Category: Technology

A day after the plight of Garmin users whose devices have been stuck in a boot error gained media attention, the company says it has found a solution. “We have resolved the underlying issue causing some devices to be stuck on the start up screen,” a Garmin spokesperson told Engadget, pointing us to a support page the company recently updated. Unfortunately, if your wearable or cycling computer is displaying a “blue triangle of death,” the potential fix may involve losing some data in the process.

Depending on the device, Garmin says a factory reset is required. In other cases, you may only need to reset the power on your wearable and sync it with either the Garmin Connect app on your phone or via Garmin Express on a PC. Garmin has provided additional troubleshooting information for those with devices that are still malfunctioning after a power reset, with the required steps varying by product line.

For instance, in the case of the company’s popular Forerunner family of running watches, you’ll need to power off your device, then press down and hold the Start/Stop and Back buttons until you hear a beep. At that point, release the Start/Stop button, but continue holding the Back button until you hear a second beep. Your watch will then display Garmin’s language selection screen. If it was previously paired with your phone, you’ll need to remove the device from your Bluetooth settings before you can continue the reset process.

If it’s been a while since you’ve synced your watch, Garmin warns a factory reset will result in the loss of some data, including information relating to Garmin Wallet, Connect IQ content such as watch faces and, most notably, Body Battery insights. However, once you sync your device with Garmin Connect, most (if not all) of that data should be restored.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/garmin-says-it-has-fixed-the-blue-triangle-boot-error-that-was-bricking-some-devices-204919328.html?src=rss 

As Los Angeles reels from the loss of lives and homes to the Easton and Palisades fires, scientists are asking why the events of this January have been so catastrophic. Climate change very likely played a part in setting the stage that caused multiple fires to sweep through the region, according to analysis from the World Weather Attribution, an international research initiative.

“Eight of the eleven models examined also show an increase in extreme January [Fire Weather Index], increasing our confidence that climate change is driving this trend,” the group said of their investigation.

Earth is currently 1.3°C hotter than it was before the industrial era began. The WWA found that extreme Fire Weather Index conditions are 35 percent more likely to occur in the LA area at this temperature. If the planet increases 2.6°C from its pre-industrial temperature, extreme conditions become another 35 percent more likely. Based on current policies, a 2.6°C higher temperature is the minimum increase the Earth is projected to reach by the year 2100.

The researchers noted, however, that the growing odds of those peak conditions is not a linear progression. Other factors also contributed to the widespread devastation across the Los Angeles area, including lack of rain; the region had not received significant rainfall since May 2024. This type of drought condition is 2.4 times more likely at the Earth’s current temperature than at its pre-industrial level. Santa Ana winds also caused the rapid spread and difficulties containing the blazes. The team said that the impact of wind is not always reflected well in climate models.

The World Weather Attribution conducts rapid studies into extreme weather events to analyze whether climate change was a factor. The international team of researchers aim to address the impact of climate in natural disasters “while the impacts of the extreme weather event are still fresh in the minds of the public and policymakers, and decisions about rebuilding are being made.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/climate-change-increased-the-odds-of-los-angeles-devastating-fires-researchers-say-211652200.html?src=rss 

Yet another video game is being adapted into a different medium. Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls is bound for TV screens. There’s one interesting wrinkle this time around, as one of the game’s stars is behind the adaptation.

Elliot Page, who played protagonist Jodie Holmes in the 2013 action-adventure, will produce the series, which is in early development. His production company, Pageboy Productions, has scooped up the TV adaptation rights from Quantic Dream. The game’s writer and director, David Cage, said he is collaborating with Page on the project.

As Deadline reports, the show will likely hew close to the non-linear storytelling format of the game. “This adaptation will honor the game’s legacy while inviting fresh perspectives,” Matt Jordan Smith, Pageboy’s head of development and production, said. “Delving into questions of survival and how split-second decisions can alter not just our lives, but the lives of others, are key to telling the story.”

The sci-fi plot of Beyond: Two Souls should be a good fit for television. Jodie possesses supernatural powers via her lifelong psychic link to a spiritual entity named Aiden. 

Although Jodie can die in Beyond: Two Souls, there’s no game over screen if she does, so it will be interesting to see how that translates into a TV show. “It’s a game about death, so you can imagine that death plays a role in all of this,” Cage told Engadget in 2013. “Actually, it’s one of the big discoveries — one of the big mysteries in the game is to discover what’s on the other side. And it’s definitely not a black screen.”

“The story’s rich narrative and emotional depth offer us a fantastic foundation,” Page told Deadline. “We want to create a unique vision of the characters and their journeys that resonates with fans and newcomers.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/beyond-two-souls-is-becoming-a-tv-show-with-help-from-star-elliot-page-202544852.html?src=rss 

Sony just revealed some new games available for PlayStation Plus subscribers in February. The lineup isn’t particularly exciting, but does include some solid entries like Payday 3 and High on Life.

The company also made an announcement that could impact current PS4 owners, saying that “PS4 games will no longer be a key benefit and will only be occasionally offered” starting in 2026. This is something of a bummer, but understandable given that the PS4 came out in 2013. Heck, even the PS5 is approaching its fifth birthday.

This won’t impact titles that have already been downloaded, as subscribers will “continue to have access to games” as long as they remain a PS Plus member. Sony says it may “still provide titles that can be playable on both PS4 and PS5 consoles” after next year.

Now onto the games. Payday 3, available for PS5 only, is a great entry in the co-op bank-robbing franchise. This is a four-player title that’s set several years after the events of Payday 2. Players get to rob banks and even take hostages. It’s a good and bloody time.

High on Life is another FPS, but with tongue firmly planted in cheek. All of the weapons talk, for one, and most of them are voiced by Justin Roiland (who originally voiced both Rick and Morty of Rick and Morty.) Roiland has been mired in a sexual assault scandal, but there’s an option to turn off the chatty guns. It’ll be available for both PS4 and PS5.

Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a remake (or Re-Pac) of a 2004 platformer. This refresh offers an improved UI, fine-tuned mechanics and updated visuals. It’s actually a pretty solid platformer. It’s no Mario Odyssey or Astro Bot, but it gets the job done. It also includes the original arcade game, though it must be unlocked. This one will also be available for PS4 and PS5. 

All three of the aforementioned titles will be available for download on February 4. Of course, PlayStation Plus both gives and takes each month. Some games are about to leave the service. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered and The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe will disappear on February 3.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/februarys-modest-playstation-plus-selection-includes-high-on-life-and-payday-3-184559839.html?src=rss 

Waymo is planning on bringing vehicles to ten new cities in 2025, according to a report by The Verge. This new testing phase starts in Las Vegas and San Diego. These won’t be pure robotaxis, as they’ll have a manual operator.

It’s basically a small-scale experiment by the company to collect data and see how the self-driving system adapts to new locations, regional driving habits and unique weather patterns. All told, the company will be sending around ten vehicles to each new city. “So what we’re looking for is places that are going to challenge our system and look very, very different,” said Nick Rose, product manager for Waymo’s expansion efforts. 

To that point, Las Vegas is known for dense traffic and plenty of chaos surrounding drop-off zones near hotels and casinos. San Diego is similar to locations in which the Alphabet-owned company already operates, like Phoenix, but it wants to validate that the system performs well “without having a ton of prior driving information.”

It plans on bringing the service to Miami, along with Austin and Atlanta. Waymo hasn’t announced the remaining cities, but the system sure could use more testing in some of the colder parts of the country. The company has done some winter testing in upstate New York and Michigan, but that’s about it. It also recently announced it would start to test driverless cars in Tokyo, but we aren’t sure if that counts as one of the ten new cities.

It’s extremely important for the company to test in multiple cities. This is to account for unique traffic conditions and weather, of course, but also for inconsistencies that can trip up driverless systems. For instance, fire trucks and ambulances tend to look slightly different across cities and states. Waymo, after all, hasn’t always had the best track record when it comes to emergency vehicles.

This is just the latest move to ensure that driverless cars are ready for primetime. The company recently started bringing its robotaxis onto Los Angeles highways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-to-test-its-driverless-system-in-ten-new-cities-in-2025-193852446.html?src=rss 

Sony is making a PlayStation Network login optional for several of its single-player games on PC. The company says that you’ll no longer need one for God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (which arrives on Steam and the Epic Games Store this Thursday) or The Last of Us Part II Remastered (which hits PC on April 3).

However, those who do sign in with a PSN account while playing those titles will get some in-game goodies such as cosmetic outfits, early unlocks of certain gear and other resources. They’ll also be able to unlock trophies and have access to a friends management feature.

For months, players have been protesting the need to link their PSN account to their Steam or Epic Games Store purchases to play single-player games. It at least to some degree makes sense for multiplayer elements of games like Ghost of Tsushima. But as evidenced by Sony swiftly dropping the requirement from Helldivers 2 after a major backlash from players, the PSN account linking strategy has by and large been a mess. 

Meanwhile, Sony has revealed more details about what you can expect from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PC. The port from Nixxes includes multiple ray-tracing options, along with upscaling and frame generation. The game also has pretty modest minimum specs, so it might still run decently on a laptop that you’ve been rocking for several years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/sony-is-ditching-the-psn-login-requirement-on-some-of-its-pc-games-183259677.html?src=rss 

No Man’s Sky is back with Worlds Part II, expanding the universe in new ways as only games can. Hello Games, the studio behind No Man’s Sky, has announced the release of its newest iteration and the billions of stars and trillions of planets added to its universe. 

In a statement about the release, Sean Murphy, founder of Hello Games, explained, “This allows us to push the boundaries of our engine and technology without changing the things people love about the game already. If you settled on your home planet with a beautiful base that you lovingly crafted, that is safe — but now there are new worlds to explore with a level of variety no one has seen before.” 

This shift includes the addition of Gas Giants, which Hello Games claims are up to 10 times bigger than any planets previously included in the game. The developers have also improved things under the sea, with better fishing and deep sea diving. Plus, the lighting should be better, with more detailed shadows, sharper sunlight and, of course, those shining starry skies. 

Hello Games also says Worlds Part II offers quests that connect existing storylines and mysteries. A lot of this development comes from work on Hello Game’s new fantasy game Light No Fire. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/no-mans-sky-update-adds-billions-of-stars-and-even-more-planets-165102362.html?src=rss 

Sony is once again shaking up its leadership ranks. Effective April 1, Hideaki Nishino will be president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Nishino was appointed CEO of the division’s Platform Business Group last year. He ran SIE in partnership with Hermen Hulst, who will remain in his role as the head of PlayStation’s studios but now report to Nishino. The pair replaced former SIE CEO Jim Ryan.

“I am truly honored to take the helm at Sony Interactive Entertainment,” Nishino said in a statement. “Technology and creativity are two of our biggest strengths as we continue to focus on developing experiences that deliver entertainment for everyone. We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as IP expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation.”

Hulst, meanwhile, will continue to oversee Sony’s first-party games. He’s also responsible for helping adapt the company’s video game franchises into other mediums via PlayStation Productions.

The pair have had a tumultuous first year in charge of SIE. Just before they took the reins, Ryan announced that the division was laying off 900 staff and shutting down London Studio.

Since then, Nishino and Hulst have been dealing with the fallout of Ryan’s deeply misguided efforts to focus on live-service games. After the disastrous debut of Concord — a hero shooter that vanished within just two weeks, never to return — Sony shut down the game’s developer Firewalk Studios, as well as Neon Koi. A subsequent review of Sony’s live-service efforts led to the company canning two other projects that were in development at Bluepoint and Bend Studio, with the former said to be a God of War title.

Elsewhere within the company, SIE Chairman Hiroki Totoki is giving up that post to become the new CEO of Sony. He’ll succeed Kenichiro Yoshida, who will remain the company’s chairman. Totoki is also the current president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Sony. Replacing him as CFO is Lin Tao, a senior vice-president of finance, corporate strategy and development at SIE.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-playstation-division-will-once-again-have-a-single-ceo-170758830.html?src=rss