Nintendo just announced its highest first quarter profit ever thanks to sales of its latest Zelda title and the Mario movie. The company earned 185.44 billion yen ($1.3 billion) on sales of 461.34 billion yen ($3.2 billion), easily battering its previous fiscal Q1 record of 144.7 billion set in 2020, the company revealed in its latest earnings report. 

The numbers on those two properties are impressive. Around the world, 168.10 million people watched the The Super Mario Bros. Movie, netting the company $1.349 billion as of July 26th — the highest ever for an original film based on a video game, and the second-highest for an animated film. 

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold 18.51 million since it launched in May, while Mari Kart 8 Deluxe sold 1.67 million last quarter. "Sell-through of this one title [Zelda] constitutes approximately half of the first-party software sold this fiscal year," Nintendo said. 

Switch sales were actually up over the same quarter last year to 3.91 million in the last quarter (compared to 3.43 million units last year), with 2.83 million of those being the more expensive OLED model. That rise might be powered in part by Zelda, as buyers sought either a new or better console to play the game. At the beginning of its fiscal year, Nintendo called its sales forecast of 15 million Switch consoles "a bit of a stretch," but is on track to achieve that number so far. 

It may be tough for Nintendo to maintain that momentum, though. Upcoming games include the sidescroller Super Mario Bros Wonder (October 20th), Detective Pikachu Returns (October 6th), WarioWare: Move It! (November 3rd) and Super Mario RPG with updated graphics on November 17th. There are no marquee games in that list like Zelda, though, and sales of that game (and movie profits) are bound to keep dropping off. 

As for the Switch, it's now six years old, and Nintendo has yet to announce its replacement. Rumors have swirled that a next-gen Switch arrive in 2024, but none have much substance behind them. 

Meta has teamed up with UFC to bring live mixed martial arts (MMA) in VR to Horizon Worlds, the company announced in a Quest Blog post seen by The Verge. The experience, launching in November, will let UFC Fight Pass subscribers (via Xtadium and YBVR streaming) watch MMA action at 4K resolution and 180-degree VR capture on Horizon Worlds. "Enjoy the action alone or with friends and switch camera angles throughout the fight to get the best view of every matchup," Meta wrote. 

Users will also be able to discuss UFC with other Horizon Worlds users, check out a virtual version of the Octagon and compete in single player and multiplayer in-world games to gain unlockable rewards — all with the goal of becoming a UFC "Hall of Famer." 

The new experience is one of a number of ways Meta is attempting to lure users to Horizon Worlds. Recently, the company added Quests to keep users returning to the site, including mini-games like Giant Paddle Mini Golf,Arena Clash and Bad Roommates. It also recently introduced Rumble World, the first of many next-gen Horizon Worlds games featuring improved graphics and more complex gameplay. 

Meta said it latched onto UFC due to the "engagement and passion of this audience," noting that fans enjoy not just the fights but also sharing the experience with other fans. "We tested this technology successfully with a handful of MMA events last year, and now we’re going further," says MMA chief content officer Craig Borsari. "We’re just scratching the surface of how we can use this technology to create greater fan engagement and grow this sport."

UFC also makes sense on Meta given CEO Mark Zuckerberg's apparent interest in the sport (though his cage match with Elon Musk seems doubtful at the moment). In any case, live sports may be a potent way to attract new users to the reportedly flagging service, so it'll be interesting to see if Meta adds others along with UFC. 

Less than a year after launching the Action 3, DJI has unveiled the Osmo Action 4 with an improved camera that makes it better in low light. It now packs a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor (the same one on the Mavic 3 Pro, the Mini 3 Pro and Air 3 drones), compared to a 1/1.7-inch sensor on the previous model and the 1/1.9-inch sensor found on the GoPro Hero 11. It also introduces D-Log M, improving dynamic range significantly over the Action 3. 

Not much else on the Action 4 has changed . It has the same 155-degree field of view and f/2.8 aperture. Video tops out at 4K 120p (10-bit HDR) in normal shooting mode. Photo resolution is actually lower than the previous model (3,648 x 2,736 compared to 4,000 x 3,000) and max 4:3 video quality is also down (3,840 x 2,880 instead of 4,096 x 3,072). Meanwhile, the GoPro Hero 11 can shoot 5.3K video at up to 60 fps, 4K at 120 fps and 2.7K at up to 240 fps. 

The Action 4's design is also identical to the Action 3, with a record button on top and power button on the side. The battery compartment/micro SD slot is on the right side and the USB-C port on the left (looking from the front). The battery is the same 1770 mWh model as before, with 150 minutes of recording time — and just 18 minutes of charging time to get the battery to 80 percent. A microSD card is required as the Action 4 has no internal storage. 

It uses DJI's nifty magnetic locking system introduced with the last model that eliminates the need for a case to attach accessories. And as before, the Action 4 supports any accessories compatible with a GoPro mount. DJI has a number of its own accessories as well now, including the chest strap mount, helmet chin mount, 60m waterproof case, bike seat rail mount, neck mount, mini handlebar mount, the Osmo Action 360° Wrist Strap and a new a wrist-worn remote to control the Action 4. 

Steve Dent for Engadget

It's now waterproof down to 18m or 59 feet (2m more than before) or 60m (208 feet) with the waterproof case. As before, it comes with a 1.4-inch 320×320 front screen and 2.25-inch 360×640 rear display. Both top out at 750 nits, plenty bright even on sunny days. It comes with three mics and advanced wind noise reduction software that allows for impressive audio recording for such a small device.

It offers the latest version of DJI’s stabilization, Rocksteady 3.0 and Rocksteady 3.0+ to eliminate camera shake in all directions up to the maximum 4K/60fps. It also supports HorizonSteady, which keeps the Horizon level no matter how much you rotate the camera (2.7K max). Meanwhile, HorizonBalancing corrects tilt horizontally within ±45° and allows for stabilized recording at 4K/60fps. 

To use the Action 4, you have to first activate it using DJI's smartphone app, so keep that in mind if you buy one and have a deadline. The app also lets you view and transfer footage, or livestream via WiFi.

So why did DJI release a camera so similar to the last model, less than a year later? Many reviews, including my own, docked the Action 3 for poor low-light image quality, with noticeable artifacts in situations like a forest on a cloudy day— something the GoPro 11 can handle with ease. I also noted that while the stabilization is good, it's not up to GoPro's standards, and DJI has updated that function as well.

The Action 4 offers some quality-of-life features like quick-switching between five custom modes, voice prompts that let you know about the current mode, voice control, an upgraded InvisiStick that digitally hides the selfie stick, external mic support and more. DJI also offers the The LightCut app that connects wirelessly to Action 4 via Wi-Fi, allowing for quick previews and auto-editing without the need to transfer footage from the camera. 

Steve Dent for Engadget

I had the Action 4 in my hands for a short while, mainly to test image quality with the new sensor. There's certainly a big improvement there — where the Action 3 showed pixelation and blocky artifacts in low light, the Action 4 largely eliminates those. That means it performs better in situations like cloudy mountain bike rides or underwater footage. Low-light capability is good overall, with noise well controlled for such a relatively small sensor. In that area, it now edges the GoPro Hero 11. 

The RockSteady stabilization still leaves a bit to be desired compared to the Hero 11 and even the Insta360 X3 action camera, however. In a quick test with a mountain bike on a trail, it didn't provide the on-rails level of smoothness I've seen on rival models. If you don't mind slightly more zoom, though, RockSteady+ gets very close to those levels.

As before, the Action 4 could be a good option for content creators looking for high-quality footage, or folks who want to match their video with DJI's drones and other products. The price has gone up considerably over the $329 Action 3, though — it's now available for $399. That makes it a tough sell against the GoPro Hero 11, which now carries the same price. 

If you're starting from scratch, the Adventure Combo (above) is a far better deal at $499, giving you the camera plus three batteries, the Horizontal-Vertical ProtectiveFrame, a quick-release adapter mount, a mini quick-release mount, a curved adhesive base, two locking screws, a USB-C cable, the multifunction battery case, a 1.5 extension rod, an action lens hood and an anti-slip pad. 

Canon has just unveiled the MS-500, an unusual model that's one of the most sensitive non-infrared cameras ever developed. It uses the highest-resolution 1-inch SPAD (Single-photon avalanche diode) sensor yet (3.2 megapixels), and an interchangeable lens mount that allows clear color shooting in light as low as 0.001 lux, according to Canon — less than a clear moonless sky. 

The MS-500 uses Canon's B4 mount that supports its broadcast zoom lenses, and carries a price of over $25,000 for the body only. It's designed to work in "areas with extremely high-security levels, such as seaports, public infrastructure facilities, and national borders," the company said. When married with Canon's ultra-telephoto broadcast lenses, it can capture "clear color videos of subjects at a distance of several miles, even at night." It also uses special picture profiles to reduce noise caused by atmospheric disturbances over long distances. 

Canon

So why should you care about a $25,000+ security camera? The answer is in that SPAD sensor, which holds promise for future consumer and professional imaging. It uses a technology called photo counting, which tracks light particles entering a pixel, magnifies them one million times, and converts them to a digital signal. Every single photon is counted, which eliminates the introduction of any noise — "a key advantage of SPAD sensors," Canon noted. 

Earlier this year, EA said that Star Wars: Jedi Survivor would only come out on the latest PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles in order to take advantage of the latest tech on those consoles. The developer has now changed its tune, however, announcing in an earnings call that the title will come to PS4 and Xbox One consoles after all, The Verge has reported.

"Thanks to the strength of this legendary franchise and community demand, our development team has committed to bringing this Jedi experience to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One," said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. Jedi Survivor came out on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 in April, but there's no firm date for release on the last-gen consoles. 

Jedi: Survivor, a direct sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was the headliner in Engadget’s article about disappointing PC ports earlier this year. The problems boiled down to performance, upscaling and other issues — which might make gamers nervous about how it'll run on the much older Xbox One and PS4 hardware. 

After threatening to do so, X Corp (aka Twitter) has filed a lawsuit against The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Bloomberg has reported. It claimed that the anti-hate group is illegally "scraping" its servers and cherry picking hateful posts as part of "a scare campaign to drive away advertisers," according to documents filed in San Francisco federal court. X Corp. is asking for unspecified monetary damages and an injunction barring the CCDH from accessing its data.

The Center published a research article in June asserting that X allowed explicitly racist and homophobic posts despite policies to the contrary, even after they'd been reported. However, X responded that the CCDH used poor methodology, and failed to study all 500 million posts on the service each day. It also maintained that the Center was taking funding from competitors or foreign governments as part of an "ulterior agenda," according to The New York Times. 

In a new blog post called "Protecting the public’s right to free expression," Twitter/X explained its reasoning for filing a legal claim against CCDH. "X is a free public service funded largely by advertisers. Through the CCDH's scare campaign and its ongoing pressure on brands to prevent the public’s access to free expression, the CCDH is actively working to prevent public dialogue," the post states.

It went on to note that the CCDH scraped its data, accessing it without authorization from Brandwatch, a Twitter partner that provides "consumer & market insights," "brand monitoring" and more. It added that CCDH's "'research' cited in aBloomberg article 'contained metrics used out of context to make unsubstantiated assertions about X (formerly Twitter).'"

"That’s why X has filed a legal claim against the CCDH and its backers," it stated. It also accused the CCDH of "targeting people on all platforms who speak about issues the CCDH doesn’t agree with," "attempting to coerce the deplatforming of users whose views do not conform to the CCDH's ideological agenda" and more. 

In a letter published earlier today, the CCDH countered Twitter's earlier allegations. It noted that it never claimed to be conducting a comprehensive study, and documented the methodology it did use. It wrote that X didn't provide any specific examples, and said it doesn't accept funding from companies or governments. It further stated that it "will not be bullied," will continue publishing its research and that a lawsuit with "frivolous" claims could prove risky.

"The public has the right to know if and how @ElonMusk’s leadership has led to more hate speech on Twitter,” the nonprofit tweeted earlier. "By threatening us, Musk is trying to hide the truth about his own failures. Platforms must be held accountable for spreading hate & lies."

X, formerly known as Twitter, has reinstated Kanye West after he was banned last December for tweeting an image of a swastika, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Elon Musk's platform only made the move after being assured that West would not post antisemitic or other harmful content. In addition, ads won't appear next to his posts and he won't be able to monetize the account. 

Kanye has had multiple run-ins with Twitter/X. In October, Elon Musk welcomed him back after he went two years without tweeting — but he stayed just a short time before being banned again for saying he would go "def con 3 on Jewish people." Shortly after that Ye entered a deal to acquire the "free speech" social media app Parler, but that fell through soon after. West has paid a price for past comments, with major brands including Adidas and Gap cutting ties.

Shortly after acquiring Twitter last fall, Musk — who calls himself a "free-speech absolutist" — vowed to rethink permanent bans based on the site's rules, unless laws were broken. Since then, he has restored the account of Donald Trump (who has not subsequently tweeted), along with other controversial personalities, including avowed neo-Nazis. Earlier this year Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that Musk was responsible for a rise of antisemitism on the site, adding that Twitter is now “filled with antisemitic conspiracies and hate speech targeting Jews all over the world."

The news comes after Musk changed Twitter's name and logo to X. He recently placed a strobing X sign on the roof of the company's San Francisco headquarters. X subsequently told the city's building inspectors that the sign was temporary for an event. Yesterday, Musk tweeted that X's HQ would remain in "beautiful" San Francisco despite the city being in a "death spiral." 

Apple has promised to fix a bug in iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices that may affect Screen Time restrictions for kids, The Wall Street Journal has reported. It affects a function called Downtime that allows parents to remotely set hours when kids can't use their devices. 

"We are aware that some users may be experiencing an issue where Screen Time settings are unexpectedly reset," a spokesperson told the WSJ. "We take these reports very seriously and we have been, and will continue, making updates to improve the situation."

Parents checking the feature have found that scheduled times have either reverted to older settings or been removed altogether — allowing kids to use their devices at will. One user changed his passcode to be sure his kids hadn't guessed it, but found he needed to reset the feature "two or three times a week." Suffice to say, kids don't always report the issue in a timely fashion either. Around 2,300 people on an Apple discussion page on the subject said they experienced the same bug. 

Apple knew about the issue before, but reported it fixed with the release of iOS 16.5 in May. However, WSJ reporters found the issue in subsequent releases and even in the iOS 17 beta. 

Screen time was introduced in 2018 at Apple's developer's conference, allowing parents to remotely check their kid's Activity Report and manage their app use time. They can also set a custom amount of time per app that kids can't extend, or create a Downtime to block everything but selected software and phone calls for a set hourly range. Apple has yet to say when it will release a fix. 

Apple will soon start cracking down on Apps that collect data on users' devices in order to track them (aka "fingerprinting"), according to an article on its developer site spotted by 9to5Mac. Starting with the release of iOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, developers will be required to explain why they're using so-called required reason APIs. Apps failing to provide a valid reason will be rejected started in spring of 2024.  

"Some APIs... have the potential of being misused to access device signals to try to identify the device or user, also known as fingerprinting. Regardless of whether a user gives your app permission to track, fingerprinting is not allowed," Apple wrote. "To prevent the misuse of certain APIs that can be used to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, you’ll need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in your app’s privacy manifest."

The new rules could increase the rate of app rejections, some developers told 9to5Mac. For instance, an API called UserDefaults falls into the "required reason" category, but since it stores user preferences, it's used by a lot of apps. At the same time, it sounds like Apple will basically need to take a developer's word for reason declarations. If those prove to be false, though, it would certainly have a paper trail for any potential penalties. 

Fingerprinting apps can use API calls to retrieve characteristics of your smartphone or PC, including the screen resolution, model, OS and more. It can then take all this information and create a unique "fingerprint," so it can identify you when you go to other apps or websites.

Apple effectively declared war on tracking when it released iOS 14.5 in 2021, requiring developers to ask users' permission before tracking them. Since that feature arrived, only 4 percent of US iPhone users have agreed to app tracking. Now, it's trying to stop fingerprinting (also called canvas fingerprinting), which first appeared in the digital zeitgeist a decade ago. Back in 2018, Apple said it would address fingerprinting on macOS by limiting the data that websites can access on its Safari browser, and now, it's addressing the issue with apps as well.

Call of Duty Season 5 will feature Nicki Minaj as the first ever female celebrity "Operator" playable character, Activision announced. She'll appear in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as part of CoD's "50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration," along with Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage. 

Other celebrities including Lionel Messi, Kevin Durant and Snoop Dogg (multiple times now) have appeared in CoD in the past. Minaj, however is "Call of Duty’s first-ever self-named female Operator," the developer noted. "Playtime is over; this is not 'Chill Nicki'; this is Red Ruby Da Sleeze," it added, referencing Minaj's track and video released earlier this year. 

Minaj will appear and have her own storefront later in Season 5, with items for sale likely including the hot pink rifle pictured above. Minaj's appearance was previewed last year in a YouTube video called Squad Up, which also featured Lil Baby, Bukayo Saka, and Pete Davidson — though there's no word if those people will also appear in CoD at some point. 

The Season 5 website also shows information on the 9mm ISO sub machine, the AN-94 assault rifle and other weapons. CoD also previewed multiplayer additions like new maps for Livestock and Petrov Oil Rig. Meanwhile, Warzone 2.0 adds new locations like Verdansk Stadium. Season 5 will also include a reveal of the upcoming Call of Duty 2023 (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3) — in Warzone. Season 05 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone are set to launch on August 2 at 9 AM PT across all platforms.