Four years after shutting down, The Tomorrow Childrenis coming back. First announced in 2014, the game was a short-lived PlayStation 4 exclusive that spent a year in early access through the better part of 2017. Now, Q-Games, which led development on the title alongside Sony’s defunct Japan Studio, has obtained the intellectual property rights to The Tomorrow Children and plans to relaunch it.
“I am now tweaking and re-working parts of the game every week, and I hope everyone follows along and gets involved in this process,” said Dylan Cuthbert, the founder and director of Q-Games. “We plan to make quite a few changes for the better, and give The Tomorrow Children the re-launch it deserves!” Q-Games didn’t say when fans can expect to play the game again. It also didn’t mention anything about platform availability, but the relaunch will give both fans and new players alike a chance to experience the quirky game again.
It's a big month for Riot, as the company is going all out to promote Arcane, the Netflix animated series based on League of Legends. But the company hasn't forgotten about the gaming side of things. Its publishing label, Riot Forge, has announced a rhythm runner game set in the LoL universe.
In Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story, you'll play as Ziggs, a Yordle and Hexplosives expert, who wants to build the greatest bomb in the history of Runeterra. You'll carry out bomb jumps and attacks as you bypass obstacles, disarm enemies and light fuses to the beat of this platformer's soundtrack.
In terms of gameplay, Hextech Mayhem looks a little like the Bit.Trip series. That shouldn't be too surprising, since Choice Provisions is the developer behind both.
More details will be revealed during a Riot Forge video showcase at 11AM ET on November 16th. Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story will be available on Nintendo Switch, Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store on the same day. If you pre-order, you'll snag an exclusive skin for Ziggs.
The game is also coming to Netflix at a later date. It's the first new title announced for Netflix's nascent gaming service since the company expanded it to all Android users last week. The current lineup of five mobile games will be available to iOS users soon. Netflix subscribers will be able to play Hextech Mayhem at no extra cost.
For years, Microsoft has pushed cheap Windows laptops as the ideal school computers. They can do everything a comparable Chromebook can, while also running traditional Windows software. But now, Microsoft is finally ready to jump into the affordable, kid-friendly PC fray with the $249 Surface Laptop SE. It's one of the first PCs to run Windows 11 SE, a stripped down OS that's targeted at K-8 students (and their beleaguered teachers). You can also expect to see Windows 11 SE devices are coming from Dell, HP, Acer and ASUS, among other PC makers.
Microsoft hasn't had the best luck with Windows variants over the years: Windows 10 S was a limp attempt at delivering a simpler experience for the original Surface Laptop, while the dual-screen focused Windows 10X was eventually cancelled. (Windows 11 basically rose from the ashes of Windows 10 X.) But according to Aaron Woodman, Microsoft's General Manager of Windows, this latest OS is more focused on solving a specific problem: How can Microsoft create the ideal OS experience for students and teachers?
Microsoft
Windows 11 SE attempts to do that by focusing on simplicity. There's no Microsoft Store for installing apps (though IT departments can deploy whatever Win32 and Universal apps they'd like). It's optimized to run on slower hardware. And Microsoft even stripped down the window snapping options by only allowing apps to be on the left or right side of the screen. One of the best parts of Windows 11 is the easy way you can easily shove an app to different corners of your screen, but that's probably too complicated for elementary school-aged kids running notebooks with small screens.
The Surface Laptop SE is similarly basic by design. It's a plastic-shelled notebook that vaguely resembles the Surface Laptop line, especially the previous cheap entry, the $549 Surface Laptop Go. It has an 11.6-inch TFT LCD screen with a 1,366 by 768 resolution — a step above 720p, but below the Laptop Go's sub-1080p display. And don't expect any powerful gear under the hood, as the Surface Laptop SE is limited to dual-core Celeron chips (either the N4020 or N4120), and either 4GB or 8GB of RAM. For storage, there's a choice between 64GB or 128GB eMMC cards.
But really, what else do you expect for a starting price of $249? What's more intriguing about the Surface Laptop SE are the more premium elements that still managed to find their way in. Microsoft brought over the Surface Laptop Go's excellent keyboard and trackpad, as well as its easy-opening lid, Woodman tells us. The Laptop SE also sports a 720p webcam, which is sharper than what we see on most similarly-priced notebooks. And, judging from a brief Teams video chat I had with Dave Alles, General Manager of Surface Laptop SE, its camera and microphone quality are shockingly solid too. (It was easily better than $1,200 laptops I've reviewed.)
Microsoft
For the most part, the Surface Laptop SE appears to be more than enough for a typical grade-school kid. It weighs 2.45 pounds, so it shouldn't be too tough to lug around in tiny backpacks. And its onboard storage, however meager, should be enough to work on Microsoft Office projects offline. Woodman says Microsoft had students without reliable internet access in mind when designing the Laptop SE. They could download assignments at school, work on them at home, and have their work automatically synchronized when they're back in class.
IT departments would likely appreciate the easily accessible screws on the bottom, making it simple to open up and repair notebooks on-site. The Laptop SE's low price should also make it easier for schools to acquire enough units for every student, instead of sharing a handful of PCs in class.
Microsoft
I'm curious to see how well Windows 11 SE performs on the Laptop SE's slow hardware. And a part of me wonders if giving kids a more limited version of Windows will hurt their ability to tinker with PCs when they're older. But as a former IT support jockey, the Surface Laptop SE appears to be the cheap notebook I've always wanted grade-school students to have. Sure, it's not as flexible as the $400 Surface Go 3, but for basic coursework that won't matter too much. And while I liked the Surface Laptop Go, it starts at $549—so schools could buy two Laptop SEs for around the same price.
At this point, Microsoft is only planning to sell the Laptop SE to schools through education resellers later this year. Normal consumers and businesses won't be able to order them at all. But if it's wildly successful, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft finds some way to bring this cheap computer to the masses.
Qualcomm is betting it can become a cornerstone in the augmented reality world. The chipmaker has unveiled a Snapdragon Spaces platform that helps developers create apps for "next generation" AR glasses. The toolset includes tech to help understand environments and users (including gesture and hand tracking from the newly acquired HINS), software kits for 3D engines like Unreal, OpenXR support and hooks for platforms like Niantic's Lightship and Unity's AR Foundation.
The ultimate aim is to make AR more accessible. Ideally, developers will make apps directly available to you through mobile app stores, using glasses tethered to smartphones. You might not see Snapdragon Spaces used for stand-alone glasses, at least not at first.
The manufacturer support will be there. Spaces won't be widely available until spring 2022, but Qualcomm has lined up partners like Lenovo (including Motorola), Oppo and Xiaomi. Carriers like T-Mobile and NTT DoCoMo will help build "5G experiences" using Spaces. Lenovo will be the first to make use of the technology, pairing its ThinkReality A3 glasses with an unnamed Motorola phone.
It's too soon to know if Snapdragon Spaces will have a meaningful effect on AR. While this should streamline app work, that will only matter if there are both compelling projects and AR glasses people want to buy. This also won't be much help for iPhone owners waiting on possible Apple AR devices. Efforts like this might lower some of the barriers, though, and it's easy to see a flurry of AR software in the near future.
Twitter is expanding its premium subscription service to more users. Twitter Blue, which unlocks additional features like the ability to “undo” a tweet or browse news without ads, is now available to users in the United States ($2.99/month) and New Zealand ($4.49/month).
The service is designed to appeal to Twitter’s most dedicated power users, with the kind of specialized features that have sometimes appeared in third-party Twitter clients. For example, Twitter Blue comes with an “undo” feature that’s likely the closest thing to an edit button the company will ever make.
A subscription also buys several new customization tools, including the ability to rearrange which features appear as shortcuts in the app’s navigation bar, or the option to choose new color themes and app icons. Subscriptions also buy you early access to new features as Twitter tests them out. For now that includes video upload up to 10 minutes long (videos are capped at 2 minutes for non-paying users) and the ability to pin conversations to the top of your DM inbox. These experimental features “might eventually become available to the rest of Twitter, graduate to a feature of Twitter Blue, or sunset based on feedback we hear from subscribers,” the company says.
Twitter
Notably, the latest iteration of Twitter Blue also comes with two new features powered by the company’s recent acquisition of Scroll, a startup that partnered with publishers to offer ad-free content. Twitter Blue subscribers are now able to access ad-free articles from more than 300 publishers, including The Atlantic, BuzzFeed and Rolling Stone.
It’s somewhat similar to Google’s AMP or Facebook’s Instant Articles in that articles are meant to load quickly and cleanly. But unlike those programs, where readers are directed to stripped down article pages, Twitter Blue articles will still open directly on the publisher’s website. Tony Haile, the former Scroll CEO who now is the senior director of longform at Twitter, says the company is trying to build “win-win partnerships” with publishers who retain “complete control of the experience.”
Though the company hasn’t disclosed the terms of these arrangements, a portion of each Twitter Blue subscription goes directly to publishers, Haile said. And subscribers will also get access to a dashboard in the Twitter app that breaks down your news-reading habits and how much revenue your clicks are bringing to the publishers you read most often. “Our goal is to help each publishing partner make 50% more per person than they would’ve made from serving ads to that person.” Twitter writes in a blog post.
Twitter
Finally, Twitter Blue comes with a “top articles” feature that brings in some functionality from the niche but highly regarded news app Nuzzel, which was shuttered earlier this year. Like the original app, the new “top articles” feature will curate a list of the top stories shared by people in your Twitter network over the last 24 hours. (Former Nuzzel fans will be happy to learn they can pin the new “top articles” section directly to their nav bar from the in-app settings menu.)
The expansion of Twitter Blue comes amid a broader shift for the company, which has been shaking up many of its core features for the first time in its 15-year history. Elsewhere, the company has embraced creator-centric features like Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces, and is building out a newsletter platform. Twitter Blue is different, though, because the company is hoping to draw in its most hardcore users rather than attract new voices to its platform.
But it’s unclear just how many of those users will be willing to pay for those extra features. The company has been testing Twitter Blue in Australia and Canada since early June, but hasn’t shared on early adoption or other metrics for the service, Twitter said Tuesday it will continue to add new features and will be paying close attention to user feedback.
We regularly write about the games we love at Engadget, and even have "best games" lists for each console. But buying a game for someone else is a different matter entirely to choosing one for yourself. Unless you know exactly what they want, where do you even begin?
Well, we'd begin by thinking about what your loved one’s into, outside of gaming. Could they do with something to help them chill out every night? Do they love a good story, something that moves them? Are they a board game freak? Maybe they're passionate about romancing Greek gods? OK, that last one's pretty unlikely, but we hope there's a little something for everyone here.
Hades
Super Giant Games
Why am I recommending a game that won a bunch of awards back in 2020? Because you can finally play it on everything. Over the summer, the game launched across both generations of Xbox and Playstation consoles, joining the PC and Switch versions.
Buy Hades on PS5 or Xbox Series X, and you’ll get a version that can reach 60 fps in 4K. Whichever platform you play on, expect a game filled with varied enemies, playthroughs that are never the same twice, and an ingenious Boon system that augments a strong selection of weapons with extra powers, effects and new moves.
You’ll soon decide your favorite godly ally (and weapon of the underworld), but making it to the end of Hades demands you build some affinity for most skills and techniques, as Boons are randomly granted each run. The game centers around dying, learning and doing it all over again. And again. And again. — Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief
If Silksong, the sequel to Hollow Knight, had arrived by now, I’d probably be recommending that. As it is, it’s still a great time to acquaint yourself with the original which came out — first on PC — back in 2017. Thanks to its Metroidvania playstyle (explore, earn new abilities, use abilities to explore even further) and its cute bug cartoon looks, it remains a classic. To explore the world of Hollow Knight, you’ll need half-decent reflexes to both explore dangerous environments and survive encounters with much bigger bugs. The story is lightly woven into your exploration, and while things can feel a little bleak — it’s a moody looking game — there’s plenty of funny little moments and characters to meet.
Depending on your console of choice, it’s also often discounted. Now might be the time to discover your new (but old) favorite game, and hone those skills in time for Silksong. — M.S.
No game has brought me quite as much joy and calm over the past year or so than Stardew Valley and, judging by the plethora of streams on Twitch for the title, I don’t think I’m alone. Farming sims were some of my favorite games to play as a kid (Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life holds a special place in my heart) and Stardew Valley filled that void for me as an adult and gave me a pleasant, playful thing I could focus while the world was spinning out of control. Planning for fall days in advance so I can get as many gold-star pumpkins as possible brings me way more happiness than you’d think, as does collecting the ridiculous amount of cheese and eggs my happy cows and chickens produce. And the Sims lover in me also finds a ton of joy in actually building up my farm — sure, it’s not as elaborate as farms I’ve seen on Twitch or in Reddit threads, but it’s my own little slice of virtual heaven. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor
If your special someone is fortunate enough to own a PlayStation 5, they’re likely craving a game that makes the most of their new console — and few games do that better than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The action-adventure from Insomniac not only looks beautiful, with exceptional detail and sharp 4K HDR visuals, but uses the PS5’s ultra-fast storage to offer gameplay that just wasn’t possible on previous-gen consoles. You can warp between worlds in an instant, with loading times almost a thing of the past.
And did I mention that it’s a very enjoyable game even without that instant-travel party trick? You’ll enjoy expanded mechanics that include plenty of blast-em-up action, a diverse set of environments and movement systems like wall-running. The story is compelling, too. The PS5 has few classics at this stage, but Rift Apart is definitely one of them. — Jon Fingas, Weekend Editor
Disco Elysium is a video game for board game lovers, RPG diehards and fans of gritty detective stories alike, and since its release in October 2019, it’s solidified its place among the indie greats. The Final Cut is the definitive version of Disco Elysium, with full voice acting (that’s a lot of characters, trust), fresh art and animations, and expanded storylines. It came out in October for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch, and it recently hit PC, PlayStation 4, PS5 and Stadia, so this is a fresh yet proven release for the holiday season. The Final Cut marks the first time the game has hit Switch, PlayStation or Xbox, so it’s especially exciting for players on these platforms. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Editor
Control is another title with a solid reputation, and the Ultimate Edition finally unlocks the game on current-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5. Control: Ultimate Edition is a third-person supernatural thriller set in a mysterious government building that’s been overrun by a horrific, murderous presence. It comes from Alan Wake studio Remedy Entertainment, and it features rapid-fire gunbattles, telekinetic abilities, and creepy creatures galore. Plus, Control: Ultimate Edition includes the base game and both of its expansions, The Foundation and AWE. — J.C.
Here’s one for the quirky artist, the hopeless dreamer or the serious musician in the family — The Artful Escape by Australian indie studio Beethoven & Dinosaur. It’s a gorgeous, psychedelic, interactive musical with astounding visuals, a fantastic original soundtrack, and a star-studded voice cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Lena Heady and Mark Strong. The Artful Escape blends the sensibilities of Ziggy Stardust with the dialogue of Douglas Adams and turns it all into a rich, pleasant platformer overflowing with heart. Truly, anyone can love this game — as long as they’re playing on Steam or Xbox platforms. — J.C.
PlayStation 5 and PC players only for this one — everyone else is just going to be sad they can’t play it. Deathloop is the brand new, breakout hit from Dishonored house Arkane Studios, and it’s an innovative, retro-futuristic first-person shooter with killer time-bending mechanics. This is the game that’ll be on everyone’s lips during awards season, and it’s one that serious players won’t want to miss. — J.C.
The rumors of a Sony-TSMC chipmaking partnership were true. Nikkeireports Sony and TSMC are teaming up to build a semiconductor factory in Kumamoto, Japan that would tackle "strong global market demand" for specialized chips. That is, it would address chip shortages that have plagued everyone from car makers through to phone brands. The deal has TSMC creating a local subsidiary, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, where Sony will have a minority stake of roughly $500 million.
This fab wouldn't be used to make cutting-edge chips on 5-nanometer and smaller processes. Instead, it would start out with 22nm and 28nm parts. That may sound outdated (even Intel's 14nm CPUs have been around for several years), but they could be ideal for tasks where cost and reliability are more important than raw performance, like cars and industrial equipment.
As with many chip shortage solutions, you won't notice the impact for a while. Sony and TSMC only expect to start construction of the factory sometime in 2022, and the plant won't start production until sometime before the end of 2024. The initial crunch that prompted the effort may have been solved by then. Nonetheless, this could help the tech industry keep up with demand and prevent any future crisis from hobbling whole economies.
Peloton's fitness ambitions go far beyond treadmills and stationary bikes. Its next product is the Peloton Guide, a strength-training camera system that hooks up to your TV and uses machine learning to understand your movements.
The movement tracker feature is compatible with hundreds of Peloton strength classes. The idea is to encourage users to carry out all of the exercises in a class and keep up with instructors (but it's not a big deal if you can't stick to the instructor's pace). The Self Mode will enable users to match their form against the instructor's in real-time via smart camera technology. You'll be able to select how you appear on screen, and the aim is to help you make adjustments during a class.
Peloton
The body activity function serves as a reminder of which muscle groups you've worked out most recently. It will suggest classes that target muscles you might have overlooked lately. In addition, Peloton Guide has a voice activation mode. You can start, stop, rewind and fast forward a class. The feature will be available in the US, Canada and the UK at the outset (for what it's worth, Peloton's bikes only just got a pause button for on-demand classes).
In terms of privacy, you'll be able to put the system to sleep, slide a cover over the camera and turn off the microphone with a physical switch, though the company says the microphone won't be on or listening unless you're in a class. Peloton plans to improve the system over time by training the machine learning model on more movements and disciplines, and increasing the number of classes and training programs. Meanwhile, you'll be able to use your own equipment and weights.
Peloton
The company says that strength is its platform's fastest-growing discipline. The Peloton App offers some strength classes, while unofficial groups and tags focused on strength now boast nearly 250,000 community members.
Peloton Guide is the company's least expensive device to date. It costs $495 US / $645 CAD / £450 / €495. The system, which comes with a remote and the updated Peloton Heart Rate Band, will arrive in the US and Canada in early 2022. It will hit the UK, Australia and Germany later next year.
The Heart Rate Band, which will be an armband rather than the current chest strap, will be available separately early next year for $89, and is compatible with Peloton's other products. Peloton says it will discontinue the existing Heart Rate Monitor in the coming months.
It's worth noting that, as with Peloton's other products, you'll need a subscription to use it. The Peloton Guide Membership costs $13 USD / $17 CAD / £13 / €13 per month, and allows five people to work out with the system. A membership is included with Peloton's All-Access subscription (which many Bike and Tread owners will already have).
Peloton Guide is not going to be for everyone. Some people won't be comfortable seeing themselves on a screen as they're working out. But for those who do strength training at home and aren't sure that their form is right, it could fit the bill.
Having somehow made it through a second year of global pandemic and political unrest, give the loved ones on your holiday shopping list the greatest gift of all: an alternative to doom-scrolling. In Engadget’s 2021 Media Gift Guide you’ll find a diverse selection of books — fiction and nonfiction alike — as well a host of streaming content suggestions that will keep their recipients entertained through the holidays and beyond. If you’ve got a book, show or movie that you think would make the perfect present, tell us all about it in the comments below!
Fiction
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
NYT bestselling author, Rebecca Roanhorse — the literary force behind Star Wars: Resistance Reborn — has done it again. Her latest fantasy series, Between Earth and Sky, takes readers on an epic journey of trauma, healing, vengeance, and eventual redemption. The first book in the series, 2020’s Black Sun, weaves a masterfully engrossing — and markedly inclusive — tale that eschews the common Arthurian Legend retellings in favor of a unique fantasy world inspired by pre-Columbian America cultures. If you’ve got a fan of fantasy on your holiday shopping list, pick up Black Sun for them before the sequel, Fevered Star, drops next April.
The ending of Game of Thrones was nothing short of a slap in the face to fans. I mean, really, all that and Bran wins? GTFOH. If you’ve got a fan of George “Double R” Martin on your holiday shopping list, do them a favor and turn them on to Joe Abercrombie’s Age of Madness trilogy. Set in a world in which the seeds of industrialization have just taken hold even as the age magic and mysticism stubbornly refuses to be uprooted, AoM tells a tale of mighty nations at war while the powerful elites who rule them vie for control over both their countries’ external fates and their courts’ internal politics. Packed with captivating characters, political intrigue, incredible reversals of fortune and stunning betrayals, Age of Madness is a grimdark masterpiece where everybody, for once, gets exactly what they deserve.
Whether we like it or not, this is Jeff Bezos’ world and the rest of us just live in it. Our current slate of 21st century techno-robber barons have achieved unfathomable wealth and unassailable power; but as Paul Bradley Carr’s latest novel, 1414º, illustrates, you can’t spend that money or wield that influence when you’re dead. If you’ve got a fan of high-tension whodunnits and techno-thrillers on your holiday shopping list, 1414º will be a surefire hit.
Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Martha Wells can’t stop, won’t stop, dropping Murderbot hits. The reigning queen of hard sci-fi releasedFugitive Telemetry— the sixth book in her Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Alex Award winning series — earlier this year and let me tell you from experience, it is a banger. Our self-aware SecUnit anti-hero is back in another standalone adventure, this time on the trail of a vicious murderer aboard Preservation (space) Station. If the sci-finatic on your holiday shopping lists enjoys space intrigue and robotic mysteries, you can’t go wrong with Fugitive Telemetry.
The year is 2052 and Earth finds itself unwillingly annexed into a galactic empire it didn’t even know existed and is presented with a simple choice: provide our new alien overlords with a viable commercial product or face extermination. Thus, Earth’s mercenary legions are born. Armed with alien-made weaponry and a mysterious technology that allows soldiers to be reconstructed after being killed in battle — like reloading from a previous save point but far more gooey — Earth’s legions set out across the stars to fight the wars that the galaxy’s elder races are too self-important to fight themselves. Already 16 books deep, author B.V. Larson continues to lead the genre of military sci-fi from the front, so if you’ve got a fan of Starship Troopers, Aliens-style space marines, or Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow on your holiday shopping list, congrats! You can cross them off now.
Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond by Ashley Jean Yeager
Far from a household name, astronomer Vera Rubin’s pioneering research helped convince the scientific community of the possibility that dark matter — the mysterious materials that make up a vast majority of the universe but cannot be observed — actually exists. In Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond (not to be confused with Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, a collection of Rubin’s own essays), author Ashley Jean Yeager takes readers on an inspiring biographical journey through the astronomer’s early year before examining the challenges she faced working in an often hostile, male-dominated field, and her eventual vindication and professional triumphs — looking at you Vera C. Rubin Observatory. If you’ve got a younger someone on your holiday shopping list who’s interested in pursuing STEM, this could well be the book that puts them on a path towards scientific greatness.
During the Zeppelin’s heyday, airships weren't just a means of the well-to-do to slowly get to distant destinations in comfort and luxury, they also offered a new means of (albeit pokey) exploration. N-4 Down by Mark Piesing takes readers on a thrilling, nail-biting adventure of the largest arctic rescue operation in history as famed Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, rushed to save the surviving crew of the airship Italia, which crashed during its attempt to land men at the North Pole in 1928. The history and aeronautical buffs on your holiday shopping list are going to absolutely love it.
For the last 10,000 years, humanity has had an unprecedented and largely destructive impact on the environment around us. But as climate change increasingly wreaks its own havoc on us in return, humanity must now work to reverse or at least mitigate the harm that we have caused. In Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert examines just what we can do to make things right with Mother Earth and avoid a catastrophic climate crisis.
Green Bank, West Virginia is, technologically speaking, stuck in the 1950s. And for good reason! This bucolic Appalachian town is home to the ultra-sensitive radio telescope at the Green Bank observatory, which necessitates that basically every device that can emit a radio signal — everything from iPads to microwaves — be heavily restricted. In The Quiet Zone, journalist and author Stephen Kurczy, embeds himself in Green Bank to give readers a firsthand look at what life could be like without our precious digital tech. The Quiet Zone is the perfect gift for the aspiring luddite on your holiday shopping list.
Given the myriad COVID-induced supply chain challenges that retailers are girding for this upcoming holiday season, finding physical copies of these titles could prove to be a bit of a challenge. So, perhaps consider gifting the book worms on your holiday shopping list the Kindle Paperwhite and a subscription to Amazon Kindle Unlimited? Virtually every one of the books listed above are available on the digital service along with millions of others as well as magazines and periodicals.
But there’s only so much one can read during those long winter nights so why not curl up on the couch with a nice cup of hot cocoa and watch some sterling examples of our new Golden Age of Television? If you’ve got a Trekkie on your holiday shopping list, you really can’t go wrong with a subscription to Paramount+. The $5 - $10 a month service unlocks a plethora of Star Trek shows including the Emmy award-winning Picard and the hilarious Lower Decks.
Got someone with small children on your gift list? Throw them a bone with a Disney+ subscription. The service hosts nearly the entirety of Disney’s massive, decades-deep archives along with new family-friendly series and episodes arriving daily.
NVIDIA has been steadily advancing its AI assistant technology in recent months, and now it's clear just how all the pieces fit together. The company has introduced Omniverse Avatar (for 3D assistant creation) and Riva (custom AI voice creation) platforms that, combined, lead to surprisingly realistic virtual personas with relatively little effort — or, in one case, deliberately unrealistic.
In one demo, used to highlight NVIDIA's AI-powered Maxine toolkit, the company created an Omniverse Avatar from a woman's photo and used Riva to train the voice based on that woman, convert text to speech and translate to different languages. The digital stand-in looks and sounds much like the real person (aside from a couple of stiff-sounding translations), and can even turn its head while maintaining natural-looking eye contact. As you might imagine, this could lead to more relatable virtual helpers at kiosks and websites.
Another demo, for NVIDIA's Project Tokkio "talking kiosk" reference app, shows what could happen when you created a wholly artificial character. The tech showcase centers on a 3D, ray-traced toy version of CEO Jensun Huang (complete with his signature outfit and a Riva-trained voice) using AI to hold a conversation with real people on subjects like climate change and the role of proteins in the body. Various Omniverse systems animate his face and hands. It's not meant to be highly authentic, of course, but it shows how you can craft a 3D virtual assistant considerably more engaging than a disembodied voice.
Most of the Maxine development kit is already available. Riva is usable now in an open beta, and will be free for "small-scale" work. Larger rollouts will depend on a Riva Enterprise program launching early in 2022. You'll have to wait longer for Omniverse Avatar, though. While the basic Omniverse platform is in open beta now, Avatar is only "under development" with no specified launch date. Still, this points to a future where an airport or favorite restaurant can provide an assistant that's (hopefully) useful without seeming too robotic.
