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For a limited time, Samsung is giving away its Freestyle Gen 2 projector when you purchase Samsung’s new Premiere 7 or Premiere 9 UST models.

These Google Pixel 9 deals are still available through the Google Store but not for long! Actually, they expire today so hurry.

Over the last six months, Meta has slowly begun to make good on its promise to make Threads compatible with the fediverse. The app allows users to share their posts to Mastodon and other Activity Pub-enabled services and began showing replies originating on those services earlier this summer.

Now, Threads is making those replies even more visible by allowing users who have opted in to fediverse sharing to see replies on other people’s posts. With the change, a new “fediverse replies” section will appear underneath posts that have drawn replies from Mastodon servers and other federated accounts.

Threads

Practically, this means that a lot more fediverse content will be visible within Threads. Up until now, most users probably weren’t seeing that many replies from Mastodon and other sites unless they had a particularly large following or a post that was widely shared. But now, you’ll be able to see all those replies just by browsing Threads.

As with previous updates, Threads’ support for other Activity Pub content is still limited. Users need to opt-in to fediverse sharing in order to view replies from other apps. The feature, which is still labeled as being in “beta,” notes that some replies may not be visible on the Meta-owned service. And Threads still doesn’t support replies to those replies, which drastically limits the ability to engage with other fediverse users. (In a follow-up, Meta engineer Peter Cottle said adding that functionality is “top of mind.”) But the update might help incentivize more users to open their accounts to the fediverse, which is an important step for anyone hoping to bring decentralized social media into the mainstream.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-making-fediverse-replies-more-visible-in-its-app-194543494.html?src=rss

Apple’s latest iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 developer betas are here, and they include a few new Apple Intelligence features. The most notable is a Clean Up tool in the Photos app, which sounds very much like Google’s Magic Eraser. The idea is that you’ll be able to remove background objects from your snaps without modifying the subject — even if the undesirable item overlaps the person you’re focusing on. According to Apple, the tool can remove the shadow and the reflection of an unwanted object too.

The company notes that the Photos app will identify distracting background elements for you, so you should be able to remove them with a tap. Otherwise, you can circle or brush over an object you want to nix. Clean Up works for finer details when you zoom in too. The tool is compatible with every image on your camera roll, including those you took with an earlier iPhone or iPad, or even a DSLR.

There’s one other smaller Apple Intelligence update in the latest beta. Those who have been checking out previous builds have been able to receive summaries of multiple Mail and Messages notifications. This feature will now work for other apps.

There are several other Apple Intelligence features that the company has announced but is yet to start testing in developer betas, including image and emoji generation, priority notifications, in-app actions and personal context updates for Siri, availability for other languages and platforms and, of course, ChatGPT integration.

The only devices that support Apple Intelligence features at the minute are the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and Macs and iPads with an M1 chip or newer. Anyone with a compatible iPhone or iPad can install the latest iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 developer betas, but it’s always worth bearing in mind that betas can have bugs. So be sure to at least back up your data first if you don’t have a secondary device for testing and you don’t want to run the risk of having any major issues on the phone you use all the time.

Apple Intelligence features are unlikely to be included in the first retail versions of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, which should be available soon after next month’s iPhone 16 event. They’ll probably start to roll out in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, which are expected to be available to everyone in October.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apples-latest-ios-and-ipados-developer-betas-include-an-ai-object-removal-tool-for-photos-185215465.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

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 Xbox August update is here, bringing with it plenty of little tweaks and new features. Perhaps the biggest news is that the Xbox streaming app is coming to more Fire TV devices. This means that more people will be able to access the wonderful world of Xbox Cloud Gaming. 

It was already available for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen) and the Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen), but now it’s available for the previous iterations of those devices, alongside the Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen.) Expanding the availability of cloud-gaming is never a bad thing. There’s the usual caveat, however, as a Game Pass subscription is required here.

Xbox is also amping up Discord integration, which is welcome news. Xbox consoles will now deliver let people know when a friend is playing, chatting or streaming, making it easy to jump into a voice chat or watch that stream. This can all be done directly from the console, without having to use the Discord app on PC or mobile.

As indicated above, users can now watch Discord streams straight from Xbox consoles — or stream their gameplay directly to Discord — which is a nice add-on.

Xbox

The update will also let people customize downloads. This should allow users to only download what’s needed to actually play the game, saving crucial hard drive space. Somebody should get the Call of Duty team on the horn about this one. 

Finally, there are additional controller customization options. Toggle hold is coming to the Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. When enabled, toggle sends a string of consecutive inputs just like old-school ‘turbo’ buttons, but without the need to keep that button depressed. That sounds like a great way to sail past “push this button a million times” minigames.

This update is rolling out now and should reach all users by the end of the week. It applies to the Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xboxs-streaming-app-is-coming-to-more-fire-tv-devices-172946436.html?src=rss

By all accounts, Concord has landed with a heady thud.

The team-based shooter is one of a scant few new first-party PlayStation games that’s coming out this year. Sony released it on both PS5 and PC on August 23. The company doesn’t typically reveal detailed player numbers for its own platforms. However, Steam does. The numbers there are not pretty.

A Steam player count isn’t entirely reflective of a game’s success, Still, it’s a key data point from which we can extrapolate some assumptions. In its first weekend, Concord failed to break 700 concurrent players on Steam. That’s a dismal figure for a reasonably high-profile launch, especially one from a major publisher.

For perspective, Galaxy Burger, an indie cooking sim I’d never heard of that came out on the same day, had more than four times the number of concurrent players on Steam (469) as Concord (104) at one point on Wednesday. As far as a comparison for a supposed blockbuster from this year goes, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League peaked at more than 13,400 simultaneous players on Steam. That co-op game was a notorious flop that led to a $200 million loss for Warner Bros. Discovery.

In addition, Concord has amassed 444 reviews on Steam at the time of writing. Some analysts estimate that each Steam review translates to between 30 and 50 sales. At the upper end of the scale, that would put Concord‘s volume of sales on Steam at around 22,000.

We don’t have a strong idea of the sales numbers on PlayStation just yet, but as a thought exercise, let’s say three times as many people have bought Concord on PS5 so far. At 40 bucks a pop and a speculative total of 88,000 units sold, that would put Concord‘s gross revenue at around $3.5 million (that’s before the cut Valve takes of Steam purchases). That would not remotely come close to covering the development and marketing costs for a game that took Firewalk Studios (which Sony bought last year) eight years to make. So yeah, Concord has all the signs of being a disaster.

There are a bunch of reasons why Concord just hasn’t grabbed people’s attention. I played a few rounds during the open beta and thought it was so-so. The combat is okay and some of the core ideas — such as a cool, lore-filled map — are interesting, but it felt like there was not enough novelty.

The first wave of characters is bland, which is not ideal for a hero shooter when Apex Legends and Overwatch 2 (vastly more popular rival titles that are free-to-play) each have dozens of distinct, engaging personalities for fans to connect with. The influence of Guardians of the Galaxy is keenly felt, for better or worse, which makes it seem even more like Firewalk and Sony are chasing after trends that were popular in 2016.

The biggest mistake of all looks to be the price point. With players able to access so many similar games without paying a penny, having to shell out $40 for Concord was evidently not an enticing proposition for the vast majority of PS5 and PC owners.

It’s not completely impossible that we’ll see a remarkable No Man’s Sky-style turnaround. But the stage looks set for Concord to swiftly hit PlayStation Plus to juice up the player base, then going free-to-play at a later date just like many other live-service games before it.

And yet, Concord seems to only be the one real sour note on what’s actually been a quietly strong year for PlayStation overall so far.

The Sony-published Helldivers 2 is the second-best selling game in the US so far this year, according to industry analysts at Circana. Only College Football 25 has sold more copies in the country. In fact, Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling game Sony has ever put out, with more than 12 million copies sold in its first 12 weeks.

Opting to release the game on PS5 and PC simultaneously paid off, as most of the initial wave of sales came via Steam, per analysts. However, the Steam player count has dropped off significantly in recent months, in part because of a controversial account-linking requirement.

Stellar Blade, another Sony-published game from a third-party studio, received a generally positive response from critics and it’s doing well commercially too. Developer Shift Up estimated that sales topped 1 million units within the first two months and said in June that a PC port was under consideration as a result.

Sony’s strategy of bringing its major exclusives to PC in the years following their PlayStation debut has been paying off over the last few years. It’s released two somewhat older games on Steam this year in the form of Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima. Both are excellent, faithful ports that perform well on my high-end PC as well as my Steam Deck. They were successful sales-wise too, with the former cracking the list of the top 10 best-selling games in the US in its first week. Ghost topped the overall US game sales charts for May overall, per Circana, just after Stellar Blade did the same thing in April.

Sony has at least two more blockbuster PC ports on the way this year. God of War: Ragnarök will hit that platform on September 19. The previous game sold more than 2.5 million units on PC as of last February, per the major Insomniac leak, so the sequel seems primed to do well too. The Until Dawn remake is coming to PC and PS5 just a couple of weeks later.

And then there’s the small matter of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which arrived on PS5 earlier this year with a great new roguelike mode included. There’s no PC release date yet, but TLOU Day (Naughty Dog’s annual celebration of the series on September 26) is fast approaching. That seems like a prime opportunity for an announcement ahead of the second season of the HBO adaptation debuting in 2025.

A cautious approach seems wise for Part 2. Sony will want to make sure the PC port has nothing like the kinds of technical issues Part 1 had when it arrived on that platform, so giving developers as much time as they need for polish is important.

Sony even has a couple more first-party games lined up for the last chunk of the year. It might not have to wait long to wash off the stink of Concord as the highly anticipated and completely adorable platformer Astro Bot lands on PS5 on September 6. Lego Horizon Adventures — a more family-friendly take on the Horizon series — is headed to PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch in a notable multi-platform debut this holiday season.

And then there’s the hardware side of the equation. In the first half of the calendar year, Sony sold just under 7 million PS5s. That’s down from 9.3 million over the same period in 2023, but a dip’s to be expected at this point in the system’s life cycle.

How the PS5 stacks up against the competition tells a bigger story. Although Microsoft has long kept quiet about how many Xboxes it’s selling, earlier this year some analysts pegged the ratio of PS5 to Xbox Series X/S sales at more than five to one. Yeesh. Given Sony’s larger install base, it’s little wonder why Microsoft is increasingly eager to bring its first-party games to PlayStation.

Meanwhile, at first glance, the PlayStation Portal seemed like an edge-case peripheral for the diehards. All it does is let you play games from your own PS5 remotely without even supporting Sony’s cloud gaming service.

However, the Portal has proven to be a surprising hit. Sony said the device, which was often sold out for months, exceeded its expectations. It’s the best-selling games accessory so far this year by dollar amount, according to Circana. And rumors are swirling that Sony is “paying very close attention to the current handheld market,” perhaps suggesting that the company is finally ready to work on a proper Vita/PSP successor. One can hope.

Even the beleaguered PS VR2 seems to have had an upturn in fortunes after a recent sale and the release of a dongle that lets owners use it to play virtual reality games on PC. According to one report, the lower price led to a sudden 2,350 percent spike in sales. Sony may have even sold more units in a single day (July 28) than it did in the previous seven months overall, according to The Shortcut. Reports suggest that PS VR2 sales have been disappointing for Sony, but such a sharp increase (or anything close to it) would be astonishing. Along with the discount, the extra utility of being able to use the headset for PC gaming surely helped, as the actual PS VR2 games library remains fairly small.

There’s one other piece of hardware that could make 2024 even more of a barnburner for Sony: the widely rumored PS5 Pro. For months, leaks have been suggesting that a mid-generation refresh is coming this holiday season. Rumors point to the PS5 Pro being able to deliver higher speeds, faster game rendering, improved graphics, better ray-tracing performance and an 8K performance mode. Given that Microsoft’s new Xbox variants either add internal storage, change the box’s color or take away a disc drive, the PS5 Pro may look like an even tastier option for current-gen holdouts.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/concord-aside-playstation-is-having-a-great-year-171506490.html?src=rss

Mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi spotted an Instagram feature that may be in development: real-time Spotify integration. The extant code seems to indicate that songs played on Spotify will create Notes automatically within Instagram. These Notes appear on top of your inbox and profile picture if people tap to view your Instagram profile.

This sort of feature already exists in Discord. And Instagram Users can already add Spotify tracks to their Notes or Stories manually, so iterating on that isn’t completely outrageous. That said, Instagram isn’t the type of chat platform people keep open for extended periods so it’s unclear if there would be as much value in real-time music integration, should the feature ever properly see the light of day.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-may-be-adding-real-time-spotify-integration-170040342.html?src=rss

It’s almost fall, when the leaves start to turn colors and the weather gets a bit crisp. In other words, it’s nearly bonfire season. To commemorate this fact, Solo Stove is holding a sitewide Labor Day sale that includes fire pits, pizza ovens and just about everything else.

Here’s how it works. Purchases of at least $250 get a discount of $25, while purchases of at least $450 receive a discount of $75. If you really splurge and buy at least $850 worth of stuff, the discount balloons up to $150. Just pop in the code “LABORDAY” at checkout. Also, any purchase of a fire pit comes with some free accessories and tools.

Perhaps the best deal of the bunch is this bundle that includes the Bonfire 2.0 firepit, a removable base plate and ash pan, a stand, a lid, a carrying case and a shelter for outdoor storage. This bundle costs $455, which is a discount of $75 (with the coupon code.) We praised not just the Bonfire 2.0, but many of the accessories that ship with this kit. The removable base plate and ash plan makes it much easier to clean than rival products.

Multiple Solo Stove products made our list of the best outdoor gear, including the aforementioned Bonfire 2.0. If fire pits aren’t your bag, the code can also be used for the company’s line of pizza ovens. Who doesn’t love pizza?!

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-up-to-150-off-fire-pits-and-pizza-ovens-in-solo-stoves-labor-day-sale-164539357.html?src=rss