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Video Games Weekly: Censorship, shrinkage and a Subnautica scandal

July 22, 2025

Hardware
Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday, broken into two parts. The first is a space for short essays and ramblings about video game trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a reporter who’s covered the industry for more than 13 years. The second contains the video game stories from the past week that you need to know about, including some headlines from outside of Engadget.

Please enjoy — and I’ll see you next week.

This week, I’m fried. Maybe it’s the plodding and ever-present crumbling of society and human decency, or maybe it’s because Love Island USA just ended so I’m feeling extra listless. It’s a familiar summer sensation, but this year everything is exaggerated and extra tense, the stakes of every action seem higher, and instead of melting into the warmth of the season with a popsicle and a smile, I often find myself frozen and numb. I am the popsicle, coo coo ca choo.

I’m not sure exactly what I’m trying to convey here, but I think it’s clear that I shouldn’t be writing anything too serious at the moment. I’m working on a few reports and trying to keep my composure amid the chaos, and all the while, the video game headlines keep rolling on. I’ve included a few more than usual this week, as penance for my popsicle state.

The Chinese Room escapes from Tencent

UK studio The Chinese Room, creator of Still Wakes the Deep and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, is independent once again. The Chinese Room leaders completed a management buyout with help from VC firm Hiro Capital to fully split the studio from Tencent subsidiary Sumo Digital, which acquired it in 2018. A number of people were laid off as part of the transition and the studio is left with a total of 55 employees. The Chinese Room is still working on Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 for Paradox Interactive, and it also has original projects in development.

Still Wakes the Deep was one of my absolute favorite games of 2024. Whether you’re a fan of beautiful paranormal horror or you’re just really into oil rigs, give it a go.

Read these stories that Vice censored

Vice’s owner, Savage Ventures, doesn’t want you to read this story. Or this one.

Vice removed two articles about Steam’s new ban on certain “adult-only” content and the organization that pushed for the change, Collective Shout, which has the support of prominent anti-pornography groups with conservative religious foundations. The stories were written by contributor Ana Valens, who said the removals were “due to concerns about the controversial subject matter — not journalistic complaints.” Valens has vowed to never write for Vice again and a handful of reporters there have resigned in solidarity.

Censoring stories about censorship is certainly a choice, Vice.

Supermassive delays Directive 8020 and shrinks its team

The home of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games, is laying off 36 people, restructuring its team and delaying one of its projects into 2026. A statement from the studio says the decisions were in response to the video game industry’s “challenging and ever-evolving environment.” It’s estimated that Supermassive had more than 300 employees before the layoffs.

Directive 8020, the fifth installment in the Dark Pictures Anthology, is now due to come out in the first half of 2026, rather than this fall. Honestly, I’m not surprised to hear Supermassive needs more time to work on Directive 8020. I watched Engadget UK bureau chief Mat Smith play the demo at Summer Game Fest in June, and while it looked great, we were both surprised by how short and non-interactive the segment was. He summed up this feeling in his preview with the line, “Finally, I got to play (but only for a few minutes).”

Supermassive is also working on Little Nightmares III, a series that it took over from Tarsier Studios. Tarsier created Little Nightmares and its sequel, but lost the rights to the IP when the team was acquired by a subsidiary of Embracer Group in 2019. Series publisher Bandai Namco kept the Little Nightmares brand and commissioned Supermassive to build the third game, while Tarsier is working on its own project, Reanimal.

It makes sense that Supermassive would prioritize Little Nightmares III in order to fulfill its obligations with Bandai. The game has already been delayed once, and it’s set to hit PC and consoles on October 10.

FBC: Firebreak is getting less busted

I still have high hopes for FBC: Firebreak to be the Left 4 Dead revival we’ve always wanted, but fact is, it’s not quite there yet. Remedy Entertainment is aware of this hard truth and has a plan to fix it. The studio laid out its pipeline for making FBC: Firebreak easier to jump into, more fun to play and less confusing overall, with most major changes coming in an update this winter.

Valve is still the best retirement community in game development

PCGamesN published an interview with Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le, who left Valve years ago to try out independent development. One sentiment stuck out to me.

“They didn’t force me out or anything,” Le told PCGamesN. “But a part of me kind of regrets it. Looking back, my decision to leave Valve was, financially, kind of a poor decision. If I had stayed with Valve, I would have been able to retire by now.”

It’s not presented as an indictment of Valve, but I find it notable that Le describes the studio as a place to retire, rather than a space to innovate and create the next generation of video games. At this rate, Valve will never outrun its reputation as the studio where talented game developers go to die (professionally speaking).

But, hey, at least they’re not getting laid off en masse. Which, unfortunately, brings us to the next headline.

Your favorite studio’s favorite studio faces layoffs

Cyberpunk 2077, Sea of Thieves and Dune: Awakening support studio Virtuos is laying off 270 developers, which is about seven percent of its staff. Virtuos is currently best known as the studio behind The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered alongside Bethesda, and it has more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Europe and North America. The cuts affect developers in Asia and Europe, with “fewer than 10” in France, where work on Oblivion Remastered was headquartered.

Heck yeah, there’s gonna be a Hellraiser game

Make sure to pin this one on your calendar. Saber Interactive is making Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, a first-person, action-survival horror game that features actor Doug Bradley as Pinhead for the first time in nearly 20 years. Barker himself provided input on the story, too. It’s coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S, with no release date yet.

“The Hellraiser universe is defined by its unflinching exploration of pain, pleasure, and the thin and terrifying line that separates the two,” a description from Saber Interactive reads. “That essence is at the heart of our game.”

An inside look at the fallout of the Zenimax layoffs

Game Developer reporter Chris Kerr spoke with a number of employees at Zenimax who are still reeling from the layoffs that Microsoft enacted in early July. The vibes there sound pretty terrible.

“This carcass of workers that remains is somehow supposed to keep shipping award-winning games,” one senior QA tester told Kerr. The developer continued, “Microsoft just took everything that could have been great about the culture and collaboration and decimated it. Morale is terrible. It’s grotesque. People are stressed. They’re crying.”

Xbox cloud play anywhere

When Xbox isn’t firing thousands of employees in one blow, it’s quietly laying the groundwork for the future of video game distribution. An update for Xbox Insiders this week introduces cross-platform cloud support, bringing your cloud library and play history to the Xbox PC app. This means you can access cloud activity on an Xbox console, PC or Windows handheld, and seamlessly play cloud games across devices. This is just how video games are going to work in the coming decades, and it’s interesting to watch our future slowly roll out in blog posts and software updates.

Subnautica 2 scandal catch-up

Did you miss all of the mess around Subnautica 2 last week? Or, more accurately, this past month? To quickly summarize, Subnautica publisher Krafton is being sued by the series creators after it fired them and then delayed their game, allegedly sabotaging a $250 million bonus payout due to developers. To not-quickly summarize, see my complete breakdown of the drama.

My Melody & Kuromi hits Netflix this week

I don’t know who else needs a little levity in their life right now, but I certainly do. Thankfully, the stop-motion show My Melody & Kuromi is coming to Netflix on July 24, and there’s already an adorable tie-in music video by LE SSERAFIM to enjoy. Zen out, watch all of the Sanrio sweetness and finally settle the debate: Are you more of a Kuromi or a My Melody?

Additional reading
- Kris Holt’s weekly indie game roundup
Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email, Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/video-games-weekly-censorship-shrinkage-and-a-subnautica-scandal-221839722.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics.
“Ozzy Forever”: Black Sabbath, Elton John, Tom Morello, and Others Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne

July 22, 2025

Music

Jack White, Metallica, the Smashing Pumpkins, and more have also posted in memory of the heavy metal legend

Source: RSS: News.

Debugging UI with AI: GitHub Copilot agent mode meets MCP servers

July 22, 2025

If you’ve ever dusted off an old project and thought, “How did I leave things in such a mess?”, you’re in good company.

On my latest Rubber Duck Thursdays stream, I dove back into my OctoArcade Next.js app, only to rediscover a host of UI gremlins. So, we experimented with something that felt like magic: letting GitHub Copilot agent mode, paired with Playwright MCP server, identify and fix UI bugs. Along the way, I learned (again) how crucial it is to provide AI tools like Copilot with clear, detailed requirements.

Let’s walk through how I used these agentic tools to debug, test, and (mostly) solve some tricky layout issues, while covering practical tips for anyone looking to leverage Copilot’s agent workflows in real-world projects.

I started by firing up OctoArcade, my collection of GitHub-themed mini-games built with Next.js and TypeScript. Within minutes, I realized I had been introducing a new game to the app, but hadn’t quite gotten around to fixing some bugs.

Here’s what we accomplished in one stream session:

Problem: Navigation header overlapping game content across all games
Solution: Copilot agent mode and Playwright MCP server identified the issue through visual inspection, and implemented a global header fix
Bonus: Fixed some additional UI issues (unintended gaps between the game canvas and footer) discovered during testing
Result: Hands-off debugging that solved problems I’d stepped away from, and had previously spent some cycles on fixing

Let me walk you through how this worked and what you can learn for your own debugging workflows.

Making sure Copilot custom instructions are set up

With my environment set up in VS Code Insiders, I checked that my Copilot custom instruction files (.github/copilot-instructions.md, *.instructions.md files) were up to date. This is usually my first step before using any agentic features, as these instructions provide important context on my expectations, coding styles, and working practices — influencing how Copilot responds and interacts with my codebase.

In my last blog post, we spent time exploring recommended practices when setting up Copilot custom instructions. We also covered how the copilot-setup-steps.yml sets up a developer environment when using Copilot coding agent. Take a look at that blog post on using GitHub Copilot coding agents to refactor and automate developer workflows to learn more.

Always keep your Copilot custom instructions current (including descriptions of your repository structure, common steps like building and testing, and any expectations before making commits). Copilot agents depend on this context to deliver relevant changes. When I think my instructions file is out of date, I typically prompt Copilot in agent mode with a prompt along the lines of:

Based on the #codebase, please can you update the custom instructions file for accuracy? Please make sure to keep the structure (i.e. headings etc.) as-is. Thanks!

In some of my instruction files, I’ve even instructed Copilot to keep key documentation (README, .github/copilot-instructions.md, etc.) up to date when it makes significant changes (like refactoring files or adding new features).

Agentic debugging: UI troubleshooting with Playwright MCP

Playwright MCP server is a powerful tool for end-to-end testing and UI automation. Since it’s an MCP server, you can access it through your favorite AI tools that support the Model Context Protocol, like Copilot agent mode and Copilot coding agent! In agent mode, Copilot can use Playwright’s structured tools to:

Load web pages
Simulate user actions (clicks, navigation)
Inspect rendered layouts without needing vision models

This means you can ask Copilot to “see” what a human would, spot layout issues, and even propose CSS or component fixes. To get started with Playwright, it’s as easy as adding the below to your MCP configuration:

{   "mcpServers": {     "playwright": {       "command": "npx",       "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]     }   } }

Once you have started the MCP server, you should see that Copilot now has access to a suite of new tools for browser interaction like:

browser_snapshot – Capture accessibility snapshots of pages
browser_navigate – Navigate to URLs
browser_click, browser_type, browser_hover – Interact with elements
browser_resize – Test different viewport sizes
browser_take_screenshot – Visual documentation
And many more: You can find the full list in the tools section of Playwright MCP server’s README

With access to a new set of tools to solve the UI challenges, it was time to point Copilot at the problem. Meaning, I now had the task of clearly defining the requirements in my initial prompt…easier said than done.

The debugging journey: Real-time fixes and lessons learned

1. Describe the problem and let agent mode work

I noticed that, in several pages, the main content was tucked behind the navigation bar. This was particularly noticeable on any pages that rendered games. On some pages (like OctoPong), I saw inconsistent spacing between game elements and the footer.

To get Copilot agent mode started, I aimed to be as explicit as possible in my prompts:

I have spotted that there is a bit of a UI error. It seems like the main content of any page "starts" behind the navigation bar. This is more evident on the games like octosnap, octopong and octobrickbreaker. Can you take a look at the site using Playwright (you'll need to spin up an instance of the server), take a look at the pages, and then investigate? Thanks!

It loaded up the pages to configure each game, but didn’t try loading the games themselves (so missed some context). I followed up in a separate prompt:

Sorry, I wanted you to take a look when a game is actually loaded too. Can you play the game Octopong and Octosnap – I think it’s very visible in those? Do that before you build a plan.

Lesson: The more context and specifics you provide, the better Copilot performs, just like a teammate.

After spinning up Playwright MCP, I watched Copilot:

Launch a browser
Navigate through the app’s pages
Diagnose where and why content was hidden or misaligned

Ultimately, we had to evolve the way that we were rendering the navigation bar. The current implementation had a separate navigation bar (DynamicHeader component) on each of the game pages with its own local state, overlaying the “main” navigation bar. Instead, Copilot suggested using the navigation bar from the root layout and passing the relevant context up, so that only one component is updated and the root layout gets updated as needed..

Hands-off debugging: At this stage, I was literally hands off, watching as Copilot tried fixes, reran the app, and checked the results visually. As it implemented the new approach with a new header-context file, Copilot recognized linting errors, and iteratively fixed them.

2. Iterating on UI requirements

Fixing bugs is rarely one-and-done. I noticed another bug, specifically for OctoPong. There was a small gap between the game board and the footer, which didn’t show up clearly on the livestream, but was noticeable on my own screen. Fortunately as developers, we’re used to small iterative and incremental improvements.

So once again, I turned to Copilot. However, as I iterated, Copilot would make changes, but they didn’t fully achieve what I needed. The problem wasn’t Copilot though; it was me and my unclear requirements.

Prompt	Result	Reflection
I’ve noticed a minor UI bug on the Octopong game page (this only happens when the game is actually live). There is a small space between the game itself and the footer. I want the game to extend all the way to the footer (not necessarily push the footer beyond the fold though). Can you use the Playwright MCP server to explore what’s going on, build a structured plan / todo list to resolve the actions? Thanks	It achieved what I had asked, but the pong paddles no longer displayed (which was a side effect of the container now being 0 height). Through no fault of Copilot, I hadn’t asked for the game components (e.g. Paddle/Ball) to be visible in the game area. The game was still playing (in a 0 height container), but the key components were not visible to me as the player.	– Good clarity on tools to use. – Good clarity on asking for a plan (as Copilot asked me to review/approve before making the changes). – Lack of clarity on the full requirements (i.e. having the game components be visible and working).
Just to jump in, can you test again? It looks like the paddles and the ball are now missing as a result of the change?	The game began working again, however it introduced the gap that we early sought to resolve.	– Solved the immediate challenge of making game components visible. – Lack of clarity that the earlier requirements were still required.
Can you check the game once again? The spacing issues are still there. The requirements are: 1. The game is playable (i.e. balls and paddles are visible and one paddle is usable for the player). 2. The game area covers the “full space” between header and footer. I think the space problem is back. You must meet both requirements please, thanks.	Once again, Copilot fulfilled the requirements! But this time, the game extended beyond the viewport, and so a user would have to scroll to move the paddle to prevent the ball scoring against them (which is not an ideal experience!).	– Solved all of the requirements we outlined – Lack of clarity in the actual requirements (that the game should not extend beyond the viewport).
Thanks! Sorry, I forgot to give you a third requirement. Your solution makes the game extend beyond the fold, which makes the user have to “scroll” to play the game. These are the requirements you must meet: 1. The game is fully functional (paddles/ball working and visible). 2. There is no space between the game and the footer. 3. The game must not extend beyond the fold (i.e. the user must not have to scroll to see any part of the game board. So the game board at maximum must end at the bottom of the screen). The footer can be below the fold. Please feel free to reword/rewrite my requirements, as I struggled to define them. Make sure you confirm with me the requirements are accurate.	Success! After we prompted Copilot with our full requirements, it was able to think through and iteratively approach the problem to get to the working layout.	– A full set of requirements solved all of the requirements we outlined. – While there were some minor issues in the mobile view, (a small gap between the navigation bar and game), other pages hadn’t yet been optimised for mobile. Since this isn’t a priority, it can be a task for later.

Each prompt brought incremental improvements, but also new side effects (like games extending past the viewport or missing paddles in Pong).

Key insight: Context is important, and making sure that we clearly articulate our requirements is a key part of that. The biggest challenge wasn’t technical, but precisely describing what I wanted. Getting the requirements right took several attempts…And lots of feedback from our viewers in the livestream chat.

Practical tips: Working with Copilot agent mode and MCP servers

Here’s what I learned (or relearned) during this session:

Keep Copilot custom instructions up to date: The agent relies on these files for repo context and best practices.
Give Copilot more power with MCP: Playwright MCP enables true end-to-end testing and UI inspection, making it invaluable for debugging complex web apps.
Be explicit with requirements: Like any collaborator, Copilot only knows what you tell it. List out your must-haves, expected behaviors, and edge cases.
Iterate in small steps: Commit changes frequently. It’s easier to roll back and diagnose issues when your history is granular.

Conclusion: Progress, not perfection

This live debugging session reminded me of two things:

Agentic tools like Copilot and Playwright MCP can genuinely accelerate troubleshooting. Especially when you provide the right context.
Describing requirements is hard. And that’s okay! Iteration, feedback, and even a few missteps are part of the process (both in terms of learning, and solving bugs).

If you’re navigating similar challenges, dive in, experiment, and remember: progress beats perfection.

Update Copilot custom instructions files for your repo. If you’re using Copilot coding agent, make sure to configure the copilot-setup-steps.yml.
Install and start the Playwright MCP server in VS Code to provide Copilot access to a browser for UI testing.
Describe your bug or feature clearly in a new chat with Copilot agent mode.
Let Copilot propose and apply fixes. But always review code changes and test results.
Iterate on requirements based on what you see. Clarify as needed. Make sure you’re being clear in your requirements too.
Commit frequently! Work in a branch and save your progress at each step.

Are you using the Playwright MCP server for UI testing? Or maybe you have another favorite MCP server? Let us know — we’d love to hear how you’re using Copilot agent mode and MCP servers as part of your development workflow!

In the meantime, mark your calendars for our next Rubber Duck Thursdays stream, subscribe to us on YouTube, and check out skills.github.com for interactive GitHub learning. See you next time!

Learn how to set Copilot coding agent up for success with custom instruction and Copilot setup steps >

The post Debugging UI with AI: GitHub Copilot agent mode meets MCP servers appeared first on The GitHub Blog.

Source: The GitHub Blog.

Toy company may regret coming for “Sylvanian Drama” TikToker, experts say

July 22, 2025

Hardware

A popular account on TikTok and Instagram stopped posting suddenly at the end of last year, hit by a lawsuit after garnering millions of views on funny videos using adorable Calico Critter dolls made for preschoolers to act out dark, cringe-y adult storylines.

While millions of followers mourn the so-called “Sylvanian Drama” account’s demise, experts told Ars that the creator may have a decent chance at beating the lawsuit.

The “Sylvanian Drama” account derived its name from “Sylvanian Families,” a brand name used by Epoch Company Ltd., the maker of Calico Critters, for its iconic fuzzy animal dolls in some markets outside the US. Despite these videos referencing murder, drugs, and hookups, seemingly the toy company had no problem, until the account, managed by Ireland-based Thea Von Engelbrechten, started accepting big brand partnerships and making sponsored content featuring the dolls.

Read full article

Comments

Source: Ars Technica.
Family, Memory, and an Ancestral Craft Converge in Daniela García Hamilton’s Tender Paintings

July 22, 2025

Design

Through a mixed-media approach combining oil paint with the soft definition of embroidery fiber, Daniela García Hamilton explores intergenerational bonds in tender, narrative canvases. A first-generation American from a Mexican family, the artist metaphorically links loved ones via thread, incorporating symbols of both Mexican and American geography and imagery of relatives drawn from photographs.

“García Hamilton investigates legacies of tradition, the inevitability of assimilation, and the ways in which family histories replay themselves over time,” says a statement from Charlie James Gallery, which is currently presenting the artist’s solo exhibition, Amanecer / Atardecer (Sunrise / Sunset).

“Toyota” (2025), hand embroidery and oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

García Hamilton began incorporating embroidery into her work following the death of her grandfather, whose own experience with textiles and exuberance for storytelling deeply influenced the artist’s interest in the relationship between craft, lineage, and memory. Scenes range from memorable events like weddings to everyday moments in which people gather together at home or for a siesta in the back of a pickup truck.

Derived from photos in her family archive, García Hamilton’s figurative depictions are immanently relatable. Yet within the broader context of the U.S.’s socio-political climate, especially the current administration’s dubious approach to curbing immigration, there is an undeniable sense of precarity and protectiveness. We’re invited into nostalgic, tender, even vulnerable moments in which every individual’s personality radiates through what the gallery describes as an “inner glow,” emphasizing the significance of togetherness, resilience, and security.

Amanecer / Atardecer continues through August 2 in Los Angeles. Find more on the artist’s Instagram.

“El Temerario (The Daredevil)” (2024), hand embroidery and oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches

Detail of “La sala (The Living Room)”

“High Noon” (2024), oil on canvas, 56 x 36 inches

“Sueña (Dream)” (2024), oil and Sharpie on canvas, 30 x 24 inches

“En el Jardín de mi abuelo (In My Grandfather’s Garden)” (2025), oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches

“Self-portrait as child with my Pa” (2024), colored ink on hot-pressed paper, 48 x 48 inches

“La boda de mi Tía Rosi (My Aunt Rosi’s Wedding)” (2025), hand embroidery on canvas, 30 x 36 inches

Detail of “La sala (The Living Room)”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Family, Memory, and an Ancestral Craft Converge in Daniela García Hamilton’s Tender Paintings appeared first on Colossal.

Source: Colossal.
What I Learned From Taking 58 Walks

July 22, 2025

Health

With friends new and old, I figured out what I really value — one step at a time.

Source: NYT > Well.
Wyze’s $20 socket powers an outdoor camera, makes a dumb bulb smart

July 22, 2025

Hardware

Keeping an outdoor camera powered up can be a vexing issue, involving solar panels, swappable batteries, outdoor wiring, or a combination of the three. Add smart lights to the mix, and your setup will become even more complicated.

Want to simplify matters? If you have one or more outdoor light sockets, you can mount and wire up a Wyze security camera in a flash, and even add some smarts to the conventional bulbs in your yard.

The trick is using Wyze’s $20 Lamp Socket, a screw-in adapter for a standard outdoor light socket that allows you to connect and power a nearby Wyze security camera as well as screw in a regular light bulb, which you can then control via the Wyze app.

The Wyze Lamp Socket has actually been around for a few years now—the original was released in 2021—but this new and more powerful version works with a wider variety of Wyze cameras, including the Wyze Cam v3, v3 Pro, v4, Cam OG, and the Pan v3.

Installation is easy. You just screw the Lamp Socket v2 (first spotted by 9to5Google) into an existing socket, connect a nearby Wyze camera to the Lamp Socket’s USB power port (you’ll need to use the cable that originally came with the Wyze cam), and then screw a conventional light bulb into the socket’s E26 receptacle. While you can screw just about any dumb bulb into the Lamp Socket, Wyze warns against using an incandescent bulb due to the excessive heat it will radiate.

Once that’s done, you’ll be able to control the connected bulb using the Wyze app, meaning you can remotely turn it on and off, put it on a schedule, and set it to turn on at dusk and off again at dawn. You can even make the bulb turn on automatically when your Wyze cam detects motion.

If you have more light sockets in your yard or outdoor space, you can add more Wyze Lamps Sockets and group them together, allowing all the connected lights to switch on and off in unison.

While only five of the original Lamp Sockets could be grouped together, you can group an unlimited number of the newer Lamp Socket v2 units. We’ve reached out to Wyze for details on the maximum range for wireless grouping (the original Lamp Sockets had a range of 82 feet).

Keep in mind that at least one of the Lamp Sockets must be connected to a compatible Wyze cam; the sockets won’t work on their own.

Wyze’s product page also notes that while the Lamp Sockets can be used outdoors, they are not weather- or water-resistant, meaning they’re best used under an eave or in an outdoor light fixture.

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best security cameras and smart lights.

Source: PCWorld.
Meta has ended its bonus program on Threads

July 22, 2025

Hardware

Meta is no longer paying creators to post on Threads. The company quietly ended the Threads bonus program, which offered some creators thousands of dollars a month in bonuses, earlier this year, Engadget has confirmed.

The company hasn’t officially commented on why it stopped the payments, but an Instagram support page that once listed details about the creator incentives no longer references Threads at all. In posts on Threads, creators who were once part of the program have said they stopped receiving payments around the end of April. That’s roughly one year after Meta first started paying creators for popular posts. Though Meta never publicly shared a lot of details about how the program worked, creators who previously spoke with Engadget reported that they were able to earn monthly bonuses ranging from $500 to $5,000 in exchange for hitting specific metrics around post counts and views.

It’s not clear what Meta’s strategy for creators on Threads is going forward. The company is still trying to lure more brands and notable faces to the platform, and has tested features to help people find popular creators they previously followed on X. Meta has also added creator-friendly tools, like the ability to add more links to profiles and more detailed analytics for the app.

But Meta has yet to clearly explain what it can offer creators in return. The platform is hardly driving any traffic to outside websites. It’s also much harder to build a following on Threads, since the platform defaults to an algorithmic timeline consisting mainly of recommended content. This means that it’s easier for a post from an unknown account to go viral, but viral posts rarely lead to an influx of new followers.

Meta may simply be calculating that Threads already has enough momentum without paying people for viral content. At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly said he believes the app can be Meta’s next billion-user platform. It’s difficult to see how that happens without the buy-in of creators.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-has-ended-its-bonus-program-on-threads-201627935.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics.
Deftones, Clipse, Deafheaven, and More to Play 2025 Dia de los Deftones Festival

July 22, 2025

Music

Deftones have unveiled the lineup for the 2025 edition of their Dia de los Deftones music festival. The Deftones, of course, will headline the event, and they’ll be joined on the bill by Clipse, 2hollis, Rico Nasty, Deafheaven, Régulo Caro, Ecca Vandal, Glare, and University. The festival takes place on Saturday, November 1, at San Diego’s Petco Park.

Deftones launched Dia de los Deftones in 2018. The festival has since taken place in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Deftones’ performance at Dia de los Deftones will follow the release of their new album, Private Music. The band’s follow-up to 2020’s Ohms arrives on August 22, and it includes the new single “My Mind Is a Mountain.”

All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Dia de Los Deftones 2025

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Buy Now at Stubhub

Source: RSS: News.
Conspiracy theorists think their views are mainstream

July 22, 2025

Hardware

Belief in conspiracy theories is often attributed to some form of motivated reasoning: People want to believe a conspiracy because it reinforces their worldview, for example, or doing so meets some deep psychological need, like wanting to feel unique. However, it might also be driven by overconfidence in their own cognitive abilities, according to a paper published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The authors were surprised to discover that not only are conspiracy theorists overconfident, they also don’t realize their beliefs are on the fringe, massively overestimating by as much as a factor of four how much other people agree with them.

“I was expecting the overconfidence finding,” co-author Gordon Pennycook, a psychologist at Cornell University, told Ars. “If you’ve talked to someone who believes conspiracies, it’s self-evident. I did not expect them to be so ready to state that people agree with them. I thought that they would overestimate, but I didn’t think that there’d be such a strong sense that they are in the majority. It might be one of the biggest false consensus effects that’s been observed.”

Back in 2015, Pennycook made headlines when he co-authored a paper demonstrating how certain people interpret “pseudo-profound bullshit” as deep observations. Pennycook et al. were interested in identifying individual differences between those who are susceptible to pseudo-profound BS and those who are not and thus looked at conspiracy beliefs, their degree of analytical thinking, religious beliefs, and so forth.

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Source: Ars Technica.

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