Tech Boys

The Crew 2 was updated today to include Hybrid Mode , adding an offline mode to the driving game. Online and offline modes are separate saves, so if you snag a sweet ride while playing offline, it won't be available the next time you join an online session. Players will have the option to re-export their online save to the offline one, but it will overwrite and erase all offline-only progress. Multiplayer content, user-generated content, LIVE Summits and Crew Credits purchases will not be available in the offline mode.  It's a bare-bones option, but the addition of offline mode is a welcome move from Ubisoft. The company's decision to delete The Crew from players' libraries after servers for the online game shut down sparked some big debates about ownership and preservation. One of the notable voices emerging from that conversation was the Stop Killing Games movement, which is pushing for EU legislation to ensure access to games even after their devs stop supporting...

Apple insiders are pointing to a tactile new future for the company's laptops. Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that Apple would incorporate touchscreens into MacBooks some time in the next few years, "further blurring the line with the iPad." Today, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg confirmed that prediction, sharing even more specifics about the touchscreen approach for a MacBook Pro that is currently projected for release in late 2026 or early 2027.  Gurman reports that the touchscreen laptops are internally known as K114 and K116, and will run on M6 chips; Apple just introduced the M5 generation of its silicon for this year's iteration of the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro . His sources also say that the laptops will have OLED screens and will boast "a reinforced hinge and screen hardware" so that the display portion doesn't move when being used. The laptops will still have a trackpad and keyboard for non-touchscreen control, and will be housed in ...

Working at department stores during the holiday shopping season should come with hazard pay. Barraged by giddy children hyped up on too many sweets, anxious parents determined to get the perfect gift, and bosses who are total Grinches, these workers too often get too many bad days for too little in return. That's the case for beleaguered handyman Nick (Connor Swindells) and harried retail-worker Sophia (Olivia Holt). So, they decide it's time for a Jingle Bell Heist. Written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed, this Netflix holiday original follows its thieving antiheroes as they devise a plan to rob the London department store where they've been ripped off. The goal is a big Christmas Eve score. But while planning their scheme, these two begin to want each other for Christmas. It's an inside job with plenty of holiday cheer. Lucy Punch, Peter Serafinowicz, and Poppy Drayton co-star in this curious addition to Netflix's ever-growing holiday lineup. Are you ready to hav...

Heads up, indie game fans: 1000xResist will arrive on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on November 4. The title, which is already out for PC and Nintendo Switch, will also be available through Xbox Game Pass on the same date. The game is also adding more localization support, bringing Brazilian Portuguese, French and Korean languages, so more players around the world can experience the story.  And the story is the highlight of 1000xResist . This was an indie hit from 2024 that won a lot of fans for its innovative and branching story of a future timeline where the remaining members of humanity live underground in the aftermath of an alien invasion. The project from developer Sunset Visitor also picked up nominations for both the Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards, as well as winning a Peabody last year. Sometimes you'll want to take award winners with a grain (or a pound) of salt, but the industry and players alike have lauded the game's sci-fi storytelling chops. This article...

Razer is updating its lineup of creator-focused webcams with two new models, the Razer Kiyo V2 and Razer Kiyo V2 X . The webcams offer new AI-powered features and 4K streaming at a more affordable price than the company's Kiyo Pro webcams . The $100 Kiyo V2 X is capable of capturing 720p video at either 60 or 30 frames per second, 1080p video at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second and 1440p video at 60 frames per second. Like some of Razer's other webcams, the Kiyo V2 X has a wide, 83-degree field of view that can be customized with the company's Synapse software. The webcam doesn't have the AI-powered features of the V2, but you do get all the basics, like auto-focus, a privacy shutter and a built-in microphone. For about $50 more, the Kiyo V2 offers higher-quality capture and a few more automated features. The $150 webcam uses an 8.3MP Sony STARVIS image sensor and can capture true 4K HDR footage at 30 frames per second. The V2 also has a slightly wider field of...

Tucked away in Apple's announcement of a second-generation Vision Pro was news on the controller front. First, we already knew that, with visionOS 26, Apple's headset supports PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers . But now you can get them without Sony's headset. The Apple Store will soon begin selling the PS VR2 Sense controllers for $250. (Cue spit take.) The $400 PS VR2 headset bundle was previously the only way to buy them new. Maybe when you can justify spending $3,499 on Apple's reality machine, $250 for the controllers is reasonable. The second-generation Vision Pro Apple Apple says Sony's controllers open the door to more immersive gameplay on the Vision Pro. They support six degrees of freedom motion tracking (any direction you move or rotate), finger touch detection and rumble support. Apple's second-gen Vision Pro is more powerful with the new M5 chip . It also includes a Dual Knit Band, which adds a top strap for increased stability and comfo...

Search news articles about being "chronically online" and you’ll mostly dig up fluff pieces on celebs who spend too much time on X or TikTok (Joe Jonas just can't be without his phone! ). Yet "chronically online" is also used by media outlets to describe people like Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.  "Investigators say Robinson is what some would call chronically online — a person who spends an inordinate amount of time on messaging platforms, on social media, and playing video games,” according to NPR. Is being chronically online simply a goofy trait or, rather, a gateway to loneliness, delusion, or even violence? The word "chronic" makes the description seem clinical, like a diagnosed disease, but chronically online is an unscientific term — and a descriptor open to much interpretation. "I don’t think there is an agreement on how much online time is 'too much,' because it also depend...

The ultimate winter e-reader accessory is coming to Kobo e-readers . No, it's not a fuzzy case or branded knit blanket — it's a remote. Rakuten, the company behind Kobo e-readers , just announced that on Nov. 4, it'll be launching a remote that's compatible with the brand's e-readers. A remote is one of our favorite accessories for an e-reader, and Kobos are the first e-readers to get a native remote. Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn says, "The Kobo Remote is the perfect accessory for peak immersive reading; it’s an invitation to lounge deeper, multitask smarter, and simply enjoy reading without limits, no matter whether your environment is beach or blankets." Opens in a new window Credit: Kobo Kobo Remote $29.99 at Rakuten Learn More Page-turning remotes are not a new innovation in the e-reader landscape. The BookTok girlies have been all over it for years, touting cozy setups with gooseneck stands and remotes to keep their hands tucke...

Gregg Mayles, the director of Sea of Thieves and designer on Donkey Kong Country , has announced that he's left Rare. News of Mayles' exit was first reported in July 2025 during a rash of layoffs and game cancellations across Xbox Games Studios, but the short poem he shared on X today makes it official. With a 36-year tenure at the studio, Mayles saw its transition from an exclusive Nintendo partner to a Microsoft subsidiary. He helped design games like Battletoads, created Banjo-Kazooie and when studio founders Tim and Chris Stamper left in 2007, stepped up and became Rare's creative director. Mayles also led the team behind Sea of Thieves , one of Rare's modern successes. Today was my last day at @RareLtd . Thanks to everyone who played and enjoyed any of the games I helped create while I was there. Also thanks to all the people that worked on the games alongside me. It seemed fitting that I should say farewell with one final rhyme! pic.twitter.com/X54u8Bc2o...

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that the Department of Justice contacted Facebook in order to have a group removed that she claimed "was being used to dox and target" US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating in Chicago. We reached out to Meta for confirmation and a representative said, "This Group was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm," however they did not confirm the name of the group or whether the DOJ was involved in the action.  Officers for the immigration agency have reportedly been moving through Chicago with facial coverings, no name tags and sometimes in vehicles with no license plates, although a US District Judge ruled that all ICE agents who are not undercover are required to display visible identification while operating in the Chicagoland area.  The Department of Justice has demanded that other tech companies remove content the current administration has deemed critical of its immigration policie...