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Product Reviews

Is the $450 Nintendo Switch 2 too expensive?

by admin May 21, 2025

It seems fitting that Nintendo didn’t reveal the Switch 2’s $450 price during its Direct stream this morning — it would have just bummed everyone out. After spending an hour hearing about how the Switch 2 practically fixes almost every problem we had with the original console, and seeing teasers for exciting games like Mario Kart World, why spoil the good vibes with the harsh reality of market economics? Instead, Nintendo revealed the console’s price in the lowliest of media communications: A simple press release.

My first reaction was shock. $450 for a mostly portable console? That’s the same retail price as the PlayStation 5, a system that’s also currently on sale for $400 together with Astro-Bot. Sure, the Switch 2 is vastly superior to the original Switch, but it likely doesn’t have PS5-level hardware. The price jump is also surprising since the original Switch launched at $300 in 2017. Can you imagine we thought the $350 Switch OLED was too high-priced?

Unfortunately, it’s not 2017. NVIDIA now has mid-range GPUs selling for upwards of $600, the cost of almost every product has gone up, and massive companies like Nintendo are bracing for the potential impact of the Trump administration’s long-threatened tariffs.

A $450 Switch 2 is expensive, I’m not denying that. But in the current economic landscape, I would hesitate to call it too expensive.

Nintendo

Consider this: The Switch 2 is just $50 more than the cheapest Steam Deck, a portable PC gaming handheld with significantly slower hardware, a smaller and lower quality (7-inch, 1280 by 800, 60Hz) screen, and a much bulkier frame. The Switch 2, meanwhile, is just as thin as the original model, it has a 7.9-inch 1080p screen that can run up to 120fps with HDR, and it’s powerful enough to play games at up to 4K/60fps while docked. Based on the games we’ve seen so far, the Switch 2 seems surprisingly powerful for its size.

The Switch 2 also improves on its controls with the Joy-Con 2, which now magnetically attach to the consoles, feature larger analog sticks and can also work as mice across a variety of services. You won’t be removing the Steam Deck’s controls without the use of a small saw. And I’ve yet to see a handheld PC maker deliver removable controls that are as comfortable and easy to use as the original Switch (that means you, Lenovo). Nintendo’s original Joy-Con were far from perfect, but they did the job, and I’d wager the company has learned enough to make the Joy-Con 2f even better.

Nintendo

And while you can technically dock other PC gaming handhelds, they won’t see the performance upgrade Nintendo is claiming with the Switch 2. The company says its new console can reach up to 4K/60fps for some titles, thanks to an additional fan in the dock. We don’t know exactly what’s powering the Switch 2 yet, so Nintendo could be drastically overselling its capabilities. But given how seamless docking worked on the first Switch (where it also delivered a bit of a performance upgrade, sans an additional fan), it’s also something I think Nintendo has optimized more than PC companies, who are only just now dipping their toes into portable gaming.

Maybe I’m just trying to justify my own purchases (I just realized I’ll probably need a second Switch 2 for my kid), but I just can’t get too angry about a $450 Switch 2. If we see many more $80 games like Mario Kart World, though, we should absolutely riot in the streets.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Nexar Beam2 mini Dash Cam review: a mixed bag

by admin May 21, 2025

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Nexar Beam2 mini Dash Cam: two-minute review

I tried the original Nexar Beam dash cam around three years ago, but I seem to recall that it did everything I wanted it to do at the time. Things have moved on since then, though, and for the Beam2 mini Nexar has tweaked the design and features in a bid to stay up there with the best dash cams.

In fact, none of the latest crop of Beam models bear much resemblance to the original incarnation. The Nexar Beam2 Mini is my pick of these products – there are also Beam2 (road only) and Beam2 road and cabin model variants, plus an optional rear view camera.

The others are chunkier, and might suit folks with space on their windshields and the willingness to spend more for a beefier array of features. The Nexar Beam2 mini is right up my street though, especially when I need to fix it to the small screen of my sports car. I’m looking for compact, which was a key part of the appeal with the first edition.

However, the Nexar Beam2 mini isn’t quite as dinky as I’d anticipated, at 6.86 x 6.49 x 3.83 inches / 17.4 x 16.5 x 9.7cm. It feels quite hefty too, weighing in at 1.74lbs / 0.8kg, but that’s no bad thing, as it helps make the package feel like a quality purchase. Perhaps some of the additional weight comes from the internal storage, as there’s no microSD media card slot available on this model.

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This model features a landscape-oriented body design, with a 160-degree field of view lens that can be swiveled to get the view of the road suited to any type of vehicle. It attaches to the windshield in standard fashion, using a self-adhesive pad that sticks the base of the camera unit to the glass.

(Image credit: Future)

The Nexar Beam2 mini is available with 4G LTE connectivity, which means that it can deliver ‘always on’ performance including remote video live streaming. There’s 1080p resolution and internal storage of up to 256GB, though as mentioned there’s no external microSD storage. It features GPS tracking, a parking mode with real-time alerts plus 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and comes with an ODBII pass through connector cable, rather than a 12V plug for power.

Nexar offers the Beam2 mini with three different storage options: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, which offer recording storage times of 30 hours, 62 hours and 130 hours respectively. The internal storage can work harmoniously with Nexar’s unlimited cloud storage option, plus there’s the option to invest in an ongoing LTE Protection Plan that boosts this model’s appeal for just $9.99 (about £8) per month.

Due to its core ‘always on’ functionality, the Nexar Beam2 mini is ideally suited to folks who want to be sure they can keep tabs on their vehicle from anywhere, and at any time. The Nexar app helps here, enabling you to check in on your vehicle, as long as connectivity is retained. There are quirks, though, such as the need for a permanent connection, which can present power implications and add extra hassle during setup.

Performance is solid enough, and the features and functions do what they’re supposed to do. Nexar has tried to make purchasing the Beam2 mini as easy as possible too, with an array of plans to suit all budgets. There are cheap and cheerful models out there though, that offer greater plug-and-play simplicity, which might make the Nexar Beam2 mini seem a little too quirky for some needs.

Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam: price and availability

Price starts at $149.95 / £113
There are three storage capacity variants: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB

The Nexar Beam2 mini is available in three storage variants. The base-level edition currently costs $149.95 / £113 (down from $199.95) and features 64GB of capacity. The 128GB model is $169.95 / £128, while the range tops out in terms of storage at 256GB, which costs $199.95 / £151.

An optional LTE Protection Plan is also available, and costs $9.99 per month or $71.90 annually, which at the time of writing represents a 40% discount. The latter delivers live streaming capability, unlimited cloud storage, a 24/7 Live Parking mode, real-time GPS tracking, and real-time emergency alerts too.

Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyNexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam specs

Video

Front 1080p FHD

Field of view (FOV)

135 degrees front

Storage

Internal 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, Cloud

GPS

Yes

Parking mode

Yes, with constant ODBII power cable

App support

Nexar app

Dimensions

6.86 x 6.49 x 3.83 inches / 17.4 x 16.5 x 9.7cm

Weight

1.74lbs / 0.8kg

Battery

Yes

Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam: Design

Slimline letterbox design and no screen
ODBII connector supplied for always-on power
Internal storage, with 64, 128 and 256GB versions

Anyone who needs something fairly compact will find the design of the Nexar Beam2 mini one of its most appealing aspects. This is a landscape-oriented box of tricks, with very little on its exterior to either fiddle with or go wrong. The design might not work for everyone, though, firstly because there’s no rear screen, so everything has to be done via the Nexar app. Second, until you have the app installed it’s quite tricky to get the angle of the lens correct.

The lens itself is housed in the front of the unit, and can be swiveled up or down, depending on the angle of the windshield in your vehicle. The power cable port is up on top of the unit though, which means it’s easy to get this out of the way during installation. The dash cam can be fitted to the windshield in the usual way, either using an anti-static film sheet first and sticking the adhesive mount to that, or directly to the glass itself. There’s no suction-cup arrangement though, and no removable option in the mount design either. Again, not for everyone.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s a small blue/green indicator light that flashes during setup and stays on when the camera is doing its thing. Power to the unit comes from a supplied ODBII connector setup, which is why this model is good if an ‘always on’ setup is required. However, the Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam will also work if it’s plugged in via a sufficiently high-powered USB port, which widens its appeal somewhat, especially if a user doesn’t require constant surveillance. Don’t bother looking for a card slot though, because there isn’t one. My review unit came with a 64GB internal storage drive instead.

(Image credit: Future)

Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam: Performance

Fiddly setup
Decent image and audio quality

I have to admit that initial setup and installation wasn’t as seamless as I’d hoped for. Sure, the power cable procedure is simple enough, just as long as you know where your ODBII connector is under the dash – these can be quite tricky to find in some vehicles. The Beam2 mini can be powered by a cable running into the 12V socket if preferred, although this isn’t supplied with the package, which only contains a ODBII adapter. Hard-wiring it is also an option, but you’ll need to pay for this additional accessory.

The main problem I had was connecting and verifying the app. Downloading it was easy enough, but the country code listings for inputting my number weren’t listed alphabetically. I then twigged Nexars lists by country codes on the right-hand side of the menu. Even then, with my country code and phone number entered, I couldn’t get a verification text to come through. Curiously, right after I’d tried this, I also got a couple of spam calls, so I’m hoping this was coincidental rather than anything to do with the Nexar setup process.

As it turned out, and after I got in touch with Nexar directly, I was told that there is currently an issue with UK cell phone companies blocking the verification codes. This appears to be a country-specific issue, so for US users this should hopefully not be an issue. A note on the Nexar website to explain this would have stopped me wasting a lot of time though.

(Image credit: Future)

One other thing that appears to be a potential issue, especially for anyone wanting to use the Nexar Beam2 mini in the UK, is that a strong mobile signal is needed for it to function correctly. As I drove off on my first journey, while the camera was doing its initial setup procedure, I kept on getting an audible alert suggesting I find a stronger cell phone signal. However, after a reboot, things seemed to settle down somewhat and the message stopped.

(Image credit: Future)

Maybe I was just unlucky, but the various teething troubles tainted my experience of the Nexar Beam2 Dash Cam somewhat. Nevertheless, this is a very decent dash camera, with results that left a positive impression. It’s great at capturing video in a wide variety of scenarios, and the audio quality seems really good too. Things look slightly less impressive on finer details, such as license plates, but this model is affordable, so some element of compromise is inevitable.

Should you buy the Nexar Beam2 mini Dash Cam?

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Nexar Beam2 Mini Dash Cam

I installed the dash cam in one test car for an initial period of two weeks
I used it for a wide range of journeys during the day and at night
I connected it to my phone and downloaded recordings to assess their quality

I was sent a loan package of the Beam2 mini Dash Cam by Nexar, which also provided me with the LTE Protection Plan for good measure. The camera was installed in a car I was testing at the time, and powered using the setup described in the review above. I also installed the Nexar app on an iPhone, which required me to follow a verification process that required the phone to receive a text in order to proceed.

I then tested the Beam2 mini over several days and in a variety of driving conditions, including local roads as well as larger highways. I was able to explore its capabilities in various weather conditions, including rainy days and in low-light as well as after dark.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford wades back into the Borderlands 4 pricing controversy: ‘Game budgets are increasing … it’s getting gnarly out there’

by admin May 21, 2025

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford took some heat yesterday when he dismissed concerns about Borderlands 4 potentially launching with an $80 price tag, saying on X that “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” Today, in an effort to calm the roiling waters left in the wake of that ill-advised statement, he shared a brief video clip he described as “the truth” about Borderlands 4 pricing, and the “reality” of the rising costs of videogame development.

The clip was actually recorded a couple weeks ago at PAX East, but Pitchford reshared it earlier today because it’s definitely relevant to the controversy of the moment, and provides a slightly more nuanced take on the matter of game pricing. Pitchford begins by saying he doesn’t know what the price of Borderlands 4 will be, but then dips into why higher prices across the board are almost certainly on the horizon.

“On one level we’ve got a competitive marketplace where people that make those [pricing] choices want to sell as many units as possible, and they want to be careful about people that are price sensitive,” Pitchford says in the clip. “So there’s some folks that don’t want to see the prices go up—even the ones deciding what the prices are.

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“There’s other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing and there’s tariffs for the retail packaging, and like—it’s getting gnarly out there, you guys. Borderlands 4 has more than twice the development budget of Borderlands 3. More than twice.”

And that, he continued, is “why Borderlands 4 is so awesome: Because you guys showed up and supported Borderlands 3 and we had the budget so we could more than double the budget [of Borderlands 4] and feel confident in that. And that’s awesome, when the revenue comes in we could spend it to make better bigger games and better games.”

There’s no doubt that videogame development costs have exploded, but I can’t shake the feeling that Borderlands 4 costing twice as much to make as Borderlands 3 isn’t so much “awesome” as it is a reflection of the inherent unsustainability of big-budget game development. Simply put, is Borderlands 4 going to be twice as good as Borderlands 3? I’m going to guess not: It’s nice to have lots of money to throw around but no guarantee of quality or, more importantly, success—and as we’ve seen with recent releases like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, “success” is a highly malleable term, subject to the whims of the C-suite.

If you want the truth, here it is: pic.twitter.com/3bqdA5gIU2May 21, 2025

Pitchford’s biggest problem, though, isn’t the reality of our capitalist society, but the nature of his original messaging that left everyone so cold, and today’s post doesn’t seem to have changed many minds. While there’s some sympathy for his kinder, gentler approach to Borderlands 4 pricing in this PAX video, plenty of anger remains, as do assumptions that the new Borderlands will launch at $80 for the standard edition.

“The thing that you guys need to realize is that most people don’t care what your game’s budget is,” PanicRolling wrote in reply to Pitchford’s post. “It is your own fault that you decided to spend ‘more than twice’ what BL3 cost to make this one, and I almost promise your game is going to fail financially because of that decision.”

“Videogames aren’t food, they’re entertainment and each game is fighting for a customer’s money and time,” GetFitWithJared wrote in a separate reply. “If gamers feel that $80 is too much for one game, they’re going to move on to something more affordable and not look back.”

Maybe inevitably, Pitchford didn’t help himself on that front with his closing remarks. “If it is cheaper [than $80] then maybe we’ll sell you that minimap that you guys want, but we’ll develop later,” he said. “How bad do you want that? 10 bucks?” He then repeated, “I’m just kidding! Or am I?” no fewer than three times, to awkward silence.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Merriam-Webster hops on the Wordle train with new daily puzzle game

by admin May 21, 2025

Following in The New York Times’ footsteps, Merriam-Webster launched a new daily puzzle game called Revealed. The free browser game has players trying to guess a topic from a description filled with redacted words.

Considering that Merriam-Webster is behind the world’s most iconic dictionary, it makes perfect sense that it would eventually come up with a word game of its own. Though its coming in years after Wordle, a hit that inspired countless daily puzzle games, first took off, Revealed is a clever game in its own right that’s worth checking out.

Here’s how it works. Each day, players are shown a sheet of paper with a category, such as Arts & Culture, at the top of the page. Below that is an encyclopedia entry where several words are blacked out. Players need to type in what the page is describing by using context clues. That’s difficult at a quick glance, but that’s where hints come in handy. Each day, players can use up to seven reveals, each of which will uncover a redacted word. Players can also reveal a letter of the topic using a hint. The goal is to guess the topic using as few hints as possible.

So as to not rob you of a real solution, I’ll make up an example here. Let’s say that that the answer to a puzzle one day is Super Mario Bros. You’d see a page that starts with something like “Blank is a blank blank released in blank.” You won’t be able to reveal that first blank, but say you choose to reveal the second. You’ll get the word video, which might clue you in to the fact that the second is game. Rather than wasting a precious reveal confirming that, maybe you’ll choose to reveal the next one instead to get the year. You’ll do that throughout the page until you feel like you have enough information to make a guess.

At the end, you’ll get to see your final stats and compare how you did with other players. Lifetime stats like your completion rate and streak are recorded too.

If that all sounds enticing, you can try Revealed for free now on Merriam-Webster’s website. And if you want more games like it, check out our list of the best games like Wordle.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

U.S. Family Infected With Airborne Fungal Disease After Touring Bat-Filled Caves

by admin May 21, 2025

A family vacation to Costa Rica turned sour after 12 of 13 relatives developed symptoms of a fungal lung infection following an excursion through bat-filled caves.

In season two of The Last of Us, the cordyceps fungus—spoiler alert—becomes airborne, meaning the fungal infection can spread not just through bites but also when humans inhale its spores. While the TV show is highly fictitious, airborne fungi are most certainly not. A U.S. family now knows this better than most, since 12 of their members became ill after touring a bat cave in Costa Rica.

In a paper published Thursday in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers described 12 confirmed or probable cases of histoplasmosis: a pulmonary infection caused by inhaling the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus lives in soil, frequently alongside bird or bat droppings, and can become airborne if the earth is disturbed. While symptoms are usually subtle, the infection can make infants and immunocompromised people vulnerable to more serious illnesses.

During a vacation to Costa Rica in December of last year, 12 of 13 family members toured the bat-colonized Venado Caves, an ancient cave system and popular tourist destination. This essentially meant crawling through bat poop for two hours. When they returned to the U.S., everyone—except the one family member who hadn’t toured the cave—became ill to varying degrees, with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle pain, night sweats, respiratory problems, and gastrointestinal issues.

Five family members sought medical attention. Doctors tested four of them for fungal infections, and two tested positive for histoplasma. Two of the patients also had abnormal chest X-rays, one of which raised concern for possible lung cancer. After learning about their spelunking expedition, healthcare providers notified the CDC, which launched an investigation. Notably, the cave they had visited had also likely caused a histoplasmosis outbreak in 1998 and 1999.

“Antigen testing for all four patients occurred within 1 month of symptom onset, the optimal time frame,” the team, led by CDC researchers, wrote in the report. “However, because antigen detection sensitivity for histoplasmosis is lower in patients with mild disease who are immunocompetent, the negative test results might have been false negatives.” In other words, given that it’s harder to detect histoplasmosis in healthy patients, the family members who tested negative might still have had histoplasmosis.

Ultimately, doctors confirmed that one family member had histoplasmosis, eight members probably did, and three were suspected of having it. Fortunately, none of them became zombies—or had lung cancer—and within 28 days of exposure, they were all on their way to recovery. While doctors usually prescribe antifungal medication for patients with severe histoplasmosis, many cases in healthy individuals go away on their own.

Histoplasmosis is sometimes difficult to diagnose. As such, the researchers urge clinicians to “consider fungal illness in the differential diagnosis of patients with constitutional or pulmonary signs or symptoms after recent caving or other activities associated with risk for histoplasmosis,” they concluded. In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica and the Costa Rica Ministry of Health, the CDC hopes to see the risk of histoplasmosis included in the Venado Caves tour waiver forms.

It’s not surprising that The Last of Us is so popular. After all, Andrzej Sapkowski—author of The Witcher—wrote that “there’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale.” That seems to hold true, even in a fungal zombie apocalypse.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

When a traditional gaming laptop just won’t do

by admin May 21, 2025

On paper, the idea of a PC gaming tablet doesn’t really make sense. Anything with a screen larger than eight to ten inches is generally too big to hold for longer sessions. Their thin chassis don’t leave much room for big batteries, ports or discrete graphics. But with the second-gen ROG Flow Z13, ASUS is turning that line of thought on its head with a surprisingly powerful system that can do more than just game — as long as you don’t mind paying a premium for some niche engineering.

Design and display: Not exactly stealthy

For better or worse, the Z Flow 13 looks like someone tweaked a Surface Pro to accommodate the stereotypical gamer aesthetic. It has cyberpunky graphics littered across its body along with a small window in the back that’s complete with RGB lighting.

ASUS

The ROG Flow Z13 fills the gap between traditional gaming laptops and portable workstations, but its keyboard and price are hard to love.

Pros

Nice screen
Surprisingly good performance
Customizable shortcut button
Decent battery life for productivity

Cons

Expensive
Flimsy keyboard
Big power brick
Loud fans in turbo and performance modes

$2,300 at Best Buy

Unlike a lot of tablets, ASUS gave the Z13 a thicker-than-normal body (0.6 inches), which left space for a surprising number of ports. Not only do you get two USB 4 Type-C ports, there’s also a regular USB-A jack, full-size HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio and even a microSD card reader. This instantly elevates the tablet from something strictly meant for playing games into something that can also pull double duty as a portable video editing station.

ASUS’ 13.4-inch 2.5 IPS display leans into that even more thanks to a 180Hz refresh rate, strong brightness (around 500 nits) and Pantone validation. Regardless of what you’re doing, colors will be both rich and accurate. Rounding out the package are some punchy speakers, so you don’t have to suffer from subpar sound. But there are limitations here, as deep bass is always tough to produce on smaller systems like this.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Finally, there are some pogo pins along the bottom of its display for connecting its folding keyboard. Sadly, this is one of the system’s weak points. Because the Z13 is heavier than a typical tablet PC, its keyboard has to carry a hefty load. On a table, it’s fine. But if you try to use this thing on your lap (or any uneven surface), I found that the keyboard can flex so much it can result in accidental mouse clicks. It’s a shame because the bounce and travel of the keys generally feels pretty good. Nothing is more of a bummer than playing a game while relaxing on the couch and then having to fight with the tablet to avoid errant clicks.

Performance

Instead of relying on discrete graphics, ASUS opted for AMD’s Ryzen AI Max 390 or Max+ 395 APUs, which feature up to 32 cores and a whopping 128GB of unified RAM. However, our review unit came with a more modest, but still ample, 32GB. Unsurprisingly, this makes mincemeat out of basic productivity tasks while having more than enough power to quickly edit videos on the go.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

But without a proper graphics card, can it actually game? Yes, and rather well, I might add. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p and Ultra settings, the Z13 hit an impressive 93 fps. And while numbers weren’t quite as high in Control at 1080p on Epic presets, 70 fps is still very playable. The one wrinkle is that when I tested Cyberpunk 2077 a second time on Ultra with ray tracing enabled, the Flow’s performance was cut in half to just 45 fps. Unless you’re playing a brand new AAA title that requires RT support (of which there are a growing number), the Z13 is a shockingly good portable gaming companion for frequent travelers.

You just have to be careful about how you configure its power settings. That’s because if you’re out in public or a quiet room, high performance (especially turbo) can result in a fair bit of fan noise, which may draw some unwanted attention. Or in my case, it got much harder to talk to someone sitting next to me on the couch.

Battery life

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

When it comes to longevity, you’ll get one of two outcomes. In normal use and on PCMark’s Modern Office productivity battery life test, the Z13 fared quite well, finishing with a time of six hours and 54 minutes. That’s not quite a full day’s worth of work untethered, but it’s good enough for most folks. You’ll just want to keep its chunky power adapter nearby.

However, if you plan on gaming without plugging this thing into the wall, just be prepared for the Z13 to conk out after two hours at best. When I played League of Legends’ Teamfight Tactics, I only made it through two games (about 30 to 40 minutes each) before its battery got dangerously low (around 10 percent). And suffice it to say, TFT isn’t a very demanding title.

Wrap-up

The right side of the ROG Flow Z13 features a customizable button that can be programmed to launch an app of your choice. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

The Flow Z13 is a niche device that’s more of an all-rounder than it might seem at first glance. This system fills an interesting gap between ASUS’ gaming machines and more creatively-focused PCs from its ProArt family. In a lot of ways, slapping an ROG badge on it doesn’t really do this thing justice. It’s got more than enough performance to breeze through general productivity or video edits, and its built-in microSD card reader makes transferring footage to the tablet a breeze. Its screen is bright and vibrant, while also offering accurate colors and a decently high refresh rate. And even without a discrete GPU, the Z13 didn’t have much trouble rendering games with lots of graphical bells and whistles turned on.

However, this tablet’s issues boil down to a couple of major sticking points. Its detachable keyboard is simply too flimsy, to the point where if you use it anywhere besides a table or desk, you risk fighting with it just to ensure your mouse clicks are correct. But the bigger hurdle is price. Starting at $2,100 (or around $2,300 as tested), the Flow Z13 costs the same or more as a comparable ROG Zephyrus G14 with a proper RTX 5070. Not only does it have worse performance, it’s less stable too due to its tablet-style design. For people trying to get the most value out of their money, that proposition is a hard sell.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Deep down, I want to like the ROG Flow Z13. And I do, to a certain extent. It’s got a funky build and unapologetically aggressive styling. But unless you have a very particular set of requirements, it doesn’t fit neatly into most people’s lives as an equivalent laptop. And that’s before you consider how much it costs.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Google's Android XR prototype demonstrated at Google I/O 2025

Product Reviews

Hands on: I tried Google’s Android XR prototype and they can’t do much but Meta should still be terrified

by admin May 21, 2025

Why you can trust TechRadar

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The Google Android XR can’t do very much… yet. At Google I/O 2025, I got to wear the new glasses and try some key features – three features exactly – and then my time was up. These Android XR glasses aren’t the future, but I can certainly see the future through them, and my Meta Ray Ban smart glasses can’t match anything I saw.

The Android XR glasses I tried had a single display, and it did not fill the entire lens. The glasses projected onto a small frame in front of my vision that was invisible unless filled with content.

To start, a tiny digital clock showed me the time and local temperature, information drawn from my phone. It was small and unobtrusive enough that I could imagine letting it stay active at the periphery.

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Google Gemini is very responsive on this Android XR prototype

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The first feature I tried was Google Gemini, which is making its way onto every device Google touches. Gemini on the Android XR prototype glasses is already more advanced than what you might have tried on your smartphone.

I approached a painting on the wall and asked Gemini to tell me about it. It described the pointillist artwork and the artist. I said I wanted to look at the art very closely and I asked for suggestions on interesting aspects to consider. It gave me suggestions about pointillism and the artist’s use of color.

The conversation was very natural. Google’s latest voice models for Gemini sound like a real human. The glasses also did a nice job pausing Gemini when somebody else was speaking to me. There wasn’t a long delay or any frustration. When I asked Gemini to resume, it said ‘no problem’ and started up quickly.

That’s a big deal! The responsiveness of smart glasses is a metric I haven’t considered before, but it matters. My Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses have an AI agent that can look through the camera, but it works very slowly. It responds slowly at first, and then it takes a long time to answer the question. Google’s Gemini on Android XR was much faster and that made it feel more natural.

Google Maps on Android XR wasn’t like any Google Maps I’ve seen

Celebrities Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dieter Bohn wear Android XR glasses and shake hands with the crowd (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Then I tried Google Maps on the Android XR prototype. I did not get a big map dominating my view. Instead, I got a simple direction sign with an arrow telling me to turn right in a half mile. The coolest part of the whole XR demo was when the sign changed as I moved my head.

If I looked straight down at the ground, I could see a circular map from Google with an arrow showing me where I am and where I should be heading. The map moved smoothly as I turned around in circles to get my bearings. It wasn’t a very large map – about the size of a big cookie (or biscuit for UK friends) in my field of view.

As I lifted my head, the cookie-map moved upward. The Android XR glasses don’t just stick a map in front of my face. The map is an object in space. It is a circle that seems to remain parallel with the floor. If I look straight down, I can see the whole map. As I move my head upward, the map moves up and I see it from a diagonal angle as it lifts higher and higher with my field of view.

By the time I am looking straight ahead, the map has entirely disappeared and has been replaced by the directions and arrow. It’s a very natural way to get an update on my route. Instead of opening and turning on my phone, I just look towards my feet and Android XR shows me where they should be pointing.

Showing off the colorful display with a photograph

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The final demo I saw was a simple photograph using the camera on the Android XR glasses. After I took the shot, I got a small preview on the display in front of me. It was about 80% transparent, so I could see details clearly, but it didn’t entirely block my view.

Sadly that was all the time Google gave me with the glasses today, and the experience was underwhelming. In fact, my first thought was to wonder if the Google Glass I had in 2014 had the exact same features as today’s Android XR prototype glasses. It was pretty close.

My old Google Glass could take photos and video, but it did not offer a preview on its tiny, head-mounted display. It had Google Maps with turn directions, but it did not have the animation or head-tracking that Android XR offers.

There was obviously no conversational AI like Gemini on Google Glass, and it could not look at what you see and offer information or suggestions. What makes the two similar? They both lack apps and features.

Which comes first, the Android XR software or the smart glasses to run it?

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Should developers code for a device that doesn’t exist? Or should Google sell smart glasses even though there are no developers yet? Neither. The problem with AR glasses isn’t just a chicken and egg problem of what comes first, the software or the device. That’s because AR hardware isn’t ready to lay eggs. We don’t have a chicken or eggs, so it’s no use debating what comes first.

Google’s Android XR prototype glasses are not the chicken, but they are a fine looking bird. The glasses are incredibly lightweight, considering the display and all the tech inside. They are relatively stylish for now, and Google has great partners lined up in Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.

The display itself is the best smart glasses display I’ve seen, by far. It isn’t huge, but it has a better field of view than the rest; it’s positioned nicely just off-center from your right eye’s field of vision; and the images are bright, colorful (if translucent), and flicker-free.

The author in Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses looking dumbfounded (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

When I first saw the time and weather, it was a small bit of text and it didn’t block my view. I could imagine keeping a tiny heads-up display on my glasses all the time, just to give me a quick flash of info.

This is just the start, but it’s a very good start. Other smart glasses haven’t felt like they belonged at the starting line, let alone on retail shelves. Eventually, the display will get bigger, and there will be more software. Or any software, because the feature set felt incredibly limited.

Still, with just Gemini’s impressive new multi-modal capabilities and the intuitive (and very fun) Google Maps on XR, I wouldn’t mind being an early adopter if the price isn’t terrible.

My Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are mostly just sunglasses now (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Of course, Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses lack a display, so they can’t do most of this. The Meta Smart Glasses have a camera, but the images are beamed to your phone. From there, your phone can save them to your gallery, or even use the Smart Glasses to broadcast live directly to Facebook. Just Facebook – this is Meta, after all.

With its Android provenance, I’m hoping whatever Android XR smart glasses we get will be much more open than Meta’s gear. It must be. Android XR runs apps, while Meta’s Smart Glasses are run by an app. Google intends Android XR to be a platform. Meta wants to gather information from cameras and microphones you wear on your head.

I’ve had a lot of fun with the Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses, but I honestly haven’t turned them on and used the features in months. I was already a Ray Ban Wayfarer fan, so I wear them as my sunglasses, but I never had much luck getting the voice recognition to wake up and respond on command. I liked using them as open ear headphones, but not when I’m in New York City and the street noise overpowers them.

I can’t imagine that I will stick with my Meta glasses once there is a full platform with apps and extensibility – the promise of Android XR. I’m not saying that I saw the future in Google’s smart glasses prototype, but I have a much better view of what I want that smart glasses future to look like.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

If you ever wanted to stick a screen inside your PC case Lian Li’s just shown off something surprisingly affordable for you

by admin May 21, 2025

I keep tellin’ ya screens with everything is the thing at Computex this year. And the good news is that doesn’t have to mean crazy money. Lian Li’s new Vector V200 case comes with an 8.8-inch built into the bottom of its side glass panel. And the whole shebang is yours for just $109.

The Vector V200 isn’t just about that LCD panel, however. It has dual tempered glass panels on the front and side, offering a “panoramic view” of your PC’s internals. There’s also a touch-sensitive control panel for power on/off and lighting functionality, which is another very neat little, well, touch.

What’s more, Lian Li says, “the bottom of the side panel is slanted to allow the GPU to have a more direct cold air intake.” So, there’s that.

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As for the specs and capability of the 8.8-inch screen, Lian Li isn’t quoting a resolution or panel type, just saying it’s an LCD with 60 Hz refresh that functions as a secondary screen via a USB interface.

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

It’s controlled via Lian Li’s L-Connect 3 software, which we haven’t always gotten on with all that well. That said, we understand it’s now being integrated with OpenRGB, so that should give you more options for control.

The panel is also surrounded by an ARGB lighting frame for what Lian Li calls “dynamic visuals”. Oh, and if all you’re interested in is the screen, you can grab that separately for $85. That means you’re getting the rest of the case for just $25, which seems like great value considering the glass panels and touch-sensitive controls.

Computex 2025

(Image credit: Jacob Ridley)

Catch up with Computex 2025: We’re on the ground at Taiwan’s biggest tech show to see what Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and more have to show.

For the record, Lian Li says the stand-alone screen, known as the 8.8-inch Universal Screen, goes on sale in August, while the Vector V200 case with screen and all will be available in September.

Of course, if you’re absolutely screen mad—and who isn’t,—you could also throw in Lian Li’s new Hydroshift II LCD Curve. That’s an AIO CPU water cooler with its own 2K curved screen. Indeed, it doesn’t just have a screen, but that screen is attached to the water cooling block with motors, allowing it to be articulated with a remote or via an app.

At which point, you’d be well on your way to setting some kind of record for supplementary screens built into a PC and you’d still have barely spent as much as an entry-level GPU from Nvidia costs these days. Which does rather put things into context. Oh well!

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Phison's 113.6 GB/s Apex RAID demo at Computex

Product Reviews

Phison’s Apex RAID demo showed us blistering 113 GB/s speeds in Computex demo

by admin May 21, 2025

Phison has been showcasing its data storage innovations at Computex 2025. Of particular interest, we attended a partner demo where the firm utilized 32 of its latest and greatest PCIe Gen5 SSDs in a RAID setup. During the demo, we saw CrystalDiskMark report data transfer rates as high as 113.6 GB/s for reads, and 104.6 GB/s for writes.

(Image credit: Future)

The PS5028 for AI Workstation Live Demo

This demonstration of extraordinary speed was enabled by a powerful modern workstation PC and a mix of cutting-edge storage components. Specifically, Phison utilized an AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7978WX CPU, installed on an Asus Pro WS WRX90E-Sage SE motherboard, as the foundation of the system.

The storage subsystem consisted of 32 of Phison’s potent new E28 Gen5 SSDs installed across a trio of Apex Storage X16 Gen5 add-in cards. All these components were installed in a sweet-looking be quiet! chassis, as you can see.

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Phison’s new E28 Gen5 SSD rubs shoulders with the best in consumer mid-2025 PC land. A single E28 Gen5 in a modern PC will be able to deliver data transfer speeds of up to 14.8 GB/s reads and 14.0 GB/s writes. The Phison E28 Gen5 is being marketed as “the weapon of choice for serious gaming and productivity,” so it is definitely targeting consumers. Its controller features a quad-CPU architecture, is fabbed on TSMC’s 6nm node, and supports up to 32 TB.

(Image credit: Future)

Here we had 32 of Phison’s new E28 Gen5 SSDs; however, each Apex Storage X16 Gen5 add-in card can fit 16 M.2 SSDs (there’s a clue in the name), so two would have sufficed for a 32x SSD demo. We guess three cards were installed for optimal performance, load balancing, or another nuance of the Threadripper-powered Windows system.

The storage performance in this setup seems remarkable. Witnessed data transfer rates as high as 113.6 GB/s for reads, and 104.6 GB/s for writes might seem amazing. However, it was confirmed by a Phison rep that the Windows kernel was actually holding back performance.

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Apex Storage’s new X16 Gen5 add-in card features the PM584 Microchip switch that has 84 lanes, claimed to support the full 16 M.2 at full bandwidth. We were told each X16 Gen5 card also has a limit of 128TB of addressable storage, at this time (that would require using 32x 4TB drives).

If you are interested in the Apex Storage X16 Gen5 card, we were told that it ships in 30 days and will cost $3,995 without any storage onboard.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The Tesla bot isn’t superhuman yet, but it can make dinner

by admin May 21, 2025

A week ago we saw Tesla’s Optimus robot showing off some nifty dance moves. This week, you can watch it performing a bunch of mundane tasks, though admittedly with a great deal of skill — for a humanoid robot.

Instructed via natural language prompts, the so-called “Tesla bot” is shown in a new video dumping trash in a bin, cleaning food off a table with a dustpan and brush, tearing off a sheet of paper towel, stirring a pot of food, and vacuuming the floor, among other tasks.

The performance may not shake the world of humanoid robotics to its core, but it nevertheless shows the kind of steady progress that Tesla engineers are making, with the bot’s actions and movements becoming evermore complex.

Commenting on the latest clip, Optimus team boss Milan Kovac said in a post on X: “One of our goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans doing tasks.” Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean the robot will literally watch videos like a human. Instead, it suggests that the robot will learn from the vast amount of data available in those videos, such as demonstrations of tasks, movements, or behaviors.

Kovac said that his team recently had a “significant breakthrough” that means it can now transfer “a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st- person views for now),” explaining that this allows his team to bootstrap new tasks much more quickly compared to using teleoperated bot data alone.

Next, the plan is to make Optimus more reliable by getting it to practice tasks on its own — either in the real world or in simulations — using reinforcement learning, a method that improves actions through trial and error.

Tesla boss Elon Musk, who has spoken enthusiastically of Optimus ever since the company first announced it in 2021, has claimed that “thousands” of the robots may one day be deployed alongside human staff at Tesla factories, taking care of “dangerous, repetitive, [and] boring tasks.”

The company, better known for making electric cars than humanoid robots, is racing against a growing number of tech firms globally that are intent on commercializing their humanoid robots, whether for the workplace, home, or perhaps some entirely new human-robot ecosystems yet to be imagined.

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May 21, 2025 0 comments