Hasta La Gadget!

Labor Day is nearly upon us, so the deals are rolling in. Case in point? The Walmart Labor Day sale includes the Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $150, which is a discount of $50. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the innovative gadget, but it’s close.

This isn’t your ordinary ice cream maker, as we mentioned in our Ninja Creami review. The design is based on high-end machines found in restaurants. Until recently, the technology was under a strict patent. Once that patent expired, Ninja scooped up the tech and, well, here we are.

So what makes it different? The Creami doesn’t churn in the traditional sense. You make a liquid base, freeze it for 24 hours and then the machine uses a drill-like mechanism to blend everything together. The end result is something that resembles soft serve ice cream, with options for sorbets and other frozen desserts.

It comes with two pint-sized containers for storage, so you’ll always have some ice cream on hand to scream about. The form factor is also on the smaller side when compared to rival ice cream makers, due to the lack of a traditional churning mechanism. It’s fairly tall, but not that wide.

The ice cream this machine makes is extremely delicious, though there are a couple of downsides. It’s loud during use, but no more than a blender. The noise also lasts just a few minutes. The machine creates a softer product when compared to rival ice cream makers, so you had better eat it or get it back in the freezer as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be staring down some thick milky liquid.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-walmart-labor-day-deal-discounts-the-ninja-creami-by-50-184648150.html?src=rss

HP is the latest recipient of CHIPS and Science Act funding. The Biden-Harris Administration said on Tuesday that the Department of Commerce has agreed to preliminary terms with the company to funnel up to $50 million into modernizing the company’s Oregon-based plant. The expansion of HP’s “lab-to-fab” facility, which combines R&D with chip manufacturing, is expected to create over 250 jobs.

Once finalized, HP’s funding would support the development of chips for life sciences lab equipment. This includes devices used for drug discovery, single-cell research and cell line development. HP says the expansion will also advance tech built for microfluidics, the study of the behavior and control of fluid on a microscopic scale. “Microfluidics has the potential to drive revolutionary changes across industries, delivering speed, efficiency, and precision, to help pave the way for the next generation of innovation in life sciences and technology,” HP’s President and CEO Enrique Lores wrote in a Department of Commerce press release.

The proposed $50 million would support the expansion and modernization of HP’s existing plant in Corvallis, OR, around 80 miles south of Portland. In addition to manufacturing silicon, the plant is one of the company’s three global R&D centers. The 80,000-square-foot plant has incubated 39 startups, including 20 spun off from Oregon State University faculty and students. The company has academic partnerships with Portland Community College on training and recruitment programs.

The proposed $50 million funding is through a preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT). The non-binding agreement is “conditional on the achievement of certain milestones.” Having completed a merit review of HP’s application, the Department of Commerce will begin due diligence on HP’s proposed projects before the agency negotiates or refines its final funding terms.

The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, signed by President Biden in 2022, directs funding to incentivize semiconductor companies to manufacture in America, boosting America’s ability to compete with China while generating job growth. It includes $39 billion in subsidies for domestic chip manufacturing and $13 billion for workforce training.

Previous recipients include $8.5 billion for Intel, $6.6 billion for TSMC and $6.4 billion for Samsung. In addition, GlobalFoundries received $1.5 billion and Texas Instruments got $1.6 billion to produce legacy chips (less advanced silicon for things like phones, appliances and defense equipment).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/hp-secures-up-to-50-million-in-chips-act-funding-to-expand-an-oregon-facility-171233289.html?src=rss

Hell has frozen over. The famously violent Yakuza series is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the very first game in the franchise, releases for the console on October 24, as announced at today’s Nintendo Partner Showcase event.

This is notable because the Yakuza series is known for being mature and morally ambiguous, and Nintendo doesn’t always like that kind of thing. Masayoshi Yokoyama, the head of the development team behind the series, once told GameSpot that Yakuza games would likely never come to a Nintendo console.

“First of all, whether our games will run on the Switch is probably the first question,” he said. “And when it comes to the Switch, it’s kind of a system for a younger audience. So do we want to put a title, where we’re going and picking a fight with the world, and doing all this Yakuza stuff, on a Switch?”

It looks like the answer to that last question is a resounding “yes.” Yakuza Kiwami first released for the PS4 and Xbox One back in 2016, though there was a version that ran on the PS3. Given the Switch’s power, it should be able to handle a reworked PS3 port.

As for the console’s kid-friendly image, well, that hasn’t entirely changed in the intervening years, but the Switch has made serious inroads with older gamers. The console is home to all kinds of mature and violent fare, from 2016’s Doom to Red Dead Redemption and Mortal Kombat 1. 

The Yakuza franchise is on the upswing. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, a sequel to 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, was a bona-fide hit when it was released earlier this year. There’s also a franchise TV show coming to Amazon Prime Video on October 24. Wait a minute. That’s the same day that Yakuza Kiwami hits the Nintendo eShop. Gotta love that sweet, sweet corporate synergy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-yakuza-series-is-finally-coming-to-nintendo-switch-164657508.html?src=rss

The beloved platformer Pizza Tower is finally playable on Nintendo Switch, as revealed at the company’s Indie World event. As a matter of fact, it’s one of those surprise drops, so the game’s available right now.

It’s about time the title is on a Nintendo console as, well, it feels like a Nintendo game. Pizza Tower is a frantic 2D sidescroller that cribs a whole lot from the Wario Land franchise and, to a lesser extent, Mario and Sonic games.

You play as a balding chef named, and this is real, Peppino Spaghetti. The game tasks you with scaling the titular tower to fight a sentient pizza that is kind of like the Bowser of Italian food. The game was largely designed by someone named McPig and the soundtrack was created by a high school student. It’s an indie game miracle!

However, forget all of that. Gameplay is where Pizza Tower shines. The movement feels perfect so the platforming is, simply put, S-tier. It’s been polished to a Nintendo-like sheen, which is quite a feat for a high schooler and someone who goes by the moniker McPig. There are tons of fully-realized abilities and a dedication to speed pulled straight from Sonic. Also, Peppino can’t die, allowing for insane platforming experiments.

In other words, this is one heck of a game and now it’s on a Nintendo console. That’s gotta be quite a thrill for the development team.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pizza-tower-has-surprise-dropped-for-nintendo-switch-152859625.html?src=rss

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was surprisingly great (certainly more so than the outright terrible Borderlands or the all too safe Super Mario Bros.), thanks to a genuinely funny script and Jim Carrey going wild as Dr. Robotnik. After introducing Idris Elba’s Knuckles in the second film (andhis own Paramount+ TV series), now we’re getting Sonic’s broody counterpart Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. 

Voiced by Keanu Reeves, who sounds like an angstier John Wick in the trailer, Shadow is introduced as an alien who has lived through tragedy and is out for some unspecified revenge. (His real problem though, as fans of the Fast and Furious franchise will tell you, is his lack of #family.)

Judging from the trailer, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 clearly feels like the third entry in a franchise. Sonic and Knuckles are now frenemies who’ve banded together, alongside Tails, to form the Sonic Team. But when confronted with Shadow’s anger and nihilism, they have no choice but to team up with Robotnik to take him down. Personally, I’m just hoping Shadow at some point says, “I’m going to need a gun.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters December 20th.

Paramount

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sonic-the-hedgehog-3-trailer-introduces-keanu-reeves-broody-shadow-134106308.html?src=rss