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The European Union has published the full and final text for the EU AI Act in its Official Journal, as reported by TechCrunch. Since the new law will come into force 20 days after its publication, that means it will be enforceable starting on August 1. All its provisions will be fully applicable in two years’ time, but some of them will be implemented much earlier than that. 

Six months from now, the bloc will start implementing bans on prohibited applications for AI, such as the use of social credit ranking systems, the collection and compilation of facial recognition information for databases, as well the use of real time emotion recognition systems in schools and workplaces. 

In nine months, the EU will start implementing codes of practice on AI developers. The EU AI Office established by the European Commission will work with consultancy firms to draft those codes. It also plans to work with companies that provide general-purpose models deemed to carry systemic risks. As TechCrunch notes, though, that raises concerns that the industry’s biggest players will be able to shape the rules that are supposed to keep them in check.

After a year, makers of general purpose AI models, such as ChatGPT, will have to comply with new transparency requirements and have to be able to demonstrate that their systems are safe and easily explainable to users. In addition to all those, the EU AI Act includes rules that apply to generative AI and manipulated media, such as making sure deepfakes and other AI-generated images, videos and audio are clearly labeled. 

Companies training their AI models will have to respect copyright laws, as well, unless their model is created purely for research and development. “Rightsholders may choose to reserve their rights over their works or other subject matter to prevent text and data mining, unless this is done for the purposes of scientific research,” the AI Act’s text reads. “Where the rights to opt out has been expressly reserved in an appropriate manner, providers of general-purpose AI models need to obtain an authorization from rightsholders if they want to carry out text and data mining over such works.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-eu-will-start-enforcing-its-new-ai-regulations-on-august-1-140037756.html?src=rss 

I first started hitting arcades in the late ’80s, and one of the first games I remember playing was the seminal 1987 beat-em-up Double Dragon. Probably not the most appropriate thing for a seven-year-old, but I pumped plenty of quarters into it and subsequently spent tons of time playing the NES port. After its late ’80s / early ’90s heyday, though, the Double Dragon series has gone through a number of weird iterations and revamps, and a new one based on the original game is set to arrive in 2025.

Double Dragon Revive is produced by Japanese developer / publisher Arc System Works, who acquired the rights to Double Dragon back in 2015 after the original developer Technōs went out of business. Unlike Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, which was released in 2023 and featured a very distinctive cartoonish style, Revive is leaning into an ultra-modern and more realistic vibe, relatively speaking. 

It reminds me a bit of recent Street Fighter games; similarly, the characters look like they have a greatly expanded set of moves to bash through the waves of bad guys. There isn’t much detail on the game out there yet, though Arc System Works does note that this game isn’t a pure button-masher, saying that it “requires adaptation and variety.” 

Visual style isn’t the only thing differentiating Revive from Rise of the Dragons. The 2023 game had ropuelike elements, 13 playable characters and a tag-team ability to let you swap between those characters. Revive, as the name suggests, will likely stick more to the tried-and-true Double Dragon formula. How much that’ll resonate with players in 2025 remains to be seen, but there are surely enough nostalgic kids from the ’80s out there who will give this one a shot. It’ll be available for the PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S and on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-double-dragon-series-returns-yet-again-with-an-ultra-modern-tribute-to-the-original-game-142722631.html?src=rss 

Luke Muscat, the lead designer for Halfbrick Studios’ Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, has announced a new game called Feed the Deep. This time, he’s not backed by a studio and supported by colleagues: Feed the Deep is his first solo project after quitting his job. He calls the game a “Lovecraftian deep sea roguelike,” because you take on the role of a diver who literally has to feed the eldritch horror lurking in the darkness of the ocean’s depths. 

In the game, humanity built floating cities on the surface of the ocean without knowing about the threat living below. Your job is to feed whatever’s living in the deep so that it doesn’t destroy the cities. In its Steam page, Muscat said the game was “inspired by the likes of Dome Keeper and Spelunky.” You’ll have to collect resources in the darkness to be able to get upgrades and items, all while managing your oxygen to make sure you survive the dive. The caves you have to explore are procedurally generated so they will look different every time you play. You can also choose your play style, whether to go fast and aggressive, or to go slower and more relaxed. 

It’s unclear if Feed the Deep will be available on non-PC platforms, but Muscat has only shared a Steam page for it so far. He’s planning to release the game sometime this third quarter. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-designer-of-fruit-ninja-and-jetpack-joyride-is-back-with-a-lovecraftian-roguelike-130002746.html?src=rss 

Tesla has introduced a Model 3 option with 363 miles of range that will cost less than $35,000 after federal tax credits. The Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive is now on Tesla’s configurator with deliveries slated between July and August 2024. 

Performance-wise, it fits between the base model and Long Range AWD option, with a 125 MPH top speed and 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds. The AWD option is a $5,000 upgrade, though, so you’re paying a lot for an extra 0.7 seconds of acceleration. For comparison, Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 LR has roughly the same range and price, but isn’t eligible for the federal EV tax credit. 

The Model 3 Long Range RWD is now Tesla’s cheapest EV, if you take the tax credit into account. That’s because the base $38,990 Model 3 RWD version uses lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL in China, so it’s ineligible for any federal rebate.

The new model arrives amid a decline in EV battery prices. The price for LFP cell in China dropped over 51 percent to $53 per kWh over the last year, Bloomberg recently reported. That in turn has led to LFP battery packs at $75 per kWh, meaning EVs can be priced the same or less than combustion vehicles in China. Western efforts to match China’s battery production will only increase overcapacity and likely keep prices down.

Early this year, Tesla launched its refreshed Model 3 in the US. The new version has some mild styling changes on the exterior, along with new interior materials, ventilated front seats, a 17-speaker audio system option and a new eight-inch rear display.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-brings-the-model-3-long-range-rwd-to-the-us-for-42490-120016482.html?src=rss 

The Apple Vision Pro is now available for purchase in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Apple first expanded its availability in Asia by releasing it in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore back on June 28, which is also when it started taking pre-orders for Europe, Canada and Australia. Now if you’re from those regions, you can can easily purchase the $3,500 headset from Apple anytime you want.

Since the Vision Pro became available in the US in February, Apple has released more and more games on the App Store and Arcade for it, as well as new 3D films that you can access with an Apple TV+ subscription. The company also introduced Spatial Persona avatars, which takes your collaborators’ avatars out of their restricted windows and places them right next to you in virtual space. It may sound creepy, but it’s Apple’s solution to making it feel more natural to work together and hang out on the Vision Pro. 

At WWDC this year, Apple debuted visionOS 2 for the headset, which will introduce spatial photos that provide depth to 2D images. What that means is, when you move your head while looking at a photo, you’ll be able to see more details to the left and right of the original image. It will bring updated gesture controls to the headset, as well, letting you open the home view by holding you hand up then tapping and to bring up the time and battery details by flipping your hand over. Apple has already been beta testing the updated OS to prepare for its release, which is scheduled to take place sometime later this year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-goes-on-sale-in-the-uk-canada-and-australia-123052740.html?src=rss