After all that waiting, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt finally got her hands on Playdate. From the makers of Firewatch and meme-friendly Untitled Goose Game, it’s a petite portable console that marries the familiarity of the GameBoy with the spirit of indie game innovation. That last bit might sound like hollow platitudes, but well, it’s true.

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This isn’t a console for FPS, teraflops or anything MMO, it’s like a pixel-filled brainstorm of delights. Having said that, if you decide to order the handheld today, you're in for a wait. "We've filled our production capacity for 2022, but we're ramping up to make even more systems," the company says on its website.

Maybe I’ll wait out for Playdate 2. I’ll always have my fishing controller, but it’s not the same.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Logitech’s Lift is a vertical mouse for the rest of us

• Apple's 10.2-inch iPad drops to an all-time low of $290

• 'Streets of Rage' movie adaptation reportedly in the works

• Hitting the Books: How American militarism and new technology may make war more likely

• Fitbit's Charge 5 tracker is on sale for $130 right now

• Recommended Reading: The rise and fall of Pebble

• iRobot's Roomba 694 is back on sale for $179

• Researchers break world record for quantum-encrypted communications

VW ID.Buzz first look

An EV that makes vans cool again.

Engadget

If you want an electric van, your options are limited, which is precisely what VW is hoping to address with the upcoming ID.Buzz. At the New York International Auto Show, we finally got to check it out.

It’s slated to go on sale sometime in 2024, featuring a 77 kWh battery and two rows of seats for the European model (which is the version VW had on display) or a full three rows of seats and slightly longer chassis for the US market. Other specs, like its range and price, are still TBD.

Take a closer look.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review

Hardly an upgrade.

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Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G offers one of the better displays on a midrange phone, with a 2,400 by 1,080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. But Samsung’s slow Exynos 1280 chipset struggles, even with basic tasks. If you’re set on a Samsung phone and have an extra $100 to spend, consider the Galaxy S21 FE, which has been heavily discounted since its launch last year.

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'Battlefield 2042' will finally get in-game voice chat on

Groundbreaking.

Battlefield 2042 will finally get in-game voice chat, but with caveats. The VoIP feature won't work across an entire team. The only channel options are for parties and squads (with a maximum of four members). Given that teams can have up to 64 players, voice chat could get messy fast with that many people talking over each other. A proximity-based option might have been helpful for callouts, though. Sigh.

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The Engadget Podcast

Nintendo Switch Sports and Elon Musk's ongoing Twitter affair.

This week, Cherlynn Low and guest co-host Sam Rutherford discuss the new Nintendo Switch Sports games, a coincidental week of beauty gadget coverage and the ongoing saga of Elon Musk trying to own Twitter.

Listen and subscribe here

For some reason, Nintendo’s Super Mario anime has been remastered in 4K

But we still don’t understand it.

Nintendo's first anime movie, from 1986, is back. Femboy Films has released a 4K remaster of The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach on both YouTube and the Internet Archive. You’ll get clean, color-corrected visuals based on a rare 16mm print, and new English subtitles and a fresh two-channel Dolby Surround audio capture from the VHS release. Oh, and Mario and Luigi work at a grocery store now.

It gets weirder...

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As automobiles gain increasing autonomy and their occupants spend less time actively paying attention to the task of driving, Audi is reimagining the role of the vehicle’s cabin space — from a rigid, safety-centered, face-forward setup to a more open, communal design. The automaker showcased this evolution in its new Urbansphere EV concept, which it unveiled on Tuesday.

Audi

The Urbansphere is the third in a trifecta of futuristic Audi EV concepts. It joins the Skysphere — a 623-HP EV roadster announced last August reminiscent of the Disco-era Chevy Camaro or Jaguar XJ6 — and the Grandsphere touring coupe announced in September. All three are built with level 4 autonomous vehicle technology in mind, a project that Audi is collaborating on with CARIAD, Volkswagen Group’s software business. The hope is to get to market in the second half of this decade.

The Urbansphere is the largest of the trio and the biggest Audi concept vehicle to date. It sits on 24-inch rims and measures a whopping 18 feet in length — the same as GM’s Hummer EV; it's over 6.5 feet wide (a Paul Pierce wingspan) and 5.8 feet tall (approximately one entire Tom Hardy!) And because the Urbansphere doesn’t have to account for a conventional arrangement of a combustion-powered car's components “it prioritizes the occupants’ need to experience ample space as a distinctive comfort factor,” the company wrote in a Tuesday press release.

Audi

As such, the Urbansphere’s interior offers two bucket seats in both rows, the rear pair boasting seatbacks that recline up to 60 degrees with extendable footrests. The front seats swivel to enable fed-up parents to more easily get at their misbehaving progeny without having to pull this goddamn car over and then NOBODY’S going to Disneyland, though a series of privacy dividers and seat back-mounted television screens should help keep the peace.

Audi

Audi also has plans to include a “large-format and transparent OLED screen” that pivots vertically from the roof down between the two rows. It would span the entire width of the cabin interior, like a taxi divider, and allow the rear passengers to watch movies or take conference calls. (Because even in the most idealized future Audi can imagine, we are still inconvenienced by conference calls.) When not in use, the screen will remain transparent or will fold up against the vehicle’s equally clear glass roof.

Audi

The vehicle could include an anxiety detection program that “uses facial scans and voice analysis to determine how passengers are feeling" and might offer "personalized suggestions” to relieve stress. Audi does appear to be taking the relaxation of the Urbansphere’s conceptual drivers quite seriously, incorporating calming wood accents throughout the cabin and obscuring display panels in the central infotainment screen until the car powers on.

Audi

Part of the experience that Audi envisions is the Urbansphere serving as a pseudo-assistant, allowing the driver to, say, make restaurant reservations from inside or order groceries for curbside pickup. It might also leverage level 4 capabilities to ferry riders to their destination then independently find a parking or charging station.

Audi

With an 800V architecture supporting a 270 kw max DC charging speed, it shouldn’t take too long to top off the Urbansphere’s cells. Its 120 KwH battery pack requires just 25 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 percent of its 466-mile range capacity. Overall, Audi estimates it can wring 186 miles out of a quick 10-minute charge.

A new, big budget reboot of Crazy Taxi has already been in development for more than a year, and is expected to launch within the next three years. That’s the revelation issued forth by Bloomberg today, suggesting that a rebooted Jet Set Radio is also currently gestating with a similar development timeline. Both titles are part of Sega’s Super Game project, which the company first teased back in early 2021 as a way of accelerating the developer's recovery.

Details about Super Game have been thin on the ground but Shuji Utsumi, the former PlayStation executive leading the project, has let some things slip. Back in April, he said that the project would involve a series of AAA titles leveraging cloud gaming and, deep sigh, NFTS. Late last year, Sega announced that it was teaming up with Microsoft’s Azure cloud division to help produce large-scale “global games.”

When Super Game was announced, Sega bandied around references to its Silver Age blockbusters including Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter. According to Bloomberg, these titles are going to be reborn in the Fortnite mould as a free-to-play, massively online title. Sega is reportedly staking its business on the riches on offer from such titles, which already have devoted cult followings. Of course, as with any title this early in its lifespan, Sega could pull the plug before it reaches players, but it's about time we had something nice in this life, and no amount of NFTs can make us hate Crazy Taxi... right?

Building upon the success of the EQS and the launch of the EQE, Mercedes has another electric vehicle on the way to the United States. This time it’s more in line with what the US wants: an SUV.

The oddly named EQS SUV is to the sedan EQS what the GLS is to the regular S-Class — an upright take on its ultra high-end model. It was unveiled recently in Germany and we got a chance to check out the taller electric vehicle from Mercedes. In addition to having room for seven, the electric SUV has an off-road mode and special running boards that help reduce drag. 

While Mercedes is mum on pricing and range details for the US, we do know that its European range will be "up to 600 kilometers" based on the WLTP standard, which should make the range top out at a shade over 300 miles in the US' more stringent EPA ratings. As for pricing, well, the regular EQS starts at just over $100,000 so the SUV is going to be in a similar bracket to Tesla's Model X. The car’ll be built in the US and available this fall, and you can watch the video above for the full story.

Samsung has unveiled the Pokémon Edition of its Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone that's bound to be irresistible to collectors. It comes in a special box with a number of Pokémon-themed accessories, including a Pikachu picture case (with a Pokémon Custom Pack), a Pikachu Clear Cover Set, a Pokémon Pouch with a lanyard strap, a Pikachu keychain and a Poké Ball stand. It'll also have some Pokémon-edition ringtones, themes and wallpapers. 

The model is coming along at a good time, as a Pokémon Bread craze has apparently taken South Korea by storm, according to Maekyung.com. Collectors are mostly buying them for the Pokémon stickers contained inside, which are reportedly selling for 10 times the price of the $1.20 bread. 

Samsung has released custom versions of its foldable phones before, including the Thom Browne Edition of the Galaxy Flip 3 and and Fold 3. Judging by the reaction of some of my Engadget colleagues, though, Samsung has nailed the Pokémon Edition's design and accessories. It has yet to release the price and other details, but it's likely to be sold only in Korea — we'll learn all when it drops on April 25th. 

The third season of Netflix's animation anthology Love, Death and Robots will bow on May 20th. The streamer teased the release with a short video showing the same adult-oriented themes and wide variety of animation styles as the previous volumes. 

The series is produced by Tim Miller and David Fincher, who has a four-year exclusivity deal with Netflix. In the trailer, Netflix showed short clips of The Crown, The Queen's Gambit and other shows as a way to contrast them with the far more intense "problem child" animated show. "The threesome you've been waiting for," the tagline states.

The styles run the gamut from hyper-realistic with a Gulliver-like character to 2D cel animation, with just about everything in between. The series has garnered solid critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, though audience scores dropped in volume 2 when it toned down the nudity and gore. The number of episodes also dropped in the second season with eight compared to 18 in volume 1. Netflix didn't say how many episodes are coming with volume 3, but you'll only have to wait a day to find out. 

Because the pandemic has caused me to spend more time at my PC than ever before, things like carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries have become a growing concern. And while the MX Vertical is one of the best gadgets to help avoid straining your tendons, its bulky dimensions meant it never really worked for me. But with the new Lift, Logitech finally has a great alternative for people with smaller hands.

Priced at $70 and available in three colors (graphite, rose and off-wite), Logitech says the Lift was developed by its Ergo Lab following feedback from employees and customers who, like me, were put off by the size of the MX Vertical. So after multiple rounds of user testing and approval from third-party ergonomic institutions, the company settled on a sleeker model that’s 22 percent smaller than before.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Now that might not sound like much, but as a guy with medium-sized hands, the difference is immediately apparent. When I tested both of Logitech’s offerings side by side, the Lift felt nimbler and more natural, while the MX Vertical felt like holding a softball.

To further enhance all-day usability, the Lift features a 57-degree vertical design the company says more closely mimics a person’s natural arm and wrist posture, while a handy thumb rest and soft rubber coating help provide a firm, non-slip grip. And unlike the MX Vertical, the Lift even comes in both right and left-handed versions, so there’s something for everyone.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Notably, while the Lift doesn’t carry the MX designation of Logitech most premium peripherals, the mouse still features a smooth magnetic SmartWheel and can be paired with up to three devices simultaneously via Bluetooth or the Logi Bolt receiver (which comes included). But one of my favorite things about the Lift is that aside from the clicky thumb buttons, the scroll wheel and the left and right mouse buttons are super quiet, which is really nice if you don’t want to disturb your family or coworkers (especially if you’re working at night).

My only two minor gripes are that I would have preferred a rechargeable design and that Logitech still doesn’t make a USB-C version of its receiver. That said, longevity probably won’t be a major issue with a claimed battery life of 24 months from a single AA battery. And if you have a PC that only has USB-C ports, there’s a good chance you already have the necessary adapter lying around.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Overall, while I know that Lift isn’t really a groundbreaking product, I appreciate Logitech’s drive to make its ergonomic devices more accessible. With the ongoing shift to working remotely, I’ve been trying to take stock of my home office and eliminate any items that are causing undue stress. And while I’m not sure I could switch to the Lift full-time as it isn’t great for gaming, I noticed even using it for an hour or two made a big impact on how my wrist felt at the end of the day. So while it’s not quite as sophisticated as the $100 MX Vertical, from what I’ve seen so far, the Lift is a comfy and even more affordable option to upgrade your everyday work setup.

Bang & Olufsen has long offered true wireless earbuds, but its designs have all been monolithic models that might not fit as well as you'd like. The company is finally shaking things up, however, by introducing the Beoplay EX. It's B&O's first set of earbuds with an AirPods-like stem design, and the audio brand is promising a more comfortable fit thanks to the smaller in-ear housing. Whether or not you consider them more fashionable than AirPods is more a matter of opinion, but the black, black-and-blue and gold colors at least beat Apple's signature white for variety.

It's too early to say if B&O's claims of "superior sound" match reality. The Beoplay EX design allows for the company's largest-ever (9.2mm) drivers in wireless earbuds, though, so you'll at least get more power than in past models. B&O further boasts of improved call quality and Bluetooth 5.2 support.

And yes, you'll get the features that are virtually mandatory in upscale earbuds. You can expect active noise cancellation, IP57 dust/water resistance, two-device pairing and a battery case with wireless charging support. B&O is estimating a healthy (if increasingly expected) six hours of listening with ANC enabled, and a total 20 hours of playback when you use the case.

The caveat, as you'd imagine, is the price. B&O is selling the Beoplay EX for $399. That's on par with past models like the Beoplay EQ, but they're considerably more expensive than the AirPods Pro, not to mention other comparable buds like Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 2 and Sony's WF-1000XM4. Still, this is likely your top pick if you prefer B&O's sound and minimalist design.

A movie version of Mojang Studio’s Minecraft is starting to come together. Action hero veteran Jason Momoa is in talks to star in an upcoming film adaptation of the popular worldbuilding game, reportedThe Hollywood Reporter. While no contract has been signed yet, the possible addition of Momoa is an encouraging sign of life for a film that has been on Warner Bros’ backburner. Warner Bros originally planned to release the film in March 2022, but it was shelved due to production delays related to the pandemic, according to THR. The film’s troubles pre-date Covid-19; its original director and screenwriters quit the movie in 2014 due to creative differences with Mojang.

Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess has now reportedly signed-on to direct the film, and Dune producers Mary Parent and Roy Lee are also on board. It’s unclear what role Momoa will play in the film, as it’s still unknown what elements of the 2011 game will appear in the film and whether we’ll see fan favorites like Minecraft Steve. The film’s storyline, released by Mojang Studios in 2019, is pretty straightforward: “The malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, prompting a young girl and her group of unlikely adventurers to set out to save the Overworld.”

But fans should expect more movement on the film in the near future. The Anklerreported that Warner Bros.’ lease on the rights to Minecraft expires in January 2023, so production on the film will need to start before then.

Sega Genesis’ Streets of Rage franchise is reportedly coming to the silver screen. Sources toldDeadline that John Wick creator Derek Kolstad wrote a script adaptation on spec. Also to be involved are Sonic franchise producers dj2 Entertainment and Escape Artists. While no deal has been signed yet, it’s likely to soon be in motion.

Widely known as one of the most popular Sega franchises from the early 90s, the original Streets of Rage trilogy still has an enthusiastic fanbase drawn to its vintage aesthetic and EDM soundtrack. The beat-em-up games feature ex-cops who take on underground criminal gangs. The franchise finally got a long-awaited sequel in 2020 with the release of Streets of Rage 4, which sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. The games offer very little as far as storyline, which gives the film a lot of liberty, but also very little to work off of.

A Streets of Rage film adaptation has serious potential to draw crowds, given that there’s no shortage of nostalgia for games from the 80s and 90s. Both Sonic films were box office successes. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 earned $72 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office this month, an especially high figure during the pandemic era.