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There’s some positive news for those who have been holding off from buying a new gaming console, as well as folks who had trouble finding a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X since the systems arrived in late 2020. Not only are both consoles more readily available these days after Sony and Microsoft resolved some of their supply issues, they’re each available for $50 less than usual. That means the disk version of the PS5 has dropped from $500 to $450, which is the console’s first discount in the US outside of bundles that include a game.

When the PS5 debuted, we gave it a score of 87 in our review, but Sony has improved the experience since then by rolling out many new features. For instance, in a new beta version of the PS5 firmware that just went live, Sony added support for Dolby Atmos, increased the additional M.2 SSD storage capacity up to 8TB and introduced a welcome controller accessibility feature.

The PS5’s DualSense controller is an excellent bit of kit. It deepens the feeling of immersion thanks to features like adaptive triggers (which add tension to things like pulling back a bow’s drawstring) and haptic feedback, which can replicate sensations like falling rain or footsteps through vibration tech.

None of this would matter without great games and the PS5 now has many of them, including Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring and many more. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is right around the corner as well. The PlayStation Plus program now includes an extensive library of games you can access for a monthly or annual fee on the Extra and Premium tiers, while all but a few PlayStation 4 games work on the system as well.

As for the Series X, that’s compatible with hundreds of Xbox games going all the way back to Microsoft’s original 2001 console. Xbox Game Pass is a major selling point for the system, as the subscription offers access to all of Microsoft’s first-party games on the day of release (perhaps soon to include Activision Blizzard titles like the Call of Duty series), as well as a wide range of third-party games.

The Xbox Series X, which is also on sale for $50 off at $450, is the most powerful gaming console around (we initially gave it a review score of 87). It too has its fair share of quality console exclusives, from the Halo series and Microsoft Flight Simulator to Hi-Fi Rush and Forza Horizon 5. The hotly anticipated Starfield is on the horizon too, while of course a host of major third-party games are available on the system, such as the afore-mentioned Elden Ring.

In truth, both are arguably the best gaming consoles out there. It’s worth considering whether the PS5 or Xbox Series X’s exclusives are more compelling to you, how invested you are in the PlayStation or Xbox ecosystems already and if the lure of PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass is compelling enough to pull you in either direction. Perhaps you already have one console and were waiting for a deal on the other. Nonetheless, these are solid discounts on two consoles that have actually become more expensive in many markets over the last year.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-and-xbox-series-x-consoles-are-50-off-right-now-144035016.html?src=rss 

Meta’s Oversight Board is calling for changes to the social media giant’s policies on gender-based violence. In addition to overturning the decision to preserve a Facebook post making light of domestic abuse, the panel has recommended Meta create policies cracking down on content that “normalizes” the violence by celebrating, justifying or mocking it. The board members also want Meta to clarify that its anti-harassment provisions include serious physical injuries as “medical condition[s].”

The findings come in response to a 2021 Iraq post ‘joking’ about a woman being beaten for making a mistake writing to her husband. The woman in the photo was a Syrian activist, and the post contained a hashtag used for pro-women discussions in the country. A Facebook user reported the content three times in February this year, but the report was automatically closed as the complaint wasn’t reviewed. Meta only pulled the post after the Oversight Board selected the user’s appeal for review.

The board is concerned the post wouldn’t have violated Meta’s policies on harassment if the woman were fictional or couldn’t be identified. Moreover, the post went untouched for two years and didn’t get a human review when it was originally reported earlier this year. This implies Meta “does not prioritize” this kind of violation, according to the board.

We’ve asked Meta for comment on the ruling, including whether or not it intends to implement the recommendations. The company has adopted Oversight Board recommendations before, although it has been criticized for an alleged lack of transparency and delays in sharing information.

The Oversight Board has requested significant changes to Meta’s behavior in recent months. It asked Meta to rethink the COVID-19 misinformation it removes, and has pressed for more inclusive rules on adult nudity. In June, the panel even demanded Facebook suspend Cambodia’s Prime Minister for threatening violence against political opponents.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-oversight-board-recommends-stronger-rules-on-gender-based-violence-152712977.html?src=rss 

The ongoing race to expand generative AI technology is reaching digital assistants — one of many people’s first introductions to an AI companion. Such is the case with Google, which is working on a revamp for its Assistant that will include generative AI-powered technology, according in an internal email obtained by Axios. 

Google Assistant’s vice president Peeyush Ranjan and product director, Duke Dukellis, explained their rationale to staffers, stating: “As a team, we need to focus on delivering high-quality, critical product experiences for our users. We’ve also seen the profound potential of generative AI to transform people’s lives and see a huge opportunity to explore what a supercharged Assistant, powered by the latest LLM technology, would look like.”

Notably, the email revealed that Google is already working on doing this for mobile devices. There’s no timeline set for when Google will integrate this technology into its smart home devices or, for that matter, exactly what these new updates will look like. The company might utilize Bard, its AI chatbot, to converse with Assistant users or try something completely original.

Whatever Google employees are working on, it’s causing some internal reconfiguration, such as combining the Surfaces and Services teams into one. The company is also letting go of a “small” number of employees but didn’t disclose the exact amount.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-looking-to-supercharge-assistant-with-ai-113516175.html?src=rss 

After threatening to do so, X Corp (aka Twitter) has filed a lawsuit against The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Bloomberg has reported. It claimed that the anti-hate group is illegally “scraping” its servers and cherry picking hateful posts as part of “a scare campaign to drive away advertisers,” according to documents filed in San Francisco federal court. X Corp. is asking for unspecified monetary damages and an injunction barring the CCDH from accessing its data.

The Center published a research article in June asserting that X allowed explicitly racist and homophobic posts despite policies to the contrary, even after they’d been reported. However, X responded that the CCDH used poor methodology, and failed to study all 500 million posts on the service each day. It also maintained that the Center was taking funding from competitors or foreign governments as part of an “ulterior agenda,” according to The New York Times. 

In a new blog post called “Protecting the public’s right to free expression,” Twitter/X explained its reasoning for filing a legal claim against CCDH. “X is a free public service funded largely by advertisers. Through the CCDH’s scare campaign and its ongoing pressure on brands to prevent the public’s access to free expression, the CCDH is actively working to prevent public dialogue,” the post states.

It went on to note that the CCDH scraped its data, accessing it without authorization from Brandwatch, a Twitter partner that provides “consumer & market insights,” “brand monitoring” and more. It added that CCDH’s “‘research’ cited in aBloomberg article ‘contained metrics used out of context to make unsubstantiated assertions about X (formerly Twitter).'”

“That’s why X has filed a legal claim against the CCDH and its backers,” it stated. It also accused the CCDH of “targeting people on all platforms who speak about issues the CCDH doesn’t agree with,” “attempting to coerce the deplatforming of users whose views do not conform to the CCDH’s ideological agenda” and more. 

In a letter published earlier today, the CCDH countered Twitter’s earlier allegations. It noted that it never claimed to be conducting a comprehensive study, and documented the methodology it did use. It wrote that X didn’t provide any specific examples, and said it doesn’t accept funding from companies or governments. It further stated that it “will not be bullied,” will continue publishing its research and that a lawsuit with “frivolous” claims could prove risky.

“The public has the right to know if and how @ElonMusk’s leadership has led to more hate speech on Twitter,” the nonprofit tweeted earlier. “By threatening us, Musk is trying to hide the truth about his own failures. Platforms must be held accountable for spreading hate & lies.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musks-x-corp-sues-anti-hate-group-over-its-research-060156126.html?src=rss