Ghostrunner was one of the best surprises of 2020. It’s a stylish first-person platformer that takes the best elements of Titanfall’s parkour mechanics and adds a cyberpunk twist to the proceedings. It’s also a challenging game that demands precision and purpose from the player. Make a single mistake, and you’ll need to replay a section of a level again. That can get frustrating fast, so developer One More Level is adding a new feature called Assist Mode.
Assist Mode introduces three options you can toggle on and off. You can opt to shorten your character’s ability cooldowns, slow down the game to give you more time to react and play with an extra life to make mistakes less punishing. Accessibility modes are becoming more common in video games, and it’s always good to see another developer find a way to allow more people to enjoy their work.
For experienced players, there’s a new feature called Wave Mode that is essentially Ghostrunner’s take on a roguelike. You’ll need to complete 20 rounds in succession, with each one featuring different enemies — even when you attempt the same one multiple times. Make it all the way to the end, and you’ll earn a fancy new katana for your character.
Both Assist and Wave modes are available today for free on the platforms where you can already buy Ghostrunner. That includes PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG. When the game makes its way to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 28th, it will come with those modes included.
Electronic Arts is dipping back into college football with a limited-time mode in Madden NFL 22. The Campus Legends mode features ten school teams, including rosters filled with college football icons, as well as current and former NFL stars who are alumni of those squads.
The event is available through the Superstar KO multiplayer mode. The college teams are Clemson University, University of Miami, Louisiana State University, University of Florida, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas, University of Southern California (USC), University of Oregon, University of Nebraska and Michigan State University.
The NEW Campus Legends event is now live, ft. ? historic programs to challenge your friends with! ?
EA notes Madden 22 is now the first game since 2013 to include a college football experience. The publisher announced earlier this year that it's bringing back the College Football series. The next game in the no-longer-dormant franchise is likely years away though, so college football modes in Madden might have to do the trick for now.
To mark the release of the mode, former college and NFL stars Vince Young and Reggie Bush will play against each other as their respective alma maters (University of Texas and USC). The pair faced off in the Rose Bowl in 2006, and they'll return to the Rose Bowl Stadium to repeat the matchup in Madden 22. You can watch the showdown tonight starting at 7PM ET on the NFL YouTube or Madden NFL Twitch channels.
You have a few weeks to check out Campus Legends. The mode will be available until September 27th.
Best Buy is jumping on the e-bike bandwagon. Starting today, you can visit the retailer’s website to purchase powered bicycles, as well as electric scooters and mopeds from brands like Unagi, Bird, Segway and SWFT. In October, Best Buy will begin stocking those same EVs in select stores across the US, including Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The company’s Geek Squad contingent will also offer a $100 service where it will come to your house to adjust the brakes, seat height and handlebars on your new whip.
It’s not surprising to see Best Buy embrace e-bikes. Nearly all forms of electric transportation have done well during the pandemic, but e-bikes, in particular, have had a moment. Last summer, sales of powered bicycles outpaced all others by a significant margin. In most cases, you’re probably best off visiting your local bike shop to see what they have on offer, but with how difficult it's been to buy a new bicycle during the pandemic, it never hurts to have another place to shop for your next ride.
Amazon may be the next to hop on the live audio bandwagon, although its take might not be what you'd expect. Axiossources claim Amazon is developing a live audio offering that would focus on music, including concerts and other events — more like Spotify than Clubhouse. The company is reportedly considering podcasts and talk radio as extensions, but Amazon Music would lead the project.
The internet giant also hopes to build live audio into Twitch. The sources didn't say how or when this might arrive.
We've asked Amazon for comment on the rumors. It wouldn't be surprising if Amazon leapt into the live audio space, at least. Amazon recently integrated Twitch streams into the Music app, and the firm's acquisition of podcast subscription business Wondery in 2020 signalled an intent to dive further into audio. There's also the simple matter of competition. Spotify, Twitter Spaces and Facebook's audio rooms could all pose a threat, even if Clubhouse doesn't. This would at least give Amazon a foothold before others dominate the category.
Facebook is planning to reduce political content in the News Feed starting today, it confirmed to Engadget. The move, which was first reported by Axios, follows tests in the US, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia earlier this year, where Facebook limited political content. The company plans to expand the tests to Costa Rica, Sweden, Spain and Ireland.
"These changes are in response to common feedback from our community," a Facebook spokesperson told Engadget. "We conduct ongoing research with people to hear what parts of Facebook are working well for them, and to gather feedback about what we could be doing better. One of the themes we’ve heard is that some people feel that there’s too much political content in their News Feeds. We hope these changes address this feedback and preserve the ability for people to find and interact with political content on Facebook, while respecting their appetite for it at the top of their News Feed."
Facebook says some engagement signals are better than others at indicating which posts people deem interesting or valuable. As a result, the company is expanding some tests related to engagement signals. The tests put less importance on how likely a user is to share or comment on political content. "At the same time, we’re putting more emphasis on new signals such as how likely people are to provide us with negative feedback on posts about political topics and current events when we rank those types of posts in their News Feed," Facebook wrote in an updated blog post.
The changes could reduce the level of misinformation on Facebook, if the algorithms are able to effectively detect and de-emphasize all political content. Political campaigns might have to rethink their strategies of how to reach voters too. On the flip side, the move could come as a blow to news organizations, especially those focused on politics, given the volume of traffic Facebook can drive to websites.
The switch could also make Facebook a less hostile place for users. Political discussions can quickly get heated, which might put off those who use the service largely for keeping in touch with their loved ones and sharing pictures of their kids. For what it's worth, Facebook claimed in November political content makes up just six percent of what users see.
"We’ve learned that these changes will affect public affairs content more broadly and that publishers may see an impact on their traffic," Facebook said. "Knowing this, we are planning a gradual and methodical rollout for these tests, but remain encouraged, and expect to announce further expansions in the coming months."
The reported changes follow other moves that Facebook has made to make political content less visible. It stopped recommending civic and political groups to users earlier this year after temporarily pausing those recommendations ahead of the 2020 US election.
With NBA 2K22’s September 10th release date fast approaching, 2K has shared a first look at the game’s PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S version. The publisher calls this a gameplay reveal, but it's mostly a showcase of what developer Visual Concepts managed to do with the new hardware from Sony and Microsoft. Thankfully, the studio also published a new Courtside Report that details some of the gameplay enhancements players can look forward to when they pick the game up next month.
To start, Visual Concepts says it completely rebuilt the shot contest and blocking systems, as well as made a significant update to how the game handles defensive rotations. When it comes to moving a player up the court, the studio promises tighter controls that will allow you to put together new combos in creative ways.
But some of the most significant changes look like they’re coming to how the game handles shooting. NBA 2K22 will feature a new shot meter that will dynamically change depending on the abilities of the player you’re controlling and whether their shot is contested. According to Visual Concepts, NBA 2K22 will put a greater emphasis on Shot IQ. You’ll be more successful if you take the time to find an open teammate and take a smart shot. For players who like to drive to the basket, there’s a new dunk style creator that will allow you to customize their dunk repertoire.
Outside of those improvements, fans of women's basketball can look forward to much-improved WNBA mode. All told, it looks like NBA 2K's second PS5 and Xbox Series X outing should be a good one.
Google might just save you from hitting your browser's "back" button (or sifting through your history) more than you'd like. The company is rolling out a Chrome beta feature that adds New Tab Page cards (pictured below) for resuming recent tasks. You can quickly jump back to your shopping cart, a recipe or a Google Doc you were working on. You'll have to switch this on by enabling the #ntp-modules flag, but it could be helpful if you'd rather not backtrack through your page visits just to pick up where you left off.
Google
Another addition will help you avoid a back-and-forth when digging through your search results. An experimental feature adds a row below Chrome's address bar on Android to display the rest of your search results. If one link wasn't what you were looking for, you won't have to tap "back" to check out the rest. You can try the row by enabling the #continuous-search flag.
The Android beta will help you share pithy sayings, too. Enable the #webnotes-stylize flag and Chrome will create stylized images from quotes. You just have to share highlighted text and tap "create card" to choose a template.
It's not certain if or when these features will be active by default in Chrome. Don't be surprised if Google changes or even cuts them based on feedback. With that said, they appear to be helpful enough that it might just be a matter of time before they reach more users.
Social fitness network Strava has made one of its most useful safety features available to all users. Starting today, anyone — not just those with a subscription — can use the app’s Beacon feature to share their location with friends and family members.
To enable the feature, tap the “You” tab at the bottom of the main interface and then the cog icon that appears near the top right corner. Once you’re in the settings menu, scroll down until you see the relevant section and toggle the feature on. With Beacon, you can share your location with up to three people. When you add a list of safety contacts to the app, Strava will automatically notify those individuals when you start recording an activity. Another option is to manually text a Beacon link to a friend or family if you don’t want to flood them with notifications each time you go out for a spin.
As a free user, you won’t be able to use the Beacon functionality through a connected device like a Wahoo bike computer or Apple Watch. Strava says that’s something that you will still need a subscription to access “due to the added complexity of supporting those integrations.” One other thing to keep in mind is the software will only share your location as long as you’re recording an activity. Either way, making a safety tool like Beacon free in most contexts is a good move for Strava, particularly after the company moved some previously free features behind a subscription.
Most of us have had meetings that simply could have been an email. Google Calendar will soon provide insights on how you spend your work day, including how long you spend in meetings, so you can find out just how much time you could be saving if your bosses sent memos instead.
This idea behind Time Insights is for you to gain a better understanding of how your time is taken up, so perhaps you can make adjustments if you're spending too much time in Zoom calls or conference rooms. For instance, maybe you can consolidate meetings if you spend many of them with the same people.
The feature can highlight the days and times where you tend to be in meetings the most. You'll also see a time breakdown (including the average time spent in meetings each day) and details about the people with whom you're in meetings most often. When you hover over a person, Google Calendar will highlight all the meetings they're included in.
Time Insights will only be visible on computers, not mobile devices. The insights will typically only be visible to you, but if you manage other people's calendars and they've enabled the “manage sharing access” permission, you'll be able to see their Time Insights too.
Workspace admins will be able to turn the feature off, but other users won't have that option. You can, however, hide Time Insights by closing the bar on the right of the screen.
Time Insights is coming to certain Google Workspace accounts (i.e. Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus and Nonprofits users). It won't be available to those on other plans, including G Suite Basic and Business users. Workspace admins should see it within the next couple of weeks. Google will roll out Time Insights to Rapid Release domains and Scheduled Release domains on September 6th and 20th, respectively. The rollout will take up to 15 days on each type of domain.
Motional, the autonomy-focused joint venture from Hyundai and Aptiv, has chosen its next robotaxi — and it's entirely what you'd expect. The company has revealed that its first commercial robotaxi will be based on the Ioniq 5, adding self-driving hardware (cameras, LiDAR and radar) to the brand new EV. It'll also include in-cabin interfaces to give passengers some options during their ride, such as asking for an extra stop.
The crossover includes "safety redundancies" to keep critical systems running. Motional can also take remote control if the robotaxi doesn't know how to handle a given situation — likely necessary when this is a Level 4 self-driving car that can't quite operate autonomously under all conditions.
The driverless Ioniq 5 will enter service in 2023 through Motional's partnership with Lyft. While it isn't surprising that Motional would pick a Hyundai car over previous examples (such as the BMWs Aptiv used), this might be an ideal fit — it's a roomy, zero-emissions car with a 300-mile range. That might also give Motional a slight edge over other manufacturer-linked robotaxi services, such as GM's Cruise (which currently relies on the smaller, shorter-ranged Bolt EV).
After months of hype, Windows 11 has a release date. Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 will be available on October 5th, both as a free upgrade for qualifying Windows 10 systems as well as new PCs shipping with the OS pre-installed.
Don't assume you'll get the upgrade on day one, though. This is a gradual rollout that will prioritize newer hardware and use "intelligence models" to determine who gets the upgrade first, including reliability and device age. All supporting machines will get the update by mid-2022, but this suggests you may be toward the back of the queue if you're using relatively old hardware. At least some shipping Windows 10 PCs will be on the fast track for Windows 11 updates, including models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and (of course) Microsoft.
Notably, though, Android app support won't be available on launch. Microsoft now only expects to introduce the feature in a Windows Insider preview build sometime in the "coming months." That's not completely shocking given the challenges of translating mobile apps to a mouse-and-keyboard experience, but this still means one of Windows 11's tentpole features won't be available for a long while.
The new platform centers on a refreshed interface with a new Start interface, Snap Layouts, widgets and Teams integration. You'll also find a redesigned Microsoft Store that even lets third-party stores operate within its walls. Technology like DirectX 12, DirectStorage and Auto HDR also promise to help gamers.
This might not be Microsoft's smoothest launch, however. On top of the delayed Android feature, Microsoft sparked some confusion with relatively steep hardware requirements that have evolved over time and include demands for security features like TPM 2.0. Microsoft will technically let you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, but you might be denied updates unless you're willing to install new OS images on a frequent basis. Unlike Windows 10, then, you can't just assume your years-old computer will run this software without a hitch — there's a chance you'll have to upgrade your hardware first, even if it's still fast enough for your needs.
Bose introduced its QuietComfort 35 II headphones back in 2017, and despite debuting the stellar Bose 700 model in 2019, the company was adamant its QC line wasn't going away. Now the QC35 II has a proper replacement: the QuietComfort 45. Bose says these headphones "maintain the hallmarks of their predecessor" when it comes to audio quality, comfort, reliable controls and more. As you can see, the QC45 also keeps nearly the same design at the QC35 and QC35 II except for a few subtle changes. And at $329.95, they'll debut at a lower price than the previous two QuietComfort models.
While the company went with an updated look for the Bose 700, it largely maintained the aesthetic of the QuietComfort line for the QC45. Bose says it kept the design elements that made the QC35 and QC35 II "an identifiable classic," but it got rid of the pleats on the earpads and closed some gaps to create "smooth transitions." You should still expect these to be light and cozy as none of the changes should impact the QuietComfort's highly-regarded status as a travel companion. The QC45 still folds flat for ear storage, thanks to the return of rotating earcups and a hinged headband.
Bose
On the inside is where the most notable changes lie. Bose says it improved the noise cancellation with the combination of internal and external microphones paired with a "proprietary digital chip." The company explains that this setup can detect and silence more mid-range frequencies — things like the roar of train, office or coffee shop — when you activate Quiet mode. The QuietComfort 45 also has an Aware setting that offers full transparency to your environment. Unlike other Bose models, there's no level adjustment for the active noise cancellation (ANC) here, you just get the two aforementioned modes separately.
Those two audio settings are accessible via the QC45's on-board controls. There's a dedicated button for them on the left earcup that can also mute the mic during a call. All of the core functions — volume, play/pause, voice assistant, power and pairing — are on the right side. Like the previous models, they're all physical buttons instead of touch controls, so they should preform reliably.
Bose also extended the battery life with the QuietComfort 45. The company says you can expect up to 24 hours of listening time on a charge. That's up from 20 hours on the QC35 II. A quick-charge feature will give you three hours of listening time in 15 minutes and the QC45 charges via a USB-C cable.
The QuietComfort 45 headphones will be available in black and light grey color options on September 23rd for $329.95. Pre-orders begin today at Amazon and Bose's website.
Back in June, Spotify introduced Blend, a shared playlist that pulls together songs from your listening history and that of a friend’s. Today, that feature is not only rolling out to Spotify users globally, but it also comes with some new improvements.
To start, each time you create a Blend playlist with a friend, Spotify will generate a match score, telling the two of you how close you are on your musical tastes. Like with the company’s end-of-year Wrapped feature, it will now also create a shareable story that tells you some fun facts about the songs and artists that made their way into your playlist. Spotify says it has also tweaked the cover art to make it easier to identify each Blend playlist you create.
All users can try out the feature. However, if you’re a Premium subscriber, you’ll see whose music taste contributed to each song in a playlist. To make your first one, tap the “Create Blend” option in the For You hub in the Spotify mobile app, and then invite your friend. Once they accept, Spotify will handle the rest, and you can share the resulting story the company generates about your playlist.
Jabra's latest true wireless earbud redesign is here. Following the introduction of the Elite 65t in 2018, the company has been keen on updating its lineup every year or so. Today, it introduced three models, including a new flagship noise-cancelling option with the Elite 7 Pro. The successor to the comfy and capable 85t, this version has a revamped design and smaller size, but all the best parts of previous Jabra earbuds remain. Perhaps most notably, the company is making big promises for improving calls with its new MultiSensor Voice tech.
The main point Jabra is driving home with the Elite 7 Pro is its "ultimate call clarity." Almost every headphone company makes bold claims about voice performance and they very rarely pan out. You almost always end up sounding like you're on speaker phone. With this new model, Jabra says its MultiSensor Voice setup combines a bone conduction sensor that picks up the vibrations of your jaw with a set of four microphones and the company's "intelligent algorithms." Jabra explains that the bone conduction sensor, or voice pick-up unit (VPU), kicks in when those algorithms detect certain types of noise from the mics — like wind, for example. The company's on-board tech then combines voice data from the sensor and the microphones "to transmit the best call quality." Again, all of this is something we'll need to put to the test to properly judge its merits, but it's clear Jabra is trying to improve call audio as many of us continue to work remotely.
Jabra
Jabra says the Elite 7 Pro is 16 percent smaller than its Elite 75t which was the company's most compact option thus far. Smaller earbuds typically lead to a more comfortable fit and since Jabra can lean on parent company GN's hearing aid expertise and library of over 62,000 ear scans, it has some insight on shape as well. The outside controls panel now outlines the entire earbud instead of being a perfect circle with a small elbow that extended out to hold the microphones. Jabra also redesigned the charging case, opting for a flatter pill-shaped aesthetic this time around.
Through its Sound+ app, Jabra gives you lots of options for customization. Similar to previous models, active noise cancellation (ANC) is adjustable on the Elite 7 Pro, so you can dial in the level of distraction blocking you need. Jabra once again offers the ability to reconfigure the on-board buttons with its MyControls feature. The options here include volume, play/pause, skipping tracks, noise cancellation mode, access to a voice assistant and more. The company also provides a fit test (MyFit) to determine if you've selected the correct ear tips for a proper seal. Should you need to adjust the overall audio profile, MySound can help with EQ tweaks.
Jabra says the Elite 7 Pro will last up to nine hours with ANC enabled. Turn it off and you can expect an additional two hours of use. The case holds just under three full charges, offering up to 35 total hours between it and the buds with noise cancellation on, or up to 42 total hours with ANC off. Dock the Elite 7 Pro for five minutes and you'll get just over an hour of listening time. Jabra also says this model can hit 50 percent battery levels with a half-hour charge. And for convenience, the Elite 7 Pro supports wireless charging for all the times you'd rather just set down the case than mess with a USB-C cable.
Jabra Elite 7 Active
Jabra
Similar to previous sporty versions of true wireless models, Jabra is doing that once again with the Elite 7 Active. These earbuds have a similar design to the Elite 7 Pro and nearly all of the same features. ANC, HearThrough transparency mode, nine-hour battery life, wireless charging and IP57 waterproof rating are all here. The key differences are the Elite 7 Active doesn't have the Pro's MultiSensor Voice tech, but the sport model is made with a new material Jabra is calling ShakeGrip — a liquid silicone rubber that should help with the overall fit when you get sweaty.
The Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active will be available on October 1st for $200 and $180 respectively. The Elite 7 Pro comes in black, silver/black and gold/beige color options while the Elite 7 Active has black, navy and mint green versions. At $200, the the Elite 7 Pro is $30 cheaper than the Elite 85t when it debuted.
In addition to these models, Jabra also announced the $79 Elite 3 today. This affordable option doesn't have ANC or wireless charging, but it does offer a lot of features that make the company's earbuds worth considering. Those include seven-hour battery life, HearThrough transparency mode and both customizable EQ and on-board controls.
The voices on Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant and other AI assistants are far ahead of old-school GPS devices, but they still lack the rhythms, intonation and other qualities that make speech sound, well, human. NVIDIA has unveiled new research and tools that can capture those natural speech qualities by letting you train the AI system with your own voice, the company announced at the Interspeech 2021 conference.
To improve its AI voice synthesis, NVIDIA’s text-to-speech research team developed a model called RAD-TTS, a winning entry at an NAB broadcast convention competition to develop the most realistic avatar. The system allows an individual to train a text-to-speech model with their own voice, including the pacing, tonality, timbre and more.
Another RAD-TTS feature is voice conversion, which lets a user deliver one speaker's words using another person's voice. That interface gives fine, frame-level control over a synthesized voice’s pitch, duration and energy.
Using this technology, NVIDIA's researchers created more conversational-sounding voice narration for its own I Am AI video series using synthesized rather than human voices. The aim was to get the narration to match the tone and style of the videos, something that hasn't been done well in many AI narrated videos to date. The results are still a bit robotic, but better than any AI narration I've ever heard.
"With this interface, our video producer could record himself reading the video script, and then use the AI model to convert his speech into the female narrator’s voice. Using this baseline narration, the producer could then direct the AI like a voice actor — tweaking the synthesized speech to emphasize specific words, and modifying the pacing of the narration to better express the video’s tone," NVIDIA wrote.
NVIDIA is distributing some of this research — optimized to run efficiently on NVIDIA GPUs, of course — to anyone who wants to try it via open source through the NVIDIA NeMo Python toolkit for GPU-accelerated conversational AI, available on the company's NGC hub of containers and other software.
"Several of the models are trained with tens of thousands of hours of audio data on NVIDIA DGX systems. Developers can fine tune any model for their use cases, speeding up training using mixed-precision computing on NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs," the company wrote.