Bronco. Every. Time.

This has been my motto while playing the preview build of Forza Horizon 5, the latest iteration of Playground Games’ open-world racing series. Horizon is the chill, microdosing cousin of Forza Motorsport, with festival vibes, ridiculous race tracks set in lush environments, and, of course, a virtual garage full of gorgeous vehicles.

Playground Games

Horizon 5 takes place in a fictionalized Mexico, which makes it the perfect stomping ground for the 2021 Ford Bronco, an SUV that I’ve been drooling over for more than a year in real life. It’s the first new model in 25 years, it’s styled after the first-generation Bronco that Ford rolled out in 1965, and, best of all, it comes in a cactus gray colorway. However, for a multitude of reasons — the global chip shortage, supply-chain slowdowns and the sheer expense of it all — I’m not likely to get my feet on the pedals of a new Bronco any time soon. That’s where Horizon 5 comes in.

Horizon 5 begins with a yellow Bronco Badlands strapped to the floor of a plane, ramp lowered behind it with clear sky soaring by. Starting the game drops the vehicle out of the plane, parachuting you onto the rim of a snow-capped volcano. Immediately, you’re driving at high speeds, following a trail down the fiery mountain and getting a feel for the Bronco. It moves like a heavy piece of machinery, tilting on quick turns and cannonballing down the road, sturdy yet sensitive. (The obligatory, “I like my partners the way I like my SUVs” goes here.)

And then the next car drops from the sky — a zippy 2020 Corvette Stingray Coupe that drives much differently than the Bronco, turning on a dime and floating over the road. After a few minutes with that, a 1989 Porsche 911 Desert Flyer parachutes past a herd of flamingos, zooming down forest trails with fantastic handling. Finally, the Mercedes-AMG One, a superfast hybrid sports car, finishes the ride by racing an airplane.

Playground Games

Each of the starting vehicles has its own sensibilities and strengths. They all finally land at the Horizon Festival, a massive music and racing extravaganza held in the Mexico desert. This is the main hub of the game, and it’s a party atmosphere filled with bright pink signs, crowds of cheering fans and a ceaseless barrage of fireworks, confetti and hot air balloons.

This is where you’re given the chance to pick a vehicle for the first time, and it’s the origin of my Horizon 5 mantra: Bronco. Every. Time.

It’s not that the Bronco is the fastest or smoothest vehicle in the game, but it feels right rolling through the rugged desert landscape. It’s the vehicle I want to be driving in real life, and it’s incredibly satisfying to maneuver it up winding mountain roads, along charming city streets and into the heart of massive dust storms.

To be fair, I don’t actually pick the Bronco every time — there are some races that the SUV simply can’t win, given its top speed and wide turns, and for these I’ll happily use one of the sports cars. But when it comes to exploring, I’m all about the Bronco.

That said, all of the vehicles in Horizon 5 are magic. They get cracks in the windows and dents in the doors, but they’re truly indestructible and no matter how many backflips they do, they always land tires-down. Plus, if you mess up a turn or run into an immovable object, you’re able to rewind time. In the end, Horizon 5 is a cactus-lined fever dream of racing, leaping and crashing, and then resetting and doing it all again.

The preview includes the first 90 minutes or so of Horizon 5, offering a world map with a handful of races to complete and bonuses to earn by driving around and smashing up the environment. There are multiple layers of customization in the game, from character creation and accessorizing, to vehicle designs and purchases. The preview ends as you unlock your first house of the game, a beautiful pink casita surrounded by cacti and mountains.

I’m playing Horizon 5 on Xbox Series S, the mid-range platform for this title. It’s heading to PC, Xbox Series X and S, and the Xbox One family of consoles, and the main difference among these platforms will be graphical fidelity and loading times. Xbox One players will see loading screens, while PC and Series players won’t, since those platforms can take advantage of SSDs. There’s also no raytracing on the Xbox One versions.

On Series S, Horizon 5 runs smoothly and looks beautiful so far, maxing out at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 60fps without raytracing. The final version will be capped at 30fps with raytracing, but this feature wasn’t live in the Series S preview build. Playground Games promises the raytracing mode will be in the Series S edition at launch. Even without the boost, Horizon 5 is a treat to look at, with four distinct biomes, dynamic weather and seasons, and dense, lived-in environments.

After more than a year of restricted travel and stay-at-home orders across the globe, Horizon 5 is a delightful, easygoing escape. It’s lighthearted yet intensely detailed, with realistic environments and vehicles, and it offers whatever type of challenge you want. There are multiple difficulty settings for each race, but there’s also the option to just ride around, drive up the side of a volcano or cruise along the beach. Horizon 5 is the escape I need right now, and bonus, I get to do it in the Bronco of my dreams.

Forza Horizon 5 is due out on November 9th and it’ll be included in Xbox Game Pass.

Apple's MacBook Air M1 combines power and portability into a sleek package, making it one of the best laptops we've tried for most people. It normally starts at $999, but Amazon has, once again, knocked the price down to $850. That's for the 256GB model, but the 512GB model is also $150 off, bringing it down to $1,099. We've seen this discount come and go pretty quickly over the past couple of months, so now's a good time to grab the laptop if you've wanted to upgrade to a daily driver.

The Air M1 earned a score of 94 from us when it came out about one year ago, thanks in part to its thin-and-light design, lovely Retina display, comfortable keyboard and trackpad and impressive performance. The former comes from Apple's M1 chipset and you'll immediately notice the performance gains if you're coming from an older MacBook. The laptop wakes almost instantly when you open the lid, native apps run smoothly and the machine is, on the whole, quite responsive. The GPU performance is better as well — while we still wouldn't run intense games on the Air M1, it can handle Apple Arcade titles and even Fortnite easily.

We also appreciate how quiet the MacBook Air M1 is because it lacks a fan inside. You won't hear constant whirring when you're putting the laptop through its paces, and you'll be able to do so for up to 16 hours since the machine has an excellent battery life. The biggest hassles you'll deal with on the Air M1 are its paltry 720p webcam and its two USB-C ports, the latter of which means you'll be living the dongle life for a little while longer. But if you can deal with those minor infractions, you'll still get a solid laptop that can go with you almost anywhere in the MacBook Air M1.

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Even after two years, Sony's WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds are among the best you can buy in terms of sound quality and active noise cancellation. If the regular $200 price has been holding you back, you can now pick up a pair at Amazon and Best Buy for just $128, or 36 percent off the regular price. That's substantially lower than the $150 sale from Best Buy and Amazon last month. 

With an outstanding 89 score in our Engadget review, the WF-1000XM3 took the top spot in our 2019 wireless earbuds buyer's guide. That's largely thanks to the excellent sound quality with bass that's powerful yet clear, bright highs and solid performance for all types of music. The active noise cancellation is the best in the business, blocking out most background noise, while running an excellent six hours on a charge with ANC enabled. You can even tailor that sound using Sony's companion app. 

These main downside of this model is the bulky design of the buds and case, which were changed with the current $299 WF-1000XM4 model — which now tops our wireless earphone buyer's guide. Its six hours of battery life is also less than the eight hours offered by the new model. Apart from those things, however, the WF-1000XM3 model can hold its own against any wireless earphones in the areas that count. For $128, it's available at nearly 60 percent less than its successor, and substantially less than anything else that can even remotely compete.

Are you ready for another Pixel phone? After Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy devices (both folding and, er, static), Google’s homegrown phones are probably the third most interesting family of smartphones.

Maybe it’s because Google has typically leaned into software and processing tricks rather than spec wars, both to offer features not found elsewhere (like its AI phone assistant) and to amp up its camera skills.

Now the company has shown us what the Pixel 6 looks like, and a little of what to expect, but leaks have offered a few more tidbits over the last few days.

One leak suggests a new subscription bundle could appear, which will combine a new Pixel phone — not necessarily the new flagship — with a bunch of Google subscription services including YouTube premium, Google One and Play Pass. This would all roll into a single monthly payment, although the leak doesn’t offer a price.

It means Google could offer an array of services all together, similar to Apple’s One bundle — with the cost of your smartphone lumped in. Let’s wait and see how Google prices it.

— Mat Smith

Burger King’s Impossible Nuggets go on sale this week.

Starting today.

Burger King

The fast-food chain will add an eight-piece order of Impossible Nuggets to the menu at select restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa; Boston, Massachusetts, and Miami, Florida. They’ll be only available for a limited time.

The nuggets themselves are made mostly of soy protein and sunflower oil, but, as the company notes, they won’t be technically vegan, as they’ll be fried in the same oil used to cook non-vegan foods. 

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2021 Security Outcomes Study for Small Businesses

The best outdoor gear for fall

Options for grilling, chilling and a whole lot more.

Ooni, Solo Stove, Brumate

But if you’re less about the plant protein and the king of burgers, we’ve got our 2021 outdoor gear guide, covering BBQs, pizza ovens and even a few meat thermometer options to ensure you’re cooking things just right.

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Three classic Grand Theft Auto games are being remade for modern platforms

Oh, I thought everyone already knew this.

One of the worst-kept secrets in the gaming world has been confirmed: Rockstar Games is re-releasing Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC later this year. The bundle will also land on iOS and Android in the first half of 2022, though we’d suggest getting a Bluetooth controller if the mobile versions are tempting you.

Expect major graphical upgrades — and hopefully some quality-of-life improvements when the updates land. Rockstar plans to remove the original versions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas from digital storefronts starting next week.

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Google adds a guitar tuner to Search

You can summon it on mobile and desktop.

Smartphones have made it easier than ever to tune your guitar. There are myriad tuning apps or you could even ask Google Assistant to tune your instrument. Now Google has made the process even more painless by launching a chromatic tuner right in Search — no need for an app or voice commands.

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Sony and TSMC may team up to tackle global chip shortages

A joint factory could help produce more cameras and cars.

Global chip shortages may soon create some unexpected team-ups. According to Nikkei sources, Sony and TSMC are "considering" the joint creation of a semiconductor factory. While TSMC would have majority control, the plant would operate on Sony land near its image sensor factory. The Japanese government would reportedly cover up to half of the $7 billion investment.

A joint plant wouldn't be surprising. Some analysts expect the worldwide chip shortage to last until 2023. It could help Sony, TSMC and the larger Japanese tech industry bounce back from the shortage, not to mention add greater stability — and less worry about China–US tensions threatening production in Taiwan.

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The biggest news stories you might have missed

Instagram will encourage teens to 'take a break'

Hitting the Books: How Los Angeles became a 'Freewaytopia'

Blue Origin delays William Shatner's spaceflight to October 13th

Recommended Reading: Restaurants vs. food delivery apps

ICYMI: Everything you need to know about Microsoft's new Surface devices

If you're looking for a storage bump on your camera, PC, smartphone or Switch console, Amazon is featuring SanDisk and WD storage as it's Deal of the Day. You can boost your phone, tablet or Switch storage with a SanDisk Ultra 256GB MicroSD card for just $27, saving 18 percent in the process. And if you're looking for a high-capacity SD card for your camera, Amazon is selling the SanDisk Extreme Pro 256GB SDXC UHS-I card (up to 170MB/s read speeds) for just $48, over half off the regular price. 

SanDisk's MicroSDXC memory cards offer the maximum performance you can get with a UHS-I memory card at 120MB/s on supported devices. That'll let you add games to a Switch or offload photos, video and other large files on a smartphone. Amazon is selling them in a wide variety of sizes, but the best price per gigabyte is on the 256GB model, available for a very palatable $27. 

On the other hand, do you own a camera that uses UHS-I cards, like the A6600 or any other Sony APS-C mirrorless model? If so, then you should strongly consider picking up a SanDisk 256GB Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I card for just $48 (52 percent off). It'll not only give you enough storage to keep shooting for a long while, it delivers the fastest write speeds possible (90MB/s) in that format. If you have SanDisk's compatible reader, you can then write the files to your PC at 170MB/s — faster than the UHS-I standard normally allows.

Other notable discounts include SanDisk's 2TB Extreme Pro Portable SSD at $300, or 41 percent off, and the 4TB WD Red Pro NAS internal HDD discounted 47 percent to $105. Since they're part of Amazon's Deal of the Day, all products are on sale for today only. 

Sunlight filters down through towering pines, dappling the “grabber blue” skin of my Ford Mach-E GT as it gallops along Highway 1, heedless trivialities like “defensive driving technique” and “speed limits.” Irma Thomas is crooning through the 9-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, her rendition of Time is On My Side a stark contrast to the simulated auditory roar of the GT’s twin permanent-magnet motors as the accelerator pedal slaps against the floorboard. Pouring on speed, I finally see what all the Mach-E fuss was about.

Ok so here’s the part of the story where I eat a big plate of crow. When I reviewed the Mach-E base model back in February I found it to be a perfectly serviceable EV, but more akin to similarly-shaped electric SUVs like the Kia Niro or the Volkswagen ID.4 than the venerated muscle cars I hung posters of in my childhood bedroom. Sure, the pony I drove had plenty of get-up-and-go — EVs are torquey that way — but it never rumbled the depths of my bowels like a naturally aspirated 4-barrel V8 could. The Mach-E GT does. Switch over to the performance-forward Unbridled power management mode — or Unbridled Extend, which optimizes traction and stability control and is great for lapping ICE owners on track day — and the Mach-E GT will haul more ass than a secret lab overflowing with butt monsters. Stomp on the gas in the 480 horsepower, 600 ft-pound torque GT and this thing will loosen your fillings. Do so in the uber-torqued GT Performance edition and you’re liable to swallow a few teeth.

Engadget

It won’t be difficult to spot the GT and Performance editions on the street. I mean, if the prominent GT badge on the rear liftgate and illuminated Mustang icon on the front grille don’t give it away, both iterations sit about 10 mm lower than the base model and have added styling on the front facia. You’ll also be able to spot them via their wheels as both the GT and the Performance sport unique 20-inch rims (as opposed to the 18s and 19s offered on the base) rocking 245/45R20 Continental all-season tires and fire engine red Brembo brake calipers. On the interior, however, the GT is practically identical to the base model, save for the seats which offer added cushioning and lateral support as there is a better than not chance you’re going to get sideways within the first week of owning one.

As for driving performance, I’m a bit torn. Nostalgia, as I’ve explained previously, is a hell of a drug and my fondest automotive memories stem from tearing up San Francisco’s streets in a 65 outfitted with a drag racing suspension and a T-10 3-speed, which has deeply biased my understanding of what to expect from the Mach-E. It is, honestly, difficult to reconcile in my head that the Mustang is now an SUV and, despite its overwhelming power, still largely drives like one. Give me a straight shot like, say, that length of highway 101 running through Silva Island towards Larkspur and the GT can, will, and very much did beat the pants off of any Tesla on the freeway as well as one overly confident, tailgating Supra.

Engadget

The tight, twisting turns of Highway 1, especially the un-railed cliffside sections where a mistimed tap of the accelerator would fly you clear off a 100-plus foot drop, were a different matter entirely. You can feel the understeer, despite it being an AWD, as well as the GT’s 4,600 pounds of curb weight through hairpin turns. But again it’s an SUV, that’s to be expected — even from one with a sub-4 0-60. The GT’s MagneRide suspension — which leverages magneto-rheological fluid to stiffen the ride on demand — shined through during those slaloming sections. Even though the wide-bodied GT wallows like a pig in mud through sharp curves, not once did I have to fight the vehicle’s body roll when entering turns.

The GT starts at $59,900, boasts 480 peak horsepower, 600 lb.-ft. of torque with a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and an estimated 270 mile range. The GT Performance edition, on the other hand, starts at $64,900, with the same amount of horsepower but a full 634 lb.-ft. of torque and a 3.5 second 0-60 and 260 miles of range. Those figures put the Mach-E GT on par with the Chevy Bolt and VW ID.4 in terms of drivable distance, though the Mustang outclasses them both in terms of driving excitement.

Engadget

Range anxiety wasn’t much of a concern during my test drive thanks to the Mach-E’s connected navigation system which continually monitors the vehicle’s battery levels and points out available charging stations along the drive route. What’s more, Ford is offering two years of complimentary use of its Blue Oval Charge Network. For those drivers who wish to do their charging at home, Ford’s Connected Charging station can add 30 miles per charging hour on a 240V outlet while the included mobile charging cord can impart 20 miles of range per hour using a similar 240V outlet.

Deliveries for both the GT and the GT Performance edition have already begun.

With excellent sound, solid ANC and good battery life, Apple's AirPods Max headphones have a lot going for them. If you've been eyeing a pair but find the $549 price hard to swallow, take note. Amazon is now selling the AirPods Max in all colors for $100 off at $449, the cheapest price we've seen on the site. 

The AirPods Max made our latest list of favorite headphones, thanks to their high sound quality, effective noise-cancellation and reliable controls. They have an eye-catching design, and despite being slightly heavier than Sony’s WH-1000XM4 cans, they're comfortable to wear thanks to the breathable mesh fabric and large ear cups. They have a rotating crown to control sound that's easy to use, once you get the hang of it.

They have more natural sound than other headphones we've tried, with bass that's prominent but not overpowering. The ANC on Sony's WH-1000XM4 model is slightly more effective, but the AirPods Max are close, blocking out most environmental noise. Like other AirPods models, the Transparency Mode lets you quickly disable ANC and join conversations. One of the main drawbacks is a lack of lossless audio support, but they do work with with Dolby Atmos spatial audio on most Apple devices. 

In fact, the AirPods Max really shine if you're in the Apple ecosystem. With its H1 chip, it'll quickly pair with and switch between an iPhone and a Mac, for example — letting you quickly go from taking a call to editing video. The regular price of $549 is a lot to pay for that convenience, however, so Amazon's $100 discount presents a good opportunity to pick up a pair. 

Gogoro has announced that its hot-swappable battery technology has arrived China and will be compatible with two local scooter brands so far. It's the company's first large-scale expansion, after promising earlier this year to bring its scooters and tech outside of Taiwan.

In May, the company announced a partnership with China's Yadea, the largest electric two-wheel manufacturer in the world, and DJC, another Chinese scooter giant. "Today’s launch in China, the world’s largest two-wheel market with more than 300 million riders, is a key milestone for all cities," said Gogoro founder and CEO, Horace Luke. 

Yesterday, both companies unveiled electric scooters designed to work with Gogoro's hot-swappable batteries, branded "Huan Huan" in China. Yadea announced two vehicles that will be "part of a larger portfolio of Gogoro-powered vehicles, while DJC took the wraps off its own prototype, Gogoro-powered scooter. 

Gogoro

Gogoro is the largest scooter company in Taiwan, but is best known for its unique swappable battery tech that lets users avoid the usual wait for a charge. The system allows users to buy scooters without a battery, making the initial purchase cheaper. Users then "rent" batteries via a subscription and are charged per Ah of electricity used. When their battery gets low, they can head to a "GoStation" and swap for a freshly charged one in as little as six seconds. The company uses cloud tech to ensure users can find batteries easily and that they don't overload energy grids.

The scooters come at a good time in China, which enacted legislation to retire up to 250 million gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2025. The launch could also act as a test of Gogoro's battery swapping tech for future expansions around the world. 

Facebook is trying to mend its reputation in the wake of whisleblower Frances Haugen's testimony, and that includes promises of features lessening the potential harm for teens. CNN and Reuters report that Facebook Global Affairs VP Nick Clegg promised Instagram would introduce a "take a break" feature that encouraged teens to simply stop using the social network for a while. Clegg didn't say when it would be ready, but this was clearly meant to reduce addiction and other unhealthy behavior.

The social media exec also said Facebook would "nudge" teens away from material in its apps that "may not be conducive to their well-being." He didn't provide specifics for this new approach. He did, however, suggest that Facebook's algorithms should be "held to account," including by regulation if needed, to be sure real-world results matched intentions.

The new methods might address some of Haugen's concerns. She claimed Facebook was aware its algorithms were destructive, leading children to harmful material and removing only a fraction of hate speech. Haugen also felt Congress should reform the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 to increase Facebook's liability for algorithm-chosen content, and that Facebook should add friction to reduce the virality of content and force users to think about posts rather than share them reflexively.

At the same time, this might not satisfy Haugen and fellow critics. Breaks and nudges may reduce exposure to harmful content, but they won't remove the content in question. Clegg's statements also reflect a familiar strategy at Facebook. It likes to invite regulation, but only the regulation it's comfortable with. While the proposed changes could help, politicians may demand more — in part to prevent Facebook from dictating its own regulation.

Google's Pixel 6 might be notable for how you buy it, not just what it offers. Tech news veteran M. Brandon Lee claims to have leaked details of a "Pixel Pass" subscription that would bundle phone payments with an Apple One-style service bundle. Your one monthly fee would include both a Pixel 6 as well as an extended warranty, Google One, Play Pass and YouTube Music/Premium. You could attach it to Google Fi if you wanted, but there would be a version for users who want to choose another carrier.

It's not clear how much a Pixel Pass would cost. The leaked document suggests it might be US-only, although we wouldn't rule out launches in countries where full One, Play Pass and YouTube services are available. Lee obtained separate information suggesting the up-front EU pricing would start at €649 (about $750) for the regular Pixel 6 and €899 ($1,040) for the Pixel 6 Pro.

The advantage to Google would be clear: it could persuade Pixel 6 buyers to pay for services they'd otherwise skip, giving the company recurring revenue instead of a one-time sale. It might also discourage you from jumping to a rival phone by making it more expensive to switch. Not that you'll necessarily mind. This might soften the blow of buying the new Android flagship, particularly if you were already planning to subscribe to at least one Google service.