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Xbox hit hard with layoffs: from cancelled games to a shuttered studio

On July 2nd, Microsoft announced sweeping layoffs affecting as many as 9,000 employees, and they had a big impact on the company’s Xbox studios. Microsoft cancelled Perfect Dark from The Initiative and closed the studio. Rare’s Everwild, announced in 2019, was cancelled, too. And Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios will lose more than 70 employees. “We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest

Google’s fix for Pixel 6A battery overheating issues arrives next week

A mandatory update for Google’s mid-range Pixel 6A phones is coming next week that is meant to reduce the risk of the battery overheating on some devices. According to a support page post, Google is issuing the mandatory Android 16 update starting July 8 to all Pixel 6A devices. However, only users with “Impacted Devices” will see any effect on their battery. Announced earlier this month, the update will reduce the battery capacity on affected phones after they reach 400 charging cycles, Google

Perplexity joins Anthropic and OpenAI in offering a $200 per month subscription

You can add Perplexity to the growing list of AI companies offering $200+ per month subscription plans to users who want unlimited access to their most advanced products and tools. As of today, Perplexity Max is available on iOS and the web. The subscription comes with unlimited monthly usage of Labs, the agentic creation tool Perplexity released this past May. People can use Labs to generate spreadsheets, presentations, web applications and more. Perplexity is also promising early access to ne

‘Jaws’ Is Coming to 4DX for the First Time as Part of Its 50th Anniversary Re-Release

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Jaws is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. While the traditional time to do a rewatch is the Fourth of July weekend, if you want to see the film bigger, sharper, and possibly louder than ever before, you’ll need to hold out until the end of August to catch Universal Pictures’ celebratory 4K re-release screenings in IMAX, RealD 3D, 4DX, and D-Box. Any of those formats would be a treat, bringing Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking blockbuster to giant scree

You Only Have Until July 7 to Grab Some Rare First Chapter Lorcana Cards

The folks over at Ravensburger have been doing a lot of good work for fans of its wildly successful trading card game (TCG), Lorcana. The Reign of Jafar set gave us some amazing new cards, and the new Fabled set is looking to bring back some fan favorites as the game moves into a new phase, one that almost all TCGs go through, by rotating sets out of standard play. Because the first four sets will no longer be legal in competition play, the Fabled set will reprint some cards from those first fou

Phil Spencer isn’t retiring as the chief of Xbox ‘anytime soon’

Microsoft says that Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO and the head of Xbox, isn’t retiring “anytime soon.” The company has responded to rumors of Spencer’s retirement, which have spread online today following Microsoft’s major layoffs. “Phil is not retiring anytime soon,” says Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, in a statement to The Verge. The denial comes after Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope claimed “Phil Spencer will be retiring from his role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming after the launc

Former Ubisoft executives convicted in France

French video game giant Ubisoft has been embroiled in a multiyear saga regarding a toxic company culture , multiple sexual harassment investigations and harassment suits filed by former employees. In 2023, five former Ubisoft executives were arrested on various charges related to these investigations. On Wednesday, a French court sentenced three of them to suspended sentences for enabling a culture rife with sexual and psychological harassment. Former editorial vice president Thomas Francois wa

I recommend this hybrid Windows laptop for work travel - and it's over 40% off

ZDNET's key takeaways HP's 16-inch Envy x360 2-in-1 (2024) comes in a variety of configurations, but the version with 1TB of storage and an OLED display starts at $1,599. It sports one of the most gorgeous displays I've seen on a convertible laptop in this price range. It's a little on the heavy side, and swapping configurations can be buggy. View now at HP The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 Laptop has received a huge $700 discount, dropping down to $900. Act fast because this deal won't last long. We

Marvel Rivals Season 3: New Phoenix Trailer Had Me Screaming 'What?!'

As Marvel Rivals gets ready to kick off season 3 next week, we're getting our first glimpse at some of the upcoming changes. And, with respect to my poor beleaguered Blade bros, the biggest news for me is that Jean Grey, original member of the X-Men and sometimes terror of the cosmos, is joining the roster as Phoenix. There's plenty more coming, including Blade in Season 3.5 next month, but Phoenix is the headliner for me, and here's our first look at what she can do. Phoenix's abilities in Ma

Former SpaceX manager alleges harassment, retaliation, and security violations in lawsuit

A former SpaceX security manager, who was privy to top secret information on U.S. government programs, is suing the company and one of its senior employees for alleged discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. Jenna Shumway, who was promoted to senior contractor program security officer after being hired in 2022, also alleges the senior employee — Daniel Collins, a former Defense Department official hired to run security compliance for the company’s government work — violated top secr

Perplexity launches a $200 monthly subscription plan

Perplexity is launching a $200-per-month subscription plan for its power users, the company announced in a blog post Tuesday. The plan, Perplexity Max, offers unlimited access to the startup’s spreadsheet and report generation tool, Labs, as well as early access to new features, including Perplexity’s forthcoming AI-powered browser, Comet. Max subscribers will also get priority access to any Perplexity services using the latest frontier models, such as OpenAI o3-pro and Claude Opus 4. With the

India’s Max Financial says hacker accessed customer data from its insurance unit

In Brief Max Financial Services on Wednesday said its insurance subsidiary Axis Max Life Insurance received communication from an anonymous sender about unauthorized access to its customer data. Without disclosing specifics, the Noida-based financial services company said in its stock exchange filing that Axis Max Life Insurance subsequently initiated an information security assessment and data log analysis. “A detailed investigation is also underway in consultation with information security

Google’s mandatory Pixel 6a battery management starts arriving next week

Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Google updated the Pixel 4a for battery management concerns earlier this year. We recently spotted Google planning a similar approach to battery failures on the Pixel 6a. Google now shares its full Pixel 6a strategy, with an update heading out July 8. Google’s got a battery problem with Pixel phones. Early this year, we learned of Google’s plan to issue a new update for the aging Pixel 4a, but rather than giving the phone a fresh version of Android, this

Mandatory battery throttling is coming for more Pixels with poor battery health (APK teardown)

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google could potentially force Battery Health Assistance to remain enabled on Pixel phones with poor battery health. Users may not be able to change/disable the feature until they replace their phone’s battery. Pixel 9a users have Battery Health Assistance already enabled and mandatory, even on new devices. Update, July 2, 2025 (1:58 PM ET): Well, that didn’t take long! Just hours after sharing our findings with you about Battery Health Assistance cha

5 Android phones you should buy instead of the Nothing Phone 3

Well, folks, it’s here: the Nothing Phone 3. Nothing’s “true flagship” smartphone is official, and it’s certainly an attention-grabber. The new Glyph Matrix on the back of the phone houses fun games and tools in the miniature LED circle, Nothing’s funky hardware design is in full force, and the spec sheet leaves little to complain about. Triple 50MP cameras on the back, including an ultrawide sensor and a periscope telephoto camera? Check. A 5,150mAh battery with 65W wired charging? Yep. A big

How to buy a GPU in 2025

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . One of the trickiest parts of any new computer build or upgrade is finding the right video card. In a gaming PC, the GPU is easily the most important component, and you can hamstring your experience by buying the wrong model. The buying process can be frustrating, with many manufacture

Everwild has reportedly been cancelled amid Xbox layoffs

In today's gaming world, a decade of development can sometimes amount to nothing. Parent company Microsoft has reportedly cancelled Rare's long-in-development project Everwild. The news comes amid broader layoffs across Microsoft's Xbox division. Rare employees will likely be part of the Xbox layoffs, according to Video Games Chronicle. VGC and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier were the first to report the game's cancellation. (Schreier added that an MMORPG project from Zenimax, codenamed "Blackbird,"

Double Is Winding Down

Double is a registered investment adviser with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While such registration does not imply a certain level of skill, it does require us to follow federal regulations that protect you, the investor. By law, we must provide investment advice that is in the best interest of our client. Please refer to Double'sfor important additional information.The publicly available portions of the Platform (i.e., the sections of the Platform that are available to indiv

The smart cooler that stopped me from toting ice again just hit an all-time low price

ZDNET's key takeaways The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is available for $1,349 but currently on sale. This cooler works as a portable mini-fridge, with dual-zone cooling and the capacity to freeze or refrigerate. The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is bulky and heavy, and it only comes with one battery so you have to purchase the second to reach the full 3.2 day capacity. View now at Best Buy View now at Amazon more buying choices The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 58L electric cooler is typically $1,100, but it

The tablet that solved my biggest smart home problem just hit an all-time low price

ZDNET's key takeaways The Echo Hub is available on Amazon right now for $180. The Echo Hub gives Alexa the place it has earned in the smart home market: A control panel to easily access smart devices, no ads, and no unnecessary fluff. The smart display can be slow and buggy, especially while loading multiple camera views. $179.99 at Amazon $179.99 at Target more buying choices The Amazon Echo Hub is an Alexa user's dream device, and it's $120 for a limited time (a 33% discount). Many smart h

Topics: alexa echo home hub smart

Firefox 120 to Firefox 141 Web Browser Benchmarks

For those curious about the direction of Mozilla Firefox web browser performance over the past year and a half, here are web browser benchmarks for every Firefox release from Firefox 120 in November 2023 through the newest Firefox 140 stable and Firefox 140 beta releases from a few days ago. Every major Firefox release was benchmarked on the same Ubuntu Linux system with AMD Ryzen 9 9950X for evaluating the performance and memory usage of this open-source web browser. Following the recent Firef

Airport Lounges Are Sexy Again—if You Can Get In

Let’s be honest: A crowded airport lounge without a seat in sight is usually less appealing than an empty gate area. Over the past decade, an influx of travelers with club access has led to overcrowding, long waitlists, and a diminished (read: not luxurious) experience. However, a version of commercial air travel—often hidden from public view and inaccessible to even premium credit cardholders—has emerged. This more private, pre-flight experience is essential for the affluent business traveler,

4 Best Smart Displays (2025): Tested By a Smart Home Addict

More Smart Displays We Like Google Nest Hub for $100: Google’s second-gen Nest Hub is a great option if you don't need a camera and don’t mind a smaller 7-inch screen. It has a wake-up alarm that emulates the rising sun for gentler mornings, and it has sleep tracking tech to track your sleep quality, though the quality of the results isn't great. It also supports gestures—like playing or pausing a video with a hand movement—by using unique radar tech. Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) for $90: The s

US chipmakers could see bigger tax credits if Trump’s spending bill passes

In Brief The semiconductor industry could see a big tax benefit if the Trump administration is able to pass the current version of its spending bill. The latest draft of the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which already passed in the Senate, will raise the tax credit for chipmakers building manufacturing plants in the U.S. from 25% to 35%, as originally reported by CNBC. Companies including Intel, TSMC, and Micron Technology could reap these benefits if they continue to expand t

Is mandatory battery throttling coming for more Pixels with poor battery health? (APK teardown)

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google could potentially force Battery Health Assistance to remain enabled on Pixel phones with poor battery health. Users may not be able to change/disable the feature until they replace their phone’s battery. Pixel 9a users have Battery Health Assistance already enabled and mandatory, even on new devices. Pixel smartphones have been a staple recommendation as great Android phones, but lately, we’ve been hearing more and more about their battery issu

8 ways every Linux distro could make things a lot easier for newbies

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET For the past two decades, I've been beating the Linux drum as loudly as I can. There have been moments when it seemed to have worked, and moments when I felt like I was the only one dancing to the beat. Over time, I've drawn more conclusions than I care to admit, but some of those conclusions have held fast and strong since I began this journey: conclusions that I believe could help make it easier for the masses to adopt Linux as its default OS. Also: Want to save

Why I recommend this 2023 Sony TV over most newer models - especially at $300 off

ZDNET's key takeaways What the Sony Bravia X90L lacks in eye-popping specs, it more than makes up for in real-world picture performance and Sony upscaling technology, which delivers great video for movies, sports, cable, and streaming. Regarding the features you'll love for daily use, the X90L has an excellent remote that feels premium, is just the right size, includes backlighting, and has a good balance of just the right number of buttons The X90L also has Google TV built-in. The closest ri

Topics: sony tcl tv tvs x90l

Best Exercise Bikes of 2025, Tested by a Fitness Expert for 5 Months

Why we like it: I’ve tested Aviron exercise equipment previously when I tested rowing machines so I had an idea of what to expect with its exercise bike. The Aviron Fit Bike is set up as a gamer experience. Although it’s known as a gaming bike, I found this bike to have the most variety. It has a large 22-inch rotating screen and you can livestream from your favorite apps like Hulu, Max or Netflix and track your fitness data through Apple Health or Strava. There are classes, games, live group w

Apple’s alien thriller Invasion is back for season 3 in August

In season 3, those perspectives collide for the first time, as the series’ main characters are brought together to work as a team on a critical mission to infiltrate the alien mothership. The ultimate apex aliens have finally emerged, rapidly spreading their deadly tendrils across our planet. It will take all our heroes working together, using all their experience and expertise, to save our species. New relationships are formed, old relationship are challenged and even shattered, as our internat

Google Messages is hiding a useful text formatting feature from users

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR It turns out Google Messages supports text formatting, but currently, only the integrated Gemini chatbot can use it to format its own replies. The hidden feature uses Markdown syntax, as seen when the Gemini chatbot formats its own text with symbols like double asterisks for bolding. A full rollout may be challenging due to cross-platform compatibility needs, as text formatting isn’t a standard part of the RCS specification. Google Messages was a sim