The New York Times is getting in on the year-end roundup bandwagon. The publication's new Year in Games wraps up stats about which of its daily puzzles and brain-teasers readers played over the course of 2025. People can get their own personalized reports, or just look over the community stats for the Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee and Strands games. The Year in Games reviews are available on the iOS and Android apps for The New York Times, as well as on a dedicated mobile web page.

Annual analysis of all your activities has become a common feature for lots of services. Reports like Spotify Wrapped or the other many entertainment-related ones are usually a fun time, with splashy graphics and high shareability. Uber feels like an odder match.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nyt-games-has-a-year-in-review-thing-now-too-203000878.html?src=rss

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Google's at it again, once more insisting that AI is something people need or want more of in their lives. The latest move comes from YouTube Gaming, which announced an open beta for a project called Playables Builder. This allows select YouTube Creators to use a "prototype web app built using Gemini 3" to make bite-sized games, no coding required. 

YouTube was testing the addition of small-scale games to its desktop and mobile platforms back in 2023, then added multiplayer capability to Playables last year. Since AI is appearing all over Google-owned services, today's news probably shouldn't be a surprise.   

The premise sounds similar to the Disco and GenTabs projects that Google Labs recently announced. They offer an AI layer to web browsing: provide a natural language input, get an interactive widget that does what you asked for. Despite my skeptical attitude toward AI, I can see those tools having some practical applications for search, where the goal is to aggregate whatever data you're looking for into a manageable, easy-to-read interface. 

But a game is not simple. A good game takes what might be a simple idea and, with finesse and iteration and skill, transforms it into a genuinely fun experience. It's a cute parlor trick that AI assistants can help people to make stuff without technical knowledge, but there's a reason professional game devs work hard to amass all their know-how. Playables Builder is a peak example of misunderstanding what artificial intelligence is best at. Just because a chatbot can make a game doesn't mean anyone will enjoy playing it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/youtube-is-letting-creators-make-playable-games-with-a-gemini-3-tool-195500318.html?src=rss

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LG is getting in on one of the newest trends for televisions with the introduction of Micro RGB. The company will unveil the LG Micro RGB evo at CES 2026, but it shared some preliminary information about the screen today.

Micro RGB is a newer screen technology where rather than white lights, the backlight can be any hue thanks to individually controlled red, green and blue Micro LEDs, offering a wider color array. This approach is a mid-way point between the precision of OLED with its individual pixel lighting, but it offers an upgrade over screens only using mini LEDs.

The television is also equipped with an upgraded engine for AI upscaling. According to the company's press release, the LG Micro RGB evo is certified by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in BT.2020, DCI-P3, and Adobe RGB. The TV has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.

The few other brands currently using micro RGB are charging a pretty penny for it; the one announced by Samsung earlier this year costs $29,999. At 115 inches, the Samsung version is also much larger than LG's offerings, which include options at 100 inches, 86 inches and 75 inches. Although the size is reduced, expect the eventual prices for the LG Micro RGB evo to also be very expensive.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-will-debut-its-first-micro-rgb-television-at-ces-010037923.html?src=rss

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Microsoft made a big punt this year with Copilot. The company put its AI chatbot into a special line of laptops and has also tried to integrate it into other tech products. The latest place you may find Copilot is on your LG smart television, whether you want it or not.

Several LG smart TV owners have taken to Reddit over the past few days to complain that they suddenly have a Copilot app on the device and cannot uninstall it. Two Engadget staffers discovered the app on a 2022 LG OLED and a 2023 UA8000. They confirmed that the app can't be removed, although they were able to hide it from the home screen. One other person from our team also has a 2022 LG OLED but isn't seeing Copilot, so your mileage may vary based on what permissions and privacy settings you already have set up with LG.

Karissa Bell for Engadget

LG said during the 2025 CES season that it would have a Copilot-powered AI Search in its next wave of TV models, but putting in a permanent AI fixture is sure to leave a bad taste in many customers' mouths, particularly since Copilot hasn't been particularly popular among people using AI assistants.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lg-quietly-added-an-unremovable-microsoft-copilot-app-to-tvs-235923754.html?src=rss

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Just last month, Ford seemed to be on the brink of sunsetting the F-150 Lightning. Today, the vehicle manufacturer announced plans to reboot the truck as a hybrid. This next generation of the F-150 Lightning will contain Extended Range Electric Vehicle. An EREV is similar in concept to a plug-in hybrid but with a larger battery that's topped up by a gas generator — the powertrain itself is all electric. This next generation of the F-150 Lightning will offer an estimated range of more than 700 miles. Production will end this year on the current F-150 Lightning models.

This revamp of the F-150 Lightning is part of Ford's latest approach to electric vehicles. The company projected that by 2030, half of its global volume will be comprised of hybrids, extended-range EVs and electric vehicles, compared with 17 percent today. "As part of these actions, Ford no longer plans to produce select larger electric vehicles where the business case has eroded due to lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes," the company's press release states. Ford will also swap its planned electric commercial van for North America with a new, affordable commercial van that has both gas and hybrid options. The company anticipates seeing a $19.5 billion negative impact for this pivot away from EVs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-is-rebooting-the-f-150-lightning-as-an-erev-with-a-gas-generator-222529768.html?src=rss

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Apple TV is adding Google Cast support to its native Android app. This update allows subscribers to stream Apple TV shows from their smartphones to their televisions. Apple's streaming service only just released the dedicated app for the Android operating system in February 2025. Adding in Google Cast support helps fully integrate the app into the experience for people whose gear is part of the Android ecosystem.

The addition should make it easier for viewers to shift between screens, even mid-episode. It's a very different approach than Netflix, which recently ended Google Cast support for its streaming platform in most use cases.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-tv-app-for-android-now-supports-google-cast-205642324.html?src=rss

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PlayStation had said on X that it would have news about Saros at The Game Awards, and unfortunately, fans excited for the new Housemarque project will need to wait a little longer to get their hands on it. The game has been delayed from its planned March release. But there's only a short time until the new date of April 30, and pre-orders are open now. Star Rahul Kohli appeared at The Game Awards to introduce the newest trailer for the game. 

I'm glad we won't be waiting too much longer, because Saros looks very cool. Housemarque made its name on titles like Resogun and Returnal, and Saros seems like a great addition to their library. The latest trailer shows off all the golden and solar vibes in Carcosa. It also has more glimpses of the characters and story as well as the dangerous and deadly beings that will be trying very hard to kill you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/housemarques-saros-is-delayed-to-april-30-041813989.html?src=rss

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So there's good news and bad news about the highly anticipated Exodus coming out of The Game Awards this year. The good news is that there's a fresh trailer showcasing more of the game. The bad news is that the game won't be out until early 2027. The game was originally announced two years ago (also at The Game Awards) and had been pegged for release in 2026.

We may be waiting longer to get our hands on Exodus, but the substantial new trailer shows more of what the final product will entail, offering some backstory on main character Jun Aslan. He's the only human who can use the technology developed by Celestials, which are humans that have evolved 40,000 years into the future. The trailer also showcases the character C.C. Orlev, voiced by Matthew McConaughey. (Insert obligatory "alright alright alright" here.) Developer Archetype Entertainment includes some notable names from BioWare, 343 Industries and Naughty Dog, and the BioWare lineage seems particularly strong with this character- and choice-driven science fiction story.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/exodus-is-delayed-to-early-2027-032610665.html?src=rss

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Frictional Games is back with a new game that looks primed to carry on the studio's tradition of excellence in horror. It's called Ontos, and it's slated to launch on PC, PlayStation and Xbox next year. The trailer debuted during The Game Awards 2025.

The company's past projects include Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA, and this new title is also looking pretty dang creepy. It looks like things will take a philosophical turn, with a story of trying to piece together your father's past that leads you to questioning the meaning of life and reality. The team is going big with the casting, with Stellan Skarsgård playing one of the main roles in the trailer. This is one that any horror fans will want to keep on their radar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-devs-of-soma-are-back-with-a-spiritual-successor-called-ontos-021535060.html?src=rss

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The Game Awards kicked off with a bang, showing the world premiere of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. It's a brand new action role-playing game that will be directed by Casey Hudson, who previously headed up several notable BioWare games you probably know like Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic.

There’s not much to go on in the trailer, but the game simply existing is a pretty great surprise and this cinematic trailer sure looks shiny. Hudson is working with Arcanaut Studios on this project, which is described as “an epic interactive adventure across a galaxy on the brink of rebirth where every decision shapes your path towards light or darkness.” Which kind of sounds like Star Wars crossed with Mass Effect, and I am personally very excited for that combo.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/star-wars-fate-of-the-old-republic-is-a-new-action-rpg-from-the-director-of-mass-effect-and-kotor-012913046.html?src=rss

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A lot of trailers drop during The Game Awards, but the comedy of Bradley the Badger stood out from the pack. The conceit is similar to Wreck-It Ralph. Bradley, the protagonist of a fictional platforming series, is suddenly transported into the worlds of other unfinished video games; the trailer shows a badger-ified Bloodborne, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us. He also has access to a kit of dev tools that let him modify these incomplete projects, getting a taste of making a game. As the trailer ends, Bradley briefly crosses into the real world and comes face to face with an actual game developer. This looks like it will be a funny and very meta game. Astro Bot made that combo work brilliantly, so here's hoping Bradley the Badger does too. 

"Bradley is part love letter to videogames and part satire of them," said Christian Cantamessa, co-founder of Day 4 Night Studios. "Games are an art form and this is a story inspired by our adventures making them." Cantamessa and fellow co-founder Davide Soliani have some big credits on their resumes, including Red Dead Redemption, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The titular badger is voiced by Evan Peters, who has been in the recent X-Men movies as well as Tron: Ares.

The team is planning to release the game on Steam, with consoles possibly to follow, but no timeline has been given yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bradley-the-badger-looks-like-wreck-it-ralph-as-a-real-video-game-005634520.html?src=rss

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Apple has clawed back a bit of ground in its legal fight with Epic Games that could have wide-reaching consequences for all app developers. Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mostly upheld a previous contempt ruling regarding fees Apple levied on third-party payment systems. However, the judges did decide to reverse the order that Apple cannot charge any commissions on those external payments, which was one of the company's main arguments in this ongoing debate.   

To catch you up, US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers initially ruled in 2021 that Apple must allow third-party payment systems, although her decision fell shy of calling the tech company's control over the App Store a monopoly. In May 2025, she ruled that Apple's 27 percent commission on those outside payments violated her previous order. Apple responded with an emergency motion to appeal that finding. 

Epic Games had taken its smash hit Fortnite off both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store while it was in court arguing these cases. Fortnite returned to iOS in the spring and just arrived back on Android devices today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-mostly-loses-its-appeal-in-epic-games-case-235509557.html?src=rss

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Epic Games has spent a lot of time in court over the past several years, but it seems the company's litigious era may be winding down. The company announced today that its game Fortnite is back on the Google Play mobile store in the US. Fortnite's return to Android devices means Epic's popular hit is now available on just about every gaming platform following five years of arguing antitrust lawsuits. 

Epic took both Google and Apple to court over their policies for mobile payment systems back in 2020. The gaming company has been successful on the whole in its challenges, most recently reaching a settlement with Google in November. The companies agreed to a modified version of the order US District Judge James Donato originally placed on Google regarding fees charged to developers and handling of in-app payments and third-party billing systems. 

The same saga unfolded earlier this year with Apple. US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also sided with Epic Games in May, ordering Apple to stop collecting commissions on purchases made outside its own App Store. After a bit of back and forth, Fortnite finally returned to iOS in the US a few weeks later.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-back-on-the-google-play-store-195507458.html?src=rss

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The latest experiment emerging out of Google Labs is Disco, which is the company's AI-driven approach to web browsing. The first feature for Disco is called GenTabs, built on Google's Gemini 3 model. 

GenTabs are interactive widgets created from a mix of user prompts, open tabs and chat history. The preview examples demonstrate how GenTabs can create a model to demonstrate entropy as a study aid, or collect trip ideas into one screen for building an itinerary. The GenTab can be further refined with natural language requests, and it will also offer contextual suggestions for additions that may be helpful. Google's blog post announcing this concept notes that information given in a GenTab will include links to its sources. 

Google has a waitlist for people who want to try out Disco and GenTabs, although for now it's only on macOS. Google Labs projects don't always go the distance to an official public release, and the company even acknowledged that GenTabs will likely have some wonkiness at this experimental stage. But it's been clear for months that big tech companies are gunning for the best and fastest ways to put their AI tools into browsers, so it seems likely that there will be more features in this vein coming up soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-disco-is-an-experimental-web-browser-that-builds-ai-widgets-based-on-your-tabs-180000701.html?src=rss

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Indie game developer Edmund McMillen hosted a Reddit AMA today offering some more details about his upcoming game Mewgenics. For starters, the Steam release date for this turn-based cat-breeding RPG has been slightly delayed to February 10. The game was first announced all the way back in 2012 and had most recently been slated for a launch some time this year. Part of the long development cycle was so that McMillen could pause to launch Super Meat Boy Forever, the sequel to his Super Meat Boy platforming hit from 2010. Gamers may also know McMillen for The Binding of Isaac, which has had some notable crossovers with titles like Balatro in recent years.   

Other tidbits from the AMA include the promise that McMillen already has DLC ideas, so expect to have additional content release after the base game is available. Although there doesn't seem to be any lack of replayability in Mewgenics; McMillen said "I currently have 300+ hours across 2 saves and have only beaten the game on one save so far." There is also a plan to have some console versions of the game, although likely not until much later next year at the soonest, the dev added.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mewgenics-the-next-game-from-the-binding-of-isaacs-developer-will-arrive-next-february-on-pc-235740063.html?src=rss

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We love a little nostalgia mixed in with our cozy gaming, and ReStory looks like a perfect blend of those two. In this upcoming indie game, you play the owner of a Tokyo electronics repair shop in the mid 2000s. The trailer that dropped today shows you tinkering with some very familiar gadgets from the era, such as renamed riffs on a Tamagotchi, a Nokia brick phone, a PSP and a Walkman. You clean and repair these devices for customers, and it looks like your conversations with them might have as much impact on their lives as your official work does. 

The whole thing looks exceedingly charming and chill. It's nice to see a game like ReStory as a counterpart to something with a similar premise but wildly different tone like Kaizen, which was a highlight during the Steam Automation Fest over the summer. ReStory is being developed by Mandragora, and it is currently playtesting ahead of a planned 2026 release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/repair-iconic-2000s-era-gadgets-in-upcoming-indie-game-restory-233445848.html?src=rss

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Uber is rolling out kiosks for travelers to book rideshares without using the mobile app. The company is pitching the service as a convenience for international travelers who may not have a data plan, but it could also be a lifesaver if your phone runs out of juice and you don't have a way to recharge it. A passenger can use the kiosk to enter their destination and desired ride type, then will receive a printed receipt with the details about their booked ride. The first kiosk will debut in Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, but Uber said it would have additional locations in airports, hotels and ports over the coming months. 

In airport situations, these kiosks make Uber even more of a direct competitor to traditional taxis. With the removal of the app, the kiosk can essentially stand in as the dispatcher and a passenger can decide how to travel based on their preferences (or on wait times) for a rideshare versus a yellow cab.

Uber also used LaGuardia as the starting point for its shuttle bus service in New York, with $18 rides between the airport and Manhattan transit hubs in October 2024; it later rolled out the shuttles to John F. Kennedy Airport in March 2025. Today, Uber said it is bringing the shuttle bus option to Newark Liberty International Airport, so all major NYC airports now have access to the service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-is-installing-kiosks-for-booking-rides-without-the-mobile-app-220904106.html?src=rss

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The Game Awards are this week, with the grand showcase for 2025 coming up on Thursday, December 11 at 8PM ET. There's also a pre-show (in case the multi-hour affair just isn't enough TGA for you) and that kicks off at 7:30PM ET. The ceremony will be a mix of honoring games from the past year and debuting trailers for future releases, so expect a couple interesting announcements to emerge from Thursday night. Engadget will be reporting on any big stories as they happen at The Game Awards, but if you want to watch along with us, the whole shebang is available to watch for free on just about every streaming platform you could want. 

The primo spot to watch is probably YouTube, since it will be broadcasting the show in 4K and you'll want to see all those trailers in their full glory. The video is embedded above. The other official co-streaming partners are Twitch and TikTok Live, but you can also watch everything on Steam and Amazon Prime Video. The Game Awards will also be on social media via Facebook Live, Instagram and X. 

It's been a good year for gaming and lots of top-notch projects are up for nominations at the show this year. The Game Awards will also shine a light on important subjects such as Innovation in Accessibility and Games For Impact as well as recognizing recent releases for excellence in artistry and design. And don't sleep on the Day of the Devs showcase happening tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10; that will almost certainly have some hype stuff emerging from the indie scene.

In terms of reveals, host Geoff Keighley has shared a few looks at what's to come. There will definitely be an appearance by Lara Croft and whatever is happening at Wildflower Interactive, the new studio helmed by The Last of Us co-director Bruce Straley, is due to be announced. PlayStation will also have more to say about Saros, which is Housemarque's follow-up to Returnal. And of course, hope springs eternal (as do the memes) for Half-Life 3.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-game-awards-2025-on-december-11-205500124.html?src=rss

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Letterboxd has introduced its first wave of exclusive digital film rentals for the company’s previously announced Letterboxd Video Store. The inaugural collection is themed Unreleased Gems and includes four movies that received awards or acclaim during a film festival. The titles will be available to watch from Letterboxd from December 10 through January 9. Each film is limited to certain geographic markets and the prices will also vary both by title and country.

The Unreleased Gems rental titles include It Ends, a mystery-horror that played at SXSW 2025; Sore: A Wife From the Future, which received eight nominations at the 2025 Indonesian Film Festival; Kennedy, a Hindi-language crime-thriller that premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2023; and The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, a drama which received the Un Certain Regard prize from this year's Cannes event.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/letterboxd-video-stores-first-film-rentals-will-be-available-this-week-235426596.html?src=rss

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According to a statement from the Public Interest Research Group, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 has removed language that would have granted the US military the right to repair its own equipment rather than requiring it to use official defense contractors for maintenance. This bill is still being considered by Congress, but it is uncertain whether the right to repair language is likely to be re-introduced once it has been removed. 

"Despite support from Republicans, Democrats, the White House and key military leaders, troops will keep waiting for repairs they could perform themselves," US PIRG Legislative Associate Charlie Schuyler said in a statement from the organization. "Taxpayers will keep paying inflated costs. And in some cases, soldiers might not get the equipment they need when they need it most."

A bipartisan bill from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tom Sheedy was introduced earlier this year to allow the military right to repair access. The topic has been a more piecemeal affair for laypeople in the US, with some states enacting their own laws and federal regulators sometimes intervening to offer consumers more choice in how they seek repairs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/congress-removes-right-to-repair-language-from-2026-defense-bill-231708835.html?src=rss

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