Category: Technology

Microsoft is delaying one of the major first-party games it had lined up for 2025. The company said during its big annual Xbox showcase last June that its Fable reboot would arrive this year. But that’s no longer the case as Xbox has pushed back the fantasy RPG to 2026.

“We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time and it’s going to ship in 2026 now,” Craig Duncan, the new head of Xbox Game Studios, said on the latest edition of the Official Xbox Podcast. “While I know that’s not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it’s definitely worth the wait.”

The reboot, which is being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, was announced all the way back in 2020 and there have been a few teasers since then. While the delay might be disappointing to those who have been waiting for Fable — especially since it’s been 15 years since the last mainline game in the series — Xbox can afford to give it a little more time.

Microsoft’s games division has a pretty healthy slate for the coming months. Avowed only just came out, the promising South of Midnight is not too far away and then Doom: The Dark Ages and its ridiculous shield-saw is slated to arrive in May. The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4 are also on the docket for this year, and there are likely others in the pipeline (such as the inevitable annual Call of Duty entry). That’s not to mention all the third-party titles coming to Game Pass and Microsoft selling more of its games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. So Xbox is probably going to be okay while Playground keeps Fable simmering away.

Duncan claims that the studio is crafting “the most beautifully realized version of Albion you’ve ever seen” but with its own spin and British humor. The Xbox Game Studios chief visited Playground to play some of Fable and see how things were going. Duncan brought back some new, early footage to show on the video version of the podcast, which you can see below starting at 15:55. Even the pre-alpha versions of these environments look very pretty, so here’s hoping Playground makes good use of that extra time to make the most of the game.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-has-delayed-its-fable-reboot-until-2026-173118802.html?src=rss 

If you’re a music fan of a certain age, there’s a good chance MTV Unplugged has special place in your heart. With the first episode airing in 1989, over the decades the series has produced some of the most memorable live performances in history. Who could forget Nirvana’s set, recorded less than a year before Kurt Cobain would tragically take his own life in 1994, or when Alice in Chains played one of its final shows with former lead vocalist Layne Staley. There are too many memorable episodes to count, and now you can watch more than 50 of them, including the two I just mentioned, on Paramount+.

As Paramount notes, many of the episodes haven’t been available to watch in more than 20 years. From that perspective, the most interesting release is Oasis’ (in)famous 1996 set. For the uninitiated, it’s an episode that almost didn’t happen. In the days leading up to the performance, the story goes that lead singer Liam Gallagher complained of a sore throat. On the day the band was scheduled to tape the episode, he showed up an hour before “absolutely sh**faced,” according to his brother Noel, who went on to sing the entire set on his own. Despite its place in music history, before today it was nearly impossible to find a high-quality video of the performance. On YouTube, for instance, you can find a bootleg recording or two, but as you can imagine, the fidelity isn’t there.

This isn’t the first the Paramount+ has dug into the MTV archives to expand its catalog. Earlier this year, the streamer had an entire special program around Eric Clapton’s 1992 set. If you want to check out the performances for yourself, Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/paramount-adds-50-classic-mtv-unplugged-episodes-155004134.html?src=rss 

The Philips Hue Sync app is now available for many LG televisions, allowing synchronization between smart lights and TV screens. This eliminates the need for one of those dedicated sync boxes, as everything gets handled through the app.

For the uninitiated, Philips Hue smart lights dynamically adjust color and brightness to match the content playing on-screen. The app, along with an associated Hue lighting system, works with content from set-top boxes, streaming sticks, platforms like Netflix and, of course, gaming consoles. You haven’t really played Balatro until you’ve played it with matching lighting effects.

The Philips Hue Sync TV app supports multiple image formats, including 8K, 4K, HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. It uses a “proprietary syncing algorithm” to create “the ultimate surround lighting experience.” It’s available worldwide for compatible LG smart TVs right now. Just make sure the TV is running webOS 24 or later.

There’s a major caveat here. This is one expensive app. It costs around $130 (depending on where you live) and that only covers a single TV. However, folks can opt for a monthly subscription of $3 that can handle up to three televisions. That’s a bit more palatable.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/philips-hue-sync-now-available-on-lg-smart-tvs-eliminating-the-need-for-a-control-box-162004241.html?src=rss 

British creatives are speaking out against the government’s proposed changes to copyright law. Take Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Ben Howard, who join over 1,000 musicians in releasing a protest album called Is This What We Want?. 

Currently, AI developers must follow the same copyright laws as anyone else, meaning they can’t use creative material to train models without permission. However, the December 2024 proposal would provide them with a copyright exemption that requires creatives to “opt out” of their materials being used. Tuesday, February 25 is the government’s last day seeking views on the change. 

“The musicians on this album came together to protest this,” reads the release statement. “The album consists of recordings of empty studios and performance spaces, representing the impact we expect the government’s proposals would have on musicians’ livelihoods.” 

The album consists of 12 songs with their titles spelling out, “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.” The record’s profits go toward UK-based charity Help Musicians. 

Tuesday also saw the UK News Media Association and publications including The Guardian protest the copyright exemption proposal through the Make It Fair campaign. “The creative works of British artists, authors, journalists, illustrators, photographers, film-makers, scriptwriters, singers and songwriters are being scraped from the internet by tech companies, big and small, to build and maintain AI products that have the potential to reshape our world,” the campaign argues. “Without fair reward, our creative industries simply won’t survive. The government must stand behind its creative industries. It’s time to fairly compensate the creators.”

On Monday, a range of creatives wrote an open letter to The Times in protest. “There is no moral or economic argument for stealing our copyright. Taking it away will devastate the industry and steal the future of the next generation,” it stated. Signatories included Paul McCartney, Elton John, Dua Lipa, Helen Fielding and Ed Sheeran. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-creatives-protest-ai-copyright-law-changes-with-silent-album-and-campaign-160555065.html?src=rss 

US-based employee screening services provider DISA Global Solutions said it was breached by hackers, putting the personally identifiable information of 3.3 million people at risk.

While DISA informed Maine’s attorney general of the data breach yesterday (thanks, TechCrunch) and reported the hack to Massachusetts’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation earlier on February 22, the attack began over a year ago, on February 9, 2024. The unidentified hacker accessed DISA’s network for two months before the company noticed on April 22, 2024. However, there’s allegedly “no evidence of actual or attempted misuse” of personal information.

In a sample notification letter sent to those affected by the hack, DISA claimed it “could not definitively conclude the specific data procured” even after an investigation with third-party assistance. However, the Massachusetts filing listed what the attackers accessed: Social Security numbers, financial accounts, driver’s licenses and credit and debit numbers. DISA didn’t share other details on the attack.

DISA serves over 55,000 customers, including 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The company offers drug, alcohol and background checks. This allows it to collect sensitive information, making it a prime target for cybercriminals.

It’s unknown why DISA took almost a year to notify anyone, especially when employee screening is a highly sensitive industry. Those affected can enroll for 12 months of credit monitoring and identity restoration services, a common act of apology companies often take after a cybersecurity incident.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/us-employee-screening-firm-disa-hit-with-data-breach-affecting-over-33-million-people-145658681.html?src=rss 

Last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake worked out pretty well for Konami and the studio that took on the project, Bloober Team. The two sides have decided to continue their partnership, as Bloober is making a new title based on Konami’s intellectual property. Since the studio develops horror games, it’s likely that this will be a fresh entry in the Silent Hill series. There is a possibility that it could be a Castlevania game instead. But I’m hoping the companies decide to get really weird and make a spooky Bomberman or something.

“The trust built upon the success of Silent Hill 2 laid the foundation for signing another agreement for a new project,” the companies said. “The deal aligns with Bloober Team’s strategic plan to expand its internal development division within a first-party framework.” Konami will publish the upcoming game and retain the rights to it.

The Silent Hill 2 remake arrived in early October and sold well, moving over 2 million copies by the end of January It was critically acclaimed and received several nominations at The Game Awards. The remake was also one of Engadget’s favorite games of 2024.

If, indeed, Bloober is making a completely new Silent Hill game, it won’t be the only such title that’s in the works. Two Silent Hill games that were announced in 2022 have yet to arrive: Silent Hill Townfall from Annapurna Interactive and No Code, and Silent Hill f from Ryūkishi07.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bloober-team-is-making-another-game-with-konami-following-silent-hill-2s-success-152602170.html?src=rss 

The iPhone 16 might just finally be coming to Indonesia. The island nation has reached an agreement with Apple to lift the country’s ban on iPhone 16 sales, Bloomberg reports, citing familiar sources. Apple must invest $1 billion in Indonesia and train locals in the company’s research and development to create their own products.

Indonesia banned the iPhone 16 in October, following Apple’s failure to meet its 1.71 trillion rupiah ($109 million) local infrastructure investment by about $15 million. Since then, Apple has pledged more and more money to overturn it. First, the company offered $10 million, before raising it to $100 million. By December, Indonesia’s investment minister, Rosan Roeslani, reported Apple had increased that number to the current sum of $1 billion. 

Yet, the government continued to push, rejecting the $1 billion and pushing for further benefits, such as the addition of R&D training. Apple would also create a plant on Batam to make AirTags, eventually equating to 20 percent of the world’s production. Indonesia’s industry minister, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, also recently announced that Apple paid a $10 million debt it owed for violations between 2020 to 2023.

Despite the reported agreement, nothing is certain until the phones start being sold. However, Indonesia has made an impressive push from a payment deficit to an extra $1 billion and training. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/indonesia-might-lift-its-iphone-ban-for-1-billion-150050471.html?src=rss 

Adobe has launched a brand new Photoshop app for iPhones, which it’s also releasing for Android later this year. While there’s already a Photoshop Express for mobile, the company says the new app was “designed from the ground up” with more features and has an easy-to-use mobile interface. The app, which is free to download and use, comes with Photoshop’s core imaging and design tools. Users can make selections, layers and masks in the app to combine or blend images. They can also replace parts of an image with the Tap Select tool, remove elements from a photo with the Spot Healing Brush and add new elements by using its generative AI tools, such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand. 

Users will have access to free Adobe Stock assets and can link their apps with other Adobe applications, including Express, Lightroom and Fresco. Adobe is, as expected, offering premium upgrades to the app’s capabilities for those willing to pay for the new Photoshop Mobile and Web plan. The $8-a-month service will add features to the app on mobile and iPad and will also include access to Photoshop on the web. Users who already have an existing Photoshop subscription, however, will also be able to enjoy the new Photoshop app’s premium features. 

The premium features included with the new plan include the ability to transition editing from Photoshop mobile to the web if a user needs a bigger screen or more precise controls. Users are also getting extra generative AI features, including Adobe Firefly’s Generate Similar, which allows users to create new variations of an existing image. Subscribers will get access to 20,000 fonts, be able to make precise selections of people and objects with the Object Select too, isolate objects with the Magic Wand, erase elements with the Remove Tool, copy and clone certain elements with the Clone Stamp and fill portions of an image with Content-Aware Fill. They will also be able to control an image’s transparency and lighten or darken certain areas of an image. The new app for iPhones is already available from the App Store worldwide.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/a-new-adobe-photoshop-app-is-coming-to-iphones-140003461.html?src=rss