Friday’s top tech news: a remake and a remaster – The Verge

Mercedes-Benz is the first to bring Level 3 automated driving to the US

2023-01-27T13:02:28-05:00

Mercedes-Benz announced that it was the first automaker to receive government approval in the US for a Level 3 driving feature. The company said it had self-certified in Nevada for use of its Drive Pilot feature, in which the car does all the driving but the driver needs to stand by to take control at a moment's notice.

Mercedes certified that its technology meets Nevada's "minimal risk condition" requirement that requires Level 3 or higher "fully autonomous" vehicles to be able to stop if there is a malfunction in the system.

"Nevada law allows all automation levels to operate on public streets," a spokesperson for the state's DMV said in …

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World Surf League adopts Apple Watch as its ‘official wearable’ for competitions

2023-01-27T12:13:09-05:00

This is the first time the Apple Watch will be an official wearable of choice in a professional sports league. | Image: World Surf League

The Apple Watch will officially be catching waves. The World Surf League announced today that it's adopting the Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra as official equipment to keep surfers up to date during competitions. It marks the first time a professional sports league has named the Apple Watch as its official wearable of choice.

Before each heat, each athlete will be given Series 8 and Ultra watches preloaded with a specially made WSL Surfer app. The app will connect with the league's scoring system in real time and give surfers updates on scores, wave priority, and how much time is left in the heat. They'll also be able to see how many points …

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Bob Iger’s big changes at Disney could lead to more layoffs

2023-01-27T11:26:44-05:00

The Disney logo. | Nathan Ingraham / The Verge

Less than a day into his second run as Disney's CEO, Bob Iger told employees last November that he was planning to restructure key parts of the company in order to walk back some of the changes implemented by his predecessor, Bob Chapek. Now, the shape of that restructuring is beginning to become more clear ahead of the company's next earnings report, and it sounds like a round of layoffs is on the way.

Deadline reports that Disney is contemplating how it might consolidate a number of its different TV production arms, as well as merge its marketing departments as part of a larger initiative to get on top of the company's accounting concerns …

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The Dead Space remake doesn’t support the Steam Deck, and that’s a shame

2023-01-27T09:43:43-05:00

Isaac Clarke in the Dead Space remake. | Image: EA

The Dead Space remake is a very good game, and if (like me) you haven't sprung for a next-generation console, you'll need to play it on PC. But Dead Space is a series I've found much more fun with a controller than a mouse and keyboard, and I've developed an attachment to couch gaming over the past few years - so I'd hoped I might get it to run on my recently acquired Steam Deck, which would easily provide both. Unfortunately, publisher EA has told The Verge that the remake doesn't support the Steam Deck, and my own experience backs that up.

Steam listed Dead Space's support level as unknown when I got my review key for the remake, and out …

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Medium welcomes posts written with AI as long they’re ‘clearly labeled’

2023-01-27T05:14:22-05:00

Online publisher Medium says it's happy for users to post articles written with the help of AI writing tools like ChatGPT - as long as their use of the technology is disclosed.

The blogging platform turned publisher, which lets anyone create their own blog while selling membership access for some exclusive pieces, is the latest organization to establish ground rules for AI-generated text. Medium's VP of content, Scott Lamb, shared the new policy in a blog post, which states:

"We welcome the responsible use of AI-assistive technology on Medium. To promote transparency, and help set reader expectations, we require that any story created with …

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Amsterdam’s underwater parking garage fits 7,000 bicycles and zero cars

2023-01-27T02:40:04-05:00

That’s not water you see above in those circular windows, but this bicycle garage is definitely under the water. Click here for a larger image.

Maybe one day, flying cars and jetpacks will be the hallmarks of futuristic cities, but today - in 2023 - it's massive underwater bicycle parking garages like the one that just opened at Amsterdam's Centraal Station. The structure has space for 6,300 personal bicycles and 700 more for bikeshares to facilitate the first or last mile of rail journeys. Capacity will expand to 11,000 bicycles when a second garage opens in February.

The four-year, €60 million (about $65 million) project might seem outlandish to anyone outside of the Netherlands, but it's business as usual for Dutch cities, which are slowly but methodically transforming personal …

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Now Google Search results for cars include what’s on the lot at nearby dealerships

2023-01-26T21:15:37-05:00

Google isn't just useful for helping research your next car; it can also help you shop for one while you search. SearchLab initially reported that the search giant has opened up access to a vehicle listings feature that lets dealerships advertise inventory right beside search results (via 9to5Google and Search Engine Land).

The listings have been appearing as part of a beta, but SearchLab notes that now all dealerships in the US with a Google Business Profile can add any motor vehicle to their inventory as long as it has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). That includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, and more. A support page for dealers …

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GoldenEye 007 is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox

2023-01-26T20:48:50-05:00

GoldenEye 007 has finally landed on Xbox and Nintendo Switch in a simultaneous dual-release of two titles with some important differences.

On Xbox, GoldenEye 007 is a remastered version of the legendary Nintendo 64 title that first launched in 1997. The remaster includes 4K resolution, smoother frame rates, and split-screen local multiplayer, similar to a 2008-era bound-for-Xbox 360 version that was canceled amid licensing and rights issues but leaked out in 2021.

Meanwhile, Nintendo has released GoldenEye 007 as part of its Nintendo Switch Online service. N64 games were added to the service in 2021, though you have to splurge on the Ninte …

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The Dead Space remake is a grisly cut of classic horror

2023-01-26T11:00:00-05:00

Isaac Clarke goes back to the USG Ishimura. | Image: EA

In October 2017, publisher Electronic Arts unceremoniously shut down its studio Visceral Games, best known for shooter series Dead Space. Visceral was part of a dwindling breed at EA, devoted to linear high-budget games instead of a profitable "live service" model. One former employee noted that even the popular Dead Space 2 had been considered a financial failure, and the odds of a new one appearing in the near future seemed small. Yet tomorrow, EA will do just that, releasing a remake of the original 2008 Dead Space developed by its Canadian team Motive Studio. The Dead Space remake isn't the path I'd have chosen for a resurrection of one …

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