Category: Technology

A bunch of 8Bitdo controllers are on sale for Prime Day, and you can get one for as much as 38 percent off if you’re looking to buy one for console-specific, laptop or mobile gaming. The brand’s Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox and Windows is currently on sale for $28, down 20 percent from its list price of $45. That’s an all-time low for the device, which is officially licensed by Xbox and is compatible with the Series X and Series S, the Xbox One and Windows 10 computers and above.

Buy 8Bitdo controllers at Amazon – up to 38 percent off

While it has to be plugged into the console or the computer with its three-meter cable, it can pair wirelessly with iOS and Android devices, as well. A wireless version of 8Bitdo’s Ultimate Controller for Windows 10 and above, Android 9 and above, Raspberry Pi and Steam Deck is also on sale for 10 percent less at $27. It uses wireless 2.4G connectivity and can last up to 25 hours on a single charge. 

You can also get the 8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad in black, gray and classic color options for 20 percent less than usual at $48 instead of $60. It’s compatible with Switch, Steam Deck, Windows PCs, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, Mac computers, Apple TV and Raspberry Pi. The controller lets you customize buttons and vibration, as well as adjust stick and trigger sensitivity. You can also create and save up to three controller profiles and then switch between them anytime. In addition, it has a four-way mode-switching button that lets you easily switch its connection between multiple devices. 

If you want the most portable (or cutest) controller from the list, though, you can get an 8Bitdo Zero 2 Bluetooth Gamepad instead. It’s currently on sale for $16, down 20 percent from its retail price. We named the keychain-sized device as one of the best mobile controllers you can buy, though it probably won’t work if you have large hands. There’s also the 8Bitdo Lite SE Bluetooth Gamepad for those with limited mobility, which you can get right now for $31, or $4 less than retail. It lays flat on top of a surface and was designed for accessibility, with buttons that have less resistance for easy pressing and joysticks that are more sensitive than typical controllers. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/8bitdo-controllers-are-up-to-38-percent-off-for-prime-day-102222566.html?src=rss 

Discord has updated its policy meant to protect children and teens on its platform after reports came out that predators have been using the app to create and spread child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), as well as to groom young teens. The platform now explicitly prohibits AI-generated photorealistic CSAM. As The Washington Post recently reported, the rise in generative AI has also led to the explosion of lifelike images with sexual depictions of children. The publication had seen conversations about the use of Midjourney — a text-to-image generative AI on Discord — to create inappropriate images of children.

In addition to banning AI-generated CSAM, Discord now also explicitly prohibits any other kind of text or media content that sexualizes children. The platform has banned teen dating servers, as well, and has vowed to take action against users engaging in this behavior. A previous NBC News investigation found Discord servers advertised as teen dating servers with participants that solicited nude images from minors. 

Adult users had previously been prosecuted for grooming children on Discord, and there are even crime rings extorting underage users to send sexual images of themselves. Banning teen dating servers completely could help mitigate the issue. Discord has also included a line in its policy, which states that older teens found to be grooming younger teens will be “reviewed and actioned under [its] Inappropriate Sexual Conduct with Children and Grooming Policy.”

Aside from updating its rules, Discord recently launched a Family Center tool that parents can use to keep an eye on their kids’ activity on the chat service. While parents won’t be able to see the actual contents of their kids’ message, the opt-in tool allows them to see who their children are friends with and who they talk to on the platform. Discord is hoping that these new measures and tools can help keep its underage users safe along with its old measures, which include proactively scanning images uploaded to its platform using PhotoDNA. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-bans-teen-dating-servers-and-the-sharing-of-ai-generated-csam-071626058.html?src=rss 

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is still running into technical problems. The company has confirmed that a BE-4 engine exploded roughly 10 seconds into a firing test in Texas on June 30th. No one was hurt during the incident, but CNBCunderstands the engine was supposed to be sent to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for use in its second Vulcan rocket flight.

An investigation is still underway. Blue Origin says it has a “proximate cause” for the explosion, and is working on unspecified “remedial actions.” The company will keep testing rockets and expects to meet its customers’ engine demands, according to a spokesperson.

The explosion comes several months after a New Shepard rocket failure that was ultimately pinned on a bad engine nozzle. ULA has had its own share of trouble. A rocket’s upper stage exploded in March, prompting an investigation and fixes that include thicker steel walls on the stage.

However much the setback is affecting Blue Origin’s production levels, it’s not good news for a company whose business revolves around engines. ULA needs two BE-4 engines for every Vulcan rocket, while Blue Origin’s upcoming New Glenn needs seven. Both vehicles will be crucial for space exploration missions as well as Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband satellites.

Blue Origin’s private spaceflight competitors have had their own problems. SpaceX is still struggling to put Starship into orbit, and Virgin Galactic only just completed its first commercial flight. The flawed engine won’t necessarily represent a major hurdle, then, even if it does force the company to adjust its schedule.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blue-origin-is-investigating-why-a-rocket-engine-exploded-during-testing-210049055.html?src=rss 

It’s an open secret that not many people actually like video calling, unless you’re meeting a baby for the first time or something. Who wants to comb their hair just to answer the phone? Meta has answered our prayers and delivered a toolset that brings cartoon avatars to the world of video conferencing.

The company frames this as a “third option” that rests between an audio-only call and a full video call. You can participate in video conversations, but it’ll be your avatar that the other participants see, leaving you free to wear a luxuriating face mask or to lay in the squalor of an unkempt apartment. The feature’s available now for Messenger and Instagram users.

Meta’s been steadily placing the focus on its avatar-creation system, recently announcing that users have made over a billion of the lil cartoon scamps. The avatar creator allows for a near-perfect digital simulacrum of your actual face and body. The system was originally created for use in VR applications but has since moved to smartphones and the like.

It’s worth noting that the avatar creator lets you attach some legs to your digital self, but these legs won’t show up when making video calls (sorry, digital foot fetishists.) Meta says it’s constantly working to improve the avatar creation system, with more realistic and textured animations coming in the future. Also, there’s no rule that says your digital avatar has to look like you, so feel free to video call your friends as a talking llama.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-now-lets-you-make-video-calls-using-a-cartoon-avatar-183821816.html?src=rss 

Tesla may have investigated CEO Elon Musk over possible improprieties. The Wall Street Journal‘s sources claim the EV maker’s board launched an investigation over concerns Musk might be using company funds to build a house near the Austin-area Gigafactory. Nicknamed “Project 42,” the initiative is believed to involve a purchase of millions of dollars in special glass — large enough that it drew attention from employees last year. Limited liability firms linked to Musk and executives are also known to have bought large volumes of land in the area.

Concepts for the house included either a “twisted hexagon” or a glass cube reminiscent of Apple’s 5th Avenue store. This appeared to be personal space as it included bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen, the tipsters said.

The status and results of the investigation aren’t known. Tesla disbanded its PR department years ago, and Musk hasn’t commented on the report as of this writing. However, the board reportedly wanted to learn if Musk was involved and whether worker time had been devoted to the house. Bloomberglearned of the glass order last year, but didn’t know about the board or the nature of Project 42.

Executives sometimes receive perks like jets. The policies for these rewards vary, however, and Tesla’s approach is relatively strict. The automaker requires a board committee audit for any expense above $120,000 where a related person, like the CEO, has a material interest.

This isn’t the first time a high-profile tech executive has faced scrutiny over spending. Meta investigated departing COO Sheryl Sandberg over allegations she used company resources to further personal goals, such as wedding planning or attempts to quash a news story critical of her ex-partner Bobby Kotick. Musk’s profile as a major CEO makes this case stand out, however.

The leader is no stranger to legal entanglements. He’s still embroiled in a fight with the Securities and Exchange Commission over tweeting financial data, and survived a defamation lawsuit from British cave explorer Vernon Unsworth over unsubstantiated “pedo guy” accusations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-reportedly-suspected-musk-was-using-company-funds-to-build-a-literal-glass-house-193314854.html?src=rss 

Amazon Prime Day includes a sale on Switch games from some of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Whether you want them for yourself or to keep kids entertained during summer break, you can snag half-off titles like Super Mario Odyssey or Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, and you can shave $18 off one of this year’s most beloved games, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Usually $60, Amazon offers Super Mario Odyssey for $30 as part of its Prime Day deals. One of the Switch’s tentpole titles, it has you saving Princess Peach (surprise!) with the help of Cappy, a sentient hat that you can fling like a boomerang and throw onto some enemies to possess them. This ability lets Mario become Goombas, Chain Chomps and even an imposing T-Rex. In classic Nintendo style, it adds a new gameplay wrinkle for a fresh perspective on classic Mario gameplay. The developer also tightened up controls and responsiveness compared to its previous 3D Mario games, making for one of the most delightful all-around adventures available on Nintendo’s six-year-old console.

If 2D side-scrolling Mario is more your thing, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is also half-off: You can pick it up for $30 compared to its suggested $60. A remake of an under-appreciated Wii U title, it takes the classic gameplay from old-school (NES and SNES) Mario classics and adds new power-ups like the Flying Squirrel suit.

Other half-off Switch games include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Golf: Super Rush. In addition, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, the globular pink hero’s latest 2D adventure, is 25 percent off (down to $45 from its usual $60). And the “familiar but fresh” The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is nearly $20 off — for $52 compared to its $70 sticker price.

Although Switch games are the highlight of this sale, you can also take $10 off an Xbox digital gift card ($90 for a $100 card). The PS5 version of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which only launched in April, is down to $44 (with a clipped coupon) from its usual $70. Finally, you can get Elden Ring for PS4 for $40 (typically $60).

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-nintendo-switch-game-deals-for-prime-day-2023-181555437.html?src=rss 

All Netflix users can transfer a profile to an existing account starting today. That should make things a bit easier for users who are moving in with roommates or a partner and want to hang onto all their settings and recommendations while splitting the cost. The company told Engadget that this was a much-requested feature.

Since October, users have been able to set up a new account with their existing profile. That way, they’re able to retain their viewing history, saved titles in My List, game save data and other settings when they move out of their parents’ place or break up with an ex. But if you didn’t have an existing account to move your profile to, you’d have to set up a new one.

Netflix initially offered the feature before it expanded its crackdown on password sharing. In February, the company began charging users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain extra to let friends and family who don’t live with them to keep using their account. The company expanded the account sharing charges to the US in May.

A third-party analysis suggested that account sign-ups spiked in the US shortly after Netflix started enforcing the policy in the country. We’ll soon have a clearer sense of just how well the strategy is working for the company when it posts its quarterly earnings results next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-move-your-netflix-profile-to-an-existing-account-175539026.html?src=rss 

On the same day a US federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the tech giant and the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said they have agreed to take a break from their legal battle to negotiate a compromise that could allow the deal to move forward. 

“After today’s court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK. While we ultimately disagree with the CMA’s concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA,” Microsoft President Brad Smith posted to Twitter. “In order to prioritize work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect.”

The CMA said it would block Microsoft’s bid to buy Activision Blizzard at the end of April. At the time, the regulator argued the deal would harm the nascent cloud-gaming market by creating a monopoly player in Microsoft. It added, if the acquisition were to move forward as planned, Microsoft would have an “incentive to withhold [Activision Blizzard] games from competitors and substantially weaken competition in this important growing market.” Microsoft had planned to challenge the decision, with a preliminary hearing before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), the body that hears appeals on CMA decisions, set for July 28th. In a statement the regulator shared with The Verge, it said it was “ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report.” The CAT still needs to allow the two sides to negotiate, but the tribunal is more than likely to rubber stamp the request.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-and-uk-regulators-agree-to-pause-legal-fight-to-negotiate-activision-acquisition-165856989.html?src=rss 

The August premiere date of the highly-anticipated Disney+ Star Wars: Ahsoka series is rapidly approaching and there’s an action-packed new trailer that’s sure to delight fans of the animated Star Wars: Rebels series. It’s filled to the brim with live-action appearances from beloved Rebels characters like Hera Syndula, Sabine Wren, Chopper, Ezra Bridger and even series antagonist Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The show takes place in the same timeline of The Mandalorian, but stars Ahsoka Tano, former apprentice of sand-hating Anakin Skywalker. Tano (Rosario Dawson) never appeared in the prequel films but was a mainstay in the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon before moving onto Star Wars: Rebels and, finally, season two of The Mandalorian.

Fans have long-surmised that Ahsoka would follow-up the cliffhanger ending (no spoilers) from Rebels, and they’re definitely getting their wish. The trailer’s packed with call-backs to the cartoon, even lingering on an animated still that appeared in the series finale back in 2018. For long-time franchise fans, the trailer boasts the very first live action appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn, played by Lars Mikkelsen.

Thrawn was the primary villain in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire book trilogy that followed the adventures of Luke Skywalker and the gang after the events of Return of the Jedi. Those books aren’t canon, because Luke went on to become a blue milk-loving hermit or whatever, but Ahsoka looks to be incorporating certain elements from the novels, as have recent seasons of The Mandalorian. Many fans speculate that the juiciest parts of Zahn’s books will make up the basic plot of the forthcoming ‘Filoni-verse’ movie, a crossover event featuring all of the newer TV characters.

Ahsoka premieres on August 23rd, with two episodes dropping at the same time before heading to weekly installments. In addition to Dawson and Mikkelsen, the series stars Natasha Liu Borzizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eman Esfandi and recently-deceased character actor Ray Stevenson.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/new-star-wars-ahsoka-trailer-teases-a-full-on-star-wars-rebels-reunion-172056371.html?src=rss 

Intel is bowing out of making its own mini PCs. The chip designer has confirmed to Engadget that it’s ending its “direct investment” in its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) business. Instead, the company will rethink its approach to help partners foster the NUC PC market. The firm will honor its existing commitments, including support for NUC systems already in customers’ hands.

The company doesn’t explain why it’s ending production of first-party NUC machines. However, there’s little doubt the company is reeling from a bleak computer market prompted by both a rough economy and the early pandemic surge in sales. Intel’s revenue has plunged by more than a third in the past two quarters, and its PC-oriented Client Computing Group has been one of the worst-hit divisions. As ServeTheHomenotes, a move like this lets Intel offload a non-essential business and focus on making chips. The company sold its server business to MiTAC earlier this year.

Intel launched the first NUC in 2013 as a tiny, barebones PC kit meant to showcase both the latest processors as well as the possibilities for compact desktops. Over time, they evolved into more complete systems with robust performance and, in some later incarnations, dedicated GPUs. You could use them at home, but they also had a following in business — they were useful for compute clusters and other situations where size and simplicity mattered.

The NUC faced a number of challenges, however. While some models were better-suited to gaming and other demanding tasks, it became a challenge to stuff increasingly power-hungry CPUs and GPUs into compact cases. Intel also faced increasingly stiff competition. In the home market, the Mac mini is arguably the best-known mini computer. At work, brands like Dell and Lenovo offer more flexible configurations and stronger support for the corporate crowd. Simply put, there’s not as much reason for the NUC to exist as there was a decade ago.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intel-will-stop-making-its-own-nuc-mini-pcs-154527920.html?src=rss