Engadget Feed

Nintendo sold 5.82 million Switch 2s in less than four weeks and is on pace to hit its target of 15 million units by April 2026, the company said in its latest earnings report. If that pans out, the Switch 2 would easily outsell the original Switch, which took a full year to hit that same 15 million sales number — making it a rare bright spot in today's gaming world.  

Despite those superb sales figures, Nintendo says demand is outstripping supply in many regions and promises to boost production as soon as possible. There's some insight into Nintendo's available inventory elsewhere in the earnings report. The 5.82 million number counts sales up to June 30, and the company says that as of July 25, it had sold through "more than 6 million" consoles. That's not the clearest figure, but it definitely shows sales cratered in July despite consistent demand.

Switch 2 software sales were also strong with 8.67 million units sold, thanks in large part to the company's Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle along with Donkey Kong Bananza and games from outside publishers (Nintendo also just announced a bunch of new third-party games coming soon). The company also sold 24.4 million games designed for the original Switch, largely because the new console is backwards compatible with previous Switch titles, it said. 

All of that meant that Nintendo had a very good quarter, more than doubling revenue over last year to 572.3 billion yen ($3.8 billion) with a 56.9 billion yen profit ($378 million). The company still expects to bring in 1.9 trillion yen ($12.6 billion) for its fiscal year. 

Update, July 1, 12PM ET: This story has been updated after publish. The headline and article initially mistated the period in which Nintendo sold 5.82 million Switch 2 consoles as 7 weeks. That period relates to Nintendo's claim of "more than 6 million" sales, rather than the 5.82 million figure. The headline and article now accurately reflect the sales figures, and we regret the error.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-has-sold-over-6-million-switch-2s-but-still-cant-keep-up-with-demand-120011674.html?src=rss

Apple's first-party USB-C Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is on sale for $179 right now via Amazon. That's a discount of $20, as the typical price is $199. This deal applies to both the white and black versions of this accessory.

This keyboard has been specifically designed by the company to work with Apple Silicon computers. As previously mentioned, it includes a Touch ID sensor, for authentication, and an extended layout. It also has full-size arrow keys, which is great for gaming. Apple computers have been getting some big titles lately.

Like most modern Apple accessories, it's wireless. The keyboard includes a replaceable battery that can go for around a month between charges. The overall design here is sleek and the keypad is responsive and comfortable.

This model didn't make our list of the best keyboards, as there's one major downside: It's so very expensive. It's tough to recommend any keyboard at $199, even if it is a first-party Apple product. It's a bit easier to recommend at $179.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-usb-c-magic-keyboard-with-touch-id-is-20-off-right-now-162039291.html?src=rss

Nothing did things differently with its third generation of phones. First came the midrange Nothing Phone 3a (and 3a Pro), which combined stylish hardware with a competitive price. Now, the company has launched the Nothing Phone 3, which it's calling its first "true flagship." At $799, it's Nothing's most expensive phone yet, featuring a bigger screen, four 50-megapixel cameras and a major redesign of the company’s signature Glyph interface, which has evolved into the more compact Glyph Matrix.

Nothing's hardware design is what truly sets its phones apart from the established players, and the 2025 model is more elaborate and complex than ever. At this price, however, it faces stiff competition from entry-level flagships like the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16. Beyond the innovations and occasional gimmicks, has Nothing nailed the fundamentals enough to compete?

Hardware and design Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Once again, Nothing has made a phone that commands attention like no other. Everywhere I go, people are curious when they see me using the Phone 3, and the Glyph Matrix seems to both confuse and delight them.

Unlike the protruding camera unit on the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, the Phone 3’s three cameras are separately lodged in the back and jut out a fraction of a millimeter. The see-through exterior returns, displaying screws and hardware modules organized into three vertical rows. This time, it’s more apparent that this is a design flourish rather than a genuine glimpse into the phone’s components. For example, a curious semi-circle of frosted glass beneath the flash doesn't seem to have a purpose (beyond an aesthetic one).

Elsewhere, a red square next to the ultrawide camera now acts as a recording light. It's another charming touch that can be disabled in the settings if you find it distracting. The off-center telephoto camera lens might also irk symmetry fans, but it's a choice that I don't particularly mind. The Phone 3 is 18 percent thinner than the Phone 2 and, without the camera bump of the 3a Pro, it looks and feels a step above its predecessors.

The main attraction is the Glyph Matrix: a circular dot-matrix display made of 489 LEDs that shows simple notifications, the time and battery level. While some loyal fans might miss the bold light show of previous models, this iteration is far more useful. Instead of a barrage of flashing lights, the Matrix can tell you who is calling through unique patterns and, with future updates, custom art assigned to your contacts.

Nothing continues to lean into its retro tech design inspiration, and I'll admit I'm a sucker for it. The dot-matrix text and numbers align perfectly with Nothing's Android skin, making the entire device feel cohesive. A capacitive haptic Glyph button beneath the Matrix lets you cycle through notifications and tools. Interactions are simple: a short press to switch modes or a long press to start tools like the stopwatch.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Fortunately, you can use the Phone 3’s settings menu to assign Glyph Matrix tools and "toys." Most of them are playful and frivolous, like Spin The Bottle and Magic 8 Ball, and Nothing is tapping into its community to create new Matrix widgets. Hopefully, functionality will expand as more users get involved. Some tools are less useful though, like a level that uses the phone’s accelerometer for a pixelated readout. It just seems a little imprecise; how much accuracy can you derive from less than 500 pixels? Others are quite slick, like a pixelated camera readout for framing selfies.

With Essential Notifications, you can assign specific app notifications or contacts to a unique pattern or a pixelated photo. However, it's challenging to create anything that doesn't look like a blurry mess. The same settings menu allows you to adjust the Matrix's brightness and how long the notifications persist.

The front of the Phone 3 is all display, with a 6.67-inch screen and a resolution of 2,800 x 1,260. If you prefer a large screen, this is probably its biggest advantage over the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25. It’s also Nothing’s brightest phone yet, reaching up to 4,500 nits for HDR content — noticeably brighter than the Nothing Phone 3a. It supports HDR 10+ and a 120Hz refresh rate, all protected by Gorilla Glass 7.

Cameras Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Nothing has the fundamentals covered with the Phone 3’s cameras. The triple-camera system includes a 50-megapixel f/1.7 main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 50MP ultrawide and a new 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

As we noted in our Nothing Phone 3a review, telephoto cameras are rare on more affordable smartphones. On the Phone 3, there’s a periscope zoom, keeping the camera unit svelte and barely protruding from the device. It’s also impressive to see a 3x zoom paired with a high-resolution 50-megapixel sensor, which allows you to crop into images while retaining fidelity. Nothing even added a 6x zoom button in the camera app that crops the image further. The app also uses pixel-binning for more accurate color and better low-light pictures by default, which results in them being saved as 12-megapixel images.

Overall, the camera system can be a little inconsistent. During a vacation in Amsterdam, the Phone 3 captured crisp images of wildlife and architecture. Its Action mode was particularly impressive, effortlessly adding motion blur to shots while keeping the subject sharp. However, at other times, what should have been vibrant cityscape shots and street art came out muted and grainy. For example, psychedelic cat artwork that was incredibly vibrant in person looked flat in the photos. The metadata revealed the phone had cranked up the ISO, a setting I haven't had to manually adjust on a smartphone in years.While some color variation between the three lenses is expected, images often looked as if they were taken on different phones, something that was especially evident in scenes with blue skies.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The telephoto camera is the standout feature on the Phone 3. I love the ability to play with zoom, and the 3x optical zoom (plus the additional crop) makes this a more useful camera than those on the iPhone 16 or Pixel 9, which top out at 2x zoom. It’s also an excellent macro camera, using the zoom to prevent the phone from casting a shadow on the subject.

Software Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Nothing once again outfits its phone with its own distinctive Android skin. The aesthetic is all monochrome, serif fonts and dot-matrix touches. I immediately chose this skin when setting up the phone for the first time, though finding some app icons can be more challenging without their original colors.

Essential Space, with its dedicated hardware button, remains Nothing’s most interesting software addition. Since launching on the Nothing Phone 3a, it can now add events to your Google Calendar, remind you of tasks and summarize audio recordings. My biggest issue, however, is accidentally hitting the power button instead of the Essential Key, or vice versa. The keys need to be a different size or at least have a more distinct feel.

Performance and battery life

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, the Phone 3 performs solidly, but it’s not as snappy as a device with true flagship silicon, like the Snapdragon 8 Elite or Apple A18. Some might argue that the Phone 3 isn't a "true flagship" because its processor can be found in sub-$400 devices, but the chip is still powerful enough for most tasks and games, and can even deliver ray-traced graphics.

Nothing opted for a 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery, making it one of the first phones we’ve tested with this new technology. It can store more lithium ions than traditional lithium-ion batteries, which Nothing claims adds a 10 percent boost in energy density compared to its predecessor. I didn’t feel any notable difference of the Phone 3 running cooler, however. In our battery rundown test, the Phone 3 was able to play a video file for just over 23 hours. That falls slightly shy of the Phone 2, but that has a smaller screen.

The Phone 3 also gets flagship-level charging speeds, supporting 65W wired charging that gets the device from empty to full in under an hour (with a compatible charger). It also supports 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging for earbuds. However, the lack of Qi2 support seems like an oversight for a "true flagship."

Wrap-up Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

How does Nothing’s flagship phone stack up against similarly priced smartphones? The Phone 3 offers a big 6.67-inch screen, a large battery with fast charging and 256GB of storage — double the amount found in the base Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25.

However, a less-than-flagship chipset and inconsistent camera performance detract from the appeal of an otherwise intriguing phone with slick software and a unique design. The Glyph Matrix is much more useful than the flashing lights of the Phone 3’s predecessors, even if the design isn’t quite as bold. I just hope the company continues to evolve the tools available on it.

The Phone 3 is a much better phone than the two-year-old Nothing Phone 2, but it's also $200 more expensive, making any shortcomings more apparent. While I want Nothing to continue experimenting with its phones, it should probably prioritize shoring up the camera performance first.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-3-review-143006151.html?src=rss

Digital storefront Itch.io is reindexing its free adult games, and is talking to its partnered payment processors about plans to gradually reintroduce paid NSFW content. In a new Developer Update, the company said the decision will ensure it can "confidently support the widest range of creators in the long term."

Itch.io has instructed developers and creators who want their games back on the store to tick a “no payments” box that sits in the pricing section of a game’s edit page. It adds that any game that uses "individually priced files” will have those files converted into free content by checking the box. The company is also introducing a new content warnings system for NSFW-tagged pages, which it says all page owners are required to update accordingly before being reindexed.

Itch.io says it has talked to one of its long-standing payment processors, Stripe, about its policies on explicit adult content, and said it will no longer be able to take payments for games deemed to be "designed for sexual gratification" via the platform. This is due to new restrictions enforced by Stripe’s banking partners. In a statement included in the Itch.io update, Stripe said it hasn’t closed the door on the possibility of being able to support adult content again in the future. In the meantime, Itch.io says it is talking to its other payment partners about accepting the card payments Stripe is currently no longer able to process.

The future of adult content on Itch.io appears to be uncertain. It was only last week that all NSFW games on the platform were deindexed and hidden, following the new payment processor policies. The sudden and frustratingly vague rules Steam and Itch.io introduced to remain in compliance with those payment processors have resulted in unjust casualties. This week, solo developer Cara Cadaver told Engadget that her game, VILE: Exhumed, has been removed from and banned by Steam on the basis of it having scenes of "sexual content with depictions of real people," a description she says is not accurate. VILE: Exhumed is a mainly text-based game, and has been well received in previews, landing a spot on Six One Indie’s Best of PAX East roundup back in May. Steam’s decision to remove the game is not eligible for appeal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/itchio-starts-reindexing-free-nsfw-content-152431716.html?src=rss

Google AI Ultra subscribers now have access to Deep Think, Google’s most advanced reasoning model yet for Gemini 2.5. The new model was first unveiled at Google I/O, and after feedback from "early trusted testers," is now being rolled out to a wider audience. For now, access is limited to the highest-tier AI subscription Google offers, which will run you a cool $250 per month.

The public version of Deep Think is a variation of the model that recently achieved a gold-medal standard at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Google says the version available today would achieve a bronze-medal standard at the same competition according to internal testing, and is faster and better suited for daily use. The gold-medal model will still be tested further and is being shared with a small group of mathematicians and academics for research.

Deep Think works by leveraging what Google describes as parallel thinking techniques. This approach allows Gemini to generate multiple ideas at once and consider them simultaneously. Deep Think is also multi-modal, meaning it can take in different types of data including text, images and sound.

Deep Think was tested against various AI benchmarks, such as Humanity’s Last Exam and LiveCodeBench and outscored OpenAI’s o3, xAI’s Grok 4 and Gemini 2.5 Pro, according to Google.

AI Ultra subscribers can begin using Deep Think within the Gemini app today, though they will be limited to a fixed number of prompts per day. Google did not share exactly how many prompts will be allowed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-rolls-out-its-most-powerful-gemini-model-yet-151205875.html?src=rss

Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg published a memo outlining his vision to build AI "superintelligence." Citing "safety concerns," he wrote that Meta would need to be "rigorous" about what it open sources and what it doesn't. The line stood out, as Zuckerberg has made open source pretty central to Meta's approach to AI.

In fact, his comments differ from what he wrote almost exactly a year ago in a different memo titled "Open Source AI is the Path Forward." In that, he said that open source is crucial for both Meta and developers.

The new memo is pretty meandering, and Zuckerberg followed up with comments on Meta’s Q2 earnings call, saying that nothing had particularly changed. He said the company had always “open-sourced some of our models and not open-sourced everything that we've done.” 

This Friday, we've got a barrage of reviews with more coming later today. Are Meta's Oakley glasses worth the extra money? Should Insta360 be scared of DJI's new camera? Read on!

— Mat Smith

Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The news you might have missed

• What we expect to see at the Made by Google Pixel 10 event on August 20

• DJI's Amflow e-bikes are available to order in the US, but they don't come cheap

• Netgear launches its most affordable Wi-Fi 7 mesh system

• Apple's MacBook Air M4 drops to a record-low price on Amazon

Skechers’ new kids shoes have a hidden AirTag compartment The helicopter parent’s dream sneaker. Engadget

Find My Skechers is a new line of children's shoes that encourages parents to hide an Apple AirTag under the heel. A commercial for the new line of shoes describes the "clever secure hidden compartment" where parents can hide the AirTag and notes that your child won't be able to feel it in their shoes. 

AirTags and distrust sold separately.

Continue reading.

DJI Osmo 360 review A capable action cam that's a real threat to Insta360. Engadget

DJI is finally taking on rising rival Insta360 with its first panoramic action camera. The company has tried to one-up the competition with a new sensor design, up to 8K 50 fps 10-bit log recording and a smaller, lighter body. It also matches or beats its rival in other areas, with similar battery life and superior low-light capability. However, the editing app still needs some work.

Continue reading.

Oakley Meta glasses review A familiar formula. Engadget

Meta’s newest smartglasses collaboration taps Oakley instead of Ray-Ban. Some solid upgrades here will appeal to serious athletes and power users, but with a starting price of nearly $400, are those upgrades worth an extra $100 - $200 compared to the Ray-Ban iteration? Maybe not. We know that Meta will add displays and, eventually, full augmented reality capabilities to its wearable glasses. They are also likely to cost significantly more than these.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111516821.html?src=rss

Google is updating AI Mode on desktop this week with the ability to process images, so you can ask it detailed questions about the pictures like you already can on mobile. In the coming weeks, the company is also adding support for PDF uploads on desktop, which could help you digest lengthy course or work materials. You can ask AI Mode to summarize the documents for you and ask follow-up questions that it will then answer by cross-referencing the materials you uploaded with information available on the web. Google says AI Mode's responses will also include links to its references that you can visit in order to dig deeper. AI Mode will support additional file types for upload, including ones straight from your Google Drive, in the coming months as well. 

In addition to PDF upload support, Google is also rolling out a new Canvas feature that you can access if you're enrolled in the AI Mode Labs experiment in the US. You can use Canvas to consolidate all relevant information about a specific topic or for a specific purpose in a side panel that updates as you ask AI Mode more follow-up questions. If you're traveling, for instance, you can ask AI Mode to make you an itinerary and click the Create Canvas button. You'll be able to keep refining the itinerary with more questions, and you can always leave it alone for a while and come back to it later. 

AI Mode's Search Live is also getting video input on mobile this week, a feature Google announced at I/O 2025, after voice input arrived in June. To be able to access video input, you'll have to open Lens in the Google app and tap the Live icon before asking questions on what the camera sees. When Google revealed the feature during its annual developers' event, it said you could point the camera at a math problem, for example, and ask Search to help you solve it or to explain a concept you're having trouble understanding. 

Finally, with Lens in Chrome, you'll be able to ask AI Mode what's on your desktop screen. The company will roll out an "Ask Google about this page" dropdown option in the address bar "soon." When you click on it, AI Mode will create an overview with key information on what's being shown on your screen on the side panel, whether it's a web page or a PDF. That side panel will also contain a new "Dive Deeper" button that gives you a way to ask AI Mode specific questions about you've selected on your screen with Lens on desktop. 

Updated August 1, 2025 5:45AM ET: This story has been updated to add information on "Dive Deeper."

Update, July 29 2025, 12:29PM ET: This story has been updated, as Google shared after the article was published that the image and PDF upload features will be available wherever AI Mode is available, not just in the US. That means those uploads will come to the US, India and the UK.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-bringing-image-and-pdf-uploads-to-ai-mode-160050646.html?src=rss

Your new iPad is sleek, powerful and ready to tackle everything from binge-watching to serious productivity — but without the right protection, it’s also one drop away from disaster. One of the most important iPad accessories is a solid case. Whether you want something rugged to handle everyday wear and tear, a slim case that keeps things lightweight or a keyboard cover to turn your tablet into a mini laptop, there are plenty of options to suit your needs.

Some cases go beyond basic protection, offering adjustable stands for better viewing angles, built-in storage for your Apple Pencil or even added durability for clumsy moments. We’ve rounded up the best iPad accessories to keep your new iPad safe and functional.

Best iPad cases for 2025

Why do I need an iPad case?

It’s almost always a good idea to keep your iPad in a case so it’s protected against hazards and accidents. The best iPads are expensive — even the most affordable model will set you back at least $300 — so you’ll want to safeguard your gear as much as possible.

iPad case FAQs What is the difference between an iPad case and an iPad cover?

All iPad covers are cases, but not all iPad cases are covers — yes, it’s a bit confusing, but allow us to explain. Most iPad covers are cases that surround the back of your tablet and have a flap that covers the screen, so it provides protection for the body as well as its display. Plenty of iPad cases also have screen covers, but you don’t have to get one with that feature. Instead, you could just get a case that hugs the back of the tablet and nothing else. Those accessories will be marginally thinner and lighter than their cover-toting counterparts, and give your iPad a more svelte profile.

How often should I charge my iPad?

How often you charge your iPad will depend on how often you use it. Most iPads will last at least a regular work day with frequent usage, which is one of the reasons why many have opted to use their iPads as laptop replacements. But with heavy usage, like constant video streaming or gaming, will come more rapid battery drain. A good rule of thumb is to charge your iPad when you go to sleep each night, that way you’ll have a topped-up device waiting for you in the morning.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ipad-cases-to-protect-your-tablet-130033533.html?src=rss

Apple has shipped its three billionth iPhone, Tim Cook has revealed during a call for the company's third quarter earnings. The company released the first iPhone in 2007 and sold its billionth iPhone in 2016. It is believed to have shipped its two billionth sometime in 2021, and now only four years later, it has reached the new milestone. Apple's CEO said the iPhone enjoyed a double digit growth in the third quarter and that the company earned $94 billion in revenue, up 10 percent year over year. In a tweet, Apple expert Mark Gurman suggested that iPhone sales over the past quarter were driven by people who bought one out of fear that the device would be out of their reach in the future due to Trump's tariffs. 

Apple should be very pleased with the folks who spread the lies that the iPhone will cost $3000 or $25,000 if made in the U.S. Clearly that helped a ton for the June quarter.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) July 31, 2025

Speaking of tariffs, they cost the company $800 million in the quarter ending in June, Cook said during the call. In the next quarter ending in September, Apple believes tariffs will cost the company $1.1 billion. 

Apple is slated to announce its next iPhone models in a matter of weeks, probably sometime in September like last year's devices. Gurman previously reported that Apple is releasing an iPhone 17 Air this generation to match the Air models of its other products. It will reportedly be an ultra-thin phone, as its designation implies, will have a single camera lens and be powered by a basic A19 chip. The phone could also be equipped with Apple's in-house modem that debuted with the iPhone 16e and come with a 6.6-inch screen. It could cost buyers around $900, which is around $100 more than the base iPhone 16 and is on par with the price of the iPhone 16 Plus. 

In addition to announcing Apple's three billionth iPhone, Cook also announced during the call that the company is "significantly growing out investments" in artificial intelligence. He said an acquisition to boost its AI efforts and accelerate its roadmap wasn't out of the question, though he didn't name any specific company that Apple could potentially purchase.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-has-now-shipped-3-billion-iphones-030851439.html?src=rss

Reddit is going to be leaning even harder into search in the coming months. The company has already been working on a plan to integrate its LLM-powered search into its main search feature, but CEO Steve Huffman said he wants users to think of the site as an actual search engine.

During the company's latest earnings call, Huffman said search is one of the top priorities for Reddit. "We're concentrating our resources on the areas that will drive results for our most pressing needs, improving the core product, making Reddit a go-to search engine, and expanding internationally."

The idea of reddit as a search engine isn't that far-fetched. Many people are already in the habit of adding "Reddit" to traditional searches in the hopes of finding relevant threads from the site. And the company has been trying to take advantage of this with its own AI-powered search product Reddit Answers. Though that feature is still labeled as being in "beta," the company plans to eventually add it to its default search bar.

"Our focus right now is on unifying the Reddit search, like traditional search on Reddit, which is very widely used on Reddit, and the new Reddit answers product ... we're unifying those into a single search experience, and we're going to bring that front and center in the app," Huffman said.

Huffman's comments come at a time when AI is increasingly eating search traffic for websites. It sounds like even Reddit, which has a multimillion-dollar data licensing deal with Google, isn't immune from those trends either. During the call, Huffman said that Reddit's search traffic from Google "varies week to week," but that overall "it was a headwind" during the last quarter.

That may help explain why Huffman is so eager to make Reddit itself a search destination, even as the company continues to license its data to AI companies. "AI doesn't invent knowledge," he said. "It learns from us; from real people, sharing real perspectives."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-should-be-a-go-to-search-engine-steve-huffman-says-230039621.html?src=rss

Apple leadership discussed results and updates today in its third-quarter conference call, including some statements about its AI endeavors. As reported by CNBC, CEO Tim Cook said that the company is "significantly growing out investments" in artificial intelligence, which shouldn't be much of a surprise for any players in the tech space. However, Cook did acknowledge that an acquisition to boost its work in AI wasn't out of the question. "We’re open to M&A that accelerates our roadmap," he said.

Cook said that Apple is "not stuck on a certain size company" as a possible target for an AI-related purchase. He noted that Apple has acquired "about" seven businesses so far this year across multiple disciplines but that none were "huge in terms of dollar amount."

The company also has been pretty quiet on its promised plans to overhaul the Siri voice assistant with more AI features. The news is still sparse on that subject; according to Reuters, Cook simply stated that the team is "making good progress on a personalized Siri." Despite hopes that Siri improvements would be unveiled at WWDC 2025, the latest projections are that the AI-powered update to that service might not be ready until spring 2026.

Apple did announce a few Apple Intelligence iterations at WWDC, but the general consensus is that the company's AI efforts have been flagging behind other big tech businesses. That has led to speculation that it may look externally to improve its standing in the race to build the best AI features. Most recently, some execs within Apple have allegedly been eyeing up Perplexity as a potential acquisition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-is-open-to-acquisitions-to-boost-its-ai-roadmap-221925560.html?src=rss

Fall is often first-person shooter season, and looks like this year's release calendar will include the next entry in the Battlefield series. Battlefield 6 is launching on October 10, and will be available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam, Epic Games and the EA Play app.

The previous trailer for the first-person shooter only showed content from the game's single-player campaign. While there have been some solid stories in the Battlefield franchise, the main draw for many fans is the sprawling multiplayer matches, which were the focus of today's new trailer and livestreamed event. The signature Conquest, Rush and Breakthrough modes will return in Battlefield 6, as well as typical FPS fare such as Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, Domination and King of the Hill. The new game mode coming this fall is called Escalation, where teams will face off to control and hold several capture points. On the map front, there are new locations in Egypt, Gibraltar, Tajikistan and Brooklyn, plus at least one familiar one: a remake of Operation Firestorm from Battlefield 3.

There will be four familiar classes for players to choose from: Assault, Support, Recon and Engineer. Other tweaks showcased in the multiplayer content unveiled today include a new Drag and Revive option, where downed teammates can be lugged to a safer spot before you rez them, and an option for wall-mounting weapons for less recoil. There will also be plenty of opportunities for high-tech environmental destruction between the tanks, rocket launchers, aerial assaults and drone-mounted explosives. Or you can keep it simple and smash stuff with a really big hammer.

If you can't wait until October 10 to get into the combat, Battlefield 6 will have two open beta weekends on August 9-10 and August 14-17. It's encouraging for fans to see some solid news about the upcoming game after an investigation by Ars Technica surfaced some concerning problems with its development and with AAA gaming at large.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/battlefield-6-gets-an-october-10-release-date-200150912.html?src=rss

Google's attempt to appeal the decision in Epic v. Google has failed. In a newly released opinion, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to uphold the original Epic v. Google lawsuit that found that Google's Play Store and payment systems are monopolies.

The decision means that Google will have to abide by the remedies of the original lawsuit, which limits the company's ability to pay phone makers to preinstall the Play Store, prevents it from requiring developers to use its payment systems and forces it to open up Android to third-party app stores. Not only will Google have to allow third-party app stores to be downloaded from the Play Store, but it also has to give those app stores "catalog access" to all the apps currently in the Play Store so they can have a competitive offering.

In October 2024, Google won an administrative stay that put a pause on some of those restrictions pending the results of this Ninth Circuit case. "The stay motion on appeal is denied as moot in light of our decision," Judge M. Margaret McKeown, who oversaw the case, writes.

"This decision will significantly harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine the innovation that has always been central to the Android ecosystem," Lee-Anne Mullholand, Google's Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, told Engadget. "Our top priority remains protecting our users, developers and partners, and maintaining a secure platform as we continue our appeal." Google intends to appeal the Ninth Circuit's decision to the Supreme Court.

The origin of the Epic v. Google lawsuit was Epic's decision to circumvent Google's payment system via a software update to Fortnite. When Google caught wind, it removed Fortnite from the Play Store and Epic sued. Epic pulled a similar gambit with Apple and the App Store, though was far less successful in winning concessions in that case — its major judicial success there has been preventing Apple from collecting fees from developers on purchases made using third-party payment systems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-lost-its-antitrust-case-with-epic-again-190633325.html?src=rss

Uber Eats has added a slate of AI features designed to, theoretically, help merchants earn new customers and ease the shopping experience for users.

AI-enhanced food images are intended to make dishes more appealing by improving photos uploads. In the press release, Uber Eats shows an example in which pictures captured very close to the food are transformed into wider field-of-view shots of plated dishes. Because the tool creates portions of the image that were not there before, its accuracy remains to be seen.

Menu descriptions will also get the AI treatment with the idea being to ensure their accuracy so that customers feel more confident in what they're ordering. It will also summarize restaurant reviews, with the goal of highlighting areas for improvement as well as strengths. Much like the generated images, the jury is still out on if these tools will be useful, or another vector for hallucinations.

Uber is inviting users to send photos of delivered food for items that lack menu images. Customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom can earn $3 in Uber Cash for their pictures.

"Live order chat" will finally allow merchants to initiate conversations directly with customers once an order has been placed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uber-eats-is-stuffing-ai-slop-into-your-meal-174413765.html?src=rss

NVIDIA is calling time on its Maxwell, Pascal and Volta GPUs, with one last significant driver release scheduled for October. This means that all graphics cards belonging to the GeForce GTX 7-, 9- and 10-series categories will only receive quarterly security updates beyond the October cutoff, with support ending entirely three years later in 2028. While they’ll still work after that, they won’t be optimized for new games and are more vulnerable to technical exploits.

NVIDIA described its 11-year support for the aging hardware "well beyond industry norms." If you’ve been rocking a GTX card for the best part of a decade and don’t want to get left behind, now might be a good time to look into upgrading your GPU.

The other notable bit of news from NVIDIA is that its Game Ready Driver (GRD) support for Windows 10 on all RTX GPUs will run until October 2026. This is a year after Microsoft itself officially sunsets the operating system in a bid to move the last of the reluctant upgraders onto Windows 11. Games will at least remain optimised for another year, provided you’re willing to risk continuing with an OS that is no longer receiving crucial security updates.

NVIDIA’s latest GRD update was released today, and includes optimizations for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country, as well as adding support for 62 new G-Sync compatible displays.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-is-ending-support-for-its-gtx-10--9--and-7-series-gpus-173112051.html?src=rss

Over the past few weeks, thousands of video games have been banned, removed and delisted from Steam and Itch.io. The justifications for doing so have been almost comically vague, and at least one highly anticipated title is now unable to be sold despite containing nothing objectionable.

It started in early July, when payment processors including Visa, Mastercard and PayPal established new regulations concerning the types of games they would allow to be sold on the PC gaming platforms they support. The exact details of these regulations have not been made public. What we do know is that, in response on July 16, Steam added a sweepingly vague clause to its ruleset banning “certain kinds of adult only content.” Hundreds of games were removed from the platform. On July 24, Itch.io rolled out its own rule change and summarily deindexed every adult and NSFW game it hosted, which amounted to more than 20,000 titles being hidden from search and browse pages. Itch.io is currently auditing this bunch and preparing to introduce new compliance measures for NSFW games.

Among the games swept up in this tidal wave of censorship is VILE: Exhumed, the latest project from solo developer Cara Cadaver of Final Girl Games and publisher DreadXP.

VILE: Exhumed takes place in the files and preserved BBS chatrooms of an old PC, as players hunt for clues in the disappearance of adult film actress Candy Corpse. It’s an unsettling psychological experience that’s mainly text-based, and it offers pixelated commentary on misogyny, sexual entitlement and parasocial relationships. VILE: Exhumed has been praised in multiple previews, even earning a place in Six One Indie’s Best of PAX East lineup this May. It was slated to hit Steam on July 22.

As DreadXP director Hunter Bond and his team continued preparing the game for launch, they noticed it was taking an abnormally long time for Steam to approve its page. They submitted tickets to Steam asking for a status update, but heard nothing concrete back. The day before VILE: Exhumed was supposed to come out, Cara and DreadXP were forced to announce a delay. And On July 28, Cara announced VILE: Exhumed had been removed from Steam and banned from the platform.

Steam told Cara that the action was triggered by scenes of “sexual content with depictions of real people,” a description that she said doesn’t apply to her game, since it deals in text and implication. The ban is not eligible for appeal and VILE: Exhumed can not be resubmitted to Steam. This effectively removes it from the mainstream PC gaming conversation, since Steam essentially enjoys a monopoly in the market and there isn’t a competing storefront with the same audience reach in town. Losing Steam access is a huge blow for small developers especially.

VILE: Exhumed is a deeply personal project for Cara, one that she worked on for years. “I poured myself into this game — it was an incredibly personal story, made up of bits and pieces of my real-life experiences, my real feelings, and was reflective of that for many other people as well," Cara told Engadget. "Silencing a story about violence, entitlement and sexual expression (though the sexual content was all implied) shows the age we are living in, and I deeply worry for storytelling and art.”

Cara Cadaver

To put it clearly: Steam removed a solo female developer’s game about misogynistic violence and banned her from attempting to list it ever again, and the platform’s reason for doing so doesn’t make sense to anyone who knows what’s actually in the game. You can decide that for yourself, too: At least one full playthrough of VILE: Exhumed lives happily on YouTube, a site not known for tolerant views on nudity or adult themes. More confusingly, the original version of Cara’s game, VILE, remains available and searchable on Itch.io's storefront, even though it includes much of the same content as Exhumed.

This highlights a core issue with Steam and Itchi.io’s sudden and haphazard censorship plans. Vague rules against “adult-only content” leave too much room for interpretation and invite overreach — especially in a society that’s increasingly hostile to marginalized communities — while simultaneously doing very little to protect the audience from whatever demons the payment processors think they have identified. The rollout of the new regulations has been chaotic and already multiple games, including the horror hit Mouthwashing, have been inaccurately identified as casualties of the situation.

Engadget has reached out to Visa, Mastercard and PayPal for information on what their new policies are and why they're being enacted. Only PayPal has responded with a generic statement that it does not comment on individual accounts. Valve has also not returned requests for comment. Itch.io did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Cara Cadaver

This isn’t the first time Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and other major payment processors have targeted online communities for censorship. The current PC gaming bans mirror previous efforts to restrict content on PornHub, OnlyFans and Patreon, to name a few targets. This sort of financial censorship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation says, "can heavily influence what kind of speech can exist online.”

The International Game Developers Association has lodged its fierce opposition to the censorship campaign, and provides avenues for players to contact Visa and Mastercard directly with their concerns.

“We are alarmed by the vague enforcement of policies delisting and deplatforming legal, consensual, and ethically-developed games, especially from LGBTQ+ and marginalized creators,” the IGDA said. “Developers deserve clear rules, fair warnings, and the right to appeal.”

In the case of VILE: Exhumed, Steam is silencing a game that can help combat gender-based sexual violence, in the name of protecting players from being harmed by these same themes. VILE: Exhumed is uncomfortable, confronting, personal and raw — and that’s the beauty of small, independent games. By all accounts, it doesn’t belong in the Steam ban, and it’s also likely not the only game unfairly swept up in the broad censorship campaigns hitting PC platforms, pushed by payment processors.

"Indie development for me has been such a beautiful opportunity to create things and tell stories that mean something to me — and I hate that that freedom of expression is being taken from myself and others," Cara said. She and DreadXP are cooking up a new distribution plan that doesn’t include Steam.

Update August 1, 12:45PM ET: Mastercard provided a statement to Engadget after publication and it reads as follows: "Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations. Our payment network follows standards based on the rule of law. Put simply, we allow all lawful purchases on our network. At the same time, we require merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content."

For what it's worth, Steam has had a rule banning "content that violates the laws of any jurisdiction in which it will be available" for years.

PayPal's statement, which was sent before publication, reads as follows: "PayPal is committed to maintaining a safe platform for its customers and will take appropriate action when we identify activity that violates the law, our policies, or the policies of our partner banks and card networks. In line with our Privacy Policy, PayPal does not comment on individual customer accounts."

Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email, Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/vile-exhumed-is-an-unjust-casualty-in-steams-sweeping-censorship-campaign-170203493.html?src=rss

The iconic tower defense game Plants vs. Zombies is getting an HD remaster. Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted heads to the Switch and Switch 2 on October 23, as revealed during this morning's Nintendo Direct livestream.

As the name suggests, it's a remake of the very first PvZ game, going all the way back to 2009. This is the first time we're seeing a version of the original title on a Nintendo platform since the DS.

This is more than just a simple HD refresh. The graphics have been upscaled, which is nice, but EA has also added new levels and plenty of secrets to uncover. The refresh will even include local co-op and PvP, which should be fun. The PSN and Xbox Live Arcade versions of the game, released in the early 2010s, had a co-op mode, but not's not true of many other iterations.

Preorders are open right now, and early birds will receive a retro Peashooter skin when the game launches. It remains to be seen if the game will come to other platforms beyond Nintendo's hybrid consoles. However, it's very likely to pop up on just about everything before too long.

As for the rest of today's Nintendo Direct, it was a muted affair focusing on third-party titles. Square Enix announced a new Octopath Traveler game and Atlus revealed that Persona 3 Reload is coming to Switch 2. There was also a bizarre-looking game about building a campfire.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/plants-vs-zombies-is-getting-an-hd-remaster-with-co-op-155622843.html?src=rss

Lyft has received the required regulatory clearance to finalize its acquisition of the European app-based taxi company Freenow. First announced back in April, Lyft’s approximately $197 million agreement with BMW and Mercedes-Benz allows the company to expand outside of North America for the first time.

Freenow’s service will continue to operate as normal, but Bloomberg reports that users will be prompted to download the Lyft app when travelling in the US or Canada, and vice versa for Lyft riders in one of the nine countries or 180 European cities Freenow currently operates in. Eventually you’ll be able to book a taxi on either app without having to switch.

According to Bloomberg, none of the roughly 600 Freenow employees’ jobs are at risk, and while 50 percent of taxi bookings in Europe apparently still happen offline, the new partners believe there is a desire for that to shift more towards an online majority. In 2024, taxis accounted for 90 percent of Freenow’s income and they will remain the "backbone" of its business going forward.

As well as seamless app integration in the future, Freenow said in April that riders can expect more consistent pricing, faster matching and new features as a result of the Lyft acquisition. Lyft is the second-largest ride-hailing company in the US, trailing Uber, and has been looking to introduce more autonomous vehicles into its network from 2025 onwards after partnering with Mobileye and several other companies last year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-completes-its-197-million-acquisition-of-europes-freenow-152420370.html?src=rss

The well-regraded 8BitDo Ultimate 2C controller is on sale for just $18 via Amazon. This is nearly 40 percent off and a record-low price. Typically, this controller doesn't go any lower than $25, so this is one heck of a deal.

There's one major caveat. The deal only applies to the pink colorway, which may not be everyone's bag. It looks pretty good, though, as you can see below.

The Ultimate 2C is a good match for the Nintendo Switch, Windows PCs and Android devices. It connects via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or with a physical cable. It's compatible with devices running Windows 10 and above and Android 9.0 and above. The battery life is solid, with around 32 hours per charge on Bluetooth and 19 hours when using the wireless 2.4G adapter.

As for the actual controller, it boasts Hall Effect joysticks that are precise and durable. There's an extra set of bumpers that can be remapped without additional software. It offers 6-axis control and haptic feedback, aka rumble. It's a decent little controller, particularly for the price.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/8bitdos-ultimate-2c-controller-is-on-sale-for-only-18-150801451.html?src=rss

Thursday's Nintendo Direct showcased some interesting games, but none seemed more relaxing than one called Chillin' by the Fire. This is a campfire sim from Oink Games in which you'll build and grow a fire. You'll split and stack firewood, dry out wet logs before adding them to your blaze and fan the flames by blowing on 'em. It's important not to have too little or too much wood in a fire at any given time, and you might have to deal with elemental factors like low temperatures on a snowy mountain. 

The main aim of Chillin' by the Fire is to build a level 10 blaze, but there are other ways to play. In survival mode, you'll have a limited stock of firewood and have to figure out how to pass the flame between logs to keep it burning. There's also a multiplayer feature called Playground, in which you can compete with friends to construct the biggest fire (messing with them is an option here) or work together.

Chillin' by the Fire supports GameShare, so you only need one copy to play with up to three other people online (they'll each need a Switch 2) or locally (on separate Switch or Switch 2 systems). It supports GameChat as well, so you can have you and your buddies' heads hanging out by the fire, where you can roast marshmallows, set off fireworks or carry out the time-honored tradition of telling spooky campfire stories (Are You Afraid of the Dark?-style) as your heads hover in the air.

It all seems quite lovely, in truth. These days, I like the idea of camping more than actually camping. No, thank you. Too many bugs. So, Chillin' by the Fire seems right up my alley. It's out today on Nintendo Switch 2 and it costs $15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/chillin-by-the-fire-is-a-relaxing-co-op-campfire-sim-thats-out-today-on-nintendo-switch-2-150009762.html?src=rss