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Pokemon Champions - a battle-focused game along the lines of Pokemon Stadium - now has a release date, and it's pretty darn soon. It will hit Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on April 8. A mobile version is in the works with support for cross-play with Nintendo's consoles.Nintendo released a new overview video that shows how the game works. You can recruit Pokemon in the game or transfer those you've found in previous titles and Pokemon Go via Pokemon Home. Then you'll be able to take half a dozen of your Pokemon into strategic turn-based fights with other players. It's definitely a Pokemon battle game!There are ranked battles, a casual mode, private lobbies and online competitions. You'll earn victory points, which you can use to swap a Pokemon's moves, increase their stat points and make other modifications. In addition, victory points enable you to recruit Pokemon in Pokemon Champions more than once per day. Pokemon that you recruit with victory points can stay in your roster permanently instead of just a week. There's a shop too, where you can spend points on accessories, Pokeball throwing styles, victory poses and battle music.Pokemon Champions will be the second new Pokemon game to arrive this year, following the success of Pokemon Pokopia. There's more to come in the not-too-distant future, as Pokemon Wind and Pokemon Waves are scheduled to arrive on Switch 2 next year.While Pokemon Pokopia is selling like hotcakes, the Switch 2 perhaps isn't flying out of the door as quickly as Nintendo hoped. According to Bloomberg, Nintendo has cut back on production of the console after lower-than-expected sales over the holiday season. The company is said to be making 4 million units this quarter rather than the previously planned 6 million, with the lower production rate set to extend into April.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-champions-will-hit-switch-and-switch-2-on-april-8-165737121.html?src=rss

We knew Disney+ was prepping a standalone special for The Punisher, but we didn't know it was coming so soon. The Punisher: One Last Kill premieres on May 12. This is just one week after the season two finale of Daredevil: Born Again, which starts up this week. It's possible The Punisher will be featured in that, so we could be in for eight straight weeks of skull-shirted shenanigans.

The popular co-op heist franchise Payday is coming to VR. Payday: Aces High will release for the Meta Quest platform and SteamVR later this year. It looks like it has everything people love about the series, but with some of that VR-style immersion.Just like the mainline games, this version tasks players with planning and then pulling off elaborate heists. It offers four-player co-op, with each person filling a particular role within the group. These are your standard heist movie archetypes. There's the planner, the brawler, the gadget nerd and the silent but deadly assassin.The developer also promises plenty of gear and weapons, with "an arsenal that keeps growing." This leads to the usual Payday gameplay loop. Each successful heist lets players buy more weapons and gadgets. Rinse and repeat.Fast Travel Games is making this one, and the developer has a decent pedigree in the VR space. It helped make Cities: VR and Apex Construct, among many others. The graphics here look decent and we already know the gameplay is solid. Plus, there are clown masks. We'll find out if Payday: Aces High makes the grade later this year.This is just the latest major gaming franchise to experiment with virtual reality. There are VR versions of Half-Life, Assassin's Creed, Horizon and many more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/theres-a-new-payday-game-this-time-in-vr-160051276.html?src=rss

Epic Games has announced sweeping layoffs of more than 1,000 employees. The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded," CEO Tim Sweeney said in a memo to workers on Tuesday.Sweeney wrote that, combined with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles," the layoffs will give Epic more stability. He added that the layoffs are not related to AI.Back in 2023, Epic laid off 830 employees. At the time, that was 16 percent of its workforce, suggesting around 4,000 employees remained at the company. If those numbers haven't changed too much in the meantime, that means Epic is culling around a quarter of its headcount this week.Along with a dip in Fortnite engagement, Sweeney pointed out that Epic isn't immune from systemic issues the games industry is contending with, such as a slowdown in growth, reduced spending, tougher cost economics" and a battle with other types of media for consumer's attention.However, Epic has some issues of its own to deal with. Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, we've had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we're only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the world's billions of smartphones; and in being the industry's vanguard we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle which is only in the early days of paying off for ourselves and all developers," Sweeney wrote. (He previously said Epic spent over $100 million in legal fees alone on its App Store battle with Apple.)The path forward for the company, per its CEO, is to create awesome Fortnite experiences with fresh seasonal content, gameplay, story and live events," perhaps in an attempt to recapture some of that magic" he's referring to. Speeding up work on developer tools amid the transition to Unreal Engine 6 is important as well, Sweeney indicated.He said that the workers Epic is laying off will receive at least four months of their base pay, though they'll get more depending on the length of their tenure at the company. Epic will pay for extended healthcare coverage, including for six months for affected workers in the US. The company - which is not publicly traded - will speed up the vesting of stock options through next January and extend equity exercise options for up to two years," Sweeney said.Epic announced the layoffs days after it increased the price of Fortnite's V-bucks currency. The cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot and we're raising prices to help pay the bills," it said.As part of the changes at the company, Epic is killing off three Fortnite modes. Rocket Racing (which was built by Rocket League developer Psyonix) will shut down in October. Fortnite Ballistic - a 5v5 tactical shooter mode - and Festival Battle Stage, which is a competitive version of the Fortnite Festival rhythm game, will vanish on April 16. We've built a lot of Fortnite modes, and in some cases we failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base," Epic said on X.The company noted in its Year in Review recap last month that although the hours that players spent in third-party titles on the Epic Games Store increased by four percent in 2025, overall gameplay hours declined year over year," hinting at a dip in Fortnite numbers. The company said PC players spent $1.16 billion on the store in 2025, an increase of six percent from the previous year. Of that, $400 million was spent on third-party PC games. However, Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Steve Allison told Polygon in February that, factoring in first-party revenue and the 12 percent cut the company takes from third-party games, the store is already - even with all this stuff - marginally profitable now."Here is the full memo Sweeney shared with Epic's employees on Tuesday:

Samsung has unveiled the budget M70H and M80H Mini LED TVs, promising a bright picture and accurate colors starting at just $400 for the 50-inch and $1,200 for the 85-inch models. The company also revealed a pair of new higher-end TVs with the company's "Quantum Mini LED" tech, the QN70H and QN80H, that offer "precise backlighting" and 100 percent color volume.Mini LED TVs have been dropping rapidly in price over the past couple of years while also improving in quality. The M70H and M80H are among the cheapest we've seen so far, with, most 50-inch Mini LEDs currently on sale costing $400 or more. Samsung is promising pretty decent specs as well like 10-bit panels that can display a billion colors, Samsung's HDR+ and a 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium or 240Hz with DLG at 1080p.Samsung's M70H Mini LED TVSamsungOther key features include Samsung's One UI Tizen with Smart Home support and Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple TV) compatibility, along with Samsung's Gaming Hub for cloud gaming and adaptive sound (but not Dolby Atmos support). The company didn't mention some key specs like brightness, color gamut and the number of local dimming zones, so you can likely assume those aren't top-of-the-line.The prices are very good, with the 43-inch M70H at $350, the 65-inch M70 priced at $530 and the 85-inch M70H running $1,200. The M80H starts at $700 for the 55-inch model and runs up to $1,800 for the 85-incher. All models are now on sale, and Samsung said that a 100-inch Class M90H model is arriving later this year this year.SamsungSamsung also revealed a new line of higher-end Neo QLED models powered by its "Quantum Mini LED" technology. With the QN70H and QN80H, Samsung is promising "brilliant brightness" and 100 percent DCI-P3 color volume, thanks to the quantum dot tech and "more precise backlighting." Samsung said this model would have more local dimming zones than before (though again, it didn't say how many), which should result in better contrast and less "blooming" caused by light leakage from neighboring pixels.Features are largely the same as with the M70H and M80H, but the QN models also offer Dolby Atmos and 360 audio along with a slightly highter 288Hz DLG refresh rate at 1080p. The Neo QLED 4K QN70H starts at $600 for the 43-inch model and goes up to $1,200 for the 65-inch version and $2,300 for the 85-inch model. The 55-inch QN80H, meanwhile, costs $1,299, the 75-inch model is $2,000 and the 100-inch TV is $5,500.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-cheaper-mini-led-tvs-are-now-on-sale-150034289.html?src=rss

Akai just revealed specs and other details about the MPC Sample after teasing the gadget earlier this month. This is a portable sampler and groovebox that looks eerily similar to Teenage Engineering's EP series. It also resembles some legendary Akai gadgets from decades past, including the MPC3000 and MPC60. In other words, it's easy on the eyes and sort of looks like a Super Famicom.It seems pretty capable. The Sample has 16 velocity-sensitive MPC pads with poly aftertouch, which should please finger drummers. It can handle 32 stereo voices of polyphony and there's a sequencer for making actual beats.AkaiAs for sampling, there's an easily accessible chop mode, in addition to time-stretching and repitching capabilities. Samples can be edited via waveform, thanks to a full-color LCD display. The machine can resample internally with FX, letting creators make some unique soundscapes. The MPC Sample boasts access to four effects engines and 60 effect types.The gadget ships with over 100 factory drum kits, but users can easily add whatever they want. It comes with just 8GB of internal storage, but there's a microSD slot for more. It can, of course, connect to MIDI keyboards for playing melodic samples. The Sample also hooks up to DAWs.AkaiThe RAM is on the lower side, at just 2GB. However, this is the standard configuration for some more expensive units, like the MPC Live and Live II. It should be able to get the job done, but the MPC XL is the product to pick for those looking for maximum horsepower. That one has a whopping 16GB of RAM. It also costs nearly $3,000.The rechargeable battery here lasts five hours, which is respectable but not groundbreaking. Teenage Engineering's EP series boasts better battery life, but requires pricey AAs. Finally, there's a speaker, but I've never had much luck with speakers on this type of thing. Bring some headphones to actually hear what's going on.Perhaps the biggest news here is the price. The MPC Sample costs just $400, which seems reasonable given the form factor and features. It's available right now.

At the end of February, Ultrahuman announced its latest smart ring which promises up to 15 days of battery life on a single charge. Sadly, if you were based in the US, you weren't able to pre-order the Ring Pro, as the company has been locked in a longstanding legal tussle with ring rivals Oura. Now, however, it appears the situation has been resolved, with the US Customs and Border Protection giving its blessing. Consequently, pre-orders for the Ring Pro are starting today, with the first 1,000 customers to sign up getting a hefty bonus.The smart ring market is still in its infancy, which means it's fiercely competitive as companies try to keep their rivals at bay. Market leader Oura has been willing to protect its IP in court, issuing patent lawsuits against Ultrahuman, Samsung, RingConn, Reebook, Circular, Zepp, Nexxbase and Omate. In October 2025, Oura secured what it called a decisive legal victory" over Ultrahuman, banning the import and sale of its rings in the United States. On its own website, Ultrahuman stated the lawsuit was lacking in merit, and that it was an attempt by a rival to hold down a "new player" with a "superior product." Even so, the company's Bhuvan Srinivasan told me in January that the Ring Pro has been designed to avoid any such legal drama going forward.The standard price for the Ring Pro is $399, but you'll need to fork out another $100 for the fancy schmancy charging case that adds so much more to the ring's arsenal. But, for those 1,000 early birds, you'll be able to pick up both the Pro and its case for $349, which is quite a hefty discount all told. If you're customer 1,001 don't feel too despondent, however, as Ultrahuman will still offer you some sort of discount if you're quick.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ultrahuman-opens-us-pre-orders-for-ring-pro-130043933.html?src=rss

Spotify has started rolling out a feature called SongDNA that can show you the people behind your favorite tracks and give you an insight on how they were created. You can access it by opening the Now Playing view while listening to a specific song and then scrolling down to the SongDNA box.Tracks that support the new feature will show you all the artists, writers, producers and collaborators behind them. It's yet another way to make more music on the platform discoverable, since you'll be able to tap on their icons to see their profiles and the other pieces they worked on. The box will also contain the samples and interpolations that helped form a track's sound, as well as the covers it inspired. Spotify says it's giving eligible artist and label teams the power to review and manage the components of the feature, so it's bound to be supported by more and more tracks as time goes on.SongDNA is designed to make a song's creative lineage more transparent so fans can easily explore the people and influences behind the music they love," said Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify's Head of Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships. By bringing collaborators, samples, and covers together in one place, we're making it easier for fans to discover new music and see how songs connect and come to life-while giving songwriters, producers, and rightsholders meaningful recognition for the role they play in creating it."SongDNA is making its way to paying iOS and Android users around the world, but it's still in beta and might still go through revisions before it's more widely available. It will roll out more broadly to Premium users throughout April.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/spotifys-songdna-can-tell-you-all-about-the-track-youre-listening-to-130000809.html?src=rss

It's coming. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8-12. Going on past timings, CEO Tim Cook will take the stage for the keynote on June 8, most likely at 1 PM ET.WWDC is a software-focused affair, so expect to see the upcoming "27" operating systems, now that the new naming convention has settled. Apple will likely cover iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS 27. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is suggesting that WWDC will be "a fairly muted affair," - but in all fairness, WWDC has never been that explosive.Still, there are things I want to hear about: Rumors suggest that iOS 27 will deliver big upgrades to Apple Intelligence and - possibly - that overdue Siri overhaul. Reports also suggest the presence of split-pane multitasking, if you're aching to juggle spreadsheets, web browsing and more on your mobile device.- Mat SmithThe other big stories (and deals) this morning

Snapchat users are sending a staggering number of snaps to each other, according to newly released data from Snap. In 2025, Snapchat users created close to 2 trillion snaps, the company said in an update.That works out to about 5.5 billion distinct snaps per day and about 63,000 each second, according to the company. When you consider that Snapchat has about 474 million daily users, that averages to more than 11 snaps per user each day. In a blog post, the company called it "a reflection of how often people are capturing a moment in a bid to connect with one another."The numbers offer a window into engagement on the nearly 15-year-old platform where much of users' activity happens out of public view. The stat is the first time the company has shared the total number of snaps sent in a year, though Snap said last year its users shared more than 1 trillion selfie snaps in 2024.Snap, which at times has struggled with user growth, has been inching closer to 1 billion users for the last year. It reported 946 million monthly users in its most recent earnings report. CEO Evan Spiegel described reaching a billion people as a "long term goal."Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadget's parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadget's editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snapchat-users-sent-nearly-2-trillion-snaps-in-2025-121500274.html?src=rss

If the Sonos app saga still has you down, Denon has three new multi-room speakers that give you some fresh alternatives. The company's Home 200, Home 400 and Home 600 offer audio flexibility with other HEOS-enabled products. These new devices were also designed so that they blend in with home decor better than most speakers, coming in stone and charcoal color options for that purpose. As you progress up in number, the speakers not only get physically larger, but their sonic output is also more robust.The Denon Home 200 houses three drivers and three amplifiers for natural, room-filling sound" in a compact speaker. More specifically, you get two 0.98-inch tweeters and a single 4-inch woofer. The Home 200 looks a kind of like the Sonos Move 2, although Denon's new compact unit isn't portable. However, you can use a pair of them for a stereo setup, or connect two 200s to Denon's Home Sound Bar 550 and Home Subwoofer for a 5.1 home theater system.Next up is the Home 400, which carries two 0.75-inch tweeters, two 4.5-inch woofers and six amplifiers, in addition to two 1-inch up-firing drivers. Here, Denon says you can expect a wide, airy soundstage" that provides room-filling audio coverage. What's more, those upward-facing drivers project sound overhead, so there's a greater sense of dimensionality and immersion here.Denon Home 600 speakerDenonThe Home 600 is the largest speaker in the new trio, with dual 6.5-inch woofers alongside two tweeters, two midrange units and two up-firing drivers. Denon explains that this configuration offers deep, authoritative bass" that provides more depth in your tunes than other two models.All three of the new Home speakers have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth USB-C and aux connectivity with the wireless streaming powered by Denon's HEOS tech. As such, you can connect these Home speakers with up to 64 other HEOS devices - including A/V receivers and Denon's new DP-500BT turntable - and arrange your audio gear in up to 32 different zones. You'll have access to tunes from Tidal, Amazon Music HD and Qobuz in the HEOS app, and all three new Home speakers support Dolby Atmos Music where available.The Home 200, Home 400 and Home 600 speakers are available today for $399, $599 and $799 respectively. They're available from Denon directly or other authorized retailers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/denon-expands-its-multi-room-speaker-lineup-with-the-home-200-home-400-and-home-600-080000916.html?src=rss

The Federal Communications Commission has released a notice today designating any consumer routers manufactured outside the US as a security risk. The rule states that new foreign-made product models for network routers will land on the Covered List, a set of communications equipment seen as having an unacceptable risk to national security. Previously purchased routers can still be used and retailers can still sell models that were approved by the prior FCC policies. In an exception to the usual rule, routers included on the Covered List can continue to receive updates at least through March 1, 2027, although the date could potentially be extended.The move stems from a goal in the White House's 2025 national security strategy that reads: "the United States must never be dependent on any outside power for core components-from raw materials to parts to finished products-necessary to the nation's defense or economy." The notice from the FCC states that companies can apply for conditional approval for new products from the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security. However, that requires the businesses to provide a plan for shifting at least some of their manufacturing to the US in order to receive that conditional approval.Few, if any, brands known for consumer-grade routers currently build products stateside. It seems likely this sweeping provision could face legal challenges from and cause confusion for the many companies that have production facilities overseas. In addition to Chinese tech giants like TP-Link, US companies will also be affected. NetGear, Eero and Google Nest are all headquartered domestically but have manufacturing in Asia. At least some of that manufacturing activity happens in regions like Taiwan that have historically been on good terms with the US. Until the sector sorts out this new restriction, don't expect to see any new router models on store shelves.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-bans-all-new-foreign-made-network-routers-223622966.html?src=rss

Anthropic announced today that its Claude Code and Claude Cowork tools are being updated to accomplish tasks using your computer. The latest update will see these AI resources become capable of opening files, using the browser and running dev tools.When enabled, the Claude AI chatbot will first prioritize connectors to supported services such as the Google workplace suite or Slack, but if a connector isn't available, it will be able to still execute an assigned task. Claude should ask for permission before taking these actions, but Anthropic still recommended not using this feature to handle sensitive information as a precaution.Claude computer use will initially be available to Claude Pro and Claude Max subscribers on macOS. This feature is still in a research preview, so will continue to be adjusted based on Anthropic's user feedback. It will also support use with Anthropic's Dispatch feature, which allows a person to message the chatbot in a single continuous conversation across phone and desktop.Claude Cowork was introduced in January. It's an iteration of the Claude Code AI agent for programmers that is designed for more casual users.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/claude-code-and-cowork-can-now-use-your-computer-210000126.html?src=rss

EA has put another game on the chopping block, or at least the console versions of it. The company says it will delist the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Battlefield Hardline from digital storefronts on May 22, and shut down the online services on June 22. The single-player campaign will remain playable for those who own the game. The PC version of Battlefield Hardline isn't affected by these changes.In its announcement on X, EA didn't explain exactly why it's ceasing support for the game on PS4 and Xbox One. It pointed readers to a FAQ on its website that lays out some of the typical reasons why it ends online support for its games. These include factors like declining player bases.Battlefield Hardline, which was released in 2015, will still be available on Steam as well as EA's own PC app. The Steam version has a peak concurrent player count of 41 so far this year.It's hardly uncommon for a publisher to end online services for games with declining player bases, but it's an issue that's come into greater focus over the last few years thanks in part to the Stop Killing Games movement. EA alone has sunsetted dozens of games. Its website has a full accounting of these, spread across three webpages.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-is-nuking-battlefield-hardline-on-consoles-193321551.html?src=rss

Apple is reportedly planning on inserting ads into the Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. An announcement could come as soon as this month, with the ads themselves appearing on iPhones this summer.This will likely work similarly to ads in Google Maps and Yelp, which lets retailers and brands bid for coverage with particular search queries. I've personally never found the ads in Google Maps to be that annoying, so let's hope Apple's implementation is similar.This potential ad revenue could seriously bolster Apple's services business, which currently generates $100 billion a year for the company. This division accounts for around 25 percent of annual revenue but faces challenges in both the short-term and long-term, as regulators around the world push for changes to App Store policies.Apple has yet to comment on the matter. This idea has been floating around since last year, with rumors going all the way back to 2022. The company already displays ads on the App Store and on the News app, so the jump to Maps isn't coming out of left field.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-will-reportedly-start-stuffing-ads-into-the-maps-app-182311634.html?src=rss

Apple announced that this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8-12. The company tends to be consistent with event timing, so it's no surprise that CEO Tim Cook will take the stage for the keynote on June 8, most likely at 1PM ET.Much of WWDC will take place online and will be free to attend, though there will be an in-person component for select developers, students and media at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. You'll be able to take in WWDC via the Apple Developer app, website and YouTube channel. It will also be available in China on the Apple Developer Bilibili channel.What should we expect this time around? This is a software-focused event and all indications point toward a reveal of the upcoming "27" operating systems. This would include iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS 27.We don't know for certain what new features these operating system updates will bring to the table, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggesting that WWDC will be "a fairly muted affair this year." Rumors have indicated that iOS 27 will deliver much-needed improvements to Apple Intelligence along with the delayed Siri overhaul. Reports also suggest the presence of split-pane multitasking, a redesigned Health app and a new battery management system for iPhones.In any event, we don't have that long to wait. Engadget will be on hand to report on all of the announcements and reveals.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apples-wwdc-2026-is-set-for-june-8-12-171359493.html?src=rss

Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of OnlyFans, has died. He passed "peacefully after a long battle with cancer" at age 43, according to a statement from the platform published by Forbes. He was born in Ukraine, but grew up in Chicago.Radvinsky didn't create OnlyFans. He purchased it back in 2018, though is largely credited with transforming it from a niche website to a gigantic porn empire. The platform became so huge that reports have indicated that Radvinsky personally made nearly $2 million every day in 2024. His net worth at the time of his death grew to $4.7 billion, which had more than doubled since 2021.

The premise seems simple enough. LG promises that you can set its Sound Suite speakers anywhere and Dolby's home theater tech will make them perform well. The soundbar, subwoofer and speakers don't have to go in prescribed locations for the best results, which means you can place them where you need to and move them as you see fit. Of course, this all hinges on the reliability of the underlying tech and LG's ability to make individual speakers that actually sound good.Like most premium soundbars and complete home theater setups these days, a complete Sound Suite collection is expensive. The centerpiece alone, a soundbar that most people will want in their customizable configuration, is $1,000. However, if you have a recent LG TV, or are planning to buy a 2026 model when those arrive, there's no better option for boosting your living room entertainment experience.The components of the LG Sound SuiteThere are four different devices that make up the Sound Suite. The centerpiece is the H7 soundbar ($1,000), which is the first one that works with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (DAFC) technology. Then there's the 8-inch W7 subwoofer ($600) and the M5 and M7 speakers ($250 and $400). LG allows you to pick and choose between these products to build a home theater set up that suits your needs - up to four speakers and one subwoofer. The only real caveat is that you need the H7 soundbar or a recent LG TV (2025 OLED G5, C5, CS5 and QNED 9M, or an upcoming 2026 model) to serve as the primary device for Sound Suite to work. That's because the underlying tech requires LG's alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor, which is inside the soundbar and the company's newer TVs.The H7 houses a dozen Peerless drivers comprising front, side and up-firing units. There's also four woofers and eight passive radiators for bass and low-frequency audio. The soundbar has a pretty basic design, plain enough to sit in front of an LG OLED (or other premium TV) without being a distraction, and short enough not to block it. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are available here, so AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are all supported.The W7 wireless sub has an 8-inch woofer that gets really boomy at times. It's quite large at 16.1 x 16.3 x 7.6 inches, but you can use it standing up vertically or laying down horizontally - whichever orientation fits your needs or available space. The M5 and M7 speakers offer basically the same features, including AirPlay and Cast, and can be used either by themselves, as a stereo pair, as a four-speaker array or as rear satellite speakers with the H7 soundbar. The main difference is the M7 has two full-range drivers, one up-firing driver and a woofer while the M5 only has a tweeter, an up-firing driver and a woofer.What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?FlexConnect is a home theater audio technology that Dolby announced in 2023. It was available on TCL's Z100 speakers last year, but LG's Sound Suite marks the first time the feature has been available on a more robust living room product that includes a soundbar. FlexConnect allows you to position speakers anywhere in a room without sacrificing audio performance. The tech uses a TV or soundbar as the lead device to locate speakers so it can tune the sound to match their positioning. The system can also quickly adapt when you move a speaker - maybe for a party or other special occasion.FlexConnect works as advertised, but there is one caveat that should've been obvious, although I didn't anticipate it. Every time you add or remove speakers from a DAFC group, you'll need to recalibrate the system, which includes the software playing sounds from the speakers so that the TV or soundbar can locate them and Dolby's tech adjusts their output. It doesn't take long, but there is audible noise from each unit in the group, so you'll want to factor in that time - and potential annoyance for anyone else in the house.Other Sound Suite features LG Sound Suite H7 soundbar Billy Steele for Engadget Sound Suite offers some of the same features as LG's other home theater products. Those include Night Mode, Room Calibration Pro, AI Sound Pro+ real-time audio upscaling and Clear Voice Pro+ for enhanced dialogue. For the Sound Suite, LG has also introduced Sound Follow, a feature that allows you to adjust the sweet spot" for the system based on where you're sitting.Once you set your current position with a tap in the ThinQ app, Sound Follow is supposed to change the levels and tuning accordingly. I'm not entirely sure this was working on my system. Unlike my demo at CES, the seating position on the FlexConnect layout in the app was never updated. And while the UI seemed to indicate the change was made when I tapped the buttons, I couldn't hear any difference in the audio. I asked LG for more information to ensure Sound Follow is functioning properly.A word about setupLike most soundbars and speakers these days, you have to use an app to get them all connected and properly set up. And like Samsung, LG makes you do that through the same app that handles all of its connected devices - including appliances. Once you unbox and plug in the Sound Suite speakers, you add them in the ThinQ app as a new home theater arrangement. The software shows you which speakers are available to use and allows you to select which ones you want in the initial Dolby Atmos FlexConnect grouping.The app will ask you to set the distance between the soundbar and your primary seating area before running the sound optimization (tuning) process. ThinQ will display the speaker layout and you can edit the DAFC group at any time. If you move a speaker though, you'll need to run the optimization again for the best audio performance. And if you're using an LG TV as the lead device, all of this is sorted onscreen rather than in the app.Overall, the process is pretty straightforward, although I encountered some pretty significant connectivity issues that were very frustrating. I review soundbars and speakers regularly, so I'm familiar with the process of using an app to connect devices to my home Wi-Fi in order to get them up and running. With the H7, it took a few days to get it connected, which meant I could only use the soundbar with the audio options available on LG C5's menu and wasn't able to set up a larger Sound Suite configuration. After several router and soundbar reboots, I was finally able to get the H7 to connect and become available to finish the install. I've never had this problem before, so perhaps LG did something different with the Wi-Fi components here. LG Sound Suite M7 speakers Billy Steele for Engadget When I was adding the M7 speakers to my DAFC setup, I had no issues connecting them to Wi-Fi initially. However, I did have trouble adding them to the FlexConnect group, which required each piece of the Sound Suite playing an audio calibration clip. Repeatedly, the ThinQ app told me there was a connection issue with one of the M7s, although eventually they all somehow got added anyway. I also had trouble removing speakers from the arrangement. Even though the app said sound was only coming from the H7 soundbar, one of the two M7 speakers was still connected and emitting sound when I didn't want it to. For some reason, this only happened when playing music over AirPlay - TV audio over HDMI eARC always functioned as intended.If you're using the TV as the lead device, you do all of the setup on the screen. I found this method to be more straightforward and reliable, although it blasted the calibration sounds at a deafening volume. There is a big issue though: Once connected to the TV as a DAFC setup, the speaker settings weren't available in either the ThinQ app or on-screen menus. This meant I was stuck in standard mode, with things like AI Sound Pro+ inaccessible. I asked LG for more info on this because it greatly impacts the overall experience.Which configuration sounds best?Before I get into describing the various Sound Suite configurations, I need to make an important note about the limitations for the possible setups. LG only allows a maximum of five speakers in any Sound Suite arrangement, but you can mix and match however you want. Just remember if you don't opt for the H7 soundbar, you'll need a compatible LG TV as the lead device for FlexConnect to work.You can also use the M5 and M7 as standalone speakers in another room and swap them in and out of your living room or home theater setup as needed. In the multi-room scenario, Sound Suite speakers function much like a Sonos system would, and the M7 is more than capable of being a standalone music speaker with plenty of detail and decent bass. I wasn't able to test the M5, so I can't vouch for that one. Keep in mind that if you opt for the M5 or the M7 for your living room, you'll need at least two of either one to use FlexConnect with your LG TV.After testing multiple configurations of the Sound Suite, I think the combination of the H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer and two M7s is the ideal arrangement. I'll hedge that a bit as I prefer to disable the M7s in the rear of the room when watching live TV - especially sports - as the same audio coming from the soundbar and those speakers didn't really enhance the experience. Plus, arena noise seemed overly echo-y and off-putting. This setup is well-suited for streaming TV shows and movies, things where Dolby Atmos, or at least LG's spatial upscaling, is at the height of its powers. The LG Sound Suite W7 subwoofer is quite large Billy Steele for Engadget In this setup with the H7 as the lead, you get Sound Suite in its most immersive form. I always use Netflix's Drive to Survive as my first test of a new home theater system, and LG's lineup handled it like a champ. You get excellent directional audio, which makes the cars sound like they're zooming around your living room. And the in-car shots are so enveloping, it's like you're sitting right behind the driver. This configuration also works well for music, though I preferred to use either one of the M7 speakers or the soundbar/sub duo rather than the whole shebang.My second favorite setup is four M7s. Once again, this configuration requires an LG TV as the lead device, but if you have that, you can definitely save some room in front of your television with separate front speakers. Unfortunately, you can't use a subwoofer too because if you're using a TV to power the speakers, you can only add up to four. That's a real bummer, but the TV speakers will be used as a center channel (dialogue) boost, so it's not a complete waste. However, this arrangement would benefit from more bass.The four-speaker setup could be particularly beneficial for people who mount their TVs on the wall and don't want a soundbar underneath. And, again, FlexConnect allows you to put the speakers anywhere, not necessarily flanking your TV. You also get the option of moving these smaller speakers around when you need to - something you can't really do with a soundbar. The only sacrifice I noticed audio-wise is that two M7s in the front doesn't offer the same overhead sensation for Atmos content as the H7's up-firing drivers.If you're just using four M7 speakers for home theater duties, you'll enjoy the immersive audio these Sound Suite speakers will provide. There's lots of directional sounds with Atmos content, and there's plenty of subtle detail that comes through on movies and shows. However, for live sports, this arrangement pulls commentary audio from the TV speakers and puts much of the arena/stadium noise in the rear M7s, which makes it difficult to hear the announcers at times. This is one area where the inability to adjust the audio settings really hampers the experience.If you're hoping to invest in something that can pull double duty for music, I prefer one or two M7s for that purpose. And while there's decent low-end thump, streaming your favorite tunes is where you'll notice the absence of that W7 subwoofer.The competition The controls on the LG Sound Suite M7 speaker Billy Steele for Engadget If you're looking for alternatives to LG's Sound Suite, you have to make some sacrifices. The only other option right now that offers Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is the TCL Z100 speaker. Obviously, you'll need multiples of this $300 device, and you'll probably want to add the $350 subwoofer, too. Like the LG M7, you'll need a compatible TCL TV to serve as the lead device for FlexConnect (a QM6K, QM7K, QM8K, QM9K or X11L model). I haven't tested these 1.1.1-channel units, so I can't provide a direct comparison to the Sound Suite's M5 or M7.For those who can live without FlexConnect, Samsung's Q990 series is consistently the best all-in-one setup you can buy. I haven't reviewed one since 2024 because the company has been keen on shipping new models with minimal updates, which means the hardware and most of the features remain the same. The HW-Q990H will be the latest installment when it arrives later this year, with the biggest differentiator being a new dialogue boost called Sound Elevation.While the Q990 always comes with rear speakers and a subwoofer alongside a powerful soundbar, some features will only be available if you also have a Samsung TV. One of those is Q-Symphony, which utilizes TV speakers alongside the Q990's drivers for more detailed and immersive sound. For the entire Q990 package, you're looking at $2,000 - $100 less than the comparable Sound Suite arrangement of the H7 soundbar, two M5 speakers and a W7 sub.Wrap-upThere's no denying that LG has created a powerful and immersive living room experience with its Sound Suite lineup. I also like that the company allows customers to decide what they need without sacrificing the main draw of FlexConnect. While I did experience some setup and software issues, those are things LG can iron out over time - Sound Suite is still brand new, after all. I would like to see the company offer some discounted bundles and continue to add more audio features over time to justify the hefty investment. If you've got a couple grand to spend, especially if you have a recent LG TV, Sound Suite will be your best option for building out a home theater setup.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/lg-sound-suite-review-dolby-atmos-flexconnect-in-a-powerful-package-160000544.html?src=rss

When the Uber Black isn't premium enough, New Yorkers now have the option to call for a Wheely instead. Whimsical name aside, the London-based company is breaking into the US market by offering its chauffeur-hailing services to residents of New York City first, as first reported by Bloomberg. Think of it like Uber, but for business executives and VIPs who prefer better service and riding in Cadillacs and Mercedes."New York has long been requested by our customers, whether that be New Yorkers who have traveled with us in Europe and the Middle East, or our international clients who regularly visit the city," Anton Chirkunov, founder and CEO of Wheely, said in a press release.WheelyBesides its black car Business SUV service, New Yorkers can opt for Wheely First that offers a Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223 filled with amenities like Fiji water and towels. For a more dedicated service, Wheely has its Perfect Airport Pickup where drivers will track flights to line up a pickup, and the Chauffeur for a Day option that lets users reserve a chauffeur that will also pick up friends and family or run errands for you. For interested drivers in New York City, Wheely will port over its in-house "Chauffeur Academy," which is expected to grow to a network of 5,000 qualified drivers over the next five years.While Wheely currently operates in London, Paris and Dubai, the company plans to expand to five major US cities within the next three years. According to Bloomberg, Wheely is considering markets in Texas, Miami and Palm Beach, Fla. as well as Washington, D.C. Wheely's entry into the US market comes about a week after the announcement of the Uber Elite program, which targets a similar demographic. However, Uber Elite is only available in Los Angeles and San Francisco currently, with plans to expand to New York soon. However, Uber may have Wheely beat when it comes to hailing a helicopter, thanks to its upcoming Uber Air option.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/wheely-an-on-demand-chauffeur-app-makes-its-us-debut-in-nyc-143233840.html?src=rss

The developer behind the open-world RPG Crimson Desert has issued an official apology after players discovered several instances of AI-generated art in the game. Pearl Abyss posted on X that it released the game with some 2D visual props that were made with "experimental AI generative tools" and forgot to replace them before launch.

Elon Musk has announced the Terafab project, a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, to build the "largest chip manufacturing facility ever." In his usual grandiose fashion, Musk claims Terafab is the next step towards harnessing the power of the sun and creating a "galactic civilization."Musk, CEO of all three companies, announced plans for the Terafab in a livestream on X. As the name implies, the project's ultimate goal is to produce a terawatt of computing power each year so that it can match the companies' growing demand for chips. Musk explained during the livestream that he's grateful to existing supply chain partners like Samsung, TSMC and Micron, but the current capacity of chip manufacturers only adds up to about two percent to what Tesla and SpaceX needs in terms of future computing power needs."We either build the Terafab or we don't have the chips," Musk said during the event. "And we need the chips so we're going to build the Terafab."The Terafab project, estimated to cost at least $20 billion, will start with the Advanced Technology Fab in Austin, Texas, where Tesla is already headquartered. Musk said that the two types of chips will be produced in the Terafab: one for terrestrial purposes, like to power Full Self-Driving or Optimus robots, and another more high-powered, durable chip to be used in space. If you're wondering what Musk has in store for space, the SpaceX CEO filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch a million satellites to create an "orbital data center" earlier this year. As promising as this sounds, it's worth noting that Musk has previously overpromised and underdelivered on other projects, like the Hyperloop, a $40,000 Cybertruck and fully autonomous driving.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/elon-musk-announces-terafab-project-he-claims-will-be-the-largest-chip-manufacturing-facility-ever-171718545.html?src=rss

There could be one more step required before creating an account and posting on Reddit in the future. According to Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, the social media platform is exploring different ways to verify a user is human and not a bot. When asked by the TBPN podcast how to confirm that it's a human using Reddit, Huffman responded with several verification methods with varying degrees of heavy-handedness.

Need something new for your reading list? Here are two titles we think are worth checking out. This week, we've got Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and The Thing on the Doorstep, an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation for Image Comics.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-revisiting-project-hail-mary-and-the-thing-on-the-doorstep-190000250.html?src=rss

A legal feud between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the developer behind the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported by The Information, Apple held acquisition talks for Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps, in the summer of 2025.According to The Information, the deal eventually fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could've provided Apple with the third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture to its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so it's not surprising that the iPhone maker was looking for software with advanced features to match its possibly upgraded camera hardware.Despite Apple's interest, Lux Optics' co-founders, Ben Sandofsky and Sebastiaan de With concluded that future updates to Halide could increase the company's valuation and ended the acquisition talks. According to the lawsuit between the co-founders, Sandofsky started investigating de With for the alleged misuse of company funds shortly after the talks with Apple ended. Afterwards, de With was fired from Lux Optics and later joined Apple's design team. While Halide may remain third-party software for iPhones and iPads, users can still look forward to some software improvements to the built-in camera app, since that's reportedly one of Apple's priorities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-considered-buying-halide-to-upgrade-its-native-camera-app-175139818.html?src=rss

The best-selling game of all time is moving from the virtual to the physical. Minecraft World, a permanent Greater London theme park based on the game, is scheduled to open in 2027. The announcement came during Minecraft Live 2026.It will be a new section in Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park with a built-in zoo. The resort is a 35-minute train ride from London's Waterloo station.Details are still fairly light on the park. But we know it will include a roller coaster, "interactive adventures" and "epic block-built playscapes." Torfi Frans Olafsson, the game franchise's creative director, said they're aiming for "an experience that feels immersive, authentic and welcoming." Naturally, that will include welcoming you to open your wallet in Minecraft-themed retail and dining spots.The park is a collaboration between Mojang Studios and Merlin Entertainments, the world's second-largest theme park builder. (A certain rodent-led empire is first.)If visiting the full theme park in England isn't your thing, the latest location of the game's (also real-world) pop-up events will open in May. Minecraft Experience: Moonlight Trail will let visitors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, go on an hour-long outdoor nighttime adventure. As its name suggests, you'll "walk a moonlit trail" through iconic Minecraft biomes. Along the way, you'll craft gear, mine diamonds, battle mobs and help restore an ancient beacon." The event opens in May.The game's next big drop, Tiny Takeover, arrives on Tuesday.Mojang StudiosNot all of Minecraft Live's announcements were about real-world empire building. Minecraft, the game, is getting some updates, too. Its next big drop, Tiny Takeover, will live up to the billing with a redesigned "cuter" look for baby mobs. The update will also add a golden dandelion, which you can feed to a baby mob to make it stay young forever. (Or, at least until you feed it a second one.) Tiny Takeover arrives on March 24.Mojang also teased the next drop after that. Later this year, Chaos Cubed will add a sulfur cube that changes properties when absorbing different materials. "There is a lot of variety in what the cube can do," Mojang promises. "Just like there are balls with different 'bounciness' and behavior, the sulfur cube can have different physics."Finally, the long-rumored Minecraft Dungeons II game is official. We're still extremely light on details about the sequel to the 2020 spinoff, aside from the fact that you can wishlist it on March 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-minecraft-theme-park-will-open-in-london-in-2027-173000917.html?src=rss

While other tech companies have been laying off employees year after year, OpenAI is doing the opposite. According to a report from the Financial Times, the AI giant is looking to expand its workforce to 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, nearly doubling staff from its current headcount of 4,500.The FT reported that the new hires will be across several departments, including product development, engineering, research and sales. OpenAI's hiring spree will also include "specialists" for "technical ambassadorship," or employees tasked with helping businesses better utilize its AI tools, according to the report. As the FT noted, OpenAI is likely trying to amp up the competition against Anthropic and its Claude AI chatbot. According to the AI Index from Ramp, a fintech startup that manages corporate expenses, businesses are now 70 percent more likely to go with Anthropic when buying AI services for the first time as opposed to OpenAI.OpenAI made waves in February when it announced a contract with the Department of Defense to use its AI models, following a public fallout between Anthropic and the federal agency. On top of the government contract, OpenAI is also in "advanced talks" with private equity firms like Brookfield Asset Management to deploy its AI tools across a firms' portfolio of companies, according to Reuters.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-reportedly-plans-to-double-its-workforce-to-8000-employees-161028377.html?src=rss

It doesn't sound like Crimson Desert, the recently released prequel to Black Desert Online, will support Intel Arc GPUs anytime soon, if at all. On the game's FAQ page, its developer Pearl Abyss advised players expecting Arc support to apply for a refund. If you purchased the game expecting Intel Arc support, please refer to the refund policy of the platform where the game was purchased for available options," the company wrote. Apparently, though, it's not from lack of guidance from Intel. The chipmaker told Wccftech that it reached out to Pearl Abyss many times" over the past several years.The Intel spokesperson said that the company has tried to help the developer test, validate, and optimize support for Intel graphics" for years. Intel also tried to provide the developer early hardware, drivers, and engineering resources" across several generations of GPUs, including Alchemist, Battlemage, Meteor Lake, and Lunar Lake." The chipmaker said it's hugely disappointed that players using Intel graphics hardware" can't play the game, but that it remains ready to assist Pearl Abyss" however it can. It also advised players to reach out directly to the developer for details on the choice not to enable Intel support at launch."Pearl Abyss, of course, doesn't have the obligation to tweak the game so that it runs on PCs with Intel Arc GPUs. The good news is that since the title came out just a few days ago, it will still be easy to get a refund. Steam, where Crimson Desert is now one of the top-selling games, issues refunds within two weeks of purchase.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/intel-says-crimson-desert-devs-ignored-offers-of-help-to-support-arc-gpus-155514896.html?src=rss

Remember when Japan sent a spacecraft to an asteroid 180 million miles away to scoop some dirt off the surface? Six years on from its arrival to Earth, that sample has yielded some insights about what may have seeded life on our planet. Read on to learn more about the latest findings, and other science news we found interesting this week.DNA ingredients on RyuguIn 2020, a capsule from the Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 returned to Earth with samples collected from the surface of asteroid Ryugu, and scientists have spent the subsequent years analyzing those materials for clues about the conditions that existed in the early solar system. This week, researchers from Japan reported an exciting discovery: the Ryugu samples contain the five building blocks of DNA and RNA. The findings, coupled with those from other recent studies, could put us closer to understanding how the ingredients for life first made it to Earth billions of years ago.The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, found the nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil - all of which were also found in samples gathered from a different asteroid, Bennu, last year, and before that in meteorites dubbed Murchison and Orgueil. This suggests these nucleobases were widespread in the early solar system, and supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids like Ryugu and Bennu transported them to Earth, the authors explain in the paper. Ammonia was discovered in the samples as well, which may play a role in how these nucleobases formed.The discovery of these building blocks "does not mean that life existed on Ryugu," Toshiki Koga, the study's lead author from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, told AFP. "Instead, their presence indicates that primitive asteroids could produce and preserve molecules that are important for the chemistry related to the origin of life."Bacteria collaborate to eat plastic wasteResearchers in Germany have identified a trio of bacteria that can digest a common plastic additive, but only when working together. The study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology found that a "consortium" of bacterial strains (two from species in the genus Pseudomonas and one from Microbacterium) was able to break down several phthalate esters (PAEs), which are often used to make plastic materials more flexible. These chemicals are increasingly finding their way into the environment as plastic pollution grows, and research suggests they can have harmful effects on human health and that of wildlife.The team focused on microbes that could be found right at home in their own lab, taking a sample of biofilm that had formed on the polyurethane tubing of a bioreactor. This sample was then incubated in a growth medium containing the PAE diethyl phthalate (DEP) as the main source of carbon and energy. They eventually ended up with a stable culture of bacteria that could break down DEP, as long as the DEP concentration didn't exceed 888 milligrams per liter, according to a press release. The consortium could gobble up all the DEP in 24 hours at 30 degrees C. It was also able to grow on the PAEs dimethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate.The researchers identified the bacteria in the consortium through DNA sequencing, but found that they were not individually able to tackle the PAEs, suggesting they break down the chemicals through a "cooperative process" known as cross-feeding. The consortium could make for another tool in the pollution-fighting toolbox, with potential to help break down PAEs in contaminated areas or speed up the degradation of plastics that contain PAEs by making them more brittle. "This approach may also be effective in treating industrial plastic waste streams," they note.Hubble witnesses a breakupNewly released images from the Hubble Space Telescope show the unexpected breakup of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) - Comet K1, for short - as it made its way out of the solar system back in November. A team of researchers that initially set out to observe a different comet ended up switching targets due to technical issues, only to catch Comet K1 right after it started crumbling. Hubble captured three 20-second images between November 8 and November 10 2025, the first of which the team estimates was about eight days after the fragmenting started. During the observation period, one of the comet's smaller pieces began to break up too.Talk about being in the right place at the right time."Never before has Hubble caught a fragmenting comet this close to when it actually fell apart,"said John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University, in a statement. "Most of the time, it's a few weeks to a month later. And in this case, we were able to see it just days after." You can read more about the rare sighting here.Before you go, be sure to check these stories out too:

Twitter is officially 20 years old. In another reality, that might make me kind of nostalgic. I've been lurking and scrolling and tweeting for 16 years; most of my adult life. There was a time when Twitter was a place where some internet strangers became my IRL friends, when I was excited to "live-tweet". When my infinitely more well-adjusted friends would send me memes, I would smugly say "I saw that on Twitter days ago."Twitter stopped being that place a long time ago, but I don't have any nostalgia for it. I don't really feel anything at all, actually.Because I can already hear the comments: Yes, I'm still on X. I don't spend as much time there as I did a decade ago, but it's still quite a lot of time, an unhealthy amount, if I'm being honest. My job is to report on social media companies, so I keep (doom)scrolling. That's what I tell myself anyway.A few of my favorite posters are still around. Dril's still got it. The memes are still, occasionally, good, even though X's recommendation algorithm seems to prefer pointing me toward endless AI slop, boring hot takes from thirsty mid-tier tech execs and blatant engagement bait. X's algorithm - what little we can learn about it, anyway - now relies on Grok's predictions about what you'll like.The same Holocaust-loving Grok that has spewed racism and referred to itself as MechaHitler and declared Elon Musk "the single greatest person in modern history." The same Grok that allegedly generated thousands of images of child abuse material. Hey @grok is that true?X is not Twitter but it's also not not-Twitter. Last year, an online marketplace startup bought the 560-pound Twitter bird that once adorned the company's San Francisco office and blew it up in a Nevada desert surrounded by Tesla CyberTrucks as part of an elaborate publicity stunt. Dumb? Yes. But also a somehow fitting adieu for "Larry."

Apple already announced a lot of new devices in 2026 and we've been busy reviewing them all. In this installment of our bi-weekly roundup, we revisit the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e and more, in addition to the regular" Galaxy S26 and Dell XPS 16. There's even more than those gadget to catch up on, so sit back, relax and cozy up to some fresh reviews.Apple MacBook NeoThe main attraction for Apple's early device deluge was the $599 MacBook Neo. The company is finally giving us something we've been begging for: a low-cost Mac laptop that's good enough for most people. It's a $599 computer that can handle basic workloads just fine, all the while looking like one of the company's more expensive notebooks," senior reporter Devindra Hardawar said. Most importantly, it delivers more speed, a brighter screen and an overall better user experience than any competing $600 Windows PC."Apple iPhone 17eThe MacBook Neo wasn't the only affordable device Apple announced recently. The company also debuted the iPhone 17e, which is also $599 and offers an economical choice for iOS devotees. The name iPhone" carries its own premium, and the iPhone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem," managing editor Cherlynn Low said.The rest of the new Apple gearThe remainder of the new Apple devices were primarily chip upgrades. The company added the M4 to the iPad Air, which deputy editor Nathan Ingraham still argues is the best Apple tablet overall. Apple also put the M5 chip inside the MacBook Air and the M5 Pro and M5 Max silicon in the MacBook Pro,. Our staff maintains that those two laptops are among the best choices in their respective categories.We also tested Apple's claims on the Studio Display XDR, where we discovered the high price could be worth it for pros who need supreme color accuracy and high brightness.Samsung Galaxy S26The Galaxy S26 Ultra may get the bulk of the attention in Samsung's 2026 lineup thus far, but the regular" S26 is capable in its own right. However, it's time for bigger updates on this model. There's nothing wrong with this safe, solid Android phone, but you could pick up last year's S25 and get an experience that's 99 percent the same for $99 less," UK bureau chief Mat Smith said.Dell XPS 16 (2026)Dell pulled a 180 after nixing its XPS brand last year. Enter the XPS 16. Thankfully, the first devices after the fiasco show an expected return to form, albeit with one issue. My one complaint is that I wish Dell would bring back the chiclet-style keyboards we got on models from the early 2020s," senior reporter Sam Rutherford said. Though as long as the company can release updated software to fix the ghosting issues I've encountered, what's on there now is more than good enough."But wait, there's moreIf portable projectors are more your speed, contributing reporter Steve Dent put the Soundcore Nebula P1i through its paces. Mat also spent some time with the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, which is undoubtedly the most uniquely designed handset we've tested this year. Lastly, Sam used an upgraded version of Belkin's Switch 2 charging case to keep his gaming handheld safe and topped up in transit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-lots-of-apple-devices-galaxy-s26-dell-xps-16-and-more-120000820.html?src=rss

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. There are a whole bunch of neat new games out this week, as well as updates on some interesting upcoming projects.In case you missed it, the Steam Spring Sale is under way. There are lots of solid deals here, and my credit card is already screaming at me. I've picked up a bunch of games from my wishlist. For instance, at just $3, I couldn't resist snagging Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate.Meanwhile, over on Bluesky, a prototype from developer Freya Holmer caught my eye. It's for a falling-block game, but instead of filling a container to create straight lines that disappear, it's based around a pivot point. As tetrominos join the mass, it rotates left or right by 90 degrees, adding a new dimension to a well-established format. I'm really hoping Holmer turns this into a full game, as it's a rad concept.New releasesGiven all the bug slaughtering and the jingoistic satire, any Starship Troopers project is going to draw comparisons with Helldivers 2. Fortunately, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is entirely its own thing.This is a retro first-person shooter from Auroch Digital (the studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun) and publisher Dotemu. The framing of the game is quite meta: it's based on the experiences of Major Samantha Dietz, who was on the frontlines against the bugs, and it's effectively being used as a military recruitment tool.Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. Not that I needed one, but it gave me an excuse to watch Paul Verhoeven's original film again since the game (while having an original story) hits some of the same beats.The tone is spot on. The writing in the cutscenes, in which Casper Van Dien reprises his role as Johnny Rico from the movies, is funny. You can't tell me that it isn't a thrill to blow up a giant bug with a tactical nuke. Plus, I was tickled by the consequences of "accidentally" shooting a fellow soldier in the training base and all hell breaking loose.Alas, the pacing feels off - there's a bit too much space between objectives in some levels - and it's a little one-note. Still, it only takes around four or five hours to beat, particularly if you don't care about hunting for secrets.Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is out now on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. It'll usually cost $25, but there's a 20 percent discount until March 24.Retro Rewind is a solid name for a video store rental sim. You'll manage a store in the early '90s - the heyday of VHS - by doing everything from decorating the place, filling shelves with tapes and buying bootleg films to hiring staff, making recommendations to customers and collecting late fees.My first job was behind the counter of a convenience store that had a small movie rental section, so I've got a tiny bit of experience with calling up customers who have overdue films. That part of the job wasn't exactly fun, but like the idea of running an entire rental store, an experience that's sadly almost extinct.Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator is available on Steam (normally $20, with a 20 percent discount until March 24). You can try it out by playing a demo.In Their Shoes looks like an intriguing spin on the visual novel. From We Are Muesli, this is billed as a mumblecore narrative vein, indicating that it's influenced by films from that subgenre (such as the works of the Duplass brothers, Lynn Shelton and, especially in the early part of her career, Greta Gerwig). Through a few dozen interactive scenes, it follows the intertwined lives and intimate moments of seven people in Milan. Each of these dialogue-focused segments lasts around five minutes. There are timed choices and you can arrange the scenes into a timeline.You can pick up In Their Shoes on Steam now. The full price is $13, but there's a 25 percent discount until March 31.For this week's dog game, here is World's Goodest Pup. It's another pooch-based roguelike deckbuilder. This time around, you'll be trying to succeed in the realm of competitive dog shows. After selecting a dog from among three breeds, you'll start building a deck of accessories, tricks and poses and combine them in strategic ways to be most effective in competitions and challenges, which are procedurally generated.This is a cozy game first and foremost, though. You can spoil puppers in a pet resort that you'll build and treat them with a visit to a dog spa. Cute.World's Goodest Pup - from Pandamander - is out on Steam (normally $7, with 10 percent off until March 26). You can try it out via a demo.The release trailer for Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime made me chuckle, so I had to include it. The latest project from Bonte Avond (the team behind Once Upon A Jester) is a comedy adventure game.As Bonnie Bear, a bear in a frog onesie, you set out to defeat a local bully in a tactical frog-battling game called Frogtime. As with many real-life trading card games, you'll buy and collect frogs to build a strong army. Most importantly, it seems to be a game about the power of community, friendship and self-worth.Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is out now on Steam and Nintendo Switch for $17.UpcomingGunbrella studio Doinksoft is back with another game that has a fantastic name. It's a roguelite, side-scrolling action platformer with shoot-em'-up elements. And it's called Dark Scrolls. It's such a good title that I'm almost mad I didn't think of it first.There'll be nine heroes to choose from, including a pup named Biscuit and a rat with a saxophone. The game features procedurally generated runs with branching paths, and there's multiplayer support for two-player online co-op. I'm into the Master System-era art style and the utter chaos shown in the trailer.The Devolver Digital-published Dark Scrolls (still not over that name) is coming to Steam and Switch later this year.If you think about it, Scrabble is already a roguelike strategy game. Beyond Words takes that a bit further, with tiles that shift and explode, and boards that change up the rules. Much like in Balatro, you'll be modifying, destroying and duplicating tiles as you seek powerful synergies and massive score multipliers. There are more than 300 modifiers and abilities, along with boss battles and optional time-based challenge boards.What makes Beyond Words particularly interesting is that it's from Steve Ellis and Dr David Doak - who made their names at Rare and Free Radical Design with the likes of GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters - and their small team at MindFuel Games. PQube is the publisher of Beyond Words, which will hit Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on April 9. A demo is available on Steam now.We've learned about a bunch of upcoming music rhythm games lately, and here's another one from Guitar Hero, Rock Band and DJ Hero veterans. Echo Foundry Interactive seems to be hoping that the community-driven focus will help Sound System stand out.When it goes into early access on Steam (October 16, $25), Sound System will have local multiplayer support. Echo Foundry Interactive plans to add online multiplayer with co-op and competitive modes. Players will be able to create charts for any song they like too.We've had a dog game (or two) and a frog game. Now it's time to wrap things up with a cat game. In Cat Me If You Can - great title, again - the Earth has frozen and lost its color. Only cats remain. By time-travelling and taking photos of them, you'll gradually restore color to the world.It's a hidden cat puzzle game from Cosmic Stag Games that's coming to PC, Switch and Xbox in the summer. You'll be able to check out a demo on Steam on April 8.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-retro-starship-troopers-shooter-a-video-store-sim-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-113000133.html?src=rss

A group of former Twitter investors have prevailed at a federal civil trial over Elon Musk's actions amid his $44 billion acquisition of the social platform in 2022. A jury in San Francisco found Friday that tweets made by Musk about fake accounts on the platform had defrauded investors in the company. The jury sided with Musk on other allegations in the case.It's not yet clear how much Musk will owe in damages as a result of the case but, as the Associated Press reports, it could amount to billions of dollars. Jurors calculated that shareholders should get "between about $3 and $8 per stock per day."The class action lawsuit, one of several brought against Musk in the months following his takeover of the company, cited Musk's tweets about fake accounts on the platform. Facing a sinking Tesla share price in the days after announcing he would buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, the suit said Musk made tweets and statements that were intentionally meant to drive down Twitter's share price in an attempt to renegotiate or exit the deal.The suit called out Musk's May 13, 2022, tweet that claimed the Twitter deal was "temporarily on hold" due to the number of fake accounts and bots on the platform, as well as one a few days later that suggested fake accounts might account for more than 20 percent of users. Twitter's stock dropped significantly following the May 13 tweet.During the trial, Musk said the tweets were him "speaking his mind" and maintained that Twitter executives had "lied" about the number of bots on the platform, according to KQED. Former Twitter shareholders, on the other hand, said "they sold shares at deflated prices amid Musk's public waffling."Musk faced several lawsuits during and after his $44 billion takeover of the company. That includes other shareholder lawsuits related to his delay in disclosing his stake in the company, as well as one from former executives related to unpaid severance benefits (Musk later settled those claims). He also narrowly avoided a trial over his attempts to back out of the deal.

Pinterest's CEO has thrown his support behind an Australia measure banning social media for younger teens and is calling for governments around the world to implement similar bans. "Social media, as it's configured today, is not safe for young people under 16," Ready writes in a piece published by Time. "We need a clear standard: no social media for teens under 16, backed by real enforcement, and accountability for mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them."Ready is one of the highest-profile tech CEOs to come out in favor of a broad ban on social media for teens. That may also seem like a bold stance for someone who runs a platform with a user base that's more than 50 percent Gen Z, but Ready doesn't think that ban should apply to Pinterest. Pinterest, as he notes, already bars teens under 16 from accessing messaging features and other social features. It also makes teen accounts private by default.A spokesperson for Pinterest confirmed the company has no plans to change its own policies regarding users under 16, and said Pinterest considers itself a "visual search platform" not social media. Pinterest, like most social media and social media-adjacent companies, doesn't allow users under 13 to sign up.Social media or not, Pinterest has encountered child safety-related issues in the past. In 2023, NBC News reported that Pinterest's recommendation algorithm was surfacing photos and videos of young girls to adults who were "seeking" such content. Some of those users had created Pinterest boards featuring images of young girls with titles like "sexy little girls," their investigation found. The company made profiles for teens under 16 private and "not discoverable" six months later.According to Ready, Pinterest's popularity with younger users is proof its policies are also good for the company's business. "Our experience shows that prioritizing safety and well-being doesn't push young people away; it builds trust," he writes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-ceo-says-teens-under-16-should-be-banned-from-social-media-but-not-pinterest-211630443.html?src=rss

The White House has announced a new AI policy framework that calls for Congress to craft federal regulation that overrules state AI laws. The Trump administration has made multiple attempts to overrule more restrictive state-level AI regulation, but has failed so far, most notably in the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill."The framework focuses on a variety of topics, covering everything from child privacy to the use of AI in the workforce. Importantly, this framework can succeed only if it is applied uniformly across the United States," The White House writes. A patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead in the global AI race."In terms of child privacy protections, the framework ask for Congress to require companies to provide tools like screen time, content exposure and account controls" while also affirming that existing child privacy protections apply to AI systems," including limits on how data is collected and used for AI training. The framework also says carveout states should be allowed to enforce their own generally applicable laws protecting children, such as prohibitions on child sexual abuse material, even where such material is generated by AI."The energy-use and environmental impact of AI infrastructure is a going concern, but the White House's policy proposals are primarily worried about the cost of data centers. The framework suggests federal AI regulation should make sure that higher electricity costs aren't passed on to people living near data centers, while streamlining the process for permitting AI infrastructure construction, so companies can pursue on-site and behind-the-meter power generation." The framework also calls for fewer restrictions on the software-side of AI development, proposing regulatory sandboxes for AI applications" and asking Congress to provide resources to make federal datasets accessible to industry and academia in AI-ready formats."While a recently AI bill from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Ten.) attempts to eliminate Section 230, a piece of a larger law that says platforms can't be held responsible for the speech they host, the framework appears to propose the opposite. Congress should prevent the United States government from coercing technology providers, including AI providers, to ban, compel or alter content based on partisan or ideological agendas," the White House writes. The framework is similarly hands-off when it comes to copyright and the use of intellectual property to train AI. Although the Administration believes that training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws," the White House writes, it supports the issue being settled in court rather than by legislation. Though, the White House does think Congress should consider enabling licensing frameworks" so IP holders can bargain for compensations from AI providers.The clincher in the White House's proposal is the idea that federal regulation should preempt state law, specifically so that states don't regulate AI development," don't unduly burden American's use of AI for activity that would be lawful if performed without AI" and don't punish AI companies for a third party's unlawful conduct involving their models." The idea that AI companies aren't liable for the illegal or harmful uses of their products is particularly problematic because it lies at the heart of multiple intersecting issues with AI right now, including it being used to generate sexually explicit images of children and allegedly playing a role in the suicide of users.Ultimately, though, the framework might be too contradictory to be useful, Samir Jain, the Vice President of Policy for the Center for Democracy and Technology, writes in a statement to Engadget:

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has charged three people with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. NVIDIA's chips have become a critical component in the rush to train and run increasingly complex artificial intelligence models, one the US has sought to manipulate with export controls and profit-sharing schemes with NVIDIA.The three people, Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang and Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, two employees and one contractor working for US IT company Super Micro Computer, allegedly circumvented export control laws via a multi-step scheme that involved creating fake orders for servers with NVIDIA chips from Southeast Asian companies, that were then secretly sent to China. The plan involved paying a logistics company to repackage the servers in Taiwan, staging dummy servers to be inspected by Super Micro Computer's compliance team and falsifying records so Liaw, Chang and Sun's employer was unaware where the servers were actually being sent.The DOJ claims Liaw, Chang and Sun facilitated the illegal purchase of $2.5 billion worth of servers between 2024 and 2025 in direct violation of US export laws. Super Micro Computer is not named as a defendant in the US Attorney's indictment, but the company's stock price has been impacted by the scheme, CNBC writes. In a statement released on Thursday, Super Micro Computer announced that it's distancing itself from Liaw, Chang and Sun. "The individuals charged are Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, Senior Vice President of Business Development and a member of the Company's Board of Directors; Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang, a sales manager in Taiwan; and Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, a contractor," the company writes. "Supermicro has placed the two employees on administrative leave and terminated its relationship with the contractor, effective immediately."This isn't the first time people have attempted to illegally smuggle NVIDIA's products out of the US, and it likely won't be the last time. Reportedly $1 billion worth of NVIDIA's AI chips were illegally sold in the three months after the Trump administration tightened export controls, and back in December 2025, Texas authorities seized more than $50 million worth of NVIDIA GPUs bound for China. As long as there's demand for AI, there'll be demand for the hardware that makes it possible.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/three-people-have-been-charged-with-illegally-exporting-nvidia-gpus-to-china-184928430.html?src=rss

A French officer recently leaked the location of an aircraft carrier because of a run on the sports app Strava. This is not the first time this has happened, as the app tracks location data.It was used to access the location of US military bases back in 2018 and members of the Secret Service accidentally shared their whereabouts while protecting then-US President Joe Biden. The same has happened to President Trump and other world leaders.

Nintendo is reportedly preparing a new version of the Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery, according to Nikkei. This is to comply with a 2023 EU "right-to-repair" policy on portable electronics that mandates easy battery replacement.The regulation also covers the Joy-Con 2 controllers, so they are reportedly being redesigned to allow users to replace each lithium-ion battery. We don't know when this new Switch 2 will hit store shelves, but the policy gives companies until 2027 to make the required changes.This is great news for Europe, but the rest of the world isn't quite so lucky. There are no reported plans by Nintendo to bring this console refresh to other regions, but IGN notes that this could change if countries adopt similar policies to the EU. Tossing a perfectly good handheld console in the trash because the battery craps out isn't exactly fun, so here's hoping they do.This EU legislation has forced other companies to make changes to their products. Apple has modified the design of newer iPhones to make it easier for consumers to swap out the battery. It's long been rumored that Sony will update its DualSense PS5 controllers for the same reason.

Netflix's live-action Assassin's Creed show has entered production and will officially be set in Rome in the year 64AD, confirming previous reports.The upcoming adaptation, then, will return to the setting of 2010's Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, although the latter's story took place more than 1,000 years after the events we'll see in Netflix's show. Ubisoft confirmed in a press release that the Netflix series will tell an original story centered on a war between the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, who each have very different ideas on how the future of mankind should look.The full ensemble cast has also now been announced. Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Broadway production Stranger Things: The First Shadow) have all been cast as recurring characters. Netflix previously announced Lola Pettigrew (Trespasses) and Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) as possible leads, along with a number of other series regulars.Roberto Patino (Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, The Killing) are serving as creators, showrunners and executive producers on the show, which is primarily filming at Rome's iconic Cinecitta Studios. No release date has been announced.Assassin's Creed won't represent the first time that Netflix has adapted a Ubisoft property. 2023's Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remixwas based on a Far Cry 3 expansion, and last year Sam Fisher made his TV debut in the broadly well received Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflixs-assassins-creed-is-officially-set-in-ancient-rome-171533234.html?src=rss

Last year, Belkin released a couple of cases for the Nintendo Switch 2 just in time for launch, including one that came with a handy battery pack. That one was simple and effective, but it felt a bit crude because it wasn't much more than a basic travel pouch with a generic power cell tossed inside. Now, Belkin is back with a Pro version of its Charging Case for the Nintendo Switch 2, featuring a more sophisticated battery pack along with a higher price tag ($100 vs. $70). So here's the question for any Switch 2 owners still looking for a way to protect their console while keeping it topped off: Is a more elegant charging solution really worth the extra money?Case designAt 11.7 x 6.1 x 2.5 inches and weighing 1 pound 12 ounces, the Pro Charging Case is a touch larger and heavier than its non-pro sibling. It also features a very similar design with the same color options and materials, including a tough polyester outer shell that's balanced by a softer, velvet-like material and cutouts for your Switch 2 on the inside. The Pro Charging Case (bottom) is a touch bigger and heavier than the previous model, but aside from that its sports a nearly identical design. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Once again, Belkin has done a good job of providing a snug cabin to store your console while still making it easy to take it in and out. That said, if your system also has an extra-thick protector or hardshell case like the Killswitch from Dbrand, it may not fit. There's also a padded flap that swings down to protect your Switch 2's screen that also pulls double duty as a place to stash up to 12 game cartridges, which is a very thoughtful touch.However, the biggest change to the Pro Charging Case's exterior design is a new cutout on the front edge, which allows you to top off other gadgets (or a Switch) by plugging a USB-C cable into Belkin's included battery pack. Unfortunately, the case doesn't come with a cord, which seems a bit odd until you take a closer look at the power pack's layout.That's because once you open up the case, you'll see a second port designed to fit right into the bottom power jack on the Switch 2 without the need for a cable. The inside of the Pro Charging Case features a handy mesh pocket, 12 slots for game carts and a hidden AirTag pouch. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Other small touches on Belkin's Pro Charging Case include a mesh pocket for storing things like cables, Joy-Con straps or cleaning cloths, which is very handy. However, my favorite thing might be the AirTag pouch that's also hidden inside that pocket, which could give you a fighting chance of recovering your system if it's ever lost or stolen (though I wouldn't count on it).Battery pack The arrangement of the included 10,000mAh battery pack and the placement of its internal USB-C port makes it a cinch to recharge your Switch 2 every time you put it in the case. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Despite the increased size of the Pro Charging Case's included battery, it has the same 10,000mAh capacity as what you get from its less expensive sibling. That means you'll typically have enough juice for a little more than 1.5 recharges for your Switch 2 and its onboard 5,220mAh cell. Instead of relying on a simple external power pack like before, Belkin's bundled battery comes with a second USB-C port and a kickstand. This makes it super easy to plug in your Switch 2 every time you put it in the case. This way, you know the next time you turn it on, it'll be at 100 percent. Here's what the battery pack looks like when you take it out of the case. As you can see, its size and shape means it's not a great standalone external power pack any more. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Alternatively, you can raise the kickstand to prop up the Switch 2 and game on it while it stays nestled inside the case. This might seem a bit redundant as Nintendo's console already has its own kickstand, but Belkin's allows you to continue charging the system while you're playing without needing a cord. There's even a handy display on the side of the battery, so it's super easy to see how much juice is left, even when the case is closed. Furthermore, when you need to recharge the power pack, you can do so without removing it from the case or disconnecting your Switch thanks to that bonus USB-C port on the outside. Compared to the previous model, this is certainly a more elegant solution that provides some subtle quality of life improvements. The one downside is that the battery pack is somewhat awkwardly shaped, so you won't really want to use it on its own.Wrap-upThere's no doubt the Pro Charging Case's new battery pack is a more premium solution that's easier to use and manage. When you need to recharge it, you can do so from the outside without opening the pouch. It also lets you charge a Switch 2 without ever needing a cable. The built-in kickstand is another bonus that helps elevate the whole kit from a simple case to something closer to a tiny all-in-one gaming booth. One of the neat things about giving the battery a kickstand is that it turns the case into a mini all-in-one. This makes me wish Belkin gave the included power pack some sort of docking functionality for connecting the Switch 2 to an external display. Sam Rutherford for Engadget That said, after using it for a couple of weeks, I'm still not sure the added convenience is worth an extra $30 over the original. Due to the battery packs' new shape, it's less useful as a standalone power cell, and the rest of the case's design is largely unchanged. Of course, it's always nice to have options, and if you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spending a little extra for a more streamlined and convenient kit, Belkin's Pro Charging Case for the Switch 2 is still very much worth consideration.

Amazon is reportedly planning to re-enter the smartphone market more than 10 years after its last attempt. According to a Reutersreport, the mysterious phone is internally codenamed "Transformer" and is being developed by the company's devices and services unit.There isn't a whole lot to go on right now, but it probably won't surprise many to learn that the phone will likely lean heavily on AI. According to Reuters' sources, Alexa functionality would be a core part of the experience, but Amazon wouldn't necessarily build a custom OS around its voice assistant. The phone would make buying products on Amazon and using services like Prime Music and Prime Video "easier than ever," and may bypass traditional app stores.Reuters reports that the Transformer project is being led by the recently established ZeroOne, an Amazon devices unit headed up by ex-Microsoft executive and Xbox co-founder J Allard, who was also one of the creators of Zune. Allard joined Amazon last year to lead a "a special projects team dedicated to inventing breakthrough consumer product categories."The development team has reportedly considered launching both a traditional smartphone and a so-called "dumbphone," which would presumably strip away anything that needlessly distracted you from the Amazon empire. Reuters' anonymous sources suggest the latter could help combat screen addiction by offering fewer features.ZeroOne is apparently inspired by the ultra-minimalist Light Phone, suggesting that Amazon might be reluctant to take on the flagship devices of Apple and Samsung. The report adds that the Transformer phone could even be positioned as a secondary handset.This, of course, would not be Amazon's first crack at the smartphone business. The company launched the Fire Phone in 2014, an ambitious and interesting device that ultimately failed to tempt people away from the more established smartphone ecosystems. It's widely remembered as perhaps the company's biggest hardware misstep.With analysts forecasting an unprecedented decline in the smartphone market in 2026, now seems like a risky time for Amazon to try again, and Reuters was unable to determine exactly how much the company has committed to the Transformer project. Sources also wouldn't rule out it being scrapped altogether if the company's priorities suddenly shifted.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/amazon-is-reportedly-working-on-a-new-phone-built-around-alexa-142244500.html?src=rss

Following discussions first reported on earlier this year, ByteDance has agreed to sell its games unit Moonton to Savvy Games Group for $6 billion. Moonton is known for mobile titles popular in Asia like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which has been downloaded 1.5 billion times. The transaction is set to be finalized in the "near future," according to an internal memo from Moonton's CEO seen by Bloomberg.ByteDance has been winding down its gaming arm and shopping Moonton since 2023, just two years after it first acquired the developer. Around that same period, the TikTok parent was shuttering its Nuverse gaming arm, which published notable titles like Marvel Snap and Ragnarok X: Next Generation. The company has since shifted its focus to AI, competing with Chinese rivals to develop chatbots and foundational models.Savvy Games, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been going in the opposite direction. Last year the company (via its subsidiary Scopely) acquired Pokemon Go developer Niantic for $3.5 billion. PIF was also among the key investors that purchased Electronic Arts in a blockbuster $55 billion deal last year. The Saudi fund holds a 7.5 percent stake in Nintendo as well.The sale is the latest chapter in the recent gaming industry consolidation that saw around 45,000 jobs lost in a brutal three-year period between 2022 and 2025. According to a recent GDC study, one-third of US video game industry workers were laid off over the last two years.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bytedance-is-selling-its-moonton-game-unit-to-savvy-games-for-a-cool-6-billion-124131595.html?src=rss

If you're like me, you've absolutely had enough of winter and you're hoping warm weather is right around the corner. When it's finally more enjoyable to spend time outside, you're likely going to be cooking on the grill, so now is a great time to give everything a deep clean to prepare for your upcoming culinary adventures.I don't blame you if you opted to let your grill hibernate during the winter months, but if that's the case, it'll probably need a tune-up before spring arrives. If you did keep the grill in working order over the last few months, this is a good time for a scrub and polish before warmer temperatures inspire heavy use. Here are a few tips and tricks that will hopefully make things easier.Disassemble, scrub, reassembleBilly Steele for EngadgetA good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning anything you haven't used in a while is to take it apart as much as you feel comfortable and give it a thorough wipe down. For grills, this means removing the grates and any bars or burner covers - basically, anything you can take out that's not the heating element. This gives you a chance to inspect the burners of your gas grill or the fire pot of a pellet model for any unsightly wear and tear. If those components are worn out or overly rusted, most companies offer replacements that you can easily swap out with a few basic tools.Once all the pieces are out, start by scraping excess debris off all sides of the interior - with the help of some cleaner if needed. For a gas grill, this likely means pushing everything out through the grease trap. On a pellet grill, you'll want to scrape the grease chute clear and out into the catch can, but you'll also need to vacuum the interior with a shop vac - just like you would after every few hours of use. And while you're at it, go ahead and empty the hopper of any old pellets that have been sitting since Labor Day. Fuel that's been sitting in the grill for months won't give you the best results when it comes time to cook so you might as well start fresh.Thankfully, pellet grill companies have made easy cleaning a key part of their designs. Weber's Searwood, for example, has minimal internal parts that need to be removed to open up the bottom of the chamber. This is also a design feature of the company's gas grills. Simply vacuum or push the debris out the grease chute. The catch pan where all of the garbage ends up is also easy to access from the front of the grill, and you can remove the aluminum liner and replace it with a new one in seconds.Traeger's most recent pellet grills were also redesigned to improve cleaning. Most notably, grease and ash end up in the same keg" that's easy to detach from the front of the grill. The company also allows you to quickly remove all of the interior components, though they're larger than what you find on the SmokeFire. Lastly, Traeger moved the pellet chute to the front of the Timberline and Ironwood, making it a lot more convenient to swap out wood varieties or empty an old supply.You'll want to get as much of the food leftovers out of your grill as possible for a few reasons. First, that stuff is old and lots of build-up over time can hinder cooking performance and might impact flavor. The last thing you want is old food or grease burning off right under an expensive ribeye. Second, in the case of pellet grills, not properly clearing out grease and dust can be dangerous. It's easy for grease fires to start at searing temperatures and if there's enough pellet dust in the bottom of your grill, it can actually ignite or explode. That's why companies tell you to vacuum it out after every few hours of use.All of that dust, grease and debris should be removed before you fire the grill back up.Billy Steele/EngadgetTo actually clean the surfaces, you'll want to get an all-natural grill cleaner. There are tons of options here, and it may take some time to find one you like. I typically use Traeger's formula since it's readily available at the places I buy pellets and I've found it works well cutting through stuck-on muck. You want an all-natural grill cleaner over a regular household product as it's safe to use on surfaces that will touch your food. They're also safe to use on the exterior of your grill without doing any damage to chrome, stainless steel or any other materials.Spray down the inside and give things a few minutes to work. Wipe it all clean and go back over any super dirty spots as needed. Ditto for the grates, bars and any other pieces you removed. I like to lay these out on a yard waste trash bag (they're bigger than kitchen bags) so all the stuff I scrape or clean off doesn't get all over my deck. You can use shop towels if you want to recycle or paper towels if not, but just know whatever you choose will be covered in nasty black grime so you won't want to just toss them in the clothes washer when you're done. A pre-wash in a bucket or sink is needed to make sure you don't transfer gunk from your grill to your business casuals.In terms of tools, you don't need much. I've tried that grill robot that claims to do the job for you, but I've found sticking to the basics is more efficient. And honestly, when you get the hang of it, it doesn't take all that long. It's a good idea to have a wire brush specifically for the grates that you don't use to clean anything else. After all, this will be touching the same surfaces you put food on. I recommend another, smaller wire brush - the ones that look like big toothbrushes - for cleaning the burners on a gas grill. If you notice the flame isn't firing through one of the holes, you can use this to clean the pathway. Lastly, plastic is the way to go for a scraper, anything else and you risk scratching the surfaces of your grill. Sure, any damage done would be on the inside, but it's still not a great feeling to knick up your previous investment.Check for updates before your first cookTraegerIf you have a smart grill from the likes of Traeger, Weber or another company, you'll want to plug it in and check for software updates well in advance of your first grilling session. Chances are you haven't cooked much since last fall, which means companies have had months to push updates to their devices. Trust me, there's nothing worse than spending an hour trimming and seasoning a brisket only to walk outside to start the grill and it immediately launches into the update process. This could extend the whole cooking time significantly depending on the extent of the firmware additions and strength of your WiFi.Thankfully, checking for updates is quick and easy. All you need to do is turn on your grill and open up the company's app on your phone. If there's a download ready for your model, the mobile software will let you know and it's usually quite prominent. If there's not a pop-up alert that displays immediately, you can check the settings menu just to make sure. Sometimes for smaller updates, a company might not beat you over the head to refresh. However, starting a fresh slate of firmware is always a safe bet and will ensure your grill is running at its best when it comes time to cook.For a good time every time, clean after each useBilly Steele for EngadgetI'll be the first to admit I don't adhere to my own advice here, but it's nice to have goals. I will also be the first to tell you every single time I smoke a Boston Butt or some other super fatty cut of meat that I wish I would've done at least a quick cleaning right after the meal. Grease buildup is not only highly flammable but it's much harder to clean once it cools and solidifies. Ditto for stuck-on sauce or cheese that's left on your grates after chicken or burgers. It's best to attack these things while the grill is still warm, but cooled down from the cook.You don't necessarily have to break out the shop vac each time for your pellet grill or empty the grease bin. But you'll want to make sure that stuff is away from the main cooking area for safety and so any burn off won't impact the flavor of your food. A few cups of hot water can cleanse the grease run-off while that wire brush I mentioned is best for the grates. It also doesn't hurt to do a light wipe down with an all-natural cleaner so everything is ready to go when you want to cook again.New grills for 2026If you're looking for something brand new this spring, Weber is the only big grill company that has announced its 2026 lineup thus far. That collection of new models includes the Performer Smart Charcoal Grill, the company's first Wi-Fi-enabled charcoal grill, that offers automatic temperature control and remote monitoring via the Weber Connect app. There are two options which vary based on how big of a cart/storage space you need. The company will also sell non-smart versions that are more in line with previous Performer offerings.If you already have a Weber Kettle, the upcoming Kettle Smart Ring adds a touch of Wi-Fi and automation for $280. It too works with the Weber Connect app and supports two food probes. Plus, there's the basic LCD display and knob-based navigation for ease of use. Lastly, both the Genesis and Spirit gas grill lines have been updated with the display from the Weber Slate Griddle and side shelves that accommodate handy Weber Works accessories.Notable smart grills that debuted late last year include the X-Fire Pro and Flagship 1600 from Recteq. The former is a dual-mode pellet grill with options for smoking and searing. It functions like a traditional pellet grill for low-and-slow cooking and then the controls are more like a gas grill for high-heat grilling. The Flagship 1600 is an updated version of "the grill that built the brand" with 1,667 square inches of cooking space. Both models sync with the Recteq app for monitoring and controls. I should have a full review of the X-Fire Pro in the coming weeks.Both Kamado Joe and Masterbuilt won't be unveiling any new models this year. Traeger hasn't announced anything new for 2026 yet either, but the company is currently facing both a financial crisis and a class-action lawsuit from former brand ambassadors over employment terms. As part of the so-called Project Gravity restructuring, Traeger no longer hosts its roadshow program at Costco and points would-be buyers to retail partners (Ace Hardware, etc.) rather than facilitating direct sales through its website.Check out more from our spring cleaning guide.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/how-to-clean-your-grill-for-summer-outdoor-season-spring-cleaning-140040826.html?src=rss

Blue Origin has revealed its plans for an orbital AI data center system in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission. The company has asked the agency for permission to deploy 51,600 satellites, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and SpaceNews. Called Project Sunrise, the initiative aims to launch and operate a constellation of satellites that can deliver computing capacity for artificial intelligence uses.Project Sunrise's satellites will be placed in sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes between 311 and 1,118 miles. Each layer in the constellation will have between 300 to 1,000 satellites and will be approximately 3 to 6 miles apart. In its filing, Blue Origin said the constellation would complement terrestrial data centers.The satellites will, of course, will be fitted with solar panels to be able to gather energy from the sun. Blue Origin explained that the orbital AI data center will lower the marginal cost of compute capacity compared to terrestrial alternatives," because the satellites will be powered by the sun, won't need land and won't need grid infrastructure. Project Sunrise will enable US companies developing and using AI to flourish, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning, autonomous systems and predictive analytics," Blue Origin added.By filing its request with the FCC, Blue Origin has officially joined SpaceX in the list of companies looking to build an AI data center in space. In January, SpaceX asked the FCC for permission to deploy 1 million satellites for its constellation. The company justified at the time that orbital data centers are the most efficient way to meet the accelerating demand for AI computing power."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/blue-origin-also-wants-to-put-ai-data-centers-in-space-115614142.html?src=rss