Ahead of the show's Apple TV+ premiere on September 24th, Apple has offered another look at its latest sci-fi saga, Foundation. The latest trailer doesn't reveal too much about the story, but it has some impressive visuals. 

The clip features a elevator that, according to showrunner David S. Goyer, stretches around 26 miles into space. There's also a floating visualization of a supercomputer that takes design cues from a Möbius strip. Goyer told IGN that he challenged his production team to find a look that didn't remind viewers of Star Wars or Star Trek, perhaps the two biggest linchpins of science fiction. In any case, it's clear Apple hasn't skimped on the budget.

The show seems to be much more about humanity more than eye-popping visual effects, though. Based on a series of Isaac Asimov novels, Foundation centers around a group of exiles who try to protect the future of civilization after leader Dr. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) uses data to predict the fall of the Galactic Empire. What's left of the Empire isn't too thrilled about that, and it tries to suppress Seldon's group.

The story plays out over the course of a millennium. The first season will run for 10 episodes, with the first two episodes dropping at the same time and the remainder hitting Apple TV+ on a weekly basis.

Apple TV+ has more sci-fi projects on the way. Invasion, oddly enough, is a series about an alien invasion. It debuts on October 22nd. A couple of weeks later, on November 5th, Apple will release Finch, a movie starring Tom Hanks as an inventor who hits the road with his dog and a robot. A third season of For All Mankind is also in the works.

Microsoft has unveiled a wired Xbox Stereo Headset. At $60, it's positioned as an entry-level model, compared with the $100 Wireless Headset that emerged earlier this year and Designed for Xbox options from partners including Razer and Bang & Olufsen.

The new model shares some features with the Wireless Headset, including a similar design, a volume dial on the right earcup and a microphone mute switch. Microsoft says the device has "high-quality ear cushions" and "clear microphone performance."

Microsoft

The headband is adjustable and, as for sound quality, Microsoft is promising "clean mid and high frequency performance with strong bass." There's also support for spatial audio tech, such as Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X.

The headset plugs into the Xbox controller through a 3.5mm cable. As such, you can use the headset with any other device that has a 3.5mm jack. You can also use an adaptor to connect it to phones or tablets that don't have a dedicated headphone jack.

Pre-orders are now open for the Xbox Stereo Headset through the Microsoft Store. You'll be able to buy it from other retailers as well. The headset will ship on September 21st.

General Motors and AT&T are expanding their partnership with plans to bring 5G to cars within the next few years. Some model year 2024 vehicles, which should start arriving in 2023, will be the first GM models equipped with 5G. Among GM's 2024 models is the electric Hummer SUV. GM vehicles from model year 2019 and later with 4G LTE capabilities will have faster connection speeds via the 5G network too.

The companies are building out a "high-performance 5G core network" with upgraded coverage centered on roadways. GM and AT&T claim the network will enable faster software updates and music and video downloads, as well as more responsive navigation and voice services.

Improved connectivity should benefit autonomous vehicles as well. GM says the 5G network will "provide a strong foundation" for its semi-autonomous Super Cruise tech along with its Vehicle Intelligence Platform. 

Bringing 5G connectivity to cars at a broad level was always on the cards. It'll be a while yet before there's widespread network coverage on highways and in rural areas, so adding 5G to vehicles starting in model year 2024 seems a reasonable timeline. AT&T says its 5G network is currently available in 14,000 cities and towns across the US.

Tesla could face further federal scrutiny over its Autopilot feature. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the company over "misleading advertising and marketing" of the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems.

"Tesla and [CEO Elon] Musk’s repeated overstatements of their vehicle’s capabilities — despite clear and frequent warnings — demonstrate a deeply concerning disregard for the safety of those on the road and require real accountability," the senators wrote in their letter to FTC chair Lina Khan. "Their claims put Tesla drivers — and all of the travelling public — at risk of serious injury or death." It's not yet clear whether the FTC will heed the senators' call and investigate the company.

Along with several examples of Tesla and Musk seemingly overselling Autopilot and FSD functions, Markey and Blumenthal cited an investigation that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened this week. The agency is looking into a string of collisions between Tesla vehicles and parked emergency vehicles, one of which resulted in someone's death. The NHTSA said the Tesla vehicles in question all had Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control switched on when the crashes occurred.

Despite the name, FSD (for which Tesla charges $10,000 when a car is purchased) doesn't yet make vehicles fully autonomous. FSD, which is in beta, is currently an advanced driver assistance feature that handles maneuvers such as automatic parking, lane changing and summoning the vehicle to a nearby location. It's a Level 2 autonomous driving system, whereas full self-driving capability with no human supervision required is Level 5. Tesla notes on its website that "Autopilot does not turn a Tesla into a self-driving car nor does it make a car autonomous."

Musk has made many claims over the years about Tesla being close to offering fully autonomous capabilities. In a January earnings call, Musk said he was "highly confident the car will be able to drive itself with reliability in excess of human this year." However, a Tesla engineer later suggested the company was a long way off from rolling out Level 5 functionality.

The National Transportation Safety Board previously accused Tesla of overselling Autopilot's capabilities. In May, reports suggested the California Department of Motor Vehicles was looking into Musk's FSD claims. The names of the Autopilot and FSD features have been criticized for potentially leading drivers to overestimate their capabilities. Markey is among those who called on Tesla to change the name of Autopilot.

Along with several other games in the franchise, The Pokémon Company (TPC) provided another look at Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl during its showcase on Wednesday. 

The chibi art style didn't receive the warmest of receptions when TPC announced the games earlier this year, but the latest trailer might resolve some concerns. The games have a tilt-shift perspective, similar to the The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake. As such, the character designs might not be quite as noticeable. 

The two games are remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, a pair of Nintendo DS titles from 2006 that are among the most highly regarded Pokémon games. So, there might be a bit of pressure on TPC and developer ILCA from fans to get these new versions right.

In the remakes, you can customize your trainer’s outfit and adorn Poké Balls with stickers, which add visual flair when you throw out a Pokémon. There are several mini-games too, such as mining in the Grand Underground and a Cuteness Contest. 

The starter Pokémon choices are Piplup, Chimchar and Turtwig, and you'll be able to have one of your Pokémon follow you around as you explore the Sinnoh region. You can dive into online battles as well.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will land on Nintendo Switch on November 19th. There are a few pre-order bonuses, including a code you can redeem for a dozen quick balls. TPC also revealed that Pokémon Home support is coming to Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus next year.

Nintendo

Alongside the latest peek at Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, TPC revealed a new special-edition Switch Lite. It has a metallic gray shell and is adorned with decals of Dialga and Palkia on the rear. The $200 special-edition console, which takes its cue from a similar version of the DS from back in the day, will be available on November 5th.

The Pokémon Company (TPC) held its latest Pokémon Presents event on Wednesday, in which it revealed more details about its upcoming games. Pokémon Legends: Arceus got much of the focus. It's a brand-new open-world adventure set in the Hisui region (later known as Sinnoh), and it takes place long before the events of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Since this is a different spin on the Pokémon formula, developer Game Freak has revamped the battle system, taking a similar approach to Final Fantasy X. Battles are still turn-based, but rather than Pokémon each taking a turn, their respective stats and other facets such as items dictate the order of actions and how many each creature gets to take.

Pokémon might take multiple turns in a row, so you might take the opportunity to dish out multiple attacks on the spin or take time to heal up in between. Each of your Pokémon's four moves has two styles: agile style and strong style. The former speeds up your action speed and might bump up your next turn in the queue, but the move will be weaker than unusual. You can unleash a more powerful attack if you opt for strong style, though you might need to wait longer to act again. It's clear you'll need to rethink your battle strategies to be successful here.

Not only can you sneak up on wild Pokémon through tall grass to hurl a wooden Poké Ball at them, you can use smoke bombs to conceal yourself. Wild Pokémon also might attack before you deploy a Pokémon of your own. Battles will start right away rather than moving to a battle-specific screen.

The Pokémon Company

Elsewhere, the trailer featured another look at the game's gorgeous visuals and other gameplay. It has expansive vistas that feel a bit reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You'll be able to ride certain Pokémon on land, as well as in the water or sky.

The aim of the game is to create the region's first-ever Pokédex, and you'll need to carry out research tasks to learn more about each Pokémon. There are base camps dotted around Hisui, where you can craft items and restore the health of your Pokémon. Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrives on Nintendo Switch on January 28th.

The Pokémon Company

Meanwhile,Pokémon Unite is scheduled to hit iOS and Android on September 22nd. The free-to-play MOBA landed on Switch in July. If at least 2.5 million players pre-register, they'll all be able to use Pikachu in battle. TPC also noted that Pokémon Café Mix is being reworked as Pokémon Café Remix with updated gameplay and more Pokémon. The new version will arrive this fall.

There are three Pokémon games on the way to Nintendo Switch in the coming months: Pokémon Legends Arceus, a brand-new, open-world entry in the series, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, remakes of two gen-four Nintendo DS titles from 2006. The Pokémon Company (TPC) is offering fans a deeper look at what's in store during a Pokémon Presents stream this morning on its YouTube channel.

TPC didn't give away too much about what to expect from the showcase, which starts at 9AM ET. However, it will include a peek at all three games. Perhaps we'll learn exactly when Pokémon Unite is coming to mobile devices too. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl land on Switch on November 19th, and Pokémon Legends: Arceuswill be released on January 28th.

DTS has found a way to integrate TV speakers into a surround sound setup. The Play-Fi Home Theater system connects TVs to external speakers over WiFi. The first compatible TVs should arrive in the third quarter of 2021 (in other words, by the end of October).

The company says Play-Fi Home Theater won't require manufacturers or customers to add any additional hardware to their TVs. If you'd rather not use the TV's built-in speakers, you can still wirelessly output the center channel audio to a compatible soundbar or front speakers. The system can automatically adapt to the number of speakers you connect to the TV, and you can build out your setup with more speakers later.

The system, which builds on DTS' long-standing Play-Fi protocol, can connect several other speakers, including up to two subwoofers, for surround sound. You can also play audio from your TV elsewhere in your home if you have a multiroom setup. In addition, you can listen to audio from your TV through headphones via an app. 

The Play-Fi Home Theater approach isn't entirely new. Sony has enabled customers to use compatible TVs' built-in speakers as their surround sound setup's center channel for a while. Competition is almost always a good thing, though, and if DTS can lower the cost barrier for multi-channel audio with its system, so much the better.

There's another way to access IMDb TV as of today. Amazon's free, ad-supported streaming service is now available on Comcast’s Xfinity Flex and Xfinity X1 set-top boxes. As with other apps, you can access IMDb TV using the Xfinity Voice Remote.

Along with a batch of original shows, a bunch of popular third-party TV series and movies are available on IMDb TV, including Chicago Fire, All in the Family and The Hunger Games. Amazon recently struck a deal with Universal for movie streaming rights, which includes bringing films from the studio's 2020 and 2021 theatrical slates, such as The Invisible Man and F9, to IMDb TV.

Amazon says X1 marks the first pay TV partnership for IMDb TV. The move follows the release of standalone IMDb TV apps for Android and iOS earlier this month. IMDb TV is also available on Roku, Android TV devices, Xbox and PlayStation consoles and some smart TVs, as well as Fire TV and as a channel in the Amazon Prime Video app.

One of the more exciting Star Wars projects in the immediate pipeline is Star Wars: Visions, the anime anthology series that's coming to Disney+ on September 22nd. Disney previously offered a behind-the-scenes look at the show, and now it has revealed the first trailer. You can watch the clip below in either the original Japanese with subtitles or an English dub.

The trailer is stunning, no matter the language in which you opt to watch it. The two-minute video full of Star Wars staples like lightsabers, Star Destroyers, Stormtroopers and droids, albeit with completely distinct visuals from other animated series like The Bad Batch.

Each of the nine Star Wars: Visions episodes has a unique style and an original story. Seven studios crafted the installments: Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru and Production I.G. Trigger and Science Saru each made two episodes.

“Their stories showcase the full spectrum of bold storytelling found across Japanese animation; each told with a freshness and voice that expands our understanding of what a Star Wars story can be, and celebrates a galaxy that has been such an inspiration to so many visionary storytellers," James Waugh, executive producer and Lucasfilm vice president of franchise content and strategy, said.

Disney also announced the main Japanese and English voice casts for the series. Along with returning actors such as Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), there are a host of well-known performers involved in the English dubs, including Lucy Liu, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Alison Brie, Simu Liu (star of the upcoming Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and George Takei.

Given that George Lucas took inspiration from the films of Akira Kurosawa and Japanese culture when creating A New Hope, Visions will sort of take Star Wars back to its roots. In any case, the episodes should offer completely fresh perspectives on the Star Wars universe.