theverge--2020-09-24--Pixel 4A 5G images leak, showing dual rear cameras and a headphone jack

UK retailer John Lewis has accidentally posted images of Google ’ s Pixel 4A 5G a little early , giving us a detailed look at the new mid-range phone ’ s design .
The images , fist spotted by 9to5Google , are accidentally on display on the retailer ’ s Pixel 4A 4G LTE listing , where they show a 5G logo in the phone ’ s status bar and a rear camera layout that doesn ’ t match the Pixel 4A ’ s .
The images confirm several of the Pixel 4A 5G specs that leaked yesterday , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jack that carries over from the Pixel 4A .
The Pixel 4A 5G is one of the two phones Google pre-announced for this fall , the other one being the Pixel 5 .
Recent leaks for the two devices claim the Pixel 4A 5G ’ s specs will position it somewhere between the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4A in Google ’ s 2020 smartphone lineup .
The specs match the Pixel 5 in some areas , the 4A in others , and split the difference across the rest .
For example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Snapdragon 765G processor and dual rear cameras ( including a 12.2-megapixel wide-angle and 16-megapixel ultrawide ) like the Pixel 5 , but it will have 6 rather than 8GB of RAM and no IP-rating for dust or water resistance like the 4A .
Then , in terms of battery , its 3,885mAh capacity puts it between the Pixel 4A ’ s 3,140mAh and the Pixel 5 ’ s reported 4,080mAh .
Based on the leaks , the one area the Pixel 4A 5G could beat out both the 4A and the 5 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same 2340 x 1080 resolution as both the Pixel 5 and the 4A , it ’ s bigger than both of them at 6.2 inches .
It reportedly only has a 60Hz refresh rate though , while the Pixel 5 is expected to have a 90Hz display .
Otherwise this is a very similar looking device to the Pixel 4A .
There ’ s a hole-punch notch cutout for its selfie camera on the top-left of the screen , and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor .
Google has already announced that the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it releases this fall .
With a Google event scheduled for September 30th , we won ’ t have long to wait to have these details officially confirmed .

UK retailer John Lewis has accidentally posted images of Google’s Pixel 4A 5G a little early, giving us a detailed look at the new mid-range phone’s design. The images, fist spotted by 9to5Google, are accidentally on display on the retailer’s Pixel 4A 4G LTE listing, where they show a 5G logo in the phone’s status bar and a rear camera layout that doesn’t match the Pixel 4A’s. The images confirm several of the Pixel 4A 5G specs that leaked yesterday, including a second rear camera and the headphone jack that carries over from the Pixel 4A.
The Pixel 4A 5G is one of the two phones Google pre-announced for this fall, the other one being the Pixel 5. Recent leaks for the two devices claim the Pixel 4A 5G’s specs will position it somewhere between the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4A in Google’s 2020 smartphone lineup. The specs match the Pixel 5 in some areas, the 4A in others, and split the difference across the rest.
The device shown has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, just like the Pixel 4A, and there’s a headphone-jack shaped cutout visible on its top. Image: John Lewis Around the front you can see its hole-punch notch. Image: John Lewis
For example, the 4A 5G will reportedly have a Snapdragon 765G processor and dual rear cameras (including a 12.2-megapixel wide-angle and 16-megapixel ultrawide) like the Pixel 5, but it will have 6 rather than 8GB of RAM and no IP-rating for dust or water resistance like the 4A. Then, in terms of battery, its 3,885mAh capacity puts it between the Pixel 4A’s 3,140mAh and the Pixel 5’s reported 4,080mAh.
Based on the leaks, the one area the Pixel 4A 5G could beat out both the 4A and the 5 is in screen size. Although it has the same 2340 x 1080 resolution as both the Pixel 5 and the 4A, it’s bigger than both of them at 6.2 inches. It reportedly only has a 60Hz refresh rate though, while the Pixel 5 is expected to have a 90Hz display.
Otherwise this is a very similar looking device to the Pixel 4A. There’s a hole-punch notch cutout for its selfie camera on the top-left of the screen, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.


theverge--2020-09-24--Zoom cancels talk by Palestinian hijacker Leila Khaled at San Francisco State University

Zoom has canceled a webinar due to be held at San Francisco State University ( SFSU ) this Wednesday featuring Leila Khaled , a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( PFLP ) who took part in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970 .
YouTube and Facebook also intervened to stop the talk , according to reports .
The webinar was cancelled after pressure from Israeli and Jewish lobby groups including the Lawfare Project .
They noted that the US government has designated the PFLP a terrorist organization , and claimed that by hosting Khaled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself to criminal liability for providing “ material support or resources ” to a terrorist group .
A 2001 profile of Khaled from The Guardian described her as “ the international pin-up of armed struggle ” following her involvement in the two hijackings .
“ Khaled is from a very different time , ” says the profile , “ an age when hijacks were a political tool of the moment , when commitment , extreme risk and sacrifice were admired and often romanticized.
” In a statement given to The Verge , Zoom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A spokesperson said the company was “ committed to supporting the open exchange of ideas and conversations ” but that Khaled ’ s talk potentially breached its terms of service .
“ In light of the speaker ’ s reported affiliation or membership in a US designated foreign terrorist organization , and SFSU ’ s inability to confirm otherwise , we determined the meeting is in violation of Zoom ’ s Terms of Service and told SFSU they may not use Zoom for this particular event , ” said the spokesperson .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said in an open letter that the university disagreed with Zoom ’ s decision but recognized its right as a private company to enforce its policies .
“ We worked hard to prevent this outcome and have been actively engaging with Zoom , ” wrote Mahoney .
“ Based on the information we have been able to gather to date , the University does not believe that the class panel discussion violates Zoom ’ s terms of service or the law.
” “ An invitation to a public figure to speak to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an endorsement of point of view ” Mahoney previously stated that she supported the right of her staff to invite controversial speakers to give talks .
“ Higher education and the college experience are an opportunity to hear divergent ideas , viewpoints and accounts of life experiences , ” Mahoney wrote in a letter earlier this month , adding that “ an invitation to a public figure to speak to a class should not be construed as an endorsement of point of view.
” In addition to Zoom ’ s cancellation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event page for the talk .
A spokesperson for Facebook told J .
The Jewish News of Northern California it had “ removed this content for violating our policy prohibiting praise , support and representation for dangerous organizations and individuals , which applies to Pages , content and Events.
” J. reports that the talk began live-streaming on YouTube on Wednesday night but was taken down approximately 23 minutes in after Khaled began discussing the right of occupied peoples to fight their occupiers “ by any means possible , including weapons.
” A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was taken down for violating YouTube ’ s terms of service .
The Verge has reached out to YouTube to confirm its reasons for stopping the livestream .
Khaled was scheduled to speak as part of a roundtable discussion titled “ Whose Narratives ?
Gender , Justice and Resistance.
” Other participants included Sekou Odinga , an American activist who was imprisoned until 2014 for charges connected to his membership in the Black Liberation Army , and Laura Whitehorn , an activist who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her involvement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Zoom has canceled a webinar due to be held at San Francisco State University (SFSU) this Wednesday featuring Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who took part in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970. YouTube and Facebook also intervened to stop the talk.
The webinar was cancelled after pressure from Israeli and Jewish lobby groups including the Lawfare Project. They noted that the US government has designated the PFLP a terrorist organization, and claimed that by hosting Khaled on its service, Zoom was exposing itself to criminal liability for providing “material support or resources” to a terrorist group.
“the international pin-up of armed struggle”
A 2001 profile of Khaled from The Guardian described her as “the international pin-up of armed struggle” following her involvement in the two hijackings. “Khaled is from a very different time,” says the profile, “an age when hijacks were a political tool of the moment, when commitment, extreme risk and sacrifice were admired and often romanticized.”
In a statement given to The Verge, Zoom confirmed that it had canceled the webinar. A spokesperson said the company was “committed to supporting the open exchange of ideas and conversations” but that Khaled’s talk potentially breached its terms of service.
“In light of the speaker’s reported affiliation or membership in a US designated foreign terrorist organization, and SFSU’s inability to confirm otherwise, we determined the meeting is in violation of Zoom’s Terms of Service and told SFSU they may not use Zoom for this particular event,” said the spokesperson.
SFSU’s president, Lynn Mahoney, said in an open letter that the university disagreed with Zoom’s decision but recognized its right as a private company to enforce its policies. “We worked hard to prevent this outcome and have been actively engaging with Zoom,” wrote Mahoney. “Based on the information we have been able to gather to date, the University does not believe that the class panel discussion violates Zoom’s terms of service or the law.”
“An invitation to a public figure to speak to a class should not be construed as an endorsement of point of view”
Mahoney previously stated that she supported the right of her staff to invite controversial speakers to give talks. “Higher education and the college experience are an opportunity to hear divergent ideas, viewpoints and accounts of life experiences,” Mahoney wrote in a letter earlier this month, adding that “an invitation to a public figure to speak to a class should not be construed as an endorsement of point of view.”
In addition to Zoom’s cancellation of the webinar, Facebook also took down an event page for the talk. A spokesperson for Facebook told J. The Jewish News of Northern California it had “removed this content for violating our policy prohibiting praise, support and representation for dangerous organizations and individuals, which applies to Pages, content and Events.”
J. reports that the talk began live-streaming on YouTube on Wednesday night but was taken down approximately 23 minutes in after Khaled began discussing the right of occupied peoples to fight their occupiers “by any means possible, including weapons.” A link to the removed talk says it was taken down for violating YouTube’s terms of service. YouTube confirmed to The Verge that it terminated the livestream, and that it did so because it breached the platform’s policies on criminal organizations. Specifically, it contained “content praising or justifying violent acts carried out by violent criminal or terrorist organizations.”
Khaled was scheduled to speak as part of a roundtable discussion titled “Whose Narratives? Gender, Justice and Resistance.” Other participants included Sekou Odinga, an American activist who was imprisoned until 2014 for charges connected to his membership in the Black Liberation Army, and Laura Whitehorn, an activist who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her involvement in the 1983 United States Senate bombing.


theverge--2020-09-24--YouTube adds links to fight mail-in voting misinformation ahead of Election Day

YouTube is stepping up its measures against misinformation around the upcoming US election .
In a blog post today , the platform announced an array of new changes , including changes to the search results for presidential and congressional candidates , which will now have authoritative information panels about a candidate ahead of video search results .
“ As we approach November 3 , we ’ re working hard to make YouTube a more reliable source for news and information , as well as an open platform for healthy political discourse , ” said Leslie Miller , YouTube ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in a post announcing the changes .
The boldest effort is a new measure specifically targeted at misinformation around mail-in voting .
Starting today , videos dealing with voting by mail will include an info panel under the video directing viewers to a think tank report from the Bipartisan Policy Center , titled “ Voting by Mail Counts.
” The link is meant to dispel misinformation about mail-in voting leading to fraud , similar to previous YouTube information panels on the Moon landing , vaccinations , or other common conspiracy theory topics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they ’ ve been so consistently promoted by President Trump , who has repeatedly and groundlessly claimed that mail voting will result in fraud .
Twitter has labeled the claims as misleading on several occasions but kept them visible on the grounds that they are newsworthy .
YouTube will also roll out new information panels for queries on voter registration , directing to Google ’ s preexisting “ how to register to vote ” and “ how to vote ” pages , both populated by nonpartisan partners like Democracy Works .

YouTube is stepping up its measures against misinformation around the upcoming US election. In a blog post today, the platform announced an array of new changes, including changes to the search results for presidential and congressional candidates, which will now have authoritative information panels about a candidate ahead of video search results.
“As we approach November 3, we’re working hard to make YouTube a more reliable source for news and information, as well as an open platform for healthy political discourse,” said Leslie Miller, YouTube’s VP of government affairs and public policy, in a post announcing the changes.
The boldest effort is a new measure specifically targeted at misinformation around mail-in voting. Starting today, videos dealing with voting by mail will include an info panel under the video directing viewers to a think tank report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, titled “Voting by Mail Counts.” The link is meant to dispel misinformation about mail-in voting leading to fraud, similar to previous YouTube information panels on the Moon landing, vaccinations, or other common conspiracy theory topics.
Mail-in voting conspiracies are politically sensitive because they’ve been so consistently promoted by President Trump, who has repeatedly and groundlessly claimed that mail voting will result in fraud. Twitter has labeled the claims as misleading on several occasions but kept them visible on the grounds that they are newsworthy.


theverge--2020-09-24--Microsoft’s Xbox Series X 1TB expandable storage priced at $219.99

Microsoft ’ s first 1TB expandable storage drive for the Xbox Series X / S will be priced at $ 219.99 .
Best Buy has started taking preorders for the accessory , revealing a final price that had leaked recently .
These expandable storage cards slot into the rear of both the Xbox Series X / S to match the internal SSD speed and provide 1TB of extra storage .
Microsoft ’ s expandable storage solution is proprietary , and only Seagate has been announced as a manufacturer so far .
Microsoft tells me more suppliers and additional sizes will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the $ 219.99 price will still surprise many potential next-gen Xbox owners .
The Xbox Series X ships with 1TB of SSD storage , and the Xbox Series S just 512GB of storage .
Microsoft ’ s pricing means the $ 299 Xbox Series S jumps to nearly $ 520 if you want to add the additional storage and bring it up to 1.5TB overall .
That may make the larger Series X more appealing to those who need the storage , particularly as games will start to require it once they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ / S. Games for the Xbox Series S can be 30 percent smaller than the Series X , which will certainly help with storage options .
An alternative to this expandable storage is simply using any USB drive to store games when you don ’ t need to play them .
If they ’ re not enhanced for Xbox Series X / S then you ’ ll even be able to run them direct from USB storage , or you can simply copy them and use drives as cheaper cold storage .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these expandable storage cards , simply because there aren ’ t enough comparable PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs out there .
Sony has chosen to allow players to slot their own drives into the PS5 , but these drives will need to meet the speed requirements of the internal SSD .
Those speed requirements mean that PS5 owners will need the very best PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives that are starting to make their way into PCs .
Samsung announced its 980 Pro earlier this week , which looks like it might be an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its fast read and write speeds .
Samsung ’ s 1TB option for the 980 Pro is priced at $ 229.99 , but Sony has not yet revealed which drives will be compatible with the PS5 .
The benefits of Sony ’ s more open approach is that pricing on compatible PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs will inevitably drop over time due to competition and lower manufacturing costs .
Assuming Sony certifies most high-end drives , there should be a lot of options .
Microsoft will need more manufacturers producing its expandable Xbox Series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take place and prices to be lowered over time .
It ’ s going to be a waiting game to see exactly how Sony and Microsoft handle expandable storage options in the coming months , but it ’ s clear from Microsoft ’ s pricing that it ’ s not going to be cheap for early adopters .

Microsoft’s first 1TB expandable storage drive for the Xbox Series X / S will be priced at $219.99. Best Buy has started taking preorders for the accessory, revealing a final price that had leaked recently. These expandable storage cards slot into the rear of both the Xbox Series X / S to match the internal SSD speed and provide 1TB of extra storage.
Microsoft’s expandable storage solution is proprietary, and only Seagate has been announced as a manufacturer so far. Microsoft tells me more suppliers and additional sizes will be available in the future, but the $219.99 price will still surprise many potential next-gen Xbox owners.
The Xbox Series X ships with 1TB of SSD storage, and the Xbox Series S just 512GB of storage. Microsoft’s pricing means the $299 Xbox Series S jumps to nearly $520 if you want to add the additional storage and bring it up to 1.5TB overall. That may make the larger Series X more appealing to those who need the storage, particularly as games will start to require it once they’re enhanced for the Xbox Series X / S. Games for the Xbox Series S can be 30 percent smaller than the Series X, which will certainly help with storage options.
1TB expandable storage card for Xbox Series X. Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
An alternative to this expandable storage is simply using any USB drive to store games when you don’t need to play them. If they’re not enhanced for Xbox Series X / S then you’ll even be able to run them direct from USB storage, or you can simply copy them and use drives as cheaper cold storage.
It’s difficult to judge the price of these expandable storage cards, simply because there aren’t enough comparable PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs out there. Sony has chosen to allow players to slot their own drives into the PS5, but these drives will need to meet the speed requirements of the internal SSD. Those speed requirements mean that PS5 owners will need the very best PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives that are starting to make their way into PCs. Samsung announced its 980 Pro earlier this week, which looks like it might be an ideal candidate for the PS5 due to its fast read and write speeds. Samsung’s 1TB option for the 980 Pro is priced at $229.99, but Sony has not yet revealed which drives will be compatible with the PS5.
Related A closer look at the Xbox Series X controller and 1TB expansion cards


theverge--2020-09-24--Don’t worry, you can still buy a dot-shaped Echo Dot

Amazon unveiled a radically redesigned $ 49.99 fourth-generation Echo Dot smart speaker today that doesn ’ t look like a dot at all — instead , the new Dot is shaped like a ball , or maybe an orb .
The new design is a notable departure from the look of previous Echo Dots , which were short , puck-like cylinders that could be said to resemble , well , dots .
If you just can ’ t get on board with having a ball-shaped smart speaker but are in the market for a new Dot , I have good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling that dot-shaped third-generation Echo Dot .
Amazon confirmed to The Verge that it ’ s keeping the older Dot in its lineup in part to provide an option for those who want to mount their Dot to a wall .
An Echo Flex , a small Echo speaker that plugs right into a wall outlet , is another option .
And as of this writing , the third-gen Dot is also the cheaper Dot , though it ’ s one of those Amazon listings with a price displayed as $ 39.99 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if that cheaper price is going to stick around .
We haven ’ t gotten to try the orb-shaped Dot yet , so we don ’ t know if the new model will be a better buy than the dot-shaped Dot .
But in his review of the third-gen Echo Dot , my colleague Dan Seifert found that it had surprisingly loud and rich sound for its compact size , so if you ’ re in the market for a small smart speaker right now , it could still be a good choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one distinct advantage the older dot-shaped Dot has over its ball-like successor : it fits inside a base shaped like Baby Yoda ’ s head .
Given that , I don ’ t know why Amazon decided to change the old Dot ’ s clearly perfect design .

Amazon unveiled a radically redesigned $49.99 fourth-generation Echo Dot smart speaker today that doesn’t look like a dot at all — instead, the new Dot is shaped like a ball, or maybe an orb. The new design is a notable departure from the look of previous Echo Dots, which were short, puck-like cylinders that could be said to resemble, well, dots.
If you just can’t get on board with having a ball-shaped smart speaker but are in the market for a new Dot, I have good news for you: Amazon is still selling that dot-shaped third-generation Echo Dot. Amazon confirmed to The Verge that it’s keeping the older Dot in its lineup in part to provide an option for those who want to mount their Dot to a wall. An Echo Flex, a small Echo speaker that plugs right into a wall outlet, is another option.
And as of this writing, the third-gen Dot is also the cheaper Dot, though it’s one of those Amazon listings with a price displayed as $49.99 $39.99, so I’m not totally sure if that cheaper price is going to stick around.
We haven’t gotten to try the orb-shaped Dot yet, so we don’t know if the new model will be a better buy than the dot-shaped Dot. But in his review of the third-gen Echo Dot, my colleague Dan Seifert found that it had surprisingly loud and rich sound for its compact size, so if you’re in the market for a small smart speaker right now, it could still be a good choice for you.


theverge--2020-09-24--We have a few questions about Amazon’s flying indoor security camera drone

Should we invite Amazon ’ s internet-connected cameras and voice assistants into our homes ?
That ’ s been a contentious topic for years — but today , Amazon effectively said “ screw it ” and announced an entire automated flying indoor robot security system .
Yes , that ’ s right : Amazon ’ s Ring division now has a camera that can theoretically go anywhere in your home , not just the direction you initially point it .
Or , in Amazon ’ s words : An Innovative New Approach to Always Being Home .
Needless to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few questions about that .
In no particular order and without naming names : • Can it go up and down stairs ?
• Why does it look like an air humidifier ?
• How does it map your house , anyhow ?
Where do those pictures go ?
• Could someone at Ring HQ fly this camera drone around my house ?
• Could one of Ring ’ s employees abroad fly this camera drone around my house ?
• Could hackers fly this camera drone around my house ?
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around my house ?
What if they had a court order ?
Is Amazon really going to say no ?
• Can I program it to follow me around and say “ HEY !
LISTEN !
” ?
• How far can it fly ?
• How far can I throw it ?
• None What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow ?
• How well does it dodge Nerf darts ?
No particular reason for asking .
• Can it be decorated for parties ?
• Does Amazon ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean this drone is actually louder than other drones , or does it simply mean it is a drone and drones are loud ?
• How does it avoid ceiling fans , lights , and other protruding objects ?
• What if I move my furniture ?
• Who is liable if it runs into a ceiling fan ... or a painting ?
• Will it truly only fly when no one is home , and , uh ... how does it know that , exactly ?
• Does it know not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house ?
• What keeps my cat / dog / monkey / parakeet from swatting it out of the air ?
• If I map my house and then close a bunch of doors when I go out , is it going to butt its head on the first door until it passes out and dies ?
• On that note , can I trap it in a room ?
• How many crashes is it rated for ?
• Can you get two of them to battle it out , or is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How long can it fly ?
• What if it doesn ’ t make it back to its charger in time ?
Does it fall out of the air ?
• Why would anyone with the money to have a home security system choose something that ’ s this kind of pain in the ass ?
• Is it going to be like my Roomba and just become a potato if it encounters an unfamiliar obstacle in the corner ?
• Wait , what if I have a motion-sensing alarm ( say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flies in front of the sensor ?
• If I pay for Nest Aware and my Amazon Echo hears a drone flying around inside my house , will it notify me ?
• Will it invite its parents the 2001 : A Space Odyssey monolith and Mega Man 3 ’ s Top Man over for holidays or do I have to do that myself ?
• If I rob a home and , y ’ know , wear a mask , is there literally anything this drone could actually do to scare me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there not a pet mode ?
The only good use for this .
• Can you program it to make the rounds in synch with your Roomba ?
And will they become friends ?
• What if nothing ever happens in my house , because break-ins are not actually that common ?
Will this just sit in its stand for years , unused ?
• Will anyone ever hold Ring accountable for making us all more afraid of strangers even though the statistics show violent crime has fallen sharply ?
For the answers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Ring drone , here ’ s our news post .

Should we invite Amazon’s internet-connected cameras and voice assistants into our homes? That’s been a contentious topic for years — but today, Amazon effectively said “screw it” and announced an entire automated flying indoor robot security system.
Yes, that’s right: Amazon’s Ring division now has a camera that can theoretically go anywhere in your home, not just the direction you initially point it. Or, in Amazon’s words: An Innovative New Approach to Always Being Home.
Needless to say, the staff of The Verge has a few questions about that.
In no particular order and without naming names:
Can it go up and down stairs?
Why does it look like an air humidifier?
What’s battery life like?
Does the drone play slap bass?
How does it map your house, anyhow? Where do those pictures go?
Could someone at Ring HQ fly this camera drone around my house?
Could one of Ring’s employees abroad fly this camera drone around my house?
Could hackers fly this camera drone around my house?
Could the cops fly this camera drone around my house? What if they had a court order? Is Amazon really going to say no?
Is it a good cat toy?
Can I program it to follow me around and say “HEY! LISTEN!”?
How far can it fly?
How far can I throw it?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
How well does it dodge Nerf darts? No particular reason for asking.
Can it be decorated for parties?
Does Amazon’s catchphrase “Privacy you can hear” mean this drone is actually louder than other drones, or does it simply mean it is a drone and drones are loud?
How does it avoid ceiling fans, lights, and other protruding objects?
What if I move my furniture?
Who is liable if it runs into a ceiling fan... or a painting?
Will it truly only fly when no one is home, and, uh... how does it know that, exactly?
Does it know not to take off when pets are roaming the house?
What keeps my cat / dog / monkey / parakeet from swatting it out of the air?
If I map my house and then close a bunch of doors when I go out, is it going to butt its head on the first door until it passes out and dies?
On that note, can I trap it in a room?
How many crashes is it rated for?
Can you get two of them to battle it out, or is it only one per account?
How long can it fly?
What if it doesn’t make it back to its charger in time? Does it fall out of the air?
Why would anyone with the money to have a home security system choose something that’s this kind of pain in the ass?
Is it going to be like my Roomba and just become a potato if it encounters an unfamiliar obstacle in the corner?
Wait, what if I have a motion-sensing alarm (say, from Ring) and then the drone flies in front of the sensor?
If I pay for Nest Aware and my Amazon Echo hears a drone flying around inside my house, will it notify me?
Will it invite its parents the 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith and Mega Man 3’s Top Man over for holidays or do I have to do that myself?
If I rob a home and, y’know, wear a mask, is there literally anything this drone could actually do to scare me away?
Could it carry a one-pound coconut?
Can it shoot pepper spray?
Genuinely, why is there not a pet mode? The only good use for this.
Can you program it to make the rounds in synch with your Roomba? And will they become friends?
What if nothing ever happens in my house, because break-ins are not actually that common? Will this just sit in its stand for years, unused?
Will anyone ever hold Ring accountable for making us all more afraid of strangers even though the statistics show violent crime has fallen sharply?


theverge--2020-09-24--Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service sounds an awful lot like the cable of video games

Amazon revealed its new cloud gaming service , officially called Luna , at its annual Alexa hardware event today .
That makes it an immediate competitor to Google ’ s Stadia , Microsoft ’ s xCloud , Sony ’ s PlayStation Now , and a number of other services from major game publishers all eager to try the code on how to stream video games over the internet .
But in a revealing interview with Protocol published after the event , Amazon ’ s Marc Whitten , the company ’ s vice president of entertainment devices and services , clarified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Luna that wasn ’ t answered during the reveal : what ’ s the business model ?
And from what we can glean from the interview , it ’ s looking a whole lot like the cable of video games , for better and for worse .
Whitten tells Protocol that Luna won ’ t follow the Stadia model , which is free but requires users to pay for individual games to stream on the platform .
( You can also pay for Stadia Pro to get 4K streaming , access to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other perks . )
It ’ s also not following the xCloud model , which is bundled into Microsoft ’ s Xbox Game Pass subscription as a free add-on for the Ultimate tier .
That arrangement lets you stream any of the 100-plus games on the Game Pass platform but only to an Android device right now .
Luna will offer subscriptions to publisher channels , each with a separate fee Instead , Luna will offer individual “ channels ” for partner publishers , modeled similarly to the Amazon Channels platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV streaming service subscriptions as add-ons all bundled into one monthly payment managed by Amazon .
These channels will be priced differently and will seemingly come with differences in perks and restrictions , although details are slim at the moment .
The service will launch sometime soon in early access for a small number of users with just two channels to start .
The first channel will be an Amazon-branded one called Luna Plus , which sounds a bit like Stadia Pro in that it offers 4K streaming and “ unlimited hours of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by offering access to dozens of games all for $ 5.99 a month .
It ’ s not clear what that game list looks like beyond the early slate of confirmed titles , including Resident Evil 7 and Control , but the model already gives Luna a slight edge over Stadia by not requiring subscribers to pay for most of the titles they want to play .
In fact , it doesn ’ t appear that Luna will let users pay for any games at all ; right now , it looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a channel to access anything on the platform .
The second channel will belong to major game publisher Ubisoft , which is offering the same perks as Luna Plus ( although Ubisoft is restricting users to one stream per account instead of the two allowed on Amazon ’ s channel ) and presumably access to most , if not all , of the company ’ s vast library .
Amazon won ’ t say what the Ubisoft channel will cost , but it may be priced higher than Luna Plus and more in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14.99 subscription service Ubisoft introduced last year .
“ You ’ ll see other channels over time , ” Whitten told Protocol .
He added that game publishers “ are pretty excited about the idea.
” It ’ s unclear how , say , indie games or titles from midsized publishers that may not be able to support a full-fledged Luna channel will be added , or if that ’ s why Luna Plus exists .
It ’ s also unclear how companies with competing cloud priorities , like Microsoft and Sony , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Electronic Arts , which is working on its own cloud gaming platform , did earlier this month partner with Microsoft for Xbox Game Pass , which suggests we could see EA ’ s Play subscription arrive on Luna .
But more generally , why wouldn ’ t publishers be excited ?
Luna ’ s format sounds like a lucrative format for cloud gaming , mostly because it ’ s structured similarly to the current streaming TV landscape .
Just like how Amazon Prime gives you access to Prime Video for free with your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will give you access to whatever games Amazon can acquire the cloud gaming rights to in exchange for its monthly fee , which it may raise after the early access period .
It sounds just like paying for a basic cable package with HBO and Showtime add-ons Meanwhile , if you want to pay for additional games from other publishers , you ’ ll buy access to that publisher ’ s Luna channel , just as you would subscribe to HBO or Netflix separately through the Amazon Channels platform .
Amazon will handle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and presumably Amazon gets a cut of all monthly subscription revenue in exchange for managing account sign-ups and , more importantly , powering the entire Luna service on its AWS cloud computing platform .
The whole thing feels a lot like a basic cable package with add-ons you pay for separately or the cord-cutter equivalent of paying for a half-dozen streaming services alongside a Sling TV or YouTube TV subscription for your cable access .
This all seems great for the game publishers eager to monetize a new distribution channel , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for gaming fans hoping models more like Nvidia ’ s GeForce Now would become the norm .
Nvidia ’ s model lets you play games you already own via Valve ’ s Steam marketplace on a number of screens , including a Mac or Android phone .
But the service was initially met with fierce opposition from game publishers when it exited beta and Nvidia began charging for it earlier this year , mostly because some publishers didn ’ t appear to give express permission to Nvidia to stream their intellectual property from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since opted back into Nvidia ’ s platform , following some high-profile departures like Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive .
But the GeForce Now situation illustrated how the biggest game makers in the industry see the benefit of cloud gaming as primarily a way to sell games to new customers ( or access to games via a subscription ) , and less of a way to give existing ones more ways to play the titles they already own .
Cloud gaming is still in its infancy , of course , and every major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find out what sticks .
With the introduction of Luna and Amazon ’ s channel-based approach , we ’ re seeing yet another gamble on how the future of game distribution will be structured .
Although this time , Amazon is following a successful template in how much of television is bundled and sold on the internet today .
Whether that ’ s a savvy move will depend on whether consumers see enough benefit in Luna and what it has to offer to add yet more fees to the ever-growing list of @ @ @

Amazon revealed its new cloud gaming service, officially called Luna, at its annual Alexa hardware event today. That makes it an immediate competitor to Google’s Stadia, Microsoft’s xCloud, Sony’s PlayStation Now, and a number of other services from major game publishers all eager to try the code on how to stream video games over the internet.
But in a revealing interview with Protocol published after the event, Amazon’s Marc Whitten, the company’s vice president of entertainment devices and services, clarified one of the most vital questions around Luna that wasn’t answered during the reveal: what’s the business model? And from what we can glean from the interview, it’s looking a whole lot like the cable of video games, for better and for worse.
Whitten tells Protocol that Luna won’t follow the Stadia model, which is free but requires users to pay for individual games to stream on the platform. (You can also pay for Stadia Pro to get 4K streaming, access to a small but growing library of free titles, and other perks.) It’s also not following the xCloud model, which is bundled into Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription as a free add-on for the Ultimate tier. That arrangement lets you stream any of the 100-plus games on the Game Pass platform but only to an Android device right now.
Luna will offer subscriptions to publisher channels, each with a separate fee
Instead, Luna will offer individual “channels” for partner publishers, modeled similarly to the Amazon Channels platform, which lets Prime subscribers add individual TV streaming service subscriptions as add-ons all bundled into one monthly payment managed by Amazon. These channels will be priced differently and will seemingly come with differences in perks and restrictions, although details are slim at the moment. The service will launch sometime soon in early access for a small number of users with just two channels to start.
The first channel will be an Amazon-branded one called Luna Plus, which sounds a bit like Stadia Pro in that it offers 4K streaming and “unlimited hours of play,” but it goes further by offering access to dozens of games all for $5.99 a month. It’s not clear what that game list looks like beyond the early slate of confirmed titles, including Resident Evil 7 and Control, but the model already gives Luna a slight edge over Stadia by not requiring subscribers to pay for most of the titles they want to play. In fact, it doesn’t appear that Luna will let users pay for any games at all; right now, it looks like you’ll have to subscribe to a channel to access anything on the platform.
The second channel will belong to major game publisher Ubisoft, which is offering the same perks as Luna Plus (although Ubisoft is restricting users to one stream per account instead of the two allowed on Amazon’s channel) and presumably access to most, if not all, of the company’s vast library. Amazon won’t say what the Ubisoft channel will cost, but it may be priced higher than Luna Plus and more in line with UPlay Plus, the $14.99 subscription service Ubisoft introduced last year.
“You’ll see other channels over time,” Whitten told Protocol. He added that game publishers “are pretty excited about the idea.” It’s unclear how, say, indie games or titles from midsized publishers that may not be able to support a full-fledged Luna channel will be added, or if that’s why Luna Plus exists. It’s also unclear how companies with competing cloud priorities, like Microsoft and Sony, will be treated. That said, Electronic Arts, which is working on its own cloud gaming platform, did earlier this month partner with Microsoft for Xbox Game Pass, which suggests we could see EA’s Play subscription arrive on Luna.
But more generally, why wouldn’t publishers be excited? Luna’s format sounds like a lucrative format for cloud gaming, mostly because it’s structured similarly to the current streaming TV landscape. Just like how Amazon Prime gives you access to Prime Video for free with your monthly or annual payment, Luna Plus will give you access to whatever games Amazon can acquire the cloud gaming rights to in exchange for its monthly fee, which it may raise after the early access period.
It sounds just like paying for a basic cable package with HBO and Showtime add-ons
Meanwhile, if you want to pay for additional games from other publishers, you’ll buy access to that publisher’s Luna channel, just as you would subscribe to HBO or Netflix separately through the Amazon Channels platform. Amazon will handle all the billing and subscription logistics, and presumably Amazon gets a cut of all monthly subscription revenue in exchange for managing account sign-ups and, more importantly, powering the entire Luna service on its AWS cloud computing platform. The whole thing feels a lot like a basic cable package with add-ons you pay for separately or the cord-cutter equivalent of paying for a half-dozen streaming services alongside a Sling TV or YouTube TV subscription for your cable access.
This all seems great for the game publishers eager to monetize a new distribution channel, but it may be a bit of bad news for gaming fans hoping models more like Nvidia’s GeForce Now would become the norm. Nvidia’s model lets you play games you already own via Valve’s Steam marketplace on a number of screens, including a Mac or Android phone.
But the service was initially met with fierce opposition from game publishers when it exited beta and Nvidia began charging for it earlier this year, mostly because some publishers didn’t appear to give express permission to Nvidia to stream their intellectual property from a cloud server. Many publishers have since opted back into Nvidia’s platform, following some high-profile departures like Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive. But the GeForce Now situation illustrated how the biggest game makers in the industry see the benefit of cloud gaming as primarily a way to sell games to new customers (or access to games via a subscription), and less of a way to give existing ones more ways to play the titles they already own.


theverge--2020-09-24--Get a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Z Flip for 42 percent off at Back Market

Only the best deals on Verge-approved gadgets get the Verge Deals stamp of approval , so if you 're looking for a deal on your next gadget or gift from major retailers like Amazon , Walmart , Best Buy , Target , and more , this is the place to be .
Samsung ’ s Galaxy Z Flip usually costs $ 1,380 if you buy it new , but Back Market is selling refurbished units for $ 799 .
If you ’ ve wanted to own one of these but couldn ’ t justify spending the equivalent of two Xbox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edition on a phone , now ’ s your chance to jump in .
This version of the Z Flip is compatible with GSM carriers , including AT & T and T-Mobile .
This isn ’ t the Z Flip 5G that was announced more recently ; it ’ s the one that supports LTE .
In the review , which you can watch above or read here , The Verge ’ s Dieter Bohn lauds its performance and battery life , as well as its “ solid-feeling , smooth hinge ” design @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that its foldable glass is still fragile to scratches , and its cameras aren ’ t much to write home about .
Back Market lists this model in “ mint ” condition , which means each phone has “ no scratches and have exteriors that look brand new .
For smartphones and tablets : the screen is completely intact and without scratches.
” Per the company that actually performed the refurbishment , it says : “ This device is in Mint condition and 100 % fully functional .
This device works with any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charger .
All of our devices are professionally tested and inspected by our expert technicians.
” Each phone is covered by a one-year warranty , so if you encounter any problem during that period , Back Market will handle the shipping to and from to fix the Z Flip .
If a fix isn ’ t possible , you can get your device exchanged for free .
It also has a 30-day money-back guarantee , so no pressure if you decide to return it .

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip usually costs $1,380 if you buy it new, but Back Market is selling refurbished units for $799. If you’ve wanted to own one of these but couldn’t justify spending the equivalent of two Xbox Series X consoles and a PS5 digital edition on a phone, now’s your chance to jump in.
This version of the Z Flip is compatible with GSM carriers, including AT&T and T-Mobile. This isn’t the Z Flip 5G that was announced more recently; it’s the one that supports LTE. In the review, which you can watch above or read here, The Verge’s Dieter Bohn lauds its performance and battery life, as well as its “solid-feeling, smooth hinge” design. Keep in mind, though, that its foldable glass is still fragile to scratches, and its cameras aren’t much to write home about.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (refurbished, GSM networks only) / Was $1,380 new, now 42% off $799 at Back Market
Back Market lists this model in “mint” condition, which means each phone has “no scratches and have exteriors that look brand new. For smartphones and tablets: the screen is completely intact and without scratches.” Per the company that actually performed the refurbishment, it says: “This device is in Mint condition and 100% fully functional. This device works with any GSM network worldwide and includes a generic charger. All of our devices are professionally tested and inspected by our expert technicians.”


theverge--2020-09-24--Apple update fixes iOS 14 issue with default mail and browser apps

One of the nice new features of iOS 14 was the ability to set your own default mail and browser apps .
However , users who tried this out were finding that , after they restarted their device , the default would reset to Mail or Safari .
Today , Apple has taken care of that with its first updates for the iPhone and iPad , bringing them up to 14.0.1 .
The Apple Watch will also update to 7.0.1 .
Now , when you set your preferred browser defaults to Google Chrome , Firefox , or Microsoft Edge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Outlook , or Spark , they should stay that way , even after a restart .
Other fixes in the release notes , according to 9to5Mac , include problems that could keep camera previews from displaying on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus , keep iPhones from connecting via Wi-Fi , and could keep images from appearing in the News widget , among others .
If your phone hasn ’ t notified you about the update yet , you can find it by going to Settings > General > Software Update .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updates on its support site .

One of the nice new features of iOS 14 was the ability to set your own default mail and browser apps. However, users who tried this out were finding that, after they restarted their device, the default would reset to Mail or Safari. Today, Apple has taken care of that with its first updates for the iPhone and iPad, bringing them up to 14.0.1. The Apple Watch will also update to 7.0.1.
Now, when you set your preferred browser defaults to Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, or your mail defaults to Gmail, Outlook, or Spark, they should stay that way, even after a restart.
Other fixes in the release notes, according to 9to5Mac, include problems that could keep camera previews from displaying on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, keep iPhones from connecting via Wi-Fi, and could keep images from appearing in the News widget, among others.


theverge--2020-09-24--Amazon’s new Ring drone stops the world’s most hapless thief in bass-slapping ad

Ring ’ s flying drone camera , the Always Home Cam , was easily the most surprising hardware announcement at today ’ s Amazon event .
It won ’ t actually be available until next year , but the company has already put together a short ad to demonstrate how the camera can give you a flying , go-anywhere perspective on whatever ’ s happening in your home .
In the video , we see Ring ’ s security system tripped when a burglar breaks in , and the homeowner immediately dispatches the Always Home Cam to check in .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ring ’ s “ compact , lightweight , autonomously flying indoor camera , ” he immediately flees .
If you were hoping to get an idea of just how noisy the Always Home Cam is , well , this doesn ’ t really provide that .
You can hear the regular drone buzz , but it ’ s drowned out by a very loud audio track with a lot of slap bass .
Not that Ring is positioning the Always Home Cam as quiet ; hearing the drone approaching is the point .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ privacy you can hear.
” Unfortunately , we also barely see the thing flying at all apart from takeoff , a couple seconds of movement , and landing .

Ring’s flying drone camera, the Always Home Cam, was easily the most surprising hardware announcement at today’s Amazon event . It won’t actually be available until next year, but the company has already put together a short ad to demonstrate how the camera can give you a flying, go-anywhere perspective on whatever’s happening in your home.
In the video, we see Ring’s security system tripped when a burglar breaks in, and the homeowner immediately dispatches the Always Home Cam to check in. As soon as the careless thief sees Ring’s “compact, lightweight, autonomously flying indoor camera,” he immediately flees.
If you were hoping to get an idea of just how noisy the Always Home Cam is, well, this doesn’t really provide that. You can hear the regular drone buzz, but it’s drowned out by a very loud audio track with a lot of slap bass. Not that Ring is positioning the Always Home Cam as quiet; hearing the drone approaching is the point. The company claims “it’s privacy you can hear.” Unfortunately, we also barely see the thing flying at all apart from takeoff, a couple seconds of movement, and landing.


theverge--2020-09-24--PS5s will be available to preorder tomorrow at GameStop

Let ’ s be honest : trying to preorder a PS5 has been anything but easy .
That said , @ @ @ @ @ to secure Sony ’ s next-gen console ahead of its November 12th launch , you @ @ @ @ @ at nabbing one at GameStop tomorrow .
Both models of the PS5 will be in @ @ @ @ @ website , though the retailer has yet to mention what time it will open preorders @ @ @ @ @ d rather try your luck in person , you can always go to a GameStop @ @ @ @ @ you decide to brave the line at a physical store , you can either pay @ @ @ @ @ or drop a $ 50 down payment to make sure you get one .
( @ @ @ @ @ how many or which units each store will have ) .
Whatever you choose , @ @ @ @ @ still really difficult to get your hands on a PS5 right now , no matter @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t even think about trying to find an RTX 3090 .

Let’s be honest: trying to preorder a PS5 has been anything but easy. That said, if you want to try to secure Sony’s next-gen console ahead of its November 12th launch, you’ll have another shot at nabbing one at GameStop. Both models of the PS5 will be in stock on GameStop’s website, though the retailer has yet to mention what time it will open preorders online.
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition / Preorder Sony’s all-digital edition of the PS5. This $400 console does not include a disc drive, meaning you can only play digital games on the system. Preorder at GameStop
If you’d rather try your luck in person, you can always go to a GameStop near you. And if you decide to brave the line at a physical store, you can either pay for your PS5 in full or drop a $50 down payment to make sure you get one. (Although it’s unclear how many or which units each store will have).
Whatever you choose, remember that it’s still really difficult to get your hands on a PS5 right now, no matter who you are. And don’t even think about trying to find an RTX 3090.


theverge--2020-09-24--Doom Eternal is the first game to arrive on Xbox Game Pass following Microsoft’s acquisition of Zeni

Doom Eternal is the first game to arrive on Xbox Game Pass following Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax

Following a teaser from the Xbox Game Pass team yesterday , Microsoft has announced that Doom Eternal is heading to the company ’ s gaming subscription service .
The 2020 sequel to the fantastic 2016 reboot will arrive on Xbox Game Pass for consoles on October 1st and will launch on Game Pass for PC later this year .
It ’ s the first game to arrive on Xbox Game Pass from ZeniMax Media , which Microsoft announced it was acquiring earlier this week .
ZeniMax is the parent company for several high-profile gaming studios , including Bethesda and id @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The deal will not finalize until 2021 .
Now that Microsoft owns all these gaming IPs , it makes sense that games not already on the service will eventually make their way to both platforms .
Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that particular detail , noting in a blog post that the company “ will be adding Bethesda ’ s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.
” Microsoft also confirmed that future Bethesda titles would release on Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ expansion , The Ancient Gods - Part One , on October 20th — but it ’ s still unclear whether Microsoft will include the DLC at launch on Game Pass .

Following a teaser from the Xbox Game Pass team yesterday, Microsoft has announced that Doom Eternal is heading to the company’s gaming subscription service. The 2020 sequel to the fantastic 2016 reboot will arrive on Xbox Game Pass for consoles on October 1st and will launch on Game Pass for PC later this year.
It’s the first game to arrive on Xbox Game Pass from ZeniMax Media, which Microsoft announced it was acquiring earlier this week. ZeniMax is the parent company for several high-profile gaming studios, including Bethesda and id Software, Doom’s developer. The deal will not finalize until 2021.
Now that Microsoft owns all these gaming IPs, it makes sense that games not already on the service will eventually make their way to both platforms. Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that particular detail, noting in a blog post that the company “will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.” Microsoft also confirmed that future Bethesda titles would release on Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC.


theverge--2020-09-24--Left 4 Dead 2 gets one final, massive update

Left 4 Dead 2 , Valve ’ s iconic zombie shooter , turns 11 next month .
Today , the game gets a final , massive update — The Last Stand , created by the Left 4 Dead community update team and endorsed by Valve itself .
It ’ s also the first new content added to the game since 2012 , according to Polygon .
( That was the community-made DLC Cold Stream . )
The update adds tons of new content to the game : new weapons , new maps , new enemy types , unused dialogue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ update is free to download , and Left 4 Dead 2 itself is also free to play until September 28th — so there ’ s no reason not to grab it right now .
And this isn ’ t the first — or highest-profile — time that Valve has endorsed a fan-made update to one of its games .
That honor goes to Black Mesa , a remake of the original Half Life that took 15 years to make and publish .
( It just left early access this year , though work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) As Polygon noted , the announcement for this new update was made on the old official Left 4 Dead site .
“ It has been many years since the infection first hit .
Radio silence , no sign of life , nothing but lingering hopes ... CEDA is not going to save us , ” the post reads .
“ But there is hope !
A few brave souls have continued the fight against all odds , and soon we can all benefit from their resilience.
” That day has come .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some more zombies .

Left 4 Dead 2, Valve’s iconic zombie shooter, turns 11 next month. Today, the game gets a final, massive update — The Last Stand, created by the Left 4 Dead community update team and endorsed by Valve itself. It’s also the first new content added to the game since 2012, according to Polygon. (That was the community-made DLC Cold Stream.)
The update adds tons of new content to the game: new weapons, new maps, new enemy types, unused dialogue, and even a new campaign. The update is free to download, and Left 4 Dead 2 itself is also free to play until September 28th — so there’s no reason not to grab it right now.
And this isn’t the first — or highest-profile — time that Valve has endorsed a fan-made update to one of its games. That honor goes to Black Mesa, a remake of the original Half Life that took 15 years to make and publish. (It just left early access this year, though work on the project began in 2005.)
As Polygon noted, the announcement for this new update was made on the old official Left 4 Dead site.


theverge--2020-09-24--Facebook says it ‘mistakenly’ suspended hundreds of activists’ accounts

Facebook suspended the accounts of more than 200 people on September 19th who were connected to an event protesting the construction of the contested Coastal GasLink pipeline .
The suspension shows how vulnerable activists are to the actions of social media platforms in the midst of a pandemic , when protesting in person comes with more risk than usual .
Indigenous activists have opposed the pipeline ’ s construction , which would cut through the Wet ’ suwet ’ en Nation ’ s territory if built .
The suspensions curbed one of the few outlets left on which activists can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of COVID-19 .
It left some scrambling to communicate without Facebook messenger , and it has Wet ’ suwet ’ en activists rethinking how effectively they can push back against pipeline developers over social media .
Wet ’ suwet ’ en activists and supporters say they might move future actions away from Facebook now that they ’ ve been spooked .
They ’ re concerned about being surveilled on Facebook for their activism and worry about Facebook suspending accounts again .
In May , Wet ’ suwet ’ en activists , Greenpeace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hosted a Facebook event calling on pipeline opponents to bombard the pipeline ’ s majority funder , a company called KKR & Co Inc. , with calls and emails .
They had a near identical event planned for September 21st .
Then on September 19th , every person with administrative access to the 15 Facebook pages that co-hosted the event received notices that their accounts would be suspended for up to three days .
“ Facebook can silence much of the climate movement at their discretion , without explanation for any duration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer at Greenpeace USA .
“ That ’ s unnerving.
” Facebook has also faced criticism from scientists , lawmakers , and activists over the past year for allowing misinformation on climate change to spread on its platform .
Facebook denies that the individuals ’ accounts were specifically targeted because of their activism .
“ Our systems mistakenly removed these accounts and content .
They have since been restored and we ’ ve lifted any limits imposed on identified profiles , ” Facebook said in a September 21st email to The Verge .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were affected or say why the mistake occurred .
“ We still want answers from Facebook ” The activists aren ’ t buying Facebook ’ s explanation .
They think it ’ s fishy that the suspension happened just before their next event .
Jennifer Wickham , whose account was one of those that was frozen , laughed at hearing the response from Facebook .
“ I think that ’ s a really weak backpedal , saying it was a mistake , ” she said in an interview with The Verge .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a really corporate move .
It just makes me think of that age-old saying , ‘ money talks.
’ ” Coastal GasLink spent $ 50,000 on Facebook ads countering Wet ’ suwet ’ en protests between January and March of this year , according to a CBC News analysis .
Those opposing the pipeline spent $ 3,000 in comparison , the analysis found .
Greenpeace has continued to push the social media giant to disclose why the mistake was made .
“ We still want answers from Facebook because they have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not part of this pattern of silencing dissent when it is inconvenient for fossil fuel companies , ” Allen says .
The CA $ 6.6 billion 670-kilometer natural gas pipeline would tear through unceded Indigenous territory in northern British Columbia .
Protests against the pipeline have captured international attention since January 2019 , when police cracked down on protests and arrested Wet ’ suwet ’ en demonstrators who were blocking a road on their territory in an attempt to stop construction crews from entering .
“ The only real way to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Wet ’ suwet ’ en protesters have maintained three camps along the road ever since , even as construction began .
“ They ’ re bulldozing archaeological sites , ” says Wickham , who manages media for one of the camps and is a member of the Gidimt ’ en clan of the Wet ’ suwet ’ en Nation .
“ The Kweese Trail where we know our ancestors died and were buried along that trail , they bulldozed.
” Last year ’ s demonstrations inspired supporters to join Wet ’ suwet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded .
There are now just small groups at the camps that try to remain isolated to prevent the spread of the disease .
“ The pandemic hit and everything just shut right down , ” Wickham says .
“ The only real way to get the word out was through social media and online actions.
” That ’ s why activists turned to Facebook in May to find another way to disrupt pipeline construction .
Ninety-seven people RSVP ’ d to the event described as a “ communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Co Inc. “ I believe that it was obviously successful if people are trying to stop us from having any more actions on social media , ” Wickham says .
Despite the suspensions , the activists are moving forward with their next “ communications blockade , ” which is rescheduled for September 28th .
They ’ re still figuring out what online activism will look like moving forward , but Wickham says , “ We ’ re not going to stop.
” “ The thing we ’ re fighting for is clean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future children , and future grandchildren , and for the health of our territories , ” Wickham tells The Verge .
“ That is a responsibility that comes with being Wet ’ suwet ’ en .
”

Facebook suspended the accounts of more than 200 people on September 19th who were connected to an event protesting the construction of the contested Coastal GasLink pipeline. The suspension shows how vulnerable activists are to the actions of social media platforms in the midst of a pandemic, when protesting in person comes with more risk than usual.
Indigenous activists have opposed the pipeline’s construction, which would cut through the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s territory if built. The suspensions curbed one of the few outlets left on which activists can protest while socially distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It left some scrambling to communicate without Facebook messenger, and it has Wet’suwet’en activists rethinking how effectively they can push back against pipeline developers over social media.
Wet’suwet’en activists and supporters say they might move future actions away from Facebook now that they’ve been spooked. They’re concerned about being surveilled on Facebook for their activism and worry about Facebook suspending accounts again.
A screenshot of a notice that one of the activists received when their account was suspended. Image: Greenpeace
In May, Wet’suwet’en activists, Greenpeace, and other environmental and Indigenous groups hosted a Facebook event calling on pipeline opponents to bombard the pipeline’s majority funder, a company called KKR & Co Inc., with calls and emails. They had a near identical event planned for September 21st. Then on September 19th, every person with administrative access to the 15 Facebook pages that co-hosted the event received notices that their accounts would be suspended for up to three days.
“Facebook can silence much of the climate movement at their discretion, without explanation for any duration,” says Lindsey Allen, chief program officer at Greenpeace USA. “That’s unnerving.” Facebook has also faced criticism from scientists, lawmakers, and activists over the past year for allowing misinformation on climate change to spread on its platform.
Facebook denies that the individuals’ accounts were specifically targeted because of their activism. “Our systems mistakenly removed these accounts and content. They have since been restored and we’ve lifted any limits imposed on identified profiles,” Facebook said in a September 21st email to The Verge. It did not confirm how many accounts were affected or say why the mistake occurred.
“We still want answers from Facebook”
The activists aren’t buying Facebook’s explanation. They think it’s fishy that the suspension happened just before their next event. Jennifer Wickham, whose account was one of those that was frozen, laughed at hearing the response from Facebook. “I think that’s a really weak backpedal, saying it was a mistake,” she said in an interview with The Verge. “It seems so blatant to me, just a really corporate move. It just makes me think of that age-old saying, ‘money talks.’”
Coastal GasLink spent $50,000 on Facebook ads countering Wet’suwet’en protests between January and March of this year, according to a CBC News analysis. Those opposing the pipeline spent $3,000 in comparison, the analysis found.
Greenpeace has continued to push the social media giant to disclose why the mistake was made. “We still want answers from Facebook because they have not been able to demonstrate that they’re not part of this pattern of silencing dissent when it is inconvenient for fossil fuel companies,” Allen says.
The CA$6.6 billion 670-kilometer natural gas pipeline would tear through unceded Indigenous territory in northern British Columbia. Protests against the pipeline have captured international attention since January 2019, when police cracked down on protests and arrested Wet’suwet’en demonstrators who were blocking a road on their territory in an attempt to stop construction crews from entering.
“The only real way to get the word out was through social media.”
Wet’suwet’en protesters have maintained three camps along the road ever since, even as construction began. “They’re bulldozing archaeological sites,” says Wickham, who manages media for one of the camps and is a member of the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. “The Kweese Trail where we know our ancestors died and were buried along that trail, they bulldozed.”
Last year’s demonstrations inspired supporters to join Wet’suwet’en protesters, but that ended as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded. There are now just small groups at the camps that try to remain isolated to prevent the spread of the disease. “The pandemic hit and everything just shut right down,” Wickham says. “The only real way to get the word out was through social media and online actions.”
That’s why activists turned to Facebook in May to find another way to disrupt pipeline construction. Ninety-seven people RSVP’d to the event described as a “communications blockade” against Coastal GasLink investor KKR & Co Inc.
“I believe that it was obviously successful if people are trying to stop us from having any more actions on social media,” Wickham says.
Despite the suspensions, the activists are moving forward with their next “communications blockade,” which is rescheduled for September 28th. They’re still figuring out what online activism will look like moving forward, but Wickham says, “We’re not going to stop.”


theverge--2020-09-25--Halloween is coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing ’ s next big update will help make your island a little spookier .
Today , Nintendo detailed New Horizon ’ s Halloween-themed fall update , which adds a few new features to the game , including the option to grow pumpkins ( which can then be harvested and used for DIY projects ) and the ability to collect candy for the big day and purchase new costumes .
And since most of us won ’ t be able to actually go out trick-or-treating for Halloween this year , Animal Crossing could serve as a sugar-free alternative .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will go down on October 31st : Neighbors will gather in the plaza , which will be adorned with an array of Halloween decorations .
You ’ ll also receive a visit from a mysterious guest , Jack , the “ czar of Halloween.
” By giving Jack lollipops and candy , you ’ ll earn spooky in-game rewards .
Be sure to save some candy for your neighbors , too , or you might get pranked !
Luckily , you can learn a couple of new Reactions to properly express your feelings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be available as a free update on September 30th .

Animal Crossing’s next big update will help make your island a little spookier. Today, Nintendo detailed New Horizon’s Halloween-themed fall update, which adds a few new features to the game, including the option to grow pumpkins (which can then be harvested and used for DIY projects) and the ability to collect candy for the big day and purchase new costumes.
And since most of us won’t be able to actually go out trick-or-treating for Halloween this year, Animal Crossing could serve as a sugar-free alternative. Here’s how Nintendo describes what will go down on October 31st:
Neighbors will gather in the plaza, which will be adorned with an array of Halloween decorations. You’ll also receive a visit from a mysterious guest, Jack, the “czar of Halloween.” By giving Jack lollipops and candy, you’ll earn spooky in-game rewards. Be sure to save some candy for your neighbors, too, or you might get pranked! Luckily, you can learn a couple of new Reactions to properly express your feelings of fear.


theverge--2020-09-25--How to use picture-in-picture on iOS 14

How to use picture-in-picture on iOS 14

Even when you ’ re using a phone , with its relatively small screen , being able to watch a video using Picture-in-Picture ( PiP ) can be very handy .
You can have a music video playing while you ’ re checking your Twitter feed , or chat with a friend while watching a favorite movie .
In iOS 14 , Apple has now made it possible to use PiP on your iPhone or iPad .
And using it is extremely simple .
As you ’ re watching a video , just swipe up to your home screen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ check your email , answer a text , or do whatever else you need to do .
You can even make the video larger or smaller by using pinch to zoom ; or you can swipe it completely out of the way .
( It will continue playing ; an arrow at the side of the screen will show you where you can swipe it back from . )
As you ’ re watching a video , just swipe up to your home screen If you want to bring the video back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screen ” icon in the upper-right corner of the video .
Close it completely by tapping the “ x ” in the upper-left corner .
Using PiP on an iPad works very similarly .
You simply start your video and look for the PiP symbol ( a box with an arrow pointing to a smaller box ) ; if your iPad has a Home button , you can press that instead .
You can then move the video around your screen , make it larger or smaller , and move it to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you would with an iPhone .
You can then use the “ full screen ” icon to expand it or the “ x ” to close it .
Not all apps will work with PiP .
Gadget Hacks has a list of all the current ( as far as they know ) apps that support PiP on iOS 14 , and it ’ s a pretty sure bet that the list will expand .
With one exception : YouTube .
If you ’ re on the free YouTube app , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing PiP for Premium subscribers .
There is a kludge for running a free YouTube account in an iPhone PiP that does work ( or at least it did as of this writing ) .
It is very similar to a way you could listen to music from YouTube in the background .
This is what you do : • Open youtube.com ( not the YouTube app ) in your Safari browser • Tap on the AA icon in the upper-left corner and select “ Request Mobile Website ” • Start your video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is full-screen • Tap on it while it ’ s playing so you get the usual controls .
The PiP symbol should be in the upper-left corner .
Select it .
You will now be playing the YouTube video in PiP .
However , be aware that the PiP window will disappear as soon as the video finishes .
If you want to play another , you will have to go through the entire process again .
And of course , there is no guarantee that YouTube won ’ t close even this @ @ @ @ @ @

Even when you’re using a phone, with its relatively small screen, being able to watch a video using picture-in-picture (PiP) can be very handy. You can have a music video playing while you’re checking your Twitter feed, or chat with a friend while watching a favorite movie. In iOS 14, Apple has now made it possible to use PiP on your iPhone or iPad — and using it is extremely simple.
As you’re watching a video, just swipe up to your home screen. The video will continue playing as you check your email, answer a text, or do whatever else you need to do. You can even make the video larger or smaller by using pinch to zoom, or you can swipe it completely out of the way. (It will continue playing; an arrow at the side of the screen will show you where you can swipe it back from.)
As you’re watching a video, just swipe up to your home screen
If you want to bring the video back to full-screen, just hit the “full screen” icon in the upper-right corner of the video. Close it completely by tapping the “x” in the upper-left corner.
Using PiP on an iPad works very similarly. You simply start your video and look for the PiP symbol (a box with an arrow pointing to a smaller box); if your iPad has a Home button, you can press that instead. You can then move the video around your screen, make it larger or smaller, and move it to a separate screen in the same way as you would with an iPhone. You can then use the “full screen” icon to expand it or the “x” to close it.
Not all apps will work with PiP. Gadget Hacks has a list of all the current (as far as they know) apps that support PiP on iOS 14, and it’s a pretty sure bet that the list will expand. Unfortunately, YouTube is not on that list.
But while you can’t use PiP with the YouTube app, you can use it with a web browser. For a short time, YouTube disabled the functionality for its free version; there were some kludges you could try, but officially, it didn’t work. Now, you can use PiP with YouTube on Safari, Chrome, and other browsers by simply expanding the YouTube video to full-screen and then either swiping up (as above) or tapping the PiP icon in the upper-left corner.
Update October 5th, 9AM ET: This article has been updated to include the fact that YouTube now supports PiP on several browsers.


theverge--2020-09-25--How Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service compares to Stadia, xCloud, and GeForce Now

Amazon has just taken the wraps off its long-rumored Amazon Luna , meaning the company is officially jumping into the cloud gaming ring — one that has become increasingly crowded over the past year .
Google launched Stadia last November , Nvidia ’ s GeForce Now left beta in February , and Microsoft ’ s cloud gaming offering ( formerly known as xCloud ) is included with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription as of September 15th , though it only works with Android right now .
The race is on to see which ( if any ) of those cloud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and each company is tackling cloud gaming in a slightly different way .
If you ’ re trying to better understand each service , we ’ ve put together this guide for you .
Amazon ’ s Luna offers all-you-can-play access to different selections of games as part of separate “ channels ” — which sounds almost like a cable service .
But at launch , you can only subscribe to one channel , Luna Plus , and only if you ’ re accepted as an early access user .
The only other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll house exclusively Ubisoft games .
And right now , you can ’ t buy individual games on Luna — you can only play what ’ s included in the bundles .
Luna Plus will have “ introductory pricing ” of $ 5.99 per month , while the Ubisoft channel , which is currently listed as “ coming soon , ” doesn ’ t have a price yet .
The great cable bundling of video games has begun Games will stream from Amazon ’ s AWS widely-used cloud computing infrastructure ( specifically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of loading very quickly with no installation required on your part .
And if you buy the custom $ 49.99 Luna Controller offered to Luna early access users , you can connect it directly to those servers while you ’ re playing , which Amazon claims will mean less latency in gameplay than if you ’ re using the controller over a Bluetooth connection .
Luna will be available on PC , Mac , Fire TV , and , in a notable distinction from its competitors , on iPhone and iPad .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ web app , according to Engadget , a solution that allows Amazon to circumvent Apple ’ s restrictive App Store rules for cloud gaming apps .
Games will target up to 1080p , with 4K support “ coming soon ” for some games , according to the Luna website .
Amazon plans to have about 50 games each on both the Luna Plus and Ubisoft channels , the company told Engadget .
That number might be surprisingly easy to grow over time , as Luna runs on Windows servers and Nvidia GPUs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so developers can bring their existing Windows games over to those to get them running on Luna .
That might be an easier lift for developers than it is to bring games to Stadia , which requires developers to port their games to Linux so they can run on Google ’ s server hardware — and it doesn ’ t hurt that plenty of companies have been bringing their console games to PC recently , including Sony .
Luna will also have an integration with Twitch that lets users watch streams and start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Amazon hasn ’ t said when that might be available .
You can sign up now for a chance to try out the service in early access .
Google ’ s Stadia cloud gaming service seems pretty similar to Amazon ’ s Luna at first glance — it lets you stream games from Google ’ s distributed data centers directly to the device you ’ re playing it on , similarly has a custom controller that can connect to Google ’ s servers to reduce latency , and promises to prominently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Stadia has some notable differences .
Instead of cable-like channels , Stadia gives you access to games two different ways .
One is to buy individual titles at full price and stream them whenever you want , at no additional charge .
Or , you can get Stadia Pro , a $ 9.99 per month subscription service that lets you claim a regularly-changing lineup of games for free , and keep them as long as you pay the monthly fee .
Stadia Pro also lets you play games you buy individually at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1080p max resolution that ’ s available to non-Pro users .
Getting developers to bring games to Stadia might be a bit more of a challenge than it is for other platforms , though — as I mentioned earlier , developers need to port their games to Linux .
Also , since you ’ re always buying a fresh copy of a game on Stadia , you ’ ll sometimes be leaving your friends and savegames from other platforms behind .
We found the Destiny 2 and PUBG servers pretty empty back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet clear if that will be true for Amazon ’ s Luna as well .
Stadia has its own game studios But unlike Luna , the Stadia platform also has ( some ) exclusive games and features made possible by the cloud , and is building games for Stadia itself .
Amazon hasn ’ t said whether it ’ ll commit its own game studios or server infrastructure to do something similar , but told reporters it ’ s “ not focused on things like exclusives ” for Luna .
Stadia is available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Luna : PC , Mac , Linux , ChromeOS , the Chromecast Ultra dongle for TVs , and certain Android phones — but no iOS support .
We counted 88 games on the service as of this writing .
If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate , which costs $ 14.99 per month , you can beam more than 150 Xbox games from Microsoft ’ s data centers directly to the device you ’ re streaming them to — though as I said in the introduction , there ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games to Android phones right now .
There ’ s another thing you should know about Microsoft ’ s cloud gaming service : it ’ s currently powered by Xbox One S hardware in Microsoft ’ s data centers .
That means the games you ’ re playing might have worse graphics and slower load times than other cloud gaming services , which run on beefy servers .
Even the best internet in the world won ’ t help the physical hardware in an Xbox One S load a game any faster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Series X hardware in its servers next year .
Relying on Xbox hardware is a blessing and a curse That being said , because your saves are all stored in Microsoft ’ s cloud , it ’ s easy to move between playing games on your Xbox ( many of which are also included in Xbox Game Pass ) and an Android phone .
You ’ ll be playing with other Xbox players online as well .
And if you don ’ t want to use Microsoft ’ s cloud gaming service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Xbox console to an Android phone or tablet that ’ s on the same Wi-Fi network , which might result in a higher quality stream to your device .
Microsoft is also in a good position to continue to add games to the service , because in theory , any game that comes to Game Pass could also be available via Microsoft ’ s cloud .
And again , since it ’ s Xbox hardware in a server rack , there ’ s no porting required for a developer to bring their game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developers just have to make the decision whether or not they want their games available in the cloud .
Nvidia ’ s approach with GeForce Now is to let you play PC games you already own , without needing a powerful PC right in front of you , and typically bringing your savegames along for the ride .
And the company says there are more than 2,000 games available to stream on GeForce Now — which is quite a bit more than any of the other three services we ’ ve covered here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generally talking about games you already own , which is why that number is so high — and even so , not all developers have agreed to let you play your own titles .
It ’ s been opt-in ever since the turbulence after GeForce Now ’ s official launch in February , when big developers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda yanked their titles off the service .
With GFN , you ’ re just paying for the power of a remote gaming PC We don ’ t know exactly why the developers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nvidia failed to get permission to continue letting players stream many games once GeForce Now moved from a free beta to a paid service .
However , there are still some notable developers that have opted in to GeForce Now , including Bungie , Electronic Arts , Riot Games , and Valve .
If you choose to pay $ 4.99 per month for GeForce Now ’ s “ Founders ” tier , you can play your games as much as you want and take advantage of the company ’ s ray-tracing-capable RTX Server @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them for an added graphical boost .
But GeForce Now is unique in that you don ’ t necessarily need to pay at all just to try — there ’ s also a free tier that lets you play games for an hour at a time , and you can download some of the hottest free-to-play games like Fortnite , League of Legends and Destiny 2 if you don ’ t already have compatible titles in your Steam , Epic Games or Uplay libraries .
The free tier also runs on somewhat less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
GeForce Now works on PC , Mac , Android , the Nvidia Shield , some Chromebooks , and tops out at a maximum resolution of 1080p at 60fps for now .

Amazon has just taken the wraps off its long-rumored Amazon Luna, meaning the company is officially jumping into the cloud gaming ring — one that has become increasingly crowded over the past year. Google launched Stadia last November, Nvidia’s GeForce Now left beta in February, and Microsoft’s cloud gaming offering (formerly known as xCloud) is included with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription as of September 15th, though it only works with Android right now.
The race is on to see which (if any) of those cloud gaming services takes off with customers, and each company is tackling cloud gaming in a slightly different way. If you’re trying to better understand each service, we’ve put together this guide for you.
Image: Amazon
Amazon Luna
Amazon’s Luna offers all-you-can-play access to different selections of games as part of separate “channels” — which sounds almost like a cable service. But at launch, you can only subscribe to one channel, Luna Plus, and only if you’re accepted as an early access user. The only other channel announced so far is one that’ll house exclusively Ubisoft games. And right now, you can’t buy individual games on Luna — you can only play what’s included in the bundles. Luna Plus will have “introductory pricing” of $5.99 per month, while the Ubisoft channel, which is currently listed as “coming soon,” doesn’t have a price yet.
The great cable bundling of video games has begun
Games will stream from Amazon’s AWS widely-used cloud computing infrastructure (specifically G4 instances), with the promise of loading very quickly with no installation required on your part. And if you buy the custom $49.99 Luna Controller offered to Luna early access users, you can connect it directly to those servers while you’re playing, which Amazon claims will mean less latency in gameplay than if you’re using the controller over a Bluetooth connection.
Luna will be available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, and, in a notable distinction from its competitors, on iPhone and iPad. The iOS version of Luna is a progressive web app, according to Engadget, a solution that allows Amazon to circumvent Apple’s restrictive App Store rules for cloud gaming apps. Games will target up to 1080p, with 4K support “coming soon” for some games, according to the Luna website.
Amazon plans to have about 50 games each on both the Luna Plus and Ubisoft channels, the company told Engadget. That number might be surprisingly easy to grow over time, as Luna runs on Windows servers and Nvidia GPUs in Amazon’s AWS compute cloud, so developers can bring their existing Windows games over to those to get them running on Luna.
That might be an easier lift for developers than it is to bring games to Stadia, which requires developers to port their games to Linux so they can run on Google’s server hardware — and it doesn’t hurt that plenty of companies have been bringing their console games to PC recently, including Sony.
Luna will also have an integration with Twitch that lets users watch streams and start games they’re watching others play, but Amazon hasn’t said when that might be available.
You can sign up now for a chance to try out the service in early access.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Google Stadia
Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service seems pretty similar to Amazon’s Luna at first glance — it lets you stream games from Google’s distributed data centers directly to the device you’re playing it on, similarly has a custom controller that can connect to Google’s servers to reduce latency, and promises to prominently integrate YouTube. But the business model for Stadia has some notable differences.
Instead of cable-like channels, Stadia gives you access to games two different ways. One is to buy individual titles at full price and stream them whenever you want, at no additional charge.
Or, you can get Stadia Pro, a $9.99 per month subscription service that lets you claim a regularly-changing lineup of games for free, and keep them as long as you pay the monthly fee. Stadia Pro also lets you play games you buy individually at up to 4K resolution, up from the 1080p max resolution that’s available to non-Pro users.
Google’s Stadia Controller. Image: Google Amazon’s Luna Controller. Image: Amazon
Getting developers to bring games to Stadia might be a bit more of a challenge than it is for other platforms, though — as I mentioned earlier, developers need to port their games to Linux. Also, since you’re always buying a fresh copy of a game on Stadia, you’ll sometimes be leaving your friends and savegames from other platforms behind. We found the Destiny 2 and PUBG servers pretty empty back in May. It’s not yet clear if that will be true for Amazon’s Luna as well.
Stadia has its own game studios
But unlike Luna, the Stadia platform also has (some) exclusive games and features made possible by the cloud, and is building games for Stadia itself. Amazon hasn’t said whether it’ll commit its own game studios or server infrastructure to do something similar, but told reporters it’s “not focused on things like exclusives” for Luna.
Stadia is available on a slightly different mix of platforms than Luna: PC, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, the Chromecast Ultra dongle for TVs, and certain Android phones — but no iOS support. We counted 88 games on the service as of this writing.
Photo by Nick Statt / The Verge
Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate streaming, aka xCloud
If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $14.99 per month and is already available in 22 countries, you can beam more than 150 Xbox games from Microsoft’s data centers directly to the device you’re streaming them to. But as I said in the introduction, there’s the big caveat that you can only stream games to Android phones right now — though Microsoft does plan to bring its cloud gaming service to PC at some point.
There’s another thing you should know about Microsoft’s cloud gaming service: it’s currently powered by Xbox One S hardware in Microsoft’s data centers. That means the games you’re playing might have worse graphics and slower load times than other cloud gaming services, which run on beefy servers. Even the best internet in the world won’t help the physical hardware in an Xbox One S load a game any faster. Though Microsoft plans to upgrade to Xbox Series X hardware in its servers next year.
Relying on Xbox hardware is a blessing and a curse
That being said, because your saves are all stored in Microsoft’s cloud, it’s easy to move between playing games on your Xbox (many of which are also included in Xbox Game Pass) and an Android phone. You’ll be playing with other Xbox players online as well. And if you don’t want to use Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, you can stream games directly from your Xbox console to an Android phone or tablet that’s on the same Wi-Fi network, which might result in a higher quality stream to your device.
Microsoft is also in a good position to continue to add games to the service, because in theory, any game that comes to Game Pass could also be available via Microsoft’s cloud. (Microsoft itself adds first-party titles to the service the day they are released.) And again, since it’s Xbox hardware in a server rack, there’s no porting required for a developer to bring their game from Xbox to Game Pass streaming — developers just have to make the decision whether or not they want their games available in the cloud.
Image: Nvidia
Nvidia’s GeForce Now
Nvidia’s approach with GeForce Now is to let you play PC games you already own, without needing a powerful PC right in front of you, and typically bringing your savegames along for the ride. And the company says there are more than 2,000 games available to stream on GeForce Now — which is quite a bit more than any of the other three services we’ve covered here.
But again, we’re generally talking about games you already own, which is why that number is so high — and even so, not all developers have agreed to let you play your own titles. It’s been opt-in ever since the turbulence after GeForce Now’s official launch in February, when big developers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda yanked their titles off the service.
With GFN, you’re just paying for the power of a remote gaming PC
We don’t know exactly why the developers pulled their games, but it seems Nvidia failed to get permission to continue letting players stream many games once GeForce Now moved from a free beta to a paid service. However, there are still some notable developers that have opted in to GeForce Now, including Bungie, Electronic Arts, Riot Games, and Valve.
If you choose to pay $4.99 per month for GeForce Now’s “Founders” tier, you can play your games as much as you want and take advantage of the company’s ray-tracing-capable RTX Server graphics cards while you’re streaming them for an added graphical boost.
But GeForce Now is unique in that you don’t necessarily need to pay at all just to try — there’s also a free tier that lets you play games for an hour at a time, and you can download some of the hottest free-to-play games like Fortnite, League of Legends and Destiny 2 if you don’t already have compatible titles in your Steam, Epic Games or Uplay libraries. The free tier also runs on somewhat less graphically powerful servers, without ray-tracing support.
GeForce Now works on PC, Mac, Android, the Nvidia Shield, some Chromebooks, and tops out at a maximum resolution of 1080p at 60fps for now.


theverge--2020-09-25--The first two Metal Gear Solid games are back on PC, but they are not looking their best

After being MIA for nearly two decades on PC , Windows gamers will have the chance to experience the first two Metal Gear Solid games on their rigs .
The two classics from Hideo Kojima ’ s critically acclaimed series are coming to GOG.com today .
Of course , this isn ’ t the first time each game has been released on PC ; both would see a release on Windows PCs around two years after each initially launched on their respective consoles .
But neither game has seen a re-release on digital storefronts like Steam in the years since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rough on modern hardware ( more so the first game ) .
I would go into more detail , but I will let the screenshots speak for themselves : In my opinion , this probably isn ’ t the best way to experience these classic titles .
If you want to play the original Metal Gear Solid , I suggest playing Metal Gear Solid : The Twin Snakes , a remake released exclusively on the GameCube .
( It ’ s not going to be cheap , though . )
There are prettier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay If you are looking for a better version of Metal Gear Solid 2 : Substance , unfortunately , it did not receive an HD rerelease , but there is an HD version of Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty , which is available in both the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ( the Xbox 360 version , which is also backwards compatible on Xbox One , by the way ) or Metal Gear Solid : The Legacy Collection ( a PS3-exclusive compilation of all the main installments from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that compilation only includes the original PS1 version of Metal Gear Solid , not the GameCube remake .
Metal Gear Solid 2 : Substance is an expanded version of Sons of Liberty , the original moniker for the second installment in the MGS series .
Substance added lots of new features not found in the original version , including new cutscenes , improved thermal goggles , and 500 new standalone missions .
In addition to Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 : Substance coming to PC , GOG.com has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Konami Collector ’ s Series , a compilation that includes Castlevania , Castlevania II : Simon ’ s Quest , Castlevania III : Dracula ’ s Curse , Contra , and Super C .

After being MIA for nearly two decades on PC, Windows gamers will have the chance to experience the first two Metal Gear Solid games on their rigs. The two classics from Hideo Kojima’s critically acclaimed series are coming to GOG.com today.
Of course, this isn’t the first time each game has been released on PC; both would see a release on Windows PCs around two years after each initially launched on their respective consoles. But neither game has seen a re-release on digital storefronts like Steam in the years since.
Unfortunately, they look a little rough on modern hardware (more so the first game). I would go into more detail, but I will let the screenshots speak for themselves:
Previous Next
1 / 21 Revolver Ocelot has seen better days Image: GOG.com Previous Next
1 / 21 Revolver Ocelot has seen better days Image: GOG.com
In my opinion, this probably isn’t the best way to experience these classic titles. If you want to play the original Metal Gear Solid, I suggest playing Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, a remake released exclusively on the GameCube. (It’s not going to be cheap, though.)
There are prettier ways to play, if you want to pay
If you are looking for a better version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, unfortunately, it did not receive an HD rerelease, but there is an HD version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which is available in both the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (the Xbox 360 version, which is also backwards compatible on Xbox One, by the way) or Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (a PS3-exclusive compilation of all the main installments from the Metal Gear Solid series). Still, that compilation only includes the original PS1 version of Metal Gear Solid, not the GameCube remake.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is an expanded version of Sons of Liberty, the original moniker for the second installment in the MGS series. Substance added lots of new features not found in the original version, including new cutscenes, improved thermal goggles, and 500 new standalone missions.