Category: Technology

The PlayStation Store at Amazon is selling various colors of the Playstation DualSense Wireless Controller for only $50 as part of its early Black Friday deals. You can get the controller for your PS5, which also works for PCs, right now for up to 33 percent off their usual prices. Yes, the models on sale include the colors that typically go for $75 — Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, Gray Camouflage, Volcanic Red and Cobalt Blue — in addition to the basic $70 white and the Midnight Black controllers. 

The DualSense controller has adaptive L2 and R2 triggers with varying levels of force and tension that change as you interact with your game’s environment. It also comes with haptic feedback meant to add a layer of immersion to your gaming sessions. DualSense has a built-in microphone array, so you can chat with friends without a headset, though you can always plug one in through the controller’s 3.5mm jack. And if you quickly want switch voice capture on or off, you can simply click the controller’s dedicated mute button.

In case you’ve still yet to buy a PS5, or if you’re looking to gift one these holidays, you can get one bundled with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at a discount, as well. The bundle is selling for $500, down $60 from its regular price. We enjoyed Spider-Man 2 when we reviewed it and found it even better than the first installment. It was action-packed from the beginning, with a gameplay that allows you to quickly swap between Peter Parker and Miles Morales for two different types of Spidey-experiences. We also praised Insomniac for expanding and streamlining the game’s combat mechanics. The game is exclusive to the PS5, and you’ll get a full game voucher to download it from the PlayStation Network when you purchase this bundle.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-dualsense-controllers-fall-to-50-in-early-black-friday-sale-115513371.html?src=rss 

Meta will require advertisers to disclose whether the ads they submit for its websites have been digitally altered, including through the use of AI tools, if they’re political or social in nature. Ads that have been digitally altered will be marked as such on Meta’s platforms, in the same way some advertisements come with a “Paid for” disclaimer. The company will start implementing the rule in the new year, just as the campaign period for what’s expected to be a brutal and divisive 2024 US presidential elections heats up. 

In a blog post, Meta explained that advertisers have to disclose in the advertising flow if they submit a social issue, electoral or political ad with photorealistic images or videos — or one with realistic sounding audio — that was altered to make a real person say or do something they didn’t actually say or do. They’re also required to tell Meta whether they’re submitting an ad with a realistic-looking person that doesn’t exist, a realistic-looking event that didn’t happen or an altered footage of a real event that truly occurred. If they submit a fake image, video or audio recording of an event that allegedly took place — say, something they created with the help of AI image generators — they have to notify Meta, as well. Advertisers don’t need to disclose if they’d only size adjusted, cropped, color corrected and sharpened their ads. 

Meta, which already expects some advertisers to run afoul of the new rule, warned that it will reject ads if it determines that they failed to or deliberately didn’t disclose that they’d digitally altered their submissions. Further, it said that repeated strikes against the rule “may result in penalties.” It has yet to elaborate on the authorization process advertisers have to go through and the safeguards in place to prevent them from gaming the system, but it promised to share more details in the future. 

Politicians and supporters from both sides of the aisle have already raised concerns about the possibility of AI being used to propel election misinformation to new heights this campaign season. There’s already an altered video of President Joe Biden that was edited to make him appear as if he was inappropriately touching his granddaughter circulating on Facebook. Meta’s Oversight Board opened a case after users appealed to have the video removed, and it’s expected to release a decision in the near future. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-mark-political-and-social-ads-altered-by-ai-starting-next-year-110033484.html?src=rss 

The long fight to make Apple’s iMessage compatible with all devices has raged with little to show for it. But Google (de facto leader of the charge) and other mobile operators are now leveraging the European Union’s Digital Market Act (DMA), according to the Financial Times. The law, which goes into effect in 2024, requires that “gatekeepers” not favor their own systems or limit third parties from interoperating within them. Gatekeepers are any company that meets specific financial and usage qualifications, including Google’s parent company Alphabet, Apple, Samsung and others. 

The European Commission is investigating whether iMessage’s current functioning violates the DMA. Apple argues that its “small scale relative to other messaging services” and the lack of required use (or cost to do so) makes it irrelevant to the law. However, a letter from executives at companies such as Google, Vodafone and Orange argues that it should qualify as “enriched” messaging is only available to Apple users. 

Apple’s iMessage not so subtly rewards you for communicating with other Apple devices (and for being an Apple user). Chats on iMessage stay blue until you add an Android user into the mix, and, suddenly, everything is green. Beyond the other reasons we’ll get into, it’s hard to explain why the blue is better, but it just is. On the tech side, Android users also get lower-quality photos and videos when they’re sent through iMessage. Plus, iMessages can be sent over Wi-Fi, reducing the need for data when traveling or if you’re simply running low on gigabytes for the month. 

In a statement aimed at keeping iMessage’s benefits exclusive to Apple users, the company said, “Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps, and often use many at once, which reflects how easy it is to switch between them. iMessage is designed and marketed for personal consumer communications, and we look forward to explaining to the commission why iMessage is outside the scope of the DMA.”

If the fight against Apple is successful, changes to iMessage would be the latest shift forced by the European Commission. Apple’s new iPhone 15 dropped the lightning charger following a law mandating all new mobile devices sold in the EU have a USB-C port by the end of 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-and-eu-mobile-carriers-push-european-commission-to-force-apple-to-open-imessage-110558675.html?src=rss 

Many Pixel owners have been left with a bad taste in their mouths after it took Google over a month to fix a serious bug, Ars Technica has reported. It first appeared with the launch of Android 14 back on October 8th, locking some users with multiple accounts out of their device’s local storage. It affects multiple devices ranging from the Pixel 4 to the Pixel 8, and for many users, it was akin to being locked out of their phone by ransomware. 

Some folks were unable to unlock their devices, while others were able to boot up but had no access to lock storage. However, the bug rendered some phones completely unusable, as they would continuously bootloop and never reach the home screen. Reports of the issue appeared shortly after Android 14 launched, but Google kept rolling out the buggy release and only acknowledged the flaw some 20 days after it appeared. 

The November update patch is now rolling out, but the initial November 2 release notes weren’t very positive. Google said users locked out of their storage may only get some data back, and those experiencing a bootloop may lose everything. Today’s update, however, states that users who were unable to access media storage should get all their data back once they install the November patch. 

Those stuck in a reboot may not be as lucky, though. Those folks will be able to at least get up and running again after submitting a form. However Google said that “data recovery solutions are still being investigated for devices that are repeatedly rebooting,” adding that “we’ll share additional updates soon.”

The sordid episode shows how Google failed to properly implement its own much-touted failsafe systems, as Ars Technica noted. It kept rolling out Android 14 with the flaw despite multiple reports, and the vaunted dual partition system didn’t work because it didn’t accurately detect a boot failure. Finally, it took Google ages to elevate the issue to a higher priority, leaving many users stuck with bricked phones for weeks. “Little did I realize that ‘seven years of updates’ was not a feature, but a threat,” said one disgusted user on Google’s issue tracker.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-has-fixed-a-bug-in-android-14-that-locked-pixel-users-out-of-their-devices-061040556.html?src=rss 

We may get official details about Grand Theft Auto VI very, very soon, if Bloomberg’s report turns out to be true. Rockstar Games plans to announce the next entry in the GTA franchise as early as this week, according to the news organization. Plus, Rockstar is reportedly publishing a trailer for the game next month as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. It’s one of the most anticipated games for the current crop of consoles, especially since the fifth main installment in the series — the second-best selling video game of all time, as Bloomberg notes — came out way back in 2013. 

While Rockstar has yet to launch the title, some fans may have already gotten a glimpse of early-days gameplay footage due to a leak that a hacker uploaded online in 2022. It contained 90 seconds of gameplay from a GTA VI test build, showing one of the two playable protagonists, a female character named Lucia, robbing a store. Another clip showed the other playable character riding the “Vice City Metro,” indicating that its story takes place in Rockstar’s fictionalized version of Miami. The developer later confirmed the contents of the leak and said that the game’s creation would continue “as planned.”

Rockstar will likely reveal GTA VI’s release period when it announces the game, but its parent company Take-Two previously hinted that it’s coming out sometime in 2024. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rockstar-may-announce-grand-theft-auto-vi-this-week-045219455.html?src=rss 

If your Apple Watch hasn’t been holding its charge like it used to, it’s time to update to the latest version of watchOS. Earlier this month, several Apple Watch users noticed their batteries draining faster than usual after they installed watchOS 10.1. Of course, users took to social media to voice their observations and to make sure it wasn’t an isolated happening. Later, Apple acknowledged the battery drain issue and promised to release a fix -— which happened today with the latest version of watchOS. 10.1.1. Specifically, Apple says that the update “address an issue that could cause the battery to drain more quickly for some users.”

Apple has come a long way with its software updates over the years. These days, most of Apple’s updates are fairly stable but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to getting hit by the occasional bug that can significantly affect users. The Apple Watch is a wearable device that has become enmeshed in the routines of many. To keep up with the needs of users, good battery life on a smartwatch is essential.

So, this fix could not have come soon enough as the battery drain problem has been affecting quite a few users. One user said “watchOS 10.1 is killing the battery on my Apple Watch,” causing it to drop from 100 to 50 percent in less than an hour. Additionally, the issue has affected Apple Watches across the board, including older ones like the SE and the latest models like the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple’s watchOS 10.1.1 also includes unspecified bug fixes, as usual. As usual, this update comes alongside a corresponding iOS one, 17.1.1. This update addresses Apple Pay and NFC features that stop working on iPhone 15 models after wirelessly charging in certain vehicles. It also has a all-important fix for the snowing graphic on the weather widget on the Lock Screen.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-battery-life-bug-is-fixed-with-watchos-1011-215917460.html?src=rss 

It’s been rumored for years, but Nintendo still managed to surprise us with a late-day announcement: a live-action film based on The Legend of Zelda is in the works, directed by Wes Ball. Ball’s most recent films are the Maze Runner series, the latest of which was released in 2018. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto is producing the film along with Avi Arad, who has produced or executive produced loads of Marvel movies over the last decade-plus.

Surprisingly, the film is being co-financed by Nintendo and none other than Sony Pictures Entertainment. You know, part of the same company that owns PlayStation. Nintendo was quick to point out that it is financing more than 50 percent of the film, but that Sony Pictures Entertainment will be the the theatrical distributor.

Aside from that, there’s no other detail besides this tweet from Miaymoto: 

Miyamoto goes on to say that they have officially started development on the film with Nintendo “heavily involved” in the production. He also notes that it’ll “take time” before its completion but that he hopes fans look forward to seeing it.

Way back in 2015, we heard rumors from the Wall Street Journal that Nintendo and Netflix were making a live-action Zelda show, but that never came together (and there’s a pretty weird story around why). But the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was perhaps the last thing Nintendo needed to make this project a reality. And while there’s plenty of time for things to go wrong between now and the movie hitting theaters, this Zelda fan is cautiously excited about the prospect of another classic Nintendo franchise making its way to the big screen.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-is-making-a-live-action-legend-of-zelda-movie-221618064.html?src=rss