Canon’s EOS R6 was a great camera with one fatal flaw: It couldn’t hold its temperature, so it overheated fairly regularly. Two years later, Canon has released a successor that should help restore its reputation after such a high-profile error. The EOS R6 Mark II gets a higher resolution 24.2-megapixel sensor, faster shooting speeds and better low-light performance.
Steve Dent spent some time shooting with some R6-II prototypes and has plenty to say in his detailed write up. Canon has eliminated many of the thermal issues, improved the efficiency and lengthened the time you can shoot 4K video in a single burst. There’s loads more to read and get excited by in his write-up, which has clearly got plenty of camera fans excited for its launch later this year.
Sony has announced its next-generation VR headset, PS VR2, will debut on February 22nd, 2023. The company also announced the price, and it’s an audible-woof worthy $550, which is more than the PlayStation 5 costs at retail. That’s not even the luxury version, either. If you want a version with flagship VR title Horizon Call of the Mountain, it’ll be $600. To add further cost-based insult to injury, you won’t get a charging station for your controllers unless you kick in another $50. Wooooooof.
For years, T-Mobile marketed itself as an “un-carrier,” a business that didn’t soak you with additional, arbitrary charges just because it could. Apropos of nothing, there are now hints the network will introduce a $35 charge for all new postpaid activations and upgrades. Previously, it would only charge you if you needed help from a T-Mobile staffer in store, but this apparently applies even if you do everything yourself. If true, it certainly makes you wonder how quickly the carrier is going to trash its reputation as the customer-focused network.
Plenty of companies have tried to weld a higher-end camera directly to a smartphone (Panasonic, Samsung and Nokia all come to mind). Now, Xiaomi is trying to do the same, by adding a unique twist to its flagship 12S Ultra smartphone. This concept phone has a mount for Leica’s interchangeable M lenses, which will sit over a 1-inch, 50.3-megapixel sensor. It’s only a concept device for now, but it’s certainly something to grab the attention of any pro photographer looking to reduce their bag weight.
DJI’s Mavic 3 is a great drone, but it’s also quite pricey, which may explain the enduring appeal of the older, cheaper Mavic 2 Pro. It’s hoping to address this by removing the telephoto lens from the Mavic 3 to help knock a couple of hundred dollars from the price. The Mavic 3 Classic starts at $1,469, and for your money, you’ll get the drone on its own, or you can pay some more to get it with a remote and charger thrown in. It’ll be interesting to see if the relatively slender discount will coax users to upgrade, or if it’ll just make the flagship look cheaper by comparison.
Google Play Games has arrived on PC in more countries, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. The app, which is available in beta, allows you to play a selection of Android games on your PC with a mouse and keyboard. Google started testing the app in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan in January (and later in Australia and Thailand) after promising at the tail end of last year that Google Play Games would come to PC in 2022.
To try the app, Google says you'll need a rig with Windows 10 or later, a solid state drive with 10GB of free space, at least an Intel UHD Graphics 630 or comparable GPU, a CPU with four physical cores and 8GB of RAM. Your progress will sync between Android and PC, so you can continue playing your game on another device.
There are 85 titles on Google Play Games, as The Vergenotes, though Google plans to add more. The lineup includes Cookie Run: Kingdom, WWE SuperCard and Just Dance Now. Those are somewhat notable games, but you'll perhaps find heavier hitters on Apple Arcade and Netflix.
Bringing Google Play Games to Windows is a separate effort from Microsoft's push to offer Android apps on Windows 11 (which features apps from the Amazon Appstore). For one thing, Google built the Google Play Games app. Perhaps this gaming effort will go more smoothly for Google than Stadia has.
Etsy has begun testing visual search. The company suggests the feature is ideal for those situations where you’re not quite sure how to describe something. Whereas in the past you had to rely on keywords and a bit of luck, you can now tap the new camera icon in the search bar and snap a photo of a product in hopes of finding similar items.
In my testing, the feature works surprisingly well. I first took a photo of my keyboard, a Drop Ctrl with GMK Rainy Day keycaps. Not only did the app return with suggestions for keycaps, but it also narrowed in on ones that featured gray and blue tones like my set. I then snapped a photo of an artwork in my office I bought from a local Toronto artist. Etsy’s software successfully identified the piece as a line drawing and pointed me to stylistically similar artworks. I need to use the feature more to get a better sense of its limitations, but it does feel that it could be useful in exactly the way Etsy envisions it.
You can experiment with visual search on your own starting today if you have access to an iOS device. According to Etsy, the feature will soon come to Android.
Fujifilm is delivering a follow-up to the well-received X-T4. The company has introduced (what else?) the X-T5, a sequel to the higher-end APS-C mirrorless camera that delivers some major technical upgrades — the largest in five years — while refining the basic formula. The new model now packs Fuji's current 40MP sensor (up from 26MP) that can shoot 6.2K video at 30 frames per second. You don't need to buy a top-tier cam like the X-H2S to venture beyond 4K. You can also expect a jump in computing power through the X-Processor 5 that allows for AI-based autofocusing, 4:2:2 10-bit output, F-log2 and support for the HEIF photo format.
The X-T5 design is also smaller, lighter and simpler than its predecessor, and moves the shutter button and front control dial for a better hold. There are some under-the-hood changes, too, including slightly better in-body stabilization (seven stops instead of 6.5), a mildly higher-resolution tilting LCD and an electronic viewfinder with 0.8X magnification instead of the X-T4's 0.75X. You'll theoretically notice improvements, then, even if the body still seems very familiar.
Don't expect many other changes. There are still dual UHS-II SD card slots, a USB-C port and HDMI. The X-T5 still uses the same battery, although Fujifilm says the upgraded processor should help with power management.
Fujifilm ships the X-T5 on November 17th for $1,699 for the body alone, $2,099 with an 18-55mm lens and $2,199 with a more flexible 16-80mm lens. It's debuting alongside a $599 XF30mm f/2.8 macro lens that can focus on subjects as close as 3.9 inches from the sensor, and just 0.5 inches from the 11-element glass. In some ways, this is a return to form. Our primary gripes with the X-T4 were its not-so-compact form factor and imperfect autofocus tracking — both of those are hopefully fixed. The price still makes it costlier than rivals like Sony's A6600, but the improved performance may help justify the premium.
Sony has finally revealed when its next-gen virtual reality headset will arrive and how much it will cost — the price is far higher than many people will have been expecting. Playstation VR2 will be available on February 22nd (exactly a year after Sony revealed the design of the device) and it will cost an astonishing $550. That’s more than the price of a PlayStation 5, the base hardware you’ll need to use the headset, even after Sony jacked up the cost of the console in many countries. Folks in Europe will have to pay €600 for PS VR2 and those in the UK will need to shell out £530. In Japan, the price will be ¥74,980.
PS VR2 comes with Sense controllers and stereo headphones. A bundle with Horizon Call of the Mountain will run you $600. Meanwhile, a charging station for the controllers costs an extra $50.
For those with deep enough pockets, pre-orders will be available on November 15th. At the outset, folks in the US, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg will only be able to pre-order from PlayStation directly. Those in other countries will be able to lock in a pre-order from various retailers.
Sony's latest VR hardware has a display resolution of 2000 x 2040 pixels for each eye, 4K HDR support, a 110-degree field of view and refresh rates of up to 120Hz. It will support 3D audio and eye tracking, while the Sense controllers borrow haptic feedback and adaptive triggers from the DualSense.
The PS VR2 price is just the latest example of sticker shock from PlayStation. When it arrives in January, the premium DualSense Edge controller for PS5 will cost $200 (which, in fairness, is in a similar range as other high-end controllers).
Meanwhile, Sony has announced 11 more titles that are coming to PS VR2. Among them are a new game in Supermassive's The Dark Pictures horror series, entitled Switchback VR, and a fresh entry in Smilegate's popular first-person shooter franchise Crossfire. Also in the pipeline are a VR version of Cities: Skylines, a new Hello Neighbor game, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection and Pistol Whip VR.
However, PS VR games are not compatible with the latest headset. For technical reasons, developers will need to update their games to make them work on the new platform. That means that not only is the PS VR2 headset itself expensive, you may need to shell out more to have any games to play on it.
DJI's Mavic 3 is a useful cinematic drone, but its steep price ($1,899 as we write this) can be off-putting compared to the $1,449 of the older Mavic 2 Pro. The company thinks it has a simple solution, though: offer a trimmed-back version. DJI has introduced the Mavic 3 Classic, a new variant that drops the telephoto lens in exchange for a better $1,469 starting price (more on that later).
The Classic otherwise includes the features that might draw you to the Mavic 3 in the first place. The centerpiece remains a 20-megapixel, 24mm-equivalent Hasselblad camera that can shoot 5.1K video up to 50 frames per second (4K at 60FPS) and capture 12-bit RAW photos. You can likewise expect a healthy 46-minute peak flight time, a range of up to 9.3 miles and an O3+ transmission system that can send 1080p 60FPS video to your remote. You're still asked to fly within line of sight, but an AirSense ADS-B receiver can warn you of nearby aircraft if you operate at higher altitudes.
This still isn't a trivial expense. The base price is for the drone only, and doesn't include a remote or charger. It's meant for upgrading DJI users who have the necessary gear. Everyone else will have to pay at least $1,599 for the standard kit, which includes the charger and the basic RC-N1 remote. Spend $1,749 and you'll get the display-equipped DJI RC remote. And if you need accessories, the $649 Fly More add-on includes two batteries, a charging hub, a car charger, three pairs of quiet propellers and a convertible carrying bag.
The Mavic 3 Classic clearly isn't meant for newcomers, or even many enthusiasts. You'll want to look at the $679 Mini 3 Pro or $999 Air 2S if you're on a tighter budget. However, it might represent a solid value if you care about drone camera quality but don't need long-zoom shots to create your next magnum opus.
Just two years after the launch of the original EOS R6, Canon has unveiled its successor, the $2,500 EOS R6 Mark II. It brings a number of key improvements, like a higher-resolution 24.2-megapixel sensor and faster shooting speeds. Most importantly, Canon has significantly reduced the previous model’s issues with overheating.
The EOS R6 was the best camera in this important price range when it launched, thanks to the speed, powerful video features and excellent Dual Pixel hybrid autofocus. However, once Sony’s $2,500 A7 IV came along with comparable abilities, more resolution and no overheating problems, the R6 lost that particular crown.
At a preview event in San Diego, Canon let me shoot with R6 Mark II prototypes for a couple of days in a variety of sports situations. As it’s not a production model and still had a few bugs, this isn’t a final review – but it gave us a chance to share some early impressions.
Body and handling
The EOS R6 II isn’t just a slightly updated ‘A’ version of the original. It has significant physical and performance changes, starting with the new 24.2-megapixel sensor. It’s not, as rumors suggested, the stacked backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor from the EOS R3; there’s a reason that model costs so much. But it does offer some benefits over the 20-megapixel chip on the R6.
Canon promises improved image quality beyond just the extra megapixels, thanks to the updated image processing. It also offers improved low-light sensitivity despite the slightly smaller pixels. And Canon says that rolling shutter is reduced over the R6.
The R6 features some changes on the outside as well. The power/lock/off switch is now positioned at the right where it’s easier to access yet harder to hit by accident. It also has a new video/photo mode switch that keeps those functions, and all their settings, separate. Flipping it also changes the menus, and Canon has introduced a convenient video-specific Q menu.
Steve Dent/Engadget
Otherwise, it's roughly the same weight and size as the R6, and has an identical grip, menus, control layout and handling. It also uses its predecessor's, nice flip-out display for vlogging or selfies, dual UHS II card slots and 3.67-million-dot electronic viewfinder. And, of course, it comes with microphone and headphone ports, along with a USB-C socket and (unfortunately) a microHDMI jack. It has a new in-body stabilization (IBS) system, but it offers the same 8 stops of shake reduction as the EOS R6.
The battery is identical, too, but Canon has boosted efficiency, from 510 shots max on the R6 to 760 on the R6 Mark II. In one day, I shot over 2,000 photos without changing the battery, mostly using the mechanical shutter – quite impressive.
Performance and image quality
Mechanical shutter bursts speeds are unchanged at 12fps (RAW, full-frame), which is good considering the extra resolution. However, you can now fire RAW shots in silent mode at an exuberant 40 fps. What’s more, the R6 II now comes with a pre-shooting option (RAW burst) that captures RAW files for a half second before you push the shutter. That lets you catch a moment even if you react slowly, albeit at the expense of some battery life. When trying the feature, I found that it perhaps let me capture a few shots (out of thousands) that I might’ve missed otherwise.
Steve Dent/Engadget
Those speeds are superb, but if photos are marred by excessive rolling shutter (hello Sony), they aren’t that useful. Luckily, rolling shutter is present but better controlled than on the R6, and much less severe than I saw on the A7 IV. It can take a fairly large number of shots (about 70-75 uncompressed RAW files, or 140 compressed RAWs) before the buffer fills, and it resets fairly quickly with fast UHS-II V90 cards. Still, it would have been nice to see a CFexpress slot for faster shooting and better quality video files.
The autofocus on the R6 II is more advanced than any Canon model to date, including the R3, the company says. It now handles people, animals and vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, trains and horses. And it now has an auto-select option that lets the AI decide what to track, which should be a requirement on every mirrorless camera.
The AI smoothly tracked my subject’s eyes, but it occasionally got lost and wasn’t quite up to Sony’s high standards. In regular spot continuous mode (no AI), the autofocus seemed as accurate as the R6, nailing shots in most circumstances. It was occasionally confused by the background or close subjects, but again, this was a prototype unit; these issues could be improved by the December release date.
Image quality is also hard to judge at this point, as RAW files aren’t yet ready to be seen. But JPEG files looked great, with usual Canon-like warm skin tones and accurate hues. Low-light capability was surprisingly solid, with noise well-controlled at ISO 6400 and even beyond.
Video
My biggest issue with the original EOS R6 was video, and specifically the overheating issues. That model could only shoot 4K 60p for 30 minutes, and only for another 10 minutes or so after it cooled enough to shoot again. Suffice to say, that’s a serious problem for professional shooters.
Those issues are effectively gone, and Canon also removed the 30-minute time limit for recording. You can now shoot 4K 60p uncropped for 40 minutes and it can normally go well beyond that. Cropped 4K 60p has a 50 minute limit, and supersampled 4K 30p has no limitations.
Steve Dent/Engadget
It also has better video specs overall. Internally, you can shoot 4K 60 fps supersampled from a 5.1K portion of the sensor (or the full sensor width with some pixel binning). 4K at 30 fps is supersampled from 6K using the full sensor width. And it now supports 180 fps for 1080p, up from 120 fps before. Capture files are still limited to MP4 and Quicktime with no ProRes internally – likely a limitation of the UHS II cards. Like photos, there's a no pre-shooting option that captures 3 or 5 seconds of video in a loop before you push the record button.
Additionally, the camera supports 10-bit 4K video and increased dynamic range with either HDR PQ or CLog3. And you can even shoot 6K RAW to an external Atomos recorder, though that feature wasn’t ready yet for testing.
As with photos, AF for video tracks humans, animals and vehicles. In my limited testing, it performed well, only occasionally focusing on the background. So far, subject tracking isn’t quite as reliable as I saw on the A7 IV, but again, it may improve with some firmware or other tweaks.
Video was sharp and I didn’t run into any overheating issues in San Diego, where temperatures hit about 80 degrees in the sun. 1080p 180p video seems a bit soft, as it’s captured with some pixel binning, and cropped 4K also lacked sharpness compared to full-frame 4K. I was happy with the colors, and low-light video capability was good to excellent.
Wrap-up
Steve Dent/Engadget
By minimizing heat issues, the R6 II is already a big improvement over the original R6. But it also looks like a better camera for photography thanks to the higher resolution, faster speeds and improved image quality – with no stacked sensor required.
Canon’s entire RF ecosystem keeps getting better, too. Its latest lens is the impressive 135mm f/1.8, joining 26 other full-frame prime and zoom lenses. So, this system has become surprisingly mature, considering it only launched four years ago. I can’t give you a final evaluation for key features like image quality and autofocus, as it’s still in the prototype stage. However, we expect to revisit the Canon EOS R6 Mark II in the form of a full review once it launches in December.
Epic Games' Star Wars collaborations didn't end with Darth Vader. The gaming giant has added Luke, Leia and Han skins to Fortnite as part of "Skywalker Week," complete with appropriate accessories such as Luke's Landspeeder glider and Leia's R2-D2 back bling. Lightsabers are back if you can either open Imperial Chests or defeat Darth Vader, and fans of wildly inaccurate soldiers can pick up Stormtrooper blasters.
All the new Star Wars skins and accessories are available through the Fortnite Item Shop. Skywalker Week also revives the pulse rifle and "Junk Rifts" that can drop the Landspeeder. The event runs until November 8th at 9AM Eastern, and offers special quests to boost your XP.
This certainly isn't the first such team up. Epic held a Fortnite Star Wars event in December 2019 to mark the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker, and introduced both Darth Vader and a young Obi-Wan this spring. It may be one of the more important, though. This is the largest nod yet to the original movie trilogy (i.e. the most beloved trilogy) in the battle royale brawler, and may do more to reel you in if you're uninterested in Marvel heroes and game character crossovers.
In its latest earnings drop, Sony said it sold 3.3 million PlayStation 5s this quarter, matching exactly what it did last year and bringing total units sold since launch to 25 million. Its numbers this quarter are far short of what it needs to hit the 18 million PS5 sales target for fiscal year 2022, though. Sales halfway through the fiscal year (ending March 31st) are now at 5.7 million, which is also nearly the same as 2021 at this point (5.6 million).
Despite the equal number of PS5s sold, revenue was up significantly over last year (12 percent) to 727 billion yen ($4.92 billion), thanks in part to a PS5 price increase earlier this year. However, profit was down by 49 percent due to the company's recent acquisition of Bungie, along with game developer cost increases.
Sony sold 11.5 million consoles last year, so it's a good bet that 2022 sales will be about the same . However, a lot depends on holiday sales and whether it can keep production up with demand. That's a problem that has plagued the PS5 since it arrived, due to the pandemic and other issues. In May, Sony said that it will finally be able to ramp up production to meet PS5 demand as supply chain issues ease. While it hasn't given any numbers in that regard, anecdotally it appears that the console has been easier to find in recent months.
Meanwhile, software sales fell to 62.5 million units from 76.4 million this time last year. Digital downloads accounted for 63 percent of that, up slightly from last year. PlayStation Plus subscriber numbers declined for the second consecutive quarter.
Sony has revised its revenue projection for next quarter downward to due an expected drop in first-party game sales. However, it's bullish on the next fiscal year, aiming to ship 23 million PS5 units in that time. Interestingly, it also still expects to 18 million units by the end of the fiscal year (March 2023), so it may still have something up its sleeve.
As the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show kicks off Monday in Las Vegas, Mopar — Stellantis' OEM accessory division — unveiled a trio of intriguing concept vehicles, led by an electrified Jeep CJ. Even more exciting, the battery electric technology behind it could portend a restomod revival of classic American muscle cars.
Stellantis
“The Jeep CJ Surge concept explores a future zero-emission propulsion system kit and supports the Jeep brand’s mission to become the leading electrified SUV brand in the world," Mark Bosanac, North America senior vice president, Mopar service, parts and customer care, said in a prepared statement Monday. "Separately, our Ram 1500 Backcountry X and TRX Gold Shot concepts showcase a truckload of innovative Mopar accessories for our award-winning full-size trucks."
The CJ Surge is what's known as a restomod (a portmanteau of "restoration" and "modification"), in that they cleaned up an late model CJ7 (the resto part) and swapped out the internal combustion engine for battery-electric propulsion (the mod part). Restomods aren't strictly electrifications — we've been doing them with crate engines for decades — but with automakers swiftly transitioning to battery power from gas, demand from the classic car community for similar capabilities has grown in recent years. In response, Ford has begun prototyping a BEV restomod system called the Eluminator. The Surge is Mopar's first steps in the same direction.
Stellantis
So rather than an inline-six or v-eight that the CJ7s originally came with, Mopar has dropped in a "scalable 400-volt, 200-kW Electric Drive Module" that provides four-wheel drive capabilities. That powerplant is backed by a 24-module Li-ion battery that sits in a "custom shell mounted in the rear of the passenger cabin," which you can see as the giant silver box dominating the trunk space in the image above. And rather than a traditional manual transmission, the Surge replaces the stick shift with a Wrangler JK center console and rotary shifter knob.
Stellantis
There's no word on performance numbers, much less when — or even if — this will ever come to market. If you want to check out the Surge for yourself, you'll need to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center before November 4th.
