Month: February 2022

Enlarge / Despite the prominent “Xbox” in this image, Microsoft suggests some of these popular Activision titles could persist on PlayStation “into the future.” (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft now says that it has “committed to Sony” that “Call of Duty and other popular Activision titles” will be “available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.” The Xbox maker also says it is “interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform” following its planned $68.7 billion purchase of the megapublisher.

The announcement comes as part of a blog post outlining a number of “Open App Store principles” Microsoft says are explicitly designed “to address Microsoft’s growing role and responsibility as we start the process of seeking regulatory approval in capitals around the world for our acquisition of Activision Blizzard.”

The bit about distributing Activision titles to non-Xbox consoles “beyond the existing agreement” is especially relevant here. In the days after Microsoft announced its plans to purchase Activision, statements regarding console exclusivity plans from Activision, Sony, and Microsoft focused on language like “honor[ing] all existing commitments,” “abid[ing] by contractual agreements” and “honor[ing] all existing agreements,” respectively. Late last month, Bloomberg reported that those existing agreements only covered the next three Call of Duty games planned for release through 2024.

Enlarge (credit: famichu/Github)

Cherry’s MX switches are the most well-known in the mechanical keyboard world, and countless other brands mimic the switches’ iconic cross-stem design to deliver tactile typing. Now, a magnetic twist to the Cherry MX style has resulted in a 3D-printable mechanical switch with an adjustable actuation point.

Recently shared via Github by a user named famichu and spotted by Hackaday this week, the homegrown MagLev Switch MX is a 3D-printable switch with Cherry MX Red-like linear travel. With the familiar cross-stem design, the switches are compatible with any keycaps that would fit on a Cherry MX switch.

But instead of using a spring in each switch for actuation, like Cherry’s switches, the MagLev Switch MX uses a neodymium magnet in the stem and another in the bottom housing, with a Hall-effect sensor in between.

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Some Mazda owners in the Seattle area are stuck with bricked infotainment systems after listening to a particular radio station.

According to the Seattle Times, the problem began on January 30 and afflicted Mazdas from model years 2014 to 2017 when the cars were tuned to the local NPR station, KUOW 94.9. At some point during the day’s broadcast, a signal from KUOW caused the Mazdas’ infotainment systems to crash—the screens died and the radios were stuck on 94.9 FM.

From there, the infotainment systems became trapped in a rebooting loop, never successfully completing the task. When afflicted owners took their cars to be checked at local Mazda dealers, they were told that the “connectivity master unit” was dead and needed to be replaced.