Rivian has discontinued the entry-level Explore trim for its R1T and R1S electric vehicles. "After weighing customer demand, Rivian decided to remove Explore Package as an option when configuring an R1T or R1S," wrote in a support article. "We realize this news comes as a surprise and apologize to customers who have had their planning impacted."

The company said it initially gave customers two package options to offer them "more variety." While Rivian expected that many customers would opt for the Explore package, it claimed that only a small percentage of them have done so, with "the vast majority" selecting the Adventure trim. The company said that by narrowing its focus to the Adventure trim, it would be able to streamline its supply chain and deliver its EVs more rapidly.

The move means Rivian's electric truck and SUV are getting more expensive for those looking for the cheapest option — it marks an increase of $5,500 across the board. The R1T truck now starts at $73,000, while the R1S costs at least $78,000 for new orders (the latter starts at $75,500 for those who pre-ordered on March 1st or earlier).

Those with a pre-order for an Explore trim will need to reconfigure their package to an Adventure model by September 1st. Otherwise, Rivian will move them out of the production queue. Customers with an Explore package pre-order will receive their deposit back if they cancel. Those with a binding Explore order agreement can cancel by September 16th for a full refund.

Meanwhile, the quad-motor option has increased in price for new orders in the US (by $2,000) and Canada (by $3,250 CAD). Rivian is currently testing dual-motor versions of the R1S and R1T.

Rivian announced price increases of between $12,000 and $20,000 for all models earlier this year. After a swift backlash, it altered those plans and limited the increases to new R1T and R1S orders, though shareholders brought a lawsuit against the company.

Rivian recently laid off six percent of staff in order to funnel more resources into increasing production. It's struggling to build EVs quickly enough to meet demand and it had to slash its production forecast for the year in half to 25,000. The company's pre-order backlog stood at around 98,000 as of the end of June, not counting the 100,000 electric delivery vehicles Rivian is making for Amazon.

It took more than a decade, but there's finally a sequel to Jetpack Joyride — if not for everyone. Halfbrick Studios has releasedJetpack Joyride 2 as an Apple Arcade exclusive for iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple TV. Sorry, Android fans. The endless flier revolves around more "story-driven" gameplay with a new character to play (Betty Beefpies) as well as fresh mechanics and more detailed graphics. In that light, Halfbrick is effectively dragging the game into the modern era.

The original title came to Apple Arcade last year as Jetpack Joyride+, which maintains the core experience without the need (or ability) to make in-app purchases. The title first arrived in 2011 and helped define the endless runner category alongside classics like Canabalt and Temple Run. Halfbrick's signature game has racked up 500 million-plus downloads in the years since.

JJ2 probably won't justify the $50 per year ($5 per month) for Apple Arcade by itself, and it represents yet another dose of nostalgia on the all-you-can-play service. However, it might build a stronger case for a subscription. You can play simple blasts from the past alongside newer games that make the most of modern Apple devices.

It was good times for the Ford Mach-E GT atop the e-muscle car heap. Those halcyon days of performance dominance will soon be coming to an end when Hyundai unleashes its EV6 GT performance crossover on North America. With 576 horses under the hood and a 0-60 of 3.4 seconds, not even a Huracan Evo can beat it off the line.

Hyundai Motor Group

The new EV6 GT is not to be confused with the existing EV6 GT-Line, though it’s easy to do. From the outside they’re largely similar — save for the neon accents and 21-inch rims — but like story morals, puff pastries and spider egg sacs, it’s what’s on the inside that really matters. Where the GT-Line AWD offered a not-insignificant 320 HP (446 lb ft torque) from its 165kW front and 74kW rear electric motors, the GT AWD goes two steps further, slamming a 160kW motor onto the front axle and a massive 270 kW motor on the rear to output 576 HP and 546 lb ft of torque. 

It does a 0-60 in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 161 MPH — that’s a tenth of a second faster than the Mach-E GT Performance edition with 96 more horsepower to use. That said, the Mustang does offer more torque (600 lb ft to the EV6’s 546) and a much longer driving range, 270 miles on a full Mach-E charge vs just 206 miles for the EV6 GT.

Hyundai Motor Group

Like the rest of the EV6 lineup, the GT will benefit from Hyundai Group’s 800V electrical architecture enabling rapid charging to the tune of 70 percent battery capacity in 18 minutes at 350 kW. Exclusive to the GT, however, are three new drive modes: GT Drive, My Drive and (squeeeee) Drift Mode. 

GT Drive “optimizes the performance of the EV6 GT’s motors, braking, steering, suspension, e-LSD, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems into their most dynamic settings,” per a Friday release. “Drivers can also create custom-tailored settings to suit individual driving preferences using My Drive Mode.” The real fun begins with Drift Mode, which pushes a majority of the power to the rear wheels for a fully electrified hooning experience.

Hyundai Motor Group

There’s no word on pricing yet but it’s pretty safe to assume that it’ll be north of the GT-Line AWD’s $56,400 MSRP (maybe even more than the $62,000 Mach-E GT). We'll find out when the EV6 goes on sale in Q4 2022.

This week, Cherlynn and guest co-host Sam Rutherford are joined by the Washington Post’s Chris Velazco to discuss their thoughts on Samsung’s latest foldables and wearables after having spent close to a week with them. Are the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 ready for the mainstream? Is it more fun reviewing these devices than regular phones? Then, our hosts talk Apple’s next iPhone event, as well as Airbnb woes.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 reviews – 1:55

• Galaxy Watch 5 / 5 Pro review – 36:41

• Apple might be planning a September 7th event for the iPhone 14 – 49:02

• New reports of gender discrimination from Nintendo of America – 56:32

• Ready your Pixels: Android 13 is out of beta – 1:04:18

• Samsung’s massive Odyssey Ark monitor – 1:06:00

• Adidas’ solar headphones can be charged by your bedroom light – 1:15:08

• Airbnb is working on a way to detect party rentals before they happen – 1:18:40

• Working on – 1:26:18

• Pop culture picks – 1:27:25

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Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford
Guest: Chris Velazco
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Cherlynn Low
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

You can play Hideo Kojima's post-apocalyptic delivery simulator/action game Death Stranding with a PC Game Pass membership in a few days' time. 505 Games first released the game for Windows in 2020, but soon you'll also be able access it through the Microsoft subscription service at no additional cost. The developer says the version heading to the service will include the same features the Steam and Epic Games editions have. Those features include a high frame rate, ultrawide mode, photo mode, hard mode and cross over content from popular franchises like Half-Life and Cyberpunk 2077.

The game will also have unlockable content you can get as you progress and complete more of the story. That said, the version coming to PC Game Pass is not the director's cut that was released more recently, but the original one. Death Stranding was published by Sony Interactive for the PS4 back in 2019 and got the director's cut treatment for the PS5 in 2021. When it comes to consoles, it's still a PlayStation exclusive — you can't play it on the Xbox with a Game Pass. But at least you can test it out for free on PC if you haven't given it a shot yet.

Death Stranding will be available on the PC Game Pass starting on August 23rd. 505 Games also promises to reveal more details in a Community Q&A in the next few days.

Monterey Car Week has been a hotbed of EV debuts this year with unveilings from Dodge, Acura, DeLorean and a host of other automakers. On Thursday, Lincoln revealed the Model L100, its futuristic foray into electrified mobility, which draws inspiration from the company’s very first luxury sedan, the 1922 Model L.

Lincoln Motors

Like its pre-Depression predecessor, the Model L100 exhibits a shocking degree of opulence. “Next generation battery cell and pack technologies,” read the Thursday release, will deliver “game changing energy density,” while the steering wheel will be replaced with a “jewel-inspired chess piece controller that captures light and depth by redefining the vehicle controls inside the cabin.” That fancy yoke won’t be much use for actual steering thanks to the vehicle’s theoretical autonomous driving capabilities taking care of the navigating.

Lincoln Motor Comapny

“Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before,” Anthony Lo, Ford’s chief design officer, in a statement. “With the Model L100, we were able to push the boundaries in ways that evolve our Quiet Flight brand DNA and change the way we think about Lincoln designs of tomorrow."

Lincoln Motor Comapny

Other fantastical design details include animal-free interiors with front row seats that can flip to face the rear passengers (good thing the car’s driving itself), a digital floor and canopy that can project realistic animated scenes onto the floor and ceiling, a full-length hinged glass roof and reverse-hinged doors that open up like a lily. 

Lincoln Motors

There's no word yet on when the production vehicle spawned from this concept will arrive. Unfortunately many of the ideas presented here will inevitably be cut, going the way of Mercedes’ awesome, Avatar-inspired trunk hatch wigglers.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, a four vs. one multiplayer game, will arrive in the midst of spooky season. The game will hit the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on October 18th.

You can either play as a ghost or one of four Ghostbusters trying to hunt it down with the help of gadgets like the PKE Meter, Particle Thrower and Ghost Trap. The ghost can slime and stun the humans, teleport between rifts and possess objects.

There's full multiplayer support across all platforms, though you'll need a PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold membership to play online on PlayStation or Xbox. If you'd rather play solo as either a ghost or Ghostbuster, AI bots can fill out the other four slots.

Preorders are now open for Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, which is from Predator: Hunting Grounds studio Illfonic. If you lock in a digital preorder, you'll get advance access to a custom Particle Thrower and Proton Pack, Slimer and special clothing colorways.

Honda's Acura division has pulled back the curtain on a sleek Precision EV concept at Monterey Car Week. Acura took inspiration from Italian power boats for the design, which it says shows "a future vision of electrified vehicles with distinct manual and full driving automation experiences."

The Prologue, which will be Honda's first electric SUV, is scheduled to arrive in 2024 and will use this design language. The concept has a front end that fully lights up and 23-inch wheels, along with an exterior design that's intended to convey Acura's emphasis on performance. The brand says it has "a wide, athletic stance, expressive silhouette and sharp character lines dressed in eye-catching Double Apex Blue with a matte finish."

As for the interior, Acura took a cue from the cockpit of a Formula 1 car. The concept has a yoke-style steering wheel, a low driving position and what Acura describes as "high-performance driver sightlines."

The brand plans to offer two driving modes. The Instinctive Drive option is designed to highlight performance driving, with racing-style digital instrumentation along with red ambient and pipe lighting. When the Spiritual Lounge mode is enabled for autonomous use, the SUV will retract the steering wheel, switch to calming lighting with an underwater-style animated projection and pump in soothing scents for a more laid-back experience.

There's a focus on sustainability as well. Acura utilized marbled recycled plastic trim and 100 percent biomass leather. All the aluminum, along with the green cast acrylic used for the steering wheel secondary controls, was made from recycled materials. The concept also has a wide and curved transparent display with haptic feedback.

Honda

Like Blizzard, Rockstar and Ubisoft, Sony may soon require you to download a launcher before you can play its games on PC. Digging through the Windows version of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered, VGC verified code referencing a PlayStation PC launcher. The discovery follows the recent revelation that Sony likely plans to add PlayStation Network integration to its PC titles.

If Sony moves forward with the launcher, it’s unclear if the company also plans to make its games exclusive to the software. At the moment, you can buy all of Sony’s PC titles through both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Different publishers employ different strategies. For instance, Blizzard games are only available to download through the Battle.Net app. Other companies such as EA and Rockstar allow you to buy and download their games through Steam and the Epic Games Store, but you must also install their software for verification purposes. Even if Sony were to go the latter route, it’s almost certain its launcher would include a storefront. In that way, the company could avoid giving Valve and Epic a cut of some of its PC sales.

Rain or shine, a new pair of solar-powered wireless headphones by Adidas has you covered. The athletic brand teamed up with Zound Industries to make the Adidas RPT-02 SOL on-ear headphones, which can be charged with either natural or artificial light. We were pleasantly surprised by Adidas’ previously-launched RPT-01, which features 40 hours of wireless playback. The newer line promises double that amount — 80 hours of stored playtime — not to mention the ability to charge at any time of day. It's also made of a combination of recycled plastic and nylon. 

The headband of the RPT-02 SOL is made of a highly flexible light-cell material by Swedish solar tech company Exeger called Powerfoyle. The solar cell material can be screen-printed onto plastic, allowing for a wide variety of applications — everything from walls to cars to consumer electronics. Unlike older types of solar cells that need a strong and constant source of natural light, Powerfoyle can charge in various light conditions.

The RPT-02 isn’t waterproof — but is IPX4-rated — so it can handle sweat and splashing from a nearby ocean or lake. The headphones feature built-in controls for changing songs or volume, and there's also an indicator that helps find the best light for charging. And if all else fails, it includes a USB-C port. The RPT-02 SOL retails for $229, and will be available for purchase online on August 23rd.