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Amazon’s Fire TV devices are currently on sale, with its Fire TV Cube reaching a new all-time low price at $120, down from $140. The third-generation model has been hovering around $125 since it dropped in September, so the latest discount is another $5 off. It’s not a significant change, but you can use that leftover money to grab some batteries or even snacks for your next watch.

The third-gen Amazon Fire TV Cube has a 2GHz octa-core processor that claims to be twice as powerful as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. It also features Wi-Fi 6E support, though you might need a compatible router to fully benefit from it, and has support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos audio and HDR. Plus, you can use Alexa to start video calls, change channels and more.

Amazon is also offering sales on a range of Fire TV Sticks with the 4K Max back down to its all-time low at $35 — a 36 percent discount, and quite a bit cheaper than the Fire TV Cube. It still supports Dolby Vision and Atmos audio, HDR and HDR10+, with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and offers Wi-Fi 6.

The other Fire TV Sticks are also on sale for close to their lowest recorded prices, with the Fire TV Stick Lite dropping to $20 and the standard model offering the biggest deal, at 38 percent off, down to $25.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-tv-cube-falls-to-a-new-all-time-low-in-streaming-sale-092550073.html?src=rss 

Apparently, the PlayStation VR2 sold way better than its predecessor in the weeks after it became available. During a business presentation, Sony has revealed (PDF) that it sold almost 600,000 PS VR2 units within its first six weeks of availability. That’s around 8 percent more than its PS VR sales for the same time window. As PushSquare notes, that number only covers sales until the beginning of April, so Sony has most likely already crossed the 600,000 threshold. Especially since the headset is now available at retailers after being exclusively sold for two months at Sony’s website. 

In addition to announcing PS VR2’s successful launch, Sony has also shared some information on its future plans. Apparently, the company intends to put more and more money into developing new franchises for the PlayStation over the next few years. By fiscal year 2025, it’s aiming for a 50-50 split of PlayStation Studios investments’ between old and new IPs. Based on the graph it presented, it’s mostly been focusing on well-known franchises for the console, such as God of War and Horizon, these past years. In 2019, for instance, it only put 20 percent of its investments on the development of new properties. For fiscal year 2023, its focus is still on current IPs, though not by much: 40 percent of its PlayStation Studios investments will go towards new franchises. 

One other area that Sony intends to put more money in is live service games like Destiny 2 and MLB: The Show. By fiscal year 2025, it expects 60 percent of its PS5 investments to go towards live services and 40 percent towards traditional games. Further, the company expects sales from add-on or downloadable content to keep growing in the future. Sony has also revealed that it expects the PS5 to overtake the PS4 on all key metrics very soon. It believes the PS5 would have more monthly active users playing more hours on the newer console by February 2024. To note, Sony sold more PS5 units than it predicted for fiscal year 2022 after it solved its supply chain crisis to release more consoles. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-says-it-sold-600000-ps-vr-2-units-in-six-weeks-081130103.html?src=rss 

If you’ve been looking to get a new gaming headset, or your very first, Logitech has a few new options. The company is today updating its Pro gaming headset with a few notable changes that not only makes it a better gaming headset, but potentially a great set of all-purpose headphones.

First and foremost, the new Pro X 2 headset features a new 50mm Pro-G Graphene audio driver. Why is that important? Graphene drivers are typically more power efficient, which is likely why Logitech claims the new headset nets up to 50 hours on a single charge. That’s over twice the battery life compared to the outgoing model’s 20 hours.

The headset is more versatile as well. In addition to Logitech’s own proprietary Lightspeed wireless codec, the Pro X 2 now supports Bluetooth audio and a wired connection over the standard 3.5mm audio connector (previously, you had to choose whether you wanted a wired or wireless headset, not both). The headset also now supports the standard DTS headphone:X 2.0 spec, for an immersive surround sound experience.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a headset if we didn’t talk about microphones. The Pro X 2 features a detachable 6mm cardioid microphone with Logitech’s own Blue “VO!CE” filters to help reduce background noise for crisp and clear vocals. The filters are available via the same G Hub software as the original headset.

The Pro X 2 features an aluminum and steel frame with swappable earpads. The earpads are made out of both leather and velour, making them a great choice for long term use. Swappable earpads are great as it makes it super easy to replace them if they’re starting to peel.

The Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed retails for $249 and will be available starting today in the US and Canada.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitechs-pro-x-2-gaming-headset-promises-longer-battery-life-070129596.html?src=rss 

While SpaceX completed the first fully integrated flight test for its Starship vehicle in April, the event wasn’t exactly a complete success. The company blew up the spacecraft on the launch pad due to a separation failure, and that caused debris to shoot out across hundreds of acres of land that contained sensitive habitats. It also started a 3.5-acre fire on state park land. In response, environmental and wildlife nonprofit groups filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), accusing the agency of failing to assess the Starship program’s environmental impact around SpaceX’s Texas launch site in Boca Chica. And now, SpaceX has filed a motion in court, requesting to be allowed to join the agency as a defendant. 

If you’ll recall, the groups suing the FAA claimed that the agency had violated the National Environment Policy Act when it allowed SpaceX to launch its super heavy-lift vehicle without conducting an environmental impact statement (EIS) assessment. The FAA did conduct an environmental review of SpaceX’s launch site and asked SpaceX to make more than 75 changes, but it didn’t push through with an EIS assessment, which is a much more involved and in-depth process that could take years to finish. 

In its motion, SpaceX detailed the lawsuit’s potential impact on the company. The plaintiffs, after all, are requesting for its launch license to be revoked and for the FAA to push through with an EIS assessment. SpaceX said “further licensing of the Starship/Super Heavy Program could be significantly delayed” by the lawsuit, which could also damage “substantial national interest.” SpaceX has existing contracts with NASA and the military, and a Starship variant is expected to take Americans to the moon. 

The company also argued that the FAA “does not adequately represent [its] interests,” so it has to step in and defend itself. According to the CNBC, the plaintiffs aren’t opposed to SpaceX joining the fray, as it is “standard and expected for the applicant to intervene in a case where their permit is at issue.” 

During a subscriber-only Twitter chat over the weekend, company chief Elon Musk reportedly said regarding the explosion: “To the best of our knowledge there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.” SpaceX has been preparing for more tests before Starship’s next launch attempt and recently rolled out the vehicle’s latest prototype to a suborbital pad at Starbase in Texas for an upcoming static fire test.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-wants-to-join-the-faa-as-defendant-in-environmental-groups-starship-lawsuit-061134095.html?src=rss