Category: Technology

If you’ve been interested in picking up an Xbox Series X, it may be wise to do so by the end of July unless you’re in the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil or Colombia. Microsoft confirmed to Engadget that it’s increasing the price of the console in most other countries.

Starting on August 1st, the Xbox Series X will cost $650 CAD in Canada, £480 in the UK, €550 in most European countries and $800 AUD in Australia. The increases are roughly in line with the PS5 price changes Sony made in most markets last year.

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” Xbox communications chief Kari Perez told The Verge. “These Game Pass price adjustments are not related to the Activision Blizzard deal and are intended to match local market conditions.”

The Xbox Series S pricing is staying the same in all markets at $250 (or the local equivalent). Microsoft will soon introduce a black model with 1TB of storage for $349.

Microsoft’s own studios are no longer making games for the Xbox One. If you don’t want to buy a Series X or S, you can still stream upcoming games like Starfield and Fable to the older console through Game Pass Ultimate. But guess what? That service is getting a price hike too, including in the US.

Xbox Game Pass will soon cost $11 per month, an increase of $1. Game Pass Ultimate is getting a bigger jump, from $15 per month to $17. The Verge has a list of the price increases for other markets. The price of PC Game Pass (which doubled from $5 to $10 per month in 2020) is not changing, while Xbox Game Pass won’t be going up in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland or Saudi Arabia.

The price changes will take effect for new Xbox Game Pass members on July 6th. It won’t apply for existing subscribers until August 13th (September 13th in Germany). If you happen to have access to Game Pass through an annual code, the price changes won’t affect you until it’s time for you to renew.

This is the first time that Microsoft has increased Game Pass pricing since it introduced the service in 2017 as part of a transition away from Xbox Live Gold. Still, it was inevitable that the prices would go up at some point. The importance of Game Pass to Xbox’s business model was undoubtedly a factor in the decision.

Conversely, you might have expected the price of the Xbox Series X to drop at this point in its lifecycle, not to increase. Microsoft can’t pin the blame on a console shortage — Xbox head Phil Spencer recently said the company had increased the supply of Xbox Series X/S. Instead, Microsoft suggested the Series X increase is due to market conditions such as inflation and currency fluctuations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-increasing-xbox-series-x-and-game-pass-prices-in-most-countries-182635680.html?src=rss 

Amazon just revealed a deeply-discounted bundle that includes a Ring Video Doorbell and an Echo Pop speaker for just $40, though this deal is exclusive to Prime members. All told, that’s $65 off the regular price, as the Ring Video Doorbell typically costs $65 and the Echo Pop usually comes in at $40. In other words, you’re basically getting the Echo Pop for free.

There’s only one caveat here. This deal is only good for the wired doorbell, so put those dreams of a wireless video doorbell out of your head. There are other deals available for the wired doorbell as part of this early Prime Day celebration. You can purchase it outright for $35 or pair it with a Ring Chime notification device for $60. These discounted bundles are live right now, but only until June 26th. Prime Day officially starts on July 11th, continuing until July 12th.

The Ring Video Doorbell is widely praised for being easy to use, with a high-definition camera perfect for inspecting visitors, despite requiring a wired connection. The Echo Pop is Amazon’s newest entry-level smart speaker, with a half-globe design that’s great for smaller living spaces. It also pairs with mesh routers and features the company’s proprietary AZ2 Neural Edge processor for machine learning.

This is just an opening salvo in the coming onslaught of Prime Day deals, but it’s certainly a fantastic start for those looking to save a few bucks on gadgets.

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, and hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/get-a-ring-video-doorbell-with-an-echo-pop-for-40-as-an-early-prime-day-deal-164553569.html?src=rss 

Konami has finally shared a release date for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1. In case you missed the publisher’s original announcement, Konami announced the compilation alongside Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater during Sony’s recent PlayStation Showcase. At the time, the company provided precious few details about the Master Collection, a fact it remedied during the most recent Nintendo Direct.

During Wednesday’s livestream, Konami said the Master Collection would arrive on October 24th and include Metal Gear Solid, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty and MGS 3: Snake Eater as previously announced, plus Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake as well as the NES versions of Metal Gear and 1990’s Snake’s Revenge. Additionally, the bundle will come with a wealth of bonus content, including strategy guides for each game and a digital soundtrack. It also comes with the Metal Gear Solid graphic novel and screenplay books that delve into the stories of Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater.

In other words, the Master Collection is shaping up to be the best way to play the Metal Gear series on modern platforms. Many of the games, including Sons of Liberty, aren’t available to purchase on platforms like GOG and the Microsoft Store after Konami ran into licensing issues for some of the content in those titles. Of course, whether you should buy the compilation will depend on how you feel about Konami’s treatment of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima. Since their public split in 2015, the company has gone out of its way to minimize – and, in many cases, erase – Kojima’s name from the series he gave three decades of his life to. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and Nintendo Switch. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metal-gear-solid-master-collection-vol-1-heads-to-consoles-and-pc-on-october-24th-170009937.html?src=rss 

Otter.ai just announced Otter Chat, an AI chatbot specifically designed for work meetings. This “collaborative AI intelligence” acts as a help center for anyone participating in the meeting, transcribing meeting data and winnowing it down into an actual conversation. This allows it to accurately answer questions about the meeting that just transpired, in case you were busy doing important work stuff like, uh, playing the new Zelda just out of frame.

The cheekily-named OtterPilot chatbot does more than just summarize meetings. It collaborates with everyone involved to generate content based on meeting data, like blog posts and follow-up emails. It’s sort of like an unpaid intern, but without the ability to go out and fetch coffee (for now.) The company says this is a major step up from platforms like ChatGPT, as they source information from public data, whereas Otter AI Chat sources information from actual team meetings. The toolset is collaborative in nature, so the chatbot communicates with every team member simultaneously or on a one-on-one basis. You can even have a related bot attend the meeting in your stead. Work/life balance, baby! 

This little bot also does the standard stuff that has made Otter.ai a popular destination for remote workers. It transcribes entire meetings, summarizes contents into easily digestible formats, creates lists of actionable items and much more.

Otter says its AI systems are already used to transcribe over one million words every minute and over one billion words since launching last year. Otter AI Chat rolls out to all users in the coming days, so check your update field. The company also says no information will be stored by third parties when using the service, which is always nice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/otters-ai-chatbot-pays-attention-during-meetings-so-you-dont-have-to-174103036.html?src=rss 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a new but classic adventure featuring Mario and friends, is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 20th, 2023. The new game is a 2D sidescroller with busy, bright environments and plenty of secrets to uncover, starring Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Yoshi as playable characters. It also introduces Mario’s newest power-up, which transforms him into Elephant Mario. Why not, you know?

Nintendo describes Super Mario Bros. Wonder as the next evolution of the series’ traditional 2D sidescrolling mechanics.

“When you touch a Wonder Flower in the game, the wonders of the world unlock — pipes could come alive, hordes of enemies may appear, characters might change their looks, for example — transforming the gameplay in unpredictable ways,” Nintendo says in a press release. 

Pre-orders are live now for Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/play-as-elephant-mario-in-super-mario-bros-wonder-on-october-20th-145814400.html?src=rss 

The terrific Vampire Survivors is on the way to the Nintendo Switch. You’ll have another way to play the game on the go or on your TV when Poncle’s hit game lands on Switch on August 17th. The base game will cost $5 and the two expansions will each cost $2.

Best of all, couch co-op is coming to all platforms, meaning you can slay thousands of enemies with the help of up to three friends. This new mode will be available on August 17th as well. While there won’t be official support for online co-op, Poncle noted in an FAQ that you’ll be able to use workarounds such as Steam Remote Play Together.

Vampire Survivors debuted on Steam in late 2021 and it later came to Xbox and mobile devices. For the uninitiated, the game asks you to pick a character with a unique starter weapon and perk. Your weapon fires automatically. The only agency you have during runs is your movement and the choice of an upgrade or a new weapon or perk when you level up. 

Runs last for up to 30 minutes — or longer if you can figure out how to survive Death. That makes Vampire Survivors a great game to play while commuting (or at any other time, if we’re being honest).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vampire-survivors-is-getting-four-player-couch-co-op-150809332.html?src=rss 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) isn’t done with Amazon despite two recentsettlements. The agency has sued Amazon over claims the company fooled customers into signing up for Prime while simultaneously thwarting attempts to cancel. The online retailer allegedly violated the FTC Act and Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act through misleading designs that got users to register for Prime without true consent. Leaders even “slowed or rejected” design changes that would have made it easier to cancel Prime, the FTC argues.

We’ve asked Amazon for comment. In a statement, FTC chair Lina Khan maintains that Amazon “tricked and trapped” customers. This both angered users and cost them “significant money,” she says. The FTC also asserts that Amazon made multiple attempts to “delay and hinder” the investigation. 

As CNBCnotes, the FTC has been investigating Amazon Prime sign-up and cancel systems since March 2021. The investigation deepened in 2022 after Insider said it obtained internal documents purportedly showing that Amazon was aware of customer objections as early as 2017. Shoppers were encouraged to sign up for a 30-day trial with a single click during checkout, but had to wade through multiple pages to cancel service before the trial ended. Amazon even used the term “Iliad” to describe the cancellation process, alluding to the sheer length of Homer’s epic poem.

The FTC under Khan has closely scrutinized Amazon’s practices. Officials have examined the internet giant’s acquisitions of MGM and One Medical as well as privacy issues with Alexa and Ring doorbells. Khan was a notable critic of Big Tech before her nomination as FTC chair, and Amazon even called for her recusal in antitrust cases over claimed bias.

The concept of deceptive design, also known as “dark patterns,” isn’t new. In 2020, the European Union said that many websites made it unnecessarily difficult to reject tracking cookies. However, the lawsuit against Amazon represents a significant test of those patterns’ legality in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-sues-amazon-for-allegedly-tricking-customers-into-prime-subscriptions-151528914.html?src=rss 

You’ll soon have a way to revisit Rocksteady’s best-known games on a Nintendo handheld. Warner Bros. Games has revealed that Batman: Arkham Trilogy will release on the Switch sometime this fall. The bundle will include Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight as well as all the previously-released DLC for the trio. There’s no mention of Switch-specific features, but Turn Me Up Games (involved in Switch ports for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and It Takes Two) is responsible for the adaptation.

Arkham Asylum revolves around Batman’s fight against The Joker and allies as they take over the game’s namesake asylum. Arkham City expands the battle to Gotham and includes more classic villains, such as Mr. Freeze and The Penguin. Arkham Knight adds its titular supervillain and introduces more open-world gameplay that includes a drivable Batmobile.

For the most part, all three games earned a reputation for an engaging story and varied gameplay that included combat, stealth and puzzle solving. The brawls were a particular highlight — you were rewarded for performing seamless combos while dodging opponents that can come from multiple directions at once. The series arguably popularized a fight formula that has surfaced in games ranging from Spider-Man to Shadow of Mordor. Throw in the animated Batman’ series voice cast (such as Mark Hamill and the late Kevin Conroy) and it’s easy to see the appeal for fans of the caped hero.

This won’t thrill Switch fans who were hoping for a version of Rocksteady’s upcoming Suicide Squad game. This is more a bid to reach an untapped audience than to set the stage for the studio’s first new game in nearly eight years. Still, you might not mind if you’re either new to the franchise or want to revisit the series. If nothing else, it may serve as a palate cleanser for those who thought Gotham Knights missed the mark.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/batman-arkham-trilogy-comes-to-switch-this-fall-163027577.html?src=rss