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Thanks to an August leak, Bose's new lineup of QuietComfort headphones aren't exactly a surprise — at least in terms of their appearance. However, the key feature of the headphones and earbuds wasn't tipped until now. Today, the company officially announced the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, both of which pack in Bose's stellar active noise cancellation (ANC) but also feature the addition of the company's new Immersive Audio.

Bose says Immersive Audio makes spatial sound "accessible to all." That's because the company's take on the listening format doesn't require specialized content. The QC Ultra devices rely on virtualization and can work with any streaming service to put you in the "acoustic sweet spot,' using a combination of onboard components and new digital signal processing. Immersive Audio has two modes, Still and Motion, that are designed for use when you're sitting or moving. Motion utilizes head tracking to keep the sound in front of you at all times. And of course, you can opt to turn Immersive Audio off completely for just the stock Bose sound.

In a brief demo with the spatial audio tech on the QC Ultra Headphones, I was impressed with what Bose is able to do without dedicated immersive content. I experienced both Still and Motion modes in a tightly controlled demo with a live band and with a small selection of songs on a connected phone. There is a big difference in Immersive Audio and the standard Bose tuning and I'll bet most people will keep it active during movies and music. Sometimes you don't notice a major improvement with spatial sound, but with Bose's tech, everything was more dimensional and punchier with more clarity and detail. What's more, the company's robust ANC is as effective as ever, silencing simulated street noise without me ever noticing it. 

The company is debuting a new design on the QC Ultra Headphones, one that has elements of both previous QuietComfort models and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. The biggest change is to the headband where the company has replaced some of the placed with metal for a more premium look. This addresses a key criticism we've had of Bose products in the past, but it does so without adding unnecessary heft that sacrifices comfort.

Another big change is the new volume control. In the past, Bose opted for physical buttons, but here there's a capacitive touch strip that you swipe to adjust volume levels. It's right on the edge of the earcup, easily accessible with your thumb. There's still a physical multi-function button for playback control, changing listening modes and answering calls. The 3.5mm audio jack remains for wired listening and the QC Ultra Headphones charge via USB-C (there's no audio over USB-C though).

That new Immersive Audio tech does impact battery life. Bose says you can expect up 18 hours of use with it and ANC active. If you disable it, that figure jumps to 24 hours — still with active noise cancellation turned on. The company also says you can expect upgrades to call quality as the QC Ultra Headphones can pick out your voice from 360 degrees of ambient noise. The mics also help with improved ANC overall, as well as Aware Mode with ActiveSense for tuning into your surroundings.

When it comes to the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, Immersive Audio is once again the headline feature. However, Bose says it also improved call quality with dynamic microphone mixing and adaptive filters. The company explains that the setup works in real time to prioritize which earbud is getting the least wind noise while also selecting from a number of noise filters to keep you sounding your best.

The design of the QC Ultra Earbuds has also been slightly refreshed, with a dash of silver on the outside touch panel. Bose also redesigned the stability band (or fit wing) to wrap around the underside of each earbud. That component also locks in place now, so you'll know they're properly installed. Once again, Immersive Audio affects battery life as the QC Ultra Earbuds will last up to four hours with it on. The company says you can expect two more hours of use with that spatial sound disabled. Bose will also offer an optional wireless charging case cover with these new earbuds, but it will cost you can extra $49.

Bose is also replacing the QuietComfort 45 headphones with new QuietComfort Headphones. Here, you get that classic QC design, Bose's powerful ANC, up to 24 hours of battery life and Bluetooth multi-point connectivity. These headphones, as well as both Ultra models, support Bose SimpleSync that allows you to pair them with select soundbars and speakers "for a personal listening experience."

All three new models are available for pre-order today. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are $429 and the QuietComort Ultra Earbuds are $299. Both will ship in early October. The QuietComfort Headphones will be available on September 21 for $349.

When we think about machine learning, our minds often jump to datacenters full of sweating, overheating GPUs. However, lighter-weight hardware can also be used to these ends, as demonstrated by [Nikodem Bartnik] and his latest robot.

The robot is charged with autonomously navigating a simple racetrack delineated by cardboard barriers. The robot is based on a two-wheeled design with tank-style steering. Controlled by an Arduino Uno, the robot uses a Slamtec RPLIDAR sensor to help map out its surroundings. The microcontroller is also armed with a Bluetooth link and an SD card for storage.

The robot was first driven around the racetrack multiple times under manual control, all the while collecting LIDAR data. This data was combined with control inputs to help create a data set that could be used to train a machine learning model. Feature selection techniques were used to refine down the data points collected to those most relevant to completing the driving task. [Nikodem] explains how the model was created and then refined to drive the robot by itself in a variety of race track designs.

It’s a great primer on machine learning techniques applied to a small embedded platform.

TikTok and Billboard are collaborating on a pop music chart. TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart is a new weekly roundup listing the most popular songs on the social platform in the US. The list debuts with the track “SkeeYee” by Sexyy Red taking the inaugural top spot.

TikTok and Billboard describe the collaboration as the first official chart in the US to provide the “most accurate record” of the hottest songs on the platform. As TikTok has proven it can even revive the fortunes of four-decade-old classic rock tunes, the company says its chart combines creations, video views and user engagement by the US TikTok community to tally the top hits. The list will be updated weekly on Thursdays.

Following Sexyy Red’s top spot is Doja Cat, with “Paint The Town Red” at number two. “August” by Taylor Swift, who has six songs in the top 50, lands at number three. The list includes one startling entry: Convicted sex offender R. Kelly somehow appears at number 45 with his unfortunately titled song “It Seems Like You’re Ready.”

“I am so excited that so many of my songs are charting on TikTok and Billboard’s new chart,” said Sexyy Red. “I always knew I would be a #1 type of artist, so I want to thank all my fans on TikTok for running my music up! I’m just being me on TikTok and people love it.”

You can check out the weekly charts in the TikTok app by selecting the round icon on the screen’s bottom corner and then tapping the “Music Charts” button on the top right. Alternatively, you can view the Top 50 chart on Billboard’s website.

Hades is widely considered one of the best games of 2020, but players were able to get their hands on it long before then as it hit early access in December 2018. The hotly anticipated sequel is on a similar path, and developer Supergiant Games has revealed roughly when you'll be able to try it.

Hades II will enter early access on PC in Q2 2024 — in other words, sometime next spring — via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Supergiant will reveal the exact early access release date and details such as pricing and system requirements in the coming months.

Supergiant noted in a blog post that it's planning for Hades II to have at least as much content in early access from the jump as the original did during its early access period. "Even though early access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to make sure Hades II is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity," the studio said.

Some folks will be able to check out Hades II even earlier as Supergiant is planning a technical test. The aim of this is to unearth and resolve compatibility or technical issues before more players hop in during early access. However, the build for the technical test will have "much less content than what's in store for the early access launch, and likely be limited only to a relatively small subset of players who express interest in participating."

Early access can be enormously helpful for a game's success, as Supergiant and Baldur's Gate III developer Larian Studios have found. So the former is sticking with a similar rollout plan for Hades II. "We believe the timeframe we're planning for will be the 'sweet spot' where the game is far enough along that player feedback won't mostly consist of stuff we already know isn't there yet, but isn't so far along that it's too late in development for us to act on the feedback we receive," the studio wrote.

Supergiant plans to release major updates to Hades II during the early access period and to make changes based on feedback. The story and number of characters will expand, as will relationships between existing ones (it's reasonable to assume there will be a lot of sexual tension this time around too). Supergiant will wrap up the story when it releases the full version of Hades II, but it doesn't have a clear sense of when that will be just yet. Console players, sadly, may have to wait until then.

The world’s leading Gran Turismo 7 players have had their shot at beating Sony’s AI racer, GT Sophy, and they lost spectacularly. Now, the bot has added drifting to its move set to rub salt on the wounds, as seen in a video from the Gran Turismo World Series 2023 event. The video clearly shows an AI-controlled vehicle drifting around the track like an absolute maniac. Meanwhile, most people can’t pull off successful drifts in Mario Kart, let alone in realistic racers like Gran Turismo.

GT Sophy, you can guess what the GT stands for, is the result of more than six years of development between Sony AI and Sony Interactive Entertainment, and utilizes deep reinforcement learning methods. These methods have trained the artificial intelligence algorithm to control the digital race car within the game’s structure and limitations. When first unveiled, Sophy was a master at various racing tactics like slipstreaming, passing and blocking, though drifting is a new move for the bot.

Sony says that GT Sophy is here to stay, stating that the company’s continuing its efforts to make the AI a “permanent part of the game.” To that end, Sony let regular Gran Turismo 7 players face off against GT Sophy last year for a limited time, so maybe that promotion will return.

For the uninitiated, drifting is a popular move in both real-world racing and its digital equivalent. First introduced in the 1980s by Japanese racer Keiichi Tsuchiya, drifting involves steering a vehicle so it makes a controlled skid sideways through a turn. This allows you to quickly take steep turns, shaving off crucial seconds from a run.

Now that algorithms can perform this feat, don’t count on outracing any evil robots when the AI apocalypse starts. You should probably just hide instead, or ply Alexa with compliments to get on her good side.

Riot Forge, the spinoff-focused publishing label of Riot Games, announced two League of Legends universe updates today. Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, which Riot Forge delayed a year ago, finally has a release date: November 1. The Riot Games subsidiary also announced a cozy and adorable new League of Legends spinoff, Bandle Tale. They follow League of Legends offshoots The Mageseeker and Convergence, which launched earlier this year.

Song of Nunu is a story-driven adventure where you embark on “the ultimate road trip” with League champions Nun and Willump. “Players will hike, climb, and sled their way across the Freljord, a frostbitten land full of harsh blizzards, ferocious wolves and enchantment,” the game’s press release reads. “Gamers must use their wits to progress through the frozen landscape and uncover what secrets lie hidden beneath the ice.” Tequila Works developed the Riot Forge-published title.

The $30 game will launch on November 1 on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. (Riot Forge says other console launch dates will be announced later.) Digital pre-orders for the title are available today, and those who reserve the game will get a bonus digital art book. Riot will also try to entice you with a $100 Collector’s Edition that adds Willump and Poro plush dolls, an art book, four postcards, five enamel pins, a collectible art print and a pop-up diorama.

The cute Bandle Tale doesn’t yet have a release date, but it does have a charming trailer that showcases the title’s retro top-down aesthetic. You play as a yordle (the quirky little residents of Bandle City) as you “gather and craft to fulfill quests with beloved League of Legends champions to rescue Bandle City and reunite its inhabitants.” Riot Forge describes it as a laid-back experience appealing to “cozy game” fans.

Riot Forge will have more Bandle Tale release details and news about a collector’s edition “soon.” In the meantime, you can better grasp Lazy Bear Games’ mechanics and charming style in the trailer below.

Unity has temporarily closed its offices in San Francisco and Austin, Texas and canceled a town hall meeting after receiving death threats, according to Bloomberg. Earlier this week, the company announced a contentious change to its business model. 

"Today, we have been made aware of a potential threat to some of our offices. We have taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure the safety of our employees, which is our top priority," a Unity spokesperson told Engadget. "We are closing our offices today and tomorrow that could be potential targets for this threat, and are fully cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation."

Starting on January 1, developers will be charged a fee every time someone installs a game built in Unity after they reach certain revenue or install thresholds. The decision sparked an astonishing backlash against Unity from across the gaming industry, with some suggesting it will hit developers, publishers and distributors hard in the pocket. Those who make freemium games (which don't cost anything to download and generate revenue through advertising and microtransactions) or set a low price on their titles could be hit particularly hard.

Some studios, including Slay the Spire developer Mega Crit Games, have pledged to move games they have been building in Unity for several years to another platform, despite the impact that will have on their production timelines. 

It might just be time to upgrade your monitor or to buy an external display for your laptop. As luck would have it, there’s a sale on Samsung monitors on Amazon right now, with savings of up to 40 percent. One deal that’s definitely worth taking notice of is a discount on the Samsung Smart Monitor M8. That has dropped by $120 to $580, which is the lowest price we’ve seen to date.

Since it's a smart monitor, it can do more than just display your computer's video output. You can effectively use the 32-inch M8 as a smart TV to stream shows and movies from the likes of Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. You can stream games via the Samsung Gaming Hub, which includes Xbox Cloud Gaming. So, all you'll need is a controller and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to hop into the likes of Starfield.

There's Microsoft 365 support, so you can get some work done and even browse the web without hooking up a PC or laptop at all. A detachable SimFit Cam could come in handy for video calls — it can help keep the focus on your face as you move around.

There's the option to connect to a PC remotely using the Workmode feature. In addition, you can connect a Samsung phone or tablet and use them in DeX mode. You will have the ability to control your smart home devices with the M8 via SmartThings and built-in Alexa support too.

Elsewhere, the curved Odyssey G8 gaming monitor is $996.51 (down 34 percent from $1,500) and if you really feel like splashing out, the enormous 55-inch Odyssey Ark has dropped by 33 percent from $3,000 to $2,000. For the full 40 percent discount and a more budget-friendly monitor, though, it's worth considering the Odyssey G32A, which is down from $250 to $150.

This is a Full HD 24-inch gaming monitor with a refresh rate of up to 165Hz and a response rate of just 1ms. There's support for FreeSync Premium, which should reduce screen tearing and minimize input latency further for those with AMD-powered systems. If you need a gaming monitor with solid performance but don't want to break the bank, this seems like a viable option for you.

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PC indie standout Dave the Diver is coming to the Nintendo Switch, the game’s first proper console launch. The title was teased at today’s Nintendo Direct livestream event and it releases next month, on October 26th. However, for the curious, a free demo drops for the Switch today. This is good news for gamers, as Dave the Diver has long-seemed like the perfect match for the Switch, due to its bite-sized gameplay segments.

What’s all the fuss about? Dave the Diver casts you as, wait for it, a guy named Dave who dives for a living. So you spend your days exploring an ever-changing underwater wonderland, catching fish, battling with sharks and, occasionally, betting on seahorse races. Once you finish adventuring, the game shifts gears. You spend your nights operating a sushi restaurant, so those fish you catch get transformed into delectable menu items.

The daytime adventures are sort of like an underwater Metroidvania while the nighttime restaurant management is a combination of a Kairosoft sim and the arcade classic Tapper. It shouldn’t work, as the gameplay loops are extremely different, but everything meshes splendidly. There’s also an overarching adventure that may or may not include a giant shrimp wearing boxing gloves.

The longer you play Dave the Diver, the more gameplay elements it introduces. Eventually, you’ll unlock a simple farming sim, kitchen mini-games akin to something like Cooking Mama and your very own fish nursery so you can breed hammerhead sharks with reckless abandon.

We always knew it was coming to Switch, and now we have a launch date. Check out the demo to see if the gameplay jives with your tastes. There’s no word on if the title will eventually launch on other consoles. In other news, today's Nintendo Direct also teased a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and a battle royale take on the classic racer F-Zero.

Apple announced its latest iPhones this week, which means, after several months of betas, iOS 17 is about ready to launch to the public. The new software includes significant upgrades to Messages, FaceTime, keyboard and more. Here’s everything you need to know to upgrade your iPhone the latest firmware.

What devices are not supported by iOS 17?

First, iOS 17 is only available for iPhones launched within the last five years. That means phones from 2018’s iPhone Xs / Xr series are the oldest compatible models. Other supported devices include all models from the iPhone 11 (2019), iPhone 12 (2020), iPhone 13 (2021) and iPhone 14 (2022) lines. (That includes the standard, pro, Pro Max, mini or plus-sized variants from any given generation.) In addition, the second and third generations of Apple’s budget iPhone SE are supported. If you’re unsure which model you have, you can head to Settings > General > About > Model Name on your phone. If you don’t see that box, you can look at the Model Number on the same page and head to Apple’s support document that breaks down each model’s corresponding number.

How to install iOS 17

Once you confirm your device is supported, you have two options. You can wait for Monday, September 18, when the update will become available to the public. At that time, navigating to Settings > General > About > Software Update will allow you to install the software over the air once Apple has pushed it live. (If you have automatic updates turned on, it will install automatically but maybe not until a few days after the software is available.) Or, you can run a beta version to cut in line and try the software before its official launch.

How to install iOS 17 before the release date

To install iOS 17 before Monday, you can install the RC (release candidate) beta, which usually ends up being identical to the final version. Doing that is much easier this generation: Head to Settings > General > About > Software Update, then tap the option for Beta Updates. Selecting the Developer beta option will (at the time of publication) push the RC1 update that Apple pushed to developers on Tuesday after its iPhone launch event. (The release candidate will likely launch through the public beta later this week.) Just be sure to head back to the same place in settings after Monday and turn off beta updates if you don’t want to keep installing future versions of the (sometimes buggy) bleeding edge of iPhone software.

Mat Smith / Engadget

New features with iOS 17

iOS 17 enhances Messages with machine learning-based audio message transcriptions. So if your long-winded friend leaves you a meandering monologue, you can skip the playback and read a text breakdown of the note’s contents, sparing you from a full listen. In Engadget’s time with the betas, we found the transcription accurate with British and American accents. Apple also moved most of Messages’ features and apps behind a plus button to the left of the input box in any chat. Tapping that symbol will expand, revealing the options that lived above the keyboard (including Memojis and GIFs) on older iOS versions.

FaceTime adds video voicemails, so you can let your friends see you as you leave them a message. iOS 17 also works with tvOS 17 to allow you to take FaceTime calls on Apple TV, using your iPhone or iPad as a camera.

The update also includes a new StandBy mode that transforms your iPhone into a smart display when it’s charging while sitting horizontally. Meanwhile, Contact Posters give you customizable full-screen profiles that flash on your phone’s screen when friends and family call. Namedrop makes exchanging numbers and other info with new friends easier by bringing your iPhones or Apple Watches close together. And the iOS 17 keyboard adds a new inline predictive text feature that uses machine learning to guess the rest of your sentence (a quick space bar tap confirms it). You can read more about all the new features in Engadget’s full iOS 17 preview.