Tag: tech

Another design change has been made to the popular Google Maps app for Android.

Skydance’s Behemoth reaches high heights during its stunning boss battles, but can’t keep that momentum up throughout its entire VR adventure.

There’s more confirmation that Samsung is making a huge switch on next year’s Galaxy Z Flip handset.

The addition of three new stations doubles the number of Apple Music’s live hosted channels.

This 1994 remake of a Christmas classic is our pick for the one Hulu movie that you have to watch in December.

Astro Bot has a new level coming, and it won’t cost a thing. Team Asobi said on Wednesday that Winter Wonder, a surprise bonus stage, will arrive on Thursday, December 12 at 9PM ET. The developer promises jingle bells, new bots and fun for all ages.

Team Asobi describes the update as a show of gratitude to fans for their “lovely comments” and critical response to the Game of the Year nominee. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for showing your appreciation,” the developer wrote in the PlayStation Blog. “It truly means a lot to us.”

Winter Wonder will only be available after you’ve completed the game. Team Asobi is tight-lipped about most details, but you can catch a zoomed-out glimpse in the above image. The developer says you can expect a fun-filled level, “shiny presents” (yay!) and special bots (presumably winter- or holiday-themed) to add to your crew. So, expect more winter delight and less “throw your controller” difficulty.

Team Asobi, a PlayStation Studios subsidiary, had quite the year. Astro Bot launched to rave reviews, making the robot mascot the closest thing Sony has had to a Mario-like tentpole franchise since Sackboy and Crash Bandicoot were in their respective primes. In our review, Engadget’s Jessica Conditt called the PS5 game “easily one of the best games that Sony has ever produced,” describing it as “Super Mario Bros. for a new generation of video game fanatics, at once an introduction to common mechanics and also a significant challenge for seasoned players.”

Astro Bot picked up seven nominations at the Game Awards, including (deep breath) Game of the Year, Game Direction, Art Direction, Score and Music, Audio Design, Action / Adventure and Best Family Game. The Game Awards will be on December 12 at 7:30PM ET.

To get the new level when it’s hot off the press, make sure you’ve beaten the game and have an active internet connection at 9PM ET tomorrow.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/astro-bot-is-getting-a-free-holiday-themed-bonus-level-171920527.html?src=rss

The battle for AI supremacy is heating up. Almost exactly a week after OpenAI made its o1 model available to the public, Google today is offering a preview of its next-generation Gemini 2.0 model. In a blog post attributed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company says 2.0 is its most capable model yet, with the algorithm offering native support for image and audio output. “It will enable us to build new AI agents that bring us closer to our vision of a universal assistant,” says Pichai.

Google is doing something different with Gemini 2.0. Rather than starting today’s preview by first offering its most advanced version of the model, Gemini 2.0 Pro, the search giant is instead kicking things off with 2.0 Flash. As of today, the more efficient (and affordable) model is available to all Gemini users. If you want to try it yourself, you can enable Gemini 2.0 from the dropdown menu in the Gemini web client, with availability within the mobile app coming soon.

Moving forward, Google says its main focus is adding 2.0’s smarts to Search (no surprise there), beginning with AI Overviews. According to the company, the new model will allow the feature to tackle more complex and involved questions, including ones involving multi-step math and coding problems. At the same time, following a broad expansion in October, Google plans to make AI Overviews available in more languages and countries.

Looking forward, Gemini 2.0 is already powering enhancements to some of Google’s more moonshot AI applications, including Project Astra, the multi-modal AI agent the company previewed at I/O 2024. Thanks to the new model, Google says the latest version of Astra can converse in multiple languages and even switch between them on the fly. It can also “remember” things for longer, offers improved latency, and can access tools like Google Lens and Maps.

As you might expect, Gemini 2.0 Flash offers significantly better performance than its predecessor. For instance, it earned a 63 percent score on HiddenMath, a benchmark that tests the ability of AI models to complete competition-level math problems. By contrast, Gemini 1.5 Flash earned a score of 47.2 percent on that same test. But the more interesting thing here is that the experimental version of Gemini 2.0 even beats Gemini 1.5 Pro in many areas; in fact, according to data Google shared, the only domains where it lags behind are in long-context understanding and automatic speech translation.

It’s for that reason that Google is keeping the older model around, at least for a little while longer. Alongside today’s announcement of Gemini 2.0, the company also debuted Deep Research, a new tool that uses Gemini 1.5 Pro’s long-context capabilities to write comprehensive reports on complicated subjects.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-20-is-googles-most-capable-ai-model-yet-and-available-to-preview-today-170329180.html?src=rss

The Pokémon Company and stop-motion studio Aardman just announced that they are working on a “special project” together. We don’t have too many details about the project, except that it will allow Aardman to bring “their unique style of storytelling to the Pokémon universe in brand-new adventures.” That sounds like a TV show or movie, right?

We also know that this mystery project will be released to the public in 2027, so that’s something to look forward to. The companies said that more information will be shared in the near future.

“Aardman are masters of their craft, and we have been blown away by their talent and creativity. What we have been working on together ensures our global Pokémon fans are in for a treat,” said Taito Okiura, VP of Marketing and Media at The Pokémon Company.

Okiura isn’t kidding. Aardman has been in the animation game since 1972 and is most famous for stuff like the Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run franchises. The company is a claymation and stop-motion animation powerhouse. Remember that classic music video for Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”? That’s Aardman, as is the video for Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me.”

This partnership tells me one thing. The Pokémon Company is still interested in stop-motion animation, after the success of Pokémon Concierge on Netflix. Season two of that show is currently in production and will likely drop well before 2027. At least it’ll tide us over until we get our eyeballs on whatever Aardman is cooking up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-pokemon-company-is-teaming-up-with-wallace-and-gromit-studio-aardman-on-a-mystery-project-162122458.html?src=rss

Your phone is a gateway to an increasingly large swathe of gaming options. However, using a touchscreen to control a game, especially one that requires precise inputs, isn’t for everyone. So a dedicated physical controller may be a more optimal solution. One of the best mobile game controllers is the Backbone One, which is back on sale. The second-gen USB-C PlayStation Edition has dropped down to $69, while the black model is a dollar more. As such, you can save $31, but to see the lower price on Amazon, you’ll need to add the controller to your cart.

Backbone added iPhone support to the USB-C model around the time of the iPhone 15 announcement. That was the first iPhone lineup with a USB-C connector after Apple shifted away from the Lightning port.

Along with native App Store and Play Store titles — such as those included with Apple Arcade and Netflix subscriptions — the Backbone One is compatible with cloud gaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and GeForce Now. It also works with remote play apps for PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

The Backbone One doesn’t require a dedicated power supply as it runs on your phone’s battery. Since it hooks into the USB-C port, there’s minimal latency. Passthrough charging and a 3.5mm jack for your headset are available too.

Backbone designed the device with help from the team behind the Xbox 360 controller. The company says the One features responsive triggers, tactile buttons and clickable thumbsticks. It was also created with ergonomics in mind.

The controller comes with a trial of the Backbone+ subscription. One of the main perks is that you can use it to play games on any compatible device with a USB-C port, such as an iPad, Mac or PC. Other features include screen recording and game recommendations. However, you don’t need to be a member to use the Backbone One as a games controller.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-backbone-one-mobile-controller-is-back-on-sale-for-69-160035667.html?src=rss