Technology - Kalakshar US

Meet the man who set a world record by hooking up 444 consoles to one TV

Chances are you’ve got a couple of old video game consoles gathering dust in your closet right now. Would you be able to hook all of them up to your TV without some kind of adapter? Meet a guy who owns 444 game consoles and has them all hooked up to a single television, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Ibrahim Al-Nasser of Riyadh holds a Guinness World Record for the most video game consoles hooked up to a single television. His collection includes some of the classics such as the first Sony PlayStation, the Nintendo 64 and (his personal favorite) the Sega Genesis, complete with the 32x and Sega CD expansions. He also owns and can play games on those handheld plug-and-play consoles with arcade classics like Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug that you find in Target, classic and modern handhelds like the Hyperkin SuperBoy and obscure consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey.

Al-Nasser uses a series of switchers to play each console on a single screen. He keeps track of their location and powering procedure on an Excel spreadsheet. He’s even organized his collection so the cables aren’t showing or creating the kind of tangled mess most of us have to deal with when we have just two consoles hooked up to a single television.

That may sound like a lot of video game consoles for one collection but it’s far from the actual record. Linda Guillory of Garland, Texas currently holds the record for the largest collection of playable gaming systems with her collection of 2,430 items, according to Guinness World Records.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/meet-the-man-who-set-a-world-record-by-hooking-up-444-consoles-to-one-tv-171848639.html?src=rss

PS Plus Game Catalog additions for August include The Witcher 3 and Cult of the Lamb

Sony has revealed the next slate of additions to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers. There’s a clear headliner this month in the shape of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red’s immensely popular action RPG is often on sale for just a few bucks, but PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers won’t have to pay anything extra to check it out if they haven’t already played it. Both PS4 and PS5 versions will be available.

Cult of the Lamb, one of the standout indie games of the last couple of years, is coming to the Game Catalog as well. It’s adorable and brutal, and now you can play with a friend in local co-op mode. Other additions for both Extra and Premium subscribers in August include Wild Hearts (EA’s take on the Monster Hunter series), Watch Dogs 2, Ride 5, Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet and Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.

Sony is bringing some very fun classics to the mix for Premium members in the form of the TimeSplitters series from the PS2 era. TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect will all join the lineup. It’s still a bummer that Free Radical Design, a studio that was working on a reboot of the series, has been shut down but at least the original trilogy still exists.

Elsewhere, PS3 title Sword Art Online: Lost Song will be available through the Game Catalog but only via cloud streaming. There will also be a PS VR and PS VR2 game for Premium members in the shape of Vacation Simulator.

Note that these additions may differ depending on your region. So it’s worth double checking the Game Catalog lineup when Sony introduces the latest additions on August 20, just in case there are any surprises.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-august-include-the-witcher-3-and-cult-of-the-lamb-165608880.html?src=rss

There’s another BlackBerry movie coming out and this one’s a documentary

If you weren’t sated by last year’s dramatic retelling of the BlackBerry story, you’ll have another chance to witness the rise and fall of the once-iconic smartphone. Filmmaker Eddie Schmidt, one of the directors behind Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, is prepping a documentary about the handset, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The documentary is currently in production and is being made by Unrealistic Ideas, which is a production company founded by Mark Wahlberg aka the guy from Fear. This team was behind HBO’s McMillions, a documentary miniseries about the infamous McDonald’s Monopoly promotion scam.

The project is currently untitled and there’s no release date, but we do know that the filmmakers have been given exclusive access to the Research In Motion Alumni Association. So there will be plenty of interviews with former executives who were involved in the BlackBerry story in one way or another. The film will also include “an array of never-before-seen archival footage.”

Director Schmidt shared a statement and said that he is excited to “explore this unpredictable real-life saga at the intersection of technology and popular culture.” One thing the documentary won’t have, however, is actor Glenn Howerton absolutely crushing it as former Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie.

BlackBerry was a legitimately good movie. We highly recommend it, particularly for the scene embedded above. I mean, come on!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/theres-another-blackberry-movie-coming-out-and-this-ones-a-documentary-173618810.html?src=rss

Our favorite cheap wireless earbuds drop to just $49

There are many, many options for earbuds, all the way up to high-end sets that are bursting with features and deliver stellar audio. But for folks who are looking for a solid pair of earbuds that work well without breaking the bank, there are plenty of options in that area too.

Our pick for the best budget wireless earbuds is the Soundcore by Anker Space A40. You’re in luck, because that model has dropped back down to their record low price of $49. It often retails for $80, so that’s a $31 discount. Given that we felt the Space A40 already offered great value at the full retail price, this is a strong deal.

The lightweight earbuds should be comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions. The battery life is rated for 10 hours, with the charging case adding an extra 40 hours of listening time. Anker says that 10 minutes of fast charging will add four hours of listening time.

As you might expect from a lower-cost pair of earbuds, there’s not as much detail in the sound profile as in higher-end models, though they offer warm tones and decent bass performance. EQ settings are adjustable in the Soundcore app, as are touch controls.

The Space A40 earbuds have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so they should endure everyday sweat and light rain without much of an issue. You can use each earbud independently and connect them to two devices simultaneously.

What makes the Space A40 really stand out compared to rival models is the active noise cancellation (ANC), which performs very well for a set of earbuds in this price range. Adaptive ANC tech adjusts the intensity of the noise cancellation depending on your surroundings. However, higher pitched sounds won’t be completely blocked out. You also have the option of adjusting ANC levels manually. The transparency mode isn’t bad, either.

On the downside, the mic quality isn’t fantastic, so folks on the other end of a phone call may not hear you super clearly. There’s no auto-pause when you remove an earbud either. However, those are but small quibbles considering how well the Space A40 earbuds perform in other departments.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-cheap-wireless-earbuds-drop-to-just-49-155507153.html?src=rss

Waymo driverless cars have gotten inexplicably chatty, honking at one another all night

Waymo driverless cars in San Francisco have been coming back online at night and honking at each other, as reported by CBS News. Videos have begun circulating showing dozens of the vehicles sitting in the same parking lot and just honking away without a care in the world. This has, obviously, irked some human neighbors who need sleep.

Is this a sign of the forthcoming AI apocalypse or is it some robotaxis learning how to flirt? Unfortunately for those looking for a “robots in love” narrative, it’s neither. It’s just an error within the security software. Simply put, the software mandates a honk when another car gets too close. These particular Waymo taxis sit right next to one another in a cramped parking lot when not in use and, well, there you go.

“We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us,” the company said in a statement. “It has been working great in the city, but we didn’t quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots.”

Waymo says that it has updated the software to address the issue, noting that “our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward.” So that’s that. Another mystery solved.

Despite this brief foray into vehicular anthropomorphism, Waymo is still expanding its taxi service. It’s currently available to anyone with the app who’s located in San Francisco, Phoenix and a small section of Los Angeles. The company recently touted that these robotaxis complete 50,000 paid trips per week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-driverless-cars-have-gotten-inexplicably-chatty-honking-at-one-another-all-night-162115440.html?src=rss

Ninja’s DualZone air fryer is on sale for $150 right now

Ninja’s DualZone air fryer is on sale for $150 right now via Amazon. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen all year for this kitchen mainstay. The sale drops $50 from the sticker price, which is a discount of 25 percent.

We chose the Ninja DualZone as one of the best air fryers out there, and the primary reason is right there in the name. The dual cooking zones are incredibly handy, letting home chefs prepare two different foods simultaneously. Each chamber allows for independent temperatures, cooking modes and more. Of course, the zones can also be chained together to whip up a whole bunch of one thing, like fries or nuggets.

We appreciated how quickly this oven heats up, with little to no preheating time required. It’s also fairly quiet during use, which isn’t always the case with air fryers. Some of them are downright cacophonous. Another neat little feature is that the oven will automatically adjust cooking times so that both ingredients in each chamber finish at the same time.

On the downside? This is a beast of a kitchen gadget that takes up a whole lot of counter space. It might not be the best fit for studio apartments and the like. The sale does only apply to the 8-quart model and not the even beefier 10-quart version. This is good for preserving counter space, but bad for those looking to cook a whole lot of stuff at once.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ninjas-dualzone-air-fryer-is-on-sale-for-150-right-now-150803947.html?src=rss

Why is the Sonos app so broken?

Following a major update back in the spring, the Sonos app was very broken and missing key functionality. The company admitted it made a huge mistake in pushing the redesign too soon and explained that it has since uncovered more “issues” that have prohibited it from adding those missing features. Users were quickly frustrated, and now the company is so mired in fixing its app problem that it delayed two products that are ready to launch ahead of the holiday season. Let’s discuss how we got here, what happened with the app, the consequences Sonos is facing and what likely happens next.

The backstory

Sonos released a completely rebuilt version of its app for Android, iOS and desktop in May. The total redesign was focused on making it easier to play different kinds of content while also creating a hub that’s better suited for finding what you need. Of course, it also has to work with the company’s various speakers and soundbars, and the overhaul took place ahead of the release of the first Sonos headphones. Those cans, the Ace, brought new functionality that had to be supported in the app, so the company thought it was time to wipe the slate clean.

“We viewed re-architecting the app as essential to the growth of Sonos as we expand into new categories and move ambitiously outside of the home,” CEO Patrick Spence said on the company’s Q3 earnings call. “In addition to its more modern user interface, the new app has a modular developer platform based on modern programming languages that will allow us to drive more innovation faster, and thus let Sonos deliver all kinds of new features over time that the old app simply could not accommodate.” He also noted that “performance and reliability issues had crept in” over the company’s history, so the user experience had already suffered as a result of the aging platform.

Billy Steele for Engadget

Some customers will always be resistant to change. The new customizable interface took some getting used to, but that wasn’t the problem. The app was missing basic features like sleep timers and alarms. Users also reported the inability to rearrange speakers in different rooms, speakers working intermittently and trouble completing other basic tasks. Some say they can’t reliably load the app on the first try.

“We developed the new app to create a better experience, with the ability to drive more innovation in the future, and with the knowledge that it would get better over time. However, since launch we have found a number of issues,” Spence explained in July. “Fixing these issues has delayed our prior plan to quickly incorporate missing features and functionality.”

Spence laid out a roadmap for fixing the problems in the same blog post, which initially included restoring the ability to add new products to your home setup. Even I had trouble adding the Ace headphones to the app at first, but after a few tries I eventually got it. Spence also said that the company had released updates to the app every two weeks since the redesign launched on May 7, and that it would continue that schedule alongside detailed release notes. The most recent version, which included TV Audio Swap with the Ace headphones and older Sonos soundbars, delivered a handful of very basic things — like the ability to clear the queue on the iOS version.

“Since I took over as CEO, one of my particular points of emphasis has been the imperative for Sonos to move faster,” Spence said on the earnings call. “That is what led to my promise to deliver at least two new products every year — a promise we have successfully delivered on. With the app, however, my push for speed backfired.”

The fallout

Sonos

Customers have been understandably upset since early May, which is well-documented in the r/sonos subreddit. But, user satisfaction isn’t the only issue that the company is facing. With the new version of the app so busted it had to be fixed before missing items could be added, Sonos has delayed the launch of two new products that were ready to go on sale in Q4. Spence said that the company enlisted “the original software architect of the Sonos experience,” Nick Millington, to do “whatever it takes” to remedy the issues.

And it’s not just a headache for customers. Sonos dealers and installers, which make up a significant part of the company’s business, are allegedly so frustrated with what they encounter trying to do their jobs that some of them have paused sales. “As an installer when you try and talk this up to somebody to buy, it is extremely embarrassing at this point when you have to just say ‘well, the parent company is having issues,’ it makes you look like the jackass,” one Reddit post explained.

Spence explained on the company’s Q3 earnings call that the app debacle would cost between $20 and $30 million. CFO Saori Casey said that sum is due to the loss of sales stemming from the software problem and having to delay two new products that would’ve generated more revenue. As such, Sonos had to revise its Q4 financial guidance to lower expectations until this “chapter,” as Spence describes the current fiasco, is resolved.

While the company hasn’t revealed any details on what either of those two now-delayed products might be, there have been rumors that offer some clues. Bloomberg reported in November that the company was working on a soundbar that would surpass the capabilities of its current flagship, the Arc, in addition to a set-top TV streaming box. Both of those products would be hot-ticket items for the holidays, especially for the Sonos faithful.

Sonos Arc

Kyle Maack/Engadget

Bloomberg explained that the new soundbar would likely be $1,200, or $300 more than the Arc. Additionally, the new model would include “new technology” following the company’s acquisition of Mayht Holding BV. In Sonos’ announcement of that move, it said that Mayht “invented a new, revolutionary approach to audio transducers.” More specifically, the company’s engineering methods allow it to build transducers, a basic component of speakers, that are smaller and lighter without sacrificing quality.

According to that same Bloomberg report, the Sonos TV streaming box will be powered by an Android-based OS with various apps for different services. The device is also said to act as a hub for Sonos gear in the home. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision should be on the spec sheet, and voice control will reportedly play a significant role in the gadget’s operation.

Bloomberg further explained that Sonos was working on a new high-end amplifier that could cost at least $3,000 and new eight-inch ceiling speakers. Frustrated dealers and installers would likely be hesitant to sell such expensive items with the app in the current state, if Sonos could even add the functionality to make them work. Any of these could be the two products the company was forced to delay, and any of them would’ve likely padded the bottom line before the end of the year. And that would be on top of the early sales of the Ace, a device that should be popular this holiday season.

What happens next?

Sonos has a clear plan for how it intends to fix its buggy app, but there’s no timeline for exactly how long that will take. The company has yet to deliver a TrueCinema feature for its Ace headphones that will map a room (with the aid of a soundbar) to virtually recreate the acoustics for a more realistic experience. And as we learned recently, new products have been delayed for the time being.

“Building a new software foundation was the right investment for the future of Sonos, but our rollout in May has fallen dramatically short of the mark,” Spence said on the earnings call. “We will not rest until we’ve addressed the issues with our app, and have delivered new versions that materially improve our customers’ experiences.”

The company is at a standstill until its app is fixed, with a full product pipeline plugged up for the foreseeable future – if the reports are to be believed. From the looks of it, Sonos planned to release an app that wasn’t completely done, but one that it thought was stable enough to use, with the goal of adding features over time to improve the overall experience. However, the complete rebuild was essential to the new technology and devices Sonos has in the works, since the company has been clear the old app wouldn’t have supported them. And since one of those items was the Ace, Sonos had to decide if it could wait longer to release its first headphones, a highly-anticipated product, or just go ahead with what it had.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/why-is-the-sonos-app-so-broken-140028060.html?src=rss

Until Dawn remake hits PS5 and PC on October 4

Until Dawn, a beloved PlayStation 4 exclusives, is getting a fresh lick of paint. The narrative horror game has been rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 and now the new version has a very fitting spooky season release date. It’s coming to PlayStation 5 and PC on October 4.

Ballistic Moon, the studio that handled the remake given that original developer Supermassive Games is juggling several other projects, says the focus was on making the game feel more cinematic and intimate. That’s somewhat apt, given that a movie adaptation just started filming.

Those returning to the game will see updated character models, environments, interactable props, visual effects and animations. The switch to UE5 allowed the developers to make the most of upgraded rendering and ray-tracing capabilities too. Death scenes should look more grisly too, thanks to “more realistic real time fluids” and a revamped injury mask system.

Much of the action will now be from a third-person perspective with a controllable camera, rather than the purely fixed angles of the original game. Ballistic Moon also says it added more collectibles and revamped the prologue to tweak the pacing. In addition, the studio is bringing in more accessibility and usability settings to help as many folks as possible experience Until Dawn.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/until-dawn-remake-hits-ps5-and-pc-on-october-4-141559338.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Breaking down Google’s Pixel 9 launch event

Google has officially dropped its major 2024 devices a few months earlier than usual. At its Made By Google event this week, the company unveiled the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, as well as its foldable follow-up, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As for new accessories, we got the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about everything from this event, and why the heck we didn’t hear more about Android 15.

(Apologies for any audio issues in this episode, it was partially recorded in a noisy hotel room.)

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

Subscribe!

Livestream

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Producer: Devindra Hardawar
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-breaking-down-googles-pixel-9-launch-event-131925200.html?src=rss

Google announced a 45W USB-C charger that’s faster than its new Pixel 9 phones can handle

To support its latest Pixel 9 phones with faster charging speeds, Google has quietly unveiled a new 45 watt charger. That speed is well beyond what its latest devices can handle, so it may allow for future device support.

Charging rates are a mixed bag with the new Pixel 9 phones. The Pixel 9 charges at 27W, the same as before, and the Pixel 9 Pro also charges at 27W, less than the Pixel 8 Pro’s 30W. The new Pixel 9 Pro XL, however charges at 37W, up considerably from any previous model (the PIxel 9 Pro Fold’s 21W max charging speed is unchanged).

The previous charger topped out at 30W, matching the Pixel 8 Pro’s maximum rate, but the new 45W model has an extra 8W of capacity over the Pixel 9 Pro XL. That could allow Google to use the same charger for the Pixel 10, much as it used the 30W charger for both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8.

It’s nice to have the extra charging speeds on the Pixel Pro XL (and no other model) and it does keep pace with its primary competitor, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra (45W). However, some Chinese phones like the Redmi Note 12 Explorer (210W) and Realme GT5 (240W) leave them both in the dust. The latter, for instance, can go from empty to a 100 percent charge in less than 10 minutes. The fastest-charging phone currently sold in the US is the OnePlus 12 (80W).

Google’s new charger sells for $30, which is a decent price if you want to stick with the brand. However, you can find a fully compatible Anker or third-party 45W USB-C PD charger for $20 any day of the week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-announced-a-45w-usb-c-charger-thats-faster-than-its-new-pixel-9-phones-can-handle-120035213.html?src=rss