Xbox’s July event: Halo Infinite finally has some first-party company

What can we expect from Xbox on its new Series X console?

As the not-quite-E3 season of sizzle video trailers comes to a close, Microsoft unveiled its biggest show of first-party force for its upcoming Xbox Series X console on Thursday. Hype began building for this one as soon as Microsoft confirmed plans to reveal Halo Infinite campaign gameplay, but the story was just as much about which new and familiar game series did (and didn't) show up alongside Master Chief.

The event wasted no time with all things Halo, complete with a voiceover from the popular character Cortana narrating the recontsructing of the Master Chief armor set: "Liquid crystal cannot rise on its own." Shortly after, we see Chief in a spaceship, piloted by the man who discovered Chief in last year's cinematic trailer, as they argue about what to do next. "You'd still be out there if it wasn't for me," the man says. "I thought I was going home."

"There won't be a home if we don't stop the Banished," Chief replies. This detail is the first potential confirmation that a 4chan leak from last night was actually accurate, and second indication came shortly after, once the reveal switched to live gameplay—and Chief is seen brandishing a grappling hook, which he uses to hook to a foe from a distance, zip directly into its face, and smack it with his fist. We also get a first glimpse ever at a Halo game with a built-in map, complete with marked mission locations—proving out years of rumors that Halo Infinite is likely an open-world adventure in the Halo-verse.

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Bose’s latest noise-cancelling headphones are back down to their lowest price

Dealmaster also has deals on Amazon devices, PS4 games, and more.

Bose’s latest noise-cancelling headphones are back down to their lowest price

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Today's Dealmaster is headlined by a nice discount on Bose's Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which are down to $299 on Amazon. The deal only applies to the white "Soapstone" model, but the deal matches the lowest price we've seen for the wireless noise-cancelling headphones to date. This discount is $100 off Bose's MSRP and about $80 off the device's typical street price online.

While we haven't formally reviewed the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 on the site, we have tested them for various gift guides over the past year. Generally speaking, they're a strong option for those in the market for a premium pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones. Their metal design has a higher-end feel than competing pairs like Sony's WH-1000XM3 or Bose's own QuietComfort 35 II, and while they're slightly heavier on the head as a result, the ample padding on their ear cups and headband keeps them comfortable to wear for longer periods. In terms of audio quality, they have a more bass-forward sound than the more neutral QuietComfort 35 II, which results in a bit less treble detail but still sounds sufficiently "fun" for those who like punchy bass. They also average around 20 hours of battery life.

As is typical of Bose headphones, the quality of the active noise cancellation here is excellent. Though they're slightly less powerful than the WH-1000XM3 in raw measurements, they're still more than capable of muting ambient sounds and low-end droning. And unlike Sony's pair, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 give you the ability to customize the strength of their noise cancelling effect on a 10-point scale, so if you only want to partially tone down outside noise, you can.

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Plex adds live TV streaming (80 channels and nothin’ on)

Plex is continuing its push into streaming. Originally a service that allowed users to organize their personal media collections and stream them from a PC or home server to a phone, TV, or other device, now you can use Plex to watch live TV. The compa…

Plex is continuing its push into streaming. Originally a service that allowed users to organize their personal media collections and stream them from a PC or home server to a phone, TV, or other device, now you can use Plex to watch live TV. The company has added a new Live TV tab to its […]

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Bugatti’s latest multimillion hypercar trades top speed for fun

Because really, where are you going to find a road straight enough to do 300mph?

When Ferdinand Piech resurrected Bugatti in 1998, he gave the company an engineering brief: build a car with at least 986hp (735kW), capable of 249mph (400km/h). Oh, and it had to be as drivable as a Volkswagen Golf. That car became the Veyron EB 16.4, and when it went into production in 2005, it met that challenge, boasting 1,001 metric horsepower (987hp/736kW) and a top speed of 253mph (408km/h), all for a cool million Euros (or about $1.3 million at the time).

But that was just the starting point. In 2016, the brand followed up the Veyron with the Chiron, another mid-engined two-seater, powered by another quad-turbo 8.0L W16 engine. The price of admission had gone up, but so had the power and top speed, a trend that has continued with derivatives like the Chiron Super Sport that reached an almost unbelievable 305mph (490km/h) in testing last year.

Slower, but quicker?

Topping that number seems difficult, which may be why the latest iteration of the Chiron—called the Chiron Pur Sport—is actually the slowest Bugatti since the EB110 of the mid-90s. Slowest as in top speed, at least, as the Pur Sport is electronically limited to a mere 218mph (350km/h). The Pur Sport might not be the fastest Bugatti, but it may well be the quickest.

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Powkiddy A12 retro console is a mini arcade cabinet with a 9 inch screen

Chinese device maker Powkiddy has launched a new retro console that looks like a classic arcade cabinet, if you shrunk it down, slapped a 9 inch display on the front, and put a 4,000 mAh battery inside for gaming on the go. Available from AliExpress f…

Powkiddy A12

Chinese device maker Powkiddy has launched a new retro console that looks like a classic arcade cabinet, if you shrunk it down, slapped a 9 inch display on the front, and put a 4,000 mAh battery inside for gaming on the go. Available from AliExpress for about $100, the Powkiddy A12 is said to be […]

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Woz sues YouTube over “bitcoin giveaway” scam videos using his name

Section 230 gives platforms like YouTube broad immunity for user content.

A screenshot from Wozniak's lawsuit shows a typical "Bitcoin giveaway" scam video on YouTube.

Enlarge / A screenshot from Wozniak's lawsuit shows a typical "Bitcoin giveaway" scam video on YouTube. (credit: YouTube / Wozniak et al)

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has sued YouTube over the proliferation of "bitcoin giveaway" scam videos on the YouTube platform. The videos falsely use the names of Wozniak and other celebrities—including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin—to give the scams legitimacy.

Scammers hijack popular YouTube accounts and change their names so that they appear to be the official accounts of celebrities like Wozniak or companies like Apple. They then broadcast a "live" video showing old footage of the celebrity discussing cryptocurrency or related topics. Alongside the footage is text claiming that if someone sends bitcoin to a particular address, the celebrity would send back double the amount.

Along with Wozniak, the plaintiffs include more than a dozen individuals who were taken in by the scam, losing bitcoins worth anywhere from a few dollars to more than $40,000. In total, cryptocurrency scams like this have cost victims millions of dollars.

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MediaTek’s Dimensity 720 is another chip for mid-range 5G phones

Wireless carriers began rolling out 5G networks last year, but the first 5G-ready phones were expensive and network coverage was spotty anyway, so there wasn’t much good reason to buy a 5G phone in 2019. Fast forward a year and the network cover…

MediaTek Dimensity 720

Wireless carriers began rolling out 5G networks last year, but the first 5G-ready phones were expensive and network coverage was spotty anyway, so there wasn’t much good reason to buy a 5G phone in 2019. Fast forward a year and the network coverage is still spotty, but most modern flagship phones feature 5G support since […]

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Ausweitung der Kampfzone

Aus der eskalierenden Gewalt in demokratisch regierten Städten wie Portland will Trump Kapital schlagen

Aus der eskalierenden Gewalt in demokratisch regierten Städten wie Portland will Trump Kapital schlagen