Among a barrage of game announcements during PlayStation’s State of Play yesterday, Sony revealed it’s getting into the increasinglybusy world of game streaming devices. No, this isn’t a next-gen PS Vita (sadly), but an eight-inch screen, bookended by DualSense controls. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said the device would allow PlayStation gamers to stream any PS5 game, excluding PlayStation VR2 titles, over WiFi and the company's Remote Play protocol.

However, there aren’t many specs for the device just yet, but Sony says it’ll have an LCD screen that can stream games at up to 1080p and 60 fps over WiFi. The controller part will also have the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the PS5 controller. It’s set to launch later this year.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

The biggest stories you might have missed

'Alan Wake II' will drop on October 17th for Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC

First look at 'Spider-Man 2' gameplay shows Spidey in the Venom suit

'Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater' is being remade for modern platforms

'Neva' is the next gorgeous-looking game from the developers of 'Gris'

Bungie revives 'Marathon' as a multiplayer shooter

Pegasus spyware found on phones of Mexican president's close ally

The best iPhone cases for 2023

Twitter struggled with Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid announcement

One backer said servers were 'kind of melting.'

Henry Nicholls / reuters

Ron DeSantis was supposed to take to Twitter Spaces yesterday to announce his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination officially. Unfortunately, Twitter was not prepared for the influx of people waiting to listen to the announcement. The announcement eventually got underway after Twitter moved the Space to Republican megadonor David Sacks' account because Musk's "account was breaking the system." Sacks said the Space, with more than 500,000 people tuned in to listen at one point, was the largest group that had "ever met online," a claim quickly ridiculed.

So why did Twitter struggle with those kinds of numbers? It might be that since Musk’s acquisition, the majority of the workforce has been gutted, including much of the team responsible for its infrastructure.

Continue reading.

iOS 17 will reportedly turn your locked iPhone into a smart display

Your phone could be more useful when you aren't using it.

Bloomberg sources claim Apple's iOS 17 update may introduce a lock screen that effectively turns an iPhone into a smart display when the device is on its side. You'll reportedly see calendar items, notifications and other details in a high-contrast layout reminiscent of an Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub. The new lock screen is said to be more advanced than the one Google brought to Android 10. Rumors say Apple is developing multiple smart home devices, which could include a mountable screen, so this could dovetail neatly into that push.

Continue reading.

'Fairgame$' looks like Payday and The Division with a Gen-Z twist

It's the first title out of Jade Raymond's Haven Studios.

Sony

The first project out of Haven Studios (a new studio founded by veteran producer Jade Raymond, who's best known for her work on the Assassin's Creed franchise) is Fairgame$, and it looks like it packs plenty of neon-tinged anarchist multiplayer action. The online competitive heist game has a lovely, timely focus on rebelling against billionaires, and it's heading to PlayStation 5 and PC.

Continue reading.

Assassin's Creed Mirage will arrive on October 12th

The parkour-heavy stealth game will be available this fall.

Talking of Assassin’s Creed, the next game in the series has a release date. On October 12th, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will put players in the robes of Basim Ibn in the city of Baghdad, 861 CE, and will have a stronger focus on stealth mechanics and parkour-based movement than its predecessor. That makes it look a lot like older games in the series from the trailers we've seen so far, but you still get a pet eagle.

Continue reading.

WhatsApp has been rolling out a constant stream of updates lately across its platform. The latest news comes in the form of a profile update, with WhatsApp reportedly working on a new username option, WABetaInfo reports. Included in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android update is a new field in the profile section of the app, which asks users to choose their own unique handle.

The added option brings WhatsApp one step closer to how people communicate on fellow Meta-owned app Instagram, though not much is known about how a username will work on the messaging app. It could mean a significant change in how people find each other on WhatsApp and increase their privacy — instead of a person needing to share their personal phone number or QR code to chat, a user-chosen username might be enough. End-to-end encryption is said to still be deployed on WhatsApp conversations started by username.

This announcement comes on the heels of another sought-out feature release: message editing. The update allows WhatsApp users to alter a message within 15 minutes of sending it, with the caveat that it will have the word "edited" written beside the timestamp. The messaging app also rolled out "Chat Lock" in May, a tool that lets you make specific one-on-one or group chats available solely through entering your password or biometric scanning. It also stops messages from popping up as notifications.

As for usernames, WhatsApp has yet to set a release date or even confirm the feature. It will likely be offered to beta users first when it does arrive before rolling out across all devices. 

A variety of storage products are on sale from SanDisk and its parent company, Western Digital, including the SanDisk microSD Extreme for Mobile Gaming. The small but mighty 256GB card has a 21 percent discount, dropping the price from $28 to $22. This memory size (along with the slightly reduced 64GB and 128GB options) has A2 app performance for quicker recall, with a minimum random read speed of 4,000 IOPS. The SanDisk 256GB microSD's Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition is also on sale, down to $28 from $50 — a 44 percent price cut.

Other discounted SanDisk products include the 512GB Extreme PRO Flash Drive, with a 28 percent drop bringing the price from $97.52 to $70. The flash drive works at speeds up to 420MB per second for reading and 380MB per second for writing while transferring photos and videos to a Mac or PC. It also offers RescuePRO for retrieving any accidentally deleted data. If you need extra storage, the 1TB version is 45 percent off at $117.

Western Digital, which acquired SanDisk for $19 billion in 2015, has discounts on an even larger storage device — its 2TB WD_BLACK D30 Game SSD Portable External Drive. The two-and-a-half inch Game Drive for Xbox is 45 percent off, bringing its cost down from $290 to $160. The price also includes one month of an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. It can store an average of 50 games and works at speeds up to 900MB per second. If you also want compatibility with a Playstation or PC, that model has a slightly smaller discount, with a 33 percent drop bringing the price to $180.

If you've been looking to get a bunch of new Apple AirTags, now's a good time to buy them: The Bluetooth tracker's four-pack bundle is currently on sale for $87. That's not quite an all-time low, but it's still 12 percent less than what the pack typically costs. It's also certainly one of the best prices we've seen for the bundle on Amazon. While a single AirTag only costs $28, this is a great chance to get your hands on a few so you could track several items — like bags, valuables or even pets — at once through the Find My app. 

The Apple AirTag can easily pair with your iPhone or iPad with one tap. Once it's paired, you can use your device to look up where it's currently located and to play a sound through its built-in speaker to help you find what you're looking for. If you have a newer iPhone that supports Ultra Wideband technology, you can even use precision finding to lead you right to each specific AirTag. In case you do lose something that you're keeping track of, you can put AirTag in "lost mode" to be notified when the Find My network of Apple devices detects it. 

Since the AirTag is water and dust resistant, it won't easily break if it gets lost. And while it's not rechargeable, the CR2032 coin battery that powers it is removable and can last for a year before you'd need to replace it. These four-pack AirTags don't come with any accessories, but you can check out some of the best products for the tracker that you can buy right here. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Ron DeSantis was supposed to take to Twitter Spaces today to officially announce his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Unfortunately, for the governor of Florida, it appears Twitter was not prepared for the influx of people who were waiting to listen to the announcement. Shortly after the Space went live, the call dropped and DeSantis has yet to say he's running to become the president of the United States of America. "We've got so many people here that I think we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign," said Republican megadonor and Elon Musk confidant David Sacks said during a moment when the Space briefly returned before dropping again.  

Musk’s decision to personally give DeSantis a platform should put to bed any questions about his politics. Since his takeover of the platform last October, the billionaire has repeatedly engaged with and enabled fringe far-right voices. At the start of December, Twitter reinstated the account of Andrew Anglin, the creator of the white supremacist website The Daily Stormer. Before that, Musk elevated conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi. More recently, he has publicly attacked Anthony Fauci and George Soros. In helping DeSantis announce his presidential bid, Musk is aligning himself with a politician who has signed legislation that has restricted access to abortion and banned transition care for minors.

Before today, Twitter, under its previous leadership, had never so directly engaged with a presidential candidate. At most, the platform's user-facing political outreach involved an election hub that pointed people to information on how to vote and livestreams devoted to debates between presidential candidates. Now the company plans to give former Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson a platform.

During Donald Trump's years as president, the public got used to seeing a US leader use Twitter as a personal megaphone. The former president was banned from the website in 2021 in the aftermath of the January 6th US Capitol riot. Last November, Musk appeared to make the decision to reinstate Trump’s account on the results of a Twitter poll. The company reinstated Trump’s account on November 19th, 2022, but even with some attempted public coaxing from Musk, the former president has not tweeted since before his ban.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Not a great look for the Surface Pro X. The camera for the tablet has reportedly stopped working entirely for some users. It’s unclear at the time of writing what’s causing the issue and how long it will be before an update will be issued to fix it.

The Verge reports that the camera on the Surface Pro X have stopped working starting this week. The publication was able to independently confirm the issue, and claims that this bug affects “everyone”. Dozens of users on Reddit, Twitter (1, 2, 3, 4) and Microsoft’s support forums are also saying that their cameras aren’t working and claim that reinstalling the camera’s drivers won’t fix the problem. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story when we hear back.

Owners of the tablet say that rolling the device’s date back to May 22nd in system settings makes the camera work again, indicating that this may possibly be an expired certificate issue. And while that may be a functional workaround, rolling back the date on any device causes a whole mountain of issues. This includes authentication on websites, potential calendar and scheduling mayhem and (somewhat ironically) could cause Windows update to not work properly. If you’re okay with that, feel free but proceed at your own risk. We highly suggest that you wait for an official update from Microsoft if you can.

The Surface Pro X, which was originally released in 2019, was a 2-in-1 tablet-laptop fusion device that offered excellent hardware for the time and a comfortable typing experience. Unfortunately, buggy software and limited app compatibility were the device’s ultimate demise, even after Microsoft lowered the price in late 2021. Regardless, we hope that an update comes soon to resolve the issue for Surface Pro X owners.

One of the best surprises of 2020 is about to get a sequel. On Wednesday, Sony revealed Ghostrunner 2 during its latest PlayStation showcase. The company showed a brief trailer highlighting the game's cyberpunk setting. According to the PlayStation Blog, Ghostrunner 2 is set one year after the events of the first game. Players will once again play as Jack, but by the sounds of it, they can expect a vastly more expansive experience this time around. Publisher 505 Games says the game will feature more challenging combat and platformer sections, with levels that allow for more player freedom. You will also get dialogue choices that will allow you to get a better sense of the game's world. Oh, and did I mention you'll get to drive a motorbike in Ghostrunner 2? The game will arrive on PlayStation 5 later this year.       

At the end of Sony's PlayStation Showcase today, the company gave us our first extended look at Spider-Man 2, including a fair bit of gameplay showing off both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Perhaps most significant, though, Parker is wearing the iconic black Venom suit — for those less familiar with Spider-Man lore, the Venom suit gives Parker a ton of wild additional powers. But, it's also an alien symbiote that quite possibly could be affecting Peter's best judgement. How he ends up with the suit remains a mystery, but I wager it'll be a big part of the new game.

The preview also showed an extended action sequence where gameplay seamlessly flips between controlling Parker and Morales. A lot of the gameplay feels familiar, particularly in the hand-to-hand fighting area, but the new suit clearly offers a ton of new moves, while a wild chase through Queens gives a good sense of the kind of action we can expect outside taking down hordes of bad guys. We also got to see a new trick for Miles, as he now has a sort of "wingsuit" glider that lets him float over extended distance. This trick wasn't part of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game from 2020 where we first got to control the younger Spidey. 

It also looks like the game's map will be bigger than ever before — the first game covered most of Manhattan, but from this preview we've also seen Queens, and a huge portion of the chase sequence took place on the water, as well. The original Spider-Man already put together a convincing and massive version of New York City, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this one expands on it. We'll get the chance this fall, though there's still no official release date. Insomniac Games did say they hoped to share a final date "soon." 

What do you think Bungie would do for its first non-Destiny game in over a decade? A return to the franchise that helped make it a gaming giant, of course. The developer has unveiledMarathon, a follow-up to the classic first-person shooter series for Macs. This isn't a sequel or remake, mind you. Instead, it's a multiplayer "extraction shooter" that has mercenary Runners exploring a lost colony.

While there's no single-player component, game director Chris Barrett says this will still "feel" like a Bungie game between the mechanics and rich universe. Player actions will also influence the plot — you might find an artifact that unlocks an area for all players. There are persistent zones and seasons, although we wouldn't expect a repeat of similar elements in Destiny.

Marathon is in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. While there isn't much more to share at this point, Bungie says the next update will be "much closer to launch" and include gameplay. It's safe to say there's a lot riding on this title. It's proof that Bungie isn't content to iterate on Destiny forever, and will show what the company can do with a multiplayer-only experience. And for old-time fans, this is a chance to return to a beloved franchise 27 years later.

It's not a handheld console, but Sony is preparing to release a device that will allow PlayStation 5 users to stream their favorite games to a portable display. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan shared the existence of "Project Q" on Wednesday during the company's PlayStation Showcase. He said the device would allow PlayStation gamers to stream any PS5 game, excluding PlayStation VR2 titles, over WiFi and the company's Remote Play protocol. The device features an 8-inch "HD display" and "all the buttons and features" found on a DualSense controller. Ryan did not say how much the device would cost but promised Sony would share more information about Project Q soon.