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After months of testing, Google has announced that all group chats that have RCS enabled in its Android and Wear OS Messages app now have end-to-end encryption (E2EE) enabled by default. That should help keep prying eyes away from your chats as only the group participants will be able to read your messages, as long as they’re not sharing screenshots or showing their phone to someone next to them (there’s not much you can do about that, unfortunately).

Google notes that RCS will now be enabled by default for new and existing users, as long as they haven’t previously switched off RCS in their settings. So, maybe make sure that no one in your group has opted out of RCS before you start sharing your most private information.

E2EE has been available in one-on-one chats for some time and enabling it for group conversations is a welcome move. However, Android and iOS don’t exactly play nicely together on this front. Google has been trying in vain to get Apple to support RCS, but the latter is quite content with using its own iMessage service for encrypted messaging. So, you’ll only be able to embrace E2EE chats if every member of your group is on either Android or iOS, unless you opt to use a third-party app like Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-all-group-rcs-chats-are-now-fully-end-to-end-encrypted-200337049.html?src=rss 

Valve announced today that it’s offering “certified refurbished” Steam Deck units. The renewed devices shave around 20 percent off the prices of their new counterparts, allowing you to pick one up for cheaper than Steam Summer Sale prices. The consoles include the same one-year warranty as new models. In addition, Valve announced that GameStop is now selling Steam Deck refurbs in select stores, although its models are “refurbished at GameStop facilities and will come with their own warranty.”

At the time of publication, Valve has all three Steam Deck tiers in stock. The 64GB model costs $319, the 256GB variant is $419 and the 512GB one is sold for $519 — the same systems in new condition retail for $399, $529 and $649, respectively.

Valve says it thoroughly tests each unit before certifying it for resale. “Every device goes through a complete factory reset, software update, and an extensive examination involving over 100 tests at one of Valve’s facilities,” the company wrote. “Among the tests are all controller inputs, the audio system, the screen, and internals. Battery health is also assessed to ensure proper functionality and longevity.”

The company cautions that the renewed units “may have minor cosmetic blemishes,” but it promises “a reliable, high-quality gaming experience at a lower cost.” In addition to offering the same warranty as new consoles, the refurbished models include a power supply (also refurbished), carrying case and quick-start guide. Valve says refurbished Steam Deck stock is limited “and may fluctuate over time.” The company recommends checking its refurbished stock regularly if they’re sold out.

Meanwhile, GameStop’s refurbished Steam Decks are also available today. They’re sold in select retail locations for “up to 20% less than new models” and are only available for customers with a GameStop Pro membership, which costs $25 annually.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-begins-selling-refurbished-steam-decks-for-around-20-percent-off-201808966.html?src=rss 

The Pokémon Company had a bunch of updates to share during its latest Pokémon Presents stream. For one thing, it shared a new trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns, a long-awaited sequel that’s coming to Nintendo Switch on October 6th.

For the uninitiated, Detective Pikachu Returns recasts the franchise’s mascot as a hard-boiled, tough-talking detective. Detective Pikachu and his current partner Tim Goodman (who can actually understand Pikachu) get to the bottom of a string of unusual incidents with the help of some other Pokémon and humans, who live side-by-side in Ryme City. In between, Pikachu is drinking coffee or trying to find out just what happened to his missing partner, Harry (Tim’s dad).

The cute trailer offers a look at some gameplay. You’ll need to get your thinking cap on as you look for clues and use a casebook to solve cases. Other Pokémon will help you out by sniffing out clues or punching through walls. If the latest clip has you excited to play the game, you may be pleased to learn that pre-orders for Detective Pikachu Returns are now open.

Elsewhere, The Pokémon Company revealed that the first half of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s major paid expansion will arrive on September 13th. In “The Teal Mask,” you’ll go on a school trip to the land of Kitakami and meet Pokémon that aren’t available in the Paldea region. The second half of the DLC, titled “The Indigo Disk,” is slated to arrive this winter.

On top of that, Mew and Mewtwo are coming to Scarlet and Violet as part of an event. You’ll be able to add Mew to your team and battle the formidable Mewtwo.

Meanwhile, a couple more Pokémon games are now available on Nintendo Switch Online. Those with the base membership can now play Pokémon Trading Card Game, which hit Game Boy Color back in 2000. If you’re a Nintoendo switch Online + Expansion Pack member, you should also now have access to Pokémon Stadium 2 from the Nintendo 64.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/detective-pikachu-returns-trailer-shows-the-coffee-drinking-pokemon-in-action-184410764.html?src=rss 

Amazon Prime Day came and went in July, but Amazon’s not done with its membership-only sales events for 2023. The company just announced that it will hold another Prime Day of sorts in October, potentially mirroring what it did at the same time last year. This year’s event is dubbed “Prime Big Deal Days,” and at the moment, all we know about it is that it will be held sometime in October. Engadget will be surfacing all of the best tech deals we can find during the event – both on Amazon and elsewhere – but there are some important things to know ahead of time so you can get exactly what you want out of October Prime Day.

When is Prime Big Deal Days?

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days will take place in October 2023, but specific dates have not been announced yet. We’ll update this post once Amazon provides more information publicly.

Just like classic Prime Day, you’ll have to be a Prime subscriber to take advantage of most of the savings you’ll find on Amazon during the sale period. The company still offers a 30-day free trial to new Prime subscribers, so you can start your free trial ahead of the event to participate.

If you don’t pay for Prime and have no intention of doing so, you should still check out Amazon on October Prime Day for sales that are available to all shoppers. Plus, other retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and Target will likely have their own competing Prime Day sales during that time frame, too.

October Prime Day deals

It’s very likely that October Prime Day will be two days long, as that’s the pattern Amazon has followed for the past few years with all of its Prime-exclusive sale events. However, the company also usually pushes out early Prime Day deals ahead of the event itself. We expect to see early access Prime Day deals this October, too.

Be they early Prime Day deals or day-of sales, Amazon gadgets are almost guaranteed to be discounted during Prime Big Deal Days. You can safely bet on things like Echo speakers, Kindle e-readers and Fire TV devices to be on sale for Prime Day. And with this event being in October, it’s very likely that Amazon will use this Prime Day almost as an early Black Friday deal event for Prime subscribers: paying for Prime may get you Black Friday pricing on Amazon devices (and other gear) one month in advance.

Make no mistake, Amazon gadgets will not be the only items discounted on Prime Day. You’ll find clothes, shoes, household items, appliances, accessories and more on sale, but here at Engadget, we’ll naturally be focusing on electronics. We expect this October Prime Day to be like July’s, in that it will bring big discounts on headphones, earbuds, laptops, gaming accessories, SSDs and microSD cards, robot vacuums and more.

It’s also worth mentioning the types of deals we expect to see during October Prime Day. Some deals will be live for the entire 48 hours of the event, while others will be day one- or day two-only sales. Those are the hardest to predict, since Amazon usually does not give any indication how long a given sale will last. Our recommendation is to buy the things you’re most keen on as soon as you see them drop in price – that will ensure you get it while the discount is available, and while the item is still in stock.

You can also expect to see some “Lightning deals” happen during Prime Day. Thankfully, these are usually clearly labeled with the amount of time remaining to grab the sale price noted on the product page. In our experience, only a handful of these flash deals are actually worth your money — but if you see something that’s been on your wishlist drop in price for the next few hours, it’s in your best interest to grab it immediately.

How to prep for October Prime Day

We’ve alluded to this already, but it’s best to go into Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days as prepared as possible. That means knowing exactly what you want to look for so you stay focused and avoid distractions. This is especially important for October Prime Day — Amazon used this event last year as an unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season, so if you want to get some of your gift buying done early, you’ll want to stay focused. The whole of Amazon.com will be overwhelming on Prime Day, so the less time you spend aimlessly browsing, the more your wallet will thank you later.

Two simple things you can do ahead of Prime Day are make a list and bookmark a price tracker. For the former, take note of the most important items you want to pick up on Prime Day. You can either do this the old-fashioned way on a sticky note, or you can use Amazon’s wish list feature. For the latter, add the items you want to buy on Prime Day to your wish list (or, even better, make a dedicated wishlist with only your Prime Day or holiday gifting desirables) and return to that list during the event. Not only will you have everything you want all in one place, but you’ll also be able to see which of those items are cheaper on Prime Day than they were when you originally added them.

As for the price tracker, sites like CamelCamelCamel let you monitor the price of specific items on Amazon. You can check out price history charts and you can make your own price-drop alerts, receiving emails when something you want gets a discount. CamelCamelCamel also has some browser extensions you can download so you don’t have to navigate away from an Amazon product page to check its price history.

We know that not everyone – not even every Prime member – will be flocking to Amazon during Prime Big Deal Days. Whether you find such blatant displays of consumerism off putting or you simply don’t want to give Amazon more of your money, there are plenty of reasons why you might be skipping this all together. But that doesn’t mean you have to skip all of the sales that will be happening during that same time. Especially with it being so close to the holidays, retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others will most likely have competing Prime Day sales and we expect many of them will match the discounted prices you’ll find on Amazon. We recommend checking them out if you want to cross some items off your holiday shopping list for less, without spending money on Amazon.

Engadget will be covering October Prime Day in full, so if you have a lot of tech on your to-buy list, be sure to check back here on Prime Day for the best tech sales we could find. We’ll be sure to include gadgets from across the board – from headphones to robot vacuums to gaming gear – plus the best “anti-Prime Day” deals you can find from other retailers. You can also follow the @EngadgetDeals Twitter account and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter to stay up to date on the latest discounts. The volume of deals will be daunting, but we sift through them all and pick out the best ones to make Prime Day a bit easier for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-prime-big-deal-days-heres-what-to-expect-this-october-prime-day-190035290.html?src=rss 

Sony has reportedly begun rolling out a cloud streaming beta for PS Plus Premium subscribers — and it supports up to 4K resolution. Announced in June as being in the “early stages” of development, the feature will support PS Plus catalog titles, game trials and “supported digital PS5 titles that players own.” The feature could help PlayStation owners avoid lengthy downloads that take up precious storage.

An alleged PlayStation email to an invited tester, posted on Reddit, reads, “We’re excited to unveil PS5 cloud streaming, and your help testing it means a lot to us.” The beta period uses exclusive invite codes that can’t be shared with other users. The email notes that features could change before cloud streaming’s official launch.

User ArashiGames wrote on ResetEra that they tested God of War: Ragnarok at 2160p with “no issues so far.” They described resolution options ranging from 720p to 2160p for that title, and they said Returnal streamed in 4K. “There’s a new section in the PS+ menu that is for Streaming PS5 Games,” the beta-tester wrote. “Just click the game and it loads in a few seconds.” They listed Horizon Forbidden West, Fortnite, Destiny 2 and Death Stranding (among others) as streaming options. 4K resolution could prove a competitive advantage against Xbox Cloud Gaming, which maxes out at 1080p resolution and 60fps.

Sony’s upcoming “Project Q” streaming handheld will have an 8-inch, 1080p screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. The accessory is confirmed to use Remote Play (streaming directly from a console rather than the cloud) but could theoretically support cloud streaming as well. The device is set to launch later this year for an as-yet-unknown price.

Game streaming will be exclusive to PS Plus Premium members. The $18 / mo. service already supports cloud gaming for PS4, PS3 and select “classic” titles. It lets you stream available games to PS5, PS4 or PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-cloud-game-streaming-begins-rolling-out-to-beta-testers-190938931.html?src=rss 

Since last year, Netflix has run a Discord bot that helps people find shows and movies to watch together based on what’s available in their location. The company is expanding the “Hey, Netflix” bot’s capabilities today with a text-based game.

This is the first time Netflix is bringing a game along these lines to Discord. As you might imagine, it ties into something that you’ll be able to stream on Netflix soon, an action movie called Heart of Stone that stars Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. The film will land on Netflix this Friday.

In Heart of Stone: Maze of Odds, you’ll take on the role of a double agent (similar to Gadot’s character in the film). Netflix says you’ll need to quickly make decisions in “action-driven situations.” Based on some details that Netflix shared in advance, it seems that you’ll need to choose between some preset options, much like the interactive TV shows and movies it has released in the past.

Intriguingly, Netflix says Heart of Stone: Maze of Odds will be different each time you play it. The Discord bot randomly chooses scenarios from a bank of situations. Additionally, you’ll be able to play it solo or ask friends to join in for multiplayer action. The game includes collectibles for you to pick up along the way too. Lastly, while Discord users around the world can check out the game, it’s worth noting that it’s only available in English.

Netflix has been making a big push into games in general over the last couple of years. Last month, it released Oxenfree II, the first game from one of its in-house studios. The company also just debuted a game controller app for iPhone and iPad. As such, you’ll soon be able to play its games (which are typically included with a Netflix subscription) on compatible TVs as well as phones and tablets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-adds-text-based-heart-of-stone-game-to-its-discord-bot-174216893.html?src=rss 

Netflix’s push into video games continues, as the company just dropped a dedicated controller app for iOS devices. The app, simply called “Netflix Game Controller,” lets you use your phone or tablet as a gamepad once you pair the device with your TV. This will allow you to play games available through Netflix’s service on the TV, while controlling things from your mobile device.

Though the app is already available for download, further news remains scant. For instance, we don’t know what games it will support or any details surrounding the pairing process. We also don’t know if and when this will be followed up by an Android app. The app’s description just teases that the gamepad functionality is “coming soon to Netflix.”

This isn’t a huge surprise, given the company’s expanding growth as an indie game publisher. Netflix Games has published or hosted nearly 70 titles in the past two years, some of which are accessible via the regular Netflix streaming app with others available on mobile devices and gaming consoles. These aren’t throwaway titles, either, as games like Oxenfree II: Lost Signals released to critical acclaim. Oxenfree developer Night School has gone on to become Netflix’s first in-house studio.

Other titles coming to the Netflix platform in the coming months include indie standouts like Storytellers, Paper Trail and the Monument Valley series. There’s also an Assassin’s Creed game in the works, along with a port of the mobile title LEGO: Legacy Heroes Unboxed. It’s a safe assumption that you should be able to use the recently-launched controller app to play some of these games. Engadget reached out to Netflix to inquire about compatibility and the possibility of an Android release. A company spokesperson said that it isn’t making comments at this time. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-just-released-a-game-controller-app-for-the-iphone-181609420.html?src=rss