On Friday, Riot Games posted a check-in video regarding the current season and monetization woes in League of Legends. The video begins with head of League Studio Andrei Van Roon and executive producer Paul Bellezza discussing the current season format, which recently underwent a big change to be more lore-focused. The pair also discuss Hextech Chests and skins, a controversial topic in League of Legends due to recent expensive gacha mechanics and feelings of FOMO.Hextech Chests were rewards that were distributed to players, and players could unlock them to earn free skins. Riot quietly removed Hextech Chests, which raised an outcry from fans. In this dev update, Van Roon says that free chests unintentionally became the primary way to unlock skins, and an increasing amount of players ended up with substantial skin collections for free. While he acknowledges that this led to a great player experience, he says it was not sustainable in the long term.While Hextech Chests are gone, Riot is aiming to compensate for the loss with Battle Passes. The plan is currently to add more distinct visual effects and model changes to Battle Pass skins, which Riot hopes will make them feel like a more valuable reward. These changes wont be present in the season 1, act 2 patch, but players can expect to see them in season 2.Season 1 of League of Legends is set in Noxus, the brutal and expansionist empire with a secret magical illuminati behind the scenes. So far, fans have responded well to seeing more lore in-game, and getting a glimpse at events like the ball of the Black Rose. Act 2 will bring more Noxus content, including the return of the Arena game mode.A new Arena map will take place in the Reckoning Pits of Noxus, which is where prisoners and gladiators fight for a chance at glory. Players who compete consistently in Arena will earn Fame, a new ranking system, and famous Reckoners will show up to make cameos throughout the matches.After Noxus, we can expect season 2 to be a palate cleanser with a much more lighthearted theme, which may take us to a region like Bandle City or Bilgewater. Well have to wait more for information on the season 2 launch date, and the second half of the current Noxian season.

When the Nintendo Switch 2 was officially announced, it was hard to feel like it wasnt just more of the same. With no weird 3D gimmicks and no absurd naming scheme, did it even really feel like a new Nintendo device? But eagle-eyed viewers picked up on something elseNintendo, it turns out, might be the first console maker to build a mouse right into its default controller. At about 1:01 into the announcement trailer, you can see what looks like an optical sensor pop up on the side of one of the Switch 2s Joy-Con controllers (or whatever they end up being called), and just a few seconds later, those same two controllers glide along a desk on their side, as if theyre being used like mice.The moment followed weeks of rumors and supposed leaks, but nothing concrete had surfaceduntil now.In a patent filed on August 1 of last year and published on Feb. 6, Nintendo describes an input device that looks and sounds a lot like a Switch 2 Joy-Con (thats what Im going to call it for now) being held on its side and includes a sensor for mouse operation. Finally, it seems like Nintendo's Switch 2 might not be so boring after all. Credit: Nintendo via World Intellectual Property Organization In a diagram included with the patent, a hand seems to be using the Joy-Cons shoulder and trigger buttons as mouse buttons, and perhaps using the thumbstick as a scroll wheel. A button does seem to be missing from the Joy-Con in the diagram, the mysterious new C button seen in the Switch 2 trailer from the end of last month, but aside from that, everything seems to be depicted exactly as expected.Technically, Nintendo isnt the first to have this idea. A similar feature, albeit with slightly clunkier implementation, is already available on the Lenovo Legion Go, with that devices FPS mode. But with Nintendo giving mouse control to its entire user base, developers will likely feel much more comfortable supporting the control scheme.So, what could a mouse on the Switch 2 mean? Well, more natural PC ports and easier aiming in shooting games, for sure. But Ive got a slightly more out-there theory.I think Nintendo wants to bring DS games to the TV for the first time since the Wii U's virtual console. The company recently added Game Boy Advance games to an upgraded tier of the Switch Online library, but with a mouse, Nintendo could easily bring over DS games to the Switch 2 as well. Yes, technically, the Joy-Cons motion controls could mimic a touchscreen stylus to a degree, but a mouse will much more easily provide the speed and precision needed for DS classics like The World Ends With You, which has never really translated well to any other systems (despite multiple attempts from Square Enix). Finally, there will be a good official method for playing these games that doesnt involve actually breaking out the old DS Lite (or, yes, a 3DS).But even if Im wrong and the mouse just becomes an optional control feature for certain games, it is funny to imagine a future where the Nintendo Switch has better support for shooters than the Xbox.

Bluesky is setting itself up to be a social media jack of all trades. There's the main experience, of course, which replaces something like X or Threads. But it's not all about the text posts: Soon, you'll be able to use an app like Flashes to transform Bluesky into a kind of Instagram. Before that drops, however, you can use a different app to turn Bluesky into TikTok. It's not quite there yet, but it's a fascinating look into a unique kind of social media clientan app that turns one platform into something else entirely.Introducing Bluescreen for Bluesky Bluescreen is a Bluesky client with one singular purpose: It identifies the videos from your Bluesky feed and delivers them to you in a TikTok-style endless scrolling interface. You don't interact with text-based posts, nor do you see still images. It's as if Bluesky offered a "video only" feed. But, since they don't, Bluescreen exists. It's a cool idea, and it's also the idea behind Flashes. Instead of isolating the videos in your Bluesky feed, Flashes isolates the images, which lets you turn Bluesky into an Instagram alternative. If you're surprised to hear two different Bluesky clients using the same strategy to achieve two similar outcomes, that's because they're both developed by the same person: Sebastian Vogelsang.Vogelsang announced Flashes before Bluescreen, but released the video app ahead of the photo app. While we wait for the Instagram of Bluesky to get here, we can try out the TikTok of Bluesky instead.Using Bluescreen to watch videos on Bluesky Credit: Lifehacker In execution, Bluescreen does it what's it's supposed to, though there is definitely some room to grow. Once you connect your Bluesky account to the client, you'll be presented with a videojust as you are when opening an app like TikTok, or when using Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. As with these services, there are multiple options to interact with the video: Tapping the heart button gives the video a like, without having to leave the video feed itself. If you tap on the comment button, however, Bluescreen leaves the video feed, and shows you the comments in a different window. You can tap the button with the two arrows to repost the video, and the three dots icon to access additional controls, like Translate, Share, and Report. There's also a general mute button available in the bottom right corner.If you tap the video itself, you'll pull up the standard iOS video control menu. From here, you can play and pause, rewind or jump ahead, AirPlay, or control the volume of the video, if you'd rather not mess with your iPhone's general volume setting. Speaking of volume, that is my one main criticism of Bluescreen as it exists right now: Each video is muted by default, even though the mute button says the volume should be on. You have to tap this mute button twice; once to mute the video, then again to unmute it, before it starts playing. You need to do this for each video you swipe through. Oddly, this is only a problem when watching through your phone's speakers: Connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and the videos sound off as they should. I imagine this is a bug that Vogelsang will work out in due time.At the top of the page, you can choose which feed to pull videos from. The App Store page says you can choose from thousands of feeds, but if that sounds overwhelming, you can stick with video from your main feeds, such as the Following or Discover tabs, or any of your pinned feeds. It's neat to choose the Astronomy feed I follow, for example, and see videos specifically about this topic. (It also shows me I might need to drop some of my pinned feeds, due to low-quality content.) You can also use the search icon in the top right to search for whatever content you like, in addition to finding trending topics. Again, if you've used a social media platform before, you'll be familiar with this.In theory, this could be an awesome experience. If you curate your Bluesky feeds well enough, you could have a varied filter of all short-form videos posted to the platform. It's still an early concept, so the UI isn't quite as fluid or polished as established video apps, but I can totally see the potential here. Uploading your own videos via BluescreenThis isn't just a passive experience, however: You can use Bluescreen to upload videos to Bluesky. If you hit the (+) on the bottom of the screen, you can choose a video from your library to post on Bluesky via Bluescreen. You can access light editing tools along the way, add a caption for your video, choose who can reply to the post, and the language of the post before publishing. Remember: You're not posting on Bluescreen; rather, Bluesky. While it'll look like you're posting on a new platform, all you're really doing is posting a video to your existing Bluesky account. Credit: Lifehacker

A group of House Democrats are pushing Mark Zuckerberg on Metas recent policy changes, saying they are deeply concerned about the companys move to loosen its content moderation rules, end corporate diversity programs and ditch third-party fact checking. In a letter addressed to the Meta CEO, four members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee demanded details about the sweeping changes Zuckerberg announced last month.These policy changes, the timing of which gives the inescapable appearance of currying favor with the Trump Administration, are abhorrent, inconsistent, and dangerous, the lawmakers wrote.Meta so far hasnt provided many specifics about how it will implement its new policies, which were announced shortly before President Donald Trump took office. The letter asks Zuckerberg to describe how Trumps threats of retribution against you may have influenced the decision to end fact-checking on the platform. It also asks if the Facebook founder has had discussions with anyone representing the Trump Administration regarding the Federal Trade Commissions antitrust case against Meta.The letter further notes that Zuckerbergs recent statements seem to directly contradict previous remarks he made when the Oversight Board was first created. The Oversight Board, once touted as a beacon of accountability, is rendered toothless when Meta itself refuses to adhere to the principles of trust and safety, it says.Lawmakers also questioned Zuckerberg about his public statements that corporations need more "masculine energy calling it particularly strange in light of the fact that Metas long time Chief Legal Officer and its current Chief Financial Officer are both women and the three most important committees of your Board of Directors are chaired by women.Zuckerberg was given a February 21, 2025, deadline to respond. We dont have anything further to say beyond all weve already communicated over the last weeks, a Meta spokesperson told Engadget when asked about the letter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/house-democrats-press-mark-zuckerberg-on-metas-policy-changes-235229672.html?src=rss

The week has been a mixed bag for Apple. First, it launched a new iPhone app for organizing events and being actually social; then, it had to contend with a third-party app store offering a porn app in the European Union. And theres nothing like an Apple-pornography headline to draw the eye.But first, Apple Invites, where you can host an unlimited number of events, each one limited to 100 participants. Its also possible to invite non-iPhone users. What?!You can use your own photos or backgrounds in the app as an image for the invite and even arrange a communal playlist through Apple Music.Of course, theres some Apple Intelligence shoehorned in. Image Playground is built into Invites to generate images for your events when there arent any appropriate photos.EngadgetWhat about the future for existing invite apps, like Evite, Partiful, Luma and the rest? Well, all isnt lost: Only paid iCloud subscribers can create invites in the app and prices start there at 99 cents a month, while rival apps offer free basic event invites. Also, the web experience for non-iPhone people is pretty clunky and painful. At least for now.Meanwhile, a third-party app store called AltStore PAL announced a porn app called Hot Tub was now available to iOS users in the European Union. The marketplace described it as the first Apple-approved porn app which probably isnt entirely accurate.Its seemingly the first time a porn app has been available natively for the iPhone. Apple said it was deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids.And just to add further corporate spice: Longtime Apple App Store foe Epic gave the alternative app store a MegaGrant last year to help fund the core technology fees third-party app stores are required to pay Apple. Not that its directly affiliated with this adult entertainment portal. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney took to X to say, the Epic Games Store doesnt carry this app, doesnt carry any porn apps, and has never carried porn apps. Mat SmithGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!How to use Apple Invites to plan your next eventThe biggest tech stories you missedReddit temporarily bans r/WhitePeopleTwitter after Elon Musk claimed it had broken the lawProtecting the US from hackers apparently isn't in Trump's budgetSonos may release its long-rumored streaming box this yearOura Ring 4 long-term reviewIt remains the smart ring to beat.EngadgetDespite the appearance of rival smart rings from the likes of Samsung, the Oura Ring 4 remains the best option. It tracks your sleep, activity and stress levels, is comfortable to wear and looks, shock, like a regular ring. The battery life is admirable, lasting up to seven days, with new features including 24/7 heart rate tracking and temperature monitoring. However, these features are only available if you pay for a monthly subscription and that may remain the biggest caveat for this $349 ring.Continue reading.In 1996, IBMs Deep Blue beats Kasparov at chessThe first chess win for a computer against a world champion.IBMThis week, we go back 29 years. Back when we were barely saying artificial intelligence, let alone AI, on February 10, 1996, IBMs Deep Blue chess computer defeated fleshbag world champion Garry Kasparov. It marked the first time a computer beat a high-level opponent. However, Kasparov won the series 4-2. It wasnt until a year later that Deep Blue bested him in a rematch.Ask Engadget!AMA or AEA.Ask Mat, he's listening.EngadgetShould I upload pictures of my children to the cloud? Is it safe?Whats the most reliable EV brand?Which streaming subscription should I drop, and why is it Prime Video?Were bringing back Ask Engadget, with an entirely new email address: askmat(AT)engadget.com. No personal questions, please.Ask Mat something!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-133509185.html?src=rss

Google Gemini Super Bowl ad has a cheesy mistake.

'Our core experience still needs significant improvement'

Anduril has signed a term sheet to raise up to $2.5 billion at a valuation of $28 billion, according to sources close to the company.

Part of the funding is expected to be used for Stargate, the joint venture between SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle announced by President Donald Trump.

Hugo and Ian continue the 2025 VFX Oscar nominees season of VFX Notes.This week, Hugo and Ian continue with our season dedicated to the 5 nominees for this years Oscar for Best Visual Effects. In this episode, we discuss Wes Balls Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. We review the film, talk about the franchise, discuss the Wt FX tech and pipeline and go in-depth into the biggest sequences of the film.Tons of fun detail in the ep. Get even more insights into the films and we projects we cover at VFX Notes by supporting us at the dedicated VFX Notes Patreon. The post VFX Notes breaks down Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes appeared first on befores & afters.