We’re long past the days when speakers, especially those at home, would simply be literal black boxes that belted out sound in whatever direction they were pointed at. While those still exist, many of the audio equipment marketed for home use have taken on more interesting designs that marry aesthetics and function without sacrificing either. Bang & Olufsen might be one of the most popular brands in this growing market of art-inspired speakers, but it is hardly the only one with curious and eye-catching designs. This loudspeaker set, for example, is just as much a work of art as it is a piece of high-end audio equipment, promising to elevate the listening experience to a whole new level that involves not just the ears but also the eyes.
In an iconic form, the speaker has always been represented by one of its oldest designs, a conical structure that curves from one end to another, creating what is commonly known as a horn shape. The Jetstream loudspeaker takes that shape and transforms it into an art piece by using transparent acrylic for the horn and blowing it up to human-sized proportions. The result is a distinctive, one-of-a-kind speaker that makes the drive unit look like it’s floating in mid-air. Viewed from the side, the speaker also looks like the sonic boom traces left by a high-speed jet, which given the background of the designer, seems almost fitting.
The horn shape chosen for the Jetstream might look ornamental, but it is actually based on a solid foundation of physics. Just like with horn speakers of old, the shape helps to propagate sound waves more freely and evenly, and given its size, it also multiplies that effect to reach all corners of a room. The loudspeaker system promises clear and dynamic sound, regardless of what you’re listening to, whether it’s classical masterpieces or modern movie sound effects.
Although the horn loudspeaker is definitely the center of attraction, it isn’t the only member of the Ferguson Hill Jetstream loudspeaker system. There’s also the bass speaker which takes the form of a transparent sphere with a large drive unit, held up by three metal cone feet. This gives the speaker a certain retro-futuristic aesthetic that perfectly complements the gigantic horn loudspeaker.
Although it functions primarily as a sound system, the Jetstream is also a statement piece that transforms any space into a unique audiovisual experience. It’s the kind of fusion of art and technology that truly redefines what it means to be a home speaker these days, offering value that goes beyond blasting sound but also touches the emotions and mind by appealing to more than one of our five senses. That said, it’s also a design that, at least in this case, carries a rather hefty price tag, though that could soon change as more audio equipment manufacturers embrace a more design-conscious approach to making speakers.
Instagram is testing yet another feature meant to give users an alternative to finstas. It’s called “flipside” and it allows people to create a secondary photo grid that only designated friends can see.
If that sounds somewhat familiar it’s probably because Instagram already makes it pretty easy for users to create posts intended for a more limited audience. The app added the ability for users to share grid posts with “close friends” back in November (Stories for close friends has been a thing since 2018). More recently, it tested audience lists for Stories, so users could create multiple lists for small-group sharing. The app, of course, also makes it fairly easy to create an actual finsta.
Flipside, somewhat confusingly, offers yet another way of doing essentially the same thing. Users create a separate list of friends, distinct from “close friends,” to add to their “flipside.” They can then choose to post to their main grid or to their “flipside,” which is also accessible from their profile but only visible to the aforementioned list of friends. People will know if they have access to someone’s flipside if they see a key icon in someone’s grid, according to screenshots shared on Threads. (You can see a video of it in action over on Threads.)
Apparently, even Instagram head Adam Mosseri realizes this is all a bit redundant. “On one hand it feels good to create a clear space that feels more private,” he wrote in a post on Threads. “On the other, it's yet another way to reach a smaller audience on top of secondary accounts and Close Friends.”
He added that “we're not even sure we'll launch it,” which might explain why the company has been relatively quiet about the test. Flipside was first spotted back in December but was an internal prototype at the time, according toTechCrunch. However, it's now started to appear for actual users, with a number of reports of it appearing on Threads over the last day.
Early reactions seem to be mixed, with some enthusiasm for the update and some wondering why on earth they need yet another social media profile to maintain. Others seem to be, understandably, confused.
While finstas have (sometimes hilariously) been maligned, Meta’s recent obsession with creating “more private” spaces on Instagram is likely about more than simply adding convenience. Mosseri has noted many times over the last couple years that Instagram users simply aren’t posting as much as they used to, especially in their feeds. For an app that relies on advertising — much of it in users’ feeds — that’s less than ideal. So it’s not all that surprising Instagram would be looking for new ways to get people to spend more time posting to and scrolling their feeds.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-is-testing-flipside-a-finsta-feature-that-already-kind-of-exists-215905150.html?src=rss
Chicago’s freezing winds have turned out to be a nemesis for electric vehicle owners and exposed a chink in the armor of Elon’s arsenal. Not that other EVs are a breeze to maintain in cold weather conditions, as seen by the problems faced by owners in the winter months. Call it the perfect timing or a bad one by Genesis Motor to unveil the new X Snow Speedium concept, the EV is specifically designed for frigid weather conditions.
According to the South Korean luxury division of Hyundai, the car is a “symphony of strength and elegance, no matter the temperature.” The electric concept is based on the X Speedium Coupe and it’s not a coincidence that Nissan also recently released their X-Trail Mountain Rescue vehicle specifically designed for mountain expeditions and responder missions. The latter though is a real-world version ready for action.
Aptly, the Genesis’ ride comes in winter white edition, virtually camouflaging in the wintery landscape. Like the X-Trail, the Genesis comes with a unique ski rack for adventures, designed in association with Anavon Ski AG. If you look closely, the resemblance of the front-aligned line lamps to the Speedium Coupe is there. Also, the signature “V-shaped” brake lights are so “Genesis.” The only parity is the selection of the sleek white hue, compared to the emerald green on the original coupe.
In a very strong statement, the brand representatives said the concept is a representation of the future and Genesis’ transformation toward becoming “an all-electric car brand.” Talking of the interiors the concept will likely be draped in white as well which draws inspiration from the minimalist Korean architecture. The floating center console will encapsulate the driver’s cockpit for a futuristic feel. All of this while keeping things simple yet modern.
For the foreseeable future, the EV concept isn’t headed toward the production lines but the possibility could also not be ruled out as Genesis has emission-free plans for the coming years.
Cities: Skylines II developer Colossal Order has a uniquely close relationship with its community. The original Cities: Skylines came out in 2015 and gobbled up the audience that was left behind by EA’s SimCity, which came out in 2013 and was a busted mess. Cities: Skylines scratched that urban-planning itch, plus it cost just $30. The game came first to PC, Mac and Linux with modest hardware requirements, and it hit consoles within two years. Critically, Cities: Skylines also supported mods through the Steam Workshop, allowing players to add their own tools to the game and share those features with others.
“With Cities: Skylines, the audience grew in size and the modding took even a bigger role, allowing for a huge amount of creativity and inspiration for us devs,” Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen told Engadget. “Anything from quality-of-life improvements to ideas for DLC content, we have gathered a huge amount of information to help us create the game that Cities: Skylines is today.”
Colossal Order and its publisher, Paradox Interactive, continued to support Cities: Skylines with consistent game updates and DLC drops, and its mod community continued to grow. The game picked up a ton of new players during the pandemic in 2020, and around that time, a number of now-prominent content creators leaned into Cities: Skylines for streams and videos.
In the months before the launch of Cities: Skylines II in October 2023, Colossal Order partnered with a handful of content creators and gave them access to bits of the game early, so they could create YouTube videos showing off specific features each week. These partners included Biffa, two dollars twenty, YUMBL, Infrastructurist and City Planner Plays. City Planner Plays has a clever edge in this space — Philip, the man behind the builds, worked as an urban planner for more than a decade, and his videos often include insights about how real-life cities are designed. He started his channel in mid-2020, and today he’s a dedicatedCities: Skylines streamer and video editor with nearly 650,000 subscribers on YouTube. Like many other community members, he has a history with Colossal Order that spans years.
“Prior to the Cities: Skylines II release, I think that most everyone in the community viewed them incredibly positively, looking at them as ‘one of us’ and the type of developer that you want making a game that you love,” Philip said. “They were viewed as responsive and generous. …I can’t recall a bad thing being said about them.”
“We have seen a growing tendency of toxicity in our community, something we have not experienced to this extent before,” Hallikainen wrote, clarifying that the negativity was being directed at developers and players alike. She continued, “We have always treasured having the devs present on the different social platforms and having direct communication with the community, but our biggest responsibility will always be protecting the team.”
Tensions have been high in the Cities: Skylines community since the launch of the sequel in October. Though the game was originally pitched as a simultaneous PC and console release, it’s only available on PC and there’s no concrete timeline for when the other versions will come out. On top of that, Colossal Order raised the game’s minimum and recommended specs just a month before release, and the new requirements placed it out of reach for a large chunk of players.
Colossal Order
Even with a capable rig, the game is riddled with visual and mechanical bugs. Philip said Cities: Skylines II strained his RTX 4090 graphics card, making it run at 100 percent on the main menu, and he couldn’t play in 4K at launch because the game was so GPU-bound.
Simply put, it feels like the game needed more time in development.
“Since the launch of Cities: Skylines II, things have without a doubt gotten more prickly,” Philip said. “While many people have been appreciative of Colossal Order’s transparency with the weekly updates as well as the frequent bug fixes, many appear to view Colossal Order as being all-too-willing to release a game that wasn’t ready to be released.”
Hallikainen acknowledged that the game is missing some promised and highly publicized features, like mod support.
“Naturally we’re disappointed we weren’t able to achieve everything we aimed for, but it’s fantastic to have the game finally out and continue working on it with more openness,” she said.
The issue, as far as Colossal Order sees it, lies in the community’s response to Cities: Skylines II. Players have been venting on social media and in the Steam and Paradox forums, and the feedback has risen to toxic levels, according to Hallikainen. She cites a surge in personal attacks on developers and other players.
Colossal Order
“Cities: Skylines II attracted a lot of attention and very high expectations were set,” she said. “When the game did not fulfill all the promises, it was natural to cause frustration in the audience. However, the shortcomings should spark a conversation on ideas for improvement, constructive feedback and respectful discussions in the community.”
For City Planner Plays and other community members, the issue is the game itself. Where Colossal Order sees toxicity, Philip sees justified frustration.
“I will admit that I was taken aback by this description of what’s happening in the Cities: Skylines community regarding Cities: Skylines II,” he said. “I have noticed increased negativity. However, I wouldn’t say that I have noticed increased toxicity. And bluntly, I think the negativity is completely understandable and predictable.”
Philip identified four factors driving the negative sentiment: The game is only on PC, it’s buggy and unplayable on many common hardware configurations, there’s no official support for mods, and Colossal Order hasn’t held itself accountable for the game’s blunders.
“Colossal Order has been transparent, talking with the community, but has not taken accountability for the release of the game,” Philip said. “I hear this over and over again. Many players appear to want them to admit that the release state of the game was poor, say that they are sorry, and make some gesture to make amends. To date, they have delayed the DLC release — which actually was a huge negative for people that purchased the Ultimate Edition of the game — but not made amends. [They haven’t] provided the information that people are looking for.”
Colossal Order
The biggest misstep on Philip's list is the lack of mods. Colossal Order is planning to add an official pipeline for mods directly through Paradox, rather than Steam Workshop, which was the home for mods in Cities: Skylines. Shifting to an in-house modding platform will ensure parity across all platforms, bringing mods to consoles and players outside of Steam. However, the Cities: Skylines mod community was built on Steam Workshop, a popular and easy-to-use platform, and with the delay of the console release, the current player base is simply being inconvenienced.
“The maps that come with the game aren’t great — incredibly high difficulty level, unforgiving weather — and many basic features need refinement,” Philip said. “Mods offered that opportunity and they aren’t available just yet. Worst of all, early messaging made it seem like modding was around the corner, weeks after launch, [but it’s been delayed] to some undetermined time in Q2 of 2024.”
Collaboration with the community is what made the original game so successful, and the sequel could certainly benefit from crowdsourced improvements. For now, some players are using a third-party tool to make mods work in Cities: Skylines II.
“The tech is new, the simulation has been entirely rewritten and the game has all the potential to become the city-builder of this decade,” Hallikainen said. “What we failed in was to get the modding support available for the release, and we’re doing our best to catch up. We have been delighted to see the modding community has not waited for us, but are already creating amazing mods for the game.”
Paradox Interactive
This is only the beginning for Cities: Skylines II. Colossal Order has plans to support and expand the game over the next 10 years. The original Cities: Skylines didn’t have all of the bells, whistles and mods when it first came out in 2015, and the sequel is starting in a similar position. Colossal Order sees Cities: Skylines II as a fresh foundation, but its core community expected a more complete experience.
“The feedback we’ve gotten from the content creators and modders has immensely helped us in heading in the right direction, and we love working in cooperation with different parties,” Hallikainen said. “There’s a lot of work to be done and we plan to keep going for the next decade.”
Cities: Skylines II has improved significantly in the months since launch, thanks to a slew of updates from Colossal Order. It’s on the right track. Colossal Order continues to publish updates on the game’s progress each week, but it’ll take time — and maybe an apology, a plan and free in-game perks — to rewrite the narrative around Cities: Skylines II.
“I think the most ‘toxic’ people right now are the game’s biggest fans,” Philip said. “And bluntly, they are just disappointed that the game doesn’t run well for them or that they can’t play it at all. They’re disappointed and lashing out, which isn’t right. But to me, that means that there is a path to repair the issues if the game is fully fixed and accountability is taken.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whats-up-with-the-toxicity-around-cities-skylines-ii-213034938.html?src=rss
A live-action TV series based on Final Fantasy 14 is no longer happening. The project is now dead, according to Dinesh Shamdasani, the co-founder of Hivemind, one of the production companies involved.
"We took around a fantastic pilot script by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton along with a multi-season plan they built with our show runners but got rejected across the board," Shamdasani wrote on X, as spotted by Eurogamer. "The size and scale needed to do it right proved too much for anyone to want to risk."
Amazon, which spent a billion dollars on a Lord of the Rings TV show that drew large viewership figures but barely made a dent in the cultural zeitgeist, seemingly came closest to spinning up the project. Evidently, it decided against getting on board.
Dead. We took around a fantastic pilot script by Ben Lustig & @jakethornton along with a multi-season plan they built with our show runners but got rejected across the board. The size and scale needed to do it right proved too much for anyone to want to risk. Amazon came closest.
COVID-19 also played against the show's chances, according to screenwriter Thornton. "We took it out just as studios began to zip up their purse strings," Thornton wrote on X.
The series was announced back in 2019 as a collaborative effort between Hivemind (which makes the Netflix series The Witcher) and Sony Pictures Television. Although Sony doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy — that would be Square Enix — the Final Fantasy series is closely affiliated with PlayStation.
Sony has found success in adapting other PlayStation games for the big and small screen over the last few years, such as The Last of Us and Uncharted. But it seems turning a sprawling MMO into a TV show was just too tall of an order.
It probably doesn't help that the Final Fantasy 14 base game is notoriously a bit of a slog. So much so that players can pay to skip the first 80 levels and get to the good stuff. It feels like the equivalent of having to watch a season and a half of a TV show before it really gets going. Maybe Hivemind and Sony should try adapting a Final Fantasy game that's good right out of the gate, such as FF16.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-final-fantasy-14-live-action-tv-show-is-dead-210614482.html?src=rss
Although it’s definitely the latecomer, Apple is unsurprisingly stirring up a storm with the launch of the Vision Pro. Mixed reality, or spatial computing as Apple named it, is en vogue once again, and many companies are making a lot of noise to demonstrate how they’ve been playing the game long before the Vision Pro was even announced. That boast comes with the implication that they can offer a better experience and a more accessible product, like this visor-like Visor headset that’s trying to be a better Vision Pro than the Vision Pro with a more open platform, a more stylish design, and most importantly, a more affordable price tag.
Although the Apple Vision Pro is definitely more stylish than other mixed reality headsets, it’s still a headset that leaves nothing to the imagination about what you’re wearing or doing. Visor, on the other hand, looks more like its namesake, at least outwardly. Despite the spectacle-like design, it actually bears 4K micro OLED displays per eye, a lot more than what the Visor Pro boasts. And yet the headset itself manages to weigh only 200g, more than half what the Meta Quest 3 weighs. And yes, it has an external battery to help keep the weight down.
Beyond just the design of the device itself, the Visor offers a completely different experience from the likes of the Vision Pro or even the new Xreal Air 2 Ultra that was announced at CES 2024 earlier this month. It neither runs its own operating system nor does it just mirror the screen of a computer. Instead, it harnesses Immersed’s mixed reality software that it has been developing for years that practically gives you virtual monitors spread across your vision, resulting in a wider field of view compared to the common smart glasses implementation.
What this means in practice is that you can keep on using the software and operating system you’re already familiar with without any limitations. In fact, Immersed says it won’t even block attempts to make SteamVR work with its device, even though its focus is more towards productivity and professional use. Visor doesn’t even have an app marketplace, but it will release development tools for sideloading apps later on.
If Visor’s $399.99 price tag sounds too good to be true, that’s because it somewhat is. That cheap figure actually requires you to also buy a “Membership Plus” subscription that will cost $59.99 a month for 12 months or $39.99 for 24 months. The good news is that you won’t lose access to the basic features of the device if you decide not to renew after that period. Alternatively, you can buy the device alone for a full $999.99, without any of the extras, which is still a lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro. Whether it can deliver all these promises, however, is something we’ll have to see in due time, no pun intended.
Chess is a game that spans centuries and while the basic mechanics haven’t changed much, it has taken various forms over the course of its very long history. Chess sets today come in a variety of styles, from cheap plastic to fragile class, from classic designs to abstract geometric shapes. Some sets, usually the expensive ones, are kept safely at home, while others go wherever their owners go, ready to challenge a fellow enthusiast at a moment’s notice. Rimowa, best known for making premium luggage and bags, is trying its hand at striking a middle ground with a high-quality aluminum chess set housed in a signature Rimowa case, ready to travel and make you the envy of all your chess colleagues.
Portable chess sets do exist, but the most common design you might see is a thick wooden board that folds in the middle to transform into a miniature suitcase for the wooden pieces. It’s practical and, to be fair, a bit sustainable, but also terribly uninspiring. Nothing lights a chess enthusiast’s fire better than a captivating and elegant chess set, one that embodies the long-lasting legacy of a game that had enchanted and beguiled even monarchs.
The new Rimowa Chess Attache is both a homage to the classic chess design but also a rejuvenation with a more modern aesthetic. Each chess piece is crafted from black and silver (for white) anodized aluminum, emblazoned with a laser-engraved Rimowa monogram. The board, though made of wood, is wrapped in leather materials and has magnets that keep the pieces steadily in place until you or your opponent is ready to make the next move. That board’s aluminum frame also bares Rimowa’s logo, signifying its place in the brand’s selection of premium products.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Rimowa product if there is no travel container involved, and indeed, a major part of the Chess Attache’s appeal is exactly that attache case. The small suitcase’s rounded edges and ribbed faces carry the hallmarks of Rimowa’s iconic design language. Inside, the chess pieces like in compartments cut out from foam and a suede-like microfiber, securing them in place until the time comes for them to be taken out and played. A delicate protective leather layer then sits in between the pieces and the magnetic wooden board that’s secured to the attache with premium leather straps.
Of course, there’s also plenty of Rimowa branding to be found inside, from the black leather lining down to the monogram-engraved snaps of the leather straps. Every inch of the design screams luxury product, and it’s probably good that a metallic lock system is integrated directly into the case’s shell. Whether it’s the chess set itself or the case that carries them, this Rimowa Chess Attache elevates not just your game but also your traveling experience.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t taking Google’s Gemini AI with it to China. CNBCreported Friday that the Chinese version of the flagship phone uses Baidu’s Ernie chatbot to power the phone’s AI-powered features. Ernie arrived last August after reportedly receiving Chinese government approval.
“Now featuring Ernie’s understanding and generation capabilities, the upgraded Samsung Note Assistant can translate content and also summarize lengthy content into clear, intelligently organized formats at the click of a button, streamlining the organization of extensive text,” Baidu and Samsung told CNBC in a joint statement.
Samsung’s description of the Galaxy S24 series on its Chinese website advertises many of the same Google-powered features it debuted last week in its San Jose, CA, launch event. These include a version of Circle to Search, real-time call translation, a transcription helper and a photo assistant. The Chinese Galaxy S24 product pages don’t have any references to Google, which has limited operations in the country.
Samsung
A recent report suggests Apple recently ended Samsung’s 14-year run as the global smartphone shipment leader. In addition, IDC published data this week suggesting the iPhone maker claimed the top spot in the Chinese market (with a 17.3-percent market share) for the first time in 2023. Samsung didn’t make the top five.
Engadget has tried the Galaxy S24 series, including the standard, Plus and Ultra variants. Samsung’s 2024 flagship phone lineup launches in the US on January 31.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-ai-features-on-the-galaxy-s24-in-china-reportedly-ditch-google-for-baidu-174503505.html?src=rss
To the surprise of just about everyone — seemingly including the studio behind it — virtual reality game Ultrawings 2 has hit PlayStation VR2 earlier than expected. Developer Bit Planet Games wrote on X that "shadow dropping Ultrawings 2 on PS VR2 today was not on our 2024 bingo card but, well, here we are." (A shadow drop refers to a surprise release of a product as soon as it's announced, like Hi-Fi Rush.)
It's unclear exactly how Ultrawings 2, which debuted on Steam and Meta Quest in 2022, arrived on PS VR2 ahead of schedule. Bit Planet had wanted to bring the aerial adventure title to that platform by the end of 2023 but was unable to. It instead promised to release Ultrawings 2 on PS VR2 early this year. On January 9, Bit Planet noted it had started the submission process.
Nevertheless, the studio says the PS VR2 debut was "unforeseen." While the developers say the current version of the game has some "relatively minor issues," those have been resolved and were planned to be fixed in a day-one patch. That's more likely to be a day-five update, but the studio saidUltrawings 2 is "solid" as is.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ultrawings-2-hits-ps-vr2-early-and-even-the-developer-was-surprised-173918655.html?src=rss
The MicroKorg 2 has some big britches to fill. The original MicroKorg is one of, if not the best selling synthesizer of all time. It's also probably the longest continuously manufactured synth, having hit the market in 2002. Of course, technology has advanced quite a lot in the last 22 years and it was time to give what is arguably the first classic synth of the 21st century an update.
The new version that Korg announced just ahead of NAMM 2024 stays largely true to the original design. It's small, but solidly built. The mini keys might bother those with sausage fingers, but my slightly smaller than average hands didn't have much issue. I did occasionally miss my mark slightly, but that has as much to do with my terrible keyboard skills as it does the compact keybed. The keybed itself is fine. Nothing to write home about, that's for sure. But it's also not worth getting up in arms about. I've played plenty worse.
The knobs and buttons, even on this prototype felt solid. And the big rotary knob, which is kind of what gives a MicroKorg its visual identity, has very satisfying detents as you change the genre of your patch selection. While there are big signs in the Korg booth proclaiming that the MicroKorg 2 is still a prototype, the hardware already feels quite refined.
Even the interface seems like its at least nearly complete. The screen itself is bright and colorful with decent viewing angles. It did get a little washed out at extreme angles under the glare of the Anaheim Convention Center's lights, but it's unlikely to cause an issue in regular use.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The UI is already looking pretty nice, with some stylish animations as you change parameters. And changing parameters is a lot easier than it was on the original MicroKorg, which had two edit selection knobs and a table you needed to look up what the five knobs across the top were controlling. On the MicroKorg 2 things are much quicker. For example, pressing the button below the second knob cycles through the settings for oscillator one, two, three and the noise source. And the screen tells you what parameters are assigned to those knobs, depending on the page you've selected.
It's hardly knob per function but it could be much worse.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The one area where it was obvious that the MicroKorg 2 was still in prototype stage was in the presets. There were only eight preprogrammed into the unit I tried. And the NAMM show floor wasn't exactly the ideal environment to do deep sound design.
I did kick the tires on it a bit though, and was pretty quickly able to throw together a couple of decent sounding patches. And the handful of presets that Korg did have ready to go were bright and loaded with character. They were decidedly digital but didn't feel clinical. Unfortunately the convention hall was even less conducive to testing out the vocoder and harmonizer features. It was just impossible to get a clean enough signal with all the cacophony going on around me.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
In general the eight-voice (or four-voice in bi-timbral mode), three-oscillator synth engine seems like a big upgrade from the original. It's got not just your standard virtual analog waves, but a selection of single cycle waveforms and even samples that can be combined to create relatively complex sounding patches.
The one thing that the original has over its successor though is price. Where you can still go pick up a MicroKorg from most music retailers for $430, the MicroKorg 2 will set you back $699 when it goes on sale later this year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-microkorg-2-hands-on-a-stylish-update-to-an-iconic-digital-synthesizer-173034308.html?src=rss
