Oct 11
“Overwatch 2” has finally arrived, but the launch day was less than exciting for many players hit by a number of bugs. Now two heroes are gone … for now.
Oct 11
Meta is back with a new pro-tier Quest headset. The model is made for diehard virtual reality fans, and it comes with a massive price tag attached.
Oct 11
Oct 11
Chadwick Boseman Honored in New Wakanda Forever Featurette From Marvel Studios
Posted in: Today's Chili
Director Ryan Coogler and his Black Panther ensemble pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman’s memory in a new behind the scenes look at Wakanda Forever. The Marvel Studios sequel pressed on after the untimely death of the beloved actor, who so memorably portrayed King T’Challa onscreen.
Oct 11
Amazon's Opportunity Mars rover documentary hits Prime Video on November 23rd
Posted in: Today's ChiliMore than a year after it was first announced, Amazon has shared a trailer for Good Night Oppy. The upcoming documentary will recount the story of NASA’s Opportunity rover, or Oppy as it was lovingly known by its creators. The documentary was directed by Ryan White (Assassins), with Angela Bassett, best known for her roles in Black Panther and Contact, providing narration. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab helped with the project, sharing archival footage and knowledge of the rover’s mission.
Opportunity was one of two rovers NASA landed on the surface of Mars in 2004. What was initially supposed to be a 90-day mission turned into a 15-year adventure exploring the surface of the Red Planet. During that time, the rover helped reveal that Mars once had oceans made of water and even broke the record for the longest off-Earth drive. Along the way, it sent stunning images of Mars. Good Night Oppy will start a limited theatrical run on November 4th before it heads to Amazon Prime Video on November 23rd.
Oct 11
You’re probably hoping to cross off a few big items from your holiday shopping list during Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale. But don’t forget about the little things, either. Sale events like this are a good opportunity to pick up affordable gadgets that make great stocking stuffers or gifts for people who are hard to shop for. Plus, you may be able to find things like charging cables, accessories and other tech items on discount that you’ve been meaning to buy for yourself. To make things easier for you, we’ve collected all of the best gadgets that you can get for under $50 for this October Prime Day right here.
Samsung Pro Plus microSD card
Samsung’s Pro Plus microSD card in 128GB is nearly half off and down to only $18 for Prime Day. It also comes with an adapter, so you can use it with more types of devices. You’ll get read/write speeds of up to 160MB/s and 120MB/s, respectively, and a card that’s temperature, magnet- and drop-resistant.
Buy Pro Plus microSD card (128GB) at Amazon – $18
Anker charging accessories
Anker
Anker is having a huge sale on charging gadgets for Prime Day, and while not all of them are under $50, many of them are. Now’s the time to grab an extra cable or two, a multiport adapter, a lightweight portable battery pack and other things that you’ll want to take with you wherever you go.
Razer Seiren Mini
Razer’s Seiren Mini microphone is $10 off and down to $40, which is only $5 more than its record low. It’s an ultra-compact, USB mic can come with you anywhere to amplify your voice on video calls and game streams.
Buy Razer Seiren Mini at Amazon – $40
SteelSeries Arctis 3 Console
The console version of the SteelSeries Arctis 3 wired headset is on sale for only $34. It works with the PS5, Xbox Series X and S, the Nintendo Switch and other gaming devices, plus it has a clear cast microphone built in and a comfortable yet durable design.
Buy Arctis 3 Console at Amazon – $34
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
The latest Roku Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $27, or $23 less than normal. It builds upon the technology in the Streaming Stick+, supporting 4K HDR10+ content, Dolby Vision, long-range WiFi, voice search and TV controls with the included remote.
Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon – $27
Roku Express
Roku’s Express streaming dongle is on sale for $18, which is $12 off its usual rate. Like Amazon’s own budget streaming devices, the Express doesn’t have a ton of fancy features, but it does support HD content and it comes with a high-speed HDMI cable. The Express 4K+ streamer is also on sale for $25.
Buy Roku Express at Amazon – $18Buy Roku Express 4K+ at Amazon – $25
Jabra Elite 3
Jabra’s excellent Elite 3 earbuds have dropped to $50, or $30 off their normal rate. These already affordable buds earned a score of 88 from us for their impressive sound quality, good battery life, reliable touch controls and comfortable fit.
Buy Jabra Elite 3 at Amazon – $50
Echo Show 5
The Echo Show 5 is on sale for $35, or a whopping 59 percent off its usual price. If you want a smart alarm clock, this is the smart display to get. We like its sharp 5-inch display, ambient light sensor, smart home controls and tap-to-snooze feature.
Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon – $35
Fire 7 (2022)
The 2022 Fire 7 tablet is on sale for $45, or 25 percent off its usual price. If you’re looking for a cheap tablet to bring with you everywhere or to give your kid without worry, this is a good option. While it doesn’t have the Google Play Store, you can still use it to check email, watch videos, play music and more.
Fire HD 8
The Fire HD 8 tablet is half off and down to $45. We gave it a score of 81 for its decent performance, good battery life, wireless charging capabilities and USB-C port.
Fire TV Stick
The standard Fire TV Stick is on sale for $20. It supports 1080p streaming with Dolby Atmos and it comes with an Alexa Voice Remote that has power and volume buttons on it.
Buy Fire TV Stick at Amazon – $20
Fire TV Stick 4K
The Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for $25 for October Prime Day, which is half off its normal price. This one supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision along with Dolby Atmos audio and Amazon’s Fire TV OS.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon – $25
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
The higher-end Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to $35, which is $20 less than usual and a record low. On top of all of the features in the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, the Max version also supports WiFi 6 and live picture-in-picture viewing.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon – $35
Blink Mini
You can get two Blink Mini wired security cameras for only $30 for this October Prime Day. This camera needs to be plugged in, but we like its compact design, 1080p recording, motion alerts and two-way audio.
Buy Blink Mini (2 pack) at Amazon – $30
Amazon Smart Plug
Amazon’s smart plug is 48 percent off and down to only $13. You can plug almost any “dumb” appliance into this accessory to make it a smart one that can be controlled via a companion app and with Alexa voice commands.
Buy smart plug at Amazon – $13
Kasa Smart Plug Mini (4 pack)
TP-Link
A four pack of Kasa’s mini smart plugs is on sale for only $24. These tiny accessories let you turn almost any appliance into a smart one, allowing you to turn them on and off remotely set usage schedules and more.
Buy Kasa Smart Plug Mini (4 pack) at Amazon – $24
Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.
Oct 11
Meta's avatars are getting legs
Posted in: Today's ChiliMeta has announced several updates to the avatars that it wants you to use in the metaverse and beyond. And hey, the avatars will have legs! At least in the virtual sense, if not the physical or metaphorical ones.
Meta says “legs have been one of the most requested features on our roadmap, and it’s been a significant area of our focus.” These upgraded avatars will initially be available in Horizon Worlds before Meta opens them up to other developers.
legs
— Meta (@Meta) October 11, 2022
On that note, Meta has created a software development kit so the avatars can be used in third-party virtual reality experiences and other apps. This actually makes a lot of sense. Meta will never be able to create a true metaverse by maintaining a walled garden. As such, the SDK will soon include Unreal Engine support for VR and iOS and Android support for Unity. The SDK will also enable what Meta is calling “natural facial expressions” on Meta Quest Pro — the high-end VR headset will be able to replicate your actual facial expressions on your avatar.
Elsewhere, Meta wants to make it easier for you to create an avatar in the first place. It says you’ll be able to get started by taking a video selfie with your phone camera. You’ll then be able to tweak the avatar to your liking. Of course, if you want to have an avatar that doesn’t look like you, there’s nothing to really stop you from creating that instead. There are pre-sets you can use as a starting point too.
In addition, you’ll soon be able to create and share your Meta avatar in WhatsApp. Avatars will be available on Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp video calls next year as well. They’ll replicate your expressions and movements during calls, seemingly in a similar fashion to Animoji.
It’s the legs, and better-looking avatars than ones we’ve previously seen from Meta, that’ll capture the most attention, though. In early August, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a screenshot of his avatar from Horizon Worlds and it was widely mocked. One person said it was akin to “a 2002 Nintendo GameCube release called like ‘World Baby.'” Zuckerberg swiftly claimed that “major updates” for VR visuals were on the way, and we learned more about those (which were reportedly fast tracked) during Meta Connect today.
The weird, floating avatars that are currently seen in Horizon Worlds will eventually be a thing of the past. This image will live long in the memory, though:
Meta
Oct 11
Oct 11
After Stranger Things, Netflix knew that it had a star in Millie Bobby Brown, and the Enola Holmes franchise is the perfect vehicle for the fresh-faced actress. Brown stars as Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, a post-Doyle addition by young adult author Nancy Springer. The new films are adaptations of her series, which…
Oct 11
Firefly's Alpha Rocket Might've Reached Orbit but Its Payload Didn't Stay There
Posted in: Today's Chili
Private aerospace company Firefly declared its “To the Black” mission a success with the inaugural launch of its Alpha rocket despite the majority of the rocket’s payload having reentered through the atmosphere.
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