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PlayStation Portal, Sony’s $200 handheld for PS5 game streaming, is available to pre-order today before its November 15th launch. The company announced the availability details today in an update to its announcement post from last week. The upcoming device requires a PS5 and a persistent WiFi connection.

Sony markets the device as “the handheld gateway to your PS5 games.” Its eight-inch LCD screen offers 1080p visuals at 60 frames per second, and it includes haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Engadget’s Kris Holt aptly described the device’s appearance as “a bit like a tablet wedged between two halves of a DualSense controller.”

However, PlayStation Portal doesn’t support cloud streaming through PlayStation Plus Premium or similar services. Nor does it have any local apps. The device merely acts as a WiFi remote streaming controller for the PS5 you already own. However, at least it supports long-distance remote play as long as your console is up and running at home.

You can pre-order the PlayStation Portal Remote Player exclusively from Sony.

Volition, the studio behind the Saints Row series, has closed with immediate effect. The developer said in a statement that the shutdown was a result of restructuring at parent company Embracer Group.

"This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry," the studio said. “As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately." Volition's workers will be offered assistance to "help smooth the transition." The studio signed off by thanking its fans.

Volition dates back to 1993 and a company called Parallax Software Corporation. That team split a few years later, leading to the formation of Volition. THQ bought the studio in 2000. Future Embracer subsidiary Koch Media (later Plaion) snapped it up for its Deep Silver division after THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

Along with the Saints Row series for which it's best known, Volition was also behind the Descent games and the Red Faction franchise. Its final game was a 2022 Saints Row reboot. The game wasn't especially well received, though PS Plus subscribers can claim it at no extra cost in September.

Embracer said in June that layoffs and studio closures were on the way as part of the restructuring plan. The company, which spent several years snapping up a wealth of gaming studios and the rights to many notable franchises, noted that a long-in-the-works $2 billion investment opportunity vanished at the 11th hour. Axios recently reported that the Saudi government-funded Savvy Games Group was the partner that Embracer had a verbal agreement with before the deal fell apart.

In what essentially amounts to free money, Amazon’s selling $100 Xbox gift cards for just $90, a savings of ten percent. This deal only applies to digital codes, not physical gift cards. Additionally, only the $100 card gets the discount, so other denominations are the same price as always. The final caveat? You can only buy two at a time, but that’s nearly enough for four AAA games or a lengthy subscription to Game Pass.

The codes can be used to purchase full games, DLC, various subscriptions, in-game currency and more. You can even use them to buy controllers and other must-have Xbox accessories, so long as the products are available directly from Microsoft. Gift cards don’t go on sale often, for obvious reasons, so the deal will likely sell out before too long.

This is a suspiciously-timed deal, as the hotly-anticipated sci-fi RPGStarfield releases next week, on September 6th. In other words, a whole lot of people are going to use their brand-new gift cards to get the brand-new Bethesda adventure. There’s also a new Forza game on the horizon, in addition to Alan Wake 2 and a bevy of cross-platform titles. You’ll have no shortage of games to spend your digital cash on.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Google announced today that all Chromebook owners can claim three free months of GeForce Now. Most Chromebook users will get a (usually $10 per month) GeForce Now Priority subscription, while owners of Cloud Gaming Chromebooks will receive access to the Ultimate tier (typically $20 per month). The company is tying the promotion to Baldur’s Gate 3 launch on Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.

Standard Chromebook owners can claim three months of GeForce Now Priority, which uses a “premium rig” in the cloud that maxes out at 1080p / 60 FPS streaming and six-hour gaming sessions. Meanwhile, folks who bought a Cloud Gaming Chromebook can claim three months of GeForce Now Ultimate, which boosts performance to an RTX 4080, 4K resolution, 120 FPS and eight-hour sessions.

GeForce Now, launched publicly in 2020 after nearly five years in beta, offers instant access to a computer with much greater horsepower than a Chromebook — without worrying about updates, patches or graphic settings. But, of course, you’ll need at least a decently fast and low-latency internet connection to stream the games from Nvidia’s servers.

Building and accessing your library on Nvidia’s service can be a bit clunky compared to rivals like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the now-defunct Stadia: You’ll need to link your Steam, Epic Games Store, the Microsoft Store or Ubisoft Connect store accounts (among others) to see which of your purchased titles are eligible. Then, you can stream the games you already own and find out which storefronts are supported for those you still want to add. Nvidia’s GeForce Now library webpage is a solid place to start: It simplifies the process by letting you search the service’s catalog of over 1,500 support titles.

Google hasn’t announced how long the promotion will be available, except to say it’s for a limited time only. Chromebook owners can claim the offer on this “special perks” webpage.

It’s hard to believe that the last brand-new 2D Mario game came out more than 10 years ago. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate updates to classics like Super Mario 35 or remixes such as the Super Mario Maker series. But without a fresh entry to the franchise, it felt like there was something missing. However, after getting a chance to go hands-on with Super Mario Bros. Wonder ahead of its official release on October 10th, it feels like the magic is back.

By shifting locations from the Mushroom Kingdom to the Flower Kingdom Nintendo gave itself the freedom to update practically every aspect of the game, while staying true to the core formula that is running, jumping, smashing blocks and collecting everything in sight. There are power-ups like the new elephant suit that lets you bash enemies with your trunk. And while classic items like the Fire Flower are still around, there are refreshing twists like the Bubble Flower that give you the ability to both attack and reach new heights by jumping on the orbs you shoot out.

Nintendo

Super Mario Bros. Wonder also boasts the largest roster of characters in any Mario sidescroller yet, including the 2D return of Daisy along with, Peach, Luigi, Toad, Nabbit and multiple colors of Yoshi (the latter two having some important gameplay implications). Unlike the others, Yoshi and Nabbit can’t transform, but they also don’t take damage from enemies, projectiles or even the environment (like falling debris). Not only does this provide an easy way to adjust game difficulty on the fly, it’s also the perfect way to introduce 2D platformers to a new generation. After all, think about how many kids whose first glimpse of Mario might have been in a movie theater instead of on an 8 or 16-bit console. And if that’s not enough, Wonder even provides individual difficulty ratings for every level.

Mario’s horde of enemies has increased as well. There are Koopas wearing roller skates and herds of angry rhinos to contend with. We’ll even see entirely new genera of foes like Goombrats, which look like Goombas if they were based on tomatoes instead of mushrooms.

Nintendo

Aside from in-game power-ups, there’s also the new badge system which is divided into two types (Action badges and Boost badges), giving you yet another way to customize your gameplay. Action badges like the “Wall Climb Jump” and the “Floating High Jump” can make it easier to reach secrets while Boost badges like the Coin badge and the “Add ! Blocks” badge can change how you traverse a stage. And because you can swap in new badges before starting each level, it adds another measure of gameplay customization and replayability. Unfortunately, my preview didn't show how new badges are earned, so that's something we'll have to figure out when the game officially goes on sale. 

The most impactful new mechanic though is Wonder Flowers, which can completely turn a level on its head. Suddenly, warp pipes are crawling around on the ground like worms while Super Stars fall from the sky. Day becomes night and in some levels you might even find yourself floating through the sky. The effect of Wonder Flowers on each stage is different, but no matter what happened, I found myself smiling at the delightful subversion of my expectations.

Nintendo

On a more granular level, I love all the little details and animations Nintendo has added. This is easily the most expressive 2D Mario game yet. Mario’s face changes the faster he runs while his hat flaps around in the wind. Meanwhile, small gouts of flame pop off your feet every time you jump with a Fire Flower equipped. And in the background, there are happy little flowers that cheer you on as you speed by. Everything looks sharp and snazzy to the point where I feel like I’d be happy just sitting there watching someone else play. It’s a real treat for the eyes.

Finally, while it’s not as big a part of the game as in something like Super Mario Maker, I enjoyed Wonder’s online multiplayer. You can play with up to four people online (or up to two locally with another two online) in two different modes. There’s a straightforward race mode similar to time trials in Mario Kart with ghosts (or in this game, shadows) that show the progress of other players as you zoom through levels. There’s also a more collaborative mode that allows you to see how other players tackle certain challenges, but more importantly, they can even help you out by hitting checkpoints so you don’t have to go all the way back to the beginning of a stage if you die.

Nintendo

With Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendo has managed to reinvent its platformer for a new generation while keeping all the charm and playfulness that made the series a classic almost 40 years ago. And, even though I only got a quick preview of what’s in store, Nintendo’s next 2D sidescroller already feels like an instant buy.

Bumble is trying to make its apps safe spaces for meeting new people, and that extends to real-life meetups. The latest community guidelines (which also apply to Badoo and Bumble For Friends) take aim at ghosting or people failing to turn up for pre-arranged meetups.

The guidelines "discourage no-show behavior through disallowing the act of not turning up to an in-person meet up despite clear plans agreed by both parties," Bumble said. It claims its the first dating platform to "take a stance" on users over the issue, noting that according to experts, being stood up or ghosted can "sometimes have a profound impact on a person’s mental health, leading to feelings of depression, anxiety and deflated self-esteem." 

Ghosting and no-showing IRL meets are now classed as bullying and abusive conduct under the updated policies, but it's not clear how Bumble plans to enforce rules around the topic outside of users reporting such behavior. Engadget has asked Bumble for clarification.

Victim blaming (such as shaming someone for being a survivor of sexual assault) is outlawed across the three apps as well. Bumble says this is an industry-first measure that's part of its efforts to foster "a community that is safe and promotes mutual respect." The updated Violence and Bullying Policy includes clarified language related to the platform's ban on doxxing. 

Many services take action against illicit off-platform activity — Bumble's no-show policy is one of those — so it may be the case that Bumble will take action against those who victim-blame or doxx users outside of its apps. If someone posts Bumble screenshots on X/Twitter to attack a victim and Bumble finds out, it might take action against the offender's account on its platforms.

One other problem Bumble is targeting with the latest community guidelines is the use of bots. From now on, Bumble, Badoo and Bumble For Friends "prohibit any attempts to artificially influence connections, matching, conversations or engagement through the use of automation or scripting." So, anyone caught using ChatGPT to try and seem interesting after making a match might not stay on Bumble for very long.

The same goes for those who use any of the company's apps to promote an OnlyFans page or profiles on similar services. There's now "a blanket ban on the promotion of adult content in profiles, including attempts to sell, advertise, or buy adult sexual content." The goal is to try and crack down on this kind of spam, which appears all too often in dating apps.

Bumble said it will continue to update the guidelines to deal with "emerging risks and potential harms that may occur from new behaviors." The company notes that it uses automated safeguards to tackle guideline violations before users report them, including instances of "harassment, identity-based hate and other inappropriate content." So far this year, Bumble has blocked more than 8.2 million accounts across its apps, most of which were detected and removed by its automated systems.

The first trailer for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie was pretty nifty, but suspiciously light on the game franchise’s renowned murderous animatronics. That issue has been rectified with the latest trailer, as it features prominent appearances from Foxy, Bonnie, Chica and of course, Freddy himself. The homicidal puppets are doing what they do best, murdering people.

You also get a bit more of the plot, which seems to mirror the game. It zeroes in on a character played by Josh Hutcherson, from the criminally underrated Future Man, as he starts a new overnight gig as a security guard at a family entertainment center. However, Freddy and his animatronic gang of thugs pose a terrifying threat to anyone in the building after dark.

As expected, the animatronics look great, nearly matching the game’s original aesthetic. This is no surprise given they were designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. This is a far leap from Kermit and Miss Piggy, however, as the movie contains plenty of “strong violent content, bloody images and language.”

Despite that warning, it’s rated PG-13, so the gore will likely be kept to a minimum. Five Nights at Freddy’s premieres in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock just in time for Halloween, on October 27th.

The US Copyright Office (USCO) wants your thoughts on generative AI and who can theoretically be declared to own its outputs. The technology has increasingly commanded the legal system’s attention, and as such office began seeking public comments on Wednesday about some of AI’s thorniest issues (viaArs Technica). These include questions about companies training AI models on copyrighted works, the copyright eligibility of AI-generated content (along with liability for infringing on it) and how to handle machine-made outputs mimicking human artists’ work.

“The adoption and use of generative AI systems by millions of Americans — and the resulting volume of AI-generated material — have sparked widespread public debate about what these systems may mean for the future of creative industries and raise significant questions for the copyright system,” the USCO wrote in a notice published on Wednesday.

One issue the office hopes to address is the required degree of human authorship to register a copyright on (otherwise AI-driven) content, citing the rising number of attempts to copyright material that names AI as an author or co-author. “The crucial question appears to be whether the ‘work’ is basically one of human authorship, with the computer merely being an assisting instrument, or whether the traditional elements of authorship in the work (literary, artistic, or musical expression or elements of selection, arrangement, etc.) were actually conceived and executed not by man but by a machine,” the USCO wrote.

Although the issue is far from resolved, several cases have hinted at where the boundaries may fall. For example, the office said in February that the (human-made) text and layout arrangement from a partially AI-generated graphic novel were copyrightable, but the work’s Midjourney-generated images weren’t. On the other hand, a Federal judge recently rejected an attempt to register AI-generated art which had no human intervention other than its inciting text prompt. “Copyright has never stretched so far [...] as to protect works generated by new forms of technology operating absent any guiding human hand, as plaintiff urges here,” US District Judge Beryl Howell wrote in that ruling.

The USCO also seeks input on increasing infringement claims from copyright owners against AI companies for training on their published works. Sarah Silverman is among the high-profile plaintiffs suing OpenAI and Meta for allegedly training ChatGPT and LLaMA (respectively) on their written work — in her case, her 2010 memoir The Bedwetter. OpenAI also faces a class-action lawsuit over using scraped web data to train its viral chatbot.

The USPO says the public comment period will be open until November 15th. You can share your thoughts until then.

YouTube Music's latest redesign of the Now Playing page is making its way to iOS and Android devices everywhere. There's a new feature that brings an extra social element to the app. You'll now be able to read and post comments on the Now Playing page. That option was limited to playlists until now.

According to screenshots that 9to5 Google shared, some of the comments on the page may date back several years. As such, it seems like Google is populating the section with comments from related YouTube videos, for better or worse (probably worse).

The updated design is rolling out gradually, so you may not see it right away, but there are some other changes in store. The cover art is bigger and song titles and artist names now hug the left side of the screen. One other key thing to note is that there's now a carousel with buttons for comments, giving a track a thumbs up or down, saving songs to a playlist, sharing, downloading and the radio. Most of the previously available actions required an extra tap to access until now. The buttons look very similar to the ones you'll see below the YouTube video player. In addition, more of the controls should be easier to access as they're at the bottom of the screen.

If you don’t want a smartwatch but you do want a smart watch, then Withings is probably your best option. It’s spent the last decade producing classy hybrids which resemble old-fashioned Swiss watches to the untrained eye. Three years after launching the ScanWatch, the company is ready to show off its follow-up, the ScanWatch 2. At the same time, it’s also announcing the ScanWatch Light, a more wallet-friendly version that is really not much to write home about.

ScanWatch 2 is the most iterative of upgrades, with a new temperature sensor which could identify the early signs of infection. The rest of the sensors have been improved for greater accuracy and better power efficiency, but that’s about it on the hardware front. The only other change is that people can track their menstrual cycle by inputting the data to their wrist. That will, after a few months, start offering predictions but it’s surprising this doesn’t work in tandem with the temperature tracking.

At first blush, it doesn’t look as if much has changed in the case or face designs either, with the same options from the first generation on show here. There’s a 38mm or 42mm body with a pick of a thick or thin bezel and lugs attached to a black or white face in the steel bodies. You’ll get the choice of a stone or dark blue face and band combo with the rose gold variations, same as before. It’s a shame that we didn’t get a Horizon version – which puts the same internals in a diver’s watch body – at the same time, but I’m sure that’ll come next year.

In Withings’ defense, there isn’t much it could add to the ScanWatch that it didn’t already have. A few years back, I explained there are only so many pieces of data the laws of physics and biology can monitor from the wrist. Much as I could damn the ScanWatch 2 for a dearth of new features, it’s not Withings’ fault it did such a good job last time out. Let’s not forget its elegant analog and digital subdials, the depth and quality of its tracking and the 30-day battery life. Not to mention Health Mate, which remains the preeminent fitness-tracking platform in its class.

A focus on period tracking raises concerns for users living in a post-Roe US, where that data can be weaponized. Withings told Engadget its customer data is stored with a France-based provider, which is subject to EU law. Backups of its consumer data is held on Google Cloud but those backups are encrypted, with Withings the only entity able to decrypt them. This, however, may not be enough to prevent the enforced handover of data concerning a US citizen via the CLOUD Act.

The ScanWatch Light, meanwhile, is a ScanWatch with many of the existing bells and whistles taken out. There’s basic activity, sleep and heart-rate monitoring, but you lose the ECG, SpO2 and temperature-tracking tools. The hardware’s been downgraded, too, with the Sapphire Glass crystal replaced with Gorilla Glass and a less-accurate accelerometer. Given their respective prices, it’s probably better to hunt for a discounted first-generation ScanWatch if you can. This, to me, screams of an attempt to offer a lower-cost model that makes its pricier sibling look good.

Both the ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light are available to pre-order from today with shipping expected to begin in October. Prices for the ScanWatch 2 start at $349.95 for the 38mm model, while the smaller ScanWatch Light will set you back $249.95.