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With the last Mission: Impossible film, Dead Reckoning, the long-running franchise officially entered science fiction territory by making intelligent AI its villain. We've seen Tom Cruise's Ethan hunt jump off of buildings and hang from the side of planes, but how can he fight a computer program? The latest trailer for the series' next film, and potentially the last to feature Hunt, doesn't answer that question, but clearly it will involve even more death-defying stunts (like hanging on to a flipping bi-plane!), geeky gadgets and Tom Cruise running inhumanly fast. As I wrote in my review of Deck Reckoning: "As much as I love other action film franchises like John Wicks increasingly elaborate choreography, or the sheer ridiculousness of the Fast and the Furious Mission: Impossible remains uniquely enjoyable. Its committed to delivering astonishing practical stunt work. Its self-aware just enough to poke fun at itself. And a part of me hopes that somehow, a team of geeks can also fight back against the excesses of AI." Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning hits theaters on May 23.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/tom-cruise-gears-up-to-save-us-from-ai-in-the-latest-mission-impossible---the-final-reckoning-trailer-181032815.html?src=rss
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When the AirPods Max arrived in late 2020, there wasnt much spatial audio content for Apples high-end headphones. Whats more, there wasnt any support at all for lossless audio. The company hadnt added Dolby Atmos and lossless tunes to Apple Music yet, but even when those arrived, Apple still hadnt solved my biggest problem with the $549 headphones. With iOS 18.4 and a firmware update for the AirPods Max with USB-C, Apple has finally put the finishing touches on its only headphones with lossless audio. Lets back up a few months. Last September, Apple gave the AirPods Max its only significant update since the original launch: it swapped the Lightning jack for a USB-C port. The headphones are still running on the aging H1 chip when the rest of the current AirPods lineup has moved on to the more recent and more capable H2. I wasnt upset that the company didnt take the opportunity to update the AirPods Max design, but the failure to upgrade that chip was a head scratcher. Now that lossless audio is here on the lightly refreshed AirPods Max, the headphones feel more complete. But that took over four years to finally happen, and if you bought the 2020 model you wont be able to use this newly added capability. Youll need the USB-C version of the AirPods Max that arrived last year and either iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 or macOS Sequoia 15.4 to unlock lossless and ultra-low latency audio. How to get lossless audio on AirPods Max with USB-C Billy Steele for Engadget Once youve updated one of your Apple devices to iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 or macOS Sequoia 15.4, connect your AirPods Max to it via Bluetooth. Youll then want to plug the headphones into a power outlet or USB-C port with the included cable. If you keep the two gadgets in close proximity for about 30 minutes, the AirPods Max firmware update should download. To check, hop into the AirPods Max settings and scroll down to the About section. Here, youll want to see version 7E101 to confirm youve got the goods. Youll want to keep that cable handy. Lossless audio on the AirPods Max is only available for wired use. You will still need to establish a Bluetooth connection for all of the smart features like hands-free Siri. Apple also sells a new $39 USB-C-to-3.5mm cord if you want to go that route, but either way, youll need a cable due to the limitations of high-res audio over Bluetooth. Why isnt lossless audio available on the original AirPods Max? If you bought Apples $549 headphones in 2020, I can understand your frustration that you arent privy to this update. However, I wouldnt assume Apple made this decision just to drive sales. There are hardware limitations with the Lightning port that hinders lossless audio, specifically a data throughput constraint on the previous version. Apple made some changes to the DAC (digital-to-analog converter) inside the AirPods Max to make lossless happen, which wasnt possible on the older model either. Does lossless audio make a difference? Ive heard some people say they cant tell the difference between normal songs and lossless tunes. Id argue it depends on what youre listening to. If its a recent pop tune from Dua Lipa or Sabrina Carpenter, youre better off with the Dolby Atmos mix and likely wont pick up any more detail for high-resolution streaming. For bass heavy, chaotic genres like metal, I notice a better balance to the mix. Vocals on Spiritboxs Tsunami Sea rise above the booming drums and thrashing guitar, and the bass is a little more subdued. Same for Underoaths The Place After This One, where all the instruments seem to have more separation from the vocals. And overall, the bombastic tracks on this album feel bigger and more immersive. Lossless audio on the AirPods Max particularly elevates acoustic genres like bluegrass and folk, in addition to other mellow styles like jazz. I might as well have been inside the acoustic guitar on Julien Baker & TORRES Sugar in the Tank as I felt like I could hear every percussive detail on every string. I cant imagine the sound wouldve been much better on Jason Isbells Foxes in the Snow if I was actually in the room at Electric Lady Studios during the recording. That 1940 Martin 0-17, the only instrument on the album, is so pure and true. Jump to Miles Davis Birth of the Blue where the horns, piano, bass and drums all seem a little livelier and a little more energetic, with Davis trumpet belting out its verse-like cadence throughout. Do you have to use Apple Music? Apple First, lets talk about whats available on Apple Music. Since June 2021, the service has offered lossless audio to subscribers at no additional cost. This starts at CD quality, which is 16 bit at 44.1 kHz, and goes up to 24 bit at 48 kHz. That latter rate is the maximum that AirPods Max can now support via the USB-C connection, and Apple says there are now 100 million songs available on its service in lossless quality. There is also a collection of Hi-Resolution Lossless content on Apple Music, which goes up to 24 bit at 192 kHz. Youll need extra gear like a USB DAC in order to listen at that level, though. You arent limited to just Apple Music. Anywhere you can stream lossless audio up to 24 bit at 48 kHz you can do so with these headphones. There are other services that offer this (like Tidal), or you can play locally stored files. The only requirement is a USB-C cable; your source isn't limited to Apple. Wrap-up Its always nice when a company directly addresses one of your complaints. Its not great when it takes over four years to do so. Now that lossless audio is here for the AirPods Max, I can no longer argue that the headphones feel incomplete, which is a big improvement from where they were at launch. I keep going back and forth over whether or not this update is enough, though. Its the first time Apple has expanded the capabilities of the AirPods Max in over four years, and it could only do so for he minimally updated 2024 version. Bloombergs Mark Gurman, who has a solid track record with Apple product scoops, reported in November that the company had no real plan to meaningfully update AirPods Max. He said the headphones dont sell well enough to justify much R&D, but theyre not a big enough failure to be permanently shelved. With that in mind, this update, which adds ultra-low latency for gamers in addition to lossless audio, is actually a lot bigger than it ordinarily would be. But to continue to demand $549 for whats essentially 2020 hardware, Apple needs to trot out these types of updates regularly. While you can find these headphones on sale for as low as $449, that's still a steep investment. Even then, the AirPods Max would be tough to recommend to anyone other than iPhone and Mac die-hards with deep pockets. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-to-use-lossless-audio-on-the-airpods-max-180026218.html?src=rss
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The Hugo Awards began honoring video games for the first time back in 2021. This week, the organization revealed the list of six finalists for the 2025 awards ceremony. Its a cornucopia of critically-acclaimed titles from the past year or so. Lets go over the nominations. Two AAA titles are up for the award. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Echoes of Wisdom changes up the franchise formula, casting players as the titular Zelda. The gameplay involves summoning monsters and items to solve puzzles and do battle. Its pretty awesome. We especially loved Dragon Age: The Veilguard, calling it "BioWare at its best." The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is more action-oriented than previous entries in the franchise. It continues the story of the decade-old Dragon Age Inquisition. The Hugos are also honoring a spate of smaller titles. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes got a nom, and this was one of our favorite games of 2024. Its a near-perfect puzzle game that subverts the genre at every turn. We said it was the perfect game "for fans of puzzles, narrative twists and David Lynch." Caves of Qud is an incredibly deep and lore-heavy roguelike set in a fantasy realm. It was actually in early access for a full 15 years before getting an official release last year. 1000xRESIST is a sci-fi adventure game that was praised primarily for its engaging story. Finally, Tactical Breach Wizards is a turn-based RPG starring, you guessed it, wizards. Some reviews have called it the best strategy game since XCOM 2. The final winner will be announced at the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle on August 16. Previous winners include Hades and Baldurs Gate 3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/2025-hugo-award-game-finalists-include-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-and-dragon-age-the-veilguard-171135638.html?src=rss
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