Category: author_name|Will Shanklin

Atari’s 2600+ is a miniature console that plays 2600 and 7800 game carts

Atari is teaming up with Plaion on a new retro home console after finally taking a mulligan on its last one. The Atari 2600+ pays homage to the original Atari 2600, which delighted children of the disco era starting in 1977, although this remake is based on the four-switch model…

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Webb Space Telescope captures the Ring Nebula in mesmerizing detail

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured extraordinarily detailed images published today of the Ring Nebula. The gaseous cloud, also called M57 and NGC 6720, contains 20,000 dense globules rich in molecular hydrogen. It sits about 2,500 light years away from Earth. The first image (above) was taken with the…

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Hard sail test hits the high seas, aiming to reduce cargo ship emissions by 30 percent

A cargo ship equipped with rigid sails, each the height of a 10-story building, has departed on its inaugural journey. The Pyxis Ocean vessel will test WindWings sails, designed to harness old-school air power to help reduce fuel usage — and the shipping industry’s CO2 emissions. The sail’s creators estimate…

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Tinder is losing the tool it uses for background checks

The background-checking tool used by Match Group to offer a safety feature for Tinder users is shutting down. The non-profit and female-founded Garbo, which the dating app conglomerate has partnered with since 2019, will shut down its consumer tool at the end of August. “Most tech companies just see trust…

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‘Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak’ will be free on the Epic Games Store this month

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak will be free on the Epic Games Store later this month. The well-received 2016 prequel to 1999 real-time strategy classic Homeworld arrives ahead of Homeworld 3, due early next year after multiple delays. The (usually $50) Deserts of Kharak will be available to claim on Epic’s…

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8BitDo stuffed 16 buttons into its hand-crampingly small Micro controller

Measuring a mere 72 x 40.7 x 14.1 mm — just over half the length of the original NES controller — the 8BitDo Micro is a spiritual successor to the company’s Zero line of similarly minuscule gamepads. It also hurts my hands just to look at it. The 8BitDo Micro…

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