Valve releases new version of handheld console | WSDOT hit with cyberattack

Seattle-area gaming giant Valve dropped a surprise announcement Thursday, releasing a new version of its SteamDeck portable gaming PC that replaces the system’s original screen with a new display, along with an upgraded battery and improved WiFi. Read more.  

The Washington State Department of Transportation is blaming a cybersecurity “incident” for taking out parts of its website and app this week, disrupting vital travel information such as ferry arrival and departure times and mountain pass cameras. Read more.

Amazon is facing several class action lawsuits related to customer complaints about refunds. A new complaint filed this week in Seattle alleges that Amazon “has engaged in a repeated and systematic scheme.” Read more. 

In other Amazon legal news, there’s a big update in a case that we reported about way back in 2019: The company was ordered to pay $46.7 million after a jury found Wednesday that it willfully violated four patents held by the successor to VoiceBox Technologies, a Bellevue, Wash.-based company that was an early leader in speech technologies. Read more.

Listen up, these noise-canceling headphones are using AI to determine which sounds you may actually prefer to hear. Researchers at the University of Washington have developed deep-learning algorithms that let wearers choose what noises to let in. Read more.  

Robots on the farm: Seattle-area startup Aigen says its weed-destroying solar-powered robots are just the first step in bringing more tech and data to farmers. Read more.