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After the country’s Supreme Court ordered internet service providers to block access to X, the platform was largely unavailable in the country by Sunday night. The only ways to access X since then have been through VPNs (for those willing to risk huge fines) and Starlink, the satellite internet service that’s also run by X owner Elon Musk.
The president of Brazil’s telecom agency, Anatel, said that Starlink refused to comply with the court order until officials released its frozen assets, The New York Times reports. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice who has been on the warpath against X, also blocked the local bank accounts of Starlink, which is a SpaceX subsidiary. Moraes, who has accused X of disseminating hate speech and disinformation, is said to have done so with the aim of collecting $3 million in fines levied against X for ignoring his orders to block certain accounts.
Starlink petitioned the court to unblock its assets but the court dismissed the request. Musk called the Starlink account freeze “illegal,” arguing that SpaceX and X are separate entities while claiming he owns 40 percent of the former.
There are around 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. The service has proven popular there in rural areas and among Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Starlink pledged to provide free internet access to its Brazilian customers while its accounts in the country remain blocked.
If Starlink maintains its stance on X, Brazil could revoke the internet service’s license. If it continues to operate after that, officials could seize equipment from 23 ground stations. The gear helps Starlink improve the quality of its satellite connections.
Meanwhile, a majority of a Supreme Court panel upheld the X ban, which Moraes issued after Musk defied several of his orders, at a trial on Monday. X will have the right to appeal the decision. The panel also approved an order by Moraes to fine anyone caught using a VPN to access X in Brazil a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/starlink-is-refusing-to-comply-with-brazils-x-ban-181144912.html?src=rss

After the country’s Supreme Court ordered internet service providers to block access to X, the platform was largely unavailable in the country by Sunday night. The only ways to access X since then have been through VPNs (for those willing to risk huge fines) and Starlink, the satellite internet service that’s also run by X owner Elon Musk.

The president of Brazil’s telecom agency, Anatel, said that Starlink refused to comply with the court order until officials released its frozen assets, The New York Times reports. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice who has been on the warpath against X, also blocked the local bank accounts of Starlink, which is a SpaceX subsidiary. Moraes, who has accused X of disseminating hate speech and disinformation, is said to have done so with the aim of collecting $3 million in fines levied against X for ignoring his orders to block certain accounts.

Starlink petitioned the court to unblock its assets but the court dismissed the request. Musk called the Starlink account freeze “illegal,” arguing that SpaceX and X are separate entities while claiming he owns 40 percent of the former.

There are around 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. The service has proven popular there in rural areas and among Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Starlink pledged to provide free internet access to its Brazilian customers while its accounts in the country remain blocked.

If Starlink maintains its stance on X, Brazil could revoke the internet service’s license. If it continues to operate after that, officials could seize equipment from 23 ground stations. The gear helps Starlink improve the quality of its satellite connections.

Meanwhile, a majority of a Supreme Court panel upheld the X ban, which Moraes issued after Musk defied several of his orders, at a trial on Monday. X will have the right to appeal the decision. The panel also approved an order by Moraes to fine anyone caught using a VPN to access X in Brazil a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/starlink-is-refusing-to-comply-with-brazils-x-ban-181144912.html?src=rss

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Capcom has updated the mobile ports of several Resident Evil games to now require an internet connection when the apps are opened. As noted by Eurogamer, patch notes for the latest Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village updates read, “Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app.”
It’s unclear why Capcom added this requirement, but it stinks. It prevents anyone taking a flight without Wi-Fi or those hoping to sneak in a little game time while camping in the middle of nowhere from playing any of these games on their phone or tablet. It mitigates the notion that mobile games can be played anywhere, but you can avoid the issue if you already have the games you want to play on your device and automatic updates are off.
Several commenters on a Reddit thread that flagged the change said they’d be asking for a refund. However, Capcom may not have to be too worried about having to pay back a ton of players. There are reports that the mobile versions of the three games haven’t been very successful. For instance, data suggests that just 2,000 people had paid for the iOS port of Resident Evil 7 in its first two weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil-mobile-ports-now-require-an-online-check-in-before-you-can-play-161156065.html?src=rss

Capcom has updated the mobile ports of several Resident Evil games to now require an internet connection when the apps are opened. As noted by Eurogamer, patch notes for the latest Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village updates read, “Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app.”

It’s unclear why Capcom added this requirement, but it stinks. It prevents anyone taking a flight without Wi-Fi or those hoping to sneak in a little game time while camping in the middle of nowhere from playing any of these games on their phone or tablet. It mitigates the notion that mobile games can be played anywhere, but you can avoid the issue if you already have the games you want to play on your device and automatic updates are off.

Several commenters on a Reddit thread that flagged the change said they’d be asking for a refund. However, Capcom may not have to be too worried about having to pay back a ton of players. There are reports that the mobile versions of the three games haven’t been very successful. For instance, data suggests that just 2,000 people had paid for the iOS port of Resident Evil 7 in its first two weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil-mobile-ports-now-require-an-online-check-in-before-you-can-play-161156065.html?src=rss

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Connections, the daily word game from The New York Times, isn’t exactly easy. In fact, the solve rate dips below 50 percent some days. To help highlight where players are going wrong, a new bot is employing AI to guess the thought process they’re using for the most common mistakes every day.
For the uninitiated, Connections is a word/logic game that the paper of record debuted last year. Every day, you’re presented with a grid of 16 words that you have to split into four categories. There’s only one solution and after four mistakes, the game is over. However, there’s some trickiness afoot. There are often red herrings galore and frequently at least five viable answers for a group.
I’m hooked and I’ve played every day since last July. It’s one of our favorite games of 2023 overall (though it’s perhaps not entirely original).
After you win or lose each day’s game, you can saunter over to the Connections Bot. As with the bot for Wordle, you’ll see how well you did compared with other players and receive a skill score out of 99. This is primarily based on how few mistakes you make, but you’ll get extra credit for solving the more difficult purple and blue categories first.
After you see the skill score and other details (such as whether a red herring caught you out), the AI feature comes into play. This will highlight the most common incorrect guesses from that day. It will also try to guess a description for the group that players had in mind. So, for a failed guess of gutter, bowl, alley and lane, the bot might believe you were looking for a list of bowling-related terms. This is a real example from a recent game in which I made that exact mistake. Alley and lane were actually types of streets.
New York Times
Your own failed guesses might not show up in the bot, though. That’s because there are around 2.6 million different ways to group each grid together. Bear in mind that while you don’t need a Times account to play Connections, you’ll need to be logged into one to use the bot and track your scores.
One other interesting thing about the bot is that it marks the first time that the Times’ newsroom will regularly publish AI-generated English text. Before publication, the paper’s editors will review all AI-generated responses and may edit them for style and clarity. That said, the Times notes that “there’s no way to use math or even artificial intelligence to reliably solve the game,” so you can’t really use the likes of ChatGPT to cheat at it quite yet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nyt-connections-bot-uses-ai-to-highlight-each-days-top-mistakes-145242525.html?src=rss

Connections, the daily word game from The New York Times, isn’t exactly easy. In fact, the solve rate dips below 50 percent some days. To help highlight where players are going wrong, a new bot is employing AI to guess the thought process they’re using for the most common mistakes every day.

For the uninitiated, Connections is a word/logic game that the paper of record debuted last year. Every day, you’re presented with a grid of 16 words that you have to split into four categories. There’s only one solution and after four mistakes, the game is over. However, there’s some trickiness afoot. There are often red herrings galore and frequently at least five viable answers for a group.

I’m hooked and I’ve played every day since last July. It’s one of our favorite games of 2023 overall (though it’s perhaps not entirely original).

After you win or lose each day’s game, you can saunter over to the Connections Bot. As with the bot for Wordle, you’ll see how well you did compared with other players and receive a skill score out of 99. This is primarily based on how few mistakes you make, but you’ll get extra credit for solving the more difficult purple and blue categories first.

After you see the skill score and other details (such as whether a red herring caught you out), the AI feature comes into play. This will highlight the most common incorrect guesses from that day. It will also try to guess a description for the group that players had in mind. So, for a failed guess of gutter, bowl, alley and lane, the bot might believe you were looking for a list of bowling-related terms. This is a real example from a recent game in which I made that exact mistake. Alley and lane were actually types of streets.

Your own failed guesses might not show up in the bot, though. That’s because there are around 2.6 million different ways to group each grid together. Bear in mind that while you don’t need a Times account to play Connections, you’ll need to be logged into one to use the bot and track your scores.

One other interesting thing about the bot is that it marks the first time that the Times’ newsroom will regularly publish AI-generated English text. Before publication, the paper’s editors will review all AI-generated responses and may edit them for style and clarity. That said, the Times notes that “there’s no way to use math or even artificial intelligence to reliably solve the game,” so you can’t really use the likes of ChatGPT to cheat at it quite yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nyt-connections-bot-uses-ai-to-highlight-each-days-top-mistakes-145242525.html?src=rss

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Thank Goodness You’re Here is here; a gravy-flavored palate cleanser from all the action-adventures, Souls-likes and Metroidvanias I’ve played the last few months.
Published by Panic Inc., the same company that unleashed Untitled Goose Game into the world, there’s a certain throughline, even if the aesthetic and tone is very different. Presented in cartoon style somewhere between Cartoon Network and educational ‘toons for preschoolers, it’s an aggressively English, charmingly northern “slap-former”, where you play as an unnamed tiny man, who’s come for a job interview at town hall. After being fobbed off by the receptionist, he has to kill time in the fictional northern-England town called Barnsworth, which is definitely 80 percent Barnsley, 20 percent plausible deniability.
Thank Goodness You’re Here is almost the opposite of the anarchy introduced by Untitled Goose Game: you’re trying to help. Despite having no connection to Barnsworth, our little hero — in varying degrees of tininess — is inadvertently pulled into plumbing tasks, fetch quests and surreal dream-sequence meat-mangling, without ever being asked if he can help.
Coal Supper
While it is a video game, it’s more like a loosely connected bunch of set pieces and vignettes. Controls are simple: you steer the little guy around the town, able only to punch (well, slap) and jump. There are a few low-stakes platforming sections, but he isn’t attempting to be Mario. A lot of the joy comes from Barnsworth itself, with its nodding in-jokes, posters and signage running the comedy gamut from buttock slapping and visual gags, through to Yorkshire dialect gags and even a few digs at gaming – ludonarrative be damned!
There’s a running joke about wheelie-bins (in the UK, most of our garbage cans are on wheels) that made me laugh on a Sunday evening – the most dour part of my week.
It’s all actually funny. The writing and voicing help enrich this surreal little town as you explore, with Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) headlining and a lot of UK comedy talent including The Delightful Sausage’s Chris Cantrill, currently co-creator of BBC’s Icklewick FM, which shares a similar surreal “northern” kind humor. (Cantrill was also just nominated for Best Show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.)
The only drawback, one that comes from the on–the-rails style of play, is that it’s tragically short. But it’s dense with jokes and knowing nods I’m on my second playthrough, taking in all the details, like the horny elderly couple who are never involved with any of your tasks, but always on the sidelines; the cheesy dad-jokery if you linger in a scene and let the characters to talk (“I’m eating for two now… Plus I’m pregnant”); the lightly barbed references to economic decline in the north, and the unashamed exaggeration of northern or working-class stereotypes, many of which will go over American (and south-of-England) players’ heads.
A great example is when you launch the game, and it’ll ask a question in a heavy Yorkshire dialect. Answer ‘wrong’, and the game will play out with standard english text, answer right and all the menus will be loaded with northern slang. There’s nowt to panic ’bout, mind: you can flip between ’em in t’ menu at any time.
It’s a short but rich experience. It’s worth playing for the sheet lunacy of the final set piece, possibly my favorite gaming moment of the year.

Thank Goodness You’re Here is out now on Mac, PC, PS5 and Switch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/thank-goodness-youre-here-is-a-vibrant-funny-unashamedly-silly-game-133030648.html?src=rss

Thank Goodness You’re Here is here; a gravy-flavored palate cleanser from all the action-adventures, Souls-likes and Metroidvanias I’ve played the last few months.

Published by Panic Inc., the same company that unleashed Untitled Goose Game into the world, there’s a certain throughline, even if the aesthetic and tone is very different. Presented in cartoon style somewhere between Cartoon Network and educational ‘toons for preschoolers, it’s an aggressively English, charmingly northern “slap-former”, where you play as an unnamed tiny man, who’s come for a job interview at town hall. After being fobbed off by the receptionist, he has to kill time in the fictional northern-England town called Barnsworth, which is definitely 80 percent Barnsley, 20 percent plausible deniability.

Thank Goodness You’re Here is almost the opposite of the anarchy introduced by Untitled Goose Game: you’re trying to help. Despite having no connection to Barnsworth, our little hero — in varying degrees of tininess — is inadvertently pulled into plumbing tasks, fetch quests and surreal dream-sequence meat-mangling, without ever being asked if he can help.

While it is a video game, it’s more like a loosely connected bunch of set pieces and vignettes. Controls are simple: you steer the little guy around the town, able only to punch (well, slap) and jump. There are a few low-stakes platforming sections, but he isn’t attempting to be Mario. A lot of the joy comes from Barnsworth itself, with its nodding in-jokes, posters and signage running the comedy gamut from buttock slapping and visual gags, through to Yorkshire dialect gags and even a few digs at gaming – ludonarrative be damned!

There’s a running joke about wheelie-bins (in the UK, most of our garbage cans are on wheels) that made me laugh on a Sunday evening – the most dour part of my week.

It’s all actually funny. The writing and voicing help enrich this surreal little town as you explore, with Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) headlining and a lot of UK comedy talent including The Delightful Sausage’s Chris Cantrill, currently co-creator of BBC’s Icklewick FM, which shares a similar surreal “northern” kind humor. (Cantrill was also just nominated for Best Show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.)

The only drawback, one that comes from the on–the-rails style of play, is that it’s tragically short. But it’s dense with jokes and knowing nods I’m on my second playthrough, taking in all the details, like the horny elderly couple who are never involved with any of your tasks, but always on the sidelines; the cheesy dad-jokery if you linger in a scene and let the characters to talk (“I’m eating for two now… Plus I’m pregnant”); the lightly barbed references to economic decline in the north, and the unashamed exaggeration of northern or working-class stereotypes, many of which will go over American (and south-of-England) players’ heads.

A great example is when you launch the game, and it’ll ask a question in a heavy Yorkshire dialect. Answer ‘wrong’, and the game will play out with standard english text, answer right and all the menus will be loaded with northern slang. There’s nowt to panic ’bout, mind: you can flip between ’em in t’ menu at any time.

It’s a short but rich experience. It’s worth playing for the sheet lunacy of the final set piece, possibly my favorite gaming moment of the year.

Thank Goodness You’re Here is out now on Mac, PC, PS5 and Switch.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/thank-goodness-youre-here-is-a-vibrant-funny-unashamedly-silly-game-133030648.html?src=rss

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ESPN’s broadcast of the US Open was cut short for DirecTV users on Sunday after Disney issued a blackout midway through on all of its networks. It occurred after a 2019 deal expired without a new agreement for a licensing deal between the two companies.
Unsurprisingly, DirecTV and Disney disagree on which company is to blame. “The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system,” Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV, said in a statement. “They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers — making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price.”
DirecTV’s release also claimed that Disney mandated at the last minute that it “must agree to waive all claims that Disney’s behavior is anti-competitive” to proceed with a deal. The provider further called out Disney for being unpopular with many of DirecTV’s customers. It also took issue with Disney putting its “best programming,” like The Bear and Only Murders In The Building, directly on streaming services while filling ABC with “cheap-to-produce primetime gameshows, unscripted spinoffs, old former ABC hits, or simulcast content.”
In contrast, Disney claimed that DirecTV “chose” to deny their subscribers access to content. “While we’re open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we’ve extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs,” stated Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN. “We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that’s what our viewers expect and deserve. We urge DirecTV to do what’s in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming.”
A similar disagreement occurred at the same time last year. In that instance, Disney pulled its networks from Spectrum for 12 days until making a new deal with Charter, Spectrum’s parent company. The agreement brought back channels like ABC and ESPN, and Spectrum TV Select and Select Plus subscribers also got access to the Disney+ basic tier and ESPN+ (only Select Plus users). In its release, DirecTV called out this pattern, claiming that “Disney is again taking an anti-consumer approach.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-cuts-directv-customers-access-to-abc-espn-and-more-123047594.html?src=rss

ESPN’s broadcast of the US Open was cut short for DirecTV users on Sunday after Disney issued a blackout midway through on all of its networks. It occurred after a 2019 deal expired without a new agreement for a licensing deal between the two companies.

Unsurprisingly, DirecTV and Disney disagree on which company is to blame. “The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system,” Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV, said in a statement. “They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers — making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price.”

DirecTV’s release also claimed that Disney mandated at the last minute that it “must agree to waive all claims that Disney’s behavior is anti-competitive” to proceed with a deal. The provider further called out Disney for being unpopular with many of DirecTV’s customers. It also took issue with Disney putting its “best programming,” like The Bear and Only Murders In The Building, directly on streaming services while filling ABC with “cheap-to-produce primetime gameshows, unscripted spinoffs, old former ABC hits, or simulcast content.”

In contrast, Disney claimed that DirecTV “chose” to deny their subscribers access to content. “While we’re open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we’ve extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs,” stated Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN. “We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that’s what our viewers expect and deserve. We urge DirecTV to do what’s in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming.”

A similar disagreement occurred at the same time last year. In that instance, Disney pulled its networks from Spectrum for 12 days until making a new deal with Charter, Spectrum’s parent company. The agreement brought back channels like ABC and ESPN, and Spectrum TV Select and Select Plus subscribers also got access to the Disney+ basic tier and ESPN+ (only Select Plus users). In its release, DirecTV called out this pattern, claiming that “Disney is again taking an anti-consumer approach.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-cuts-directv-customers-access-to-abc-espn-and-more-123047594.html?src=rss

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It’s Labor Day, so tech news typically slows down. We’ve still got some intriguing headlines to share, though, like, er, a new Tamagotchi. Bandai’s newest digital pet is made with recycled eggshells. The Original Tamagotchi Celebration digital pet is even colored like a tan/brown egg, with green and white designs with pink accents and buttons.
In ways, it’s a bit of a throwback compared to the recently released Tamagotchis. In May, the company re-released Tamagotchi Connection, the model with a faux antenna, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Last year’s Tamagotchi Uni had WiFi connectivity and gave users access to the Tamaverse.
This one is a little more basic, and it’s available at Amazon, currently on pre-order for $30.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed

Engadget Podcast: iPhone 16 and Apple rumors with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a wild search for a lost tech icon
Apple reportedly plans to drop USB-A ports with the M4 Mac mini
​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

There’s a creepy, sonar-like sound coming through one of Starliner’s speakers
Mission Control is trying to help figure out the source of a pulsing noise.

Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth, uncrewed, in just a matter of days, but it’s keeping the team busy before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA’s Mission Control to an unexplained “strange noise” coming from a speaker in the spacecraft. You can hear the mystery sound right here, around the 45-second mark.
Continue reading.

Engadget review recap
The Pixel 9 phones are surprisingly great.

Given the speed of tech news and announcements, sometimes our more involved reviews might pass under the radar. Our bi-weekly (ish) recap should make sure nothing gets missed. This second edition includes our reviews of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and the latest CoPilot+ laptop from Dell.
Continue reading.

The best Labor Day sales from Apple, Amazon, Samsung and more
Wasn’t it just Prime Day?
Engadget
The final summer holiday weekend is here, and there are Labor Day sales. Historically, Labor Day isn’t a big deal for tech bargains, but there are usually a few worth your time. Some good deals cut a chunk of change off several MacBook models.
Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-a-tamagotchi-made-with-real-egg-111507644.html?src=rss

It’s Labor Day, so tech news typically slows down. We’ve still got some intriguing headlines to share, though, like, er, a new Tamagotchi. Bandai’s newest digital pet is made with recycled eggshells. The Original Tamagotchi Celebration digital pet is even colored like a tan/brown egg, with green and white designs with pink accents and buttons.

In ways, it’s a bit of a throwback compared to the recently released Tamagotchis. In May, the company re-released Tamagotchi Connection, the model with a faux antenna, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Last year’s Tamagotchi Uni had WiFi connectivity and gave users access to the Tamaverse.

This one is a little more basic, and it’s available at Amazon, currently on pre-order for $30.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Engadget Podcast: iPhone 16 and Apple rumors with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman

Seeking Mavis Beacon is a wild search for a lost tech icon

Apple reportedly plans to drop USB-A ports with the M4 Mac mini

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

There’s a creepy, sonar-like sound coming through one of Starliner’s speakers

Mission Control is trying to help figure out the source of a pulsing noise.

Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth, uncrewed, in just a matter of days, but it’s keeping the team busy before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA’s Mission Control to an unexplained “strange noise” coming from a speaker in the spacecraft. You can hear the mystery sound right here, around the 45-second mark.

Continue reading.

Engadget review recap

The Pixel 9 phones are surprisingly great.

Given the speed of tech news and announcements, sometimes our more involved reviews might pass under the radar. Our bi-weekly (ish) recap should make sure nothing gets missed. This second edition includes our reviews of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and the latest CoPilot+ laptop from Dell.

Continue reading.

The best Labor Day sales from Apple, Amazon, Samsung and more

Wasn’t it just Prime Day?

The final summer holiday weekend is here, and there are Labor Day sales. Historically, Labor Day isn’t a big deal for tech bargains, but there are usually a few worth your time. Some good deals cut a chunk of change off several MacBook models.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-a-tamagotchi-made-with-real-egg-111507644.html?src=rss

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Heart-warming little adventure games have really found a place to thrive in the Playdate. I picked up Electrolight this weekend while looking for something in the same vein as the bite-sized puzzle/exploration game, Eyeland — cute, low-commitment, not particularly difficult — and found it to be utterly charming.
Electrolight is described as “a tiny game about a tiny piece of light on a tiny adventure.” In it, you’re just a twinkle of light trying to find your way out of a computer so you can see the world. There are only a handful of rooms to explore, with a few simple puzzles to solve and items to collect that will help you advance on your mission. And there are some inspirational messages sprinkled throughout to encourage you on your journey toward new experiences.
Weakty
It’s a short game that’s perfect for a moment when you just want something lighthearted to keep you busy for a half-hour or so. I completed it in about 20 minutes. Electrolight only costs $2 on the Playdate Catalog.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/electrolight-is-a-short-and-sweet-playdate-adventure-game-about-branching-out-213656431.html?src=rss

Heart-warming little adventure games have really found a place to thrive in the Playdate. I picked up Electrolight this weekend while looking for something in the same vein as the bite-sized puzzle/exploration game, Eyeland — cute, low-commitment, not particularly difficult — and found it to be utterly charming.

Electrolight is described as “a tiny game about a tiny piece of light on a tiny adventure.” In it, you’re just a twinkle of light trying to find your way out of a computer so you can see the world. There are only a handful of rooms to explore, with a few simple puzzles to solve and items to collect that will help you advance on your mission. And there are some inspirational messages sprinkled throughout to encourage you on your journey toward new experiences.

It’s a short game that’s perfect for a moment when you just want something lighthearted to keep you busy for a half-hour or so. I completed it in about 20 minutes. Electrolight only costs $2 on the Playdate Catalog.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/electrolight-is-a-short-and-sweet-playdate-adventure-game-about-branching-out-213656431.html?src=rss

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Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and make its return trip to Earth uncrewed in just a matter of days, but it apparently still has a few new mysteries left in it to throw at the team before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA’s Mission Control about an unexplained “strange noise” coming from a speaker in the spacecraft, which you can hear in an audio clip of the conversation shared on a NASASpaceflight forum by meteorologist Rob Dale (spotted by Ars Technica). It starts at around the 45-second mark, ringing out on a steady beat. “I don’t know what’s making it,” Wilmore said.
After confirming they could hear the sound too, once Wilmore brought his mic over to the speaker, the flight controller in Houston said, “It was kind of like a pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping.” Wilmore then lets it play for about 20 seconds more before wrapping up the call. “Just to make sure I’m on the same page, this is emanating from the speaker in Starliner,” Mission Control asked, “you don’t notice anything else, any other noises, any weird configs in there?” The astronaut notes that everything else seems normal.
It’s still unclear what caused the sound. The Boeing spacecraft has been docked with the ISS since early June, and engineers have since had their hands full trying to get to the bottom of the issues that arose during its first crewed flight. When Starliner finally heads back to Earth on September 6, it’ll be leaving its crew — Wilmore and NASA astronaut Suni Williams — behind on the ISS, where they’ll continue to work for the next few months while they wait for a ride home from SpaceX in February 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/now-theres-a-creepy-sonar-like-sound-coming-through-one-of-starliners-speakers-184751210.html?src=rss

Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and make its return trip to Earth uncrewed in just a matter of days, but it apparently still has a few new mysteries left in it to throw at the team before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA’s Mission Control about an unexplained “strange noise” coming from a speaker in the spacecraft, which you can hear in an audio clip of the conversation shared on a NASASpaceflight forum by meteorologist Rob Dale (spotted by Ars Technica). It starts at around the 45-second mark, ringing out on a steady beat. “I don’t know what’s making it,” Wilmore said.

After confirming they could hear the sound too, once Wilmore brought his mic over to the speaker, the flight controller in Houston said, “It was kind of like a pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping.” Wilmore then lets it play for about 20 seconds more before wrapping up the call. “Just to make sure I’m on the same page, this is emanating from the speaker in Starliner,” Mission Control asked, “you don’t notice anything else, any other noises, any weird configs in there?” The astronaut notes that everything else seems normal.

It’s still unclear what caused the sound. The Boeing spacecraft has been docked with the ISS since early June, and engineers have since had their hands full trying to get to the bottom of the issues that arose during its first crewed flight. When Starliner finally heads back to Earth on September 6, it’ll be leaving its crew — Wilmore and NASA astronaut Suni Williams — behind on the ISS, where they’ll continue to work for the next few months while they wait for a ride home from SpaceX in February 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/now-theres-a-creepy-sonar-like-sound-coming-through-one-of-starliners-speakers-184751210.html?src=rss

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Apple’s M4 Mac mini will boast a ton of ports, but not a single one of them will be USB-A, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In the Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that Apple is ditching USB-A ports with the upcoming Mac mini. The company is working on a standard and Pro version of the computer, and while it won’t have USB-A, the Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip will have five USB-C ports, an ethernet port, HDMI and a headphone jack, according to Gurman. The new Mac mini is also expected to have an internal power supply. Gurman reports that the standard and Pro versions will begin shipping to warehouses in September and October, respectively.
Apple is also reportedly working on a cheaper, pared down version of its Magic Keyboard that’s slated to launch “by the middle of next year.” The company introduced a new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro this spring, and Gurman indicates it’s now turning its attention to the non-Pro devices. He writes that the upcoming accessory “will be a low-end version that may be designed for an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-reportedly-plans-to-drop-usb-a-ports-with-the-m4-mac-mini-and-is-working-on-a-low-end-magic-keyboard-154306266.html?src=rss

Apple’s M4 Mac mini will boast a ton of ports, but not a single one of them will be USB-A, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In the Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that Apple is ditching USB-A ports with the upcoming Mac mini. The company is working on a standard and Pro version of the computer, and while it won’t have USB-A, the Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip will have five USB-C ports, an ethernet port, HDMI and a headphone jack, according to Gurman. The new Mac mini is also expected to have an internal power supply. Gurman reports that the standard and Pro versions will begin shipping to warehouses in September and October, respectively.

Apple is also reportedly working on a cheaper, pared down version of its Magic Keyboard that’s slated to launch “by the middle of next year.” The company introduced a new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro this spring, and Gurman indicates it’s now turning its attention to the non-Pro devices. He writes that the upcoming accessory “will be a low-end version that may be designed for an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-reportedly-plans-to-drop-usb-a-ports-with-the-m4-mac-mini-and-is-working-on-a-low-end-magic-keyboard-154306266.html?src=rss

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If this week’s rumor about a video game set in the universe of 2022’s The Batman got your hopes up, I have some bad news: no such thing is in development at the moment. Responding to a question on Threads about whether Warner Bros. has a game in the works based on the Robert Pattinson-led film, DC Studios’ co-head James Gunn said, “Sadly there is no truth to this whatsoever.” The rumor stems from a Puck report that was published on Friday.
The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, popped back up in theaters on Wednesday as part of AMC’s celebration of the 85th anniversary of Batman. Work on a sequel is currently underway, and an HBO limited series focusing on The Penguin is slated to come out this fall. We aren’t getting a video game spin-off any time soon, though. And, in case you were wondering, “There is also no truth to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba being played on the set of Superman (this is a real rumor on Reddit someone just sent me!),” Gunn posted.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/no-a-video-game-spin-off-of-the-batman-is-not-in-the-works-james-gunn-says-211149164.html?src=rss

If this week’s rumor about a video game set in the universe of 2022’s The Batman got your hopes up, I have some bad news: no such thing is in development at the moment. Responding to a question on Threads about whether Warner Bros. has a game in the works based on the Robert Pattinson-led film, DC Studios’ co-head James Gunn said, “Sadly there is no truth to this whatsoever.” The rumor stems from a Puck report that was published on Friday.

The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, popped back up in theaters on Wednesday as part of AMC’s celebration of the 85th anniversary of Batman. Work on a sequel is currently underway, and an HBO limited series focusing on The Penguin is slated to come out this fall. We aren’t getting a video game spin-off any time soon, though. And, in case you were wondering, “There is also no truth to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba being played on the set of Superman (this is a real rumor on Reddit someone just sent me!),” Gunn posted.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/no-a-video-game-spin-off-of-the-batman-is-not-in-the-works-james-gunn-says-211149164.html?src=rss

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