Following the class-action lawsuit between Apple and app developers, the company has agreed to change several App Store rules, including allowing developers to email users “about payment methods outside of their iOS app” — think Netflix and Spotify offering subscription setups through the internet browser, all without Apple taking a cut. This was a key part of the Epic vs. Apple trial.

The company is also promising more transparency around its app review process and offer more price points to app makers from “fewer than 100 to more than 500.” The agreement also includes a $100 million payout, split among smaller developers who earned $1 million or less. It’s not money for Spotify, Epic and the bigger, most vocal, app owners. There are a few more wrinkles to the App Store changes. Engadget’s Karissa Bell elaborates on what's going on.

— Mat Smith

The Rock has some new Under Armour headphones

Noise cancellation and 45-hour battery life.

Under Armor

Hollywood's busiest man Dwayne Johnson has found time to release another pair of headphones with Under Armour branding and, well, JBL tech. The cans are essentially an updated version of the durable over-ears released in 2018, but now with adaptive noise canceling and 45-hour battery life. With speed charging, you should get two hours of playback time in five minutes.

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Amazon Prime Gaming's free titles for September include 'Knockout City'

Subscribers will also get new loot for 'Genshin Impact' and other games.

Amazon is adding some more free titles for Prime Gaming subscribers. One of the latest additions is Knockout City, a recent release from Velan and EA. It's a cross-platform dodgeball brawler launched in May that's already available through Xbox Games Pass Ultimate and EA Play. Anyone addicted to Genshin Impact — which is free to play everywhere — can get a nice grab bag of loot if they’re a Prime Gaming subscriber.

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After nearly 40 years, the designer of the NES and SNES retires from Nintendo

Lance Barr also helped shape the Wii.

Jason Leung on Unsplash

NES and SNES designer Lance Barr has retired from Nintendo after 38 years and eight months at the company. Although relatively few know his name, he played a role in the rise and rise of Nintendo.

Barr made his biggest mark when he was asked to design the outside of the NES to make the Famicom more palatable for American audiences. As requested, he made it look like it belonged next to a stereo system (complete with a VHS-style cartridge loader) compared to the "soft" Japanese model.

His influence continued at Nintendo, and in more recent times he helped design the Wii and its nunchuk controller.

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HP Pavilion Aero review

It's an affordable laptop that punches well above its own weight.

Daniel Cooper / Engadget

HP’s use of AMD’s speedy mobile processors means this machine can do a lot more than other ultraportables in its class. Available for less than $1,000, the cost alone will let you see past some of its more pedestrian features. There are plenty of ports, and while it’s not exactly an inspirational design, you might be pleasantly surprised.

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Finally, all iOS users will get YouTube’s picture-in-picture mode

Only for Premium users to start with.

YouTube is promising picture-in-picture (PiP) viewing to all iPhone and iPad users in the US, starting with volunteers using Premium. You'll have to opt into the test through the experiments website on your computer, but you're all set after that — you can watch clips in a floating window. It’s just the first step: The company hasn't said when it plans to enable PiP for non-Premium subscribers.

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The biggest tech news you might have missed

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Tesla's redesigned iPhone app features two new home screen widgets

Palantir glitch allegedly granted some FBI staff unauthorized access to a crypto hacker's data

Google's YouTube Music app for Wear OS only works with Samsung's upcoming smartwatches

Just months after a CEO shakeup, Waymo is officially halting sales of its custom sensors to third parties. The move sees the Alphabet-owned self-driving company unwinding a business operation just two years into its lifespan. Waymo confirmed the decision to Reuters, adding that it's now focusing on deploying its Waymo Driver tech across its Waymo One ride-hailing and Waymo Via trucking divisions.

The decision comes in the wake of long-term CEO John Krafcik's departure, who was replaced at the helm by Waymo execs Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov. Some suggested that Krafcik's deliberate approach was hindering the company's push toward commercialization. Earlier this month, Waymo hit a milestone of 20 billion miles driven in simulations, with 20 million on public roads. Just days ago, it brought its robotaxis to vetted riders in San Francisco.

Waymo began selling LiDARs — the tech that measures distance with pulses of laser light — to companies barring its autonomous vehicle rivals in 2019. It initially planned to sell its short-range sensor (known as Laser Bear Honeycomb) to businesses in the robotics, security and agricultural technology sectors. A form on its website also lists drones, mapping and entertainment as applicable industries.

Waymo's fifth-generation Driver technology uses an array of sensors — including radar, lidar, and cameras — to help its cars "see" 360 degrees during the day and night, and even in tough weather conditions such as rain or fog. While its simulated and real world driving tests have helped it to amass a massive dataset that is crunched using machine learning-based software. According to anonymous sources cited by Reuters, Waymo intends to use in-house tech and external suppliers for its next-gen LiDARs.

Streamlabs' new livestreaming tool offers streamers a new way to make money — and it won't even be taking a commission. The Logitech-owned company has launched a monthly tipping service called Streamlabs Creator Subscription, which (as you can probably guess from its name) gives streamers a way to set up a subscription service for viewers. Streamlabs says creators will get 100 percent of the tips fans give them after PayPal takes its usual processing fees. 

As The Verge notes, that makes Streamlabs Creator Subscription a more appealing option than Twitch's built-in service, which takes a 50 percent cut from the subscription fees streamers get. Especially since Streamlabs' new tipping tool can be directly integrated into its popular OBS software suite anyway. The OBS software can be used to stream not just on Twitch, but also on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. 

Streamlabs will let creators decide on what kind of subscription service they want to offer their fans, and they can also set specific price points. If they choose, however, they can allow viewers to choose how much to contribute every month. Fans will get "redeemable alerts" in exchange for their contributions, and they can use those if they want their favorite streamer to thank them on screen. Streamlabs will also be adding leaderboards and badges in the coming weeks to encourage fans to support their favorite creators.

Ashray Urs, Head of Product at Streamlabs, said in a statement: 

"As the live streaming industry has grown, so has the need for a sustainable revenue model. Currently, most major streaming platforms provide viewers with a way to subscribe to a channel; however, they usually split the revenue from the subscription in half between the creators and platform. In addition, platforms require a creator to meet certain qualifications before they can unlock the ability for viewers to subscribe. Streamlabs Creator Subscription is open for anyone with a Streamlabs tip page, regardless of size or how often they stream."

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has expanded the scope of its sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard to include temporary workers. As first reported by Axios, the watchdog filed an amended complaint on Monday to redefine the group it plans to represent in the suit. The complaint now consistently references “workers” instead of “employees,” noting protections the state of California has in place to protect individuals from harassment and sexual discrimintation “exist for employees and contingent or temporary workers.”

The amended suit also alleges Activision Blizzard has used non-disclosure agreements to directly interfere with DFEH’s ability to investigate, prosecute and remedy the workplace violations that occurred at the company. Additionally, "documents related to investigations and complaints were shredded by human resource personnel," according to the agency.

In response to today's filing, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Engadget, "Throughout our engagement with the DFEH, we have complied with every proper request in support of its review even as we had been implementing reforms to ensure our workplaces are welcoming and safe for every employee. …We strive to be a company that recognizes and celebrates the diverse talents and perspectives that lead to the creation of great, globally appealing entertainment." The statement is provided in full at the end of the article.

Following a two-year investigation into the company, DFEH last month accused Activision Blizzard executives of fostering a “frat boy” workplace culture. According to the agency, only 20 percent of all employees at the studio are women, and they’re consistently paid less, overlooked for promotions and fired faster than their male counterparts. Activision executives initially dismissed the lawsuit, claiming it included “distorted, and in many cases false descriptions of Blizzard’s past.”

Employees were quick to condemn the company’s response, calling it “abhorrent,” and they went on to stage a walkout at the end of July. Following the protest, Blizzard studio president J. Allen Brack, one of the executives named in the DFEH suit, stepped down, as did several other senior designers.

When Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick eventually pledged to take “swift action” to create a safe workplace, the company’s decision to bring in WilmerHale, a law firm that has a history of representing management on matters relating to unionizing, made many doubt the sincerity of his statements.

Update 6:13PM ET: Here's the complete response from an Activision Blizzard spokesperson:

Throughout our engagement with the DFEH, we have complied with every proper request in support of its review even as we had been implementing reforms to ensure our workplaces are welcoming and safe for every employee. Those changes continue today, and include:

· Several high-level personnel changes;

· Revamped hiring and recruiting practices requiring diverse interview panels;

· Greater transparency on pay equity;

· Expanded and improved training and investigative capabilities for human resource and compliance staff;

· Created investigation teams outside of business units to support greater independence;

· Restructured divisions to support greater accountability;

· Enhanced review processes to include evaluation of managers by employees;

· Clear boundaries on workplace behavior with a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and other actions that diminish or marginalize.

With regards to claims that we have destroyed information by shredding documents, those claims are not true. We took appropriate steps to preserve information relevant to the DFEH investigation.

We strive to be a company that recognizes and celebrates the diverse talents and perspectives that lead to the creation of great, globally appealing entertainment. We have provided the DFEH with clear evidence that we do not have gender pay or promotion disparities. Our senior leadership is increasingly diverse, with a growing number of women in key leadership roles across the company.

We share DFEH’s goal of a safe, inclusive workplace that rewards employees equitably and are committed to setting an example that others can follow.

Since the release of iOS 14, Apple Maps has included a built-in rating system that allows you to review select businesses, restaurants and other points of interest. Before Monday, that feature was only available in countries like Australia and Japan, but as MacRumors points out, you can now access it in the US and Canada.

The feature works for most locations. It uses a simple thumbs up or down system. When you tap one of the icons, a secondary interface will appear, prompting you to share how you feel about certain aspects of that business or restaurant. For instance, in the latter case, you can also rate the food, customer service and atmosphere. That same pane also allows you to upload your own photo to a listing.

An Apple spokesperson told The Verge Maps will suggest you add contributions based on your device history, in addition to photos you have in your camera roll. Your name won’t appear alongside any ratings you leave, and any recommendations you get suggesting you add to a listing will come from analysis Maps does on-device.

At the moment, you can’t leave a written review, meaning there’s still a place for the existing integrations Maps has with services like Yelp and Tripadvisor. Apple could be laying the groundwork here for a more robust review system to match the likes of what Google Maps offers, but that will have to come at a later date.

OK, we'll be honest: The 2021 Xbox Gamescom show was fluffy. It was a 90-minute live YouTube event populated by drawn-out developer interviews, a mini-documentary on the trebuchet and slightly exciting updates to mid-tier titles, but there were also a few bright spots. Xbox cloud gaming is heading to Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One this holiday season; Psychonauts 2 got a shiny new launch trailer, and we got a closer look at Microsoft Flight Simulator and Forza Horizon 5. Competitive multiplayer is heading to Microsoft Flight Simulator this fall, while Forza Horizon 5's cover cars look truly spectacular. 

See it all for yourself in our 11-minute cutdown.

Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi recently passed Apple to become the world’s second-largest phone maker. It’s now banking on the fact its products are recognizable enough they don’t need additional branding. As first reported by XDA Developers, the company will phase out its “Mi” branding over the coming months, with new products slated to carry the Xiaomi name instead.

“Starting in 2021 Q3, Xiaomi's product series ‘Mi’ will be renamed to ‘Xiaomi,’” a spokesperson for the company told Engadget. “This change will unify our global brand presence and close the perception gap between the brand and its products.” The Mi branding isn’t going completely away. The company’s Mi Home stores will continue to carry the name. Xiaomi will also continue selling Redmi devices, with those targeted at consumers who want to save money on their next phone purchase.

In fact, it sounds like we’ll see the Redmi branding appear on more devices before too long. “The product series naming convention — Xiaomi and Redmi — will also be applied to our ecosystem and IoT products over time,” the spokesperson said. The possibility that Xiaomi was planning to retire the Mi name came out earlier this month when the company’s new Mix 4 phone didn’t feature the branding.

I missed one of my best friend’s birthdays this week – but belated best wishes are better than nothing. So, to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, my favorite console of all time, which arrived in the US on August 23rd, 1991, I wish you many happy returns.

The SNES wasn’t my first console. Like many kids of the ‘80s, I started with the venerable NES. But that system never quite felt like mine. I played it at friends’ houses for years before my parents relented and got me one for Christmas in 1989. While I don’t want to downplay my excitement, I had already played many of the platform’s classic games. So while it was a huge deal to have my own NES, I wasn’t exactly coming to it fresh.

But the Super NES, that console was mine. I didn’t get it on launch day, but I had been eagerly devouring details about it in Nintendo Power. I started saving my allowance, doing extra chores and monitoring weekly sales flyers for price drops. Finally, at some point in 1992, I brought it home – the console, two outstanding controllers whose design has stood the test of time and Super Mario World. (Remember how generous game companies used to be with the pack-ins?)

Obviously, one does not buy a console to ogle the hardware. It’s all about the games, and Super Mario World was an outstanding introduction to the system. I was plenty familiar with Mario at this point, but the sheer scope this time around was stunning. Individual levels were massive and crammed with secrets, and you could re-enter and play them again for the first time to find everything. New additions like Yoshi and the cape power-up offered new ways to navigate and explore these levels.

And, of course, the game both looked and sounded fantastic. Super Mario Bros. 3 pushed the NES about as far as it could go, but Super Mario World underscored how much more capable the new system was. Mario and some familiar enemies looked more vibrant and detailed than ever, and the system’s power was also evident in those sprawling levels and environments. It was the first Mario game with a save feature, and with good reason. There was no way to take in even half of what the game offered in just one sitting.

This underlines how video game development was changing with 16-bit consoles. Many NES games were ports of arcade mainstays, perhaps modified to make them more suitable for extended play sessions. But they were still games meant to be finished in one session, once you got good enough. RPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior, not to mention Nintendo’s own adventure game The Legend of Zelda bucked that trend with a bigger focus on exploration and a save feature so you could proceed at your own pace. But with the Super NES, developers were thinking bigger, regardless of genre.

For me, the finest example of this is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It was the second game I bought for the system, despite having never played the earlier NES Zelda games — the buzz around it was just too enticing. It was a smart choice, because it’s still on the short list of my favorite games ever. Its art style remains gorgeous 30 years later, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the freedom of exploration, combined with all the puzzles to unravel, was unlike anything I had played before. 

The story’s twists and turns made me always want to keep pushing forward, but I also was happy to go off the path and search for secrets I hadn’t found. And there are still a handful of show-stopping moments that rank among the most memorable game experiences I’ve had. Striding out of the Sanctuary after the first hour or so of gameplay with the booming main theme behind me, getting the Master Sword and the final showdown with Ganon after months of play leading up to it are just a few  parts of the game that I’ll never forget.

Besides these bigger titles, the SNES still had plenty of arcade ports – they were just much better than in the NES era. The SNES was far more capable of replicating the arcade experience, and games like Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time were outstanding ways for me to get my arcade fix.

Broadly speaking, the SNES enjoyed strong third-party developer support from companies like Capcom, Konami, Tecmo, Square and Enix. And while I spent tons of hours on those aforementioned arcade games and other excellent titles like Capcom’s Mega Man X, the SNES allowed Nintendo to flex its muscles as one of the best game developers around.

The list of all-time classics that Nintendo published during the system’s lifespan is impressive. Aside from Super Mario World, games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country (and its sequels), Super Metroid, Yoshi’s Island, EarthBound and Super Mario Kart were critically acclaimed, hugely popular or both. Launch titles F-Zero and Pilotwings didn't hit those heights, but they still provided the SNES with a strong and varied lineup from day one.

All these games and many more have kept me coming back to the SNES over the many years since it launched. I played it throughout high school and when I came home from college; at some point I lost track of that console and all the games I had, though. It was a tough pill to swallow, but since I (like many Nintendo fans) have re-bought favorite games on the systems like the Wii and the Switch, not to mention the tiny SNES Classic Edition. Of course, you can’t be the real thing, so I picked up a used SNES about 10 years ago, too. I don’t play it often, but I’m happier knowing I can when I want to.

It’s not just for nostalgia, either. Somehow, I have never played Super Metroid – and with Metroid Dread coming out soon, I think it’s high time I finally try another of the system’s all-time greats. I never would have expected that I’d be playing the Super NES 30 years after it arrived in the US, but I won’t be surprised if I still go back to these games 30 years from now.

You're never really too young to start gaming, but some kids might struggle to get to grips with standard arcade machines. With that in mind, Arcade1Up is hoping to bring the joy of arcades to a new generation with its latest lineup of cabinets.

The first two machines in the Arcade1Up Jr. line are centered around the Pac-Man and PAW Patrol franchises. The former includes a trio of arcade classics: Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug. The PAW Patrol system also features three games: Chase is in a Race, PAW Patrol Off Duty and PAW Patrol Pups on the Go!

The cabinets are aimed at kids aged four to eight. They're three feet tall and have oversized buttons to make things easier for youngsters. The games include a way to slow down the action and other features (such as unlimited lives) to help burgeoning gamers learn the ropes. Each machine has an eight-inch monitor and it's ready to play right out of the box.

Arcade1Up has been around for few years. It aims to bring the arcade experience to gamers' homes by re-releasing classic cabinets such as NBA Jam, The Simpsons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Pac-Man system will be available starting on October 15th and the PAW Patrol version will go on sale on November 15th. You'll be able to buy the arcade machines, which start at $280, from a variety of retailers.

It's been a long, bumpy journey for Double Fine in its efforts to make a sequel to its very first game, but Psychonauts 2 is almost here. Just ahead of the release, the developer and Xbox Game Studios shone the spotlight on the hotly anticipated game during the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream.

The story picks up right where the VR game Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin left off. The launch trailer shows more of the colorful, action-packed platforming fans have come to expect from the series. You play as Raz, a Psychonaut who can explore other characters' minds and use psychic powers like telekinesis and levitation. Raz, who grew up in the circus, also has several acrobatic moves at his disposal as he takes on enemies based on emotions.

The original Psychonauts was released in 2005. After several aborted attempts to make a sequel, Double Fine ran a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2015 to covering some of the development costs. Xbox Game Studios bought Double Fine in 2019, and help the developer finish Psychonauts 2 as intended. 

Psychonauts 2 will finally hit PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S (with optimizations for the latter consoles) on August 25th. Naturally, it's included with Xbox Game Pass for PC and console. On top of that, Microsoft is once again in the unusual position of publishing a game on PlayStation 4.