-
Amazon allegedly pressured companies to raise product prices with other retailers
5 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Business, Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Rob Bonta, the Attorney General of California, has released an unredacted copy of a legal document that the state filed in relation to its lawsuit against Amazon, containing details of the company’s alleged price fixing scheme. In it, the state of California accuses the e-commerce company of reaching out to brands and asking them to “fix” the retail prices of their products on competitors’ websites. Due to Amazon’s “overwhelming bargaining leverage” and out of fear of punishment, the brands agree to raise their products’ prices on other retailers like Walmart and Target or to remove them altogether, the filing reads.
California
-
The Morning After: The next CEO of Apple will be hardware exec John Ternus
6 hours ago
by Mat Smith
Robots, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
Apple’s current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO when Tim Cook steps down this September. Cook said in a statement: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company.”
Following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, Cook led the charge for Apple’s post-iPhone and iPad era, launching the AirPods, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. He also turned the company into a service provider with the launch of Apple TV, Apple Music and several other subscription services. Cook
-
Yelp's AI chatbot can now make your dinner reservation
6 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Every business seems to think that its customers want more AI. Yelp is the latest to add more artificial intelligence tools. The review site has upgraded its Yelp Assistant, an agentic AI chatbot, to work across all of Yelp's categories. Yelp Assistant was initially launched in 2024 with a limited scope and then expanded in 2025.
With the latest update to its chatbot, Yelp Assistant can handle natural language queries for finding a specific local business. It can also be used to take some additional actions, such as making a restaurant reservation or ordering takeout. Yelp's spring product updates introduced new
-
Homeland Security reportedly wants to develop smart glasses for ICE
8 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Politics & Government, Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly developing smart glasses that could be used to collect intelligence on immigrants and US citizens, journalist Ken Klippenstein reported. The devices would help ICE agents identify "illegal aliens" from a distance by capturing video and comparing it to biometric data like facial recognition and walking gait, according to budget documents seen by Klippenstein. The DHS wants to deploy the "ICE Glasses" by September 2027.
"The project will deliver innovative hardware, such as operational prototypes of smart glasses, to equip agents with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field," the
-
Sennheiser launches HD 480 Pro, the closed-back headphones fans have been waiting for
9 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Audio Technology, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Sennheiser has introduced a new high-end headphone set for audio professionals. The HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company's popular HD 490 Pro headset. Both headphones are designed for audio professionals, aiming to fit both a studio or a live performance setting. The company is positioning this product as a versatile option that can handle recording, monitoring, producing or mixing.
The HD 480 Pro aims to address two complaints for closed-back headsets: comfort for long wearing sessions and accurate bass reproduction. Sennheiser uses what it dubs a "Vibration Attenuation System" to prevent distortions or reflections in the
-
Instagram says a bug turned your photos black and white
11 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
If Instagram has been turning your color photo posts into black and white recently, don’t worry, there’s no problem with your camera or your account. The Meta-owned app has confirmed to Engadget that the issue is caused by a bug that’s affecting HDR photos in particular. "Earlier today, a technical issue caused some HDR photos to appear incorrectly as black-and-white for a subset of accounts,” Instagram has told us. However, we see complaints dated April 18 and 19, so the issue has been going on a bit longer for some people.
Regardless of when the bug started causing problems, the Instagram
-
Amazon will invest up to $25 billion in Anthropic in a broad deal
18 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Amazon and Anthropic are strengthening their ties once again, with steep financial commitments made on both sides. Today, Amazon announced that it will invest $5 billion in the AI company, along with as much as $20 billion in additional payments if certain milestones are met. This news follows the initial $4 billion investment Amazon made in Anthropic in 2023 and a second $4 billion round from 2024.
On Anthropic's side, it has committed to continued use of Amazon's custom Trainium silicon for its AI models. The latest agreement will see Anthropic promising to spend more than $100 billion on AWS technologies
-
Google brings Gemini in Chrome to users in Asia and the Pacific
19 hours ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
After debuting in the US, Gemini in Chrome is making its way to more markets. Starting today, Google is rolling out Chrome's built-in chatbot to users in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The expansion comes after Google earlier this year made Gemini in Chrome available to people in Canada, India and New Zealand.
With the exception of Japan, where Google isn't making the new suite available on iOS just yet, everyone else in the countries mentioned above can access Gemini in Chrome through Chrome's desktop browser, and the app on their
-
Mastodon was hit by a 'major' DDoS attack that briefly took down parts of the service
20 hours ago
by Karissa Bell
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Mastodon seems to be recovering after a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down its primary mastodon.social instance. As TechCrunch notes, the platform began reporting issues early Monday morning as much of the Mastodon-operated server became inaccessible.
It's not clear who might be behind the attack, but Mastodon's head of communications Andy Piper described it as a "major" incident. A couple hours later, Mastodon shared on a status page that it had implemented countermeasures and that users should be able to access mastodon.social once again. Piper said that "some ongoing instability is a possibility" as the site recovered. It's
-
Sony will require age checks in the UK and Ireland to access PlayStation communication features
21 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Sony is adopting new age verification policies for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. The company isn't making this a blanket requirement, but steps to confirm age will be needed to access "communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game features" beginning in June 2026. That includes essentials for online and social gamers, such as joining a party, voice chatting, text messaging or using third-party chat programs such as Discord. Some in-game communication tools, like chats or sharing user-generated content, will also only be available after an age check is completed. Although the new requirements will not be enforced until summer, users
-
Ubisoft will officially reveal the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake on April 23
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
It's happening. Ubisoft has scheduled a livestream for April 23 at 12PM ET to discuss the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake. The showcase will be available to watch on the company's YouTube and Twitch pages.
It's officially called Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and has been rumored to be in development for years. Ubisoft ended speculation by announcing the game last month.
We don't know anything about how the game will play or look, as Ubisoft has only dropped some promotional art featuring protagonist Edward Kenway lounging on a boat. The livestream should feature a trailer that will answer many burning
-
LinkedIn's new Crosscheck feature lets premium subscribers test competing AI models for free
a day ago
by Karissa Bell
Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
You can now use LinkedIn to test out some of the latest AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and other companies without having to worry about token limits or paying for an extra subscription. The professional network is experimenting with a new feature that allows people to test AI platforms' latest offerings within LinkedIn.
It’s called Crosscheck, and it's rolling out now to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium subscription in the United States. The feature is meant to be a kind of "blind taste test" for AI models, according to the company's Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan. Users start with
-
Meta is testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription that mostly focuses on cosmetic upgrades
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Meta is testing out a premium version of its messaging app, called WhatsApp Plus, that will include several paywalled features. As first spotted by WABetaInfo, Meta is currently rolling out a paid version of WhatsApp, which features mostly cosmetic upgrades. According to the Help Center page, WhatsApp Plus subscribers will get access to premium stickers that can have special effects and the ability to personalize the app's themes and icons.
Beyond the decorative elements, WhatsApp Plus users can pin up to 20 chats, set a premium ringtone for certain contacts and further customize chat lists with alerts, ringtones and themes. According
-
The FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket after failure to put payload in orbit
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Science, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following an incident during Sunday's launch from Cape Canaveral, according to reporting by Orlando Sentinel and others. The rocket looked good on the way up but was ultimately unable to put its payload into the correct orbit.
The FAA is calling the incident a "mishap" and is beginning an investigation to "enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again." The organization said in a statement that a "return to flight is based on the FAA determining that
-
Ball x Pit's next update adds 11 more balls to the fray on April 27
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
It's been a whole month since I've played some Ball x Pit after the mobile versions went live in March, but I'll surely be jumping back in again next week. The latest update will arrive on April 27, bringing a host of goodies to the wonderful brick-busting roguelite, which was one of Engadget's favorite games of 2025.
Designer Kenny Sun spilled most of the beans about the update on the PlayStation Blog, revealing that it will add two new characters, 11 more balls with special powers, four passive upgrades and a new building. If you opt to play as The Tiptoer,
-
Deezer says AI-made songs make up 44 percent of daily uploads
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Music, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
AI-generated music is spreading like wildfire, according to Deezer, who reported receiving nearly 75,000 uploads of AI-made tracks a day on its platform. The alternative music streaming service based in Paris published a report revealing that 44 percent of its daily uploads are AI-generated songs, accumulating to around 2 million flagged songs a month. If that figure doesn't alarm you, Deezer said that more than 13.4 million songs were detected and flagged as AI-generated across 2025.
Those statistics are made possible with Deezer's patent-pending AI music detection tool, which was launched in January 2025. A few months following the release, Deezer
-
DaVinci Resolve 21 hands-on: A viable Lightroom alternative for casual users
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is a highly capable free color grading tool with a history dating way back to the ‘80s, but it has never been thought of as a rival to Adobe’s Lightroom due to its video origins. Now, Blackmagic Design has released a new version in beta that may change people’s minds about that. The new Photo page lets you import RAW images then adjust them using Resolve’s powerful color grading tools. You even get access to advanced VFX and AI features not found in Lightroom.
When I saw the new feature, I immediately wondered if I could cancel
-
Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review: Almost the perfect floor cleaner for tiny apartments
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Home & Garden, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
The big deal with Dyson’s new vacuum is how small it is. While “pencil” is certainly an ambitious noun to compare a floor vacuum to, the slender body of the PencilVac Fluffycones ($600) brings to mind mops and brooms rather than hulking cyclone-suction tech and connected cleaning. As we described it last year, it’s the company's most stick-like stick vacuum yet. Dyson has been repurposing its engine tech into smaller form factors for years, such as its hair dryers. However, this is the first time it’s been utilized for floor cleaning.
Dyson recently launched the PencilVac Fluffy, with a more traditional
-
The Elden Ring movie hits theaters on March 3, 2028
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Bandai Namco and A24 have announced that the Elden Ring movie will hit theaters on March 3, 2028. Filming is set to begin in the next several weeks. The movie was first revealed over a year ago, so this is a welcome update.
We also got a full cast announcement, though the companies haven't said who or what everyone is portraying. The cast includes Kit Connor from Heartstopper, Ben Whishaw from the beloved Paddington movies and Cailee Spaeny from Alien: Romulus. Peter Serafinowicz, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno will also appear in the film.
Elden Ring will be written and
-
Artemis II commander shares a remarkable video of Earth vanishing behind the Moon
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Software, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
We’ve seen some astonishing photos of an Earthset — the Earth setting behind the Moon — from the Artemis II crew’s history-making trip around our planet’s closest neighbor. Now, Reid Wiseman, the mission’s commander, has shared a remarkable video of that same phenomenon.
While mission specialist Christina Koch was using a Nikon camera to snap stunning still images of the Earthset, Wiseman used an iPhone 17 Pro Max to film the moment. “I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view… This is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom
-
Apple could be fined up to $38 billion by Indian antitrust regulator
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Company Legal & Law Matters, Business, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Apple's refusal to provide financial data to an Indian regulatory agency as part of an antitrust case will culminate in a final hearing on May 21, as first reported by Reuters. According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Apple still hasn't submitted information about its financials and its views on an antitrust investigation that started in October 2024.
The case revolves around the CCI accusing Apple of exploiting its dominant position with the App Store, arguing that developers are forced to use Apple's proprietary system for in-app purchases. Apple countered that Android was the more dominant smartphone operating system in
-
The Mandalorian and Grogu director used Apple Vision Pro to preview the film in IMAX
a day ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Movies, Media, Celebrities, Technology & Electronics, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) hasn't been shy about embracing new technology for filmmaking. While producing The Mandalorian for Disney+, he was one of the first filmmakers to use ILM's massive LED screens, AKA "The Volume," to produce more realistic lighting and backgrounds on studio sets. For the feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu, which hits theaters May 22, Favreau recently revealed that he had Disney build an Apple Vision Pro app to preview its full IMAX scope during filming.
"So I'm making an IMAX movie, and I'm looking at a TV screen, and no matter how big
-
GoPro’s Mission 1 camera series will start at $600
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
We heard all about GoPro's new action camera series last week, but the company is now unveiling the pricing across its Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS cameras. The entry-level Mission 1 ($600) features GoPro's new 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, which the company says will offer a major leap in image quality and low-light performance over the Hero 13 line. While largely looking the same as the Hero series (and still waterproof), the Mission 1 can record 8K video at 30fps and 4K at 120fps. It lacks the higher frame rates of the other Mission 1 cameras,
-
Blue Origin landed its recycled New Glenn booster but failed to put payload in orbit
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Blue Origin has successfully reused its first-stage New Glenn booster for the first time after it landed in a cloud of smoke and fire on a recovery ship. It marks the second flight and reuse of Never Tell me the Odds, after the booster was recovered from New Glenn's previous launch in November last year. However, the rocket company's first commercial mission was marred by a failure to place the communications satellite payload into orbit.
The launch went smoothly to start with, with the first-stage GS1 booster separating from New Glenn after three minutes and landing smoothly 10 minutes after launch
-
The NSA is reportedly using Anthropic's new model Mythos
2 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
Despite the months-long feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon, the National Security Agency is using the AI company's new Mythos Preview, according to Axios, which spoke to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic announced Mythos Preview at the beginning of April, describing it as a general-purpose language model that is "strikingly capable at computer security tasks." But back in February, Trump ordered all government agencies to stop using Anthropic's services after the company refused to budge on certain safeguards for military uses during contract talks.
The news comes days after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with White House chief
-
Beijing's robot half-marathon is back for its second year with far less embarassing results
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Robots, Athletics, Track & Field, Technology & Electronics, Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
To make up for an incredibly laughable inaugural event, Beijing is running back its humanoid robot half-marathon. Fortunately, the event that pits humanoid robots made by Chinese companies against each other across 13 miles went a lot smoother this year.
This year's half-marathon hosted more than 100 competitors, with first place going to Honor, better known for its smartphones, and its red-clad robot named Lightning. Living up to the name, the gold medalist finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. That's several minutes faster than the human record that was recently set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo last month.
Honor swept
-
Palantir posted a manifesto that reads like the ramblings of a comic book villain
2 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
In case you haven't gotten around to reading Palantir CEO Alex Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska's 2025 book, The Technological Republic, (because why would you do that to yourself?), the company best known for supplying AI-driven defense and surveillance software to the likes of the US Army, ICE and NYPD shared a 1,000-word X post this weekend covering its main points. The entire thing is both bizarre and deeply concerning. "The ability of free and democratic societies to prevail requires something more than moral appeal,” one of the 22 points states. "It requires hard power, and hard power in this century
-
The next Mac Studio and MacBook Pro releases could be postponed by several months
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Anyone looking to upgrade to the next Mac Studio or MacBook Pro might have to wait a little longer, thanks to the ongoing global memory shortage. As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, "at least two of the company's upcoming machines ... could debut a little later than the company initially planned," referencing the refreshes to Apple's desktop and its laptop that's expected to get a touchscreen.
Bloomberg reported that the upcoming Mac Studio, which follows up the current lineup in the M4 Max and M3 Ultra configurations, was first expected to release in the middle of the year. However, Apple is
-
Tesla is rolling out its Robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Transportation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi footprint across Texas by introducing availability in both Dallas and Houston. As announced in a post on X, the EV maker is rolling out its Robotaxis to small sections of the Texas cities, as detailed by two maps of its new service areas.
The first Robotaxi rides started in Austin, Texas where Tesla is headquartered, but the service's launch was paired with a "Tesla Safety Monitor," or a supervising human in the passenger seat. Earlier this year, Tesla began to transition away from including safety monitors, leaving its Robotaxis to operate unsupervised and fully autonomous. In
-
SNK's Neo Geo console remake works with original cartridges and HDMI
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Not everyone had the money for the original Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System when it released in the '90s, but there's still a chance to experience it as an adult with disposable income. SNK and Plaion Replai, who is also behind the all-black remake of the Commodore 64, announced a faithful remake of the high-end retro console, called the Neo Geo AES+.
To bring the original console into the modern day, the collaborating companies added HDMI compatibility for resolutions up to 1080p and DIP switches on the bottom of the console to allow for language selection, overclocking and switching display modes.
-
Judge sides with creators of banned ICE trackers who allege DHS and DOJ violated their First Amendment rights
3 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
A judge has granted the makers of the "ICE Sightings - Chicagoland" Facebook group and the Eyes Up app a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from coercing platforms to take these projects down. Judge Jorge L. Alonso of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that the plaintiffs, Kassandra Rosado and Kreisau Group, are likely to succeed in their case, which alleges that the government suppressed protected speech under the First Amendment by strong-arming Facebook and Apple into removing ICE monitoring efforts.
Both Eyes Up and ICE Sightings - Chicagoland use publicly available information
-
Apple avoids a second import ban for its redesigned smartwatches in latest court ruling
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Apple has secured a major victory for its redesigned smartwatches as per the latest decision from the US International Trade Commission. The federal agency ruled against reinstating an import ban on Apple Watches, allowing the tech giant to continue selling its devices with a reworked blood-oxygen monitoring technology.
The ITC decided to terminate the case and refer to a preliminary ruling from one of its judges in March that claimed that Apple's redesigned smartwatches don't infringe on patents held by Masimo, the medical tech company that has long been embroiled in lawsuits surrounding the Apple Watch. Apple thanked the ITC in
-
DOJ refuses to help French authorities in criminal probe of X
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Society & Culture, Crime & Justice, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
The US Department of Justice is siding with X, as the social media platform owned by Elon Musk navigates a criminal investigation unfolding in France. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department characterized the French probe as "an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform.”
France launched its investigation into X in July, accusing the platform of manipulating its algorithm and "fraudulent data extraction." Months later, French authorities raided X's office in Paris and issued summonses to Musk
-
A comet gets destroyed by the sun, data centers endanger the Potomac River, and more science news
3 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Science, Space & Astronomy, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
The Artemis II astronauts are settling back into life on Earth, but we're not quite tired yet of hearing about their amazing journey. There's a new PBS documentary now streaming on YouTube that dives into the Artemis program and the latest efforts to send humans to the moon again. Also this week, NASA shared some awesome images of a comet flying into the sun, the nonprofit American Rivers released its annual report on the most endangered rivers in the US and ESA posted a throwback image of Mars to highlight some interesting changes down on the surface. Here are the
-
Cyberpunk platformers, gallivanting geckos and other new indie games worth checking out
3 days ago
by Kris Holt
Media, Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Once again, there are some neat new games for you to check out this weekend. We've got a bunch of updates and announcements for upcoming titles to tell you about too.
There have been a bunch of solid indie showcases lately (and highlights from another one to tell you about below). If you want to learn about a ton of other games ASAP, you might want to set your alarm pretty early on April 25.
Starting at 5AM ET that day, the latest edition of Indie Life Expo
-
15 years after 'Video Games,' Lana Del Rey has an actual video game song
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Music, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The James Bond franchise has a long history of getting pop stars to record its theme songs (perhaps most memorably with Live and Let Die), and it looks like that tradition will now extend to video game adaptations about the fictional spy. IO Interactive has announced that Lana Del Rey co-wrote and performed the theme for 007 First Light, the developer's playable James Bond origin story.
"First Light" is written and performed by Lana Del Rey and composer David Arnold, and like the moody and abstract opening credits released alongside the song, could vaguely gesture at the themes of the game.
-
The PBS Artemis II documentary is streaming on YouTube
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Science, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission have safely returned to Earth, but if your Moon fever has yet to break, or you're curious to get a big picture view of how the second of a planned five Moon missions was pulled off, PBS has a new documentary you'll want to watch. The hour-long Return to the Moon was produced for PBS' NOVA and aired on TV on April 15, but you can view the episode in its entirety on YouTube right now.
Return to the Moon covers the history of NASA's Artemis program, and specifically the planning and preparation that
-
A lot of you panic-bought PCs to avoid RAMaggedon 2026
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Sectors & Industries, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The specter of price hikes caused by the current AI-driven demand for memory and storage appears to have convinced a fair share of people to buy a new computer. According to data analyzed by Counterpoint Research, global PC shipments grew around 3.2 percent year-over-year in Q1 2026, "driven by pre-emptive buying before memory-led price increases hit the retail level" and Microsoft forcing some customers to upgrade by ending support for Windows 10 last year.
Sales hit 63.3 million units during the first quarter, Counterpoint says, and were particularly concentrated in five high-end PC makers: Lenovo, ASUS, Apple, HP and Dell. Of
-
Sam Altman's 'human verification' company thinks its eye-scanning orbs could solve ticket scalping
4 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Software, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Sam Altman's cryptocurrency turned identity verification startup Tools for Humanity is offering a new set of perks to people who scan their eyes at one of the company's orbs. Among them, is a new tool called Concert Kit that could help bands and artists fight back against ticket scalping bots.
The new feature relies on the revamped World ID, the orb-based verification system that scans users eyeballs and faces to create a "proof of human" signature that lives on users' mobile devices. "It's basically like a little human passport for the internet that lets you prove on apps and websites that
-
Bluesky blames DDoS attack for server outages
4 days ago
by Kris Holt
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Bluesky is once again having a wobble. The platform said some of its systems are down and that it’s “investigating an incident with service in one of our reginos” (that’s Bluesky’s typo, not mine). The issue appears to have started at 1:42AM ET and was still persisting as of 11AM when this story was originally published. Since then, the site has been experiencing intermitent interuptions, including at times to its status page where users should be able to monitor outages.
At 7:47PM ET, the platform explained that it’s been attempting to mitigate “a sophisticated Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which intensified throughout
-
NASA restarts work to support Europe's uncrewed trip to Mars after years of setbacks
4 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Science, Budget, Tax & Economy, Politics & Government, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
NASA has confirmed the pending launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosalind Franklin rover, which is being sent to Mars. The current plan is to launch via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The timing is still being worked out, but the space agency says this won't happen until at least 2028.
This is a partnership between NASA and the ESA, with the European agency providing the rover, the spacecraft and the lander. The US will provide braking engines for the lander, heater units for the rover's internal systems and, of course, assistance with the actual launch.
The
-
Panic says the Playdate Catalog won't accept games made with generative AI
4 days ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Panic, the company behind the tiny and excellent Playdate console, is taking a stand on generative AI. The company has published an AI disclosure that says as of this month, the Playdate Catalog “will no longer accept titles that use ‘Generative AI’ for art, audio, music, text, or dialog.” Panic does allow for developers to use AI assistance for coding, but also says that “we will flag any title as such and specify the extent that it was used (for example, “Lua debugging”) so the customer can decide whether to support it or not.”
This comes a day after Panic announced
-
Exit 8 is cinema for the livestreaming era
4 days ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
The rules of Exit 8, both the cult indie game and the recent film adaptation, are simple: You're stuck in a subway station that loops around endlessly. If you notice any anomalies on your current loop, you turn around. If everything is the same, you keep going forward. Each successful guess takes you to a new entrance where the loop recurs, until you reach the end of the labyrinth, Exit 8 itself.
It's a setup that perfectly suits a first-person video game, where you can fully control where your character looks and moves. And it's also something director Genki Kawamura deftly
-
Anthropic now has a design assistant too
4 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
In hindsight, I suppose it was only a matter of time after Anthropic made Claude capable of generating charts and diagrams that the company would then begin offering a more robust image editor. Now, a little more than a month after that release, Anthropic has announced Claude Design, a new research preview that allows subscribers to use Claude to generate designs, prototypes, slides and more.
"Claude Design gives designers room to explore widely and everyone else a way to produce visual work," Anthropic says of its newest product. As with its previous forays into image generation, the company isn't calling this,
-
Roblox agrees to a $12 million settlement with Nevada
4 days ago
by Sam Rutherford
Education, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
Amidst ongoing legal trouble with several states and more than 100 pending lawsuits, this week Roblox announced a $12 million settlement with Nevada, allowing the company to avoid going to trial in this case.
Following the agreement, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said "this settlement will create a safer environment for our children online, and I hope that it will serve as a bellwether for how online interactive platforms allow our state's youth to use their products." As part of the deal, Roblox has agreed to give $10 million over three years to local children's support programs like the Boys and