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Where does virtual reality go next? Right now, there seem to be two paths: Portable and self-contained headsets or those connected to computers and consoles. Valve is clearly betting on the second way with the Index, its first VR hardware. It crams in just about every feature you’d expect from a high-end headset, including some truly transformative finger-sensing controllers. It’s just too bad the entire Index package costs $999, putting it out of reach for most people. It’s a boundary-pushing headset meant to keep the VR industry from getting stale.

A post shared by Engadget (@engadget) on Jun 28, 2019 at 10:31am PDT

1. Playdate games to check out before the Catalog's 3-year anniversary sale ends

   If your Playdate wishlist is anything like mine (endless), here's a good excuse to actually go ahead and free some of those games from limbo: Panic is running a sale across the Playdate Catalog to celebrate its three-year anniversary. Sure, the majority of Playdate games are pretty cheap as is, but they can still add up when you're on a wild purchasing spree. Ask me how I know! The sale

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2. Arc Raiders replaced some of its AI-generated voice lines, using professional actors instead

   In an unexpected twist, humans have taken some jobs back from AI. Embark Studios' CEO Patrick Söderlund recently told GamesIndustry.biz that

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3. Anthropic is doubling Claude's usage limits during off-peak hours for the next two weeks

   To capitalize on Claude's recent spike in popularity, Anthropic is offering a ...

4. ByteDance has reportedly suspended the global rollout of its new AI video generator

   A month after Seedance 2.0's launch in China sparked cease-and-desist letters from Disney ...

5. Spotify’s new Taste Profile feature lets users fine-tune their algorithm’s recommendations

   You're responsible for your own Spotify algorithm now. On stage at SXSW, Spotify's co-CEO, Gustav Söderström, announced the Taste Profile feature, which allows users to personally customize exactly what they want to

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6. Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal

   There may have been some extra incentive for the Trump administration to get the TikTok US deal done. According to a report from ...

7. What to read this weekend: Locked in with The Iron Garden Sutra

   Need something new for your reading list? This week, we recommend A.D. Sui'sThe Iron Garden Sutra, a meditative horror sci-fi/fantasy and murder mystery.

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   I don't typically gravitate toward locked room mysteries, but the description of this book ticked all the right boxes to win me over: "a death monk and a team of researchers trapped onboard a

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8. Meta is reportedly planning to cut up to 20 percent of its staff in upcoming layoffs

   Meta could be preparing for one of the largest layoffs in its history, according to a ...

9. Digg shuts down for a 'hard reset' because it was flooded with bots

   Digg has shut down, for now, just a few months after its open beta launched. Justin Mezzell, the company’s CEO, has explained on the home page that it noticed hours after the beta launched that it was already being targeted by SEO spammers. “The internet is now populated, in meaningful part, by sophisticated

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10. Ball x Pit on mobile, Piece by Piece x2 and other new indie games worth checking out

    Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. A bunch of intriguing games arrived this week, including a mobile port of one of the most absorbing things I’ve played in years and two completely different titles with the same name. Let’s get things started with a look at a few projects that were featured in the latest edition of the ...