Just when you thought Tesla’s stainless-steel angular wedge-on-wheels couldn’t generate any more drama, Elon Musk declared on social media that the company is “winding down production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas” in 2027 to make way
Earth has adopted a new second moon, though it won’t be staying very long. Meet 2026 QQ8, a pint-sized asteroid that our planet’s gravity reeled in earlier this year. So no, it’s not some dramatic, glowing second orb hanging in the night sky
When it comes to generating AI images, both Gemini and ChatGPT do a passable job. In most cases, the results will look AI-generated, but they likely won’t have glaring spelling issues or missing limbs. Now, OpenAI is trying something new, introducing GIF support for ChatGPT. It’s the company’s first “moving images” feature since OpenAI shut down Sora, and while you can generate hyper-realistic videos in Gemini, this new ChatGPT feature is trying to fill in the gap, in a small way.
How to make animated GIFs using ChatGPT
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
OpenAI is pitching the new feature as an animation tool, not exactly as a way to create looping videos—though that’s how I ended up using it. You give ChatGPT a prompt, as detailed as you can make it, and the chatbot produces a GIF in just a few seconds. You can start with your own drawings or images, too. ChatGPT uses sketches as the base for animations, though it can turn any still image into animated GIFs. Like other AI editing tools, you can edit it if ChatGPT didn’t quite get it right: You can ask ChatGPT to make the GIF longer or shorter, remove certain objects, change the style, slow down transitions, among other edits.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
AI art can be quite sterile, but I was surprised by how adding motion and animation to the mix makes generating images a lot more fun. Unlike traditional GIFs, which usually pull from existing video clips, you can turn anything you want into a GIF, which is especially cool if you’re using your own art. In my testing, I found this to be the most rewarding part. It’s not always possible to one-shot a GIF with a single prompt. But after a few rounds of edits, I ended up creating some GIFs that I actually wanted to share in my WhatsApp groups.
ChatGPT can’t beat regular GIFs
That being said, I think human-made GIFs are still the gold standard here. For example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a video of someone brewing a pour-over, with a gooseneck kettle, showing the coffee blooming process. It did okay, but it’s nothing like actually making a pour-over. The kettle doesn’t move in circles, the water doesn’t rise evenly, there are no bubbles, and the steam is all over the place.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Compare that to the GIF below, which comes from a royalty-free video. Even though it’s a compressed, low-quality, and noisy GIF, it still shows the movement of the pour, the water rising, and even the bubbles. The details captured by a real video just aren’t there in ChatGPT GIFs. If that’s what you’re expecting, you will be disappointed. But I don’t think that’s the point of this feature anyway.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
I found that ChatGPT excels when you’re making something fun, and you don’t look into the details too much. It pulled off a loop of a cat playing with a ball, and it was great at making a festive GIF for Diwali. It even made a GIF based on a photo. I asked it to create a fun promotional GIF for my JBL Bluetooth speakers, and it did the job quite well. At first, the transitions were too jarring, and the movement just made no sense. After some editing, though, I got it to a decent place.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Still, the main issue with ChatGPT GIFs is that complex movement and transitions aren’t nailed down. A hand shifts position weirdly between frames, and colors and objects appear out of nowhere. But if you can get over these issues, you can make some fun, lighthearted GIFs and memes to share with your friends on Instagram or WhatsApp.
Nothing can ruin a house party quite like a portable speaker igniting into a fiery blaze. Such is the risk that lithium-ion batteries sometimes face, and it’s the reason why Bose has issued a voluntary, massive recall affecting more than 670,000
LILYGO has expanded its T-Dongle lineup with the T-Dongle S3 Plus, an ESP32-S3 development board housed in a transparent USB flash-drive enclosure. The device combines a 0.96-inch color display, 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, and microSD storage with additional features including a microphone, infrared functionality, and an optional hardware security chip. For context, LILYGO introduced the…
Given the lingering shortage of memory and storage components combined with rising supply-side costs, it’s fair to wonder if Nintendo will end up issuing a second round of price hikes for its popular Switch 2 console. As much as we’d like to
If you remember the summer of 1979 (or just wish you did), get ready to clear some space in your gadget drawer. Sony has revived the iconic MDR-3 headphones, those featherlight, foam-padded classics that originally shipped with the very first
Elon’s Edsel is no more. Last night Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on social media that his car company is calling time on its failed attempt to wrest control of the American pickup truck market. The Cybertruck will cease production in the middle of 2027, liberating that space in Tesla’s cavernous factory for other uses—more Cybercabs, most likely.
Musk first revealed the Cybertruck in late 2019, back when Tesla was still trading at a theoretically understandable price-to-earning ratio. The pickup’s unusual angular shape owed more to low-res video game models than any concessions to practicality. At the time Musk made fanciful claims that the truck would use a stainless steel monocoque construction, telling his audience that “the body and bed don’t do anything useful” on a normal truck. While some race cars use carbon-fiber monocoques for strength and lightness, making a pickup truck with a stainless steel monocoque chassis would only make sense if someone had an awful lot of stainless steel lying around and needed something to do with it all.
The truck was supposed to go on sale for less than $40,000, and Tesla made its usual stratospheric sales predictions that (had they been accurate) the bare metal EVs would be as ubiquitous as the Model 3 and Y.
Welcome to Edition 9.18 of the Rocket Report! Blue Origin packed a lot of news into one afternoon Thursday with the reveal of a new kick stage for the New Glenn rocket, a new rocket engine design, and the minor and widely expected delay for New Glenn’s return-to-flight mission from December until January. The reconstruction of Blue Origin’s wrecked launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, continues apace after a catastrophic explosion nearly six months ago. There’s a lot of pent-up demand from NASA, Amazon, and the Space Force for Blue Origin to get New Glenn back in action.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
SpaceX vets work on water-fed propulsion. Three brothers who worked at SpaceX in the Falcon 9 era are now building satellites that run on water, a potentially harvestable resource on the Moon and found all over the Solar System, Ars reports. In late 2022, the three Carlisle brothers founded Argo Space to build infrastructure in space. Their vision was not just in-space transportation but also removing the need to use propellants from Earth to move around the heavens. Argo Space’s satellites will use water not only as a propellant, but also as a coolant and radiation shield.
With CachyOS recently having rolled out its Linux 7.3 based kernel and various other improvements plus with Omarchy 4.5 having been released this week, this article provides a look at how CachyOS and Omarchy are competing on the performance front relative to upstream Arch Linux.
PAYDAY finally got its first VR-native entry into the storied franchise. While it’s not the royal flush I was hoping for, it certainly wasn’t offsuit seven-deuces either.
Developer:Fast Travel Games Publisher:Fast Travel Games Available On:Quest,SteamVR (Frame version incl.) Reviewed On:Quest 3 Release Date:November 5th, 2026 Price:$25
Gameplay
There’s a cohesive story in here somewhere. Somebody named Jupiter is bad. Something something gotta steal stuff from bad man. It’s been forever since I played Payday 2 (never 3), so I can’t say whether this is a continuation, or what’s actually going on.
That’s about as much as I think you should be expected to absorb though, which is just fine for a Payday game. The key isn’t the filler backstory, but really the uniqueness of each mission and its various environmental puzzles. And I’m happy to say that missions are indeed unique, and multilayered enough to make them worth coming back for more. In short, Payday: Aces High is basically what it says on the tin, and I wouldn’t blame you if you stopped reading here.
That said, drilling in a bit deeper, the game isn’t without its flaws, some that may even urk dyed-in-the-wool Payday fans, which I get into a little later below.
Courtesy Fast Travel Games
As it is, there are some standard puzzle bits you’ll see in each of the game’s six mission: four-digit door codes and combination lock codes, both of which require you to hunt around the level for random post-its in a back office or wall somewhere, but there’s also gear-based stuff like hacking laptops using your special watch, and calling in a drone-mounted drill that is something of a minigame to distract you as your buddies will need to defend you while your back is turned.
But there are also puzzles specific to each mission, which include everything from timing based challenges to defending various capture points. It’s the sort of thing that requires team-based planning, which is great if you have a good group of three other people by your side.
Now, this may go without saying, but co-op games are almost always more fun with friends, and also people who are earnestly trying to cooperate. That’s most definitely the case with PAYDAY: Aces High, as it serves up mostly the same well-worn shooting and heisting experience you know from its other main branch titles throughout the years, which makes it a great framework for drop-in, drop-out fun.
That said, if you can’t manage to get some friends together, or find a decent quick match—which isn’t too tough right now since the game just launched—you will have to play solo. And I don’t recommend it at all.
When playing solo, or in a silent/uncooperative group (basically solo), you really start to notice just how blindingly dumb the game’s AI is. Baddies come in waves once you’ve blown your cover by donning your mask, or by bumping into a civilian, or being detected in a restricted area. That’s mostly fine. But they’re so inept that the term ‘bullet sponges’ doesn’t do them justice—real quantity over quality stuff.
Courtesy Fast Travel Games
As it is, you’ll find yourself in a room full of enemies of different types, all of which are randomly shooting (and missing most of the time) without any apparent tactic or instinct to take cover. Even the most powerful mini-gun dude with armor is an un-reactive moron on the default Normal mode.
Again, you might not immediately notice this when things are fast and the bullets are flying in good online co-op match, but eventually it’s will become something you just can’t unsee. And higher difficulty only seems to give enemies better armor and shooting ability, and not much else. That is, without a doubt, the biggest flaw in Payday: Aces High right now.
It’s a bit of shame too, because it’s one of the best-looking games on Quest right now, pushing a little higher visual fidelity on PC, but not by much. And Fast Travel Games (re: not the original devs Starbreeze) have translated the Payday heisting experience into a true VR native.
Immersion
Seeing a civilian aimlessly walk in a circle, or a cop who lets you get in his face and think nothing of it really hammers home that the experience isn’t about actually doing a heist. These are lifeless drones that serve more as moveable puzzle pieces, which is fine for the genre. It’s just not terribly immersive.
It essentially boils down the experience to a series of checklists, which is usually capped off with a massive firefight against endless waves of baddies. Make the bad men fall, complete the objectives to best of your ability, get the cash, buy new gadgets, and play any mission again. Maybe even the same just to farm more cash, which me and good group did for about a half-hour before people lost interest. That’s Payday for you. It’s not an indictment of the franchise, just something you should be aware of.
Courtesy Fast Travel Games
The game’s comparatively minor transgressions feel artificial, but not as artificial as its objectively terrible AI. For example, glass only breaks when you shoot it. Why? You have to hold loot items in your hands and crush them until they magically disappear. Because of reasons? Many of the door codes/combos repeat across multiple locks. That’s just bad op-sec. I think all of that can be mocked, but also forgiven in the defense of making the overall experience work for players.
On the bright side, gun handling is actually pretty good, as it allows for manual reloading by popping out a mag with a button press, pulling a mag (or shotgun shells) from behind your back, loading and charging manually. Here, I appreciate sacrificing ease of use when it’s in service of realism.
The inventory system is also smart, putting your guns in defined spots on your body, and extra items in a three-slot pop-up inventory that you can call up by pressing Y/B. Gamey and not immersive, sure, but also well designed enough to give you the import bits when you need them most, and out of the way when you don’t.
Level design is also a strong suit, as large complexes easily swallow lagging team members, offering up a good mix of open and closed-quarter spaces for different types of firefights.
Comfort
For its flaws, Payday: Aces High is a very comfortable game, as it follows all of the well-worn comfort conventions that Fast Travel and other veteran VR developers have accrued over the past decade.
It can equally be played standing or seated, with seated gameplay unencumbered by the inventory system, which doesn’t interfere with arm rests, so you can sit back and play just as easily as standing.
‘PAYDAY: Aces High’ Comfort Settings – November 5th, 2026
The Horizon OS 2.10 (v210) system software update recently started rolling out in the PTC (Public Test Channel).
What Is the Public Test Channel (PTC)?
The Public Test Channel (PTC) is Meta Quest’s beta release channel. If you opt in, your headset receives a pre-release build of each version of Quest’s system software, now technically called Horizon OS.
Note that there are often features in the eventual stable version not present in the PTC, and occasionally (but rarely) features or changes in the PTC don’t make it to the stable version. Even when an update supports a feature, individual headset owners may not gain access for weeks or months after it’s announced, while some features quietly roll out to select users as experiments without ever being officially mentioned.
Meta also sometimes describes features inaccurately or lists features as rolling out with a particular PTC or stable version despite them actually being planned for a later release. Some features are announced but then delayed without notice, only to reappear in later announcements.
Theater Environment
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Consistent with UploadVR’s previous reporting, Horizon OS 2.10 PTC introduces a brand-new environment called Theater. It features a large home theater-style room with high-resolution textures.
Rather than being a traditional VR Home environment, Theater is selected from the Control Bar of the window you want to display on the center screen, using a new button labeled ‘Theater’, separate from the existing Focus View.
Selecting it switches the system to Theater, and exiting the space returns you to the traditional VR Home environment or Passthrough. The environment appears to be compatible with most media-focused window apps. So far, I’ve confirmed that it works with the system Media Player, Browser, YouTube, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
The current version of Theater appears to use real-time dynamic lighting based on the content being played. However, it does not appear to include the hue-backlight-style Dynamic Ambiance feature that UploadVR previously reported was in development, so it’s possible Meta plans to add it in a future release.
Simplified Navigator
Simplified Navigator in Horizon OS 2.10 PTC.
Another change rolling out with Horizon OS 2.10 PTC, though not listed in the release notes, is a reorganization of the system launcher overlay, known as the Navigator. The Navigator has gone through many iterations since it first entered the PTC over a year ago, some of which have drawn criticism for their layouts and visual styling.
When Meta unveiled VR Glasses at Connect in September, interface images and footage provided by the company showed a new version of the Navigator with a streamlined layout. Now, Horizon OS 2.10 PTC seems to be rolling this out to a small number of users.
Simplified Navigator as shown in the Meta VR Glasses reveal video.
Codenamed ‘Simplified Navigator’ in firmware, this redesign removes the Me, People, Quick Controls, Show/Hide Windows, and Environment/App buttons. It also removes the left-hand filters from the Library tab. This consolidates the interface into three tabs: Search, Library, and Notifications.
Quick Controls can now be accessed by pressing the Clock-Wi-Fi-Battery display at the top of the overlay. The page has also been reorganized into a grid of larger buttons, and now includes a new option for switching between your VR Home environment and Passthrough.
The Library has also received major changes. The smartphone-style app folders that started rolling out with Horizon OS 2.4 PTC seem to be the default in Grid View, and there is a dedicated folder for sideloaded apps labeled ‘Unknown Sources’.
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A major regression in the current implementation is that there is no option to filter the Library to only show installed apps or check which apps have updates available. As a result, you’ll see all content your account has access to, whether installed or not. This is somewhat mitigated by a new List View, accessed by pressing the Library button again. The older filters are still available in this view.
The new Navigator also revises the design of its privacy indicators, with active and recently used permissions now appearing in green instead of the previous muted purple. When you’re in an immersive app, a new bubble appears prominently above the Library button, providing an option to quit the app. This addresses a common complaint with the previous design.
Although changes of this magnitude may be jarring, I would expect more changes as Meta continues to refine and polish the operating system, especially as Meta VR Glasses get closer to launch.
Additional Changes
Improved Window Resizing
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An undocumented change in Horizon OS 2.10 PTC improves window resizing behavior.
This appears to primarily benefit apps with locked aspect ratios, such as YouTube. The system now handles their scaling more smoothly, minimizing large visual stutters or jumps as the window changes size.
Avatar Video Calls In Chats
Meta says that Horizon OS 2.10 PTC allows you to make video calls as your avatar in the Chats app. During a call, selecting the video icon in the active call bar switches between an avatar video call and an audio-only call.
The company first introduced this ‘Selfie Camera’ functionality in v76 PTC over a year ago, and it is now used by third-party apps such as Discord and Zoom. Meta’s implementation of the feature in its first-party Chats app could lay the groundwork for the upcoming Hologram Calling feature on Meta VR Glasses.
Another undocumented change in Horizon OS 2.10 PTC removes the External Microphone toggle, which was added to the Experimental menu back in April 2024 with v64. The toggle enabled the use of an external microphone on Quest 3 through its USB-C port, supporting both microphones with a USB-C connector and those connected through a USB-C adapter.
In my testing, external microphone support still works without the toggle. However, it is unclear whether Meta plans to make it a default system feature or remove support entirely.
Meta notes that Horizon OS 2.10 PTC improves how Quest verifies the authenticity of websites and online services before you visit them. It is unclear whether this refers to the Browser or is part of the system-level anti-malware service introduced in Horizon OS v85.
Top Republican lawmakers have asked Jensen Huang to appear before Congress to answer questions after it was reported that US intelligence officials believe Nvidia’s chief executive has been targeted by a Chinese spying operation.
The chairs of the House committees on China, foreign affairs and intelligence wrote to Huang this week asking him to appear before a joint closed-door briefing for their committees on November 18.
“Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the People’s Republic of China’s access to sensitive US technology and information,” representatives John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford wrote.
