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Microsoft is dramatically increasing the price of the Xbox Series X and Series S as well as new games and accessories. The Series S will start at $380, up from $300, while the Series X will begin at $550, a $100 increase on its previous price. The company is also increasing the prices of pretty much all its first-party products and peripherals. A basic controller will now cost $65. Microsoft is also increasing pricing in Europe, UK, Australia and many other countries. Microsoft, however, isnt pointing the finger at tariffs: We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development, the company said. Its unusual for a mid-generation console to increase in price typically, companies launch a slightly more expensive, better-specced iteration instead. Also this week, Samsungs chief financial officer Soon-cheol Park told reporters The ongoing uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies continues to pose a potential risk of demand slowdown. Park said US tariff policies and stronger export controls against artificial intelligence products are expected to have an impact on demand. In addition to a downward trend on sales, the company also expects tariffs to raise prices for the components it uses on its mobile phones so expect more expensive smartphones down the line. The recent addition to upward pricing is DJIs popular Ozmo Pocket 3 vlogging camera. Up from a launch price of $520, its gone way up to $799. (DJI had already bumped the price up last month to $620.) The base camera is now more expensive than the Creator Kit available at launch. Mat Smith Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest stories you might have missed Apple sends spyware warnings to iPhone users in 100 countries Rivian R1S Gen 2 review: The rugged foundation of Rivians electric empire VR is helping to make daunting medical treatments more bearable for patients The best way to compost your food scraps The BBC used AI (and an actor) to bring Agatha Christie back to life With approval from her estate. BBC BBC Maestro offers classes and courses similar to Masterclass, but with a British twist. Its latest tutor, however, died in 1976. Agatha Christie has been digitally revived to teach us all how to write murder mysteries with no reference to smartphones and the internet. A blend of licensed images, limited footage and past audio recordings converged to create Christies likeness. This was fused with recorded footage of actor Vivien Keene, who performs the words of Christie on video. I got to briefly watch some of the lessons. Theres still a glint of uncanny valley, of course, (I think its something to do with the eyes?), but even BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine noted that since the projects inception a few years ago, the technology had evolved so quickly that the team was able to do even more than it first thought possible. Continue reading. Canon Powershot V1 camera review A powerful compact capable of capturing incredible video. Engadget Canons PowerShot V1 is a versatile hybrid camera with excellent video and image quality thanks to the unusually large sensor. It goes up against Sonys ZV-1 II and beats it in multiple ways, including a built-in fan to minimize overheating. Its also capable of 10-bit log 4K video for those willing to dig into higher-quality footage. The PowerShot V1 is bound to be a hit because it delivers both on video and photo quality. Continue reading. Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning ID technology debuts in the US World is opening six locations across the country. A startup co-founded by Sam Altman has launched its World eyeball-scanning identity verification systm in the US. During an event in San Francisco, Altman reportedly said Worlds technology provides a way to make sure humans remained central and special in a world where the internet had a lot of AI-driven content. Altman is also one of the founders and is currently the CEO of OpenAI, of Chat-GPT fame. (Or infamy.) The project uses basketball-sized spherical objects called Orbs to scan the users irises, which it turns into their unique IrisCode. It then uses that information to create a World ID for the user, which they can use to log into integrated platforms, including Minecraft and Reddit. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111538265.html?src=rss
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Late last year, Reddit introduced its AI-powered search tool, Reddit Answers. Now, the company plans to make the feature even more prominent by adding it into Reddits main sitewide search, CEO Steve Huffman said during the companys first-quarter earnings call. We are now working to integrate it into Reddit core search experience to further streamline the path from question to answer on Reddit, Huffman said. Integrating into Reddit search means we want one search box. That'll be the primary search box, and youll type your query in there, you'll get, potentially, your [Reddit] Answers, answer, or, you know, more of a traditional Reddit response, depending on what you're searching for. Up to now, Reddit Answers, which is still labeled as being in beta, has lived in its own section of the service. The feature summarizes conversations from across Reddit in response to queries that users may otherwise seek out by adding Reddit to their searches on Google. Huffman said that Reddit Answers, which recently became available to all US Redditors, as well as a handful of international markets, already has 1 million weekly users. Thats only a small fraction of Reddits 401 million weekly users, but adding it into Reddits primary search box should give it a boost. Huffman said the change is part of a broader strategy to improve search across Reddit. Reddit Answers, he said, could help make the service more accessible to new users and guide people who come to the site via search engines. The change could also be somewhat controversial Reddit users arent exactly known for loving big changes to the service though Huffman acknowledged users may not always want an AI-generated summary in response to every search. Sometimes people will want the summarized, annotated, sterile answers from AI, and we're even building this ourselves in Reddit Answers, Huffman said. But other times they want the subjective, authentic, messy, multiple viewpoints that Reddit provides.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-will-integrate-ai-answers-into-its-main-search-bar-223907171.html?src=rss
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Microsoft just increased all Xbox prices: Grab one before the hikes go into effect Microsoft Gaming is about to get a lot more expensive at least for Xbox fans. Effective today, May 1, Microsoft is increasing the price of Xbox consoles and controllers, and not by an insignificant amount: The Xbox Series S 512GB, is now $380, more than a 25 percent increase from $300. The Xbox Series X 1TB Digital is now $550, a 22 percent increase from $450. The Xbox Series S 1TB is now $430, a 22 percent increase from $350). The Xbox Series X 1TB with Blu-ray is now $600, a 20 percent increase from $500. The Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition is now $730, a 22 percent increase from $600. The news doesn't end there. Controllers and headsets now start at $65 and top out at $200 for the "Full" Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Games will also increase in price, though not right away: "Some of our new, first-party games will launch at $79.99 beginning this holiday season," Microsoft explains. That last one seems more about leaning in to Nintendo's ambitious Switch 2 game pricing, and less about any possible tariff impact (though it's worth noting Xbox prices are going up worldwide, not just in the US.) But not all is negative, as if you're in the market for a new console, prices at online retailers have yet to catch up. Before you whip out your credit card, remember some key caveats here. The current Xbox platform is effectively five years old, with the leaked mid-gen "Brooklin" refresh seemingly canceled. An all-new Xbox generation is also expected to arrive in the next few years, perhaps 2028, with leaks suggesting it may be a "cloud hybrid" machine. And more and more previous Xbox exclusives are beginning to pop up on the PS5, too. That said, if you've been waiting to buy an Xbox, now is the time, as these legacy prices could disappear any minute. Best Xbox deals This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/microsoft-just-increased-all-xbox-prices-grab-one-before-the-hikes-go-into-effect-192628921.html?src=rss
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Lyft is rolling out a new service called Lyft Silver that's specifically designed to give aging and elderly people a way to get around when driving isn't an option. The basic pitch is that while getting rides from friends and family is great, it can limit the sense of independence an elderly person has. According to Audrey Liu, Lyft's head of Rider and Community Safety, the goal "wasn't just to build a service, but to remove everything that makes getting around a challenge." Lyft Silver will ideally help people "stay connected with their communities." Public transportation is already doing that for plenty of elderly people, but not everyone has access and Lyft is promising an extra level of security and support. Besides featuring a simpler interface, the new service adds access to live human support whenever you need it. Lyft Silver will also prioritize matching riders with cars that are easier to get in and out of, and make it easier to share ride details with loved ones. Lyft has offered features in the past that acknowledge elderly riders, but hasn't addressed them directly. The company's Concierge service lets a doctor's office order a ride for an elderly patient, for example. Lyft has also partnered with healthcare providers to offer paid rides to appointments. Lyft Silver just simplifies things even further by repackaging the basic ride-hailing experience for an older audience. Lyft says Lyft Silver will launch in early access "nationwide" on May 5. You'll be able to use the service directly from the normal Lyft app, and the company says families will be able to pay for their loved ones rides with Lyft Cash, the company's in-app payment method.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-silver-wants-to-keep-your-aging-parents-off-the-road-192617078.html?src=rss
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Epic Games just announced some changes to its store that should please budding developers. The company will not charge a commission of any kind for the first $1,000,000 in revenue from an app per year. Once a piece of software goes past that threshold, Epic will begin taking its standard rate of 12 percent. The policy goes into effect in June. This sounds like a real boon for smaller devs, especially when you consider that Steam takes 30 percent of sales as commission. Apple isnt a direct competitor here, but the App Store takes 15 percent on the first million in revenue. This increases to 30 percent once that metric is met. Epic Games Store will take 0% on the first $1,000,000 of payments we process per game per year (vs 15% for Apple), and 12% after that (vs 30% for Apple).Next month, we launch EGS Webshops for out-of-app purchases, as an alternative to in-app purchases.https://t.co/yTufyZbiqR Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 1, 2025 Epic also announced something called webshops, which sounds like a way for developers to avoid Apples App Store fees. These shops are powered by the Epic Games Store and offer customers "out-of-app purchases, as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases." These stores will be available next month "on any platform that allows it," though that now includes iOS devices in both the EU and the US. The company will begin offering a bonus of five percent in Epic Rewards to lure customers to these webshops. This will be applicable to all purchases, though the company hasnt said if it's a limited time offer. Epic is able to do this whole webshop thing because it just won a case against long-time foe Apple. A California court just ordered Apple to stop collecting fees for purchases made outside of the App Store. August 2020: Fortnite leaves the iOS App Store.May 2025: Epic announces Fortnite will return to US iOS App Store.More at @thegamebusiness:https://t.co/7Z8EyzhokQ Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) May 1, 2025 The ruling also means that Fortnite is coming back to Apple devices in the US next week. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has stated that the company would return the game to the App Store worldwide, so long as Apple extends the courts ruling across all countries. The company will also drop all pending litigation on the topic. Hes calling it a "peace plan," but Apple has yet to respond.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-takes-aim-at-apple-and-steam-with-zero-commission-policy-for-developers-183956940.html?src=rss
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