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If you’ve considered splurging on a premium monitor, Samsung has some deals worth investigating. The company’s offerings, including the 55-inch Odyssey Ark (available for a record-low $2,000), 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 ($500 off) and 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 ($400 off) are among the models discounted in a wide-ranging monitor sale on Amazon and Samsung’s website.

The 55-inch Odyssey Ark is a 4K behemoth with a 1000R curvature to ensure all sides of the screen face you at a roughly equal distance. It supports 165Hz refresh rates, making for fairly smooth gaming and other tasks, and it has a 1ms response time. You can even rotate its screen into portrait orientation, although that’s more of a niche bonus than an essential feature for most people.

Samsung fixed one of our biggest gripes about the first-generation version, adding the DisplayPort compatibility and multi-input split view that were perplexingly missing from that inaugural model. The one on sale is the latest variant, launched in 2023.

Usually $3,000, you can cut that in third on Amazon and Samsung, taking the 55-inch Odyssey Ark home for $2,000.

Samsung

The 57-inch Odyssey G9 Neo has a more elongated (32:9) aspect ratio. This lets you squeeze more apps onto your desktop multitasking setup while supplying a wider field of view for gaming. Despite its different size and shape, it has the same tight 1000R curve as the Ark.

The monitor has 8K resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Its mini LED technology uses 2,392 local dimming zones and “the highest 12-bit black levels.” Ports include DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and a USB hub.

Usually $2,500, you can shave $500 off the 57-inch Neo G9 monitor, taking it home for $2,000. That pricing is available on Amazon and Samsung.

Samsung

The 49-inch Odyssey G9 OLED also has a 32:9 aspect ratio. Its OLED / Quantum Dot screen produces rich colors and deep blacks to make your games pop more, and its solid-black text can help your workspace lettering jump out more.

This model’s curve (1800R) is less pronounced than the 55-inch Ark and 57-inch G9 Neo’s, but it still supplies a gentle curve inward. It includes built-in speakers, and it has a 240Hz refresh rate with a “near-instant” (0.03ms) response time. It includes connections for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort.

The 49-inch G9 OLED retails for $1,600, but you can get it for $1,200 on Amazon. (It’s $1,300 on Samsung’s site.)

We only highlighted some of the standout monitors, but you can browse through the full sale on Amazon and Samsung.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-odyssey-monitors-are-up-to-1000-off-right-now-200039299.html?src=rss

Enlarge / Selena Gomez and Martin Short on the set of Only Murders in the Building on February 14, 2022, in New York City.

Hulu and Disney+ subscribers have until March 14 to stop sharing their login information with people outside of their household. Disney-owned streaming services are the next to adopt the password-crackdown strategy that has helped Netflix add millions of subscribers.

An email sent from "The Hulu Team" to subscribers yesterday and viewed by Ars Technica tells customers that Hulu is "adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household."

Hulu's subscriber agreement, updated on January 25, now states that users "may not share your subscription outside of your household," with household being defined as the "collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein."

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Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

Enlarge / An artist's concept of the Starlab space station. (credit: Starlab LLC)

The Starlab commercial space station will launch on SpaceX's Starship rocket, officials said this week.

Starlab is a joint venture between the US-based Voyager Space and the European-based multinational aerospace corporation Airbus. The venture is building a large station with a habitable volume equivalent to half the pressurized volume of the International Space Station and will launch the new station no earlier than 2028.

"SpaceX's history of success and reliability led our team to select Starship to orbit Starlab," Dylan Taylor, chairman and CEO of Voyager Space, said in a statement. "SpaceX is the unmatched leader for high-cadence launches and we are proud Starlab will be launched to orbit in a single flight by Starship."

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The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

Enlarge / Clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) seem to recognize different species of clownfish by counting white stripes. (credit: Kina Hayashi)

Many people tend to think of clownfish, with their distinctive white bars against an orange, red, or black background, as a friendly sort of fish, perhaps influenced to some extent by the popular Pixar film Finding Nemo. But clownfish can be quite territorial when it comes to defending their host anemone from intrusion by others, particularly those from their own species. A new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology describes how clownfish determine if a fish approaching their home is friend or foe by "counting" the number of white bars or stripes on their bodies.

As previously reported, mathematical ability is often considered uniquely human, but in fact, scientists have found that many animal species—including lions, chimpanzees, birds, bees, ants, and fish—seem to possess at least a rudimentary counting ability or number sense. Crows can understand the concept of zero. So can bees, which can also add and subtract, as can both stingrays and cichlids—at least for a small number of objects (in the range of one to five). Some ants count their steps.

This so-called "numerosity" simply refers to the number of things in a set, according to cognitive psychologist Brian Butterworth, an emeritus professor at University College London and author of Can Fish Count? What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds. It has nothing to do with reasoning or logical mathematical intelligence. This is information that will be in the environment, and counting animals must have some mechanism for extracting this numerical information from the environment. But it nonetheless makes for a fascinating field of study.

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Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Three Americans were charged this week with stealing more than $400 million in a November 2022 SIM-swapping attack. The U.S. government did not name the victim organization, but there is every indication that the money was stolen from the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which had just filed for bankruptcy on that same day.

A graphic illustrating the flow of more than $400 million in cryptocurrencies stolen from FTX on Nov. 11-12, 2022. Image: Elliptic.co.

An indictment unsealed this week and first reported on by Ars Technica alleges that Chicago man Robert Powell, a.k.a. “R,” “R$” and “ElSwapo1,” was the ringleader of a SIM-swapping group called the “Powell SIM Swapping Crew.” Colorado resident Emily “Em” Hernandez allegedly helped the group gain access to victim devices in service of SIM-swapping attacks between March 2021 and April 2023. Indiana resident Carter Rohn, a.k.a. “Carti,” and “Punslayer,” allegedly assisted in compromising devices.

In a SIM-swapping attack, the crooks transfer the target’s phone number to a device they control, allowing them to intercept any text messages or phone calls sent to the victim, including one-time passcodes for authentication or password reset links sent via SMS.

The indictment states that the perpetrators in this heist stole the $400 million in cryptocurrencies on Nov. 11, 2022 after they SIM-swapped an AT&T customer by impersonating them at a retail store using a fake ID. However, the document refers to the victim in this case only by the name “Victim 1.”

Wired’s Andy Greenberg recently wrote about FTX’s all-night race to stop a $1 billion crypto heist that occurred on the evening of November 11:

“FTX’s staff had already endured one of the worst days in the company’s short life. What had recently been one of the world’s top cryptocurrency exchanges, valued at $32 billion only 10 months earlier, had just declared bankruptcy. Executives had, after an extended struggle, persuaded the company’s CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, to hand over the reins to John Ray III, a new chief executive now tasked with shepherding the company through a nightmarish thicket of debts, many of which it seemed to have no means to pay.”

“FTX had, it seemed, hit rock bottom. Until someone—a thief or thieves who have yet to be identified—chose that particular moment to make things far worse. That Friday evening, exhausted FTX staffers began to see mysterious outflows of the company’s cryptocurrency, publicly captured on the Etherscan website that tracks the Ethereum blockchain, representing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of crypto being stolen in real time.”

The indictment says the $400 million was stolen over several hours between November 11 and 12, 2022. Tom Robinson, co-founder of the blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic, said the attackers in the FTX heist began to drain FTX wallets on the evening of Nov. 11, 2022 local time, and continuing until the 12th of November.

Robinson said Elliptic is not aware of any other crypto heists of that magnitude occurring on that date.

“We put the value of the cryptoassets stolen at $477 million,” Robinson said. “The FTX administrators have reported overall losses due to “unauthorized third-party transfers” of $413 million – the discrepancy is likely due to subsequent seizure and return of some of the stolen assets. Either way, it’s certainly over $400 million, and we are not aware of any other thefts from crypto exchanges on this scale, on this date.”

The SIM-swappers allegedly responsible for the $400 million crypto theft are all U.S. residents. But there are some indications they had help from organized cybercriminals based in Russia. In October 2023, Elliptic released a report that found the money stolen from FTX had been laundered through exchanges with ties to criminal groups based in Russia.

“A Russia-linked actor seems a stronger possibility,” Elliptic wrote. “Of the stolen assets that can be traced through ChipMixer, significant amounts are combined with funds from Russia-linked criminal groups, including ransomware gangs and darknet markets, before being sent to exchanges. This points to the involvement of a broker or other intermediary with a nexus in Russia.”

Nick Bax, director of analytics at the cryptocurrency wallet recovery firm Unciphered, said the flow of stolen FTX funds looks more like what his team has seen from groups based in Eastern Europe and Russian than anything they’ve witnessed from US-based SIM-swappers.

“I was a bit surprised by this development but it seems to be consistent with reports from CISA [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] and others that “Scattered Spider” has worked with [ransomware] groups like ALPHV/BlackCat,” Bax said.

CISA’s alert on Scattered Spider says they are a cybercriminal group that targets large companies and their contracted information technology (IT) help desks.

“Scattered Spider threat actors, per trusted third parties, have typically engaged in data theft for extortion and have also been known to utilize BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware alongside their usual TTPs,” CISA said, referring to the group’s signature “Tactics, Techniques an Procedures.”

Nick Bax, posting on Twitter/X in Nov 2022 about his research on the $400 million FTX heist.

Earlier this week, KrebsOnSecurity published a story noting that a Florida man recently charged with being part of a SIM-swapping conspiracy is thought to be a key member of Scattered Spider, a hacking group also known as 0ktapus. That group has been blamed for a string of cyber intrusions at major U.S. technology companies during the summer of 2022.

Financial claims involving FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings are being handled by the financial and risk consulting giant Kroll. In August 2023, Kroll suffered its own breach after a Kroll employee was SIM-swapped. According to Kroll, the thieves stole user information for multiple cryptocurrency platforms that rely on Kroll services to handle bankruptcy proceedings.

KrebsOnSecurity sought comment for this story from Kroll, the FBI, the prosecuting attorneys, and Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm handling the FTX bankruptcy. This story will be updated in the event any of them respond.

Attorneys for Mr. Powell said they do not know who Victim 1 is in the indictment, as the government hasn’t shared that information yet. Powell’s next court date is a detention hearing on Feb. 2, 2024.

Update, Feb. 3, 12:19 p.m. ET: The FBI declined a request to comment.

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss