make sense for a new part to be less expensive than a replacement device. What's more, consumers wouldn't have to be concerned about losing or having to restore their data.
The report notes that the part will be compatible with iPhone XS and newer devices. As such, iPhone X owners might miss out.
If Apple does offer authorized technicians the part, it seems like a good move for all involved. It should bolster Apple's repairability efforts a few months after the company said it would sell iPhone and Mac parts to consumers and offer repair guides to help them resolve hardware issues by themselves.
Shortly after the iPhone 13 was released, it emerged that Face ID stopped working in some cases if the screen was replaced by a third-party repair shop. Apple seemed to have resolved that issue with the rollout of iOS 15.2 in December.
