This week was a bit of quieter than the previous few we have had, nevertheless it was nonetheless jam-packed with important tech information.
Apple confronted ‘Scratchgate’ as its iPhone 17 Professional’s sturdiness was known as into query, and we acquired to check the brand new GoPro Max 2.
To compensate for each of those and extra, scroll down for the week’s seven greatest tech information tales.
7. Google teased its Android Chrome OS
Now we have but to see what the brand new and improved ChromeOS will deal with us to, however Qualcomm’s CEO has seen the working system in motion, calling it “Unbelievable.
This excessive reward ought to, in fact, be taken with a pinch of salt – Qualcomm will probably be offering the chipsets for these next-gen ChromeOS units and different tasks like Android XR, so it’s unlikely to say something too essential. That mentioned, it’s nonetheless an thrilling replace that may assist shake up the pc working system competitors and get Microsoft to lastly make some correct upgrades to Home windows.
6. Sony set a date for Past the Spider-Verse, once more
The third entry within the Miles Morales-starring film trilogy has a brand new launch date, and it’s good however not nice information.
That’s as a result of it’s set to launch on June 18, 2027, which is 2 weeks later than Past the Spider-Verse‘s initially deliberate launch date of June 4, 2027, as introduced at CinemaCon again in April.
That mentioned, it’s seven days sooner than the June 25, 2027 launch date had already been pushed again to. It’s unclear why the schedule has been tweaked a lot, however maybe it’s to raised place the flick amongst its friends, because it now has a greater buffer between Pixar’s Gatto, which is slated to reach on June 4, 2027, and Shrek 5, with a June 30, 2027, launch.
5. We performed Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei is an enormously satisfying, action-packed, and downright lovely follow-up to developer Sucker Punch’s first sport within the sequence, Ghost of Tsushima.
The sport’s world of Ezo is a standout function of the sport, and going wherever in it’s a pleasure. The landscapes and environments are beautiful and yearn to be explored, whereas the flexibility to determine far-off factors together with your spyglass and the sport’s fantastic and interactive map solely serve to encourage that sense of exploration and discovery.
Protagonist Atsu’s story is a gripping one, and he or she is a compelling character to play as and witness the modifications over the course of the sport, however maybe the very best factor about her is the slick, responsive, visceral, and bloody fight expertise she has. Transferring easily between enemies in a deadly dance, every of her strikes with no matter weapon you’re utilizing has a poetry to them, and there’s nothing higher within the sport than mastering the fight to dispatch bosses or a gaggle of baddies.
Whereas there’s some repetition within the open-world actions, some wonderful options are considerably simplistic, and it solely actually builds upon its predecessor. However, it nonetheless represents a wonderful PS5 sport and journey, one that appears and performs exceptionally effectively on the PS5 Professional as effectively. It’s positively a standout sport of the 12 months, and particularly so for followers of the primary sport and people craving for a giant open-world journey.
4. Google TV acquired Gemini
Talking with Gemini by way of the TV’s built-in far-field mic, we requested it to compile varied lists of flicks ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes rating and restrict these solely to streaming providers we subscribe to. We had been additionally in a position to get ideas for upcoming journey and to create surreal screensavers for the TV to mechanically show after we entered the room.
In the end, Gemini proves to be a game-changer for Google TV, which in any other case ranks low on the totem pole among the many greatest good TV platforms. Google has introduced that the Gemini will probably be added to pick out TCL and Hisense TVs later this 12 months, in addition to the brand new Google TV Streamer.
Not all units will probably be suitable with Gemini, although, because it has particular {hardware} necessities, however Google TV house owners needs to be looking out for the function ought to an replace turn out to be accessible.
3. GoPro took issues to the Max 2
GoPro is effectively and actually again within the 360 digicam sport after launching the Max 2 this week – a full six years after the unique Max. The ‘True 8K’ shooter is popping up at a celebration that’s already getting crowded, nonetheless, with rivals Insta360 X5 and DJI Osmo 360 on the scene.
We had our palms on the Max 2 forward of launch, and from our in-depth exams and side-by-side comparisons towards our present prime choose, the Insta360 X5, the Max 2 delivers the very best picture high quality of all small 360 cameras in ideally suited situations. The image’s a bit of completely different in low gentle, nonetheless, the place rivals fare higher.
So, will the Max 2 dethrone the Insta360 X5? Not fairly, however GoPro has impressed us and set a aggressive worth: $500 / £450 / AU$850 sees the Max 2 sit between the pricer X5 and the cheaper Osmo 360. If you happen to’re already within the GoPro ecosystem with its equipment, then the Max 2 may now be your prime 360 digicam choose.
2. The Xbox handhelds went on preorder
After months of ready, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X have lastly gone up for preorder forward of their October 16 launch, and importantly, we all know how a lot they’ll price.
The ROG Xbox Ally will set you again $599.99 / £499.99 / AU$999, whereas the ROG Xbox Ally X is priced at $999.99 / £799.99 / AU$1,599.
If you happen to go for the usual mannequin, you’ll get a tool with a 7-inch show that’s powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Going all in on the X nets you an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Excessive processor, 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.
We had the possibility to preview the Asus ROG Xbox Ally at Gamescom 2025, and whereas we may see that having the ability to play the very best Xbox video games on the go has its enchantment, “the execution is unwieldy at greatest” and “efficiency was a combined bag”.
1. Individuals reported scratched iPhones
A number of iPhone 17 Professional customers have taken to social media to complain that their beautiful new smartphones scratch far too simply – levying blame on the resolution to swap again to aluminium from more durable titanium for the outer shell.
The workforce at iFixit carried out a teardown of the iPhone 17 Professional with its standard thoroughness, discovering that there does certainly appear to be a vulnerability for scratches proper across the raised digicam plateau on the again.
Nevertheless, Apple claims ‘scratchgate’ is overblown, saying that the scuffs shared on-line of iPhone 17 Execs in Apple Shops are, the truth is, brought on by worn MagSafe stands. It argues that the ‘scratches’ are materials transferred from broken MagSafe stands onto the iPhones.
That’s definitely an evidence, although time will inform if previous MagSafe stands are the one factor guilty, or if ‘scratchgate’ is a much bigger downside than Apple needs to confess proper now.
