Posts with «author_name|mariella moon» label

PlayStation DualSense controllers fall to $50 in early Black Friday sale

The PlayStation Store at Amazon is selling various colors of the Playstation DualSense Wireless Controller for only $50 as part of its early Black Friday deals. You can get the controller for your PS5, which also works for PCs, right now for up to 33 percent off their usual prices. Yes, the models on sale include the colors that typically go for $75 — Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, Gray Camouflage, Volcanic Red and Cobalt Blue — in addition to the basic $70 white and the Midnight Black controllers. 

The DualSense controller has adaptive L2 and R2 triggers with varying levels of force and tension that change as you interact with your game's environment. It also comes with haptic feedback meant to add a layer of immersion to your gaming sessions. DualSense has a built-in microphone array, so you can chat with friends without a headset, though you can always plug one in through the controller's 3.5mm jack. And if you quickly want switch voice capture on or off, you can simply click the controller's dedicated mute button.

In case you've still yet to buy a PS5, or if you're looking to gift one these holidays, you can get one bundled with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 at a discount, as well. The bundle is selling for $500, down $60 from its regular price. We enjoyed Spider-Man 2 when we reviewed it and found it even better than the first installment. It was action-packed from the beginning, with a gameplay that allows you to quickly swap between Peter Parker and Miles Morales for two different types of Spidey-experiences. We also praised Insomniac for expanding and streamlining the game's combat mechanics. The game is exclusive to the PS5, and you'll get a full game voucher to download it from the PlayStation Network when you purchase this bundle.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-dualsense-controllers-fall-to-50-in-early-black-friday-sale-115513371.html?src=rss

Meta will mark political and social ads altered by AI starting next year

Meta will require advertisers to disclose whether the ads they submit for its websites have been digitally altered, including through the use of AI tools, if they're political or social in nature. Ads that have been digitally altered will be marked as such on Meta's platforms, in the same way some advertisements come with a "Paid for" disclaimer. The company will start implementing the rule in the new year, just as the campaign period for what's expected to be a brutal and divisive 2024 US presidential elections heats up. 

In a blog post, Meta explained that advertisers have to disclose in the advertising flow if they submit a social issue, electoral or political ad with photorealistic images or videos — or one with realistic sounding audio — that was altered to make a real person say or do something they didn't actually say or do. They're also required to tell Meta whether they're submitting an ad with a realistic-looking person that doesn't exist, a realistic-looking event that didn't happen or an altered footage of a real event that truly occurred. If they submit a fake image, video or audio recording of an event that allegedly took place — say, something they created with the help of AI image generators — they have to notify Meta, as well. Advertisers don't need to disclose if they'd only size adjusted, cropped, color corrected and sharpened their ads. 

Meta, which already expects some advertisers to run afoul of the new rule, warned that it will reject ads if it determines that they failed to or deliberately didn't disclose that they'd digitally altered their submissions. Further, it said that repeated strikes against the rule "may result in penalties." It has yet to elaborate on the authorization process advertisers have to go through and the safeguards in place to prevent them from gaming the system, but it promised to share more details in the future. 

Politicians and supporters from both sides of the aisle have already raised concerns about the possibility of AI being used to propel election misinformation to new heights this campaign season. There's already an altered video of President Joe Biden that was edited to make him appear as if he was inappropriately touching his granddaughter circulating on Facebook. Meta's Oversight Board opened a case after users appealed to have the video removed, and it's expected to release a decision in the near future. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-mark-political-and-social-ads-altered-by-ai-starting-next-year-110033484.html?src=rss

The first Grand Theft Auto VI trailer will arrive in early December

We may get official details about Grand Theft Auto VI very, very soon. Following a Bloomberg that said Rockstar Games would announce the next entry in the GTA franchise as early as this week, Rockstar confirmed it would release a trailer for the forthcoming game in early December, as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. It's one of the most anticipated games for the current crop of consoles, especially since the fifth main installment in the series — the second-best selling video game of all time, as Bloomberg notes — came out way back in 2013. 

We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto. We look forward to many more years of sharing these experiences with all of you.

Thank you,
Sam Houser

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 8, 2023

While Rockstar has yet to launch the title, some fans may have already gotten a glimpse of early-days gameplay footage due to a leak that a hacker uploaded online in 2022. It contained 90 seconds of gameplay from a GTA VI test build, showing one of the two playable protagonists, a female character named Lucia, robbing a store. Another clip showed the other playable character riding the "Vice City Metro," indicating that its story takes place in Rockstar's fictionalized version of Miami. The developer later confirmed the contents of the leak and said that the game's creation would continue "as planned."

Rockstar may reveal GTA VI's release period alongside the trailer next month, but its parent company Take-Two previously hinted that it's coming out sometime in 2024. 

Update, November 8, 2023, 8:15AM ET: This story has been updated to note that Rockstar has confirmed it'll release a trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto game in December.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-grand-theft-auto-vi-trailer-will-arrive-in-early-december-045219564.html?src=rss

Rockstar may announce Grand Theft Auto VI this week

We may get official details about Grand Theft Auto VI very, very soon, if Bloomberg's report turns out to be true. Rockstar Games plans to announce the next entry in the GTA franchise as early as this week, according to the news organization. Plus, Rockstar is reportedly publishing a trailer for the game next month as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. It's one of the most anticipated games for the current crop of consoles, especially since the fifth main installment in the series — the second-best selling video game of all time, as Bloomberg notes — came out way back in 2013. 

While Rockstar has yet to launch the title, some fans may have already gotten a glimpse of early-days gameplay footage due to a leak that a hacker uploaded online in 2022. It contained 90 seconds of gameplay from a GTA VI test build, showing one of the two playable protagonists, a female character named Lucia, robbing a store. Another clip showed the other playable character riding the "Vice City Metro," indicating that its story takes place in Rockstar's fictionalized version of Miami. The developer later confirmed the contents of the leak and said that the game's creation would continue "as planned."

Rockstar will likely reveal GTA VI's release period when it announces the game, but its parent company Take-Two previously hinted that it's coming out sometime in 2024. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rockstar-may-announce-grand-theft-auto-vi-this-week-045219455.html?src=rss

Blizzard's next World of Warcraft expansions make up a three-part saga

Blizzard is planning an MCU-style future for the World of Warcraft. Chris Metzen, who only recently returned to the company as the executive creative director of Warcraft, has announced that the game's next three expansions will make up a three-part interconnected saga. Since Blizzard typically releases expansions within two years of each other, "The Worldsoul Saga's" story will take years to unfold. The first installment called World of Warcraft: The War Within is slated for release sometime in 2024, followed by World of Warcraft: Midnight and World of Warcraft: The Last Titan in the years after that. 

Warcraft general manager John Hight said the trilogy encompasses "one of the most ambitious creative endeavors ever attempted for World of Warcraft." Each one is a standalone narrative, but they're connected by an overall story arc, he explained. "Alongside these epic adventures, the ongoing quality-of-life feature updates players have come to expect from us since Dragonflight will continue in The War Within, further setting us up for the next 20 years and beyond," Hight added. 

While Blizzard has yet to released an in-depth summary for The War Within, it did share a few pertinent details about the expansion. It will feature an ancient civilization underneath the surface of the planet as it rises in power, while Alliance and Horde heroes experience visions of possible futures, both good and bad. Players can grind until they reach the expansion's level cap of 80, and they can explore a new continent called Khaz Algar. There's also a new unlockable and playable Titan-forged race called the Earthen, new bite-size adventures that can support one to five players called Delves, as well as a new feature dubbed Warbands, which allows players to share banks, reputations and transmogs across characters. 

Fans can already pre-purchase The War Within for $50, and it will also give them instant access to the Dragonflight expansion. The War Within: Heroic Edition, which comes with extras, is available for $70, while the The War Within: Epic Edition that includes beta access to the expansion, along with even more extras, will set them back $90. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blizzards-next-world-of-warcraft-expansions-make-up-a-three-part-saga-154521763.html?src=rss

Revel is shutting down its shared electric moped service

Revel is leaving behind its roots and ending its (at times controversial) electric moped service New York City and San Francisco. Company CEO and co-founder Frank Reig has sent a company-wide email, viewed by TechCrunch, telling staff that "the service has been strained and ridership isn't what it used to be." Revel has also sent out emails to its passengers, notifying them that the service will shut down on November 18 and encouraging them to use their account credits before then. 

It's a bad day for car-free travel in NYC. @_GoRevel is shutting down their moped business in NYC and SF.@StreetsblogNYC @ShabazzStuart pic.twitter.com/UXo5RDSKrY

— Matt (@Noticeandaccept) November 3, 2023

As the publication notes, Revel pulled the service out of its other markets in 2022, and only has around 3,000 mopeds operational in NYC and San Francisco. A spokesperson from the company told TechCrunch that ridership has dropped by 30 percent in both remaining cities year-over-year and that it's no longer sustainable to keep that segment of its business running. 

Revel temporarily paused its moped service a few times over the years due to safety concerns. In 2020, it suspended the ridesharing solution following an accident wherein two customers were killed while riding its vehicles. It brought back the service after implementing a mandatory in-app safety test and requiring riders to take a selfie of themselves wearing a helmet. Revel also pulled its mopeds from the Bronx for over a year due to a string of battery thefts.

Going forward, Revel will focus on its EV ride-hailing service operated by employee drivers across the five boroughs of New York. It also plans to expand its EV fast-charging stations in New York and the Bay Area.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/revel-is-shutting-down-its-shared-electric-moped-service-113046594.html?src=rss

Lucid cuts prices on Air luxury EVs by up to $10,000

Lucid is selling several of its electric vehicle models at a discount until November 30, and as Reuters notes, it's another sign that the EV market is going through period of slow demand in the midst of tougher competition. The automaker is now selling the 2023 Air Pure All Wheel Drive (AWD) for $74,900, down from $82,400. Meanwhile, the Air Touring now costs $87,500 instead of $95,000, and the Air Grand Touring will set buyers back $10,000 less at $115,600 instead of $125,600. Lucid is offering these discounts as "Air Credits," which the company launched during an earlier round of price cuts. 

"We think our customers still deserve a $7,500 credit for choosing an EV," Zak Edson, Lucid's Vice President of Sales and Service, said back in February. Buyers can get federal tax credits of up to $7,500 for electric vehicles within certain price ranges, but Lucid's luxury sedans are too expensive and don't qualify for the incentive. 

To note, customers can only avail of Lucid's discounts if they can take delivery within seven days of their order being ready. One of the company's main reasons for cutting prices seems to be to sell its current inventory, because the limited-time offers only apply to "cars for immediate delivery." Upon checking its available vehicles, Lucid has dozens of the aforementioned models available for buyers within the next two weeks. 

Lucid isn't the only EV-maker to cut its prices more than once over the past year. Tesla notably lowered its prices several times since 2022, the latest of which was announced after it revealed that it fell short of market estimates for deliveries in the third quarter of 2023. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-cuts-prices-on-air-luxury-evs-by-up-to-10000-091529627.html?src=rss

Google's plan to build 15,000 homes for the San Francisco Bay Project fizzles out

Google has ended its agreement with real estate developer Landlease for its San Francisco Bay Project, effectively scrapping its plans to build a campus with thousands of homes for employees and locals. The company announced the project in 2019, promising the "development of at least 15,000 new homes at all income levels" on at least $750 million worth of land it owns. Around 4,000 of those homes were supposed to be affordable housing, which would've been a welcome presence in the region with one of the highest costs of living in the country. 

The San Francisco Bay Project is a collective name for Google's planned developments in San Jose (Downtown West), Sunnyvale (Moffett Park) and Mountain View (Middlefield Park and North Bayshore). San Jose, in particular, approved the massive project in 2021, and it would've seen the construction of 4,000 homes, office space for approximately 20,000 employees, 300 hotel rooms and 10 parks. As part of the deal, Google had agreed to set aside $200 million in funding for displaced local businesses and job readiness programs. 

Earlier this year, however, Google put the Downtown West facility construction on hold after demolition had already started to make way for construction that was scheduled to begin in 2026. The company told Engadget at the time that it was still figuring out "how to best move forward" with the San Jose campus in a way that would cater to its "future needs." Workplaces have changed tremendously over the past few years, after all, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Google, for instance, adopted a hybrid work schedule that allowed employees to work from home for a couple of days a week. Earlier this year, Google parent Alphabet also laid off 12,000 workers after going on a hiring spree during a period of growth. 

In Lendlease's announcement (PDF), it said that the companies have decided to end their agreement after Google did a comprehensive review of its real estate investments. They've apparently determined that the "existing agreements are no longer mutually beneficial given current market conditions. Based on what a company spokesperson told CNBC, though, Google hasn't entirely killed its housing projects. "As we've shared before, we've been optimizing our real estate investments in the Bay Area, and part of that work is looking at a variety of options to move our development projects forward and deliver on our housing commitment," Alexa Arena, a senior director of development at Google, told the news organziation. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also told CNBC that this development "doesn't change Google's commitment to San Jose or their timeline" and that it gives the company more flexibility to choose the "best possible developers" for the project. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-plan-to-build-15000-homes-for-the-san-francisco-bay-project-fizzles-out-113526409.html?src=rss

Legacy HBO Max ad-free subscribers will lose access to 4K streams soon

In just a bit over a month, legacy HBO Max subscribers paying for ad-free streaming will be losing a couple of perks they're enjoying. One of those is 4K streaming. According to The Verge, the streaming service has started sending affected subscribers an email, notifying them that they won’t be able to stream in 4K anymore after December 5th. Warner Bros. Discovery promised existing subscribers when it rebranded the service into "Max" back in May they they would still have access to their plan's features over the next six months. After that period ends, their only option to retain 4K streaming is to let go of their $16-a-month subscription plan to switch to Max’s Ultimate Ad-Free tier that costs $20 a month.

The service introduced the tier when Max launched, promising users access to 1,000 4K movies and TV show episodes, some of which support Dolby Atmos and Vision. Subscribers who choose to keep their legacy plan will have to make do with Full HD resolution. In addition, legacy subscribers will no longer be able to stream on three devices at once, because Max will only allow them access to two concurrent streams. Both changes bring the legacy $16 subscription in line with the new Max Ad Free tier, which costs the same amount.

An Ultimate Ad Free subscription allows subscribers to stream on up to four devices at once, aside from giving them access to 4K content. It costs quite a bit more than the regular ad-free subscription, but those who want higher-quality streaming and can afford to plunk down $200 in one go will be seeing their yearly expenses for Max go up by just a few cents per month. Max also has a $10-a-month ad-supported tier for those who don’t mind their viewing experience interrupted by commercials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/legacy-hbo-max-ad-free-subscribers-will-lose-access-to-4k-streams-soon-092315829.html?src=rss

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty on seven charges of fraud and conspiracy

A federal jury has found Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, guilty on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy he was charged with in relation to the downfall of his cryptocurrency exchange. According to The New York Times, he faces a maximum sentence of 110 years in federal prison. Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas back in December 2022 after the Department of Justice took a close look at his role in the rapid collapse of FTX. The agency examined whether he transferred hundreds of millions of dollars when the exchange filed for bankruptcy and whether FTX broke the law when it moved funds to sister company Alameda Research.

During Bankman-Fried's trial that took place over the past month, prosecutors argued that he used FTX's funds to keep Alameda Research running. The fallen entrepreneur also founded the cryptocurrency hedge fund, which was ran by his girlfriend Caroline Ellison, who was aware that he used FTX customers' money to help Alameda meet its liabilities. Bankman-Fried previously denied that he deliberately misused FTX's funds. The Times says his lawyers tried to portray him as a math nerd who had to grapple with "forces largely outside of his control," but the jury clearly disagreed after the prosecution called Ellison and three of Bankman-Fried's former top advisers to the witness stand. Ellison and all of those advisers had pleaded guilty, with the Alameda Research chief admitting that she committed fraud at Bankman-Fried's direction.

Bankman-Fried was charged with wire fraud on FTX customers, wire fraud on Alameda Research lenders, conspiracy to commit wire fraud on both, conspiracy to commit securities and commodities fraud on FTX customers, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2024 by US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who also presided over his trial. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftx-founder-sam-bankman-fried-found-guilty-on-seven-charges-of-fraud-and-conspiracy-012316105.html?src=rss