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Death Stranding 2 review: Hideo Kojima’s vision executed without compromise

by admin June 23, 2025

From your first steps in Death Stranding 2, you know you’re in for something special. The sequel to Kojima’s 2019 game is an audiovisual spectacle throughout its 50+ hour story and endlessly replayable endgame.

The engrossing narrative – with a stellar cast all delivering arguably career-best performances – has you guessing what might happen at every turn. From the epic spectacles to the moments of quietude between deliveries, the pace is perfect and makes this follow-up a drastic improvement over the original.

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It’s a remarkable feat given its turbulent development, which saw Kojima nearly giving up on the game. We’re glad he didn’t.

Death Stranding 2 screenshots

What is Death Stranding 2 about?

Some time has passed since the end of Death Stranding, when Sam Porter walked off into the sunset with Lou, saving the Bridge Baby from its demise. They’ve found a sort of peace in their humble living conditions, but the world is still in disarray due to the events of the Death Stranding. That peace is short-lived though – we’ve got an arc to get through!

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As in the first game, your job as an experienced porter is to reconnect Australia. That means travelling across the continent on foot and in a range of vehicles, taking an assortment of goods with you and delivering them to those in need.

Death Stranding 2 assumes your knowledge though. This is not the type of game you can just jump into and expect to understand what’s happening. Sure, there’s a Death Stranding recap in the main menu, but there are major story beats and character appearances that won’t make any sense if you’re unfamiliar. Kojima even throws in some real deep cuts too, the type of references and callbacks only those with 100 hours in the first game will even recognize.

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Sublime storytelling

Death Stranding 2’s presentation is world-class with its visuals among the very best I’ve seen, and I played through the entire thing on a base model PS5. Kojima Productions is up there with Naughty Dog, the pinnacle of how video games can look, sound, and feel.

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Extraordinarily detailed motion capture helps emphasize the captivating performances, too. I loved Norman Reedus in the first game, but he was a bit generic, and he’s famously gone on record to say he wasn’t entirely certain what was going on in the first game.

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That showed throughout, but here, he appears to have much more of a grip on the narrative. He gives his all in scenes that are both heartbreaking and cheerful, masterfully displaying his emotions.

Troy Baker returns as Higgs – a monster who makes your skin crawl – in what might be his best work yet. Then there’s Neil, brought to life by French actor Luca Marinelli. He’s a revelation.

Kojima ProductionsTroy Baker delivers another breathtaking performance as Higgs in Death Stranding 2.

It’s a testament to the intricate creation process. The writing, performances, cinematography, lighting, animation, set dressing, all of it is executed on with such a remarkable level of care. It’s the type of game you just completely lose yourself in.

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Improved gameplay

Even playing on the Brutal difficulty setting after finishing the story, it’s clear gameplay has been ironed out so that very little feels frustrating or unfair in any capacity. You have all the tools at your disposal. If you mess up, that’s your fault. Whereas in the first game, you often had to fight against the jank while dealing with everything else.

However, as good as Death Stranding 2 is, if you weren’t a fan of the first game, this won’t convert you. It’s still the same game – The bulk of your time is spent navigating the land, only stopping along the way for the occasional conversation, to pick up more goods for delivery, or to fight against BTs (the souls of the deceased), robots, or other humans.

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Kojima ProductionsYou won’t be getting stuck on awkward terrain anywhere near as much as in the first game.

Gunplay is much improved. Back then, automatic weapons felt a bit flimsy, like you’d only use them in a last resort or when forced in the few sections with Cliff. Sam had no idea how to fire a machine gun then. Here, they’re much easier to control and there’s a greater variety of weapons – You’ve got shotguns, grenade launchers, snipers, handguns, assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, and a great deal more that I won’t spoil.

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Stealth is also much more satisfying when you get it right, which is easier said than done. Before you even get close to an enemy base, you need to do some reconnaissance. It’s vital to not only know how many targets there are, but understand their positioning too. With a patient playstyle and the right equipment for the job, you can take down a dozen enemies without making a noise.

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Then there’s the BT encounters, which caused more frustration than anything in the first game. A bit more spaced out in the sequel, the presence of these haunting ghosts is still just as chilling, but it’s a great deal easier to avoid them altogether.

If you do find yourself in a fight, you’ll be treated to a vast array of unique enemy types. There are plenty of BT enemies both big and small that require different strategies and most of the time, different equipment. There’s no ‘one loadout fits all’ type of solution here and if you get caught in a fight with a BT in the sky but all of your weapons are for a close-range stealth mission, you’re very likely screwed.

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Kojima ProductionsOptions in combat feel near-limitless. It’s a tremendously deep sandbox.

The one thing we can say that hasn’t improved, however, is end of mission music. Not to criticize the selection of songs, but rather, the repetition of the effect Kojima is going for.

In Death Stranding, it always felt special when you overcame the odds, saw a haven on the horizon, and some melancholic track from Low Roar started blaring through your speakers.

They’re still present here in the sequel, along with a dozen other artists, but when nearly every main mission ends with a new song, it squanders the chance to make something special.

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In the endgame

For hardcore Death Stranding fans, the endgame is where the real fun begins. It’s all about mapping the most efficient paths between facilities in order to deliver packages unscathed and in a timely manner.

Your goal is to reach that Legend of Legend of Legends S-Tier ranking on as many deliveries as possible. So before even setting out, you first scout the area, assess any hazards, lay out zipline paths, and generally get a sense of how you’ll be navigating from Point A to Point B.

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It’s just as enjoyable here as it ever was, and with a litany of new tools and even revised versions of tools from the first game, it provides countless hours of fun.

Kojima Productions / DexertoEven this far in, there’s still so much left to do in Death Stranding 2.

At 100 hours, I’m only around halfway to flawlessly executing on every delivery. With the social reputation system too, you could play Death Stranding 2 and nothing else for an entire year without seeing everything.

Verdict

Death Stranding 2 is phenomenal. It’s among Kojima’s very best work not just for its narrative, but for the near-limitless variety in its gameplay opportunities.

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While it may very well end up being the final game in the series, at least with Kojima at the helm, we can only hope someone else picks up the mantle and continues to iterate on one of gaming’s most unique experiences. After all, why else would we have connected?

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June 23, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Death Stranding 2 review: sticking it to convention with one of Kojima’s most impactful stories yet

by admin June 23, 2025

Death Stranding 2 has some big shoes to fill. With those shoes it not only has to walk the same lengths as its beloved predecessor, but walk further too. It must make the same strides, but in new and exciting ways. It’s a hard thing to live up to! Thankfully Kojima Productions has pulled it off, though not without a few stumbles and missteps along the way.

For those who don’t know, Death Stranding 2 is a third-person action game in which you must travel vast distances, delivering packages to scattered survivors of the Death Stranding – an extinction event which plagued the world with perilous BTs. You, as Sam Porter Bridges, must connect this world on the brink via an experience that champions the saying “it’s about the journey, not the destination” better than any other series out there.

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In Death Stranding 2, that core established by the original remains the focus, refreshed through new gadgets, setting, and a riveting new chapter in Sam’s story. The vast majority of your time is spent traveling from shelter to shelter, gradually improving your equipment and building rapport with those around you. It’s a borderline relaxing endeavor! Evening after evening I slapped on the in-game music player and just spaced out while driving my custom buggy around.

However a drastic shift in messaging in Death Stranding 2 results in an overall more exciting experience than before. In Death Stranding 1, the game orbited the idea of the rope, connecting people together. In Death Stranding 2, the stick is king. Enemies come packing an increasingly deadly arsenal of weapons, and you in turn must figure out which weapons of your own are best suited to the task of taking them down.

A great highlight for me and a perfect example of this was the EX Capture grenades. Rather than the old EX grenades that made BTs flee when hit, these are essentially pokeballs that allow you to capture Chaser BTs when at low health. You can then whip them out in future BT fights. This is the sort of thing I wanted from Death Stranding 2, a fun expansion on previous ideas that push the experience further, with bold innovations on the prior game.

There’s a funny air of self reverence in Death Stranding 2. | Image credit: VG247

I really felt the DNA of Metal Gear Solid V in Death Stranding 2. The game is so generous when giving you new tools to play around with, and I found myself constantly surprised with the wacky things you can do with each of them. You can, if you want, use a basic assault rifle the entire way through. The game lets you do that, no questions asked. But experimenting with the bola gun, or the smoke grenades, or the tranq rifle offers unique and invigorating tools to your tool belt.

It was when I was sledding down a massive mountain with an unlockable gadget I was never forced to use that I concluded that there is a wrong way to play Death Stranding 2. You can just ride your bike everywhere, whip out the rifle when you have to and tune out to a podcast. But by doing that you’re not enveloping yourself in all the sticks the game gives you. These sticks when stacked together form the foundation onto which a wonderful game is perched upon.

There’s a wide world to travel across, and on occasion, do sick jumps over. | Image credit: VG247

Advancements have been applied to the world itself, one of my favourite twists to the formula. The environment can turn against Sam, adding another layer of challenge to each trip across the map. Before a river could be easily surmounted with the clever use of a ladder, and while you can still do that, rivers can flood now! The waters rise, wiping out constructs near the bed. Maybe a quake will send boulders rolling down a mountain, maybe fire will rain from the sky setting shrubbery alight and blocking your path.

This is brilliant as it forces you to take potential narrative disasters into account before you head off on a mission. Sure, going up the East side of a mountain may be the fastest route, but if an avalanche hits you’ve got to quickly get out of the way or risk dying, losing all your carried cargo in the process.

Freedom is the glue that keeps the whole thing exciting, a game made to consider any approach a player might conceive when completing a delivery. Regardless of how you play, a stealthy infiltrator that nicks loot from enemy camps without being seen, a gung ho combatant looking for a fight, or a postman glued to his car. It all works, and all feels fulfilling.

Some sticks are more dangerous than others… | Image credit: VG247

The joy of community effort remains strong in Death Stranding 2. There’s nothing quite like spending an hour gathering materials for a stretch of road, finally building it, and seeing a flood of likes from other players wash over your UI. Going back to prior areas and finding generators, ziplines, watch towers, postboxes, and more dot the surroundings make an often lonely game feel bustling. Other players make their own journeys out of sight, but not out of mind.

I do wish there were more new constructs available here though. Many big projects you unlock are returning from the original game, and while I understand that pushing too many of these could totally rid the deliveries of their sense of peril, why not make the most of the new setting with some variations? In terms of gameplay this game can feel like a bolt on to Death Stranding, rather than a sequel.

I was also torn on the foes you find during your time with Death Stranding 2. There is a new antagonistic faction, and with them come a handful of new enemies which force you to take a more combative approach to missions in which they’re present. I think visually these are some of the coolest looking designs we’ve seen in a Kojima game since the Cobra Unit in Metal Gear Solid 3. Crimson red futuristic hazards you can’t hope to beat unscathed.

But when it comes to the most climactic moments, there’s less variety than I had hoped. I can’t write about it at length due to spoilers, but Kojima seemed content to re-use a lot, pulling from earlier in the game or from his prior works.

Hello again, mysterious samurai. | Image credit: VG247

Now for the story. As you’d expect it’s a wild ride, but in many ways Kojima’s maturing shines through in Death Stranding 2. The story has you travel across Mexico and Australia, linking up the continent to the chiral network to expand the reach of APAS. This digital system has essentially automated porting work in the US, but Sam and porters like him are required to reach where its digital tendrils can’t reach.

Narratively Death Stranding 2 touches on a lot of heavy topics: unwanted expansion from foreign governments, environmental disasters, the role of technology and its impact on those who’d still rather handle tasks with a human touch. To name anything else would spoil a lot of surprise, and Death Stranding 2 has reinforced my belief that experiencing a Kojima story is arguably the best part of playing any of his games for the first time.

I can say that it’s a heavy story, bold in its direction and not afraid of throwing the odd gut punch here and there. The folks at Kojima Productions have managed to create a game that reflects its themes throughout the gameplay in a way that enhances both aspects of the game. I’d argue it’s probably a more compelling tale than what was present in Death Stranding, thanks in part to the extended cast of crewmates Sam travels with throughout.

Speaking of, while every actor does a great job in Death Stranding 2, a special shout out goes to George Miller! I didn’t expect it going in, but he’s fantastic in his role as Tarman. Not the most bombastic of people, but a real solid supporting character that adds a lot to every scene he’s in. Troy Baker too, deserves his flowers. Higgs is outstanding, entertaining, and a fantastic character of contrast. Like a guitar solo in the middle of a string quartet.

Shout out to George Miller! | Image credit: VG247

Ultimately, playing through Death Stranding 2 was an emotional and utterly enjoyable experience, full of thrills and impossible to put down during its bigger moments. My only negative feeling towards it is also unfortunately a big one, that I wish Kojima Productions went further in evolving this sequel from the original. When the story goes to such an extent to explore new grounds, it’s kind of a shame the gameplay feels the need to play it safe.

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June 23, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Rokid Max 2 review: good AR smart glasses thata ren’t quite great

by admin June 22, 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.

Rokid Max 2: One-minute review

The Rokid Max 2 AR glasses are a solid pair of smart specs that are ideal for entertainment – watching films, and playing games – if you’re a fan of the big-screen experience, and especially if you’d like to take that experience on the go.

They boast a comfortable design which you can wear for hours, and while they’re generally very similar to rival smart glasses they do boast built-in myopia adjustment. Using a dial above each lens you can adjust the screens to suit a prescription in the 0.00D to -6.00D range without the need for add-on lenses.

This factor alone will be enough to win over some who have been frustrated by the difficulty of getting prescription lenses for other smart glasses.

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Performance-wise they sit in the middle of the pack, with a solid 600-nit full-HD image from their 120Hz OLED displays. At a 50-degree field of view they can produce a large virtual screen, though their rivals can offer bigger.

What’s more, their audio is only, in a word, fine. You could make do without headphones if you’re at home, but if you’re out and about, or want the best possible sound, Bluetooth cans are a must.

At their full price of $529 / £399 this performance is a little disappointing, but at their regularly discounted price of $429 / £319 or less they’re a much more compelling option in the smart glasses space.

If you won’t be advantaged by the myopia adjustment, though, you’ll probably prefer one of their competitors, such as the more affordable and impressive RayNeo Air 3S which feature on our best smart glasses list. But the convenient adjustments are a massive benefit that shouldn’t be ignored by people who would benefit from them.

(Image credit: Future / Hamish)

Rokid Max 2: Price and availability

Available in the US and UK for $529 / £399
They can often be found discounted

The Rokid Max 2 AR glasses are available in the US and UK priced at $529 / £399, though you can often find them discounted for $429 / £319 at sites including Rokid’s own store.

If you get them for full price you’re probably overpaying compared to some of their rivals (at least in the US), but at a discounted price the Rokid Max 2 AR glasses are a very competitive option.

You can turn the glasses into a more standalone device by picking up the Rokid Station – an Android TV puck for the specs – for an additional $199 / £159 (though we’ve often seen this discounted to $139 / £109)

Rokid Max 2: Design

Lightweight and comfortable design
Myopia adjustments between 0.00D and -6.00D
Polarized outer lens and cover to cut out background distractions

We’ve been here before. These Rokid Max 2 smart glasses, like others of their kind, look a lot like sunglasses, albeit with thicker frames, and a few details which become noticeable on closer inspection.

There’s a USB-C port at the end of the left arm for connecting them to compatible devices via their USB-C to USB-C cable. There are control switches on the right arm for volume and screen brightness, and replaceable nose clips, so you can find the best fit for your face.

They’re comfortable to wear – at 2.65oz / 75g they’re very lightweight, and can be easily worn for hours at a time.

Plus, to help the glasses’ image stand out while you’re using them, you have two backdrop options.

The more open choice are the glasses’ polarized lenses. These cut out background distractions but still allow some light in – perfect for keeping an eye on your surroundings while you watch a show.

(Image credit: Future / Hamish)

You can also outfit the specs with their lens cover to block out all light and enjoy an improved (but more closed off) visual experience. There’s much less background light to compete with the image, giving it a sharper look and brighter colors, though you will have to be okay with being cut off from the outside world.

I’ve become quite used to electrochromic dimming tech in these sort of glasses, which has its advantages – chiefly it’s easier to swap between full immersion and full passthrough in a pinch – but the Rokid Max 2’s approach has proved itself as the next best thing in my testing thanks to its simplicity yet effectiveness.

Something the Rokid specs bring to the table which is fairly unique is built-in myopia adjustment. A dial above each lens allows you to adjust the screen in real-time from 0.00D to -6.00D.

This won’t be ideal for every user, but it’s certainly a handy upgrade that will mean fewer people will need to buy an optional lens upgrade to make the smart glasses usable.

Rokid Max 2: Performance

Uses Sony micro-OLED panels
120Hz refresh rate, 600-nit brightness, full-HD image
Mediocre audio

(Image credit: Rokid)

With Sony micro-OLED panels – which in conjunction with the optical setup boast a 120Hz refresh rate, 600-nit brightness, and 100,000:1 contrast ratio – the full-HD image these glasses can produce is really good.

That’s especially the case when you use the lens cover as a backdrop. With a complete lack of background light the image can seriously pop, with good contrast and bright colors, that, combined with a 50-degree field of view that leaves space for a giant virtual screen, create an immersive private cinema experience.

I used the Rokid Max 2 glasses to watch several shows and films including Captain America: Brave New World and Dandadan, and played games by connecting the specs to my PS5 – using them, among other things, to collect the last few Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 trophies I was missing.

Audio-wise the glasses aren’t bad, but they’re nothing to write home about either.

Their performance is passable if you’re in a quiet space, but they can feel a little lacking at times, with dialogue and music coming through the built-in speakers feeling as if it’s been hollowed out. My advice: pick up a pair of the best Bluetooth headphones along with these specs (if you don’t already have some) if you want to get the best experience.

Not only will this improve the sound, it’ll help you to minimize ambient noise if you wear the smart glasses while traveling on a plane or train, which are the best places to use these kinds of AR specs.

(Image credit: Future / Hamish)

The only let-down performance-wise is that the optical system the glasses use can mean the image is disrupted by reflections.

The glasses use lenses to reflect the OLED screen’s image into your eyes, but that same lens can also reflect your chest into your view as well. In darker environments it’s less noticeable, and unless you’re wearing something very loud it’s generally not too distracting, but since testing the Xreal One Pros which use a different (and better) lens setup I’ve found the issue is much more pronounced on other glasses, and that’s certainly the case here.

That said, the Xreal One Pros cost considerably more, and if you haven’t tried those specs and been spoiled by their new approach to AR optics, which minimizes issues with reflections, you shouldn’t find too many reasons to get frustrated by the Rokid Max 2 and other glasses with the older style of lenses.

Should you buy the Rokid Max 2 glasses?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attribute

Notes

Score

Performance

Performance-wise the Rokid Max 2 glasses are, in a word, fine. We’ve seen and heard worse, we’ve seen and heard better.

3.5/5

Design

The myopia adjustment helps elevate the Rokid Max 2 experience for prescription-glasses users, but they’re not quite flawless in other areas.

4.5/5

Value

If you can pick up the Rokid for a discounted price it’s much better value; at its list price it’s a less appealing option compared to the competition.

3.5/5

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Also consider

How I tested the Rokid Max 2 AR glasses

To review the Rokid Max 2 glasses I tested them over a two-week period, using them in a variety of environments including at home, on a plane, and on the train.

I mostly used the glasses with my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 to watch movies and shows, but using an HDMI-to-USB-C cable I was also able to use the Rokid Max 2 to enjoy some gaming through my PS5, which allowed me to test their refresh rate and input delay, and see if the specs helped or hindered my gaming abilities.

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June 22, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Acer Predator GM9000 2TB SSD Review: The Bargain High-End PCIe 5.0 SSD

by admin June 22, 2025

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Acer Predator GM9000 is another SSD from a company that has brought winners in the past, but also one that has never really stood out from the crowd. It comes as no surprise that the GM9000, a successor of sorts to the good-but-not-great Predator GM7000, is a bit of a niche drive in what is becoming a more crowded market segment. That sounds weird to say for high-end Gen 5 drives, but the launch of the Sandisk WD Black SN8100 and Samsung 9100 Pro – in addition to existing drives like the Crucial T705, promising hardware like the Micron 4600, and upcoming drives built on the Phison E28 SSD controller – means there may be more drives than demand. This counterintuitively gives the GM9000 a potential opening.

The Predator GM9000 doesn’t have to beat the new drives; it just has to match or beat the old ones at a lower price point. It also has the added advantage of being more power-efficient, which is a significant bonus for anyone who has held off on getting a Gen 5 drive due to thermal throttling concerns. It achieves this by using a new controller with tried-and-tested flash technology. If there is a “bargain” high-end PCIe 5.0 SSD, this is it. The design is likely to be copied by the usual suspects – Fikwot and Fanxiang are two that come to mind, but Acer has the advantage of brand awareness. Bigger rivals would be the Biwin Black Opal X570 Pro – Biwin is an OEM provider for Acer – and the Lexar NM1090 Pro.

Acer Predator GM9000 Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Product

1TB

2TB

4TB

Pricing

$170

$229

$445

Form Factor

M.2 2280 (SS)

Interface / Protocol

PCIe 5.0 x4NVMe 2.0

Controller

Silicon Motion SM2508

DRAM

LPDDR4

Flash Memory

Micron 232-Layer TLC

Sequential Read

14,000 MB/s

Sequential Write

10,500 MB/s

13,000 MB/s

Random Read

1,600K

2,000K

Random Write

1,600K

Security

N/A

Endurance (TBW)

800TB

1,600TB

3,200TB

Part Number

BL.9BWWR.129

BL.9BWWR.130

BL.9BWWR.131

Warranty

5-Year

The Acer Predator GM9000 is available at 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. Sorry, no larger or smaller SKUs here. A drive at this performance level really needs 1TB to make it worthwhile, and 8TB remains a challenging capacity to reach. While the drive is not currently available in the States, the translated prices from Asia are around $170, $229, and $445. Prices are lower when translated from the UK and should be lower in the States when the drive arrives. This drive, or ones like it, will likely be available on Amazon and other resellers in due time. The prices should end up below the equivalent E26-based drive like the Corsair MP700 Pro SE.

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The drive can reach up to 14,000 / 13,000 MB/s for sequential reads and writes and up to 2,000K / 1,600K random read and write IOPS. These numbers are lower than the competition, including the Micron 4600 which has somewhat similar hardware. This is due to the GM9000 using last-generation flash. That’s not a huge deal as that’s the same flash used on all Phison E26-based drives and the GM9000’s controller is superior to the E26. So it’s just a matter of pricing the drive correctly.

Acer backs the drive with a 5-year, 800TB of writes per TB capacity warranty. The write endurance is about 33% more than the usual 600TB. It’s unlikely that you would surpass the baseline 600TB, but if TBW is something you look at, then the GM9000 does have a significant edge there at all capacities.

Acer Predator GM9000 Software and Accessories

Acer does not offer an SSD toolbox of any sort but it does have an OEM version of Acronis True Image for imaging, cloning, and backup. If looking for an alternative that’s still free, we recommend Clonezilla or MultiDrive. For general drive information, including health via S.M.A.R.T., we recommend CrystalDiskInfo.

Acer Predator GM9000: A Closer Look

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Acer Predator GM9000 is a single-sided drive at all capacities, reaching a height of 2.50mm with its heat spreading label. This makes it suitable for use in laptops which gives it an edge over other drives in its class like the Crucial T705.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Removing the label, we can see it uses copper to help spread heat between the main components. The pressure points indicate it did have contact with the SSD controller, the DRAM memory, and the NAND flash packages. Equalizing heat in this manner works better than expected because the controller tends to be the hottest component and the one that will trigger thermal throttling. Spreading its heat to the DRAM and especially the NAND flash packages is an easy way to gain more thermal headroom. This is especially useful for laptops, which tend to lack sufficient clearance for traditional heatsinks.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The GM9000 uses the SMI SM2508 SSD controller with LPDDR4 DRAM memory and 232-Layer TLC flash from Micron. For more information on the controller, see our preview. In brief, this controller is exceptionally power-efficient compared to previous high-end Gen 5 SSD options. As for the DRAM, using LPDDR4 could reduce power consumption to a small degree. The flash is an interesting choice as it’s older than what’s used on the Micron 4600, so it should be less performant. However, this drive is still very powerful, and if it can match or beat E26 and IG5666 drives in price, then it’s an excellent alternative. Being actually usable on a laptop is also a nice bonus over those two options, too.

MORE: Best SSDs

MORE: Best External SSDs

MORE: Best SSD for the Steam Deck

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June 22, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Nintendo Switch 2: the Digital Foundry hardware review

by admin June 21, 2025

The Nintendo Switch 2 represents a pivotal moment for Nintendo’s console strategy, promising generational improvements while maintaining the core philosophy of hybrid gaming for both TV and handheld play. Going into this review, we had many questions: to what extent is a generational leap delivered? What are our general impressions on system performance? What are the characteristics of the hardware form factor and accompanying peripherals? The answers to these questions are generally positive but when it comes to LCD screen quality along with its signature VRR and HDR features – well, unfortunately, the drawbacks of Nintendo’s display choices far outweigh the benefits.

In terms of its core hardware specifications, Switch 2 uses a custom-built Nvidia processor based on what has been identified as a potential hybrid of Samsung’s 8nm and 10nm fabrication nodes – a step behind the 7nm and 6nm chips found in Steam Deck and its updated OLED model. It features eight ARM Cortex A78C CPU cores (six available to developers) that should represent a generational leap over Switch 1, though comparisons against current-gen consoles may prove less impressive based on Cyberpunk 2077 performance. Clock speeds run at 998MHz docked and – bizarrely – 1100MHz in handheld mode. There’s a theoretical 1.7GHz max.

For the GPU, T239 features 1,536 CUDA cores based on Nvidia’s Ampere architecture, as found in the RTX 30-series line of graphics cards, supporting machine learning and ray tracing. The GPU clocks at 561MHz in handheld mode, rising to 1007MHz in performance mode (typically for docked play). Constrained for thermal and battery life reasons, theoretically the GPU can max at 1.4GHz. 12GB of LPDDR5X memory runs at 6400MT/s while docked for 102GB/s of bandwidth in performance mode, which is downclocked to 4200MT/s in handheld play. Of the 12GB available, Nintendo has a system reservation of 3GB, leaving 9GB for use by developers.

Clocking in at two hours, Digital Foundry’s Switch 2 review is its most intensive and detailed hardware test yet.Watch on YouTube

Switch 2: Nvidia T239
Switch 1: Nvidia Tegra X1

CPU Architecture
8x ARM Cortex A78C
4x ARM Cortex A57

CPU Clocks
998MHz (docked), 1101MHz (mobile), Max 1.7GHz
1020 MHz (docked/mobile), Max 1.785GHz

CPU System Reservation
2 cores (6 available to developers)
1 core (3 available to developers)

GPU Architecture
Ampere
Maxwell

CUDA Cores
1536
256

GPU Clocks
1007MHz (docked), 561MHz (mobile), Max 1.4GHz
768MHz (docked), up to 460MHz (mobile), Max 921MHz

Memory/Interface
128-bit/LPDDR5
64-bit/LPDDR4

Memory Bandwidth
102GB/s (docked), 68GB/s (mobile)
25.6GB/s (docked), 21.3GB/s (mobile)

Memory System Reservation
3GB (9GB available for games)
0.8GB (3.2GB available for games)

Despite scepticism on the suitability of the older Samsung process, the system typically maxes at 22W (measured from the wall) during docked play, dropping to around 10 to 12W in handheld mode – though those figures will include the inefficiency of the power supply. The battery is 19.75Wh, so actual battery life is the arbiter of consumption. Nintendo cites a minimum of two hours of play, suggesting a 10W ceiling on power draw in handheld mode in the most demanding games. Our results verify this – a remarkable achievement for Nintendo, Nvidia and indeed the Samsung process. With games like Mario Kart World and No Man’s Sky, we successfully logged 2.5 hours of play, meaning an average power draw of just under 8W.

Switch 2 looks like an efficiency king then, defying expectations. However, there are a couple of asterixes and caveats to attach to that statement. First of all, based on our testing, the hardware never exceeds 22W in consumption when docked – meaning that if you’re expecting to charge the battery while maxing out system performance in TV gameplay, you’re in for a disappointment. Battery charging in this scenario is glacial in nature. However, if you connect the charger to the machine to continue handheld play, the PSU powers your gameplay session and charges the battery with around 25W of consumption.

In terms of hardware design, we’re happy overall with Nintendo’s choices. Despite being significantly larger than Switch 1, the thinness of the handheld remains much the same, making it feel significantly less bulky than Steam Deck and other PC handhelds. Similarly, the bigger screen can make for a more immersive experience and colour reproduction is significantly improved over the original model. What’s also surprising – and highly appreciated – is the number of games that either run at native 1080p in handheld mode (like Mario Kart World, for example) or use DLSS to upscale to 1080p, delivering pleasing results.

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However, the screen itself is problematic in a number of ways. Nintendo promised HDR, but an edge-lit LCD that barely tops out at 420 nits will never deliver anything like a decent high dynamic range experience with the signature HDR contrast and highlights almost completely absent in handheld play. Even more disappointing is motion quality: the Switch 2 LCD has blurring characteristics that are easily worse than the 2017 Switch’s display. Side by side with the Switch OLED panel, the key problems with Nintendo’s choice for Switch 2 come into sharp focus – it’s simply nowhere near as good.

There are clear problems with Switch 2’s VRR (variable refresh rate) functionality too. Now, in theory, we believe that there’s no reason why it should not work effectively. The Switch 2 Welcome Tour software includes a VRR showcase that demonstrates what we think is a 40-120Hz VRR window, but crucially it also reveals support for LFC – low frame-rate compensation – outside of that window. A fully featured VRR on Switch 2 is possible!

However, this is not borne out in any of the other software we’ve tested. Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky both offer handheld display modes that top out at 40 frames per second: prime territory for low frame-rate compensation to step in when performance drops under the target performance level. However, when this does happen on both games, the judder is clearly perceptible. This isn’t VRR as we’d typically expect to experience it and in both cases, we recommend opting for the locked 30fps alternative in the menu for a smoother overall experience.

Mario Kart World demonstrates that Nintendo has not lost its touch moving into the next generation – its games continue to consistently deliver something nobody else in the industry rarely gets close to.Watch on YouTube

We also tested Hitman: World of Assassination which only has a single frame-rate mode – fully unlocked up to 60fps. In theory, this is a great companion for VRR, but we found that the game would ‘ping pong’ between VRR fluidity and obvious judder depending on the complexity of the scene. Again, we’d hazard a guess that everything is fine at 40fps and over but things go awry under the 40fps threshold.

Moving onto other areas where we expected key Switch 2 improvements, we had high hopes for a decent WiFi upgrade, bearing in mind weak performance on every single Switch 1 model we’ve had. In our testing, we placed both Switch OLED and Switch 2 12 feet away from the WiFi router and behind a wall. Based on a 1.5Gbps internet connection, the internet connection test saw Switch 2 achieve a download speed score an order of magnitude better than Switch OLED: 363Mbps vs 32.6Mbps (!).

Moving on to ethernet connection testing, the new hardware also delivers a huge improvement: 720Mbps vs 154Mbps. The icing on the cake is that unlike original Switch 1 docks (OLED excepted), Switch 2 does contain an Ethernet port – no dongles required. As is the case with typically all devices, speedy downloads will be that much speedier by providing a hard-wired connection to your router.

Backwards compatibility works great in Switch 2 – games that fell short of their 30fps/60fps targets achieve them, dynamic resolution typically maxes out and we think there’s anything from a 2.4x to 3x performanc e increase depending on where the original bottleneck was on Switch 1.Watch on YouTube

Looking at some actual loading time tests, Persona 4 Golden weighs in as a 9.1GB download, which took seven minutes on Switch 2 up against 32 minutes on Switch 1. Switching to the Ethernet results, the original Switch’s results are dramatically improved at 12.5 minutes, but Switch 2 still did much better with a mere 5.5 minute download speed. All told, WiFi throughput is much improved.

WiFi performance is also key when considering the Game Share function Nintendo is now offering. The premise is simple: instead of split-screen, certain games can be shared with other Switch owners with the Switch 2 acting as a LAN-based “cloud server” of sorts, streaming video across your network, but doing so while the main player gets their own full-screen experience. It’s an ambitious feature that will, of course, have its own overhead as one Switch is basically rendering two gameplay instances.

Testing in Fast Fusion – a super-fast game that relies on crisp response – highlights the problems. First of all, while the other player does receive a 60fps feed, the quality of the video is poor (a criticism that can also be levelled at system level game capture, actually). Typically the faster the action, the more break-up you’ll see in the feed given to the client player – and the quality is akin to a 360p YouTube encode. Occasional hitches and freezes won’t help matters here, particularly on a game like Fast Fusion, while input lag is also a concern – response just isn’t fast enough.

Game Share is effectively a self-contained WiFi “cloud game” service. Switch 2 acts as the server, another Switch as a client. Video quality only holds up in static scenes based on our testing (left) – image quality with Fast Fusion in motion (right) is pretty dire. Click on the images for higher resolution. | Image credit: Digital Foundry

Choosing Fast Fusion as a stress test obviously pushes the feature too far, but on games with lower levels of motion and less reliance on low input lag, Game Share may have more merit – but there remains the sense that it should have been better. More generally, video encoding on the internal media block should be much better – T239 apparently has the same core media technology as RTX 40-series based on Nvidia leaks. However, the 30 second 1080p30 AVC files saved by the internal capture function are of a very poor quality. Even static scenes seem to have macroblocks that “strobe” in and out of view.

Far more successful is Game Chat – Nintendo’s signature new feature for Switch 2. In four-player testing with the Digital Foundry team, we found it to well put together and a great deal of fun with some impressive technology on display. You can think of it as a Discord-like integrated OS-level communication system supporting up to four players. There seems to be an injection of Nvidia RTX broadcast technology here: AI-powered voice isolation is astonishingly effective to the point where we could easily understand John Linneman, despite him using the feature with loud music and an AC unit running at maximum warp in the background. Only when the game itself features voice does Game Chat get a little confused about what to filter.

Also impressive is how Game Chat isolates players from their backgrounds in the camera feed and beams out the imagery to all connected users – and there are interesting options too. Mario Kart World, for instance, allows Game Chat to isolate the player’s head only, inserting it on-screen above their vehicle. Should those players move their heads, Game Chat tracks and updates appropriately. Video feeds from connected players appear to run at 10 frames per second with rather low quality, but the overall look is effective. What is slightly bizarre is that that UI elements in Game Chat appear to be native 1080p, even on a 4K output but thankfully the main player feed doesn’t look to have been squeezed down into a 1080p container.

There is a cost to Game Chat, however, but you do have to hunt down instances where it happens. Mario Kart World ran beautifully without issue but in like-for-like Cyberpunk 2077 tests, we could see Game Chat occasionally hit system resources, lowering game frame-rate or causing issues in the set-up to some of CDPR’s internal streaming tests, resulting in assets taking longer to appear than they should. By way of a “real world test”, we had Tom Morgan on our Game Chat session playing Cyberpunk 2077 normally, and he didn’t feel as though the system was meaningfully impacted. One final detail: Game Chat only seemed to make an impact in CPU-limited Cyberpunk tests – a primarily GPU-limited test saw no performance reduction at all. Testing subsequent to our video review seemed to suggest that the fewer the amount of players in a Game Chat session, the less of a performance hit there is. Ultimately though, the impact seemed fleeting in Cyberpunk 2077 and basically non-existent in Mario Kart World. Game Chat itself is excellent and a welcome addition to the Switch 2 feature set.

In summary, our thoughts on Switch 2 are generally positive. Screen apart, the hardware is well-built: the revised Joy Cons are an improvement, the larger form factor is not too onerous and the tiny quality of life improvements (such as little ‘feet’ on the bottom of the unit) are appreciated. This is the original Switch revised and refined into a generally more pleasing and more effective unit, delivering a proper generational upgrade with highly impressive efficiency. It comes to something when, screen apart, the biggest criticism I personally have concerns that limited length USB-C cables provided for the power supply and especially the camera. Thankfully, the USB-C cables are detachable and replaceable – but they should have been longer.

Special mention should go to the Pro Controller: build quality is excellent, it feels great in the hand, while button feedback is pleasing. The d-pad is excellent, while the analogue sticks are exemplary. None of the DF team are particularly fond of paddle buttons, but their implementation on the Pro Controller isn’t intrusive to ergonomics. Battery life for the pad is exemplary.

System level performance is generally where we expected it to land in terms of docked play, but the big surprise here is that handheld configuration works well. Despite sipping power, the T239 does manage to deliver good mobile performance as a decent version of Cyberpunk 2077 running at under 10W demonstrates. Doing that with either native 1080p or well-upscaled 1080p for the full HD panel (as is the case for a great many games) is another genuinely great surprise. As is Game Chat – which we loved testing.

However, there are negatives to Switch 2. With HDR and VRR marketed so strongly, it’s disappointing to see that the new console has genuine issues here. HDR was a big marketing feature and it’s extremely difficult to say that users are actually getting any kind of meaningful HDR experience. Meanwhile, screen quality in terms of contrast, brightness – and crucially, motion clarity – simply isn’t good enough. For motion blur to exceed what we saw with the original Switch is really poor. There are other issues too: the new Virtual Game Card system is pretty awful – especially for those navigating larger libraries. In many ways, this feels like an actual regression over the system it replaces. Software can be fixed, however, and perhaps even LCD performance could be improved via a firmware update that includes some kind of LCD overdrive tweak.

As for the overall experience, Switch 2 picks up where the original left off. Mario Kart World proves that Nintendo has not lost its touch, while third party software kicks off relatively strongly and we can’t wait to see the “impossible ports” kick up a generation. Meanwhile, Switch 2 (Edition) upgrades of Switch 1 games demonstrate how timeless Nintendo games are, still feeling fresh and original today but definitely improved via increased resolutions and frame-rates. Ultimately, the Switch 2 package is impressive and sets the stage for another eight years of great play – and we’re really looking forward to seeing how this generation progresses.

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June 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Ford Ranger Plug-In Hybrid Review: Prices, Availability, Specs

by admin June 21, 2025

Fitness for purpose. Take a deftly aimed power tool to all the marketing flim-flam, and you can’t go far wrong with that mantra. There’s no messing around when it comes to a pick-up truck, a vehicle that has a clear job to do, and in most cases does it admirably.

Except that even this segment isn’t immune to mission creep, and these hardy vehicles are now expected to double as workhorse and acceptable all-round family transport. The Ford F-150 may typify the breed, but outside of the US the Ranger has been in active duty for more than 40 years. A global player since 2011, it sells in 180 territories worldwide, and is particularly dominant in the European pick-up market.

But get this, 80 percent of the Rangers sold in the UK last year were in Wildtrak spec, the version that swaddles the hard plastics in leather and ladles on the decals. It’s—deep breath—a genuine lifestyle vehicle, beloved by the sort of buyers who actually do stuff rather than just think about it.

Now, at last, there’s an electrified version, though we’re talking hybrid rather than the whole enchilada. Ford sells the fully electric Lightning in the US, where it’s locked in battle with Tesla’s Cybertruck (though neither is setting the sales chart aflame), but this is the closest Brits are going to get for the foreseeable at least. Only Chinese maker Maxus sells an electric pick-up in the UK, a vehicle we wouldn’t recommend, and Toyota’s indestructible Hi-Lux makes do with a mild hybrid setup. This makes the Ranger PHEV a significant new arrival.

It shares its platform hardware with the VW Amarok, and is manufactured in Ford’s Silverton plant in South Africa. Until now, engine options have been limited to a 2.0-liter petrol or 3.0-liter diesel. The new car uses Ford’s excellent 2.3-liter “Ecoboost” turbo petrol unit (as previously seen in the Focus and Mustang), bolstered by a 75-kW (100-bhp) electric motor, packaged within the bell-housing of the 10-speed automatic transmission.

Pick-Up Philosophy

It’s fed by an 11.8-kWh battery (usable) that sits under the Ranger’s load bed. Despite its compact size, that still necessitated modifications to the vehicle’s ladder frame chassis, resulting in a 20-millimeter bulge. (It has a 1-metric-ton payload and can accommodate a Euro pallet between the wheelhouses.) An electronically controlled clutch engages and disengages the e-motor and combustion engine, switching between petrol, hybrid, and electric propulsion. Visual differences are limited to a second filler flap on the near-side rear wing, with a lightning bolt logo on it, which hides the charging port for the battery. On a 7-kW wall charger, it takes about 2.5 hours to charge.

Here’s how it works. EV Auto is the default setting, blending electric and petrol power in a way best suited to everyday use, or if you’re towing or lugging a heavy load. EV Now does what it says: This is for electric driving only, Ford claiming a range of around 26 miles (WLTP). EV Later allows the driver to store electric energy, particularly useful if you’re heading into the city or a zero-emission zone. Finally, there’s EV Charge, which sees the petrol engine charge the high-voltage battery, though it won’t top it up by all that much. In addition to those, the PHEV maintains the driving modes used in extant Ranger models: Normal, Eco, Slippery, Tow/Haul, Mud/Ruts, and Sand. This new Ranger variant is clearly messing with the sacred strictures of the pick-up philosophy.

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June 21, 2025 0 comments

Samsung S95F hero image with butterfly on screen

Product Reviews

Samsung S95F review: easily one of 2025’s best OLED TVs for bright rooms

by admin June 21, 2025

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Samsung S95F: Two minute review

The Samsung S95F is the brand’s 2025 flagship OLED TV, delivering a premium set of features with the performance to match, pushing brightness levels for this kind of TV to some new highs.

The Samsung S95F boasts an impressive list of features, including a number of AI-based enhancement tools for picture, such as 4K Upscaling Pro and Real Depth Enhancer, and sound, such as AI Sound and Active Voice Amplifier Pro, as well as an AI assistant for live TV show analysis and recommendations.

Picture quality on the S95F is excellent overall. Delivering staggering brightness levels that produce punchy vibrant colors, as well as rich contrast, black levels and extremely realistic textures, the S95F is a sight to behold even compared to the best OLED TVs.

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One thing to note here is that I reviewed the 55-inch version, which uses a new-gen QD-OLED screen, as does the 65-inch and 77-inch version, though the 83-inch size uses the same W-OLED new-gen panel as the LG G5. The benchmark measurements in this review are from the 55-inch model – I have also measured an 83-inch version, and included some information about that in the Picture Quality section, but those tests weren’t done in our usual testing areas, and the set was tested pre-release, so may not totally match what you’ll buy today, but I’ve included them for reference.

Its OLED Glare Free 2.0 screen delivers the same impressive reflection-beating performance as its predecessor, the Samsung S95D, but improves on black crush issues I found with the S95D. There is still some black crush present, and motion does require some tweaking to get to your own tastes, but the S95F still delivers picture quality that’s up there with the best TVs.

Built-in sound is punchy, accurate and delivers plenty of solid bass for such a thin TV, while also delivering clear speech and effective virtual surround sound. Atmos effects are still a little lacking and the soundstage can feel narrow at times, but most will be pleased with the S95F’s sound quality. Cinephiles: I’d still recommend one of the best soundbars.

The S95F is a physically stunning TV with a razor-thin, sharp and sleek design that gives it a premium look. Its One Connect Box, its external box for cable management and housing of ports, keeps things neat and tidy: excellent for those looking to wall-mount. Its stand requires a two person installation due to its weighty, metal design but it just makes the S95F feel that much more premium.

Tizen 9.0 is used as the smart TV platform for the S95F and it’s an improvement over previous generations. It’s smooth, mostly stutter-free and has plenty of picture settings, including AI ones, to tweak the picture to your liking. Recommendations are very good and although the home page can look a little cluttered and some settings are buried in menus, it’s definitely an upgrade over previous generations of Tizen.

The S95F is easily among one of the best gaming TVs of 2025. It supports 4K, 165Hz, VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming across four HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as boasting an ultra-low 9.5ms input lag time. Its Game Hub offers tons of cloud gaming options for those without a console and delivers razor-sharp performance and picture when gaming.

To get this premium performance, you have to pay a premium price. The S95F is similarly priced to its closest rivals, namely the LG G5, and while the price may be a bit lofty for some at launch, there will no doubt be discounts throughout its life cycle. For now though, it still mostly justifies its high price tag.

Should you buy this or the LG G5, which we also gave five stars to? I think the LG G5 just has the edge in most cases, thanks to its Dolby Vision support and the way it keeps black tones as dark and accurate as possible in more conditions. I think the Samsung is the better choice in really bright rooms where you know reflections are a challenge, or for aesthetes who love the idea of the One Connect box keeping cable clutter out of the way.

Samsung S95F 65-inch OLED 4K Smart TV (2025) at Amazon for $1,997.99

Samsung S95F review: Prices & release date

(Image credit: Future)

Release date: May 2025
55-inch: $2,499 / £2,499 / N/A
65-inch: $3,399 / £3,399 / AU$5,295
77-inch: $4,499 / £4,299 / AU$7,995
83-inch: $6,499 / £6,799 / AU$9,995

The Samsung S95F is the brand’s 2025 flagship OLED TV, sitting above the mid-range Samsung S90F and the entry-level Samsung S85F in its OLED TV lineup. The 55-inch model I tested launched at a price of $2,499 / £2,499, with the popular 65-inch model available for $3,399 / £3,399 / AU$5,295.

Several weeks on from launch, prices remain largely unchanged, although we’ve seen a $200 / £200 discount on the 55-inch model and sometimes the 65-inch model. There’s sure to be more price drops throughout the year, as is normal for TVs.

Samsung S95F review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Screen type

QD-OLED

Refresh rate

Up to 165Hz

HDR support

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV

Tizen

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner

ATSC 3.0 (US)

Samsung S95F review: Benchmark results

Samsung S95F review: Features

Glare Free 2.0 matte screen
NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor with AI tools
One Connect box for external connections

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung S95F uses a QD-OLED panel in its 55, 65 and 77-inch models, but the largest 83-inch model uses the new Primary Tandem RGB, or ‘four-stack’, OLED panel: the same used in the LG G5.

The S95F comes with the OLED Glare Free 2.0 screen: an updated version of the anti-reflection, matte screen found in its predecessor, the Samsung S95D.

It’s equipped with the NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor, which offers AI based enhancements such as Real Depth Enhancer, 4K AI Upscaling Pro, Auto HDR Remastering Pro, Color Booster Pro and AI Motion Enhancer Pro. There are also AI Customization settings for both picture and sound which can be tweaked.

As always, the S95F supports HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG HDR formats, but there is no support for Dolby Vision. It also supports Dolby Atmos enhanced sound format, but there is no support for DTS.

For audio, the S95F comes with a built-in 4.2.2 channel speaker array, totaling 70W of power. It has the Object Tracking Sound+ (OTS+) system for more accurate sound mapping as well as AI Sound mode with voice enhancement. It also supports Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature, where the TV can be used in tandem with compatible Samsung soundbars as an extra speaker.

The S95F is also a well equipped gaming TV, with four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K, 165Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro included), ALLM and HDR10+ gaming. Its Game Hub is a useful portal for housing all things gaming, including cloud based gaming apps from Xbox, Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now and more.

In terms of physical features, the S95F’s most significant addition is the One Connect Box, an external box designed to house all connections such as HDMI and USB, connected to the TV by a single cable that carries power as well as video. For US viewers, the S95F carries an ATSC 3.0 tuner.

The S95F uses Samsung’s Tizen as its smart TV platform and has access to all major streaming apps such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus, as well as UK based apps such as ITVX and BBC iPlayer. Tizen has several hubs to house relevant apps including Home, the aforementioned Game, Ambient and Daily+.

Samsung S95F review: Picture quality

Image 1 of 3

Movie mode(Image credit: Future)

Choosing the right picture mode for bright conditions can be important depending on the movie. The Batman is a particularly dim movie.

Filmmaker Mode with Active Dynamic Tone Mapping (Image credit: Future)Filmmaker Mode with Static Dynamic Tone Mapping(Image credit: Future)

Spectacular color and brightness
Very effective anti-reflection screen
Improved black levels over the S95D

Starting with my measurements of the 55-inch S95F’s performance using out-of-the-box settings, the TV hit 2,132 nits of HDR peak brightness (measured on a 10% HDR white window pattern) in Filmmaker Mode. When I measured a pre-release version of the 83-inch model at a Samsung event, which has a different type of OLED screen (the same as the LG G5), I measured 2,388 nits of peak HDR brightness in Filmmaker Mode on that model, which is a good 10% step up over the smaller option.

The LG G5, for comparison, measured 2,268 nits in HDR peak brightness in Filmmaker Mode, so sits closer to the 83-inch version of the S95F, which makes sense.

The 55-inch S95F achieved 2,135 nits of peak HDR brightness in Standard mode, while the 83-inch version hit 2,102 nits in the same test. The LG G5 hit 1,850 nits in Standard Mode, so the S95F has a clear edge over its rival in that kind of mode.

I also measured the 55-inch S95F’s Movie mode brightness, as I found myself using this mode with some movies in brighter conditions, and it hit 2,109 nits of peak HDR brightness.

As for HDR fullscreen brightness, important for sports, daytime and bright room viewing, the 55-inch S95F clocked 390 nits in Filmmaker Mode (measured on a 100% white HDR window pattern), making it the brightest 55-inch OLED we’ve tested. It beat the previous champion, the LG G5, which clocked in 331 nits in its Filmmaker Mode.

However, the the 83-inch version of the S95F I tested crushed its smaller sibling, achieving 465 nits of fullscreen brightness in Filmmaker Mode – a figure you expect from the best mini-LED TVs.

With SDR fullscreen brightness however, the LG G5 still holds the crown, hitting 327 nits in Filmmaker Mode, whereas the S95F clocked in at 181 nits.

The S95F’s most unusual feature is its OLED Glare Free 2.0 screen, which like its predecessor, the S95D, eliminated mirror-like reflections even with bright overhead lights on in our testing room.

The issue with mirror-like reflections is that they’re actually on a different focal plane to the TV, so when your eye catches them, you have to focus away from the rest of the screen. That’s why they’re so annoying, and are quite fatiguing to deal with. On the S95F they’re reduced to just a haze at most.

I found when I tested the S95D that the matte screen caused black crush, particularly in Filmmaker Mode, so you lost detail in the dark areas OLED is supposed to excel in – and thankfully the S95F has improved this. There were still some instances of black crush in dark scenes in movies like The Batman and Nosferatu, but they were minimal in comparison.

I did find when watching dark movies in bright rooms, setting Dynamic Tone Mapping from the default Static to Active in Filmmaker Mode gave it a solid brightness boost without sacrificing black levels or contrast too much, and helped to reduce the black crush.

The S95F displays spectacular, vivid colors especially with HDR movies such as Wicked (Image credit: Future)

Where the S95F really shines with its picture is its colors. Watching a 4K stream of Elemental on Disney Plus, fire characters – as well as Ember’s glass and vase-making – deliver stunning, glistening reds and oranges with a real vivid punch in highlight areas of the screen.

A 4K Blu-ray of Wicked also demonstrated natural but vibrant colors, particularly in the Wizard & I scene where Elphaba stands among pink flowers. I preferred Filmmaker Mode’s accuracy, but those looking for a brighter dose of color can select Movie mode for something that’s bold but still realistic.

It’s no surprise the 55-inch S95F delivered such spectacular HDR colors, because when I measured its HDR color gamut coverage, it yielded results of 100% and 89.3% in the DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color spaces. These are not only phenomenal results, but it’s also the first time a TV has hit 100% DCI-P3 in my time testing TVs. I measured the 83-inch S95F at 94.9% of P3 color gamut coverage, however – this is surprisingly low, considering the LG G5 with the same panel achieved 99.6%, so it might be best to take it with a pinch of salt, since I tested it pre-release.

Black levels and contrast are still excellent on the S95F, particularly when viewed in dimmed or pitch black conditions. Watching The Batman, the subway fight and crime scene sequences showed deep black levels with brilliant contrast between dark areas and light areas from light sources such as lamps, torches and flashbulbs. Shadow detail was great as well, with objects on walls still visible even in dark sections.

The S95F was great for black and white movies, as scenes from Oppenheimer showed deep black tones, vibrant white tones and a full range of gray tones with fantastic depth and texture.

Textures and details are given a near 3D-like quality on the S95F (Image credit: Future)

Speaking of textures, the S95F showed a near 3D-like quality for every 4K movie I used. Clearly, the Real Depth Enhancer was hard at work, as every facial feature, skin tone and object looked accurate, lifelike and refined. I found the S95F’s upscaling was effective when viewing an HD stream of Fight Club. While not as successful with lower resolution TV shows, textures were definitely still upscaled.

Motion for the S95F was responsive, though I did find that Blur and Judder reduction needed to be set at 5 each, though this may require some adjusting for some. A panning shot of a cliffside in No Time To Die was smooth without the dreaded soap opera effect with these settings. For Sports, I opted for Standard Mode with these settings and found the action smooth without any ghosting of the ball during a stream of a soccer game.

The S95F is an overall fantastic TV, but I put it side-by-side with the LG G5 and while the S95F was better for bright room viewing, I couldn’t help but admire the G5’s richer, inkier black levels. It did make the S95F’s black levels look gray in bright conditions by comparison. The matte screen obviously is a compromise, but thankfully some tweaking of the S95F’s settings mentioned above can narrow the gap. It’s even better if you can view in dimmed conditions.

Picture quality score: 5/5

Samsung S95F: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future)

4.2.2 channel, 70W speaker array
Object Tracking Sound+ (OTS+) for accurate mapping
Dolby Atmos, but no DTS support

The Samsung S95F comes equipped with a built-in 4.2.2 channel speaker array, with 70W of total power. It includes AI Sound mode options and supports Dolby Atmos soundtracks. There is no support for DTS soundtracks, however. There are two preset sound modes to choose from: Standard and Amplify.

With the S95F set to the Amplify sound mode, the Batmobile/Penguin chase scene in The Batman produced hefty, impactful bass and rumble from the Batmobile’s engine and explosions. The OTS+ system was effective at mapping effects such as screeching tyres and gunfire and keeping the action on screen and sound tightly connected and controlled.

Throughout Wicked, the S95F’s speakers also delivered clear vocals and speech as well as a very good balance between said vocals and the uplifting and powerful score, which was itself delivered with clarity and precision.

While its built-in sound is very good, I couldn’t help but find the soundstage narrow in places and that its volume needed to be pushed to get the full experience. When pushed too high however, there can be some buzz from the bass. For a proper cinematic experience, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars remains recommended.

Samsung S95F review: Design

The Samsung S95F is a super-slim and sleek TV (Image credit: Future)

Super slim, modern design
One Connect Box for external connections
Solid, sleek metal base

The S95F is a sight to behold. Razor-thin with a bezel-less screen, the S95F is incredibly sleek and has an appealing modern look. It comes with a weighty, black metal stand and while assembly requires two people, once attached it gives the TV a floating look and feels solid and sturdy.

The S95F comes with the brand’s One Connect Box, which houses the S95F’s many connections, including four HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB ports, an optical port, tuner ports for broadcast TV and an Ethernet port. This box is then connected to the S95F via a single cable and the box itself can be housed on the back of the stand. It’s ideal for those looking to wall-mount their TV with minimal cables.

For remotes, the S95F comes with the SolarCell remote, a small remote with volume control, app shortcuts and the new AI button, for AI assistant shortcuts. The remote can be charged via USB-C or the solar panel on the remote. UK users will also find an older-style remote with numbered buttons in the box as well as the SolarCell remote.

Samsung S95F review: Smart TV & menus

Tizen 9.0 is an improvement over previous generations of the Tizen smart TV system (Image credit: Future)

Tizen smart TV platform
Home, Game, Ambient and Daily+ hubs for apps
Good number of picture settings

The S95F uses Samsung’s own Tizen smart TV platform, with this year’s version called Tizen 9.0. It has access to all the major streaming apps, but UK users should note it does not include Freeview Play for broadcast TV, instead using Samsung’s own Samsung TV Plus. UK based streaming apps are still available however.

Tizen 9.0’s home page is split into three sections: For You, which houses AI-tailored content recommendations (which are mostly accurate and effective based on my own experience) Live, for live TV and Apps, for a fuller apps page list. For You is the default and while there is a large banner at the top of the screen, a neat, customizable row of apps sits at the bottom of the screen and is easily accessible.

Aside from the Home page, there are three other main hubs: Game for gaming based applications; Ambient, for an ambient mode in place of standby; and Daily+ for lifestyle and workplace based apps.

Menu and settings navigation is made easier thanks to a quick menu, which I didn’t find as effective as LG’s but is still a welcome addition. Accessing the right menus and settings can be long-winded and navigation can stutter on occasion, but it was a mostly smooth experience.

As well as the usual picture and sound settings, of which there are a good amount for picture customization, there are a number of AI-based tools including AI picture and sound modes. There is an AI assistant as well. A press of the remote’s AI button on a TV show on Samsung TV Plus gave me a summary of the show and recommended similar shows.

Samsung S95F review: Gaming

Image 1 of 2

The Samsung S95F is an exceptional gaming TV, with extensive features and performance
Pictured: Game Hub(Image credit: Future)Pictured: Battlefield V with Game Bar (Image credit: Future)

4K, 165Hz, VRR, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming
Ultra-low 9.5ms input lag time
Game Hub for cloud based gaming apps

The S95F is an extremely well featured TV for gaming. It features four HDMI ports that support 4K, 165Hz, VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro supported, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming. Samsung’s Game Hub continues to be an excellent portal for everything gaming related including a healthy choice of cloud based gaming apps from the likes of Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now and Luna.

As with Samsung’s TVs, the S95F is no slouch with gaming performance either. An ultra-low 9.5ms input lag time delivers a smooth experience with no hint of screen tear or stutter in performance whatsoever. Playing Battlefield V, intense combat sequences were exciting to play and targeting was easy, snappy and extremely responsive.

The S95F also delivers superb picture quality for gaming, with several levels in Battlefield V given a truly bright, vibrant and dynamic look filled with color and detail. Again Real Depth Enhancer Pro gave the picture a hyper-realistic look with fantastic detail in every object on screen.

Samsung S95F review: Value

Image 1 of 2

Samsung’s SolarCell remote adds a new AI button at the top middle.(Image credit: Future)UK users get both the SolarCell and older, button remote (pictured here) in box.(Image credit: Future)

Performance and features justify price
Closely priced with rivals
Still a premium priced TV

Value is a tough area to judge for the Samsung S95F, as it carries most of the features you’d ever need while also delivering high-quality performance, but this all comes at a premium price.

The 55-inch model I tested costs $2,299.99 / £2,299 (roughly AU$3,554) at the time of writing. The S95F’s main rival, the LG G5, 55-inch model costs $2,199.99 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,495 at the time of writing, making the G5 the more tempting of the two. Expect prices to battle throughout the year, reducing over time.

I’d usually recommend the S95F’s step-down sibling – the S90F – as a cheaper alternative, because the 55-inch model there costs $1,799 / £1,899 / AU$3,299. However, there is no guarantee of getting a bright QD-OLED screen over a dimmer mid-tier W-OLED screen, which means I can’t recommend it for certain. At 65 inches, you are guaranteed a QD-OLED panel, though, so at that size the S90F is a great option – here’s our full 65-inch Samsung S90F review.

The S95F is a premium priced TV, there’s no getting around it. While there are a number of cheaper options available, it does deliver an undoubtedly premium experience and does strongly justify its price.

Should you buy the Samsung S95F OLED TV?

The Samsung S95F showcases superb contrast between light and dark tones, shown here in The Batman (Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung S95F 55-inch

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The Samsung S95F offers a stacked list of smart and gaming features, along with superb picture quality and solid audio quality. There is still no Dolby Vision HDR support though.

5/5

Picture quality

The S95F delivers a near-complete picture experience, especially when with colors. Black levels may not be as deep as some rivals, but they’re rich enough.

5/5

Sound quality

Delivering clear, punchy and accurate sound, most people will be pleased with the S95F’s sound. Bass could be better controlled and the soundstage could be wider, however.

4/5

Design

It’s unbelievably thin, extremely modern looking and features the useful One Connect Box. the S95F is easily one of the best designed TVs available.

4.5/5

Smart TV and menus

Finding the right settings isn’t always easy, but Tizen provides a very smooth experience with new AI tools should you want to use them.

4.5/5

Gaming

Ultra-responsive performance and a full list of features, the S95F is an excellent TV for gaming.

5/5

Value

The S95F is a premium priced TV, but offers great features and performance for the money.

4/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also Consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung S95F

LG G5

Sony Bravia 8 II

Samsung QN90F

Price (55-inch)

$2,499 / £2,499 (roughly AU$4,199)

$2,499 / £2,399 / AU$4,199

$3,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,195

$1,799.99 / £1,699 (roughly AU$2,788)

Screen type

QD-OLED

OLED

QD-OLED

Neo QLED / mini-LED

Refresh rate

165Hz

144Hz

120Hz

144Hz

HDR support

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG, HDR10+,

Smart TV

Tizen 9.0

webOS 25

Google TV

Tizen

HDMI ports

4x HDMI 2.1

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

4 x HDMI 2.1

How I tested the Samsung S95F OLED TV

Image 1 of 2

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

Tested over a week
Tested in different lighting conditions in our testing lab
Measurements taken using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software

Before my critical testing, I first spent time establishing the most accurate picture modes that I would use for both subjective testing and objective measurements. I landed on Filmmaker Mode and sometimes used Movie mode, depending on lighting conditions.

I tested the S95F’s using reference scenes from both Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) sources, such as DVD, Blu-ray and broadcast/low-resolution TV, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) sources, such as 4K Blu-ray and 4K streaming.

For 4K Blu-ray, I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player, our pick for the best 4K Blu-ray player.

I used these sources to analyse the S95F’s picture quality, focusing on color, contrast, black levels, textures, upscaling, as well as sound quality and motion for sports and movies.

I also watched the S95F with various different lighting conditions to test the effectiveness of its OLED Glare Free anti-reflection screen.

For objective measurements, I used a Klein K10A colorimeter, Murideo Six G 8K test pattern generator and recorded measurements using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software.

I focused on SDR and HDR brightness measurements, with a focus on peak (10%) and fullscreen (100%) brightness, color and grayscale accuray by taking the average of the Delta-E values (the margin for error between the source pattern signal and what’s shown on screen) and HDR color gamut coverage, focusing on DCI-P3 (also called UHDA-P3) and BT.2020 color spaces.

I also analyzed the S95F’s gaming performance using an Xbox Series X, and a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag Tester to analyze its input lag in milliseconds.

For more on how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out the link.

Samsung S95F: Price Comparison

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June 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Playdate Season 2 review: Shadowgate PD and CatchaDiablos

by admin June 21, 2025

Earlier in this Playdate season, I commented in a review that I “love a game that pisses me off a little.” Well, I may have shot myself in the foot with that one. Week four of Playdate Season Two brings us not one game that got my blood boiling, but two. CatchaDiablos is a roguelike with a unique movement mechanic that is both pretty cool and absolutely infuriating: running in circles with the crank. Shadowgate PD, on the other hand, is a remade-for-Playdate version of the classic point-and-click adventure that’s filled with tricky puzzles and hidden death traps.

This week is not for the faint of heart. Am I having fun? Yes. Am I suffering? Also yes. I haven’t yet had a chance to check out the latest update to Blippo+ because I’ve been fighting for my life with these two titles, but I sure am looking forward to turning my brain off soon and getting lost in that strange, strange world as a treat after all this.

CatchaDiablos

Amano

Amano, the developer behind CatchaDiablos, kind of has a knack for games featuring unusual methods of movement. Amano previously gave us Pullfrog Deluxe, a Tetris-like (that I highly recommend checking out) in which you rearrange falling blocks as a frog that pulls stuff around using its tongue. In CatchaDiablos, things are a bit more complicated. You play as something of a demon wrangler on an unnamed moon, rounding up “Diablos” that are scattered all over the place. Of course, as any witch knows, the way to do this is by drawing a chalk circle around the entity, so that’s exactly what you do. But, following the chalk line is also the only way you can move.

CatchaDiablos basically throws you right into the deep end. There is a very brief tutorial at the beginning to introduce you to the idea of traveling along an arc of pre-determined length, but then you’re on your own to take on swarms of the little devils. To make a circle, you aim using the crank and, once you’ve got the outline placed where you want it, you hold the A button to draw. You have to draw a complete circle around a monster (or a group of monsters, for more points) in order to catch it, but when it comes to moving, you can stop the drawing at any point and you’ll only move as far as the chalk extends.

Doing this while trying not to run into any Diablos — you take damage every time one touches you — is hard. It gets even harder when some of those Diablos start firing projectiles at you, and they’re surrounding you in greater and greater numbers. Everything descends into chaos and it becomes really difficult to try and think fast enough to outmaneuver the Diablos while also trying to run in haphazard half-circles by swinging the crank. And after some time has passed (three eyes at the top of the screen will open), a boss will show up to make things even worse. This is a roguelike, so once your health is depleted, you’re dead for good and have to start it all over.

I want to be clear: I really, really like this game. I found it hard to put down once I got going, and it’s another fun example of how the crank can be used in unexpected ways. It’s just kicking my ass. A lot. CatchaDiablos isn’t entirely unforgiving, though. As you catch monsters, a status bar on the right side of the screen will start to fill up, and you’ll eventually be rewarded with power-ups that can dramatically improve your odds. These come in the form of discs that will pop up in random places and bring perks like extra health spaces, the ability to draw a wider chalk circle and faster movement.

Roguelikes aren’t for everyone, but if you are into them, this is a great one for the Playdate. As a plus, there’s a “Diablory” bestiary of sorts where you can see drawings of every type of creature you’ve encountered so far. You can access this from the title menu, and it’s really worth flipping through after you’ve sunk a good deal of time into the game.

Shadowgate PD

Pixel Ghost

“You seem to be wasting your time.” It wasn’t exactly a good sign for me when Shadowgate hit me with this message repeatedly in the first room of the damn game, where I found myself stuck for much longer than I’d like to admit and clicking on literally everything in my desperation. Anyone familiar with Shadowgate (1987) or the NES version (or the several other versions beyond that) might already have been braced for the difficult path forward from the get-go, but as someone who never played the original… let’s just say we got off to a rougher start than expected. Such a rough start that I was forced to do something I generally avoid at all costs: look for a guide online.

So, I must concede that while I have navigated the treacherous castle halls, I had a good amount of help in doing so, which makes it feel like much less of an accomplishment. Bruised ego aside, though, Shadowgate makes for a really cool game on the Playdate. You must explore the castle room by room, solving puzzles, picking up keys and items to access locked areas along the way, defeating enemies and generally just trying not to die. It’s a lesson in persistence, really.

There are many different ways to die, and much of the fun in games like these for me lies in keeping track of all those that I succumb to. There are the classic deaths, like plummeting after a floor suddenly drops away or getting incinerated by a dragon, and then the silly, unexpected ones, like tripping in the dark and falling flat on my face… fatally. (You really need to pay attention to your torch use). Thankfully, you’ll be revived in the room where you died so you don’t lose too much progress every time. The art and music really elevate the whole experience. The atmosphere is just right.

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June 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

FBC Firebreak review – a really weird game

by admin June 21, 2025

A bold approach to the concept of work marks this game out as a singular enterprise.

On my best runs, with the best accidental match-ups, I’ve been the watering can guy. I’ll deploy alongside two far more talented players, and they’ll fix machinery and fight the hordes while I handle the watering. I’ll put out ground-based fires to allow for freedom of movement and to stop enemies being enraged by flames. I’ll put out any fires on my allies when they accidentally set light to themselves, so they don’t have to race back to the nearest shower block.

FBC: Firebreak review

This works, until it doesn’t work. I’ll be watering away and then I’ll round a corner and an elite baddie will pop up. Oh, Christ, I’ll think. It’s RACHEL DAVIES. (Elite baddies in Firebreak always come with names plucked out of some Platonic HR database.) Rachel Davies will be on fire and she’ll be floating and laying down hellish covering damage. Monsters will spawn beneath her and we’ll be over-run and no more machinery will get fixed. And there’s nothing that the watering can man can do now except die as efficiently as possible.

A step back: Control was a fairly normal game that wanted you to think it was weird. Underneath the stylish disarray, it offered a pleasantly traditional blend of shooting and physic-based magic powers, and it let you loose against a range of entertainingly predictable enemies in close confines. FBC: Firebreak is a Control spin-off, but get this. It’s a weird game that wants you to think it’s normal. On the surface it’s a run-based co-op shooter that should fit in somewhere between Helldivers 2 and something like REPO. But underneath…?

Once again we’re in the Oldest House, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, an agency that deals with anything that’s traditionally accompanied by a theremin when it turns up in a TV show. The Oldest House was absolutely the best thing about Control, a game fairly filled with good things, so it’s lovely to be back. Polished concrete! Wood- and glass-lined conference rooms! Weird Lovecraftian mines with slate roofs and horrible things growing in the dark. You get the idea.

Here’s a trailer for FBC: Firebreak.Watch on YouTube

In Firebreak, you take the role of a bunch of endlessly expendable janitors, and the missions often take you into parts of the Oldest House that were one-shot gags in Control. That room filled with Post-it notes? It’s now a mission, in which you have to clean up an infestation of Post-its and maybe fight a giant Post-it monster. That furnace, whose staging was so luminously clever you almost felt your eyebrows turning to cinder in its presence? That’s another mission where you have to fix up machinery and step inside the turbines to get them venting again.

There are five of these missions and they’re available in various configurations in terms of length and difficulty. But they all work the same way in essence: there’s something annoying and technical and genuinely job-like for you and two other players to get done, whether it’s clearing something up, fixing something or loading something. There will be a substance to avoid getting covered with – Post-its, strangely delicious looking toxic pink goo. And there will be Hiss, Control’s spectral enemies, that warp in now and then to give you a really hard time when you’re doing it.

The Hiss and the jobs themselves go some way to explaining Firebreak’s bizarre load outs. Alongside a range of guns and grenades, the best of which are unlockable, you also drop into levels with one of three kits. One of these fires out water and is the best. Another sends jolts of electricity. A third is basically just a wrench. The water puts out fire and makes enemies wet. The electricity charges machinery in an instant and can shock things. The wrench fixes machinery in seconds and allows you to do a bit of general bashing.

FBC: Firebreak. | Image credit: Remedy

Firebreak wants you to work out how these kits work in concert with one another – and ideally you’ll work this out to your enormous surprise in the middle of a fight. Spray Hiss with water and then get your buddy to zap them? Massive electrical damage. That’s a combo, but there are loads of other elemental tricks, and not all of them come from the kits themselves. I was about five hours in when a friend told me I could use a level’s zipline to put out flames, for example. Wind beats fire. Nice.

If this sounds like it adds up to a very chaotic game, well, it certainly does. Standard weaponry, randomly spawning foes, elemental chaos, a mission based on drudgery. To give things a little more focus each level has a bunch of stations you can keep running – respawn points, weapons restockers, a shower block for getting rid of goo or Post-its. What this in turn means is that you’re in a multiplayer game where you’re all working on the same objective, but randomly breaking off when your own needs require it. We’re all tackling that pink goo, but I’m out of bullets, or I’m so caked in the stuff I can’t move. At such a moment it seems almost overkill to mention there are deployable gadgets and ultimates for each kit, but there are. The wrench’s ultimate is a piggy bank, for example, and you really don’t want to be around when it breaks.

I should declare my hand here: I don’t mind drudgery that much. In real life my favourite job ever was working as a dishwasher in a restaurant and I’d possibly still be doing that if gentle hearing loss hadn’t made me realise that’s a bad idea – lots of Firebreak-style elemental combinations can occur when a KP can’t hear “BEHIND YOU!” – but drudgery in a game has to be carefully used. Because Firebreak uses a weird system where levels can get both longer and more aggressive depending on your settings, that careful use I’m talking about goes into the garbage disposal.

FBC: Firebreak. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment

The best runs I’ve played – the best times I’ve had with Firebreak – were hectic and brief. The level wasn’t too long, but it also wasn’t too quiet. We were working frantically to do our jobs and clear out Hiss, and the Hiss weren’t having it. Attacks from all sides, and also corruptions in play. These are randomisers you can switch on and off that might change the basis of a level a bit. There’s a haunted traffic light that makes you slow down (I think), and there’s a flying wrench that’s constantly damaging machinery. All good when the Hiss are strobing in and the end is in reach.

The worst levels I’ve played though were either knackeringly long: load this thing, load it again, get it on a shuttle and then stand by for the launch before making it to the exit. Or they were too quiet. Again, another work anecdote. When my wife was a trainee nurse, her favourite shifts were in A and E because your feet never touched the ground. You went in, had a Red Bull, dealt with the chaos, and before you had time for another Red Bull you were headed home. Firebreak at its worst can be like an endless shift on a very sleepy ward. I’ll be fixing furnaces forever, with only the rarest case of Hiss to try my ultimate out on.

FBC: Firebreak. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment

Beyond all this stuff is the general business of unlockables and perks to buy and pick between as you level up, along with more perk slots to use as you get more powerful. There are some entertaining guns in there, along with fun sprays and those ultimates, which are always money in the bank, but the game is held ransom a little to whether you’re going to be stuck doing something that’s no fun for a knackeringly long time.

Even here Firebreak can surprise you, though. Last night I foolishly cranked Firebreak up to the most hectic settings and did one of the pink room runs and it was glorious – just me and someone else, constantly busy, constantly over-stretched, looking after each other as wave after wave came down. The game’s unreasonableness was charming then genuinely thrilling. And those synergies emerged – I would chuck water over everything and my pal would add electricity and we’d be zapping a whole dance floor of baddies. The length of the mission was still too much, but it didn’t matter because we were doing something totally unfeasible. We were working away in the impossibility mines and it was a good time.

FBC: Firebreak. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment

And that’s the thing: a game this weird really needs a good player base, and here Firebreak has smashed it. This is one of the most generous and patient communities out there. Remember: a lot of the tasks here are annoying and hard, and need you to divide up and take unglamorous roles. Well, players endlessly rise to the occasion and I’m left with so many stories of kindness, from the guy who laid down pings for me all the way back to the escape elevator to another who waited at the elevator for a full minute for his comrades to come back.

FBC: Firebreak accessibility options

Controls can be remapped, sprint and crouch can be toggled, subtitle size can be enlarged, hitmarker audio can be tweaked.

What a bizarre, improbable thing this is. If Control was all about a fairly standard action game with world-beating set dressing, it feels like Firebreak has worked backwards from that set dressing to build all its actual ideas from. It really is a game about fixing furnaces and picking up Post-its, but it wants you to do it with strangers, and, heck, why not have a little interference from the Hiss as you go? It’s pretty much Control fan fiction – and I mean that even if you don’t get the mission in which you’re fixing giant fans.

Code for FBC: Firebreak was provided by the publisher.

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June 21, 2025 0 comments

A hand holds the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

Product Reviews

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo review: one of the most stylish instant hybrid cameras I’ve ever seen

by admin June 21, 2025

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Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo is instantly striking with its retro design and ultra-wide body. If you’re after the best instant camera for hybrid photography (i.e. the ability to print film images taken directly on the camera or sent from your smartphone) and prefer to shoot on wide format prints, then this really looks like it’s the model for you.

Although it doesn’t come cheap, the Instax Wide Evo is very much the step-up from Fujifilm’s other Instax hybrid, the Mini Evo, that was launched in 2021, offering most of the same great features, including an LCD display screen, 10 lens and 10 film effects that make 100 different creative combinations, and a microSD card slot, along with a few more new additions that I’ll break down below.

(Image credit: Future)

A wider film print means this instant camera is a bit on the larger side, but it makes use of the extra real-estate by adding more physical buttons that let you quickly change settings. These include a dedicated wide angle button that lets you switch to a more standard field of view (FoV) if you don’t want that cinematic look.

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Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo at Amazon for $439.90

Speaking of, you can also switch between six different film styles, one of which puts black bars to give your pictures that IMAX feeling, using a button on top of the camera. There’s also a dial on the left side of the camera to cycle through the 10 different lens effects, with another dial on the opposite right side to switch between the 10 different film effects. My favorite, though, is the crank that lets you manually print a picture by winding it, which is a nice design nod to the crank for winding back film on the best film cameras.

So it’s a full five stars for all the creative photo editing options it offers, but what about the Instax Evo Wide’s image quality? It’s by no means as rich or dynamic as an analog instant camera can produce. Instead the picture quality of the physical print outs is more in line with what you’d expect from your phone’s smartphone camera. Of course, the digital copies of these images when compared to those taken your phone can’t compete.

The Instax Evo Wide will by no means replace your dedicated digital camera – and if you love the ‘magic’ of purely analog instant film cameras, then this might not be right for you either as your images will always be digital first – but it is a perfect piece of extra gear if you want to be creative with your photography and experiment with a larger field of view.

Today’s best Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo deals

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Price and availability

There’s a dedicated button at the top of the camera for switching between six different film styles. (Image credit: Future)

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was launched on January 21, 2025 with a price tag of $349.95 / £319.99 / AU$599.

That makes the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo one of the the priciest instant cameras of its kind, says TechRadar’s cameras editor, Timothy Coleman. Indeed, for comparison’s sake, the only other Instax camera that takes wide-format instant film prints is the Instax Wide 400 and that sets you back $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99.

The Wide Evo is also almost double the price of Fujifilm’s other Instax hybrid too, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, which retails for $199.99 / £174.99 / AU$299.99. Does the extra cost account for the more premium, larger features in the step-up model? As the brand’s first wide format hybrid camera (and second hybrid camera overall), the Wide Evo does offer a premium package, which it’s not great on value.

There’s also optional accessories available for the Evo Wide, including a leather case that costs $49.95 in the US and £37.99 in the UK. Although optional, this might be a necessary additional cost to make sure to protect the LCD display screen (if this gets too scratched up, then you won’t be able to take let alone see your photos).

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Film Type:

Fujifilm Instax Wide film

Print size:

62mm x 99mm

Focus range:

f = 16 mm (35 mm equivalent)

Aperture:

f 2.4

Shutter Speed

Automatic switching, 1/4 to 1/8,000 seconds

Power:

Internal lithium ion rechargeable

Charging time:

2–3 hours

Dimensions:

138.7 mm x 125 mm x 62.8 mm (excluding protruding parts)

Weight:

490g

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Design

The left dial on the Instax Wide Evo is for switching between the 10 different lens effects. (Image credit: Future)

A hybrid instant camera that can print directly or from your catalog of shots, stored on Micro SD
Plenty of dials and switches to select various film effects
Includes a mirror and switch to take selfies

When rumors started to circle about the Instax Wide Evo, there was talk that it would be “regarded as the best-looking Instax camera ever made” and that caught a lot of enthusiast’s attention, including TechRadar’s senior news editor Mark Wilson who said off the back of it that the “Instax Wide Evo sounded like my dream instant camera”.

Now that the camera is out in the wild, we can officially say that it’s a stunning piece of equipment. It has a relatively slim body to balance the camera’s wide build, making the Instax Wide Evo one of the more sizable options on the market. This is offset by a stylish retro look that mimics those vintage cameras that had black textured bodies with silver lenses.

Considering that the only wide-format Instax camera alternative is the big and bulky Instax Wide 400, the Wide Evo’s textured, minimal black design is definitely a lot more easy on the eye than the plasticky, dull green finish of its larger cousin. (Another alternative if you’re set on a wide-format is 2024’s Lomo’Instant Wide Glass – an attractive instant camera that we gave 4.5 stars in our in-depth review.) Indeed, I don’t think many would be opposed to slinging the Wide Evo over their shoulder for the day.

This is how you would hold the Instax Wide Evo to take a selfie, with your thumb pulling down on the shutter switch button. (Image credit: Future)

The leather case that you can buy alongside the Wide Evo makes this very easy to do and might be a crucial accessory – not just for protecting it from nicks and scratches but – to make sure that it has a long life, as the LCD screen could easily get scuffed up over time. That’s not great for a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder. Of course, I can’t yet say that this will be an issue but it’s worth considering.

It also helps that the Evo Wide is light – it weighs about half a kilo – making it very portable, but don’t expect to be able to fit the Wide Evo in any pocket. As you would expect, because it takes wide-format instant prints, it’s on the larger side.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Performance

This image was shot with the warm film effect and color shift lens effect settings turned on. (Image credit: Future)

Plenty of scope to try different looks, with 100 creative combinations
The widest-ever Instax lens and wide-format prints give extra breathing room for your subjects

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo’s built-in film and lens effects make experimenting with different styles extremely easy. The fact that you can create 100 different creative combinations with these settings means there’s plenty of room to play around.

Fujifilm has made the ability to customize all your images with various different effects a core part of the Instax Wide Evo. Indeed, if you’re someone that likes to experiment with different effects such as lens flares, borders and color filters, then this camera is built for you.

The entire design of the camera is focused on making those photo editing tweaks simple, quick and easy. Both the lens and film effects each have dedicated dial buttons on the side of the camera. Even the top most prominent button on the camera (the placement of which is normally reserved for a shutter button) is for adding different film styles to your images.

The Wide Evo even has a dedicated button on the front of it that turns off the wide-angle, which is a nice feature that nods to its hybrid functionality. Another more less visible button is the lens of the camera itself, which can be twisted to adjust the intensity of the filter and film effects you’re applying.

The dial on the right side of the Instax Wide Evo is for switching between the 10 different film effects. (Image credit: Future)

I had a lot of fun playing around with all the different film effects and styles because of these dedicated buttons, but my favorite physical feature of the camera has to be the hand crank on the side for printing images. It’s a nice nod to the analog nostalgia that the Wide Evo embodies.

The shutter button is a lot different to the Mini Evo, which has a standard push button on top of the camera. Instead of this, the Wide Evo has a rocker style switch (like the ones you would use to turn on a light) that’s situated on the front of the camera, beside the lens. I found this placement and style initially cumbersome, especially when taking a selfie as I couldn’t immediately engage the auto focus by half pressing it down.

To be clear, this might be just be because I didn’t spend a lot of time using it and could become more easier, but I will say it’s not initially intuitive. That’s also not to say that all the buttons are like this. The spin dials and crank for printing photos, for instance, are extremely tactile and easy to use.

On top of all this, there’s even an Instax Wide app for more standard editing options, such as being able to crop an image or increase the brightness and contrast, as well as a ‘Discovery Feed’ for sharing and seeing fellow Instax Wideo Evo owners’ creations. One thing to note about the app is that only printed images are automatically saved. Any photos you take on the camera itself won’t just appear in your personal library in the app, which means you’ll have to still transfer them of a microSD card.

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(Image credit: Future)

Every image that you choose to print on the Instax Wide Evo will automatically be saved in a library on the app, giving you detailed information about which effects you used.

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

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Image quality

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(Image credit: Future)

I experimented with several different film effects and styles while testing the Instax Wide Evo.

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

Images are digital first, which loses the ‘magic’ of analog
Picture quality of printouts appear flat but look fine digitally
Not on par with pure analog instant cameras like the Instax Mini 99

There’s a trade-off with every instant camera when it comes to picture quality that most of us are willing to accept. These cameras don’t produce the same precision as newer dedicated digital cameras, but many people that purchase these type of cameras are more interested in the nostalgia that instantly printed photographs brings, so I appreciate that this isn’t the most important component.

When it comes to the picture quality overall, I was most interested in testing out how the film prints compared to those taken on a non-hybrid instant camera as the images are digital first on the Evo Wide. This is a big deal for me because I’m split between analog and digital, and this in my opinion takes a bit of the magic away.

For context, I bought my first Instax in 2014 and of course quickly realized how expensive this style of photography is after discarding some duds, which made me even more selective with every picture I took. My boyfriend decided to buy me an Instax printer to solve this issue, but this for me took away what I loved about the style in the first place. I also found that picture quality from a printer wasn’t on par, as the photographs appeared flatter and less dynamic than those printed on an analog instant camera.

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

With this in mind, if the image quality of the prints is really important to you then you’re better off buying an analog Instax camera in my opinion, because the prints are much more rich in contrast due to the light passing directly though the sensor rather than being digitally scanned. They also don’t tend to be as overexposed as those printed on a hybrid Instax.

In terms of the wide-angle prints themselves, the larger size makes them feel much more premium than the smaller rectangular formats that mimic your smartphone pictures and is much more akin to the classic square instant prints that were once more popular.

As for the digital images that are taken by the Instax Wide Evo, these by no means match up to the quality you’d find from one of the best cameraphones, which benefit from more advanced sensors and image processing algorithms. For this reason, outside of sharing the images you take on the Instax Wide Evo to social media, you most likely won’t use these elsewhere.

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

A one hour hands-on session at the UK launch event
Ad-hoc testing during the day and night over a week
I tried various filters, two lenses and selfie mode

My time with the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was brief: following attending the UK launch event in London, I was able to test out the camera for less than a week around the office and home.

However, during this time, I had decent chance to get a feel for the camera; how it handles for regular photos and selfies, plus the various filter and film effects possible through the physical controls on the camera.

I used two packets of the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo at the event, each of which had 10 prints, and a couple more packets during the week-long product loan

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Price Comparison

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June 21, 2025 0 comments