There’s no denying Nintendo’s Switch, at 6.5 years, is reaching the end. Nintendo is (finally) gearing up for what’s next and was reportedly showing tech demos of its next-gen system to developers at Gamescom last month.

According to Eurogamer, one of the Switch 2 demos was a beefed-up version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was apparently a tech demo, showing the world of Hyrule at a higher frame rate and resolution than the existing game.

Engadget

VGC says another tech demo was The Matrix Awakens, running on the dev kit. The captivating tech demo was originally designed to highlight what Unreal Engine 5 can do on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but Nintendo got it working on an early version of its next system. The Switch 2 demo also featured NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech, ray-tracing and visuals comparable to those on the PS5 and Series X. DLSS support is key, as that could help Nintendo run games at higher frame rates and resolution without having to use more powerful components.

Nintendo is expected to release its next console in 2024 – but what will be its unique trick?

– Mat Smith

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BMW’s terrible heated seats subscription didn’t make it to a second winter

Drivers will no longer have to deal with hardware paywalls in the brand’s cars.

BMW

BMW is one of several automakers that have been nickel and diming customers, with a monthly subscription for heated seats (which already exist in these vehicles) in certain models and territories. The company has dropped that controversial practice to focus on paid software services — it no longer plans to charge drivers extra to use hardware features already in their cars.

Drivers didn’t take to the $18 per month heated seats subscription in the countries where BMW offered that, er, perk. “We thought that we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that later, but the user acceptance isn’t that high,” Pieter Nota, BMW’s board member for sales and marketing, said.

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iOS apps will publish to the Apple Vision Pro store by default

This should give headset owners access to ‘hundreds of thousands’ of applications.

Engadget

We haven’t heard much about Apple’s mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, in recent weeks, but in the runup to Apple’s big event next week, the company has elaborated on the device’s app offerings. It’s announced every iOS app will automatically publish to the Vision Pro store by default, which the company says will give early adopters access to “hundreds of thousands of iPad and iPhone apps.” Most apps can easily run on Vision Pro, but you won’t get a full futuristic experience. Instead, you’ll see what you normally see on your phone or tablet, just blown up on a fake screen before you.

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Walgreens agrees to pay $44 million to Theranos blood test customers

The company used to offer Theranos’ faulty blood tests in its stores.

There was a time when Walgreens championed Theranos’ blood tests and offered them at “wellness centers” in its stores. That was before it came to light that Theranos’ tests were faulty. Now, according to Bloomberg, Walgreens has agreed to pay $44 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by customers who received flawed Theranos blood tests. A court still has to approve the proposal, but based on the court filing by the plaintiffs, those customers will receive around double their out-of-pocket damages if the terms remain unaltered.

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Following Huawei's surprise launch of the seemingly 5G-capable Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro smartphones last week, the Chinese firm has today unveiled two more devices: the Mate 60 Pro+ and the Mate X5 foldable. Huawei was largely limited to 4G connectivity on its handsets since the US sanctions, but with this latest wave of smartphone launches, the company has been intentionally secretive about its choice of radio. Sources told Engadget that these are indeed 5G devices — as supported by Chinese blogger Vincent Zhong's speed test on the new foldable, which reached a download speed of over 1Gbps (you'll see that there is no 5G indicator on the screen).

It's likely that both phones are also powered by Huawei's mysterious HiSilicon Kirin 9000S, the 7nm process node of which has raised concerns on whether the local chip supplier, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has violated US sanctions to access foreign chip-making technology. Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comments about the specs of these new phones or the chip.

A recent Kirin 9000S teardown conducted by TechInsights for Bloomberg confirmed SMIC's 7nm process, which was thought to be impossible given the import ban on key manufacturing equipment — namely the EUV lithography machines from Dutch firm ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography). Before the US import ban, Huawei relied on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) for its 5nm process, which was enabled by ASML's machines.

It is unlikely that SMIC procured such advanced machinery from ASML — at least not directly — without raising alarms. According to Bits & Chips, ASML CEO Peter Wennink recently expressed that "the Mate 60 Pro shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as the restrictions essentially forced the Chinese to double down on innovation." Thus implying that SMIC could well have developed its own high-end lithography machine. 

Benchmarks conducted by Chinese tech blog Geekerwan suggest that the Kirin 9000S' performance is close to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888, meaning it's around two generations behind. The site added that the CPU here features one big core and three middle cores based on Huawei's own "TaiShan" architecture, in addition to four little cores based on Arm's efficient Cortex-A510. As a bonus, the Kirin 9000S is the first mobile processor to support multi-threading — running eight cores with 12 threads, though apparently apps will require further optimization to make use of this feature. As for the GPU, Huawei added its own Maleoon 910, which is allegedly on par with the one in the Snapdragon 888.

Huawei

Much like the Mate 60 Pro, the higher-end Mate 60 Pro+ supports satellite call service by China Telecom and satellite messaging using BeiDou. The only notable differences (that we can see for now) are the different "nanotech metallic double dye process" and better rear cameras. As for the Mate X5 foldable, it's almost identical to the super slim Mate X3, except for the switch to Huawei's fancier Kunlun Glass on the external screen (hence a 2g bump in weight), as well as the slightly tweaked appearance of the rear camera island. Huawei has yet to reveal prices for either model, though pre-orders will start at 6:08PM local time today.

If all four of Huawei's latest smartphones are indeed powered by Kirin 9000S, it would suggest that Huawei is confident with its chip yield — potentially adding a further blow to the US sanctions. Rumors suggest that we'll be hearing more about these devices towards the end of September — conveniently avoiding the iPhone 15 rush.

The Steam store will soon tell you if a game supports Sony’s DualSense or DualShock controllers. Valve posted an update for developers this week, announcing that the feature would go live in Steam’s store and desktop app starting in October. Valve hints that more controller-friendly features could be on their way to Steam. “This is the first step toward helping players find games that support the most commonly-used PC video game controllers,” the company wrote.

Developers should now see a new questionnaire in Steamworks, Valve’s game creation tools for its ubiquitous digital storefront. The survey lets devs specify whether their game offers full or partial support for Xbox, DualShock and DualSense controllers. Valve says the filters will also display each PlayStation controller’s usage level, helping gamers learn which gamepads people use the most.

Valve

Valve chalks up the decision to rising numbers of players using PlayStation controllers. It says Sony controller usage has grown from 11 percent of sessions in 2018 to 27 percent today. The company adds that, since 2017, over 87 million Steam users have played at least once using a controller. Among that group, 69 percent have used “some version of Xbox controllers,” while the remainder used “a mix of PlayStation controllers, Switch Pro Controllers, and hundreds of other devices.”

As the consumer tech world shifts its gaze towards Apple’s expected iPhone 15 launch next week, Google appears determined to make sure you don’t forget it has new Pixels in the pipeline. The company posted a sneak peek of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on YouTube, revealing that the phones will be available for pre-order the same day they’re announced: October 4.

Google’s video is little more than a design tease, as it doesn’t showcase or detail any specific features or specs for the handsets that will soon replace the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Google also posted a new Google Store landing page today that shows the Pixel 8 / 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. 9to5Googlenoticed that the image’s alt text describes the displayed models’ colors as Rose and Porcelain.

The upcoming Pixels have popped up several times lately in what many suspect are intentional leaks to try to cut into Apple’s limelight. Earlier this week, the company posted (and removed) a 360-degree Pixel 8 Pro simulator that allowed visitors to spin the virtual device around and view it from every angle. That “leak” confirmed previously rumored features like a temperature sensor, physical SIM slot and three of its available colors (blue, porcelain and black). The company also published a photo of a person holding a porcelain-colored Pixel 8 Pro on the same day Apple sent out iPhone event invites.

Other leaks have pointed to the higher-end Pixel having a 50-megapixel main camera (that lets in 50 percent more light) and a 64-megapixel ultrawide camera made by Sony. In addition, a 5,000 mAh battery and 27W max charging speed are expected.

Google plans to reveal the devices in an event on October 4 in New York City. “You’re invited to an in-person Made by Google event where we’ll introduce the latest additions to our Pixel portfolio of devices,” reads Engadget’s invitation.

Thank the social media makers. Meta’s Threads is officially rolling out a keyword search feature in the United States, alongside many other countries including India, Canada, Mexico and the UK. This has been one of the most asked-for tools since the platform launched in July. Keyword search appeared last week as a beta in New Zealand and Australia, and it looks that beta was a success given today’s announcement.

Keyword search, known as hashtags or text search in some circles, is vital for connecting with communities and for following real-time events. Oddly, Threads is the first major Twitter/X competitor to integrate the feature, which could spell even more trouble for Elon Musk’s beleaguered social media site.

A Meta representative told Engadget that keyword search is being integrated into both mobile apps and the recently-launched web app, so you’ll have your pick of where to search for Star Trek fans or whatever it is you’re into. The company said it’s working on bringing the search function to other languages and countries in the near future. Before this update, you could only use search to look for active Threads accounts.

Meta has been aggressive about adding features to Threads, which is good because the app had an extremely strong start but has fizzled since the initial launch. Maybe this latest update will entice users to return to the service.

Snapchat is adding new features meant to discourage teens from interacting with strangers on its app. The changes come after years of scrutiny on the app as lawmakers and other officials have questioned Snap’s ability to keep teens safe.

As with previous updates, the new restrictions primarily affect the accounts of 13- to 17-year-olds on the app. Last year, the company began limiting the visibility of teens’ accounts in its “Quick Add” recommendations to limit strangers’ ability to find young people in the app. Now, the company says it will make teens even harder to find in search and recommendations by increasing the number of mutual friends users must have in order to appear in search and suggested accounts.

And, in cases when teens are able to connect with people with whom they don’t share many mutual friends, Snap will surface warnings encouraging users to only interact with people they know. The warning will be accompanied by an option to block or report the user in question.

The company is also introducing a new strike system for accounts that share “age-inappropriate content” in public-facing parts of the app, like Stories and Spotlight. Under the new system, the app will remove posts that it deems age-inappropriate and dole out a strike to the offending account. Users who rack up too many strikes over a set period of time will have their accounts permanently disabled, according to the company.

Snap has also published a new section of its website aimed at parents who have potential concerns about their teens’ use of Snapchat. The site offers several explainers about the app, including guides on how to use its parental control features.

Apple just announced that nearly every iOS app will automatically publish the Vision Pro store by default, which the company says will give early adopters access to “hundreds of thousands of iPad and iPhone apps.” This will be in addition to whatever actual Vision Pro apps launch on the official store.

Most apps can easily run on Vision Pro, but you won’t get a full futuristic experience. Instead, you’ll see what you’d normally see on your phone or tablet, just blown up via a fake screen in front of you. Apple says that “app experiences can easily extend to Apple Vision Pro from day one — with no additional work required.”

This is slightly underwhelming when you consider the usual apps, like Facebook, but actually provides some real benefits. This means, for instance, that every streaming app will automatically be available at launch, so you can watch whatever you want on the headset’s virtual screen. Incidentally, the screen can occupy a relative width of 100 feet, so those lightsaber battles on Ahsoka will really pop. Marry that with the comfort-forward lightweight design and you’ve got yourself one heck of an entertainment machine, and that’s before uniquely-made streaming apps begin showing up.

On the developer side, there’s a forthcoming visionOS beta launching this fall so devs can test their apps to make sure they work. Additionally, this toolset will allow developers to make adjustments to maximize integration with the headset. It’ll also let you know if your app isn’t eligible for some reason, though most will be.

Now onto the why of this. The Apple Vision Pro is set to be a niche product for at least the first generation, due to the exorbitant price tag and limited use case scenarios, so exclusive apps could be scarce at launch. This allows Apple to sort of inflate the Vision Pro app store numbers to entice consumers. It could also pressure some of the larger developers out there, like Meta, to push through features exclusive to the headset. No matter the reason, one of the primary clarion calls whenever any new technology is announced is a cry for backwards compatibility, and well, this’ll do it.

For the uninitiated, the Apple Vision Pro is the company’s forthcoming mixed-reality headset. It boasts eye-tracking, so you can control apps via minute ocular movements, and an OLED screen on the exterior to display a digital recreation of your eyeballs for others to interact with. It’ll cost a whopping $3,500 when it launches next year, which is equatable to purchasing seven Meta Quest 3 VR headsets.

Apple’s latest fall iPhone event — “Wonderlust” — is nearly here. Four new iPhones and a couple of Apple Watch models are expected to take center stage when the company showcases its latest products. USB-C should be in the spotlight as Apple changes its charging ports in response to new EU regulations. Although nothing is set in stone until Tim Cook takes the stage on Tuesday, we’ve gathered the most probable leaks and rumors ahead of Apple’s September 12 event.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro

No matter what else Tim Cook and company reveal, new iPhones are practically guaranteed to dominate the day’s headlines. We can expect a high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, along with a standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. There was an earlier report that Apple may rebrand the Pro Max model as “iPhone 15 Ultra” this year, but it isn’t clear if that’s still on the table.

First, screen sizes will likely stand pat. That means 6.1-inch displays for the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro and 6.7-inch screens for the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max (or “Ultra”). ProMotion, Apple’s branding for 120Hz variable refresh rate displays, will almost certainly remain exclusive to the top-tier models.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

A change many foresee is Lightning cables becoming obsolete. Over a decade has passed since switching from 30-pin connectors to Lightning, and European regulations are forcing Apple to swap ports again — this time to USB-C. “Obviously, we’ll have to comply” with the EU’s requirements, Apple VP Greg Joswiak confirmed in an interview with the WSJ last year. Although Apple could wait for next year’s iPhone launch to make the EU’s deadline, leaks and well-sourced insiders indicate almost unanimously that this year’s iPhone 15 will be the one to kick off the USB-C iPhone era.

However, connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts only the higher-end iPhone models will see faster USB-C data transfer speeds. Kuo believes only the two pro models will support “at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3” high-speed wired connections, while the two standard models (iPhone 15 / 15 Plus) would use slower USB 2.0 speeds, the same as Lightning. At least some new models could also support faster (35W) charging speeds, although (predictably, some might say) you could need a proprietary Apple-made adapter to power up at those rates.

Dynamic Island, the display cutout that Apple launched on the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max, is expected to carry over to all four models in 2023. A replacement for the “notch” on older full-screen iPhones, Dynamic Island is a floating black pill-shaped section just below the top of the screen. It not only masks the phone’s front camera and Face ID sensor, but it can also flash alerts, animations and shortcuts for tasks like driving directions, timers or music. Apple design VP Alan Dye tidily summarized that Dynamic Island can “display alerts, notifications, and ongoing operations in real-time without seeing the boundary between hardware and software.”

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Stainless steel may go the way of the Lightning port, as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to switch to titanium frames. The material upgrade could make the new pro lineup “stronger, lighter and more premium,” as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman described in July. He said the titanium used in high-end Apple Watch models was “a test for bringing that material to its highest-volume device.” Although the phones are expected to keep the same frosted glass back, their corners could be more rounded than in previous models. In addition, Apple may drop the lineup’s gold hue for a “titan gray” colorway.

Thinner bezels are expected to accompany the pro series’ titanium frame. Apple is reportedly developing the iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max displays with a process called low-injection pressure over-molding, or “LIPO.” First used in Apple Watch Series 7 manufacturing, Gurman reported that the technology could reduce the pro series’ bezels to 1.5 mm, down from the 2.2 mm ones found in current models.

The iPhone 15 Pro series could also have an Action Button like on the Apple Watch Ultra. The customizable toggle would replace the mute switch on the upper-left side of the pro-tier iPhones. Possible uses for the Action Button (based on code uncovered in iOS 17) include launching the camera, lighting the phone’s flashlight, activating Focus, opening accessibility features or standing pat with the standard mute function. Sources indicated Apple initially wanted to swap in haptic solid-state ones for the iPhone’s physical volume and power buttons, but the company reportedly canceled the feature after encountering “unresolved technical issues before mass production.” So expect standard volume and power / sleep buttons.

Apple

The most likely camera upgrade is a new periscope lens exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or Ultra). It would use a prism to bend or fold light captured by the sensor, leading to an optical zoom of 5x to 6x without making the phone beefier. The iPhone 14 Pro series supports up to 3x optical zoom.

One of the surest bets about a new flagship iPhone’s features is a faster, next-generation chip. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to use a 3nm chip, likely called the A17 Bionic. It would provide performance boosts (and maybe longer battery life). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 / 15 Plus pair is rumored to repeat what the company did in 2022: recycling last year’s high-end chip. That means the iPhone 15 / 15 Plus would use the A16 Bionic, found in the iPhone 14 Pro.

If recent years are any indication, the new iPhones would be available for pre-order the Friday after the event, with shipments and general availability kicking off a week later. Although this year’s models may be more expensive.

Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra

This could be a minor year for Apple Watch updates. The primary hardware change in the Apple Watch Series 9 is rumored to be an S9 chip, marking the product’s first real processor upgrade since 2020. Gurman reported that the S9 will be based on the A15 chip that debuted in Apple’s iPhone 13 (2021) lineup. The S9’s full details aren’t known, but it’s rumored to move from a 7nm manufacturing process to a denser and more efficient 5nm or 4nm one. Expect performance boosts and (perhaps) longer battery life.

Reports suggest the new Apple Watch will otherwise be a largely ho-hum update, with Gurman saying this year’s model won’t offer any significant design changes or new features. A pink color option and Bluetooth 5.3 support are possible changes for the new model. Regardless, watchOS 10 — arguably the biggest software update in the wearable’s history — will likely stand as the biggest advancement for the Apple Watch in 2023.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

As for the Apple Watch Ultra, it’s also expected to receive an incremental 2nd-generation update. In addition to the S9 chip, a new Apple Watch Ultra could add a black titanium case. The current model ships in a “natural” color, expected to return alongside the darker option.

AirPods

Ken Pillonel

You probably want to keep your AirPods expectations in check, as Apple’s march away from Lightning and towards USB-C will likely be the only headphone upgrades at this event. The company will reportedly launch “new” versions of the current AirPods models, with charging cases that use USB-C instead of Lightning serving as the only difference.

Rumored changes to the AirPods lineup down the road include body-temperature sensors, accessibility features for people with hearing disabilities and a potential price drop for the entry-level model. But we won’t likely see any of that on Tuesday.

Software

Apple

You can expect the event to bring more details about Apple’s first big 2023 software updates: iOS 17, watchOS 10 and (possibly) iPadOS 17. Apple announced the operating systems at WWDC 2023, and their final versions should become available to the public sometime between the event and the iPhone 15 launch. Following recent years’ patterns, macOS Sonoma will likely launch in October — with iPadOS 17 joining if it isn’t included alongside iOS 17. A potential October event could consist of new iMac, MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models running the M3 chip.

iOS 17 includes a new StandBy mode, voicemail transcriptions, FaceTime video voicemails, contact posters, NameDrop and new in-line predictive text suggestions (among other additions). Meanwhile, watchOS 10 is arguably the platform’s most significant update since the wearable’s 2015 launch. The new software changes the Apple Watch’s fundamental control scheme: The side button now activates Control Center (instead of recent apps or the dock), and twisting the watch’s Digital Crown from the watch face scrolls through a customizable stack of glanceable widgets.

You can read more about the upcoming software in Engadget’s previews of iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10 coverage.

The Nintendo Switch isn't dead quite yet. Nintendo has a solid-looking slate of games lined up for its console stretching well into 2024, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder (which I absolutely cannot wait for), Detective Pikachu Returns and maybe, possibly Metroid Prime 4. But there's no denying that the 6.5-year-old console is getting long in the tooth, so Nintendo is gearing up for what's next. To that end, the company reportedly showed developers tech demos for its next-gen system behind closed doors at Gamescom last month.

One of the Switch 2 demos was a beefed-up version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That's according to Eurogamer, which points out that this was a tech demo and there's no guarantee of a remastered or upgraded version of BOTW coming to the Switch 2, so don't get your hopes up. That said, the demo was said to show BOTW running at a higher frame rate and resolution than the original Switch can handle.

Perhaps more intriguingly, VGC reports that Nintendo also showed The Matrix Awakens running on the dev kit. The captivating tech demo was originally designed to show off what Unreal Engine 5 can do on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but Nintendo managed to get it working on an early version of its next system too. What's more, the Switch 2 demo was said to feature NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech, ray-tracing and visuals comparable to those seen on the PS5 and Series X.

It's unlikely that the Switch 2 will compete with the Sony and Microsoft systems in terms of pure horsepower. It definitely won't if Nintendo retains the hybrid handheld format of the Switch, unless the company is content with a battery life of about 20 minutes. DLSS support is key, as that could help Nintendo run games at higher frame rates and resolution without having to jam more powerful components or an oversized battery into the Switch 2.

Nintendo is expected to release the Switch 2 (or whatever the console will actually be called) in 2024. It will be doing so in a far different gaming landscape than the groundbreaking Switch ventured into due to the likes of the Steam Deck and more advanced mobile gaming experiences. We're seeing a new handheld PC gaming system show upalmost every week at this point. Thanks to emulation (and poor piracy protections on the original Switch), it's not exactly difficult to run Nintendo games better than the company's current console can handle, even while you're on the go.

Nintendo might have its work cut out to convince gamers that both an upgrade from the original Switch is worthwhile and that the Switch 2 is a better option for them than a handheld gaming PC. Still, more advanced hardware, the company's stellar track record of exclusive games and quality-of-life features like an easy way to transition to the Switch 2 could make the next-gen system enticing enough for those who might have been on the fence about snagging the upcoming console.

Google Chrome is well into its adolescence and is celebrating its 15th birthday with a redesign and new safety features. Say goodbye to the standard white background because Google is rolling out background customization using its Material You design language, including new colors and smoother access to light and dark modes.

To change the design of your browser, click a new button at the bottom of your homepage titled "Customize Chrome." Then, a pop-out gives you the option to change themes, with colorways ranging from yellow to purple and everything in between. Chrome will automatically switch to whichever choice you click on, so you can explore the different colors before committing to one. Here's where you can also choose to have your browser be in light mode, dark mode or to match your computer's settings. Your settings can differ based on which Google account you've logged into (and can even stay the standard white if you prefer).

Google has also added more options to Chrome's drop-down menu that the company says will make it quicker to access tools like Google Password Manager and extensions. You can also check out a public preview of Chrome's"fresh, modern" web store. It now has an AI-powered extensions tab and an Editor's spotlight section if you want recommendations for ones to download. 

The birthday updates are mostly design-centered, but Google is also attempting to improve its Safe Browsing technology. Instead of updating its internal list of sites with phishing or malware threats every half hour to hour, Chrome should now check sites in real time. Google claims that 60 percent of bad sites exist for less than 10 minutes and that this change should improve protection by 25 percent.