We’ve seen a whole bunch of Vampire Survivors clones arrive over the last few years in the wake of the roguelite’s success. Poncle has released crossover DLC based on the likes of Castlevania and Balatro for its game as well. Now, the studio behind Vampire Survivors and Warhammer parent Games Workshop have given the green light for an officially licensed game that smushes the two together.
Warhammer Survivors has a formula that is very similar to Vampire Survivors. Developer Auroch Digital even used Poncle’s engine to make it. Warhammer Survivors is a run-based game in which the aim is to take down hordes of enemies using an array of weapons and powerups that you can combine and evolve into more powerful tools. You’ll unlock more characters and items as you play and there are lots of secrets to discover.
The characters, weapons, powerups, bad guys and level settings are all derived from Warhammer. You’ll be able to play as characters from both the 40K and Age of Sigmar universes, such as Malum Caedo, who appeared in Auroch’s first-person shooter Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Weapons and items such as the Boltgun, Astartes Chainsword, Whirlwind Axes and Citadel Nuln Oil paint will be at your disposal too.
There are some neat little touches in the trailer. The gems that you collect to gain experience and level up are pill-shaped in Vampire Survivors. But here, they’re shaped like skulls.
Auroch has worked on Warhammer projects (including typing game Boltgun — Words of Vengeance) for over a decade. It plans to reveal a whole lot more about its latest endeavor in the coming months. Warhammer Survivors is set to land on Steam sometime in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/vampire-survivors-and-warhammer-join-forces-in-a-new-roguelite-game-161352281.html?src=rss
An anonymous reader shares a report: Before the potential of the internet was appreciated around the world, nations that understood its importance managed to scoop outsized allocations of IPv4 addresses, actions that today mean many users in the rest of the world are more likely to find their connections throttled or blocked.
So says Cloudflare, which last week published research that recalls how once the world started to run out of IPv4 addresses, engineers devised network address translation (NAT) so that multiple devices can share a single IPv4 address. NAT can handle tens of thousands of devices, but carriers typically operate many more. Internetworking wonks therefore developed Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT), which can handle over 100 devices per IPv4 address and scale to serve millions of users.
That’s useful for carriers everywhere, but especially valuable for carriers in those countries that missed out on big allocations of IPv4 because their small pool of available number resources means they must employ CGNAT to handle more users and devices. Cloudflare’s research suggests carriers in Africa and Asia use CGNAT more than those on other continents.
Cloudflare worried that could be bad for individual netizens. “CGNATs also create significant operational fallout stemming from the fact that hundreds or even thousands of clients can appear to originate from a single IP address,” wrote Cloudflare researchers Vasilis Giotsas and Marwan Fayed. “This means an IP-based security system may inadvertently block or throttle large groups of users as a result of a single user behind the CGNAT engaging in malicious activity. Blocking the shared IP therefore penalizes many innocent users along with the abuser.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
If you’ve joined a private Facebook group—counting on your membership and posts to be visible only to those approved to join—and receive a notification that said group is about to go public, you don’t need to panic. While Meta is now allowing admins of previously private Facebook groups to change the status to public, it is also assuring users that past activity will remain private.
According to Meta’s post announcing the update, the option to transition from private to public allows small groups to grow into larger communities that are more easily found, with content visible to anyone (even people who aren’t on Facebook). Any admin can set their group privacy settings to public, which will trigger a three-day review period in which all admins have the opportunity to decline the conversion. If no one cancels the request, the group will go public.
Groups can revert back to private at any time, at which point new members will again require admin approval. (These members will be able to see all content from before the conversion.)
When a private group goes public, all existing posts, comments, and reactions will remain visible only to members, admins, and moderators who were already in the group but be hidden to new members and the general public. Member lists will also be hidden to everyone except admins and moderators. Any content added after the conversion will be visible to anyone.
If a group you’re in is converted from private to public, you’ll get a notification about the change. You’ll also see a notification the first time you post or comment in the newly public group reminding you that your activity is now visible. When you go to post, look for the globe icon, which indicates that your content is public.
AWS today announced Fastnet, a subsea fiber-optic cable that will link Maryland’s Eastern Shore to County Cork, Ireland. The project marks Amazon’s first wholly-owned subsea cable system after previously participating in similar ventures through consortiums.
The cable will carry data at speeds exceeding 320 terabits per second. Amazon did not disclose construction costs but expects the system to begin operations in 2028. The company is burying the cable roughly one and a half meters deep across the ocean floor. Installers will bore a horizontal tunnel from shore to shore. Amazon has added protective steel wiring to guard against ship anchors and deliberate sabotage.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
While there are lots of great Black Friday sales on cheaper devices, it’s the big ticket items that really make a world of difference. Take Apple’s 2024 Mac mini M4, which has dropped to $499 from $599 as part of early Black Friday deals. The 17 percent discount brings Apple’s mini desktop computer with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD to only $30 more than its all-time low.
We gave the Mac mini M4 a 90 in our review, in part, because it packs an incredible amount of power into such a small design. It also has front facing USB-C and headphone ports, a first for the Mac mini lineup. Plus, it starts with 16GB of RAM, an upgrade from its predecessors.
However, if you want more memory or storage, the other Mac Mini M4 models are also on sale. You can get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for $690, down from $799. Then there’s the option for 24GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD at $890, down from $999. Plus, if you want to bundle in three years of AppleCare+, each model ends up being about $100 cheaper than normal.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-mac-mini-m4-is-100-off-ahead-of-black-friday-150749148.html?src=rss
Meta has unveiled an overhaul for the WhatsApp experience on Apple Watch. The first official such app for the wearable is rolling out today and it includes support for what the company calls “many requested features.” You’ll now be able to see everything your friends are saying via your Apple Watch as longer WhatsApp messages won’t be truncated. You’ll have the option to respond to messages with quick emoji reactions.
The Apple Watch app will enable you to record and send voice messages from your wrist. In addition, you’ll be able to see call notifications with details on who’s trying to get in touch with you without having to look at your iPhone. Other features include the ability to see “clear images and stickers” on the Apple Watch app, as well as more of your chat history. Of course, there’s still end-to-end encryption for your messages and calls.
The new app is a major upgrade over only being able to reply to WhatsApp messages via mirrored iPhone notifications on Apple Watch. To use it, you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer that’s running at least watchOS 10.
It’s a little wild that it has taken Meta so long to create a proper Apple Watch app. Even BlackBerry made a BBM app for the wearable, and that was a decade ago. But perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising given how long we had to wait for an Instagram iPad app.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-finally-made-a-proper-whatsapp-app-for-apple-watch-150000781.html?src=rss
Dick Cheney, who served four Republican presidents and became one of the most powerful and controversial vice presidents in American history as an architect of the post-9/11 war on terror, died at 84. His family said he died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
Cheney served as vice president under George W. Bush for two terms beginning in 2001 and relentlessly advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Many Americans came to view the war as a strategic and humanitarian disaster. The conflict had far-reaching policy and political consequences that helped turn the public against intervention and upheaved Republican politics. Cheney continued to defend the invasion long after leaving office in 2009.
He had heart disease for most of his life and underwent a transplant in 2012. That allowed him to live to see his daughter Liz Cheney follow in his political footsteps to become a House GOP leader. Before serving as vice president, Cheney was defense secretary under George H.W. Bush and chief of staff to Gerald Ford at age 34.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Amazon has launched its new and improved AI assistant in the Amazon Music app. From today, anyone signed up to Alexa+ Early Access with the latest version of the app downloaded to their iOS or Android device can start using Amazon’s reimagined virtual assistant for music discovery and organizing their libraries.
To access the chatbot, you tap the “A” button in the lower right corner of the screen when Amazon Music is open. You can then test its knowledge by asking it a range of questions, from something as basic as finding a recently released song by a particular artist, to more complex searches based on a single lyric or the name of the TV show the song you’re trying to find is featured in.
Alexa+ is designed for more conversational interactions, so you can use natural language prompts and then ask follow-up questions as you would if you were talking to a friend, to narrow down its search results. Amazon says you can search for specific eras, moods and instruments, as well as telling Alexa what you don’t want it to serve up.
Alexa+ can also be used for playlist creation, allowing you to request something as specific as a high-energy running playlist with songs from a particular decade that starts with a song from a certain artist. You can also be more vague, asking for something that fits your current mood or the time of day.
Alexa+ in Amazon Music is being marketed not only as an AI tastemaker and personal DJ, but also a music expert, so you can ask it things like the inspiration for a song’s lyrics, where an album charted and questions about upcoming live performances.
Alexa+ has been gradually rolling out in Amazon’s various smart devices since the beginning of the year, with mixed results. You’ll be using it in everything from new Ring devices, to the latest Kindles and Vega, Amazon’s new smart TV operating system. It’s also built into the new Echo Studio speaker, and Engadget’s Billy Steele was impressed by the AI assistant’s more human-like conversation skills, even if it’s still prone to basic errors right now, such as getting the day of the week wrong in a response.
Alexa+ is currently available in Early Access for all tiers of Amazon Music. Eventually it’ll be free to all Prime members, and available to non-Prime members for $20 per month (more than an Amazon Prime subscription on its own).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/alexa-comes-to-the-amazon-music-app-143234227.html?src=rss
Whether you’re hosting a party or just cleaning the house, sometimes it’s nice to have audio in multiple rooms. You could do that by running wires through your house, or by purchasing a multi-room audio system, but if you have a Mac you don’t have to do any of that.
There’s a feature that makes it possible to send your Mac’s audio to multiple speakers, including Bluetooth ones. The feature is a little obscure, though—you won’t find it in System Settings, or anywhere obvious.
No, to send audio to multiple devices on your Mac you need to open an application called Audio MIDI Setup, which you can find using Spotlight or by browsing to Applications > Utilities in Finder.
Open the application and click the + button in the bottom-left corner, then click Create Multi-Output Device. You will see a list of all audio devices, including the built-in speakers, any wired audio outputs that are connected, any Airplay-compatible devices on your network, and any Bluetooth devices that support audio.
Check as many of these as you like. You can give a name to your combined audio device, if you like, by clicking and holding the current name in the left-hand sidebar. Then you can switch to your new combined audio device by clicking the audio icon in your menu bar and selecting it.
I recommend putting on some music and testing things out, adding or removing devices. I had the best results by checking one device connected to my Mac using a wired and another that is connected by Bluetooth. Multiple Bluetooth devices tended to get out of sync quickly, though you can alleviate the syncing issues by checking the Drift Correction box for your wireless devices.
This isn’t a perfect replacement for a proper multi-room audio system, but it works surprisingly well without the need to buy anything, run wires in your walls, or even purchase any software. Try it out the next time you feel like walking around your house listening to music.
Amazon’s data-center expansion turned Umatilla, Oregon into an unlikely nerve center for American infrastructure investment. The community of roughly 8,000 residents has seen home prices double and local government budgets surge from $7 million in 2011 to a hundred and $44 million in the past fiscal year. Yesenia Leon-Tejeda, a Realtor and daughter of Mexican-born farmhands who once worked 12-hour shifts at a distribution center, is now on pace to close 35 deals this year.
Federal data shows investment in software and information-processing equipment drove most of America’s GDP growth in the first half of 2025. Goldman Sachs estimated that roughly 72% of all server-farm capacity sat in just 1% of counties as of July. The region’s hydroelectric dams and cheap power attracted Amazon Web Services more than a decade ago. Growth has brought rising costs for housing and child care. Political tensions over spending erupted this year when Mayor Caden Sipe sued the city manager and council members.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds take a sharp turn from the brand’s usual noise-canceling dominance. Instead of sealing you off from the world, they sit outside your ears, letting in ambient sound while still delivering rich, detailed audio. Priced at $199 (down from its original $299), this is their lowest price yet (according to price trackers), and they cater to people who prefer awareness over isolation. Think cyclists, runners, or anyone who doesn’t want to miss the honk of a car while listening to music.
The fit takes a minute to figure out. The silicone band adds just enough tension to keep them in place, but how you clip them changes the sound more than you’d expect. Too high and it gets tinny; too low and you lose stereo balance. Once you find the alignment, though, they stay put through walks or light workouts and handle sweat or drizzle without a fuss, thanks to their IPX4 rating.
Sound-wise, Bose mostly nails what’s hard to get right in open audio: clarity. The Ultra Opens avoid the hollow sound that plagues similar models, keeping vocals crisp and highs bright. The low mids have a pleasing warmth, though the deep bass doesn’t hit with much punch. You’ll notice that most in EDM or hip-hop, where the kick feels restrained. Still, for casual listening, podcasts, and calls, the balanced tuning works. Also, they use Bluetooth 5.3 and support AAC, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs, which means Android users get slightly better audio quality than iPhone users.
Volume holds steady even outdoors, and there’s minimal distortion at full blast—per this PCMag review, the earbuds sound their best around 70 percent volume, delivering a full, detailed mix while still keeping you aware of what’s happening around you. If you prefer a more low-end presence, the adjustable EQ in the Bose app lets you tweak the sound. Battery life holds up nicely, too, around 7.5 hours on a charge and about 27 hours with the case. That said, wireless charging isn’t built in, though there’s a separate case for that if you prefer it over the USB-C setup.
Motorola has been consistently offering solid budget smartphone offerings, and the company back with new refreshes to its Moto G and Moto G Play for 2026. The latest versions offer some incremental tech upgrades and a couple lovely new color options for the aesthetic upgrades.
These smartphones both sport 6.7-inch displays with 120Hz and peak brightness of 1,000 nits. The Moto G boasts a 50MP camera as well as a 32MP front camera for selfies, while the Moto G Play has 32MP for its main camera and 8MP for the front camera. Both devices’ photography is backed by quad pixel technology to provide detailed image capture in a variety of lighting conditions. These two phones have a 5,200mAh battery and adds some quick-charging options: 30W for the Moto G and 18W for the Moto G Play. On the durability front, the Moto G is still using Gorilla Glass 3 and boasts an IP52 water resistance rating, as the 2025 model did, and the same will also be available in the Moto G Play model.
Both phones are getting some Pantone color options in leather-inspired finishes. The Moto G will have a gray color called Slipstream or the purple of Cattleya Orchid, while the Moto G Play comes in Pantone Tapestry blue.
Moto G will continue to retail starting at $200 and will be available directly from Motorola starting on December 11, followed by Amazon and Best Buy availability on January 15. The Moto G Play will be available online from Motorola, Best Buy and Amazon on November 13 for $170; the model will arrive in stores some time in the coming months.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/motorola-introduces-its-latest-takes-on-the-moto-g-and-moto-g-play-phones-140000620.html?src=rss
Apple dropped the “plus” from its streaming service’s name in October, because the company typically uses the plus sign for free services with paid versions, such as iCloud+. Now, the company has released a new intro bumper and soundmark for its TV service. Apple has uploaded a five-second video showing its streaming service’s new logo appearing in a hazy multi-colored animation before it shifts into focus at the center of the screen. Playing in the background is a soundmark, or as its composer calls it, a “mnemonic.”
The soundmark will appear before every show and every episode in a series, according its composer Finneas, whom you may know as Billie Eilish’s brother and frequent collaborator. “The things that I think of as real classic mnemonics are NBC — you can hear that in your head — or HBO has its static,” he told Variety. Netflix’s “tudum” sound is pretty iconic, as well. Only time can tell if Apple’s will have the same impact. He explained that the five-second version Apple released as a video will be played before every movie and in between the episodes of a show, so you’re bound to hear it multiple times if you’re bingeing a series. Apple also made a one-second version of the intro for trailers and a 12-second one for anything released in theaters, such as Killers of the Flower Moon.
Finneas said that he was approached by Apple’s Head of Music, David Taylor, who apparently told him that the company was “simplifying” the service. Removing the “plus” from its name was just the beginning. In addition, Apple has also debuted a new logo for Apple One, a subscription option that bundles multiple Apple services, including Apple Music, TV and iCloud+, into a lower-priced monthly plan. The new logo uses a textured multi-colored Apple illustration.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-tv-has-a-new-intro-bumper-and-soundmark-140016449.html?src=rss
Nintendo has boosted its Switch 2 sales forecast for the current fiscal year, meaning it could top first year sales of the original Switch. The gaming giant expects to sell 19 million Switch 2s by March 31, 2026, up 26.7 percent from its original forecast of 15 million units. That follows a previous report that Nintendo had asked suppliers to build 25 million Switch 2s by the end of March next year.
In its second quarter ending September 30th, Nintendo sold 4.54 million Switch 2s and has moved 10.36 million units since launch. However, the company’s Q3 sales through the holiday season can often double Q2 sales, as they did multiple times with the Switch.
The original Switch sold 17.79 million units in its first 13 months, so the Switch 2 could exceed that over a shorter time frame. Nintendo reportedly requested a production boost as it believed the console will continue its torrid sales pace through the holiday season. It also expects to sell 4 million Switches for the fiscal year, down a touch from its previous forecast.
Nintendo is optimistic about software too, projecting sales of 48 million units for Switch 2 by March 31, up 3 million from its earlier forecast. It also expects to sell 125 million Switch games (which can also be played on the Switch 2) for this fiscal year, rather than 105 million as it previously predicted.
This quarter, the company moved 11.95 million Switch 2 games, with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza among the best sellers. Pokémon Legends: Z-A started shipping on October 16th, which could help lift game sales for Q3.
With console and game sales ahead of expectations, Nintendo’s earnings looked pretty rosy for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30th. The company saw 527.2 billion yen in revenue ($3.7 billion) and 102.9 billion yen in profit, both considerably higher than expected.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-expects-to-sell-way-more-switch-2s-than-it-thought-130048295.html?src=rss
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: U.S. prosecutors have charged two rogue employees of a cybersecurity company that specializes in negotiating ransom payments to hackers on behalf of their victims with carrying out ransomware attacks of their own. Last month, the Department of Justice indicted Kevin Tyler Martin and another unnamed employee, who both worked as ransomware negotiators at DigitalMint, with three counts of computer hacking and extortion related to a series of attempted ransomware attacks against at least five U.S.-based companies.
Prosecutors also charged a third individual, Ryan Clifford Goldberg, a former incident response manager at cybersecurity giant Sygnia, as part of the scheme. The three are accused of hacking into companies, stealing their sensitive data, and deploying ransomware developed by the ALPHV/BlackCat group. […] According to an FBI affidavit filed in September, the rogue employees received more than $1.2 million in ransom payments from one victim, a medical device maker in Florida. They also targeted several other companies, including a Virginia-based drone maker and a Maryland-headquartered pharmaceutical company.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
