TechCapsules

Love and Deepspace has launched a Blade Runner 2049 crossover event, offering free in‑game rewards until November 5. Fans noted a striking parallel between the game’s canceled sixth love interest, Valko, and the film’s AI companion Joi, both lost after corporate sabotage. Valko’s abrupt removal a week after his reveal sparked petitions, boycotts, and charitable donations. The crossover, likely promoting the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 on Amazon Prime, highlights the game's engagement with fan activism.

The 9to5Mac Daily podcast reported that the newly announced iPhone Duo sold out instantly, prompting Apple to place the device on backorder until next year. Apple described pre‑order demand as “extraordinary” while noting shipping dates have slipped. The episode also covered rumors that Apple’s next HomeView could debut early next year featuring a robotic arm, Verizon’s confirmation of a $10 monthly fee for the iPhone Handoff feature, and EE’s UK pricing details. The show highlighted these developments [...]

A community developer, JiltedValkyrie, has ported Halo: Combat Evolved to the SEGA Dreamcast, a console with only 1.4 GFLOPS and four times less memory than the original Xbox. The early build achieves roughly 60 FPS in isolated scenes but averages 10–20 FPS overall, with significant CPU bottlenecks. The project includes culling, lower LODs, and despawning of dead enemies to manage performance. A 24‑minute gameplay clip demonstrates the prototype’s feasibility on the retro hardware.

Twelve years ago, Eugenia Kuyda introduced a conversational chatbot called IO at TechCrunch Disrupt, a precursor to today’s large‑language‑model assistants. The startup Luka later pivoted into Replika, a popular AI companion. After stepping down as Replika CEO, Kuyda founded Wabi, which launched a multiplayer personal AI assistant that organizes tasks into distinct threads and auto‑builds custom apps. Wabi 2.0 lets the agent create and manage these threads, aiming to reduce context drift and enable shared group chats. [...]

In Marvel Rivals, female character Storm has only one Legendary skin, sparking fan frustration. After the release of the Epic “Sacred Skies” swimsuit skin, players demanded a Legendary upgrade, prompting NetEase and Marvel Games to announce a free upgrade in progress. Rapper Sexyy Red amplified the call on Twitter, asking when Storm would receive another Legendary skin. The developers acknowledged the issue and pledged to release the upgrade soon, while rumors suggest future crossover skins may arrive.

Apple announced it will acquire assets of Swiss AI audio startup Samplab, adding its music‑editing technology to the company’s portfolio. The deal, reported on the EU DMA website, includes hiring selected Samplab staff. Samplab’s platform lets musicians edit audio like MIDI, detect and adjust chords, match tempo and key, and separate stems for granular control. The startup’s website now redirects to Apple, and its social media has been cleared of prior content. Apple has not yet disclosed [...]

Sean Endicott, a seasoned Windows Central journalist, has covered Microsoft’s software and hardware since 2017, authoring over a thousand pieces on Windows 11, Surface, Microsoft 365, and AI. He writes the weekly Windows Wrap column, curating key industry stories. Endicott earned a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and previously worked in media production. Outside tech, he coaches youth American football in Nottingham, earning BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year honors in 2024.

Tolan, an AI companion app that assists users with daily tasks, relationships, and emotions, has secured an additional $30 million in funding from Union Square Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Homebrew, doubling its total capital raised. The investment pushes its valuation past $120 million, with PitchBook estimating it above $268 million. Tolan now reports double‑digit million annual recurring revenue and boasts over 250,000 active users, 70 % women and 40 % parents, engaging in more than 70 million conversations. The company’s cartoonish avatar differentiates [...]