Activision Blizzard's ongoing workplace harassment scandal may have repercussions for one of its bigger media opportunities. In the wake of a Washington Postreport raising questions about Activision Blizzard's involvement at the 2021 Game Awards, producer Geoff Keighley confirmed the publisher wouldn't have a role at the show outside of the nominations chosen by influencers and media. There's "no place" for abuse and harassment anywhere, Keighley said.

 He added that the industry needed to "work together" to create a more inclusive space for developing games. The focus was on celebrating games and the people who made them, according to the founder. Keighley already said Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 wouldn't appear during the presentation.

It's not clear if the scandal had a direct impact on Activision's presence, but it's a contrast from 2020. Then, the company used the Game Awards to show Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's first season of battle royale material.

Questions remain, though. Most notably, the awards' advisory panel includes Activision Blizzard president Rob Kostich. The publisher still technically holds some sway over the event, even if it didn't dictate much of the show in practice. Keighley told the Post the show organizers had to "think very carefully" about how to move forward — much like Microsoft and other industry partners, the Game Awards team hasn't yet decided on the long-term repercussions (if any) for Activision's problematic workplace culture.

If you're looking to treat yourself this holiday season, a robot vacuum could be the gift that keeps on giving. We saw a bunch go on sale for Black Friday, but now Wellbots is having a sale on one of Roomba's most advanced models. The Roomba s9+ is $200 off right now when you use the code ENGADGET200 at checkout, so you'll end up paying $899 for the machine — that's the best price we've seen it and even cheaper than it was last month during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The s9+ is even more advanced than the new Roomba j7+ that came out recently, although it does not have Precision Vision Navigation like the latter. Instead, the S9+ has the most suction power of any Roomba along with dual multi-surface brushes and Direct Detect technology, the latter of which helps the vacuum focus on the dirtiest spots in your home until they're fully clean. "Power-lift suction" also helps it deep clean carpets and suck up pet hair. It has sensors to help it move around objects like chairs and tablets and, thanks to its mapping technology, you can have it clean only certain rooms or areas of your home if you wish.

This model also has the clean base that comes with other more expensive Roombas. After each job, the s9+ will automatically return to its base for a recharge, and it will empty its bin into the clean base, which is basically an attached garbage can. That means you don't have to fuss with the vacuum every time you run it, and you'll only have to empty the clean base once every 60 days. That combined with the robot's easy-to-use companion app makes it a premium convenience machine — if you use iRobot's mobile app to start or schedule cleanings, you may not even have to touch the s9+ for weeks at a time while it does its job.

Even on sale, the Roomba s9+ is a big purchase — but it may be worth it for those who hate vacuuming and want their homes to be as clean as possible without having to do much themselves. There are plenty of budget options, though, if you'd rather save a good chunk of money and still get the benefits of a robot vacuum. The Roomba 694 is a good option, as well as the Anker RoboVac 11S. The former can be controlled via a mobile app while the latter comes with a remote that lets you maneuver the vacuum like a toy car in addition to setting schedules and the like.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

You can now take a tour of the White House's halls decked with Christmas trees and other decor fit for the season — virtually, that is. Google first added the official residence of the President of the United States to the places you can visit on Street View almost a decade ago. But now, you can take a virtual walk of its premises to see how the place has been decorated.

The press office of the First Lady previously said that the administration would launch interactive viewing experiences for the White House's decorations this year. In addition, to the 360-degree Street View experience, there's now a "Holidays at the White House" tour available on the White House Experience mobile and web apps. According to The Hill, tours of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. are currently not available to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so these virtual experiences may be the only way you can get a glimpse of its decorations for the holidays.

The White House is only one of the many historic sites you can visit on Street View — there's also Chile's Palacio de la Moneda, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, the Palace of Versailles and the Colosseum, among others. If you still can't (or won't travel), maybe a virtual trip or two would be enough to sustain you for now. 

While there are still many unknowns about Steam Deck’s library of games, you can add four titles to the list that will work on day one. On Friday, Valve saidArma 3, DayZ, Unturned and Planetside 2 now all feature working BattlEye anti-cheat support when playing them through Proton. They join Ark: Survival Evolved and Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord for a total of six Windows titles that Linux users can play through the compatibility layer without the anti-cheat software causing issues. 

No matter how you frame it, only four new titles joining the compatibility list is a modest addition, particularly when you consider Valve said in November BattlEye integration on Proton had progressed to the point where all a developer had to do was contact the company to enable the feature within their game. The current list also doesn’t cover some of the most popular online multiplayer games on Steam, including the likes of Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG. We still don’t have a full picture of all the games that will work with Steam Deck’s Linux-based operating system, but that’s something Valve promised to clear up through a new verification program before the handheld launches in early 2022.

On the same day Reuters published a report on how NSO spyware may have been used to target State Department officials, the Biden administration announced the US would work with other countries to limit the export of surveillance software and other technologies to authoritarian governments. In a media event involving The Wall Street Journal, White House officials said the administration wants to coordinate with allies on a code of conduct related to export-licensing policies. Those involved in the effort would share information on tools used against political dissidents, journalists and foreign government officials.

The Biden Administration will announce the effort at the upcoming Summit for Democracy. The event, set to run for two days between December 9th and 10th, will see national governments and the private sector meet to discuss some of the challenges facing democracies in 2021 and beyond. Notably, China and Russia weren’t invited to attend the meeting.

Officials told The Journal the effort is in part a response to a global increase in the use of digital surveillance tools. “Technology is being misused by governments to surveil and, in some cases— as in the case of the [People’s Republic of China] — to control their population,” an administration official told the outlet. The effort could include some of the existing members of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a pact that sets voluntary export controls on military and dual-use technologies.

The initiative would build on work the US government is already doing to limit the export and resale of cyber intrusion software to China and Russia. At the end of October, the Commerce Department announced a new set of rules that will require companies that want to sell their hacking tools to countries “of national security concern” to obtain a license from the department before they can do so.

The next game in the Grid series, and the first since Electronic Arts bought developer Codemasters earlier this year, has a release date. Grid Legends will hit PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on February 25th.

Codemasters announced the game at EA Play Live in July. Grid Legends has a story mode inspired by Netflix docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive. It features live-action performances that were filmed using the same virtual set tech as The Mandalorian.

You'll be able to drive in more than 100 vehicles at the outset, and compete in more than 250 events in Career mode. The Drift and Elimination modes return, and players can check out a race creator and a new mode called Electric Boost. There's cross-platform multiplayer support, and Codemasters says you'll be able to race online after "three quick button presses" with the action starting almost immediately after you choose a race.

Grid Legends joins a bunch of major games that are coming out in February. It arrives on the same day as Elden Ring and soon after the likes of Dying Light 2, Horizon: Forbidden West, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and Sifu. Although Grid Legends won't have to compete with any big racing games in February, another heavy hitter will be available just one week later: Gran Turismo 7.

Meanwhile, Codemasters has offered the first in-depth look at Grid Legends gameplay. Along with an Elimination race and a big rig in action, the 17-minute video shows some street racing in heavy rain.

IKEA has sold a variety of wireless chargers since 2015, but never one that you could use without plugging into a wall outlet. It looks like that’s about to change with images of a new portable Nordmärke Qi charger making their way online courtesy of a few hawk-eyed Reddit users. We also have some details on the device thanks to German media outlet mobiFlip, which obtained them from a reader who bought one at a store in Cologne.

IKEA Nordmarke Qi charger

The individual paid €20 (approximately $22.64) to buy the portable charger. While it’s not available online yet, you can see from the photos it features a 6,500mAh battery. It can charge your Qi-compatible devices at a glacial 5W. What you won’t find inside the box is a power adapter or USB cable. It’s up to you to supply those, so it’s not quite as affordable as its price would suggest. However, one nifty feature is that the internal batteries are user-replaceable. 

We’ve reached out to IKEA to find out if the company plans to carry the Nordmärke portable Qi charger in the US. In the meantime, if you’re desperate to find a way to charge your devices on the go, your best bet is to buy a portable power bank. You can find ones that cost less than $20. What’s more, they will feature a bigger battery than the Nordmärke and they will charge your devices faster.

Following founder Jack Dorsey's recent departure, Twitter's new CEO Parag Agrawal is wasting no time in shaking up the company. A Washington Post report states that Agrawal announced a "major reorganization of the company" today, and it appears to include the stepping down of Michael Montano and Dantley Davis, who were the heads of engineering and design respectively.

We've reached out to Twitter for comment, and will update this post when we hear back. In the meantime, Davis tweeted earlier today a picture from a team offsite, saying "It was the highlight of the past two years at Twitter for me. Thank you to everyone who made this special. It has meant more than words can describe."

The Washington Post reported that a companywide email it obtained said Montano and Davis will be leaving by the end of the year (basically this month). It also indicated that the "reshuffling appears to primarily affect the company’s consumer, revenue, and core tech divisions, which will be helmed by Kayvon Beykpour, Bruce Falck, and Nick Caldwell, respectively."

There may soon be more ways to get your friends to pay their share of the check. Facebook (or its parent company Meta) announced today that it's testing Split Payments, "a free and fast way to share the cost of bills and expenses." Starting next week, users in the US will be able to charge their friends in a group chat or from the Payments Hub in Messenger. 

In a group chat, you'll need to hit the "Get Started" button to initiate the payments, and then you can choose to divide a sum of money evenly or decide what each person owes. You can also choose to include yourself and add a customizable message. The money will be sent through Facebook Pay, and after you submit, your request will be sent to the group's chat room. 

Facebook also said it's added new custom group effects from four additional creators: King Bach, Emma Chamberlain, Bella Poarch and Zach King. Earlier this month, the company also released new "soundmojis" tied to the Stranger Things soundtrack and Taylor Swift's remaster of her album Red.

When Tesla finally starts rolling the Cybertruck off the production line in 2022, the electric vehicle will debut with a four-motor variant. CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that model will offer "independent, ultra fast response torque control of each wheel." Some other EVs have a motor on each wheel, including Rivian's R1T.

Musk also reiterated that the Cybertruck will have front and rear-wheel steer. He previously noted the EV would offer rear-wheel steering, which will enable it to drive diagonally, "like a crab." Notably, the Hummer EV has a crab mode. Nissan's e-4orce all-wheel control system — which is in the Ariya electric crossover, upcoming next-gen Leaf and a lunar lander prototype — has front and rear motors too.

Tesla removed all Cybertruck specs and pricing from its website in October. Would-be owners can plunk down a refundable deposit of $100 and configure their order close to when Tesla starts production, which is scheduled to happen next year. However, it seems you'll likely have to wait longer if you want a two-motor version.