Tech

Renowned game developer FromSoftware, the studio behind Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, has officially announced The Duskbloods, a brand-new title set to launch exclusively on Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 console. A New Adventure from the Masters of Dark Fantasy While details remain scarce, The Duskbloods is expected to carry FromSoftware’s signature dark fantasy aesthetic, blending deep lore, intricate level design, and challenging gameplay. Early reports suggest that the game will introduce fresh mechanics tailored to the Switch 2’s advanced hardware, taking advantage of its improved processing power, graphics, and haptic feedback. A First for FromSoftware on Nintendo’s Next-Gen Hardware FromSoftware has had a limited presence on Nintendo consoles, with only select titles, such as Dark Souls Remastered, making their way to the Switch. The Duskbloods marks a major shift, as it is being built from the ground up for the Switch 2, indicating a strong partnership between the Japanese developer and Nintendo. What to Expect While specific gameplay details have not been revealed, fans are speculating that The Duskbloods could blend elements of FromSoftware’s previous works with new innovations. Given the studio’s reputation, players can likely anticipate atmospheric world-building, punishing but rewarding combat, and cryptic storytelling that encourages exploration and discovery. A Bold Move for the Switch 2 With The Duskbloods, Nintendo appears to be making a serious push for more hardcore gaming experiences on its next-generation system. The announcement adds to the growing excitement for the Switch 2, which is rumored to feature improved performance, a larger screen, and enhanced online capabilities. More information about The Duskbloods is expected to be revealed in the coming months. Until then, FromSoftware fans eagerly await a first look at what could be one of the most intriguing exclusives for the Switch 2

Other brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, for speech typically have a slight delay between thoughts of sentences and computerized verbalization. Such delays can disrupt the natural flow of conversation, potentially leading to miscommunication and frustration, researchers said. This is “a pretty big advance in our field,” said Jonathan Brumberg of the Speech and Applied Neuroscience Lab at the University of Kansas, who was not part of the study. A team in California recorded the woman’s brain activity using electrodes while she spoke sentences silently in her brain. The scientists used a synthesizer they built using her voice before her injury to create a speech sound that she would have spoken. They trained an AI model that translates neural activity into units of sound. It works similarly to existing systems used to transcribe meetings or phone calls in real time, said Anumanchipalli, of the University of California, Berkeley. The implant itself sits on the speech center of the brain so that it’s listening in, and those signals are translated to pieces of speech that make up sentences. It’s a “streaming approach,” Anumanchipalli said, with each 80-millisecond chunk of speech – about half a syllable – sent into a recorder. “It’s not waiting for a sentence to finish,” Anumanchipalli said. “It’s processing it on the fly.”

AuthenticID, a global leader in identity verification and fraud prevention solutions, has been selected by Authvia as its trusted provider for securing digital payments. Through this partnership, AuthenticID’s identity verification platform will be integrated into Authvia’s cutting-edge Text-to-Pay and Conversational Commerce solution, setting a new standard in AI-powered payments. “The partnership between Authvia and AuthenticID represents a major leap forward in secure, AI-powered payments and identity verification” As digital payments continue to evolve, fraud prevention without adding friction is critical. Authvia’s AI-driven conversational commerce streamlines transactions through secure text-based payments and payouts. With the addition of AuthenticID’s advanced fraud detection, Authvia enhances its platform’s ability to verify users in seconds, preventing identity theft and providing businesses and consumers with a safer, more seamless payment experience. The combined offering provides authentication protection for a variety of payments scenarios, including high-risk transfers, account withdrawals and deposits; payments for high-value goods; and payouts from a business to a customer. Both AuthenticID and Authvia are trusted by large banks and enterprises. “As the demand for instant payments continues to skyrocket among consumers, so has the rate of identity fraud,” said Reed Taussig, AuthenticID CEO. “Partnering with Authvia aligns perfectly with our mission—to combat fraud globally and provide businesses with a trusted partner to verify identities. With the AuthenticID platform, we’re not just moving at the speed of fraud we’re moving at the speed of consumers and ensuring cutting-edge offerings like AI-powered text-to-pay and payouts are trusted, secure methods of payments.” AuthenticID’s AI-powered platform delivers near-instant identity verification and ensures secure, large-scale transactions for loan disbursements, insurance claims, gig economy payments, and more. This seamless verification process reduces payment delays and minimizes fraud risk. What’s more, the combined power of these two AI-driven platforms ensures KYC/AML compliance at scale, stopping unauthorized transactions and other fraud attempts in financial services. “The partnership between Authvia and AuthenticID represents a major leap forward in secure, AI-powered payments and identity verification,” said Chris Brunner, Authvia’s Founder/CEO. “By combining our patented text-to-pay and payout solutions with AuthenticID’s industry-leading AI-driven fraud detection, we’re delivering a seamless, bank-grade security experience that businesses can trust. This collaboration ensures that only verified users can send or receive payments, eliminating fraud risk while making transactions faster, safer, and more convenient. Together, we’re setting a new standard for compliance, security, and frictionless financial interactions.” AuthenticID’s partnership is part of the company’s continued technological advancement to meet growing demands for new payments as consumer preferences and new identity threats continue to evolve. AuthenticID will continue to drive innovation forward in its technology to ensure companies can stay ahead of changing fraud techniques and regulatory requirements while delivering best-in-class customer experience.