A remake of the original Silent Hill is in development, it was revealed during Konami’s Press Start stream on Thursday. An image announcing that another Silent Hill game from developer Bloober Team was in the works appeared during the stream. It was accompanied by music from the first game in the series. The official Japanese Silent Hill account on X later clarified that Bloober is modernizing the original 1999 entry.

Back in February, it emerged that Bloober is making a new title based on Konami’s intellectual property. The two companies previously worked on a remake of Silent Hill 2, which was released in October and, by January, had sold more than 2 million copies. It was also one of our favorite games of 2024.

So, going back to the game that started it all makes a lot of sense. Konami and Bloober haven’t revealed any other details about the remake yet, such as when it’s likely to arrive.

There was plenty more on offer during Konami’s showcase, including a behind-the-scenes developer diary for Silent Hill f. The first game in the series to be set in Japan will drop on September 25.

Before that, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (a remake of MGS 3) will hit PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S on August 28. Konami revealed on the stream that the Xbox version will include gameplay from the Bomberman series — the PlayStation and Steam variants have an Ape Escape tie-in. It also emerged that Metal Gear Solid Delta will have a brand-new multiplayer mode called Fox Hunt. This is a camouflage-based hide and seek mode that builds on the stealth aspect of the series. You can expect more details on that soon.

Press Start included looks at some other games, such as Suikoden Star Leap (a new RPG adventure set in the world of Suikoden for PC and mobile). Suikoden I&II HD Remasters are getting upgrades on Nintendo Switch 2 as well. A demo for action RPG Edens Zero (based on a manga and anime of the same name) has dropped, while there was a peek at action-adventure platformer Darwin’s Paradox, in which you play as an octopus.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/konami-and-bloober-team-are-remaking-the-original-silent-hill-160629432.html?src=rss

Agriculture equipment giant Deere must face a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs, a U.S. judge has ruled. From a report: U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston in the federal court in Rockford, Illinois on Monday ruled for now to reject, opens new tab Deere’s effort to end the lawsuit, which was filed at the end of Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration in January.

The lawsuit alleges Deere is violating federal antitrust law by controlling too tightly where and how farmers can get their equipment repaired, allowing the Illinois-based company to charge artificially higher prices. The FTC was joined in its lawsuit by Michigan, Wisconsin and three other U.S. states.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Microsoft has begun rolling out a major update for Copilot. Starting today, Windows 10 and 11 users in the US can try out the assistant’s Vision feature. The tool allows you to share up to two apps with Copilot, so that you can then chat about what it sees. “[Copilot Vision] acts as your second set of eyes, able to analyze content, help when you’re lost, provide insights, and answer your questions as you go,” Microsoft says.

Additionally, with its new Highlights functionality, Copilot can even show you how to complete a specific task within an app. To try out Copilot Vision, open the Copilot app on your computer, click the glasses icon in the composer window and then select the browser or apps you want to share. You can stop sharing at any time by pressing “Stop” or “X” within the prompt dialogue. Microsoft says Windows users in non-European countries can look forward to the feature rolling out to their computers soon.

Microsoft began testing Copilot Vision with Copilot Pro subscribers in October. Following the contentious launch of Copilot’s Recall feature, the company took a more careful approach with Vision by making it something testers had to manually activate and limited to a select list of websites. Now the company is expanding the available functionality before rolling it out to other markets. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsofts-copilot-vision-ai-helper-is-now-available-on-windows-in-the-us-160034369.html?src=rss

You don’t have to make a huge effort planning Instagram posts anymore so that your profile takes on a certain aesthetic or so that your grid reads or looks a certain way. Instagram will soon (and finally) let you re-order the posts already on your grid. Alessandro Paluzzi, who reverse engineered apps and posted upcoming features online, found an “edit grid” option within Instagram way back in 2022. Instagram didn’t say when exactly the feature will be available, but when you do get the edit grid option, tapping it will take you to a screen where you can rearrange your posts in the way you want them to appear on your profile. 

In the post announcement from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, he also revealed that Instagram is “exploring a way” that will allow you to post to your account without broadcasting it to your followers’ feeds. The idea is to make posting less intimidating and to allow you to keep your account active without the pressure. Mosseri also didn’t say when the feature is rolling out, but take note that his post is about Instagram’s investments in creativity for this year. 

Finally, the Instagram head announced that trial Reels are now available to everyone. Trial Reels will allow you to publish Reels that bypass your followers’ feeds. Those Reels are then recommended to non-followers instead, since the feature’s original purpose was to give creators a way to experiment with new types of content that could alienate their current audience. Mosseri said that the hope is for trial Reels to “give everyone greater freedom to explore their creativity in a low-pressure way.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-will-soon-let-you-re-arrange-your-grid-160011925.html?src=rss

Do you remember the Pirelli Cyber Tire? No, it’s not an angular nightmare clad in stainless steel. Rather, it’s a sensor-equipped tire that can inform the car it’s fitted to what’s happening, both with the tire itself and the road it’s passing over. The technology has slowly been making its way into the real world, starting with rarified stuff like the McLaren Artura. Now, Pirelli is going to put some Cyber Tires to work for everybody, not just supercar drivers, in a new pilot program with the regional government of Apulia in Italy.

The Cyber Tire has a sensor to monitor temperature and pressure, using Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with the car. The electronics are able to withstand more than 3,500 G as part of life on the road, and a 0.3-oz (10 g) battery keeps everything running for the life of the tire.

The idea was to develop a better tire pressure monitoring system, one that could tell the car exactly what kind of tire—summer, winter, all-season, and so on—was fitted, and even its state of wear, allowing the car to adapt its settings appropriately. But other applications suggested themselves—at a recent CES, Pirelli showed how a Cyber Tire could warn other road users about aquaplaning. Then again, we’ve been waiting more than a decade for vehicle-to-vehicle communication to make a difference in daily driving to no avail.

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If you’ve got a Pixel phone, you should find Google has now pushed out both Android 16 and the June 2025 Pixel Drop to it, which brings you several significant new features to make use of. One of those new features is Pixel VIPs: It lets you grant Very Important Person status to a select number of your contacts, giving them privileges that include being able to override your active Do Not Disturb settings.

This helps solve the main worry with Do Not Disturb: You might miss a call or a text about something important. There’s always a chance that some emergency could happen when you’ve blocked incoming alerts, but Pixel VIPs gives you a way to make sure the most significant people in your life can still get through.

If you’re not familiar, the Do Not Disturb options on a Pixel can be found by opening the main Settings app, then tapping Modes. The Do Not Disturb mode is listed alongside any other variations you’ve set up—for bedtime or for driving, for example. Tap Do Not Disturb, and you can turn it on or off manually, set it to run on a schedule, and choose which contacts, apps, and alarms are allowed to override it.

You can access your VIPs through Contacts.
Credit: Lifehacker

Before Pixel VIPs, your choices for allowing communications with Do Not Disturb were all your contacts, none of your contacts, or your starred contacts: There wasn’t much scope for creating a customized list. Pixel VIPs improves on that, enabling you to create a new level of super-starred people with some extra features included.

To get started with Pixel VIPs (if indeed the update has reached you), open the Contacts app, switch to the Organize tab, then tap on Pixel VIPs. Tap Next on the introductory blurb, and you get to choose up to eight different contacts for the privilege: You’ll see some suggestions on screen and you can tap on Add to see your full contacts list.

Tap Next to move on, and you can then give the Pixel VIPs feature permission to access your SMS conversations, your WhatsApp chats, and your location—all of this information is kept private to you, and it’s worth mentioning that your contacts won’t know you’ve selected them as Pixel VIPs either.

The Pixel VIPs widget

When you’ve worked your way through the setup wizard, you get shown a preview of the Pixel VIPs home screen widget. You can choose Add to home screen right away, or add it later by long pressing on a blank part of the home screen, then tapping Widgets. The VIPs widget is under the Contacts heading.

The widget will start out as a 4 x 1 block, but you can change the size by tapping and holding on the widget, then using the handles around the edges. You can also tap the pen icon (lower right) to get back to the Pixel VIPs screen for managing included contacts and permissions.

Tap on any contact on the widget, and you get to a special Pixel VIPs page for that person. You can see your recent messages from that person, their current location if you’ve chosen to share it through Find My Device or Google Maps, and any other details, like their birthday, that you may have stored.

Each VIP gets their own page of details.
Credit: Google

There’s also a Notes section here, if you need to jot down a reminder or a memo about someone: Google suggests you could put birthday gift ideas in here. There’s even a box of suggestions for things you might want to do with this person, such as watch a movie or visit a restaurant. You can tweak these suggestions via the slider button on the right.

When it comes to the Do Not Disturb settings, nothing has changed, except that Pixel VIPs are automatically added to your starred contacts. Google doesn’t exactly make it clear, but as far as I can tell, you still need to select your starred contacts on the actual Do Not Disturb screen mentioned above—it’s not enough to simply select someone as a Pixel VIP, but it does give you an easier way of managing this privileged list of people.

I can see Pixel VIPs being a useful way of managing important contacts, and it would be nice to see additional integrations with more apps here—though that does depend on the app developers as well as Google. For now, it’s earned a place on my home screen.

The abstract of a study on NBER: We examine the performance of startups co-founded by immigrant and native teams. Leveraging unique data linking startups to founders’ and employees’ employment and education histories, we find native-migrant teams outperform native-only and migrant-only teams.

Native-migrant startups have larger employment three years after founding, are more likely to secure funding, access larger funding rounds, and achieve more successful exits. An instrumental variables strategy based on native shares in university-degree programs confirms native-migrant teams are larger and more likely to receive funding. Superior access to diverse labor pools, successful VCs, and expanded product markets are key factors in driving native-migrant outperformance.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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You don’t have to be a dad to score some big discounts on tools for Father’s Day. Anyone is allowed to shop for additions to their home shop or DIY maintenance tool set during Father’s Day sales going on right now on Amazon, so even if you’re not shopping for a gift, you can save on cordless tools, yard and garden equipment, and accessories. Since these items can be expensive to buy, much of the time, getting a deal can mean that your DIY budget remains intact, even if you want some fancy new impact drill bits or a cordless chainsaw.

Cordless tools

Cordless tool sets are an essential part of any DIY toolkit, and getting a good-quality tool that will last a long time can help you save money in both the short and long term.

• The DeWalt 20-volt drill and impact driver set is on sale for $149, 43% off its regular price. This set includes a drill, an impact driver, two batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This drill/driver set comes with everything you need to get started drilling holes and driving hardware, except for the bits.

• The DeWalt 20-volt oscillating tool is on sale for $94.99, 50% off its usual price. This is a tool-only deal and doesn’t include a battery or a charger, so you’ll need those in order to use it. An oscillating tool is great for plunge-cutting, trimming at odd angles, and sanding in tight corners, as well as several other functions. It’s one of the most versatile tools in the cordless kit and has a wide variety of applications.

• The Milwaukee cordless 18-volt router is on sale for $145, 42% off its typical price. This is a compact router, good for finishing edges on shelving, moulding, and other woodworking projects. This is a tool-only deal, so you’ll need router bits, a battery, and a charger to use it.

Dewalt 20V MAX XR Oscillating Multi-Tool

$94.99
at Amazon

$210.86
Save $115.87

$94.99
at Amazon

$210.86
Save $115.87

Outdoor power tools

From cleaning off patio furniture to cutting branches, outdoor cordless power tools can be indispensable.

• The Makita 14-inch, 20-volt cordless chainsaw is on sale for $399.62, 41% off its regular price. This tool comes with two 5-amp-hour, 20-volt batteries and a charger, so you can use it right out of the box if you have some bar and chain oil. The blade can handle branches up to 12 inches in diameter.

• The Ryobi 18-volt cordless 100mph leaf blower is on sale for $152.99, 30% off its regular price. This tool comes with a 4-amp-hour battery and a charger, so you have everything you need to start blowing leaves. A leaf blower is good for more than just leaves, and can be used to dust off your projects in your home shop as well.

• The Greenworks 40-volt, 150mph leaf blower is on sale for $30, 50% off its typical price. This blower has a tapered tip for more precise aim and can operate at multiple speeds. This is a tool-only deal, so you’ll need a Greenworks-compatible battery and charger to use it.

Batteries and accessories

An often overlooked but also pricey component of cordless tools is their batteries and accessories. Although these things seem small, they can really add up in price, and you can’t do much without them.

• A DeWalt 8-amp-hour, 20-volt battery is on sale for $149, 32% off its regular price. This battery has a larger capacity than traditional tool batteries and will last for several continuous hours of use without needing a charge. This battery type is especially useful if you are using your tools farther from a power source or in an emergency kit.

• The Bosch 21-piece multimaterial drill bit set is on sale for $24.99, 51% off its usual price. This set includes 21 bits ranging in size from 1/16th inch to 1/2inch. This is a good set for basic home maintenance tasks.

• The DeWalt 29-piece pilot point drill bit set is on sale for $73.15, 45% off its typical price. This set includes bits that range in size from 1/16-inch to ½-inch, and they have a tapered pilot point, good for preventing your bit from wandering while you are starting to drill. These bits are made from titanium and come with a metal carrying case and index.

Bosch 21-piece multimaterial drill bit set

$30.75
at Amazon

$50.49
Save $19.74

$30.75
at Amazon

$50.49
Save $19.74

Just in time for a last-minute Father’s Day gift (or perhaps a little treat for yourself, because you deserve nice things), Apple‘s AirPods 4 have dropped back down to their lowest price to date. You can snap up a pair for $99. That’s $30 off the list price.

This discount is for the base version of the earbuds without active noise cancellation (ANC). All the same, this is a good deal on our pick for the best budget AirPods, especially if foregoing ANC doesn’t bother you too much.

We gave the AirPods 4 a score of 88 in our review. The improved fit and comfort, and upgraded sound quality compared with the previous version are definite plus points.

The AirPods 4 include features seen in the higher end AirPods Pro 2 but, unfortunately, not that model’s onboard volume controls. The lack of wireless charging and Apple’s Conversation Awareness feature are also negatives.

However, due in large part to the H2 chip that’s included in the AirPods 4 (the same one that powers AirPods Pro 2), you’ll get features such as Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, “cinema-quality” audio for FaceTime, Adaptive EQ and Voice Isolation (which helps eliminate background noise). With Siri Interactions, you can nod or shake your head to accept or reject calls, and respond to or dismiss messages and notifications.

When Apple rolls out iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 this fall, the company will release a firmware update for AirPods 4 (as well as AirPods 4 with ANC and the second-gen AirPods Pro). This update will bring new features to the earbuds, such as the ability to use them to control iPhone and iPad cameras. Apple is also promising “studio quality recording” that should help creators better capture sound, even in noisy environments. Audio quality upgrades are on the way too.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-4-earbuds-are-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-144223181.html?src=rss