Parezca una flor inocente pero sea la serpiente que hay debajo en la primera producción de la Royal Shakespeare Company. videojuego.
La compañía de teatro británica anunció el miércoles una colaboración con el estudio de juegos independiente de Nueva York iNK Stories (Revolución: Viernes Negro) para crear laylaun thriller negro centrado en la maldita Lady Macbeth.
El juego interactivo basado en una historia está ambientado en el Irán actual y utiliza imágenes cinematográficas con funcionalidad de apuntar y hacer clic. layla Estrellas franco-iraníes Santa araña El actor Zaar Amir interpreta a Lady Macbeth, conocida como “Lily” (la compañía de Amir, Alambic Production, coprodujo el juego). Los jugadores toman decisiones sobre la malvada reina de la obra escocesa, en medio de una atmósfera de gobierno autoritario y represión sexual en Irán. En cuanto al resto macbethTodo lo que sabemos hasta ahora es que los magos más importantes son percibidos como piratas.
layla Actualmente en desarrollo, se anunciará una fecha de lanzamiento y plataformas en 2025.
Historias principales mezclables
Amir visitó a “Leila”. Crédito: Eli Smith
“Supera los límites de la narración, representa un punto de inflexión en la profundidad de la expresión dentro de los videojuegos comerciales y expande la visión creativa de RSC a un nuevo territorio interactivo”, dijo Vasiliki Khonsari, cofundador de iNK Stories, en un comunicado. .
“Un videojuego inspirado en Shakespeare macbeth “Es un esfuerzo emocionante que transforma uno de los cuentos más oscuros y convincentes de la literatura (sobre sexo, ambición, destino, poder y moralidad) en una experiencia inmersiva e interactiva”.
Un vídeo especial para ti.
Cultiva plantas a partir de juegos de fantasía con esta iniciativa IRL
no es el primero Un juego basado en las obras de Shakespeare. Pero es el primer mensaje directo de la Royal Shakespeare Company, una organización pusieron en escena Macbeth mucho, mucho veces. Para honrar las palabras de Shakespeare, iNK Stories trabajó con un destacado académico de Shakespeare de Oxford, miembro de la junta directiva de RSC y autora Emma Smith para adaptar el texto.
Durante mucho tiempo una mitología narrativa, las obras de Shakespeare recientemente se han cruzado con el cine y los juegos a través del universo cinematográfico popular. Hamlet el gran roboun documental en el que los cineastas Benny Grylls, Sam Crane y Mark Oosterveen incorporan la tragedia de Shakespeare. Gran robo de autos en línea.
“Como medio para contar historias, los juegos de hoy son lo que siempre ha sido el teatro: una oportunidad para explorar mundos, vivir la historia y experimentar algo tanto personal como comunitario”, dijeron Daniel Evans y Tamara Harvey, codirectores artísticos del RSC. en un comunicado. . “Centrar esta tensa historia en Lady Macbeth en lugar de en su marido es radical y transformador. Da la vuelta a las preguntas de la obra sobre género, identidad y poder.”
en el mundo Revelador par de bolsillo Compartió detalles de la demanda por infracción de patente presentada en su contra. nintendo The Pokémon Company en septiembre, para resaltar las demandas de los demandantes. Las dos compañías buscan una orden judicial sobre Palworld, un juego de supervivencia con monstruos que tienen supuestas similitudes con criaturas del mundo. Pokémon privilegio. Nintendo y The Pokémon Company también reclaman a Pocketpair una indemnización por daños y perjuicios por valor de más de 5 millones de yenes (alrededor de 27,7 rupias lakh).
Nintendo y Pokémon Company solicitan una orden judicial y una indemnización por daños y perjuicios
Pocketpair reveló detalles de la demanda de Palworld el viernes, enumerando tres patentes específicas que Nintendo y The Pokémon Company afirman que el desarrollador ha infringido.
“Los demandantes alegan que el juego Palworld, que lanzamos el 19 de enero de 2024, infringe las siguientes tres patentes en poder de los demandantes, y solicitan una orden judicial contra el juego y una compensación por una parte de los daños incurridos entre la fecha en que se registraron las patentes. y la fecha en que se presentaron estas patentes”, dijo el desarrollador en un comunicado. correo En su sitio web.
La parte de patente específica de la demanda incluye la Patente No. 7545191, 7493117 y 7528390. Según la publicación, las tres patentes fueron solicitadas y registradas después del lanzamiento de Palworld el 19 de enero de 2024.
Según el desarrollador, Nintendo y The Pokémon Company están solicitando una orden judicial contra Palworld y cada uno de ellos pretende pagar 5 millones de yenes japoneses, así como daños y perjuicios por pagos atrasados. “Continuaremos afirmando nuestra posición en este caso a través de futuras acciones legales”, dijo Bocketbaer.
Nintendo y la compañía Pokémon pie Demanda por infracción de patente contra el fabricante Palworld en septiembre. “Es realmente desafortunado que tengamos que dedicar mucho tiempo a asuntos no relacionados con el desarrollo del juego debido a esta demanda”, dijo Pocketpair en su respuesta en ese momento.
Palworld se convirtió en un gran éxito vapor y xbox cuando se lanzó en enero, pero recibió acusaciones de plagio debido a los diseños de sus criaturas. El juego de supervivencia presenta animales estilo Pokémon, o Amigos, que pueden ser capturados y domesticados para luchar, atravesar y construir bases en el mundo abierto del juego, lo que atrajo el apodo de “Pokémon con armas”.
Tras el lanzamiento del juego, The Pokémon Company, que gestiona los derechos de propiedad intelectual de Pokémon, el dijo Su objetivo era investigar cualquier presunto caso de infracción de derechos de autor en el juego recién lanzado. “No hemos otorgado ningún permiso para usar la propiedad intelectual o los activos de Pokémon en ese juego. Tenemos la intención de investigar y tomar las medidas apropiadas para abordar cualquier acto que infrinja los derechos de propiedad intelectual relacionados con Pokémon”, dijo la compañía.
American Water Works, la mayor empresa pública de agua y aguas residuales de Estados Unidos, confirmó sus dificultades Ataque cibernético Lo que le obligó a cerrar partes de su infraestructura.
en Formulario 8-K En su presentación ante la Comisión de Bolsa y Valores de EE. UU. (SEC), la compañía dijo que detectó “actividad no autorizada dentro de redes y sistemas informáticos” el 3 de octubre de 2024.
Determinó que esta actividad era un “incidente de ciberseguridad” que activó sus protocolos de respuesta a incidentes, lo que provocó que la empresa contratara a expertos en ciberseguridad externos para investigar, notificara a las autoridades policiales correspondientes y cerrara algunos sistemas para contener el daño.
Ransomware o no ransomware
“La Compañía ha tomado y continuará tomando medidas para proteger sus sistemas y datos, incluida la desconexión o desactivación de algunos de sus sistemas”, dijo American Water Works en un formulario 8-K, sin especificar qué se ha desconectado ni por cuánto tiempo. planea hacerlo. Para mantener los sistemas fuera de línea.
La compañía señaló que ninguna de sus instalaciones u operaciones de agua o aguas residuales se vio afectada negativamente por el incidente y que no espera que el ataque tenga un impacto material, aunque esto puede cambiar ya que la investigación aún está en curso.
Normalmente, cuando una empresa cierra partes de su red, es porque un ransomware ataques. Sin embargo, American Water aún no lo ha confirmado: “En un esfuerzo por proteger los datos de nuestros clientes y evitar mayores daños a nuestro medio ambiente, hemos desconectado o desactivado algunos sistemas”, dijo Robin Rodríguez, portavoz de American Water, en un declaración.
“No habrá cargos por pagos atrasados a los clientes si estos sistemas no están disponibles”, concluyó Rodríguez, sin especificar la naturaleza del ataque, y agregó que “nuestro equipo dedicado de profesionales está trabajando las 24 horas del día para investigar la naturaleza y el alcance del incidente”. .” “
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American Water proporciona agua potable, aguas residuales y servicios relacionados regulados y basados en el mercado a clientes residenciales, comerciales e industriales. Sus servicios son esenciales para millones de estadounidenses y desempeñan un papel vital en la salud y la seguridad públicas.
nintendo The Pokémon Company ha presentado una demanda contra el creador del juego de aventuras y supervivencia. en el mundoLas empresas dijeron el jueves:
La demanda, presentada el miércoles en el Tribunal de Distrito de Tokio, busca una orden judicial y una indemnización por daños y perjuicios basándose en que el juego, fabricado por Pocketpair Inc., con sede en Tokio, infringe múltiples derechos de patente.
Apodado “Pokémon con armas”, Palworld fue un éxito después de su lanzamiento a mediados de enero. En el juego, los jugadores pueden usar armas para cazar y entrenar lindas criaturas conocidas como “amigos”.
Pocket Bear dijo que recibió una notificación de una demanda por infracción de patente el miércoles, pero no sabía de qué patentes específicas se le acusaba de infringir.
La compañía dijo en un comunicado que iniciará los procedimientos legales e investigaciones apropiados con respecto a estos reclamos.
“Es realmente desafortunado que tengamos que dedicar una cantidad significativa de tiempo a asuntos no relacionados con el desarrollo del juego debido a esta demanda”, dijo la compañía.
compañía pokemon En enero dijo que investigaría y tomaría medidas contra cualquier infracción de los derechos de propiedad intelectual.
Pocketpair anunció en julio que se asociaría con Sony para promover la licencia Palworld a nivel mundial.
Nintendo anunció Demandará al desarrollador del popular juego de domesticación de monstruos, Palworld, por violar varias patentes.
En su declaración, Nintendo dijo: “La demanda busca una orden judicial contra los demandados y una compensación por daños… Para proteger la valiosa propiedad intelectual que hemos construido a través de muchos años de arduo trabajo, continuaremos tomando las medidas necesarias contra cualquier infracción de nuestros derechos de propiedad intelectual.” “Con nosotros”.
Esto ocurre casi ocho meses después del lanzamiento masivo de Palworld en enero. Más de 5 millones de copias vendidas Y lograr una visualización promedio en Twitch 147.264, con 58,3 millones de horas vistasPero Palworld rápidamente pasó a ser comparado con la tercera serie de videojuegos más vendida de todos los tiempos, gracias a la obvia similitud entre “Pals” y la serie Pokémon. Todo el mundo de los videojuegos esperaba que el notorio equipo legal de Nintendo asumiera rápidamente la culpa, y cuando eso no sucedió, muchas personas asumieron que Palworld estaba a salvo.
Mientras que el director ejecutivo de Pocketpair, Takuro Mizube, intentó solucionar los problemas legales a principios de este año diciendo que tenían… “No existe ninguna intención de violar la propiedad intelectual de otras empresas”.Sólo pasaron unos días después de eso. compañía pokemon Dijo que comenzaría “a investigar y tomar medidas apropiadas para abordar cualquier acción que viole los derechos de propiedad intelectual”.
Esta investigación finalmente llevó a que Nintendo presentara una demanda formal contra Pocketpair, como muchos habían predicho durante casi 8 meses.
No es ajeno a lanzar bolas Pokémon legales
Esta no es la primera vez que Nintendo muestra sus músculos legales, y estos casos vienen en este territorio, ya que es una de las compañías de videojuegos más grandes y antiguas del mundo.
Nintendo ha demandado a la empresa de alquiler de vídeos Blockbuster por infracción de derechos de autor después de tergiversar guías de juegos de alquiler que carecían de pruebas. La compañía ha emitido tantas órdenes de suspensión de juegos creados por fanáticos que los desarrolladores aficionados ahora no publican ninguna noticia hasta que los juegos estén listos para jugar. Existen innumerables sitios de emulación que han sido sujetos a regulaciones de juegos por ofrecer ROM de Nintendo.
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Si estás familiarizado con Pokémon, Una mirada a las criaturas de Palworld es suficiente para saber que Pocketpair probablemente tomó prestado mucho del rey cazador de monstruos. Sin embargo, Palworld también es un juego de aventuras y supervivencia en tercera persona, que incluye combate, exploración y construcción de bases, muy diferente de todo lo que encontrarás en un juego de Pokémon.
Si bien no es sorprendente que Nintendo presente una demanda contra el desarrollador, es extraño que la demanda haya tardado tanto en materializarse. El número de jugadores simultáneos de Palworld está ahora entre 15 y 30 mil jugadores por día, una caída significativa desde el máximo del mes de lanzamiento de más de 2 millones de jugadores, por lo que Nintendo ahora al menos puede familiarizarse con Pocketpair sin que millones de fanáticos se unan en protesta.
Sonos, maker of quality audio kit and some of the best wireless speakers out there, has released a new mobile app for connecting and controlling Sonos devices – but not everyone is happy with the change.
A large number of users are complaining about the new companion app, which was substantially redesigned after years of “extensive user research” and released to iOS and Android users on May 7 alongside a new browser application for desktop. App marketplaces have been flooded with one-star reviews since the new version dropped.
Here’s how Sonos’ social accounts describe the app: “A fresh look. Quicker access to your music. Easier control.” It’s meant to offer a simpler interface that’s more customizable to each user, offering something of a reset from previous versions of the app.
And here’s how a post on the Sonos subreddit with 700 upvotes describes it: “they royally screwed up.”
Sonos has since responded with an official statement to The Verge, from Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, chief product officer. “Redesigning the Sonos app is an ambitious undertaking that represents just how seriously we are committed to invention and re-invention … It takes courage to rebuild a brand’s core product from the ground up, and to do so knowing it may require taking a few steps back to ultimately leap into the future.”
The company has also reached out to members of r/Sonos subreddit, where most of the unhappy discussion has been happening (along with some in the TechRadar email inbox), to explain that feedback is being discussed internally and to solicit more feedback. “These team conversations have been tough, but ultimately very helpful in highlighting the features and functionality that are most important to you,” says community manager KeithFromSonos.
So, if you’re one of the people affected by the missing features (more on these below), be sure to take your opportunity to be heard (hopefully).
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So, what went wrong? There are many reports of bugs and apps not loading properly, but the most common complaints appear to be about small missing features that people relied on, such as sleep timers, alarms and specific numbers for volume control – with users claiming they’re either well hidden or entirely absent from the app. (For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find them in my Android app. And this is my job.)
Given people use alarms to, you know, wake up on time and get to their jobs, this seems like a risky thing to remove suddenly as a feature in case someone was caught unawares.
The new app also doesn’t allow users to edit their song queue, which is such a core aspect of music streaming today that its absence is a little shocking – even if Sonos intends to add it back in later.
The redesign is certainly sleek, with all those rounded edges beloved of UI designers these days, and there’s a permanent ‘now playing’ menu, which takes up a notable portion of the screen. It’s worth noting that some users are happy, or less affected by certain features having changed, and Sonos’ aim of simplifying the UI, and bringing important information together at a single glance, is clear from the new software.
Releasing a new application is often fraught, and we live in a time when companies are pressured to release fast and improve through successive updates, rather than getting everything out the door in the first instance. However, when you already have a substantial user base who are used to an app and family of devices in a certain way, removing those features is unlikely to ever go down well.
It feels like a beta iteration of the app, with Sonos acknowledging that the limited feature set will be gradually added in the future. In the case of that message, screen reader support is another very significant feature to have left behind.
But the promise of future updates at some point are little consolation for people finding their home audio setup is suddenly dumber than before. We’ve reached out to Sonos for comment on what kind of timelines to expect for features to be added and will update you if more information comes through.
We recommend holding off on the update for now if you’re more than a casual user of your Sonos system, as there’s no way to undo it. (Perhaps Sonos could allow the previous S2 app to become available as a separate download – this would provide a great bridge while things get ironed out.) And if you have updated already, we recommend setting up an alarm somewhere else. However, the app does feature dark mode, so at least it’ll get you in the right frame of mind before bed.
During Western Digital’s recent Q3 earnings call, CEO David Goeckeler disclosed that the ever-growing need for higher capacity and speedier data access from customers across the world is pushing the company to expand its solid-state capacities.
The company chalked up a profitable quarter, with revenues soaring over forecast to $3.46 billion, a 29% YoY rise. The company managed to turn around a streak of losses, reporting a $135 million profit. These achievements are in stark contrast to rival Seagate, which posted an 11% YoY reduction in its revenues to $1.66 billion.
Goeckeler underlined that Western Digital’s improved financial performance was a result of the company’s efforts to offer a more diversified product range. He also said that WD was committed to delivering larger SSD capacities off the back of growing demand for AI-related applications. He said customers “want them [SSDs] in much bigger capacity points, 30- and 60-terabyte capacity points.”
HAMR HDD technology
Reporting on the third quarter results, Blocks & Files wrote “WD currently ships DC SN640 TLC PCIe gen 3 SSDs with up to 30.72 TB capacity and PCIe gen 4 SN650 and 655 drives with 15.36 TB. We now expect 60 TB SSDs to be announced by WD later this year.”
Without going into details of the exact capacities being worked on, Goeckeler said the company was expanding the size of the drives in line with what customers were demanding, stating WD is “increasing capacity and going through a qualification on that. So, we’re in that process with customers.”
He also discussed hard-drive recording (HAMR) technology, including the issues surrounding it, stating, “we’ve been working on HAMR for quite some time. We understand HAMR extremely well. We understand all the issues with HAMR, and what it takes to get it qualified. Clearly, we’re doing that all behind the scenes, because we have a product portfolio with the best TCO we can offer in the market today, and we can do that all the way up to 40 terabytes.” Western Digital’s rival Seagate recently announced the results of an experimental test that showed one of its hard drives using HAMR could run continuously for over 6,000 hours.
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Apple has acquired the Paris-based artificial intelligence startup Datakalab amid its push to deliver on-device AI tools.
Datakalab specializes in algorithm compression and embedded AI systems. The acquisition, finalized on December 17 last year, was quietly conducted but noted in a European Commission filing spotted by French publication Challenges (via iPhoneSoft). While the financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed, the move is almost certainly part of Apple’s broader strategy to bring more sophisticated AI technology to its devices, such as those expected to be introduced in iOS 18.
The company was established in 2016 by Xavier and Lucas Fischer and made significant strides in AI technology focusing on low-power, high-efficiency deep learning algorithms that function without relying on cloud-based systems. This approach aligns with Apple’s oft-touted commitment to user privacy, data security, and reliable performance, as processing data locally minimizes the risk of data breaches and ensures faster processing times. The startup’s expertise in compressing neural networks to work effectively on portable devices like smartphones and tablets is likely a key factor in Apple’s interest.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple’s LLM will run entirely on-device, rather than via the cloud like most existing AI services. Apple’s AI tools may be less capable in certain instances than its direct cloud-based rivals, but Gurman suggested that the company could “fill in the gaps” by licensing technology from Google and other AI service providers.
Before its acquisition, Datakalab engaged in various high-profile projects, including collaborations with the French government and Disney. The company developed technology capable of analyzing human emotions by facial recognition and visual data, which were later used to monitor audience reactions in real-time during cinema screenings. The first look at Apple’s new AI strategy is widely anticipated to arrive alongside previews of its next-generation operating systems at WWDC in early June.
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,…
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as “Kosutami.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed…
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of…
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU…
It might surprise you to know that becoming a sustainability warrior doesn’t necessarily take a calling. Sometimes, it just needs to start as a hobby that you can share with someone you love. That’s how Retrospekt, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based technology refurbishment firm got its start – and how, somewhat improbably, I’m now playing with what is essentially a 35-year-old Game Boy that looks as if it was made yesterday.
“It’s actually quite fun being able to stay in the midwest and bring something unique to the midwest,” Retrospekt co-owner and CEO Adam Fuerst told me during a lengthy conversation, adding that partner and licensee companies are often surprised at their location.
Sustainability Week 2024
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Dressed in an open plaid shirt and white T-shirt, Fuerst, 37, described the unassuming nearly decade-old beginnings of a company that would go on to recover, refurbish, and resell everything from aging Game Boys and 4th-gen iPods to Polaroid cameras and Sony Walkman cassette players.
Fuerst didn’t really plan the business. While attending grad school with his then-girlfriend, now wife and company co-owner Kori Fuerst in Wisconsin, they started refurbishing old and discarded tech as a hobby. They kept doing it until opportunity came knocking in the form of the Impossible Film brand (since rebranded Impossible Polaroid), which was desperately looking for more Polaroid cameras to support its burgeoning retro-instant film business.
Retrospekt co-owner and CEO Adam Fuerst (Image credit: Retrospekt)
“We were broke college students and we figured, you know, you can’t get much more broke than we already are. So why not give it a try?” said Fuerst.
What’s arisen, without much of a plan, is not so much a reclamation factory but a workshop of 40 or so people, who reclaim hundreds of products a month across a handful of selected core categories (the company also produces a small selection of new, retro-style products). That selection process, by the way, is fairly specific.
“For us, we’re looking at products that were mass-produced, repairable, and have a cultural significance,” explained Fuerst.
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Naturally, the Game Boy, which by some estimates sold 120 million units, remains beloved to this day, and is celebrating its 35th anniversary on April 21, fulfills that criterion, as does the Polaroid Cameras (300 million units sold), and Sony Walkman (400 million).
Each of these products requires technical expertise, attention to detail, and often, a specific approach to bringing them back to life.
(Image credit: Future)
Whereas Polaroid cameras use film cassettes that include the batteries, Game Boys use a few AA batteries that, when they arrive at Retrospekt, have often leaked and corroded the Game Boy’s interiors.
Refurbishing consumer electronics is about as difficult as you might expect. In addition to cleaning out the corrosion, Retrospekt might replace the housing. Fuerst told me that the company has what he calls ‘New Old’ sources, places that keep stocks of original product components, like Game Boy chassis and buttons, and those are often things the company does replace.
“But the brains of the units, we keep original. So we’re not like remaking the dot matrix screen for [the Gameboy],” he said.
The refurb team dissembles the products, bench-tests everything, and repairs them at a component level. They can, when necessary, even create replacement components, often by scavenging other refurbishment stock.
“Most of the parts that we produce are from taking 10 units and making six units from them, and then you get donor parts from the other four, for example,” Fuerst added. It’s a”nothing goes to waste” mentality that fits with Retrospekt’s larger purpose.
“What our value is to the community is not just to go and source working units and resell them, but it’s really to get the stuff that’s destined for landfill and that no one wants and is just quite frankly garbage without someone doing this labor of love on each unit,” Fuerst explains.
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A lot of work goes into every gadget reclamation project.(Image credit: Retrospekt)
(Image credit: Retrospekt)
(Image credit: Retrospekt)
Retrospket applies the same care to other product categories. For a recent Polaroid 600 Barbie-themed camera, the company used all original internals and created new pink outer shells.
It puts considerable effort into restoring the Sony Walkman cassette players, something that’s made doubly hard by the fact that the original belts that drive the tape spools are all 30 years old and deteriorating. “Our team has worked really hard to source replacement motors for a lot of these units, and really dials these in at such a precise level of function,” said Fuerst. “It’s something I’m really proud of, and something we do in the hundreds of each month.”
Other refurb products in high demand include those iPods. I asked about the original iPod, but the company can’t find enough replacement parts. And without source parts, Retrospekt might be building something that diverges from the original product experience.
“We want whatever leaves here to just look like a million bucks and to look as closely as it did to the original,” Fuerst explained. “If we can’t get replacement screens or replacement housings for some of these things that we’re trying to do in a large volume, it’s really hard to scale, especially something that is used and abused so much, like an iPod.”
He told me the company is fulfilling a desire to “experience retro stuff. They [customers] don’t want a pale imitation of the 80s. They want the 80s or they want the 90s. They don’t want a replica of it. They want the real thing.”
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This 35-year-old Nintendo Game Boy looks like new, but its refurbished.(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Anecdotally, the pair of Game Boys Retrospekt sent me, one from 1989 and the other a Game Boy Color from 1998, are indistinguishable from the originals, right down to the pair of Tetris games the company included. Those too, it turns out, are reclamations.
“We take them apart. We replace the battery cells inside if they have a battery cell so that you can save them,” Fuerst said. “We reset them, we clean all the contacts inside as well, so you have a great contact when you go to use it.”
For the amount of work and detail Retrospket puts into everything it does, the prices for these refurbed gadgets are not as high as you might expect. The Game Boys sell for around $150 a piece, and the games are $29 a piece.
Affordability, like everything else Retrospekt does, is no accident. “I mean they’re not cheap, but for the amount of time and attention to detail that goes into each one of these units, it’s fairly affordable. That can only happen when you can get the units at a real low-low price,” Fuerst explained.
As for where Retrospekt sources its gadgets, the purchasing team has what Fuerst called a variety of traditional online sources but added that “there’s people that come directly to us and they’ll say, ‘I run an e-waste facility, and I see these come in.’ We have people that just know about us, and they reach us and say, ‘Hey, I have one of these, it’s corroded, do you want it?’ or ‘will you give me anything for it?’”
Thanks to the popularity of gadgets like the Game Boy and micro-cassette players there’s a steady supply of unused, disused, and discarded gadgetry out there.
It’s also worth noting that Retrospekt doesn’t try to use refurbishment or reclaimed technology as an excuse for not standing behind the products, Each one has a 14-day money-back guarantee and a three-month warranty, though even there Retrospekt can be flexible.
“We have people that, unfortunately, they forget that everything’s not built like a cell phone anymore. So you get a lot of people that just throw their Walkman onto their bed and then it falls off their bed out to their floor and breaks.” In those cases, if the product is out of warranty, Retrospekt may offer a healthy discount on a replacement unit.
“Ultimately, want to make sure that these are continuing to exist in the world and that people are using them, and they’re not just storing them in a cupboard somewhere,” said Fuerst.
I was curious to know if Retrospket had considered reclaiming the original iPhone, but Fuerst dismissed the idea because he isn’t sure what people would do with it. There’s no updated iOS to run on it, and most of the apps will no longer work; Retrospekt is refurbishing for use, not polishing up museum pieces. One phone that Fuerst would like to see rise up from the trash heap, though, is the original Motorola Razr, which he described as “the best phone ever produced.”
“I’m just waiting for Gen Alpha to discover Razr phones and just take it to the next level and just unplug. I can’t wait, I just, I think for everything there’s a counterbalance, and I think it’s coming for us and I can’t wait for it.”
In some ways Rertospekt is a counterbalance to our decades of unbridled consumerism. We bought, used, loved, and then discarded millions of gadgets, and now Retrospekt is here to, in its way, tip the balance back just a bit, and keep some of those products out of landfills, at least for now.
A newly-discovered, Microsoft-branded SSD suggests the tech giant may be – or has been at least – exploring new ways to optimize its data center storage.
The leaked images of a Microsoft Z1000 SSD show a 1TB NVMe M.2 drive, apparently boasting sequential read speeds of up to 2,400MB/s and write speeds of 1,800MB/s.
The Z1000 SSD, originally revealed by @yuuki_ans on X, is made up of a mix of components from various companies, including Toshiba NAND flash chips, Micron’s DDR4 RAM cache, and a controller from CNEX Labs, a company best known for its work with data center hyperscalers.
(Image credit: @yuuki_ans on X)
Up to 4TB capacity
Back in 2018, CNEX Labs closed a $23 million Series D funding round led by Dell Technologies Capital which also included Microsoft’s venture fund M12. This money was partially used to fund a proprietary, advanced CNX-2670 controller that delivered 550,000 IOPS, a 25% performance increase over previously available M.2 form-factor SSDs at the time. The CNEX Labs controller in the leaked photos is CNX-2670AA-0821.
The SSD has a capacity of 960GB made up of four 256GB Toshiba BiCS4 96-layer eTLC chips and features a 1GB DDR4 RAM cache made by Micron to boost performance.
The leaked “engineering sample”, produced on May 18, 2020 when much of the world was in Covid lockdowns, suggests the drive is part of a broader portfolio of SSD models. Its design allows for the addition of more DRAM and capacitors, hinting at larger versions.
As Tom’s Hardware notes “several unused solder pads are on both sides of the PCB, presumably for additional capacitors. This implies that there may be larger versions of the Z1000 with 2TB and perhaps even 4TB of room, given that more capacity would require more DRAM and capacitors to ensure data protection.”
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has experimented with hardware design for its data centers, having recently revealed its own-brand silicon hardware in order to help further the development and use of AI in businesses.
