‘Persona 3 Portable’ and ‘Persona 4 Golden’ arrive on Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation and Switch this January

Atlus surprised gaming fans this past summer when it shared that it would release its beloved Persona series on Xbox Game Pass. It then followed that announcement with the news that Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal would make th…

Rivian recalls 13,000 EVs due to potential steering control problem

Rivian has notified customers that it’s recalling 13,000 EVs — or almost all of the electric trucks and SUVs it has ever delivered — due to an issue that could render drivers unable to steer and control their vehicles. The company issued the recall after becoming aware of seven reports wherein a fastener connecting the steering knuckle to the vehicle’s upper control arm “may not have been sufficiently torqued,” according to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. 

In the letter sent to customers, Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe said the company is recalling vehicles despite the small number of reported defects “out of an abundance of caution.” He said the fastener could become loose in “rare circumstances” and lead to loss of steering control, but that there had been no reported injuries related to the issue. 

At the moment, Rivian has two models on offer, which are the R1T truck and the R1S SUV, but it also makes electric delivery trucks for its minority owner Amazon at its factory in Normal, Illinois. Like most players in the auto and tech industries, the global supply chain woes over the past couple of years impacted its production capability. It even tried to raise the price of its R1T pickup truck by $12,000 due to inflation and component shortages earlier this year, though it quickly reversed the decision after customer backlash.

In July 2022, the automaker reported that it had almost doubled its production output to 4,401 vehicles for the second quarter of the year compared to the first. That’s a fraction of other automakers’ output — rival company Tesla, for instance, manufactured 258,580 EVs within the same period — but it’s a positive step towards achieving its goal of producing 25,000 vehicles in 2022.

This recall isn’t expected to prevent the company from reaching that goal, and the automaker is hoping that it can check all affected vehicles within 30 days. Rivian told customers that they can bring their vehicles to service centers to have the fasteners in their vehicles tightened within minutes. The company also said that they can send mobile repair vans to customers. Those experiencing possible symptoms for the issue, such as noise and vibration, may want to look into that option.

EA starts rolling out a new PC app to replace Origin

It has been two years since EA announced it was working on a replacement for its Origin PC client, and it’s now starting to roll out the new app to Windows users. The publisher claims that the EA app, which has just concluded its open beta phase, is its fastest and lightest PC client to date.

EA is promising a streamlined design and suggests navigation will be easier. It seems the app has improved social features as well, since you’ll be able to connect your EA account to platforms including Steam, Xbox and PlayStation — which could come in handy for games with cross-play support, such as Apex Legends and FIFA 23. You’ll have a custom EA ID that should make it easy for your pals to recognize you.

The publisher says that it will soon invite Origin users to switch over to the new app. As you might imagine, all your stuff will be present, including your games, save data and friends list. It’s worth noting that the new client will only be available on Windows PC for now. If you’re a macOS user, you’ll continue to use the Origin for Mac app for the foreseeable future. However, EA noted that it will have more to share on that front in the coming months.

Frontline Ukraine troops are reportedly enduring Starlink outages

Ukrainian forces have reportedly been dealing with Starlink outages as they try to take back Russian-occupied areas. Some of the outages, which are said to have caused a severe loss of communication over the last several weeks, occurred as troops broke through the frontline into territory controlled by Russia as well as during battles, a Ukraine government official told The Financial Times.

The cause of the apparent outages are not yet known. Engadget has contacted Starlink owner SpaceX for comment.

Starlink outages were reported in the four regions that Russia annexed last month following referendums, the legitimacy of which have been disputed. As the Financial Times notes, there’s a significant Ukrainian counteroffensive in those areas.

Some terminals are said to have not been working in areas near Khariv, which Ukraine has almost entirely liberated, amid a push into Luhansk, one of the regions that Russia has claimed. However, military officials claimed this week that Starlink terminals were working in freshly liberated areas east of Izyum and in southern Kherson, according to the report.

Ukrainian troops have been using the terminals to stay in contact, operate drones and receive intelligence while stationed in parts of the country that don’t have other secure networking options. Soon after Russia’s invasion, SpaceX, with the help of American taxpayers, sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine for both military and civilian use.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk warned Ukrainians to exercise caution while using Starlink. Researchers pointed out that Russia may be able to use signals from the terminals for targeting purposes. Meanwhile, Musk this week caused anger and concern in Ukraine and among the country’s allies when he suggested that referendums should be held to determine the Russia-Ukraine border. He also claimed SpaceX has spent $80 million to support Ukraine through Starlink.