After all the big hardware and software announcements during the I/O 2022 keynote presentation, today Google is sharing some updates for cars with Android Auto and vehicles with infotainment systems based on Android Automotive. 

Detailed as part of Google's "What's New with Android for Cars" session, the most important upcoming change is a refreshed UI for Android Auto focused on making it easier to navigate, control media and communicate with others while driving. To accommodate the larger displays in new cars, the company is making split screen view standard across all devices so that you can see directions, music and texts all at the same time. That means you'll be able to quickly pause a song or see a new message without having to navigate through a bunch of menus and settings. 

Google

On top of that, Google is also improving support for adaptive layouts that can more easily adjust to the growing variety of displays in new cars. So regardless of if you have a sweeping extra-wide display on your dash or a tall portrait-orientated screen, the Android Auto UI can still show all your pertinent info. Meanwhile, to improve hands-free controls, the Google Assistant is better contextual suggestions for things like returning missed calls, texting arrival times and more. 

Google

Finally, for owners of cars with systems based on Android Automotive (such as new vehicles from Ford, Volvo and others), Google is expanding your in-car entertainment options with wider support for video streaming apps. Earlier this year at CES, Google announced the ability to stream clips from YouTube, and now the Tubi TV and Epix Now apps will be added soon. Just remember, you can only watch videos while the car is parked, so don't try to stream and drive. And in the future, the company says it also has plans to let passengers stream content from their phones to their vehicle's built-in display, though there isn't a concrete timeline for when that will be available yet. 

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

There are many, many ways to play retro games today. Plenty of those options are handhelds. But you might be surprised at how many of these devices feel jury rigged, cheap or often both. Worse, there’s a mishmash of open-source emulators running on a variety of operating systems to deal with, and all of the hardware is different — in short, emulation is a bit of a wild west sometimes.

What’s more, even the better handhelds usually only emulate up to around the PS1/N64 era. If you’re a fan of the GameCube or PS2 libraries, for example, the venn diagram of handhelds powerful enough that are well made and reasonably priced is effectively three separate circles. Maybe not for much longer thanks to the Odin by Ayn.

Yep, I hadn’t heard of ‘em either, but in the retro gaming scene that’s not uncommon. The Odin was launched on Indiegogo and instantly drew a lot of attention. The premise is simple, to bring the aforementioned venn diagram together and make a more cohesive retro (and even modern game) handheld.

The Odin gets off to a good start by effectively mimicking the Switch Lite form factor. Though the Odin’s screen is a shade larger (5.9 inches compared to Nintendo’s 5.5) and, at FHD, higher resolution. Anecdotally, most people who’ve held both find the Odin more comfortable and even prefer the latter’s analog sticks and D-pad which is not bad for a company new to the space.

James Trew / Engadget

I’m personally a fan of how all the controls are laid out. The analogue sticks are far enough away to not interfere with the buttons/D-pad but close enough to allow for quick, comfortable switching between them. I also like that the sticks are a little shallower than on other controllers which means you don’t need to push as far to get the movement you need.

There are three different models of Odin available: Pro, Base and Lite. The Pro is the one we have been using and is, as the name suggests, the higher specification version. We’re not talking bleeding edge internals here, but with a Snapdragon 845 and an Adreno 635 doing the processing and graphics we’re looking at something similar to a high-end smartphone from a couple of years ago. Bear in mind that the Switch using an older chipset: It’s, as the saying goes, what you do with it that counts, right?

The differences between each model include battery size, SoC, storage, RAM and, of course, price. Here’s a cheat sheet for those interested:

It’s worth noting that if you’re only worried about the storage, all Odin’s come with a microSD card slot so you can expand the available memory that way if you prefer. As for battery capacity, the 6,000 mAh model I tested was good for around six hours of play on systems like the PS2/GameCube and, given everyone seems to test this game, about half that time with something like Genshin Impact.

This puts the Odin in an interesting spot. You can certainly pick up a very good retro handheld/emulator for around $100, but likely it won’t be able to play nearly as many games from as many platforms. Alternatively, you could spend over $1,000 on something like the Aya Neo which likely trounces the Odin but then is also four times the cost. Then there’s the Steam Deck which is a whole other beast, but a viable alternative if you want to play non-retro games also. It’s also a shade pricier than the Odin, starting at $400, but obviously not a direct competitor. All to say, the handheld market is kind of all over the place.

The Odin runs on Android. If that induces an internal groan, we get it. Android and gaming have a complicated history. But arguably Android makes the most sense for a device like the Odin. Not least because the hardware is comparable to that in a high end phone, but Android is also well catered for in the retro world, with most of the emulators having mature ports. Oh, and Android does have good games of its own, so you can play those natively too.

As much as the Odin is aiming to feel like a complete console rather than a single-board PC in a box running apps, there’s a bit of a problem. It’s almost impossible to do it any other way without going full remake a-la Analogue. That said, setting up the Odin was about as painless as this process gets. Pick the emulators you want, install them, load up on games and you’re more or less good to go. Often the physical controls are either already mapped or just take a minute to do so.

James Trew / Engadget

Ayn did give the Odin its own launcher which sorta-kinda makes it feel more “consoley” and less like an Android tablet, but honestly the version it ships with is clean enough that you can just stick with that. Thankfully there’s almost no extra app cruft on the Odin out of the box and, despite being Android 10, there’s support for Project Treble which should help keep it feeling current for longer.

If your interest is mostly around the NES/SNES or Sega equivalents, you can simply install RetroArch and kick back. There’s nothing unusual here for those most favored or classical consoles so I’ll focus on the more advanced systems.

For many it’s the promise of portable PlayStation 2 and GameCube emulation that will be a lure here. The PS2 is notoriously tricky thanks to the console’s custom processor. But the emulation community is industrious if nothing else and there are some pretty good options now. I tested out some of my favorites from my physical collection, but obviously had to start with Rez, just to see how it looked on that display.

Sure enough, it looked pretty fab. My left thumb is way less nimble than it was 20 years ago but the Odin barely flinched at serving up the game. I may have heard a few minor, almost imperceptible glitches in the audio, but they were infrequent and possibly something that could be remedied in the emulator settings rather than the hardware.

This experience was pretty much the same with any other title I tried. I spent time taking Raiden out for a crawl in the rain in Metal Gear Solid 2. While over in GTA: San Andreas, CJ’s hopes of going straight were just as futile (complete with slightly wonky physics) as I remembered. Final Fantasy XII’s dramatic opening sequence ran as smooth as it ever did and Reks’ brave naivety was almost glitchless bar some light cracking on audio here and there.

James Trew / Engadget

With the GameCube you might reasonably expect a little more success given that historically it’s been easier to emulate. That does broadly seem to pan out. It might take a little fiddling around to get things optimized, but F-Zero GX can run at full speed and there are only a few games that are more performance hungry than that. You can also get some good results for Wii emulation here too but that will depend on a title’s use of Wiimotes among other things.

Of course, everything at this level is still some sort of crapshoot. Who knows how the game was programmed or how it used the hardware it was built for. There are already several videos on YouTube that dutifully go through a bunch of titles for all the systems to show how they run. There’s also a thriving subreddit that has spreadsheets dedicated to listing which games are (or aren’t) compatible and how well they perform on the Odin.

There are two areas where you don’t need to worry about compatibility: Android gaming and streaming services like Stadia and Game Pass. There’s not a lot to say here really other than the Odin was born to do it, so long as your internet can keep up. (WiFi performance is comparable to my phone, for what it’s worth.)

Some brave folks out there have even tried running 3DS and even Switch games all with varying degrees of success. Ultimately what you’re buying with the Odin is a bespoke gaming handheld that merely has the capability to run these apps, there’s no real promise of performance (or really control thereof). 

James Trew / Engadget

But it does seem to have been particularly well designed. The active cooling seems to be a bit of a secret sauce, making sure you not only get the most out of the processor but for extended periods without any fear of damage. Some might wonder, why not simply get an old handset with similar specification and slap it in something like Razer’s Kishi. You definitely could do that, but the Odin’s cooling isn’t the only perk, its screen is bigger and 16:9 rather than superwide like a phone. Plus… it’s about not feeling like you have a phone in a clamp, that’s kinda the point.

It’s not a headline feature, but Ayn did see fit to offer two ways of playing the Odin on a TV/display. There’s a micro HDMI port on the top which is probably the simplest way to get your game on a bigger screen. I will say though that I didn’t have a great time with it as neither of my TVs have a great gaming mode, so latency was an issue. There is also DisplayPort connectivity via the USB-C connection.

If you really want to consolize the Odin, you can do so via a $50 “Super Dock” accessory. With this, you can slide the Odin into the mount much like a Switch and pick up where you left off on the bigger screen. Along with USB, there are also dedicated ports for both GameCube and N64 controllers should you have any of those lying around. It also adds in the option for ethernet and USB-C/SATA for things like SSDs (more modern games take up a lot more space after all).

Of course, given it’s running Android, you can do anything with the Odin that you can do with a phone or tablet. That means video streaming or music listening and even productivity. Though, logic might suggest that running things in the background or, heaven forbid, allowing notifications is only going to do bad things to your gaming experience. But you could.

Nintendo held its latest Indie World stream today and, as is often the case at these events, a few games that were shown off suddenly popped up in the Switch eShop. One of those is Mini Motorways, a puzzle strategy game that debuted on Apple Arcade in 2019 before making its way to PC last year. Dinosaur Polo Club's follow up to Mini Metro (which is also available on Switch) is making its console debut.

The core idea is that you'll build out roads to keep traffic flowing in a growing city. Things will naturally get more complicated as demand grows. You'll also be able to compete against other players in daily and weekly challenges. The Switch version of Mini Motorways costs $14.99.

Three other indie games landed on Switch today: Soundfall, OPUS: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition and Gibbon: Beyond the Trees. Soundfall is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler with dynamically generated levels that are based on the music you select. There are more than 140 tracks to choose from and there's support for local and online multiplayer. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a visual novel-style puzzle game, while Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is a slick-looking 2D platformer.

It was also revealed that We Are OFK is coming to Switch this year, as are Cult of the Lamb, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator,Ooblets and ElecHead. One of the other games that caught my eye in the showcase was Gunbrella from Doinksoft and Devolver Digital (which recently released the terrific Trek to Yomi). It's a "noir-punk adventure" in which you wield a gun that's also an umbrella. However, you play as a woodsman who's seeking revenge rather than a Batman villain. 

Another game that looked intriguing was Another Crab’s Treasure from Aggro Crab. It's a soulslike (meaning it takes inspiration from FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls) that takes place in an undersea world. You play as a hermit crab who has to use trash as makeshift shells to protect yourself from enemies. Like Gunbrella, this one should land on Switch in 2023.

The Indie World stream shone a spotlight on several other titles, such as Wildfrost and Wayward Strand, but there was sadly no sign of Hollow Knight: Silksong. You can check out the showcase in full below.

Redbox has tried to keep itself relevant over the years with on-demand streaming video and free live TV, but it's still best-known as the company pushing movie disc rentals at kiosks. It might soon have a better shot at shaking that reputation, however. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the company that rebooted Sony's Crackle service, is acquiring Redbox in an all-stock deal. The move will help Chicken Soup build an ad-supported streaming service for "value-conscious customers" and "accelerate" Redbox's shift from physical to digital.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Chicken Soup will own a 76.5 percent stake, while Redbox will own the rest. There weren't mentions of leadership changes, but Chicken Soup won't change its name as part of the purchase.

It may seem unusual to buy a company best known for supporting shrinking video formats. Chicken Soup stands to gain a lot, though. The new owner will have access to tens of millions of potential customers, including 40 million Redbox Perks members —even if only a fraction embrace streaming, that's still a large potential audience. Although we wouldn't expect it to challenge heavyweights like Amazon or Netflix, it might help Redbox and Chicken Soup compete with free-to-watch alternatives like Tubi or The Roku Channel.

This is a golden moment to buy a console ahead of your summer vacation. Amazon is selling the standard Nintendo Switch with blue and red Joy-Cons at a new all-time low price of $260, or $40 below the official sticker. That's $20 better than a Woot deal from February, and a large-enough discount that you can easily use the savings to buy a microSD card for storing additional games.

The regular Switch might not have the eye-catching screen of the OLED model, but the fundamentals that make the system so enjoyable remain intact. This is a console you can use either handheld or at your TV, and without making too many compromises. The current revision offers plenty of battery life. And most importantly, the Switch now has a huge catalog of hits after five years, ranging from launch-era titles like Breath of the Wild through to recent successes like Metroid Dread. You won't run out of games to play on a long road trip.

You're likely already familiar with the limitations. The Switch isn't as powerful as dedicated TV consoles like the PS5 or the comparably-priced Xbox Series S, so you won't get 4K or some of the more visually demanding games on the market. And while you might not miss the Switch OLED's display, you'll also have to go without its improved stand and dock-based Ethernet jack. At this price, though, it's an easy choice if you want a two-in-one device or just don't want to pay a stiff premium to play current games.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Sony has heavily leveraged its camera expertise to create its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 IV, it announced. It offers a slew of innovative, image-oriented features including what it calls the "world's first true optical 85-125mm zoom lens, true 4K at 120fps, livestreaming and external monitor capabilities and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform chip. 

The key feature of the Xperia 1 IV is the telephoto zoom that offers an 85-125mm equivalent zoom range, enough for sports, wildlife and more. Sony didn't say how it achieved that, but other companies like Huawei have used 90-degree periscope style systems to create optical zooms on smartphones.

Sony

On top of the telephoto zoom, has 16mm and 24mm lenses (35mm equivalent), along with a time-of-flight sensor, and all cameras use a 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with readout speeds of up to 120 fps. That allows the phone to record 4K 120 fps video, or the equivalent of 5x slow-motion at 4K. 

Other camera features include real-time Eye AF and real-time tracking with every lens, along with an Optical SteadyShot system. All the lenses use Zeiss optics with a Zeiss T* coating designed to boost contrast and sharpness while reducing reflections. The front camera uses a new 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor that's larger than on previous models, allowing you to shoot selfies with less light. 

Sony also added some apps and software features to add video content makers. Much like on the Xperia 1 Pro, that allows users to manually adjust settings like focus, exposure and white balance, even while recording. It also features 4K HDR multi-frame shooting, allowing for videos with wider dynamic range without any loss of resolution. 

Sony is also promising "the ultimate mobile gaming experience" with the Xperia 1 IV, thanks to a 120Hz HDR display with 240Hz motion blur and a 240Hz touch-scanning rate. It's powered by a Snapdragon Gen 1 Mobile Platform and uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite Gaming to improve performance. It also has what Sony calls "Heat Suppression power control" that automatically reduces performance at high temperatures, "even during gameplay when connected to a charger." 

It's designed to simplify livestreaming as well, as you'll have access to the Eye AF and object tracking features when using the Videography Pro mode. It can also be used as an external monitor if you're livestreaming from any compatible Alpha camera and when paired with Sony's Vlog Monitor, "users can livestream content by using the rear cameras," Sony said. 

Other features include 5G with sub6/mmWave, WiFi 6E, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage with a microSD card and a 5,000 mAh battery. The price, as you'd expect from all that, will not be cheap. It's arriving on September 1, 2022 for "approximately" $1,600 to Sony dealers around the US, with the purple color available exclusively at Sony's website. 

If you missed the sale at the end of last month, you have another chance to grab one of Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones at their lowest prices yet. All three of the handsets have hit new record lows on Amazon: the Galaxy S22 is $125 off and down to $675, while the Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra are both $250 off and down to $750 and $950, respectively. And the previous offer on the Galaxy Buds 2 still stands — you can save up to $60 on a pair of the earbuds when you buy them along with the handset.

Picking up the Galaxy S22 Ultra at under $1,000 is a great deal considering it has all of the latest features you can get on a Samsung phone. Marrying features of the Note family with the flagship S lineup, the Galaxy S22 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. It also comes with a built-in S Pen, so Note lovers will be able to use the handset as a small notebook, jotting things down, doodling and the like. Samsung improved the latency to 2.8 milliseconds, so writing with the S Pen will feel even more natural than it did before.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also has a triple rear camera array that includes a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide shooter and two 10MP telephoto lenses. We were impressed with the photos it took as well as Samsung's host of photography improvements like better auto-framing and video stabilization, and new features like Adaptive Pixel.

Overall, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the most impressive Android phones you can get right now. If you're looking for the deepest discount, though, the Galaxy S22+ takes that title in this sale. Yes, both it and the S22 Ultra are $250 off, but that's the equivalent of a 25 percent discount for the S22+ (and only a 21 percent discount on the S22 Ultra). We gave the S22+ and the standard S22 a score of 87 for their slick designs, strong performance and lovely displays. And with the S22+, you'll get a few extra perks including slightly faster WiFi speeds, UWB and WiFi 6E support and a longer battery life.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Sony announced that it sold just 2 million PlayStation 5 units last quarter (Q4), bringing its overall total to 19.3 million. That's down considerably from the same quarter last year when in sold 3.3 million units. The company did manage to boost game sales, though, with 70.5 million PS4/PS5 titles sold compared to 61.4 million a year ago, including 14.5 million first party games compared to 7.9 million in Q3. 

Overall, its Game & Network Services (GSN) division earned 665 billion yen ($5.1 billion) this quarter, up slightly over last year. Sales for the full 2021 year were flat, up just 2 percent over 2020, and profits also changed little.

Those numbers mean that the PS5 is falling even further behind the PS4 in sales, having now sold 3.1 million fewer units than the PS4 at the same point in time. Sony warned that this was coming, blaming the lack of sales not on customer demand but its inability to build enough units due to the ongoing chip shortage. 

The good news is that Sony expects things to perk up quickly. It forecast a 34 percent increase in sales next quarter to 929 billion yen ($7.13 billion) due to better parts supply and higher sales of third-party games. Sony is also launching PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, its take on Xbox Game pass, in June. While PS Plus subscriber levels were flat, the new tiers could help draw subscribers next quarter and beyond. 

For the 2022 season, Formula 1 has entered a new era. The sport introduced a new car spec for this year, complete with a new set of regulations that govern how it can be used. There’s a new circuit in the United States as well as a continuation of the sprint race format that’s still in its infancy. Big changes for teams at the start of the season led EA-owned Codemasters to redesign the latest entry in the F1 game series to match the real-life updates on the track.

As studios typically do for games like this, Codemasters is touting F1 22 as the “biggest overhaul” to the title in years. And with the debut of a new generation car, it’s not hyperbole. Specifically, the company says the handling is “better than ever” with upgrades to the aerodynamic and suspension simulation, plus changes to tires per the real-life regulations. Codemasters says it was in contact with both F1 and teams on how the new generation of cars would drive so it could completely overhaul mechanics and the physics of the game to mirror IRL racing.

In an effort to increase the realism of the game, Codemasters has swapped out the voice of the race engineer on your team for Marc Preistley, a former member of McLaren Racing’s F1 crew. The studio even went so far as to record Preistley’s guidance through a Formula 1-spec headset so the audio is as authentic as possible. Further changes to race day include Formation Lap and AR-guided grid lineup. Pit stops have been updated for the speed of real life and there’s a timed pit box entry mechanic that impacts the efficiency of your stop.

Practice sessions now include an AR projection on the track to help both experienced drivers refine their lines and rookies to learn circuits. What’s more, both Formation Lap and safety car sequences give you the option of actively participating or watching a more broadcast-like cinematic version of the process. Codemasters says this gives users who crave authenticity the ability to go through every motion of a race, but it also offers more casual gamers the choice of something more relaxed. Pit stops are another area where things can be as active as you want them to be. You can either manually hit your pit box with the timing mechanic or watch from a TV-style perspective.

EA/Codemasters

For beginners, there’s a new Adaptive AI feature. Codemasters says this is built for users who are fans of F1 but may not be skilled at racing games just yet. Essentially, the game’s AI plays more closely alongside the user so that even a novice driver can participate in the race rather than struggle to keep up with the pack. There are two levels to Adaptive AI: standard and a more aggressive mode that slows down the game even more.

F1 22 will also add the sprint race format that Formula 1 adopted for select weekends in 2021 and has continued this season. A short dash determines the starting grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix at these circuits rather than traditional qualifying (quali is used to set the grid for the sprint). Sprint races will be part of the season at Imola, Austria and Brazil and they’re part of the game at those locales as well. F1 added a second race in the US this year in Miami, and that circuit will also feature in the game. Codemasters made changes to Australia, Spain and Abu Dhabi in line with the updates to the actual tracks that better accommodate the new cars.

There are changes for the career or My Team mode as well. First, you can choose between three entry levels: newcomer, midfield challenger or title contender. You can begin with a team that already has established operations and a great driver, or you can make things more challenging. There are things like the option of skipping an interview or not dealing with a facilities problem, issues that real team bosses face, that can impact how your season goes if you don’t handle them properly.

EA/Codemasters

In My Team, you’ve had the ability to customize your livery before, but Codemasters has expanded this area. There are more finishes for the car (gloss, metallic, matte, satin) and there are more places on the car that are available to change. Interface updates here allow you to copy and paste livery color schemes to places like your engineering facility so that you have a cohesive identity for your team.

With F1 Life, the game’s new central hub, you’re able to see the supercars you unlock from playing (that are driveable in secondary game modes), browse your trophy case and customize your driver’s style. There’s a closet here where you can update both casual and race wear – right down to the helmet and gloves. F1 Life also serves as the lobby for multiplayer racing, where your driver and their personal style will show up for everyone to see. You even have the ability to customize your “space” or living area where furniture, lighting, art and more can all be swapped out as you see fit.

Lastly, there’s a VR component for PC. With this game mode, you’ll be able to race from the perspective of the driver, taking in the entire race from the cockpit. If you’ve ever seen a driver cam during a race, that should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect here. You can still race against friends even if they don’t have a VR headset since online play is still available for players who opt for the more immersive virtual reality option.

F1 22 will be available June 28th as a digital Champions Edition on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (Epic, Origin and Steam). The “regular” version will follow on July 1st.

The New York Times has apologized after Monday’s Wordle included a solution for some players that may have been offensive due to its connection to recent political events in the US. Warning: potential spoiler ahead.

Some Wordle players woke up today to find out the solution to the daily puzzle was “fetus,” a selection The New York Times said was “entirely unintentional and a coincidence,” in a note the outlet’s Games team published at 12:01AM. According to The Times, the word was loaded into the game “last year,” meaning its selection predates both the company’s purchase of Wordle and the May 2nd leak of a draft decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

When The Times Games team discovered last week that Monday’s puzzle would feature the word fetus, it said it did its best to alter the answer for “as many solvers as possible.” However, due to the way Wordle loads data, those who keep the game running in a tab that they never refresh still saw the old selection. The Times said it hopes to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future.

“We’re now busy revamping Wordle’s technology so that everyone always receives the same word,” the outlet said. “We are committed to ensuring that tens of millions of people have a gratifying and consistent experience, every day.” The Games team added that it wants Wordle “to remain distinct from the news,” a stance that has drawn criticism from some players.