Technologies

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Trailer Reveals Gameplay, March 17 Release Date

Thursday’s Game Awards brought a look at the new mechanics and returning characters in the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order, got a March 17, 2023, release date during Thursday’s Game Awards, along with a new trailer giving us our first look at gameplay, some returning characters and a bunch of new faces. The action-adventure game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

It’ll once again star surviving Padawan Cal Kestis, along with charming droid sidekick BD-1, as he tries to reclaim his lost lightsaber after being defeated in battle by a dark Force wielder. Thursday’s trailer was more about gameplay than narrative, but we caught glimpses of Cal’s mentor Cere Junda (who’s shaved her head) and new mercenary ally Bode Akuna.

On the gameplay side, the trailer showed off Cal’s new traversal options like an ascension cable to and the ability to tame and ride creatures. There are also several new combat stances like speedy dual lightsabers and a heavy Kylo Ren-style crossguard stance

The third-person adventure, which was revealed with a cinematic trailer during Star Wars Celebration Anaheim back in May, is being developed by Apex Legends and Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment.

«Star Wars Jedi: Survivor evolves the gameplay, story, and exploration from Fallen Order in every way,» said Stig Asmussen, the game’s director, said in a release. «Responsive and powerful combat makes players feel like a true Jedi Knight, with new lightsaber skills and Force abilities that add additional layers of strategy to each enemy encounter, and worlds that are filled with environmental challenges that must be overcome to unveil the mysteries within.»

Timeline-wise, the sequel picks up five years after Jedi: Fallen Order — so it’s 10 years after Revenge of the Sith and nine years before A New Hope. That puts the events of Jedi: Survivor around the same time as the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus series and four years before the start of Andor.

Preordering the $70 game gets you a cosmetic pack that lets Cal cosplay Obi-Wan as he appeared in the show, while the deluxe edition includes outfits inspired by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker’s fetching yellow jacket from the end of A New Hope (which deluxe content lets you deck BD-1 in R2-D2’s colors). There’s also a super fancy $300 collector’s edition that includes a replica of Cal’s lightsaber hilt.

If you’re curious about what Cal, Cere, Nightsister ally Merrin and pilot buddy Greez got up to in the half decade between games, that story will be told in Sam Maggs’ novel Jedi: Battle Scars. It comes out March 7, and sees them running into nasty Imperial Inquisitor the Fifth Brother (seen in the Obi-Wan show and CGI animated series Rebels).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.