Third-party iOS Reddit app Narwhal introduced a $4-per-month subscription plan that will take effect in the next week or two. The developer announced the plans Tuesday on Reddit (via The Verge). The pricing is designed to allow the developer to cover Reddit’s widely disparaged API fee hikes, which led to mass online protests earlier this year and the shutdown of the beloved client Apollo.

The app’s developer, who uses the handle u/det0ur on Reddit, wrote that the pricing was “definitely an experiment” as they try to keep their app afloat. “If I absolutely have to, I will transition to some other plans,” Narwhal’s creator wrote. “But I want to try this first.”

The developer had previously announced tiered pricing based on users’ API calls, but u/det0ur scrapped that after realizing how cumbersome that would be for users. “[Let’s] be real, the 2003-esque cell phone plan with monitored usage just isn’t great,” the developer wrote in a separate post from last week. “Who wants to even worry about what an API Call is? Let alone how much it will cost.”

However, API calls are an inescapable financial reality for third-party developers hoping to offer users an alternative to the official Reddit client. Reddit revealed its maligned API changes this spring, which led Apollo developer Christian Selig to say the updated pricing would cost him $20 million to keep the app going “as-is.” More than 6,000 subreddits went dark to protest the changes, but (unlike Unity’s recent walkback) Reddit dug in its heels and weathered the storm, leading to Apollo’s closure and the forced reopening of communities that continued to protest.

Users switching to Narwhal sound pleased with the pricing and the app. “The customization options are great; I have been able to ‘rebuild’ Apollo as closely as possible,” wrote u/Neryuslu. “You’re the first developer ever to get a monthly sub from me. I have refused this model so far, but in this case it’s obviously different. Still sucks to indirectly pay Reddit like this. Fuck you, u/spez,” they wrote, referring to the handle of Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.

Rocket League’s player-to-player trading is going away. Developer Psyonix announced Tuesday that peer transactions will be removed from the title on December 5 at 4PM PST. The beloved feature added a game-outside-the-game element as players sought trade partners, often using third-party websites to find suitable swaps. Psyonix says it will consider those sites “fraudulent” moving forward.

Psyonix wrote that the decision was based on parent company Epic Games’ cosmetics policies, which ban sales and only allow in-game trades. “We’re making this change to align with Epic’s overall approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies, where items aren’t tradable, transferrable, or sellable,” the announcement blog post reads. However, Psyonix hints at the game’s automobiles appearing in other titles. “This opens up future plans for some Rocket League vehicles to come to other Epic games over time, supporting cross-game ownership.”

The fan response on social media was swift and fierce. “They really want this game to die, huh,” wrote u/DshadoW10 on Reddit. “This is absolute bs,” added u/MuskratAtWork. “Still z e r o communication or care for the community at all. Just a cash grab at this point. All [they] care about is selling product and items and no care at all for the health of gameplay or the community.”

Users on X (formerly Twitter) weren’t exactly thrilled either:

Psyonix removed loot boxes from Rocket League in 2019 after many of gaming’s most prominent companies agreed to disclose the odds of receiving rare items. The (not quite) loot boxes returned later that year with a more transparent design. At the time, Psyonix and Epic said items from post-game drops were still tradable.

Epic Games, which bought Psyonix in 2019, recently laid off 16 percent of its workforce. “This was a survival move that was necessary,” CEO Tim Sweeney said of the company’s “financial problems,” which began over the summer. In response, the Fortnite creator tweaked pricing for Unreal Engine for non-gaming uses. 

As part of the October Prime Day sale, Amazon is selling the 2023 version of the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 for just $500. That's $200 off the starting price and the lowest price it's gone for so far. The 32-inch display has built-in apps and allows you to access streaming services, just like you would on a smart TV. This is the updated 2023 version of the model that launched at CES 2022 and not only combines a monitor with a smart TV, it can also act as a smart home hub, showing you your smart camera feeds and more.  

The 32-inch 4K monitor has a 3840 x 2160 resolution with HDR, a 60Hz refresh rate and a maximum 178-degree viewing angle. Like the original, this 2023 model comes with built-in apps and internet of things (IoT) control features. You can stream from services like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, but it also includes Microsoft Office 365 apps for when you want to get work done without connecting to a PC.

When it’s time to hook it up to your computer, it includes a USB-C cable, and it has built-in ports for USB-C, HDMI and USB-A. It even ships with software to access and control your PC remotely, making it much more versatile on its own than standard monitors. And if you own a Samsung mobile device, you can use the company’s DeX software to transform the phone or tablet into a faux desktop computer.

The Smart Monitor M8’s IoT hub lets you control smart home products through SmartThings, performing tasks like changing your home’s lighting or temperature straight from the display. It includes a detachable SlimFit Cam, which records in full HD and has face tracking for video calls. It also has Alexa for voice control, perhaps sparing you the cost of buying an Echo speaker for that room.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Sony announced new PlayStation 5 models that will likely be unofficially called the “PS5 Slim.” The new model has the same horsepower on the inside, but it has a smaller form factor with an attachable disc drive and a 1TB SSD. The new model’s detachable drive means you can buy the Digital Edition and change your mind later, essentially adding the drive as an $80 modular accessory.

“To address the evolving needs of players, our engineering and design teams collaborated on a new form factor that provides greater choice and flexibility,” Sony wrote in its announcement blog post. “The same technology features that make PS5 the best to play are packed into a smaller form factor, along with an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1TB SSD for more internal storage.”

Sony

Sony says the new PS5 has 30 percent lower volume, and its weight is 18 percent and 24 percent lighter than the original. The new design uses four cover panels (the top is glossy while the sides are matte). Both models include a horizontal stand, while a vertical stand “compatible with all PS5 models” will be sold separately for $30.

In exchange for the flexibility of “buy now, add a drive later,” the new PS5 model has a higher entry point with the Digital Edition costing $450. Meanwhile, you’ll pay $500 for the model with the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc drive. The new PS5s start shipping in November in the US at select retailers, and Sony says it will roll out globally in the following months. The company also mentions that once the current PS5 model has sold out, it will be discontinued.

TikTok announced a new API today that will let you post (and do other things) directly to the platform from approved third-party apps. An extension of Share to TikTok, the company says the new feature “increases the resources and tools our community can choose from to easily navigate every stage of the creation process both on and off the platform.” Early partners for the Direct Post API include Adobe, Twitch, Blackmagic Design (makers of Davinci Resolve) and others.

TikTok Direct Post integrations will let creators make drafts, set captions or audience settings, and schedule or post content directly from supported third-party apps. Only videos are supported at launch, but photo content is “coming soon.”

Third-party software supporting the feature at launch include Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Express, CapCut (owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance), DaVinci Resolve, SocialPilot and Twitch. TikTok says developer partners will be “vetted through an audit process” before they can use the API.

“Now more than ever, publishing content in real-time has become a necessity, and creators of all skill levels need tools that can empower them with greater efficiency and without constraints,” said Deepa Subramaniam, Adobe’s Creative Cloud marketing VP. “With the new Direct Post feature for TikTok available in Adobe Express and Premiere Pro, creators can continue to create standout content, but with increased speed and without adding more interruption to their creative workflows.”

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event has an all-time low on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Usually $1,800, the October Prime Day deal can get you the foldable phone for $1,400 — 25 percent off and an all-time low. Or, if you prefer a clamshell design, Amazon also has the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $800, record pricing for the more compact foldable. Both devices launched in August, so you’re getting relatively new gear for less.

The Z Fold 5 folds like a book with a 7.6-inch display when fully expanded. It also has a narrow 6.2-inch Cover Screen outside for when you want to do something quickly without opening the device. Although the handset is an iterative update over its predecessor, it subtly refines Samsung’s five-year foldable formula with a Flex hinge that eliminates the device’s gap when closed.

The foldable uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip for faster benchmark performance than the Pixel Fold. Its screen is also brighter (1,750 nits vs. the Pixel’s 1,450 nits) than Google’s alternative. The Z Fold 5 supports stylus use, and its 4,400mAh battery lasted an impressive 19 hours 48 minutes (main display) and 23 hours 10 minutes (Cover Screen) in Engadget’s video rundown test.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still considered the best phone that folds lengthwise. The handset has a 6.7-inch internal display and a 3.4-inch “Flex Window” external one. It also uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy for impressive performance, and it bends into a compact device that should slide easily into a pocket or purse.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Tesla is cutting prices on some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the US, as spotted by CNBC. The automaker’s move, its second price drop in just over a month, comes after it fell short of market estimates for deliveries.

Tesla’s website now lists the Model 3 starting at $38,990, down from its previous $40,240. Meanwhile, the Model 3 Long Range is now $45,990 (down from $47,240), and the Model 3 Performance has a new price of $50,990 (from $53,240). In addition, the Model Y Performance SUV has fallen from $54,490 to $52,490.

These are minor cuts compared to the nearly 20 percent price drops it issued in September on Model S and Model X EVs. They also pale in comparison to the March price cuts that dropped Model X costs by up to $10,000. Tesla began toying with pricing in late 2022 when it lowered costs to face a consumer spending slowdown and increased EV competition. The automaker attributed its third-quarter slump to factory upgrades, leading to manufacturing downtime. Since January, Tesla has cut the cost of the Model 3 by about 17 percent and the Model Y by 26 percent.

CEO Elon Musk has signaled he is willing to prioritize volume and market share over profit margins in the near term. “I think it does make sense to sacrifice margins in favor of making more vehicles,” he said in July. However, the automaker believes it will still reach its 2023 goals. “A sequential decline in volumes was caused by planned downtimes for factory upgrades, as discussed on the most recent earnings call. Our 2023 volume target of around 1.8 million vehicles remains unchanged,” Tesla wrote in a statement this week.

Amazon has the 2023 version of the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 on sale. You can take $200 off the 32-inch display with built-in apps and streaming services, dropping its usual $700 asking price to $500.

The refreshed M8 Smart Monitor is the updated 2023 version of the model that launched at CES 2022. The 32-inch 4K monitor has a 3840 x 2160 resolution with HDR, a 60Hz refresh rate and a maximum 178-degree viewing angle. Like the original, this 2023 model comes with built-in apps and internet of things (IoT) control features. You can stream from services like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, but it also includes Microsoft Office 365 apps for when you want to get work done without connecting to a PC.

When it’s time to hook it up to your computer, it includes a USB-C cable, and it has built-in ports for USB-C, HDMI and USB-A. It even ships with software to access and control your PC remotely, making it much more versatile on its own than standard monitors. And if you own a Samsung mobile device, you can use the company’s DeX software to transform the phone or tablet into a faux desktop computer.

The Smart Monitor M8’s IoT hub lets you control smart home products through SmartThings, performing tasks like changing your home’s lighting or temperature straight from the display. It includes a detachable SlimFit Cam, which records in full HD and has face tracking for video calls. It also has Alexa for voice control, perhaps sparing you the cost of buying an Echo speaker for that room.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says the company is adjusting Unreal Engine pricing for non-gaming developers in fields like film / TV and automotive. “We haven’t officially announced this, but in the interest of transparency, we want to put it out there,” Sweeney said in a presentation from Unreal Fest 2023 posted on X (formerly Twitter) by @ImmatureGamerX (via Game Developer). The CEO didn’t mention specific pricing but said Epic’s licensing model would resemble those of tools like Maya and Photoshop.

Sweeney sounded (understandably) determined to differentiate Epic’s price hike from Unity’s. The latter stirred the ire of countless developers as it announced a per-install pricing model that many smaller developers claimed would have put them out of business. Unity ended up walking back many of the plan’s most contentious changes. However, whether the softened stance will prevent a full-on developer exodus remains to be seen. Several months before its pricing fiasco, Unity cut its workforce for the third time in less than a year. 

Epic’s CEO briefly addressed his company’s recent layoffs, where it let go of 16 percent of its workforce. “This was a survival move that was necessary,” Sweeney said. He added that Epic began running into “financial problems” about 10 weeks ago, but he sounded satisfied that the move puts Epic back on solid ground. “One thing, we stabilized our finances so we won’t run out of money as we build the metaverse,” he said. Epic has been bullish on constructing a virtual universe, including a partnership with Meta, Microsoft, and others to develop metaverse standards.

Epic Games

Sweeney explained that Fortnite's revenue had subsidized other parts of the company and that it was time for change. He claimed aspects of Epic’s business had grown too reliant on the cash cow. “A funny thing about being funded so heavily by Fortnite over the past six years is we've had different parts of our business get disconnected from their revenue streams. We have big teams serving different industry verticals, building this and that set of features for custom clients without revenue to support it,” he said.

The co-founder sounded as invested as ever in the Epic Games Store. “We think the Epic Games Store is a cure to a disease that's impacting a lot of the industry right now, where the mobile platforms have become overlords and are extracting vastly higher payment processing fees than any same payment process around there,” he stated. “And we're fighting that.” The company has taken on Apple and Google’s stranglehold on mobile payments.

Sweeney’s speech wrapped by framing the moment as a crucial turning point laced with optimism. “In summary, this is a pivotal moment for us,” he explained. “Our commitment now is to operate differently. We are determined to avoid falling back into a precarious position. Through the highs and lows, we promise to support you,” Sweeney said.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) has chosen its 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners, and they’re all about quantum dots. The three researchers — Alexei I. Ekimov, Louis E. Brus and Moungi G. Bawendi — will share the honors for their contributions to nanotechnology.

Although quantum dots had been proposed theoretically earlier in the 20th century, this year’s trio of Nobel winners began verifying them experimentally. The nanoscale semiconductor particles exhibit quantum mechanical properties, glowing in different colors when exposed to light. “Quantum dots have many fascinating and unusual properties. Importantly, they have different colours depending on their size,” wrote Johan Åqvist, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, in a press release. The smaller the dot, the bluer its light is; the bigger the dot, the redder its light is. By changing their size, researchers can tune their colors, leading to various scientific advances.

The Nobel recipients’ work with quantum dots has led to progress in display technology (like QLED TVs and monitors), medical and biological imaging, solar cells, drug delivery and quantum computing (among other things). Researchers’ consensus is that we’re still only scratching the surface of quantum dots’ practical capabilities.

Ekimov, a solid-state physicist, was the first to experimentally discover quantum dots when he synthesized them in colored glass in 1981. Meanwhile, Brus proved their size-dependent effects in particles floating freely in a fluid. In the following decade, Bawendi spearheaded breakthroughs in the nanoparticles’ chemical production, leading to “almost perfect particles,” as the KVA’s press release described.

The three honorees will split (evenly) a prize of 11 million Swedish krona (US$998,515).