Ford's F-150 Lightning electric pickup was one of the few models to retain the full $7,500 US tax credit for 2024, but a lot of that advantage is about to be negated. The price of 2024 models is set to rise from $49,995 to $54,995 (excluding delivery charges and incentives), while the next model up, the XLT, is going up massively by $10,000 to $64,995, according to a report from The Detroit Free Press seen by The Verge. The 2023 models will retain the same pricing. 

Buyers eyeing premium versions of the F-150 Lightning are in luck, however. The Platinum model with a 300 mile EPA estimated range is dropping from $91,995 to $84,995, while the price for the Platinum Black (pictured above) is falling $5,000 to $92,995. A complete list of the changes is pictured below (excludes destination charge):

• Pro (240 mile EPA-estimated range): $5,000 increase from $49,995 to $54,995

• XLT 311 A (240 mile EPA-estimated range): $10,000 increase from $54,995 to $64,995

• Flash (320 mile EPA-estimated range): New "tech-forward" model with 300 miles of range for $73,495

• Lariat (320 mile EPA-estimated range): $2,000 increase from $77,495 to $79,495

• Platinum (300 mile EPA-estimated range): $7,000 price reduction from $91,995 to $84,995

• Platinum Black (300 mile EPA-estimated range): $5,000 price reduction from $97,995 to $92,995

Ford

Ford added a new model call the F-150 Lightning Flash to the lineup (above), which includes "in-demand tech capabilities" like an extended-range battery with 320-miles of EPA-estimated range, BlueCruise hands-free highway driving and a standard 15.5-inch touchscreen." However, the automaker completely dropped two models from the lineup, namely the 240-mile range Lariat and 320-mile range XLT 312. The 2024 models aren't yet available on Ford's website.

Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said that the company must cut down on the number of Lightning models to improve quality. At the same time, the changes are designed to improve "sales growth, profitability and customer access to the IRA tax benefits," a spokesperson told CNBC News. "The F-150 Lightning is America’s best-selling electric pickup after a record fourth quarter, and demand continues to grow." 

While Tesla sold a record number of EVs in 2023, sales of Ford's electric offerings have been relatively weak, representing a $3.1 billion loss for the company last year. Ford was one of the few automakers that managed to retain the full $7,500 tax credit for the F-150 Lightning, though, along with Tesla (across most of its range) and Chevrolet's Bolt EUV and EV. 

Tesla has unveiled its EV delivery and production figures for 2023, and the company had another banner year — but it has Chinese rival BYD close behind. Elon Musk's company produced 1.846 million EVs last year and delivered 1.809 million, besting 2022 deliveries by a wide 38 percent. Those figures include 494,989 EVs produced last quarter and 484,507 delivered.

Tesla's originally projected it would sell 2 million vehicles in 2023, but revised that figure downward in its October 2023 earnings call. It did exceed analyst expectations for Q4 2023, though, according to CNBC. 

Tesla built 476,777 Model 3 and Model Y EVs last quarter and delivered 461,538 of them. Those include sales of the refreshed "Highland" Model 3. While Elon Musk predicted last quarter that the Model Y would become "the bestselling car on Earth," the company didn't break down sales between its two most popular models. The company sold 18,212 "other models" consisting of Model S and Model X EVs. There are no sales figures yet for the Cybertruck. 

Tesla has battled some negative press with its EV lineup, particularly around its Autopilot system, which has seen regulatory scrutiny in the US and other countries. EV sales no doubt received a boost from several price drops over the last year as well, with the Model 3 and Model Y most recently dropping to $38,990 and $45,990, respectively. Tesla chalked up the price drops to "economic uncertainty, higher interest rates, and shifting consumer sentiment" in its October earnings call. 

One of Tesla's biggest markets is China, but the company is facing stiff competition there from another EV giant, BYD. That company announced sales of 3.02 million electrified vehicles in 2023, including 1.6 million were fully electric cars and 1.4 million hybrids. Most of BYD's EVs sell at significantly lower price points that Tesla's cars, however. 

Generative AI provoked a lot of discussion last year around images, text and video, but it may soon affect the gaming industry as well. Square Enix said it plans to be "aggressively applying" AI and other cutting-edge tech in 2024 to "create new forms of content," according to president Takashi Kiryu's New Year's letter. 

"Artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential implications had for some time largely been subjects of academic debate," he said. "However, the introduction of ChatGPT, which allows anyone to easily produce writing or translations or to engage in text-based dialogue, sparked the rapid spread of generative AIs. I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming." 

The company will start by using it to improve productivity in development and assist in marketing. "In the longer term, we hope to leverage those technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, as we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities," Kiryu added. Square Enix also plans to build more immersive AR and VR experiences, including "new forms of content that fuse the real world and virtual worlds." 

Kiryu name-checked ChatGPT, despite the fact that its creator OpenAI was recently sued by The New York Times for copyright infringement. In the gaming industry directly, companies including Valve have said they may restrict games that use AI on their platforms over similar concerns. 

Square Enix didn't specifically state that AI would be used to generate content in the form of characters, voices, environments or anything else, though. Rather, it appears to be more of a broad aspiration than anything specific. The company has made similar proclamations in the past about blockchain, NFTs and Web 3.0, but it only gave those scant mention in this year's letter. 

The developers of Tekken 8 are boosting the upcoming game's accessibility with color blind options, but some experts and users say some of the settings may cause more harm than good. One filter in particular that displays horizontal and vertical black and white lines appears to be causing headaches and vertigo, and may even "hospitalize players (or worse), in the same way as the infamous Pokémon episode," said gaming accessibility specialist Ian Hamilton in a post on X. (We have embedded a still from the game at the bottom of the article. Viewer discretion is advised.)

The various filters were posted by X user @itwhiffed, who said "why is no one talking about the color blind accessibility of Tekken 8." His post thread shows multiple filters for red, green and blue blindness, with different strength settings for each. However, one set of filters also shows characters as vertical and horizontal lines, with different white or black backgrounds. 

"Accessibility folks, please stop directly sharing the tweet showing Tekken characters as striped lines," said EA's senior GM for accessibility, James Berg. "The video autoplaying is giving folks migraines. Due to it having parallel lines moving unpredictably, covering much of the screen, I'd expect it's doing worse as well." 

He went on to add that "patterns of lines moving on a screen creates a contiguous area of high-frequency flashing, like an invisible strobe... [and] human meat-motors aren't big fans of that." That was verified by some users on X, with one saying the filter "gave me instant vertigo just from a 2-3 second clip that accidentally saw." Tara Wake Voelker, Xbox Game Studios accessibility lead, meanwhile, suggested the Tekken 8 team use EA's photosensitive epilepsy safety testing tool. 

Tekken's director Katsuhiro Harada responded to the outcry, saying "a few people, albeit very few, have either misunderstood the accessibility options we are trying, or have only seen the video without actually trying them out in the demo play." 

He added that the game features "multiple types of color vision options" for players with color blindness, not just one pattern, and that there is "quite a range of adjustment." He also noted that the feature received positive feedback from many demo play participants. 

"The intent here is fantastic — it's great to see Tekken becoming more accessible," said Berg. "Please take the advice from Ian and Tara's posts. We all want to see this succeed." Harada and the Tekken 8 team still have time to do that, as the game is due out on January 26th. 

Bandai Namco

Meta is permanently cutting the price of its Quest 2 VR headset to $250 following the launch of the Quest 3, according to a Quest Blog update spotted by TechCrunch. The Quest 2 has been on sale at that price since Black Friday anyway, but the new retail price might spell even better deals for the previous-gen model. 

"We knew we could do even more to make VR more affordable and bring even more people into the community... that's why we’re permanently lowering prices on Quest 2 and its accessories, effective January 1," the company wrote. To wit, the 128GB Quest 2 is now $250, while the 256GB model is $300. Meta is also dropping the prices for refurbished units to $230 and $270, respectively. Similar pricing can be found on Amazon. 

Quest 2 accessories are also carrying lower prices, with the Elite Strap with battery receiving the biggest drop from $120 to $90. The regular Elite Strap is now $50, the carrying case has dropped to $45, the Active Pack is now $60 and the Quest 2 Fit Pack falls from $50 to $40. 

The Quest 2 became one of the more popular VR headsets thanks to the low $300 launch price, but the buzz died down when Meta jacked the price to $400 in mid-2022. The Quest 3 was a big step forward with improved screens and lenses, a more compact design, faster performance, mixed reality cameras and more. 

With hundreds of VR titles available — including Resident Evil 4, the new Roblox game and ever-popular Beat Saber — the Quest 2 is still a great entry into the world of VR, though. It's now even more attractive at that price, and we might see it drop even lower via sales over the next year. 

LG is trying to one-up its rival Samsung with the launch of the MyView 32-inch 4K monitors with built-in smart TV features. On top of performing regular monitor chores for productivity, content creation and light gaming, they have LG's webOS 23 built-in so that you can stream Netflix and other services — much like Samsung's M8 smart monitors. 

The three monitors (the 32SR85U, 32SR83U and 32SR70U) have similar specs with minor differences. All come with 31.5-inch 16:9 4K (3,840 x 2,160) IPS displays, 95 percent DCI-P3 coverage and HDR10 support. You also get webOS 23 on all models, with streaming services (Netflix, Disney+ etc.) along with productivity programs including Microsoft 365 and Google Calendar. They also support AirPlay 2 and Miracast for wireless screen mirroring, and have WiFi and Bluetooth built-in. 

However, the lower-end 32SR70U offers only 350 nits of brightness compared to 400 nits on the other models. And while all three have USB Type-C PD charging, the 32SR85U supports 90W, the 32SR83U supports 65W and the 32SR70U supports just 45 watts. The higher-end 85U and 83U screens also have slim bezels and an adjustable stand, while the 70U has a "low-profile base" that's likely fixed.

LG

The 32SR85U can be paired with a "detachable 1080p webcam" for video conferencing, but you have to buy one separately for the other two. Other features include 5W stereo speakers, a voice assistant, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a remote controller. 

The 95 percent DCI-P3 coverage is impressive, and even though 400/350 nits isn't very bright for HDR content, it's fine given that monitors tend to be just a couple of feet from your eyeballs. In addition, the 60Hz refresh rate won't allow for any high-end gaming. 

The MyView monitors beg a comparison with Samsung's M8 series, of course. LG is subtly digging its rival by saying they "raise the bar for picture quality in the smart monitor category," and that seems largely true. The IPS displays should offer better viewing angles than the VA panels on Samsung's monitors, along with much better color accuracy (Samsung boasts only 99 percent SRGB coverage).

Otherwise, they offer many of the same features, so attractiveness to buyers will depend a lot on the price. LG has yet to announce US pricing, but the 32SR83U will be 699,000 won (around $538) in Korea. Samsung's M8, meanwhile, is often on sale for as little as $400. 

LG is best known for its OLED range when it comes to TVs, but it's expanding its 2024 QNED-branded LCD lineup as well. For CES 2024, the company has unveiled a 98-inch QNED LCD TV, while updating the previous models including its 8K lineup with a new version of its webOS smart TV system, built-in Chromecast, AI-enhanced video and more. 

This year, LG has four QNED ranges (QNED = quantum dot and nanocell): the 8K miniLED QNED99T, 4K miniLED QNED90T, QNED85T LCD, and the QNED80T range at the bottom. The top QNED99T models will use LG's Alpha 9 processor that can enhance video and audio using AI, while the the QNED90T and QNED85T lineup will feature an updated Alpha 8 processor with improved processing, graphics and AI performance. The QNED80T will use LG's lower-end Alpha 5 Gen 7 chip. 

All models offer LG's webOS 24, with individual profiles that allow for personalized recommendations and voice recognition for each individual user. It also has Chromecast built in, so you'll be able to watch content from Android and iOS devices via AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, respectively. And starting next year, all of LG's QNED TVs will receive 4 years of webOS upgrades. In addition, some of its previous high-end models (namely, the 8K models launched in 2022 and some others yet to be named), will also get webOS updates for free.

The 98-inch model is part of the LG QNED85T lineup, which means it's a mid-range 4K LCD set with local dimming but not miniLED tech. That means it's likely to be priced more reasonably than miniLED TVs, but will lack the precise dimming found on those models. It will have the latest webOS 24 smart TV features, but LG didn't reveal any other specs or the price. LG will also offer 50-, 55-, 65-, 75- and 86-inch models in that range. 

LG will offer two 8K models (QNED99T) in 75- and 86-inch sizes. No specs or prices are available, but the previous models (that are no longer stocked in the US) cost around $4,800 and $6,500 at launch, respectively. You can also expect very high brightness levels up to 3,000 nits, Dolby Vision HDR support, Dolby Atmos and 120Hz or higher refresh rates for gaming. The QNED90T 4K TVs will also use miniLED and come in 65-, 75- and 86-inch sizes. 

The bottom end of the lineup (QNED80T) will appeal to budget minded buyers, but still offer the latest smart TV features, Dolby Vision, etc. It'll be available in 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75- and 86-inch sizes. Expect more details and pricing for the new lineup sometime next year.

Apple's designer exodus continues as product design chief Tang Tan is leaving the company and joining Jony Ive's design firm LoveFrom, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. There, he'll reportedly work on a new artificial intelligence hardware project backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman with aim of creating devices deploying the latest deep learning technology. 

Tan was in charge of design for Apple's main products including the iPhone, Watch and AirPods, so his departure leaves a sizable hole. As part of LoveFrom, Tan will act as hardware design lead for the new AI project, with Altman providing the software running underneath. All products are supposedly in the early concept phases, with a focus on devices for the home. None of the parties (OpenAI, LoveFrom or Apple) have commented on the news. 

It was already known that Tan would be likely be leaving Apple, but it hadn't yet been revealed where he'd go. Earlier this year, Jony Ive's successor Evans Hankey left the company after just a few years in the product design chief role. In all, about 14 members of Ive's former team have left Apple since 2019, with only a half dozen or so remaining. Ive worked as a consultant for Apple until 2022, and more than 20 former Apple employees have joined Ive under LoveFrom. 

Altman was recently fired (and then rehired) by OpenAI, in part because he was raising funds for other endeavors. One of those was the team-up with Ive to create AI hardware backed by Softbank, according to a previous Bloomberg report. 

Just ahead of CES (as usual), LG has unveiled one of the most interesting gaming monitors we've seen yet as part of its 2024 UltraGear OLED lineup. The 32-inch 32GS95UE UltraGear OLED not only offers a stellar 240Hz 4K option, but also lets you crank the refresh up 480Hz at 1080p with a "simple click." The company also unveiled new and updated 27-, 34- and 39- and 45-inch UltraGear OLED widescreen curved models, expanding its OLED gaming monitor family considerably. 

The 32-inch UltraGear OLED is the first model in that family to use LG's new "Dual-Hz" feature that lets you quickly switch between 4K (3,840 x 2,160) at 240HZ, to Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 at a stellar 480Hz. Very few monitors have the refresh rates that high, let alone the ability to choose between the two highest refresh rates available at their respective resolutions. 

LG

LG says you can switch between these modes "via a hotkey or joystick's directional switch" to best suit the genre of game you're playing. "For fast-paced action titles and shooting games, users can select FHD 480Hz, while visually rich story-driven games can be enjoyed in 4K 240Hz," the company said. 

Along with that trick, the 32-inch UltraGear OLED offers a .03-millisecond GtG response time — something that's important for a high refresh rate monitor to avoid motion blur and other artifacts. Other features include high-end HDR picture quality (DCI-P3 98.5 percent at 400 nits), a "virtually borderless design," built-in speakers with DTS Virtual:X tech, G-Sync compatibility and more. 

LG

Aside from that Model, LG introduce the 34-inch 34GS95QE and the 39GS95QE, it's first 39-inch OLED monitor. Both are ultra-wide models with a 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio, aggressive 800R curve, 3,440 x 1,440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate. These are significant because they're LG's first ultrawide OLED monitors, and the first such ultrawide curved OLED models with a 240Hz refresh rate. Both support G-Sync, FreeSync Premium Pro and DisplayHDR True Black 400 (the OLED standard). 

LG has also refreshed its UltraGear OLED 27 and the UltraGear OLED 45. Both versions of the 45-inch model offer 3,440 x 1,440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rates, but the 45GS96QB version includes speakers and a USB-C PD (power deliver) connection rated up to 65 watts.

After laying off nearly a quarter of its staff last year, e-scooter rental company Bird has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company announced. Existing lenders have agreed to purchase the assets and the company is being kept afloat via a $25 million loan from Apollo Global Management (Yahoo and Engadget's owner) and second-lien lenders, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The company will continue to operate as normal and "has sufficient liquidity to meet financial obligations to city partners, vendors, suppliers, and employees during and after the restructuring process, and will operate as usual," the company wrote. The filing doesn't affect Bird Canada or Bird Europe, which are separate organizations.

Bird aims to sell off its assets for the highest possible price via a “stalking horse” agreement that will set in motion an auction of sorts. Its current lenders will designate a baseline bid before opening the proceedings to other bidders over the next few months.

Bird went public in 2021 via a "SPAC" (special purpose acquisition company) with an implied valuation of $2.3 billion, but its stock cratered less than a year later. Founder Travis VanderZanden stepped away late in 2022, at which point his stake in the company was worth less than his Miami house, according to a Crunchbase report. Bird was forced to delist from the New York Stock Exchange this year due to a valuation that was too low. 

Bird launched in multiple cities in 2017-18 with a fair amount of hype as e-scooters were seen as a sustainable urban mobility solution. It continued to grow despite a lack of profitability (following the Uber model), but the COVID pandemic forced the company to halt operations in multiple locations around the world. Since then, cities have also become more hostile to e-scooter rentals, with some seeing them now as a potential safety hazard and eyesore.