The artist formerly known as Twitter has been in some hot water this week after Bloomberg found that the social media site would start collecting biometric details, along with job and education data, from users. Now, a newly-released privacy policy indicates that X will use this data, along with other collected personal information, to train AI models, as originally spotted by Alex Ivanovs at Stackdiary.

The privacy policy clearly indicates that the company plans to use information it collects, along with any publicly available data, to help train machine learning algorithms.

“We may use the information we collect and publicly available information to help train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models for the purposes outlined in this policy,” the privacy posting reads.

Musk has confirmed the change, but notes that only publicly available information will be collected, and not “DMs or anything private.” X no longer has a press arm, so there’s no real way to get ahold of anyone for more concrete information as to what data and information will be scooped up and what exactly it'll be used for. 

X doesn’t have any public AI ambitions, but owner Elon Musk does. He recently launched a company called, wait for it, xAI that aims “to understand the true nature of the universe”, so maybe your biometric data and related information will be used to further that lofty and totally achievable goal. Stackdiary points to text on the xAI homepage that says it “will work closely with X” to “make progress towards our mission.”

There’s another option for where this data is headed. Musk recently announced ambitions to compete with Linkedin, stating that the employment site was “cringe” and that X’s version would be “cool.” So that would explain the collection of job and education histories from its user base.

Finally, there’s a third option. X isn’t exactly raking in the advertising dollars, so selling user data would be an easy way to make some coin. However, there’s no evidence to point to that, aside from it being a standard practice in the social media world. In the past, Twitter primarily used collected user data to benefit itself, and not third parties.

There’s a new Xbox console available. Microsoft just launched a new version of the digital-only Xbox Series S in a bold “Carbon Black” color with twice the available storage, 1TB compared to the standard 512GB that ships with other SKUs. It costs $350, features the same matte finish as the more expensive Series X and ships with an official Xbox Wireless Controller. The new console is available at just about every brick-and-mortar and digital retailer after originally being teased at the Summer Games Fest back in June.

The big news here is the extra hard drive space. The Series S doesn’t accept physical media, so the hard drive is your only option. Prior versions were locked in at 512GB and, well, you know how that goes. That’s enough for around three or four AAA games. For instance, the recently-released Bethesda RPG Starfield clocks in at 130GB. Assuming an average size of around 100GB, the new Series S should accommodate seven or eight high-profile games plus plenty of smaller-sized indie titles. You’ll still have to delete older games to make room for newer ones eventually, or get an external drive, but you can worry about that later.

The just-released Series S refresh also boasts a relatively eco-friendly design, with many components made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins. This follows a trend originally started back in 2021 with Series S consoles.

Modern Xbox naming conventions can get a bit confusing for average consumers, so what exactly is the Series S and how does it differ from the Series X? Both are next-gen consoles, but the Series S is the lower-powered cousin to the Series X, in addition to lacking a dedicated disc drive. However, the Series X costs $500 and the Series S costs $300 to $350, depending on the available hard drive space. Modern games run on both consoles, but the Series S is designed for lower resolutions of 1080p or 1440p, while the Series X is decidedly a 4K console.

Tesla’s Model S and X electric vehicles have already received two substantial price cuts throughout the year, but now there’s another one to entice consumers hesitant to jump on the EV train. Tesla has cut prices on these cars by 15 to 19 percent, starting today, depending on the model and trim. This price drop is not just for American consumers, as similar discounts have appeared throughout the globe, according to EV experts Electrek.

As of today, you can pick up a Model S for the base price of $74,990, which is $3,500 less than the previous base price. The Model X now starts at $79,990, which is a reduction of $8,500. All colors are now included in the base price, so you don’t have to pony up for a bit of aesthetic flourish. You can choose between white, black, gray, blue or red.

This is a good news and bad news situation, however, as Tesla has suddenly discontinued the Standard Range version of both vehicles, which featured a smaller battery. This isn’t that big of a deal, however, as the new discounted prices on the Model X and S make these cars actually cheaper than the Standard Range vehicles.

There’s one final money-saving item of note. The Tesla Model X now qualifies for a tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. The threshold for qualification is $55K for cars and $80K for trucks and SUVs. In other words, the Model S is still too expensive, but the Model X squeaks in just under the cost threshold for SUVs and trucks. This means that you can actually get a base Model X for cheaper than a Model S, so long as you make less than $150K to $300K a year, depending on if you’re single or married.

As previously stated, the price cuts also apply across Europe and China, with similar discounts when considering local currencies. While lower prices are obviously a great thing for prospective consumers, some current Tesla owners have expressed dismay regarding an associated drop in resale prices. Earlier this year, protesters in China demanded compensation for price cuts but Tesla said nope.

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.

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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.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengewas a surprise hit when it launched last summer, breathing new life into the old-school 2D beat-em-up formula. Now there’s some new paid DLC to entice players back into the sewers. The Dimension Shellshock update was released today and brings new characters and a new game mode.

The DLC was announced earlier this summer, but the reveal didn’t include a release date, so today’s launch is a nice surprise. Dimension Shellshock allows you to play the entire game as two new players. There’s the comic book samurai Miyamoto Usagi from Usagi Yojimbo, an occasional friend to the turtles, and former Foot Clan soldier Karai. Both characters boast unique move sets and power ups.

As for the turtles and their cohorts, the DLC introduces palette swaps to keep things fresh. You don’t even have to buy Dimension Shellshock for this feature as there’s a free update with just the new colors.

There’s also a brand-new survival mode. This isn’t just a rehash that locks your characters in an arena with waves of enemies. Rather, it includes a number of original levels, called dimensions. There’s a bit of a roguelite element here, as the more you play, the more crystals you collect. These crystals can be used to purchase power ups, extra hit points and more.

Dimension Shellshock costs $8 and requires a copy of the original game. It’s currently available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

The annual Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) speedrunning charity gaming event is returning in January. It’s going to be an in-person affair once again, the first time since COVID. It all takes place in Pittsburgh at the Wyndham Hotel from January 14th to the 21st. Despite the change to an in-person format, you’ll be able to stream the festivities via the Games Done Quick Twitch channel.

For the uninitiated, AGDQ is a speedrunning marathon event that runs all day and night throughout the week. AGDQ 2024 will be held in support of the Prevent Cancer Foundation and you’ll be able to quickly donate to the charity on Twitch or via the Games Done Quick website. The event raised over $3.5 million for the foundation back in 2022 and $2.6 million last year. There’s also a sibling event held in the summer that has raised millions of dollars for Doctors Without Borders.

AGDQ 2024 is still months away, so the organizers have yet to issue a list of participants and games. Past years have seen speedrunners take on hundreds of releases, from newer titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to retro-flavored gems like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Doom. Yes, labeling 2010's Super Mario Galaxy 2 as retro makes me feel old too, but it is what it is. 

Games Done Quick has stated that speedrunners don’t have to head to Pittsburgh to take part, as there will be remote runs available for those unable to travel. The organization is accepting speedrunning submissions from September 1st to the 10th, so start practicing your runs now.

It looks like Instagram is about to significantly increase the maximum length of Reels posts, according to reputable mobile developer and leaker Alessandro Paluzzi. The current hard limit for these videos is three minutes, but screenshots provided by Paluzzi indicate a forthcoming leap to 10 minutes. This would effectively transform the social media site into a more robust video-sharing platform like YouTube.

This move would also allow Meta’s Instagram to further compete with rival TikTok, as the latter already lets users post videos up to ten minutes in length. TikTok and Instagram seem to be caught in some sort of ouroboros of mimicry, with one app regularly adopting features originally unveiled by the other.

As TikTok and Instagram vie for a share of the long-form video pie, YouTube’s moving in the opposite direction. It’s been making a push to gain more ground in the short-form video space, recently adding a suite of creator tools and a TikTok-esque music-discovery feed. The days when you could easily label Instagram as the “photo one”, TikTok as the “short video one” and YouTube as the “long video one” are gone. It looks like they all want to be “does everything one.”

Engadget reached out to Meta for clarification regarding the move toward long-form video content and will update this post when and if we receive a substantive response.

A pair of popular OnePlus smartphones just went on sale, hitting record low prices for both. The company’s flagship OnePlus 11 5G went down from $700 to $600, a savings of nearly 20 percent. The budget-friendly OnePlus Nord N30 5G got even, well, friendlier with a $50 discount, dropping the cost to $250 from $300. If you’re shopping for a smartphone, this is a good time to take the plunge.

We praised the OnePlus 11 as a “back-to-basics flagship smartphone,” noting its gorgeous 120Hz 6.6-inch OLED display, the fantastic battery life, 100W quick-charging and improved camera system when compared to its predecessor. In other words, the 11 was already a bargain at $800, as modern iPhones and Samsung phones cost upwards of $1,000. Today’s sale makes the bargain even harder to resist.

The OnePlus Nord N30 takes a more modest approach, as this is absolutely a low-priced smartphone rather than a flagship. However, it’s one of the best budget-friendly phones around and a great choice for anyone looking for a no-frills device that gets the job done. The specs are fantastic for the price, with a Snapdragon 695 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a crisp 120Hz IPS display. Not many cheap phones can match this set of features.

These phones aren’t perfect, as the N30 lacks waterproofing and the 11 isn’t the most exciting flagship model in the world, but the list of pros far outweigh any list of cons. OnePlus isn’t widely available at retail outlets, so this sale is reserved for Amazon and Best Buy.

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Now that the Tears of the Kingdom dust has settled like one of those Korok dandelion leaf puzzles, Nintendo is starting to ramp up its efforts for the holiday season. You know what that means. Another Nintendo Direct is scheduled for August 31st at 10AM EST, according to a social media post from the company.

Nintendo promises that the streaming event will feature an “in-depth look” at the forthcoming 2D side-scrolling adventure Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with around 15 minutes of gameplay and information. More Mario is never bad, but this is a themed-direct that exclusively features Wonder. In other words, don’t get your hopes up for any trailers for other games, surprise reveals or anything like that. You’ll get plenty of juicy tidbits, however, about the first 2D Mario in over a decade.

Super Mario Bros. Wonderhas been described as the “next evolution” in the 2D franchise. We’ve only gotten one trailer so far but it was packed with discussion-worthy moments. Mario can turn into an elephant and the game world changes by devouring a psychedelic flower. The appropriately-named Wonder Flower looks to be unpredictable, making pipes come alive, creating hordes of new enemies or completely shifting the overall look and feel of a level. I’m sure the power up does a whole lot more, which should be revealed Thursday.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches for the Nintendo Switch on October 30th, just in time for that oh-so-important holiday season. Beyond the sidescroller, the Switch’s holiday release schedule looks pretty dry, compared to other years. There’s Detective Pikachu Returns, a remake of the SNES classicSuper Mario RPG and some Pokémon DLC, and that’s pretty much it for first-party releases. This is the console's seventh holiday season, which could have something to do with it.