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The original MSI Claw. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

If you’re still under the impression that an original MSI Claw might be a worthy purchase, I beg you to reconsider. MSI has now announced not one but two successors to the embarrassing handheld that are coming this fall — and hinting it might show off yet another one at CES in January.
MSI already revealed an eight-inch Lunar Lake version dubbed the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus at Computex this week, but the company will put Intel’s Lunar Lake into a new seven-inch version at the same time. MSI Claw product management director Clifford Chun revealed the existence of that handheld in an interview with PCWorld and explained that should arrive with the launch of Intel’s more efficient Lunar Lake chips this fall.

Lunar Lake not only has up to 50 percent more GPU performance than the current Meteor Lake — it requires substantially less power for the same performance. One early demo showed it drawing 10 fewer watts, which could translate to a notable increase in battery life. Plus, the Claw 8 can fit a far larger battery pack at 80 watt-hours vs. the 53-watt-hour pack of the original.
Every Claw 8 in the US will come with that 80-watt-hour pack, says Chun, though he says it’s optional elsewhere.

Behold, the next-gen @msiUSA Claw gaming handheld powered by @Intel #LunarLake, coming in Q4 with a larger 8-in screen. pic.twitter.com/FqM4qZPmtS— HotHardware (@HotHardware) June 4, 2024

Both the new Claw 8 and Claw 7 will have revised bumpers, more responsive versions of their drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an easier-to-replace SSD, says Chun — still the small M.2 2230 type, but they’ve been moved out from under the fan. Chun says they’ll ship with better Intel drivers this time around. Chun did not clarify whether the new seven-incher will have the larger 80Wh battery as well.
“We’re already planning Claw 2, Claw 3, Claw 4.”
Both will cost a similar amount to the current MSI Claw, says Chun, so expect them around $700–800.
MSI is completely committed to handheld gaming PCs, says Chun. “We’re already planning Claw 2, Claw 3, Claw 4. We have a long two-year roadmap down already. We’ll continue pushing new form factors, new ideas, maybe even new CPUs.”
But not necessarily AMD: “We’re not aiming to go to AMD yet, but you know, maybe in Claw 3, Claw 4?” He hints that future handhelds are likely to be a similar size or larger: it tried five-inch and 10-inch handhelds but found them too small and too heavy respectively, though a 6-inch is possible. “Six-inch, seven-inch — you can’t really tell the difference,” he told PCWorld.
Weirdly, Chun suggests the poor showing of the original Claw came as a surprise. “We thought the seven was perfect at launch,” he says, talking about how it was a surprisingly “steep learning curve.” But he says MSI is listening and wants to rapidly fix things.
“We really believe in handheld devices. Keep coming, keep letting us know, we listen, and we’ll improve.” That’s not much comfort to the original buyers who picked up a Claw mere months ago, but maybe it’ll mean good competition in the future.

The original MSI Claw. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

If you’re still under the impression that an original MSI Claw might be a worthy purchase, I beg you to reconsider. MSI has now announced not one but two successors to the embarrassing handheld that are coming this fall — and hinting it might show off yet another one at CES in January.

MSI already revealed an eight-inch Lunar Lake version dubbed the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus at Computex this week, but the company will put Intel’s Lunar Lake into a new seven-inch version at the same time. MSI Claw product management director Clifford Chun revealed the existence of that handheld in an interview with PCWorld and explained that should arrive with the launch of Intel’s more efficient Lunar Lake chips this fall.

Lunar Lake not only has up to 50 percent more GPU performance than the current Meteor Lake — it requires substantially less power for the same performance. One early demo showed it drawing 10 fewer watts, which could translate to a notable increase in battery life. Plus, the Claw 8 can fit a far larger battery pack at 80 watt-hours vs. the 53-watt-hour pack of the original.

Every Claw 8 in the US will come with that 80-watt-hour pack, says Chun, though he says it’s optional elsewhere.

Both the new Claw 8 and Claw 7 will have revised bumpers, more responsive versions of their drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an easier-to-replace SSD, says Chun — still the small M.2 2230 type, but they’ve been moved out from under the fan. Chun says they’ll ship with better Intel drivers this time around. Chun did not clarify whether the new seven-incher will have the larger 80Wh battery as well.

Both will cost a similar amount to the current MSI Claw, says Chun, so expect them around $700–800.

MSI is completely committed to handheld gaming PCs, says Chun. “We’re already planning Claw 2, Claw 3, Claw 4. We have a long two-year roadmap down already. We’ll continue pushing new form factors, new ideas, maybe even new CPUs.”

But not necessarily AMD: “We’re not aiming to go to AMD yet, but you know, maybe in Claw 3, Claw 4?” He hints that future handhelds are likely to be a similar size or larger: it tried five-inch and 10-inch handhelds but found them too small and too heavy respectively, though a 6-inch is possible. “Six-inch, seven-inch — you can’t really tell the difference,” he told PCWorld.

Weirdly, Chun suggests the poor showing of the original Claw came as a surprise. “We thought the seven was perfect at launch,” he says, talking about how it was a surprisingly “steep learning curve.” But he says MSI is listening and wants to rapidly fix things.

“We really believe in handheld devices. Keep coming, keep letting us know, we listen, and we’ll improve.” That’s not much comfort to the original buyers who picked up a Claw mere months ago, but maybe it’ll mean good competition in the future.

Read More 

The older iPad Pros are compatible with the second-gen Apple Pencil (pictured) as well as the new Pencil Pro. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

It’s a good time to be a late adopter, as the last-gen M2 iPad Pros are falling to record low prices on their way out the door, allowing you to save anywhere from $200 to $400. Apple’s M4-based iPad Pros may be the hot new tablets for 2024, with ultrathin builds and OLED displays, but 2022’s iPad Pros are still formidable slates for doing just about all necessary iPaddy things.

The cheapest way into one of these M2 iPad Pros is the base 11-inch model with 128GB of storage, selling for $599 ($200 off) at Best Buy. Stepping up to the 256GB model runs $699 (also $200 off), and the beefy 512GB is $799 (saving $300).
These discounts drop the 2022 11-inch iPad Pro down to the same price as the new 2024 iPad Air that just got the same M2 processor (because choosing an iPad must always be confusing as hell, apparently). However, opting for the older Pro over the new Air gets you a higher 120Hz refresh screen, Face ID, more cameras, and an extra GPU core.

If you want a bigger screen, you can get the 2022 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2 processor for as low as $799 ($300 off) with 128GB of storage, $899 ($300 off) with 256GB, or $999 ($400 off) with 512GB — each available from Best Buy.
Just like the 11-inch above, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro offers Face ID, an M2 processor, and 120Hz refresh. However, by picking the big boy, you also get a lovely Mini LED screen. It may not be quite as fancy or nice as the Tandem OLED in the new ultrathin M4 model, but it’s still an excellent panel that’s nice and bright. This makes the outgoing iPad Pro a much better buy than the new 13-inch iPad Air with the same processor that its discounted pricing is currently matching.

The older iPad Pros are compatible with the second-gen Apple Pencil (pictured) as well as the new Pencil Pro. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

It’s a good time to be a late adopter, as the last-gen M2 iPad Pros are falling to record low prices on their way out the door, allowing you to save anywhere from $200 to $400. Apple’s M4-based iPad Pros may be the hot new tablets for 2024, with ultrathin builds and OLED displays, but 2022’s iPad Pros are still formidable slates for doing just about all necessary iPaddy things.

The cheapest way into one of these M2 iPad Pros is the base 11-inch model with 128GB of storage, selling for $599 ($200 off) at Best Buy. Stepping up to the 256GB model runs $699 (also $200 off), and the beefy 512GB is $799 (saving $300).

These discounts drop the 2022 11-inch iPad Pro down to the same price as the new 2024 iPad Air that just got the same M2 processor (because choosing an iPad must always be confusing as hell, apparently). However, opting for the older Pro over the new Air gets you a higher 120Hz refresh screen, Face ID, more cameras, and an extra GPU core.

If you want a bigger screen, you can get the 2022 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2 processor for as low as $799 ($300 off) with 128GB of storage, $899 ($300 off) with 256GB, or $999 ($400 off) with 512GB — each available from Best Buy.

Just like the 11-inch above, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro offers Face ID, an M2 processor, and 120Hz refresh. However, by picking the big boy, you also get a lovely Mini LED screen. It may not be quite as fancy or nice as the Tandem OLED in the new ultrathin M4 model, but it’s still an excellent panel that’s nice and bright. This makes the outgoing iPad Pro a much better buy than the new 13-inch iPad Air with the same processor that its discounted pricing is currently matching.

Read More 

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft says it’s making its new Recall feature in Windows 11 that screenshots everything you do on your PC an opt-in feature and addressing various security concerns. The software giant first unveiled the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have been warning that Recall could be a “disaster” for cybersecurity without changes.
Thankfully, Microsoft has listened to the complaints and is making a number of changes before Copilot Plus PCs launch on June 18th. Microsoft had originally planned to turn Recall on by default, but the company now says it will offer the ability to disable the controversial AI-powered feature during the setup process of new Copilot Plus PCs. “If you don’t proactively choose to turn it on, it will be off by default,” says Windows chief Pavan Davuluri.

Image: Microsoft
The new Recall opt-in experience during device setup.

Microsoft will also require Windows Hello to enable Recall, so you’ll either authenticate with your face, fingerprint, or using a PIN. “In addition, proof of presence is also required to view your timeline and search in Recall,” says Davuluri, so someone won’t be able to start searching through your timeline without authenticating first.
This authentication will also apply to the data protection around the snapshots that Recall creates. “We are adding additional layers of data protection including ‘just in time’ decryption protected by Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) so Recall snapshots will only be decrypted and accessible when the user authenticates,” explains Davuluri. “In addition, we encrypted the search index database.”
Recall uses local AI models to screenshot mostly everything you see or do on your computer and then give you the ability to search and retrieve anything in seconds. An explorable timeline lets you scroll through these snapshots with ease to look back on what you did on a particular day on your PC. Everything in Recall is designed to remain local and private on-device, so no data is used to train Microsoft’s AI models.

Image: Microsoft
You’ll need to authenticate with Windows Hello to access the Recall timeline.

Microsoft’s changes to the way the database is stored and accessed come after cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont discovered that Microsoft’s AI-powered feature currently stores data in a database in plain text. That could have made it easy for malware authors to create tools that extract the database and its contents. Several tools have appeared in recent days, promising to exfiltrate Recall data.
TotalRecall extracts the Recall database so you can easily view what text is stored and the screenshots that Microsoft’s feature has generated. NetExec appears to be getting its own Recall module soon that can access Recall folders and dump them so you can view the screenshots easily. These tools are all possible because there’s no full encryption or protection on the Recall database.

Image: Microsoft
Recall’s timeline feature.

Microsoft developed the Recall feature under its new Secure Future Initiative (SFI) that the company has put in place to overhaul its software security after major Azure cloud attacks. Microsoft has had a rough few years of cybersecurity incidents, and the SFI is supposed to focus on security above all else.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even called on employees to make security Microsoft’s “top priority” recently, even if that means prioritizing it over new features. “If you’re faced with the tradeoff between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security,” said Nadella (emphasis his) in an internal memo obtained by The Verge. “In some cases, this will mean prioritizing security above other things we do, such as releasing new features or providing ongoing support for legacy systems.”
Davuluri references Microsoft’s SFI principles in today’s response, noting that the company is taking action to improve Recall security. But it appears to be largely down to security researchers flagging these issues rather than Microsoft’s own security principles because surely these issues should have been flagged internally far before this launch.
Microsoft is also keen to stress that Recall will only be available on new Copilot Plus PCs that are designed to be secure-core PCs with advanced firmware safeguards and the company’s Pluton security processor that’s designed to protect against personal data theft from a PC.
“As we always do, we will continue to listen to and learn from our customers, including consumers, developers and enterprises, to evolve our experiences in ways that are meaningful to them,” says Davuluri “We will continue to build these new capabilities and experiences for our customers by prioritizing privacy, safety and security first. We remain grateful for the vibrant community of customers who continue to share their feedback with us.”

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft says it’s making its new Recall feature in Windows 11 that screenshots everything you do on your PC an opt-in feature and addressing various security concerns. The software giant first unveiled the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have been warning that Recall could be a “disaster” for cybersecurity without changes.

Thankfully, Microsoft has listened to the complaints and is making a number of changes before Copilot Plus PCs launch on June 18th. Microsoft had originally planned to turn Recall on by default, but the company now says it will offer the ability to disable the controversial AI-powered feature during the setup process of new Copilot Plus PCs. “If you don’t proactively choose to turn it on, it will be off by default,” says Windows chief Pavan Davuluri.

Image: Microsoft
The new Recall opt-in experience during device setup.

Microsoft will also require Windows Hello to enable Recall, so you’ll either authenticate with your face, fingerprint, or using a PIN. “In addition, proof of presence is also required to view your timeline and search in Recall,” says Davuluri, so someone won’t be able to start searching through your timeline without authenticating first.

This authentication will also apply to the data protection around the snapshots that Recall creates. “We are adding additional layers of data protection including ‘just in time’ decryption protected by Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) so Recall snapshots will only be decrypted and accessible when the user authenticates,” explains Davuluri. “In addition, we encrypted the search index database.”

Recall uses local AI models to screenshot mostly everything you see or do on your computer and then give you the ability to search and retrieve anything in seconds. An explorable timeline lets you scroll through these snapshots with ease to look back on what you did on a particular day on your PC. Everything in Recall is designed to remain local and private on-device, so no data is used to train Microsoft’s AI models.

Image: Microsoft
You’ll need to authenticate with Windows Hello to access the Recall timeline.

Microsoft’s changes to the way the database is stored and accessed come after cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont discovered that Microsoft’s AI-powered feature currently stores data in a database in plain text. That could have made it easy for malware authors to create tools that extract the database and its contents. Several tools have appeared in recent days, promising to exfiltrate Recall data.

TotalRecall extracts the Recall database so you can easily view what text is stored and the screenshots that Microsoft’s feature has generated. NetExec appears to be getting its own Recall module soon that can access Recall folders and dump them so you can view the screenshots easily. These tools are all possible because there’s no full encryption or protection on the Recall database.

Image: Microsoft
Recall’s timeline feature.

Microsoft developed the Recall feature under its new Secure Future Initiative (SFI) that the company has put in place to overhaul its software security after major Azure cloud attacks. Microsoft has had a rough few years of cybersecurity incidents, and the SFI is supposed to focus on security above all else.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even called on employees to make security Microsoft’s “top priority” recently, even if that means prioritizing it over new features. “If you’re faced with the tradeoff between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security,” said Nadella (emphasis his) in an internal memo obtained by The Verge. “In some cases, this will mean prioritizing security above other things we do, such as releasing new features or providing ongoing support for legacy systems.”

Davuluri references Microsoft’s SFI principles in today’s response, noting that the company is taking action to improve Recall security. But it appears to be largely down to security researchers flagging these issues rather than Microsoft’s own security principles because surely these issues should have been flagged internally far before this launch.

Microsoft is also keen to stress that Recall will only be available on new Copilot Plus PCs that are designed to be secure-core PCs with advanced firmware safeguards and the company’s Pluton security processor that’s designed to protect against personal data theft from a PC.

“As we always do, we will continue to listen to and learn from our customers, including consumers, developers and enterprises, to evolve our experiences in ways that are meaningful to them,” says Davuluri “We will continue to build these new capabilities and experiences for our customers by prioritizing privacy, safety and security first. We remain grateful for the vibrant community of customers who continue to share their feedback with us.”

Read More 

Videoverse. | Image: Kinmoku

Running concurrently with Summer Game Fest, the Access-Ability Summer Showcase redresses what gaming events leave out. Organized by accessibility consultant and critic Laura Kate Dale, it’s a reaction to events designed to build hype and how disabled gamers too often have to temper excitement with caution over whether revealed games will be accessible. A frustration, Dale told The Verge, driven by “the industry’s unwillingness to be open and transparent about gaming accessibility.”
Now in its second year, the showcase continues to push back against a lack of inclusive gaming events as it grows — it includes a dedicated Steam page this year. Already, developers are not only viewing it as an opportunity to show off their games, Dale said, but also as encouragement to implement accessibility earlier in development to be ready for the event. “The idea that a place to proudly promote their accessibility would help push developers to have more features ready at earlier milestones makes me feel like the show is having a tangible impact,” Dale added.
The showcase aired on Twitch and YouTube (with the latter including ASL, BSL, and audio description) on June 7th, which is available to watch right here if you missed it live. A rundown of everything we saw can be found below.

Roguelikes continue to embrace accessibility
The showcase began with a look at Elsie, a “retro-inspired, bullet hell, action-platforming roguelike shooter” from Knight Shift Games. Despite its many categories, it will release in a crowded genre, where Elsie carries on the good work of Dead Cells in creating a roguelike that’s approachable for as many players as possible. Elsie includes a range of features to help parse fast-paced combat, like the ability to customize how the player character is highlighted, as well as ways to make combat more user-friendly.

Increased accessibility for blind and visually impaired gamers
At least half of the games highlighted at the showcase also demonstrated significant considerations for blind and visually impaired players.
The most unique of these was Periphery Synthetic, a nonviolent, first-person Metroidvania from shiftBacktick that’s designed to be played entirely through audio cues. A startlingly robust soundscape supports this, and though it can be played completely unsighted, it includes curiously beguiling voxel visuals and is one of the most interesting blind-friendly games I’ve encountered. Periphery Synthetic is one to watch leading up to its release this summer.
Text-to-speech and narration are two features vital to blind and visually impaired accessibility, and two citybuilders were among the most prominent to include them at this year’s showcase. Dawnfolk, from Darren Keller, is envisioned as an entry point to the genre and driven by simplicity in both gameplay and visuals. Cellular City, introduced by Callum Deery, is a similarly interesting take on the genre that challenges the player to think about the relationship between certain structures and which can and cannot coexist. Both feature robust text-to-speech and narration systems.

Accessibility that extends to narrative games
As part of a wider showcase of Fiction Factory Games’ accessibility considerations, we had a brief look at The Shadow over Cyberspace, in which the Cthulhu mythos meets Y2K. As a text-driven game, it’s made playable by blind and visually impaired players through audio description, closed captions, and text-to-speech, while visual considerations make complex, moving imagery customizable for players who need it.
A love letter to the old internet, Videoverse builds on similar ideas with its varied soundscape but also includes clear, high-contrast, and readable interfaces, which, as Alex Leone’s Upheaval demonstrated, is vital to text-based gameplay. Upheaval is a “text-based open-world” adventure and, along with Videoverse, eschews the current trend of absurdly small UI text with clear, customizable interfaces and large text. Something that stuck out in Upheaval’s showcase was its inclusion of text-to-speech functions and the ability to integrate existing, and preferred, external text-to-speech software.

It’s not all 2D
Whitethorn Games is a publisher that has established itself as an industry leader in accessibility. Its upcoming Slime Heroes, developed by Pancake Games, is another soulslike embracing making this genre more user-friendly. More akin to Another Crab’s Treasure than Dark Souls, Slime Heroes offers welcome mitigations for movement — including a toggleable double-jump — and its soulslike combat. This is great for players who struggle with reaction times (like me) and mobility. But one of the most interesting features on display was the ability to toggle on visual representations of hitboxes, making it easier to avoid those soulslike whiffs.
Two other 3D third-person adventures followed. Siro Games’ Wéko the Mask Gatherer bears a resemblance to The Legend of Zelda, and its major features appear to revolve around navigation, both in-world and in its menus. Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is an action-platformer about recoloring the world, which makes its focus on visual accessibility apt. It particularly focuses on colorblind accessibility, using multiple visual cues to clarify interactable elements, including colors, icons, and animation. It also deploys navigational features, including automatically focusing on objectives when returning to Billy’s ship, a major boon for those with cognitive disabilities.

Mobility in focus
Magical Delicacy is another Whitethorn joint: a 2D adventure that feels like a mix of Treasures of the Aegean and Howl’s Moving Castle. For players with reduced mobility or who need to use one hand, Magical Delicacy can be played with no buttons at all. That’s a focus for detective narrative game Space Boat, too, which has been designed from the ground up to be entirely playable with one hand.
The Darkest Files, from Paintbucket Games, is another investigative game, this time based on true crime. Its first-person narrative loop can be controlled with a mouse alone — though it also allows for switching between input devices on the fly, which is great for adaptive controller users — and includes surprisingly discreet difficulty customizations outside of the usual presets to aid its detective gameplay.

Taking your time is the most welcome trend of the year
The most appreciated theme of the showcase was just how many games removed time constraints and fail states to better accommodate players’ ability to move at their own pace. Trash Goblin is a medieval American Pickers. You take trash, chip away the dirt, and upsell it as treasure. It’s another game with no fail states or time limits, and this works in concert with ways to mitigate the game’s repeated inputs — a bane for players with chronic pain — to the point you can even make them automated.
One of the standouts of the entire showcase for me was Fishbowl. Rhea Gupte walked us through this cozy slice-of-life sim from a two-person development team from India. While its non-stressful puzzles and chill story are emblematic of the value of designing an experience that’s accessible at its core, Gupte also highlighted Fishbowl’s accessibility options. There wasn’t a wide range on show, but it was heartening to see a host of features planned for the immediate future and the duo’s dedication to adding more. With how often well-resourced studios erroneously claim adding accessibility is impossible, it’s great to see a studio doing everything it can to make its game approachable.

Videoverse. | Image: Kinmoku

Running concurrently with Summer Game Fest, the Access-Ability Summer Showcase redresses what gaming events leave out. Organized by accessibility consultant and critic Laura Kate Dale, it’s a reaction to events designed to build hype and how disabled gamers too often have to temper excitement with caution over whether revealed games will be accessible. A frustration, Dale told The Verge, driven by “the industry’s unwillingness to be open and transparent about gaming accessibility.”

Now in its second year, the showcase continues to push back against a lack of inclusive gaming events as it grows — it includes a dedicated Steam page this year. Already, developers are not only viewing it as an opportunity to show off their games, Dale said, but also as encouragement to implement accessibility earlier in development to be ready for the event. “The idea that a place to proudly promote their accessibility would help push developers to have more features ready at earlier milestones makes me feel like the show is having a tangible impact,” Dale added.

The showcase aired on Twitch and YouTube (with the latter including ASL, BSL, and audio description) on June 7th, which is available to watch right here if you missed it live. A rundown of everything we saw can be found below.

Roguelikes continue to embrace accessibility

The showcase began with a look at Elsie, a “retro-inspired, bullet hell, action-platforming roguelike shooter” from Knight Shift Games. Despite its many categories, it will release in a crowded genre, where Elsie carries on the good work of Dead Cells in creating a roguelike that’s approachable for as many players as possible. Elsie includes a range of features to help parse fast-paced combat, like the ability to customize how the player character is highlighted, as well as ways to make combat more user-friendly.

Increased accessibility for blind and visually impaired gamers

At least half of the games highlighted at the showcase also demonstrated significant considerations for blind and visually impaired players.

The most unique of these was Periphery Synthetic, a nonviolent, first-person Metroidvania from shiftBacktick that’s designed to be played entirely through audio cues. A startlingly robust soundscape supports this, and though it can be played completely unsighted, it includes curiously beguiling voxel visuals and is one of the most interesting blind-friendly games I’ve encountered. Periphery Synthetic is one to watch leading up to its release this summer.

Text-to-speech and narration are two features vital to blind and visually impaired accessibility, and two citybuilders were among the most prominent to include them at this year’s showcase. Dawnfolk, from Darren Keller, is envisioned as an entry point to the genre and driven by simplicity in both gameplay and visuals. Cellular City, introduced by Callum Deery, is a similarly interesting take on the genre that challenges the player to think about the relationship between certain structures and which can and cannot coexist. Both feature robust text-to-speech and narration systems.

Accessibility that extends to narrative games

As part of a wider showcase of Fiction Factory Games’ accessibility considerations, we had a brief look at The Shadow over Cyberspace, in which the Cthulhu mythos meets Y2K. As a text-driven game, it’s made playable by blind and visually impaired players through audio description, closed captions, and text-to-speech, while visual considerations make complex, moving imagery customizable for players who need it.

A love letter to the old internet, Videoverse builds on similar ideas with its varied soundscape but also includes clear, high-contrast, and readable interfaces, which, as Alex Leone’s Upheaval demonstrated, is vital to text-based gameplay. Upheaval is a “text-based open-world” adventure and, along with Videoverse, eschews the current trend of absurdly small UI text with clear, customizable interfaces and large text. Something that stuck out in Upheaval’s showcase was its inclusion of text-to-speech functions and the ability to integrate existing, and preferred, external text-to-speech software.

It’s not all 2D

Whitethorn Games is a publisher that has established itself as an industry leader in accessibility. Its upcoming Slime Heroes, developed by Pancake Games, is another soulslike embracing making this genre more user-friendly. More akin to Another Crab’s Treasure than Dark Souls, Slime Heroes offers welcome mitigations for movement — including a toggleable double-jump — and its soulslike combat. This is great for players who struggle with reaction times (like me) and mobility. But one of the most interesting features on display was the ability to toggle on visual representations of hitboxes, making it easier to avoid those soulslike whiffs.

Two other 3D third-person adventures followed. Siro Games’ Wéko the Mask Gatherer bears a resemblance to The Legend of Zelda, and its major features appear to revolve around navigation, both in-world and in its menus. Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is an action-platformer about recoloring the world, which makes its focus on visual accessibility apt. It particularly focuses on colorblind accessibility, using multiple visual cues to clarify interactable elements, including colors, icons, and animation. It also deploys navigational features, including automatically focusing on objectives when returning to Billy’s ship, a major boon for those with cognitive disabilities.

Mobility in focus

Magical Delicacy is another Whitethorn joint: a 2D adventure that feels like a mix of Treasures of the Aegean and Howl’s Moving Castle. For players with reduced mobility or who need to use one hand, Magical Delicacy can be played with no buttons at all. That’s a focus for detective narrative game Space Boat, too, which has been designed from the ground up to be entirely playable with one hand.

The Darkest Files, from Paintbucket Games, is another investigative game, this time based on true crime. Its first-person narrative loop can be controlled with a mouse alone — though it also allows for switching between input devices on the fly, which is great for adaptive controller users — and includes surprisingly discreet difficulty customizations outside of the usual presets to aid its detective gameplay.

Taking your time is the most welcome trend of the year

The most appreciated theme of the showcase was just how many games removed time constraints and fail states to better accommodate players’ ability to move at their own pace. Trash Goblin is a medieval American Pickers. You take trash, chip away the dirt, and upsell it as treasure. It’s another game with no fail states or time limits, and this works in concert with ways to mitigate the game’s repeated inputs — a bane for players with chronic pain — to the point you can even make them automated.

One of the standouts of the entire showcase for me was Fishbowl. Rhea Gupte walked us through this cozy slice-of-life sim from a two-person development team from India. While its non-stressful puzzles and chill story are emblematic of the value of designing an experience that’s accessible at its core, Gupte also highlighted Fishbowl’s accessibility options. There wasn’t a wide range on show, but it was heartening to see a host of features planned for the immediate future and the duo’s dedication to adding more. With how often well-resourced studios erroneously claim adding accessibility is impossible, it’s great to see a studio doing everything it can to make its game approachable.

Read More 

National Samsung Electronics Union members strike outside of Samsung’s office building in Seoul, South Korea. | Photo by Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty Images

Samsung Electronics workers went on a strike on Friday for the very first time in the company’s history. The move comes at a time when the Korean corporation faces increased competition from other chipmakers, particularly as demand for AI chips grows.
The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest of the company’s several unions, called for the one-day strike at Samsung’s Seoul office building as negotiations over pay bonuses and time off hit a standstill. The New York Times reports that the majority of striking workers come from Samsung’s chip division. (Samsung Electronics is technically only a subsidiary comprising its consumer tech, appliances, and semiconductor divisions; Samsung itself is a conglomerate that controls real estate, retail, insurance, food production, hotels, and a whole lot more.)
It’s unclear how many of the NSEU’s roughly 28,400 members participated in the walkout. Even so, multiple outlets are reporting that the walkout is unlikely to affect chip production or trigger shortages. Union leaders told Bloomberg that further actions are planned if management refuses to engage.

That said, the fact that it’s happening at all is awkward timing for Samsung, particularly due to tensions with the chipmaking portion of its business.
Last year, the division reported a 15 trillion won ($11 billion) loss, leading to a 15-year low in operating profits. The current AI boom played a big role in the massive loss. Samsung has historically been the world leader in making high-bandwidth memory chips — the kind that are in demand right now to power next-gen generative AI features. However, last year’s decline was partly because Samsung wasn’t prepared for increased demand, allowing local rival SK Hynix to take the top spot.
South Korea is no stranger to labor movements, but this strike is also significant simply because it’s Samsung. The company as a whole is responsible for roughly 20 percent of South Korea’s GDP. If Samsung sneezes, the whole country gets a cold. Furthermore, Samsung has a decadeslong history of illegal union busting. In 2020, Lee Jae-yong — then heir, now executive chair of Samsung Electronics — issued an apology and promised to end the company’s “no-union management” policies. How it handles the conflict going forward will be a direct test of that commitment.

National Samsung Electronics Union members strike outside of Samsung’s office building in Seoul, South Korea. | Photo by Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty Images

Samsung Electronics workers went on a strike on Friday for the very first time in the company’s history. The move comes at a time when the Korean corporation faces increased competition from other chipmakers, particularly as demand for AI chips grows.

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest of the company’s several unions, called for the one-day strike at Samsung’s Seoul office building as negotiations over pay bonuses and time off hit a standstill. The New York Times reports that the majority of striking workers come from Samsung’s chip division. (Samsung Electronics is technically only a subsidiary comprising its consumer tech, appliances, and semiconductor divisions; Samsung itself is a conglomerate that controls real estate, retail, insurance, food production, hotels, and a whole lot more.)

It’s unclear how many of the NSEU’s roughly 28,400 members participated in the walkout. Even so, multiple outlets are reporting that the walkout is unlikely to affect chip production or trigger shortages. Union leaders told Bloomberg that further actions are planned if management refuses to engage.

That said, the fact that it’s happening at all is awkward timing for Samsung, particularly due to tensions with the chipmaking portion of its business.

Last year, the division reported a 15 trillion won ($11 billion) loss, leading to a 15-year low in operating profits. The current AI boom played a big role in the massive loss. Samsung has historically been the world leader in making high-bandwidth memory chips — the kind that are in demand right now to power next-gen generative AI features. However, last year’s decline was partly because Samsung wasn’t prepared for increased demand, allowing local rival SK Hynix to take the top spot.

South Korea is no stranger to labor movements, but this strike is also significant simply because it’s Samsung. The company as a whole is responsible for roughly 20 percent of South Korea’s GDP. If Samsung sneezes, the whole country gets a cold. Furthermore, Samsung has a decadeslong history of illegal union busting. In 2020, Lee Jae-yong — then heir, now executive chair of Samsung Electronics — issued an apology and promised to end the company’s “no-union management” policies. How it handles the conflict going forward will be a direct test of that commitment.

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Image: Adata

Adata has become the latest company to join the hype surrounding PC gaming handhelds — but the XPG Nia prototype it revealed during Computex 2024 is completely different from what we’ve seen so far. The handheld is the first to come with LPCAMM2 memory, making it far easier to swap out and upgrade RAM.
As reported by Liliputing, you’ll be able to access the device’s storage beneath the kickstand on the back of the device. You can also remove and replace the device’s M.2 2230 SSD. These aren’t the only things you’ll be able to mod, either.

During an interview with YouTuber GGF Events, XPG product head Luca Di Fiore said the company is building the handheld for the “modding market” and will use a “circular computing platform.” This means that Adata will release 3D files and pinout information for the device so users can mod the device, 3D print their own accessories, or even repurpose its parts.

The XPG Nia features a seven-inch display that lifts up and away from the handheld’s chassis, along with four rear buttons, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It will also have a front-facing camera that enables eye and head tracking to change your game’s point of view automatically, according to Di Fiore. He also said it could enable other game performance features that XPG is still working on.
XPG still hasn’t confirmed the chip that will power its handheld, but Di Fiore tells GGF Events that it has multiple prototypes based on AMD’s line of Phoenix chips. The company is also shooting for a price between $500 and $600 but may launch the device through a Kickstarter campaign. Even though the XPG Nia is just a prototype for now, it holds a lot of promise and could be a refreshing addition to the growing handheld gaming market, which already has the Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and the MSI Claw.

Image: Adata

Adata has become the latest company to join the hype surrounding PC gaming handhelds — but the XPG Nia prototype it revealed during Computex 2024 is completely different from what we’ve seen so far. The handheld is the first to come with LPCAMM2 memory, making it far easier to swap out and upgrade RAM.

As reported by Liliputing, you’ll be able to access the device’s storage beneath the kickstand on the back of the device. You can also remove and replace the device’s M.2 2230 SSD. These aren’t the only things you’ll be able to mod, either.

During an interview with YouTuber GGF Events, XPG product head Luca Di Fiore said the company is building the handheld for the “modding market” and will use a “circular computing platform.” This means that Adata will release 3D files and pinout information for the device so users can mod the device, 3D print their own accessories, or even repurpose its parts.

The XPG Nia features a seven-inch display that lifts up and away from the handheld’s chassis, along with four rear buttons, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It will also have a front-facing camera that enables eye and head tracking to change your game’s point of view automatically, according to Di Fiore. He also said it could enable other game performance features that XPG is still working on.

XPG still hasn’t confirmed the chip that will power its handheld, but Di Fiore tells GGF Events that it has multiple prototypes based on AMD’s line of Phoenix chips. The company is also shooting for a price between $500 and $600 but may launch the device through a Kickstarter campaign. Even though the XPG Nia is just a prototype for now, it holds a lot of promise and could be a refreshing addition to the growing handheld gaming market, which already has the Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and the MSI Claw.

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Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix

Netflix’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, which was originally set to take place in July, will now stream live on Friday, November 15th. Last week, they announced the event would be postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up during a flight, affecting his ability to train ahead of the original date.
“Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly,” Tyson said in a statement. “While we have a new date, the result will be the same no matter when we fight. Jake Paul is getting knocked out.” The fight will still be held in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marking Tyson’s first officially sanctioned match since 2005.

new date for paul vs tyson ‼️ NOVEMBER 15, live on netflix #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/RguqcG2TIO— Netflix (@netflix) June 7, 2024

The rescheduled fight’s undercard will also feature a boxing match between super lightweight world champion Katie Taylor and unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.
Aside from this upcoming event, Netflix has some other live content on its plate, including the NFL games it’s going to air this Christmas and the WWE’s Monday Night Raw it will start streaming next year.

Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix

Netflix’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, which was originally set to take place in July, will now stream live on Friday, November 15th. Last week, they announced the event would be postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up during a flight, affecting his ability to train ahead of the original date.

“Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly,” Tyson said in a statement. “While we have a new date, the result will be the same no matter when we fight. Jake Paul is getting knocked out.” The fight will still be held in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marking Tyson’s first officially sanctioned match since 2005.

The rescheduled fight’s undercard will also feature a boxing match between super lightweight world champion Katie Taylor and unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.

Aside from this upcoming event, Netflix has some other live content on its plate, including the NFL games it’s going to air this Christmas and the WWE’s Monday Night Raw it will start streaming next year.

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Fiona Harvey is suing Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, saying her life has been “destroyed” by the show after being identified as the inspiration for Martha (pictured, portrayed by Jessica Gunning). | Image: Netflix

A Scottish woman who says it only took thousands of Reddit and TikTok users “a matter of days” to identify her as the inspiration behind a stalker in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer series has filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the show’s creator, Richard Gadd. Fiona Harvey alleges her “identity and likeness” were used for the character Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, telling “brutal lies” out of “greed and lust for fame” that have destroyed “her reputation, her character, and her life.”
In the series, which claims in its title card that it’s a “true story” based on Gadd’s personal experiences, the comedian plays a fictionalized version of himself being stalked by Martha. While Harvey isn’t mentioned in the show by name, the lawsuit says her identity as the basis for Martha was “completely undisguised” and alleges that Netflix “did literally nothing” to validate the events depicted.
Netflix has also faced defamation lawsuits recently from people who took issue with their portrayals in productions like The Queen’s Gambit, When They See Us, Inventing Anna, and No Limit.
Fiona Harvey’s lawyers claim Netflix “did literally nothing” to confirm the events depicted in Baby Reindeer
“The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,” said Harvey’s lawyers in the filing. “Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.”
Gadd previously told The Guardian that the Baby Reindeer story is “very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused. But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.” Netflix said in a statement to CNN that the company intends “to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

Fiona Harvey is suing Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, saying her life has been “destroyed” by the show after being identified as the inspiration for Martha (pictured, portrayed by Jessica Gunning). | Image: Netflix

A Scottish woman who says it only took thousands of Reddit and TikTok users “a matter of days” to identify her as the inspiration behind a stalker in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer series has filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the show’s creator, Richard Gadd. Fiona Harvey alleges her “identity and likeness” were used for the character Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, telling “brutal lies” out of “greed and lust for fame” that have destroyed “her reputation, her character, and her life.”

In the series, which claims in its title card that it’s a “true story” based on Gadd’s personal experiences, the comedian plays a fictionalized version of himself being stalked by Martha. While Harvey isn’t mentioned in the show by name, the lawsuit says her identity as the basis for Martha was “completely undisguised” and alleges that Netflix “did literally nothing” to validate the events depicted.

Netflix has also faced defamation lawsuits recently from people who took issue with their portrayals in productions like The Queen’s Gambit, When They See Us, Inventing Anna, and No Limit.

“The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,” said Harvey’s lawyers in the filing. “Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.”

Gadd previously told The Guardian that the Baby Reindeer story is “very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused. But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.” Netflix said in a statement to CNN that the company intends “to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

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Let’s normalize not paying $100-plus for these Qi2 chargers. | Image: Anker

As might have been expected, mobile accessory makers used Qi2’s arrival as an opportunity to fill out their charger lineup with the new wireless fast charging standard. Equally predictable was that many of those products started in a price tier quite a bit higher than their equivalent previous generation models — and that prices would eventually drop. Anker was one of the earliest to appear, and it’s one of the first to bring its 3-in-1 MagGo Wireless Charging Station well under $100 — you can now pick the charging station up for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon when clipping the coupon or directly from Anker with code WSCPV2KWZ3XE.

The tree-like design props up your Qi2 / MagSafe iPhone at an angle, and ditto for your Apple Watch — it charges both at their fastest possible speeds. There’s a third charging area in the base that you can plop your AirPods or other wireless charging earbuds onto as well. It’s helpful to know that you’ll need at least a 40W adapter to charge each device at its fastest possible speed, but Anker generously includes one in the box alongside a five-foot USB-C cable.
I own a similar 3-in-1 Qi2 charging stand by ESR, which, at $64.99 right now, is the only one of its kind from a brand we trust that’s even cheaper than Anker’s. There’s one big design difference between the two — instead of hiding a detachable Apple Watch holder behind the phone like ESR does, Anker keeps it anchored next to the iPhone. (I like puns, okay?)
That may not seem significantly useful at first considering your iPhone will show more information than your Apple Watch while its StandBy nightstand mode is activated. But take it from me: you’ll appreciate not having to crane your neck over the top every time you want to check the wearable’s battery.
Anker’s nonslip base for earbuds is also considerably wider and has raised edges, which is great during a groggy stupor. It means you’re less likely to knock the charging case off the table when you’re switching sleeping positions or miss the mark when trying to drop your earbuds onto it. Both of those scenarios have happened to me. Don’t be me.

Let’s normalize not paying $100-plus for these Qi2 chargers. | Image: Anker

As might have been expected, mobile accessory makers used Qi2’s arrival as an opportunity to fill out their charger lineup with the new wireless fast charging standard. Equally predictable was that many of those products started in a price tier quite a bit higher than their equivalent previous generation models — and that prices would eventually drop. Anker was one of the earliest to appear, and it’s one of the first to bring its 3-in-1 MagGo Wireless Charging Station well under $100 — you can now pick the charging station up for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon when clipping the coupon or directly from Anker with code WSCPV2KWZ3XE.

The tree-like design props up your Qi2 / MagSafe iPhone at an angle, and ditto for your Apple Watch — it charges both at their fastest possible speeds. There’s a third charging area in the base that you can plop your AirPods or other wireless charging earbuds onto as well. It’s helpful to know that you’ll need at least a 40W adapter to charge each device at its fastest possible speed, but Anker generously includes one in the box alongside a five-foot USB-C cable.

I own a similar 3-in-1 Qi2 charging stand by ESR, which, at $64.99 right now, is the only one of its kind from a brand we trust that’s even cheaper than Anker’s. There’s one big design difference between the two — instead of hiding a detachable Apple Watch holder behind the phone like ESR does, Anker keeps it anchored next to the iPhone. (I like puns, okay?)

That may not seem significantly useful at first considering your iPhone will show more information than your Apple Watch while its StandBy nightstand mode is activated. But take it from me: you’ll appreciate not having to crane your neck over the top every time you want to check the wearable’s battery.

Anker’s nonslip base for earbuds is also considerably wider and has raised edges, which is great during a groggy stupor. It means you’re less likely to knock the charging case off the table when you’re switching sleeping positions or miss the mark when trying to drop your earbuds onto it. Both of those scenarios have happened to me. Don’t be me.

Read More 

Image: Summer Game Fest

It’s that time of year again. Summer Game Fest kicks off this week, and we’re expecting to see new game trailers and other exciting updates during the two-hour-long presentation.
There might not be as many new game reveals as previous years, as Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley says this event is “largely focused on announced stuff.” Even still, the event is bound to have a few surprises. Here’s how and when you can catch the show.
What time does Summer Game Fest start?
Summer Game Fest starts on Friday, June 7th, at 5PM ET / 2PM PT.
That’s not the only gaming-focused show happening, either, as the indie game showcase Day of the Devs will air right after Summer Game Fest, followed by Devolver Digital’s game presentation at 8PM ET / 5PM PT.
Where can I watch Summer Game Fest?
Summer Game Fest will stream live on YouTube and Twitch. You can also watch the showcase from the video embedded at the top of this article. The Day of the Devs showcase and Devolver Digital Direct will air from the same livestream link.
What should I expect?
During a Q&A on Twitch, Keighley has tried to temper expectations, saying that “there definitely are things that are being announced” but not a lot of teasers for games that are “years and years out.” According to Keighley, that means no trailers for games like Grand Theft Auto VI, The Wolf Among Us 2, or Kingdom Hearts IV.
Some of the games confirmed to make an appearance include the already-announced Monster Hunter Wilds, the action RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. There could also be updates to the breakout hit Palworld and a trailer for the Among Us animated series. We shouldn’t count out the potential for other surprises, too.

Image: Summer Game Fest

It’s that time of year again. Summer Game Fest kicks off this week, and we’re expecting to see new game trailers and other exciting updates during the two-hour-long presentation.

There might not be as many new game reveals as previous years, as Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley says this event is “largely focused on announced stuff.” Even still, the event is bound to have a few surprises. Here’s how and when you can catch the show.

What time does Summer Game Fest start?

Summer Game Fest starts on Friday, June 7th, at 5PM ET / 2PM PT.

That’s not the only gaming-focused show happening, either, as the indie game showcase Day of the Devs will air right after Summer Game Fest, followed by Devolver Digital’s game presentation at 8PM ET / 5PM PT.

Where can I watch Summer Game Fest?

Summer Game Fest will stream live on YouTube and Twitch. You can also watch the showcase from the video embedded at the top of this article. The Day of the Devs showcase and Devolver Digital Direct will air from the same livestream link.

What should I expect?

During a Q&A on Twitch, Keighley has tried to temper expectations, saying that “there definitely are things that are being announced” but not a lot of teasers for games that are “years and years out.” According to Keighley, that means no trailers for games like Grand Theft Auto VI, The Wolf Among Us 2, or Kingdom Hearts IV.

Some of the games confirmed to make an appearance include the already-announced Monster Hunter Wilds, the action RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. There could also be updates to the breakout hit Palworld and a trailer for the Among Us animated series. We shouldn’t count out the potential for other surprises, too.

Read More