Saturday, October 23, 2021

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Disney+ show 'Ahsoka' will also reportedly star Hayden Christensen

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 02:51 AM PDT

Hayden Christensen isn't done playing Darth Vader. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's reprising his role as the Sith Lord in the upcoming Disney+ series Ahsoka. Rosario Dawson will star as Ahsoka Tano, whom she also played in the second season of The Mandalorian. That's the first time Ahsoka's character appeared in a live-action Star Wars show — prior to that, Ahsoka was only seen in the franchise's animated entries.

Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to reveal the story for the live-action series. The Hollywood Reporter says, though, that it's set five years after the events in Return of the Jedi, similar to The Mandalorian. That Vader will be featured in a show about Ahsoka doesn't entirely come as a surprise, seeing she was Anakin Skywalker's padawan. But since Vader died in Return of the Jedi, it's unclear how his character will fit into Ahsoka's story, and whether he'll be shown in flashbacks or as a Force ghost.

Dave Filoni, who was involved in several previous Star Wars projects, will write the story and also serve as executive producer with Jon Favreau. The series will start production in 2022, though fans will get the chance to see Christensen play Vader before that in Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi that's set to debut early next year.

Facebook researchers were warning about its recommendations fueling QAnon in 2019

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 05:51 PM PDT

Facebook officials have long known about how the platform's recommendations can lead users into conspiracy theory-addled "rabbit holes." Now, we know just how clear that picture was thanks to documents provided by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

During the summer of 2019, a Facebook researcher found that it took just five days for the company to begin recommending QAnon groups and other disturbing content to a fictional account, according to an internal report whose findings were reported by NBC News, The Wall Street Journal and others Friday. The document, titled "Carol's Journey to QAnon" was also in a cache of records provided by Haugen to the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of her whistleblower complaint.

It reportedly describes how a Facebook researcher set up a brand new account for "Carol," who was described as a "conservative mom." After liking a few conservative, but "mainstream" pages, Facebook's algorithms began suggesting more fringe and conspiracy content. Within five days of joining Facebook, "Carol" was seeing "groups with overt QAnon affiliations," conspiracy theories about "white genocide" and other content described by the researcher as "extreme, conspiratorial, and graphic content."

The fact that Facebook's recommendations were fueling QAnon conspiracy theories and other concerning movements has been well known outside of the company for some time. Researchers and journalists have also documented the rise of the once fringe conspiracy theory during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. But the documents show that Facebook's researchers were raising the alarm about the conspiracy theory prior to the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal notes that researchers suggested measures like preventing or slowing down re-shared content but Facebook officials largely opted no to take those steps.

Facebook didn't immediately respond to questions about the document. "We worked since 2016 to invest in people, technologies, policies and processes to ensure that we were ready, and began our planning for the 2020 election itself two years in advance," Facebook's VP of Integrity wrote in a lengthy statement Friday evening. In the statement, Rosen recapped the numerous measures he said Facebook took in the weeks and months leading up to the 2020 election — including banning QAnon and militia groups — but didn't directly address the company's recommendations prior to QAnon's ban in October 2020.

The documents come at a precarious moment for Facebook. There have now been two whistleblowers who have turned over documents to the SEC saying the company has misled investors and prioritized growth and profits over users' safety. Scrutiny is likely to further intensify as more than a dozen media organizations now have access to some of those documents.

Fox Sports will air a dedicated Carli Lloyd stream for her final USWNT match

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 03:23 PM PDT

On Tuesday, October 26th, Carli Lloyd will play her final game as part of the US women's national soccer team when it takes on South Korea in a friendly match. In honor of the event, Fox Sports will stream a dedicated "CarliCam" that will follow Lloyd throughout the contest. You'll be able to watch the game from that vantage point through the Fox Sports app, as well as the network's Facebook and YouTube accounts. It will also air the first 10 minutes of the match on Twitter.

Back in August, Lloyd announced she would retire from professional soccer by the end of the year. Over her 17-year career, she has been one of the most dominant players in the sport. She scored the gold medal-winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2015 and 2016, she was named the FIFA Player of the Year. More recently, she helped Team USA secure the bronze medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with a pair of goals in a match that ended with a four-three score. While Tuesday will mark Lloyd's final game with Team USA, she'll play out the remainder of the NSWL season with Gotham FC before finally hanging up her jersey.

'Overwatch' hero McCree will be renamed Cole Cassidy on October 26th

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 02:14 PM PDT

Overwatch hero Jesse McCree has a new name, and, no, it's not Deadeye Dave. As promised, Blizzard has renamed the gunslinger in the aftermath of his real-life namesake leaving the studio back in August. As of October 26th, McCree will be known as Cole Cassidy.

"To make the new Overwatch better — to make things right — he had to be honest with his team and himself." Blizzard said in a tweet. "The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faced the world at dawn."

The real Jesse McCree left the studio after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard for fostering a "frat boy" workplace. While not directly named in the complaint, McCree reportedly took part in the infamous "Cosby Suite" where Blizzard employees, including former World of Warcraft creative director Alex Afrasiabi, allegedly harassed women. When it first announced the name change, Blizzard said it wanted to find one that better represented Overwatch's ideals. It also promised it would no longer name in-game characters after employees.

Alongside the name change, Blizzard is testing two potential changes to Cassidy's kit. It may tweak his Deadeye ultimate to make it more deadly and allow players to use his Combat Roll in midair. The latter change should help with avoiding vertical knockback abilities from heroes like Doomfist and Wrecking Ball. You can try out the tweaks by launching Overwatch's Experimental mode.

Another former Facebook employee has filed a whistleblower complaint

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 12:58 PM PDT

Another former Facebook employee has filed a whistleblower complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The latest complaint, which was first reported by The Washington Post, alleges Facebook misled its investors about "dangerous and criminal behavior on its platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger."

In the complaint, the former employee described a conversation with one of Facebook's top communication executives who, following disclosures about Russia's use of the platform to meddle in the 2016 election, said the scandal would be a "flash in the pan" and that "we are printing money in the basement, and we are fine."

Like Frances Haugen, the latest whistleblower is also a former member of Facebook's integrity team, which was tasked with fighting misinformation, voting interference and other major problems facing the company. And, like Haugen, the former Facebook staffer said that the company has "routinely undermined efforts to fight misinformation, hate speech and other problematic content out of fear of angering then-President Trump and his political allies, or out of concern about potentially dampening the user growth."

The SEC filing also describes illegal activity in secret Facebook Groups, and Facebook's policy of allowing politicians and other high-profile users to skirt its rules. It names Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg as being aware of the problems and not reporting them to investors, according to The Post.

While many of the details sound similar to other complaints from former company insiders, news of another complaint adds to the pressure on Facebook, which has spent much of the last month trying to discredit Haugen and downplay the significance of its own research. Meanwhile, lawmakers have called on Zuckerberg to answer questions from Congress, and Haugen is expected to brief European officials as well.

A Facebook spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Zuckerberg is expected to announce plans to rebrand the company with a new name next week.

Discord now displays more detailed information about the EA games your friends are playing

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 12:51 PM PDT

For a while now, Discord has offered a feature called Rich Presence. It's an API developers can use to connect their games to Discord and make it easier to jump into them from the chat app. We've mostly seen studios add the integration to individual titles, but now EA is doing it at the launcher level.

Starting today, its EA app will allow you to connect your Discord account. Once you link the two together, your Discord contacts will not only see that game you're playing through the EA app but they'll also know how long you've been at it and the specific game mode you're in at the moment. They'll also see if you're ready to group up to play something different. That last point is important since it might help push your friends to play a game they hadn't planned to when they first launched Discord.

You can connect your accounts by navigating to the settings menu in the EA app, and then clicking on "My account" followed by "Connected accounts."

CD Projekt buys the indie studio behind 'The Flame in the Flood'

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt publisher CD Projekt has expanded its portfolio after picking up indie developer The Molasses Flood. The Boston-based studio is behind survival game The Flame in the Flood and action village-building title Drake Hollow.

Formed in 2014 by Bioshock, Halo and Guitar Hero veterans, The Molasses Flood caught CD Projekt's attention because it makes "games with heart," president and co-CEO Adam Kiciński said in a statement. "The Molasses Flood share our passion for video game development, they're experienced, quality-oriented, and have great technological insight. I'm convinced they will bring a lot of talent and determination to the group."

The Molasses Flood will operate independently from CD Projekt Red's other teams. The studio's next game is an "ambitious project" based on an existing CD Projekt franchise, which could very well mean another Cyberpunk or Witcher game. In any case, more details will be announced later.

This week, CDPR delayed the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S upgrades of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 to 2022. The studio previously planned to release the updates by the end of this year.

Trump's social network is built on a platform it didn't properly license

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 11:56 AM PDT

Add a licensing misstep to the list of problems facing former President Donald Trump's social media network. The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) says The Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) violated a licensing agreement when it recently launched a test version of TRUTH Social. The website ran on a modified version of Mastodon, a free and open-source platform for operating Twitter-like social media networks. Anyone can use Mastodon provided they comply with AGPLv3, the software license that governs its code.

One of the central provisions of AGPLv3 is that licensees must share their source code with all users. In the short time a test version of TRUTH Social was up earlier today, it did not do that. Now, the Software Freedom Conservancy, an organization that enforces open source software licenses, says TMTG has 30 days to comply with AGPLv3 or face the consequences.

"The license purposefully treats everyone equally (even people we don't like or agree with), but they must operate under the same rules of the copyleft licenses that apply to everyone else," SFC said in a blog post.

It says the company must "immediately" make TRUTH Social's source code available to everyone who accessed the site earlier in the day. If TMTG fails to do so in 30 days, it will permanently lose access to the software it used to build its platform. "That's how AGPLv3's cure provision works — no exceptions — even if you're a real estate mogul, reality television star, or even a former POTUS," the SFC said. If TMTG doesn't comply with the request, it could face a lawsuit. "We will be following this issue very closely and demanding that Trump's Group give the corresponding source to all who use the site," SFC said.

In closing, SFC shared details about how TRUTH Social was defaced earlier in the day. It says it found no evidence anyone "illegally broke" into the website. Instead, it notes the episode was the result of an improper configuration. "Once discovered, people merely used the site legitimately to register accounts and use its features," the organization said.

Apple TV+ renews 'Mythic Quest' for seasons three and four

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 10:45 AM PDT

Fans of Mythic Quest have much more of the show to look forward to. Apple TV+ has renewed the series for seasons three and four. The second season of the workplace sitcom aired this spring, and season three will arrive in 2022.

Co-creator Rob McElhenney (who plays Ian Grimm in the show) made the announcement with the help of a couple of familiar faces: Jason Sudeikis, the Emmy-winning face of fellow Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso, and Anthony Hopkins, who received an Emmy nomination for narrating Mythic Quest's standalone "Everlight" episode. The series picked up another Emmy nomination this year for its sound editing.

Mythic Quest, which is from some of the folks behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, focuses on the developers of a hugely successful fictional MMORPG. Ubisoft co-produces Mythic Quest, so there's certainly a degree of authenticity to the show and how a game studio might actually operate.

‘Dune’ is too big for your TV

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 10:30 AM PDT

The real world just felt too small when I stepped out of Denis Villeneuve's Dune. There weren't any enormous spaceships ready to rocket off to planets in distant galaxies. No Brutalist palaces amid endless desert vistas. No building-sized sandworms roaming about, eager to devour anyone who disturbed them. Just me and traffic on Atlanta's I-285.

This latest Dune adaptation isn't perfect — it's at times emotionally empty, and it's basically set up for a second movie we may never see — but it successfully transported me to the universe Frank Herbert created over half a century ago. The film focuses on half of the novel, telling the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a sheltered baron's son who moves to the desert planet of Arrakis. It's an important post, since it's the only world that produces the melange, or spice, which powers interstellar travel. But as Paul quickly learns, it's also a dangerous place for his elite family, and it's where he learns he may also be a potential messiah. You know, typical teen boy stuff.

Dune
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures

After being wowed by Dune in the theater, I plan to rewatch it at home on HBO Max, where it's also being released today. But I'm certain the experience won't be the same, even on my 120-inch projector screen. This Dune demands to be seen on something even bigger—a place where your very sense of being can be dwarfed. Dune made me feel like Paul Atreides standing in front of a skyscraper-sized sandworm, waiting to be consumed. And I welcomed it.

Of course, it's no simple thing to trek out to the cinema these days, not with coronavirus still raging and fellow theatergoers refusing to take basic safety precautions. (The vaccines are safe. Masks work. Please protect yourself and others.) But if you can manage to safely see it in theaters — perhaps by renting out a private screen with friends — you'll be reminded of what makes that experience so special. I watched it in the second row of a fairly typical multiplex theater, and it still floored me. I can only imagine what it would be like on a full-sized IMAX screen, which can reach up to 98 feet tall.

Dune is at its best when Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser let you soak in the vistas, the regal-yet-alien costumes and the wealth of background details. It's pure visual world-building. At one point, a character's eyes briefly flash white when he's asked to compute the cost of an imperial envoy's trek through the stars. It's never explained, but you get it. This style of slow burn sci-fi isn't for everyone, but if you enjoyed Arrival or Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve's previous genre forays, there's a good chance you're primed for this brand of storytelling.

Even before I saw anything on the screen, though, I felt Dune in my gut. As I waited for my screening to begin, an alien voice began speaking out of nowhere, sounding like it came entirely from the theater's subwoofers. It posed a question about the power of dreams, but really, it was as if the movie was saying, "Sit up, pay attention, you're not on Earth anymore."

Dune

The film's inventive sound design doesn't stop there. Everything you hear — from the roar of spaceships as they take off, the buzz of dragonfly-like vehicles as they flap their wings, or the sphincter-clenching roar of the sandworms — is meticulously crafted to make you believe it's all real. Hans Zimmer's score doesn't tread too far from his Gladiator vibe, but does a fine job of making everything sound epic. (And yes, I was blasting it down the highway as I sped back home.)

Don't take my praise for this movie as disrespect towards David Lynch's 1984 Dune. That was a troubled production that's since attained cult status, but it was hampered by meddling producers and a script that tried to cram in the entire novel. Villenueve's approach is more confident and, as you'd expect, is backed by far more capable visual effects technology. Even though it runs for two hours and 35 minutes, I could have easily given up another three hours to watch the rest of the story.

Dune
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures

Unfortunately, there's a chance we won't see that conclusion. Warner Bros. originally agreed to let Villeneuve tell the story in two parts (this movie's title card says "Dune Part 1"), but the follow-up still hasn't been officially greenlit. The director told Variety that his plan to shoot both parts at once was denied—he expects to hear more from the studio once we see how Dune performs in theaters and on HBO Max. Plans for a prequel TV series, Dune: The Sisterhood, are still in the works with Villeneuve attached to produce.

As epic as Dune is, it's a shame that its scope couldn't fit in actors from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), cultures that Herbert was clearly inspired by. The film almost goes out of its way to diminish any Islamic influence from its story (instead of Jihad, there are references to a crusade). That's particularly egregious when we see the locals of Arrakis, the blue-eyed sand dwellers known as the Fremen, who are often portrayed as noble savages. At least the film begins with the Fremen perspective: Chani, played by Zendaya, wonders aloud who their next oppressors will be.

All of this is to say, if you can make it to the theater to see Dune, you should. You can still capture some of its immensity by watching it up close: Pull a chair right up to your TV, or veg out with a laptop as close to your eyeballs as possible. But Dune is a story that hinges on the power of dreams, so it's almost fitting that it's best experienced when it overwhelms your reality.

Twitter adds one-click Revue newsletter signup buttons to tweets

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 09:38 AM PDT

Twitter is rolling out a way for people to sign up to Revue newsletters directly from tweets. When someone shares their Revue newsletter, the tweet will include a subscribe button. If someone clicks a link to a specific newsletter issue, they'll see an option to subscribe when they return to their Twitter feed. The feature is live on the web now, and it's coming to iOS and Android soon.

In addition, if your Twitter account is linked to an email address, you can sign up to receive newsletter updates with a single click. You won't need to confirm your subscription through your email inbox.

The update should make it easier for people to convert Twitter followers into newsletter subscribers. It's a big advantage for Revue over the likes of Substack and other newsletter services, since writers on those platforms have to guide potential subscribers through a slightly longer signup process.

Twitter recently added Revue newsletter signup buttons to profiles on the web, iOS and Android. The company bought Revue in January as the newsletter ecosystem continued to pick up steam.

Nintendo delays 'Advance Wars' remake to spring 2022

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 09:18 AM PDT

Nintendo has delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp. The company will release the remake in spring 2022 instead of December 3rd, 2021, as previously announced. "The game just needs a little more time for fine tuning," it said of the delay.

Nintendo first announced the Switch title back at its E3 Direct back in June. The remake will bundle together "reimagined" versions of Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising. The two games, long considered classics of the turn-based tactical strategy genre, first came out on the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and 2003. Intelligent Systems, best known for its work on the Fire Emblem franchise, was the lead developer on both titles.

Here’s how to deal with those badly written equations you find online

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 08:30 AM PDT

Spend enough time on social media and it's likely that you'll see what I've started to call a Bad Math Scam. This is where an account, looking to juice their engagement figures, posts an equation with a challenge for people to solve it. Often, it'll say something like "Only '80s Kids Can Do This" or "Brain Power Challenge: Can You Do This Without a Calculator?". The only problem is that the equation is so ambiguously-written that you can come up with multiple answers.

Here's one that I found floating around the internet a couple of days ago from an account that seems to re-share a lot of existing content in the hope of going viral. The tweet reads (in true viral bait style) "Please don't use a Calculator, use your BRAIN: 50+50 - 25 x 0 + 2 + 2 = ??".

Now, the equation is sufficiently ambiguous in its design that, depending on how you tackle it, it produces a number of different answers. In this instance, users concluded that the answer was definitely 0, 4, 79 or 104. The subsequent chat often breaks out into some discussion about how Order of Operations work and how stupid the other people are. Between argument, counter-argument, and people smugly retweeting about how other people didn't pay attention to high school math, the original poster has succeeded in getting their engagement.

But there is a solution, and a neat way of arriving at the correct answer both for this problem and for any others you see online. And I've enlisted the help of a mathematician to help explain it so that this sort of viral bait never trips you up ever again. Especially if you don't recall your PEMDAS (or BODMAS, if you were raised on the other side of the pond) from high school math.

Dr. Helen Crowley is lecturer in mathematics at the University of East Anglia, and took issue with how I'd described the equation. "The problem shared [above] is not actually ambiguous at all," she said, "maths is a very well-behaved subject and there are fixed rules that all problems like this follow." Dr. Crowley is, of course, referring to the Order of Operations, which explains how a multi-part equation like the one above is meant to be broken down and worked out.

In the US and UK, Order of Operations is expressed under the acronyms PEMDAS (US) or BODMAS (UK). The terms may differ, but the order in which you calculate each component part of the equation remains the same. You start with anything in Parentheses / Brackets, and then move on to anything using Exponents / Orders, which are figures including square-roots and powers. The equation above, uses neither.

Third in the list is Multiplication and Division, which is the first function that we actually need to do. "For this problem, we [first] do 25 x 0 = 0," said Dr. Crowley. That 0 then inserts itself into the sum, which now looks like 50 + 50 - 0 + 2 + 2. "The last two operations to consider are Addition and Subtraction," said Dr. Crowley, making the final sum 50 + 50 - 0 + 2 + 2 = 104. "This is exactly what your calculator does, as it is programmed to 'know' the order," said Dr. Crowley, "the above problem certainly isn't ambiguous, we are just forgetting the rules."

Now, you may be wondering who was in charge of establishing this order, and when that may have happened. According to the UEA's Dr. Mark Cooker, the current Order of Operations was probably first laid down in their current form in the middle of the 16th century. Before that point, "manuscripts were wholly wordy, and free from operational symbols, except abbreviations," said Dr. Cooker. But from the mid-16th century onwards, math texts "were first printed in large numbers for education."

Cooker then believes that it was the wide-ranging influence of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London that "set new high standards to reduce ambiguity in handling powers, brackets and multiplications or additions, in the correct order." He said that the journal, as it would now be described, "spread higher standards of maths typography as far afield as St. Petersburg, where Leonard Euler was working." Euler was one of the most pioneering mathematicians of the 18th century, who "published so many papers and influential textbooks," along with "clear explanations of BODMAS rules in his elementary texts must have made everyone agree on the current order of operations."

Now that you know how to solve those crappy equations people post on social media, don't forget to share a link to this story to serve as a bulwark against folks cynically trying to juice their engagement.

Instagram is testing tools to make it easier for creators to find sponsors

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 08:00 AM PDT

Instagram is testing new tools to make it easier for creators to earn money through its service. The app is now testing affiliate shops, a feature it first previewed at its Creator Week event in June, and a dedicated "partnerships" inbox.

Affiliate shops are an extension of Facebook's existing shopping features, which are already widely available. But the latest version of the storefronts allow creators to link to products that are already part of their affiliate arrangements. Creators will earn commission fees when their followers buy products from these shops (though the exact terms of these arrangements haven't been detailed). The company says that for now the shopping feature will only be available to creators who are part of that affiliate program.

Instagram is also testing new inbox features it says will make it easier for brands to connect with creators for sponsorships. Instagram DMs will get a dedicated "partnerships" section just for messages from brands. The company says this will give those messages "priority placement" and will allow them to skip the "requests" section where incoming messages are often lost.

Instagram is testing a new inbox for messages from potential partners.
Instagram

Separately, the app is working on tools to match brands with creators looking for sponsorships. With the tools, creators can identify brands they are interested in working with directly from the app. While brands would be able to browse creators who fit their needs based on factors like age, gender and follower count.

The tools are still in an early stage, with only a handful of companies and creators participating for now. But the company has previously signaled such features could expand significantly. Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year that Instagram is planning a "branded content marketplace" to help enable a bigger "creator middle class."

PlayStation's next State of Play is set for October 27th

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 07:37 AM PDT

Sony has announced when its next State of Play stream will take place. You can watch it on October 27th at 5PM ET on Twitch or YouTube.

It'll be a short broadcast, clocking in at 20 minutes or so, but as we saw with Sony's blockbuster showcase in September, it can pack a lot into these events. The company didn't say what games will be featured nor did it rule anything out. However, the focus will be on third-party titles for PS4 and PS5.

Along with reveals from some of its partners, Sony is promising more info about previously announced games. Here's hoping for a firm release date for Bethesda and Tango Gameworks' delayed Ghostwire: Tokyo, which is scheduled for next spring. Square Enix's Forspoken is also penciled in for that timeframe, so perhaps Sony will reveal exactly when that game's coming too. And maybe, just maybe, we'll learn more about the PS5 version of Grand Theft Auto V, which is due to arrive in March.

The remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy arrives November 11th

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 07:09 AM PDT

Today is the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking Grand Theft Auto III. Although Rockstar Games didn't mark the occasion with a sudden surprise release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, it revealed when you'll be able to get your hands on the upgraded versions of GTA III, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas.

The bundle arrives digitally on November 11th (the former release date for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of GTA V) on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. Physical editions will be available for consoles on December 7th.

Rockstar is charging $60 for the trilogy, which might be hard to swallow for some given that the original versions were often available for a few bucks each before the publisher pulled them from digital storefronts this month. It's worth noting that the remastered GTA: San Andreas hits Xbox Game Pass on November 11th and the upgraded GTA III will arrive on PlayStation Now on December 7th.

The most obvious changes to the games are upgraded, richer visuals. Rockstar has added higher resolution textures, enhanced the weather effects, improved character and vehicle models, overhauled the lighting system and increased draw distances — all while trying to hang onto each game's original aesthetic. Vice City, for one thing, looks far more vibrant than the original, but it's clearly still Vice City.

There are some platform-specific enhancements. PS5 and Xbox Series X players will be able to run the games in 4K at up to 60 frames per second. On PC, there's support for NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling tech. Switch players, meanwhile, will have gyro controls and can use the touchscreen to to navigate menus and to zoom and pan the camera.

Rockstar has tweaked the gameplay in other ways. The controller layout now matches that of GTA V, and there are changes to gunplay and targeting, the weapon and radio station selection wheels and minimaps (such as the ability to set waypoints). You'll also be able to immediately restart a mission after failing too, which is a great quality of life update.

'Stardew Valley' creator's next game is 'Haunted Chocolatier'

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 06:31 AM PDT

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, aka "ConcernedApe," has made a surprise unveiling of his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. It has the same pixelated SNES look as Stardew, with characters, set-pieces and themes that are similarly cute and quirky. 

"In this game, you will play as a chocolatier living in a haunted castle. In order to thrive in your new role, you will have to gather rare ingredients, make delicious chocolates, and sell them in a chocolate shop," according to Barone's blog on the new website. The video shows characters heading out into into a town, the castle, a mountain and other scenarios to seek ingredients and fend off creatures.

It's Barone's first game since Stardew Valley launched in 2016, but so far it's not a lot more than a demo. Barone has yet to finalize the gameplay systems, and said he doesn't even want to be "tied down to any particular concept of what the game is" ahead of launch. 

Haunted Chocolatier does sound and look a lot like Stardew at first take. However, in a FAQ, Barone said there will be some substantial differences, particularly when it comes to gameplay.

Like Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier is another "town game," where you move to a new town and try your hand at a new way of living. You'll get to know the townspeople, achieve your goals and make progress in many ways. All of that is similar to Stardew Valley. However, the core gameplay and theming are quite a bit different. Haunted Chocolatier is more of an action-RPG compared to Stardew Valley. And instead of a farm being the focal point of your endeavors, it's a chocolate shop.

Barone wouldn't reveal other details, like whether the new title is set in the same world as Stardew, nor a release date or even a general timeframe. He did say that it would be single-player only, with no plans for multiplayer. The game will "100 percent" come to PC, though he has "every intention of bringing it to the other major platforms as well."

Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones fall to $248, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 06:00 AM PDT

This week brought our first official early Black Friday sale, courtesy of Best Buy. While we expect to see even more of these events before we hit Black Friday proper, there are a bunch of gadgets at record-low prices right now that are worth considering. Both Amazon and Best Buy knocked $150 off the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone, and both retailers have some of our favorite Sony headphones and earbuds for less. Plus, the new Galaxy Watch 4 wearables are down to all-time-low prices thanks to a Samsung deals event on Amazon. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony WH-1000XM4
Engadget

Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones remain on sale for $248, which is a record low. These are our current favorite pair of ANC headphones and they earned a score of 94 from us for their solid sound quality, powerful ANC and multi-device connectivity.

Buy WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $248Buy WH-1000XM4 at Best Buy - $248

12.9-inch iPad Pro

Apple iPad Pro (2021) review
Chris Velazco/Engadget

The 256GB 12.9-inch iPad Pro is $200 off, bringing it down to $999. That's the same price as the 128GB version right now, so you're essentially getting double the storage at no extra cost. We gave the tablet a score of 87 for its gorgeous display, impressive performance and handy Center Stage camera.

Buy 12.9-inch iPad Pro (256GB) at Amazon - $999

Sony WF-1000XM3

Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds
Billy Steele/Engadget

The previous-gen Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds are down to $128, more than $70 off their normal price. We gave these buds a score of 89 for their excellent sound, great battery life and comprehensive companion app.

Buy WF-1000XM3 at Amazon - $128Buy WF-1000XM3 at Best Buy - $128

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 half folded and set up on a table.
David Imel for Engadget

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone is still on sale for $850, or $150 off. This is the most practical version of a Samsung foldable yet, and we gave it a score of 82 for its more durable design, attractive build and new water resistance.

Buy Galaxy Z Flip 3 at Amazon - $850Buy Galaxy Z Flip 3 at Best Buy - $850

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

A black Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 on a wrist
David Imel for Engadget

Both the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are down to record-low prices, $220 and $300, respectively. These remain the best smartwatches for Android users and we gave the Watch 4 a score of 85 for its comprehensive health tracking abilities, lovely screen and better support for third-party apps.

Buy Galaxy Watch 4 at Amazon - $220Buy Galaxy Watch 4 Classic at Amazon - $300

Roku Streambar

Roku Streambar soundbar on a white table.
Valentina Palladino / Engadget

The Roku Streambar is on sale for $99 right now, or $30 off its normal price. We gave the compact soundbar a score of 86 for its good sound quality, Dolby Audio support, built-in 4K HDR streaming tech and its ability to work as a Bluetooth speaker. Also, the more advanced (and larger) Streambar Pro is down to a record low of $150.

Buy Roku Streambar at Amazon - $99Buy Roku Streambar at Best Buy - $99Buy Streambar Pro at Amazon - $150

Roku Ultra

TV streaming box
Roku

Roku's most powerful streaming device, the Ultra, is on sale for only $69 at the moment. That's $30 off its normal price and a great deal if you want 4K HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content, along with speedy WiFi and the option to hardware the set-top box into your setup via its Ethernet port.

Buy Roku Ultra at Best Buy - $69

Jabra Elite 75t

Jabra Elite 75t wireless earbuds
Billy Steele / Engadget

Jabra's Elite 75t earbuds are cheaper than ever at $80, which is nearly half off their normal price. These are some of our favorite true wireless earbuds thanks to their compact, comfortable design, long battery life and new ANC capabilities.

Buy Elite 75t at Amazon - $80Buy Elite 75t at Best Buy - $80

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 revivew
Billy Steele/Engadget

The new Galaxy Buds 2 are down to $130 right now, or $20 off their normal price. It may be $5 more than their record low, but this is still a good deal to consider if you've been eyeing a pair of the company's true wireless earbuds. We gave the Buds 2 a score of 84 for their comfortable design, improved sound quality and adjustable ambient sound mode.

Buy Galaxy Buds 2 at Amazon - $130

New tech deals

Apple TV 4K

The latest Apple TV 4K is on sale for $130 at Verizon right now. This is the best price we've seen it, and you'll get the model with the latest processor, support for Dolby Vision and Atmos and the much improved new Siri remote.

Buy Apple TV 4K at Verizon - $130

Crucial MX500 SSD (2TB)

The 2TB Crucial MX500 internal SSD is down to an all-time low of $170. This is a good option if you need extra storage in your desktop or laptop, and we like that it has AES 256-bit hardware based encryption and integrated power loss immunity.

Buy Crucial MX500 (2TB) at Amazon - $170

Rubik's Connected

This Bluetooth-connected Rubik's cube is $10 off thanks to a coupon you can apply on the product page, bringing the toy down to roughly $50. Rather than going nuts trying to solve the puzzle on your own, this one has a companion app that actually teaches you how to do so. You can then complete challenges, better your skills and try to get atop the global leaderboard.

Buy Rubik's Connected at Amazon - $50

NordVPN

NordVPN, one of our favorite VPNs, is running a sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up and pay $99 for two years, plus you'll get an extra three months free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.

Buy NordVPN (2 years) - $99

Tunnelbear

Another one of our top VPN services, Tunnelbear, is offering a two-year subscription for $100. You'll save 58 percent if you sign up with this deal, and we think Tunnelbear is one of the easiest VPNs to use, especially for those that don't want to go crazy configuring their connections.

Buy Tunnelbear (2 years) - $100

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Trump’s social network was defaced before it even launched

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 05:45 AM PDT

It took only a few hours for pranksters to find and deface a test version of former President Trump's yet-to-launch social media platform called TRUTH Social. According to The Washington Post, someone signed up for an account on the test website, took the username "donaldjtrump" and posted a photo of a defecating pig. 

Trump and his team recently announced that they're launching TRUTH Social in early 2022 and that beta tests will begin in November. In its announcement, the team said that the platform is part of its efforts to fight against "the Big Tech companies of Silicon Valley, which have used their unilateral power to silence opposing voices in America."

The test website has already been pulled down, but not before one of the publication's reporters was able to sign up under the name "mikepence" without encountering any safeguards that would prevent them from doing so. Based on the mock photos on its App Store listing, TRUTH Social looks like a Twitter clone, where users can post "Truths" similar to tweets and repost "Re-Truths," which are basically retweets. It has a news feed called the Truth Feed and a notification system, as well.

The website's code shows that it runs on a mostly unmodified version of open source software Mastodon, The Post says. Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko told Vice that the platform might be violating its licensing rules, since it requires developers to share any modification with the public and to give credit by linking to the original source code. The test website didn't just reveal TRUTH Social's code, though, but also its terms of service. A sub-section in the ToS shows that the website hopes to be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Part of the ToS reads: "[W]e are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through the Site or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through, or installed from the Site, including the content, accuracy, offensiveness, opinions, reliability, privacy practices, or other policies of or contained in the Third-Party Websites or the Third-Party Content."

Trump has been a very vocal critic of Section 230. In 2020, he signed an executive order meant to limit its scope shortly after Twitter fact-checked a false tweet he made. The order was never meaningfully imposed, but President Biden revoked it completely back in May.

Engadget Podcast: Apple’s new MacBook Pros, the Pixel 6 and the Surface Duo 2

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 05:30 AM PDT

Techtober continues with a deep dive into Apple's latest MacBook Pros, powered by the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Cherlynn and Devindra also chat about what's new with the Pixel 6, and Mr. Mobile himself (Michael Fisher) joins to break down the Surface Duo 2. It turns out Microsoft needed more than a year to fix all of the problems with its dual-screen phone.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!


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Topics

  • Apple's new MacBooks with M1 Pro and M1 Pro Max – 1:37

  • Google finally details Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro's specs – 23:22

  • Microsoft's Surface Duo 2 is inconsistent and buggy – 38:41

  • Facebook may be changing its name – 1:04:05

  • Facebook Portal Go Review – 1:05:05

  • Finally, you can post to Instagram from desktop – 1:06:02

  • Samsung had yet another Unpacked event – 1:06:23

  • Also in events: Razer, DJI – 1:07:35

  • We have a trailer for the Uncharted movie – 1:07:56

  • Mel Brooks is doing History of the World: Part II for Hulu – 1:09:19

  • Fisher Price made a version of its toy phone that actually makes calls – 1:10:14

  • Working on – 1:11:25

  • Pop culture picks – 1:12:26


Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guests: Michael Fisher
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
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