YouTube adds tons of little tweaks, including fine-tunable playback speed

YouTube just announced around two-dozen tweaks and updates to the mobile app, the web player and the TV app. Many of these updates are on the insignificant side, so let’s go over the ones that are likely to change how people use the service.

Speed adjustments are getting much more granular. There will now be fine-tunable playback speed, with adjustments in 0.05 increments. Prior to this change, adjustment options were locked into 0.25 increments. True story. I watched YouTube exclusively at 0.75 speed for like two years and now whenever people talk at a normal speed I feel completely overwhelmed. Good times!

The miniplayer on mobile is getting some new features. Viewers will be able to resize the player and move it around at will. YouTube says this is “perfect for those that love to search for more videos to add to their queues while already watching a video.”

YouTube

Playlists are getting a modern facelift. There’s a new co-op playlist feature. Users can send out a QR code or a web link to invite friends and family to help on a particular playlist. There will soon be a voting feature, to let “you and your friends curate the best line-up.” YouTube’s even introducing custom thumbnails for these playlists.

Standard YouTube users are getting access to the Sleep Timer, after the company tested the feature with Premium members earlier this year. This is exactly what it sounds like. If you’re someone who likes to fall asleep to the dulcet tones of a Noam Chomsky interview from 1995, the timer will ensure that YouTube powers down at some point.

YouTube TV is getting an updated UI for Shorts, which could be handy as this content doesn’t always jive with television screens. Incidentally, Shorts can now run up to three minutes, so they don’t exactly live up to their name anymore.

Finally, the platform is bringing badges to both YouTube and YouTube Music. Gotta collect 'em all, or whatever. Most of these tools begin rolling out today, but it could be several days before your particular YouTube account gets the refresh. You know the drill.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/HRdWvem
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Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is back online after last week’s DDoS attacks

The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is back online in a read-only state, after DDoS attacks took the entire platform offline on October 9. Founder Brewster Kahle posted on Monday (via The Verge) that the service is “resumed in a provisional, read-only manner” without the ability to save new pages.

Security researcher Troy Hunt said last week’s attacks coincided with the Internet Archive’s plan to disclose a previous breach that led to the theft of over 31 million records. Hunt, who runs the Have I Been Pwned? service, believed the timing of the two attacks was likely “entirely coincidental,” citing the involvement of “multiple parties.”

The hacking group Blackmeta claimed responsibility for the attacks, posting that the Internet Archive “belongs to the USA.” The nonprofit, founded in the early days of the web in 1996, is headquartered in San Francisco.

Kahle says it’s “safe to resume” using the Wayback Machine, so you can resume your nostalgic trip to your favorite Geocities post-grunge tribute sites. However, the founder warns that the service may need further maintenance, so don’t be shocked if it goes down again.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/db0YjWq
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An arcade-style Terrifier beat 'em up game is coming next year

The Terrifier franchise, with its distinctively horrifying antagonist Art the Clown, is having a bit of a moment right now. Coinciding with Terrifier 3’s wildly successful opening weekend — the indie horror movie reportedly pulled in over $18 million — game publisher Selecta Play has announced that a Terrifier video game is in the works and will be released next year. Terrifier: The ARTcade Game is being developed by indie studio Relevo and styled after a classic beat ‘em up. The teaser shows it to be a fitting combination of gory and goofy, with colorful pixel art and tons of over-the-top blood spatter.

According to the Steam listing, you’ll get to play as Art the Clown and “unleash chaos” on several movie sets where films about him are being produced. There will also be local multiplayer modes. Terrifier: The ARTcade Game will be available for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox when it’s released in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/VXnltG3
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Massive Pokémon leak exposes beta designs, source codes and plans for upcoming titles

Pokémon developer Game Freak has confirmed it suffered a breach as troves of internal materials pertaining to the franchise — from source codes to early and, in some cases, scrapped character designs — hit social media this weekend. In a statement published on Thursday (translated from Japanese), the company said it discovered its servers were hacked in August and that sensitive employee information had been leaked. It did not address the Pokémon leaks, though the bulk of this content appears to have been published online after the statement was released.

Leaked documents and images flooded Reddit and X after Centro Leaks began dumping it all on Saturday afternoon. The “Teraleak” files, as some fans are calling it, allegedly include source codes for past games such as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, codenames for the Switch 2 and the upcoming Gen 10 Pokémon games — “Ounce” and “Gaia,” respectively — references to an in-development Pokémon MMO, and internal discussions from design meetings. There are also details on the purported unreleased Detective Pikachu sequel and other planned Pokémon movies, as well as a new anime series.

The scope of the leak is enormous, exposing tons of beta character designs and concept art in addition to the source codes. Neither Nintendo nor The Pokemon Company has publicly acknowledged the leak yet. Engadget has reached out for comment. Game Freak said in its statement that it’s strengthening its security and apologized to those affected by the breach, noting that the unauthorized third-party accessed the personal information of over 2,600 current and former workers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/4J5yegG
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The 'Ready or Not' sequel is officially happening

Samara Weaving stans, the time has come. Ready or Not 2 is officially a go.

The 2019 horror film's star and creative heads are set to return for a follow-up with Searchlight pictures after years of rumors (and fan pleading), according to the Hollywood Reporter. The filmmakers didn't unveil any details on how the next film will revisit Weaving's iconic bloody bride, however.

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The first Ready or Not — featuring a killer cult-like family hunting Weaving's gun-wielding newlywed character across their eerie estate — was a surprising hit, making more than $57 million worldwide. The now series is helmed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of production company Radio Silence, also behind the rebooted Scream sequels and this year's vampire ballerina flick Abigail.

"I’m all in," Weaving told ComicBook.com about the team's eagerness for the follow-up film. "I don’t know if we’ve had our blood handshake, but pretty much. We’ve done the spit handshake, but we haven’t cut each other’s hands and rubbed our blood together."

Production and principal photography dates haven't yet been announced.

via IFmashable.com