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Indie horror classic ‘Amnesia’ is getting a sequel called ‘Rebirth’

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“No gimmicks. No inventing something completely new. This is Amnesia,” said Thomas Grip, the studio’s creative director. At the same time, he says that the team has twisted expectations and refined the gameplay. The trailer makes it clear that the setting is pretty different compared to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which took place in a Victorian castle. Rebirth seems to take place in an underground tunnel system, likely in Europe.

Given the cult following of the original game, fans will likely be highly anticipating the release of Amnesia: Rebirth. While Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was released in 2013, the game wasn’t developed by Frictional and was an indirect followup to the first game. Rebirth‘s announcement was made on the official PlayStation blog and the trailer includes PlayStation branding, so the sequel might be a PS4 exclusive — or at least a timed exclusive. The game will be out this fall.

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Google Messages may send iMessage-style ‘liked a photo’ reaction texts

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Those SMS/MMS responses are known as “fallback” texts, and in iMessage, they’re sent in place of reaction messages to anyone who doesn’t use iMessage. In Google’s Messages 5.8, released on the Play Store to beta testers, 9to5Google spotted code that suggests Google is preparing similar “fallback” text, which would be sent to anyone who doesn’t have RCS.

As 9to5Google points out, this could further the petty, green-versus-blue bubble war between Android and iOS users, as iMessage and Google Messages users could find it frustrating to receive fallback texts from each other. Plus, we don’t know how long it will take before these text responses are available in RCS apps beyond Google Messages, like Verizon Messages or Samsung Messages. If those apps can only receive fallback texts, it could make messaging even more fragmented.

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How to buy a compact camera in 2020

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Fixed-lens compact cameras

Why get a camera with a fixed lens when you could have a zoom that covers a wide range of focal lengths? The main reason is that lens (called a prime lens) has better optics than a zoom, so you’ll get sharper shots with minimal distortion. It also tends to be faster, giving you better performance in low light. Finally, fixed-lens compact cameras often have larger sensors, giving you good high-ISO capability and shallow depth of field for portraits.

The drawback is that reframing shots means physically moving closer or farther from the subject — aka, the “sneaker zoom.” That’s not very practical for action, wildlife and certain kinds of tourism shooting. If you’re into street photography, however, a fixed lens forces you to get closer to your subject and help your photography by making you more proactive.

Fujifilm X100V

Fujifilm X100V compact street photography camera

The X100V is the latest in Fujifilm’s famous fixed-lens X100 camera series. Like other models in the lineup, it has an APS-C sensor and a 23mm f/2.0 lens, equivalent to 35mm on a full-frame sensor. You also get the same hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, mechanical dials, film simulations and good looks as before. But the X100V is the most significant advancement in the series’ history. It has Fujifilm’s latest 26.1-megapixel X-Trans 4 CMOS sensor compared to 24.2-meagpixels on the last model and a new, sharper lens to handle that extra resolution.

A new tilting rear display makes “shooting from the hip” street photography much easier, as does the fast 11 fps/20 fps shooting speeds in mechanical/silent shutter modes. You also get a better hybrid phase- and contrast-detect autofocus (AF) system with more AF points along with face and eye detection. Finally, it now has the same 4K video-shooting features as the X-T30. We’re currently working on our full review, but, spoiler, while it doesn’t come cheap at $1,400, the X100V is the ultimate camera if you’re into street photography.

Ricoh GR III

Ricoh GR III compact camera

Ricoh’s GR III gives you a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor and 18.3mm f/2.8 lens (28mm equivalent), but it costs much less than Fujifilm’s X100 series, at $899. The killer feature of this camera is its small size, meaning you can slip it into a pocket, unlike the X100V. At the same time, you get a rapid phase-detect autofocus system, a sharp lens, built in stabilizer and great RAW image quality. The drawbacks are poor battery life and JPEG images that lack saturation and punch.

Fujifilm XF10

Fujifilm XF10 compact camera

The best bargain in APS-C street photography is without a doubt the $499 XF10. Like the Ricoh GR III, it packs a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens and a nice-looking compact body. It takes sharp images with accurate colors, both in JPEG and RAW mode, too. The drawbacks are limited video options and an autofocus system that’s occasionally inaccurate.

Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F compact camera for street photos

If you want a very similar street camera to the X100V, but prefer to spend less cash, just jump back a generation to the Fujifilm X100F. True, it doesn’t have the latest sensor, lens and flip-up display, but this camera still takes brilliant photos and has ergonomics that are ideal for street photography. Fujifilm’s color science is especially good for skin tones, and you get all the popular simulations like Velvia, Acros and Classic Chrome. Best of all, you can now get the X100F for $1,099, or $200 off the original price.

Zoom compact cameras

For most general types of photography, a regular zoom camera is your best bet, letting you handle landscapes, people photography and some action with aplomb. Cameras like Sony’s RX100 VII and the Canon PowerShot G5X II are also equally good for video.

The downside is that such cameras generally have smaller sensors than their fixed-lens counterparts, falling in between tiny smartphone sensors and larger mirrorless or DSLR cameras. As such, you’ll generally see more noise at higher ISO settings in low light and have less control over the depth of field. All that said, these cameras are very versatile and still deliver much better image quality than a smartphone.

Sony RX100 Mark VII

Sony RX100 VII compact camera

Sony’s latest RX100 Mark VII compact comes with a longer 24-200mm equivalent f/2.8-4.5 lens, making it useful for sports and action along with tourism, portraits and other types of photography. While it lacks the reach of its RX10 IV cousin, the RX100 VII has an autofocus and face-tracking system that’s better than any other compact and even many mirrorless cameras. You can shoot bursts at up to 20 fps, blackout free, and get sharp, realistic RAW and JPEG images at the end. The oversampled 4K video quality is outstanding, too. The main sore points with this camera are the poor handling and very high $1,300 price tag.

Sony RX100 VA

If you don’t need the longer lens on Sony’s latest RX100 VII, the $850 RX100 VA is a good choice. It offers a 20-megapixel stacked CMOS sensor with a fast 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens. Like most of Sony’s camera lineup, it delivers incredibly fast shooting speeds at 24 fps and lets you shoot continuously for a long while thanks to a deep buffer. At the same time, the autofocus system works at lightning speed, even when using face and subject detection. It’s no slouch at video, either, delivering oversampled 4K video at 30 fps and 1080p at a bonkers 1,000 fps. The drawbacks (again with Sony cameras) include a poor menu interface and lack of a touchscreen and manual controls.

Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 Mark II

Lumix LX100 II compact APS-C camera

Panasonic’s $900 Lumix LX100 II has a 17-megapixel Four Thirds sensor that’s bigger than on most compact zooms. It has a bright 24-75mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens, so those two things make it very good in low light for a compact. RAW and JPEG image quality is also strong. On the downside, autofocus and burst performance aren’t on par with Sony’s RX100 VA, the screen won’t tilt and there’s a significant crop on 4K video.

Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

For a bit more reach on the telephoto end, take a look at Canon’s $900 PowerShot G5 X Mark II. It packs a 24-120mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens, so it’ll take clear shots in low light whether you’re shooting landscapes or sports. At the same time, the 1-inch 20-megapixel sensor delivers sharp photos with life-like skin tones. It’s also got a flip-up screen for selfies and vlogging, decent manual controls and 4K video without tracking. However, burst speeds at 8 fps are a bit slow compared to rivals and the autofocus can’t keep up with Sony’s RX100 VA.

Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II

Canon G9X Mark II compact camera

If your budget is limited, Canon’s $429 20-megapixel PowerShot G9 X Mark II offers a good feature set for the price. The 28-84mm equivalent f/2-4.9 lens is reasonably fast, and you can shoot bursts at up to 5 fps. You also get decent manual controls and a great touchscreen. Negative points include a balky continuous autofocus system and poor battery life.

Superzoom (bridge) compact cameras

Since you can’t jump on to an ice rink during a game, you might need a compact with a longer zoom. The superzoom market has expanded of late and includes some models with incredible zoom ranges up to 3,000mm equivalent. Size isn’t everything, though, especially if you’re shooting sports and action. You’ll also need to think about burst shooting speeds and autofocus accuracy. If you like to cover sports on the video side, 4K and slow-mo are also key considerations.

Sony RX10 Mark IV

Sony RX10 Mark IV superzoom camera

If money is really no object, then Sony’s $1,698 RX10 IV is the best superzoom out there, by far. It packs a very fast and flexible 24-600mm f/2.4-4 zoom, along with a 1-inch 20.1-megapixel sensor that delivers realistic images. Whether you’re shooting sports or fast-moving wildlife, you can shoot bursts at a shutter-melting 24 fps, with a fast-tracking AF system borrowed from Sony’s famous mirrorless models. As we’ve mentioned a couple of times now, the negatives are the poor menu interface and that incredible price tag.

Panasonic FZ2500

Panasonic FZ2500 superzoom camera

For a huge step-down in price, Panasonic’s $998 FZ2500 still has a great feature set. You get a 1-inch 20.1-megapixel sensor like the RX10 IV, with a slightly smaller and slower 24-480mm f/2.8-4.5 lens. And while shooting speeds are “only” 12 fps, the FZ2500’s autofocus system is very fast and accurate. It’s also built like a tank and gives you fine control over 4K video capture, albeit with a 1.4x crop. Some negatives are a lens that isn’t sharp across the entire zoom range, overly aggressive noise reduction and colors that can look a bit green.

Nikon Coolpix P1000

Nikon P1000 superzoom camera

If you’re a wildlife shooter (or spy) who really needs a crazy-long zoom, then Nikon’s Coolpix P1000 is impossible to beat. It has a telescope-like 24-3000mm equivalent f/2.8-8 lens that has famously yielded some pretty wild closeups of the moon, airplanes and other faraway objects (it’s also a favorite in the flat earth community). The drawback is the large 3.2-pound weight, poor battery life and the fact that it’s tricky to keep it still when snapping at the extreme telephoto range. Still, if you’re looking for the ultimate telephoto superzoom, no other camera matches it, period.

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Konami’s TurboGrafx-16 mini has been delayed due to coronavirus

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Konami said in a statement on Twitter that “the manufacturing and shipping facilities in China have encountered an unavoidable suspension due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As a result, the delivery of all PC Engine Core Grafx mini products, which was originally scheduled for March 19th, 2020, will be delayed until further notice.” This news isn’t shocking — some factories in China have already shut down due to coronavirus fears and infections.

The TurboGrafx-16 mini and PC Engine Core Grafx mini seem like they could be promising products. The North American and European versions of the system include some fantastic games like Ys Book I & II, and the Japanese version has a few PC Engine grails like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire. However, it all comes down to how well the emulator handles these games.

With the mini consoles delayed and no signs of the coronavirus epidemic slowing down, gamers are probably wondering if the production of PS5 and Xbox Series X will be able to stay on track for their intended releases this fall. The new systems likely aren’t scheduled to enter the production phase until late summer, but if the outbreak doesn’t abate by then, Sony and Microsoft could be forced to delay the consoles.



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Amazon is selling the Pixel 4 at its lowest price ever

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If you want the bigger Pixel 4 XL, your best bet is to go for the 128GB Just Black Model. It’s currently 25 percent off, making it $750 instead of $999. You can buy the normally less expensive 64GB model, but even with 10 and 11 percent discounts, both the Just Black and Clearly White variants are currently more costly than their 128GB sibling.

The Pixel 4 is a flawed but mostly compelling device. Engadget reviews editor Chris Velazco gave the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL scores of 85 and 83. As with Google’s past devices, the two phones offer a great camera experience. However, he found battery life — especially on the smaller Pixel 4 — left something to be desired. The phone’s Motion Sense gesture feature was also hit and miss. At times, it can feel like the future, but only when the Soli sensor it depends on is actually able to recognize your hand waving.

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Lettuce grown on the ISS is as nutritious as Earth harvests, scientists find

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The main difference between the two is that the ISS vegetables have more microorganisms, but that’s probably just because of the microflora that live on the space station. None of them, however, are harmful to humans, such as E. coli and Salmonella. The scientists’ findings are significant, because they tell us that we can grow food in space for long journeys. NASA regularly sends supplies to the ISS, so the station’s crew isn’t at risk of food shortages. For trips to the moon and Mars in the future, though, NASA needs to find a way to supplement pre-packaged food.

Massa and Khodadad explained:

“Right now we cannot guarantee that we will have a diet to meet the needs of the crew for these longer, deep space missions, so one potential solution will be to supplement the packaged diet with fresh produce. This [space-grown lettuce] will provide additional vitamins and other nutrients, flavors, textures and variety to the packaged diet. Growing plants may also help with menu fatigue and provide psychological benefits when astronauts are far from home. In the long term, if we ever want to have space colonization, growth of crops will be crucial for establishing any level of sustainability and self-sufficiency.

In addition to providing food, plants may also play a role in future Life Support Systems needed for long-duration missions. Plants generate oxygen as well as remove and fix carbon dioxide, which is critical in closed systems like the ISS or future moon/Mars facilities.”

Since humans can’t live on lettuce alone, NASA also sent kale and cabbage to the ISS to figure out if astronauts can grow them for long trips in the future.

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Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with Cosmos’s Ann Druyan

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This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. It’s not quite a pandemic yet, but there’s some hope on the horizon, now that social media companies like Facebook are actually trying to fight coronavirus disinformation. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show’s incredible new season.

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 podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

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Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw

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The vulnerability is another in a string of Intel chip flaws that have damaged the chipmaker’s reputation of late. In 2018, Intel faced heavy criticism over the Meltdown and Spectre flaws in Intel chips that could have allowed attackers to steal data.

CSME, which has its own 486-based CPU, RAM and boot ROM, is the first thing that runs when you boot up your computer. One of the first things it does is protect its own memory, but before that happens, there’s a brief moment when it’s vulnerable. If hackers have local or physical access to a machine, they might be able to fire off a DMA transfer to that RAM, overwriting it and hijacking code execution.

Since the ROM vulnerability allows seizing control of code execution before the hardware key generation mechanism in the SKS is locked, and the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign. Hardware IDs will be forged, digital content will be extracted, and data from encrypted hard disks will be decrypted.

Since the boot code and RAM are hard coded into Intel’s CPUs, they can’t be patched or reset without replacing the silicon. That makes it impossible for Intel or computer makers to mitigate, let alone completely fix, the vulnerability.

The CSME’s security functions allow the operating system and apps to securely store file encryption keys using a master “chipset key.” If an attacker could access that key by executing malicious code, they could gain access to core parts of the operating system along with apps, and potentially do serious damage.

“This [chipset] key is not platform-specific. A single key is used for an entire generation of Intel chipsets,” explains Mark Ermolov from Positive Technologies. “And since… the ROM vulnerability cannot be fixed, we believe that extracting this key is only a matter of time. When this happens, utter chaos will reign. Hardware IDs will be forged, digital content will be extracted, and data from encrypted hard disks will be decrypted.”

That sounds dramatic, but exploiting the vulnerability would require major technological know-how, specialized equipment and physical access to a machine. Once hackers were inside a system, though, they could feasibly gain persistent remote access.

The vulnerability applies to machines with Intel chips built over the last five years or so. Intel said that it was notified of the vulnerabilities and released mitigations in May 2019 to be incorporated into firmware updates for motherboards and computer systems.

The chip giant told Ars Technica on background that those updates “should” mitigate local attacks. However, physical attacks (where attackers have possession of a targeted computer) might still be possible if attackers can roll back BIOS versions. As such, Intel said in a support document that “end users should maintain physical possession of their platforms.’

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The Morning After: Sonos stops using ‘recycle mode’ to brick old devices

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Also: Xbox Series X speculation and first impressions of TCL’s foldable tablet conceptThe Engadget Podcast: Coronavirus hits tech and a chat with ‘Cosmos’ Ann Druyan

This week on the Engadget Podcast, we dive into the many ways the coronavirus is affecting the tech industry, all the while remembering to wash our hands and not touch our faces. And for something completely different, Devindra chats with Ann Druyan (starting at 26:59), the co-creator of Cosmos, on the show’s incredible new season. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

Don’t brick your old devices for a discount.Sonos kills its device-bricking ‘recycle mode’

A Sonos spokesperson confirmed that the Trade Up program will continue, but recycling mode is no more. If you want to get the 30 percent discount, you just need to prove you own one of the eligible “legacy” products by validating its serial number. Once that’s done, you can apply the discount to anything Sonos is currently selling at its online store.

The completed statue should go on display this fall.Japan’s life-size 18-meter Gundam statue can move (a little)

It will move. As the latest Gundam statue gets prepped to go on show in Yokohama later this year, we’re learning that the mech will not only light up like its predecessors — it’ll move a bit, too. Japanese media got a tour of the Gundam’s leg ‘bones,’ as they crept forward. If anything, the tour proved that full-scale robot suits are a thing of the distant future, sadly.

Foldables schmoldables.TCL made a phone prototype with a roll-up screen

TCL paid a visit to New York to show off its latest smartphone prototypes, and while this included a tri-fold tablet, the more interesting of the pair is what the company says is the “world’s first rollable extendable display smartphone concept.” In short, the device has a roll-up extension to the screen, using similar tech to the roll-up TVs we’ve seen over the last few years.

When fully extended, the display is 7.8 inches. In its original “closed” state, the phone is 6.75 inches. When you need to put it away, the screen rolls and wraps around the rear of the device. It slides inside the phone, though, and perhaps crucially, the display isn’t exposed when closed. While we only handled dummy devices for now, it’s another vision of the future of mobile devices.

It’s likely faster than your gaming rig — but don’t give up on that desktop yet.Does the Xbox Series X make gaming PCs obsolete?

On paper, the Xbox Series X’s sheer power blows away most gaming rigs today — but what does that mean for PC enthusiasts? To be honest, there’s still plenty we don’t know about the Series X or what the state of PC hardware will be later this year. But based on Microsoft’s spec dump last week, we can start making some educated guesses. Read on to let Devindra Hardawar guide you away (or toward) the next big console race.

It doesn’t work very well, but it’s possible.Project Sandcastle shows you can install Android on an iPhone 7

Yes, you can get Android on an iPhone, in very specific circumstances and with a lot of compromises.

Explore Mars with a 1.8-billion-pixel panorama from the Curiosity rover.The next Mars rover is named ‘Perseverance’

Right now, you can explore the Martian surface by zooming in on a giant 2GB panoramic image made of shots taken by the Curiosity rover. In the future, we’ll get data back from a new Martian rover, dubbed Perseverance. It will set off for the red planet in July.

But wait, there’s more…

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Oppo’s first Android smartwatch borrows a lot from Apple

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Oppo Watch

The watch comes in two flavors: the 46mm version with a 1.91-inch AMOLED screen should last for up to 40 hours on a single charge, whereas the smaller 41mm version with a 1.6-inch screen does 24 hours only. They charge up quickly thanks to Oppo’s VOOC technology: a 17-minute session already gets you back up to 50-percent charge. These two models also have different levels of water resistance, with the bigger one rated at 5ATM, whereas the smaller one is at 3ATM only. They all come in a body design that bares strong resemblance to the Apple Watch, save for the missing digital crown. Heck, even some of the UI elements clearly took a page out of Apple’s book.

Folks in China will be able to pre-order an Oppo Watch today ahead of the March 24th launch. The 46mm will be available for 1,999 yuan or about $290, and you get to pick either black or rose gold. The smaller 41mm version will cost 1,499 yuan or about $220, and it comes in black, white or pink. And then you have the premium 46mm stainless steel edition with sapphire crystal, and this is asking for 2,499 yuan or about $360. Still noticeably cheaper than the Apple Watches, of course.

The Oppo Watch won’t be leaving China any time soon, but Oppo has entered a partnership with the Boston Marathon Association for some co-branding and co-development work over the next four years, so don’t be surprised if you trip over an Oppo Watch in the next race.

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