‘Elite Dangerous’ developer cancels all future console content updates

Frontier Developments has cancelled further development of Elite Dangerous on Xbox and PlayStation and will no longer release a console version of its Odyssey expansion. “We have been wrestling with the best way to move forward, and it is with a heavy heart we have decided to cancel all console development,” said Frontier chief David Braben.  

The $40 Odyssey expansion finally gave players the opportunity to explore planets on foot and visit space stations, settlements and more — rather than just hanging out on spaceships and landing vehicles. However, the launch on PC was a disaster with performance, server and other issues, and the company has been struggling to fix them ever since. So far the expansion has received 10 major updates, but there’s apparently still work to be done, according to Braben. 

“It’s no secret that Odyssey’s launch was less than ideal, including the need to split the PC/console player base to focus on a PC-only launch,” Braben wrote. “Since Odyssey’s release in May 2021, we have worked tirelessly to improve the Odyssey experience on PC, and whilst we have made great progress there is still more to be done.”

It was expected that the company would focus on releasing Odyssey on console once it licked the PC bugs. Now, however, Frontier is not only cancelling Odyssey but any future Elite Dangerous updates on Xbox or PlayStation. Instead, it will focus development on PC, which has the largest share of players by far.

“We need to be able to move forward with the story of the game, and in order for us to do this we need to focus on a single codebase,” said Braben. “Elite Dangerous will continue on console as it is now together with critical updates, but we will focus on new content updates on PC on the post-Odyssey codebase. This was not an easy decision to make, but it was made with the long-term future of Elite Dangerous in mind.” Frontier will share more information on future PC development “in due course,” he added. 

Denon’s Home Subwoofer lets you create a wireless 5.1 surround sound system

High-end HiFi manufacturer Denon has unveiled the wireless Denon Home Subwoofer that adds a big bass boost to its wireless Home speaker lineup. When paired with those devices, you can get a true wireless 5.1 surround sound experience for your home theater system.

The Home Subwoofer has a large 8-inch woofer “cleverly fitted to a sleek, compact enclosure” that matches the design of the Home wireless speakers and Home Sound Bar 550, the company said. The aim is to bring a lot of extra bass to surround-encoded music or movies.  

It uses Denon’s HEOS system, so you can easily pair it wirelessly with the Denon Home Sound Bar and/or Denon Home wireless speakers. The HEOS smartphone app lets you adjust settings for output level, low-pass filter and phase, to optimize sound for your room’s acoustics. 

As with Denon’s other Home products, you get access to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music HD and other services, along with audio files via WiFi, AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth. It looks like a solid audiophile option, provided the pricing doesn’t give you pause —it’s now available for $599.  

Google’s latest Android Messages updates include iOS reactions and YouTube previews

Chatting with an iPhone user has always been frustrating for Android device owners, because iMessage emojis appear as text on Google Messages. As it previewed last month in a beta, Google has started rolling out a feature for Messages that translates iMessaging “Tapbacks” as emojis. It will first arrive to Android devices set to English, “with additional languages to follow,” Google wrote in a blog post. 

Until now, a “thumbs up” to a text that says “see you in ten?” sent from an iPhone would be translated to “liked ‘see you in ten?'”, for example. With the new feature, Android users receive emojis instead, though they may not match exactly what was sent — a “heart” reaction yields the “face with the heart eyes,” for instance. To make that clear to the user, they’ll also see “translated from iOS.”

Apple iMessage emojis arrive to all Google Message users
Google

That’s not the only feature that will make inter-device communication easier. Taking the opportunity to slam iOS’s lack of RCS messaging, Google pointed out that photos and videos can look blurry when shared with Apple devices. However, it’s sort of fixing that by bringing Google Photos into Messages. “You can send your videos as Google Photos links right inside the conversation, preserving their clarity,” it said. A similar feature for photos is “coming soon.”

Google also launched other features within Messages to help keep you on top of things. Organized Inbox sorts your messages into personal and business tabs, much as Gmail can do. It’ll also automatically delete one-time password text messages after 24 hours to further reduce clutter, if you want. And if you forget to reply to a message, “gentle nudges can remind you to reply to messages you may have missed or need to follow up on,” Google said. 

Other new features include birthday reminder nudges if you’ve saved someone’s birthday in your contacts app. It also launched new emoji functions, letting you “create the perfect emoji if you have Gboard set as your keyboard in Messages.” It added that Emoji Kitchen now has “over 2000 new emoji mashups available as stickers, letting you replace heart eyes with pretzels or rain disco balls,” it cited as examples. And finally, Google revealed that YouTube videos will now appear directly in conversations if you send a link. 

‘Valkyrie Elysium’ is an action-RPG sequel to PS1’s ‘Valkyrie Profile’

Square Enix is dipping into its back catalog with the launch of Valkyrie Elysium, a new instalment in the Valkyrie Profile series that first appeared on the original PlayStation in 1999. Announced during Sony’s latest State of Play livestream yesterday, the action-RPG is set to arrive in 2022 on the PlayStation 4, PS5 and Windows PCs. 

“You play as a Valkyrie who is entrusted with the fate of this world by the All-Father — the highest among gods and the ruler of all creation,” the description states. “Descending to the land below, you must battle powerful foes, and uncover the secrets behind the impending ruin.”

The game will feature “fast-paced combat using a variety of weapons,” along with magic abilities. It will use aspects from past Valkyrie games like finishing moves and combos, along with a “brand new real-time action combat system that rewards both fast reactions and strategic thinking,” Square Enix said. 

The developer is Soleil Ltd (Samurai Jack), with music from composer Motoi Sakuraba (Dark Souls) and character design courtesy of Yuya Nagai from CyDesignation (NieR Re[in]carnation). The most recent game in the series is Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin, a mobile title from 2016. Other sequels include Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria for PS2 and Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume on DS.

Apple’s 5K Studio Display should support Windows, including the webcam and speakers

Apple’s new 27-inch 5K Studio Display — including its 12-megapixel webcam and fancy speakers — should work just fine with Windows PCs, Apple has told The Verge. However, certain features enabled by the monitor’s built-in A13 Bionic processor will only function on Macs, Apple said.

There was never much doubt that the display itself would function on a PC, but the resolution may depend on your PC configuration. In effect, you’ll need a graphics card with compatible Thunderbolt or USB-C ports and support for 5K or higher resolution (most modern GPUs have these features).

The status of the webcam was not very clear, though. According to Apple’s Studio Display web page, “camera features and firmware updates require a connection to a Mac.” However, an Apple spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the camera should work like a normal USB webcam when plugged into a PC. 

One “camera feature” that won’t work on a PC though, is Center Stage. On a Mac, that feature uses digital zoom to keep the subject or subjects in the frame, even if they move around. Other features enabled by the A13 chip, like Spatial Audio and “Hey Siri,” are also unavailable on Windows computers, the spokesperson said. 

At $1,600, the Studio display is pretty expensive for a 27-inch display, especially if you get it with the ridiculously overpriced height adjustment bracket. On the plus side, it does look nice and and the 12-megapixel webcam and high-end speakers add a lot of value. If that’s not important, you could get a 32-inch 4K display with similar specs for far less money.

HBO hit with class action lawsuit for allegedly sharing subscriber data with Facebook

HBO is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that it gave subscribers’ viewing history to Facebook without proper permission, Variety has reported. The suit accuses HBO of providing Facebook with customer lists, allowing the social network to match viewing habits with their profiles. 

It further alleges that HBO knows Facebook can combine the data because HBO is a major Facebook advertiser — and Facebook can then use that information to retarget ads to its subscribers. Since HBO never received proper customer consent to do this, it allegedly violated the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), according to the lawsuit.

HBO, like other sites, discloses to users that it (and partners) use cookies to deliver personalized ads. However, the VPPA requires separate consent from users to share their video viewing history. “A standard privacy policy will not suffice,” according to the suit. 

Other streaming providers have been hit with similar claims, and TikTok recently agreed to pay a $92 million settlement for (in part) violating the VPPA. In another case, however, a judge ruled in 2015 that Hulu didn’t knowingly share data with Facebook that could establish an individual’s viewing history. The law firm involved in the HBO suit previously won a $50 million settlement with Hearst after alleging that it violated Michigan privacy laws by selling subscriber data. 

Amazon is offering Whole Foods jobs to grocery delivery contractors

Amazon is known for its heavy use of gig workers, but it’s reversing that calculus a bit of late, according to a letter to contractors seen by CNBC. The company has offered Whole Foods jobs to a number of its grocery “shoppers,” who pick products from shelves to help fulfill delivery orders. 

“To help continue to offer the best experience for our team and customers, we are transitioning online grocery-fulfillment operations currently operated by Amazon to Whole Foods Market by the end of the year,” the letter reads. “This transition will happen slowly for the majority of stores.” A spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that shoppers would become Whole Foods employees by the end of 2022.

The jobs don’t offer the benefits seen by Amazon’s warehouse employees or full-time Whole Foods employees, like medical benefits and 401K contributions. In fact, workers would appear to get longer shifts, less flexibility, and keep their existing status levels and pay rates — but there would be some opportunities for promotion, according to a job listing. 

Amazon said that it’s aiming to “create a more unified team culture,” with the changes. It is promising flexibility, but schedules would be made up to three weeks in advance and cover two-week periods. By contrast, gig shoppers can currently work “as little as four hours per week” and have “shift flexibility,” according to a recent job posting.

Amazon recently announced that it was closing all of its bookstores, pop-up shops and 4-star stores in a shift in its retail strategy. It’s not clear why it’s shifting shopper contractors to Whole Foods employment, but not all workers are happy. “This is supposed to be a side gig for a lot of people,” a gig worker told CNBC in an email. “If there are changes in terms of shift scheduling/length, I can easily see a lot of people leaving.”

Rivian’s price hike leads to a shareholder lawsuit

Rivian is facing a shareholder lawsuit after raising the price of its electric pickup and SUV and subsequently reversing course, Protocol has reported. The action alleges that Rivian failed to disclose that it would hike the base price of its vehicles by around $12,000, nor the potential damages that would cause. An individual shareholder brought the complaint, but is seeking class-action status.

On March 1st, Rivian unveiled the higher pricing that applied to everyone except those who placed the earliest orders, including most reservation holders. The company did give potential buyers another option, as it also introduced dual-motor versions of the R1T and R1S EVs, with both starting at the original $67,500 and $72,500 prices. However, neither of those vehicles will be available until 2024, and both will have smaller “standard” battery packs that deliver less range than the large packs (260 instead of 310 miles).

Two days later, the company reversed the price increases. Anyone who reserved before March 1st will pay the original price, and those who cancelled because of the increase can reinstate their orders with the same price and delivery date. The company’s CEO RJ Scaringe also apologized. “I have made a lot of mistakes since starting Rivian more than 12 years ago, but this one has been the most painful,” he said. “I am truly sorry and committed to rebuilding your trust.”

Rivian gained a massive $10.7 billion in funding with investors including Ford and Amazon, which owns the largest stake (22 percent). The company went public via a regular IPO and not a SPAC merger. It had a “blockbuster debut,” according to CNBC, with an initial valuation of $86 billion. Early reviews of the R1T electric pickup, including by Engadget, have been positive. 

AMD vows to fix Ryzen chip stuttering issues on Windows with new update

Have you been noticing random performance stutters, slow loading and other issues on AMD Ryzen-powered Windows 10 or 11 machines? AMD has revealed that they could be caused by issues with the firmware trusted platform modules (fTPMs) located in the BIOS on Ryzen motherboards, TechPowerUp has reported.

Last year, Microsoft announced that TPM 2.0 chips would essentially be required for Windows 11. They serve as a hardware encryption system, authenticating Windows background memory transactions. AMD found that “select AMD Ryzen system configurations may intermittently perform extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory (“SPIROM”) located on the motherboard,” essentially causing your system to stutter until the transaction completes. 

The company announced that it’s working on a fix, and offered an immediate workaround. You can switch from fTPM to a discrete TPM module (dTPM) installed in the dedicated TMP 2.0 header on your motherboard. If you decided to do that, you’ll unfortunately have to pay: they cost somewhere around $50-100 on Amazon, according to TechPowerUp. You’ll also need to be sure to disable Bitlocker before switching between fTPM and dTPM, if it’s enabled. 

The other option is to simply wait for a fix that AMD said will arrive some time in early May. It will be distributed by PC or motherboard vendors and “will require a motherboard system BIOS (sBIOS) update containing enhanced modules for fTPM interaction with SPIROM,” according to AMD.

The fTPM issue is not the first we’ve seen with AMD’s Ryzen chips. Last year, AMD was forced to issue updates for two significant bugs, one of which was slowing popular eSports games by up to 15 percent. 

Canon plans to more than double its RF mirrorless lens lineup by 2025

Canon plans to more than double its RF mirrorless lens lineup by 2025, producing around 32 more models over the next four years, according to its latest earnings report spotted by Canon Rumors. One chart showed that it planned to keep up the “same pace” of lens releases, which amounted to eight new models in 2020-21. If it can stick to that, it would have nearly 60 full-frame RF lenses in about four years time. 

Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai said that the overall market continues to shrink due to the decline of entry-level models (thanks, smartphones), but demand for higher-end models is still high. As such, Canon has been working on developing more of those types of cameras and lenses to go with them. The company now feels it’s capable of gunning for Sony in the mirrorless market share race.

“Overall, the market seems to be bottoming out,” he said. “Over the past several years, we have worked to raise the appeal of the EOS R system by enhancing our lineup with highly competitive full-frame mirrorless cameras and RF lenses. As a result, we have established a solid position in mirrorless cameras, and are now in a situation where we can target the top market share position.”

Canon also plans to improve its profitability with increased factory automation, while further pursuing “concept” camera designs like the weird table-mounted PowerShot PX. It’s also planning to mass produce SPAD sensors that can take high-quality color photos with almost no light, used in applications like “advanced monitoring.”