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Roku just announced a robust software update coming to many of its devices. These are free upgrades, with search getting a major AI boost.

First of all, the pre-existing voice search feature is getting “AI smarts.” This means that users will be able to ask contextual questions about movies, actors and shows. It’s worth noting that the bot will deliver the answers on-screen and not via a digital voice. This can be used to help find something to watch, as Roku gives examples of people asking how scary a movie is or if something is safe for children to watch.

A search bar is being added to the live TV page and it will scour all of the platform’s free live channels to find a match. The search tool will also now give more accurate information as to which streaming platform to choose based on active subscriptions and what people are looking for.

The dedicated Roku Sports page will be able to track live scores and will let viewers keep tabs on multiple games at once, thanks to matchup tiles. This can be shut off to keep things spoiler-free.

The company’s pre-existing Bluetooth Headphone Mode is rolling out to more devices, including the Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus. This lets people connect headphones directly without having to use the dedicated app. Both of those made our list of the best streaming devices, so more functionality is always appreciated.

The app is getting an overhaul, with new shortcuts and the ability to rate shows and movies directly within the app. The company has also revealed that Philips Ambilight technology is now available on Roku TVs in the US. This tech automatically changes the ambient lighting based on what’s being shown on-screen. All of these software updates will be available to Roku devices in the coming months.

The company also recently refreshed many of its midrange TVs with pro-level features. New Roku Plus Series TVs now allow for hands-free voice control and a feature that automatically adjusts the picture on a scene-by-scene basis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/the-latest-roku-update-adds-ai-powered-voice-control-and-better-search-184513277.html?src=rss 

It’s that time of year when trick-or-treaters are finalizing their costumes and horror movie streaming service Shudder surely sees an uptick in usage. Yes, spooky season is upon us and Sony is getting in on the fun with its PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for October.

Starting on October 21, Extra and Premium subscribers will be able to play the remakes of Silent Hill 2 and Until Dawn on PS5 at no extra cost. Both games were released last October, so it hasn’t taken too long for them to hit PS Plus. For extra spookiness, 2023’s Alan Wake 2 is one of the games that all PS Plus members can claim this month, alongside Cocoon and Goat Simulator 3.

The other Game Catalog additions this time around are Yakuza: Like A Dragon (PS4 and PS5), As Dusk Falls (PS4, PS5), Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 (PS4, PS5), Wizard with a Gun (PS5) and V Rising (PS5). Premium subscribers will also get a blast from the past in the shape of Tekken 3 (PS4, PS5), which debuted on the original PlayStation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-silent-hill-2-and-until-dawn-remakes-will-hit-ps-plus-in-time-for-halloween-191333113.html?src=rss 

The VSCO photo editing and sharing app has been around for nearly as long as Instagram, positioning itself as the serious photographer’s choice for mobile editing. The original focus was on tasteful filters and editing tools, all of which got significantly more powerful and flexible over time; VSCO has long been doing the same sort of film emulations that have made Fujifilm’s cameras so desirable in recent years. The company also built up a loyal community of photographers who share their edits far and wide, both in the VSCO app as well as on more mainstream platforms like Instagram itself. 

Now, the company is making an unsurprising but potentially controversial move: it is releasing its first AI-powered image editing tool. “Remove,” as the name suggests, lets you erase “unwanted elements” from your photos without compromising the image’s full resolution. At first glance, it feels quite similar to tools like Google’s own Magic Eraser. You just pop open an image in the editor and highlight the portion you want to remove, and VSCO will do its best to obliterate the offending bits and fill in whatever is in the background that it deems appropriate. 

I haven’t had a chance to test how effective this tool is yet, but VSCO is using Black Forest Lab’s FLUX.1 Kontext model to do its magic, combined with its own proprietary technology specifically focused on making results that the company says look authentic. A quick look at Black Forest Lab and the FLUX.1 model show a tool that does appear to be well-suited to removing unwanted parts of an image and properly filling in the space that remains — but we’ll have to see it in action to judge whether it does the job well.

This new Remove tool isn’t the only AI-powered editor VSCO is working on. There’s also an Upscale tool in the works that the company says will “enhance image resolution” while keeping color and composition unchanged. These sorts of tools will live under a new umbrella the company is calling AI Lab, making it clear this will be an ongoing initiative and not just a one-off release.

On one hand, I’m not at all surprised to see VSCO jumping into AI-powered editing; it has to keep up with the rest of the industry. But on the other hand, the company has made its mark by building a community of photographers who value authenticity in their work, something that cannot help but be in conflict with AI tools, at least on the surface.

VSCO’s CEO Eric Wittman acknowledged that tension in a conversation with Engadget. “We have a very photographer-centric, creator-first point of view,” Wittman said. “But where we see AI fitting in is in support of those folks, and that work, and that vision. The intention isn’t to replace [that work], though — AI has a place, but it’s not to replace what creators, and photographers in particular, are doing.” 

That mindset makes sense with something like Remove, which duplicates something people have done with Photoshop for years. Rather than generating new images or radically changing the truth of a photo like you can do with some of Google’s tools on the Pixel phones, Remove is a bit more subtle. “You would use masks, you would manually painstakingly edit things at a pixel by pixel level,” Wittman said. “What a lot of Remove tools would do is basically like automate that.”

Wittman also cited preserving image quality as a key part of the work behind its own Remove tool. “We know that many people who were attempting to use AI in the early days, especially photographers, a lot of their disappointment was just in the preservation of the integrity and the quality of the work,” he said. “So what we’ve really tried to do is continue to help automate where we can and make things easier, but also preserve the quality.” To that end, VSCO is stressing that all these edits are non-destructive and the output will be in full, original resolution. 

As VSCO starts dabbling in more AI editing tools, Wittman emphasized that the company wants to stay on the side of helping photographers realize a creative vision rather than helping them make entirely unreal images, while also avoiding the mess of copyright issues and inauthentic content that is flooding the internet thanks to AI. “When you think about things like copyright, and the incredible importance of copyright, integrity, and authenticity — we’re big believers as a company in both the laws and the norms that have been around for many many years. But obviously on some platforms there are people who are maliciously manipulating things, and we don’t want to be participants in that.”

VSCO’s first AI Labs feature is available as of today in the VSCO app for iOS; it should come to Android eventually but there’s no word yet on specific timing. To use it, you’ll need an active VSCO Pro subscription, which runs $13 per month or $60 a year. A Pro plans contains a ton more than just AI Labs features, though — it unlocks a full editing suite on mobile and the web, professional profile and website creation, hundreds of presets and film emulation settings and a lot more. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/vsco-adds-its-first-ai-powered-photo-editing-tool-170000055.html?src=rss 

Proton VPN currently tops my list of the best VPNs, and I gave it a glowing recommendation in my detailed Proton VPN review. It’s easy to use, fast, cheap and secure, with a large server network and one of the industry’s best scores at unblocking streaming sites. All that said, there’s no such thing as a perfect VPN, and you may find that Proton isn’t working for you. If that happens, here’s how to cancel your subscription.

How to cancel Proton VPN through a browser

If you initially signed up less than 30 days ago, you can cancel your subscription and request a refund by contacting tech support. See “How to get a refund from Proton VPN” below for details. If more than 30 days have passed, use the following steps to cancel your subscription.

Open your browser and go to protonvpn.com. At the top-right, click Sign in, then enter your username and password. You’ll be taken to your account dashboard.

At the left side of the dashboard, click the Subscription tab.

Scroll all the way down to the section labeled Cancel subscription. Click the “Continue” button.

A pop-up window will appear, asking if you’re sure. Click Cancel subscription.

Cancelling this way doesn’t immediately terminate service — it just means your subscription won’t auto-renew. You can still use Proton VPN’s paid features, including the entire server network, until the current period expires. After that, you’ll be automatically downgraded to the free plan. During this time, your account dashboard will still be active, so you can use it to turn renewal back on if you change your mind.

This method also works in mobile browser apps. Just follow the same steps on your mobile device and you’ll cancel in the same way, with service continuing until your subscription expires.

How to downgrade from Proton Unlimited to Proton VPN only

A Proton Unlimited subscription applies to all Proton products. Since it’s mainly founded on Proton Mail, though, downgrading to VPN service only is tricky and requires some extra steps.

First, downgrade Proton Unlimited to Proton Free from your main account dashboard. Log in at account.proton.me, then click Settings, All settings, Dashboard and Your plan. Under “Proton Unlimited,” click Explore other Proton plans. On the next page, select Proton Free. This will effectively cancel Proton Unlimited, though you can still use it until the end of the pay period.

Finally, go to the Proton VPN website (not the overall Proton site) and sign up for a Proton VPN Plus plan. Since you downgraded instead of deleting your account, you should be able to use the same account address.

How to delete your Proton account on mobile

You can also use the mobile app to delete your entire Proton account, instantly and irreversibly ending your subscriptions to Proton VPN, Proton Mail and any other products in the line. Taking this action permanently burns your Proton username, so you won’t be able to use it again if you decide to re-subscribe (in that case, you’ll just have to make a new one).

The process is the same on both Android and iOS — the apps have slight cosmetic differences, but everything is in the same place. Follow the steps below to nuke your Proton account from orbit.

Open the Proton VPN app on your Android phone.

Click Settings at the bottom of the window.

At the top of the settings page, click your account email address. This will take you to Account settings.

Click Delete account. A window will open in your web browser, showing your general Proton account page.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click the red Delete your account button.

Select a reason for deleting your account and leave feedback in the box provided. You have to pick an option from the menu and type at least 10 characters in the box, though feel free to keyboard mash if you don’t want to say anything.

Check the box on the next page beside “Yes, I want to permanently delete this account and all its data.” Finally, click the red Delete account button.

How to get a refund from Proton VPN

Proton VPN has a 30-day refund policy. As long as you paid for your VPN less than 30 days ago, you can get your money back. To request a refund, send a message through the contact form on the website. You can also email protonvpn@support.zendesk.com.

There’s a minimum of 100 characters in the “What happened?” box. Unlike when you’re simply deleting your account, I do recommend putting a brief real answer here, clearly stating that you would like to cancel your account and receive a refund.

According to its terms of service, Proton will only refund you for the portion of the service you didn’t use. If you spend $10 for a one-month subscription and cancel after 15 days, you’ll get $5 back. The terms do state that the company “may also provide you with a full refund upon request” — directly asking for such a refund in your contact form makes this more likely.

If you cancel after 30 days are up, you may still be able to get a prorated payment for your remaining time, either in cash or account credit. You’ll have to ask for this specifically, as the default option is that your account just stays active until it runs out.

What to do if you subscribed through an app store

If you bought your Proton VPN subscription through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, then Apple or Google processed your money and you’re subject to their refund policies.

If you subscribed through Apple, go to your Apple ID profile in iOS settings, click on Subscriptions, scroll to Proton VPN and click on Cancel subscription. You’ll then get the opportunity to request a refund.

On Android, log into the Google Play Store, click on your profile picture, then click Manage subscriptions. Find Proton VPN, click Cancel subscription and provide a reason. As with iOS, the steps will walk you through the refund process.

Proton VPN alternatives

Once you’ve fully cancelled Proton VPN, you may be in the market for an alternative. I recommend a few of my other favorites, depending on why Proton didn’t work for you. Surfshark is faster, ExpressVPN has some of the best app design and NordVPN has a wider range of interesting features.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-cancel-proton-vpn-and-get-a-refund-170014128.html?src=rss 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had trouble going to sleep. When I lay down, my mind inevitably starts racing a thousand miles an hour, thinking about anything and everything. 

On several recent nights, though, my pre-slumber thoughts had a singular focus. I mulled over possibilities like, “What if I fuse a ball that heals my character with one that splits into smaller balls with the same effect, and add a passive that fires a baby ball every time I’m healed?” Then I grab my PlayStation Portal and do just that until I doze off. This is the hold Ball x Pit has had over me. 

Kenny Sun and a small group of collaborators have cooked up a mesmerizing brick-breaking roguelite. Ball x Pit is a blend of dual-stick shoot-’em-up action, base building and about a dozen other things that keeps calling me back for one more run… and another, and another.

After a cataclysmic event wipes out the city of Ballbylon and leaves an enormous pit, hunters descend into the depths in search of treasure. For our purposes, this means playing levels to collect resources in order to build structures in New Ballbylon. These buildings unlock perks, such as new characters, that help with future runs. The sickly chaos of the levels and the calmer city building aspect feed into each other smartly and combine for a satisfying loop.

Base building in Ball x Pit

That’s not the only important interplay here. Like any good roguelite, Ball x Pit is all about finding synergies for maximum impact. It’s right there in the title, with the “x” denoting a relationship between two things (it’s derived from shipping in fandom parlance). 

In the pit, you battle monsters by — surprise! — firing balls at them. Along with regular “baby balls,” each character has a unique ability and a special starter ball. In the vein of Vampire Survivors, you’ll unlock more special balls and passive abilities when you collect enough gems to level up. One ball has a chance to freeze enemies and another is slower but deals much more damage. There are dozens of others.

The real fun comes in when you start fusing these balls and their effects together, freeing up space for another weapon. It gets even better when you’re able to evolve a pair of balls into something new. It’s possible to fuse evolved balls, or even evolve them again. There’s a strategic aspect to this, as you won’t want to fuse balls that can nearly cancel each other out, such as merging an area-of-effect ball with one that disappears on impact, or leave yourself with too few balls in the face of danger.

Once I unlocked the option to take two characters on a run and combine their passive abilities, that’s where things went into overdrive. The possibilities became very exciting at this point, and I ended up playing Ball x Pit way past my ideal bedtime as a result.

It does take a while to get to that point, though. Progression is slow at first. The repetition can get to be a little much as you need to beat each stage multiple times before moving onto the next. Also, I wish there was a bit more to the game narratively than a basic setup and some character descriptions.

But there’s so much to consider on each run, and that’s what keeps me coming back. Each of the nine levels is set in a different biome, with its own hazards, enemies and bosses. Some late-game characters turn the game on its head by shifting playstyles in surprising ways, but I don’t want to spoil those. Along with the absolute chaos and dopamine hits of slicing through enemies, discovering killer combinations between characters, special balls — especially the evolutions — and passives drives so much of the joy of this game.

Whenever you do fuse or evolve a pair of balls, rather than having to click an “OK” button to get back in the action, the prompt reads “Whoa.” That’s on the nose, but funny. And I’ll be damned if I didn’t say that very thing out loud many times when I saw what a new evolved ball could do.  

Ball x Pit is out now on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch for $15. It’s available via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is coming later this fall with a free upgrade from the Switch version.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ball-x-pits-deeply-satisfying-grind-keeps-me-coming-back-for-more-171000754.html?src=rss 

It took two years for Threads to get messaging, but you thankfully don’t have to wait that long to be able to start group DMs. Meta has started rolling out group chats for the app, which lets you add up to 50 of your followers to a single conversation. Just start a new message and add anybody who follows you on Threads. The company says that you’ll also be able to share a link that your followers can click to join a group conversation “soon,” so you don’t have to add them one by one. Like in messaging apps, you’ll be able to customize the group chat’s name to better reflect its topic. 

In addition to launching group DMs, Meta is also releasing the messaging feature in the European Union over the coming days. If you’re in the EU, you’ll get access not just to individual DMs, but also to group DMs, messaging controls, privacy settings, the hidden folder where spam goes to and support for media files when the feature becomes available in your country. 

Emily Dalton Smith, Meta’s Head of Product for Threads, told us in a test group chat that it’s “on track to become Meta’s next major app” with 400 million monthly active users.” Messaging has been the top requested feature since Threads launched, but it took some time to release it because it “wasn’t a priority in the early days.” Since making DMs available on Threads in July, Meta has added support for photos, videos and GIFs, a messaging requests folder to reduce unwanted messages, the hidden spam folder and a privacy setting that completely switches off message requests from people you don’t follow. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-now-supports-group-dm-150002493.html?src=rss