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Activision's Call of Duty Ricochet anti-cheat team has introduced a number of new measures designed to reduce unfair play. Those include a replay investigation tool along with detection of third-party XIM-type devices. Some cheaters will be permanently banned, but CoD has revealed that others will be subject to some new (and rather hilarious) in-game mitigations. 

To start with, it has deployed a system designed to detect third-party hardware cheat devices like XIM, Cronus Zen and ReaSnow S1. "These devices act as a passthrough for controllers on PC and console and, when used improperly or maliciously, can provide a player with the ability to gain an unfair gameplay advantage, such as reducing or eliminating recoil," the team noted in a blog post.

At first, Ricochet will give players an "unsupported device warning" as shown above, but continued use could result in measures ranging from mitigations up to permabans across all Call of Duty titles. 

It's also using a new replay investigation tool. "Using captured and stored match gameplay data, our teams can load up and watch any completed match as part of our investigation process," the team wrote. It'll focus on ranked play in both Modern Warefare II and Warzone 2.0, capturing and storing all match data for signs of suspicious activity. The system has already aided in investigations that resulted in permanent bans.

Activision revealed more about mitigations, as well. It has already talked about Damage Shield, which allows innocent players to take fire without being injured, and has now detailed the Disarm and Cloak measures. As shown in the Disarm demo above, after trying to switch weapons, a player ends up facing their opponent with no weapon at all. Cloak, as you'd imagine, turns enemies invisible. 

Ubisoft recently launched its own crackdown that allows players to continue, albeit with significant handicaps, until they unplug cheat devices. Epic Games also recently pulled out the perma-banhammer for cheaters. 

Last year, Activision said its anti-cheat measures implemented in 2021 had led to a "significant" drop in cheaters. However, it added that it expects players to create new ways to get around existing measures. "We know tomorrow will continue to deliver new and evolving threats," team Ricochet wrote.

Best Buy announced today that it’s extending its gadget recycling program to include a new mail-in option. The retailer will now sell you a box for your used electronics that you can ship back for recycling, saving a trip to the store. Best Buy says it’s recycled 2.7 billion pounds of electronics and appliances through its existing programs, describing itself as the US’ “largest retail collector of e-waste.”

The program lets you order a box in one of two sizes: a $23 small (9 x 5 x 3 inches) one for e-waste weighing up to six lbs and a $30 medium (18 x 14 x 4 inches) one supporting up to 15 lbs. After receiving it, you can pack in as many (approved) devices as you can fit, as long as they stay under the weight limits. Then, you can either take them to a UPS drop-off point or schedule a UPS pickup.

The program is an extension of Best Buy’s free in-store recycling program, launched in 2009. The retailer also provides a home-pickup option, but it costs $200 and is ideal for unusually cumbersome items like home theater and heavy appliances. All of its recycling initiatives accept computers, tablets, TVs, smartphones, radios, appliances, cameras and other common gadgets. (You can read the complete list and exclusions here.)

The free in-store recycling program would be more practical unless you live far from a Best Buy location. Still, I can see some people willing to pay to avoid making the trip — especially during the holiday shopping season or if you have disposable income and live in a congested area. If nothing else, Earth Day (April 22nd) is an appropriate time to raise awareness of e-waste recycling to nudge people away from throwing these items in the trash, where they’ll get hauled off to landfills.

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Nintendo has been repairing Switch players' Joy-Con "drift" issues for free, even if they're no longer under warranty, in North America since 2019. Over the past years, it has launched the same program in France and Latin America. Now, the gaming giant has expanded its free unlimited repair service for drifting Joy-Cons to the European Economic Area (EEA), UK and Switzerland "until further notice." On its UK website (as first seen by Nintendo Life), the company said it's offering repairs in those areas "for responsiveness syndrome relating to control sticks." Further, it will fix the known problem for users even if it's "caused by wear and tear."

Switch players in Europe are already pretty well-protected with a warranty that lasts for 24 months instead of merely 12. When the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) urged an investigation into the Joy-Con drift issue back in 2021, it said 88 percent of the 25,000 complaints it received were from people whose controllers showed symptoms of the problem within the first two years. That means the standard warranty in Europe would be able to cover most people's repairs. But now players can get Nintendo to fix their controllers for free, even after their warranty is over.

While the BEUC called this development a "tangible win for consumers," it also believes it's a "short-term fix." In the end, Nintendo will still be allowed to sell a product with a known defect that leads to early failure, the group said, and that's something it hopes would be banned in Europe.

The Joy-Con drift, characterized by the Switch detecting movement even though the player isn't touching the controllers' analog sticks, has been a consistent source of frustration for gamers for a long time now. Nintendo has had to face lawsuits accusing it of selling Joy-Con while knowing that they're "defective." And while company president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged the problem and apologized for it back in 2020, it remains an issue that plagues fans to this day. 

Artificial intelligence has reached a new level of interest ever since ChatGPT burst into the scene. The AI chatbot with its eerily human-like responses has lit a fire under many tech giants and smaller tech companies that are now rushing to release their rival offerings. US President Joe Biden, however, wants them to be careful and make sure that their products are safe before opening them up to the public. According to AP and Reuters, the president has met up with his science and technology advisors, which include academics and executives from Google and Microsoft, to discuss the "risks and opportunities" of artificial intelligence.

While the meeting likely won't culminate in a banning of ChatGPT like what happened in Italy, the president doesn't seem to be convinced that AI is perfectly safe at this point in time. When asked if AI is dangerous, he responded: "It remains to be seen. Could be." He told the group:" "Tech companies have a responsibility, in my view, to make sure their products are safe before making them public...AI can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but it also has to address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security."

The White House told the news organizations that the president also used the opportunity to discuss "the importance of protecting rights and safety to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards." Further, he talked about his previous calls on Congress to pass legislation that would protect kids' privacy online. 

It doesn't sound like policies were made and big changes were planned during the meeting. But Russell Wald from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence told AP that the president has set "the stage for a national dialogue on the topic by elevating attention to AI." Last year, the Biden administration also released its Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. It's meant to guide the design and deployment of AI and other automated systems in a way that protects "the American public in the age of artificial intelligence."

Rakuten-owned Kobo unveiled its newest e-reader today, a $400 alternative to the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2. The Kobo Elipsa 2E iterates on its 2021 predecessor with a better stylus, more versatile lighting / color-temperature adjustments and other improvements.

The Kobo Elipsa 2E has a 10.3-inch e-ink touchscreen (like its predecessor), but the new model gets a resolution bump to 300ppi. Additionally, it adds ComfortLight Pro, which adjusts the front light’s color temperature and brightness to reduce eye strain. Kobo says its battery lasts longer, especially when using the stylus, although its description is only as specific as “weeks of battery life.”

Kobo says the new e-reader has a faster (dual-core 2GHz) processor, leading to lower latency and speedier zooming / page-turning. It also includes the Kobo Stylus 2, an improved (rechargeable and 25 percent lighter) digital pen for jotting notes. The stylus has an “eraser” on its back end and a separate highlighter button. In addition, the optional SleepCover includes a magnetic attachment for stashing away the stylus when you aren’t using it. Finally, the device has an improved design using recycled plastic and metals.

Kobo

The Rakuten-owned company announced the launch of Kobo Plus, its answer to Kindle Unlimited and Audible. The tier-based subscription service offers unlimited access to over 1.3 million e-books and 100,000 audiobooks. It starts at $8 per month for either e-books or audiobooks or $10 per month for both.

The Kobo Elipsa 2E will cost $400 when it launches in stores and online on April 19th. Pre-orders begin April 5th at Kobo’s website, and customers who reserve one before the launch date in the US, UK and Australia will get a $25 Kobo e-gift card for digital reading content. The e-reader will be available globally in the US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Turkey.

Mercedes has a very clear plan. Its EQ lineup will continue to grow as it works towards parity with its gas vehicles, and the automaker will eventually transform its consumer cars to those running on electrons. The latest part of that scheme is the EQE SUV, the larger, taller version of the EQE sedan. Both are eco-friendly cousins to the E-Class and both bring what we like (and don’t like) about the EQS to a broader audience.

Starting at $77,900, the EQE SUV won’t wow you if you’ve been behind the wheel of literally any other Mercedes EV. Instead, the mid-seized luxury EV is a piece of a larger puzzle. That’s not to say that the vehicle doesn’t deliver on the Mercedes-Benz promise of a luxury vehicle. It does this without the buyer having to break the $100,000 mark for an electric SUV.

It has a comfortable cabin, smooth ride, tight but agreeable steering and of course the MBUX infotainment system with in-car voice control that actually works. All three trim levels have ranges above 250 miles and rear-wheel steering is an option that’s definitely worth the money. That said, we’re still not fans of the brakes and to us, the Hyperscreen still feels like a lot of hype although we were able to watch a movie while riding shotgun through Portugal on the passenger screen. For more insight into our first drive of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, check out the video below.

After some testing, Tidal's DJ feature is officially available. Now called Live, the option lets HiFi and HiFi Plus subscribers share what they're playing in real-time with other paying members. Once you start, you just have to share links with others who want to tune in. You can't mix and scratch, unfortunately, but this may do the trick if you're hoping to host a virtual listening party.

As you might guess, Tidal is using this to promote both itself and artists. Musicians like Alesso, Aluna and Diplo are hosting Live sessions in the US, UK, Brazil, Germany and Poland, while Tidal will have genre experts playing picks throughout the week.

Live is available now on Android and iOS and works with over 100 million tracks. Tidal plans start at $10 per month. You'll still have to settle for regular AAC tracks, unfortunately. For now, higher quality tunes aren't an option. You also have to listen to DJs in the country where you signed up. You can't tune into a German trendsetter's session from the US, to put it another way.

This may be more or less alluring than similar options at rival services, depending on what you're looking for. Spotify's Group Sessions let everyone involve control playback, but only for several people. Amazon's Amp, meanwhile, is more of a music-oriented radio show tool and (while we were trying it, at least) isn't guaranteed to have the tunes you want to share. Tidal's approach is simple, but may be ideal if you want to be the sole DJ without the pressure to speak up.

The catch, of course, is that everyone involved has to be a subscriber. Tidal doesn't even register on Statista's global market share chart — while it's a known brand, you'll be performing for a relatively small audience. You'll have to convince your friends to switch away from the likes of Spotify or Apple Music to make the most of Live, and there's no guarantee they'll be willing to give up their carefully curated playlists and recommendations.