‘Red Dead Redemption’ is coming to PlayStation 4 December 6th
Red Dead Redemption 2 may not arrive until next fall, but next week you’ll be able to play both its predecessor and Undead Nightmare on PlayStation 4 and PC. Thanks to PlayStation Now streaming, you can get reacquainted with the PS3 classic on December 6th. Of course, Xbox One owners have been able to gather their posses for action since this summer. PS4 players did get Red Dead Revolver last month, but Redemption is the title a lot of fans were waiting for.
Unfortunately, PlayStation Now is only available in North America, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. If you happen to live in one of those areas, expect to pay $20 for a month of game streaming or $45 for three months worth of access. Handing over those funds will allow you to play over 450 titles though, in addition to the aforementioned frontier adventures that are scheduled to arrive next week.
Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare Coming December 6th to @PlayStation Now: https://t.co/96AY7OZgDO pic.twitter.com/T8HnJVVvqH
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 30, 2016
Source: Rockstar Games
Geohot open-sources his semi-autonomous car technology
George “Geohot” Hotz’s semi-autonomous driving add-on, Comma One, didn’t work out as planned. However, that doesn’t mean the underlying technology will never see the light of day — far from it. The Comma.ai team has published the source code for both its Openpilot self-driving tech and its NEO robotics platform. You’ll need hardware to use this for its originally intended purpose, but anyone who has a grasp of the programming languages involved can use the code for whatever projects they like. While you probably won’t see homebrew self-driving cars emerge from this (the law would have something to say about it), don’t be surprised if some of the tech finds its way into commercial projects.
Source: GitHub, Comma.ai (Twitter)
Senate fails to stop FBI’s expanded hacking authority
So much for that bipartisan Senate bid to prevent the FBI from gaining expanded hacking powers. Senators Ron Wyden, Chris Coons and Steve Daines have failed to block changes to the US’ criminal procedure rules (specifically, Rule 41) that would let the FBI hack computers in any jurisdiction provided they have a search warrant. Texas Senator John Cornyn and other Republican leaders thwarted the measure. The rule change should take effect on December 1st, barring surprises.
The Justice Department has been a champion of the expanded authority. It contends that they’re necessary to update procedures for the modern age, when Tor, botnets and similar anonymizing software can make it difficult to identify where a criminal is operating. It also contended that any potential for damage would be slim, and more than offset by the advantages that come from pursuing criminals wherever they hide.
Needless to say, Wyden and team aren’t happy. They’re concerned that officials didn’t do enough to consider the possible dangers of the rule change, and that this expansion of surveillance could have unintended consequences. What happens if the FBI hacks the victims of a botnet, rather than the perpetrators? What if a politician abuses this authority to target opponents? The Senators aren’t certain that the expansion represents doom and gloom, but they would have liked more time to find out.
Via: Reuters
Source: Senator Ron Wyden
NES Classic wireless receiver solves the short cord problem
We love almost everything about Nintendo’s adorable NES Classic Edition, but there’s still one major downside. There’s no way around it: Those short controller cables are a major buzzkill. Unsurprisingly, third-party companies are stepping up to solve the problem — one such solution comes from 8Bitdo, which just released a new version of its Retro Receiver that works with the NES Classic.
This package includes the aforementioned Retro Receiver along with the company’s “NES30” wireless controller. It’s visually similar to the classic NES controller, but has four buttons on its face instead of the traditional two. More notably, the Bluetooth-enabled Retro Receiver lets you use many other controllers with the NES Classic, including the PS3, PS4 and just about any other Bluetooth controller you can think of.
There’s no doubt that this removes a bit of that “classic” experience from using Nintendo’s mini console, and we’re not talking about the experience of scooting right up to your TV to play. Nintendo has always made excellent controllers, and we’re guessing these 8Bitdo options won’t feel quite as nice as what Nintendo includes. And then there’s the price — $39.99 for a controller and receiver isn’t exactly cheap, especially when the NES Classic itself only costs $60.
But for a lot of people, being able to get off the floor and play comfortably from the couch will be worth the cost. The NES30 Retro Receiver bundle ships on December 16th, but if you can’t wait that long, remember there are cheaper solutions out there, like a simple extension cable that’ll only set you back about $10.
AIVAnet 