Category: Technology

Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard is stepping down. The industry veteran, instrumental in guiding Fortnite to immense popularity, said he will retire at the end of September. “I have enjoyed nearly 25 years in the game industry collaborating with some of the most talented people ever and I am so proud of what we have made together,” the 47-year-old wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Mustard co-founded ChAIR Entertainment in 2005 with his brother Geremy Mustard, Ryan Holmes and others. The developer launched the subaqueous shooter Undertow on Xbox Live Arcade in 2007 and the Metroidvania title Shadow Complex two years later. Epic bought ChAIR Entertainment in 2008, and the studio soon unveiled Infinity Blade, a trilogy of iOS games showcasing the growing graphical prowess of Apple’s early mobile devices, using simple dodge-and-attack gameplay reminiscent of the NES classic Punch-Out!!

He was promoted to Epic’s worldwide creative director in 2016. Fortnite launched the following year and quickly became one of gaming’s biggest 21st-century success stories. The title’s Battle Royale mode transformed it into a cultural phenomenon, as it emerged on nearly every platform, including PC, consoles and mobile. Fortnitepassed 350 million registered players in 2020 and remains one of the most ubiquitous games today (especially among younger players) while spawning countless copycats.

“Fortnite will never be ‘finished,’ the creative director posted on Twitter last December. “The whole idea is that it’s a living, breathing PLACE.”

Although Mustard didn’t detail his reasons for retiring now, his X post lavished praise on his years with ChAIR and Epic. “From the ambitious Advent Rising, to the start of ChAIR where we created Undertow, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade trilogy, to the honor of our tiny team becoming part of Epic, each new chapter allowed me to accomplish something new and original,” he posted on X. “I am especially proud of the opportunity I’ve had to help create and shape Fortnite.”

“I am humbled to have been a part of the team that every day tries to bring ‘joy and delight’ to the Fortnite community!” Mustard continued. “We love watching you experience every moment — leaping from the Battle Bus for the very first time, seeing the rocket crack open the sky, dancing with friends after a Victory Royale, being sucked into a black hole or being washed out to sea as The Island flipped over — and on and on! I can’t wait to now share in the future of Fortnite as a player alongside all of you! The teams are in the best hands and they are working on huge, jaw dropping, amazing things!!!”

Mustard added that he plans to enjoy more domestic time for now. “I’m excited to spend time with my wife and family and am forever grateful for @TimSweeneyEpic and the Epic Games family,” the outgoing creative director wrote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fortnite-creative-lead-donald-mustard-is-retiring-from-epic-games-185543919.html?src=rss 

Online game platform and creation toolset Roblox will finally be available on PlayStation in October, as announced at the 2023 Roblox Developers Conference (RDC) earlier today. The title is coming to the PS5, of course, but also the PS4 for those who have yet to make the leap to next-gen. As always, it’ll be free to download.

Roblox was already available on just about every other platform, including PC, Mac, iOS, Android and Xbox, though it’s still not available for the Switch. CEO David Baszucki did mention the Switch alongside the PlayStation as potential platforms during an August earnings call, as reported by The Verge, so it could eventually launch on Nintendo’s hybrid console. Or, maybe, the company will wait for the long-rumored Switch successor. The company has stated that the VR version of Roblox will officially launch for the Meta Quest platform later this month, after a successful test run.

As for the PlayStation releases, the company promises that Sony fans will be able to access “the full catalog of Roblox experiences”, indicating a robust cross-platform toolset. In other words, you should be able to download it and jump right into your favorite creations. Why did a PlayStation release take so long? It may have been Sony’s doing, as a document surfaced last year indicating that the console maker didn’t want Roblox due to child safety concerns.

The company also used RDC to announce some nifty innovations for the service, beyond wider availability. It unveiled its own version of video chat that incorporates your Roblox avatars for one-on-one conversations with other users. 

The company also announced a new chatbot called Roblox Assistant that uses generative AI to help plan builds, write code, create virtual assets and more, according to The Verge. In a demo of the feature, the company showed off someone typing in that they wanted a game set in some ancient ruins. The assistant automatically dropped in some stones, moss-covered columns and even broken architecture. Another example had a player asking for some trees to chop down, and the program followed suit. The software pulls assets from its own marketplace or your personal library. This looks to be a fantastic use of generative AI that takes the drudgery out of making your own Roblox builds. Both the chatbot and video call feature should roll out in the next few months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/roblox-is-finally-coming-to-playstation-in-october-190256770.html?src=rss 

SpaceX’s Starship test launch in April will be its last for the foreseeable future. The FAA announced Friday that it has closed its investigation into April’s mishap, but that the company will not be allowed to resume test launches until it addresses a list of 63 “corrective actions” for its launch system.

“The vehicle’s structural margins appear to be better than we expected,” SpaceX CEO and mascot Elon Musk joked with reporters in the wake of the late April test launch. Per the a report from the US Fish and WIldlife Service, however, the failed launch resulted in a 385-acre debris field that saw concrete chunks flung more than 2,600 feet from the launchpad, a 3.5-acre wildfire and “a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site.”

“Corrective actions include redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems and components including the Autonomous Flight Safety System, and the application of additional change control practices,” the FAA release reads. Furthermore, the FAA says that SpaceX will have to not only complete that list but also apply for and receive a modification to its existing license “that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch.” In short, SpaceX has reached the “finding out” part.

SpaceX released a blog post shortly after the FAA’s announcement was made public, obliquely addressing the issue. “Starship’s first flight test provided numerous lessons learned,” the post reads, crediting its “rapid iterative development approach” with both helping develop all of SpaceX’s vehicles to this point and “directly contributing to several upgrades being made to both the vehicle and ground infrastructure.” 

The company admitted that its Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS), which is designed to self-destruct a rocket when it goes off its flightpath but before it hits the ground, suffered “an unexpected delay” — that lasted 40 seconds. SpaceX did not elaborate on what cause, if any, it found for the fault but has reportedly since “enhanced and requalified the AFSS to improve system reliability.”

“SpaceX is also implementing a full suite of system performance upgrades unrelated to any issues observed during the first flight test,” the blog reads. Those improvements include a new hot-stage separation system which will more effectively decouple the first and second stages, a new electronic “Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system” for its Raptor heavy rockets, and “significant upgrades” to the orbital launch mount and pad system which just so happened to have failed in the first test but is, again, completely unrelated to this upgrade. Whether those improvements overlap with the 63 that the FAA is imposing, could not be confirmed at the time of publication as the FAA had not publically released them. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/faa-grounds-starship-until-spacex-takes-63-corrective-actions-174825385.html?src=rss 

Apple’s iPhone (and likely Apple Watch) event is right around the corner but Google desperately would love for you to remember that it will announce its own devices soon. Rather than just… holding its own event before Apple’s, Google has instead decided to tease its upcoming devices with short videos. After starting to dripfeed details about the Pixel 8 lineup, Google has turned its attention to the Pixel Watch 2.

One major change that’s evident from the 15-second teaser is that “IP68” is printed on the back of the device. That indicates the Pixel Watch 2 will feature IP68 dust- and water-resistance, which should make it somewhat more durable than the previous model. 

Last year’s Pixel Watch does not have an IP rating — smartwatches typically have an ATM rating. The original Pixel Watch is water resistant up to 50 meters and can “withstand some rain, shallow pools and sweat from exercise,” Google says.

Other than some minor cosmetic changes to the crown, the Pixel Watch 2 has a very similar design to the first model. We’ll learn much more about the device during the Made by Google event on October 4.

There’s one more thing worth pointing out from the video, however. Google notes that Pixel Watch 2 preorders will open on October 4 as well, so it’s very likely that the device will arrive sometime next month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-more-durable-pixel-watch-2-will-be-available-for-preorder-october-4-180256306.html?src=rss 

Patreon creators have a new option to interact with fans, as the subscription platform just rolled out a group chat feature. This community chat allows creators to interact with adoring fans, but also lets subscribers talk to one another in a space outside of comments. Creators can have up to four chats going at once and there’s a toolset in place to allow certain restrictions as to who can participate. For instance, a creator can limit a specific chat to various subscriber tiers.

Patreon group chats are exclusive to the mobile app for now, but the company says a desktop version is in the works. Yes, this all sounds suspiciously like Discord, which Patreon acknowledges, referring to the feature as “essentially a simpler, in-app Discord server.” However, it’s not like Discord has a patent on group chats. Patreon says the tools aren’t meant to replace Discord, as creators will still have access to an integrated experience with the third-party app. In other words, they can choose which chat method they prefer.

You’ll be able to do more in chats than just spit out hot takes regarding your favorite creator’s published content. The rooms allow for the sharing of photos and emojis, in addition to plain-jane text. Obviously, there are moderation tools in place for creators to limit noxious content. The company says that a future update will allow creators to enlist fans to assist with moderation, so you can, uh, actually pay money to work.

To make these group chats feel more like an actual community, Patreon has also introduced a new member profile feature. This allows you to customize your name, photo, social media links and bio, so your fellow chatters can get to know you better. The company told Engadget that all of these tools will be useful “to enable deeper connections with fandom communities.”

Patreon group chats are already rolling out to select creators, with wider availability in the coming months. The subscription platform has been busy adding new features to aid creators and fans. It recently introduced tools to publish subscriber-only podcasts on Spotify and unveiled a native video toolset.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/patreon-app-adds-simple-discord-like-group-chats-181337987.html?src=rss 

Excerpts from Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk biography are coming to light ahead of its release next week, revealing some new details about the billionaire’s decision to provide Ukraine with Starlink access amid the country’s war with Russia. According to an excerpt CNN reported on, Musk allegedly told SpaceX workers to shut down Starlink access close to the Crimea coast to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s naval fleet.

Musk, who has reportedly been in contact with Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin, is said to have been worried that the attack would lead to Russia retaliating with nuclear weapons. Ukrainian leaders seemingly begged Musk to reactivate Starlink access but drones that were approaching Russian warships “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” CNN cites Isaacson as stating.

Musk’s alleged actions have had significant consequences for Ukraine, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Podolyak wrote on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter that Musk owns) that in preventing drones from attacking the Russian ships, Musk enabled them to fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. “As a result, civilians, children are being killed,” Podolyak claimed. “This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego.”

According to Musk, however, Starlink was not active in those areas and so SpaceX had nothing to disable. “There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor,” he wrote on X. “If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”

Regardless of how he’s framing the situation, Musk has admitted to making another decision that has impacted the Ukraine-Russia conflict in one way or another. A report late last year indicated that around 1,300 Starlink terminals Ukraine was using temporarily went offline due to a dispute over payments for the internet service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ukrainian-official-claims-elon-musk-cost-lives-by-refusing-starlink-access-during-a-drone-operation-165926481.html?src=rss 

Labor Day sales have ended, Amazon’s next Prime-related sale isn’t until October and Apple won’t announce new products (and likely discount older ones) until next week. In this in-between time, there are still a few worthy deals out there for those looking to save some coin on new tech. Some of our recommended Anker hubs and chargers are seeing up to 50 percent discounts while KitchenAid stand mixers are hitting the lowest prices we’ve seen this year. Disney+ Basic plans are just $2 for the next three months and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is 51 percent off. Apple’s AirPods Pro and the 15-inch MacBook Air have both returned to their all-time lows and Samsung’s still-brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 5 is $300 off. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Disney+ Basic

If you cancelled your Disney+ streaming service, or have yet to give it a go, you can get the Basic plan for $2 per month for three months. The deal runs though September 20 and only applies to subscribers in the US. Basic is the company’s ad-supported tier, typically $8 a month, which means you’ll save a total of $18 over the course of the promo. The deal comes just as Disney prepares to raise the prices of its ad-free subscriptions, with Disney+ Premium jumping by $3 to $14 monthly on October 12th. Hulu’s ad-free plan will also go up by $3 per month to $18. If you want both ad-free services, you can opt for the new Duo Premium, a bundle that combines both top-tier plans into a single $20-per-month package.  

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple’s AirPods Pro are back on sale for $199 at Amazon and Walmart. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen for these yet and both retailers have offered this deal quite a few times lately. That could have something to do with Apple’s upcoming iPhone event next week, during which we anticipate the announcement of AirPods Pro with USB-C charging cases, instead of Lightning. The charging port may be the only difference, but if you want to wait until the 12th to make your decision, that’s understandable. In any event, we think the current generation of the AirPods Pro are the best companion for iPhone users and gave the buds a solid 88 in our review when they came out last September.  

Anker sale

As part of a larger Anker sale at Amazon, the 332 USB-C Hub is nearly half price, down to $18 instead of the $35 list price. There’s even a clickable $2 coupon that’ll make it even cheaper. It has an HDMI port that’ll output 4K video at a 30Hz refresh rate, two data-and-power USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. It taps into the host with a built-in USB-C cable and can support pass-through charging to deliver up to 85 watts to your laptop as you use it. 

Also on sale is the Anker 313 Wireless Charging Stand, which we like as a budget option in our wireless charging guide. Its list price is $20, but the sale brings it to just over $15. Keep in mind it doesn’t come with a power adapter brick and tops out at 10W for Android phones and 5W for iPhones. But you aren’t likely to find a reliable stand-and-charger combo for less. One last device to note is Anker’s USB-C Nano II 735 Charger, which is 15 percent off for the sale. After some extensive testing, we named this the best 65W charger you can buy. It’s got three ports, a compact size and performed admirably when juicing up smartphones, laptops and a gaming handheld. 

Samsung monitor sale

One of our favorite monitors under $200, Samsung’s T35F, is on sale right now as part of larger Samsung monitor sales at both Amazon and B&H Photo. The T35F is down to $129 at Amazon and $130 at B&H Photo, which is within a dollar of the all-time low price we’ve tracked. The 27-inch, 1080p display is ideal for work and light gaming, with a 75Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel that gives better color accuracy, picture quality and viewing angles than cheaper panel types.   

Kitchen Aid sale

A few different KitchenAid appliances are on sale at Amazon this week, including our top pick for a cordless immersion blender, the KitchenAid Cordless Variable Speed Hand Blender. It’s now $80 as opposed to its typical $100. The stick is easy to use, has a built-in safety switch and instead of discrete speed settings, the 180-watt motor adjusts with a squeeze of the trigger. 

If you’ve been thinking about a new stand mixer, today might be the time to buy as most colors of KitchenAid’s Artisan series tilt-head Stand Mixers are seeing some sort of discount, putting many at the $380 mark, which is the lowest price we’ve seen so far this year. This particular mixer is one of the gadgets we recommend in out kitchen tech guide because it’s durable, powerful and works with a huge array of attachments. Plus it looks pretty stylish on a countertop. The mixers are also on sale directly from KitchenAid. 

Xbox Wireless Controllers

If you worry you might wear out your gamepad playing Starfield, now might be a good time to pick up a spare. The Xbox Wireless Controller is down to $45 at Microsoft right now. That’s a dollar more than they went for two weeks ago at Walmart and Amazon, and about $6 more than the all-time low during last year’s Black Friday sales. Its a comfortable enough controller, with a dedicated share button and connectivity that’s fairly speedy with Xboxes, Windows PCs and Android devices. It uses AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery pack, though you can buy one separately for $25. 

If you want a rechargeable gamepad and lots of extra features, check out Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, which is down to $140 at the Xbox site and at Amazon. That’s just $2 more than its all-time low. It features adjustable-tension joysticks, a charging dock, four swappable paddles and extra thumbsticks.  

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Saumsung’s new foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is currently $300 off at Amazon, bringing it down to $1,500 instead of $1,800. That’s certainly not cheap but still a pretty early discount, as the phone only came out last month. In his Engadget review, Sam Rutherford questions whether Samsung is squandering its head start in the foldable space, with a phone that’s not terribly different from its predecessor. But Sam nevertheless appreciated one of the more noticeable upgrades, the Flex Hinge, which creates a much thinner profile when the phone is folded, helping the phone to fit better in your hand and open more smoothly than before. You also get a brighter screen, improved battery life and better performance that makes game graphics look “downright silky.”

Samsung’s other new foldable, the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also on sale, but only in the higher-capacity 512GB size. That phone is down to $920 instead of the $1,120 list price. It’s our current favorite foldable for multitasking in our smartphone guide and it earned an 88 in our review. 

Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 8 is on sale at Amazon again, down to $310 for the 41mm model in Midnight and (Product)Red colorways. That’s not quite the rock-bottom $280 the smartwatch sold for during Prime Day in July, but it’s the lowest price we’ve tracked outside of that sale. The Series 8 is our current favorite smartwatch overall because it combines a slew of helpful health and fitness tools with useful apps, customizable features and, naturally, excellent integration with your iPhone. Of course, the sale may be in response to Apple’s upcoming iPhone event, in which we expect the company to announce at least two new Apple Watches. 

Apple 15-inch MacBook Air M2

The 15-inch MacBook Air Laptop with the M2 chip is still just $1,099 for the entry-level configuration at both Amazon and at B&H Photo. Apple’s latest laptop has fallen to this price a few timesbefore, and it matches the all-time low. The 15-inch screen represents a bigger version of the already-great MacBook Air, but as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham said in his review, the extra real estate helps to make the most of the M2’s processing power and makes it “one of the best Apple laptops” he’s used in a long time. This model comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you need more room and opt for the 512GB capacity model, that’s also $200 off at Amazon and B&H, putting it at $1,299, also an all-time low.   

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Along with a couple other Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, the 4K Max stick is on sale right now. It’s down to $27, which is a 51 percent discount and just $2 more than it sold for during Prime Day. Two other streaming dongles are also on sale: the standard, HD-compatible Fire TV Stick is down to $25 instead of $40, and the set-top Fire TV Cube is down to $120 as opposed to $140.

The 4K Max has speedy loading and response times and can show you live feeds of your smart cameras and doorbells with a picture-in-picture view. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 and bakes Alexa’s help right into the remote. 

Crucial MX500 1TB SSD

Crucial’s MX500 1TB SSD is our favorite 2.5-inch SATA drive in our guide to the best SSDs and right now its 52 percent off at both Amazon and directly from Crucial. It delivers excellent performance, with sequential read speeds of 560MB/s and is a great value at its $85 list price. At just $48, that value gets even better. Another pick from the same guide, Samsung’s 970 EVO Plus iTB SSD, is also on sale, currently down to $50, which matches its lowest all-time price. We thing that one is a good choice for people buying their first Gen3 NVMe drive. 

Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed 

In our guide to 60 percent keyboards, we named the Razer BlackWidow v3 Mini HyperSpeed the best option for a model with arrow keys. Right now Amazon is selling it for half price, making it $90 and the lowest price so far. Extra arrow keys make it a 65 percent keyboard instead of a 60 percent, but it’s still compact enough to give you room on your desk. You can buy it with one of two switch types: clacky and tactile or liner and silent. Unfortunately, the linear model isn’t seeing the same deep discount as the tactile version, with just a 27 percent off sale. 

Mophie Powerstation Pro AC

Mophie’s Powerstation Pro AC is one of our favorite accessories for MacBooks and its currently down to the lowest price we’ve seen yet. Typically $200, the sale brings it to $172. In addition to Two USB-C ports and a USB-A slot, it includes an AC outlet so you can power non-USB items like printers, lights or other peripherals. The massive 27,000 mAh battery translates to about 100 watt hours, which is the maximum allowed in your airplane carry-on (keep in mind spare lithium ion batteries are not allowed in checked luggage in any size). In our tests, the Pro AC boosted a 16-inch MacBook Pro from 10 percent to 75 percent in just under 90 minutes, and that’s while the laptop was under heavy use. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/disney-basic-is-just-6-for-three-months-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-172007461.html?src=rss 

Apple has its fingers in many pies and now it’s getting into the monster business with an upcoming TV show. The company has released the first trailer for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and while the title might not make it super clear, this is very much a Godzilla series.

The show is based on Legendary’s Monsterverse and it ties into the studio’s recent Godzilla movies. It’s partially set in the wake of a battle between Godzilla and the Titans that destroyed much of San Francisco, but it takes place across several three generations. Real-life father and son Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell play the same character, Army officer Lee Shaw, in different eras. Shaw encounters a pair of siblings who are exploring their family’s connection to the shadowy organization Monarch, which tracks Godzilla, King Kong and other giant beasts.

The trailer doesn’t give a ton away about the show other than to provide looks at the iconic monster (including a shot that invokes the first T. rex encounter from Jurassic Park), some of the cast in action and a ruined San Francisco. But it does seem that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will include much of the spectacle fans have enjoyed from the movies. You’ll be able to watch the first two installments of the 10-episode season on November 17, and a new one will arrive on Apple TV+ each week until January 12.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-monarch-legacy-of-monsters-trailer-pits-kurt-russell-against-godzilla-154145455.html?src=rss