Sep 23
There’s one potentially nerve-wracking milestone that everyone forgets to mention.
Sep 23
Scheduled for release on November 6th in time for Christmas (how convenient), the latest Super Mario LEGO set will be this 540-piece Piranha Plant. And, unlike some of the other recent Super Mario LEGO sets, this one will be reasonably priced at just $60. That’s a relief because I stand almost no chance of getting anything on my Christmas list over $75.
The finished Piranha Plant measures just over 9″ tall, 4″ wide, and 6.5″ deep and has posable leaves, a stalk, a head, and a mouth. Am I going to pose mine eating a bunch of Star Wars minifigs as a stand-in for a Sarlaac Pit? I thought that was the whole point.
I suspect this plant will be under a LOT of Christmas trees this year. Honestly, I’m a little surprised the set doesn’t come with ornaments and a removable Santa hat. I guess LEGO didn’t want to make their holiday cash grab too obvious. I’m on to you! Now, take my money.
[via Kotaku]
Sep 23
Scheduled for release on November 6th in time for Christmas (how convenient), the latest Super Mario LEGO set will be this 540-piece Piranha Plant. And, unlike some of the other recent Super Mario LEGO sets, this one will be reasonably priced at just $60. That’s a relief because I stand almost no chance of getting anything on my Christmas list over $75.
The finished Piranha Plant measures just over 9″ tall, 4″ wide, and 6.5″ deep and has posable leaves, a stalk, a head, and a mouth. Am I going to pose mine eating a bunch of Star Wars minifigs as a stand-in for a Sarlaac Pit? I thought that was the whole point.
I suspect this plant will be under a LOT of Christmas trees this year. Honestly, I’m a little surprised the set doesn’t come with ornaments and a removable Santa hat. I guess LEGO didn’t want to make their holiday cash grab too obvious. I’m on to you! Now, take my money.
[via Kotaku]
Sep 23
Scheduled for release on November 6th in time for Christmas (how convenient), the latest Super Mario LEGO set will be this 540-piece Piranha Plant. And, unlike some of the other recent Super Mario LEGO sets, this one will be reasonably priced at just $60. That’s a relief because I stand almost no chance of getting anything on my Christmas list over $75.
The finished Piranha Plant measures just over 9″ tall, 4″ wide, and 6.5″ deep and has posable leaves, a stalk, a head, and a mouth. Am I going to pose mine eating a bunch of Star Wars minifigs as a stand-in for a Sarlaac Pit? I thought that was the whole point.
I suspect this plant will be under a LOT of Christmas trees this year. Honestly, I’m a little surprised the set doesn’t come with ornaments and a removable Santa hat. I guess LEGO didn’t want to make their holiday cash grab too obvious. I’m on to you! Now, take my money.
[via Kotaku]
Sep 22
Unity announced significant concessions to its new game developer pricing on Friday. After rolling out the widely scorned changes 10 days ago, including a per-install fee many developers said could upend their entire businesses, the company rolled out a walkback today that softens some of the policy’s sharper edges.
Perhaps most notably, users on the Unity Personal plan will no longer be subject to the Unity Runtime Fee. This broadly disdained charge would have forced smaller developers to pay every time their game was installed (including reinstallations from the same user). Under the revised policy, Unity Personal users can earn up to $200,000 without changing plans — up from the previous $100,000. In addition, the company is waiving the requirement to include the “Made with Unity” splash screen.
Meanwhile, developers on Unity Pro and Enterprise plans won’t have to worry about the Unity Runtime Fee until they upgrade to the next LTS (long-term support) version of the engine shipping in 2024. Any current games or projects in development based on versions of Unity older than that won’t be charged the fee. It also only applies to those who switch to the upcoming version. “We will make sure that you can stay on the terms applicable for the version of Unity editor you are using — as long as you keep using that version,” Unity Create leader Marc Whitten wrote today.
You know what, on first glance, I think this works? It’s effectively a 2.5% revenue share for $1M+p/y earners? No retroactivity left, LTS stability, no black-box data, yeah? I think that works for every use-case.
https://t.co/cW32fODedn— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) September 22, 2023
Devs on Unity Pro or Enterprise plans who qualify for the Unity Runtime Fee will pay either a 2.5% cut of their revenue or a “calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month.” A fee summary webpage clarifies those as “initial engagements,” which sounds like it voids the previous method that would have charged developers twice if the same person uninstalled and reinstalled their game (or downloaded it onto a new device). In addition, Unity clarified that developers will self-report the numbers determining the fee and will always pay the lesser amount of the two, quelling concerns about the potential for tracking and abuse.
Unity also said no game with less than $1 million in revenue for the preceding 12 months will pay the fee.
Whitten sounded a conciliatory tone as the company does damage control over its roundly condemned plans. “I want to start with simply this: I am sorry,” he wrote. “We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy. Our goal with this policy is to ensure we can continue to support you today and tomorrow, and keep deeply investing in our game engine. You are what makes Unity great, and we know we need to listen, and work hard to earn your trust. We have heard your concerns, and we are making changes in the policy we announced to address them.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bowing-to-pressure-unity-announces-the-terms-of-its-surrender-193422770.html?src=rss
Sep 22
If you’re setting up a new iPhone 15 today, you might run into some problems. As first reported by 9to5Mac, the new models (including standard and pro variants) can get stuck in a boot loop where they may freeze on the Apple logo when transferring apps and data to the new model. Although Apple says the setup process should prompt you to install iOS 17.0.2, which fixes the problem, some users (including one Engadget staff member) have reported that it failed to do that. Here’s what to do.
First, if your iPhone 15 setup prompts you to install iOS 17.0.2 before reaching the data-transfer step, you’re good to go: That means Apple’s hotfix worked as planned, and you don’t need to worry about any special instructions. Accept the update, wait for it to install and complete the process. But you’ll need to hop on a computer if it doesn’t prompt you to update.
Computer workaround
Start by plugging your iPhone into a Mac or Windows PC using its supplied (or any compatible) USB-C cable. Then, put the phone in recovery mode using the following button combinations: While it’s still plugged in, quickly press the iPhone’s volume up button, then the volume down button. Immediately after, press and hold the phone’s side (power / sleep) button until your handset displays the image below of a computer and cable. (If you don’t see it, try the button combinations again without pausing.)
Apple
Next, Mac users can open Finder and select their iPhone from the sidebar. Windows users will need to open iTunes. (If you don’t already have it, you can download it from here.)
After opening Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows), it will ask if you want to restore or update your phone. Choose “Restore,” and it will install the new software. (Apple notes that if your iPhone restarts while your Mac or PC downloads the update, you’ll need to wait for the update to complete before repeating the recovery mode button combination from paragraph three.)
After your Mac or PC completes the software restore, you should be able to unplug your iPhone and follow the prompts on its screen to set it up and transfer your data as usual.
Workaround without a computer
If you’re on the go or otherwise don’t have access to a computer, there’s an alternate method that may take a little longer. After powering up the phone, select the option to set it up as a new iPhone instead of transferring apps and data from your old model or iCloud. Then, after it takes you to a clean Home Screen for the first time, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update, and install the iOS 17.0.2 update.
After the update completes, head to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, and choose “Erase All Content and Settings” at the bottom of the screen. After it completes the factory reset, the setup process should allow you to transfer your existing content from iCloud or your old handset.
Once you’ve set up your new phone, you can check out Engadget’s iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max review and iOS 17 preview to brush up on all your new features.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/iphone-15-stuck-on-the-apple-logo-during-setup-heres-how-to-fix-it-210049112.html?src=rss
Sep 22
You can find love on Tinder for $500 a month, if you qualify for its elite tier
Posted in: Today's ChiliTinder has officially rolled out its most exclusive subscription — “Tinder Select” — according to a report by Bloomberg. This elite pay-to-date tier will cost love seekers $500 per month (or $6,000 annually — apparently there are no bulk discounts to be found here) for access to unique features like exclusive search and matching.
This may sound ridiculous to the general public, and it may be why Tinder has decided to hold off on making the new tier available to everyone just yet. Tinder Select has only been offered to less than one percent of users the company considers “extremely active.” Tinder told Bloomberg that it will open up applications for Tinder Select on a rolling basis but it didn’t say exactly when. Tinder’s exclusive membership was originally hinted at all the way back in 2019.
Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, reported that the app’s direct revenue raked in about $475 million in the second quarter of 2023, growing about six percent year over year. However, the number of people willing to pay for Tinder subscriptions declined four percent to 10.5 million. At a Citi conference in early September, Match Group President Gary Swidler said he thinks Tinder Select has the potential to have an impact on the company’s overall revenue.
Bloomberg/Match Group
Match Group has dabbled in exclusive dating apps like “The League,” which it bought in 2022, so it’s not too surprising that it’s getting its flagship app into this space too. But if you’re not up for that kind of commitment (if you even qualify) you can opt for other Tinder subscriptions — Plus, Gold, and Platinum, which have monthly memberships that start at $20, $30, and $40, respectively. Each tier provides different exclusive features (Platinum members, for instance, can message who they like before even matching.)
Whether these paid versions will increase your personal odds of finding a partner is anyone’s best guess. Thankfully, Tinder (and the majority of competitor dating apps) retain unpaid membership options, so those of us without $500 a month to burn can continue to get ghosted for free.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-find-love-on-tinder-for-500-a-month-if-you-qualify-for-its-elite-tier-213159522.html?src=rss
Sep 22
Matthew McConaughey Talks About ‘Welcoming’ His Wife With Terrible Family ‘Initiations’
Posted in: Today's ChiliCamila Alves spoke out last month about the troubling way her now mother-in-law put her to the test.
Sep 22
Wads of cash, incriminating Google searches and more from the case against New Jersey’s senior Democratic senator.
Sep 22
The Federal Trade Commission looks set to drag Amazon into another legal battle between the two sides. The agency is preparing to file an antitrust suit against Amazon as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg. Reuters reports that the FTC has sent a draft complaint to attorneys general in an attempt to get as many states as possible on board with its case.
The details of the long-awaited legal challenge are not known as yet. It’s anticipated that the FTC will take aim at Amazon Prime, as well as claims that Amazon pushes third-party sellers to use its logistics and advertising services. The FTC is also said to believe that Amazon has rules to prevent products from being sold for less on rival platforms, which could be a factor in the suit (California has sued Amazon over that alleged practice).
The FTC has been scrutinizing Amazon for several years. If it files suit next week, that will mark the fourth action it has taken against the company this year. In May, the agency sued Amazon over children’s privacy concerns related to Alexa and claims that it was snooping on Ring users. Amazon paid a total of $30.8 million to quickly settle charges in both cases.
The following month, the FTC filed another complaint against Amazon, this time claiming that the company coerced people into signing up for a Prime subscription then making it difficult for them to cancel. That case is still ongoing. This week, the agency added three Amazon executives as defendants. It claims those individuals rebuffed pleas from Amazon employees to stop using deceptive tactics to trick people into signing up for a recurring payment through Prime.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-ftc-may-file-an-antitrust-lawsuit-against-amazon-as-soon-as-next-week-194524903.html?src=rss
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