Engadget

11.03.2025 20:51 Breaking: A Big Tech company is ramping up its AI development. In this case, the protagonist of this now-familiar tale is Meta, which Reuters reports is testing its first in-house chip for AI training. The idea is to lower its gargantuan infrastructure costs and reduce its dependence on NVIDIA . If all goes well, Meta hopes to use it for training by 2026. Meta has reportedly kicked off a small-scale deployment of the dedicated accelerator chip, which is designed to specialize in AI tasks . The deployment began after the company completed its first "tape-out," the phase in silicon development where a complete design is sent for a manufacturing test run. The chip is part of the Meta Training and Inference Accelerator series, the company's family of custom in-house silicon focused on generative AI, recommendation systems and advanced research. Last year, the company started using an MTIA chip for inference, a predictive process that happens behind the scenes in AI models. Meta began using the inference one for its Facebook and Instagram news feed recommendation systems. Reuters reports that it plans to start using the training silicon for that as well. The long-term plan for both chips is said to begin with recommendations and eventually use them for generative products like the Meta AI chatbot. The company is one of NVIDIA's biggest customers after placing orders for billions of dollars' worth of GPUs in 2022. That was a pivot for Meta after it bailed on a previous in-house inference silicon that failed a small-scale test deployment — much like the one it's doing now for the training chip.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-reportedly-testing-its-first-in-house-ai-training-chip-174550664.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 Our favorite kleptomaniac prince is back. There’s a new Katamari Damacy game coming to Apple Arcade on April 3. Katamari Damacy Rolling Live is being developed by franchise steward Bandai Namco and, as the name suggests, brings those familiar rolling gameplay mechanics to iOS devices, Mac computers and Apple TV. The Apple Arcade exclusive doesn’t look all that dissimilar to previous entries. You play as the prince, rolling up objects until they grow large enough to become stars. It’s Katamari. The big difference here is the plot. The old games typically had you creating stars for the noble purpose of rebuilding the galaxy. This time, the stars are created for the benefit of the king’s burgeoning career as a livestreamer. Bandai Namco That’s right. Successful runs boost the king’s “subscriber count” and this leads to positive comments from in-game fans. Once the viewership reaches a certain threshold, you unlock new stages. That’s a fairly odd twist, but it’s not as if anyone plays Katamari for the plot. You play for the satisfaction of rolling over stuff to get bigger. Apple promises a “captivating soundtrack that blends different genres.” It’ll be tough to beat the OG soundtrack, which is one of the all-time greats, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s been around eight years since we’ve had any new Katamari game and around a decade since we’ve had a good one. Bandai Namco did release a remaster of the original title back in 2018 and the sequel in 2023. This isn’t the only Apple Arcade news today. The platform announced an update to the well-received Skate City: New York that brings 30 new levels and 90 new objectives. It’ll be available on March 27. There’s also a new Space Invaders game coming on April 3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-first-new-katamari-game-in-years-is-coming-to-apple-arcade-in-april-173045224.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 Many years ago, I reviewed the Eero Pro 6E, which was a delightfully easy device to get along with. The hardware was powerful, unobtrusive and fit into my home pretty well, to the point where I had no complaints about living with it. But all of the good was undone by Eero’s constant arm-twisting to get you to pay for its monthly subscription. With an app that exists as little more than an advertisement and with so many basic features paywalled, I couldn’t in all good conscience recommend it. Thankfully, the advent of Wi-Fi 7 and the new Eero Pro 7 means Eero has a shot to make good on its previous errors and turn my opinion around. Which, it’ll take, right? For Engadget’s mesh Wi-Fi testing methodology, please read our mesh Wi-Fi buyer’s guide. Hardware Daniel Cooper for Engadget Since its birth, Eero has built its Wi-Fi nodes as rounded-off boxes that sit unobtrusively on side tables and bookshelves. Sadly, the sheer volume of stuff required to make Wi-Fi 7 work is bigger than the traditional body will allow. Consequently, the Pro 7 ditches the classic body for the same casing found on Eero’s super-flagship Max 7. The vertical design is better for keeping the components cool without a fan, but it is noticeable, especially with prominent branding, defeating the point of making the gear anonymous. Each node is identical, clad in piano gloss white and measuring 7.1 inches tall and 5.8 inches wide. Turn it around and you’ll find the USB-C power jack, reset button and two 5G ethernet ports with a theoretical top speed of 4.7 Gbps. The coterie of wireless radios promise to reach the heights of 3.9 Gbps. Tucked inside are the usual smart home integrations including Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Amazon Connected Devices, Alexa and Bluetooth LE 5.0 Installation Eero’s promise of “frustration-free setup” isn't an empty one, and it remains the easiest mesh system to set up. Download the Eero app, hand over your Amazon login and plug in your cable modem, and everything else is taken care of within minutes. Each node was up and running two minutes after being plugged in, and most of the 15-minute set-up time was schlepping between rooms. Once each node is ready, you’ll get a notification telling you your placement is good for signal strength. This is useful since some meshes won’t, and just expect you to troubleshoot the poor performance down the line. The app did tell me I’d get faster speeds if I moved the nodes closer to each other, but given the layout of my home, that would mean placing them all in the same damn room. Performance Eero’s bread and butter performance is never an issue, especially once the mesh has settled down after the first day or so. Much of what worked with previous versions remains in place here, and for home use, it’s excellent. My office, which is some distance away from any node, was still able to pull down 250 Mbps in artificial speed tests. The smart TV in this room was able to stream a 4K movie without any lag or buffering, letting me dance past the pre-roll ads. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to throw out their Wi-Fi 6E system in favor of this, because you won’t see a massive uplift in performance. When I tested the Eero Pro 6E, I was easily getting speeds in my office around the 250 Mbps mark anyway. There are noticeable improvements in lag and reliability that can’t be sniffed at, but you’ll only notice them if you’re upgrading from really old gear. If you are upgrading from an older Eero system, it’s worth keeping hold of that hardware to bolster your network. Every Eero node is capable of integrating with its older peers, even if you may find performance is degraded as a consequence. I grabbed a Pro 6E node and placed it in a notorious signal dead spot at the end of my home, just for the hell of it. Naturally, the older nodes are slower but, even so, the loss isn’t that painful. When I’d connected to the 6E node and ran speed tests, I was still pulling down 200 Mbps. App and Eero Plus When I wrote Engadget’s mesh Wi-Fi buyer’s guide, I spent months testing hardware from all the big names. Some were easy, some were fussy and some were designed for network engineers with no consideration for general users. None of them, however, irked me as much as Eero’s app, which is a textbook case in seizing defeat from the jaws of victory. Essentially, half of the splash screen is an ad for Eero Plus, the company’s subscription product. And Eero puts so many basic features behind a paywall that it’s impossible to recommend. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Eero’s app is tidy and well-designed, offering a single pane listing each node and its signal strength. The icons signify how well the nodes are connected to each other, but there’s no sense of the network’s topography. Below it is a pane that tells you what devices are on the network right now, although it struggles to name many common products . You’re also unable to set traffic priorities for your device, which would be useful when I’m recording a podcast or on a Zoom call. Daniel Cooper for Engadget Take a look at this screenshot of the Activity Pane, and notice how empty it is, showing you just the top speeds and quantities of data up- and downloaded. Each one links to another pane with some more detailed information, but even so, the visualizations are more or less pointless. This speaks to the big issue with Eero’s software setup and business model more generally. I imagine Engadget readers break into two camps: People who know DHCP has something to do with their internet but wouldn’t touch it for fear of breaking something, and the people who have 192.168.1.1 burned into their fingers’ muscle memory. Eero’s pitch probably irritates both since it robs you of even your most basic agency to run your own damn Wi-Fi. For instance, you can set your Wi-Fi name and password, and set the same for your guest Wi-Fi but beyond that, oh boy. You can collect devices into groups, letting you set time limits for, say, your kids’ consoles or computers. You can set your DHCP to manual or Bridge mode, set a reservation or port forward and deactivate support for IPv6. And, uh, that’s about it. That is, unless you spring $9.99 a month or $100 a year for Eero Plus, which then opens up the toolkit. For that, you get the ability to set a mobile hotspot as an internet backup if your Wi-Fi should go down. Subscribers will also get access to parental controls, historical data, ad and app blocking, the company’s advanced security suite, DDNS and content filters. Plus, you’ll get a subscription to Guardian VPN, Malwarebytes and 1Password thrown in, too. Look, I get it. All hardware companies — even ones owned by Amazon — need to ensure they have multiple revenue streams to keep the lights on. And I’m sure there are lots of people who feel the added charges are probably worth it for peace of mind. But you need to know that Eero's competition offers these features without asking for more money. Google's Nest Wi-Fi includes parental controls and security updates in addition to guest networks. Though Nest hasn't launched a Wi-Fi 7 product yet, so it's not an equivalent comparison, the Eero Pro 6E was similarly limited with Amazon pushing a Plus subscription. If a company wants to charge me $700 for a product and then hold basic features back to wring another $100 a year out of me, I’m hostile by default. Price and the competition The Eero Pro 7 is available in one, two or three-node packs, priced at $300, $550 and $700 respectively. Wi-Fi 7 systems are currently priced for early adopters, and you’ll spend big at whichever company you opt to buy from. I’m not going to do a direct apples-to-apples comparison here as there are a number of notable spec differences between various Wi-Fi 7 routers. For instance, Netgear’s Orbi 770 has a longer broadcast range and faster wireless speed but slower ethernet ports and can only handle half as many connected devices as the Pro 7. At this early stage, you’ll be looking at what specs to prioritize depending on your home’s specific needs. So I can’t say if the $900 Orbi 770 is a better fit for you than the $700 Eero Pro 7. If you’re looking to upgrade and have your heart set on Eero, then it might be worth looking at last-generation hardware. At the time of writing, a three-pack of Eero Pro 6Es are priced at $550, and the performance it offers is pretty darn impressive. It has the same issues as its successor, but the backwards-and-forwards compatibility is a useful bonus. And Wi-Fi 6E is a major upgrade over whatever Wi-Fi you’re probably using at home right now. Wrap-up There are so many things to like about Eero’s mesh Wi-Fi systems that it galls me so much I can’t recommend them. They’re really easy to set up, really easy to use and the performance you get out of them, in terms of both speed and reliability, is staggeringly good. I’m quite fond of the hardware design, even if they are a bit more attention-grabbing than the older models. And I do think $700 for a whole-home Wi-Fi 7 system is pretty good when other companies are asking for a grand or more right now. That’s especially true for folks who aren’t interested in messing with every knob and dial to fine-tune their internet to the nth degree. This hardware passes the “would you be able to hand this to your technophobe family member” test with flying colors. Unfortunately, I cannot get over how aggressive the nickel-and-diming is, to the point of holding back features that I’d say should be free. I’d argue that every router should offer at the very least, basic parental controls and some sort of URL blocking or content filtering. Even if you don’t use them, that those features would be held back to milk recurring revenue out of you is rough. If you were standing at a car dealership and someone tried to sell you a sedan with three wheels — the fourth is thrown in with CarSubscriptionPlus for just $9.99 a month! — you’d walk away in disgust.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/eero-pro-7-review-paying-to-be-sold-a-subscription-171502767.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 TikTok — at least according to the bevy of civil and federal lawsuits against it — is not known for being a safe place for children. In part it has has leaned on parents to do the policing through its Family Pairing tool, which allows guardians to limit teens' screen time and block certain content. Now, TikTok is introducing additional features that allow a paired adult to see their teen's connections and choose when the app is even accessible. The first new feature, Time Away, lets parents set specific times that TikTok is available on their teen's devices. For example, they can turn off access during a weekend trip or during dinner time, rather than just setting a screen time limit. They can also set a recurring schedule if they want to keep it simple each week. Teens, however, can request extra time, but their parent must approve it. Parents can also now see exactly who their teen is following or is followed by, along with accounts they've blocked. TikTok claims this will make parents "better equipped to have ongoing conversations and help their teens develop the digital literacy skills they need." Not a small task by any means. Lastly, TikTok is adding an unusual feature to limit screen time. Anyone under 16 using the platform after 10PM will have their screen taken over and calming music will play In the coming weeks, TikTok will also test adding meditation exercises to these pop-ups.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-will-try-instituting-a-10pm-curfew-on-most-teens-165416916.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51  After taking two years off, Blizzard will bring back Blizzcon in 2026. The publisher's fan convention will take place on September 12 and 13 next year at its usual venue, the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. That means Blizzcon is going ahead a little earlier in the year than usual. For over a decade , Blizzcon has taken place in November. The first several installments were held in August or October. The 2026 edition will include staples such as the opening ceremony , panels and so on. Blizzard also says that it aims "to meaningfully elevate this iconic celebration," whatever that means. You can sign up for updates at the Blizzcon website. It's been a rocky few years for Blizzcon. The 2023 edition is the only one that's taken place with fans in attendance since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Blizzard canceled last year's edition without fully explaining why. However, it's possible that Microsoft was running the rule over the event's future after completing its purchase of Activision Blizzard in late 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzcon-will-return-but-not-until-2026-163526888.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 I wish I could say that I’m the type of person who has tried-and-true routines to carry me through all the things that need to be done in a day, but the reality is far from that. As someone with overlapping chronic illnesses trying to juggle a full-time job and a life outside of that, just getting out of bed often feels like a major feat. I’m caught in the tug of war between perpetual exhaustion and lack of motivation, and whether I’m able to cross anything off my to-do list is generally a gamble. A few months ago, though, a friend recommended that I try the Finch app to help me establish some gentle structure and get a little more of what I want out of each day. I’d already been seeing ads for this “self-care pet” all over Instagram, and this was the tiny push I needed to actually give it a go. Now here we are, some four months later, and I’m still using it consistently as if it were my own adorable life coach. Finch is a habit tracker, motivation app and virtual pet all in one. It gives you a little bird to raise from an egg and look after as it grows up and learns about the world. But it’s not the kind of pet you need to worry about keeping alive, unlike my many needy Tamagotchis. Taking care of your bird consists of dressing it up in cute outfits, petting it, changing up the decor in its home and sending it on little adventures. In turn, your bird will check in on you throughout the day, offering words of encouragement and reminders to complete your goals, and celebrating your wins when you get stuff done. I use the free version of the app, which I’ve found to be more than enough for my needs, but there’s also a subscription-based version that unlocks more items, a full library of guided exercises and more. If you were to look at my goals list, it might at first seem extremely daunting; there are more than 20 tasks on there on any given day. But these vary in importance, and range from the bare minimum things I need to do to start my day — like getting out of bed, brushing my teeth and taking my morning meds — to those that require more commitment, like exercising or doing laundry. Finch doesn’t take the guilt approach to goal-tracking, so you won’t be scolded or shamed if you don’t finish everything on your list. There aren’t really any consequences. It’s more about highlighting what you did accomplish rather than focusing on what you didn’t, and forming healthy habits in the process. You’re awarded rainbow stones for completing each of your goals, and those can be used as currency in the various shops to buy clothes, furniture and new colors for your bird. Over time, you can collect and raise cute “micropets” as companions for your bird too . Sometimes it’s more helpful to look at the bigger picture, and you can group tasks together as “Journeys” to get a better sense of your overall progress in certain areas. Journeys are color-coded and come with tiered rewards, which you’ll earn as you level up by hitting certain milestones with the related goals. I might not manage to check off my “Exercise for 30+ minutes” goal every day in a week, but the three days I did exercise will count toward my “Get moving, get healthy” Journey. There, I’ll also be able to see how many times I’ve completed the relevant goals since I started tracking them. Just opening the app every day comes with some rewards as well. I like keeping up a streak, and I just recently got my longest one yet: 32 days! While I was a little bummed out when I finally messed it up by forgetting to check in on a really busy day, I still found myself more impressed at how many days in a row I’d committed to showing up for myself. It only made me want to do better. You’ll also be gifted themed items and rainbow stones as part of seasonal events and for tackling daily quests, like writing a reflection or sending good vibes to a friend. The latter in particular is a big part of what makes Finch so special. There’s a strong “we’re in this together” kind of energy to the whole thing, and that’s backed up by features that allow you to actively support and receive support from other Finch users. You can add friends on the app using a code, and your birds can visit each others’ homes, bringing with them a little message or gift for the other user. My friend and I go back and forth randomly sending each other hugs, encouragement and other little tidbits of positivity from the list of options. Some users even exchange their codes with others online to make their support circles larger. And, you can gift the paid version of the app, Finch Plus, to users who may not be able to afford it, if you want to go a step further in doing a kindness for a stranger. The app provides constant reminders that someone is rooting for you, whether it’s a little bird acting as your personal cheerleader or another real Finch user. There are a bunch of built-in tools to help promote self-care, like guided breathing exercises, movement routines and prompts for written reflections. The app will ask you about your mood multiple times a day, and when you indicate that things aren’t going so great, it’ll present you with a little “First Aid Kit” offering some optional activities to help you work through your feelings or manage your anxiety in the moment . It also links out to a website with helplines for confidential emotional support. I’ve tried a few self-care and productivity apps over the years, but Finch is the first one I’ve actually stuck with for an extended period of time. I like how it can be tailored to your specific needs, with both pre-set and custom goals, and the low-stakes virtual pet element makes it a joy to use. I love my little birb, Ripper Jr., and all the little micropets we’ve been accumulating together . Maybe I won’t ever be a person who wakes up with the sunrise and accomplishes five things before 10AM, but me and lil Ripper Jr. are still getting stuff done.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/this-self-care-virtual-pet-is-helping-me-get-my-act-together-160027169.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 Comcast boosts its Xfinity internet speeds at no extra cost for many users each year, and the company is now rolling out the 2025 upgrades. Many subscribers will have double the upload speeds they previously had, and others will see a 50 percent jump. While it's nice to see Comcast upgrading the upload speeds, fiber internet typically allows for matching downloads and uploads. Google Fiber and Verizon Fios, for instance, offer symmetrical speeds. Comcast's download speeds are also going up on most tiers. The top Gigabit x2 plan got a 100Mbps download speed boost to 2.1Gbps, but the download speed remains the same at 300Mbps. The company says more than 20 million customers are getting a free upgrade as part of this rollout. It's aiming to offer 2Gbps service to more than 50 million homes and businesses by the end of this year. Alongside the speed upgrades, new and existing Xfinity internet customers can snag a freebie. Those who subscribe to a plan with 400 Mbps or faster speeds can get a line of unlimited Xfinity Mobile at no extra cost for one year. Here's a breakdown of the speed boosts: Xfinity tier Previous download/upload speed New download/upload speed NOW 100/10 100/20 NOW 200/10 200/20 Connect 150/100 150/150 Connect More 300/100 400/150 Fast 500/100 600/150 Superfast 800/100 800/150 Gigabit 1,000/150 1,100/300 Gigabit x2 2,000/300 2,100/300 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/comcast-rolls-out-its-free-annual-xfinity-internet-speed-boosts-160007781.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 20:51 Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida is stepping down on April 1, the company just announced. He will be replaced by acting Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa. Uchida has been CEO since 2019 and Espinosa’s promotion will make him the company’s fourth CEO in eight years. Other senior management personnel are also stepping down on April 1, including Chief Brand and Customer Officer Asako Hoshino and Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer Hideaki Watanabe. This leadership shakeup is happening less than one month after merger talks between Nissan and Honda failed. That deal would have been worth at least $50 billion and would have created the world’s third-largest automobile company by sales volume. Reporting has indicated that the talks fell apart after Honda demanded that Nissan become its subsidiary. Sources at Reuters also noted that Nissan refused to close factories and initiate deep staff cuts. Nissan’s problems go far beyond failed merger talks. There’s a reason, after all, why Honda wanted to be top dog and not the other way around. Nissan saw a 78 percent year-on-year reduction in operating profits for the third quarter ending in December. It also reported a net loss of over $95 million for the same time period. It cut forecasts for both revenue and operating profit and its stock valuation has been all over the place. Outgoing CEO Uchida told reporters that he was “unable to gain the confidence” of many Nissan employees since announcing a turnaround plan last year and that the best course of action was to pass “on the baton to my successor quickly.” CPO Espinosa has been with the company since 2003. “I grew up in Nissan and I’ve spent many years working in divisions across the globe,” Espinosa said. “I sincerely believe Nissan has so much more potential than what we are seeing today.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/nissan-announces-its-ceo-will-step-down-just-one-month-after-failed-merger-talks-with-honda-154420111.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 If you ask me, there's way too many little things we each have to keep track of daily. There's our phones, keys, wallets — the list goes on — and its hard to keep them all secure. So, it's nice when there's a sale on Bluetooth trackers that can do the hard work for you. Right now, you can get the Chipolo One Point Bluetooth tracker for just $15, down from $26 — a 42 percent discount. The Chipolo One is our pick as the best bluetooth tracker for 2025. This model is available only for Android users and works with Google's Find My Device network. The tracker's battery life should last for a year and is water-resistant. Plus, it rings really loud, so you don't have to worry about hearing it over a little noise. Unlike Apple's AirTag, it also offers a hole for easily attaching it to your keys. The Chipolo Card Point is also on sale, dropping to $24 from $35 — a 31 percent discount. It's a great bluetooth tracker for flat items like your wallet, passport holder or a purse. It also works with Google's Find My Device network and has the same perks like water-resistance and a helpfully loud ring. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-bluetooth-tracker-for-android-is-on-sale-for-42-percent-off-144753404.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Lego has a long history in the video games sector between licensed titles that feature digital brick versions of iconic movie characters and physical sets like the new Mario Kart one. But after decades of third-party studios making games with the Lego name on them, the company is taking more of a hands-on approach. “We can definitely say as long as we’re under the Lego brand we can cover experiences for kids of all ages, digital or physical, Lego CEO Niels Christiansen told the Financial Times. To that end, an in-house game development division "is something we’re building up." Per the publication, Lego plowed hundreds of millions of dollars into tripling its number of software developers to more than 1,800. “We have made quite a few investments in the future — I’d almost rather overinvest. That’s the benefit of being family-owned and long term,” Christiansen said. It's unclear if Lego plans to stop working with external developers. That would be a risky move considering the equity that Lego games made by third-party studios have accumulated over the last couple of decades, given the likes of Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and the terrific Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. There have been a string of non-licensed games that have been good-to-great as well — for instance, I enjoyed Lego 2K Drive for the most part. Meanwhile, Lego Fortnite has pulled in 87 million players. Making video games is tough and Lego's game development team will have to nail the right mix of fun gameplay and the brand's trademark humor. Still, Lego can afford to take a swing at this point. The company outsourced things like game development and its theme parks while it was on the brink of bankruptcy two decades ago, but its core toy business has rebounded significantly. Lego reported on Tuesday that its revenue grew by 13 percent in 2024 to DKK 74.3 billion — nearly double what it pulled in five years previously — while its operating profit jumped up by 10 per cent to DKK 18.7 billion . Along with building up its gaming business, the company has bought back its Legoland theme parks as it again tries to diversify beyond its physical brick business.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lego-is-building-an-in-house-video-game-development-team-143230592.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Sony has used AI to imbue a PlayStation character with the ability to converse with a player, The Verge reports. A source shared a since-deleted video with the publication featuring an AI-powered version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West. Engadget viewed the video before it was pulled. In the demo, Aloy can hold a conversation with voice prompts during gameplay, and respond to questions with a synthesized voice and facial movements. It starts with a delay from Aloy, after being asked how they are, followed by the character stating they are "managing alright, just dealing with a sore throat," a weird aside. The technology appears to work both within a controlled demo as well as the entire Horizon Forbidden West game. During gameplay, Aloy answers queries about where they are and what the time is, though Aloy states it's afternoon and hot, rather than a specific time. After the game, Aloy returns to interview mode and gives an overview of what just happened. The creepy bit, at least to me, came when Aloy is prompted to say goodbye to the audience and thank everyone. The character does, but the robotic voice creates an eerie vibe. Sony used a few different models to create this prototype, including GPT-4 and Llama 3 for powering decision making and conversation, along with OpenAI's Whisper allows for speech-to-text. In the demo, Sony reportedly said it is using its own Emotional Voice Synthesis system and Mockingbird technology for speech generation and audio to face animation, two technologies that the company hasn't talked about much yet publicly. NVIDIA and Microsoft have been working on similar technology. The former has used ACE, its suite of technology for enlivening game characters with AI, to create AI-powered conversations for NPCs. Engadget’s senior editor, Devindra Hardawar, was far from impressed, stating in January, that “seeing several NVIDIA ACE demos back-to-back made me genuinely sick to my stomach.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/sony-demos-an-ai-powered-playstation-character-133052902.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Lena Raine, who composed most of the music for the beloved indie game Celeste, has released a concept album for Earthblade. Extremely OK Games announced in 2022 that it was developing Earthblade as its next project after Celeste, but it ultimately cancelled the project in January this year. Raine wrote in the description of EARTHBLADE ~ Across the Bounds of Fate that she cobbled together "every bit of music written for the game to the point of its cancellation in order to tell own version of it." While there's no game to dictate the tracks' sequence for the album, Raine said she arranged them "into the emotional arc of their progression, much like would for any soundtrack release." The composer cited older animation and film as inspiration for the album, such as the synths and live strings in Joe Hisaishi’s score for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, as well as Yoko Kanno's use of saxophones and percussives for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. In addition to Celeste, Raine also wrote music for the soundtracks of Minecraft and Guild Wars 2. Earthblade was supposed to be a 2D exploration-action game, wherein you play as Névoa, an "enigmatic child of Fate" who's returning to Earth. "Noel and I…began to reflect on how the game has felt for us to work on day-to-day, and realized that it has been a struggle for a long time," studio director Maddy Thorson said when Extremely OK cancelled the game. Programmer Noel Berry and Thorson parted ways with Extremely OK co-founder Pedro Medeiros last year, but Thorson said in her announcement of Earthblade's cancellation that Medeiros and the team for his new project "aren't the enemy." You can now purchase the album for $7 from Bandcamp.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lena-raine-released-a-soundtrack-for-celeste-studios-cancelled-follow-up-game-earthblade-120029888.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 At the risk of repeating myself from Engadget's MacBook Air M1, M2 and M3 reviews: The M4-equipped MacBook Air is a nearly flawless ultraportable. Even better, it now starts at $999, which is $100 less than before. While I'd still like to see more ports and a faster screen refresh rate, the MacBook Air still remains heads and shoulders above the competition. And when companies try to one-up Apple, as ASUS did with its 2.2-pound Zenbook A14, it only proves how much better-designed Apple's hardware actually is. It's easy to take the MacBook Air for granted, since its design hasn't changed since the M2 model arrived in 2022. It's still a remarkable machine today, one that's fast, light and well-built. The only major downside is that there's a bit of a learning curve for Windows users jumping ship for the first time. But aside from that, the MacBook Air is a no-brainer purchase if you're looking for a new ultraportable. Hardware Once again, both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models feel impressively thin and light, weighing in at 2.7 pounds and 3.2 pounds, respectively. Last year, I noted "Its unibody aluminum case feels as smooth a river stone yet as sturdy as a boulder. It's a computer I simply love to touch." All of that remains true with the M4 models. In fact, it's even more impressive that Apple holds such a commanding design lead when competitors have had a chance to catch up. As much as we like the Surface Laptop, XPS 13 and ASUS' Zenbook S14, Apple still maintains a level of polish that PC makers can't quite match. The MacBook Air's case feels more luxurious than the rest, its keyboard is a dream to type on and it has one of the best trackpads around. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Apple's M4 chip — which sports a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine — is the main upgrade with these new MacBook Airs. It's also worth noting that the base $999 13-inch model has a slightly slower 8-core GPU, which will slightly hamper gaming and media creation performance. Aside from a new Sky Blue option, there aren't any physical design changes. Apple also upgraded the webcam to a new 12-megapixel Center Stage shooter, which could be particularly helpful if you want to show off the contents of your desk. The 13-inch MacBook Air features a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, which practically feels like a 14-inch screen, while the larger model has a 15.3-inch display. They're still limited to 60Hz — an annoyance since plenty of PC ultraportables are shipping with faster and smoother screens — but they're impressive displays nevertheless, with support for the P3 wide color gamut and 1 billion colors. Both screens can also reach up to 500 nits of brightness, which is enough to be usable on a sunny day. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget In use: Fast and light Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs handled my basic workflow without a sweat: juggling browsers with a ton of open tabs, Slack, Spotify, messaging apps and the Pixelmator photo editor. But that was no surprise, as the previous models were similarly zippy. Still, after testing the sluggish Zenbook A14 recently, it felt refreshing to be using laptops that seemed eager to get to work. I couldn't actually feel a difference with the jump to the M4 chip, but according to the Geekbench 6 benchmark, it’s 19.5 percent faster than the M3 for single-threaded tasks, and 21 percent faster for multi-threaded tasks. That's a typical incremental jump for CPU improvements, so I won't knock Apple too much there. The M4's GPU gains were far less impressive, scoring just 6 percent higher than the M3 in the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme benchmark and 16.3 percent better in the Geekbench GPU test. Geekbench 6 CPU Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 3,784/14,745 36,273 172/660 GPU: 3,465 Apple MacBook Air 15-inch 3,874/14,873 36,131 171/748 GPU: 3897 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 3,190/12,102 30,561 N/A Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch 3,797/14,571 37,869 172/979 GPU: 3770 Surface Laptop 7 2,797/14,400 19,963 123/969 GPU N/A You likely won't be doing much serious creative work on the MacBook Air, especially since there's no fan to cool things down. But you can still squeeze out a bit of performance in a pinch. I was able to transcode a 4K clip to 1080p in 27 seconds using the M4's CPU in Handbrake, while using the GPU took just 17 seconds. In comparison, the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ system took 32 seconds with its CPU and 24 seconds with its GPU. The graphically intense Lies of P ran at a smooth 60 fps in 1080p with high settings. That was also true of the M3 MacBook Air, but this time around the performance seemed a bit more consistent. While I'd never recommend buying a MacBook Air with gaming in mind, it's nice that it can handle a bit of playtime, at least. While jumping between the 13-inch and 15-inch models, I found a lot to like about them both. The smaller one is definitely easier to travel with, but I also loved the immersive screen on the 15-inch. Ultimately, choosing between them comes down to what's most important to you. Similarly, the leap to a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera isn't exactly Earth-shattering, but I appreciated having a slightly better picture during video calls. I typically turn off the actual Center Stage feature on Macs, but I'm sure some will appreciate its ability to track you around a room. The new camera also supports Desk View, which projects a slightly skewed view of the area directly in front of the MacBook Air. As for battery life, both MacBook Air models lasted for more than 18 hours while playing an HD video. The 13-inch Air lasted for 18 hours and 15 minutes, while the 15-inch notebook went for 18 hours and 23 minutes. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget How can Apple improve the MacBook Air? As much as I love the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, there are still plenty of ways Apple can refine them down the line. As I mentioned above, it'd be great to have higher refresh rate displays, which makes scrolling through documents far easier on your eyes. And while I don't need Apple to go all-out with ports, it'd be nice to have at least one USB-C connection on the right side of the Air to allow for easier charging. Right now, you're stuck with a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C connections on the left side. Of course, I don't really expect Apple to actually deliver those upgrades anytime soon. I'd bet the company would nudge more demanding users to the $1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro, which has a ton of ports and a high refresh rate ProMotion screen. Still, a geek can dream. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the M4 MacBook Air? If you can't tell by now, I think the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are the ideal ultraportables for most people. So sure, if you're in the market for a sleek laptop, they're worth considering. And if you're a Windows user who's hesitant to make the jump, I'd recommend trying an Air for a while. It's not that hard to learn the basics of macOS, and if you're not satisfied you can always return it . While I'd bet most users would be fine with the base $999 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage, it may be worth jumping up to the $1,199 model with a 10-core GPU and 512GB SSD if you plan to do light media work. Or just jump straight to the $1,199 15-inch model, which comes with a 10-core GPU. As usual, I'd also recommend avoiding paying Apple's absurd upgrade fees for components. If you're considering spending $400 more for 32GB of RAM, you should probably be considering a MacBook Pro instead. If you're looking to save some cash, several retailers are still selling the M2 MacBook Air at a steep discount of $700. Even though it's an older chip, that laptop could still serve most users well for several years . Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Wrap-up Once again, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are basically everything we want from ultraportable notebooks. They’re zippy, wonderfully light and can last well beyond a full day of work. While the M4 chip isn’t a transformative upgrade, it helps Apple keep pace with evolving PC notebook chips. And now that the MacBook Air starts at $999, even Windows users should consider making the jump.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-macbook-air-m4-13-inch-and-15-inch-review-minimal-upgrades-at-a-much-better-price-130002570.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Among the slew of Apple announced news from the previous few weeks is a refreshed MacBook Air. The laptop still comes in 13- and 15-inch sizes, starts with 16GB of RAM and offers up to 18 hours of battery life. The big spec bump here is the new M4 chipset, and that's paired with a $100 price cut; the base model starts at $999. MacBook Air pre-orders are open now, and the notebook will be widely available starting March 12. Here's everything you need to know about the M4 MacBook Air. Apart from the new pricing, the marquee upgrade is the M4 chip. Although it isn't a massive leap over the M3, it still makes the 2025 MacBook Air up to twice as fast as the M1 model. The M4 silicon in this model has a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. The MacBook Air still starts with 16GB of RAM, but the top-tier configurations support up to 32GB — an increase from a maximum of 24GB in the M3 model. When combined with the faster processor, you should see a noticeable speed boost when upgrading from an M1 or an older Intel MacBook. In a welcome change for those whose laptop does double duty as a desktop PC, you can now connect it to two external displays while still using the built-in one. Last year's model only supported two with the MacBook lid closed or one with it open. The new MacBook Air also adds Center Stage, Apple's auto-centering camera feature, for the first time in the lineup. It's paired with a 12MP camera, which should make your video calls and selfies look much sharper. The last big upgrade is a cosmetic one. It now ships in sky blue, a light metallic color also found in the iPad Air and AirPods Max. It joins the carryovers midnight, starlight and silver. Elsewhere, it still supports Apple Intelligence , runs macOS Sequoia and has a pair of Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/how-to-pre-order-the-new-apple-macbook-air-m4-140559026.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Apple announced a number of new products recently, despite its last on-stage event being held last September. On the iPad side of things, both the entry-level iPad and the iPad Air received updates. The new base iPad runs on an upgraded A16 chipset, comes with double the previous amount of storage and is now considered to have an 11-inch display . The new iPad Air models still come in 11- and 13-inch sizes, but are powered by M3 processors. iPad pre-orders are open now, and they will be widely available on March 12. Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad and the iPad Air M3. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/heres-how-to-pre-order-the-new-apple-ipad-and-ipad-air-m3-143643261.html?src=rss