Behaviour Interactive has revealed what’s next for Dead by Daylight, including two more spin-off games. Perhaps the more intriguing of the two is a project being developed by Supermassive Games. While the game is staying mostly under wraps for now, it seems to build on the formula Supermassive has executed so well on games like Until Dawn and The Quarry.

This will be a single-player interactive story game with a new cast of characters that offers “an intense narrative experience filled with powerful life-or-death choices set within the backdrop of Dead by Daylight,” according to Behaviour. Expect to learn more about the game later this year.

The other spin-off that’s in development is a co-op title from Midwinter Entertainment, which joined Behaviour last year. This game, which is in its very early stages, will focus on the themes of greed and the lust for power. You’ll be able to team up with as many as three other players.

These two games follow on from Hooked On You, a DbD dating sim that arrived last year. A Dead by Daylight film adaptation is in the works too. Behaviour and its partners are currently looking for the director and screenwriter for the project.

Behaviour had a lot more to discuss during the DbD seventh anniversary showcase. There was news on upcoming collaborations for cosmetic items, including team ups with Slipknot and Iron Maiden. Ikumi Nakamura, the former Ghostwire: Tokyo creative director who you may remember from that game’s reveal at E3 2019, has designed some DbD cosmetics too.

On the gameplay front, the stream included a look at the next DbD chapter, which will be available on June 13th. End Transmission will bring sci-fi horror to the game, with a new map set on another planet that doesn't look unlike Atropos from Returnal. The upcoming killer, The Singularity, “is a monstrous amalgamation of restructured organic matter and machine parts seeking to become the perfect lifeform,” Behaviour said. The accompanying survivor is Gabriel Soma, a technician.

Over the next year, Behaviour plans to add four chapters, including End Transmission and two others that will bring another pair of licensed killers from other franchises to DbD. On top of those, there will be two extra survivor-only chapters. We already know who one of those survivors will be: a certain Nicolas Cage.

The actor is playing himself in the game. Lest you think that Behaviour recruited a soundalike, that’s not the case. Cage "was generous enough to record every grunt, scream and exertion you will hear in Dead by Daylight," Mathieu Côté, head of partnerships for the game, told reporters at a preview event this week. Here's hoping that includes Cage shrieking about bees and his eyes. Anyway, you can find out more about Cage's introduction to the game on July 5th.

Precise tools are a coffee nerd’s best friends and after releasing the Opus grinder earlier this year, Fellow has returned with another product called the Tally Pro. And while it’s hard to find a kitchen scale exciting – especially one as niche as this – after trying it out for myself I’m starting to see the appeal.

Like the rest of Fellow’s gadgets, the Tally features a minimalist design with a black-on-black color scheme, though I wish there was a little more matte and less glossy in certain areas to hide fingerprints. In the center, there’s an easy-to-read OLED display along with a handy knob and a big button for setting the timer.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The Tally Pro’s specs are pretty solid, too. You get good sensitivity that goes down to a tenth of a gram, a removable weigh pan for easy cleaning and a max capacity of 2,500 grams (about 5.5 pounds). That means this thing can double as a general kitchen scale for all but the heaviest recipes. That said, what I like is Fellow’s attention to detail. Sure, its battery will last about three months, but unlike a lot of other rechargeable scales, the Tally can still work while it’s plugged in. And because the scale relies on a USB-C port for power, you don’t need to bother with proprietary charging bricks. Fellow even built a little Easter Egg into the scale that lets you play a game similar to the one you get in Google Chrome when you don’t have an internet connection.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

However, the standout feature on the Tally Pro is that alongside its weight and timer modes, there’s a new Brew Assist mode that attempts to take some of the math out of hitting that perfect coffee-to-water ratio. Simply by entering the amount of ground coffee you’re starting with and selecting your desired ratio (which can be adjusted manually), the scale will calculate the correct amount of water you need (by weight, of course, because no self-respecting coffee geek settles for volumetric measurements). It will even tell you how much water to add throughout your brewing time to help achieve an ideal extraction. Pretty much the only thing it doesn’t do is give you a bloom timer, but that's because given the huge variety of beans, Fellow believes it’s better to follow the roaster’s instructions for that.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Admittedly, long-time coffee aficionados might think this sort of hand-holding is a bit much. However, as someone who has only recently started diving deeper into the intricacies of making a great cup of coffee, I find it's a nice aid for less experienced brewers. In reality, the much bigger hurdle is its price, because at $185 the Tally Pro is around five times more expensive than a standard kitchen scale. And unless you’re a real java nut, that’s a tough swallow.

But if you want a good-looking scale to help maximize your brew, you better start saving up for when the Tally Pro officially goes on sale sometime in early June.

Hyundai is putting a relatively quick end to a class-action lawsuit over a viral TikTok car theft challenge. The automaker has agreed to pay a settlement worth up to $200 million to compensate roughly 9 million US Hyundai and Kia owners. About $145 million is earmarked for out-of-pocket losses for customers whose cars were stolen or damaged and weren't covered by insurance. The companies also say they'll cover insurance deductibles, higher insurance premiums and other related expenses.

The settlement covers a wide range of Hyundai and Kia cars released between the 2011 and 2022 model years, including the Elantra, Santa Fe and Tucson. The 2011-2014 Genesis Coupe is also included. The marques will pay up to $6,125 per owner for the total loss of a car, and up to $3,375 for damage to the vehicle and any personal property.

The brands have already released a dealership-installed update that improves theft prevention for certain models (such as the 2017-2020 Elantra, 2015-2019 Sonata and 2020-2021 Venue) by disabling push-to-start and lengthening the alarm. Other vehicles that can receive updates will get theirs by June. As part of the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will also offer up to $300 to help drivers buy anti-theft devices. They say they've already provided "tens of thousands" of free steering wheel locks to affected customers, and have provided AAA insurance options for customers who had trouble maintaining coverage.

The "Kia Challenge" emerged in mid-2022 after "Kia Boyz" posted TikTok videos showing how they used USB cables to hot-wire many Hyundai and Kia cars without anti-theft immobilizers. Thefts of those makes surged not long after, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration got involved after at least 14 crashes and eight deaths were linked to the viral clips.

The settlement heads off a high-profile court battle with owners, although it won't necessarily eliminate lawsuits from cities like Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle. It also underscores the cost of security issues in the social media era — it doesn't take much for a weakness to become public knowledge.

Sony may be having some problems with PlayStation Plus games today. Commenters in forum posts on Reddit, ResetEra and NeoGAF report various users being alerted to an alert, reading, “The game will expire in 15 minutes,” and then booting them to the PlayStation home screen. Engadget’s Kris Holt also ran into the issue Wednesday evening while playing Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

Users experiencing the glitch say it appears to happen with any game in the PS Plus catalog. Fortunately, you can apparently return to the game from the home screen and quickly continue playing. However, the cycle seems to repeat in regular 15-minute (and possibly other) increments.

It isn’t yet clear how widespread the issue is. (Some users in the Reddit post claim they’re playing PS Plus games without problems.) Additionally, the bug doesn’t have any known fixes. PlayStation hasn’t yet acknowledged the issue publicly; Engadget has reached out to ask for a comment, and we will update this article if or when we hear back.

If you want to lose a lot of money, become an automaker. Cars are incredibly difficult to build and scaling manufacturing is nearly impossible. It took Tesla years to get the Model 3 to market after bringing the Model S and Model X to the road. So Vietnam's VinFast decision to become an EV automaker after it spent a few years building vehicles based on BMW's platform is sort of insane. And yet, this week we had the opportunity to drive the VF 8, the first VinFast EV to land in the United States.

Driving the VF 8 in San Diego was a stark reminder of the difficulty of building a vehicle. While we were impressed with what the company has done, we also have to report that the VF 8 electric SUV needs work if it's going to truly compete with the rest of the US EV market.

Oddly, VinFast had us drive the lease-only California edition that's actually only available in the Golden State. It has a shorter range than its competitors and the standard version of the vehicle that's hitting US shores right now.

Overall though, we found the car needs a few more months of tweaks (most of which are software) to battle it out in the increasingly competitive mid-size electric SUV market. But don't count them out: VinFast has the foundation to be a major player sooner than you think. Watch our first drive video below for the full story.

Nike and connected fitness subscription platform Strava are partnering up to simplify the act of transferring activity data from one service to the other. In the past, it was fairly complicated to send Nike+ data to the Strava platform.

Sending activity data from the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps to Strava allows athletes a new way to track their workouts and connect with the overall community. This move gives Nike+ users access to more than 750,000 connected clubs and 100 million fitness enthusiasts that exist within Strava.

In addition to easing the frustration of sharing data, the partnership also allows Nike to create and post curated content on Strava via Nike-branded clubs. The company says this content will feature “world-class coaches and athletes.” Another reason Strava is so popular is its robust selection of outdoor maps, powered by adventure platform FATMAP. When the integrated service launches later in the summer, Nike+ users will also have access to these 3D fly-through maps.

Nike plans on hosting curated challenges on Strava later in the summer. The company says these hosted contests will “inspire connection and engagement around a shared goal” and indicates that they will feature unlockable rewards.

Strava is using this partnership as a springboard to place a renewed emphasis on the app’s community-based clubs and groups. It says this is just the first step toward enabling “deeper and richer” community interactions. These future updates include a new interface and an easier method to integrate videos, routes and various activities. Recently, the app even got heavily-requested Spotify controls.

The fruits of this partnership will begin to show up on the Strava app throughout the summer. Strava has also announced some new features that extend beyond Nike+ integration, such as live mountainside sun and snow tracking, avalanche risk profiles for skiers and more.

Never mind crafting custom sodas at the restaurant — technology will soon help you customize your dips, too. Kraft Heinz has unveiled a Heinz Remix dispenser that lets you customize sauces through a touchscreen interface. You choose from base sauces and then add one or more "enhancers" at your choice of intensity. If you want 57 Sauce with a strong jalapeño accent and a hint of mango, you can make it happen.

The company plans to test Heinz Remix at unspecified restaurants in late 2023 to early 2024. There's no mention of pricing, although it's safe to presume this isn't intended for home use. Like it or not, you'll have to settle for off-the-shelf bottles at home.

The machine's existence isn't surprising. Custom drink dispensers like Coca-Cola's Freestyle have led to increased business at restaurants. Kraft Heinz could boost its profits by selling more expensive hardware to eateries on top of the usual sauces. That, in turn, could squeeze out competitors that still use one-sauce-at-a-time systems.

This could also influence the sauces you buy at the grocery store. Kraft Heinz sees the Remix as an "insights engine" that will help the firm understand customers' flavor preferences. You might see combinations that are the direct result of data from restaurant guests. This won't necessarily replace in-house inventions, but it might help the brand keep up with (or set) trends.

In a striking move of innovation, Uber is opening a toll-free phone line (1-833-USE-UBER, so 1-833-873-8237) for scheduling immediate or future ride in English or Spanish – just like a typical taxi. It’s part of several new features, including group grocery shopping for people living at the same address and upgraded Uber Eats gifts, with the ability to attach a video message to your present.

In addition, Uber announced teen accounts with safety features. Uber says that only screened drivers who are experienced and highly rated will carry out trips with teen Uber users. Drivers will be able to opt out of such rides. Teen accounts have a series of built-in safety features, including audio recordings, RideCheck (which checks in with riders if the vehicle has stopped for a while) and the option to use a PIN to ensure young users are getting in the right car.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Nicolas Cage is coming to ‘Dead by Daylight’

Even if it doesn’t look much like him.

Dead by Daylight

Nicolas Cage will soon appear in Dead by Daylight. The actor will bring his delightful eccentricity and Billy Mays-style beard to the multiplayer survival game. Cage says in the appropriately campy teaser, “It can shape the fabric of reality, transforming everything you may think you know.” Cage will play himself in the role of a Survivor, according to Eurogamer.

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Logitech joins the growing list of companies with self-repair programs

It’s teaming up with iFixit to offer support for two popular mouse models.

iFixit

Logitech and iFixit announced a new partnership today to let customers repair their devices. iFixit will supply spare parts and out-of-warranty support for “select products” while developing guides for DIY repairs on Logitech gear. The program will kick off this summer in the US with support for two popular accessories: the Logitech MX Master and MX Anywhere mouse. iFixit says you can order parts a la carte or in kits with everything you need for a specific repair, including parts and tools.

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‘The New York Times’ built a standalone app for audio journalism

News subscribers can access the app on an iOS device.

The New York Times has launched a dedicated app for its audio projects: NYT Audio. Only available on iOS for now, it includes long-form audio as well as podcasts from the Athletic and Serial Productions, under one roof. The NYT first previewed the app back in 2021. It billed the software as a way to give its journalists more freedom to experiment outside of the limits imposed by platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Beats Studio Buds + headphones review

A little bit better in every way.

Engadget

Beats has officially debuted its latest true wireless earbuds. That premature appearance was mostly accurate: The Studio Buds + have a familiar design with loads of improvements on the inside. Those upgrades include better battery life, retooled call performance and updated noise cancellation. There’s also a new transparent design option – in a blatant bid to get this Engadget newsletter editor to buy another pair of wireless buds. With the price increase, these have crept out of the midrange and are approaching premium status. They’re less obvious value than the original model, but that’s far from a dealbreaker. Check out the full review.

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Electric cars have certainly gone mainstream over the past decade or so, with many auto manufacturers shifting at least some of their production over to battery-powered cars. But going from gas to electric in other forms of transportation hasn’t really taken off in quite the same way.

BMW is looking to change that – sort of. In collaboration with TYDE, which typically builds luxury yachts, the duo has come up with a fully-electric boat. The company used its yacht racing technology (yep, you read that right!) to build this boat. However, this is not a yacht – it’s a single-deck boat that appears to seat maybe a dozen people. The boat has a top speed of 30 knots, or about 34 miles per hour. In comparison, Jaguar’s gas–powered boat that set the speed record back in 2018 clocked 77 knots or about 88 miles per hour.

To add another oddity into the mix, Hans Zimmer (known for composing the score for The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others), developed the onboard soundtrack for the boat. It does make you wonder if the sound system is capable of playing anything but Hans Zimmer scores, but sadly the press release doesn’t say. According to that press release, the onboard sound system supports Dolby Atmos, to deliver “superb sound quality,” though that likely won’t matter with the amount of environmental noise that typically accompanies you when on water (especially with the boat’s semi-open design).

But at the end of the day, even though it’s an odd partnership all around, it’s good news that one more vehicle isn’t burning gasoline and is instead being powered by renewable energy. Whether or not this will make an impact on the broader boating industry? That’s a whole other can of worms.

Analogue’s universally compatible TurboGrafx-16 console, the Duo, will finally be available for preorders later this week, on May 19th. The company made the reveal on Twitter and also noted that preorders begin sharply at 8AM PDT. These kinds of niche gaming consoles tend to sell out of preorders quickly, so set your alarm.

There’s a spot of bad news to go along with the announcement. The Analogue Duo was first revealed all the way back in 2020 and was set to launch for $200. The updated price tag is now $250.

For the price, you do get an all-in-one system that promises to play every single TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine title, thanks to dual media readers that play both the originally manufactured cartridges and the compact discs that came later. The console even runs games that require the Arcade RAM add-on that comprised the unsuccessful SuperGrafx console that was only released in Japan.

The Duo includes some modern bells and whistles, like an HDMI port, 1080p resolution, an SD card slot, two USB ports for wired controllers and Bluetooth for wireless accessories. The console doesn’t come with a controller, though it works with plenty of budget-friendly offerings by 8BitDo and others.

To the uninitiated, the TurboGrafx-16, called the PC Engine in Japan, was a competitor to the NES and SNES that saw some success in its home country but only modest sales in the US. Despite never reaching the heights of Sega and Nintendo, the console holds a place in the hearts of retro gamers, thanks to a robust library of hundreds of titles.

Just like all Analogue consoles, the Duo isn’t an emulation machine, as it features near-identical internal components that integrate with physical media. The company has made popular recreations of many iconic consoles, including the Pocket device that plays games from nearly every retro portable console.