Tech

Fable dodges GTA VI with another delay – Engadget

The reboot of the classic Xbox series is now coming out in February 2027.

Fable, a reboot of the Xbox fantasy RPG series developed by Playground Games, has been delayed. The game’s release date is shifting from fall 2026 to February 2027 “so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves,” according to a post from Xbox on X. The new release date will give developers more time to polish the game before it comes out, while also moving it out of the blast radius of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled for release on November 19.

This isn’t the first time the reboot has been delayed, and as Microsoft notes in its announcement post, the back half of the year is particularly stacked with big releases like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Control Resonant and the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto VI. Moving to 2027 rather than duking it out with those more hotly anticipated titles could give Fable more time to shine. It does make a long development cycle even longer than it was before, though. The Fable reboot was originally announced in 2020, and Microsoft didn’t share proper gameplay footage of the game until January of this year. That means from announcement to release, Fable will have taken seven years to make, and that’s likely not taking into account work that went into the project ahead of its original announcement.

— XBOX (@XBOX) May 29, 2026

During its earlier 2026 showcase, Microsoft demoed Fable‘s detailed character creator and ambitious proach to simulating NPCs. The company also shared that the game would be available on PlayStation 5, alongside Xbox Series X/S, PC via Steam and Xbox and Game Pass Ultimate. While Fable won’t be available this year, Microsoft says it will show off “a major new look“ at the game during its Xbox Games Showcase on June 7.

Tech

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for May 30 #818

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 NYTStrandspuzzle was a bit challenging. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, and some are long, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.

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

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is:We’ll be there

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Admirable traits

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:

REAL, TUNE, TUNED, GOOD, ROOD, GULR, GULP, PEWS, STUN, STUD

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:

LOYAL, CARING, HELPFUL, RELIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY

Today’s Strands spangram

The completed NYT Strands puzzle for May 30, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Today’s Strands spangram is GOODFRIENDS. To find it, start with the G that’s three letters down on the far left, and wind over and then down.

Tech

California sues 23andMe over 2023 data breach that affected 7 million users – Engadget

Chrome Holding Co., the company formerly known as23andMe, is facing a lawsuit filed by California AttorneyGeneral Rob Bonta over a massive security breach in 2023 that compromised millions of people’s sensitive data. Bonta is accusing the company of misleading customers and failing to protect their”sensitive personal information and genetic data related to their health, genetic predispositions and risk factors, biological relatives, ancestry and ethnicity.” The incident had affected 7 million users across the US, the lawsuit said, 855,541 whom were California residents.

23andMe, which offered customers DNA testing kits so they can find out their ancestral origins and genetic health risks, admitted back in 2023 that bad actors were able to access users’ accounts through credential stuffing. Bonta argued that companies, especially one that collects genetic data, should know to guard against such a common method of cyberattack.

It wasn’t just credential stuffing that allowed the bad actors to steal millions of private information. After using the attack method to break into14,000 accounts, they then exploited a vulnerability in the website’s DNA Relatives feature to access data from more customers. Bonta said the company’s security measures were so lax, the hackers were able to operate undetected inside its system for five months. He added that the company only started investigating after the bad actors had already started selling stolen user data on the dark web and demanding a ransom.

Bonta accused 23andMe of omitting critical information when it informed customers about the breach. He said the company downplayed the sensitivity of the stolen data and claimed that the DNA Relatives feature was “essentially public,” all while it was secretly negotiating with the bad actors who were highlighting the inclusion of information about Asian American and Pacific Islanders, as well as Jewish users, in the dataset they were selling.

“The sale of this data on the dark web took place amidst a period of mounting anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander and antisemitic hate and violence — and explicitly called attention to the deeply personal and identifying nature of that information,” Bonta wrote. “This is disturbing and incredibly dangerous.”

23andMefiled for bankruptcy in March 2025. As notes, it also faced a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of failing to protect its customers, and a judge overseeing its bankruptcy had proved a $50 million settlement earlier this year.

Tech

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, May 29

Looking forthe most recentMini 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.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 1-Across and 5-Across were a bit tricky. Read on for all 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 visitCNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

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

The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for May 29, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: “Whatcha ___?”
Answer: DOIN

5A clue: “Whatcha ___?”
Answer: UPTO

6A clue: Ecosystem that includes the bristlemouth, the most common vertebrate on Earth (roughly 1 quadrillion organisms)
Answer: OCEAN

7A clue: Marx who wrote “Das Kital”
Answer: KARL

8A clue: Period at a hotel
Answer: STAY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Old gold coin of Europe
Answer: DUCAT

2D clue: Performance at Milan’s La Scala or Nles’s Teatro di San Carlo
Answer: OPERA

3D clue: Home to Milan and Nles
Answer: ITALY

4D clue: Prefix with starter or smoker
Answer: NON

6D clue: proves
Answer: OKS

Tech

Blue Origins New Glenn rocket explodes on its launchpad – Engadget

The company was doing a hotfire test to prepare for New Glenn’s next mission.

Blue Origin

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has exploded on its launchpad at Ce Canaveral Space Force Station while the company was conducting ground tests for an upcoming launch. The company explainedthat it “experienced an anomaly” during a hotfire test and will provide more details about the incident when it learns more. On X, company owner Jeff Bezos said all personnel are safe and account for. Blue Origin has already started investigating, but it’s too early to know the root cause of the explosion. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying,” he added. “It’s worth it.

As you can see in the footage of the explosion above, it pretty much obliterated the rocket, the structure and the equipment around it. As The New York Times reports,that’s Blue Origin’s only launchpad for New Glenn, and it could take several months for the company to repair it.

The incident could affect Blue Origin’s participation in NASA’s Artemisand Moon Base programs, wherein it’s expected to provide a commercial lunar lander for both cargo and crew. NASA even chose Blue Origin over SpaceX for theMoon Base I mission, which it’s hoping to launch this fall. Blue Origin’s lunar missions require the use of its New Glenn rocket, but with its launchpad now out of commission, NASA may have to rethink its plans.

“NASA is aware of the anomaly that occurred tonight at Launch Complex 36 involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket at Ce Canaveral Space Force Station,”NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on X. “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch cability is extraordinarily difficult. We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets. We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available.”

Blue Origin has only just gotten clearance from theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch its New Glenn rocket again. The FAA grounded New Glenn after it had failed to put the payload it was carrying into orbit in its third mission. It oversaw the company’s investigation and determined that the incident was caused by a “cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second-stage engine burn.” After the FAA gave the company permission to launch NewGlenn again, it quickly started preparing the rocket for its next mission, which will clearly not hpen anytime soon.

Tech

YouTube's AI Is Ready to Customize Your Scrolling

AI is coming for your YouTube feed algorithm, if you want it.

The platform announced a new feature this week that can create a personalized feed based on a prompt describing your interests. In itsannouncement, YouTube suggests prompts like unwinding after work with 10-minute guided meditations or something different from your usual interests. And you can save your prompt as a pin at the top of your Home page to revisit it.

YouTube unveiled the new feature on Wednesday, along with a few new AI updates, including automatic AI detection and clear labels for AI-generated content. The AI customized feed feature is available now and rolling out to US viewers signed in on the YouTube mobile or desktop p. It’s unclear if or when the feature will be available internationally or on TV ps. A representative for YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How YouTube’s new AI feature works

Here’s how it works: You’ll t the “Your custom feed” chip on the Home page and enter a prompt that describes the video you’re looking for. You can also choose from YouTube’s suggested prompts for a custom feed. YouTube says you can edit the prompt at any time.

To enable the feature, you’ll need to turn your search and watch history on in your account settings. Google recommends using theHelp Centerif you have trouble using the feature. YouTube hasn’t shared what data will be used to generate the feed or if it will be saved.

YouTube is rolling out other AI features that could she your experience. Google’s‘Ask YouTube’is a search feature that will find the exact part of a video that answers your question.

The trouble with content creation and AI

The big question is what YouTube’s new AI feature will mean for content creators. We’re unsure how the tool will interpret prompts — whether it’s based on your watch history or keywords. Will it focus on videos that are already popular? And will it focus on newer creators or those with high view counts?

AI features are pearing more and more in search engine results, and publishers and creators of content are often seeing their traffic drop as a result. Will a similar outcome hpen on YouTube? We’ll have to wait and see.

Watch this: ‘Ask YouTube’ AI, the ple Watch Legal Win and Social Media Scams | Tech Today

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