Technologies

Shouting at the Dead with Alexa Game Control in Dead Island 2

Voice commands get another shot in this open-world zombie game sequel.

Amazon is launching its latest game integration with Alexa Game Control support built into Dead Island 2, an upcoming open-world zombie game expected in late April. I got to play around with a preview version of the game, using a headset mic to issue commands and taunt zombies.

Alexa Game Control doesn’t require an Amazon Echo device. Instead you use a desktop mic, your PC’s built-in mic, or a headset, although you have to link the game and your Amazon account. Setup, via a QR code, was simple, and you can set up voice commands to work as push-to-talk, tap once to talk or just leave the mic hot full time. I went with the simple push-to-talk option, which uses the B key by default. Besides PCs, Xbox will also be supported.

This isn’t my first shot at voice-powered gaming. I recall being floored by the potential of a 2002 game called Star Trek Bridge Commander, which promised gamers the chance to issue verbal commands to the crew of your ship. After buying a headset mic and hooking it up to my 2002-era PC, the novelty wore off quickly. Voice commands worked, but it ended up being much easier to use keyboard commands instead.

In 2023, the situation feels similar. I tried Dead Island 2 with Alexa’s voice commands and found a few useful cases, but was often stymied by the restrictive language needed. By far the best use case was drawing an idle zombie toward you by saying, «Hey zombie!» or something similar out loud. That way, I could pick off zombies one at a time from a larger group, instead of getting surrounded and chomped every time I turned a corner.

Read more: Best Gaming Laptops for 2023

Locating and adding waypoints to map highlights, like workbenches and traders, is another option, but I found it much easier to just look at the in-game map to navigate. Weapon selection can also be done via voice, but the terminology is awkward. One useful tool is asking the game to auto-select your best current weapon, which keeps you from having to open a menu and compare stats. The final game will also have online co-op multiplayer, and voice commands can be used to trigger generic replies or moves like a dance or a thumbs up.

After several hours, I can say that Dead Island 2 looks and plays pretty great overall. It takes place in Los Angeles, so the Island part is a bit of a misnomer, but I enjoyed the satirical take on Hollywood cliches and all the in-jokes and sight gags. For the most part, the Alexa Game Control features didn’t add a ton of extra playability to the game, and I’m not sure I’d leave it on for the entire game. That said, the «Hey zombie!» command was very useful, and the voice command I used far more than any other.

Dead Island 2 is expected on April 21 for PC and consoles. It’s the first game supporting this new Alexa Game Command initiative, but Amazon says there are «more games to follow.»

@danacknyc #videogames #gaming #alexa #deadisland2

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

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A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.