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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. Amazon will invest up to $25 billion in Anthropic in a broad deal

   Amazon and Anthropic are strengthening their ties once again, with steep financial commitments made on both sides. Today, Amazon announced that it will invest $5 billion in the AI company, along with as much as $20 billion in

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2. Google brings Gemini in Chrome to users in Asia and the Pacific

   After debuting in the US, Gemini in Chrome is making its way to more markets. Starting today, Google is rolling out Chrome's built-in chatbot to users in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The expansion comes after Google earlier this year made Gemini in Chrome available to people in ...

3. John Ternus will be CEO of Apple when Tim Cook steps down this fall

   Apple CEO Tim Cook is officially stepping down from his role on September 1, the company announced today, while current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO.

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4. Mastodon was hit by a 'major' DDoS attack that briefly took down parts of the service

   Mastodon seems to be recovering after a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down its primary mastodon.social instance. As TechCrunchnotes, the platform began ...

5. Sony will require age checks in the UK and Ireland to access PlayStation communication features

   Sony is adopting new age verification policies for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. The company isn't making this a blanket requirement, but steps to confirm age will be needed to access "communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game

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6. Ubisoft will officially reveal the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake on April 23

   It's happening. Ubisoft has scheduled a livestream for April 23 at 12PM ET to discuss the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake. The showcase will be available to watch on the company's YouTube and ...

7. LinkedIn's new Crosscheck feature lets premium subscribers test competing AI models for free

   You can now use LinkedIn to test out some of the latest AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and other companies without having to worry about token limits or paying for an extra subscription. The professional network is ...

8. Meta is testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription that mostly focuses on cosmetic upgrades

   Meta is testing out a premium version of its messaging app, called WhatsApp Plus, that will include several paywalled features. As first spotted by ...

9. The FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket after failure to put payload in orbit

   The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following an incident during Sunday's launch from Cape Canaveral, according to reporting byOrlando Sentinel and others.

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10. Ball x Pit's next update adds 11 more balls to the fray on April 27

    It's been a whole month since I've played some Ball x Pit after the mobile versions went live in March, but

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