Google is readying an update for its Play Games app that will introduce stats and milestones to your all-new profile. From September 23 (October 1 in the EU and UK), other players will be able to see which games you’ve played and for how long, as well as any achievements you’ve unlocked. Google says there will also be new “social features,” but it’s not yet clear what they’ll be.

It sounds a lot like Google’s take on Steam profiles (similar features are also available on PlayStation and Xbox) and the company says it will be collecting usage data for games you’ve installed or played previously, adding that it may pass on information about your in-game activity to developers. You can also choose to import your past activity on a one-time basis, which Google pulls from your account history and then uses to populate your Play Games profile statistics from the start. You’re already able to decide whether data related to gaming is collected through Activity Controls in your account settings.

It’s up to you whether people can see your profile or not. If you make it public, other people can follow you and snoop on your gaming activity, but you can also choose to hide it if you don’t want anyone to know how many hours you’ve spent playing Angry Birds. You’re also free to delete your Play Games profile entirely, along with all of the data it’s using.

Google’s overhauled gaming profiles will arrive around the same time as Apple’s annual software updates for all of its devices, which will introduce a new dedicated gaming app, simply called Games. Pre-installed on all updated Mac, iPhone and iPad devices, it effectively replaces Game Center and will behave more like a modern gaming hub. Games will feature leaderboards, matchmaking services, recommendations and news regarding new titles. And like Google’s offering, you’ll be able to see what your friends are playing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/googles-play-games-update-will-show-people-what-youre-playing-164549921.html?src=rss

Steam’s August 2025 hardware survey shows 32GB RAM configurations reached 35.42% of users while 16GB systems fell to 41.67%, continuing a six-month trend that positions 32GB to become the dominant memory configuration among PC gamers before year’s end.

Windows 11 crossed 60% adoption among Steam users. The RTX 4060 continues gaining market share despite newer RTX 5060 availability. Display resolutions at 2560×1600 pixels saw the largest growth, primarily from gaming laptops.

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Despite its lack of upgradeable system memory, Framework has tried to make its Framework Desktop a welcoming platform for upgraders and modders, releasing 3D-printable versions of a few case parts and generally sticking to standard-sized parts and standard connectors.

Often, it’s independent creators who are making the weirdest and most interesting mods for Framework’s devices, but PC cooling company Noctua has just announced what amounts to a fairly major cooling upgrade for the Framework Desktop, at least for anyone with access to a 3D printer. By printing a new fan duct and a custom side panel, Noctua managed to lower the noise levels of the Framework Desktop’s default cooling fan by between five and seven decibels, without replacing or modifying any other components.

The key is apparently the design of the fan grill, which Noctua also used to reduce noise levels in the Noctua edition of this 1,600 W Seasonic power supply. The grill has a distinctive spiral pattern that allows the fan to move similar amounts of air at lower rotation speeds, which is where the noise reduction comes from.

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Tesla has released part four of its so-called “Master Plan” in a post on X. Unlike the more focused “Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan,” which outlined concrete plans for future products, this “Master Plan Part IV” reads more like a rambling utopic fever dream that was partly written by Grok, while touching on Tesla’s AI-powered products.

Tesla says it intends to “deliver unconstrained sustainability without compromise,” and that the company is “unifying our hardware and software at scale” in order to create a “safer, cleaner and more enjoyable world” through “sustainable abundance.” Specifics on what any of that actually means were largely absent throughout the manifesto.

Over the post’s 1000 words, Tesla waxes poetic about how semiconductors and the internet changed the world, employs self-aggrandizing language about pushing forward the electric vehicle market and shares extremely vague depictions of a future molded by the company’s products.

“How we develop and use autonomy — and the new capabilities it makes available to us — should be informed by its ability to enhance the human condition,” the company writes in one particularly vague passage. “Making daily life better — and safer — for all people through our autonomous technology has always been, and continues to be, our focus.”

Another passage reads, “We must make one thing clear: this challenge will be extremely difficult to overcome. The elimination of scarcity will require tireless and exquisite execution. Some will perceive it as impossible. And plenty of others will laud every obstacle and setback we inevitably encounter along the way. But once we overcome this challenge, our critics will come to see that what they once thought was impossible is indeed possible. And that will be fine with us, because what matters most is that, together, we create a sustainable and truly abundant future for generations to come.”

The Tesla Master Plans have been treated with almost religious reverence in tech circles over the years as fans of the electric car company and its polarizing CEO point to them as evidence of Musk’s visionary thinking.

The first Master Plan, authored by Musk in 2006, espoused lofty but specific goals, many of which ultimately came to pass. In it, Musk laid out how “The strategy of Tesla is to enter at the high end of the market … and then drive down market as fast as possible to higher unit volume and lower prices with each successive model.”

This is exactly what the company did, leveraging earnings from the 2008 Roadster to build the Model S in 2012 and Model X in 2015, then using those profits to create the Model 3 in 2017 and Model Y in 2020, the latter of which went on to become the best-selling car in the world in both 2023 and 2024.

The second Master Plan, published in 2016, was the last one with Musk’s name attributed to it and laid out a vision for Solar Roof and Powerwall, the need to create an electric pickup truck and semi, the future of autonomous driving and a plan for a fleet of robotaxis. Tesla’s energy generation and storage business now accounts for 10 percent of company revenues. The Cybertruck and Semi both launched years later though have not yet proven successful, and Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” has been in beta for years. Meanwhile, robotaxis saw a limited launch with in-vehicle supervisors earlier this summer.

Master Plan Part 3 was a stark departure from the more focused initial duo. It’s basically a 40-page white paper with fanciful ambitions for a decarbonized future. It was heavy on data but short on product roadmaps.

Part IV really jumped the shark, and while it tells us that “we are on the cusp of a revolutionary period primed for unprecedented growth” and that “this time it will not be a single step but a leap forward for Tesla and humanity as a whole,” it offers little by way of how the company plans to accomplish that leap.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-latest-master-plan-isnt-a-mission-statement-its-a-discursive-mess-162301466.html?src=rss

America is becoming a nation of economic pessimists. WSJ reports: A new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll [PDF] finds that the share of people who say they have a good chance of improving their standard of living fell to 25%, a record low in surveys dating to 1987. More than three-quarters said they lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better than their own, the poll found.

Nearly 70% of people said they believe the American dream — that if you work hard, you will get ahead — no longer holds true or never did, the highest level in nearly 15 years of surveys. Republicans in the survey were less pessimistic than Democrats, reflecting the longstanding trend that the party holding the White House has a rosier view of the economy. An index that combined six poll questions found that 55% of Republicans, as well as 90% of Democrats, held a negative view of prospects for themselves and their children.

The discontent reaches across demographic lines. By large majorities, both women and men held a pessimistic view in the combined questions. So did both younger and older adults, those with and without a college degree and respondents with more than $100,000 in household income, as well as those with less.

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If you take advantage of Prime free shipping benefits as an invitee of someone with a Prime subscription, you’re officially on notice: Amazon is shuttering the program, and soon. The company is reaching out to affected customers to confirm the changes: On Oct. 1, 2025, the Invitee program will end, and with it, your ability to order things on Amazon and get them shipped to you for free.

The Prime Invitee Program was an option for Prime subscribers to share their free shipping benefits with a limited number of standard Amazon account holders. It didn’t include other Prime benefits, like Prime Video, but participating Amazon users could still take advantage of Prime’s key perk without needing to pay for the full subscription.

How to keep your free shipping benefits once the Prime Invitee program ends

If you’ve been enjoying free shipping on another Prime account holder’s dime, your Amazon account will go back to basics starting next month. However, Amazon is offering two workarounds for affected users.

Amazon Family

First, you have the option to join the Prime subscriber’s account as part of Amazon Family. The program lets Prime member share their benefits with one other adult outside their household—i.e. the address where the paying account owner lives. This mirrors the metric services like Netflix and HBO Max are using for identifying who can access a given account.

If a Prime owner wants to share their benefits with Amazon users outside of their household, they will only have the option to choose one adult going forward. The plan also allows for up to four teens (whose accounts were added before April 7, 2025), as well as up to four profiles for children.

Amazon Family includes more benefits than the Invitee program—in addition to free delivery, you get Prime Video with ads, Prime Reading, third-party benefits like Grubhub, audio books, e-books, certain games, and Amazon Music.

A discount on your first year of Prime

If the Prime member chooses another adult over you, you still have a second option to avoid paying for a full Prime subscription. Amazon is offering Invitee members a discounted Prime membership for $14.99 for one year. According to the email, you can sign up for the reduced subscription between Sept. 5 and Dec. 31 (the offer currently isn’t live, but presumably you’ll need to use a unique link or have been previously invited to get the discount). Once that year is up, you’ll be on the hook for the full cost of the membership. As of this article, that’s $14.99 per month, or $139 per year, but by this time next year, the rates could be higher.

Does this change affect shared logins?

Some users who shared Prime benefits may not actually have their own Amazon accounts; rather, they share one login with Prime subscriber. This comes with the inconvenience of mixing order histories and payment methods, but it is a simple way to share a Prime subscription.

At the moment, it doesn’t seem like Amazon is putting any kind of restrictions on this type of shared activity: After Oct. 1, you should still be able to log in to another user’s Amazon account and use their Prime benefits, so long as you’re okay sharing the account itself. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Amazon tackle this login sharing in the future, though it could be tricky—unlike something like Netflix, people frequently tend to shop outside of their household, so keeping tabs on shared logins might not be as easy as blocking unknown IP addresses from new devices.

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Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black with HB-Series Lens Collection is currently available for $549 (down from $749), its lowest price yet according to price trackers. This is an all-in-one bundle that not only includes the Hero13 Black itself but also a set of creative add-ons: a Macro Lens, Ultra Wide Lens, Anamorphic Lens, a four-pack of ND filters, and a premium case to keep everything organized.

GoPro HERO13 Black + HB-Series Lens Collection

$549.00
at Amazon

$749.99
Save $200.99

$549.00
at Amazon

$749.99
Save $200.99

At its core, the Hero 13 Black isn’t a massive redesign over the previous-gen Hero 12 Black. It has the same compact 2.0 x 2.8 x 1.3-inch body, weighs 5.6 ounces, and works with existing GoPro accessories. Video capabilities remain best-in-class, offering continuous 5.3K60, 4K120, and slow-motion up to 400fps. You also get 10-bit HDR and GP-Log color profiles, making it flexible for both casual shooters and those who like to edit more seriously. But as our Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt points out in her review of the Hero 13, what really makes it worth considering are two key changes: the above-mentioned modular HB-series lenses that add creative flexibility, and magnetic mounting that finally helps GoPro match competitors like DJI.

Additionally, the GoPro Hero 13 Black comes with a bigger 1,900mAh Enduro battery, which means longer runtimes and reportedly better heat control when the camera is locked down. Also, there’s now a built-in GPS for tagging location and telemetry data, and wireless support has been updated to wifi 6 for faster offloading, which further adds to the appeal. That said, it is not perfect—the rear touchscreen is still small and dim in direct sun, and handheld use without an accessory grip is awkward, notes this PCMag review—but if you want a rugged, waterproof action cam that doubles as a creative tool, this package is hard to ignore at the current price.

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For a 10-inch Android tablet with a sharp display and solid battery life, $69.99 is about as low as you can reasonably expect, especially when you’re not stuck with outdated software or an off-brand gamble. The onn. 10.4″ Tablet Pro (2023) is refurbished and isn’t packing powerhouse specs, but if you need a device to stream, read, video call, or hand off to a kid without much worry, it holds its own better than you’d think at this price. It also ships free within the contiguous U.S., which makes things a little easier if you’re trying to grab one quickly without extra costs.

The 64GB storage isn’t generous and can feel tight after a few downloads and updates, but it does have a microSD slot, which lets you add breathing room without paying for a bigger model. Inside, it has a MediaTek octa-core chip and 4GB RAM, meaning it’s not a multitasking monster, but perfectly fine for YouTube, Chrome, and casual apps. The 10.4-inch 2000×1200 display is better than you might expect from a sub-$100 slate. And with Android 13 out of the box (and an upgrade to Android 14 available), you’re not stuck in tech purgatory.

It’s also surprisingly practical for everyday use. The battery can stretch up to 17 hours (your mileage may vary), and it charges over USB-C. You get both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi, plus basic 5MP cameras on the front and back that’ll handle Zoom calls in a pinch. This refurbished model has a Grade “A” rating, which means minimal to no obvious signs of use. It’s not for someone who wants to replace their laptop or run heavy Android games, but for reading, streaming, web browsing, or gifting to a student or grandparent, this is a very low-risk buy with just enough under the hood to make it worthwhile.

If Tesla was hoping that decent sales in China might boost the company’s fast-diminishing profits, it was a forlorn hope. For the second month in a row, the automaker has experienced a year-over-year decrease in sales in China.

According to Reuters, Tesla’s sales dropped by 4 percent in August compared to the same month in 2024. That’s not quite as dire as July, when Tesla saw Chinese sales decrease by 8.4 percent. Much of Tesla’s Shanghai factory’s slack was taken up by exporting EVs to other markets.

Some of Tesla’s stiffest competition in China has come from BYD, but the Chinese automaker has started to experience its own struggles at home, too. Yesterday, BYD reported a 30 percent drop in quarterly profits, in part due to the Chinese government telling automakers at the start of the summer that their price war was over.

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Speaking of Amazon Prime, Amazon is axing the program that lets Prime members share their free shipping perk with people outside their household. The Verge: In an update to its support page, Amazon says it will cut off Prime benefit sharing on October 1st, 2025, prompting invitees who don’t live with the account holder to sign up for their own subscription at a discounted $14.99 rate for an entire year (and then $14.99 per month after that).

Instead, Amazon is replacing this program with Amazon Family, which lets account holders share Prime benefits — but only with people they live with. Amazon says everyone in a “Family” must live at the same primary residential address, defined as “the address you consider to be your home and where you spend the majority of your time.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced plans to roll out parental controls for ChatGPT and route sensitive mental health conversations to its simulated reasoning models, following what the company has called “heartbreaking cases” of users experiencing crises while using the AI assistant. The moves come after multiple reported incidents where ChatGPT allegedly failed to intervene appropriately when users expressed suicidal thoughts or experienced mental health episodes.

“This work has already been underway, but we want to proactively preview our plans for the next 120 days, so you won’t need to wait for launches to see where we’re headed,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post published Tuesday. “The work will continue well beyond this period of time, but we’re making a focused effort to launch as many of these improvements as possible this year.”

The planned parental controls represent OpenAI’s most concrete response to concerns about teen safety on the platform so far. Within the next month, OpenAI says, parents will be able to link their accounts with their teens’ ChatGPT accounts (minimum age 13) through email invitations, control how the AI model responds with age-appropriate behavior rules that are on by default, manage which features to disable (including memory and chat history), and receive notifications when the system detects their teen experiencing acute distress.

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Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou has overtaken Tokyo-Yokohama to become the world’s top cluster for innovation, the United Nations said Monday. From a report: The UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said the Chinese cluster had leapfrogged its Japanese rival in its 2025 Global Innovation Index. The change at the top of the world’s 100 leading innovation clusters was down to WIPO broadening the criteria to include venture capital investments to formulate the annual rankings.

The UN agency dealing with patenting and innovation previously only used patent filing and scientific publishing data to identify local concentrations of world-leading innovation activity. “Venture capital investment activity helps capture how scientific and technological knowledge translates into start-up creation and, ultimately, new goods and services in the marketplace,” WIPO said. The agency said Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou and Tokyo-Yokohama “make a massive contribution to global scientific publications and patenting outputs”, together accounting for nearly one in five patent applications filed globally.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.