Month: August 2024
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard accused of ‘bad faith bargaining’ by Raven Software union workers
Raven Software’s union — the first of its kind in the gaming industry — has hit another snag negotiating its collective bargaining agreement with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, games journalist Stephen Totilo reported in his Game File newsletter. The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging chiefly that their employer refuses to bargain, or is not bargaining in good faith. The Raven workers succeeded in their union drive, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA), over two years ago.
The full complaints have not been made available to the public as of Wednesday. We also reached out to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard for a comment on the complaint but did not receive a response as of presstime.
CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. released a statement following the unfair labor practice charges. He urged Microsoft to follow through on its agreement to respect the rights of the Raven Software workers’ union efforts.
“After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software,” Cummings wrote. “Unfortunately, that has not happened. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the unfair labor practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”
An NLRB investigation revealed Activision Blizzard withheld raises from Raven’s workers following a separate unfair labor practice charge. The complaint filed by the CWA on behalf of workers in 2022 also accused the game publisher of retaliating against workers attempting to form a union by laying off staff members and moving QA workers to separate teams.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/microsoft-and-activision-blizzard-accused-of-bad-faith-bargaining-by-raven-software-union-workers-183040645.html?src=rss
Raven Software’s union — the first of its kind in the gaming industry — has hit another snag negotiating its collective bargaining agreement with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, games journalist Stephen Totilo reported in his Game File newsletter. The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging chiefly that their employer refuses to bargain, or is not bargaining in good faith. The Raven workers succeeded in their union drive, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA), over two years ago.
The full complaints have not been made available to the public as of Wednesday. We also reached out to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard for a comment on the complaint but did not receive a response as of presstime.
CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. released a statement following the unfair labor practice charges. He urged Microsoft to follow through on its agreement to respect the rights of the Raven Software workers’ union efforts.
“After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software,” Cummings wrote. “Unfortunately, that has not happened. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the unfair labor practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”
An NLRB investigation revealed Activision Blizzard withheld raises from Raven’s workers following a separate unfair labor practice charge. The complaint filed by the CWA on behalf of workers in 2022 also accused the game publisher of retaliating against workers attempting to form a union by laying off staff members and moving QA workers to separate teams.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/microsoft-and-activision-blizzard-accused-of-bad-faith-bargaining-by-raven-software-union-workers-183040645.html?src=rss
OpenAI’s Project Strawberry will become ChatGPT5, launch soon, and be better at math than any chatbot, insiders say
More details of OpenAI’s secretive Project Strawberry have dropped, including its expected release date and the areas it will specialize in.
More details of OpenAI’s secretive Project Strawberry have dropped, including its expected release date and the areas it will specialize in.
A recent report in The Information quotes “two people who have been involved in the effort”, and goes on to say that Project Strawberry could drop this Fall, and be better at math and programming than any chatbot we’ve seen so far.
Previously it was thought that OpenAI’s Project Strawberry would be aimed at “deep research”, the ability to perform follow-up research on its own, without human intervention. While this still seems to be true, the additional information that Project Strawberry will do math better than we’ve seen before comes as welcome news to many, given that ChatGPT’s relationship with math so far has been, shall we say, fraught? For a while now, there have been plenty of memes of screenshots showing ChatGPT getting simple math problems wrong, leading many to ask why ChatGPT can’t do basic math. The reason for ChatGPT’s mistakes in math is down to its training data not containing enough mathematical information, which, as we shall see, could be one of the improvements that Project Strawberry aims to make. Whatever the reason, something was definitely not adding up.
Improved ability to solve programming challenges is also welcome, but Project Strawberry’s scope is way beyond just being better at math. In demonstrations to other employees, people working on Project Strawbery have shown how the new AI is capable of more advanced levels of thinking enabling it to solve puzzles like the New York Times Connections, which is a complex word puzzle.
Sam Altman’s mysterious strawberry tweet. (Image credit: X.com/Sam Altman)
Open AI CEO, Sam Altman kickstarted the rumors about Project Strawberry when he tweeted an image of some strawberries growing in a pot on August 7 with no further explanation than the text, “I love summer in the garden”. Since then there have been widely reported rumors that OpenAI was working on a powerful new LLLM, and had demonstrated a version of Project Strawberry to national security officials.
It’s still not clear when Project Strawberry will be released, but insiders think it could be as early as Fall (September or October) perhaps with a smaller version of it becoming a part of the ChatGPT chatbot in ChatGPT 5. If Project Strawberry doesn’t end up as part of ChatGPT 5 then its ability to produce higher-quality data could be utilized in producing the vast amount of training data that Open AI’s next LLM will require if it’s going to reduce the amount of hallucinations (otherwise known as factual errors) that it’s prone to.
ChatGPT recently, and quietly, released an improved version of its cutting-edge ChatGPT-4o model, which is much faster than the previous version, leading many to speculate that this may have been what Project Strawberry was all about. Now it seems that the project is set to bear even more exciting fruit.
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GameStop pivots to retro gaming at select locations
GameStop is pivoting to retro games at select locations. As the industry moves to digital media — and the retailer struggles to adapt to the shifting landscape (including a short-lived stab at NFTs) — the company is betting on the old school. The GameStop Retro locations will stock physical consoles, discs and cartridges from classic Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and Sega platforms.
The retailer announced the Retro GameStop locations in a post on X (Twitter). The company also has a website where you can search for retro-friendly locations within a 100-mile radius. (I found a grand total of one in my city.)
GameStop lists 18 classic systems supported by its Retro stores, stretching back to the 8-bit glory days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Here’s the complete list (according to the company’s brief announcement), including their US launch years:
NES (1985)
SNES (1991)
Game Boy (1989)
Sega Genesis (1989)
PlayStation (1995)
Sega Saturn (1995)
Nintendo 64 (1996)
Sega Dreamcast (1999)
PS2 (2000)
Game Boy Advance (2001)
Nintendo GameCube (2001)
Original Xbox (2001)
Nintendo DS (2004)
Xbox 360 (2005)
Nintendo Wii (2006)
PS3 (2006)
Nintendo Wii U (2012)
PS Vita (2012)
You’ll notice that the PSP isn’t among the systems listed. Engadget emailed GameStop to try to confirm it’s omitted and learn more about the initiative. We’ll update this story if we hear back.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gamestop-pivots-to-retro-gaming-at-select-locations-180704406.html?src=rss
GameStop is pivoting to retro games at select locations. As the industry moves to digital media — and the retailer struggles to adapt to the shifting landscape (including a short-lived stab at NFTs) — the company is betting on the old school. The GameStop Retro locations will stock physical consoles, discs and cartridges from classic Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and Sega platforms.
The retailer announced the Retro GameStop locations in a post on X (Twitter). The company also has a website where you can search for retro-friendly locations within a 100-mile radius. (I found a grand total of one in my city.)
GameStop lists 18 classic systems supported by its Retro stores, stretching back to the 8-bit glory days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Here’s the complete list (according to the company’s brief announcement), including their US launch years:
NES (1985)
SNES (1991)
Game Boy (1989)
Sega Genesis (1989)
PlayStation (1995)
Sega Saturn (1995)
Nintendo 64 (1996)
Sega Dreamcast (1999)
PS2 (2000)
Game Boy Advance (2001)
Nintendo GameCube (2001)
Original Xbox (2001)
Nintendo DS (2004)
Xbox 360 (2005)
Nintendo Wii (2006)
PS3 (2006)
Nintendo Wii U (2012)
PS Vita (2012)
You’ll notice that the PSP isn’t among the systems listed. Engadget emailed GameStop to try to confirm it’s omitted and learn more about the initiative. We’ll update this story if we hear back.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gamestop-pivots-to-retro-gaming-at-select-locations-180704406.html?src=rss
The best Labor Day deals you can already get
The Sonos Ace — which are down to an all-time low right now — feature excellent ANC and the ability to sync with Sonos soundbars. | Image: Chris Welch / The Verge
It’s always sad when summer comes to a close. However, on the bright side, Labor Day represents yet another long weekend — not to mention an opportunity to save on a slew of goods before the holiday shopping season kicks off in earnest. Although Labor Day isn’t until September 2nd, many retailers are already offering steep discounts on a range of tech, some of which rival the Prime Day deals we saw in July.
Right now, for instance, Apple’s last-gen iPad is on sale for less than $200. Other Verge-approved items have also fallen to an all-time low, including Sonos’ Era 100 speaker, Amazon’s latest Echo Spot, and the entry-level Kindle. Granted, we’ve seen many of these products go for slightly less in the past — and it’s possible we’ll see even better deals during Amazon’s next Prime Day event in October — but now is a great time to pick up last-minute school supplies or begin chipping away at your wishlist. After all, it rarely hurts to get ahead, even if you’re wallet might say otherwise.
Speaker deals
Some of Ultimate Ears’ newest portable speakers are also on sale through September 2nd. Right now, for instance, Amazon, Best Buy, and UE are selling the UE Megaboom 4 for $169.99 ($30 off). The UE Wonderboom 4 is also down to $79.99 ($20 off) — an all-time low — at Amazon, Best Buy, and direct from UE. Both Bluetooth speakers offer USB-C support, a rugged IP67 rating, and a new megaphone feature that amplifies your voice when you speak into it. However, the larger Megaboom 4 delivers more robust sound and longer battery life, allowing for up to 20 hours of playback.
You can also buy last year’s UE Epicboom for $269.99 ($30 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Logitech. The speaker sits above the Megaboom 4 in the lineup, delivering more powerful, 360-degree sound. It doesn’t really offer a lot of additional perks beyond that, though it does feature USB-C charging and an IP67 rating like all of the aforementioned UE models. Read our review.
You can also buy the fifth-gen Echo Dot in blue, black, or white with a Sengled smart bulb for $29.99 ($40 off), which is one of its better prices to date. The latest Dot delivers more powerful sound than the Echo Pop while retaining Alexa support. It can also function as a Wi-Fi extender for Eero mesh networks and features a built-in temperature sensor. Read our review.
Earbud and headphone deals
Apple’s AirPods Max are on sale for $399 ($150 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is nearly their best price to date. It’s possible that Apple could replace them with a new USB-C model at its “Glowtime” event on September 9th, but at the moment, few headphones offer as good value if you’re an iPhone owner. They pair well with other Apple devices, after all, and feature exemplary sound and noise cancellation. Read our review.
The second-gen AirPods are also on sale for $89 ($40 off) at Amazon and Walmart, which is $20 shy of their all-time low. They lack advanced capabilities like noise cancellation and multipoint connectivity, but they remain a reliable pair of wireless earbuds that deliver good sound and long battery life. Again, we may see several new AirPods models in just a few weeks, so you may want to wait if you’re after the latest and greatest earbuds. Read our review.
Smart home deals
If you’re looking for a video doorbell, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is our favorite battery-powered model on the market — one that’s currently available for $119.99 ($30 off) from both Amazon and Ring. The responsive doorbell offers an impressive feature set for the price, including 1536p HD video and a head-to-toe view, allowing you to see your entire porch.
Ring and Amazon are also selling the battery-powered Ring Battery Doorbell Pro for $149.99 ($80 off), which matches its all-time low. Like the aforementioned Doorbell Plus, the Pro sports 1536p HD video and a head-to-toe view; however, the newer doorbell features radar-powered motion detection, which allows it to deliver far more accurate alerts.
The latest Ring Indoor Cam is available for $39.99 ($20 off) from Amazon and Ring, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. Along with 1080p video, the indoor camera features a built-in siren, motion-activated recording, and color night vision. It also sports a physical privacy cover that lets you disable audio and video recording.
Ring’s standard Stick Up Cam is available from Amazon and direct from Ring for $69.99 ($30 off), which remains one of its better prices to date. The indoor, battery-powered 1080p camera has multiple mounting options, along with support for both color night vision and two-way audio.
TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) is on sale at Amazon in a four-pack for $34.99 ($15 off), which matches its all-time low. The smart plug offers a lot in common with the Kasa KP125M, our top pick for most people, including reliable performance and energy monitoring. However, it lacks support for Matter, even if it is compatible with Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Eufy’s RoboVac 11S Max is on sale at Amazon for $139.99 ($110 off), its best price yet. Eufy’s basic bot offers good suction and a decent-sized dustbin for the price, rendering it a good option if you don’t need advanced cleaning features like AI obstacle avoidance or mops.
TV and streaming stick deals
You can buy the latest Amazon Fire TV Cube for $109.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The fabric-covered streaming device / Echo speaker hybrid offers better performance than its predecessor, primarily due to a faster processor and updated support for Wi-Fi 6E. Like previous models, it also integrates well with Alexa, allowing for extensive hands-free voice control capabilities. Read our review.
Tablet and e-reader deals
Amazon and Best Buy are also selling the Kindle Kids for $94.99 ($25 off), which is better than its Prime Day price and $15 shy of its all-time low. The ad-free Kids model is identical to the standard Kindle, but like the kid-friendly Kindle Paperwhite, it comes with one year of Amazon Kids Plus, a colorful cover, and a two-year hardware protection plan.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly entertainment device, we’d recommend the last-gen iPad. If you’re on a really tight budget, though, Amazon is also discounting its Fire tablets. Its highest-end model — the Amazon Fire Max 11 — is on sale with ads and 64GB of storage starting at $169.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. It can’t quite rival an iPad in terms of performance or capabilities, but it does stand out from the rest of the Fire lineup with an 11-inch, high-res LCD screen. It’s also one of Amazon’s speedier models, one that can be used with a stylus and an add-on keyboard. Read our review.
Miscellaneous deals
Epicka’s Universal Travel Adapter is on sale for $19.99 at Amazon. The adapter works in over 150 countries and comes with one USB-C port and four USB-A ports, so you can charge a wide range of electronics while traveling.
Now through September 2nd, MasterClass is offering a 50 percent discount on the first year of its annual membership plans. The online learning platform offers more than 200 expert-taught classes, helping you learn more about cooking, photography, gaming, and other topics. Yearlong plans typically start at $120, so you’d be paying $60 for unlimited access to all classes, as well as downloadable workbooks.
The Sonos Ace — which are down to an all-time low right now — feature excellent ANC and the ability to sync with Sonos soundbars. | Image: Chris Welch / The Verge
It’s always sad when summer comes to a close. However, on the bright side, Labor Day represents yet another long weekend — not to mention an opportunity to save on a slew of goods before the holiday shopping season kicks off in earnest. Although Labor Day isn’t until September 2nd, many retailers are already offering steep discounts on a range of tech, some of which rival the Prime Day deals we saw in July.
Right now, for instance, Apple’s last-gen iPad is on sale for less than $200. Other Verge-approved items have also fallen to an all-time low, including Sonos’ Era 100 speaker, Amazon’s latest Echo Spot, and the entry-level Kindle. Granted, we’ve seen many of these products go for slightly less in the past — and it’s possible we’ll see even better deals during Amazon’s next Prime Day event in October — but now is a great time to pick up last-minute school supplies or begin chipping away at your wishlist. After all, it rarely hurts to get ahead, even if you’re wallet might say otherwise.
Speaker deals
Some of Ultimate Ears’ newest portable speakers are also on sale through September 2nd. Right now, for instance, Amazon, Best Buy, and UE are selling the UE Megaboom 4 for $169.99 ($30 off). The UE Wonderboom 4 is also down to $79.99 ($20 off) — an all-time low — at Amazon, Best Buy, and direct from UE. Both Bluetooth speakers offer USB-C support, a rugged IP67 rating, and a new megaphone feature that amplifies your voice when you speak into it. However, the larger Megaboom 4 delivers more robust sound and longer battery life, allowing for up to 20 hours of playback.
You can also buy last year’s UE Epicboom for $269.99 ($30 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Logitech. The speaker sits above the Megaboom 4 in the lineup, delivering more powerful, 360-degree sound. It doesn’t really offer a lot of additional perks beyond that, though it does feature USB-C charging and an IP67 rating like all of the aforementioned UE models. Read our review.
You can also buy the fifth-gen Echo Dot in blue, black, or white with a Sengled smart bulb for $29.99 ($40 off), which is one of its better prices to date. The latest Dot delivers more powerful sound than the Echo Pop while retaining Alexa support. It can also function as a Wi-Fi extender for Eero mesh networks and features a built-in temperature sensor. Read our review.
Earbud and headphone deals
Apple’s AirPods Max are on sale for $399 ($150 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is nearly their best price to date. It’s possible that Apple could replace them with a new USB-C model at its “Glowtime” event on September 9th, but at the moment, few headphones offer as good value if you’re an iPhone owner. They pair well with other Apple devices, after all, and feature exemplary sound and noise cancellation. Read our review.
The second-gen AirPods are also on sale for $89 ($40 off) at Amazon and Walmart, which is $20 shy of their all-time low. They lack advanced capabilities like noise cancellation and multipoint connectivity, but they remain a reliable pair of wireless earbuds that deliver good sound and long battery life. Again, we may see several new AirPods models in just a few weeks, so you may want to wait if you’re after the latest and greatest earbuds. Read our review.
Smart home deals
If you’re looking for a video doorbell, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is our favorite battery-powered model on the market — one that’s currently available for $119.99 ($30 off) from both Amazon and Ring. The responsive doorbell offers an impressive feature set for the price, including 1536p HD video and a head-to-toe view, allowing you to see your entire porch.
Ring and Amazon are also selling the battery-powered Ring Battery Doorbell Pro for $149.99 ($80 off), which matches its all-time low. Like the aforementioned Doorbell Plus, the Pro sports 1536p HD video and a head-to-toe view; however, the newer doorbell features radar-powered motion detection, which allows it to deliver far more accurate alerts.
The latest Ring Indoor Cam is available for $39.99 ($20 off) from Amazon and Ring, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. Along with 1080p video, the indoor camera features a built-in siren, motion-activated recording, and color night vision. It also sports a physical privacy cover that lets you disable audio and video recording.
Ring’s standard Stick Up Cam is available from Amazon and direct from Ring for $69.99 ($30 off), which remains one of its better prices to date. The indoor, battery-powered 1080p camera has multiple mounting options, along with support for both color night vision and two-way audio.
TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) is on sale at Amazon in a four-pack for $34.99 ($15 off), which matches its all-time low. The smart plug offers a lot in common with the Kasa KP125M, our top pick for most people, including reliable performance and energy monitoring. However, it lacks support for Matter, even if it is compatible with Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Eufy’s RoboVac 11S Max is on sale at Amazon for $139.99 ($110 off), its best price yet. Eufy’s basic bot offers good suction and a decent-sized dustbin for the price, rendering it a good option if you don’t need advanced cleaning features like AI obstacle avoidance or mops.
TV and streaming stick deals
You can buy the latest Amazon Fire TV Cube for $109.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The fabric-covered streaming device / Echo speaker hybrid offers better performance than its predecessor, primarily due to a faster processor and updated support for Wi-Fi 6E. Like previous models, it also integrates well with Alexa, allowing for extensive hands-free voice control capabilities. Read our review.
Tablet and e-reader deals
Amazon and Best Buy are also selling the Kindle Kids for $94.99 ($25 off), which is better than its Prime Day price and $15 shy of its all-time low. The ad-free Kids model is identical to the standard Kindle, but like the kid-friendly Kindle Paperwhite, it comes with one year of Amazon Kids Plus, a colorful cover, and a two-year hardware protection plan.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly entertainment device, we’d recommend the last-gen iPad. If you’re on a really tight budget, though, Amazon is also discounting its Fire tablets. Its highest-end model — the Amazon Fire Max 11 — is on sale with ads and 64GB of storage starting at $169.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. It can’t quite rival an iPad in terms of performance or capabilities, but it does stand out from the rest of the Fire lineup with an 11-inch, high-res LCD screen. It’s also one of Amazon’s speedier models, one that can be used with a stylus and an add-on keyboard. Read our review.
Miscellaneous deals
Epicka’s Universal Travel Adapter is on sale for $19.99 at Amazon. The adapter works in over 150 countries and comes with one USB-C port and four USB-A ports, so you can charge a wide range of electronics while traveling.
Now through September 2nd, MasterClass is offering a 50 percent discount on the first year of its annual membership plans. The online learning platform offers more than 200 expert-taught classes, helping you learn more about cooking, photography, gaming, and other topics. Yearlong plans typically start at $120, so you’d be paying $60 for unlimited access to all classes, as well as downloadable workbooks.