Razer’s first controller with Hall effect joysticks is the $200 Wolverine V3 Pro for Xbox and PC

Razer is trying something new — actually, two things. The Wolverine V3 Pro introduces Hall effect joysticks for the first time in a Razer gamepad, and it’s also the company’s first fully wireless controller for Xbox consoles. The Wolverine V3 Pro was designed with esports and high-skill competitive play in mind, and it’s currently available for $200. The Pro and the Wolverine V3 Tournament Edition, a $100 wired version of the new gamepad, are compatible with Xbox and PC. Though the V3 Pro is on the market right now, the V3 Tournament Edition is coming soon.

The Wolverine V3 Pro features extra bumpers for claw-grip players, an eight-way floating D-pad and Viper mouse switches in its four back paddles. The rear paddles have been reimagined since Razer’s Wolverine V2 gamepads — they’re now horizontal bars that curve around the grips, two per side, rather than vertical buttons clustered near the center of the body. The face buttons on the Wolverine V3 are microswitches in a rubberized membrane and they have a 0.65mm actuation distance, just like the V2. 

Also like Razer’s previous gamepad line, the V3 Pro communicates with your console or PC via a USB dongle over a 2.4GHz wireless connection. Wired, it has a Tournament Mode that nets a 1000Hz polling rate, and this can be toggled on or off at will. The whole gamepad can be customized in the Razer Controller App, with options including thumbstick sensitivity, button remapping, haptic strength and profile creation. The triggers on the V3 controllers have a physical switch with two settings: full pull or mouse click.

Razer

As the top-tier option in this new line, the V3 Pro has rubberized grips, RGB lights on the front Razer logo, and it comes with a carrying case and accessories. These include a 10-foot braided cable (USB to USB-C) and two swappable thumbstick caps — one tall and concave, the other short and domed. The standard thumbsticks are short and concave. But the big news here is still the Hall effect joysticks, a feature that should prevent drift and enable more precise aiming.

Hall effect sensors are the emerging standard in anti-drift gamepads, though the technology isn’t ubiquitous quite yet. Sony, Xbox and Nintendo have yet to release first-party gamepads with Hall effect joysticks, though they’ve all received criticism for stick drift this generation. Even the $180 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 doesn’t have Hall effect thumbsticks. The most accessible storefront for drift-immune controllers is 8BitDo, which offers a range of wireless and wired gamepads for Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC and Android, plenty of which use Hall effect tech. These controllers generally cost between $30 and $70, and the 8BitDo product page has a helpful little logo on all of its Hall effect products.

Side story: The original gamepad for the Sega Dreamcast used Hall effect sensors in its sticks way back in 1998. While the idea has been widely implemented in modern triggers, the industry is just now applying this upgrade to joysticks on a mass scale.

Of course, Razer’s Wolverine V3 Pro — which costs $200 — is a premium gamepad with lots of upgraded parts and customization options, not just the sexy thumbsticks. I spent a few days with the V3 Pro, mainly playing rounds of Overwatch 2 on Xbox Series S, and I found the controller to be snappy and surprisingly compact, even for my very tiny hands. The face buttons and mouse-click triggers sound great and feel crisp, while the joysticks are precise — they require a little more force than the wireless Forza Horizon 5 Xbox controller I generally use, but they’re nice and accurate. Everything on the V3 Pro is within reach at any given time: My left thumb can literally fall straight from the stick to the D-pad, and the face buttons are snuggled up next to the right stick. The rear paddles are infinitely clicky, and even without mapping them to anything, I enjoy pressing them just for the sound. I wonder if some players may find the paddles intrusive, since they’re literally part of the grip, but I appreciate their placement because it makes them incredibly easy to use.

Razer

And yes, the V3 Pro does have RGB detailing, but it’s subtle for Razer. There are no long lines of customizable lights wrapping around the gamepad — instead, only the small RAZER logo lights up. As a fan of pretty lights on my gaming accessories, I dig it.

The $100 V3 Tournament Edition features the same button layout and internals as the Pro, but it’s wired, it has a textured plastic grip, it doesn’t have RGB details and it doesn’t include a carrying case or additional thumbsticks. It’s also for Xbox and PC, and it should hit the market in “Q3 2024” — so, by the end of September.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/razers-first-controller-with-hall-effect-joysticks-is-the-200-wolverine-v3-pro-for-xbox-and-pc-150021455.html?src=rss 

The best Apple Arcade games for 2024

It’s been nearly five years since Apple Arcade launched, and while the service hasn’t fully delivered on Apple’s promise back in 2019, it can still be worth paying for. Of course, that’s provided you’re willing to hunt through the 200-ish games currently available on the service. I’ve been playing Apple Arcade games since it launched and these are just a few of my favorites that have stood the test of time.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple originally released Apple Arcade with the promise of high-quality, exclusive games that are playable across basically every device the company makes. That includes the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV (though you need a controller for the latter). Over time, Apple started allowing games originally launched in the App Store as well, provided that they met certain criteria. All Apple Arcade games are ad-free and have no in-app purchases, something that really helps differentiate its offerings over the flood of low-quality games in the App Store.

While Apple Arcade launched with a pretty excellent lineup, additional games have unfortunately been fewer and farther between in recent years. Apple has also pulled a number of games from the service, including some of the best ones you could get like Sayonara Wild Hearts, Cozy Grove, Assemble with Care, Shinsekai: Into the Depths and numerous others. It’s a reminder that with a subscription service, things can go away at any time.

While we’re not seeing the same cadence of high-quality original games on Apple Arcade as we did a few years ago, I still think the service is worth the $7 per month or $50 per year subscription if you do a lot of gaming on your phone. Some of the best games in the history of the App Store are here (anything with a “plus” symbol denotes a game that was originally sold in the App Store and then brought to Apple Arcade), and there are still a number of excellent originals worth playing. It is worth noting that the “plus” games were not designed with Mac or Apple TV playback in mind and thus only work on an iPhone or iPad. These 16 games are some of the best you can play, and there are a bunch more I want to try for future inclusion on this list. In the meantime, this should be more than enough to get you started.

Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-apple-arcade-games-140053796.html?src=rss 

Snap is trying to help educators better understand how students use Snapchat

As millions of young people head back to school, Snap wants to help educators have a better understanding of how teens use Snapchat, and be aware of the safety resources and protections that are available. The Educator’s Guide to Snapchat features videos that detail features that schools can employ, as well as safeguards for young people.

The guide offers educators materials they can pass along to parents and counselors to help students navigate serious online risks such as bullying, mental health concerns and sextortion. Through a new form, Snap is also seeking feedback from educators directly about how the app is used in school communities.

Snap’s aim is to help educators stay connected with their students, and having a working knowledge of online platforms plays an important role in that. A toolkit that the company developed in partnership with Safe and Sound Schools provides educators with information on how to better support the online safety and wellbeing of their students. There is, of course, an onus on explaining how Snapchat works.

According to Snap, more than 20 million US teens use Snapchat. Schools across the country have taken a variety of approaches to managing phone use, with some requiring students to seal their handsets in pouches while they’re in class. Some states have outright banned students from using their phones in classrooms or on school grounds. The merits of sweeping bans on phones in schools are up for debate, but there’s no denying that there’s value in helping educators and students have a better understanding of how to safely use their devices, various apps and the internet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snap-is-trying-to-help-educators-better-understand-how-students-use-snapchat-150754158.html?src=rss 

MMORPG Blue Protocol shuts down before most people got a chance to play it

When Blue Protocol was announced, many people speculated it would be a “Genshin killer” in reference to miHoYo’s popular title Genshin Impact. But now, nearly a decade after it began development and just over a year since its release in Japan, Blue Protocol has reached an ignominious end. The planned worldwide release is being scrapped, and even the Japanese version is shuttering. Players there can enjoy the game until January 18, 2025.

Blue Protocol was slated to be published in the Western world in collaboration with Amazon Games. Bandai Namco, in announcing the decision, said “we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you.”

For those of us looking for a Genshin alternative, it’s back to that and Honkai: Star Rail and Wuthering Waves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/mmorpg-blue-protocol-shuts-down-before-most-people-got-a-chance-to-play-it-152545183.html?src=rss 

Watch out, there’s a new AI pin in town that can transcribe all your conversations

I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Standalone AI devices have crashed and burned harder than the Hindenburg. They are, as one might say, not ready for prime time. Heck, the jury’s still out on AI for smartphones. However, the show must go on, so here’s another AI pin that will likely cause Marques Brownlee’s hair to fall out when it officially launches.

The Plaud NotePin could solve some of the issues that plagued rival products by limiting the scope. This thing isn’t a purported digital assistant that will streamline every aspect of modern life. It’s a note-taking device, albeit one with some AI bells and whistles.

The NotePin automatically records and transcribes conversations, and that’s pretty much it. I could see this being useful for students, stopping the cruel punishment known as “jotting down notes.” The same goes for people stuck in an endless kaleidoscope of meetings.

The AI comes into play in a number of ways. First of all, this thing isn’t stuck on English. The pin can transcribe and translate 59 languages, with more on the way. It also, allegedly, will pay attention to context to correctly name each speaker and organize the talk into something resembling a script.

Finally, there’s an AI analysis component that summarizes everything. This data can be accessed via a chat window, so you can ask specific questions about any of the dozens of conversations you’ve had while wearing the pin.

Plaud

The NotePin is small and light, with the company saying it weighs about the same as a AA battery. This form factor will let users pin it just about anywhere, so it won’t be quite as obvious as the scalding-hot (and heavy) Humane AI pin. Pre-orders are available now, and it’s fairly reasonable at $170. However, an $80 annual subscription is required if you want to record more than 300 minutes of audio per month.

But I’m not done. Here’s where things get weird. This is just the first step in the company’s plans toward something grandiose. Plaud hopes to one day use the trove of recordings to create a “digital twin” of each user, according to an interview with Wired.

“Someday, you’re going to be able to utilize AI to reproduce yourself—create this real digital twin. That’s kind of this grand mission, where we think if we’re able to help users connect to so many memories, it’s going to be grand,” said Plaud CEO Nathan Hsu.

However, Hsu says this dream may take “decades” to achieve, so at least he’s being realistic, unlike every other AI company out there. Also, I don’t want a digital twin. One of me is enough, thank you very much.

For now, though, there’s the NotePin. I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t work (mostly) as advertised. I also don’t see why anyone would need it when they already carry around a computer with a microphone that could very easily house software to do everything the NotePin can do. Shrug.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/watch-out-theres-a-new-ai-pin-in-town-that-can-transcribe-all-your-conversations-153131281.html?src=rss 

Anker Labor Day deals including this 10K magnetic power bank for only $30

Just because summer is ending (yes, I will admit it) doesn’t mean that the day trips or weekend getaways must stop. If you spent the whole season desperately looking for an outlet, then maybe reward yourself this fall with a power bank? Right now, a few of Anker’s best portable chargers are on sale, including the 334 Magnetic Power Bank. The wireless portable charger is down to an all-time low price of $30 from $40 — a 25 percent discount. 

Anker’s 334 Magnetic Power Bank provides a 7.5W charge without any need for a wire. I don’t have this one, but I do have another Anker power bank, and being able to connect without worrying about a cord is a game changer. Worth noting: this accessory is solely for iPhone users and is compatible with the iPhone 12 and above. Plus, you can charge the accessory and your iPhone at the same time if you’re only traveling with one plug. 

If you’re looking for a power bank with more, well, power then check out some of the other deals on Anker accessories. Anker’s Qi2 Certified 15W MagGo Power Bank is down to $70 from $90 — a 22 percent discount. The accessory is one of our top picks for 2024’s best power banks and portable chargers thanks to features like its fast charging speeds, sturdy kickstand and clear battery percentage indicator. It’s compatible with the iPhone 12 and higher, giving you a full charge and about two-thirds of the way to another. 

The other option to consider is Anker’s 200W Prime Power Bank with three ports and a 100W charging case. It’s available for $150, down from $185, and has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. A clear front display also states how much charge is left (or how long until the power bank is back to 100 percent). It works with laptops and smartphones and can charge two computers at once with 100W each. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/anker-labor-day-deals-including-this-10k-magnetic-power-bank-for-only-30-135615179.html?src=rss 

Uber teen accounts 2.0 revealed with more convenience and safety features

Uber has updated its teen accounts with new and improved features primarily designed for convenience and security. Besides previous functions like tracking trip progress and Uber Eats connectivity, the rideshare company is now announcing several additional features. Parents in charge of teen accounts, which are available in all 50 states and 250+ cities can apply them to their teens’ accounts.

Previously, teen accounts did not support parents booking trips using their own phones, but the new guardian booking feature now allows this. Parents using guardian booking will have access to the same security features a teen account will use. Parents with an Uber One membership can also now share the benefits with teens, such as free delivery and cash back trips. Any cash back funds go to the teen’s account for future use.

Teen accounts can also now use Uber Reserve to request rides up to 90 days ahead. Reserve trips can be at least booked with as little as 30 minutes of advance notice, too. Finally, teen accounts can now use Uber Cash if they receive Uber gift cards. They can use the money on their own for future rides or food.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-teen-accounts-20-revealed-with-more-convenience-and-safety-features-142209566.html?src=rss 

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