Let's run it all the way back to 2000. EA is celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sims by making the original game and The Sims 2 available to purchase once again. You can buy them separately with expansion packs included for $20 for the original game and $30 for the sequel. A 25th birthday bundle that includes both costs $40 on Steam, the Epic Games Store and the EA app on Windows. EA Play Pro subscribers also have unlimited access to the games on the EA app starting today. There's no word as yet on the re-releases coming to consoles or Mac.
Rumors emerged in recent days that the two games might once again be available to buy after EA released a teaser video that included user interface elements from them. Kotaku notes that the original game was only available on a physical disc format, while support for the sequel ended over a decade ago. Since then, players have had to jump through hoops to get them to run on modern systems. Maxis says it has been working to make the re-releases more compatible with Windows 10 and 11, but notes that it had to nix one expansion pack and some original songs from The Sims 2: Legacy Collection for licensing reasons.
I wish I still had the full-body scan I had captured of myself at the Millennium Dome in 2000 so I could properly play as a child version of myself in The Sims again (the avatar might still be on a floppy disc somewhere in my parents' garage). Nevertheless, I'm sure I and many others will be spamming the "rosebud" cheat to afford all the gear we want for our virtual homes, while some folks will surely be happy to send a particularly annoying Sim for a swim then delete the pool ladder, prompting an appearance from the Grim Reaper.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-sims-and-the-sims-2-are-back-on-pc-as-part-of-the-series-25th-anniversary-celebration-170535474.html?src=rss
If it's your turn to host a Super Bowl party this year, you might be looking to beef up your sound system before all of your guests turn up. Perhaps with something like that in mind, Sonos is running a sale on its speakers and soundbars on both Amazon and its own website. One of its products, the Era 100, has dropped to an all-time-low price of $199. The speaker will typically run you $249.
The Era 100 is our pick for the best midrange smart speaker and we gave it a score of 88 in our review. It delivers great audio and can reach loud volumes, while Bluetooth and line-in support are certainly welcome. With the Era 100, Sonos has simplified its Trueplay tuning feature by making use of built-in microphones to optimize audio output for the room the speaker is in. On the downside, while the Era 100 works with Alexa and Sonos' own voice assistant, it doesn't support Google Assistant.
Like other Sonos speakers, the Era 100 can be used as part of a whole home audio system. So you'll be able to set up units in other rooms so that even when they're away from the TV, your guests can still hear all of the action at the same time as everyone else.
It's also possible to set up two Era 100 units as rear speakers in a home theater setup. If that's the route you wish to go down, you might want to have a soundbar in place too. As it happens, several of Sonos' models are on sale.
The original Arc soundbar is down to $649, which is $250 off. As for the Beam Gen 2, that can be yours for $100 less than usual at $399. We reckon the Beam is the best midrange soundbar. However, the Arc Ultra, our recommendation for the best premium soundbar, isn't on sale this time, unfortunately.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-speakers-and-soundbars-are-up-to-250-off-right-now-155920350.html?src=rss
The rumors were true: Warner Bros.'s platform fighting game MultiVersus will shut down online services after Season 5 ends on May 30. The upcoming season, which begins February 4, promises two new characters: Aquaman and Lola Bunny. Real money can no longer be used for microtransactions as of today, but players with premium currency in-game can use it until the shutdown.
The game had 20 million players less than a month after the open beta began in July 2022, but the developing studio Player First Games also took it offline for 10 months in March 2023, only fully launching on May 28, 2024. Despite the strong start, the player count dropped sharply in 2023, and the hype died instantly, as seen on Steam Charts. The open betas promise was seemingly undermined by predatory microtransactions and a long grind to unlock content.
MultiVersus will remain playable offline after Season 5 ends, though the game will be removed from Steam and other stores. While disheartening to see a once-promising platform fighter head to the landfill, Brawlhalla, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 and Fraymakers remain viable alternatives, as does the obvious poster child for the genre, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/season-5-of-multiversus-will-be-its-last-154839513.html?src=rss
In a bid to demystify skincare science (and promote its new GF 15% Solution), The Ordinary just launched a free digital library of beauty industry white papers. The initiative, developed by creative agency Uncommon and dubbed 'The Wikileaks of Beauty,' makes peer-reviewed studies and research accessible to consumers worldwide through a searchable database at thetruthshouldbeordinary.com. Articles tackle commonly misunderstood topics like parabens, natural ingredients and sunscreen formulations, accompanied by expert explanations that help translate complex scientific findings into clear, actionable information. The database represents a significant shift in how beauty brands approach transparency, moving beyond ingredient lists to share the deeper scientific context behind formulations and industry claims. By revealing that some widely-held beliefs may be misconceptions such as the assumed dangers of parabens or the superiority of natural ingredients The Ordinary encourages people to make more informed skincare choices. The Estée Lauder-owned brand has also committed to expanding the archive by funding access to additional paywalled research papers and inviting scientists worldwide to contribute their work, creating an open-source knowledge hub that could reshape how consumers engage with beauty science.
The Meta Safety Advisory Council has written the company a letter about its concerns with its recent policy changes, including its decision to suspend its fact-checking program. In it, the council said that Meta's policy shift "risks prioritizing political ideologies over global safety imperatives." It highlights how Meta's position as one of the world's most influential companies gives it the power to influence not just online behavior, but also societal norms. The company risks "normalizing harmful behaviors and undermining years of social progress... by dialing back protections for protected communities," the letter reads.
Facebook's Help Center describes the Meta Safety Advisory Council as a group of "independent online safety organizations and experts" from various countries. The company formed it in 2009 and consults with its members on issues revolving around public safety.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the massive shift in the company's approach to moderation and speech earlier this year. In addition to revealing that Meta is ending its third-party fact-checking program and implementing X-style Community Notes something, X's Lina Yaccarino had applauded he also said that the company is killing "a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse." Shortly after his announcement, Meta changed its hateful conduct policy to "allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation." It also removed removed a policy that prohibited users from referring to women as household objects or property and from calling transgender or non-binary people as "it."
The council says it commends Meta's "ongoing efforts to address the most egregious and illegal harms" on its platforms, but it also stressed that addressing "ongoing hate against individuals or communities" should remain a top priority for Meta as it has ripple effects that go beyond its apps and websites. And since marginalized groups, such as women, LGBTQIA+ communities and immigrants, are targeted disproportionately online, Meta's policy changes could take away whatever made them feel safe and included on the company's platforms.
Going back to Meta's decision to end its fact-checking program, the council explained that while crowd-sourced tools like Community Notes can address misinformation, independent researchers have raised concerns about their effectiveness. One report last year showed that posts with false election information on X, for instance, didn't show proposed Community Notes corrections. They even racked up billions of views. "Fact-checking serves as a vital safeguard particularly in regions of the world where misinformation fuels offline harm and as adoption of AI grows worldwide," the council wrote. "Meta must ensure that new approaches mitigate risks globally."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-safety-advisory-council-says-the-companys-moderation-changes-prioritize-politics-over-safety-140026965.html?src=rss
Uber has filed a racketeering suit against a group of legal firms and medical professionals, claiming they staged car crashes and performed unnecessary surgeries to commit insurance fraud, Bloomberg reported. The group allegedly recruited passengers involved in purported or minor vehicle collisions and provided "medical unnecessary... [sometimes] invasive and painful surgeries like spinal fusions," according to the federal suit filed in Brooklyn yesterday.
Driving the alleged racket is New York's no-fault insurance, particularly as it applies to cab and rideshare chauffeurs. The city forces those workers to carry personal injury coverage up to $200,000, four times that required for individual drivers providing potential scammers with lucrative targets.
There are other issues behind the claim. New York City's largest taxi insurer, ATIC (American Transit Insurance Co.), which insures about 60 percent of the 120,000 for-hire vehicles in the city, recently went insolvent. Uber sued ATIC last year, saying that its "unreasonable practices" spawned 23 lawsuits against Uber, forcing it to deal with the claims itself in court.
On top of that, ATIC itself filed a $450 million racketeering suit in December last year, also seeking damages from doctors and others for insurance fraud. That has left New York with a big mess around the availability and pricing of for-hire insurance, so Governor Kathy Hochul recently proposed legislation to make it easier for insurance to adjust commercial car insurance rate.
Uber has been pushing for insurance and tort reform in multiple states to address rising insurance costs that have hurt its business. The company recently agreed to a $328 million settlement with New York rideshare drivers who were underpaid between 2014 and 2017. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-files-racketeering-suit-against-new-york-groups-alleging-car-crash-fraud-130056714.html?src=rss
In the span of a week, the Chinese startup DeepSeek has completely disrupted the AI landscape with its free and "open source" R1 model. In this episode, Devindra, Engadget Senior Reporter Igor Bonifacic and Producer Ben Ellman dive into what makes R1 so special, and what DeepSeek is doing differently from OpenAI and other competitors. Also, we try to figure out whats up with Incention, a weird AI/blockchain project for creating new Hollywood IP, and wonder if Helions fusion reactor is actually legit.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
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DeepSeeks R1 model shakes up the AI landscape 1:55
Quick mention: Sam Rutherfords Galaxy S25 review Too much AI, not enough Ultra 30:19
Incention is proof that blockchain nonsense is alive and well 37:16
Fusion startup Helion has Altman and Thiel on its side, but maybe not physics 42:50
Google agrees to rename Gulf of Mexico on U.S. version of its maps 49:19
Working on 50:07
Pop culture picks 51:32
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Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Igor BonifacicProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale NorthThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/engadget-podcast-deepseek-blows-up-the-ai-world-123036730.html?src=rss
Its early 2025, the weathers still cold, so it must be time for Samsung to kick off the years flagship smartphone race with its latest barrage of devices. This time, weve got three S25 phones, ranging from the $800 S25 through to the $1,300 S25 Ultra.
Lets start with the flagship, the S25 Ultra. This year, Samsung has honed the design of the slate to closer match the rest of its family, while adding a substantially upgraded ultrawide camera sensor. Theres also a powerful 3nm Snapdragon Elite for Galaxy added, a collaboration between Samsung and Qualcomm that augments its computational photography skills and more. (Not to mention incredible battery life.)
And you know what? Its another great phone, capable of going toe-to-toe with the iPhones and Pixels of this world. However, it also looks very similar to last years model, which makes the S25 Ultra a less impressive update, given its price.
Then theres the Galaxy S25 priced the same as the last few S-series base models. I spent over a week with it, and much of its hardware remains the same, with incremental improvements to the camera, courtesy of behind-the-scenes processing, and that incredible battery life. And its Samsung, so it was always going to be a solid premium phone with a gorgeous screen. But if you were thinking of upgrading from an S24 (or S23, even S22), its a hard pitch.
Mat Smith
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Comcast unveils ultra-low lag internet connection
UPS plans to slash its shipping business with Amazon by half
A private start-up called Helion aims to have a working fusion reactor by 2028
OpenAI isnt happy with DeepSeeks sudden rise, thinks IP theft is bad now
Even if it didnt name the Chinese startup explicitly.
The big story this week is around DeepSeek AI: the open-source chatbot that reportedly requires far less computing power than competitors and was developed on a (relative) shoestring budget.
It subsequently put stocks related to AI, like NVIDIA, into a tailspin, although they have somewhat recovered. DeepSeeks had brief success, even stimulating a response from President Trump.
Now, ChatGPT maker OpenAI says Chinese startups are cribbing the models of US AI companies. It claims rivals are persistently trying to copy the technology of existing AI companies, adding that OpenAI and its partner Microsoft have been banning accounts suspected of distilling its models.
The company didnt explicitly mention DeepSeek in its statement, but yeah. Also, lets not forget: OpenAI admitted last year that getting its AI models up to speed was impossible without dipping its toes into copyrighted materials.
How does it feel, having your hard work repurposed and regurgitated? I couldnt possibly relate.
Continue reading.
CVS will let you unlock its cabinets with your phone
If you install its app. And are in a handful of stores.
UCG via Getty Images
Offering the biggest reason yet to install a retail stores app, CVS says it will let select users, without needing staff, to shop for items typically locked away in its stores. If you havent been to a CVS, many items are locked up to prevent theft (and antagonize everyone). The feature is only available to loyalty program members and in a handful of unnamed stores. It was being trialed in just three stores but will be expanded to 10 to 15 stores. (There are over 9,000 CVS locations in the US.)
Continue reading.
Incention is a desperate attempt to make new Hollywood IP with AI, fans and the blockchain
White hole? More like white noise.
By the headline alone, this sounds terrible, but you should read Devindras takedown in full. So many questions: Why the name? Why even make Incention? Who wants this? Does it smell like a blockchain-scented Quibi? Yes, yes it does.
Continue reading.
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What is the best Galaxy phone under $500? Are refurb iPads worth it? My Roomba stole my girlfriend, please advise. Were bringing back Ask Engadget, with an entirely new email address: askmat@engadget.com. Aside from spamming free trials of apps and streaming services, lets put it to use.
Ask me something!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121727846.html?src=rss
Hollywood has been turning to video games for source material quite a bit in recent years. And while their success rate has been improving (mostly), it's a surprise to see a a movie adaptation announced before the game that inspired it has even been released. Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 clearly made a big impression on somebody important, because it will be turned into a live action movie from Story Kitchen. The fantasy RPG was part of Microsoft's summer showcase in August and was highlighted during last week's Xbox Developer Direct. It's slated for release on April 24.
"Were thrilled to collaborate with Sandfall Interactive to bring the rich, immersive world of Expedition 33 to the big screen, Story Kitchen founders Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg told Variety. "The games compelling narrative and complex characters provide a solid foundation for a cinematic experience that will resonate with both gamers and moviegoers alike."
Story Kitchen has been assembling quite the lineup of video games to translate to the big and small screens. The outfit, which was previously called dj2 Entertainment, has been attached to a movie of It Takes Two, a Tomb Raider TV series, a film of Lovecraftian fishing sim Dredge, an animated series inspired by Vampire Survivors and a Sifu movie. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/clair-obscur-expedition-33-secures-a-movie-adaptation-before-its-even-released-000443246.html?src=rss
