Engadget

07.01.2025 20:20 I lived in New York City for many years and absolutely loved it, with one major caveat. Packages got stolen, like a lot. This was especially frustrating for a tech reporter waiting on review gadgets and the like. Hyve Security is looking to solve this problem with its self-named smart lockbox, which it brought to CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The Hyve is being advertised as “the first branded smart lockbox” and can be secured to the front of a house or apartment via a quarter-inch carbon fiber tether. Carbon fiber is notoriously difficult to cut, so that’s one security measure. The lockbox also ships with an accelerometer and a “shrieking” alarm that will go off if the device is moved or tampered with. The box’s owner will receive an alert in this instance. Neighbors, friends and family will also receive alerts if they opt-in to the community service. The Hyve app will integrate with many current smart home security systems for even more protection. Hyve Security It’s weather-proof, which is handy for something that will likely be housed outside, and includes a photo window for drivers to snap a picture of the package nestled safely inside the pod. This is also useful for retailers, as they can be relatively certain that a package was successfully delivered to its intended owner. The app can even be used to send out pings to nearby delivery trucks in the case of a pending return. It operates via a combination of battery and solar power. The company claims it can run for 18 months without requiring a charge. The obvious use case here is to prevent porch-based theft, which is great. However, Hyve Security says that wide adoption of these lockboxes can eventually allow retailers to ship items without so much wasteful packaging. The Hyve costs $300 and officially goes on sale in June. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-hyve-package-security-box-should-protect-deliveries-from-dreaded-porch-pirates-170016213.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 I’m not a fan of those TVs sold in picture frame surrounds that companies tell you are good for displaying art in your homes. There’s something unconvincing about using a powered, backlit screen for things you’re meant to stare at for quite a while. Can you really appreciate Turner’s Norham Castle Sunrise if you’re struggling with eyestrain after five minutes or so? Perhaps the cure for my dourness is to be found in PocketBook's new device, InkPoster. It uses a big, color e-paper display to do the same job, giving your eyes a better chance of seeing the brush strokes up close and personal. InkPoster is a series of color e-paper displays equipped with battery packs that can be hung in your home for up to a year on a single charge. There’s no power cable, and it can be mounted in portrait or landscape orientation, depending on your taste. You’ll be able to access a library of curated art, put together by a team of “professional art consultants” and select what you want to see inside the InkPoster companion app. You’ll also be able to use it as a regular old digital photo frame, ideal for when you want to pull a masterpiece from online and display that instead. There are three display sizes based on two different technologies, Spectra 6 and Sharp’s IGZO. The former is found in the 13.3-inch model with a 1,200 x 1,600 resolution, which packs a 14,000mAh battery pack. There’s a 28.5-inch edition with a 2,160 x 3,060 display which uses a hybrid of both display technologies. Finally, there’s a 31.5-inch model with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution that uses Spectra 6 and is designed to be a real focal point in your home. The two larger models both pack a 20,000mAh battery, with the same promise of a year or so of running. PocketBook hasn’t mentioned pricing yet for either the hardware or how much it'll cost to access its catalog of artwork, not to mention any sort of timeframe for when you'll be able to hang this on your wall.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/inkposter-uses-an-e-paper-display-to-bring-art-to-your-home-170016899.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 CES 2025 is here, and that means a whole fleet of new gadgets has been introduced to the world. As we do annually, the Engadget team has battled jet lag, sleep deprivation and the static shocks of those horrible casino carpets to bring you all of the most pressing news coming out of the show this year. You can follow along with our CES liveblog here, but if you don’t want to keep a browser tab locked on the site, here’s a handy recap for you. Below may not be everything we covered, but it's a rundown of the biggest, most important and generally interesting news coming out of the first day of the show. There was a strong showing from the biggest names in the PC space, with Intel showing off its latest crop of Arrow Lake chips. These are AI and gaming-friendly slices of silicon that should pop up in PCs and laptops from major manufacturers in the next three months. Speaking of which, Dell turned up to the show to announce it was killing off the bulk of its brands in favor of copying Apple’s naming strategy. Rather than XPS, Inspiron and Latitude, you’ll have Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Max — which in Sam and Devindra’s minds, is a massive unforced error. On AMD’s side of the chip war, it announced the new Ryzen Z2, which will power the next crop of gaming handhelds. The rumor mill was suggesting the Z2 would sit at the heart of Valve’s next Steam Deck, which Valve moved quickly to kibosh. But on the subject of handhelds, Acer wanted to show off its supersized Steam Deck rival, the Nitro Blaze 11. As the name implies, it's packing an 11-inch display, kickstand and detachable controllers, like a Switch that got out of its cage and found your secret stash of human growth hormone. Samsung rocked up at the show to flaunt the Galaxy Book5 Pro with Intel’s new Arrow Lake chips. But its real focus was on its new range of home entertainment gear, including its new soundbars and 8K Neo QLED screens, which is also what you’ll find inside its new Frame Pro TVs. CES isn’t a mobile-friendly show, but Samsung did announce that its first Unpacked keynote of 2025 will drop on January 22. But, psh, whatever: The real Samsung mobile device news we are about is that its ball-shaped robot, Ballie, will go on sale later this year. On the subject of things scuttling around your floors, plenty of companies are trying to find a way to make their robovacs stand out. Dreame’s X50 can avoid getting stuck on tricky door thresholds since it can vault obstacles as tall as… 6cm, via its “ProLeap System.” Given most robovacs can run aground on a threshold between one room and another, it’s a useful feature. Roborock’s Saros Z70, meanwhile, has a little robotic arm in its lid that can pick up and move small objects found in its way. As a parent whose kids have some sort of obsession with leaving their socks in obtuse places, I already want one. Speaking of things I want, despite my longstanding hatred of AI, I’m quite partial to the idea of Halliday’s AI Glasses. They’re designed to help you navigate life, proactively answering your questions, helping you remember key information and generally giving your tired brain a rest. Yukai Engineering is also looking to tend to your tired brain, with its Mirumi robot designed to make you smile. The theory being if you’re feeling low, it’ll stare at you until you have a brief moment of bemused joy that’ll kick you out of your funk. It wouldn’t be CES without an appearance by will.i.am, who LG recently appointed as its new Chief Being will.i.am Officer. The company was showing off its new TVs and soundbars, as well as its new will.i.am-infused xboom speakers with built-in boom, boom and pow. Moving onto the bodily fluids part of our presentation: two different companies turned up to Las Vegas with saliva-testing gadgets asking consumers to spit on that thing to monitor their stress. cortiSense and Hormometer are two products that’ll monitor the cortisol levels in your saliva. Day one rounded out with press conferences from a couple of heavy hitters: Sony and NVIDIA. Sony showed off very little in the way of consumer electronics, instead giving us a price for the car it's making with Honda and then talking about broadcast stuff for an hour. Hey, at least we have a date for The Last of Us season two. As for NVIDIA, CEO Jensen Huang talked about AI for 30 minutes, then announced some new GPUs, then talked for AI for about 30 minutes. Thrilling stuff! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/all-the-tech-announced-on-day-one-of-ces-2025-050018783.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Peacock will start testing mini games and short-form vertical videos on its iOS and Android apps, per TechCrunch. These experimental features were available for preview at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The company intends to start testing them with users this month. A Peacock spokesperson told TechCrunch that during the testing period, some users will see the games and shorts, while others only see one or the other. The remainder won’t be able to play games or watch shorts. There are five planned games for the test: Daily Sort, Daily Swap, Predictions, What The, and Venn. These games are simple and don’t take up too much time, and some are even tied to various shows and sports. Players can predict outcomes of a series and come back later to see if they were correct, enhancing their streaming experience. As for the shorts, they’re curated from content from Peacock’s library. They can be from TV shows or news and will be updated weekly and daily. Users can even tap on them to enter the program’s page and watch the real thing. Both YouTube and Netflix opted to compete with TikTok quickly, and YouTube especially has more than 100 games. Netflix doesn’t have that many, but a Squid Game spinoff game did arrive on the app last month. Peacock may be competing against giants, but the possible TikTok ban does give it a better fighting chance.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/peacock-is-testing-mini-games-and-vertical-short-videos-164012685.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 A little more than two years ago, Lenovo teased a concept laptop with a rollable screen that could expand and contract with the touch of a button. And now at CES 2025, the company has turned that idea into a reality with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. Remarkably, Lenovo’s new device looks incredibly similar to what the company showed off in the past. The laptop features a flexible 14-inch OLED display that can unfurl itself to become a 16.7-inch panel at the push of a button. This effectively adds an extra 50 percent of screen space to the system without the need for any additional accessories or peripherals. Alternatively, you can use gestures to expand and contract the display for a truly touch-free experience. Though in my experience, that took so much longer you might as well use the dedicated key. Thankfully, brightness is more than sufficient at 400 nits while the OLED panel delivers rich, vibrant hues. Just this functionality would be a feat on its own. However, to help maximize the potential of its rollable display, Lenovo added a custom set of multitasking features that allow you to add widgets to the expanded screen space or use it as a visual clipboard and a place to view frequently used docs. And when you’re doing something like sharing your view during a video call, you can use the extra display as a virtual monitor, so you have a clean desktop for presentations. But to me, one of the most impressive things about the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable is that it’s not that much bigger or heavier than a traditional clamshell of a similar size. It weighs around 3.6 pounds and measures three quarters of an inch thick. Performance looks solid too, thanks to the inclusion of Intel's Core Ultra 7 CPU, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. And while its port selection is just OK, you still get two Thunderbolt 4 jacks and 3.5mm audio along with other handy features like Wi-Fi 7 and a 5-megapixel webcam with an electronic privacy shutter. So even with Lenovo’s focus on the laptop’s futuristic screen, you still get a pretty well-rounded machine. Honestly, as someone who is always looking for more screen space while traveling , I could see myself using the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 today as my primary work device. Its build quality feels a lot more solid than you’d expect and let’s not forget: the wow factor on something like this is hard to beat. That said, the obvious downside is its cost, because with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 expected to start at $3,500 when it goes on sale sometime later this spring, you’re paying a hefty premium to be on the very cutting edge of laptop tech. That means at least for now, systems like the Yoga Book 9i and ASUS’ Zenbook Duo are better choices for most people as they offer similar amounts of added screen space but for much less money. But if Lenovo can get the price down even a bit, it could open up another pathway for a new breed of transforming notebooks with deceptively small displays.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-thinkbook-plus-gen-6-rollable-is-a-crazy-concept-made-real-162813649.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Lenovo is already announcing one new handheld at CES 2025. However, that isn’t stopping the company from looking ahead to its next portable gaming device by teasing an early prototype of the Legion Go 2. Right off the bat it’s important to note that this successor to the original Legion Go is non-functioning and meant to be more of a design preview of Lenovo’s second-gen handheld instead of true first look. That said, the Legion Go 2 appears to share a number of features with its predecessor including detachable controllers, a large 8.8-inch display, a small touchpad on the right, a built-in kickstand and, if you look closely at the bottom, there’s even a toggle that allows the right gamepad to enter FPS/vertical mouse mode. So it’s clear this follow-up isn’t straying too far from the first model’s general blueprint. Instead, it seems like Lenovo is focusing on making some small tweaks regarding the handheld’s ergonomics including more rounded grips and tapered sides along with a new circular D-pad as opposed to the cross-shaped component used on the previous model. Additionally, Lenovo shared some early specs which include a new Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip from AMD, support for up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of SSD storage and a significantly larger 74Wh battery . This should deliver a noticeable boost in overall performance while its 8.8-inch OLED display is expected to feature very similar specs including 500 nits of brightness and a 144Hz refresh rate. However, there are two important changes to the screen. The first is a slightly lower 1,920 x 1,200 resolution , which might seem like a weird downgrade. But on a display this size, especially when paired with a mobile APU, the Legion Go 2’s new resolution should deliver a boost in terms of overall performance. The second important upgrade is the addition of VRR, so the screen can more easily adjust to match the framerate of whatever you’re playing. Finally, just like before, the Legion Go 2 will be based on Windows 11, though this is one thing I think Lenovo should reconsider. That’s because after seeing the early positive reception for Legion Go S powered by SteamOS, I think it would be a wise move to offer support for Valve’s platform alongside the standard Windows model. Unfortunately, Lenovo has not released official pricing for the Legion Go 2 just yet, but I expect it to cost around the same as the original model at launch . As for a release date, there’s nothing concrete there either, though the company said that it's preparing to “bring this exciting innovation to life for gamers worldwide in 2025.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/lenovo-is-already-teasing-the-successor-to-its-flagship-legion-go-gaming-handheld-161852837.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 The list of titles coming to Game Pass this month is a bit on the paltry side, aside from one massive exception. The original 1996 Diablo hits PC Game Pass on January 14, so those of us who have been living under a rock since Bill Clinton’s first term can finally see what all of the fuss is about. What can I say about Diablo that hasn’t been said already? It’s the OG action-RPG that basically defined the genre. It’s a legitimate classic. There’s a reason why the franchise is still going strong deep into the 21st century. The battles are intense, the progression is satisfying and the character customization options are just as deep now as they were in the 1990s. This isn’t the first time that the game has been re-released. Blizzard and GOG struck a deal back in 2019 to bring the title to the latter’s digital gaming marketplace. However, this is the first time it’s been free-ish, assuming a pre-existing PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Diablo is, by a huge margin, the most notable Game Pass release for January, but it’s not the only one. The post-apocalyptic farming sim My Time at Sandrock will be available on January 8 and EA Sports UFC 5 will be playable on January 14.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-original-diablo-hits-pc-game-pass-on-january-14-161519350.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 The price hikes for streaming services have already started for 2025. Discovery+ has announced its plans are increasing in price for all US subscribers. The Discovery+ plan with ads will go up to $6 per month, from $5, while the ad-free plan will increase to $10 per month, from $9. No, an extra $1 monthly isn't horrible, but $12 yearly, now that's a meal's worth of extra fees. The new fee tiers go into effect immediately for new subscribers. However, existing customers who pay through Discovery+ or the app store will pay more on their first bill after February 7. Any subscribers on promotional deals won't have an increase until that period ends. Discovery+ previously increased the price of its ad-free plan in late 2023. At the time, it went up from $7 to $9 monthly. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/discovery-is-raising-prices-for-all-customers-160646636.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 If 2024 was the year augmented reality glasses started to feel real, 2025 is already shaping up to be a really interesting year for AR, with a number of smaller companies showing off AR at CES 2025. Chinese company RayNeo brought their new X3 Pro AR frames to CES, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it seems to have squeezed an impressive amount of tech into a relatively small pair of frames. Like AR glasses from Meta and Snap, RayNeo use microLED projectors and waveguides to produce a full-color AR display. The field of view is just 25 degrees — notably smaller than what Snap or Meta have in their products — but it’s impressively bright. Even under the fairly bright lights of a Las Vegas casino ballroom, I had no problem seeing the menus or even reading text . What stood out the most, though, was the size. At less than 3 ounces, the RayNeo X3 Pro are impressively lightweight. Like other AR glasses I’ve tried, they don’t quite look like a “normal” pair of frames, but they don’t feel that far off either. RayNeo opted to put the onboard cameras in the center of the frames rather than in the corners, which does add a bit of bulk. Karissa Bell for Engadget In terms of apps, there wasn’t much to demo. I tried a real-time translation app, which beamed English text in front of me as RayNeo’s Bernie Liu spoke Chinese. I can’t speak for the accuracy of the translation, but it seemed to do a pretty good job despite the fact that we were in a noisy environment. I also briefly chatted with a built-in AI-assistant powered by chatGPT and snapped a few photos. Liu told me the company is also working with outside developers who are already creating their own apps for the upcoming device, so hopefully it will roll out with a few more capabilities. That said, battery life will likely be an issue as it is with other AR glasses. Liu said the battery currently lasts around 30 minutes with heavy use, though the company is still working on improving various aspects of the frames. RayNeo hasn’t announced an official price or launch date yet, but Liu told me they are hoping to put them on sale later this year for around $1500.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/rayneo-ar-glasses-hands-on-at-ces-2025-surprisingly-light-and-bright-120047035.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 One of the things I love the most about CES is finding all the silly one-offs and concept products that might never see full production. At CES 2025, in addition to its big, RTX-powered gaming laptop announcements, MSI showed off something truly joyful: a custom CPU cooler that features a built-in turntable. The water block’s official name is the Mag Coreliquid A13 concept, though the name is mute because MSI says it has no plans to turn it into an actual retail device available for purchase. That’s a bummer because, not only does that prevent you from putting a cute spinning table inside your desktop, but also the cooler that the A13 is based on — the Mag Coreliquid A15 360 — is a real product that has some neat specs. It includes an offset CPU mount that can improve the performance of some of the latest Intel chips that have unusually positioned hotspots. MSI made a concept CPU water block for CES 2025 that has a built-in turntable and it's kind of awesome.Sadly, there are no plans to put it into actual production. Also, the Lucky the dragon figure does not come included.@engadget pic.twitter.com/X70XJeAq8I— Sam Rutherford January 7, 2025 Now I fully admit that the fun of having a spinning table inside your PC might be lost on a lot of people. But then again, just look at Lucky twirling in place while the desktop churns along. And what’s better is that you can raise the clear lid on the water block and put anything you want inside. Think about a fancy watch or maybe a disco ball. Wouldn’t that be a hoot, especially with all those RGB lights nearby? Honestly, the whole setup is kind of mesmerizing. But alas, the Mag Coreliquid A13 will never be yours. That is unless people make enough noise and keep bugging MSI until they make it for real. The power is in your hands. Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/ces-2025-msi-made-a-cpu-cooler-with-a-tiny-built-in-turntable-and-its-pure-fun-063636344.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Maingear is one of the original boutique PC makers that popularized water-cooled rigs more than 20 years ago. However, after focusing more on air-cooled systems over the past few years, at CES 2025 the company is returning to its roots with two stunningly-crafted machines in the Apex Force and Apex Rush. Based on Phanteks’ NV9 case, the Apex Force is the unquestionable flagship in Maingear’s new 2025 lineup. It weighs upwards of 50 pounds and has pre-bent hardline tubes that have been angled 10 degrees to match the distinctive sloped design of its enclosure. It boasts not one but two separate cooling loops for its CPU and GPU with massive dual 420mm radiators, three 140mm fans plus another 65mm intake on the bottom to push all that hot air out. But what I appreciate the most are some of the signature touches Maingear included to make maintaining the system easier, even for someone who may have zero experience with liquid-cooled setups. The Apex Force’s reservoir is entirely clear, which not only looks great but makes it easy to do a visual check on water levels. More importantly, Maingear installed two quick-disconnect fittings for the system’s pump and drain ports, so in the event you need to change out water or perform a repair, you can empty the desktop without risking splashing liquid on sensitive components. And of course, almost all of the PC’s components and even the color of its tubes, fittings and RGB lighting can be customized to your desire. The limit is pretty much the size of your budget. Meanwhile, for those who want something a bit more compact , the Apex Rush represents a small step down to a rig based on a mid-tower case from Lian-Li . Unlike the Apex Force, the Rush uses a single cooling loop that’s augmented by seven 120mm fans meant to create a positive pressure environment to ensure optimal airflow while also keeping dust out. In fact, Maingear is so confident about its fan arrangement, it didn’t bother to equip the Apex Rush with dust filters, claiming those would actually decrease thermal performance and cleanliness. And in a first for Maingear, this system can be configured with neoprene soft tubing with braided sleeves for anyone looking for an alternative to custom hard lines. But for me, what elevates the Apex Rush line even over the Force is that alongside the standard models, Maingear will also release three themed variants. There’s a Miami Vice-inspired model, one with cyberpunk stylings and my favorite, a lucky cat-inspired option. Each one features automotive-grade paintjobs littered with hand-drawn art and they are absolutely gorgeous. There are tons of subtle details such as pictures with various textures within the same illustration, multiple gamer-themed easter eggs, plenty of RGB lighting and matched tubing to fit each version’s particular aesthetic. The custom Apex Rush rigs are truly works of art, though, as you’d expect from heavily configurable systems, they won’t come cheap. That said, Maingear has yet to reveal official pricing for both the Apex Force and Apex Rush lines. However, the company says that due to high expected demand, anyone interested in one of these PCs should try to snag a spot in line with a fully refundable $100 deposit when reservations officially go live today on Maingear’s website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-maingear-apex-force-and-apex-rush-might-be-the-most-beautiful-water-cooled-desktops-at-ces-2025-160050312.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Lenovo has made history with its new Yoga Slim 9i laptop, which has an under-display camera similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold phone. In other words, the 32-megapixel camera is situated beneath the screen where you can’t see it, but it can capture video and images just fine. The Yoga Book 9i is also getting updated with a larger screen, an NPU and higher peak brightness. Having an under-display camera lets device manufacturers use thinner bezels. In the Yoga Slim 9i’s case, Lenovo was able to achieve what it calls a world’s first: a 98 percent screen-to-body-ratio on a laptop, which the company claims is a world-first. Plus, the 4K120 OLED touch display measures 14 inches. Its PureSight certification includes 100 percent sRGB and Adobe RGB support. Additionally, the Yoga Slim 9i has a peak brightness of 750 nits, and supports VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600. The Yoga Slim 9i is capable of handling AI tasks, thanks to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and with a 48 trillion operations per second NPU. The 75WHr battery provides up to 17 hours of battery life. Graphics are handled by an uniform memory access Intel Arc GPU. The Yoga Slim 9i can come with 1TB of storage and 32GB of RAM, making it a portable workhorse of a laptop. As for ports, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports besides the charging-only USB-C port. The latest Yoga Book 9i has also received several upgrades. The screen size has been increased from 13.3 inches to a full 14 inches, and the 400 nits brightness has been upped to 750 nits. The new model has a 94 percent screen-to-body-ratio, up a little over two percent from the prior generation. Plus, it now has AI capabilities thanks to new hardware. Finally, we can take a brief look at the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, a convertible laptop. The 14-inch 2.8K120 screen supports multi-touch and has a peak brightness of 1100 nits. It also has Smart Modes that let users customize the settings quickly. At 2.91 pounds, it’s easy to carry around for work.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovos-yoga-slim-9i-is-the-first-laptop-to-get-an-under-display-camera-160045339.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 The Lenovo Legion Go is sort of like the SUV of gaming handhelds. It’s big and beefy and comes with extra equipment like detachable controllers, a kickstand and vertical mouse functionality that lets it adapt to all sorts of situations. Unfortunately, those features made it kind of bulky too, so at CES 2025, Lenovo is announcing a slightly more portable version called the Legion Go S with support for not one but two different OSes. Before we get too deep into the details, it’s important to mention that I only got a chance to check out the Windows 11 model. However, for anyone who’s ever wanted a Steam Deck with better performance, Lenovo is also making a version that comes pre-loaded with SteamOS. That said, the specs on both variants are nearly identical. They feature either an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip or the Z1 Extreme APU Lenovo used on the previous model, with up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and a 55.5Wh battery. You also get a microSD card slot for expandable storage, two USB 4 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. The main difference is their color as the Windows 11 Legion Go S comes in white while the SteamOS model will be available in black. Compared to the original Legion Go, the S features a smaller but still large 8-inch 120 Hz OLED display with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and VRR instead of 2,560 x 1,600 144Hz panel like on the original. It also doesn’t have detachable controllers or a kickstand. The benefit of this is that the whole system feels much sturdier, which should make you feel better about tossing it in a bag before your next trip. It’s also noticeably lighter at 1.6 pounds versus 1.9 for its older sibling. Notably, you still get analog sticks with Hall Effect sensors, which you don’t get on rivals like ASUS’ pricey ROG Ally X. Lenovo also moved to a new pivot-style D-pad, though I’m not sure that counts as a true upgrade as I tend to prefer the classic cross-style ones. Another nice bonus for tinkerers is that on the inside, the Go S comes with a shorter 2242 SSD module even though it can accommodate desktop-size 2280 sticks. Initially, I got a chance to check out the Windows 11 version, whose performance felt quite snappy thanks to the drop in resolution to 1,920 x 1,200, which feels like a more suitable match for its components. Lenovo has also made some improvements to its Legion Space app, so it functions much better as a general game launch and a place to tweak performance and settings. I also appreciate little touches like how even though it's much smaller, the Legion Go S still has a touchpad in front, which is such a huge help when you need to exit Legion Space and navigate around in Windows. I’d even say that despite its size, the pad on the Go S is more responsive, as it feels more like a trackball than a tiny touchpad. And around back, there’s a small toggle for adjusting how far you can pull the shoulder buttons. As for the Legion Go S powered by SteamOS, I found it remarkable how similar it felt to the Steam Deck despite not being made by Valve. The UI is almost identical, the only differences are some subtle tweaks Lenovo added to support things like the handheld’s RGB lighting and higher 30-watt TDP. In person, the SteamOS models’ casing looks more like a dark purple than pure black, which is a nice subtle touch. However my biggest takeaways is that Valve’s OS felt slightly more responsive that it does on the Steam Deck, which I’m attributing to the Legion’s newer APU. The small hiccup is that a higher-end version of Legion Go S running Windows 11 is expected to go on sale first sometime later this month starting at $730 with an AMD Z2 Go processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Unfortunately, that means anyone who wants one of the more affordable models with 16GB of RAM or running SteamOS will have to wait a bit longer, as those variants won’t be available until May. On the bright side, the Legion Go S powered by SteamOS will have a lower starting price of $499 compared to an equivalent Windows model which will start at $599.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-lenovo-legion-go-s-is-the-first-third-party-steamos-handheld-160001245.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Sony had a lot of entertainment news to share during its CES 2025 press conference, especially when it came to movies and shows based on PlayStation properties. The company is also expanding its anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, with a new manga app. The standalone Crunchyroll Manga app is coming to iOS and Android later this year. It'll debut in the US and Canada. It will only be available in English at first and support for more languages will arrive down the line. You'll need to pay extra to use the app, however, as it's slated to be a premium add-on for Crunchyroll. The service hasn't divulged which titles you'll be able to read in the app — it will announce details about that and publisher involvement at a later date. Web browser support is coming at some point as well. Word of the Crunchyroll Manga app comes soon after Sony was in talks to buy Kadokawa, the parent company of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware and a major publisher of anime and manga. The companies instead agreed for Sony to take a larger stake in Kadokawa and become its biggest shareholder. As such, it would be quite a surprise if Kadokawa's library of manga was somehow not featured in the upcoming app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/a-new-crunchyroll-manga-mobile-app-arrives-later-this-year-155234860.html?src=rss

07.01.2025 20:20 Sony has announced the latest additions to its Midnight Black Collection for the PS5. The new accessories join existing Midnight Black Collection products, such as the Midnight Black PS5 console cover and DualSense wireless controller. The most important accessories for the PS5 are the controllers, and there are three in this collection. They include the PlayStation Portal Midnight Black remote player and DualSense Edge Midnight Black. Both controllers cost $200. Next, we have audio peripherals. The Pulse Explore wireless earbuds and Pulse Elite wireless headset will now come in Midnight Black. They cost $200 and $150, respectively. Both will come with a felt grey carrying case and necessary accessories. These products are expected to be available on February 20, but pre-order access begins on January 16 at 10AM ET. Participating retailers will also begin pre-orders on that day, but the exact time depends on the region.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-latest-ps5-midnight-black-accessories-arrive-next-month-155005798.html?src=rss