Tech Boys

Legendary video game designer Vince Zampella, who co-created the Call of Duty series, was killed Sunday in a car crash in southern California. Zampella, 55, most recently led the Battlefield shooter series at EA Games, but also had his hand in many successful franchises, including Medal of Honor , Titanfall , and Apex Legends . Along with Grant Collier and Jason West, Zampella co-founded the Infinity Ward studio in 2002, which led to the creation of the iconic first-person shooter Call of Duty in 2003. After Infinity Ward was fully acquired by Activision, Zampella was later dismissed and went on to successfully sue the company for tens of millions of dollars in unpaid royalties and bonuses. SEE ALSO: Electronic Arts nears $50 billion buyout by Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner's firm Zampella was integral in some of Call of Duty 's most acclaimed entries, according to the Guardian , including 2007’s Modern Warfare and 2009’s Modern Warfare 2 . The Call of Duty series...

Nintendo is in a giving state of mind this season, offering some holiday deals on games in the eShop, including a few recent Switch 2 titles. For instance, the Switch 2 version of Ball x Pit , which was one of our staff's favorite games of 2025 , is 20 percent off at $12. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is $40, down from the usual $50 on Switch 2, which is about as good a deal as you’ll get for a current-year game release. There are also a few older games that have gotten even steeper discounts. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a whopping 75 percent off, so load it onto your new console for less than $18. At about $33, Cult of the Lamb: Unholy Edition is half off for the original Switch. No Man's Sky is also 50 percent off, so you can grab it for either Switch console for just $24. Star Wars: Outlaws is down to $40, which is $20 off, and Nier: Automata is $16, compared with its usual $40 price tag. Those are just a few that ca...

Game developer Vince Zampella, known for his work on many popular first-person shooter franchises, has died. According to Los Angeles news channel NBC4 , Zampella was killed in a single-vehicle car crash on Sunday along with one other unnamed person. He was 55. Zampella has helmed several well-known first-person shooter titles. He was a founder of Infinity Ward, where he was a creator of the Call of Duty series. Zampella remained at the company for the launch of the hugely popular franchise's first few installments. In 2010, he co-founded Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Titanfall , Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends . Respawn was acquired by EA, and most recently, Zampella was leading DICE's studio in Los Angeles and headed up the Battlefield franchise, another FPS series that just saw the launch of Battlefield 6 earlier this year. EA shared the following statement about Zampella's death: “This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his love...

When it comes to tackling the inevitable spills and messes of modern life, the convenience and power of a wet/dry vacuum cleaner are unparalleled. This category has completely revolutionised the way we approach general cleaning, allowing users to handle everything from dust to thick liquids in one go. Rendering the traditional mop obsolete, one machine that can clean up any household accident is the way of the future. So, if you are searching for a high-performance cleaning tool, a hybrid vacuum should be at the top of your list. And when it comes to leading the pack with next-generation cleaning technology, you can’t go past the Eureka Floorshine 880 . Opens in a new window Credit: Eureka Eureka FloorShine 880 AU$799 at Amazon Australia AU$1,099 Save AU$300   Get Deal Key Specs Industry-Exclusive Odour Removal The feature that sets the Floorshine 880 apart is its Industry-Exclusive Odour Removal Technology. Anyone who has used a hybrid vacuum before, know...

OpenAI gave its AI chatbot a professional makeover with the latest GPT-5.2 release , and some users are already complaining about its tone. For anyone who's finding ChatGPT rude or sassy, OpenAI has some welcome news since it's letting users further customize its personality with extra warmth or enthusiasm.  You can now adjust specific characteristics in ChatGPT, like warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use. Now available in your "Personalization" settings. pic.twitter.com/7WSkOQVTKU — OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 19, 2025 In a post on X , OpenAI revealed that users can adjust characteristics under new Warm, Enthusiastic, Header & Lists and Emoji options found in the Personalization settings. Between the four options, you can choose between more, less or default to fine-tune exactly how you want ChatGPT to sound in its responses. These new characteristics come about a month after OpenAI added Professional, Candid and Quirky options to GPT-5.1 under the "Bas...

Grocery delivery service Instacart will pay $60 million in consumer refunds to settle a lawsuit over unlawful tactics, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shared on Thursday. The FTC lawsuit claimed that Instacart engaged in several deceptive methods, including: Falsely advertising "free delivery" to customers' first order when they actually needed to pay a service fee as much as 15 percent Falsely advertising a "100 percent satisfaction guarantee," implying full refunds that Instacart didn't offer Failing to disclose the terms of Instacart+ membership enrollment, such as that consumers would be charged at the end of their free trials SEE ALSO: You can now buy groceries in ChatGPT "Instacart misled consumers by advertising free delivery services — and then charging consumers to have groceries delivered — and failing to disclose to consumers that signed up for a free trial that they would be automatically enrolled into its subscriptio...

TL;DR: Secure 20TB of storage with this Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription on sale now for just $399.97 (reg. $4,900) through Dec. 21. Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription (20TB) $399.97 $4,900 Save $4,500.03   Get Deal Do you rent your cloud storage? Not only is that a hefty expense every month, but it just keeps rising as you need more space. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective way to store your important files safely, it’s time to check out Internxt Cloud Storage . Right now, you can pay once and lock in 20TB of cloud storage for only $399.97 (reg. $4,900) through Dec. 21. Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg a...

New York governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Friday aimed at holding large AI developers accountable for the safety of their models. The RAISE Act establishes rules for greater transparency, requiring these companies to publish information about their safety protocols and report any incidents within 72 hours of their occurrence. It comes a few months after California adopted similar legislation.  But, the penalties aren't going to be nearly as steep as they were initially presented when the bill passed back in June. While that version included fines of up to $10 million dollars for a company's first violation and up to $30 million for subsequent violations, according to Politico , Hochul's version sets the fines at up to $1 million for the first violation, and $3 million for any violations after that. In addition to the new reporting rules, a new oversight office dedicated to AI safety and transparency is being born out of the RAISE Act. This office will be part ...

Faraway road trips just got a lot easier, at least for the passengers. Sony Honda Mobility , the joint venture between the two Japanese conglomerates created to produce electric vehicles, announced that its Afeela EV will come with PS Remote Play. While playing video games in a car may be a niche feature, it means drivers will have something to do when parked, and passengers can chip away at their favorite RPGs during long drives. According to the announcement, the Afeela will be able to run your PS5 and PS4 consoles remotely through the infotainment system's integrated display. You can even grab your DualSense controller from home and get right back into the game after jumping in your Afeela. Sony Honda Mobility said a 5Mbps broadband connection is required to play, and a 15Mbps rate will deliver a smoother experience. It's not the first time we're hearing about PS Remote Play in an EV. The joint venture previously showed off the Afeela 1, which is set for its first d...

The data center market is booming with little indication it'll be slowing down anytime soon — despite efforts to halt the processing sprawl. According to a new report by S&P Global , the global data center market ballooned to $61 billion in 2025, a half billion dollar increase from last year and another record high for the industry. The money is trying to keep pace with expanding infrastructure projects needed to funnel more data processing power to generative AI and its makers. SEE ALSO: NVIDIA earnings report: Why the AI bubble will bounce into 2026 Despite concerns that interest in AI will wane and render projects moot, S&P experts told CNBC that they predict demand for AI applications will stay strong in 2026, and skepticism of major AI players is unlikely to change the market trends. Still, the numbers may not be as positive as they appear. S&P Global found that a majority of the financing surge came from private equity financing, a precarious debt model t...

Amazon loves to throw a sale. This year we had Amazon's Big Spring Sale in March, Prime Day in July, Prime Big Deal Days in November, and to close out the year, there's a Super Saturday Sale on Dec. 20. It's a last-minute opportunity for shoppers to do some Christmas shopping while saving a buck. During the sale, Amazon is clearly marking products that will arrive by Christmas. Plus, plenty of items are available for same-day delivery, too. Hopefully, that means you won't be caught waiting for your gifts by the front door on Christmas Eve. Amazon has provided a sneak peak of the savings to come but these deals are only available to Prime members. Here's what to expect during Amazon's Super Saturday sale. Amazon Super Saturday savings During the Super Saturday sale, Amazon seems to be focusing on beauty and fashion deals. Some of the highlights will include: Up to 50% off Charlotte Tilbury Calm Bliss Eau de Parfum Up to 49% off Hydro Flask Travel...

Netflix is acquiring Estonian startup Ready Player Me , a company creating "cross-game avatar tech" that allows players to bring their digital personas with them to different games, the company's CEO Timmu Tõke shared in a LinkedIn post . The acquisition is part of Netflix's new games strategy, which puts an emphasis on approachable multiplayer titles and adaptations of the streaming service's IP. Ready Player Me's team of around 20 employees will be incorporated into Netflix's staff, TechCrunch writes , though Tõke is the only one of the startup's four founders who will continue on after the acquisition. Neither company has shared when the avatar tech will be incorporated into Netflix's games or what games will support the feature when they do.  Besides designing its avatar system to be easy for developers to implement in their games, Ready Player Me's big pitch for their system is using AI to automatically redesign avatars for different ga...

Google's latest addition to its NotebookLM artificial intelligence research platform is a feature called Data Tables . The tool can collect and synthesize information across multiple sources into a chart that can be exported to Google Sheets. All Pro and Ultra users will have access to the feature today, and Data Tables will roll out to all users over the coming weeks. In practice, Google suggested that Data Tables can be used to organize scattered notes, create price comparison charts or aggregate results from multiple research projects. The example of the interface shows the desired table components requested in natural language statements.   Last month, Google added a Deep Research mode to NotebookLM. Deep Research was initially unveiled for its Gemini chatbot in late 2024 as an option for handling complex user queries. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/L8BwS6R from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything ne...

ChatGPT has launched its app directory — meaning you can now connect to some of your favorite services without leaving the OpenAI platform. The idea is that moving forward, the chatbot can suggest apps or you can easily access them (using the @ command) during a conversation. For instance, if you connect Adobe Photoshop to your account, you will then be able to utilize Photoshop tools when making image requests. In our testing, this works even if you don't have an existing Photoshop account. You can now integrate third-party apps directly into your ChatGPT experience. Credit: Screenshot: Timothy Werth / OpenAI "Apps extend ChatGPT conversations by bringing in new context and letting users take actions like order groceries, turn an outline into a slide deck, or search for an apartment," wrote OpenAI in an announcement for the app directory. In addition, app developers will be able to create experiences within ChatGPT. "Developers can use the Apps SDK — now ...

Several LG smart TV owners, including some Engadget staff, were surprised to find what looked like an unremovable Microsoft Copilot app suddenly installed on their devices earlier this week. After all the raised eyebrows, a representative from LG has reached out to say that the company "will take steps to allow users to delete the shortcut icon if they wish." According to the spokesperson, the Copilot icon is a shortcut for launching the AI chatbot in the TV's web browser rather than an application embedded in the appliance. We've asked for more specifics about when people will be able to get rid of the Copilot prompt, but have not received a response at this time. Apparently we're still learning the lessons of U2's notorious iTunes album giveaway . It might seem like free additions would be something people would enjoy, but it turns out customers want to choose which services they use. Particularly when smart TVs don't have the best track record on ...

Meta AI glasses are getting a software update designed to help wearers hear the person they're talking to in noisy environments. The "conversation focus" feature, which Meta announced on Wednesday , amplifies the sound of another person's voice when there's competing noises, such as chatter in a restaurant or the auditory chaos of a public transit commute. The amplified voice will be slightly louder, and wearers can adjust the level through the glasses' device settings or by swiping the right temple of the glasses. SEE ALSO: Buy the Meta Quest 3S and get a free $50 Amazon credit The software update is first available to those enrolled in the product's Early Access Program in the United States and Canada. Last year, Meta partnered with the accessibility service provider Be My Eyes to give glasses wearers who are blind or low vision access to live support. from Mashable https://ift.tt/1jgrnkN via IFTTT

Match Group, the conglomerate that owns dating apps Tinder and Hinge, knew a serial rapist was on those apps — and recommended him as a match to women anyway, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges. Stephen Matthews , a Denver-based cardiologist, was convicted of drugging and/or sexually assaulting 11 women between 2019 and 2023, and sentenced to 158 years to life in prison in October 2024. A bombshell investigation by The Markup and the Pulitzer Center's AI Accountability Network, reported in February, revealed that women had reported Matthews on apps like Hinge , but that he was still allowed to remain on the app. SEE ALSO: Report: Match Group dating apps conceal assault cases "Match Group fails to have effective systems to institute bans not only within its products, but across products when abusers migrate from one product to another," the new complaint says. The action has been brought by six women against IAC, Inc. (which owned Match until 2020), Match Group, Hi...

"Say hi, Dusty Do-gooders!" Brennan Lee Mulligan is back with a new season of Dimension 20 on Dropout. It's called Gladlands. This time, it seems the inspiration point is Mad Max: Fury Road, where a lack of water has doomed inhabitants to a live in sun-scorched wasteland, full of desperation and feral fashion choices. Witness them! SEE ALSO: Brennan Lee Mulligan talks 'Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!'s breakout NPC Who will we witness enter the dome for this new season? Well, Dropout's been teasing the cast with reveals on their Instagram ahead of release. Returning with new characters are Ally Beardsley, Oscar Montoya, Zac Oyama, and Jacob Wysocki. And making their debuts in the dome are Vic Michaelis and Kimia Behpoornia. Together, they'll roll out a new season with seven episodes full of fun, magic, and mayhem. Dimension 20: Gladlands is set to premiere on Dropout on Jan. 7, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday for six weeks. Each epis...

From radroaches to deathclaws, there are a lot of things in Fallout that I'm happy don't exist in real life. But there are several elements of its sci-fi technology that I wouldn't mind having around for day-to-day use. Who wouldn't want a handy-dandy Pip-Boy on their wrist? However, the cast and showrunner of Fallout have their own ideas about what technology they'd steal from the series. SEE ALSO: 'Fallout' Season 2 review: Our introduction to New Vegas is a blast, and more relevant than ever In an interview with Mashable, Fallout co-creator and showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet revealed she would steal cold fusion, the revolutionary, limitless power source introduced at the end of Season 1. That technology continues to play a big role in Season 2, as the forces of the wasteland jockey to control it — and the fate of the world. Meanwhile, Aaron Moten, who plays Brotherhood of Steel Knight Maximus, would choose an item that's very on-brand ...

The New York Times is getting in on the year-end roundup bandwagon. The publication's new Year in Games wraps up stats about which of its daily puzzles and brain-teasers readers played over the course of 2025. People can get their own personalized reports, or just look over the community stats for the Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and Strands games. The Year in Games reviews are available on the iOS and Android apps for The New York Times , as well as on a dedicated mobile web page. Annual analysis of all your activities has become a common feature for lots of services. Reports like Spotify Wrapped or the other many entertainment-related ones are usually a fun time, with splashy graphics and high shareability. Uber feels like an odder match. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Esj6eMV from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/Esj6eMV via IFTTT

Meta revealed that Disney+ was coming to its Quest headsets earlier this year during its Connect event. Now, the streaming app and its vast catalog are finally available to Meta's VR users in the United States. Meta recently overhauled the Quest's entertainment experience with a new Horizon TV hub that brings its streaming features into one place. Horizon TV also added support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound, both of which Disney+ subscribers can now take advantage of. According to Meta, there are a"select" number of titles available to stream in Dolby Vision 4K HDR, and Disney+ Premium subscribers can stream with Dolby Atmos Sound. The company also says there are more than 100 titles in Disney's catalog that support 4K UHD and HDR and some Marvel and Pixar titles that support IMAX's expanded aspect ratio .  The app is available now on the latest version of Horizon OS. Though Disney+ is for now limited to US-based Quest users, Meta says that intern...

TL;DR: Get one of Apple’s most powerful laptops, the MacBook Pro , for only $399.97 (reg. $1,580) while you can. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro 2020 (Refurbished) $399.97 $1,580 Save $1,180.03   Get Deal This is an expensive time of year. If you’re in need of a laptop , you’re likely not looking to shell out thousands of dollars on a MacBook Pro . But fortunately, these powerful devices occasionally go on a massive sale — like this 13-inch space gray model, currently on sale for just $399.97 (reg. $1,580) while supplies last. There’s a reason the MacBook Pro is beloved by Apple users and typically comes with a hefty price tag. This powerful device offers all the bells and whistles we’ve come to know from Apple, all in a sleek casing that is easy to bring along anywhere. Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Lo...