Epic Games has received two big briefcases stuffed with cash which will help it “advance the company’s vision to build the metaverse and support its continued growth.” Sony and Kirkbi, the majority owner of The Lego Group, are each plowing $1 billion into the publisher. The funding puts the post-money equity valuation of Epic at $31.5 billion, while founder and CEO Tim Sweeney remains in control.
It’s not the first time that Sony has invested in Epic. It gave the company a $250 million cash injection in 2020 in exchange for a minority stake. Kirkbi also has an existing relationship with Epic. Just last week, the publisher and The Lego Group announced a partnership to build a kid-friendly metaverse, possibly in the hope of challenging the likes of Minecraft and Roblox.
“As we reimagine the future of entertainment and play we need partners who share our vision. We have found this in our partnership with Sony and Kirkbi,” Sweeney said in a statement. “This investment will accelerate our work to build the metaverse and create spaces where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences and creators can build a community and thrive.”
Epic has been piecing together a metaverse (a shared virtual world for all manner of experiences) inside Fortniteover the last several years. It built on the success of the core battle royale mode by introducing dozens of crossover skins, virtual items and dance moves; in-game movie nights and concerts; and a creative mode that lets plays build just about anything they can imagine.
Lincoln is finally ready to say more about its electrified future. Ford’s upscale badge has teased its first EV concept ahead of an official unveiling on April 20th. The company didn’t offer much beyond a brief peek at the vehicle’s outlines, but did say in a statement that the concept would serve as an “inspiration” for EVs arriving soon.
The automaker previously said its Zephyr Reflection concept sedan would serve as an aesthetic reference point for future EVs. The teaser you see here isn’t a one-for-one match (the logo on the side isn’t present on the Reflection, for example), but the sloping roof line suggests Lincoln is happy to borrow some design cues.
The Lincoln brand is expected to electrify its full lineup by 2030, with half of its vehicles producing zero emissions by 2025. This includes an electric version of the Aviator SUV. The concept’s imminent debut isn’t a surprise, then — the company has just eight years to dramatically expand its EV selection.
Sanctuary reimagined. On April 20, 2022, Lincoln’s fully electric concept makes its global debut signaling what’s to come for our electric vehicles in the future. Stay tuned for more! pic.twitter.com/7gUtPHnNgw
It’s hard to believe Wii Sports came out more than 15 years ago. But to me, the strangest thing is that despite being one of the most memorable Wii games of all time, Nintendo never made a proper sequel, that is until now.
I got a chance to check out Nintendo Switch Sports ahead of its official release on April 29th, and I’m so glad it’s back. Just like the original, Switch Sports is a collection of virtual sports games that rely largely on motion controls. In other words, it’s a game best played standing up, ideally with a bunch of friends or family members.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Returning from the original are tennis and bowling, which are as fun as ever. And like all of the included sports, the game supports both online and local play (with up to four players on a single TV). And for kids who might not have been around during the first Wii Sports craze, they’re a great way to introduce motion controls. But for me, the real stars are the four new additions: soccer, volleyball, badminton and chambara.
In volleyball, there are different gestures for things like bumping, setting and blocking, and the ability to play full 2v2 matches locally is a surefire formula for instant fun. The gestures felt surprisingly natural once I got a hang of the timing, to the point where I was having flashbacks about gym class in high school. Just don’t forget to use your Joy-Con’s wrist straps, because no one wants to see a controller-shaped crack on their big screen TV after going for a spike.
Nintendo
Soccer takes a slightly different approach because, for now, it relies on controller inputs rather than wildly flailing around, which means it plays more like Rocket League than actual soccer. There’s even a jumping headbutt command that’s tricky to land, but is extremely satisfying when you do.
That said, in the shootout mode, you can attach a Joy-Con to your preferred kicking limb using Nintendo’s leg strap. The strap comes included in the $50 physical version of the game, but is also available separately for $10 if you opt for the $40 digital edition. It’s the same strap that comes with Ring Fit Adventure, so if you already have that you don’t need to buy another.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
I found nailing the timing in shoot-out mode to be the hardest out of all the games, but even when I whiffed badly, it was still a blast. And sometime later this summer, Nintendo is going to release a free update that will add motion-kicking controls to the main soccer mode.
Meanwhile, chambara lets you live out all your sword-fighting dreams. It’s frantic, while still rewarding fast reactions on defense. You can hold your Joycon vertically, horizontally, or diagonally to block incoming strikes, and if you’re successful, you can get in a free riposte while your opponent is dazed.
Or you can just do what I did and pretend your Taz from Looney Tunes and try to overwhelm your opponent with a flurry of swings which, pro tip, doesn’t really work. The goal is to knock your opponent off the platform into the water below, which can take as little as one or two hits in later rounds. There are even charge and twin sword modes to spice up the action, but I didn’t get to try those out, which is probably a good thing because the standard mode is hectic enough.
Nintendo
Finally, there’s my absolute favorite of the bunch: badminton. It feels twice as fast as tennis, and even though I only played one match, it might have been the most fun workout I’ve had in weeks. Rallies are frenetic, and if you can make your opponent flub their timing, you’ll be rewarded with a soft lob (denoted by a wobbly birdie) that you can smash back with extra aggression. There’s even a command for doing a drop shot, which adds a nice bit of strategy.
For those thinking about becoming Switch Sports pros, there’s an online competitive mode that lets you rank up as you develop your skills. Bowling also gets a special survival mode that pits 16 players against each other simultaneously. And in the fall, Nintendo is going to push out a second free update that brings golf back to the mix.
Honestly, Switch Sports is so engaging my only question is why something like this wasn’t available at the Switch’s launch in 2017. 1-2 Switch was fine, but it often felt more like a tech demo than a collection of party games. And it didn’t really have the replayability or the pickup-and-play appeal Wii Sports provided. But no matter, a proper sequel is gonna be here soon, and from what I’ve played so far, it’s going to be even better than the original.
See that picture up there? It may look like something out of Tron or Blade Runner, but it’s actually a CT scan — of a Heinz ketchup cap. A group of “deeply curious engineers” is scanning different types of items every month to give us a deeper appreciation of various engineering marvels surrounding us in every day life. The latest batch of scans includes a Heinz squeeze-bottle cap that took its inventor 185,000 hours and 45 prototypes to finalize. It’s quite a complex assembly, which allows for the ketchup to be stored upside-down without leaking — the design was even licensed to NASA to create leak-proof containers for its astronauts.
Introducing Scan of the Month – food packaging edition! Head over to our rebooted website to learn more about this $40 billion industry and the hidden engineering that keeps your favorite products fresh. Link in bio. pic.twitter.com/kgz8V25MFl
In addition to the Heinz bottle cap, the team also scanned a Sriracha nozzle that had such a distinctive design, the family behind the hot sauce chose to trademark it. The engineers scanned a Vita Coco bottle cap, as well, confirming that the foil inside does indeed remain intact until the cap’s miniature saw does its job when you open it for the first time. Who knew food packaging could be this fascinating?
Back in December, the team scanned three different AirPods to show how Apple’s wireless earbuds have evolved. You’ll see how the tech giant kept rearranging the earbuds’ internal components over the years, giving each generation a complete redesign. A month later, the team uploaded scans of Nintendo’s handheld consoles from the Game Boy to the Switch. Seeing the original Game Boy’s processor, which was apparently slower than a TI-83 calculator’s, will give you a new appreciation of how far handheld gaming has come. Finally, in February, the team scanned a handful of Polaroid and Fujifilm instant cameras, showcasing their complex internal components and how the small devices can print on pretty large films.
You can see all all team’s 3D scans on their website, where all future projects will most likely be uploaded.
Ford and Lincoln owners whose vehicles have hands-free access to Alexa don’t have to stick to using standard voice commands if they don’t want to. The automaker has rolled out enhanced Car Control capabilities, and with it comes the option to teach Alexa commands that reflect their natural way of speaking. For example, they can program in “Alexa, I’m cold,” and then teach the voice assistant to respond by asking what course of action it should take, such as “I can increase the temperature by 5 degrees or turn off the AC. What should I do?”
Another example of a personalized phrase would be: “Alexa, set the AC to full blast.” The assistant can then ask the owner what they mean by “full blast.” Training Alexa to respond to personalized phrases is made possible by the assistant’s teachable AI technology. All vehicles with Alexa Built-in will get access to enhanced Car Control when it becomes available to them.
At the moment, the models with access to the hands-free experience are the 2022 F-150, Bronco, Mustang Mach-E, Edge, the new Expedition, Nautilus and newly launched Navigator. The long-awaited 2022 F-150 Lightning will also come with the capability when it launches. Ford debuted the hands-free Alexa capability for its vehicles last year, marking the beginning of its six-year partnership with Amazon. As part of that partnership, it’s giving its customers complimentary access to Alexa for up to three years that begin on the new vehicle’s warranty start date.
Ford will demonstrate its enhanced Car Control and Alexa capabilities at the New York International Auto Show from April 15th through the 24th.
Amazon’s Prime Video will stream New York Yankees games for in-market customers during the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The first game, scheduled on April 22nd, is between the Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians. The streaming platform will air a total of 21 games in total, with 19 of them scheduled on Friday nights. The games will only be available to Prime members in New York state, Connecticut, north and central New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania.
Amazon began simulcasting Yankees games on Prime Video shortly after it bought the Yankees Entertainment Sports Network (YES). While this is the third consecutive year Amazon has done this, it’s the first year that this selection of Yankees games will only air on Prime Video. Meaning that fans won’t be able to find the game on a broadcast station, the YES network or any other service.
MLB has gotten pretty cozy with streaming platforms as of late. Peacock will air a total of 18 exclusive Sunday morning baseball games in May, beginning with a matchup between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox on May 8th. Apple TV+ will also begin streaming live Friday night MLB games this year, beginning with a contest between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals on April 8th. The game will be exclusive to Apple TV+, but will also be available to non-subscribers for free (they’ll just need to download the Apple TV+ app).
Not everyone is a fan of the new union between streaming platforms and baseball. Baseball fans who have already paid for MLB TV or satellite TV likely won’t be happy about paying for a new streaming service just so they won’t miss a game. While games on Apple TV+ will have no geographic restrictions and be free to anyone with internet access, it’s obviously a ploy on Apple’s part to expand its subscriber base. And with games scattered across a number of different services — baseball season this year is likely to get confusing.
Smart is finally ready to show the production version of its Concept #1 electric SUV, and you’ll be glad to hear that the distinctive design largely remains intact. The newly unveiled Smart #1 looks much like the prototype compact SUV inside and out, including the frameless windows and “floating halo” glass roof. You mainly give up usual concept car excesses like the scissor doors and giant 21-inch wheels (you’ll have to make do with 19-inchers), and there’s a standard three-seat bench in the back instead of two chairs.
More importantly, the performance appears healthy for an EV this size. While the 273 miles of maximum range (according to the WLTP test cycle) isn’t exceptional, it comes from a 66kWh battery that charges rather quickly. You can reportedly bring the Smart #1 from a 10 percent charge to 80 percent in under 30 minutes if you use a 150kW DC charger, and even a 22kW AC supply will accomplish the same feat in less than three hours. You could plug in at the end of a long day knowing that you’ll have plenty of range in the morning.
The mini-ute should be reasonably quick, too, with the equivalent of 268HP and 253ft/lbs of torque. The 112MPH top speed isn’t blistering, but it easily puts the 81MPH of Smart’s EQ Forfour to shame.
The in-cabin tech will also seem familiar if you’ve seen the concept. The finished Smart #1 includes a 12.8-inch infotainment screen, a 9.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch heads-up display. You can also expect driver assistants (including for the highway and stop-and-go traffic), over-the-air updates and a “digital key” option to share your EV with friends.
Smart hasn’t narrowed down the release window or pricing, but said last fall that it would sell the #1 in China in 2022. It’s headed to Europe as well. We wouldn’t count on a North American debut when Smart backed out of the region years ago. With that said, this is the closest Smart has come to appealing to the continent’s SUV-centric tastes — it’s something you could imagine on American roads, however unlikely that may be.
Almost exactly two years after Rogue Legacy 2 was announced, Cellar Door Games has revealed when the sequel is coming out of early access. It will officially arrive on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on April 28th.
Cellar Door has switched up the art style, creating 3D characters that are set against hand-drawn backgrounds. There are new classes, weapons and abilities, and the studio has freshened up the procedurally created environments with fresh biome generation. There’s also an heirloom system that grants heroes permanent new abilities and accessibility features designed to help “players succeed even when they’re struggling,” according to a press release.
Rogue Legacy 2 has been in development for almost four years and it’ll arrive nearly nine years after its predecessor. Rogue Legacy helped usher in an era of successful indie roguelikes like Hades.
Cellar Door Games
What helped set Rogue Legacy apart from many of its peers, such as Spelunky and FTL: Faster Than Light, was a system that allowed players to continue their journey by selecting an heir of their previous character. Each heir has their own traits.
If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, you can check out Rogue Legacy for free by claiming it from the Epic Games Store. It’ll be available as a freebie until April 13th. Given that it takes most players around 16 hours to complete the main story, you might even finish it in time for the sequel’s proper debut.
Spring cleaning has a way of sneaking up on us all, but luckily you can outsource the vacuuming portion of your chores to a semi-autonomous robot. Anker’s Eufy brand has a number of solid robot vacuums at various prices, and many of them have been discounted on Amazon. Key among them is the Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S, which is $70 off and down to $160. This model earned a spot in our budget robot vacuum guide thanks to its slim frame and solid cleaning chops.
The most important thing to know about the RoboVac 11S is that it does not have WiFi connectivity. That means you won’t be able to control it from your phone, but it does come with a physical remote that lets you do things like set cleaning schedules and up the suction power using BoostIQ or Max modes. It cleans both hard and carpeted floors well and has pretty decent collision avoidance. Most robot vacuums will bump into furniture every now and then, and the 11S is no different, but it’s better at avoiding obstacles than many others at this price range. It’s also less than three inches high, so it may be able to slip under some of your furniture to clean hard-to-reach spots. It’s hard to beat a robot vacuum for $160, so if you can live without WiFi features, the 11S is a solid option.
In addition to the RoboVac 11S, there are a number of other Eufy robot vacuums on sale right now. The RoboVac G30 is essentially an updated version of the 11S with more suction power and WiFi connectivity, and it’s $90 cheaper than usual and down to $230. Another one of our favorites, the RoboVac X8 Hybrid, is down to $530 thanks to a clippable $120 coupon on its product page. It held its own against premium Shark and iRobot devices, earning a spot in our best robot vacuums guide. Despite not having a self-cleaning base, the X8 Hybrid impressed us with its easy setup, strong cleaning abilities, accurate home mapping and its 250-milliliter water tank than you can fill to turn the vacuum into a smart mop.
Nike has facilities all over the world for product innovations and its aspirations beyond footwear. Today, the company announced that it’s opening a new Technology Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Nike says the location will be located in West Midtown and is slated to open in early 2023. Until it’s ready, employees based out of the new center will work remotely.
The Atlanta Technology Center will focus on expanding Nike’s digital-first supply chain and logistics operations. The location will also be home to a new east coast cybersecurity command center for the company. Third, the new center will use AI and machine learning to “reimagine consumer experiences.” Details are vague at this point, but we expect specifics from Nike as the Technology Center’s opening approaches.
Atlanta may not be a city that screams tech hub, but Nike touted its deep sports roots and skilled workforce for the decision to build there. “We chose Atlanta because of its strong connection to sport, as well as the city’s wealth of skilled and diverse tech talent — both in the private and public sectors — and all the great universities in the region,” the company said in a press release. Atlanta is home to Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory University, Morehouse College and many other schools. The University of Georgia isn’t far away either, located a little over an hour down the road in Athens. The city also has professional sports franchises in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL and MLS.
Nike has tapped Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney to lead the Atlanta Technology Center. Pinkney has worked with the company as its senior director of cybersecurity as well as co-founder of the Black Employees in Technology Network (BEiT) and she assists with the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). As senior site leader, Pinkney will oversee “work on cutting-edge technology and innovation initiatives that move the world forward through sport.”
