News

Tesla unveiled its “public-facing” Robotaxi service this weekendThe service is currently an invite-only affairReports suggest it is still behind Waymo and other rivalsIn a surprising turn of events, Tesla has stuck to its recent timelines and actually kick-started a “public-facing” autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas this weekend.Despite Texas lawmakers asking Musk to postpone proceedings until it had finalized and introduced new laws surrounding fully autonomous taxis, the controversial CEO has ploughed ahead anyway.As a result, reports are surfacing on various social media networks that show the first few VIP invitees enjoying their debut Robotaxi experience.However, this is a far cry from the futuristic Cybercab scenario that Tesla showcased at its Hollywood-spec 'We, Robot' event in October of last year, where bespoke Cybercabs ferried folks around a film set and the company’s Optimus humanoid robots served drinks to party-goers, only for the world to find out they were actually tele-operated.It is a similar story with Tesla's recent robotaxi endeavor, as the “fleet” of 10-20 Model Y vehicles (sporting some Robotaxi branding) are strictly limited to a small and relatively uncomplicated area of Austin, Texas.They also only operate between 6am and 12am and have a remote operator in the passenger seat to manually verify riders' ID and take control should a problem arise.The Verge reported that some of Tesla’s driverless vehicles are also followed by 'chase' vehicles, presumably packed with engineers ready to jump in should there be an issue that both the in-car and remote operators can’t handle.So far, only a select number of invites have gone out to predominantly “pro-Tesla” influencers, according to The Verge, with the initial invite list of test pilots reading like a who’s-who of the Musk sycophant contingent – renowned Tesla stock hype-man Sawyer Merritt being among those names.Just like the 'We, Robot' event, this initial launch phase feels very much like a massive PR stunt, with the company essentially inviting the “general public” (read Tesla content creators) along for a ride during the very early testing phase, rather than during the widespread deployment of a legitimate, paid-for service.Why Waymo is way ahead (Image credit: Waymo)It’s impossible to talk about Tesla’s robotaxi service without mentioning its closest competitor Waymo, particularly when Musk reportedly said after this successful initial launch phase that there could up to a thousand robotaxis on the road in a few months.As a reminder, Waymo currently has a fully operational fleet of 1,500 vehicles on the road in four major cities in the US, with the areas in which it operates constantly expanding inside those cities. Anyone can summon a driverless cab with a simple app interface and they won't see a human inside the vehicle.By the end of 2026, it hopes to have added another 2,000 vehicles according to a blog post by the Alphabet-owned company released in May this year, as it continues to ready a fleet of Jaguar i-Pace cars for autonomous driving.Waymo also announced that it will be the first major client of Hyundai’s mass-produced Ioniq 5 robotaxi, which will help it scale even faster.To think Musk will be able to reach this stage a couple of months after what is basically an initial testing phase is pure fantasy, especially as he insists on using a camera-only Full Self-Driving system that lacks the radars, Lidar and myriad other sensors that its rivals say is mandatory for a reliable and safe service.Scaling up is the true test(Image credit: Hyundai)Already, a number of videos have already surfaced on Reddit that appear to show Tesla Robotaxis behaving erratically, swerving at busy intersections and slamming on the brakes for parked police cars that aren’t even stopped in the road.Granted, it’s impossible to verify the authenticity of a Reddit video, but there is a growing list of very public cases where Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has been active during an accident.The first few reviews of the experience seem largely positive, with most riders describing the drive as “smooth” or “human-like”, but these are still very early days.Things will get far more complicated if and when Tesla legitimately has thousands of vehicles on the road, it removes the operator sat in the passenger seat, and it builds out its app so the general public can genuinely use it. I predict that being at least two years away.Alongside Waymo, there are companies in China that are also racing ahead with active fully autonomous ride-hailing services. Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai are already racking up hundreds and thousands of miles.Just last year, Baidu reportedly sparked anxiety among taxi drivers, automotive brands and the working public after it launched a driverless service in Wuhan that offered rides of around six miles (much further than the reported four or so miles Tesla can currently travel) for around 50 cents.It undercut journeys with a human driver at the wheel by around two bucks and naturally proved very popular, according to CNN, leading to panic that many jobs could soon to be at risk.Once the legal framework is in place for the widespread rollout of autonomous vehicles, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that the Chinese could swoop in and dominate the market... just like they have done with EVs.You might also likeTesla is secretly testing new versions of its Model S Plaid and Model Y Performance – here’s what to expectTesla’s self-driving robotaxis have finally hit the road – and their first, invite-only passengers are unsurprisingly impressedForget Tesla's robotaxis – this new VW ID Buzz will soon be the sleekest self-driving ride on the roads

Here's a bit of sad news for gamers. Hypixel Studios is shutting down and ending development of Hytale. The game looked pretty nifty, combining action-RPG mechanics with Minecraft. Riot Games purchased the developer back in 2020, though it has been working on Hytale a lot longer than that.

Development is ending immediately and the company will be shutting down "over the next few months." Hypixel CEO Aaron "Noxy" Donaghey said the decision was made when it "became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise."

"Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising," he continued. "Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be."

Donaghey doesn't blame Riot. He went on to say that the company behind League of Legends and Valorant offered the staff "generous severance" and is helping impacted employees find new opportunities. We contacted Riot Games for a comment and will update this post if we hear back.

This is a bummer. The game looked pretty darn cool and recent developer updates teased reworked biomes, improved graphics and a lot more. Now we'll never know what could have been. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/riot-games-shuts-down-hypixel-studios-and-ends-development-of-hytale-190435047.html?src=rss

Asus ProArt P16 beats most laptops in its price and size classYou get RTX 5070 graphics and OLED visuals in a surprisingly slim 4-pound frameBundled AI apps like StoryCube and MuseTree boost productivity for visual creators and editorsAsus has introduced the ProArt P16 (H7606), a laptop which pairs AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, targeting content creators and professional users.The new addition joins the wave of Copilot+ PCs built to support advanced local AI tasks and aims to rival some of the most premium creative laptops on the market.At $2,499.99, the ProArt P16 also undercuts competitors like the Razer Blade 16, which retails for $2,799.99 but offers a similar target user experience.Asus ProArt P16 bundles AI tools and software for creativesThe ProArt P16 features a 16-inch OLED display, a premium visual specification often reserved for machines priced higher.It also supports up to 64GB of RAM, which is nearly unheard of in this segment, and up to 2TB of internal storage.These specifications position it as a contender for the best laptop for graphic design, especially those working with high-resolution files and complex color spaces.At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.Asus bundles in additional creative features through its exclusive apps: StoryCube and MuseTree. The former is pitched as a digital asset management tool that utilizes AI to automatically categorize and generate clips from user content, while the latter turns graphical prompts into images while intelligently organizing creative inspiration.At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.This pairing of hardware and software seems designed to capture those looking for the best laptop for video editing without committing to a desktop setup.Asus has also partnered with CapCut, giving new users an exclusive six-month membership that includes access to premium features and AI-driven editing tools.In addition, the laptop comes with a three-month Adobe Creative Suite subscription, further appealing to professionals working across photography, video, and design workflows.These bundled tools offer value for those searching for the best laptop for photo editing, as they come integrated into the buying experience.That said, Asus will release a more powerful model featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 in late 2025, which will likely push the price higher. This model will be available for purchase at the ASUS official store after launch.You might also likeTake a look at our picks for the best WFH app aroundCheck out our recommendations for the best monitors for working from home"Godfather" malware is now hijacking official bank apps

The National Science Foundation just shared the first images captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a sample of the footage it'll capture as part of a planned decade-long survey that's starting later in 2025. The project, dubbed the "Legacy Survey of Time and Space" is predicted to lead to the discovery of "millions of new asteroids within the first two years" the survey is running.

In just a 10 hour period, the National Science Foundation says that the Rubin Observatory "discovered 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth asteroids." The long-term survey project could lead to even more insights, particularly into larger cosmic unknowns like dark matter and dark energy.

The idea is appropriate given the observatory's origins. Jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the Large Synoptic Telescope in Cerro Pachón, Chile was renamed the Vera C. Rubin Observatory after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who's research into gravitational rotation was used as conclusive evidence of the existence of dark matter.

The short video embedded above should give you a good sense of the scale of the Rubin Observatory's operation. That's a stitched together view of about 10 million galaxies captured during 10 hours of photography, "roughly .05 percent of the approximately 20 billion galaxies" the observatory will capture during its survey.

"The amount of data gathered by Rubin Observatory in its first year alone will be greater than that collected by all other optical observatories combined," the National Science Foundation says. "This treasure trove of data will help scientists make countless discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration for decades to come."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-vera-c-rubin-observatory-shares-first-images-from-planned-decade-long-survey-of-the-sky-192557094.html?src=rss

Microsoft is getting ready to make the Xbox PC app your go-to gaming hub, regardless of where you buy your games. The company has announced that Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview will get early access to a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 PCs as well as handheld devices. The new feature is coming to the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X this holiday season.

Gamers' libraries are often split across different platforms like Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, and others. With this new update, Windows aims to aggregate your gaming library entirely within the Xbox app, allowing your Game Pass titles, as well as titles from Battle.net, to all be launched from one place. The announcement did not call out any other launchers or libraries by name but made references to more storefronts being supported in the future.

“When a player installs a game from a supported PC storefront, it will automatically appear in ‘My library’ within the Xbox PC app, as well as the ‘Most recent’ list of titles in the sidebar—making it easier than ever to jump back into your games,” said Manisha Oza, product manager for Xbox. They added, “And this is just the beginning. We’ll continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time.”

Users will be able to curate these combined libraries, while hiding or excluding particular storefronts and including others. The rollout is exclusive to the Xbox Insider Program for now, which is free to join if you’re curious to try the new PC Gaming Preview.

Microsoft has been making moves recently to bring its gaming services to par with other major players in the space, including a rumored unification of its console, PC, and handheld platforms. With Microsoft having recently announced its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, it makes sense to strive for a more seamless player experience where all compatible games can be launched from one environment. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarity on what libraries are being included in this new all-in-one launcher model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-xbox-pc-app-will-soon-integrate-your-various-game-libraries-into-one-place-192452664.html?src=rss