Category: Technology

Sony will soon release its Access controller, which it designed to help people with disabilities play PS5 games with greater ease. The $90 peripheral comes with a variety of customization options in the box, and there are four 3.5mm ports that people can use to connect third-party accessories to the controller.

Logitech has teamed up with Sony to release an Adaptive Gaming Kit for the controller. It includes eight buttons and triggers you can plug into the peripheral. These include two small and two large buttons with mechanical switches, two light-touch buttons and two variable trigger controls. These are all configurable on the console to best meet a player’s needs. The kit includes labels with PS5 symbols that you can attach to the buttons and triggers, along with mats and velcro ties to keep everything in place.

The Adaptive Gaming Kit, which will be available in January, costs $80. Logitech previously released a version for the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Since both console platforms’ accessibility controllers use industry-standard 3.5mm connectors, the Xbox variant of Logitech’s kit should be compatible with the Access controller. Still, perhaps you’d prefer stickers with PlayStation symbols to help keep track of what’s what.

Meanwhile, Sony has offered a look at the accessible packaging for the upcoming peripheral. It designed the packaging so that you can open it with one hand by pulling loops from either side. The company said that the components are placed in a single layer to make it easy to identify them.

The Access Controller will be available on December 6. Pre-orders are open at the PlayStation Direct store.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitech-reveals-an-accessory-kit-for-sonys-ps5-access-controller-161512216.html?src=rss 

Progress Software disclosed that it has received a subpoena from the SEC to share information relating to the vulnerability in its file transfer software, MOVEit, which became the subject of a massive exploit beginning last May. According to the filing, the investigation is presently a “fact-finding inquiry,” and there’s no indication at this time that Progress has “violated federal securities laws.” The company intends to cooperate with the SEC.

One report by cybersecurity software company Emsisoft estimates that the MOVEit breach exposed the information of at least 64 million individuals through 2,547 affiliated organizations. Among the organizations impacted by the zero-day vulnerability are the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Sony confirmed its employee data was compromised in the exploit earlier this month. And Michigan-based financial services provider, Flagstar Bank, sent its customers a notice that said records had been stolen (they’ll now receive free identity monitoring services for two years.)

The culprits of the attack — the CL0P ransomware gang — “helped pioneer the practice of double-extortion,” according to Reuters. In this sort of scheme, the ransomers both encrypt the target’s data and threaten to leak said data (unless they’re paid.) The group have since made clearweb sites to leak some of the data they’ve exfiltrated in the MOVEit hack, from companies like Kirkland and TD Ameritrade. The FBI have since offered up to $10 million to anyone with information that could link CL0P to any particular foreign government.

The true cost (both to victims and Progress Software) remain unknown at this time. But some of the affected customers have begun seeking restitution for the breach. Progress disclosed in the same regulatory filing that it is a party to 58 class action lawsuits at this time. Many of those may be consolidated as they progress, but they still present the possibility of enormous civil penalties.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sec-investigating-moveit-hack-that-exposed-data-of-at-least-64-million-people-163057853.html?src=rss 

Twitch has finally begun rolling out a previously announced feature that lets creators block banned users from watching their streams. Before this tool, banned users couldn’t participate in chats, but they could watch every second of your stream with their creepy little eyes. Now, they can’t. Well… mostly.

There’s a big-time caveat. While banned users can’t watch your streams, logged-out users can. So the workaround would be simply to log out and cruise to your page. Still, they’d have no way to make their presence known so it would become something of an “out of sight, out of mind” type thing.

This feature must be enabled via moderation settings in the Creator Dashboard, according to Twitch. Once you turn it on and drop the ban hammer on some pest, they’ll immediately lose the ability to watch your stream. You can un-ban them to renew access, or they can log out and watch you anonymously.

It’s also worth noting that Twitch is just banning users and not IP addresses, so another possible workaround would be for someone to sign-up with a new username via a new email address. That’s a fair bit of work, however, just to watch someone fool around with Baldur’s Gate 3. Still, it’s the internet so you never know.

The tool begins rolling out today, but Twitch says it could be a while before it reaches every account, noting that “these updates roll out over time, so some people get it a bit sooner than others.” Check your Twitch app and look for the update.

This is just the latest step in Twitch’s war against harassers. Other moves to address the issue have included the inclusion of a one-button anti-harassment tool, enhancing its reporting and appeals process, rewriting community policies and taking a strong stance against explicit deepfakes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-finally-prevents-users-from-watching-channels-theyre-banned-from-153845731.html?src=rss 

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event included many discounts on Nintendo Switch games and accessories, but one thing we didn’t see on sale was the console itself. Now, though, Amazon subsidiary Woot has rolled out a new deal that brings the Nintendo Switch OLED down to $315. That’s $35 off Nintendo’s list price. While this isn’t the largest price drop we’ve ever seen, discounts on Switch consoles are relatively uncommon, so any opportunity to save is usually a good one. Woot says the offer applies to both the White and Neon Blue & Red versions of the console, and that it’ll run for nine days or (more likely) until the consoles sell out. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you’ll get free shipping.

We gave the Switch OLED a review score of 89 when it arrived in late 2021. As a refresher, it’s the highest-end model in the Switch lineup, with a 7-inch OLED display that’s larger, brighter and more vibrant than the panels on the original Switch or Switch Lite (both of which remain available at lower prices). Despite the bigger screen, the machine itself is virtually identical in size to the standard model. 

Beyond that, the Switch OLED has a larger and far less flimsy kickstand around the back, and its built-in speakers are generally louder and clearer. Its included dock is a bit more convenient, as it features a LAN port and an easily removable back plate. There’s also double the internal storage at 64GB, though you’ll pretty much need a microSD card either way. All that said, there’s no difference in actual performance between the three consoles, and Nintendo rates the OLED and standard models with the same 4.5 to nine hours of battery life.

The big caveat to this or any other Switch deal right now is that the console seems very likely to be nearing the end of its cycle. The original device arrived nearly seven years ago, and a follow-up is widely expected to arrive sometime in 2024. A recent Eurogamer report, for one, said that Nintendo demoed a potential “Switch 2” for game developers during the Gamescom trade fair in August. So if you aren’t itching to play anything on the Switch today, it seems safe to wait. 

However, the Switch is still home to a tremendous library of games, with promising titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the Super Mario RPG remake still on the way. (Yours truly is currently obsessed with F-Zero 99, another recent release.) For now, the Switch OLED is the best way to enjoy all of them, so this is a nice chance to save if you’ve wanted to catch up. 

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/the-nintendo-switch-oled-is-35-off-at-woot-141708664.html?src=rss 

Comcast is upgrading its residential cable internet service to offer upload and download speeds of up to 2 Gbps through decades-old coaxial cables. The company says it’s the first ISP in the world to offer multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds to customers through DOCSIS 4.0 technology, which it’s powering through the Xfinity 10G network.

The zippy X-Class Internet service will first be available in some neighborhoods in Colorado Springs, Colorado starting next week. It will arrive in parts of Atlanta and Philadelphia soon, and then in other markets over the next few years.

Comcast says DOCSIS 4.0 connections are already available in tens of millions of homes across the US. Multi-gigabit download speeds have been possible via cable for several years. Upgrading to DOCSIS 4.0 will not only improve download speeds but make it possible to deliver symmetric uploads while minimizing lag and avoiding any impact to downstream service.

Comcast has been working on this technology for several years and it aims to offer 2 Gbps symmetrical service in more than 50 million homes by the end of 2025. Since they’ll be able to access faster connections through existing coaxial cable infrastructure, many consumers won’t need to wait for Comcast to connect their home to a fiber network before they can make the most of multi-gigabit upload and download speeds.

What’s more, DOCSIS 4.0 is capable of supporting up to 10 Gbps downstream and up to 6 Gbps upstream speeds, so coaxial cables may be able to carry even faster internet connections in the future. In a test last year, Comcast achieved download speeds of 6 Gbps and upload speeds of 4 Gbps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-starts-squeezing-2-gbps-symmetrical-internet-speeds-through-decades-old-coaxial-cables-143657830.html?src=rss 

Two weeks have passed since the Writers Guild of America reached a deal to resume working, but things aren’t looking good for its counterpart, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Talks broke down Wednesday night with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) due to “bully tactics,” with CEOs reportedly walking away without any proposed counteroffer, SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee said in a statement. CEOs such as Disney’s Bob Iger and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos started personally meeting with SAG-AFTRA negotiators in early October. 

The committee is working to reach an agreement for actors, striking since mid-July. “We have negotiated with them in good faith, despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began,” SAG-AFTRA added. “These companies refuse to protect performers from being replaced by AI, they refuse to increase your wages to keep up with inflation, and they refuse to share a tiny portion of the immense revenue your work generates for them.”

The AMPTP claims a requested cut in streaming revenue would cost $800 million a year, a figure SAG-AFTRA says is inflated by 60 percent after “big, meaningful counters” from the union. According to SAG-AFTRA, this tactic is an attempt to fool members and break down support. The union also claims AMPTP is requiring day one AI consent from actors to use their likeness across an entire franchise. For now, SAG-AFTRA encourages its members to continue showing up at picket lines and solidarity events. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sag-aftra-accuses-studios-of-bully-tactics-after-talks-break-down-114617412.html?src=rss 

Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO, said the company has redistributed its resources and has refocused internal teams, which are now working round the clock to address the platform’s needs related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Yaccarino talked about the measures the website has taken so far to contain fake news about the Hamas attacks on Israel, along with hateful posts in support of terrorism and violence, in her response to EU officials. 

On October 10, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton sent Elon Musk an “urgent letter,” calling his attention and reminding him of X’s content moderation obligations under the region’s Digital Services Act. Breton said the EU had indications that the platform formerly known as Twitter is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation. Some of the images being circulated on the website, Breton said, were manipulated images from unrelated armed conflicts. Others, including supposed footage of military action, were taken from video games. 

Indeed, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) researchers told Wired that they’d been inundated with false information on the website, making it difficult to rely on X for information gathering. In the past, posts from news outlets on the ground and reputable sources quickly showed up on people’s timelines. But now, the website’s algorithm is boosting posts by users paying $8 a month for their blue checkmarks, even if they’re misleading content and lies. It didn’t help that Musk himself endorsed two accounts that had previously been proven to post false information to those who want to follow details about the war. One of those accounts also openly post antisemitic comments. 

In her response, Yaccarino claimed that X has removed or labeled “tens of thousands of pieces of content” since the attack on Israel began. She also said that X has deleted hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts from the platform so far, and that it continues to work with counter-terrorism organizations to prevent further distribution of terrorist content on the website. 

According to Yaccarino, the platform now has over 700 Community Notes, the website’s crowd-sourced fact-checking tool, related to the attack. And since even media posts can now get notes, around 5,000 posts containing images and videos have been marked with the crowd-sourced messages. The CEO said that notes appear for media and image posts within minutes of them being created and for text posts within a median time of five hours, but X is working to make them show up on posts more quickly. 

In his letter, Breton said that the EU received reports from qualified sources that there were “potentially illegal content” circulating on X despite flags from relevant authorities. Yaccarino addressed that directly in her response, writing that the website has not received any notice from Europol and urging the European Commission to provide more details so that it can investigate further. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-ceo-responds-to-eu-officials-over-handling-of-israel-hamas-disinformation-103956726.html?src=rss 

A new bill out of New York is targeting the thing we all have a love-hate relationship with on social media: the algorithm. Governor Kathy Hochul joined lawmakers in introducing the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, which would require a parent or guardian’s consent to access algorithm-based feeds on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. In her statement of support, Hochul called for adults to protect their children and villainized algorithms as technology that “follows” and “preys” on young people.

Lawmakers pointed to a range of studies demonstrating social media’s association with poor mental health and sleep quality in young people — especially with excessive use. “Social media platforms are fueling a national youth mental health crisis that is harming children’s wellbeing and safety,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James said. “Young New Yorkers are struggling with record levels of anxiety and depression, and social media companies that use addictive features to keep minors on their platforms longer are largely to blame. This legislation will help tackle the risks of social media affecting our children and protect their privacy.”

While pages like TikTok’s For You face restrictions, the legislation would allow young people to view content from people they follow without permission. This setup means they can still see accounts with dangerous misinformation or ideals — such as promoting harmful eating habits — as long as they click the follow button. However, the law would also allow parents or guardians to limit the number of hours a person can spend on each app and to restrict access and notifications completely between midnight and 6 AM. Social media platforms that fail to enforce these policies could owe up to $5,000 in damages.

Lawmakers proposed an identical fine for violations of the New York Child Data Protection Act, which was introduced alongside the SAFE for Kids Act. This legislation would ban “collecting, using, sharing or selling” anyone under 18’s personal data unless they receive consent or can prove it absolutely necessary.

SAFE for Kids Act’s sponsors, State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, could bring it before the New York legislature as soon as early 2024. The bill has already faced opposition from Meta and TikTok, as well as Tech:NYC, which represents more than 800 tech companies. Concerns range from restricting free speech to losing out on community-building.

The first state-led bill of this kind passed in Utah earlier this year, requiring anyone under the age of 18 to obtain a parent or guardian’s consent to create a social media profile — not just to explore the algorithm. Arkansas enacted a similar law soon after, but a judge blocked it from taking effect in September. Utah’s legislation is set to take effect in early 2024. Each of these cases would require more comprehensive age verification on the part of social media companies, likely reviewing an ID of some sort — not something every early adolescent has.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/new-york-lawmakers-are-cracking-down-on-kids-exposure-to-social-media-algorithms-095838157.html?src=rss