So you managed to buy a PlayStation 5 – congratulations, you beat supply shortages to obtain one of the most sought-after consoles in recent memory. Now comes the fun part. No PS5 is complete without a library of games and accessories to elevate your experience. Thankfully, you won't have as much trouble getting your hands on those. However, if you're new to the console, the tricky part is knowing what titles and peripherals are worth your time. We’ve gathered our favorites here to make the search easier for you.

PlayStation Plus

Sony

If the PS5 is your first console or you're coming from an Xbox, one of the first things you'll want to pick up is a PlayStation Plus subscription. It’ll help you flesh out your library. Sony gives a handful of free games away to PS Plus subscribers each month, and as long as you maintain an active membership, they're yours to keep. The selection is sometimes hit and miss, but you'll find a few gems every year. You'll also need PS Plus to play most games online, though a subscription isn't required for free-to-play titles like Call of Duty: Warzone. The addition of PlayStation Store discounts and cloud storage make PS Plus a no-brainer if you see yourself using your PS5 constantly.

SteelSeries Arctis 7P+

SteelSeries

Do the people you live with a favor and buy yourself a decent headset. It will help you stop nerves from fraying and is a must for any multiplayer game. The options for gaming headsets are vast, so we recommend picking one with a solid track record. SteelSeries recently updated its iconic Arctis 7 headset with the 7P+ which has improved battery life and a USB-C port for charging. What the company didn't change was the headband design that many people credit for making the Arctis 7 one of the more comfortable headsets on the market. The 7P+ costs the same as the standard 7+ variant, but also adds full support for the PS5's Tempest 3D audio technology.

WD Black SN850

WD

Sony recently released an update to allow PS5 owners to expand their console's internal storage. And it's a good thing, because the 667GB of usable storage the console comes with can feel limiting quickly. We already published a comprehensive guide on the best SSDs you can buy for your PlayStation 5. You'll want to check that article out for a step-by-step guide on how to upgrade your SSD. But if you want to make things as simple as possible, your best bet is a Gen4 M.2 NVME SSD with a built-in heatsink. One of the better plug-and-play options is the SN850 from WD Black. It checks off all the compatibility requirements listed by Sony and is reasonably priced, too.

Samsung T7 SSD

Samsung

If you don't feel comfortable opening your PS5 to install a new SSD, another option is to purchase an external solid-state drive. Keep in mind that you can't play PS5 games from an external drive. However, it takes less time to copy one over from an SSD than it does to download it from the PlayStation Store. One of our favorite portable drives is the Samsung T7. It can write files at a speedy 1,000 MB/s and comes with a shock-resistant enclosure to protect the drive from physical damage. If you plan to use the SSD exclusively for storing games, you can save money by buying the standard model instead of the Touch variant with fingerprint sensor.

DualSense Charging Station

Sony

While you can charge your DualSense controller with the USB-C cable that comes with your PS5, a more elegant solution is the DualSense Charging Station. It can store and charge two controllers simultaneously. In that way, you can always have a second controller ready to go if the one you're currently using runs out of battery. It will also free up the USB ports on your PS5 for other accessories.

Deathloop

Bethesda

This timed exclusive is one of the most stylish games you can play on the PS5. Arkane's latest puts you in a time loop in which you need to learn the schedules of your targets to assassinate all eight of them in a single day. The game's level design is dense in the best way possible, inviting you to learn all of the secrets of each zone so you can execute a successful run.

Death's Door

Acid Nerve

With a title that evokes the end of all things, you might think Death's Door is a bleak game. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Buoyed by a beautiful soundtrack and art style, it's one of the most thoughtful and pleasant indies I've played recently. Developer Acid Nerve's tribute to The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls is a must-play for those who love to lose themselves in a world of mystery and intrigue.

Demon's Souls

Sony

If you've had the itch to try FromSoftware's Soulsborne series but don't know where to start, you'll find no better introduction than Demon's Souls. Developer Bluepoint Games has lovingly recreated the crumbling kingdom of Boleteria for the 4K era, making this remake one of the best-looking games on the PS5. Yes, it's as tough as you've heard, but a handful of quality-of-life improvements, including a much-needed performance mode, make the journey all the more rewarding.

Ghosts of Tsushima Directors Cut

Sucker Punch Productions

You've played games like Ghost of Tsushima before. It borrows from the familiar open-world formula popularized by Assassin's Creed and other Ubisoft titles. But that's not a knock against it. Far from it, Sucker Punch's latest is so easy to recommend because it executes the open-world concept flawlessly. The studio has created a beautiful playground steeped in Feudal Japanese culture, myth and history for players to explore, with something interesting to find beyond every ridge. Combat is also a highlight, allowing you to play either as honorable samurai, terrifying assassin or a mixture of both. And once you have finished Tsushima's touching single-player story, there's the excellent Legends multiplayer mode to keep you busy for the long haul.

Hades

Supergiant Games

If you pick up only one game from this list, make it Hades. It is as close to a perfectly executed game as you'll find. Everything from the art style, music, story and gameplay mechanics coalesces into one of the most memorable experiences in recent memory. Even if you're not a fan of rogue-like games, don't worry: Hades is so successful because even when you die, it never feels like you've wasted your time.

Welcome back to The Morning After. Hope you had a great weekend and are ready for 2021 to be over and done with. (I know I am.)

Today, we’ve drawn together the latest tech news from the last few days and several end-of-year pieces on the biggest stories of the year. But first, Hyundai might be giving up on new combustion engines.

The company only just made and released its first electric car, but it's apparently ready to move fast, and leave the engines of old behind. Korea Economic Daily sources claim Hyundai shut down its research center's combustion engine design unit sometime this month. While there will still be some workers left to refine existing engines, the rest will move to EV-related work.

Electrification is "inevitable," new research chief Chung-kook Park reportedly said in an email, and the transition will help produce cars that "dominate the future market." Park is probably right. In Hyundai's native South Korea, combustion-only car sales will be banned by 2030.

-Mat Smith

'Final Fantasy XVI'delayed a half year due to COVID-19

The reveal is now scheduled for spring of 2022.

Final Fantasy fans were promised more information about the next installment of the role-playing series before the end of 2021. Sadly, that announcement and the game have been postponed. "When we last spoke, I promised I would have more information on Final Fantasy XVI sometime later in 2021," producer Naoki Yoshida wrote on Twitter. "However, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to keep that promise, as complications from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have delayed the game’s development by almost half a year."

Continue reading.

In 2021, Apple addressed past mistakes

Just don’t call it an apology.

The last year for the iPhone and Mac maker was marked with more than a little bit of course correction. Beyond moving forward with its M1 PC chips in more powerful setups, Apple nixed the problematic keyboards found on the last few generations of MacBooks and improved battery life across the entire range of iPhone 13 models.

The biggest change – and one we won’t quite see the significance of until next year – is product repairs. Apple will sell repair parts and instructions to customers who want to fix their iPhones themselves.

Continue reading.

Lego's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' set arrives in the new year

The Green Hill Zone kit is a nostalgia trip for Sega fans.

Lego

After nearly a year of work, Lego has revealed that its Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set will be available online and in Lego stores on January 1st, 2022 for $70. The brick-based recreation of the game's first – and best-known – area includes minifigs for Sonic, Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik), two critters and the Phantom Ruby. Sonic won't dart around loops, unfortunately, but there is a Technic lever to launch him (or any other characters) along with ring add-ons, of course.

Continue reading.

Apple reportedly hires Meta's AR public relations lead

The move happens as Apple AR headset rumors continue to swirl.

Apple

As rumors continue to build about its augmented reality headset, Apple has reportedly hired Meta's AR public relations head Andrea Schubert, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In his weekly newsletter. "Meta, with Oculus, has been the market leader in headsets, so such a hire makes sense as Apple nears its launch," Gurman wrote.

Schubert has been Communications Director with Meta's Reality labs and comms lead for Oculus with Meta since March 2016.

Apple's potential AR headset is already the subject of all kinds of rumors. One recent one speculated that the headset might depend on another device like an iPhone or a Mac computer. Or it could be a standalone device with dual 8K displays that could cost up to $3,000. And a third rumor, this one from Gurman, indicated that it would play "high-quality VR games."

Continue reading.

AMD and OnePlus are the latest to cancel in-person CES 2022 plans

Add them to the list.

AMD and OnePlus have both withdrawn their physical presences at the technology event. While they didn't provide detailed explanations, the move was clearly in response to the rise of COVID-19's Omicron variant, like many other companies that have already withdrawn from CES.

AMD was already poised to launch its 2022 products through a livestream on January 4th. OnePlus said it would introduce the OnePlus 10 Pro in January and was rumored to unveil the phone at CES. For now, Samsung, Sony and LG are all still set to exhibit in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. I’m taking bets.

Continue reading.

'Arcane' creators explain why Jinx and Vi are the stars of the Netflix series

Basically: They're really cool.

Jinx and Vi are the sisters at the heart of Riot Games’ hit Netflix series, Arcane, and they were picked for the spotlight out of a lineup of more than 150 League of Legends champions.

For Arcane creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee, the stars really couldn’t have been anyone else from League of Legends lore. “They kind of got our special treatment already because we just really liked them,” Linke told Engadget. “And so, when we had to think about like, which characters do we want to stick with for many years to come? I think it was pretty obvious.”

Continue reading.

2021 showed us that trucks and SUVs don't need gas engines

America's best-selling vehicle style is just as popular when electrified.

Steady advancements in power systems over the past few years — alongside skyrocketing demand for larger, electrified vehicles that cater to the US market — has led to a watershed moment in 2021: the emergence of EV pickups and SUVs. 2021 may have been the tipping point.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

Riot Games settles class-action gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million

Amazon's 'New World' is among the year's biggest moneymakers on Steam

India's version of 'PUBG Mobile' rolls out device bans for cheaters

Xiaomi's 12 Series phones are among the first with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips

Samsung's latest C-Lab projects include a smart guitar with LED guides

Acrimoto's three-wheeled roadster EV combines weird with fun

NASA has finally launched the James Webb Space Telescope

Hitting the Books: Amiga and the birth of 256-color gaming

The best accessories for your new Xbox Series X or S

The best apps to download on your new smartphone

'Forza Horizon 5' turned me into a racing game fan

As usual, LG has unveiled its latest smart appliances for CES 2022, but this time they come with an unusual twist: a recipe service. The ThinQ Recipe app will let users choose from up to 10,000 recipes, with the app adding ingredients to your grocery list for delivery from Walmart or Amazon Fresh. 

LG has partnered with SideChef on the app, letting you cook up anything from a single recipe to a weekly meal plan. It also uses the Scan and Cook feature from Foodspace Technology that scans a bar code on certain frozen and ready-to-cook meals, automatically sending cooking instructions to compatible LG ThinQ ovens. 

LG

The new feature is designed to work with LG's latest InstaView Double Range oven and Over-the-range microwave. The former uses LG's InstaView tech that lets you see inside the appliance by knocking twice on the glass. It also uses LG's ProBake convection tech with Air Fry and Air Sous Vide modes, while the microwave offers LG's Steam Cook tech to keep foods moist when cooking. 

The new appliances with ThinQ recipe will be shown at LG's virtual exhibition booth at CES 2022 starting on January 5th, though LG didn't say when the app and appliances would go on sale. CES 2022 is still scheduled to proceed next week in Las Vegas, with LG, Samsung and Sony still committed as of this writing. Other companies including Amazon, Google, Meta and Lenovo have backed out of real-world involvement, however. 

Samsung is giving you one last chance to grab the Galaxy Buds Pro at a discount from Amazon before the year ends. The earbuds, which we called Samsung's best ones yet when we reviewed them in January, are currently available for $125. That's $75 less than their original retail price of $200 and only $5 more than their all-time low on Amazon-owned Woot. The main Amazon website has return policies Woot doesn't offer — plus, the model isn't available right now on the deals site anyway. 

We have the Galaxy Buds Pro a score of 85 in our review and praised them for their comfortable fit, thanks to Samsung combining the Live's curves with the original Buds' small form factor. The company said the model has "the most comprehensive sound" among its true wireless earbuds, and we did find its sound to have real depth and solid clarity. The buds have active noise cancellation and their ear tips are effective enough in sealing off the ear canal to block out constant background noise. Further, the model uses Dolby Head Tracking tech to create more immersive sound with Dolby Atmos content, so long as it's paired with a Galaxy device that supports the feature. 

We also found voice calls to have better quality than other models due to the buds' three microphones and Wind Shield technology. When it comes to battery life, we found that it matches the company's estimates of five hours with ANC and Bixby and eight hours without them. 

All the colors of the Galaxy Bud Pro are on sale at the moment, so you can choose between White, Phantom Black, Phantom Silver and Phantom Violet.

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LG Display has unveiled its next generation of OLED tech, called "OLED EX," that's supposed to "enhance brightness up to 30 percent compared to conventional OLED displays," the company said. That could help fix OLED's biggest flaw next to mini LED technology, namely a lack of overall brightness. 

As LG Display points out, each OLED pixel emits light independently, meaning it can be fully on or off. That allows TVs to show perfect blacks with no "blooming" seen on LED TVs, but at the same time, OLED pixels can't hit the same brightness levels as LEDS. Current OLED sets can display peak brightness levels up to around 500-600 nits, while mini LED sets can hit 2,000 nits and higher.

LG Display

To make OLED sets brighter, OLED EX (Evolution/eXperience) uses deuterium compounds to allow the light-emitting diodes to emit stronger light. "When stabilized, the deuterium compounds allow the display to emit brighter light while maintaining high efficiency for a long time," LG Display said. 

OLED EX also allows for improved color accuracy. It apparently uses algorithms to predict the usage of 33 million OLED diodes in an 8K display, so it "precisely controls the display's energy input to more accurately express the details and colors of the video content being played." 

The company also upgraded its designs, reducing thickness by 30 percent and bezel size from 6 to 4 mm on 65-inch OLED displays. The company didn't say yet when it plans to bring the technology to market, but it noted that OLED sales increased 70 percent last year despite a 12 percent decline in the global TV market. "With our new OLED EX technology, we aim to provide even more innovative, high-end customer experiences through the evolution of our OLED technology, algorithms and designs," said LG Display's Dr. Oh Chang-ho. 

In the future, Waymo's robotaxi fleet in the US will feature electric vehicles build specifically for the service by Chinese automaker Geely. The Alphabet company has teamed up with Geely to create a version of its recently launched all-electric Zeekr vehicle that's custom-built for autonomous ride-hailing. Waymo has detailed and shown renders of the modified EV, which was designed in Sweden, in a blog post. 

It has no steering wheel or pedals, as you'd probably expect by now from a purely autonomous vehicle — where the traditional cockpit would be is a tablet that most likely serves as the navigation and infotainment system. Waymo said they modified the vehicle and gave it a flat floor for more accessible entry, generous head and legroom, reclining seats and chargers all around. The company will then incorporate its Driver technology, which includes its software and hardware components like cameras and sensors, into the vehicles.

Waymo's current ride-hailing fleet consists mostly of Jaguar I-Paces and Chrysler Pacifica hybrids also modified with its technology. While it didn't specifically mention its vehicles, a spokesperson told TechCrunch that its team-up with Geely will not affect its current partnerships. The company also didn't mention when passengers will be able to ride the Geely vehicles, only that they will be added to its fleet in the US over the coming years.

Electric transport startup Rivian is delaying deliveries of its 400-mile R1T pickup truck to 2023. In an email to customers obtained by Electrek, CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is prioritizing the production of R1T vehicles equipped with its 314-mile “Large pack” battery. Once those orders are fulfilled, it will then turn its attention to the more affordable “Explorer Package” trim and “Max pack” battery.

“In setting our delivery timing, we optimized our build sequence around the build combination that would support us ramping as quickly as possible and therefore have the largest possible positive climate impact,” RJ Scaringe writes in the email. We’ve reached out to Rivian for more information.

In the same message, Scaringe notes Max battery variants account for approximately 20 percent of the 71,000 R1T and R1S preorders the automaker has secured as of December 15th of this year. That suggests the delay involves about 14,200 vehicles. Rivian is allowing people to change their orders if they want to get their R1T earlier. It also promised to share more information on delivery timings in early 2022.

Rivian has delayed deliveries of the R1T several times over the last few years. The truck was originally scheduled to debut in 2020, but the company eventually pushed that date back to September 2021. The pandemic and chip shortages have played a part in that, but Rivian also doesn’t have a lot of manufacturing capacity at the moment. It plans to break ground on a new factory in Georgia next summer. However, that won’t be complete until sometime in 2024. In the meantime, the company also has a 100,000 vehicle order it needs to fulfill for minority owner Amazon.

In 1881, archaeologists discovered the mummy of Amenhotep I in Deir el-Bahari, a village outside of Egypt's famous Valley of the Kings. For 140 years, scientists have been unwilling to unwrap the king’s body out of fear they’ll damage his ornate face mask and bandages. But thanks to computer tomography (CT) technology, they don’t have to take that risk anymore. Researchers at Cairo University recently digitally “unwrapped” Amenhotep to learn about his life and dynasty.

The scans revealed he was about 35 years old when he died. "Amenhotep I seems to have physically resembled his father: he had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair, and mildly protruding upper teeth," Dr. Sahar Saleem, the lead author of the study, told PA Media. It’s not clear why he passed away at such a young age. Researchers found no evidence of external wounds or disfigurements that may have contributed to his death.

Sahar Saleem et al.

What they did discover were various post-mortem injuries that were likely inflicted on the body by grave robbers. That damage was “lovingly repaired” by mortuary priests of the 21st Dynasty some 400 years after Amenhotep’s death. They used a resin-treated linen band to reattach the head and neck together. Researchers also found some 30 amulets hidden among Amenhotep’s bandages. The fact they were still there even after his reburial likely disproves the long-held theory that priests of later dynasties would reuse the ornaments in the funeral rites of their pharaohs.

The study provides an insight into one of the most fascinating periods of Egyptian history. Amenhotep I ruled between 1525 and 1504 BCE, during Egypt’s New Kingdom period. He was among the first pharaohs of the 18th dynasty, a lineage that would later include Akhenaten, the controversial “heretic” pharaoh who introduced the kingdom to a monotheistic-like religion centered around the sun. He was also the father of Tutankhamun or King Tut. 

The first time archaeologists used a CT scan to examine a mummy was in 1977. As the technology has matured and become more accessible, it has allowed researchers to study mummies in ways they couldn’t before. In 2017, for instance, Chicago’s Field Museum was able to dive into its collection, one of the most extensive in the US, with the help of portable CT scanners.

Astronomers aren't the only ones taking issue with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. As CNETreports, China has filed a complaint with the United Nations over two reported near-collisions between the in-progress Tiangong space station and Starlink vehicles. According to Chinese officials, the station had to perform evasive maneuvers on July 1st and October 21st this year to minimize the chance of a collision.

The accusations line up with astronomer Jonathan McDowell's conjunction observations for both days. China further argued that SpaceX's satellites weren't always predictable. During the October incident, the Starlink craft was "continuously" manuvering in a way that made it difficult to predict the orbital path.

We've asked SpaceX for comment. China has already demanded action, however. In its complaint, the country asked the UN Secretary-General to remind countries (read: the US) that parties in the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for incidents beyond Earth, even if they involve private companies.

China has created its own share of incidents in the past. A 2007 anti-satellite missile test created debris that poses threats to the International Space Station and other spacecraft to this day. All the same, the complaint suggests the privatization of space is making these near-accidents more commonplace — particularly when SpaceX, Amazon and others are launching internet services that depend on huge satellite constellations.

In a brief year-end video message, Instagram head Adam Mosseri offered some insight into what's ahead for the platform. "We're going to have to rethink what Instagram is because the world is changing quickly and we're going to have to change with it," he said. Mosseri laid out Instagram's priorities for 2022, which include doubling down on video.

Mosseri said Instagram will "consolidate all of our video products around Reels and continue to grow that product." Instagram has been making some changes to how it handles videos in recent months. In October, it killed off the IGTV brand to bring longer-form videos into the main feed. However, users need to tap through to Reels to watch the full video.

As for creators, Mosseri said Instagram will introduce more monetization tools to help them make a living. In addition, Mosseri said Instagram will focus on messaging (since it's perhaps the main way people communicate online) and transparency in 2022.

He noted the platform will double down on its work on controls as well — earlier this month, Instagram announced it will add parental controls in March. A version of the chronological feed will return next year too.

Mosseri touched on some updates that Instagram made this year centered around giving users more control over their experience. He highlighted features like sensitive content controls, the ability to hide like counts and Hidden Words in direct messages.

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Instagram in 2021 though. For one thing, work on the Instagram Kids app was put on hold amid safety concerns.

Reports based on documents shared by whistleblower Frances Haugen showed that Meta/Facebook was aware of how Instagram can impact teens' mental health. Mosseri testified to the Senate earlier this month that Instagram will offer "meaningful access to data so that third party researchers can design their own studies and make their own conclusions about the effects of well being on young people” — which aligns with his commitment to greater transparency.