Folks who have ordered a Steam Deck but won't get it until the end of this year might actually be able to play a pair of bonafide Valve classics on Switch first. Portal and Portal 2 are both coming to Nintendo's console later this year as part of the $20 Portal: Companion Collection.

You'll get access to the single-player modes of both of the first-person puzzle games, as well as Portal 2's co-op mode — there's support for split-screen, local and online multiplayer. That's great and all, but when are you going to put Half-Life on Switch, Valve?

Nintendo had an early surprise during its first Direct of the year: No Man's Sky is coming to Switch this summer, six years after it debuted on other platforms. For the first time (unless they've been playing it elsewhere), Switch owners will be able to explore procedurally generated worlds across a vast galaxy. 

No Man's Skyhad a rocky debut — key aspects like multiplayer weren't available at the outset. Hello Games has corrected course after several major updates. It added many quality of life updates and a ton of extra features. Switch players will get access to all of that content from the jump. 

Four Democratic senators and House representatives have called on several government departments to stop using Clearview AI’s facial recognition system. The Government Accountability Office said in August that the Departments of Justice, Defense, Homeland Security and the Interior were all using the contentious technology for “domestic law enforcement." Sens. Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Pressley urged the agencies to refrain from using Clearview's products and other facial recognition tools.

“Clearview AI’s technology could eliminate public anonymity in the United States,” the lawmakers wrote to the agencies in their letters, which were obtained by The Verge. They said that, combined with the facial recognition system, the database of billions of photos Clearview scraped from social media platforms "is capable of fundamentally dismantling Americans’ expectation that they can move, assemble or simply appear in public without being identified."

Those lawmakers have been trying to "prohibit biometric surveillance by the federal government without explicit statutory authorization" over the last couple of years. Jayapal introduced a House bill last year to that effect. The legislation has been referred to the Judiciary and Oversight and Reform committees. Sen. Ron Wyden also introduced a bill last April aimed at blocking law enforcement and intelligence agencies from buying data from Clearview AI. The Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act drew bipartisan support, but has yet to move forward in the Senate.

Other federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, have used or planned to use facial recognition technology, according to the GAO report. The Inland Revenue Service said this week it will ditch a facial recognition system it was using for verification purposes, following a backlash fromlawmakersand others.

Clearview, meanwhile, has been the subject of investigations, lawsuits and scrutiny in the US, UK, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. In November, the company was fined £17 million for breaching UK data protection laws. 

A report last year suggested that employees from more than 1,803 government bodies, such as police departments and public schools, used Clearview's services without approval. The company's CEO, Hoan Ton-That, said in the past that Clearview had contracts with thousands of 2,400 police agencies and departments. Some jurisdictions and law enforcement departments have banned the company's tech.

Call of Duty fans who've been worried what Microsoft's pending $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard means for the future of that franchise on PlayStation can breathe easy. That series and other popular Activision Blizzard games won't be exclusive to Xbox — even after Sony's existing agreements with the publisher expire. 

"Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision," Microsoft president Brad Smith wrote in a blog post. "And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love. We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform. We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business."

According to Bloomberg, Sony struck a deal with Activision Blizzard before the blockbuster merger was announced to bring the next two mainline Call of Duty games and a sequel to Warzone to PlayStation. Until now, it was unclear whether subsequent Call of Duty games would be released on PlayStation or if Microsoft planned to keep them on Xbox and PC only.

Smith made the announcement while revealing a set of Open App Store Principles that Microsoft is establishing for Windows and future gaming marketplaces it's building for games. He wrote that the company is bringing in the policies as it seeks regulatory approval for the Activision Blizzard deal and as governments "move forward with new laws to promote competition in app markets and beyond. We want regulators and the public to know that as a company, Microsoft is committed to adapting to these new laws, and with these principles, we’re moving to do so."

Developing...

Along with announcing the Galaxy S22 lineup, Samsung has refreshed its range of tablets — which some folks already had an inkling about after earlierleaks. For the first time, Samsung is introducing an Ultra tablet, which aligns with the Ultra branding the company slaps on its highest-end phones.

Unsurprisingly, the Tab S8 Ultra has more tricked-out specs than the Tab S8 and S8+. The company says it's the first Android 2-in-1 with an 14.6-inch Super AMOLED screen. The 2,960 x 1,848 display has a 120 Hz refresh rate, which should make writing or drawing with the new S Pen feel more responsive. Samsung says it's employing a prediction algorithm to deliver its "smoothest writing experience yet." The new S Pen is also included with the S8 and S8+. 

The dual 12MP front-facing cameras — one wide, one ultra-wide — on the S8 Ultra will enable you to join conference calls with a 4K video feed, but there's a notch to accommodate them. Auto-framing tech is designed to keep you front and center on video calls, and it will zoom in and out to include other people who join you. On the audio front, there are a trio of precision microphones with noise reduction tech and four Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers. The Tab S8 and S8+ have the same speaker system.

All three devices boast a 4nm octa-core chip (which Samsung says is the fastest processor it has put in a Galaxy tablet to date), Android 12, Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6E support and a microSD slot. The S8 and S8+ have 8GB of RAM and come with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. As for the S8 Ultra, you can have up to 16GB of RAM with 512GB of onboard storage.

The three devices share the same rear camera system with a 13MP autofocus sensor, 6MP ultra-wide camera and a flash. The S8 and S8+ have a sole 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera.

There's support for 45W fast charging that Samsung claims can fully charge the S8 Ultra battery in 90 minutes and the other two tablets in 80 minutes. You can expect all-day battery life on all three models, according to the company. It says that equates to 15 hours of video playback on Tab S8, 13 hours of video playback on the S8+ and 14 hours of video playback on the S8 Ultra. If one of your other devices (say, a Galaxy S22) is running low on power, you can connect it to the tablet via USB-C to juice it up.

The key difference between the Tab S8 and S8+ is the size. The S8 has a 11-inch LED Full HD, 2,560 x 1,600 display, while the S8+ has a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2,800 x 1,752. Both have a refresh rate of 120Hz. A bigger display means the S8+ has a space for a larger battery. It has a capacity of 10,090mAh, compared with the Tab S8's 10,090mAh battery.

The tablets can connect to your Galaxy smartphone or Windows PC as well. You can share photos, files and notes between your phone and tablet, while the Galaxy Buds' Auto Switch function allows you to move between devices without having to pair them again. The DeX mode, which lets users extend their TV, PC or phone display onto a Tab S8 device, can now be used in vertical orientation — which might come in handy for monitoring Slack or Twitter on a second screen.

Meanwhile, Samsung Health will be available on Galaxy tablets for the first time. Users can view workouts and see health and fitness data from a Galaxy Watch on their Tab S8 device. 

As with the Galaxy S22 lineup, Galaxy Tab S8 tablets are partially made with plastic components that are repurposed from discarded fishing nets. Samsung also says the tablets will ship to customers in its slimmest packaging to date, which is made from sustainably sourced paper.

Pre-orders open today for all three models. The Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ are available in pink gold, graphite and silver. They start at $700 and $900, respectively, and pre-ordering will net you a slim book cover keyboard at no extra cost. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which is only available in graphite, starts at $1,100. If you pre-order, Samsung will toss in a backlit book cover keyboard.

Catch up on all of the news from Samsung’s February Unpacked event right here!

Garmin has revealed its latest lineup of smartwatches, including models you might never need to plug in to charge. The Instinct 2 Series includes 45mm Instinct 2 Solar models, which are said to be able to run continuously on smartwatch mode (i.e. with features like heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, activity tracking and 24/7 health monitoring turned on). The previous Instinct Solar was only able to meet Garmin's "unlimited" battery life claim while in battery saver mode.

As the name suggests, 45mm Instinct 2 Solar models draw energy from the sun. But it seems you'll need to be outdoors a lot for one of those smartwatches to obtain enough solar energy. 

Garmin says the device needs to be outside in 50,000 lux conditions for an average of three hours a day to maintain the "unlimited" battery life. The company suggests a normal sunny day should satisfy those conditions. For example, one Engadget editor achieved 30,000 lux in about two hours with a Fenix solar pointed directly at the sun for two hours. So, it's likely not unrealistic but will heavily depend on local conditions. Thus the Instinct 2 Solar might need to be outside for longer than three hours on a given day to attain "unlimited" battery life. 

Beyond the Solar and standard models, there are a number of Instinct 2 Series editions. The lineup has a slimmer profile and two sizes, the regular 45mm bezel and the 40mm Instinct 2S format. Surf editions are available in either size and with or without solar. They'll track watersports activities including surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding, and there's a tide widget to keep users in the know about ocean conditions.

Tactical editions are geared toward military personnel. These watches, which are only available in the solar format, offer features including night vision goggles compatibility, stealth mode, kill switch and dual format position coordinates. They're available in black or coyote tan. In addition, there are Camo editions designed to help the watch blend in or stand out via graphite and mist camo patterns.

Garmin says smartwatches in the lineup come with a new high-res, easy-to-read display with scratch-resistant glass. They're water rated to 100 meters and built to military standard 810 for thermal and shock resistance. Between the bezel and band, you can mix and match your way to one of more than 240 design choices.

You can expect to access Garmin's swathe of wellness and health features, such as sleep score, VO2 max, HIIT workouts and Body Battery. Instinct 2 Series devices can access the Garmin Connect IQTM (CIQ) store, from which you can download apps, widgets, watch faces and more. Some sports apps and activities are pre-installed, including a new Multisport option that'll continue tracking your time and distance when you switch between activities. There's also an incident detection feature that can automatically get in touch with your emergency contacts if the device suspects something's gone wrong and it's paired with a compatible smartphone.

Instinct 2 Solar models include Garmin Pay support as well. As for the battery life in the non-solar models, Garmin says they'll run for up to four weeks with smartwatch mode activated. Instinct 2 Series devices will start at $350.

Coco, a company that offers food deliveries by remote-controlled robot, has expanded beyond its home base of Los Angeles for the first time. The service is now available in Austin as it commences a nationwide rollout. Coco plans to bring its robots to Dallas, Houston and Miami in the next few months.

The company says its service, which debuted in 2020, now has hundreds of delivery robots on the streets of LA, covering all of the city's major neighborhoods. Coco claims to reduce costs and deliver food to customers 30 percent faster than traditional methods with an on-time delivery rate of 97 percent. It partnered with 10 Austin restaurants and chains at the outset, and will offer deliveries in the South Lamar, South Congress, South Austin, Downtown, Northside, North Loop and Domain neighborhoods from the jump.

Other robot delivery services — such as Yandex, Serve Robotics (a former division of Postmates) and Nuro — have adopted the self-driving approach. Coco's robots, on the other hand, are controlled by employees who work from home.

The Perseverance rover is a capable machine, but one thing it can't do is send rock, sediment and atmospheric samples from Mars back to Earth by itself. NASA hopes to retrieve some of those through its Mars Sample Return Program, and it's taken another step forward in the project. The agency has chosen Lockheed Martin to build the first rocket to be fired off another planet.

The Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) will be a small, lightweight rocket and is a crucial component of NASA's ambitious plan. “This groundbreaking endeavor is destined to inspire the world when the first robotic round-trip mission retrieves a sample from another planet — a significant step that will ultimately help send the first astronauts to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.

A Sample Retrieval Lander will take the MAV to the surface of Mars. It will land in or close to Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed last February.

The lander will act as the launch platform for the MAV. Once the MAV is in orbit, the plan is for a European Space Agency Earth Return Orbiter equipped with NASA’s Capture, Containment and Return System payload to capture the rocket. The aim is to bring the samples back to Earth by the mid-2030s.

“We are nearing the end of the conceptual phase for this Mars Sample Return mission, and the pieces are coming together to bring home the first samples from another planet," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters, said. "Once on Earth, they can be studied by state-of-the-art tools too complex to transport into space.”

Lockheed Martin will deliver multiple MAV test units and a flight unit to NASA. The contract, which is worth up to $194 million, calls for the company to design, develop, test and evaluate the integrated MAV system, and to design and develop the ground support equipment.

Not only does the MAV need to be able to tolerate the Martian environment and be compatible with several types of spacecraft, it needs to be small enough to squeeze inside the Sample Retrieval Lander. It's a tough challenge, but Lockheed Martin has several years to figure things out. The lander won't launch before 2026.

Disney+ dipped its toes into the world of livestreaming for the first time in the US with a broadcast of this year's Oscar nominations, offering a glimpse of a possible direction for the platform. "We performed a test for livestreaming capabilities on Disney+ in the US with this morning’s Academy Award nominations," a Disney+ spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "We are pleased with the results and will continue to test as part of our ongoing and iterative approach to deliver the best user experiences to consumers.”

The nominations were broadcast on multiple platforms, including Hulu, Good Morning America, ABC News Live and the Oscars website. Given Disney+ was not the only option for awards aficionados to watch the nominations, it was a smart way for Disney to test the platform's livestreaming capacity without placing too much strain on the infrastructure. Notably, Disney owns ABC, the network that broadcasts the Academy Awards ceremony each year.

Disney+ does offer some livestreaming options in other countries, including sports in India and WWE events in Indonesia. Of course, Disney has other platforms with livestreaming options in the US, including Hulu + Live TV and ESPN+. So, it's not impossible to imagine Disney+ streaming live sports, the Oscars ceremony or other events in the future — something that could help it stand out from rivals like Netflix, which has largely steered clear of livestreaming.

Some jurisdictions are looking into ways of boosting semiconductor production amid the global chip shortage that's impacting all kinds of sectors. The European Union, for one, wants to become a bigger player in the field and it announced a $49 billion plan to help it get there. The EU's executive branch has revealed the European Chips Act, which, in part, aims to reduce the bloc's reliance on components from Asia.

The EU believes the plan will allow Europe to harness its strengths in areas like research and manufacturing, while addressing what it says are some of the region's weaknesses. The legislation aims to bolster research and development, boost production and monitor the supply of semiconductors.

The plan, which requires approval from member states and the European Parliament, involves public and private investments and looks to mitigate any future disruption to chip supply chains. The bloc also wants to double its share of the global semiconductor market to 20 percent by 2030.

“The European Chips Act will be a game changer for the global competitiveness of Europe's single market," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. "In the short term, it will increase our resilience to future crises, by enabling us to anticipate and avoid supply chain disruptions. And in the mid-term, it will help make Europe an industrial leader in this strategic branch."

The introduction of the Chips Act follows an effort to bolster chip production in the US. This month, the House of Representatives passed the America COMPETES Act, which earmarks $52 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing as well as almost $300 billion for research and development. President Joe Biden plans to sign the bill into law should it pass through the Senate.

Legislation on both sides of the Atlantic could lead to a battle between Europe, the US and Asia to attract chip manufacturers. If legislators approve them, the plans should ultimately boost global semiconductor production, which will benefit manufacturing process for things like medical equipment, electric vehicles and game consoles.