Thick as Thieves is a new project from the team of immersive sim and stealth-action icons at OtherSide Entertainment, which includes Deus Ex creator Warren Spector, Looking Glass Studios founder Paul Neurath, and Thief: The Dark Project lead Greg LoPiccolo. Yes, that's a stacked lineup. Together, the OtherSide crew has created or worked on the System Shock, Deus Ex, Thief and Ultima Underworld series, and (along with Doug Church and Ken Levine) are largely responsible for the existence of immersive sims as we know them.
So, Thick as Thieves is one to watch. OtherSide's latest project adds multiplayer to the immersive stealth genre, creating a first-person PvPvE experience set in an alternate timeline at the dawn of the 20th century. The game takes place in a version of the 1910s that's been infused with advanced technology and magic but these two forces are at odds, and they've created vast disparities in wealth and power.
The game's main city contains a dark criminal underbelly and audacious displays of wealth, and players have to infiltrate both spaces in a competitive multiplayer experience. Thick as Thieves is all about sneaking in, stealing things and escaping unnoticed in a variety of steampunk-adjacent locations.
Strategizing and smooth execution are key in Thick as Thieves, but other players pose a constant threat. The game supports varying play styles, from pure stealth to run-and-gun, and you can adapt your approach with each new mission. OtherSide promises there are secrets in every shadow of the city and vital information to uncover from NPCs, and your personal storyline will evolve based on the way you choose to play.
OtherSide Entertainment
Here's how Spector describes it: Thick As Thieves captures the vision of immersive gameplay that OtherSide was founded on. With this game, were empowering players to create their own stories in a world that values observation, craftiness, and creative problem-solving.
Thick as Thieves is being published by Megabit, and it's due to hit PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/thick-as-thieves-is-a-multiplayer-stealth-action-game-from-legends-warren-spector-and-paul-neurath-004352183.html?src=rss
Adobe has a new experimental tool for removing window reflections from photos. The feature was originally announced at Adobe Max 2023 as Project See Through and is available to preview in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Bridge right now if youre a Creative Cloud subscriber, with Adobe Lightroom support coming soon.
If youve ever taken a photo of something through a shop window, youve likely dealt with your own reflection or a variety of light streaks and distortions ruining the image. Adobes Reflection Removal tool (as Project See Through is referred to now) is designed to make those reflections a lot easier to remove.
Adobe
The tool uses AI that can isolate two separate images: the reflection and whatever is on the other side of the window or reflective material. The training data Adobe used to teach its AI was built from thousands of reflection-free photos that were combined in pairs to create composite images with simulated reflections. The AI model was given the task of determining what two original images the composite was made from, which Adobe engineers could then reward or penalize until the models accuracy improved.
The final product works best with reflections that take up the entire field of view of the image. Specifically, Adobe says the Reflection Removal tool cant handle reflections from windows that are small or far away or reflections from wine glasses, car bodies, or clouds reflected in a lake. Engadget was able to test the feature on a reflection in a pair of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and came to a similar conclusion. Adobes tool was able to make the lenses of the sunglasses oddly clearer, revealing some of the background behind them, but not remove the reflection entirely.
Engadget
If you want to try the feature for yourself, Adobe says you can go to the Preferences Panel in the Camera RAW plug-in, enable the New AI Settings and Features Panel, and then restart whatever app youre accessing the plug-in from. Once youve uploaded a photo, the Reflection Removal tool will be in the Remove panel under the Distraction Removal section.
Reflection Removal is just one small example of how Adobe has been trying to integrate AI into its suite of creative apps in the last few years. The company has been putting most of its attention towards generative AI, first with Adobe Fireflys image generation capabilities, and more recently in October 2024, video generation, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/adobes-new-photoshop-tool-can-clean-away-window-reflections-235855968.html?src=rss
As the gaming industry preps for its night of awards, rampant layoffs continue to put a damper on an otherwise joyful pastime. The latest casualties are reportedly a group of 99 employees for WB Games Montreal.
Radio-Canada says (via Game Developer) that many of the laid-off employees were subcontractors through Keywords Studios, a company that provides technical and creative services for gaming companies. Keywords worked on quality assurance for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Speaking of which, the layoffs coincided with Rocksteadys announcement that it would stop supporting the Suicide Squad game on January 14. (WB Games Montreal helped develop the game.) The game launched last February, giving it the dishonor of lasting less than a year before its publisher pulled the plug. Its upcoming Season 4 Episode 8 will be its last.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, one laid-off staffer told the French-language Radio-Canada that they were given eight weeks notice before termination. WB Montreal is said to have given them a choice between joining a recall list for upcoming projects or receiving help from a job counselor. However, the source said the company doesnt expect the registry to have any opportunities until 2026. Thats not much of a choice unless someone has savings to burn.
The news follows recent layoffs at Ubisoft, Xbox / Activision Blizzard and far too many others to list. The gaming industry is projected to generate over $187 billion in 2024, a 2.1 percent annual growth.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wb-montreal-games-reportedly-lays-off-99-workers-ahead-of-the-holidays-214220373.html?src=rss
If youre looking for a place to watch the 10th annual Game Awards on Thursday, December 12, then guess what? You found it. Host Geoff Keighley will open the Game Awards at 7:30PM and you can watch it right here in this post.
A total of 96 games, studios and developers received nominations for this years awards. The two biggest contenders are Astro Bot from Team Asobi and Sony Interactive and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth from Square Enix, with seven nominations each including Game of the Year.
The other nominees for Game of the Year include five-time nominee Balatro, the action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and six-time nominee Metaphor: ReFantazio. Silent Hill 2 didnt make the cut for Game of the Year but it also picked up five nominations.
PlayStation is leading the publisher pack with 16 nods. Square Enix and Xbox each picked up 12 nominations and Sega finished third with 11.
You can watch the Game Awards on its official YouTube channel, Twitch and a bunch of other places. You could also just stay put and watch the stream below in the embedded video.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dont-miss-the-game-awards-2024-right-here-at-730pm-et-213044226.html?src=rss
Reddit is taking down posts linking to the manifesto of the suspected shooter of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The company says its enforcing a longstanding policy, but its actions have angered and frustrated some users.
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who was arrested and charged with murder earlier this week, has been the subject of widespread fascination online since New York police first released images of the suspected killer. Small excerpts of the 261-word manifesto were published by the New York Times, while journalist Ken Klippenstein obtained and published it in its entirety on his Substack Tuesday. Links to Klippenstein's newsletter containing the manifesto began to disappear off Reddit, with some being removed by individual subreddits' community moderators and some being taken down by Reddit staff.
In a widely viewed post in r/popculturechat, a moderator explained that Reddit had instructed them to remove posts of the manifesto. We have officially been notified by Reddit that we must adhere strictly to their site-wide rules regarding violent content, moderator clemthearcher wrote. Specifically, Reddit has told us that we are not allowed to post Luigi Mangiones manifesto, even if it is reported neutrally.
Reddit removed a post linking to the manifesto in r/interestingasfuck, which had nearly 20,000 upvotes, which was later detailed in a lengthy post in r/subredditdrama. Posts were also removed from other subreddits, including r/witchesVsPatriarchy and r/antiwork. Engadget confirmed that the site now automatically blocks posts attempting to link to the Substack post with the manifesto.
Though the move has angered many Redditors, the company says its not a new policy. A Reddit spokesperson confirmed that manifestos related to violent acts violate the companys violent content rules, which state:
Do not post content that encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual (including oneself) or a group of people; likewise, do not post content that glorifies or encourages the abuse of animals. We understand there are sometimes reasons to post violent content (e.g., educational, newsworthy, artistic, satire, documentary, etc.) so if youre going to post something violent in nature that does not violate these terms, ensure you provide context to the viewer so the reason for posting is clear.
The policy further refers to posts containing mass killer manifestos or imagery of their violence an example of violating content (Magione has not been accused of mass murder). The Reddit spokesperson confirmed that Redditors are permitted to discuss the manifesto, including news coverage of it, as long as they dont violate other aspects of the companys rules.
While its not unusual for social media users to accuse a company of censorship amid disputes over content moderation, Reddits actions come at a time when many online commentators have expressed sympathy for Mangione, who has become something of a folk hero in some corners of the internet. His actions have also put the American healthcare system under renewed scrutiny as people have shared their experiences with insurance company denials in the wake of the shooting.
Im sure Reddits admins find themselves far more aligned with the class of people like Brian Johnson (sic) than they do with the rest of us," one commenter wrote in response to moderator clemthearchers post in r/popculturechat, "so the only violence they care to moderate is that against Brian Johnson (sic) - not misogyny, racism, homophobia, or the rampant greed of our healthcare industry which has killed or caused the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-is-removing-links-to-luigi-mangiones-manifesto-210421069.html?src=rss
Threads is rolling out its take on the Starter Packs concept from Bluesky. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri's post about the update explains that collections of recommended profiles will be suggested when users start following topics and as part of the For You feed.
Interestingly, Threads doesn't seem to have a name for this feature. But it's not the first time that Threads has adopted an idea that originated at rival platform Bluesky. Custom feeds were the last concept that made its way from Bluesky to a brief testing phase to an official release on the Meta-owned social network.
Bluesky is aware of how many of its features have started popping up on Threads. Last month, when Meta's platform first announced that it would have its own take on Starter Packs, the company posted a dig at its competitor on its own Threads account. The pair of platforms have been vying to draw in disaffected former users of X (once known as Twitter). Bluesky reached 20 million users in November, while Threads reported 35 million signups just in that month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-take-on-bluesky-starter-packs-is-live-193106158.html?src=rss
The United States Postal Service unveiled a plan to buy a fleet of all-electric mail trucks for its mail carriers back in 2022, of which 3,000 were supposed to be delivered by now. Unfortunately, those plans arent even close to fruition. The Washington Post reported that defense contractor Oshkosh has only delivered 93 vehicles so far.
In 2022, The Postal Service announced its plan to buy at least 60,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) for its mail carriers by 2028 and start replacing its aging fleet of trucks. The Postal Services initial order called for 5,000 all-electric vehicles along with new, gas-powered vehicles, but calls from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biden Administration pushed them to increase the share of NGDVs that would run on electricity.
The Washington Post obtained nearly 21,000 government and internal company records and spoke with 20 people familiar with the trucks manufacturing and design process. Its reporting shows that Oshkosh ran into significant manufacturing delays of the electric NGDVs that caused lower than expected delivery numbers. Some of the anonymous sources said that engineers struggled to calibrate the mail trucks airbags, and the vehicles body and internal components are unable to contain water leaks to an alarming degree.
The turnaround time for building these new mail trucks is also very slow. The Post reports that the South Carolina factory can only build one truck per day even though Oshkosh hoped it could build at least 80 vehicles a day by now.
Oshkosh also failed to inform the Postal Service about these delays. Four of the background sources say a senior company executive tried to update the Postal Service about these manufacturing issues only to have those efforts blocked by their corporate superiors.
An Oshkosh spokesperson said in a statement that the defense contractor is still fully committed to being a strong and reliable partner with the Postal Services and insists we remain on track to meet all delivery deadlines, according to The Post.
The failure of these plans doesnt just affect the Postal Services ability to modernize and update its fleet of aging mail trucks. It could also throw a wrench into President Bidens plans to combat climate change. Reuters reported on Friday that President Donald Trumps transition team is considering cancelling the electric mail truck program altogether.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/postal-services-plan-to-electrify-mail-trucks-falling-far-short-of-its-goal-190317071.html?src=rss
Epic Games has struck a deal with Telefónica to have its mobile storefront pre-installed on millions of compatible Android devices. As such, those who buy a phone from a Telefónica network such as O2 or Movistar in Spain, the UK, Germany and Spanish-speaking Latin America will immediately have the app, which offers access to Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe. Epic will bring third-party games to the storefront as well, while the partners plan to offer mobile gamers on Telefónica's networks extra perks over the next year or so.
Telefónica has more than 392 million customers. As such, this deal could bring Fortnite and Fall Guys to an even bigger audience.
Epic debuted its mobile games store a few months ago after years of wrangling with Apple and Google over the duo's purported smartphone and tablet duopoly and having to give the companies a share of revenue from in-app purchases. Among other things, Epic accused Google of blocking OnePlus from offering users a way to install Fortnite without having to go through the Google Play store.
However, Epic has had mixed results in its legal battles with Apple and Google. It won an antitrust case against the latter, with a judge determining last year that Google had an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing on Android devices. The judge also ruled that Google's distribution deals with other games companies were anticompetitive. But it largely lost a similar case against Apple.
The Epic Games Store mobile app is available on iOS in the European Union (where Apple was forced to open up iOS to third-party app marketplaces) and around the world on Android. Epic also plans to bring it to iOS devices in the UK in the second half of 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-app-store-will-be-preinstalled-on-millions-of-android-phones-175158241.html?src=rss
The expensive tech gets all the attention thousand-dollar phones and $500 tablets. But the supporting players, the cables and batteries and chargers that make those devices work properly, are just as important. Right now for Black Friday, many of those smaller gadgets are on sale for less than $50 even after the day has passed. And there are even some standalone devices like earbuds and smart speakers that fall well below the threshold.
Weve tested scads of these smaller, less expensive tech for Engadget buying guides, including the best power banks, iPad accessories, smart plugs and microSD cards. Here, weve gathered up all the Black Friday tech deals under $50 that you can still get on gadgets we recommend.
Black Friday tech deals under $20
Amazon
Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): The latest Apple Watch is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can get thanks to its slightly thinner and lighter design, wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, watchOS 11 features and slightly improved battery life. We gave it a score of 90 in our Apple Watch Series 10 review.
Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazons smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like Whats a bomb cyclone? or Who is Penelope Cruz married to?) from anywhere.
Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadgets most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.
Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): Its the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. Its one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox Black Friday sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Directors Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if youre looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunns Black Friday gaming roundup.
Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusents book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. Its a pick in our book lovers gift guide.
Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If youre planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadgets Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.
Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price weve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Amazon.
Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.
Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). Its one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.
Remember when YouTube TV was supposed to be a scrappy disruptor that undercut cable prices and gave cord-cutters a cheaper and often better way to watch live television? Well, that dream died a long time ago, but cable may end up being a relative bargain if things continue at this rate. YouTube TV emailed subscribers on Thursday morning, announcing yet another rate change: from $73 to $83 monthly.
The price hike is already in effect for new subscribers. Existing members will start paying the new rate during the first billing cycle on or following January 13.
YouTube launched at a mere $35 in 2017. Subsequent price increases took the price to $40 in 2018, $50 in 2019 and $65 in 2020. Just when things had stabilized for a few years, 2023 brought yet another hike to $73. (That doesnt include all the optional add-ons, like 4K Plus and sports packages.) And here we are today with $83 cable TV by another name and through another pipe.
If youre a YouTube TV subscriber facing an existential crisis now that the underdog hero you once rooted for has completed its heel turn, help is available. You can cancel your membership.
Unfortunately, alternatives are either more expensive or limited. Hulu + Live TV offers a package that costs the same $83, but at least it also gives you Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ (all with ads) for that price. Sling TV is more customizable and can be had for as little as $40 monthly, but its broken down into color-coded channel collections seemingly organized for maximum upsell potential.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtube-tv-completes-its-heel-turn-with-yet-another-price-hike-171518919.html?src=rss
