Nintendo can't repair your New 3DS because it ran out of parts

Nintendo has stopped offering repairs for the New Nintendo 3DS. While it’s unsurprising for a company to end support for hardware that’s a decade old, the reason in this case is that Nintendo has simply run out of parts. The news circulated in a translated social media post from the company’s Japanese support team.

Time is also running out for official repairs of the Nintendo 2DS and New Nintendo 3DS LL (known as the XL model in the US). Nintendo said it will stop offering repairs on those handhelds when they likewise deplete their stock of replacement parts.

Nintendo stopped manufacturing the entire 3DS line in 2020. The handhelds had a long and impactful run as the game company’s leading handheld. The New 3DS and New 3DS XL shipped 9.94 million units globally at the close of 2016, while the entire 3DS family’s sales reached 75.94 million by 2020.

For the time being, US customers can still take advantage of Nintendo’s repair service for late-model 3DS XLs. New 3DS owners can still attempt the DIY approach if their handhelds break. Third-party repair platform iFixit currently has a stock of replacement parts and guides for the handheld in its online catalog. But as with any piece of hardware that’s getting along in years, it might be wise to exercise a little extra care when you use it. Just like the 3DS eShop, nothing lasts forever.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-cant-repair-your-new-3ds-because-it-ran-out-of-parts-192615658.html?src=rss

The best Playdate games for 2024

Owning a Playdate comes with the perk of already having access to 24 games at no additional cost from the bundled-in Season One — and some pretty good ones to boot. But there are a ton of great games outside the Season One offerings too, for when you’ve finished the whole batch or, for newer players, while you’re waiting for new games between the weekly drops. Here, I’ll highlight some of the best games I’ve played so far from the Playdate Catalog. It’ll mainly be split two ways: games that use the crank and games that don’t. There are also a couple of titles that aren’t quite games, but are worth checking out all the same.

Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-playdate-games-190049201.html?src=rss

The Alan Wake and Control universe may expand to film and TV

The Oldest House could be coming to a big screen near you. TV and film adaptations of Control and Alan Wake may be on the way after Remedy Entertainment struck a deal with Annapurna Pictures. Annapurna is stumping up half of the development budget for Control 2 and in return it snapped up the rights to adapt the two franchises. 

Remedy fully owns the intellectual property of both after it bought the rights to Control from 505 Games earlier this year. The two franchises exist in an MCU-style shared universe, and they’re both highly cinematic. Expanding them into audiovisual mediums makes a lot of sense.

Remedy will take the lion’s share of Control 2 game revenue after both sides have recouped their investments. Annapurna will keep most of the proceeds of any TV and film projects. No specifics have been revealed about how it may adapt Control and Alan Wake.

The studio is behind movies such as Zero Dark Thirty, Her and Nimona, which turned out to be a surprise hit on Netflix. It’s starting to turn games published by its excellent Annapurna Interactive division into films as well. An animated Stray movie is on the way.

“Annapurna’s expertise across film, TV and video games makes them an ideal partner for us,” Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said. “This agreement will ensure we can develop Control 2 into the best game possible, allow us to move into self-publishing for selected titles and expand our franchises to other mediums.”

The agreement should alleviate some financial pressure on Remedy. Control 2 had an initial budget of 50 million euros ($55.4 million), but that number could end up rising. Moving into TV and film will give Remedy a fresh revenue stream too.

Remedy’s operating profit nosedived over the last couple of years. It had 19 million euros ($21.1 million) in net cash at the end of June, down from 31.7 million euros a year earlier. Its games have been critically acclaimed. However, Alan Wake 2, which Remedy said in February was its fastest-selling game to date, had only “recouped most of its development and marketing expenses” as of earlier this month.

Control 2 is not yet in full production, so it will still be at least a few years away. Remedy has two other games in the works: a multiplayer Control project and a remake of the first two Max Payne titles. A co-op shooter Remedy was developing with Tencent was scrapped earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-alan-wake-and-control-universe-may-expand-to-film-and-tv-175949089.html?src=rss

EU officials believe Telegram lied about user numbers to skirt regulation

Not only is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov facing criminal charges in France, the company he founded could be in hot water with the European Union as well. EU officials are looking into whether the platform lied about its user numbers to avoid being regulated under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The Joint Research Centre — a department of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch — is conducting a technical investigation in an attempt to determine Telegram’s true user numbers in the bloc. Officials are also discussing the matter with Telegram, according to the Financial Times. “We have a way through our own systems and calculations to determine how accurate the user data is,” said Thomas Regnier, the EC’s spokesperson for digital issues, said.

Earlier this year, Telegram claimed to have 41 million users in the bloc. While it was supposed to provide an updated figure this month, it said only that it had “significantly fewer than 45 million average monthly active recipients in the EU.” Officials claim Telegram’s failure to disclose the actual number is itself a breach of the DSA, while they believe that the investigation will reveal that more than 45 million residents are using it.

That figure is significant because services that have more than 45 million users (10 percent of the EU’s population) there are designated as “very large online platforms.” Those are subject to stricter rules under the DSA, violations of which can lead to a fine of up to six percent of a company’s annual revenue. Platforms with the designation have to meet higher compliance and content moderation standards, and share data with the EC. Third-party auditing is also a factor.

Telegram is said to be on the cusp of cracking 1 billion users in total. Other than China, the user base is “roughly proportionate to the population of each market [or] continent,” Durov told the FT earlier this year.

On Wednesday, French prosecutors formally charged Durov amid an ongoing investigation. Among other things, he has been accused of “complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software” and “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity” on Telegram, which is an encrypted messaging service.

Durov, who was arrested at an airport near Paris over the weekend, was released from custody after posting bail of €5 million. The Telegram CEO, who obtained French citizenship a few years ago, is required to stay in France and check in at a police station twice weekly until the investigation is concluded. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-officials-believe-telegram-lied-about-user-numbers-to-skirt-regulation-165538148.html?src=rss

This Labor Day sale discounts Apple's MagSafe charging pad to just $29

The Labor Day discounts are coming in hot. Here’s one for Apple’s fantastic MagSafe charging pad. It’s usually $39, but this Amazon sale brings it down to $29. That’s a savings of 26 percent and close to a record low price.

If you haven’t tried a charging pad before, you are in for a treat. There’s a reason this thing made our list of the best iPhone accessories. All you do is plug it in and then plop the device right on top of it. It’ll juice up, thanks to the magic of inductive charging.

Apple’s MagSafe charging pad will work with just about any Apple handset past the iPhone 8, though the internal magnetic locking mechanism only works with the iPhone 12 and later. All this means is it’ll be a bit more finicky to place older handsets. Also, the charging pad isn’t tethered to phones. It powers up the charging cases that ship with most AirPods earbuds.

We loved the powerful internal magnets, which makes phone placement a breeze. The only real downside is that the cable that runs from the pad to a power outlet is on the shorter side, so it may require some furniture rearrangement or the use of an extension cord.

The original $39 asking price was also a sticking point, given that off-brand products are much cheaper. That’s changed with this sale. Why get a third-party charging pad for $25 when you can get the real deal for $29?

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-labor-day-sale-discounts-apples-magsafe-charging-pad-to-just-29-150200016.html?src=rss

This Labor Day sale discounts Apple's MagSafe charging pad to just $29

The Labor Day discounts are coming in hot. Here’s one for Apple’s fantastic MagSafe charging pad. It’s usually $39, but this Amazon sale brings it down to $29. That’s a savings of 26 percent and close to a record low price.

If you haven’t tried a charging pad before, you are in for a treat. There’s a reason this thing made our list of the best iPhone accessories. All you do is plug it in and then plop the device right on top of it. It’ll juice up, thanks to the magic of inductive charging.

Apple’s MagSafe charging pad will work with just about any Apple handset past the iPhone 8, though the internal magnetic locking mechanism only works with the iPhone 12 and later. All this means is it’ll be a bit more finicky to place older handsets. Also, the charging pad isn’t tethered to phones. It powers up the charging cases that ship with most AirPods earbuds.

We loved the powerful internal magnets, which makes phone placement a breeze. The only real downside is that the cable that runs from the pad to a power outlet is on the shorter side, so it may require some furniture rearrangement or the use of an extension cord.

The original $39 asking price was also a sticking point, given that off-brand products are much cheaper. That’s changed with this sale. Why get a third-party charging pad for $25 when you can get the real deal for $29?

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-labor-day-sale-discounts-apples-magsafe-charging-pad-to-just-29-150200016.html?src=rss

This Labor Day sale discounts Apple's MagSafe charging pad to just $29

The Labor Day discounts are coming in hot. Here’s one for Apple’s fantastic MagSafe charging pad. It’s usually $39, but this Amazon sale brings it down to $29. That’s a savings of 26 percent and close to a record low price.

If you haven’t tried a charging pad before, you are in for a treat. There’s a reason this thing made our list of the best iPhone accessories. All you do is plug it in and then plop the device right on top of it. It’ll juice up, thanks to the magic of inductive charging.

Apple’s MagSafe charging pad will work with just about any Apple handset past the iPhone 8, though the internal magnetic locking mechanism only works with the iPhone 12 and later. All this means is it’ll be a bit more finicky to place older handsets. Also, the charging pad isn’t tethered to phones. It powers up the charging cases that ship with most AirPods earbuds.

We loved the powerful internal magnets, which makes phone placement a breeze. The only real downside is that the cable that runs from the pad to a power outlet is on the shorter side, so it may require some furniture rearrangement or the use of an extension cord.

The original $39 asking price was also a sticking point, given that off-brand products are much cheaper. That’s changed with this sale. Why get a third-party charging pad for $25 when you can get the real deal for $29?

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-labor-day-sale-discounts-apples-magsafe-charging-pad-to-just-29-150200016.html?src=rss

This Labor Day sale discounts Apple's MagSafe charging pad to just $29

The Labor Day discounts are coming in hot. Here’s one for Apple’s fantastic MagSafe charging pad. It’s usually $39, but this Amazon sale brings it down to $29. That’s a savings of 26 percent and close to a record low price.

If you haven’t tried a charging pad before, you are in for a treat. There’s a reason this thing made our list of the best iPhone accessories. All you do is plug it in and then plop the device right on top of it. It’ll juice up, thanks to the magic of inductive charging.

Apple’s MagSafe charging pad will work with just about any Apple handset past the iPhone 8, though the internal magnetic locking mechanism only works with the iPhone 12 and later. All this means is it’ll be a bit more finicky to place older handsets. Also, the charging pad isn’t tethered to phones. It powers up the charging cases that ship with most AirPods earbuds.

We loved the powerful internal magnets, which makes phone placement a breeze. The only real downside is that the cable that runs from the pad to a power outlet is on the shorter side, so it may require some furniture rearrangement or the use of an extension cord.

The original $39 asking price was also a sticking point, given that off-brand products are much cheaper. That’s changed with this sale. Why get a third-party charging pad for $25 when you can get the real deal for $29?

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-labor-day-sale-discounts-apples-magsafe-charging-pad-to-just-29-150200016.html?src=rss

This Labor Day sale discounts Apple's MagSafe charging pad to just $29

The Labor Day discounts are coming in hot. Here’s one for Apple’s fantastic MagSafe charging pad. It’s usually $39, but this Amazon sale brings it down to $29. That’s a savings of 26 percent and close to a record low price.

If you haven’t tried a charging pad before, you are in for a treat. There’s a reason this thing made our list of the best iPhone accessories. All you do is plug it in and then plop the device right on top of it. It’ll juice up, thanks to the magic of inductive charging.

Apple’s MagSafe charging pad will work with just about any Apple handset past the iPhone 8, though the internal magnetic locking mechanism only works with the iPhone 12 and later. All this means is it’ll be a bit more finicky to place older handsets. Also, the charging pad isn’t tethered to phones. It powers up the charging cases that ship with most AirPods earbuds.

We loved the powerful internal magnets, which makes phone placement a breeze. The only real downside is that the cable that runs from the pad to a power outlet is on the shorter side, so it may require some furniture rearrangement or the use of an extension cord.

The original $39 asking price was also a sticking point, given that off-brand products are much cheaper. That’s changed with this sale. Why get a third-party charging pad for $25 when you can get the real deal for $29?

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-labor-day-sale-discounts-apples-magsafe-charging-pad-to-just-29-150200016.html?src=rss

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been charged and released from police custody

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been formally charged by French prosecutors and is barred from leaving the country amid their investigation into the Russian billionaire. Durov was officially charged Wednesday with “complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software” on the messaging app he founded, as well as “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on the Telegram,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

Durov, who was arrested outside of Paris on Saturday, was released from police custody after paying €5 million in bail. He is required to stay in France “under court monitoring” and check in at a police station twice a week while the investigation plays out. That could take months or possibly years, as The WSJ points out.

That means Durov, who is known for frequently moving around and working from other countries, will be stuck in France for the foreseeable future unless the charges against him are dropped. In an earlier statement, Telegram called the charges against its founder “absurd” and said that he should not be responsible for the actions of his app’s users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-has-been-charged-and-released-from-police-custody-214333241.html?src=rss