The gaming industry continues to bleed workers and cancel games, with EA back for another round of brutal news. The company said on Tuesday it decided to "make some targeted team adjustments," which Bloomberg reported as between 300 and 400 eliminated positions, including 100 at Respawn, and the cancellation of an unannounced Titanfall game. Again.
The canned Titanfall game, code-named R7, was reportedly an extraction shooter set in the mech-meets-parkour franchise. Bloomberg says it wasn't close to release, and Respawn's statement that it canceled two "early-stage incubation projects" reflects that. Details about the other scrapped game haven't leaked, but Bloomberg reports that it was canceled earlier this year.
Respawn says it will refocus its resources on Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi, franchises where EA appears more confident it can profit. Earlier this month, the company previewed another game set in a galaxy far, far away: the Xcom-like tactics game, Star Wars Zero Company.
After culling an estimated 1,130 jobs in 2023, EA laid off five percent of its workforce in 2024. "These decisions aren't easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected - their creativity and contributions have helped build Respawn into what it is today," Respawn wrote on Tuesday.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-reportedly-cancels-another-titanfall-game-lays-off-several-hundred-employees-205008255.html?src=rss
OpenAI is rolling back a recent update to GPT-4o, the default model that powers ChatGPT, following complaints from users that it made the chat bot act like a weirdo. "The last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week," said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a X post spotted by TechCrunch.
As of midday Tuesday, Altman said ChatGPT was running on an older, less sycophantic version of GPT-4o for all free users. The company hopes to get paid users back on an older release of the model by later today. "We're working on additional fixes to model personality and will share more in the coming days," Altman said, adding OpenAI would share more information about what went wrong "at some point."
OpenAI released the new GPT-4o late last week. By the weekend, people began noticing ChatGPT was being overly agreeable and verbose in its praise. As you can see from the X post below, often that praise was also inappropriate and strange.
When is OpenAI pulling the plug on the new GPT-4o ?This is the most misaligned model released to date by anyone.This is OpenAI's Gemini image disaster moment.image credit : r/u/Trevor050 pic.twitter.com/kNcdnEYMDq AshutoshShrivastava (@ai_for_success) April 27, 2025
Improving the emotional intelligence of its models, in so far as an algorithm can posses the trait, has been a recent focus for OpenAI. For instance, with GPT-4.5, the company said the model was better at responding with warmth and understanding than its previous systems. In trying to bring that same capability to the more affordable GPT-4o, it seems OpenAI got something wrong. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-rolls-back-update-that-made-chatgpt-an-ass-kissing-weirdo-203056185.html?src=rss
Firefox now lets you organize your tabs. Four years after its biggest rivals launched tab groups, Mozilla published a nearly 1,000-word blog post recounting the feature's long road from user requests to launch. (Consider skipping it if you dont like long-winded acceptance speeches.) "What happens when 4,500 people ask for the same feature?" the company asked rhetorically. "At Firefox, we build it."
Of course, those users may have requested tab groups partly because Firefox was the only major browser without them. Chrome, Safari and Edge launched tab groups in 2021. Hell, Vivaldi has had them since 2016.
Tardiness aside, Firefox users will welcome the chance to tidy up the clutter. The feature lets you drag and drop tabs into groups and label them by name or color. Mozilla says tab groups are on-device and never uploaded to the cloud. "Tab groups aren't just about decluttering," Firefox product manager Stefan Smagula said. "It's about reclaiming your flow and finding focus again."
Up next for Firefox tabs: The tech industry's favorite buzzword. Mozilla is testing smart tab groups, powered by AI, which suggest names and groups based on your open tabs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/firefox-finally-adds-tab-groups-195130482.html?src=rss
As Metas first-ever generative AI conference gets underway, the company is also previewing a significant update on its plans to bring AI features to WhatsApp chats. Buried in its LlamaCon updates, the company shared that its working on something called Private Processing, which will allow users to take advantage of generative AI capabilities within WhatsApp without eroding its privacy features.
According to Meta, Private Processing is an optional capability that will enable people to leverage AI capabilities for things like summarizing unread messages or refining them, while keeping messages private. WhatsApp, of course, is known for its strong privacy protections and end-to-end encryption. That would seem incompatible with cloud-based AI features like Meta AI. But Private Processing will essentially allow Meta to do both.
Meta has shared more details about how it will accomplish this over on its engineering blog but, as Wired points out, its a similar model as Apples Private Cloud Compute (which allows the iPhone maker to implement Apple AI without sending all your data to the cloud). Heres how Meta describes its approach.
Were excited to share an initial overview of Private Processing, a new technology weve built to support peoples needs and aspirations to leverage AI in a secure and privacy-preserving way. This confidential computing infrastructure, built on top of a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), will make it possible for people to direct AI to process their requests like summarizing unread WhatsApp threads or getting writing suggestions in our secure and private cloud environment. In other words, Private Processing will allow users to leverage powerful AI features, while preserving WhatsApps core privacy promise, ensuring no one except you and the people youre talking to can access or share your personal messages, not even Meta or WhatsApp.
The company seems well-aware such a plan will likely be met with skepticism. WhatsApp is regularly targeted by bad actors as it is. To address inevitable concerns from the security community, the company says it will allow security researchers and others to audit Private Processing, and will make the technology part of its bug bounty program that rewards people who find security vulnerabilities in its services.
Its not clear when generative AI features may actually be available in WhatsApp chats the company describes its announcement today as merely a first look at the technology but it does note that Private Processing and similar infrastructure could have use cases beyond its messaging app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-has-a-plan-to-bring-ai-to-whatsapp-chats-without-breaking-privacy-193556026.html?src=rss
Theres a new animated Star Wars show coming soon and its set to actually premiere in the game Fortnite. Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will be available to watch in-game starting on May 2 at 10AM ET. This is two full days before the show streams on Disney+.
Viewing will take place in a new in-game location called Star Wars Watch Party Island. Epic Games says that this area was built using Unreal Editor for Fortnite and uses official assets to create a "breathtaking environment inspired by a galaxy far, far away." Players will only have access to the first two episodes.
For the uninitiated, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is an anthology series consisting of animated shorts. It takes a look at the criminal underworld, centering on the bounty hunter Cad Bane and the force-sensitive assassin Asajj Ventress.
This is part of a larger collaboration between Fortnite and Star Wars. The game will receive new Star Wars content every week for use in Battle Royale. Players will be able to pilot X-wings and duke it out as Emperor Palpatine. A dark side version of Jar Jar Binks will also be a playable character.
This isnt the first time our favorite space wizards appeared in Fortnite. The game once made Luke, Han and Leia playable characters and added the iconic lightsaber as a weapon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/new-star-wars-series-will-premiere-in-fortnite-of-all-places-185859342.html?src=rss
The Nintendo Switch 2 wont be in our hands for over a month yet (sigh), but a speedrunner has already reached the credits of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
As reported by VGC, the Japanese speedrunner known as Ikaboze posted a video of his handiwork on his YouTube channel after attending a Switch 2 preview event in Tokyo. Attendees were able to play a 10-minute demo of the souped-up original Switch launch game, but Ikaboze only needed seven minutes of the allotted time to dispose of Ganon in the games epic final battle.
To be clear, this was not an any% run of the entire game, where the current top times all clock in around 23 minutes. The speedrunner loaded an autosave that spawned him outside Hyrule Castle, where he immediately dropped all of Links equipment and made a beeline for his longtime nemesis. Ikaboze was able to take down Ganon before the demo's time was up, to the delight of a crowd of onlookers, who applauded as the credits started to roll. The speedrunner was reportedly told by Nintendo staff at the event that they were the first person to have completed the Breath of the Wild demo.
The updated versions of both Breath of the Wild and its 2023 sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, will be available to play on Switch 2 on launch day, which remains June 5 worldwide despite the pre-order holdup in the US. According to Nintendo, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games improve performance and resolution, as well as adding HDR support. Theres also a new Zelda companion app that will let you track down missing Koroks and shrines on your save file.
Those who already own the base game can upgrade for $10, and if youre a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member youll be able to play the Switch 2 versions of both BotW and TotK as part of your subscription. Good luck trying to beat Ikaboze, though.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/speedrunner-reaches-breath-of-the-wild-credits-on-switch-2-a-console-which-isnt-even-out-yet-173004158.html?src=rss
Meta is releasing a new tool it hopes will encourage developers to use its family of Llama models for their next project. At its inaugural LlamaCon event in Menlo Park on Tuesday, the company announced the Llama API. Available as a limited free preview starting today, the tool gives developers a place to experiment with Meta's AI models, including the recently released Llama 4 Scout and Maverick systems. It also makes it easy to create new API keys, which devs can use for authentication purposes.
"We want to make it even easier for you to quickly start building with Llama, while also giving you complete control over your models and weights without being locked to an API," the company said in a blog post published during the event. To that end, the initial release of the Llama API includes tools devs can use to fine-tune and evaluate their apps.
Additionally, Meta notes it won't use user prompts and model responses to train its own models. "When youre ready, the models you build on the Llama API are yours to take with you wherever you want to host them, and we dont keep them locked on our servers," the company said. Meta expects to roll out the tool to more users in coming weeks and months.
Despite the fact Meta's Llama models have been downloaded more than one billion times, the company typically isn't viewed as a leader in the AI space in quite the same way as OpenAI and Anthropic. It doesn't help push against that perception that the company was caught gaming LMArena to make its Llama 4 models look better than they actually were.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-making-it-easier-to-use-llama-models-for-app-development-171514630.html?src=rss
Meta didn't wait for Tuesday's LlamaCon keynote to unveil its first big AI announcement of the week. The company launched a standalone app that competes with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other multimodal AI chatbots. Sticking to the companys roots, the app also includes a social feed and the ability to draw on info from your profile and posts youve shared.
The Meta AI app offers similar features to rival chatbots, including text and voice chats, live web access and the ability to generate and edit images. But it also includes a Discover feed that (for better or worse) adds a social element to your AI queries. The company describes it as "a place to share and explore how others are using AI." It highlights the prompts that others share and lets you "remix them to make them your own."
Meta stresses that none of your private chats will post to others' feeds unless you explicitly choose to share them.
Meta
For users in the US and Canada, Meta AI can personalize its answers based on data you've shared with Meta products. This includes info like your social profile and content you like or engage with. The company says linking your Facebook and Instagram accounts to the same Meta AI account will provide "an even stronger personalized experience." If you don't want that, this might be a good time to check your privacy settings.
The app has a live conversation mode for users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Much like a similar feature in ChatGPT and Gemini, Metas version lets you and the AI assistant listen and speak simultaneously, with a natural flow that should feel more like a real conversation. However, Meta only describes it as a demo that provides "a glimpse into the future," suggesting it's still in an early stage. This mode also doesn't offer live web access.
Meta
The Meta AI web version includes the app's new features, including voice interactions and the Discover feed. This version has a few differences, including enhanced image generation (more presets and new editing modes for style, mood, lighting and colors). The web version also lets you test a rich document editor (in some countries) that can spit out text- and image-rich docs to export as PDFs.
The app has merged with the Meta View companion app for the company's Ray-Ban glasses collab. The company says it will include a handoff feature that lets you start a conversation on the glasses and then access it in your history tab on the app or web. After installing the update, you can manage your glasses in the Meta AI app's Devices tab.
You can download the new Meta AI app from the App Store and Google Play.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-chatgpt-competitor-includes-conversational-voice-chat-and-a-social-feed-164735307.html?src=rss
If you want to upgrade your video call setup without buying an external webcam, your iPhone can help. With macOS Ventura or later, Apples Continuity Camera feature allows users to turn their iPhone into a high-quality, wireless webcam for Mac. Whether youre joining a meeting on Zoom, recording a presentation or creating content for YouTube, using your iPhone as a webcam can provide a sharper image, better low-light performance and useful extras like Center Stage and Desk View. Heres how to set up and use your iPhone as a webcam with your Mac, along with additional tips for microphone-only use, Desk View, Studio Light and more. It works natively in macOS, so its easy to set up. All you need to do is mount your phone and start your call.
What youll need to use Continuity Camera
Youll need the following things to use this feature properly:
An iPhone XR or newer running iOS 16 or later
A Mac running macOS Ventura or later
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on both devices
Both devices signed into the same Apple ID with two-factor authentication enabled
A way to mount your iPhone (Apple sells a MagSafe-compatible Belkin mount, but any secure mount or tripod will work)
Continuity Camera works wirelessly by default, though you can connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB if you prefer a more stable connection.
How to enable Continuity Camera
Continuity Camera is automatically enabled on supported iPhones and Macs. However, its worth confirming that the feature is active in your iPhones settings:
Open Settings on your iPhone
Tap General
Select AirPlay & Handoff
Make sure Continuity Camera is toggled on
On your Mac, no additional setup is required, but youll want to ensure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled and that both devices are nearby and awake.
How to use your iPhone as a webcam in macOS apps
Once Continuity Camera is active, your Mac should automatically detect your iPhone as a webcam source in any compatible app. That includes FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, QuickTime, Safari and most other video and streaming applications.
To use your iPhone as the camera in a specific app:
Open the app you want to use (e.g., Zoom or FaceTime)
Go to the apps video settings or preferences menu
Select your iPhone from the list of available camera sources (it may appear as "iPhone Camera")
Your iPhone will automatically activate its rear camera and stream a live video feed to your Mac. Continuity Camera uses the iPhones higher-quality rear camera, but you can leverage the front camera using third-party apps such as EpocCam, iVCam or DroidCam.
If nothing happens, make sure:
Both devices are unlocked and on the same Wi-Fi network
Continuity Camera is enabled on your iPhone
Youre signed into the same Apple ID on both devices
How to use microphone-only mode
In addition to camera input, Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a high-quality microphone source. This is handy if you prefer to use your Macs built-in camera or another webcam but still want the clarity of the iPhones microphone.
To use your iPhone as a mic:
Open System Settings on your Mac
Go to Sound > Input
Select your iPhone from the list of available input devices
You can also choose the iPhone microphone directly from within most video apps under their audio settings or microphone input menus.
How to use Desk View
Desk View is a unique feature of Continuity Camera that uses the iPhones ultrawide lens to simulate a top-down camera angle. It creates a second video feed showing your desk or workspace, which is useful for demos, unboxings, or sketching on paper.
Its worth mentioning that Desk View is only available on Macs with the 12MP Center Stage camera, and with iPhone 11 or later (excluding iPhone 16e and iPhone SE, as these models do not meet the hardware requirements for this feature).
To use Desk View:
Position your iPhone horizontally in a mount at the top of your display
Open the Desk View app on your Mac (found in Applications or Launchpad)
The app will generate a simulated overhead view of your desk
You can share this view in apps like Zoom by selecting Desk View as the video source
Some third-party apps (such as FaceTime and Camo) also support displaying both your face and the Desk View simultaneously using picture-in-picture.
How to adjust Continuity Camera effects
MacOS allows you to enable various video effects in the Control Center when using your iPhone as a webcam. These features enhance your appearance and help you stay centered on screen, though you need to be on a video call to use them.
To access these effects:
The ground has just shifted for anyone trying to figure out the exact release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 as 2K has altered plans for another game in its stable, Borderlands 4. The latest entry in Gearbox's series will arrive 11 days earlier than previously announced as it will debut on September 12.
After teasing a delay, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford said "the team has been working very hard. Everything's going great, actually. In fact, everything's going kind of the best case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking." As such, Gearbox and 2K are bringing the release date forward. Gearbox said the decision was made after "a lot of meetings, playtesting and incredible development work."
Announcement about the Borderlands 4 launch date - Please watch until the end: pic.twitter.com/cF85jG1p09 Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 29, 2025
Sony is hosting a dedicated State of Play for Borderlands 4 on April 30 (which is tomorrow, fact fans). The stream will run for around 20 minutes or so and you can watch it on the PlayStations Twitch and YouTube channels at 5PM ET.
Meanwhile, that sound you just heard was countless game developers and publishers scrambling to deduce what the revised Borderlands 4 date means for GTA 6. The latter is still scheduled to arrive this fall and 2K is likely to want to have a buffer of at least a few weeks to avoid cannibalizing Borderlands 4 sales. If the fall release window still holds for GTA 6, that means it should arrive sometime in October or November (2K will certainly want to have the game out before Black Friday in that scenario).
It's been widely reported that publishers and studios are holding off on revealing release dates for any games they have coming out this fall to see when GTA 6 lands, so they can give that guaranteed juggernaut as wide a berth as possible. As it happens, Sony is one of the few companies that's locked in fall dates for major games. Marathon will drop on Borderlands 4's old date of September 23 while Ghost of Ytei is slated to hit PS5 on October 2. Perhaps Sony, which is working with 2K on promoting Borderlands 4, knows more about the GTA 6 release date than it's letting on.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/borderlands-4-release-date-moves-up-to-september-12-154958162.html?src=rss
