It's always exciting when one of our favorite items goes on sale. This time, it's our choice for the best budget Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+. The device is down to $170 from $220 on Samsung — a 23 percent discount. This model includes 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM and is also available for the same price on Amazon. In fact, this deal brings the tablet's price to only $20 more than its Prime Day offer.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab A9+ is an 11-inch tablet with 1900p x 1200p resolution. The LCD screen has a 90Hz refresh rate and 480 nits. The device also has quad speakers that are powered by Dolby Atmos and a 7,400 mAh battery. Plus, it has optional 5G connectivity.
If you want a bit more storage (and power), check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That model is currently down to $220 from $270. There's also the Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition, which is available for $230, down from $270 and has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon’s (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you’re eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here’s what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event.
When is October Prime Day 2024?
Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October.
What is October Prime Day?
October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day.
How long is October Prime Day?
In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-samsung-tablets-is-back-on-sale-for-close-to-its-prime-day-price-141030465.html?src=rss
Americans utilized more wireless data last year than ever before, using over 100 trillion megabytes throughout 2023, Reuters reports. This record number represented a 36 percent or 26 trillion MB boost from 2022, according to an industry survey. The number of wireless connections also grew in 2023 to 558 million — a six percent jump over 2022.
Interestingly, these increases were fuelled more by new advancements than traditional outlets. Americans spent about 100 billion fewer minutes talking on the phone than the year prior and maintained a similar amount of text messaging. Instead, technology such as drones, space missions, self-driving vehicles and precision agriculture seemed to have moved the needle.
However, in the US, there is continued uncertainty over how to find new spectrum for wireless communication. According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) CEO Meredith Attwell Baker, "to continue to meet the insatiable demand for wireless, drive innovation, and support America's economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to more full-power, licensed spectrum." In November 2023, the White House established the National Spectrum Strategy to improve spectrum access and management.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/americans-used-100-trillion-megabytes-of-wireless-data-last-year-123025183.html?src=rss
Americans utilized more wireless data last year than ever before, using over 100 trillion megabytes throughout 2023, Reuters reports. This record number represented a 36 percent or 26 trillion MB boost from 2022, according to an industry survey. The number of wireless connections also grew in 2023 to 558 million — a six percent jump over 2022.
Interestingly, these increases were fuelled more by new advancements than traditional outlets. Americans spent about 100 billion fewer minutes talking on the phone than the year prior and maintained a similar amount of text messaging. Instead, technology such as drones, space missions, self-driving vehicles and precision agriculture seemed to have moved the needle.
However, in the US, there is continued uncertainty over how to find new spectrum for wireless communication. According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) CEO Meredith Attwell Baker, "to continue to meet the insatiable demand for wireless, drive innovation, and support America's economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to more full-power, licensed spectrum." In November 2023, the White House established the National Spectrum Strategy to improve spectrum access and management.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/americans-used-100-trillion-megabytes-of-wireless-data-last-year-123025183.html?src=rss
In a government inquiry about AI adoption in Australia, Meta's global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh was asked whether her company has been collecting Australians' data to train its generative AI technology. According to ABC News, Claybaugh initially denied the claim, but upon being pressed, she ultimately admitted that Meta scrapes all the photos and texts in all Facebook and Instagram posts from as far back as 2007, unless the user had set their posts to private. Further, she admitted that the company isn't offering Australians an opt-out option like it does to users in the European Union.
Claybaugh said that Meta doesn't scrape the accounts of users under 18 years old, but she admitted that the company still collects their photos and other information if they're posted on their parents' or guardians' accounts. She couldn't answer, however, if the company collects data from previous years once a user turns 18. Upon being asked why Meta doesn't offer Australians the option not to consent to data collection, Claybaugh said that it exists in the EU "in response to a very specific legal frame," which most likely pertains to the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Meta had notified users in the EU that it will collect their data for AI training unless they opt out. "I will say that the ongoing conversation in Europe is the direct result of the existing regulatory landscape," Claybaugh explained during the inquiry. But even in the region, Claybaugh said that there's an "ongoing legal question around what is the interpretation of existing privacy law with respect to AI training." Meta decided not to offer its multimodal AI model and future versions in the block due to what it says is a lack of clarity from European regulators. Most of its concerns centered around the difficulties of training AI models with data from European users while complying with GDPR rules.
Despite those legal questions around AI adoption in Europe, bottom line is that Meta is giving users in the bloc the power to block data collection. "Meta made it clear today that if Australia had these same laws Australians' data would also have been protected," Australian Senator David Shoebridge told ABC News. "The government's failure to act on privacy means companies like Meta are continuing to monetise and exploit pictures and videos of children on Facebook."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-scraped-every-australian-users-account-to-train-its-ai-120026200.html?src=rss
In a government inquiry about AI adoption in Australia, Meta's global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh was asked whether her company has been collecting Australians' data to train its generative AI technology. According to ABC News, Claybaugh initially denied the claim, but upon being pressed, she ultimately admitted that Meta scrapes all the photos and texts in all Facebook and Instagram posts from as far back as 2007, unless the user had set their posts to private. Further, she admitted that the company isn't offering Australians an opt-out option like it does to users in the European Union.
Claybaugh said that Meta doesn't scrape the accounts of users under 18 years old, but she admitted that the company still collects their photos and other information if they're posted on their parents' or guardians' accounts. She couldn't answer, however, if the company collects data from previous years once a user turns 18. Upon being asked why Meta doesn't offer Australians the option not to consent to data collection, Claybaugh said that it exists in the EU "in response to a very specific legal frame," which most likely pertains to the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Meta had notified users in the EU that it will collect their data for AI training unless they opt out. "I will say that the ongoing conversation in Europe is the direct result of the existing regulatory landscape," Claybaugh explained during the inquiry. But even in the region, Claybaugh said that there's an "ongoing legal question around what is the interpretation of existing privacy law with respect to AI training." Meta decided not to offer its multimodal AI model and future versions in the block due to what it says is a lack of clarity from European regulators. Most of its concerns centered around the difficulties of training AI models with data from European users while complying with GDPR rules.
Despite those legal questions around AI adoption in Europe, bottom line is that Meta is giving users in the bloc the power to block data collection. "Meta made it clear today that if Australia had these same laws Australians' data would also have been protected," Australian Senator David Shoebridge told ABC News. "The government's failure to act on privacy means companies like Meta are continuing to monetise and exploit pictures and videos of children on Facebook."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-scraped-every-australian-users-account-to-train-its-ai-120026200.html?src=rss
2024 might just be Google’s year – for its Pixel-branded hardware, at least. After impressing us with the Pixel 9 phones, the company is ready to release the Pixel Watch 3. Spoiler alert: It continues the trend of this year’s Pixel hardware feeling more mature and ready to take on the competition than ever. With the introduction of a new larger size and serious battery life improvements, the Pixel Watch 3 feels like a smartwatch worthy of the Fitbit and Google partnership. There are still some quirks the company has to iron out, but for now, the Pixel Watch 3 feels like the final evolution of a Pokémon that is ready to battle the big beasts from Samsung and Apple.
Editor's note: At the time this review was first published, Apple had just begun its "It's Glowtime" event, where it's expected to unveil new versions of its smartwatch. Our review of the Pixel Watch 3 was largely conducted in comparison to the latest available model — the Series 9, and was also scored as such. We updated this piece on September 10 to include more details on Wear OS, navigation and the Pixel Watch 3's companion apps. None of that experience affects our score for the device.
The Pixel Watch 3’s design: A new size
One of the biggest developments with the Pixel Watch 3 is the fact that Google has finally introduced a larger size. The previous 41mm size lives on, but it’s now joined by a 45mm one, which is nice for people who always felt the original was just a little too dainty. You’ll also be able to see more on the bigger screen, though the 41mm variant also has a bit more real estate since Google managed to shave the bezels down a tad (16 percent, to be exact).
My colleague Sam Rutherford tested the 45mm model for us, and his exact words were, “It’s SOOO much nicer to have the big one.” Sam adds that this is “the size I wanted all along,” and it’s nice to see my bigger-wristed peers get considered at last.
Fans of a more conventional-looking timepiece will appreciate that the Pixel Watch’s face is circular like it’s always been. Compared to the Pixel Watch 2, this year’s smartwatch doesn’t look noticeably different. It has shiny edges and, in the right light, the crown on the right side sparkles.
Some of my more stylish reviewer friends paired their Pixel Watch 3 with a stainless steel mesh band, making it look right at home as part of their designer-decked outfit. I used the basic silicon sport band that came with my review sample, which I loved because I got the lovely pink color this year that goes with some new pants and bags I recently acquired. I remain an ardent fan of Google’s soft elastic loop straps that make putting the watch on super easy. They’re available in more colors and patterns this year, which is always nice. Sam goes as far as to call this “the best-looking mainstream smartwatch,” and, depending on our definition of “mainstream,” I’d have to agree.
I still wish the company was able to reduce the size of the knob just a bit, or at least make it jut out less. It still pushes into the back of my hand whenever I do a pushup or a plank, unless I turn the watch to the inside of my wrist first. Though you’d also get this issue with the Apple Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it’s not as prominent on the regular Apple Watch and I have a bit more space before accidentally triggering my Series 9.
I also found the Pixel Watch 3 a little too thick. The Apple Watch Series 9 is 10.7mm (0.42 inches) tall, while Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 is even thinner at 9.7mm. Google’s smartwatch is the chunkiest at 12.3mm, and at these sizes, every millimeter feels like a lot.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
The Pixel Watch 3’s display: Bigger, brighter, dimmer and slower
Every fraction of an inch also feels outsized when we’re talking about displays that are just 41mm and 45mm (the screens themselves are actually 32.2mm and 36.2mm respectively). In comparison, the Pixel Watch 2’s panel was just 30.5mm. While I didn’t feel like I gained a ton comparing my 41mm Pixel Watch 3 to its predecessor, I certainly saw a lot more on the 45mm model’s screen. Some of that is obvious — a larger display has more room for content or bigger fonts. But the improvements in readability cannot be understated, especially for anyone that needed something more legible.
Google didn’t simply enlarge the Pixel Watch’s panels — it upgraded them. These watches feature the company’s Actua displays that debuted on the Pixel 8 phones last year, which means they can get as bright as 2,000 nits or as low as 1 nit.
That latter made a huge difference when I was in a theater watching Alien: Romulus. While I had to turn on Theater mode on my Apple Watch Series 9 to prevent its screen from scorching my retina during the show, the Pixel Watch 3 automatically dropped to the lowest brightness and remained readable without bothering me or fellow cinemagoers.
The Pixel Watch 3’s screen is also capable of a variable refresh rate of between 1Hz and 60Hz, so it can deliver smooth animations when, say, you’re watching the live feed from your Nest camera. But when you’re not doing anything, the system can drop down to a battery-friendlier 1Hz. This isn’t something I really noticed in my daily use, but I’ll tease right now that it probably has a significant impact on battery life.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
The Pixel Watch 3 as a health and fitness tracker
I was probably the most impressed by the Pixel Watch 3 as a health and fitness tracker. It does a lot of things that competing products like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch do, like automatically detect certain workouts, prompt you to move if you’ve been idle for too long and keep tabs on your pulse and calorie burn as you’re exercising. But importantly, it does some of those things a lot better than its rivals.
As someone who likes to track every single walk I take, no matter how short the distance, I found the Pixel Watch 3 a dream. It consistently caught on that I had been out for a stroll, usually prompting me to log a workout once I hit the ten-minute mark. This also worked well on the many Citi bike rides I reluctantly took in New York City, and the Pixel Watch 3’s GPS tracking matched the Lyft app’s log every time. Only twice in about a dozen walks and bike rides did the Apple Watch Series 9 I was also wearing record these activities, probably because it has a higher threshold of about 20 minutes of activity to hit before it would register something.
Of course, the Galaxy Ring was the best at this, logging every little walk I took even if it was a mere quarter-mile journey that took just five to seven minutes. But that’s a completely different gadget that served a different purpose, so I won’t mention it much more in this piece.
With the Pixel Watch 3, Google introduced a few new features around running and cardio activities. You can now create custom running workouts, with specific segments for sprinting and resting. I found this very easy to use, and had no trouble setting up a short session with a 5-minute warmup, one-minute sprint, one-minute rest, a repeat of the run and rest segments, followed by a 5-minute cooldown. (I know, that’s the best running workout ever, very productive and demure.)
Screenshots
For the sprint segments, I had the choice of setting targets for pace, heart rate, distance or duration. When I eventually got into those windows when I was on the treadmill, it was clear I had overestimated my ability to hit an 8-minute mile speed, even for just a minute. I had pushed the treadmill to the 8 mph speed setting and was still getting alerts from the Pixel Watch 3 to hurry it up. I could barely guess what number I needed to be at to meet the mark that the watch helpfully displayed on a spectrum on the left of the screen.
This is certainly not a tool for running newbies, who would be better served with some of the coaching tools in Fitbit Premium (or an app like Couch To 5K). But for runners with cadence and speed goals or those who only want to go fast enough to be in a fat-burning heart rate zone, this would be a useful tool. I liked letting the watch tell me when to run for my life and when I could catch my breath, but otherwise as a casual runner I was less impressed and more intrigued by its potential. Digging into the data was fun and insightful, and I have a general sense of what I could do better if I wanted to improve.
When I was back to my regularly scheduled training program, I used both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Pixel Watch 3 in my F45 HIIT, cardio and weight-training classes. During every session, both watches were never more than a beat or two from each other when it came to stats like my heart rate, cardio zone and calories burned. At the end of each workout, both devices delivered recaps on my performance, and I have a slight preference for how Apple lays out the information. I appreciate that Google congratulates and encourages me for having completed a workout, but its little celebratory graphic at the top just takes up space. I also like that the words on Apple’s interface are slightly easier to read.
Screenshots
The Pixel Watch 3 also delivers a new stat called “Cardio load,” which can be used in tandem with your daily readiness score to help you train at a level that’s suitable for your energy expenditure. If you’ve already done a lot that week, you might get a high Cardio Load number, which could mean a lower target the next day, depending on how well you’ve recovered. The latter figure is determined primarily by your sleep, and you’ll only start seeing your readiness scores after having worn the Pixel Watch 3 to sleep on at least seven nights.
I am a fussy sleeper and wearing anything on my wrist keeps me awake, and I wasn’t able to test the Pixel Watch 3’s sleep-tracking or readiness scores. But Sam has been wearing his 45mm model to bed and in his experience the Pixel Watch 3 remains as accurate a sleep tracker as its predecessors.
Daily readiness is a feature that used to be limited to Fitbit Premium subscribers, and it’s now available for free to all Pixel Watch owners, which is nice. Like the cardio load number, this score is not something I can easily evaluate. Not only is it a somewhat nebulous idea (how should I go about counting my cardio load during a HIIT session, for example), its utility is also dubious.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
I’m not saying this is a bad feature, particularly since I haven’t spent much time with it. I have used other sleep trackers in the past that would assign sleep scores and similar readiness results. The most I’ve ever done with that data is try to get a day off when I was told I had an awful night’s sleep. And that didn’t even work in my favor since none of my managers ever cared about that type of info.
I like the idea of balancing activity and recovery, and applaud Google for making a more concerted effort to encourage that with the Pixel Watch 3. This is one of those features that’s up to the user to make the most of, and is highly subjective, depending on each person’s thirst for data and validation.
Another metric that’s notoriously difficult to verify and do anything with is stress-tracking. On multiple occasions during my testing, the Pixel Watch 3 buzzed and told me it detected “potential signs of stress or excitement,” along with the time it noted that reaction. These alerts typically came in ten minutes after the fact, by which point whatever was exciting or stressing me out was usually over. One time, I remembered to look at the clock after I was agitated by a bad driver in an extremely congested lane going into the Holland Tunnel. Ten minutes later, I was greeted by the Pixel Watch 3, saying it noticed my frustration, exactly when I checked the time earlier.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
I was impressed by the accuracy of the observation, but otherwise didn’t quite know what to do with the information. The alerts were vaguely worded (probably deliberately so), and you have the option of logging your mood or starting a mindful activity in the moment. It’s not always easy to remember why I was annoyed or excited ten minutes ago, so I ended up either guessing or simply shrugging. Even if Google were to tally up the number of times I had these reactions, I have to wonder if having emotional reactions might just be a normal part of life. There is something useful to be observed here, I’m sure, but I’m not certain that this feature is fully baked just yet.
One more thing that Google brought with the Pixel Watch 3 is “loss of pulse detection” — a feature that is supposed to sense when the wearer has a heart beat. If you’re having a cardiac arrest or respiratory failure, the device can check if you’re responsive and ping emergency contacts if necessary. Thankfully, I didn’t have a cardiac anomaly during the two weeks I’ve had the Pixel Watch 3, and never had a chance to test this feature out. But I can also say that it hasn’t been triggered inaccurately or accidentally so far.
In use — Wear OS 5 still needs some work
If you’re already familiar with Wear OS, the latest version of the software won’t feel foreign. Swiping up, down or sideways will still bring up notifications, settings and tiles. Pressing the crown will pull up all apps, where you’ll find icons laid out in a grid not unlike that on watchOS.
There are a few new features on the Pixel Watch 3 that other Wear OS watches like the Galaxy Watch won’t have. For one, the Fitbit-powered morning briefing is supposed to appear every day with details on your readiness and cardio load scores and targets. But Sam and I both wish it was more obvious. Instead of just appearing when you first put the watch on every day, you’ll just see a small icon at the bottom of the home screen. It would even be preferable if the briefing showed up at the top of the notifications list each morning. This isn’t a major gripe though, seeing as neither Apple nor Samsung surface this data either.
Wear OS could also use some tweaking. Sam wishes basic functions like timers and stopwatches were easier to get to, though personally I don’t mind relying on asking the Assistant for those tasks. And though many of the available watch faces are nice, Sam wishes there were more options, as “nothing really stood out.”
I used both the Pixel Watch 3 and the Apple Watch Series 9 to navigate to a brewery in Red Hook, and the two devices fared similarly. I will say that Apple’s GPS seemed more responsive, pinging me earlier than Google’s to take upcoming turns. It even alerted me when I was basically at the entrance to the bar, whereas the Pixel Watch didn’t seem to realize I was at my destination even after I was seated inside the establishment.
Finally, an area you’ll be spending a lot of time as a Pixel Watch 3 wearer is the Fitbit app on your phone. And the Watch app as well. Neither of these have changed much, and they’re clean and easy to use. I feel like there’s a lot of blank space that makes the interface feel sparse, and could possibly be put to better use and improve readability. But, again, that’s not at all a complaint and, as it is, the app functions fine.
The Pixel Watch 3’s battery life: Huge improvement
The Pixel Watch 3’s biggest win is arguably its battery life. Google managed to prolong its runtime by quite a lot, ostensibly by doing a few things. First, the Actua displays’ ability to drop to 1Hz when a high refresh rate is unnecessary probably helped conserve some battery. Wear OS 5 might actually be more power-efficient as well and combined with the watch’s dual-chip architecture there were some gains made. Throw in the new auto bedtime mode that turns off notifications and the Always On Display when you’re asleep, and you’ve got a watch that finally lasts well into the morning after a full day and night.
According to Sam, the auto bedtime mode is effective, and “the screen has stayed off for me reliably every night.” To be clear, even in auto bedtime mode, the Pixel Watch 3 will still track your sleep, so you’re not sacrificing precious data in exchange for battery life. It’s also nice to not have to panic about putting the device on its charger the second you wake up.
Both Sam and I found our review units typically lasted at least a day and a half, with the 45mm version staying around a few hours longer in general. My 41mm model was neck and neck with my Apple Watch Series 9, with both wearables hitting about 15 percent at about 11pm after a day out. This number depends on how much you’ve actively used the Pixel Watch 3, of course. A day of numerous Citi bike rides tracked later and my unit was down to 30 percent the next morning, and though the Apple Watch had a bit more juice that same period, it barely logged any of the activity.
If you’re in a pinch, you should be able to squeeze a couple of hours more juice when you turn on Battery Saver mode. According to Google, you should be able to get 24 hours of use on a Pixel Watch 3, and the power-saving mode should extend that to 36 hours, by disabling the Always On Display and limiting background app activity.
One of the best improvements to the Pixel Watch 3 is its charging speed. The 41mm Pixel Watch 3 has basically the same size battery as its predecessor, but as it charges 20 percent faster, it’ll get to 100 percent in 15 minutes less time than before. That’s even if you place it on last year’s charger, meaning the tweaks happened on the watch itself, not on the charging cradle.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
Wrap-up
It only took three generations. But for the first time, the Pixel Watch feels ready to unseat Samsung’s Galaxy Watch as the best smartwatch for non-Apple users. Those on iPhones will probably find it easier to continue to stay in their ecosystems, but if you’re looking for an Android answer to the Apple Watch, the Pixel Watch 3 might be it. People who own Samsung devices will likely benefit from the integrations with Galaxy phones, of course. So part of the Pixel Watch’s success here has to do with whether people have already bought into Google’s brand
Which brings me to what this means for Google’s greater hardware plans. One of the main reasons it’s hard to leave Apple for Android has been the former’s seamless vertical integration. Features like AirDrop and AirPlay make inter-device interaction so easy that there’s no good substitute elsewhere. Then there’s the RCS vs iMessage, green-bubble-blue-bubble stigma that locks people into iPhones, keeping many from switching.
Getting the Pixel Watch 3 to a point that’s as good as an Apple Watch is a major step towards vertical product integration parity, and could give Google a better shot at gaining and retaining new users. A lot of this will have to do with awareness and marketing, sure, but at the very least, Google finally has a solid smartwatch with which to start.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/pixel-watch-3-review-google-finally-got-it-right-especially-with-the-battery-life-170005758.html?src=rss
Oh, this week isn’t just new Apple product announcements. No. Sony has elbowed its way in to officially introduce the long-awaited PS5 Pro, with more power and seemingly less compromise.
Sony wants to narrow the gap between the fidelity and performance modes players are accustomed to choosing between — either high frame rates or high resolution, and you could switch between the two in most AAA games on the PS5.
To do that, the PS5 Pro’s GPU has 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster RAM than the standard PS5. According to the console’s lead architect Mark Cerny, the new console will deliver up to 45 percent faster graphic rendering. Ray-tracing performance could be up to three times as faster — often an optional feature toggle on games as it can also hamper frame rates.
Meanwhile, Sony’s AI-upscaling tech (i.e., its take on the likes of NVIDIA’s DLSS) is called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR, which should sharpen up in-game assets without the need to remake them. The new console includes a game boost tool to improve the performance of more than 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games.
The PS5 Pro is the same size as the not-small original launch model, but there’s no disc drive model. That’s another paid extra, on top of that $700 price. The good news is it does have a decent 2TB of storage built in.
Interested? Pre-orders start on September 26, and it will arrive on November 7.
— Mat Smith
We're having some issues with new subscriptions to the newsletter version of TMA, but our form should be back online soon! Thanks for reading!
The government hasn’t determined an age limit yet.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that would prevent children under a certain age from using social media. Reuters reported that Albanese issued his statement in a TV interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The Australian government would start by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also didn’t state a specific age limit but estimated he’d like the ban to be for children younger than 14 to 16 because “we know that social media is causing social harm.”
Huawei’s flagship foldable, the Mate XT, is the first triple-fold phone to hit the market and will debut in China, starting at 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800). That’s enough to buy an 11-inch iPad Pro, M3 MacBook Air and an iPhone 16. The device folds up accordion-style, with one hinge bending outward and the other inward, leaving one panel available to use as a 6.4-inch exterior display. Unfolded, it creates a 10.2-inch screen, more like the tablets we use. It’s technically impressive but financially prohibitive.
Oh, this week isn’t just new Apple product announcements. No. Sony has elbowed its way in to officially introduce the long-awaited PS5 Pro, with more power and seemingly less compromise.
Sony wants to narrow the gap between the fidelity and performance modes players are accustomed to choosing between — either high frame rates or high resolution, and you could switch between the two in most AAA games on the PS5.
To do that, the PS5 Pro’s GPU has 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster RAM than the standard PS5. According to the console’s lead architect Mark Cerny, the new console will deliver up to 45 percent faster graphic rendering. Ray-tracing performance could be up to three times as faster — often an optional feature toggle on games as it can also hamper frame rates.
Meanwhile, Sony’s AI-upscaling tech (i.e., its take on the likes of NVIDIA’s DLSS) is called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR, which should sharpen up in-game assets without the need to remake them. The new console includes a game boost tool to improve the performance of more than 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games.
The PS5 Pro is the same size as the not-small original launch model, but there’s no disc drive model. That’s another paid extra, on top of that $700 price. The good news is it does have a decent 2TB of storage built in.
Interested? Pre-orders start on September 26, and it will arrive on November 7.
— Mat Smith
We're having some issues with new subscriptions to the newsletter version of TMA, but our form should be back online soon! Thanks for reading!
The government hasn’t determined an age limit yet.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that would prevent children under a certain age from using social media. Reuters reported that Albanese issued his statement in a TV interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The Australian government would start by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also didn’t state a specific age limit but estimated he’d like the ban to be for children younger than 14 to 16 because “we know that social media is causing social harm.”
Huawei’s flagship foldable, the Mate XT, is the first triple-fold phone to hit the market and will debut in China, starting at 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800). That’s enough to buy an 11-inch iPad Pro, M3 MacBook Air and an iPhone 16. The device folds up accordion-style, with one hinge bending outward and the other inward, leaving one panel available to use as a 6.4-inch exterior display. Unfolded, it creates a 10.2-inch screen, more like the tablets we use. It’s technically impressive but financially prohibitive.
As the world turns, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old, so it’s due for a refresh. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been swirling for years, but now they are really heating up. A sequel to Nintendo's most successful home console ever is coming and it’s likely coming sooner rather than later.
Will it be a straight up sequel to the Switch with updated specs while retaining the same hybrid functionality or will Nintendo get weird with it? Will it even be called the Switch 2, or will the company go with something like the Super Switch or even the New Nintendo Switch? You can never tell with Nintendo. Heck, maybe it’ll call the thing the Switch U.
In any event, recent weeks have brought feverish speculation regarding all aspects of the forthcoming gaming console. It’s important to note, however, that very little information has been confirmed by Nintendo. The company operates on its own timetable. With that said, here are all of the rumors that are most likely to come true, given industry analysis.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be announced?
As previously mentioned, Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum. We don’t exactly know when it’ll hold an event to reveal the console. It likely won't be in 2024, as the tech year is winding down and it's rare to get announcements of new harder in late November and December.
Even Nintendo has trouble keeping the lid on a major console release, so we could learn something before the official reveal. There are parts that have to be sourced and shipments that have to be made. A senior analyst at MST Financial noted a spike in production equipment spending by Nintendo assembler Hosiden.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?
Once again, this is more or less a mystery. We aren’t totally in the dark, but it’s mostly rumor and speculation. One thing we know for sure is that Nintendo will announce the Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever it chooses to call it) by March 2025, as the company confirmed back in May. Some are saying there will be a March release date, which makes sense given the OG Switch came out on March 17, 2017. However, other reports put the console’s release window later in 2025.
We can infer a lot from the announcement date. If the console is announced this year, March would be a safe bet, given that the original Switch was officially confirmed in October of 2016. However, the console likely won't be announced until next year, at this point, so expect a late 2025 release.
Will it even be a proper Switch sequel?
Nintendo has a weird track record here. The baffling Wii U followed the massive success of the Wii. The Wii itself followed the more traditional GameCube. In other words, it’s possible it’ll be something out of left field and not exactly a true sequel to the Switch. However, this is unlikely this time around. As much as I would love to see wacky VR glasses or a completely bonkers console concept, all points indicate a more traditional approach.
Developers have already seen the hardware, though in a much earlier form, and it seems to be a regular old console. While Nintendo hasn't confirmed hybrid functionality, it’d be a weird omission given the absolute financial firestorm of the Switch. We’ve also heard rumors of a Mini-LED display, which would track for a hybrid console. It’s highly likely this will be a straight-up Switch 2, or something like it, calling to mind the Super Nintendo.
To that end, recent rumors suggest a design that recalls the original Switch. According to reporting by VGC, photos of the console have appeared online and they show an 8-inch screen and magnetic Joy-Con controllers. There looks to be SL/SR buttons and front-facing player LEDs on these controllers.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?
If it’s a sequel to the Switch, the next question has to be about backwards compatibility. The Switch’s library is absolutely massive, and continues to grow, so gamers would be rightfully peeved if they couldn’t play Tears of the Kingdom on their new next-gen console. There’s good news on this front.
The company has officially announced in a recent earnings report that the console will be fully backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles.
What about specs?
The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so it’s tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: It’ll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks for me, as these specs are about as underpowered in 2024 as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports do indicate that the console would include 12GB of RAM.
Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it's the Switch 2's new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It's all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's "deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)
There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers.
As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch display LCD display, but there have also been rumors about an 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Some analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of (surprise!) mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the blacks more black. I’m hedging my bets here. I think it’ll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s certainly a possibility at launch.
As for resolution, recent reporting suggests that the console will output 1080p in handheld and 4K when docked. That's much better than the OG Switch.
How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
We don't have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the "magic number" when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300.
However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Numerous outlets have reported it'll be $400, or potentially even more expensive. However, the same analysts who say the console will be $400 were also fairly certain it would be out by the end of 2024 and, well, it looks like that ain't happening.
Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make it nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.
Do we know about any launch games?
Nope! But it’s certainly been a long time since we’ve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure, right? That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch.
If there’s a gimmick or hook involved with the console, we’ll also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility.
That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.
Update, November 11, 2024, 9:00 AM ET: This story has been updated with details about the Switch 2's backwards compatibility as well as more details about the current expected announcement and release timeline.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-the-coming-release-110023903.html?src=rss
As the world turns, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old, so it’s due for a refresh. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been swirling for years, but now they are really heating up. A sequel to Nintendo's most successful home console ever is coming and it’s likely coming sooner rather than later.
Will it be a straight up sequel to the Switch with updated specs while retaining the same hybrid functionality or will Nintendo get weird with it? Will it even be called the Switch 2, or will the company go with something like the Super Switch or even the New Nintendo Switch? You can never tell with Nintendo. Heck, maybe it’ll call the thing the Switch U.
In any event, recent weeks have brought feverish speculation regarding all aspects of the forthcoming gaming console. It’s important to note, however, that very little information has been confirmed by Nintendo. The company operates on its own timetable. With that said, here are all of the rumors that are most likely to come true, given industry analysis.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be announced?
As previously mentioned, Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum. We don’t exactly know when it’ll hold an event to reveal the console. However, many are predicting that it’ll happen sometime this month. Why is this? The company recently shuffled around its normal Nintendo Direct schedule to make room for something in September, as indicated by Kotaku. September is also an important time in the Japanese video game calendar, as Tokyo Game Show is scheduled for the end of the month.
Many members of the press have also heard “industry whispers” regarding a September reveal event. These include GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring, who teased that something Switch 2-related would be happening this month. Editor-in-chief of VGC, Andy Robinson, concurred that a “bunch of press have heard this” but said that he “wouldn’t bet my house on it.”
No-one seems to have noticed the Nintendo assembler- Hosiden is spending ¥2bn on production equipment and ¥1bn on automation in FY3/25 for its major customer in amusement (Nintendo). I still expect Sept news and March 2025 release for next device. pic.twitter.com/APGEGGSyS8
Even Nintendo has trouble keeping the lid on a major console release. There are parts that have to be sourced and shipments that have to be made. A senior analyst at MST Financial noted a spike in production equipment spending by Nintendo assembler Hosiden, so he also expects a September announcement date.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?
Once again, this is more or less a mystery. We aren’t totally in the dark, but it’s mostly rumor and speculation. One thing we know for sure is that Nintendo will announce the Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever it chooses to call it) by March 2025, as the company confirmed that back in May. Some are saying there will be a March release date, which makes sense given the OG Switch came out on March 17, 2017. However, other reports put the console’s release window later in 2025.
We can infer a lot from the announcement date. If the console gets announced this year, March is likely, given that the original Switch was officially confirmed in October of 2016. If the announcement doesn't come until next year, the launch probably won’t come until after April.
Will it even be a proper Switch sequel?
Nintendo has a weird track record here. The baffling Wii U followed the massive success of the Wii. The Wii itself followed the more traditional GameCube. In other words, it’s possible it’ll be something out of left field and not exactly a true sequel to the Switch. However, this is unlikely this time around. As much as I would love to see wacky VR glasses or a completely bonkers console concept, all points indicate a more traditional approach.
Developers have already seen the hardware, though in a much earlier form, and it seems to be a regular old console. While Nintendo hasn't confirmed hybrid functionality, it’d be a weird omission given the absolute financial firestorm of the Switch. We’ve also heard rumors of a Mini-LED display, which would track for a hybrid console. It’s highly likely this will be a straight-up Switch 2, or something like it, calling to mind the Super Nintendo.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?
If it’s a sequel to the Switch, the next question has to be about backwards compatibility. The Switch’s library is absolutely massive, and continues to grow, so gamers would be rightfully peeved if they couldn’t play Tears of the Kingdom on their new next-gen console. There’s good news on this front.
Multiple sources have reported that the console will likely be fully backwards compatible, which is great. This should be true of both digital releases and physical cartridges. Even Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser seemed to indicate this during an interview conducted last year, saying that the company’s goal this time around is to “minimize the dip you typically see in the last year of one cycle and the beginning of another.” Backwards compatibility would certainly get that done. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has also told investors that the company's revamped account system will make transitioning from Switch to its successor more smooth than previous generational leaps.
What about specs?
The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so it’s tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: It’ll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks for me, as these specs are about as underpowered in 2024 as the original Switch was in 2017.
Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it's the Switch 2's new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It's all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's "deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)
There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers.
As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch display LCD display, but there have also been rumors about an 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Some analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of (surprise!) mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the blacks more black. I’m hedging my bets here. I think it’ll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s certainly a possibility at launch.
How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
We don't have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the "magic number" when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300.
However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Numerous outlets have reported it'll be $400, or potentially even more expensive. However, the same analysts who say the console will be $400 were also fairly certain it would be out by the end of 2024 and, well, it looks like that ain't happening.
Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make it nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.
Do we know about any launch games?
Nope! But it’s certainly been a long time since we’ve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure, right? That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch.
If there’s a gimmick or hook involved with the console, we’ll also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility.
That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-the-coming-release-110023903.html?src=rss