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Has there ever been a game like No Man’s Sky? It was dead on arrival when it launched seven years ago, but developer Hello Games has methodically updated the title, adding new features, steadily increasing its popularity and eventually surpassing the lofty expectations for the game’s original release. To that end, there’s already been three fairly beefy updates this year alone, but get ready for a fourth. The developer just dropped No Man’s Sky: Echos to commemorate the seventh anniversary of everyone’s favorite space sim.

The update brings some nifty new gameplay elements, like a race of sentient robots that promise “rich, new story content” and the ability to create your own robot avatar for battles and resource collection. Count on plenty of robot-centric missions and all kinds of affiliated resources to collect and use for building projects.

Space combat also gets an overhaul here, with an emphasis on “huge space battles” with pirate freighters. With Echos, freighters are able square up against other freighters for the first time, leading to some truly nasty and epic space-based encounters. There’s also new mechanics for defending fleets from pirates.

Those are the two big highlights, but the update doesn’t stop there. Players can now find and trade scrap weapons, including the just-released Atlas weapon. There’s also a new holographic museum that lets you display your favorite discoveries in your base for other players to visit.

Beyond gameplay elements, Echos fixes bugs and improves “rendering quality, stability and performance.” PSVR2 players get a graphics boost via foveated rendering and Switch players get anti-aliasing for crisper visuals in both handheld and docked mode.

Of course, there’s likely a reason Hello Games is releasing this update now, at the end of August. No Man’s Sky has never really had any competition in the “fly around the universe and goof around” genre, but Bethesda’s Starfield launches on September 6.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/no-mans-sky-update-brings-sentient-robots-and-freighter-to-freighter-combat-130022875.html?src=rss 

Maybe it’s from the years of Apple offering students a new pair every year with a Macbook or iPad purchase, but something about the end of summer makes a sale on Beats headphones feel right. The latest pair to tout a discount is the new Beats Studio Pro, an update six years in the making. Right now, its down from $350 to $250 — a 29 percent price cut — and its first sale since debuting in July. 

The Beats Studio Pro is a good over-the-ear, noise-canceling option — especially for $100 off. We gave it an 81 in our review and were especially impressed with its improved sound quality with dynamic head tracking. This upgrade provides a more immersive sound and really reignites some old favorite songs. The Studio Pro also has up to 40 hours of battery life, transparency mode and three EQ modes — Conversation, Signature and Entertainment — in USB-C audio mode. Though, they don’t have automatic pausing or the most comfortable feel on the market. 

If you’re looking for a cheaper option, the Beats Studio Buds + are another relatively new addition to the company’s lineup and are currently 24 percent off — dropping from $170 to $130. These earbuds scored an 84 in our May review, partly because of their sticker price. The Studio Buds + also have enhanced noise canceling and sound quality compared to their predecessor. Plus, its battery life expanded by 16 percent and it got new air vents on its front and side. 

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-pro-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-131517683.html?src=rss 

Amazon’s latest deal makes it easier to secure your home without breaking the bank. The Labor Day sale includes 35 percent off the company’s Blink Video Doorbell (reduced to $39 from its original $60). You can also order a bundle including the doorbell and one Blink Mini module to use as a chime for $64 (30 percent off its typically $95). In addition, Amazon has standalone Blink Mini deals starting at $25, and you can snag the Blink Wired Floodlight for $60 (40 percent off). Most of the deals approach Prime Day lows.

The Blink Video Doorbell captures video at 1080p resolution. It has infrared capabilities for nighttime recording, motion detection and two-way audio. You can install the doorbell wired or wireless; it requires a Blink mini (bundled with the doorbell for $64) for an indoor chime if you decide not to use your home’s existing wiring. It lets you view a live feed of who’s at your door with a paired phone or an Alexa device with a display. The doorbell can provide alerts via Alexa devices, it runs on two (included) AA batteries and Amazon says it’s sealed for protection against rain.

Amazon also has several Blink Mini bundles on sale. You can pick up a single unit for $25 (typically $35), a two-pack for $46 (usually $65) or a three-pack for $64 (regularly $100). The Blink Mini is a wired entry-level indoor security camera that can outfit your home with live feeds on the cheap. The motion-activated cameras can record day or night, and they have built-in speakers and a mic for remote two-way audio.

Finally, the Blink Wired Floodlight is available for $60 (40 percent off its regular $100). The device produces 2600 lumens of LED lighting with motion detection and a built-in siren. Its camera shoots in 1080p while providing a color nighttime view and two-way audio. The floodlight works with Alexa, allowing live view (for Alexa devices with screens) and voice-powered arming and disarming.

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/blink-video-doorbells-and-cameras-are-up-to-40-percent-off-for-labor-day-130049836.html?src=rss 

Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is already more affordable than any other laptop the company has ever offered with this size of screen. Now, you can grab the 256GB model at Amazon for just $1,099 (in midnight and space gray), back down to the lowest price we’ve seen to date. And if you need even more storage, the 512GB model is available for $1,299 ($200 off), also an all-time low price. 

The 15-inch MacBook Air is more than just a larger version of the 13-inch model, as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham discovered during his review. While it’s still as thin and light as you’d expect, he found that the combination of the large screen and powerful processing made it good enough that he could see using it as his only computer.

That’s in large part due to Apple’s M2 chipset that gives the 15-inch Air a great price to performance ratio. It also offers a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, plus battery life that actually exceeded the company’s 18 hour spec for video playback during out testing. The bigger screen has a 2,880 x 1,864 resolution, but it shares the same pixels per inch (224) as that of the 13-inch version. Though it lacks the punch of the mini LED displays found on the MacBook Pros, the Liquid Retina panel still offers 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. 

While Apple’s M2 chipset is a year old at this point, the 15-inch Air model only came out in June so it’s unlikely to be refreshed anytime soon. If your focus is content creation, a MacBook Pro might be a better choice. But if you do a mix of things from productivity to video editing, the 15-inch Air is an great choice — especially for road warriors who want to carry the least amount of weight possible. If you want to grab either the 256GB or 512GB models, it’s best to act soon, though, as stock tends to run out fast. 

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/apples-15-inch-macbook-air-m2-falls-back-to-1099-105550693.html?src=rss 

Nightdive Studios, a company known for remaking and upgrading old video games for modern consoles such as Quake II, has announced remastered versions of Star Wars: Dark Forces and Turok 3 Shadow of Oblivion. In the Dark Force’s case, Nightdive worked in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games to breathe new life into the title using its KEX Engine. 

The Dark Forces is a first-person shooter developed by the now defunct LucasArts and first released almost 30 years ago in 1995. This new version supports 4K gameplay at 120FPS and features cut scenes that look like they came straight out of much newer titles. Players can earn trophies and achievements and, of course, it now supports gamepads for modern consoles, because it’s “coming soon” to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Nightdive hasn’t revealed an exact release date yet, but it has promised another announcement later this year.

Meanwhile, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is a remastered version of the original first-person shooter released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. Nightdive had also previously updated the first two games in the trilogy, Turok and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, for young gamers and those who want to play them again on newer devices. Like the Dark Forces, the company remastered Turok 3 using its KEX Engine. The game supports 4K resolution at 120FPS, features improved lighting and rendering, as well as upgraded gameplay and platform-specific features. According to IGN, the remaster contains some new content, including a new area and a new heads-up display (HUD) view. Nightdive doesn’t have a release date for Turok 3 either, but those interested can now add it to their wishlist on Steam. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-wars-dark-forces-and-turok-3-to-be-remastered-by-nightdive-studios-114002864.html?src=rss 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Toronto Cash’s founders with counts of money laundering and sanction violations. The cryptocurrency mixer first faced US sanctions last year for allegedly laundering over $7 billion in stolen funds. The DOJ now alleges that Toronto Cash facilitated $1 billion in money laundering, including $455 million funneled through the mixer by a North Korean cybercrime organization, the Lazarus Group. The overall charges include “conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit sanctions violations, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.” Co-founder Roman Storm was arrested in Washington State, while the other half of Toronto Cash, Roman Semenov, is still at large.

The US government is attempting to send a strong message about using cryptocurrency for illegal purposes. “These charges should serve as yet another warning to those who think they can turn to cryptocurrency to conceal their crimes and hide their identities, including cryptocurrency mixers: it does not matter how sophisticated your scheme is or how many attempts you have made to anonymize yourself, the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

If you’re unfamiliar, a cryptocurrency mixer is a service that makes it harder to track funds from their origin to the new owner. Most blockchains, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, are visible, so a mixer helps individuals hide their money flow — whether it be for reasonable or illegal activities. Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency analysis firm, found that in 2022, crypto addresses known for unlawful activity used mixers in almost 10 percent of transactions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doj-charges-tornado-cash-co-founders-for-laundering-over-1-billion-in-crypto-101017912.html?src=rss