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Title: The Morning After: Microsoft's Xbox price increases

Date: Fri, 02 May 2025 11:15:38 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-...

Microsoft is dramatically increasing the price of the Xbox Series X and
Series S as well as new games and accessories. The Series S will start at
$380, up from $300, while the Series X will begin at $550, a $100 increase on
its previous price. The company is also increasing the prices of pretty much
all its first-party products and peripherals. A basic controller will now
cost $65. Microsoft is also increasing pricing in Europe, UK, Australia and
many other countries.

Microsoft, however, isnΓÇÖt pointing the finger at tariffs: ΓÇ£We understand
that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful
consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,ΓÇ¥
the company said. ItΓÇÖs unusual for a mid-generation console to increase in
price ΓÇö typically, companies launch a slightly more expensive, better-
specced iteration instead.

Also this week, SamsungΓÇÖs chief financial officer Soon-cheol Park told
reporters ΓÇ£The ongoing uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies continues
to pose a potential risk of demand slowdown.ΓÇ¥ Park said US tariff policies
and stronger export controls against artificial intelligence products are
expected to have an impact on demand. In addition to a downward trend on
sales, the company also expects tariffs to raise prices for the components it
uses on its mobile phones ΓÇö so expect more expensive smartphones down the
line.

The recent addition to upward pricing is DJIΓÇÖs popular Ozmo Pocket 3
vlogging camera. Up from a launch price of $520, itΓÇÖs gone way up to $799.
(DJI had already bumped the price up last month to $620.) The base camera is
now more expensive than the Creator Kit available at launch.

ΓÇö Mat Smith

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The BBC used AI (and an actor) to bring Agatha Christie back to life With
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BBC Maestro offers classes and courses similar to Masterclass, but with a
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A blend of licensed images, limited footage and past audio recordings
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I got to briefly watch some of the lessons. ThereΓÇÖs still a glint of
uncanny valley, of course, (I think itΓÇÖs something to do with the eyes?),
but even BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine noted that since the projectΓÇÖs
inception a few years ago, the technology had evolved so quickly that the
team was able to do even more than it first thought possible.

Continue reading.

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willing to dig into higher-quality footage. The PowerShot V1 is bound to be a
hit because it delivers both on video and photo quality.

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Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning ID technology debuts in the US World is opening
six locations across the country.

A startup co-founded by Sam Altman has launched its World eyeball-scanning
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Altman reportedly said WorldΓÇÖs technology provides ΓÇ£a way to make sure
humans remained central and special in a world where the internet had a lot
of AI-driven content.ΓÇ¥ Altman is also one of the founders and is currently
the CEO of OpenAI, of Chat-GPT fame. (Or infamy.)

The project uses basketball-sized spherical objects called Orbs to scan the
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integrated platforms, including Minecraft and Reddit.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-...
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