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Mondays rumors turned out to be true, Meta announced at its Connect event on Wednesday that it will release a line of digital personalities built on the company's freshly announced Meta AI chatbot platform. What could possibly go wrong?

Meta AI is a new genAI assistant that will span the company's various properties including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram (and arriving shortly on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Quest 3). User will be able to interact with it using natural language prompts. The AI is built on a custom model derived from Meta's LLaMA 2 LLM and will pull real-time information from the web using Microsoft Bing.     

What's more, the company is also rolling out 28 (!!!) chatbot "characters" meant to address specific niche interests, whether those are specific sports, media, or genre choices. These personalities will be voiced by a variety of modern influencers and celebrities: 

Charli D’Amelio as Coco, Dance enthusiast

Chris Paul as Perry, Pro golfer helping you perfect your stroke

Dwyane Wade as Victor, Ironman triathlete motivating you to be your best self

Izzy Adesanya as Luiz, Showy MMA prospect who can back up his trash talk

Kendall Jenner as Billie, No-BS, ride-or-die companion

LaurDIY as Dylan, Quirky DIY and Craft expert and companion for Gen Z

MrBeast as Zach, The big brother who will roast you — because he cares

Naomi Osaka as Tamika, Anime-obsessed Sailor Senshi in training

Paris Hilton as Amber, Detective partner for solving whodunnits

Raven Ross as Angie, Workout class queen who balances fitness with meditation

Roy Choi as Max, Seasoned sous chef for culinary tips and tricks

Sam Kerr as Sally, Free-spirited friend who’ll tell you when to take a deep breath

Snoop Dogg as Dungeon Master, Choose your own adventure with the Dungeon Master

Tom Brady as Bru, Wisecracking sports debater who pulls no punches

The initial batch of personalities will be available to US users starting today, with more performances coming from Bear Grylls, Chloe Kim, Josh Richards and others in the coming weeks.

Since the release of ChatGPT last November, Meta has been relatively slow to release a generative AI chatbot of its own, at least compared to competitors like Google and Microsoft. Instead, Meta has kept its focus on the LLaMA platform, its open-source large language model designed for commercial use, as well as a host of AI-enhanced, multimodal tools.  

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

We learned at last year's Meta Connect that Quest headsets would gain official support for Xbox Cloud Gaming and now we have a clearer idea of when that will happen. During this year's event, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the game streaming service will be available on Meta Quest 3 sometime in December. 

Using your headset, you'll be able to stream games like Halo Infinite, Starfield and Forza Horizon 5 to a large, virtual 2D screen. You'll need an Game Pass Ultimate subscription to use Xbox Cloud Gaming, as well as a compatible controller. A disclaimer notes that the service will only be available on Quest in select regions. It's unclear if and when Xbox Cloud Gaming will be available on Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

Enthusiasts have already found ways to access Xbox Cloud Gaming on Quest headsets, but official support will make it easy for anyone to dive right in. By the time the service becomes available on Quest, Microsoft may have closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, so you might kind of be able to play the likes of Call of Duty and Overwatch 2 in virtual reality in a few months.

I haven’t posted on Instagram in more than two years and I often find social media to be a bit of a chore. But after checking out its second-gen high-tech sunglasses announced today at Connect, officially called the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, it feels like Meta has transformed this line from a wacky concept for people who are terminally online into something regular folk might actually buy – even if they don’t plan on sharing a ton of your content.

The issue with the original Ray-Ban Stories was their somewhat clunky design and underwhelming specs. Photos topped out at five megapixels while videos were capped at a weird 1,184 x 1,184 resolution and just 30 fps. And to hold all your content, the glasses had just 4GB of onboard storage.

However, with the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, you get a noticeably improved kit. In addition to a new 12-MP wide-angle camera and 32GB of storage (eight times more than before), you can also record videos at 1080p/60fps, though clips are restricted to just 60 seconds. That said, for people who want to capture longer vids, you can now livestream footage directly from the glasses to Facebook or Instagram with the help of a nearby paired device. And to my surprise, photos and videos both looked surprisingly sharp. Granted image quality isn’t quite as detailed or colorful as what you’d get if you used a phone, but it’s good enough for social media. The one caveat is with livestreaming, Meta’s redesigned View app automatically selects video quality based on the speed of your connection and a few other factors, so clips can sometimes look fuzzy.

As for audio, the smart glasses now feature five built-in mics that can record spatial audio including one receiver hidden in the nose to improve voice quality during calls. But, perhaps my biggest surprise, is simply how good the new speakers are. Meta says that not only are they 50 percent louder than before, they also leak less noise so people around you won’t be able to hear what you’re listening to. Regardless, they sound great with just enough bass to balance out sharper highs, while still letting ambient noises waft in from the outside world. Despite advancements with pass-through audio in recent headphones and earbuds, this is still the closest thing you can get to having a soundtrack for your life. And working in tandem with the mics, the speakers support spatial audio too, so there’s an extra level of immersion when playing back previously recorded material (though it's unclear if the glasses support spatial audio in streaming services like Tidal and Apple Music). 

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

You can also use voice controls to start a livestream or even send content to contacts. At first, you’ll need to explicitly designate who you’re sending things to and what service to use (WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Instagram, et cetera), but after it learns your habits, Meta says the glasses can use AI to streamline and speed up sharing.

I also appreciate their updated design, which despite the glasses’ upgraded specs features thinner arms and a generally sleeker design while also sporting a larger touchpad that’s super easy to use. To control music, you just tap once near your temple to play, tap again to pause, or double-tap to skip to the next track. Meanwhile, adjusting volume is as simple as swiping forward or back. And when you want to record something, you can press down once on the capture button to snap a pic or press and hold to take a video. And to help make its glasses easier to use, Meta says it has completely redesigned the Meta View app with a new UI and features that are more discoverable.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Another major change is the addition of a second frame called the Headliner, which is a nice alternative to the boxier look of the classic Wayfarers. On top of the existing shiny and matte black frames, there are three new semi-transparent color options: jeans, caramel, and a smokey Rebel Black. The whole effect is that Meta’s latest sunglasses kind of just look like sunglasses. That might not seem important, but for people who want their tech to blend in, this goes a long way to prevent these shades from sticking out too much. And with the option to add polarized lenses or even prescription glass, there are way more options for customizing them than before.

On the privacy side, there’s also a new LED indicator on the left that’s brighter than before while also adding some symmetry with the camera on the right. The light turns on every time you record a picture or video, so there’s no hiding when you’re capturing content. But the clever thing is that Meta says that if anyone tries to cover up the light, it will block the glasses from recording altogether.

The last big upgrade is with the smart glasses’ case, which has gotten a makeover so that it looks almost exactly like a classic Ray-Ban protective pouch. The small difference is that there’s a handy LED indicator light in front that tells you when it’s charging and a USB-C port down below for topping it up. In normal use, Meta says its smart glasses should last for around six hours of mixed use (or four if you’re livestreaming), with the case holding around eight additional charges (for a total of 36 hours).

After using the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, my biggest takeaway is that they finally feel like a complete product. The original Ray-Ban Stories sort of felt like a concept device meant to steal the limelight from Snapchat’s Spectacles than to address a specific desire. Photo quality was mediocre and even though audio was decent, it was a bit quiet.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

But with the new model, you get way better image quality along with big mic and speaker upgrades, which makes them feel like better rivals for devices like Bose’ Frames. Then you factor in the ability to livestream and now it feels like Meta has made a much more well-rounded product. And of course with Ray-Ban in charge of the updated styling, Meta’s smart glasses look better than all of its rivals. So while I’m still not sure I need these in my life, Meta’s second-gen sunnies could make a convincing argument to some.

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are available for pre-order today starting at $299, $329 with polarized lenses or $379 for transition lenses with official sales slated for October 17.

Developed in collaboration with Meta, on Wednesday Qualcomm announced two new Snapdragon chips designed to power the upcoming wave of next-gen headsets and smart glasses. 

The Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 is the more powerful of the two boasting 2.5 times better GPU performance compared to the last generation and up to eight times faster AI speeds. It's optimized to support mixed reality devices with display resolutions of up to 3,000 x 3,000 per eye while also delivering more detailed textures and higher frame rates. 

For headsets that can switch between VR and AR, Qualcomm says the XR2 Gen 2 allows headsets to transition to full-color passthrough vision in less than 12ms. Other capabilities include support for devices with up to 10 cameras, improved wireless speeds (up to Wi-Fi 7) and 50 percent increased GPU power efficiency.

Qualcomm

Alternatively, for more lightweight devices like smartglasses, Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip offers improved on-device AI processing, better noise and echo cancellation and dual ISPs for improved image quality. The new silicon can also support devices with up to 12-MP cameras (6-MP for video) and up to eight microphones with spatial sound for richer audio recording.

Notably, due to its collaboration with Meta, Qualcomm's latest XR and AR processors will be available first on the new Quest 3 and Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses, both of which go on sale in October. Qualcomm says "additional devices from other manufacturers to follow next year," which suggests that Meta will enjoy some level of limited exclusivity regarding the use of these new chips. 

So while Meta may have a bit of a headstart compared to some of its rivals, it will be interesting to see what other OEMs can do with these chips when devices featuring them become more widely available in 2024.

Last year Meta caught a bit of backlash when it released the Quest Pro. It was too expensive, it had a number of features people didn’t really want, and there just weren’t enough apps that fully utilized its hardware. But today at Connect, Meta is announcing the follow-up to the most popular VR headset on the market and I think the Quest 3 is exactly what people have been waiting for.

Meta isn’t straying too far from the Quest 2’s basic template. The headset’s facelift includes a new y-shaped headband that offers better support along with a fresh row of sensors in front. There are now two full-color cameras that provide sharper pass-through vision along with a depth sensor in the middle that can automatically map your room and detect nearby objects like tables and chairs. On the bottom, Meta also added a dial for adjusting IPD (inter-pupillary distance) and, for users who wear glasses, there’s now a way to adjust the depth of the lenses to better accommodate the shape and size of your spectacles. You still get a USB-C port for charging, built-in speakers that support spatial audio and a headphone jack (in case you’d rather use wired headphones).

On the inside, the headset is the first retail device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, which Meta says provides double the performance compared to the Quest 2. You also get new pancake lenses similar to the ones used in last year’s Quest Pro, along with displays that offer 30 percent more resolution (2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye). All told, it’s a pretty significant jump in horsepower, with its default 90Hz refresh rate being the only spec that’s staying unchanged (though like the Quest 2, there is an experimental 120Hz setting). Even its field of view has grown by around 15 percent (110 degrees horizontal and 96 degrees vertical). Notably, what you don’t get are eye and face tracking, which were some of the more forward-thinking features Meta included on the Quest Pro.

Meta didn’t forget about the Quest 3’s controllers either. That’s because while they’re still the same basic shape and size, the tracking ring around the top is gone. The company says that the new sensors on the headset can track the controllers without needing the rings and, when the controllers move outside the camera’s visible range, Meta is using AI and machine learning to better predict your hand movements. That said, the Quest 3’s controllers still aren’t quite as sophisticated as the Quest Pro due to their lack of built-in cameras, which means they aren’t fully self-tracking. On the bright side, the controllers have what Meta is calling True Touch haptics, which do an even better job of conveying tactile feedback. And despite the increased performance and new features, battery life is expected to be about the same as the Quest 2 (between 1.5 and three hours depending on what apps you use).

Now all these upgrades look great on a spec sheet, but after testing the headset out myself, they make an even better impression in person. Right away, everything just looks sharper, hand movements feel more precise and even audio sounds more immersive. You can also feel that increased performance, most noticeably when switching between VR and the pass-through cameras. Just a double-tap on the side and let me jump back into meat space with only the briefest of pauses anytime I wanted to take a drink or see what I just stepped on.

But of course, without solid software, a new headset isn’t all that exciting. Thankfully, the Quest 3 is backward compatible with all of the 500+ apps in the Oculus Store, with Meta claiming that there are another 100 new apps or titles with updated features on the way designed specifically for its latest headset, some of which I got to try out during my demo.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

I started with First Encounters, which is a tutorial that’s kind of like an MR-version of Space Invaders that also introduces users to the Quest 3’s features. Since the app takes place in mixed reality, before I could get to blastin’ I had to map out the room which involved simply looking around at all the walls and objects before tracing a final boundary (in smaller rooms you might even be able to skip this step, but this was an open event space), all of which took less than 30 seconds. After that, fuzzy aliens started to appear so, naturally, I had to dispatch them. The interesting thing was that, because the headset had already mapped the room, I noticed that portals naturally formed on the walls while some critters managed to spawn behind shelves and tables, all of which added an extra dimension to the gameplay.

After that I played Red Matter 2, which is an existing title that has been updated to take advantage of the Quest 3’s improved performance. The difference was immediately apparent. Textures were more detailed, text was way more legible and simply moving around felt smoother. I was even able to flip a switch that simulated how the game looked on a Quest 2 and, honestly, I don’t think I can go back to that. The Quest 3 is raising the bar for how things should look on a mainstream XR headset.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Then I played some more games including a VR version of Samba de Amigo and Assassin’s Creed Nexus, both of which felt really fluid. I can’t remember the last time I held a real maraca, but moving virtual ones around with the headset was really intuitive. Anytime I missed a cue, I could tell I messed up, it wasn’t the headset’s fault. And in Assassin’s Creed, I was surprised at how precise aiming a crossbow felt. I even caught myself closing one I just like would in the real world.

I’m not sure this headset is doing much to entice people who aren’t already interested in VR and AR. But, it feels like Meta has done a thorough job of improving almost every spec and feature. It’s got everything you need without any unnecessary frills or add-ons. And sometime in the future, Meta says the Quest 3 will be able to stream console titles to the headset via Xbox Cloud Gaming starting in December, so if all the existing and upcoming apps can’t hold your attention, you’ll have even more games to play. And with a starting price of $500 for 128GB of storage (or $650 for 512GB), it’s a lot more affordable than the Quest Pro too.

The Quest 3 is available for pre-order today ahead of official sales starting on October 10.

Sony continues its mission to release first-party titles on PC, as the critically-acclaimed PS5 sequel Horizon Forbidden West is coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store early next year. The port’s being handled by Nixxes Software, a company Sony purchased back in 2021. Nixxes was behind the well-received PC ports of the Spider-Man games, so we should be in good hands here.

This isn’t a bare-bones port. It’s the recently-announced Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, so expect plenty of bells and whistles. There’s the game itself, of course, but the update also includes the Burning Shores DLC, a digital soundtrack, a digital artbook, a comic book and more in-game items than you can shake a spear at. You can check out some in-game screen shots on the official Steam page.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition comes to PS5 first, on October 6, and costs $70. There’s no concrete release date for the PC version, other than early next year. It’s also worth noting that this edition is not coming to the PS4, despite the original game being available on the now-ancient console.

We praised Horizon Forbidden West when it launched last year, citing the surprisingly fun underwater traversal mechanics, new power ups and the massive scope of the world, calling it a “triumph in many ways.” PC players can already wishlist the port on Steam and Epic. It remains to be seen if the game will run on the Steam Deck, but we’ll be sure to cross our fingers and give it a shot early next year. In any event, Marvel's Spider-Man runs pretty well. 

Live Voicemail is an iOS 17 feature that lets you read a transcription of a caller’s message in real time. If what they say sounds urgent, you can pick up the call and chat while they’re still on the line; if not, read along with the message without playing it back (handy for especially long-winded pals). Here’s how to activate and use Live Voicemail to save time on calls and messaging.

First, you’ll want to make sure the feature is turned on. Navigate to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail, and toggle it on if it isn’t already. (It’s on by default).

Once it’s activated, the feature is pretty self-explanatory to use. If you receive a call you can’t or don’t want to pick up, hit the voicemail button on the incoming call screen to send it there. Or you can wait for it to forward automatically.

What is Live Voicemail?

When the caller begins leaving a message, you’ll hear a brief chime and see the live transcription on your Lock Screen. (If your phone is locked, it will prompt you to tap a button to use Face ID and unlock it before you can see the message.) Or, if you’re using your phone when the message comes in, you’ll see a voicemail icon in the Dynamic Island or your phone’s status bar on older models. Tap that to view the message as it’s spoken.

Apple

In our testing, the service is reliable at transcribing American and British accents. The words appear on your phone within a second or so of the caller speaking them.

If you decide to take the call after all, you can pick it up while they’re leaving a message. Press the “accept” button while viewing the Live Voicemail transcription, and you’ll immediately jump into the call — like in the old days when people had landline answering machines.

You can go back and listen to Live Voicemail messages later. They’re stored in the Voicemail tab at the bottom right of the Phone app. They’ll exist alongside any standard voicemails sent through your carrier. Apple says all of the transcriptions happen on-device, so you don’t need to worry about your private messages leaking.

How to turn off Live Voicemail

If you ever decide the feature isn’t for you, you can head back to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail and toggle it back off.

The US Department of Justice sued eBay on Wednesday for its role in the sale of products that harm the environment. It accused the online retailer of selling or distributing hundreds of thousands of products that violated the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The complaint was filed in a federal court in Brooklyn, NY.

The DOJ’s complaint accuses eBay of selling, offering for sale or causing the sale of over 343,000 aftermarket “defeat devices,” which bypass vehicle emission controls. The devices, familiar to many from Volkswagen’s “Dieselgate” scandal, allow vehicles to cheat emissions tests, making them appear up to par on EPA standards when they aren’t — all in the name of a little performance boost.

“Aftermarket defeat devices significantly increase pollution emissions – including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and nonmethane hydrocarbons – that harm public health and impede efforts by the EPA, states, Tribes and local agencies to plan for and attain air quality standards,” the DOJ wrote today.

The complaint says eBay also unlawfully distributed or sold at least 23,000 pesticide products that were unregistered, misbranded or restricted-use. The DOJ says the EPA issued a “stop sale” order in 2020 (amended in 2021), after which eBay continued to violate it. “Examples include a high toxicity insecticide banned in the United States, restricted use pesticides that only certified applicators may apply and products fraudulently claiming to protect users against the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” the DOJ wrote.

The filing adds that eBay distributed over 5,600 products violating the TSCA Methylene Chloride Rule, a banned (potentially deadly) chemical used in paint and coating removers.

In a statement, eBay said it blocks and removes more than 99.9% of listings for products cited by the DOJ. “And eBay has partnered closely with law enforcement, including the DOJ, for over two decades on identifying emerging risks and assisting with prevention and enforcement,” the online retailer wrote. “The Government’s actions are entirely unprecedented and eBay intends to vigorously defend itself.”

The DOJ asserted that EPA standards will be enforced. “Our nation’s environmental laws protect public health and the environment by prohibiting the unlawful sale of defeat devices; unregistered, misbranded and restricted use pesticides; and unsafe products containing toxic chemicals such as methylene chloride,” said David M. Uhlmann from the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The complaint filed today demonstrates that EPA will hold online retailers responsible for the unlawful sale of products on their websites that can harm consumers and the environment.”

It seems the lure of building the Warcraft universe is irresistible for some folks. Long-time Blizzard lore chief Chris Metzen has returned to the publisher on a full-time basis to help shape the future of the franchise.

Before he retired from Blizzard in 2016, Metzen worked on every Warcraft game, helping to build the story and lore. He eventually became Blizzard's senior vice president of story and franchise development and was involved in all of the studio's projects (he voices Bastion in Overwatch 2, for instance).

Metzen kept himself busy after leaving Blizzard. He opened a tabletop game company called Warchief in 2018. However, he returned to Blizzard in an advisory role last year and now he's fully back in the saddle as Warcraft's executive creative director. His main focus is on "supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in crafting the next generation of adventures," the Warcraft team wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"It's been amazing working on Warcraft again," Metzen wrote. "Like coming home. The stories we're developing right now — how the world unfolds over the next few years... Well, I can’t wait for y’all to see where we’re headed. SOON..."

You won't have to wait too long to find out what Metzen and the Warcraft team have been working on. Blizzard is planning to reveal some details at BlizzCon, which starts on November 3. We might learn details about the next WoW expansion, which will follow 2022's Dragonflight. Updates on the Warcraft Rumble mobile game, which recently opened up for pre-orders on iOS, may be on deck too.

News of Metzen's return to Blizzard on a full-time basis emerged as the publisher carried out layoffs. It let go 10 people from the Hearthstone division, according to Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach. Activision Blizzard confirmed that it made some roles redundant following organizational changes to the Hearthstone development team.

The alleged Sony data breach just got messier. On Monday, relatively new hacking group Ransomed.vc made the lofty claim that it had successfully compromised "all" of the company's systems, as reported by Cybersecurity Connect. Now a second threat actor has leaked the data believed to be in Ransomed.vc's possession, claiming the former are "scammers" trying to "chase influence." How either group obtained this data, or the extent of the breach, remain unknown but Sony has confirmed to Engadget it's investigating the situation.

Ransomed.vc said it wouldn't ransom Sony, and instead would be selling the data "due to Sony not wanting to pay." It posted a sampling of files as "proof" of their claims. Ransomed.vc gave a deadline of September 28. On Tuesday, a threat actor under the name "MajorNelson," claimed that Ransomed.vc lied about the breach, and leaked the data that Ransomed.vc claimed to have, according to malware repository vx-underground. Engadget could not independently verify the claims.

"We are currently investigating the situation," a Sony spokesperson told Engadget. 

Ransomed.vc emerged as attackers and a ransomware-as-a-service organization that lets others pay to launch attacks. The group threatens victims with data protection fines under laws like the GDPR if they do not pay the ransom. In other words, pay us a few hundred thousand dollar ransom, or we'll report you to pay up a million dollar fine. MajorNelson appears to be an independent threat actor motivated by a disdain for Ransomed.vc, calling the reports about their efforts lies.

"RansomedVCs are scammers who are just trying to scam you and chase influence," MajorNelson wrote. "Enjoy the leak." According to MajorNelson, the leak includes credentials for internal systems, incident response policies and more. 

In 2011, a threat actor exposed personally identifiable information from 77 million PlayStation network accounts. Sony took the network offline for 23 days as it mitigated the damage, and in 2019, it agreed to pay a £250K fine in the UK for its failure to adequately prepare for the attack.