No matter which Alexa-enabled device you have, there are plenty of ways to customize it. You might miss some of the options, though, because there are so many. A surface-level review includes using your Echo to call someone, connecting Alexato Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and evenusing Alexa in the kitchen.From the Amazon Echo Dot, the massive Echo Show 15, the ground-shaking Echo Studioor the rotating smart display in theEcho Show 10, you'll find plenty of different ways to make these Amazon-branded device a little more useful to you. A few small changes can make a big difference. For example, you'll want to update your privacy settings, including automatically deleting recordings and turning off the setting that lets Amazon employees listen to those recordings.It might seem difficult setting these things up at first, but if you work at it you'll be left with a great experience that'll make you feel like your Alexa devices are working hard for you instead of the other way around. 1. Update your Amazon Echo privacy settings Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. One of the first concerns with owning an Echo speaker isprivacy. Fortunately, Amazon is rolling out more privacy settings, including updates to both Ring and Echo products. You can delete your entire voice recordings history. To do this, open the Alexa app and go toSettings>Alexa Privacy>Review VoiceHistory. Next, tap the downward-facing arrow next toDisplayingand then the arrow next toFilter By Date. Then tapAll History>Delete All My Recordings.You can also keep Amazon employees from listening to your voice recordings. In theAlexaapp, go toSettings>Alexa Privacy>Manage Your Alexa Data. From here, selectChoose How Long to Save Recordings>Don't SaveRecordings>Confirm. Next, scroll down toHelp Improve Alexa, and switch off theUse of Voice Recordings. For more safety tips on your smart home devices, read our privacy guide on how to keep Amazon, Google and Apple out of your conversations. Watch this: Alexa gets new features to make it a better listener 07:02 2. Enable Brief Mode on your Amazon Echo When you ask Alexa to do something, such as play a song or turn on the lights, Alexa will say something like, "OK, turning on the lights." This is to help you determine why Alexa did something if it wasn't what you asked. If you don't want Alexa repeating what you just said, you can change that setting so that it plays a short sound instead of a voice response. To do so, open the Alexa app'sMore menu and select Settings. Under the Alexa Preferences section, tap Voice Responses, then toggle on the switch for Brief Mode. Turn on Brief Mode so your Echo will play a short sound instead of a voice response. Dale Smith/CNET 3. Set up your preferred music streaming service When you set up your Amazon Echo, the music service defaults to Amazon Music. If you use Spotify, Apple Music or another streamer, you may want to link your Echo to that instead. Go to Settings > Music & Podcasts,then link to a service. On the same page, tap Default Services and switch to your preferred music provider. Now the Echo will play from the music streaming service of your choice when you say, "Alexa, play music." Note that you can select defaults for family or personal listening. 4. Change the wake word from Alexa If TV commercials keep triggering your Amazon Echo when they say "Alexa," you can change the wake word to something less likely to trigger the speaker. The other traditional options are Computer, Echo and Amazon, but there are several newer wake word additions you can use like Ziggy and Hey, Disney. If you want a change, just say, "Alexa, change the wake word" and make your selection. You can also open the Alexa app, go to Settings > Device Settings.Select your device, then tap the Settings icon and selectWake Word to make a choice. Unfortunately, you can't come up with your own name for the speaker, like "Tallulah" or "Digital Overlord." 5. Enable voice purchasing on your Amazon Echo You don't always have time to search Amazon for something you're out of, like toilet paper. That's why it can be helpful to set up voice purchasing on your Amazon Echo, so Alexa can order products for you. To get started, you'll need to turn on voice ordering and 1-Click ordering. Open the Alexa app and navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing >Purchasing controls> Select who can make purchases. For instance, you can set up a voice code or profile so that only you can make purchases when you type in a four-digit code. 6. Set up household profiles on your Amazon Echo If you have multiple people in your house, you'll want to set up voice profiles for each member who uses the Echo speaker. This will help Alexa learn your voice and distinguish you from others in the house. To create voice profiles, go to Settings > Your Profile & Family> Voice IDand follow the onscreen prompts. You can make sure your voice profile is correctly set up by asking, "Alexa, who am I?" The voice assistant will say, "I'm talking to [your name]." If you have favorite customizations and settings, share them in the comments. Now that you've updated these six Echo settings, here are five creative uses for your Amazon Echo device, five essential tips for your new Echo device and CNET's roundup of every Alexa command you can give right now.

If youre in need of a present for a new homeowner, our gift experts rounded up the best housewarming gifts that are both thoughtful and useful. From a Star Wars cheese board to a tabletop smores maker, these selections are sure to enhance their new living space.

The Rise of the Golden Idol designer reveals next game, and it's already got the Idol creators' seal of approvalCity of Voices.Image credit: Kini Games News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 3, 2025 If you, like me, rather enjoyed The Rise of the Golden Idol - a game we called "a compelling modern mystery thriller that's bigger, better and more ambitious than its already brilliant predecessor" - then this news may be right up your alley.Will Ackermann, one of The Rise of the Golden Idol's game designers, has today unveiled his next game: City of Voices. He's working on it in collaboration with pixel artist Matt Frith through his own studio Kini Games.Described as a "Golden Idol-like" release, City of Voices takes place in suburban England, and focuses on a young girl who on her first day at secondary school gets bullied. If that wasn't enough to deal with, she is soon "thrust into a fantastical adventure", putting even more on her plate.City of Voices announcement trailer. Watch on YouTubeLike the Golden Idol games, City of Voices will similarly challenge players to "investigate a series of moments frozen in time, examining clues and solving deduction puzzles to uncover a rich story". However, in a change from the Golden Idol games, players will instead need to answer questions by choosing from a selection of images (see below), rather than dragging and dropping words into place.If this sounds like City of Voices is still treading a little too closely to the Golden Idol formula, don't worry. Ackermann made sure he got the blessing from their creators before cracking on with his own game."I was quite nervous about asking Andrejs and Ernests, who co-created those games, for permission to essentially steal their mechanics," Ackermann admitted, "but luckily, they were flattered!"Frith added: "Since then, they've both been really supportive, and have even said they 'loved every minute of the demo' we've made, which means so much to us. We hope other players will feel the same way."There isn't currently a release date for City of Voices, but it is available to wishlist now on Steam. You can check out a trailer for it above. Image credit: Kini GamesAs for The Rise of the Golden Idol, we awarded it four out of five stars on its release."This is a brilliantly plotted thriller story stuffed with an enormous cast of memorable scoundrels, buffoons and quietly tragic onlookers, and it's all backed up by wonderfully devised puzzles that really give your brain a good runaround before you're able to prise open its hard-won secrets," our Katharine wrote in Eurogamer's Rise of the Golden Idol review.

Apple Vision Pro 3500 headset reportedly no longer in production, as stock piles upEye phone.Image credit: Apple News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 3, 2025 Apple has reportedly ceased production of its expensive 3500 Vision Pro headset, as unsold stock has piled up.The detail comes from a report by The Information, initially published last year, that has now been more widely disseminated (thanks, Kotaku). According to sources, Apple component manufacturers had supplied enough parts for at least 500k Vision Pro headsets by October 2024, but had only actually sold around 370k. This had left "tens of thousands of undelivered parts" still awaiting use.Apple reportedly believes it has now manufactured enough components to meet the Vision Pro's overall expected lifetime sales, which are lower than expected.These numbers roughly tally with a report published by the UK's Financial Times last summer, in which components suppliers claimed they expected to produce fewer than 400k units of the Vision Pro by the end of last year.Super Fruit Ninja for Apple Vision Pro.Watch on YouTubeThat same report claimed Apple had significantly scaled back its internal sales targets for the headset due to production difficulties, after previously expecting at least 1m sales in 2024.Apple has reportedly struggled to easily produce the Vision Pro's two micro-OLED displays for each eye, as well as the device's outward facing lens. The Vision Pro's cost - around 10 times that of Meta Quest VR headsets - has likely also been a factor, placing the device out of reach of many VR enthusiasts. And while Apple still reportedly has plans to follow the Vision Pro with further devices, the company is still to make its usage case clear.Apple describes The Vision Pro as a "spatial computer" that "seamlessly blends digital content with your physical space" and navigate apps or media via voice commands, eye tracking, and hand tracking. Some "spatial games" are also supported, including What the Golf?, Game Room, and Super Fruit Ninja - you can see that in action above.Eurogamer has contacted Apple for comment.

Marvel Rivals' Season 1 heroes teasedHere's the Thing.Image credit: Marvel / NetEase News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 3, 2025 The Fantastic Four are on their way to Marvel Rivals.Whilst it's yet to be formally confirmed when Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing will arrive in the free-to-play hero PvP shooter, a teaser posted to X told fans to expect more in a new trailer dropping on Monday, 6th January, just ahead of Season 1's launch on 9th January.Marvel Rivals | Winter Celebration, Joyful Jubilation.Watch on YouTubeAlso included in the promo art is H.E.R.B.I.E., Marvel's Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-Type, Integrated Electronics.This may not be a surprise for some given The Fantastic Four have long been rumoured to be on the way following datamines that even precede the game's full launch. It's fair to say, however, that some didn't expect their arrival quite so soon. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.The timing also ties in nicely with the release of the next Marvel movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is slated to release on 25th July, 2025.Expect more information when the trailer drops next week.In Eurogamer's Marvel Rivals review, Chris awarded it two stars out of five, saying, "NetEase's spin on the hero battler is complex and moreish, but rarely much actual fun. Its biggest impact is a renewed appreciation for the rivals that do it better"."I like the invention of special character team-ups, which feels perfectly Marvel in itself. I like the enduring sense of competition it inspires. I just don't truly like much else. The end result is a game that, above all, makes the success of its own rivals much more clear to me."Marvel Rivals has proven incredibly popular since its launch at the start of the month. Its opening weekend saw 10 million players join online.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereRight now, Baldurs Gate 3 is one of the best RPGs money can buy with hundreds of hours of content and more on the way. However, before development even began, Larian Studios almost screwed the pooch with a pitch that CEO Swen Vincke claims was really s**t.Baldurs Gate 3 pitch was a disasterSpeaking to GamesRadar, the CEO explained that they had a short period to write their original pitch to Dungeons & Dragons owners Wizards of the Coast.Still working on the also-amazing Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian was creatively drained. Nevertheless, they had to deliver something, and what they delivered was a disaster.It was really bad, Vincke recalled. But we didnt have the brainpower to deal with it, because we were trying to do D:OS2. Wizards then sent it back with the corporate equivalent of, This is really shit. And we said, We know, but were releasing a game dont ask us to make this now. Give us an extension.Eventually, Larian came back with a second pitch that resulted in the game being greenlit. Releasing in early access and hindered by a Google Stadia contract that left lasting issues for the game, the studio ended up creating a gaming icon.Looking back, Vincke knew the studio had to work on something big, a powerful IP to get Larian out of the AA space and into full AAA development.I felt like there was a glass ceiling that we wouldnt be able to break through unless we had triple-A production values, budget, marketing, all the triple-A things, the CEO explained. It would have been Ultima, it would have been Fallout, it would have been Baldurs Gate There was not a lot to choose from.Right now, Larian is starting work on its next project, which isnt expected to release until 2028 at the earliest. Its not known if the studio is returning to its Divinity series or if something else is brewing, but everyone is excited to find out.For more Baldurs Gate 3 coverage, read Neil Newbons thoughts on his powerful performance in Act 3 or read about the cut content mod restoring early access gameplay.Baldurs Gate 3Platform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Adventure, RPG, Strategy10VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Marvel Rivals is kicking off the new year with a bang through the imminent start of Season 1. This is set to be the hero shooters first proper chapter, and it will be fantastic, pun intended. NetEase has confirmed the arrival of The Thing, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Mr. Fantastic, and here you will find all of the leaked abilities for The Fantastic Four in Marvel Rivals ahead of their Season 1 debut. The games 2025 roadmap starts with Season 1 very soon, and NetEase has recently confirmed that the season will deliver a fix for several heroes nerfed by FPS issues. In addition, the developer will provide a fix for mouse acceleration issues, too. While fixes and quality-of-life improvements are paramount to improving the experience, they are not as exciting as the addition of new content and heroes. Its great news that The Fantastic Four are joining Marvel Rivals in Season 1, and they have some fun abilities according to leaks. Marvel Rivals The Fantastic Four abilities leaks Leaks have revealed a lot of abilities for The Fantastic Four members in Marvel Rivals. Its important to remember that these are leaks only rather than anything official, meaning the actual abilities might be slightly or completely different. The Human Torch abilities Below are the leaked abilities for the Human Torch (3-stars difficulty) via RivalsLeaks on X:The Human Torch: Q Supernova:Unleash shockwaves to deal damage to enemies within range. During skill activation, the flame field will transform into a flame tornadoLSHIFT Plasma Body:Hold LSHIFT to enter a state of accelerated ascentE Pyro-Prison:Connect flame fields to form a fire wall that deals burning damage to enemiesF Flaming Meteor:Dive towards the ground and stun nearby enemiesRight-mouse click Blazing Blast:Launch a flame ball to create a flame field at the targeted areaImage credit: RivalsLeaks on XMr. Fantastic abilities Image creditBelow are the leaked abilities for Mr. Fantastic (3-stars difficulty) via RivalsLeaks again: Q- Braniac Bounce:Leap and smash, knocking back enemies within range. Upon hitting an enemy, leap again up to six times. LSHIFT Reflexive Rubber: Stretch body to absorb damage before launching stored damage in the targeted direction. E Flexible Elongation:Select a target and dash at it, dealing damage to enemies and granting bonus health to allies. Right-mouse click Rubber Grip: Extend arms forward to entangle hit enemies, then press LEFT CLICK to select and yank two more enemies. Passive Elastic Strength: Skills generate Elasticity, boosting attack power. Reaching full Elasticity triggers an Inflated state that restores Health and boosts even more damage. Left-mouse click Elastic Punch: Stretch out a forward punch to attack enemies.Image credit: RivalsLeaks on XMarvel Rivals The Thing abilities leak RivalsLeaks has revealed the abilities for The Thing in Marvel Rivals, too. The keybinds and buttons are guesses, but the abilities are as follows: PASSIVE Solid as a Rock: Immune to enemy knockback, knockback and other displacement effects.PRIMARY Combination Punch:Quick and continuous punches.SECONDARY Thunderbolt Punch: Deliver a devastating punch.LSHIFT Furious Charge: Continuously charge forward, lifting up enemies in your path, leaving behind a seismic zone that prohibits displacement.E Battlefield Support: Jumps towards teammates and adds damage reduction to them and yourself.ULTIMATE Slam Moment: Uses tremendous force to knock all enemies in front of you into the air.Image credit: RivalsLeaks on XMarvel Rivals the Invisible WomanUnfortunately, there are no leaked abilities for the Invisible Woman in Marvel Rivals as of writing. However, there is the following description leak from X0X_LEAK: The Invisible Woman is able to slip in and out of sight without a trace. No matter how intense the battle may be, Susan Richards always keeps her cool, conjuring up impenetrable force fields to protect herself and her team.Image credit: X0X_LEAK on XThe Fantastic Four are set to join Marvel Rivals in Season 1. NetEase has confirmed that they will release a trailer for the foursome on January 6th at 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM GMT. For more Marvel Rivals, check out our guides to thebest Duelists and DPScharacters, along with thebest Vanguards and Tanks.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereArrowheads Helldivers 2 is a source of constant leaks as dataminers discover upcoming Wildlife Systems and awesome new stratagems. Alongside these additions, leakers have discovered an upcoming weapons attachment system that can allow players to add camouflage or even silencers to their guns.In a recent Twitter exchange, Arrowhead COO Johan Pilestedt alluded to the arrival of the upcoming system when talking to fans as players wish to create cursed monstrosities in their loadouts.Helldivers 2 weapon attachments will create monstersIn a post on Twitter, the Arrowhead COO quote-tweeted a video from Cursed Gun Images showing a small pistol with a holographic scope that pinged back with each shot. Teasing the often-leaked system for Helldivers 2, the COO simply said: Now this is the way to do it?Fans immediately flocked to the post with ideas for Helldivers implementation of this level of customisation. One fan said that the back-firing scope should hurt players a little while offering heavy penetration damage to enemies, which would be hilarious.One fan responded: If we cant make cursed monstrosities once we get weapon customization then whats the point. This interaction was immediately followed up by the Arrowhead COO with a simple: Haha exactly!Considering the level of detail in Helldivers 2 that allows fans to screw themselvesor more importantly, their friendsover, it makes sense that weapon customisation would be able to make some truly horrific things in the game. Of course, weapon customisation has not been officially announced by the studio, although neither were the leaked vehicles and urban environments that ended up shipping alongside the Illuminate.With Arrowhead looking to evolve Helldivers 2 so much that it essentially becomes Helldivers 3, the addition of proper, in-depth weapon customisation is extremely likely. Alongside more crossovers following the release of the Killzone event, Arrowheads game still has a lot of content for players to look forward to.Helldivers 2Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5Genre(s):Action, Shooter, Third Person8VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

New York GrooveHuge new GTA 5 mod will let you run around a full recreation of Liberty City as Michael, Trevor, and Franklin, if you fancy returning to Niko's old haunts ahead of GTA 6I've got no idea if you can run into Mr Bellic, but surely it's worth hopping on the plane to find out.Image credit: Rockstar Games/The Liberty City Preservation Project News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 3, 2025 2025's already had plenty of GTA things to talk about three days in thanks to some alleged leaks and definitely real projections surrounding GTA 6, which is set to come out later this year. GTA 5's still chipping in though, with a team of modders having recently released a huge project for it that'll let you explore Liberty City as Mike, Franklin, and Trevor.The mod is dubbed the "Liberty City Preservation Project" and as revealed by its creators in an interview with RockstarIntel, has been in the works since 2018, with its current 12 person development team called World Travel having come about via the union of lots of different GTA modding projects.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The team released the first version of its creation on December 25, and it looks pretty damn impressive. Basically, the group have had a go at completely re-creating Liberty City as it exists in GTA IV, complete with fully functioning subway system, working police, and ambient traffic.If you download the current version of the mod - which is still a work-in-progress - for GTA 5's single player, LC is a separate map from San Andreas that you can take a plane out to at anmy time, while the mutiplayer version for FiveM replaces Los Santos due to "due to limitations".Watch on YouTubeWhile the "map, vehicles, pedestrians, interiors, ambience, radio stations and much more" are all designed to mirror what you'll remember experiencing as Niko, Luis, and Johnny (even down to classic easter eggs like the Statue of Happiness having a beating heart), the team has also put some work in to make sure the envirnoment to doesn't look too shabby compared to LS on modern hardware, via an optional HD texture pack.There's also been some effort put in to try and make Liberty City feel a lot more dynamic than it did back in the day, via the addition of extra scenarios and details you can run across as you explore, such as pedestrians getting a parking ticket. On the other hand, some AI upscaling's been used to help deliver the textures, and it looks like some of that might break your immersion a bit if you stare at it too long - or for more than two seconds.Watch on YouTubeThe team behind the mod - which you can grab via World Travel's Discord server - told RockstarIntel they were actually initially on the fence about releasing it to the public, due to fear of potential DMCA action from Rockstar, which has a history of doing such things to GTA mods. However, the grioup are hoping the developer's changed its approach since acquiring modding team Cfx.re - the folks behhind roleplaying mods FiveM and RedM.It'll be interesting to see how things play out, but in the mean time, the LC Preservation Project's an interesting thing for GTA-heads to consider checking out.

Retro Is BackA new handheld console has just been revealed, and no, it's not the Switch 2It's even got a keypad on it, ain't that nice!Image credit: Atari News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Jan. 3, 2025 A new handheld console has been officially revealed ahead of CES 2025 with a swanky new trailer and it's... not the Nintendo Switch 2. No, instead it's a retro blast from the past in a shiny modern form. The Atari Gamestation Go!Shown off in a swanky and short trailer, we see the handheld in full display. It's got some bits you'd expect - like triggers and four face buttons - but also a selection of retro hardware like a keypad and a Trak-Ball. That way, you'll be able to play around with all manner of old school classics. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.While this may seem like a surprise reveal for many, it's not the first we've heard about the console. There was an early version of the Gamestation Go - then called the Gamestation Portable - available for testing at last year's CES. Atari even sent out 3D printed models of the console to select influencers to convey the sort of package it was working on.We made a little gag hinting towards it at the start of this article, but obviously now's an exciting time for the handheld console market. While not appealing to the exact same market (Atari is obviously mainly after retro fans with the Go) both the Gamestation Go and the Nintendo Switch 2 speak to a hunger for sizable portable consoles that can run distinct games.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. All we've got for now is the trailer, but you can almost certainly expect more info on this console as soon as CES 2025 kicks off proper next week. Let us know if you're keen for more news on the Atari Gamestation GO below!