HyperX’s Cloud Mix Buds makes managing multi-device audio a breeze

Wireless headphones have gotten better at connecting to multiple devices in recent years. But pairing can still be kind of a hassle, especially if you’re gaming on a range of devices including consoles, phones and PCs. But after testing out its new Clo…

Meta rolls out parental supervision tools for Quest VR headsets

Meta is introducing new parental supervision features for Quest virtual reality headsets and Instagram. The VR safety tools, which were announced in March, are rolling out worldwide. 

The parental supervision process needs to be initiated on a teen’s account (the minimum age to have a Facebook account is 13). A Parent Dashboard in the Oculus app will allow parents and guardians to block apps (including web browsers), see a list of apps on the teen’s account and view their friends list. A teen can ask to buy an age-restricted app, then their parent can approve or deny the request. Parents can also view headset screen time, receive alerts when an app is purchased and block the Link and Air Link features to stop teens from using PC content on their headset.

On top of that, Meta is debuting a parent education hub, which includes information about the VR supervision options. The company says it worked with industry experts, teens, parents and policymakers on these controls. It will refine the tools over time.

At the start of this year, the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK said it would hold talks with Meta over how Quest 2 complies with a children’s code that’s designed to protect young users. These new measures could go some way toward addressing the watchdog’s concerns.

Meanwhile, Instagram’s parental supervision tools, which launched in the US in March, will arrive in the UK, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Canada, France and Germany this month with some expanded options. Parents can now invite teens to set up supervision tools (rather than requests solely coming from teen accounts).

Parents and guardians can limit access to Instagram at certain times by scheduling breaks. They can view more details about an account or post their teen reports, including the person in question and the type of report. They can also see which users their teen follows and who follows them. Instagram plans to roll out the tools globally later this year.

In the UK and Ireland, Instagram is testing a nudge feature. Teens will be encouraged to look at different posts if they spend too much time with the same kind of content in the Explore tab. The aim is to prompt them to be more mindful of their Instagram use. As part of a different test, teens in certain countries may see a prompt to turn on the Take a Break feature after watching Reels for a while.

Elsewhere, Instagram is adding more resources to its educational Family Center. There’s a new page that provides teens with details about privacy settings for Quest, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. Parents and guardians can access information about how to talk to kids about online safety issues.

The UK just eliminated its EV rebate incentive

The UK government has ended its plug-in car grant program effective immediately, it announced. The scheme first launched in 2011 with grants up to £5,000 ($6,089) or 25 percent of the cost of the car, but were gradually reduced to £1,500 ($1,827) where they sat until today. The grant ends on future sales, but will still be honored for any buyers that already applied for it. 

The program had achieved its goal of kickstarting the UK’s electric revolution, the Department for Transport (DfT) said in a press release. It noted that sales of EVs increased from less than 1,000 in 2011 to nearly 100,000 in the first five months of this year alone. It added that EVs now offer “significant savings” over ICE vehicles due to the high cost of gasoline and diesel, and that owners can still get tax and other incentives. 

“The government has always been clear the plug-in car grant was temporary and previously confirmed funding until 2022-23,” the government said. “Successive reductions in the size of the grant, and the number of models it covers, have had little effect on rapidly accelerating sales or on the continuously growing range of models being manufactured.”

The DfT now plans to focus on charging stations, but didn’t say if it planned to boost the £1.6 billion budget it had already set aside. It also pledged £300 million ($365 million) toward incentives on plug-in taxis, motorcycles, vans, trucks and wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

The UK promised to eliminate ICE vehicles by 2040 as part of its Road to Zero strategy designed to cut harmful emissions. However, some EU countries like Sweden or Ireland have more ambitious plans to hit that goal by 2030 and even earlier. 

After the maximum rebate was cut from £2,500 to £1,500 just six months ago and restricted to eligible EVs to models under £32,000, the plug-in car grant program appeared to be on life support. Critics decried the reduction at the time and are likely to be scathing toward the grant’s complete elimination. Potential EV buyers motivated by record gasoline prices are also likely to be unhappy about the decision.

“We need to move the market even faster… which means we should be doubling down on incentives,” an industry rep told Autocar late last year. “Other global markets are already doing so whereas we are cutting, expecting the industry to subsidize the transition, and putting up prices for customers. UK drivers risk being left behind on the transition to zero-emission motoring.”

Microsoft 夏日優惠，15 吋 Surface Book 3 大減 HK$5,800

來到夏季，也是暑假也換新電腦的時候。微軟就趁機會推出優惠折扣，即日起至 6 月 18 日，多款產品正推出折扣優惠，而且部分還會多送贈品。這次 Engadget 中文版為大家挑選了 4 款優惠型號的筆電為大家介紹，預算上許可的的話，也能成為父親節禮物喔。…

Resident Evil Village Winters’ Expansion arrives on October 28th

The downloadable content Capcom had promised for Resident Evil Village last year now has a release date: It’s called Winters’ Expansion, and it will be available starting on October 28th. Capcom started developing the extra content in 2021, just a few weeks after the game was released, due “popular demand.” Now Capcom producer Tsuyoshi Kanda has revealed some pertinent details about the three features included with the DLC, including the Third-Person Mode that gives you a way to play the main story in a new perspective. If you choose to play in third-person, you’ll get to see Ethan as he explores the village in search of his missing daughter and shoots the undead.

Winters’ Expansion also comes with The Mercenaries Additional Orders. Mercenaries Mode, an arcade-style shooting experience, unlocks after you beat the game for the first time. The DLC will add new stages to it, as well as new playable characters, including Chris Redfield and everyone’s favorite nine-foot tall antagonist, Lady Dimitrescu. Finally, the expansion will show what happens to Rose, Ethan’s missing daughter, 16 years after the original campaign. Rose’s story will show her struggle with her “terrifying powers” and her search for a way to break free from her curse. 

Aside from the DLC, Resident Evil Re:Verse — the multiplayer freebie for the game that was supposed to come out in July 2021 — will also be available on October 28th. The PS5 versions of Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 have already dropped, though, and you can get them for free if you already own copies for the PS4.