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How to leave video messages on FaceTime in iOS 17

How to leave video messages on FaceTime in iOS 17

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Apple's iOS 17 brought a host of new features, including the option to leave video messages on FaceTime. While younger generations typically dread hearing their phones ring and seeing that someone has left a voicemail, Apple's new video version might be a hit. Now, when you call someone on FaceTime, if there's no answer you'll have the option to record and send a video message. Please note: Both you and your recipient must be running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 to send and receive FaceTime video messages.

Step by step: How to send a FaceTime video message

Step 1: Go to the FaceTime app

Leaving a video message via FaceTime is pretty simple. All you have to do is initiate a FaceTime call like you normally would. This can be done in a few ways but the easiest way would be to go to the FaceTime app.

Step 2: Initiate the FaceTime call

Once in the app, tap the New FaceTime button, select the contact you're trying to reach then tap FaceTime at the bottom. If no picks up, you'll see "[Contact] is Unavailable" and you'll be presented with two options. You can either call them again or hit Record Video to do just that. 

Steps for leaving FaceTime Video Message.
CNET

Step 3: Tap the Record Video option

Select Record Video and get ready to shoot your shot. You'll see an onscreen countdown and then you can record your message. 

Step 4: Send your video message

After you're done saying what you need to say, you can send it by tapping Send, which looks like a white button circle with a green arrow inside, or you can select Retake.

Screenshot of FaceTime Video Message being recorded.
Apple

Apple has also included a Save option, which means you can save the video message you just recorded directly to your Camera Roll. Or if you'd prefer not to send the message at all, you can simply hit Cancel.

But if you do go through with sending your video message, the recipient will be able to view it in the missed call log within their FaceTime app. Once there, they'll have the option to return your call, watch the video message or save it to their Camera Roll.

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The Supreme Court will hear social media cases with immense free speech implications

The Supreme Court will hear social media cases with immense free speech implications

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On Friday, the US Supreme Court agreed to take on two landmark social media cases with enormous implications for online speech, as reported by The Washington Post. The conservative-dominated court will determine if laws passed by Texas and Florida are violating First Amendment rights by requiring social platforms to host content they would otherwise block.

Tech industry groups, including Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and Google, say the laws are unconstitutional and violate private companies’ First Amendment rights. “Telling private websites they must give equal treatment to extremist hate isn’t just unwise, it is unconstitutional, and we look forward to demonstrating that to the Court,” Matt Schruers of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), one of the trade associations challenging the legislation, told The Washington Post. The CCIA called the order “encouraging.”

The groups representing the tech companies contesting the laws say platforms would be at legal risk for removing violent or hateful content, propaganda from hostile governments and spam. However, leaving the content online could be bad for their bottom lines as they would risk advertiser and user boycotts.

Supporters of the Republican-sponsored state laws claim that social media companies are biased against conservatives and are illegally censoring their views. “These massive corporate entities cannot continue to go unchecked as they silence the voices of millions of Americans,” said TX Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who recently survived an impeachment trial accusing him of abuses of office, bribery and corruption. Appeals courts (all with Republican-appointed judges) have issued conflicting rulings on the laws.

The US Supreme Court voted five to four in 2022 to put the Texas law on hold while the legal sparring continued. Justices John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted to prevent the law from taking effect. Meanwhile, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the temporary hold. Alito (joined by Thomas and Gorsuch) said he hadn’t decided on the law’s constitutionality but would have let it stand in the interim. The dissenting Kagan didn’t sign off on Alito’s statement or provide separate reasoning.

The Biden administration is against the laws. “The act of culling and curating the content that users see is inherently expressive, even if the speech that is collected is almost wholly provided by users,” Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said to the justices. “And especially because the covered platforms’ only products are displays of expressive content, a government requirement that they display different content — for example, by including content they wish to exclude or organizing content in a different way — plainly implicates the First Amendment.”

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Netflix animation event dropped trailers for Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry and Sonic

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Netflix held a virtual event called DROP 01 to celebrate its forthcoming slate of animated projects. The showcase was an absolute cornucopia of trailers and announcements for animation fans, particularly those who enjoy video game adaptations (all of us.) It started with a global livestream of Castlevania: Nocturne’s first three episodes ahead of the official premiere later today.

After that, the hits kept on coming. We knew there was a Devil May Cry anime being produced, adapting the popular game series, and now we have a trailer. There’s no release date, other than “coming soon”, but the show’s being produced by Capcom and animated by Studio Mir, the same folks behind The Legend of Korra, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and My Adventures With Superman. In other words, we should be in for a good time.

Sonic Prime is coming back for season three and there’s a trailer to prove it. The new episodes focus on the fallout of chapter two as the speedy hedgehog faces off against Nine Tails for the fate of the entire Green Hill Zone. Netflix makes games now and also showed off a trailer for the related mobile title Sonic Prime Dash.

It’s been nearly three years since the announcement of a Tomb Raider animated series, leaving fans wondering if the show would evaporate into vaporware heaven. Worry no longer. It’s real and it’s coming soon. Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is a team effort between game developer Crystal Dynamics and media dynamos Legendary Television. It’s being drawn by Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind Castlevania and Masters of the Universe. There’s no release date on this one yet but it looks nifty. 

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix isn’t exactly a video game adaptation, but it’s inspired by the world created in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. As such, Ubisoft is on board, as is Netflix’s animation wunderkind Adi Shankar. This is a cyberpunk show, through and through, with the unusual addition of Ubisoft mascot Rayman. The series releases soon, on October 19.

We don’t have that long to wait before Scott Pilgrim Takes Off graces our screens, as it premieres on November 17. To hype up fans, Netflix dropped a sneak peek with an actual scene from the show. The eight-episode series brings back every single cast member from the movie, including Michael Cera, Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans and Aubrey Plaza.

It wasn’t all video game adaptations. Netflix also showed off trailers for the cinematic anime Blue Eye Samurai, a new season of Masters of the Universe: Revolution and a series based on Astro Boy called PLUTO. Prepare to go cartoon crazy in the coming months.

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How to use iOS 17’s Live Voicemail

How to use iOS 17’s Live Voicemail

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Live Voicemail is an iOS 17 feature that lets you read a transcription of a caller’s message in real time. If what they say sounds urgent, you can pick up the call and chat while they’re still on the line; if not, read along with the message without playing it back (handy for especially long-winded pals). Here’s how to activate and use Live Voicemail to save time on calls and messaging.

First, you’ll want to make sure the feature is turned on. Navigate to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail, and toggle it on if it isn’t already. (It’s on by default).

Once it’s activated, the feature is pretty self-explanatory to use. If you receive a call you can’t or don’t want to pick up, hit the voicemail button on the incoming call screen to send it there. Or you can wait for it to forward automatically.

What is Live Voicemail?

When the caller begins leaving a message, you’ll hear a brief chime and see the live transcription on your Lock Screen. (If your phone is locked, it will prompt you to tap a button to use Face ID and unlock it before you can see the message.) Or, if you’re using your phone when the message comes in, you’ll see a voicemail icon in the Dynamic Island or your phone’s status bar on older models. Tap that to view the message as it’s spoken.

Apple executive Craig Federighi (blue button-down shirt, black slacks) standing in a room in Apple Park (modern gray aesthetic with trees visible outside the windows). On a screen behind him is a demonstration of live voicemail.
Apple

In our testing, the service is reliable at transcribing American and British accents. The words appear on your phone within a second or so of the caller speaking them.

If you decide to take the call after all, you can pick it up while they’re leaving a message. Press the “accept” button while viewing the Live Voicemail transcription, and you’ll immediately jump into the call — like in the old days when people had landline answering machines.

You can go back and listen to Live Voicemail messages later. They’re stored in the Voicemail tab at the bottom right of the Phone app. They’ll exist alongside any standard voicemails sent through your carrier. Apple says all of the transcriptions happen on-device, so you don’t need to worry about your private messages leaking.

How to turn off Live Voicemail

If you ever decide the feature isn’t for you, you can head back to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail and toggle it back off.

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Uber partners with LA taxi companies to expand its fleet

Uber partners with LA taxi companies to expand its fleet

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Uber announced Tuesday that it’s struck a deal with Los Angeles Yellow Cab to deploy taxi fleets across Southern California. The multi-year partnership, also extending to five other SoCal affiliates, will allow traditional yellow taxis to pick up Uber passengers. The collaboration between the strange bedfellows follows similar trials in New York City and San Francisco.

Uber describes the alliance as mutually beneficial for all parties. Taxi drivers, struggling to recover from pandemic losses while competing with ridesharing, get access to Uber referrals. Meanwhile, riders could see faster pickups. (They can opt out of yellow taxis in the app if they prefer typical ridesharing cars.) And, of course, Uber gains a greater supply of rides.

The partnership stretches down the SoCal coast to the Mexico border. It includes 1,200 vehicles from Los Angeles Yellow Cab, San Diego Yellow Cab, California Yellow Cab, Long Beach Yellow Cab, Fiesta Taxi Cooperative, Inc. and United Checker Cab. Onboarding for taxicab drivers in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties begins this week. Once fully onboarded, drivers can start accepting trips at UberX prices.

The unusual pairing follows years of contentiousness between ridesharing and traditional taxi businesses. The two sides have often been at war since the early 2010s when Uber and Lyft’s existence began threatening the taxi industry. Uber claims cab drivers who took ridesharing fares in the NYC and SF pilots raked in an extra $1,767 per month from those trips alone and earned 23.8% more on average than taxi drivers who eschewed Uber.

“We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Uber because it’s a clear win-win for drivers and riders,” said William Rouse, CEO of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles. “We anticipate that this partnership will have a positive impact for our driver-owners as the pandemic recovery continues. No longer will drivers have to worry about finding a fare during off peak times or getting a street hail back into the city when in the outer suburbs.”

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New PS5 owners can grab a free game thanks to Sony’s latest offer

New PS5 owners can grab a free game thanks to Sony’s latest offer

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It's always nice to have some options when it comes to playing games on a fresh console, so for the next month Sony is giving away a free title to anyone who purchases and activates a new PS5.

Dubbed the Upgrader Program, Sony's latest initiative to entice potential PS5 buyers is refreshingly straightforward. In order to get a free game, users will need to purchase and activate their console before 11:59PM PT on October 20th. Once that's done, you can just go to the PlayStation Store and redeem a specific title by tapping on a banner for this offer. That said, if you don't already have an existing PSN account, you will need to make one as the free games come in the form of a digital download. 

The other nice thing is the selection of free titles includes a number of high-profile releases from the past few years. Here's the full list of currently redeemable games:

  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered

  • God of War Ragnarök

  • Horizon Forbidden West

  • Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

  •  Demon’s Souls

  • The Last of Us Part I

  • Sackboy: A Big Adventure

  • Returnal

  • Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection

  • Death Stranding: Director’s Cut

Unfortunately, the Upgrader Program is only valid for owners in the US and it seems that if you have recently purchased a PS5 and activated it prior to September 23, you may not be eligible for the new offer. But for those who are able to take part, this is a great way to kick off your PS5 game collection with basically no strings attached.  

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The Hollywood writers strike may soon end after tentative deal is struck

The Hollywood writers strike may soon end after tentative deal is struck

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Following marathon negotiations over the last five days, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and major studios have reached a tentative deal to end a 146-day strike that has shut down much of the industry, Variety has reported. "We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership," the WGA wrote in an email to members.

Picketing has been suspended as of Sunday night, but the strike is still in force until it's ratified and approved by members. "To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild. We are still on strike until then," the email stated.

One of the last sticking points was reportedly around the use of generative AI in content production. Other details of the contract have yet to be released, including around streaming residuals, staffing levels for shows and more. "Though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you, we cannot do that until the last ‘i’ is dotted," wrote the WGA.

Things were looking bleak for the industry in mid-September, but some high-profile WGA members reportedly pressured leadership to restart negotiations. In addition, four key AMPTP executives (Bob Iger from Disney, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery) participated in negotiations for three days. Bargaining resumed on September 20, and the deal was reached five days later.

Considering the strike length and WGA leadership's high level of praise for the deal, a positive vote from membership seems probable. The guild credited membership's solidarity and its willingness to "endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days" as key to clinching the deal. "It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal," it stated in the message.

The labor strife isn't finished yet, though. The SAG-AFTRA actors' guild is still on strike after hitting picket lines on July 14 over issues like likeness rights. "While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members," the union wrote in a statement.

Even after the actors reach their own deal, it will take time for TV series, films, talk shows and other productions to get back up to speed — so expect delays in your favorite shows coming back. The AMPTP has yet to comment on the WGA deal. 

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What the Elon Musk biography revealed about his tumultuous Twitter takeover

What the Elon Musk biography revealed about his tumultuous Twitter takeover

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From alarming questions about Elon Musk’s role in Ukraine’s war effort, to new details about his complicated personal life, there has been no shortage of bombshells from Walter Isaacson’s recently released biography of Elon Musk.

The book covers his childhood in South Africa, as well as his business dealings, from his first startup to Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink. Perhaps unsurprisingly, more than a quarter of the book is devoted to Twitter.

Isaacson spent two years with Musk and thus had a front-row seat to his takeover of Twitter, beginning with his move to become a major stakeholder last spring. While much of the drama that unfolded at Twitter (now, X) over the last year and half has been well-documented, Isaacson’s account adds telling — and at times bizarre — new details about how it all went down.

Musk almost immediately regretted his decision to buy Twitter

Isaacson describes Musk’s initial bid to buy Twitter as impulsive — the result of one of his frequent “manic” moods. And he writes that Musk regretted the plan almost immediately after the deal was put in motion — both because he thought he was overpaying, and because he was so unimpressed with Twitter’s former leadership. Musk later admits, more than once, that he bought the company because he didn’t have a choice.

“I don’t know why I did it,” he says two weeks after the deal finally closed. “The judge basically said that I have to buy Twitter or else, and now I’m like, okay, shit.”

The main motivation for increasing Twitter Blue subscriptions

We already know that Musk wants to bring banking and payments features to X, but the book makes it clear that those ambitions are very much intertwined with his push for Twitter Blue (now called X Premium) subscriptions. Isaacson writes that Musk was so focused on Twitter Blue because he saw it as a way to “get a user’s credit card information into the system, enabling Twitter someday to become the broader financial-services and payments platform.”

However, the plan was somewhat derailed by Apple, as most of Twitter’s subscribers signed up via its iPhone app, and Apple doesn’t share user data, like credit card and other financial details, with app makers. Incredibly, upon learning of this, Musk instructed Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, to “just call Apple and tell them to give you the data you need.” Roth, realizing that such a request would not go over well with Apple, declined to make the call.

Musk would later meet with Tim Cook amid a separate dispute related to Twitter’s iOS app, but, according to Isaacson, Musk opted not to bring up the user data issue. But it underscores just how important financial data is to his vision to make X an “everything app.”

Musk tried to ban the ADL and other activists in 2022

Musk often portrays himself as a noble defender of free speech, but even a sympathetic biographer is quick to point out all the ways Musk put his interests ahead of free speech after acquiring Twitter.

Months before Musk would boost the #BanTheADL hashtag, he wanted to ban the group and other activists for urging advertisers to boycott the platform, Isaacson writes. Musk apparently went to Yoel Roth, twitter’s former head of trust and safety, and demanded he “stop users from urging advertisers to boycott Twitter.”

Musk then tried to ad lib a new policy to justify what would have been an unprecedented ban. “I’m changing Twitter policy right now … blackmail is prohibited as of right now. Ban it. Ban them,” Musk said. Roth deflected and Musk apparently dropped the issue.

Musk flip-flopped on whether to restore Donald Trump’s account

Despite joking to his sons that he was buying Twitter to help Trump get reelected, Musk is no fan of Trump, according to Isaacson.

“I want to avoid the bullshit disputes about Trump,” Musk had told me a few weeks earlier, emphasizing that his principle had always been to allow free speech only if it was within the bounds of the law. “If he’s engaged in criminal activity — and it seems increasingly that he has — that’s not okay,” Musk said. “It’s not free speech to subvert democracy.”

Musk, of course, would change his mind and decide that a Twitter poll was a better way to decide the issue. Isaacson doesn’t speculate on a reason for the reversal other than saying he was in a “feisty mood” that day.

How the “hardcore Twitter” pledge came about

In the several weeks following his chaotic takeover of Twitter, Musk laid off thousands of Twitter workers. Isaacson sheds new light on how these decisions were made, writing that Musk tapped his two first cousins and their close friend — all of whom worked at Musk’s other companies — to help him identify who should be cut.

Around this time, one of the more infamous stories to come out of Twitter was an online form sent to the remaining staffers, giving them two days to commit to the new “hardcore” version of the company. According to Isaacson, the form was inspired by one of Musk’s cousins, who after digging through Twitter employees’ public Slack messages, “suggested to Musk that he give employees the chance to opt out.” Musk later decided to make the form opt-in, rather than opt-out. “We want people who declare they are hardcore.”

What really happened to Twitter’s servers

Last December, Musk decided to move thousands of Twitter servers from a data center in Sacremento to a facility in Oregon in order to save money. But when Twitter engineers said the move would take at least six months, Musk grew angry, saying he felt like the “head-explosion emoji.”

Then, two days before Christmas, Musk made an impromptu visit to the Sacramento facility and declared moving the servers didn’t “seem super hard.” By the next day, Christmas Eve, Musk had tapped his cousins and others to start the move. The group began rolling the 2,500-pound server racks, which contained “totally critical data” onto a Oregon-bound moving truck. Twitter’s rules required servers with user data to be wiped before such a move, but Musk opted to use Apple AirTags and store-bought padlocks to secure them instead.

Ultimately, all of the servers were relocated within weeks, rather than the several months the company’s engineers originally estimated. But the move also caused months of instability within Twitter’s systems. This resulted in a number of issues, including a disastrous live stream with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was almost unable to announce his presidential bid.

The hasty move has also attracted the scrutiny of the FTC, which is investigating X over a number of privacy and data related issues. Recently revealed court documents refer directly to the incident as an example of the company failing to follow its own security policies.

Musk’s obsession with a mobile strategy game called Polytopia

The book is filled with details about Musk’s personal relationships. But one of the more bizarre details is his long-running obsession with a mobile strategy game called The Battle of Polytopia that many of his confidantes say is key to understanding him. Musk is apparently so addicted to the game that at one point in the narrative he skips a meeting with Tesla managers so he can keep playing.

Musk is so obsessed that he’s roped much of his inner circle, including Grimes, his brother Kimbal and Shivon Zilis, the Neuralink executive with whom he has twins, into playing as well. All of them eventually deleted the game, with his brother Kimbal saying it was “destroying” his marriage. Musk, on the other hand, deleted the app from his phone but, a couple months later, opted to keep playing.

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Blink's new Outdoor 4 camera accessories include battery and range extenders

Blink's new Outdoor 4 camera accessories include battery and range extenders

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It’s been less than a month since Blink, Amazon’s other security camera company, released the Outdoor 4. Now, as part of Amazon’s annual fall showcase, we’re getting a trio of accessories to help the camera travel further and do more when it gets there.

First on the list is the Sync Module Pro, which lets you place your Outdoor 4 further from your home’s wireless network. The company says you can install a camera in “the furthest corner of your property” without worrying about range, but hasn’t yet shared real-world measurements. Maybe those figures haven’t been finalized yet, since the hardware isn’t expected to be available until the start of 2024, when it’ll cost you $50.

There’s a new floodlight mount for the Outdoor 4 that, much like its predecessor, will enable you to temporarily banish the darkness with some motion-activated LEDs. Blink says it’ll last for two years on a charge, based on “default settings” which you’ll probably want to change. That’s available for pre-order now, priced at $160, with shipping due to start on October 17.

Image of the Blink Outdoor 4 with its external battery pack mounted behind it on a white fence.
Blink

And to round off the trio, there’s a new battery pack that, Blink says, will double the Outdoor 4’s life on a single charge. With more power, you can also be a bit less frugal about the notifications you can set up, letting you talk more, record more and generally have a better experience overall. The price for such freedom is $30, and will also begin shipping on October 17.

Follow all of the news live from Amazon’s 2023 Devices event right here.

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Fitbit's radically redesigned app is ready for public consumption

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Fitbit’s redesign is finally here. Google just announced that the comprehensive refresh starts rolling out today after existing as a beta build since August. The update simplifies the experience by splitting everything up into three tabs. There’s the Today tab, the Coach tab and the You tab, with each offering unique metrics and access to activities.

The Today tab boasts a fully customizable set of daily stats and metrics for easy perusal. Though called “Today,” it also provides access to health trends over the past month or year. The Coach tab is all about motivation, with curated lists of mindfulness sessions, workouts and more. The You tab is where you access achievement badges and related progress metrics. Google says that all of this information is kept private and won’t be leveraged for ads data.

The refresh doesn’t change what’s free and what’s only available to paying subscribers, so your basic fitness flow will remain the same, but the app’s visual language is markedly different, and there are some new features. Google encourages Fitbit users to use the new app to track physical activity with or without a dedicated device, as the update improves integration with smartphone sensors for more accurate step counts. The company also touts new privacy controls and increased customization options within the Today tab.

The update begins a global launch today for both iOS and Android platforms. This is a major release, however, so it could take a few days before the redesigned app hits your inbox. The redesign couldn’t arrive at a better time, as Fitbit sunsetted a number of features earlier this year, including open groups, adventures and challenges. While these features haven’t exactly returned with this refresh, the Coach tab will feature daily challenges and scenarios similar to what was previously available, and the You tab provides access to achievement badges.

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Everything we learned from the biggest leak in Xbox history

Everything we learned from the biggest leak in Xbox history

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If you thought we were done learning juicy details about the internal workings of Xbox after this summer's Federal Trade Commission-Microsoft trial wrapped up, hoo boy, you can guess again. A jaw-dropping court document leak has revealed a ton of information about recent goings on within the Microsoft Gaming division, as well as critical details about its future plans. Perhaps the biggest nugget concerned a major Xbox Series X refresh that Microsoft has lined up for next year.

All-digital Xbox Series X refresh

Microsoft is launching an Xbox Series X refresh with an all-new rounded design
Microsoft via FTC

Over the last few console generations, we’ve seen the likes of Sony and Microsoft release updated hardware midway through the cycle (the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X spring to mind). And while there are always rumors in the lead up to those new versions, we’ve never seen legitimate leaks of this magnitude before.

Codenamed "Brooklin," a refreshed Series X will have double the internal storage at 2TB, lower power usage, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and other tech updates, according to a leaked document. This model will have a cylindrical design, compared with the boxy original Series X.

Critically, Microsoft is planning to ditch the console's disc drive. It's not yet clear as to whether there will be an external disc drive available (as is rumored to be the case for a PlayStation 5 refresh). It would mark a significant shift for Xbox to no longer offer a disc drive as standard and perhaps accelerate the death of physical game discs. What's more, Microsoft plans to sell the updated Series X for $499, the same price as the current console.

Microsoft is launching an Xbox Series X refresh with an all-new rounded design
Microsoft via FTC

Microsoft is planning to release an updated Xbox controller next year as well, per the unredacted filing. Codenamed "Sebile," the peripheral is slated to have "precision haptic feedback" (perhaps to better compete with Sony's DualSense), quieter inputs and, like some premium controllers, modular thumbsticks. There's said to be support for "seamless" pairing and switching between devices with the help of new mobile app features.

Intriguingly, a "direct-to-cloud" feature is mentioned in a slide. That suggests Microsoft is focusing on reducing input latency for games streamed from the cloud, like Google tried with the Stadia Controller (RIP).

Sebile is slated to arrive in May, according to the documents. Microsoft is then expected to announce the new Series X (and a Series S refresh) in June, likely at its annual summer showcase. The $299 Series S refresh is now expected to go on sale around August or September 2024, with the beefed-up Series X scheduled to land a couple months later. It seems Microsoft is planning a clearance sale on the current Series S too, as a slide mentions a $199 offer for Black Friday 2024.

The next-gen Xbox could be a 'cloud-hybrid' console

Image of new Xbox Series S console.
Xbox

It seems we're not yet midway through the current console generation, but of course Microsoft is thinking about what's ahead. The next-gen Xbox, slated to arrive in 2028, is expected to support "cloud hybrid games."

There's not much detail available on that, but it's clear the company has been moving in this direction for a while. Microsoft Flight Simulator, for instance, incorporates real-time weather data that it pulls from the cloud (that's not a pun, I swear). Xbox has been making a major push into cloud gaming over the last few years too.

There's an implication that the next-generation Xbox will have an always-online requirement for certain games. It's entirely plausible that there will still be a sizable digital divide by 2028, which could prevent some folks in rural areas or other regions with poor internet access from properly being able to play games on Microsoft's next major console.

Xbox head Phil Spencer really wants to buy Nintendo

Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, announces backwards compatibility to play all Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One during game publisher Microsoft's Xbox media briefing before the opening day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles, California, United States, June 15, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer thinks it would be, like, super cool if the company bought Nintendo. Spencer suggested in an internal 2020 email discussing acquisition targets that he saw Nintendo as a white whale for the company, and one that he was personally invested in snapping up. He saw that as a potential "career moment," per the email.

The document nods toward other possible acquisition targets, including another highly ambitious one in Valve. Spencer mentioned that his team was in active talks with Warner Bros. Interactive and Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media. Both of those were seemingly open to a deal and while the WB talks didn't work out in Microsoft's favor, the company did scoop up ZeniMax for $7.5 billion.

It seems highly unlikely that Microsoft would ever actually buy Nintendo. Antitrust regulators would surely have a lot to say about that, particularly after Microsoft’s ZeniMax purchase and its pending $68.7 billion deal for Activision Blizzard (which could close any day now). It’s not hard to imagine that Japanese officials in particular would be none too happy about an American business buying one of the country’s best-known brands. Still, it’s nice to have dreams, eh, Phil?

Upcoming games

The leak also shed some light on Xbox's plans for upcoming games. It seems that new Doom and Dishonored games are in the pipeline. The latter would see Arkane returning to a successful series after Redfall — its most recent attempt to branch out into fresh IP — faceplanted this year. Fallout 3 Remaster, Oblivion Remaster and a Ghostwire: Tokyo sequel were also mentioned in the leaked documents.

It's worth noting, however, that this Bethesda roadmap ran from fiscal years 2020 through 2024. A lot has changed since then, including Microsoft buying the publisher. Games get canceled all the time, so it's unclear whether any of these unannounced projects will actually come to light. Still, it's hard to imagine that there isn't some kind of Doom title in development.

Xbox Series X console and Xbox Wireless Controller
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget

This is all the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the leaked documents. There are details on everything from Game Pass revenue to Microsoft leaders' reactions to the PlayStation 5 announcement and Spencer revealing he bought his own PS5 (he had to plump for a bundle with Horizon Forbidden West included).

The timing of this leak could not have been worse for Microsoft, as we're going into the critical holiday period. The company was banking on Starfield being a must-have game (it isn’t, unfortunately) to help it shift consoles and Game Pass subscriptions in the last few months of the year. This news won’t help convince people who were on the fence to buy an Xbox soon either. Knowing that a revamped Series X is on the way next year will surely put some people off of buying one now (raises hand). That could result in Microsoft losing more ground against Sony and Nintendo, which appears set to debut a brand new console in 2024.

The FTC, which still has a lawsuit in the works in an attempt to block the Microsoft-Activision deal, has claimed it's not to blame for the leak. "Microsoft was responsible for the error in uploading these documents to the court," Douglas Farrar, director of the FTC's office of public affairs, told NBC News. However all of this information got out there, some heads are surely rolling at Microsoft HQ today.

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Talos Principle 2 and the quiet subversion of optimistic sci-fi

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“What are we willing to fight for? What do we deserve, morally speaking? What is our place, our relationship with the universe, with nature?”

During a preview of The Talos Principle 2 in August, series writer Jonas Kyratzes posed 19 questions about the essence of humanity in just 90 seconds. Between explanations of new mechanics and puzzle systems, he rattled off deep musings about society and the natural world as easily as if he were reading his weekly grocery list. It felt like these questions were constantly on his mind, poised at the tip of his tongue.

“What does society owe me?” he asked. “What do I owe society? What is our relationship with nature? What is our relationship with the universe? Is the universe kind? Is nature understanding or is it cruel and random? And if it is cruel and random, where do we fit in? What degree of control should we have?”

The Talos Principle 2
Croteam

He wasn’t craving answers. TheTalos Principle 2 is filled with provocations like these, and according to Kyratzes, they’re designed to generate conversation and debate, even if it’s all internal. The goal is to spawn deep thoughts about the future of humanity and the role technology can play in our evolution.

“They're statements that are intended to make you think,” Kyratzes told Engadget a few weeks after the initial preview. “Let's say the robots are human and they're capable of love. Like, that's our premise.… Hopefully that is also the sort of thing that will provoke some thought.”

This philosophical approach to the future is the heart of The Talos Principle, an award-winning sci-fi puzzle game that debuted in 2014, and its tender curiosity is baked into the sequel as well. The Talos Principle 2 is due out this year for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and it directly follows the story of the original. It’s set in a burgeoning society built by sentient robots, and its main gameplay mechanic involves solving complex laser riddles, interspersed with conversations about the nature of consciousness, love and survival.

The Talos Principle 2
Croteam

Co-writer Verena Kyratzes didn’t work on the original game’s story, but she and the other developers at Croteam used its calm, question-asking approach as a blueprint for the sequel.

“It didn't only ask you a question, but once you gave the answer to the question, it kind of very politely asked you to just think about whether you're really sure about that,” she said. “It's a game that constantly tries to make you think, to interrogate yourself and your beliefs, and I really hope that we managed to do that in the second one, too. The gentleness of it is something that's very important to me because I think if you're talking down to somebody, if you're just telling them, ‘That was stupid,’ then they will immediately close off.”

The Talos Principle 2 represents an old-school brand of sci-fi that invites people to play around with the ideas it poses; warm, welcoming and slow. Even the series’ conclusions, when it offers any, are inherently optimistic, centering on humanity and the ability society has to thrive with nature in the future. It’s a return to a Carl Sagan era of forward thought, positioning people as the solution, not just the instigator, in problems like climate change, overpopulation, rogue AI, pandemics and space travel. This alone is a refreshing perspective in a sea of mainstream sci-fi media that only envisions the future as a miserable, sterile void manufactured by society's stubbornness and greed.

The Talos Principle 2
Croteam

“Consistently, science fiction presents itself as being original for taking a dystopian view, as if it was subverting a mainstream narrative of hopefulness,” Jonas Kyratzes said. “They'll be like, ‘In our story technology is bad.’ Oh really, you mean like every other story?”

As a series, The Talos Principle is more thematically aligned with the aspirational sci-fi of the original Star Trek or The Next Generation than it is with the gloom of today's Picard. This optimistic, human-first approach makes The Talos Principle 2 subversive as a work of contemporary sci-fi.

Here’s how Jonas Kyratzes and Verena Kyratzes discussed the modern glut of pessimistic sci-fi among themselves:

Jonas: “[Dystopia] is of course, on some level, a response to the conditions we live in. But it's also limiting our ability to imagine something else. And I think this kind of optimism, that's so crucial, it's so fundamental in a way that it's hard to talk about, because what are we without a future? I think that also reflects our alienation from our own humanity. The tendency to always go, ‘Humanity is a virus, humanity is bad, all humans are evil.’ Einstein once remarked that this is a very troubling thing, a sign of alienation, because it's such a fundamental thing to have a connection to humanity. Because you are human. … It's the most mainstream idea, it's the ruling ideology of our time: Nothing will get better and you shouldn't expect anything to get better.”

Verena: “Often we’ll watch something that is set 300, 400, 1,000 years in the future, but what they're actually talking about is something that is [current]. They're no longer imagining a future. They're just talking about what upsets them in the present.”

Jonas: “By taking it into a utopian future, it gives you different ways of thinking about it, and now a lot of science fiction doesn't. It's like, here's future racism, exactly like now racism. As if to say, nothing will change, nothing will get better, nor can it. And it’s like, OK, great — why are we telling this story?”

The Talos Principle 2 will present decidedly humanist ideas in conversations with NPCs and general story beats, but it also makes room for other conclusions. The game’s respect for the human race extends to individual players, and the story will unravel in various ways depending on the choices each person makes and the interpretations they choose to follow. Diversity is one humanity’s greatest strengths, after all.

There are varying levels of engagement with the narrative, too — completing the game’s incredibly challenging golden puzzles, for instance, will unlock a “significant story payoff,” according to Jonas Kyratzes.

The Talos Principle 2 isn’t necessarily a game about utopian sci-fi; it just uses this direction as a backbone. The sequel takes players from sterile, Myst-like testing grounds filled with wildly tricky spatial puzzles, to a clean, shining city built by robots that act like and call themselves human. Robots that feel human. Robots that feel, full-stop.

“All of these things that we're all thinking about and arguing about are going into this game, and hopefully are reflected in the conversations inside that game,” Jonas Kyratzes said. “I would hope it's expressed as a story through characters who have personalities. The game is all of these things, but it's also a love story, as much as anything else. Multiple love stories. It’s intertwined love stories in a lot of ways, that's an undercurrent that's very significant. The ability of sentient beings to love, even if they are robots.”

A multitude of questions spawn from this premise alone. The Talos Principle 2 will invite players to test their own theories about consciousness, AI, sustainability and love in a meditative space. It doesn’t promise answers, but maybe it’ll inspire players to ask different questions about humanity’s future, just like sci-fi is supposed to.

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Unity apologizes and promises to change its controversial game install fee policy

Unity apologizes and promises to change its controversial game install fee policy

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Last week, Unity dropped a bomb on developers with a new runtime fee on its game engine that would be charged each time a title is installed — summed up by one developer as an "abysmally catastrophic decision." Now, the company appears to be backtracking, promising changes to the policy that will be revealed shortly.

"We have heard you. We apologize for the confusion and angst the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday caused," the company said in a post on X. "We are listening, talking to our team members, community, customers, and partners, and will be making changes to the policy. We will share an update in a couple of days. Thank you for your honest and critical feedback."

News of the fee structure created furor in the developer community, which quickly closed ranks against Unity. "We have never made a public statement before. That is how badly you f—-ed up," wroteSlay the Spire dev Meta Crit. "There is no way Unity talked to a single developer before launching this," added Rami Ismail. In protest, many developers switched off Unity ads, and others were considering a class action lawsuit. 

Unity announced the changes following a difficult couple of years that saw an Apple privacy change cut off much of its ad revenue. Last year, the company's stock price plunged and it initiated layoffs that impacted 8 percent of its staff, or 600 employees. It has also had a controversy around CEO John Riccitiello after he called game makers who don't consider monetization "f—ing idiots." 

Following the initial uproar, Unity attempted to clarify its policies, saying it would only charge for initial installs, charities would be exempt and demos wouldn't count. Owners of subscription services would be required to pay the fee, not developers. 

However, some developers who committed to Unity and its previous pricing structure have said they are still effectively screwed. "Put years and years of work into my pipeline. I did so under a simple per-seat license I am happy to pay. Now while I am close to release they spring something new on me. Not a price increase [but] a fundamental change in how we do business together. I have no options, cannot go back, can only bend and [pay up]," wroteThe Falconer dev Tomas Sala. 

It remains to be seen if Unity's changes will placate developers. "Just be honest, upfront, reliable. We need stability," wrote one developer in response to the company's post.

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Roland adds CR-78 percussion and 808 bass to the TR-8S and TR-6S drum machines

Roland adds CR-78 percussion and 808 bass to the TR-8S and TR-6S drum machines

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It's always good to see companies delivering updates and new features to devices long after they've launched. And Roland's TR-8S and TR-6S were already pretty capable to begin with. But with the latest firmware updates they're picking up two huge new additions, including one that that I'm personally quite excited about.

TR-8S 3.0 and TR-6S 2.0 add an ACB model of the CR-78 CompuRhythm and a chromatic TR-808 mode for building basslines. The ability to play an 808 kick chromatically greatly expands the flexibility of the two drum machines. While you could tune drum hits and samples on the to create some melodic elements it wasn't exactly an easy or pleasant experience. This opens up the 8S and 6S well beyond strictly percussion, but does so in a way that seems natural. The 808 emulation was already part of their feature sets. And, especially in the world of hip hop, it's a staple for creating basslines, not just drum grooves. 

The CR-78 emulation is another huge addition. It was the world's first programable drum machine and my personal favorite of Roland’s classic rhythm boxes. In fact, I called out the lack of a CR-78 model in my review of the TR-6S as its one glaring omission. (I'd like to believe I had something to do with the decision, but I know better.) All of the sounds from the hardware are represented, as are most of the original preset rhythms, plus a few new ones. But what's particular exciting is the ability to use the more modern programming features and sound design tools available on the TR-6S and TR-8S to tweak the CR-78 for more modern productions.

In addition to the two new sound engines, the TR-Editor app on Mac and PC is getting an update with some usability tweaks and new compact UI for easier use on small displays. All these updates are available now for free directly from Roland.com. 

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Apple isn’t perfect on environment isues, but it’s depressingly ahead of its peers

Apple isn’t perfect on environment isues, but it’s depressingly ahead of its peers

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During its iPhone 15 event, Apple released a sketch where CEO Tim Cook and VP Lisa Jackson bragged about the company’s environmental goals with Octavia Spencer’s Mother Nature. It was a flex to help bolster the marketing around the Apple Watch 9, some versions of which are sold as carbon neutral. It’s the first product to carry the branding, but others will follow as Apple pushes toward its goal of becoming entirely carbon neutral by 2030. It was after the event, however, that I wondered how much of this was Apple smugly congratulating itself for work that it’s meant to be doing.

There are plenty of companies in the mobile space, and not all of them are as adept at making a song and dance about bread-and-butter stuff as Apple. So, I figured I’d read all the companies’ sustainability reports from the last year to see if that bluster was worth puncturing. But, much as we may want to sneer at Apple for indulging in its smugness, it turns out no major manufacturer is close to snatching that halo. In fact, I’ve had a fairly miserable few days learning how little, even now, some of the biggest names in the space are doing.

Apple’s goals are aggressive, and they are matched by some of its domestic rivals, although they have far smaller hardware businesses. Facebook owner Meta, at one extreme, which is primarily a services company, achieved net zero in its global operations in 2020, and wants to reach net zero across its entire value chain by 2030. Microsoft’s goals are even bigger, as it pledges to become a carbon negative company by 2030. Google, meanwhile, is hoping to reach carbon-free energy in every place it operates by 2030 but it believes it’ll only halve its emissions by that same deadline. And Amazon, which has been the highest-profile laggard in addressing sustainability, has pledged to reach net zero by 2040.

Before we dig in, it’s worth noting there’s no guarantee of consistency between different companies’ reports and the figures aren’t always comprehensive. And we can’t ignore the big financial disparity between Apple and its largest competitor in mobile, Samsung. Similarly, the financial gap between Samsung and the lower-end players in the market is stark, and caring about the environment costs money. But, even so, the limp pledges made by these companies aren’t even as good as they appear to be. (Earlier this year, the New Climate Institute gave Samsung’s climate pledges a failing grade for transparency and integrity, and called out the paucity of its ambition.)

I won’t bore you with every statistic — although I really could — but Apple is standing head and shoulders above pretty much everyone. Take e-waste, where Apple claimed to direct more than 40,000 tons of disused gadgets to recycling rather than landfill. It doesn’t get into specifics of how much was recovered from that, but it’s a fairly standout figure nevertheless. Samsung seems to have collected about a quarter of that figure, and by my wonky math, recovers around 80 percent from that to be reused.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi, the third biggest mobile player in 2022, proudly reported that it had directed 4,500 tons of e-waste to recycling. That figure looks good compared to Oppo, the world number four, which managed to do the same for just 195 tons. Transsion, the parent company of TECNO and Infinix, has merely pledged to run recycling programs. It’s worth remembering that the WEEE Forum predicted, across 2022, that up to 5.3 billion mobile devices would fall out of use, essentially becoming trash.

I was surprised at Apple’s willingness to even mention emissions from supplier factories since it contracts out its manufacturing. It would have been easy enough to launder its dirty emissions onto other companies’ balance sheets and point to its corporate usage alone. Instead, it has received commitments from many suppliers pledging to use 100 percent renewable energy. Apple says its supply chain now has 13.7GW of renewable energy, with a further 6.3GW due in the near future. Samsung, meanwhile, says that it’s looking to move to 100 percent renewable energy at all of its business sites by 2027, and that it already uses green power for 31 percent of its needs. Xiaomi doesn’t appear to have made a commitment to making a firm transition to renewable energy, while Oppo believes that it’s not yet hit its carbon emissions peak until next year.

If there’s one place that Apple still lags alongside the rest of the industry, at least for right now, it’s in repair. Until we know how easy it is for an end-user to replace common components on the iPhone 15, at least, then Apple remains as bad as everyone else. Its self-service repair platform remains frustratingly complex, and it’s still overcharging for basic repairs. (Or just refusing to repair devices as a precursor to getting buyers to replace their devices.) Samsung made a fairly big deal about repairability in its own report, pointing to the Galaxy S23 as an example. It’s worth noting that the gurus at iFixit rated the S23 a 4/10 for repairability, given that while the battery is replaceable, it’s also glued into place.

Apple Watch Series 9 models are displayed amongst other new products during a launch event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 12, 2023. (Photo by Nic Coury / AFP) (Photo by NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images)
NIC COURY via Getty Images

For its part, Apple is making some fairly bold claims about how the Watch Series 9 deserves its classification. It says the device comprises 30 percent recycled or renewable materials, including a case made out of 100 percent recycled aluminum. The watch was created in factories using 100 percent renewable energy and at least half of them are shipped by sea, rather than air. The company added it’s not just paying for clean energy for its devices to be made, but has also invested in power generation equal to what users may consume while charging it, too.

The company said that its baseline for the timepiece’s manufacturing emissions was 36.7kg based on its own metrics. From there, it’s managed to reduce the emissions cost from energy altogether, as well as reducing the materials and process emissions. The Series 9, as far as Apple is concerned, only emits 8.1kg into the atmosphere, which is then offset with carbon credits.

In its materials, the company cites the Restore Fund, a project Apple founded, which invests in “high-quality, nature-based carbon removal projects.” Restore Fund is operated in partnership with Conservation International, Goldman Sachs and HSBC, but it isn’t entirely philanthropic. Goldman’s own website describes the fund as designed to be profit-bearing, offering a “future potential financial return from harvesting activities and the sale of properties.”

It’s worth being cynical about offset purchasing, especially since the industry isn’t as clean as you may hope. Earlier this year, The Guardian published an investigation into Verra, the body which verifies carbon offset programs run by a wide variety of big corporations. It found many of the credits bought by companies to reduce their emissions did not translate to real-world action at all. The report suggested that of the 94.9 million carbon credits purchased, there were only real emissions reductions of 5.5 million MTCO2e (metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent). Verra disputed these findings.

It’s worth reiterating that Apple is in something of a privileged position here, given it has a staggering amount of cash on hand. It can use that power to make the sorts of headline grabbing investments in renewable energy its competitors may not have. But its wealth is also a target for progressive critics, including bodies like Population Matters, who point out the company’s annual marketing budget alone could bring clean water to the UN’s 46 least developed countries.

But, from a general view, there’s only one company in the mobile devices space that can stand head and shoulders above Apple in the green stakes: Fairphone. It's still a relatively niche player, but has made building an ethically and environmentally responsible device its guiding mission. The big question is how long it’ll take for all of the biggest players to catch up to where this one small company is right now.

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League of Legends spinoff Song of Nunu finally arrives this November

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Riot Forge, the spinoff-focused publishing label of Riot Games, announced two League of Legends universe updates today. Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, which Riot Forge delayed a year ago, finally has a release date: November 1. The Riot Games subsidiary also announced a cozy and adorable new League of Legends spinoff, Bandle Tale. They follow League of Legends offshoots The Mageseeker and Convergence, which launched earlier this year.

Song of Nunu is a story-driven adventure where you embark on “the ultimate road trip” with League champions Nun and Willump. “Players will hike, climb, and sled their way across the Freljord, a frostbitten land full of harsh blizzards, ferocious wolves and enchantment,” the game’s press release reads. “Gamers must use their wits to progress through the frozen landscape and uncover what secrets lie hidden beneath the ice.” Tequila Works developed the Riot Forge-published title.

The $30 game will launch on November 1 on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. (Riot Forge says other console launch dates will be announced later.) Digital pre-orders for the title are available today, and those who reserve the game will get a bonus digital art book. Riot will also try to entice you with a $100 Collector’s Edition that adds Willump and Poro plush dolls, an art book, four postcards, five enamel pins, a collectible art print and a pop-up diorama.

The cute Bandle Tale doesn’t yet have a release date, but it does have a charming trailer that showcases the title’s retro top-down aesthetic. You play as a yordle (the quirky little residents of Bandle City) as you “gather and craft to fulfill quests with beloved League of Legends champions to rescue Bandle City and reunite its inhabitants.” Riot Forge describes it as a laid-back experience appealing to “cozy game” fans.

Riot Forge will have more Bandle Tale release details and news about a collector’s edition “soon.” In the meantime, you can better grasp Lazy Bear Games’ mechanics and charming style in the trailer below.

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