LiveWire, the company spun out of Harley-Davidson’s electric division, has announced the specs of its S2 Del Mar e-motorcycle. The upcoming bike, which we already knew would cost $15,499, can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, has a top speed of 103 mph and 84 horsepower (63 kW).

The company announced preliminary S2 Del Mar specs earlier this year, but the official details slightly surpass some expectations. For example, LiveWire had said the bike would have a 110-mile city range, but it’s now rated for 113 miles of urban riding on a single charge. Its 3.0-second acceleration from zero to 60 mph is slightly faster than the originally advertised 3.1 seconds. In addition, its previously stated 184-pound-foot torque rating is now 194 ft-lb.

On the other hand, the S2 Del Mar is a bit heavier than expected: It’s now listed as 436 lbs in running order, as opposed to the 431 lbs LiveWire announced in April. Level 2 charging (for juicing its battery from 20 percent to 80 percent) is now listed at 78 minutes vs. the initial 75 minutes. The bike still doesn’t support fast charging and is limited to Level 1 and Level 2 capabilities. Of course, the S2 Del Mar is built as more of a commuter motorcycle than something you’d rely on for long distances: It’s only rated for 43 miles of sustained highway driving at 70 mph and a combined (highway / city) 70-mph range of 62 miles. If you drop it down to 55mph, it’s rated for 70 miles on the highway and 86 miles combined.

LiveWire

The bike supports OTA updates. “Now your motorcycle can receive updates and improvements as we develop them — keeping things easy, and keeping you riding,” the company’s website states. The bike has a four-inch round screen, connects to phones through USB-C and supports app-based navigation.

The S2 Del Mar still has the previously advertised $15,499 MSRP. Although we don’t yet know its release date, LiveWire earlier targeted a July US launch; with specs in hand, perhaps its official arrival isn’t far behind.

Did you ever feel that your Assassin's Creed experience wasn't personal enough? Maybe not, but Ubisoft is betting that you'd like to give it a try regardless. The company has teamed up with OWO to release an Assassin's Creed Mirage edition haptic feedback shirt. Put it on and you'll feel parkour, impacts and "exclusive sensations never felt before" — yes, really. You might want to close the door while you're playing, from the sound of it.

OWO's shirt includes haptic points at on your chest, stomach, lower back and arms. The trick is an algorithm that adjusts nine wave parameters to simulate interactions ranging from the wind to a dagger. You can use a mobile app to calibrate sensations in specific games or replace them with your own. Compatible games frequently rely on mods (such as Fortnite and Beat Saber), but there are already a handful of native games like Crisis Brigade 2 Reloaded and Drone War. This is the first major collaboration.

Details of pricing and a release date are yet to come, but the haptic apparel will work with PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game will be released October 12th, and the OWO shirt will include a game code. OWO's Founder Edition shirt sold for €499 ($560), but it was also part of a 2,000-unit batch and won't necessarily reflect the final price.

Wearable haptics for games aren't new, but they tend to be experimental efforts. See Sony's Rez Infinite synesthesia suit from 2017 as an example. The Assassin's Creed collaboration won't necessarily take that tech into the mainstream, but it's coming right as the next generation of mixed reality headsets is coming to market. Don't be surprised if haptics gain some traction as immersion becomes more important in AR and VR games.

If you've had your eye on the new Echo Show 5 but weren't able to grab one on Prime Day, the diminutive smart display is back on sale for $50. While we saw the device go for $5 less during Amazon's sales event, that deal was exclusive to Prime members. This $40 discount is open to everyone and marks the second-lowest price we've seen since the display arrived in May. The Kids version of the display is also on sale for $60, though that's $10 more it was on Prime Day.

Though we haven't reviewed this third-gen version of the Echo Show 5, the device is a largely iterative update over its predecessor, which was a pick in our guide to the best smart displays. The new version should still function best as a smart alarm clock, as its 5.5-inch panel is a more natural fit on a bedside table than the larger Echo Show models. Its ambient light sensor automatically lowers the screen's brightness when it's dark, while a tap-to-snooze function lets you smack the top of the device for a few more minutes of rest. It's still an Echo, so it can also stream music, pull up weather info, control smart home devices and do other Alexa-related tasks. And while no device like this is ideal for the privacy-conscious, there's at least a physical camera shutter and a mic mute button here. 

The new Echo Show 5 slightly improves the processor and speaker system, though it still won't be as fast or full-sounding as the Echo Show 8, our chief recommendation for those who want an Alexa smart display. (That 8-inch display is now available for $75, which is $15 more than its Prime Day price.) Likewise, the 2-megapixel camera is mediocre for video calls, and the 960 x 480 resolution display is far from luxurious for viewing photos. Still, if you regularly use Alexa, have limited space and want to pay as little as possible for a competent display, the Echo Show 5 makes sense at this price.

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Don't try to sign up for Threads through a virtual private network (VPN) if you live in Europe. Meta has confirmed that it's blocking European Union users from accessing the new social network through a VPN. As consultant Matt Navarra explains, content, notifications and profiles won't load properly. Some users say they can use Threads without a VPN if they'd previously signed up with one, but you may not want to count on that loophole working.

In a statement, Meta says it's taking "further measures" to stop people from accessing Threads in European countries where the app is unavailable. The company nonetheless says Europe remains a "very important market" and that it hopes to expand availability in the future. The firm doesn't provide a timeline for more rollouts, but the app is currently rough and missing important features like hashtags.

Threads is available for users in over 100 countries, including the US and UK, but not in the EU. The Union considers Meta a technology "gatekeeper" in the region, and the company reportedly wants to be sure Threads' data sharing approach complies with the upcoming Digital Markets Act. Threads is built on Instagram's infrastructure and may import data from that platform. The EU also ruled that Meta has to get permission to show personalized ads, potentially adding more complications.

There's pressure for Meta to expand. Threads racked up 100 million users in less than a week, and is already considered Twitter's greatest threat. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg notes that growth so far has largely been "organic," without advertising or other familiar promotional tactics. While it's unclear if usage will hold up in the long term, an expansion to the EU could sustain that momentum. Outside analysts believe Twitter traffic is already dropping as a result of users trying or switching to Threads.

It looks like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is trucking along, following a court rejection of the FTC’s injunction attempt. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Jordan Minor, a Senior Analyst at PCMag covering games, about this massive deal and what it means for the gaming industry. Will further consolidation end up being harmful for consumers (as we’ve been saying for a while), or will Microsoft actually help the beleaguered Activision? Also, we dive into our experiences with the latest Apple betas: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Microsoft is (mostly) cleared to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion – 00:56

• Our previews of the iOS 17, iPad OS 17, macOS Sonoma, and WatchOS 10 betas – 21:55

• Meta’s Threads hits 100m users, Elon is not happy about it – 47:58

• Microsoft confirms Chinese hackers used 365 email exploit to access US government accounts – 51:32

• Google’s Bard can now speak 40 languages – 52:29

• Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s ROG ally review and Katie Malone on why passkeys are suddenly everywhere – 1:01:46

• Working on – 1:05:47

• Pop culture picks – 1:07:06

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Jordan Minor
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Virgin Galactic, having flown its first commercial spaceflight in late June, is ready to take civilians to the edge of space, briefly. The company plans to launch its first private passenger flight, Galactic 02, as soon as August 10th. Virgin isn't yet revealing the names of everyone involved, but there will be three passengers aboard, alongside crew.

The company says it's establishing a "regular cadence" of flights – and it needs that. Virgin Galactic has operated at a loss for years and lost $500 million in 2022 alone. The business won't recoup all those losses anytime soon, even at $450,000 per ticket. But the focus is pretty clear: make the case for space tourism… at least for the one-percenters.

– Mat Smith

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Twitter finally begins paying some of its creators

Blue subscribers will need a significant following to get a cut.

Twitter’s ad-revenue sharing program for creators has officially launched — and it’s reportedly already begun paying eligible Blue subscribers. Elon Musk announced the initiative in February, but with scant details about how it would work, nobody knew quite what to expect. However, some high-profile users report they’ve received notifications about incoming deposits. The bar is high to receive a transfer from the Musk-owned social media company. The support post says the revenue-sharing system applies to Twitter Blue or Verified Organizations subscribers with at least five million post impressions in each of the past three months. One user claims they’re set to receive over $24,000. Going to need more to get into space, my friend.

Continue reading.

Sony's $90 PS5 accessibility controller arrives December 6th

The highly customizable Access controller comes with several buttons and stick caps.

Sony

Sony’s Access controller will be available worldwide on December 6th. It costs $90 and pre-orders open July 21st. The new accessibility-focused controller comes with four 3.5mm aux ports, enabling players to connect external buttons, switches and other accessories. The box includes 19 button caps and three stick caps to help you find a configuration that works best for you. You can even pair up to two Access controllers and one DualSense together to create a "single virtual controller." That means two or even three people could control the same character, granting friends and family members the option to lend a helping hand.

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Farewell ‘FIFA’: ‘EA Sports FC 24’ will hit consoles and PC September 29th

It’ll bring women's players to Ultimate Team for the first time.

EA's long-standing partnership with FIFA ended after FIFA 23, marking a new era for EA's flagship soccer series. EA Sports FC 24 will hit PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC on September 29th. EA says more than 19,000 authentic players, 30-plus leagues and over 100 stadiums will be represented in the new game. The company has also secured exclusive deals with the English Premier League and UEFA to use their branding and retain access to competitions like the Champions League.

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AP and OpenAI enter two-year partnership to help train algorithmic models

It’s a major news-sharing agreement.

The Associated Press (AP) and ChatGPT parent company OpenAI have reached a news-sharing agreement, but it doesn’t involve AI chatbots quickly churning out content but enabling better training of OpenAI’s algorithmic models. It looks like AP will receive access to OpenAI’s proprietary technology as part of the exchange. AP doesn’t use generative AI to write articles, but it already uses similar technologies to automate corporate earnings reports and cover local sporting events.

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The saga over whether regulators will allow Microsoft to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion will last at least a little longer. Citing insufficient time, the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given itself an additional six weeks to consider Microsoft's "detailed and complex submission" arguing for the merger. The CMA will now provide a decision by August 29th, though it aims to do so earlier.

Microsoft first announced its plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $95 per share in January 2022. The CMA opened an investigation into the merger last fall, and, this April, it released an inquiry report detailing the "substantial lessening of competition" (SLC) in cloud gaming services the UK could face if Microsoft proceeded with the purchase. "The prohibition of the Merger would be the only effective and proportionate remedy to the SLC and any adverse effects which have resulted from, or may be expected to result from, the SLC," the regulatory agency stated. 

This latest development comes shortly after the CMA and Microsoft pressed pause on their legal battle in hopes of negotiating a compromise. "While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA," Microsoft president Brad Smith shared in a July tweet. 

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley also recently denied the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) preliminary injunction in the US, which would've led Microsoft and Activision Blizzard to abandon the deal. The FTC has since filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals requesting a pause of the acquisition. 

Antstream Arcade is offering over 1,300 retro game titles on Xbox One and Series X/S, with notable titles such as Space Invaders, Metal Slug and Bubble Bobble. The company says these titles will be playable instantly without additional downloads or installation via its cloud gaming platform, with more titles being added every week. This is notable as Antstream will be the first third-party game streaming service on Xbox.

The service will support cloud-based game saves, an online scoreboard and the ability to pick up your game from multiple devices. Antstream Arcade is already available on Mac, PC, Linux, Android TV, Firestick and Samsung TVs, but this marks the first time it is coming to a game console.

Antstream says that it is using its “unique technology” to mod original games, allowing the company to create new mini-game challenges for both new and returning players. For example, you could play a modified Pac-Man map where the main objective is to avoid collecting the dots. Players will be able to enter tournaments, challenge other players to duels or compete for the highest score.

Antstream

Microsoft already has its own Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service, and that’s available as a native app on Android, Windows, Samsung smart TVs and select VR headsets. It’s also available on iOS and Mac but you’ll need to use a web browser to access it. Though, Xbox Cloud Gaming is more focused on playing modern titles away from your console, while Antstream Arcade is solely focused on tugging those nostalgic heart strings.

Antstream Arcade on Xbox will be available for pre-order starting today on the Xbox store. Pricing will start at $29.99 annually with a one-time lifetime purchase option for $79.99. The company says all future games and new features will be included, regardless of which purchase option you decide to go with.

Twitter — or more precisely, its parent company X Corp. — has sued four John Does who have allegedly "engaged in widespread unlawful scraping of data" from the website. They were described as "unknown persons or entities" in the lawsuit, which only mentioned their IP addresses. The lawsuit accused them of flooding Twitter with automated requests far exceeding "what any single individual could send to a server in a given period" aimed at scraping data. In a response to a tweet about the lawsuit, Elon Musk said these entities tried to scrape the entirety of Twitter in a short period of time and blamed them for the rate limits the website implemented earlier this month.

Musk announced in early July that the website was putting a strict cap on how many tweets users can read each day "to address extreme levels of data scraping [and] system manipulation." Unverified accounts were limited to 600 posts a day, while verified (and, hence, paid) accounts were allowed to see 6,000 tweets. The defendants for this lawsuit were apparently to blame for those limits. "These requests have severely taxed X Corp.’s servers and impaired the user experience for millions of X Corp.’s customers," the company wrote in its complaint. 

X Corp. also described the defendants' activities in the lawsuit as "unlawfully scraping data associated with Texas residents." But as CNBC notes, the US Ninth Circuit of Appeals ruled in 2022 that the scraping of data that's publicly available online doesn't violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). It was a landmark ruling that brought a long-running lawsuit by LinkedIn to a close. The business-focused social media platform filed a complaint in an attempt to block its rival companies from scraping information visible on users' public profiles.

"Data scraping companies profit off the innovation of companies like X Corp. while harming X Corp. and compromising user data," the company also said in its lawsuit. Twitter is now seeking $1 million in damages to make up for the defendants' actions. 

On Thursday, leaders at the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced that the group was going on strike after negotiations with Hollywood studios fell apart. According to the Alliance of Motion Picture of Television Producers, the rejected deal included a "groundbreaking AI proposal" that would "protect performers' digital likenesses." The AMPTP said the AI deal would require a performers consent for the "creation and use of digital replicas or for digital alterations of a performance." SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland suggested during a press conference that the proposal was just the opposite.

Crabtree-Ireland described the would-be AI proposal as a backdoor means for studios to gain perpetual rights to an actor's likeness. "In that 'groundbreaking AI proposal,' they propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day's pay, and the company should own that scan, their image, their likeness, and be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation," the National Executive Director claimed in response to a question about the negotiations. "So, if you think that's a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again."

Although the studios AI proposal isn't the sole reason that the union voted to strike, its a good example of the kind of industry changes SAG-AFTRA hope to address with the strike. In recent years, studios have used technology to de-age, resurrect and at times fully replace actors. How the industry handles the rights to a performer's likeness could very well develop into a key issue in the near future.

"Actors deserve a contract that reflects the changes that have taken place in the industry," Crabtree-Ireland said at the press conference announcing the strike. "The current model devalues our members and affects their ability to make ends meet."

Either way, the strike itself is making history. SAG-AFTRA members will be joining the Writers Guild of America in striking. The two groups have not held a strike at the same time since the 1960s.