Kalakshar US

Post-apocalyptic city builder Frostpunk 2 arrives on July 25

Frostpunk’s sequel finally has a release data, giving fans of the post-apocalyptic city-building survival game something to look forward to in the coming months. 11 Bit Studios has announced at the Xbox Partners Showcase that Frostpunk 2 will be available for Windows PCs starting on July 25. PC Game Pass subscribers will also be able to play it from day one. It’s a full-fledged sequel to the original game, set 30 years after its events, where oil has taken over steam as society’s main energy source.

Players take on the role of the city’s leader and will have to guide its citizens while facing the world’s increasingly harsh, icy climate. In the sequel, they will get the chance to build larger cities divided into districts, with each one serving a specific purpose. One district could be in charge of food production, for instance, while another could serve as people’s shelter.

Similar to the game before it, Frostpunk 2 is expected to throw problems at the player that will force them to make some difficult decisions and challenge their morals. Players will meet various factions of citizens with ideals conflicting their own as their city grows, and they have to navigate the consequences of their decisions after siding with one faction over the rest. If it truly is like its predecessor, then players can expect a moody, somber experience that could be quite depressing at times.

Both standard and Digital Deluxe editions of the game are now available for pre-order. The Digital Deluxe version comes with a seven-day beta access to parts of the game in April, exclusive access to story mode 72 hours before official release, thee post-release DLCs, a digital novella, an artbook and the game’s soundtrack. Frostpunk 2 will also be making its way to consoles and will be coming to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service at a later date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/post-apocalyptic-city-builder-frostpunk-2-arrives-on-july-25-190018322.html?src=rss

Gisele Bundchen Gets Choked Up While Rehashing Tom Brady Divorce in New Interview

‘I think, you know, there’s easier days than others, and I can only control what I do,’ the model said in a new interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts.

Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTC

Microsoft engineer Shane Jones raised concerns about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 back in January, suggesting the product has security vulnerabilities that make it easy to create violent or sexually explicit images. He also alleged that Microsoft’s legal team blocked his attempts to alert the public to the issue. Now, he has taken his complaint directly to the FTC, as reported by CNBC.

“I have repeatedly urged Microsoft to remove Copilot Designer from public use until better safeguards could be put in place,” Jones wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. He noted that Microsoft “refused that recommendation” so now he’s asking the company to add disclosures to the product to alert consumers to the alleged danger. Jones also wants the company to change the rating on the app to make sure it’s only for adult audiences. Copilot Designer’s Android app is currently rated “E for Everyone.”

Microsoft continues “to market the product to ‘Anyone. Anywhere. Any Device,’” he wrote, referring to a promotional slogan recently used by company CEO Satya Nadella. Jones penned a separate letter to the company’s board of directors, urging them to begin “an independent review of Microsoft’s responsible AI incident reporting processes.”

A sample image (a banana couch) generated by DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

This all boils down to whether or not Microsoft’s implementation of DALL-E 3 will create violent or sexual imagery, despite the guardrails put in place. Jones says it’s all too easy to “trick” the platform into making the grossest stuff imaginable. The engineer and red teamer says he regularly witnessed the software whip up unsavory images from innocuous prompts. The prompt “pro-choice,” for instance, created images of demons feasting on infants and Darth Vader holding a drill to the head of a baby. The prompt “car accident” generated pictures of sexualized women, alongside violent depictions of automobile crashes. Other prompts created images of teens holding assault rifles, kids using drugs and pictures that ran afoul of copyright law.

These aren’t just allegations. CNBC was able to recreate just about every scenario that Jones called out using the standard version of the software. According to Jones, many consumers are encountering these issues, but Microsoft isn’t doing much about it. He alleges that the Copilot team receives more than 1,000 daily product feedback complaints, but that he’s been told there aren’t enough resources available to fully investigate and solve these problems.

“If this product starts spreading harmful, disturbing images globally, there’s no place to report it, no phone number to call and no way to escalate this to get it taken care of immediately,” he told CNBC.

OpenAI told Engadget back in January when Jones issued his first complaint that the prompting technique he shared “does not bypass security systems” and that the company has “developed robust image classifiers that steer the model away from generating harmful images.”

A Microsoft spokesperson added that the company has “established robust internal reporting channels to properly investigate and remediate any issues”, going on to say that Jones should “appropriately validate and test his concerns before escalating it publicly.” The company also said that it’s “connecting with this colleague to address any remaining concerns he may have.” However, that was in January, so it looks like Jones’ remaining concerns were not properly addressed. We reached out to both companies for an updated statement.

This is happening just after Google’s Gemini chatbot encountered its own image generation controversy. The bot was found to be making historically inaccurate images, like Native American Catholic Popes. Google disabled the image generation platform while it continues to work on a fix.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-engineer-who-raised-concerns-about-copilot-image-creator-pens-letter-to-the-ftc-165414095.html?src=rss

Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC on May 16

Another tentpole PlayStation game is coming to PC. This time around, it’s Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation 4’s brilliant swansong. The director’s cut of the open-world adventure will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 16.

Nixxes, a Sony studio that’s highly regarded for its PC ports, spent the last year working to bring Sucker Punch’s game to another platform. Along with the Iki Island expansion and Legends co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima has all the bells and whistles fans have come to expect from PC ports of PlayStation games, such as unlocked framerates, expansive graphics settings and customizable mouse and keyboard controls. Plug in a DualSense controller and you’ll get the same haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support that you would on PlayStation 5.

There’s support for ultrawide monitors and Nixxes has fully optimized the game for 21:9 and 32:9 formats. You’ll even be able to play at a ratio of 48:9 if you have a triple-monitor setup. You can use NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeSS upscaling tech to boost the performance and visuals. NVIDIA’s Reflex and AI-based DLAA anti-aliasing tool are supported too.

One other interesting thing to note is that Sony is promising more authentic lip sync if you choose to play with Japanese audio enabled, as your PC will render the cinematics in real time. Along with the black-and-white Kurosawa mode, that could help make the game feel even more cinematic.

Ghost of Tsushima is already a stunning game on PS5 and it’s likely to look even more remarkable on a high-end PC (Sony notes it’ll run on portable PC gaming devices too). More details, including system specifications, will be revealed ahead in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ghost-of-tsushima-is-coming-to-pc-on-may-16-171130401.html?src=rss

Anker’s Nebula Solar HD portable projector is nearly half off right now

The Anker Nebula Solar HD portable projector is on sale at Amazon for $250. That matches a previous low and represents a 46 percent discount off the current $460 list price. Wshen it first came out in 2021, it went for $600. We give the Nebula Solar a shout out in our buyer’s guide to projectors as a notable budget option, noting that you get a lot of features for the price.

It’s a 1080p HD projector that emits 400 lumens for reasonably bright outdoor use. The battery is included, which isn’t always the case with portable projectors, so that’s another relevant savings. You’ll get up to three hours of play from a charge (depending on how bright you set the output) and sound comes courtesy of dual three-watt speakers with support for Dolby Digital Plus.

Android TV is preloaded and the projector is Wi-Fi enabled to access that content. You can also connect via HDMI, USB or Bluetooth, and it can mirror content from your phone using Miracast. Since it’s a projector, the screen size depends on how far away you place it from the wall or other projection surface. This one can deliver up to 120 inches of movie or TV visuals and has a built-in stand to help you adjust the angle.

Of course, as a portable projector, the Nebula Solar isn’t going to be as bright as its corded cousins, but if you want to try out watching a movie under the stars once the weather warms up, this is a pretty inexpensive way to do it.

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/ankers-nebula-solar-hd-portable-projector-is-nearly-half-off-right-now-173027922.html?src=rss

GloRilla’s New Music Is Already Glowing As Rapper Reveals She’s Collaborating With Cousin Lil Uzi Vert

The ‘Tomorrow’ hitmaker is Hollywood Life’s March 2024 digital cover star and recently revealed that she is related to her upcoming music collaborator, Lil Uzi Vert.

Beats Studio Buds + are on sale for a record-low price

Those who are looking to upgrade their earbuds could do much worse than picking up a pair of Beats Studio Buds +. We reckon they’re the best Beats option for most people. In addition, they give Apple fans who don’t necessarily love the stems of AirPods but would prefer to stick with the company’s products a solid option for true wireless earbuds. Now’s a good time to snap up the Studio Buds + as they’ve dropped back down to $130, which is 24 percent off of the usual $170. That matches a record low price we saw during last year’s Black Friday period.

We gave the Beats Studio Buds + a score of 84 in our review last May. The improved audio and active noise cancellation compared with the previous model are major plus points, as is longer battery life. We felt that the onboard controls were more reliable while the transparent color option is eyecatching. On the downside, there’s still room for improvement in terms of sound and the ambient audio isn’t as natural as it is on AirPods. The lack of wireless charging may been seen as a letdown too.

As you might imagine, given that Apple is a Beats brand, the Studio Buds + play nicely with the parent company’s ecosystem. There’s one-touch pairing with iOS, hands-free Siri support and iCloud device pairing. You can control the likes of ANC and transparency mode though your iPhone’s Bluetooth menu and change the press-and-hold action if you wish. The earbuds are compatible with Android devices too, of course.

If you prefer overear headphones, it’s worth noting that the price of the Beats Studio Pro headset has also dropped as part of a broader sale on Beats gear. The headphones are down to $200, which is $150 off the usual price. Audio upgrades and the inclusion of a transparency mode helped the Beats Studio Pro earn a score of 81 in our review, but comfort may be an issue, as is the lack of multipoint connection for Apple devices.

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/beats-studio-buds–are-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-155718053.html?src=rss