Hegseth was facing opposition from Democrats and even a few Republicans. So, does he have the votes to become the Secretary of Defense?
Hegseth was facing opposition from Democrats and even a few Republicans. So, does he have the votes to become the Secretary of Defense?
Epic Games had previously announced plans to bring third-party games to its mobile app, which is available worldwide on Android devices and on iOS in the European Union. The company will also offer a rotating selection of titles for free on mobile. Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be the first two free titles. In a post on X, Epic said it was still fixing some bugs before launching the new games on its platform.
But the company made waves today with a move that could encourage popular games to join its free games program. Epic plans to cover the cost of the Core Technology Fee on iOS for participants’ first year. Apple charges a CTF of 50 euro cents for any install of an iOS app once it surpasses 1 million annual downloads and uses a third-party store. Apps with global revenue of less than €10 million have a three-year grace period.
A blog post from Epic and shared with The Verge says that covering the fees “is not financially viable for every third party app store or for Epic long term, but we’ll do it while the European Commission investigates Apple’s non-compliance with the law.” The law in question is the Digital Markets Act, a digital competition law in Europe which has already targeted Apple.
Fees levied by Apple and Google for use of their platforms has been a source of great debate in the tech and gaming spheres. Epic Games has been in conflict with Apple several times over the years, alleging the tech giant has engaged in anti-competitive behavior.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-to-cover-some-ios-fees-in-ongoing-war-with-apple-204525888.html?src=rss
OpenAI has begun previewing a new tool called Operator that can navigate within a web browser. According to a blog post published Thursday, the software is powered by what the company calls a Computer-Using Agent. “CUA is trained to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) — the buttons, menus, and text fields people see on a screen — just as humans do,” says OpenAI of the model. “This gives it the flexibility to perform digital tasks without using OS- or web-specific APIs.“
The current release of Operator builds on OpenAI’s GPT-4o model. It combines the vision capabilities of that algorithm with “advanced reasoning” trained through reinforcement learning. Operator has the ability to “break tasks into multi-step plans and adaptively self-correct when challenges arise.” According to OpenAI, that capability represents the next stage in AI development.
As with past research previews, OpenAI warns that Operator is “still early and has limitations,” and that it won’t “perform reliably in all scenarios just yet.” For instance, depending on the complexity of the task and interface involved, the agent greatly benefits from the user taking a few extra moments to write a more detailed prompt. Per The Verge, Operator will give the user control if it ever gets stuck on a task. It will also hand control over whenever a website asks for sensitive information, including login credentials. The company says it designed the tool to “refuse harmful requests and block disallowed content.”
OpenAI is making Operator first available to users of its $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. It is also partnering with companies like Instacart to offer the agent on their platforms, though there again you’ll need a ChatGPT Pro subscription to test the integration.
Operator joins a growing list of AI agents that can either navigate a web browser or an entire operating system. Anthropic was the first to offer the capability with the release of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model in October, followed more recently by Google with its Gemini 2.0 model and Project Mariner.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-operator-can-surf-the-web-for-you-210029243.html?src=rss
The Oscar-nominated actress is one to watch this upcoming awards season. Find out all about the star!
The Oscar-nominated actress is one to watch this upcoming awards season. Find out all about the star!
The Oscars are slated to take place in Los Angeles, but the city is reeling from the impact of ongoing wildfires. Find out if the big ceremony will go on despite the disaster.
The Oscars are slated to take place in Los Angeles, but the city is reeling from the impact of ongoing wildfires. Find out if the big ceremony will go on despite the disaster.
Pocketpair, the company behind the mega-hit game Palworld, just announced a publishing venture. This new division will provide devs with all the support they need “without overstepping.” It also promises “funding opportunities, development assistance and publishing support.”
The company is currently looking for indie developers and small studios to partner with, but it already has one project on its plate. The newly-formed publishing arm has promised to “provide development and financial support” to Surgent Studios, the company behind the well-regarded Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
Surgent announced mass layoffs and an indefinite hiatus back in October as it searched for new funding partners. It looks like that search was fruitful. The company now says it’s working on a “short and weird” horror title.
Indie publishing is having a moment right now. Innersloth, the company behind Among Us, recently started a publishing arm to help fund indie games. YouTube star Dunkey also started a publishing company, called Bigmode, which assisted with the release of last year’s enigmatic and fun Animal Well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/palworld-developer-pocketpair-has-opened-up-a-publishing-division-194713511.html?src=rss
CNN is laying off more employees and making plans to launch another streaming service, according to a memo from CEO Mark Thompson obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Around 200 employees jobs are being cut, affecting six percent of CNN’s current staff.
The changes are being made in response to “profound and irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news,” according to Thompson. Launching a new streaming service after the abject failure of CNN+ — the former streaming home of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy — is apparently tied to that same thinking.
According to Thompson:
Today, I can announce that we plan to develop a new way for digital subscribers at home and abroad to stream news programming from us on any device they choose. It’s early days but we’ve already established that there’s immense demand for it not just in America but across much of the world.
Some of CNN’s shows are already available on Max, the streaming service of its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, but this new service would presumably be a benefit for subscribers who pay for CNN directly. The company launched a subscription to CNN.com in October 2024 for $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
Given the less than 10,000 daily users CNN+ was reportedly able to bring in, it definitely seems like any new streaming service will have an uphill battle.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/another-cnn-streaming-service-is-coming-because-that-totally-worked-last-time-201116927.html?src=rss
A week after DirecTV launched its first sports-only streaming package, Comcast unveiled a similar offering that adds news to the mix. The Xfinity Sports & News TV package combines over 50 broadcast, cable news and sports channels with Peacock, DVR storage and more.
Although Xfinity Sports & News is being widely marketed and reported as costing $70 monthly, there’s some extensive fine print attached. (With Comcast?? Can’t be.)
First, that price only applies to Xfinity Internet or Xfinity TV customers (new or existing). You’ll pay at least $90 monthly if you want to stick with home internet from elsewhere. On top of that, your monthly price goes up by $10 without automatic billing through a bank account. Autopay with a credit or debit card adds an extra $8.
So, it can be as little as $70 or as much as $100 per month. Plus tax. This is only a good deal compared to YouTube TV (which recently raised prices again) or Hulu + Live TV if you’re already an Xfinity Internet customer who’s cool with automatic payments.
Even then, whether it’s a bargain will depend on whether it has all the content you want. Its national cable news lineup includes CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News. It has ESPN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, GOLF Channel and SEC Network for live sports channels. Also on tap are local broadcast channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo and Univision affiliates. Plus, you get Peacock (which includes live sports in addition to its on-demand fare) and other extras like 300 hours of cloud DVR storage.
If you want the best viewing experience, you’ll need an Xfinity X1 TV box, only available for Xfinity cable customers. But since that would be somewhat redundant, you can still watch through the Xfinity Stream app on streaming boxes like Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and mobile devices.
You can read more (and perhaps make yourself dizzy from fine print) at Xfinity’s Sports & News landing page.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/comcasts-sports-and-news-streaming-bundle-starts-at-70-monthly-203017976.html?src=rss
Billy Ray’s children are ‘genuinely worried’ about their dad’s health, his son Trace revealed in a public statement.
Billy Ray’s children are ‘genuinely worried’ about their dad’s health, his son Trace revealed in a public statement.
Today’s Xbox Developer Direct kicked off with the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4. Aside from the news of Ragebound, the series has been quiet for the past 13 years, and there’s a mix of new and old in the latest entry.
The protagonist is a new character named Yakumo, a member of the Raven clan, who will battle his way through a dystopian Tokyo. Longtime fans of the games will be glad to see that Ryu Hayabusa is returning and will play a central role.
The new game is being co-developed by Team Ninja and Japanese action game specialists PlatinumGames (known for Bayonetta and NeiR:Automata). Ninja Gaiden 4’s trailer shows all the flashy slashing you’d expect from a 3D action game, with aerial combat and lots of big power moves. Yakumo will also have traversal skills such as riding on rails, slinging across gaps and wall-running.
The game is due out in fall 2025, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass at day one. It will also launch on Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5.
As an extra treat, Team Ninja has also dropped a surprise remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. This new version of the 2008 game is available today on Xbox and PC.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/ninja-gaiden-4-is-coming-out-this-fall-184041420.html?src=rss
