The Xbox app on PC just got much more useful. You can now use it to stream games from your Xbox Series X/S. In addition, the app can now stream all of the console titles available through the cloud on Xbox Game Pass.

This is the first time Microsoft has enabled remote play on PC for Xbox Series X/S — folks have been able to stream Xbox One games to PC since 2015. The company says it has improved the feature's stability and added features such as being able to stream games from consoles in 1080p at up to 60 frames per second and play some original Xbox and Xbox 360 games. 

Microsoft noted that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in 22 countries can now play console titles through the cloud on Windows 10 (and soon, Windows 11) PCs. As long as you have a membership, compatible controller and a sturdy enough internet connection, all you need to do is hit the Cloud Gaming button in the Xbox app and you'll be able to stream console and PC games and play either by yourself or with friends. 

There are currently 294 console games available through the cloud on Game Pass Ultimate, compared with 115 PC games. Those include some EA games via the bundled EA Play membership.

The update marks another step forward in Microsoft's goal of bringing cloud gaming to as many devices as possible. Last month, the company said it would enable cloud gaming on Xbox consoles this holiday season. Game Pass subscribers have been able to stream games from the cloud via web browsers since June. 

Meanwhile, if you want to play a game on your Series X/S but your TV's in use, you'll able to hop into a session on your desktop or laptop instead. Remote play is also available on iOS and Android phones and tablets.

After beta testing the second major PlayStation 5 firmware update over the past few weeks, Sony is ready to roll it out to everyone, along with new versions of the PS4 system software and the PlayStation mobile apps. The PS5 patch is the big one since, 10 months after Sony released the console, the company is finally unlocking the internal storage expansion slot for everyone.

Although you can store games on an external hard drive, you can't run PS5 titles from USB storage. Those drives are just too slow for PS5 games. Plug in a compatible M.2 solid state drive, though, and you can use it just like the system's internal storage for PS5 games, PS4 titles and media apps. You can move games and apps between the internal storage and M.2 SSD as you wish.

However, it's important to note that not any M.2 drive will do. You'll either need one with a built-in cooling structure or to add your own heatsink. Sony has several other requirements. We've put together a guide detailing the best SSDs you can buy for your PS5.

The update adds some other handy features, including 3D audio support for TV speakers, which you can activate through the sound menu. You'll be able to use the DualSense controller's microphone to measure the acoustics and help decide the best setting for your space. There will be equalizer settings for the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset too.

Some key user interface changes are on the way as part of tomorrow's update too. It should be easier to tell whether a game you have installed is the PS4 or PS5 version. Each will be listed separately in the Installed tab on the Home screen and in the Game Library. 

You'll have additional customization options for the Control Center, including more choice over which controls to include in the bar at the bottom of your screen. You'll also be able to see and send messages to friends and parties from the Control Center's Game Base section.

On the accessibility front, there are new screen reader shortcuts. Press the PlayStation and triangle buttons to turn the feature on or off, and press the PS and R1 buttons to have the tool repeat the last thing it said. PlayStation Now members can select a resolution of 720p or 1080p depending on the game, and there's a tool to test your connection and hopefully help you resolve any issues.

The console will also be able to automatically record clips of your "personal best" moments, such as hitting a better time or score when you compete in challenges. You can access those clips from the Media Gallery or the challenge card in the Control Center. In addition, there's a new trophy tracker that lets you view progress on up to five trophies per game in the Control Center.

Sony

That's not all, though, as Sony will release a PS4 update tomorrow. You'll be able to see your PS5 trophies (as well as others' PS5 accolades) on PS4. On both consoles, you'll be able to disband a Party without removing people individually if you're the Party owner.

On top of that, there are updates coming to the PlayStation mobile apps. Starting tomorrow, you'll at last be able to stream PS4 and PS5 games to your iOS or Android device over mobile networks, a feature that definitely would have come in handy for visits to the park during the summer. You can adjust video quality options to help manage your data.

Meanwhile, as of September 23rd, you'll be able to watch your friends' PS5 Share Screen broadcasts through the PS App. It may take up to a week for the feature to become available through the Android version of the app, as Sony is rolling it out gradually on that platform.

Only a few months after unveiling its Prime mice for pro gamers, SteelSeries has revealed smaller versions of the peripherals. The Prime Mini and Prime Mini Wireless mice are 12 percent and nine percent lighter than their respective counterparts, which SteelSeries designed with input from more than 100 esports competitors.

The Prime Mini weighs just 61 grams. SteelSeries says it has a "hyper-durable" shell along with a matte finish to help you maintain your grip. It's five millimeters shorter than the original Prime and a touch narrower with a slightly lower profile. The mouse has a TrueMove Pro optical sensor with adjustable sensitivity of 18,000 CPI.

The Prime Mini Wireless, meanwhile, weighs 73 grams. It supports fast charging via a USB-C port. SteelSeries says you'll get up to 100 hours of use from a single charge, and 15 hours of usage after 15 minute of charging time.

Like the previous models, both mice boast SteelSeries' Prestige OM optical switches, which are rated for 100 million clicks. They also have 16.8-million color RGB backlighting and on-board customization with five pre-sets.

SteelSeries is keeping the Prime Mini and Prime Mini Wireless at the same price as their larger siblings, both of which are still around for those who prefer a slightly larger option. The Prime Mini is $60 and the wireless version costs $130. They're available starting today.

Despite a bogus press release claiming otherwise, Walmart isn't accepting litecoin for payments anytime soon. The fake release caused the price of the cryptocurrency to briefly shoot up by 20 percent before it tumbled back down.

The press release went out on newswire distribution network GlobeNewswire, which later pulled the phony announcement and issued a notice to disregard it. A Walmart spokesperson told CNBC the press release was fake and that the company asked GlobeNewswire how it was distributed in the first place.

Walmart didn't post the announcement on its own website and the press release listed an email address with a website that doesn't work. Engadget has contacted Walmart and GlobeNewswire owner Intrado for comment.

If the person who sent the fake press release had a cryptocurrency wallet bulging with litecoin, they may have made an absolute killing. There's no doubt it was a creative way to inflate the price of a cryptocurrency, but perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea. It could draw an investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sony has permanently shut down the online services for LittleBigPlanet games on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita after "extended downtime." As such, online multiplayer and community levels are no longer available for LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet 3 (on PS3) and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita. You can still play story modes and local co-op, however.

"We have no doubt that this news will come as a disappointment to a lot of you," the LittleBigPlanet team wrote in a statement. "Ultimately, this is the best way to protect the LittleBigPlanet community and to help ensure that our online environment remains safe."

Sony temporarily shut down LittleBigPlanet's online services in May, following reports of DDOS attacks and hackers posting offensive messages. The PS3 games were on the same servers, so if an issue affected one game, it impacted all of them.

There is a silver lining to this development, though. The developers have updated the PS4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 and that game's servers are back online. Players once again have access to more than 10 million community levels, including all of the ones users created on the three PS3 games, as Eurogamer noted.

The unbelievably charming platformers have been a staple of PlayStation since MediaMolecule released the original LittleBigPlanet in 2008. It's a shame to see the community levels disappear from the Vita game and those who've been clinging onto the PS3 versions lose access to online services. Still, it's good to see all of the community levels live on elsewhere and that they haven't just vanished forever. 

The latest entry in the franchise, spinoff game Sackboy: A Big Adventure, hit PS4 and PS5 last November.

Washington, DC Attorney General Karl Racine has filed an amended antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. He accused Amazon of strong-arming wholesalers that provide it with products into anti-competitive agreements and making them subsidize lower prices. Engadget has contacted Amazon for comment.

"We knew Amazon was anti-competitive, but through our investigation, we’re realizing just how far it goes," Racine wrote on Twitter.

The AG contends that Amazon requires a guarantee from wholesalers that it will make a minimum profit when it resells their products. Those deals enable Amazon to undercut competitors' pricing and force wholesalers to pay the difference for lost profit margins, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Racine claims that prompts wholesalers to charge more for goods elsewhere to offset those payments, making it more difficult for other e-commerce platforms to compete against Amazon's prices. PopSockets CEO David Barnett previously testified that Amazon demanded payment from the company to make up for lost profits after it reduced prices.

In the initial version of the suit, which was filed in May, Racine claimed Amazon blocks third-party sellers from offering their wares at lower prices on other platforms. Amazon is facing antitrust scrutiny elsewhere, including from the House of Representatives, the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission. Several state attorneys general are also said to be looking into whether the company has broken antitrust laws.

The next Marvel Cinematic Universe show will premiere on Disney+ in November and, appropriately enough, Hawkeye has a festive setting. Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) just wants to spend Christmas with his family, but his enemies have other plans.

The series marks the return of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. This time around, he has a new partner: Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), the self-professed "world's greatest archer." Hawkeye is said to center on the relationship between the two toxophilites, with Clint training Kate to take over as Hawkeye, as the character does in the comics. There are hints of that passing of the torch in the trailer. It shows the pair meeting for the first time and forming a bond as they work together to battle some goons.

There are a few nods to other parts of the MCU here, including the existence of a Broadway musical about Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) and a tip of the cap toward the "masked vigilante" Hawkeye battled in Avengers: Endgame. Something we don't see in the trailer is an appearance by Florence Pugh, who made her MCU bow as assassin Yelena Belova in Black Widow this summer. She was cast in Hawkeye last December.

In any case, you won't have to wait too long to see what happens when Yelena, Clint and Kate encounter each other. The eight-episode first season of Hawkeye will debut on November 24th on Disney+.

Ikea's Symfonisk lamp is a neat way to add a Sonos speaker to your space without it necessarily sticking out from the rest of your decor. But what if you want to jazz it up slightly? You may have that option in the future in the form of swappable shades.

According to a Reddit post spotted byProtocol's Janko Roettgers, it seems a new version of Symfonisk is in the offing. User u/shoicey said they spotted a different Symfonisk lampshade at their local Ikea. They found a document (archived version) on the company's website that notes the second-generation speaker will let customers pick their own glass or fabric cover.

White and black options will be available, according to the document, which is in Portuguese. The textile cover is listed at €20 (approximately $24) and the glass one is €30 ($35). The base, which houses the WiFi speaker, costs €129 (roughly $152). The document lists other Symfonisk products, including the picture frame speaker Ikea announced in June.

“We're excited about the products we're working on together and are looking forward to sharing more soon,” Sonos said in a statement. Engadget has contacted Ikea for more info, including details about availability. Given that this document is on the Ikea website though, it may not be long before these new Symfonisk lamps are out in the wild.

DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub are suing New York City over limits the city imposes on the delivery fees they can charge restaurants. The city brought in the caps on a temporary basis in June last year to help restaurants stay in business when dining rooms were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. NYC officials made the limits permanent in August.

Currently, the delivery apps can charge restaurants up to 23 percent per order, which includes three percent to cover credit card processing fees. Otherwise, they could have charged fees of up to 35 percent. In April, DoorDash introduced a tiered system that charges up to 30 percent in commissions.

The companies claim in their US District Court court complaint, which was posted by The Verge, that the cap is unconstitutional and tantamount to government overreach that will damage businesses. They're seeking an injunction to stop the city enforcing the fee limits as well as damages and a jury trial. “Left unchecked, the ordinance sets a dangerous precedent,” they argued.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj, chair of the city’s Small Business Committee, said that NYC would maintain the caps and proceed with other oversight over delivery apps. “The laws simply seek to bring fairness to a system that all too often lacks it,” he told The Wall Street Journal. Engadget has contacted Uber Eats for comment.

“Grubhub has worked hard during the pandemic to support restaurants in New York City and across the country," a company spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "Despite our best efforts, the City Council recently passed an unprecedented and unconstitutional price control targeting the food delivery industry. Price controls increase delivery fees for consumers, and therefore lead to a reduction of orders for both restaurants and couriers. While Grubhub remains willing to engage with the City Council, we unfortunately are left with no choice but to take legal action." 

Grubhub also contends that the NYC ordinance will hurt not only the apps, but restaurants and consumers. It suggests the fee caps will will lead to higher prices and fewer deliveries for couriers, as well as less choice for services for restaurants from delivery platforms. 

"New York City Council passed harmful, unnecessary, and unconstitutional price controls which leave us no choice but to resolve this matter in court, as we did in San Francisco," a DoorDash spokesperson told Engadget. "Not only do price controls violate the U.S. and New York Constitutions, but they will likely harm the very restaurants the City purports to support."

In June, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted to permanently cap delivery app fees at 15 percent, becoming the first city in the US to do so. However, Mayor London Breed declined to sign the bill, claiming it was "unnecessarily prescriptive in limiting the business models of the third-party organizations." DoorDash and Grubhub sued San Francisco to block the measure as well.

The judge in the case between Apple and Epic Games has issued a permanent injunction against Apple. The company must allow developers to direct users to other payment systems, which would let them bypass the 30 percent cut of in-app payments Apple takes. The judge issued the ruling several months after the trial drew to a close. 

Developing...