Sega’s Genesis Mini 2 hits North America on October 27th

Sega has announced it’s bringing the Genesis Mini 2 to North America on October 27th. The company previously said its latest retro console will go on sale in Japan on the same day (though it’s called the Mega Drive Mini 2 there). 

The system follows the Genesis Mini, which Sega released in 2019. The latest edition has a fresh library of more than 50 games, including Sega CD titles. The lineup features the likes of Sonic CD, Virtua Racing, OutRun, Shining Force CD and Fantasy Zone (a Master System and arcade game that was never released on Genesis). Sega is promising a previously unreleased game as well. More than half of the games have yet to be revealed.

One of our few complaints with the Genesis Mini in our review was that it came with a three-button controller. If the packaging is anything to go by, it seems you’ll get a six-button controller this time around.

Pre-orders are open now. At the time of writing, the Amazon listing shows that the console will ship from Japan to the US for $103.80 plus a $22 delivery fee. Engadget has asked for clarification on North American pricing. It’s unclear whether the cosmetic Sega CD attachment will be available to buy on this side of the Pacific.

‘Wordle’ players can soon sync their stats and streaks across devices

The New York Times has announced a handy feature for Wordle players who want to keep their streak going no matter the device they’re playing on. The publication, which bought the ultra-popular daily word game in January, said players will soon be able to sync their stats and streaks across devices. You’ll need a Times account to do so. Note that after you sync your stats, there’s no way to unlink them.

This is a welcome update. It’ll be handy for for those who play the game on their office computer during the week, for instance, or on both their phone and PC. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, Wordle stats don’t mean all that much. Still, if you’ve correctly guessed mystery words for many days in a row on your desktop system and you’re going out of town, you won’t need to break your streak.

It’s not clear exactly when the Times will roll out the sync option to everyone, as Polygon notes. Hopefully, the publication can avoid the kinds of issues it had when it moved Wordle over to its own website. Some players lost their streaks during the transition.

Bandai Namco says it was hacked and customer data may have been accessed

Bandai Namco said it was the victim of a cyberattack and that hackers accessed confidential information. The company told Eurogamer it is investigating the matter, though it noted there’s a chance that “customer information related to the Toys and Hobby Business in Asian regions (excluding Japan)” was present on servers and PCs the hackers infiltrated.

Earlier this week, a ransomware group claimed it carried out an attack on the Elden Ring publisher. Bandai Namco has now confirmed that someone breached its systems. “On 3rd July, 2022, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. confirmed that it experienced an unauthorized access by third party to the internal systems of several Group companies in Asian regions (excluding Japan),” the company said.

It’s not clear when Bandai Namco discovered the breach or when it resolved the issue. The publisher said it took “measures such as blocking access to the servers to prevent the damage from spreading.” It’s working with third-party partners to shore up security.

Bandai Namco is assessing the “existence of leakage, scope of the damage and investigating the cause.” The company says it will disclose findings of the investigation “as appropriate.” It also apologized “for any complications or concerns caused by this incident.”

Hackers have targeted a number of gaming companies in the last few years. Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red was the victim of a ransomware attack early last year, but it refused to pay up. The developer said a few months later that data stolen in the attack was circulating online. Hackers have also infiltrated EA and Capcom systems in the last couple of years.

Reddit won’t make you pay to comment in GIF form anymore

More Reddit users will have the option to add GIFs directly in comments starting today. Until now, the feature was only available for Powerups subscribers. But with Reddit winding down Powerups, it’s making some of the previously paywalled features available to everyone. Inline GIFs in comments is one of those.

If the feature is enabled on a subreddit you want to comment on, you’ll be able to select a GIF from a curated library from Giphy. Moderators of safe-for-work subreddits and those that aren’t quarantined will be able to opt in if they want members of their communities to use GIFs in comments. GIF comments will be automatically available on new subreddits, though mods can switch them off in the community settings. Redditors can include text in their comment alongside a GIF as well.

For those who didn’t use Powerups, the only way to include a GIF in a comment was to link to one on a third-party site. Now, users can make GIFs appear directly in threads, which could make conversations a bit more lively. There is a downside, though. Scrolling through a thread full of large GIFs could drain your data allowance fairly quickly.

‘Bayonetta 3’ is finally coming to Switch on October 28th

December 2017 feels like a lifetime ago and yet that’s how long it’s been since Nintendo announced Bayonetta 3. Fast forward four and a half years and the long-awaited sequel finally has a release date. It’s coming to Switch on October 28th, meaning that Nintendo’s sticking to its pledge of releasing the game this year.

Nintendo revealed a fresh trailer and more details about what to expect. Bayonetta 3 takes place in Tokyo, the mountains of China and some other locations. Bayonetta will have a new ability at her disposal called Demon Masquerade, which taps into the power of the demon that’s linked to her weapon to help her attack foes with hellish combos. There’s a new character as well. You’ll be able to control Viola, a witch in training who can unleash a feline demon named Cheshire on enemies.

Along with the base game, fans will be able to snag a Trinity Masquerade Edition from some retailers and the My Nintendo Store. It includes a full-color, 200-page art book and reversible cases for all three games in PlatinumGames’ series (Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are sold separately). More details about the bundle, including pre-order info, will be revealed later.

Perhaps with that collectors’ edition in mind, Nintendo announced a physical version of the original Bayonetta for Switch. It will arrive on September 30th and cost $30, but it will only be available in limited quantities.

Although it delayed the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild until next spring, Nintendo currently has the most extensive first-party slate of any of the big three console makers for the rest of the year. A remake of Live a Live will arrive on July 22nd. One week later, Nintendo will release Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Splatoon 3 will be available in September and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will land in November, with Bayonetta 3 filling the gap between those.

Rivian CEO tells staff the company is carrying out a ‘major’ cost-cutting effort

Electric vehicle maker Rivian is planning a “major” cost-cutting drive and will be “as thoughtful as possible as we consider any reductions,” CEO RJ Scaringe wrote in a memo to employees. Scaringe sent the note in response to reports that Rivian is planning up to 700 or so layoffs, primarily among non-engineering teams.

“This is not how we intended for you to hear about this,” he wrote. “We had hoped these very sensitive and complex conversations would have stayed within Rivian until we could address them more comprehensively.” Scaringe will share more information during an all-hands meeting scheduled for this Friday.

Rivian is pausing certain non-manufacturing hires, Scaringe wrote, while the company is “adopting major cost down efforts” to reduce its outlay on materials and operating expenses. “We will always be focused on growth, however, Rivian is not immune to the current economic circumstances and we need to make sure we can grow sustainably,” Scaringe told employees in the memo, which was first reported by Bloomberg. He added that the company is “financially well positioned and our outlook remains strong”

Scaringe added that Rivian will prioritize some programs and halt some others as it restructures certain aspects of the business. Earlier this year, Rivian said it would focus on a few areas for the time being. For one thing, the company is focused on increasing production of its R1T, R1S and electric delivery van, as TechCrunch notes. Other priorities include building out EV charging and service infrastructure, speeding up development of the next-generation R2 platform and finding more efficiencies for costs and operating expenses.

The company has nearly doubled its headcount over the last year to more than 14,000 employees, but it has been beset by problems, such as the supply chain crisis and the state of the economy. It has also delayed deliveries of the R1S SUV several times.

While Rivian expects to eventually build around 600,000 vehicles a year between its existing factory in Normal, Illinois and a plant that’s expected to open in Georgia in 2024, the company forecasts that it will build 25,000 EVs this year. As of earlier this month, Rivian had a backlog of 71,000 EV orders. It also has a contract to build 100,000 delivery vehicles for Amazon by the end of the decade. Right now, though, the company seemingly isn’t able to keep up with demand.

A Rivian spokesperson shared the full memo with Engadget:

Hi Team,

I’d like to address the news reports that are circulating about restructuring at Rivian. The reports speculate broadly on many intricate internal discussions about our business so I wanted to offer more clarity.

As discussed in recent all hands meetings, we’ve been working to focus our business in order to stay ahead of the changing economic landscape. We are financially well positioned and our outlook remains strong, but to fully realize our objectives it is critical that our strategy supports our sustainable growth as we ramp towards profitability. Earlier this year, we outlined our core strategic priorities for the next 18 months:

1) Ramping and enhancing R1 and EDV

2) Accelerating R2 development

3) Continuing to ramp our go-to-market capabilities, including our charging and service infrastructure

4) Optimizing costs and operating expenses across the business

As a result, we’ve implemented changes across Rivian, including prioritizing certain programs (and stopping some), halting certain non-manufacturing hiring and adopting major cost down efforts to reduce material spend and operating expenses. We also began the process of aligning the organization as a whole to ensure we are as focused, nimble and efficient as possible to achieve our priorities and objectives.

The hardest part of this process has been working through our organization to assess the size and structure of our teams and how well this aligns with our strategic plan. Our team is the core of Rivian and we are working to be as thoughtful as possible as we consider any reductions. We will always be focused on growth, however, Rivian is not immune to the current economic circumstances and we need to make sure we can grow sustainably. Every decision about our team is being assessed through the lens of our strategic priorities, not as a mechanism to simply reduce costs. Our team will continue to grow in support of our production ramp and product roadmap.

This is not how we intended for you to hear about this. We had hoped these very sensitive and complex conversations would have stayed within Rivian until we could address them more comprehensively. However, because information is coming out unofficially, I wanted to personally address it. I’ll be sharing more this Friday at our scheduled All-Hands meeting.

Thank you everyone.

RJ

You can now play ‘Doom’ inside ‘Doom II’

Doom is playable on just about anything, from a DJ controller and Canon printer to an ATM and Minecraft. YouTuber kgsws took the Inception route, though. They put a playable version of Doom inside Doom II.

They used an exploit in the DOS version of Doom II, as Gizmodo notes. The modder, who explains the process in a 15-minute YouTube video, was able to get a modern port of Doom (Chocolate Doom, which uses the original source code) running inside Doom II as an animated texture. The original game is projected on a virtual display in a custom Doom II map that kgsws created.

They built more maps that showcase the pioneering first-person shooter, including having the same instance of Doom running on four walls surrounding the player and a cinema screen that’s projecting the game. Additionally, kgsws showed off Heretic running inside of Doom.

You can try the hack for yourself, as kgsws shared the code on GitHub. You can snap up a DOS version of Doom II from Steam. You might need a reasonably beefy gaming PC to run Doom inside Doom II, though. “Both games are running independently of each other,” kgsws explains. “That means you need double the memory. I would recommend you to get at least 16MB of RAM.”

Spotify is buying daily music trivia game ‘Heardle’

Heardle, a music trivia game that popped up following the massive success of Wordle, has a new owner. Spotify has announced it’s buying the game. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As The Verge notes, Heardle is Spotify’s first game acquisition.

Heardle is a straightforward game of name that tune. Players are given six attempts to guess a popular song. They hear one second of the intro at first. Heardle lets them hear a little more after each incorrect guess (they can also skip turns). There’s only one song each day for everyone to guess.

Whether or not you correctly identify the song, you can click through to hear the full track after finishing a round. That caught the attention of Spotify, which is pegging Heardle as a music discovery tool. Until now, the game has been using music hosted on Soundcloud.

“We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans,” Spotify’s global head of music Jeremy Erlich said. “Heardle has proven to be a really fun way to connect millions of fans with songs they know and love and with new songs… and a way to compete with their friends as to who has the best musical knowledge. Since its debut, the game has quickly built a loyal following, and it aligns with our plans to deepen interactivity across the Spotify ecosystem.”

As The New York Times did with Wordle after it bought that game, Spotify says it will keep Heardle free to play for everyone and retain the existing look and feel. The font Heardle uses has been updated to align with Spotify’s branding, however.

The integration between Heardle and Spotify has already started in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Players in those countries can listen to each day’s song on Spotify instead of Soundcloud. The game is now hosted on Spotify’s website too. Players who want to keep their stats will need to visit the old site to transfer them over.

Spotify says players in other countries will soon be able to play Heardle in other languages. It plans to eventually “integrate Heardle and other interactive experiences more fully into Spotify to allow music lovers to connect more deeply with artists and challenge friends.”

However, the transition doesn’t seem to be going entirely smoothly. Some players have claimed they can’t accessHeardle in their location. Conversely, some say they can now play for the first time as Soundcloud isn’t available where they are.

The Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone air fryer is on sale for $160 for Prime Day

If you’ve been looking to join the legions of air fryer owners, this might be the deal for you. This Prime Day, you can snag a Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone air fryer for $160 on Amazon. That’s $70 off the regular price and a record low for the larger 10-quart model (there’s an eight-quart option as well).

Buy Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone air fryer at Amazon – $160

This might be the best dual-zone air fryer you can buy right now. The device has dual baskets, which means it can cook two foods simultaneously with different cooking methods. It can handle your protein and vegetables at the same time, for instance. Each zone has its own basket, cyclonic fan and rapid heater. Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone can adjust the cooking times so that the food in each drawer is ready to eat at the same time. 

If you only want to cook one thing, there is the option to heat a single compartment. You can also double the quantity of an item across the two baskets and cook them with the same settings, thanks to the Match Cook function.

There are six cooking methods: air fry, air broil, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate. There’s almost no preheating time required. In some cases, you won’t have to wait at all for it to reach the right temperature. Ninja Foodi Dual-Zone may be a healthier cooking option as well — Ninja says the food it cooks has up to 75 percent less fat than traditional air frying methods.

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