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Meta has finalized the agreement to purchase Play AI, a startup based in California providing users with an AI voice cloning tool, according to Bloomberg. The news organization says the “entire PlayAI team” is joining Meta next week, based on the internal memo it has seen. After joining the company, the team will be working under Johan Schalkwyk, who used to oversee speech AI research for Google and who was also a recent hire from another voice AI startup. 

PlayAI’s tool can clone a user’s voice and can generate new human-like voices, which can be used on websites, apps and phones. Meta reportedly noted in its memo that the PlayAI team’s work is a “great match” for its own work and roadmap across various products, including Meta AI, its AI Characters and its wearables. The company has confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg, but it didn’t reveal how much it paid for the deal. 

Mark Zuckerberg has been personally involved in building a team for the company’s new AI Superintelligence lab over the past months with the aim of developing artificial intelligence smarter than humans. In June, Meta finalized a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI in exchange for hiring its CEO, Alexandr Wang, who will serve as the new lab’ head. Scale AI is a startup, which labels data that its clients can use for AI training. 

Meta has reportedly been offering $100 million bonuses to employees of rival companies to get them to jump ship. Reuters listed several employees it had poached from competitors so far, including the co-creators of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4 models, as well as people who worked on Google Gemini. Bloomberg also previously reported that Apple had lost its top AI executive in charge of developing its advanced AI features to Meta. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-reportedly-closes-deal-to-buy-ai-voice-replicator-playai-160037942.html?src=rss 

Welcome to our latest roundup of indie game news and releases. We’ve got some nifty stuff lined up for you this time around, including a stylish co-op shooter and a very cool Metroidvania concept. But first I’d like to bring your attention to a newish game I picked up in the Steam Summer Sale. It is absolutely breaking my brain — or perhaps it might actually improve my cognitive function.

It’s called Ambidextro and it’s from Majorariatto, which self-published the game (the two-person studio’s tagline is “Video games that ruin lives”). The gist here is that you play a wizard sent by a queen to rescue her children after a witch kidnaps them and takes them to two different places. Rather than let him try to find the princess and prince one at a time, the queen bisects the wizard and orders him to the dungeons until he learns to control both halves of his body simultaneously. That’s where you come in.

There are 100 single-screen levels in Ambidextro and you complete them by controlling each half of the wizard at the same time. One with the left thumbstick and the jump button of your choice, and one with the right. The aim is to bring the two halves of the wizard together. The timer doesn’t leave much room for error and when one half dies, it’s back to the start. Sure, you could cheat by getting a friend to control one of the wizard halves, but that defeats the purpose.

I am a truly horrible multitasker, so I was curious how well I’d do at playing Ambidextro. As it turns out, I got through the first 19 levels fairly quickly, and then I was absolutely rotten at it. Granting myself more time through the accessibility settings helped a bit, but it’s still a tough game. I’m going to stick with it to see if I can get better. There’s no way it could be as difficult as simultaneously playing two characters in Overcooked by myself. Now, that’s impossible.

New releases

Mycopunk is a co-op shooter from developer Pigeons at Play and publisher Devolver Digital that arrived in early access on Steam this week. With a Moebius-style look that reminds me a bit of Sable, the fantastic Rollerdrome and the Borderlands series, Mycopunk is certainly eye-catching. 

You can team up with three friends and play as robots that have been hired to eradicate a fungus that’s infected a valuable world. Each of the robots has their own moveset and class, but (as in the Borderlands games) there’s a great deal of variety and customization when it comes to the weaponry.

Inscryption showed what’s possible when you inject horror into a card-based game, and perhaps that was an influence for Occlude, which is out now on Steam. This is billed as a “game of occult Solitaire.” Sure, you’ll arrange cards by numerical rank, but it seems there’s more going on here than might first meet the eye. As the title suggests, the rules are somewhat obscured in this narrative puzzle title from Tributary Games and publisher Pantaloon. Can you figure ’em out?

Everdeep Aurora is an interesting-looking game from Ysbryd Games that landed on Steam and Nintendo Switch this week. This NES-inspired 2D adventure reminds me a little of Animal Well in terms of its tone and look. You play as a cat named Shell who drills down to search for her missing mother amid a meteor shower that has wrecked the planet’s surface. There’s a mix of platforming and exploration here. Everdeep Aurora looks rather pretty and the trailer made me smile. I’m hoping to play it at some point down the line.

Upcoming

I do love a side-scrolling beat-’em-up and Ra Ra Boom is absolutely one of those. This project from Gylee Games features four ninja cheerleaders from outer space who are trying to save Earth from a rogue AI. This is a co-op game for up to four players. Each of the cheerleaders has their own attacks and abilities (including ranged weapons), as well as a skill tree that you can use to unlock new ones.

I’ve played a chunk of Ra Ra Boom and I’m enjoying it quite a bit so far. It looks and sounds nice, and the combat is just the right level of challenging for me up to this point. If you dig games like the Streets of Rage series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, you might be interested in checking this out. A two-level demo is available on Steam now. Ra Ra Boom is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PS5 on August 12.

Rhythm of Resistance is a Metroidvania that has a very interesting mechanic. It’s a rhythm-based game (no points for guessing that after reading its title), but there’s a catch — you can pick the music. For instance, you can switch to a track with a lower BPM to make a trap easier to bypass. You can find new songs that can distort reality “in strange and surprising ways” while you’re on your journey in this game from NetherMoon Game Studio, which is slated to arrive on Steam next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-stylish-shooter-occult-solitaire-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110019324.html?src=rss 

The US International Trade Commission has determined that Chinese camera company Insta360 has infringed on at least some of GoPro’s patents. Based on a press release from GoPro, the determination specifically found that “Insta360 violated federal law by importing and selling in the United States products that infringe GoPro intellectual property.”

GoPro was particularly “pleased” the ITC’s judge found that Insta360 infringed on “a patent covering GoPro’s iconic Hero camera design” and that they validated multiple patent claims related to the company’s HyperSmooth video stabilization feature. The company released the latest version of its flagship action camera, the GoPro Hero 13, in September 2024.

When asked to comment on the ITC determination notice, Insta360 didn’t portray the ruling as a definitive GoPro victory, though. If anything, the company’s statement tries to make it seem like the opposite. Insta360’s press release says that the ITC “rejected GoPro’s utility patent claims against Insta360.” According to the company, the judge determined that utility patents “relating to stabilization, horizon leveling, distortion, and aspect ratio conversion are invalid, not infringed, or both.”

“The US International Trade Commission’s initial determination affirms what many in our industry already know: the future belongs to innovators, not litigators,” Insta360 CEO JK Liu shared in the company’s press release. “While GoPro sought to block competition by asserting a wide array of patents, the majority of those claims were either found not to be infringed or ruled invalid. That speaks volumes.”

The ITC initially started investigating Insta360 on GoPro’s suggestion, Reuters reports. The company was specifically seeking “exclusion and cease and desist orders that would ban imports of the Insta360 products” in the US. Even if the ITC has found ways Insta360 infringes on GoPro’s patents, the initial determination doesn’t prevent the company from importing and selling its cameras. You’re still able to buy Insta360 products in the US.

The ITC is expected to deliver a final determination on November 10, 2025, according to GoPro. If the company seems defensive, there’s good reason. Even if GoPro is still the most recognizable name in action cameras, Insta360 offers a far wider, and in some cases, more appealing selection of products. Things would be far simpler for GoPro if its competition wasn’t allowed to sell its products in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/itc-rules-insta360-infringed-on-gopro-patents-195518334.html?src=rss 

The Switch 2 is in many ways a more premium and powerful version of the original Switch, but its sleek design seems to have come at a cost. Not only is the console itself difficult to repair, but a new iFixit teardown video shows that the Switch 2 Pro Controller isn’t any easier.

Based on iFixit’s teardown, you have to completely disassemble the Switch 2 Pro Controller to access the parts you’ll likely need to fix first. Accessing the joysticks and battery requires removing an adhesive-secured faceplate on the top of the controller just to access screws. Then you have to unscrew multiple layers of plastic and remove the bumpers to actually get at the battery itself. The original Switch Pro Controller was similarly locked-up, but compared to the Xbox Wireless Controller (which has user-replaceable batteries) it seems like a lot of work. 

The Switch 2 Pro Controller uses a similar joystick design as the Joy-Con 2, which Nintendo has already confirmed doesn’t feature a drift-free Hall effect joystick. The company never directly acknowledged that joystick drift — where an analog joystick registers movement even when you’re not pressing it — was a problem on the original Switch. Based on iFixit’s teardown, it hasn’t made the problem easier to fix on its new hardware. Addressing stick drift problems, whether they’ll happen on the Switch 2, might be one reason the company currently offers out-of-warranty repairs on the Joy-Con 2 for free.

You don’t have to purchase Nintendo’s official accessories if you’re looking for options that might last longer and be easier to repair. Engadget’s best Switch 2 accessories list includes great alternatives, and the Switch 2 itself is designed to work with third-party webcams for things like GameChat.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2-pro-controller-does-not-seem-easy-to-repair-at-all-180905566.html?src=rss 

Capcom just shared a lengthy trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil Survival Unit. This is a mobile game, but not a remake of a pre-existing title. The original game includes a heavy emphasis on strategy and stars franchise heavy-hitters like Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine.

If you’re wondering how these protagonists can exist together in the same game, it’s all due to the magic of the multiverse. It’s set in a parallel universe “that builds upon the Resident Evil world while diverging from the original series.” This also opens up the door for other unannounced characters to show up.

This is a strategy game through-and-through, with base-building mechanics and real-time battles “against powerful creatures inspired by the Resident Evil universe.” Each character has unique abilities and some can interact with the environment, adding another level of strategic immersion. The iconic Weapons Merchant also shows up to arm players up before duking it out.

It’s being developed by Joycity, the company behind 3on3 FreeStyle Rebound, and Aniplex, which made the forthcoming Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles 2. Both companies are reportedly working “in close collaboration” with Capcom.

Resident Evil Survival Unit will be released later in the year, though wish lists are open right now. It’s a free-to-play title with in-game purchases.

The game could tide folks over while waiting for Resident Evil Requiem, which was announced last month at SGF 25. This is the next mainline franchise title, so it’s technically Resident Evil 9. It features a new protagonist and the ability to swap between first-person and third-person gameplay perspectives. It comes out on February 27, 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/capcom-shares-first-footage-of-resident-evil-mobile-spinoff-170746039.html?src=rss 

One of the most popular sites for Nintendo Switch piracy has been taken down as part of an ongoing FBI investigation. As reported by Kotaku, Nsw2u was known for hosting Switch ROMs, which users could download to play on a hacked Switch or PC emulator capable of running them.

At the time of writing, when you enter the site’s URL you’ll see a notice confirming the seizure, which the FBI says is in accordance with a warrant issued by the United States District Court in Georgia. The notice also features a logo for the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), which is a Dutch government agency that investigates financial crimes.

Nintendo has been cracking down on piracy of its games for a number of years. Back in 2019, the company sued the illegal ROM-sharing site RomUniverse, after it became aware it was offering unlimited downloads of new and old Nintendo games for an annual fee. Last year it filed a lawsuit against streamer EveryGameGuru who it accused of broadcasting footage of pirated — and in many cases unreleased — Switch games, as well as providing access to illegal ROMs. In March of 2024 the makers of popular Switch emulator Yuzu paid $2.4 million to settle charges filed by Nintendo.

Nintendo’s latest anti-piracy move was inserting a clause in an updated version of the Nintendo Switch User Agreement that effectively enables it to brick your Switch if it runs illegal emulators or pirated games. This revised agreement came into effect just ahead of the Switch 2 launch on June 5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fbi-seize-well-known-nintendo-switch-game-piracy-site-152216405.html?src=rss