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Bowers & Wilkins is back with another pair of high-end wireless headphones. The Px7 S3 looks like an improvement over the previous release in every major way. The companyâs calling it the "most advanced wireless headphone" it has ever made.
To that end, this model features re-engineered drive units, dedicated headphones amplifiers and "greatly-upgraded" active noise cancellation technology. Bowers & Wilkins says that every aspect of these headphones have been redesigned, except for the cone. The new drive units should improve resolution and dynamics, all while delivering lower distortion. These units are powered by discrete headphones amplifiers, a first for the companyâs over-ear headphone line.
The Px7 S3 integrates with both the aptX TM Adaptive 24/96 wireless platform and Qualcommâs aptX Lossless technology. This optimizes sound quality for high-resolution streaming services like Tidal. Overall, the headphones offer 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio.
These cans feature eight microphones located around the periphery of each ear cup. They work together to deliver enhanced ANC and help eliminate unwanted noise while making phone calls. The company boasts that the battery life maxes out at around 30 hours per charge, but weâll have to see how that works out in real life.
The physical design has received an overhaul. The company promises a slimmer profile and an improved fit, thanks to memory foam ear cups. The included carry case is also more compact.
Bowers & Wilkins has redesigned its Music app to accompany this release. The app allows for instantaneous access to platforms like Tidal, but also includes a five-band EQ with preset memory. For the app-averse, there are physical controls on each ear cup. The company says that spatial audio is coming to this device, but not until later this year.
The Px7 S3 headphones will be available in three colors, including black, blue and white. Now onto the bad news. Bowers & Wilkins has yet to reveal pricing and availability. Thereâs a notification page that indicates theyâre likely to be priced at $429 when they release. But thatâs subject to change due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding Trumpâs tariffs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bowers--wilkins-new-px7-s3-wireless-headphones-feature-updated-anc-tech-171653627.html?src=rssGoogle is offering free repairs and (in some countries) payments to remedy Pixel 7a battery issues. 9to5Google spotted a Google support page detailing an extended repair program in 40 countries. If your Pixel 7a is visibly swelling or its battery drains faster than usual, you may get a battery replacement on the house.
The company says it's "determined that certain Pixel 7a phones may experience unexpected battery swelling." Telltale signs include the phone appearing thicker than usual, a bulging back cover, visible gaps or openings along its edges or faster-than-expected battery drain.
Google faced complaints on social media about the Pixel 7a issue before taking action. For example, in December, u/Eszence08 posted in the Pixel subreddit that, after failing to get help from Google support about the battery swelling issue, they only got a solution from the company after posting about it on Reddit. Their conclusion: "Make a post; Google is more helpful on Reddit than their chat support."
Even if your device exhibits one or more symptoms, it still needs to pass a check before moving forward. You can start by visiting Google's eligibility page, which will walk you through the steps to determine eligibility for your specific device. After that, a repairperson will inspect it before proceeding.
That last step is necessary because unrelated damages, including liquid damage, exposure to sharp objects or excessive force, will void the repair. (Most of those precautions sound like "we need to make sure you didn't pry your phone open to get a free battery.") In addition, out-of-warranty damage like display or cover glass cracks will incur a repair cost, for which Google will provide an estimate before starting.
When we get to the country-by-country breakdown, things get more complicated. You have two options in the US and India: Mail your device to Google or take it to an authorized walk-in repair center. In-person repairs are also available in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan and Singapore. (Those countries don't offer mail-in fixes.)
The program also extends to those who bought their device in Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Switzerland and EEA countries. If your country isn't listed, you get nothing.
However, for countries without a mail-in option (all but the US and India), Google offers alternate "appeasement options," i.e., payouts or store credit. If your Pixel 7a is out of warranty, you can claim $200 converted to your local currency or $300 (also converted locally) in a Google discount code toward purchasing another Pixel phone on the Google Store. If it's still under warranty, you can get a healthier $456 payment converted to your local currency.
If you think your Pixel 7a is eligible, you can head to Google's support page to get started.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-launches-a-battery-replacement-program-for-swollen-pixel-7a-handsets-162204629.html?src=rssAs part of the launch of its new "Moto Things" line of accessories, Motorola is introducing the Moto Buds Loop, the company's first take on wireless open-ear earbuds. Rather than completely cover your ear, the Moto Buds Loops cuff the outside, almost like a piercing, blocking out less of the world around you, while still letting you hear your music.
The Moto Buds Loop are, as their name suggests, large loop-shaped earbuds that come in either a dark "Trekking Green" or a light (and fairly gaudy) "French Oak with crystals by Swarovski." Motorola says the earbuds have 12mm drivers and "Sound by Bose technology," which means they're tuned for clarity and balance, and also support features like spatial audio for immersive listening. If you're worried about call quality, the Moto Buds Loop use a combination of AI and dual-microphones on the earbuds to minimize background noise. When you need to connect the earbuds to other devices, Motorola's Smart Connect feature can quickly swap Bluetooth connections between Motorola and Lenovo devices.
The Moto Buds Loop earbuds have eight hours of battery life, and their charging case comes with an additional 37 hours, likely covering you for multiple days of use. Motorola also says the Moto Buds Loop are "water-repellant," but the lack of any kind of official IP rating suggests you might not want to test that.
Open-ear earbuds are definitely less niche than they used to be, with Sony, Bose, JLab and Nothing offering their own take on the concept. That Bose tech is featured in Motorola's earbuds isn't surprising, either. Both companies are using a similar clip-on design to keep the earbuds over your ears.
If you're interested in the Moto Buds Loop, you'll have to wait for now. Motorola hasn't shared a specific price or release date for the wireless earbuds, other than the fact they'll be available "in the coming months."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-moto-buds-loop-are-open-ear-earbuds-you-wear-like-jewelry-160056857.html?src=rssThe Razr is almost certainly the most beloved flip phone of all time. But for 2025, Motorola is expanding its iconic flexible phone line to a total of three devices starting at just $699 while leaning even further into the handset's status as a fashion symbol.
The new Razrs feature a very familiar clamshell design to last year's models, with all three packing similarly sized OLED displays, the same titanium hinge and front-mounted exterior screens with two embedded cameras. Motorola partnered with Pantone to provide a surprisingly wide range of colors, though not all of them will be available across every configuration. That said, the devil really is in the details, because even though all three models look quite similar, their specs differ quite a bit based on their price.
Starting at $1,300, the Razr Ultra is the most expensive of the bunch and has the components to match. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with 16GB of RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of storage. It also has the most capable cameras. On the Razr Ultra, you get dual 50-MP shooters consisting of main and ultra-wide cams with the latter also doubling as a macro lens. And for those who like taking long-distance shots, it supports a 2x optical zoom as well.
Furthermore, the Ultra features the biggest battery at 4,700 mAh along with the fastest charging. It goes up to a rather speedy 68 watts when using a wire or 30 watts wirelessly, which is double what you get from rivals like the Galaxy Z Flip 6. And if you're in a pinch and need to share some excess juice with another device, the Ultra also packs five-watt reverse wireless charging.
Unsurprisingly, Motorola gave the Ultra the nicest screen too based around a main 7-inch 1224p 165Hz OLED display along with a 4-inch pOLED panel on the outside. It's bright, it's colorful and, I must say, the company did a good job of reducing the appearance of a crease. Sure, if you look really hard, you can see it or feel it with your fingers, but it's much more of a minor nitpick than a legitimate con at this point.
Finally, as you'd probably expect, the Ultra is the most stylish one as well thanks to four unique finishes including an Alcantara back, a wood grain rear panel, a satin-inspired treatment and a faux-leather option.
As for the $1,000 Razr Plus, everything has been brought down a notch, with it featuring a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Its battery is also smaller at 4,000 mAh while its OLED main display has been shrunk a tiny bit down to 6.9-inches with a 2640 x 1080 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. And while it sports dual 50-MP cams, they aren't quite as feature-rich, with the second shooter serving as a dedicated zoom lens with a 2x telephoto magnification. No ultra-wide angle or macro functions here.
Finally, the standard Razr is by far the most affordable at $700, though it has made a number of sacrifices to hit that price. It's powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7400X chip with just 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while its 6.9-inch OLED screen has a lower 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. The base model's cameras have also taken a hit with dual 13-MP sensors. Though on the plus side, it does get a larger 4,500 mAh battery compared to the 4,000 mAh pack in the Plus.
The other big addition to the family is Moto's new AI Suite, which was developed in partnership with big names like Google, Amazon and others. The Image Studio feature can generate photos, avatars and more in a range of styles based on a handful of simple text prompts while Playlist Studio can build a tracklist (using Amazon Music) to match your current vibe. Then there are productivity features like Remember This, which can save notes and photos (either ones taken with the camera or existing pics) so they're easier to recall later. There's also a recording feature that can transcribe dialogue on the fly (including automatic speaker tags) similar to the Pixel Recorder app, along with a few more.
That said, I acknowledge that Motorola may have felt forced to do this after competing smartphone makers like Google, Apple, Samsung and others developed their own set of AI tools. But at the same time, none of these features feel particularly novel or flashy enough to be a selling point on their own. But I guess this is the AI-obsessed world we live in now.
However, with the base model starting at just $700 and a total of three devices to choose from, I have to give Motorola some credit for continuing to drop the barrier to entry for flexible screen phones. And between all the different colors and textures, they're rather fashionable ones at that.
In the US, the 2025 Motorola Razrs will be available for pre-order starting on May 7 with official sales slated for May 15.
The EU will be mandating new labels on smartphones and tablets that indicate how repairable the device is. These labels will also include ratings for energy efficiency and durability. They will start showing up on devices on June 20 and will be similar to pre-existing ones for home appliances and TVs.
The labels display a productâs energy efficiency rating on a scale from A to G and will also display battery life and the number of available charge cycles. There will be letter grades for durability and repairability, in addition to an IP rating for dust and water-resistance.
Covered products also include cordless landline phones, but smartphones with rollable displays are exempted. This is fairly odd because, well, there arenât any rollable phones available for consumers just yet. Windows-based tablets will be covered by a separate mandate for computers.
This isnât the only change the EU has announced regarding device sales. Hardware will now have to meet new "ecodesign requirements" to be sold in the region. This includes a requirement to make any applicable spare parts available for repair.
Other ecodesign requirements include batteries that retain at least 80 percent of their capacity after 800 charging cycles and scratch and drop protections that exceed minimum standards. Finally, manufacturers must provide OS updates within six months of the source code becoming available.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/the-eu-is-putting-repairability-rating-labels-on-phones-and-tablets-in-june-154051517.html?src=rssEvery video game is a miracle. Long hours, extraordinary technical and artistic requirements and cross-disciplinary collaboration: the very act of making games is difficult, and leaves room for catastrophic errors. It's a wonder any of them make it to release at all.
Fulcrum Defender, the new Playdate exclusive from Jay Ma, the co-founder of indie darling Subset Games, is one such miraculous game. It's the first new release from the studio since 2018's critically acclaimed Into the Breach. Ma began work on Fulcrum Defender following a life-changing Covid infection that has greatly diminished her quality of life and ability to do the thing she loves.
The story of Fulcrum Defender begins following a trip Ma made to Vancouver, Canada in August 2023 to see Subset co-founder Matt Davis and a few other members of the studio in-person. At the time, the team was working on more than one game. According to Ma, one of the larger, more promising projects was "struggling," but the trip led to a breakthrough. Then, she caught Covid-19. "It was pretty unfortunate timing," she said. "For the first time in a while, I was gung-ho about being able to figure this game out."
At first, Ma's latest bout with the coronavirus didn't seem all that different from her previous experiences. She returned to her home in Kyoto, Japan, quarantined and eventually recovered from the acute symptoms, but never bounced back completely. "I think it was the first day that I went out to be outside, bike, do normal things, and I just completely shut down," she said. "I couldn't get out of bed for like four days." She realized she was experiencing long Covid.
As we chatted over Google Meet, Ma frequently took long pauses to piece together her memories and find the right words to express her loss. "I'm a different person," she told me after one such break. "I walk around with a cane. I need to structure exactly how I do something outside. I need to know where all the chairs are. I walk at a grandma's pace, and I'm constantly forced to maintain awareness of my physical state, because if I do too much, it's already too late. It makes everything feel dangerous."
For the first four months of her illness, Ma couldn't work at all. "Even even when I was more used to needing to pace myself, not only was it harder to do things that used to come naturally to me, but I would also get lost in my own head," she said. She worried she might never make games again.
Fulcrum Defender was a chance to prove to herself she could still do the thing she loved. Subsetâs Mauro LĂłpez provided additional programming, and composer Aaron Cherof, best known for his work on Minecraftâs Trails and Tails update, made the music for the game. Panic contacted Ma about the project after she showed a few friends the game around the time of Kyoto's annual Bit Summit indie game festival in the summer of last year.
"I would wake up in the morning and think about the game and make progress every day â even if it was only a couple of hours â that did something really important for my psychological state," she said.
In a preview released by Panic, Ma describes Fulcrum Defender as a game "that starts out slow and relaxing but gradually ramps up until it becomes frantic chaos." You can see the connective tissue between it and Ma's previous work. Players can earn upgrades to make their run easier. Success then depends on a combination of good aim (using the Playdate's signature crank), smart decision-making and a well thought out build. I expect it will have the same addictive "one more run" quality that Subsetâs other games are known for.
This illness has shrunk my world and perception of time considerably.Jay Ma
"With Into the Breach, if I wanted to add one enemy, that one enemy would change how maps are designed, how character weapons are designed, and how scaling works," she said. "So a single new idea requires you to kind of keep everything in your head at once, and that specifically is just something that I struggle to do now." Fulcrum Defender taught Ma how much she had taken for granted the ease with which she one juggled those various dependencies in her mind.
Ma hasn't found a doctor in Japan who knows enough about the illness to offer her a conclusive diagnosis, and the state of research on long Covid in general is nascent. "They hate to make uncertain calls," she explained. The one thing she's found she can do is take frequent dementia tests to track the condition of her mind.
"I feel like I need to live with the possibility that it won't go away, so I just sort of operate with that mindset," she told me. "This illness has shrunk my world and perception of time considerably. My memory is way worse. I'll forget what happened like a week ago, and I don't really think about the future at all. And so I'm just in a constant present. It feels like I'm being forced to train to be a monk."
When I asked what her illness might mean for the future of Subset, Ma took a long time to consider her answer. "We set a rule that we will not announce anything unless we're absolutely certain it's coming out. We want to live with the freedom of being able to cancel rather than feeling we're stuck in having to release something we don't like," she said. "So Subset is doing fine, but my output has dropped to like 20 percent of what it used to be."
Davis, she adds, has been productive, but he too has had to adapt his work schedule, in his case due to two young kids. "If we want to make another Into the Breach-scale game, it feels like we might need more help in the long run. I need to come to terms with the fact I can't do all the art the way I used to."
Ma has been through so much, and yet Fulcrum Defender isn't a game about chronic health concerns, disability or memory loss. It seems to studiously avoid borrowing any biographical detail from Ma's life whatsoever. People will play and enjoy it knowing nothing of the challenging circumstances in which it was made. It turns out, that's the only way Ma would have it.
"I know of a lot of developers who put themselves into their game. You can see the author's intent, emotional state and the things they were processing in it. I've wondered what it would be like to make a game like that, but I have no idea how. Basically, the only thing that drives me is mechanics," she told me. "So I have no expectation, or really desire for people to see the author in the little arcade games I make. I would be very happy to never be perceived."
Fulcrum Defender â along with 11 other games â arrives as part of Playdate's second season of weekly games beginning on May 29. You can pre-order Season Two for $39 through the Catalog store.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/subset-games-co-founder-jay-ma-went-through-hell-to-make-fulcrum-defender-153028909.html?src=rssIf you're serious about capturing clean, professional-sounding audio while you're out and about, your phoneâs built-in mic probably isnât cutting it. Whether youâre shooting quick videos, recording interviews on the go or want your voiceovers to sound crisp, investing in a dedicated phone mic can make a huge difference in your content quality.
These days, thereâs no shortage of compact and capable microphones made specifically for mobile devices. From solo creators filming on their smartphones to roving interviewers working on tight setups, a portable mic can be a game-changer. Some plug directly into your phone, while others use a wireless microphone system to give you more freedom to move â especially handy for things like vlogging or walk-and-talk shoots.
For content creators who want to elevate their sound without hauling around a full recording rig, todayâs mobile mics offer plenty of smart features. Youâll find models with multiple transmitters for two-person setups, stereo capture modes for immersive sound and even a charging case that keeps everything powered on the go. Just make sure to check compatibility with your device before buying â not every mic works seamlessly across Android and iPhone.
Whether you're after something simple and compact or need a high-quality microphone for more polished productions, weâve rounded up the best mobile microphones you can buy right now.
Best phone mics for 2025
Lavalier mics
The obvious benefit of a lapel microphone is size. Their small profile makes them perfect for presenting to the camera with the flexibility to move around while maintaining consistent audio quality. If youâre a budding TikTok or vlogger itâs definitely worth having one of these mini microphones in your bag. And if you donât want to be tied down to cables, there are plenty of great wireless lavalier microphone options with convenient adapters.
The main trade-off, however, is that theyâre only good for recording the person theyâre attached to. If you have two people talking and only one is wearing the mic, youâll only get good audio for one half of the conversation, so for multi-person recordings youâll need a mic for each guest and a way to record them at the same time, so costs can go up quickly.
Fortunately, lapel mics have become a very competitive market with good, viable options costing as little as $14.95. For an absolute bargain with a long cord and some connectivity accessories, the Boya BY M1 is hard to argue with. But, while these budget choices are great value, if you want something that should either last longer, is more versatile or just sounds better itâs worth paying a little bit more.
A word on wireless mic
Recently there has been an explosion in cell phone microphone systems, but there's one wireless mic we really like. DJI's Mic 2 system provides some important upgrades from its predecessor. Notably, it can connect directly to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and it sports improved AI noise reduction and a bigger touchscreen.
Adapters
So weâve already touched on this with the AI Micro, which is an adapter of sorts. One of the first things you might bump up against when dealing with mobile audio accessories is TRRS vs TRS connectors. Simply put, 3.5mm TRS is what you might know as the age-old classic headphone jack while TRRS became common for its support for headsets and inline mics. You can easily tell them apart as TRS connectors have two black bands on them while a TRRS has three.
For you, the budding creator, it can be a bit of an annoyance as many 3.5mm lavaliers are going to be TRS and wonât work when plugged into your phoneâs headphone adapter. Sometimes your lavalier might include what you need in the box, but otherwise, youâll want to pick up a TRS to TRRS adapter like this. Of course, some smartphone-specific mics have TRRS connectors already â for those, youâll want a cable that goes the other way should you want to use it with other devices like a DSLR.
Shotgun mics
You may be more familiar with shotgun microphones when it comes to video recording. Itâs the style of microphone most often found atop a DSLR or mirrorless camera, but they make great companions for other portable devices too, your cell phone included.
The benefit of a shotgun is that they tend to be highly directional, which makes them perfect for podcasts, recording instruments, foley sounds and much, much more. For us mobile recordists, another benefit is that they tend to be light and portable, perfect for slipping into a backpack or even a laptop bag. Even better, there are some great mobile-specific options.
Desktop and USB mics go mobile
Mobile-specific mics are great, but thereâs nothing stopping you from using your cell phone microphone or another you might already have (if itâs somewhat portable). Youâll definitely need to do a little dance with some adapters, but thatâs half the fun. Below are a couple of recommendations for âregularâ microphones that pair well with a phone and then the cables and adapters that youâll need to get setup. There are even some wireless systems that make it easy to record on the go.
A word on cables
Connecting USB microphones directly to phones is rarely as simple as just one cable, although thatâs starting to become more common. In general, Android makes this simpler, but also, thanks to the wide range of manufacturers and software versions you canât always guarantee things will work smoothly.
The iPhone is a whole other situation. USB microphones have a good chance of working via the USB camera kit we mentioned earlier, but thatâs still inelegant sometimes. Frustratingly, some USB-C to Lightning cables will play nice with microphones, but sadly most will not â including Appleâs own. One confirmed option is this cable from Fiio or this generic alternative. These are inexpensive enough that itâs worth having a couple around if you work with audio a lot (they of course can also be used to charge your phone as a bonus).
Other mobile microphones to consider
If you're a frequent Photoshop user, there's a good chance you've run into this scenario. You open the program after a long break to edit an image, but this being Photoshop we're talking about, there are about five different ways to complete the task before you and you can't quite remember the way you learned to do it. Adobe is trying to make it easier to use its flagship app with the introduction of a built-in AI agent that can navigate Photoshop and complete tasks for users. At its Adobe Max London event today, the company demoed this agent, showing how it can automate multi-step workflows.
Users can access the tool from the redesigned Actions panel. If you've used an AI chat bot before, the interface will be familiar. There's a text box for users to input what they want the agent to do for them, with a list of suggested prompts above. Once you hit enter, the tool will display all the steps needed to complete your request, allowing you to follow along as it does the work for you. Judging by the demos Adobe shared with press before the event, the agent can complete nearly any task you might turn to Photoshop to do. In one example, the tool first applies a color gradient to text, and then does the same for the background behind it.
At the same event, Adobe showed off a new version of its Firefly app, which brings together all of the company's AI image, video, audio and vector generation tools in one easy to find place. The redesigned Firefly is available to use on the web today, with Android and iOS apps coming soon. Additionally, each part of the app is powered by new underlying models that offer better performance.
With image generation, for instance, Adobe is offering two new in-house systems, the imaginatively named Firefly Image Model 4 and Firefly Image Model 4 Ultra. Of the former, the company says it can produce 2K resolution images, making it possible to print what the model generates. Adobe claims both systems offer best-in-class human rendering. All of Adobe's own models are commercially safe, meaning they weren't trained on copyrighted material, and creative professionals can feel safe using them.
"By unifying image, video, audio and vector generation and providing unmatched creative control, Firefly empowers creative professionals to work more productively and with an unmatched degree of precision," Adobe said. "Seamlessly integrated with Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Express and Adobeâs other creative applications, it offers AI-powered assistance throughout every stage of the content creation process â from ideation through production."
If Adobe's models aren't thing, the company is also â for the first time â offering third-party models directly within the Firefly app. With today's announcement, some of the more notable options include Google's Imagen 3 and Veo 2 models, as well as ChatGPT image generation, with more to come later. As part of Adobe's agreements with Google, OpenAI and other model providers, those companies have agreed to not use data from Adobe users for training their future AI systems.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/adobes-new-ai-agent-can-show-you-how-to-use-photoshop-090049772.html?src=rssNot everyone needs a super-expensive, top-of-the-line laptop, and the good news is you donât have to break the bank to get a solid machine. Whether you're a student, a casual user or just looking for an affordable device for everyday tasks, there are plenty of great options out there. The trick is finding the best cheap Windows laptop that balances performance, build quality and battery life without making too many compromises.
Table of contents
What to look for in a budget-friendly Windows laptop
While you can do a lot even when spending little on a Windows laptop, you must set your expectations accordingly. The biggest downside when purchasing a budget laptop (of any kind, really) is limited power. Youâll want to carefully consider a few specs, the most important among them being the processor (CPU). Many Windows laptops under $500 run on Intel Celeron or Pentium chipsets, but you can find some with Core i3/i5 and AMD Ryzen 3/5 CPUs at the higher end of the price spectrum.
We recommend getting the most powerful CPU you can afford because it will dictate how fast the computer will feel overall. Memory (RAM) is also important because, the more you have, the easier it will be for the laptop to manage things like a dozen browser tabs while you edit a Word document and stream music in the background.
When it comes to storage, consider how much you want to save locally. If you primarily work in Google Docs or save most things in the cloud, you may not need a machine with a ton of onboard storage. Just remember that your digital space will also be taken up by apps, so it may be worth getting a little extra storage than you think you need if you know youâll be downloading big programs. A final side note: solid state drives (SSDs) are ubiquitous at this point, not to mention faster and more efficient than hard drives (HDDs), so we recommend getting a laptop with that type of storage.
As for screens, thereâs a healthy mix of HD (720p resolution) and FHD (1080p) options in this price range and we recommend springing for a notebook with a 1080p display if you can. Touchscreens arenât as common in the budget space as standard panels, but youâll only really miss one if you get a 2-in-1 laptop.
Before we get to our recommended specs for a cheap Windows laptop, itâs worth mentioning that Microsoft clearly lays out the true minimum requirements for any Windows 11 machine. Those include a 1GHz or faster processor that includes two or more cores, at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of available storage space. Thatâs the bare minimum to run Windows 11; we recommend giving yourself some wiggle room by choosing a machine that will perform well now and for years to come.
Specs to look for in an affordable Windows laptop
CPU: Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processors, at minimum
RAM: At least 8GB
Storage: At least 128GB SSD
Screen: At least 1080p FHD
Itâs essential to prioritize whatâs important to you. But at the lower end of the budget, a good laptop may not offer everything you need, whereas a great one might. Although most machines come with features like Bluetooth, built-in Wi-Fi and additional ports, you might find not all of them come with the specifics you require, like an SD card slot, webcam, charger, and so on. Be sure to check the spec list of any laptop youâre considering before you buy, especially if you need specific connectors and capabilities.
See Also:
As for Copilot+, donât expect to see much of it on truly affordable Windows laptops just yet. Microsoftâs AI features and Copilot assistant require certain specs to run, namely a powerful neural processing unit (NPU), 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Currently, the cheapest Copilot+ AI PCs will run you about $700, so if youâre willing to pay more for those perks, check out our best laptops guide for more options.
If youâre looking for either a gaming laptop or a âWindows on Armâ laptop, both categories will require you to spend more money than weâre discussing here.
Best cheap Windows laptops for 2025
The cheap Windows laptop market moves fast, and â unlike nearly all of our other buying guides â we haven't necessarily tested each specific configuration listed below. However, the combination of these technical specifications and familiar brands represent exactly the sort of entry-level laptops we'd recommend to shoppers in this price range based on our thorough research and expert knowledge.
What to know about the budget Windows laptop market
The best cheap laptop models change all the time. Unlike more expensive, flagship machines, these notebooks can be updated a couple times each year. That can make it hard to track down a specific model at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart or any other retailer. Also, weâve seen prices vary widely depending on the configuration and retailer youâre looking at.
You can ensure youâre getting a quality laptop by doing a few things. First and foremost, make sure you get a machine that follows the recommended specs we list above. Also, make sure youâre buying from a reputable retailer, including big-box stores like Walmart, Best Buy and Costco, online shops like Amazon or direct manufacturers like Dell, HP, Lenovo and others. If you have a physical store near you (likely a Best Buy in the US), itâs never a bad idea to go play around with some laptops in person before choosing one.
If you decide to shop online from the likes of Amazon or Walmart, double check the seller of the laptop youâre considering. For example, many items on Amazon are âshipped and soldâ by Amazon and those are typically the best options. Youâll see that information on Amazon on the right sidebar on a product page, under the Add to Cart and Buy Now buttons. Third-party sellers are common in the affordable laptop space. Amazon sometimes classifies laptop manufacturers as third-party sellers, so you may see a laptop shipped and sold by HP or Dell â thatâs a good thing, since itâs coming directly from the manufacturer.
However, there are other third-party electronics sellers out there. We recommend clicking on the third-party sellerâs name on Amazon or Walmart (yes, Walmart has them, too) to see how much positive feedback and how many five-star ratings theyâve received from buyers.
What about Chromebooks and tablets?
You may be inclined to recommend a Chromebook or a tablet to anyone considering a budget Windows laptop computer. Those instincts arenât wrong, but Chromebooks and tablets arenât the best buy for everyone. Tablets have the most portability, but they will only work for the most mobile-competent users like kids who have been grabbing smartphones out of their parentsâ hands since theyâve been dexterous enough to do so. Tablets can also be just as expensive as some of the cheapest Windows laptops, and thatâs without a mouse or keyboard.
Chromebooks are a good alternative for those that basically live in a browser, the trade-off being you must give up the âtraditional desktop.â And Chrome OS is a more limited operating system than Windows when it comes to the programs you can install and run.
What Windows laptops do well
What can you realistically accomplish on a cheap Windows laptop? Quite a bit, especially if youâre doing one thing (or a limited number of things) at a time. Theyâre great for everyday tasks like web browsing, checking email, video streaming and more. All of those things can be done on Chromebooks as well, but Windows laptops have a big advantage in Microsoft Office. While yes, there is a browser based version, the native, desktop apps are considered a must have for many and will run smoothly on even the most bare-bones budget laptop. The only caveat is that you may run into some slowdown on low-powered devices if youâre multitasking or working with large data sets in Excel or a lot of photos and graphics in Powerpoint.
When it comes to specs, a bright spot for Windows laptops is storage. Even the most affordable devices tend to have at least a 128GB solid state drive. That will come in handy if you prefer to keep your most important files saved locally on your laptop's hard drive. In contrast, cheaper Chromebooks often have less storage because theyâre built on the assumption that youâll save all of your documents in the cloud. Not only is that less convenient when you need to work offline, but it also limits the size of programs and files that you can download. So, Chromebooks aren't the best for hoarding Netflix shows before a long trip or for use as a gaming laptop.
Windows also has thousands of apps that you can download from its app store. Chromebooks have some Chrome apps, numerous browser extensions and the ability to download Android apps, but quality control is⌠inconsistent. Android apps, in particular, often havenât been optimized for Chrome OS, which makes for a wonky user experience. Windows may not have as many apps as Android, but at least the experience is fairly standard across the board.
Windows also gives you the ability to download and use programs from other sources, like direct from the developer. You can run things like Adobe Creative Suite, certain VPNs and programs like GIMP, Audacity and ClipMate on a Windows device, which just isnât possible on Chrome OS. Chromebooks limit you to the apps and programs in The Play Store and the Chrome Extensions store, reducing any others to unusable, space-sucking icons in your Downloads folder
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-affordable-windows-laptops-123000512.html?src=rssAs nice as it is to have a projector wired up in your home cinema, the flexibility a portable model offers is equally valuable. It means you can set up an impromptu big screen in your back yard during those glorious long summer evenings. But portable projectors also carry that whiff of not being as good, or being compromised, with less powerful sound and vision. Itâs this issue that Nebula is looking to tackle with its latest flagship portable projector, the X1, which is designed to offer the power of a home projector in the body of a movable one.
The X1 is a triple-laser unit promising 4K UHD, Dolby Vision video with 3,500 ANSI lumens that should easily fill a 300-inch screen. You can place it on a stand, table or the floor, with the array capable of tilting up to 25 degrees to find wherever youâve placed your screen. Thereâs a 14-element glass array inside the body, which the company says should provide reliable image quality for the life of the unit. Itâs flexible, too, with an optical zoom letting you cast on a screen up to 200 inches wide from between 13 and 22 feet away.
The other big problem with projectors is the sound quality, but Nebula thinks itâs solved that issue as well. The X1 not only has a quartet of side-firing internal speakers, but you can pay a little more to pick up a pair of wireless 80W satellite speakers with their own built-in batteries. Each satellite connects to the X1 over Wi-Fi and has a rated battery life of eight hours, plus theyâre IP54 rated to ensure they wonât break if your movie night gets interrupted by a rain shower.
Nebula is also proud to boast that the X1 is the companyâs first portable projector to get its own internal liquid cooling system. Liquid cooling is commonplace on higher end wired projectors, and Nebula says that its inclusion here enables it to get the fan noise down to 26 dB. That may or may not be a good thing depending on the talent levels of your friends given you can also buy a pair of wireless karaoke microphones with a rated battery life of 40 hours.
The rest of the spec list is what youâd expect, with the X1 running Google TV, plus a pair of HDMI ports (one with eARC). Itâll be available to purchase in the US on May 21 for $2,999, while the accessory pack on its own will set you back $999, but early birds can grab both between May 21 and June 20 for $3,298. Itâs a similar situation in the UK, where itâll be ready to buy on May 21 for ÂŁ2,199.99, with the accessory pack costing ÂŁ500, but if you order between May 21 and June 15, youâll get both for ÂŁ2,350.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/nebulas-new-x1-4k-portable-projector-is-liquid-cooled-233025705.html?src=rssMeta AI, the most interesting thing you can do with Ray-Ban Meta glasses, will soon be available to more people. The company's Live Translation feature is rolling out to all the product's markets, and Live AI (where you can hold a free-flowing conversation about what you're looking at) will soon be available in the US and Canada. In addition, glasses owners in the EU can finally use Meta AI with their high-tech specs.
Live translation, previously available in early access, is now rolling out in every region where Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available. Handy for trips abroad or chats with locals who speak a different language, the AI-powered feature speaks a translation in your preferred language in real time. You can also view a translated transcript on your phone.
Live translation is available in English, French, Italian and Spanish. And if you download your preferred language pack in advance, you can use it without a Wi-Fi connection or even mobile data from your paired phone. You can launch the feature by saying, "Hey Meta, start live translation."
US and Canadian users can now use Meta's Live AI feature, which lets you ask questions about your surroundings without saying "Hey Meta" every time. (You can even interrupt it.) Another feature previously only available in beta, live AI lets you chat with your glasses in natural language about your environment, asking it to explain things like missing ingredients for a meal or the best wine to pair with it. You can say, "Hey Meta, start live AI" to begin.
In addition, Meta AI is finally rolling out to all of the product's supported countries in the European Union. And starting next week, EU countries will get the visual search feature that can answer individually prompted questions about your surroundings, but (unlike Live AI) can't perform a free-flowing conversation with interruptions.
The glasses' Instagram integration is also expanding. Meta says you can soon send and receive Instagram DMs, photos, audio calls and video calls on your Ray-Bans. They already supported calls and messages through WhatsApp and Messenger and your phone's messaging app, so the glasses now have a solid list of communications options. You can start by saying, "Hey Meta, send a message to [your recipient's name] on Instagram."
Music app support is expanding beyond the US and Canada. The company is rolling out support for Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Shazam in the product's non-North American regions. Once the update is live, you can ask your glasses things like, "Hey Meta, what's the name of this song?" or "Hey Meta, when did this album come out?"
Although no major hardware upgrades were announced today (the next revision with a screen is rumored to launch later this year), Meta and Ray-Ban are rolling out new styles for the second-gen glasses. These include new Skyler frame and lens color combinations, including the cat-eye-shaped Shiny Chalky Gray with Transitions Sapphire lenses and the "more timeless" Skyler Shiny Black with G15 Green lenses and Skyler Shiny Black with Clear lenses.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-is-bringing-smart-glasses-live-translation-and-ai-to-more-people-184546291.html?src=rssThe wait is (kind of) almost over. Ghost of YĹtei will be available for PS5 on October 2. This is a sequel to the 2020 hit Ghost of Tsushima and was first announced last year. Itâs a PS5 exclusive, as itâs developed by Sony-owned Sucker Punch.
It doesnât follow the story of Ghost of Tsushima. Rather, itâs an original adventure with new characters that's set in a new era. Ghost of YĹtei takes place in Hokkaido, Japan in the early 1600s. This is over 300 years after the events of the first game.
Itâs still an open-world adventure, though Sony promises "even more freedom and variety than in Ghost of Tsushima." For instance, you can hunt down the six big bads in whatever order you choose. Thereâs a new trailer that reveals the basic story beats and some gameplay. It looks pretty darn fun.
Preorders will open up on May 2 at 10AM ET for those in the US. This being a modern console game, there are a few different editions to choose from. Thereâs the Standard Edition, which is just the game, that costs $70. The Digital Deluxe Edition adds in-game bonuses, like armor, weapons and costumes. That one costs $80.
The Collectorâs Edition, which costs a whopping $250, comes with all of the aforementioned in-game items, but thatâs just the beginning. It also ships with physical items, like replicas of the protagonistâs mask, katana and sash. Sony is calling this the best Collectorâs Edition it has ever produced. All preorders, no matter which edition, receive a "unique in-game mask" and a handful of PSN avatars.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ghost-of-yotei-comes-to-ps5-on-october-2-165531467.html?src=rssAs Big Tech pours countless dollars and resources into AI, preaching the gospel of its utopia-creating brilliance, here's a reminder that algorithms can screw up. Big time. The latest evidence: You can trick Google's AI Overview (the automated answers at the top of your search queries) into explaining fictional, nonsensical idioms as if they were real.
According to Google's AI Overview (via @gregjenner on Bluesky), "You can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once.
That sounds like a logical attempt to explain the idiom â if only it weren't poppycock. Google's Gemini-powered failure came in assuming the question referred to an established phrase rather than absurd mumbo jumbo designed to trick it. In other words, AI hallucinations are still alive and well.
We plugged some silliness into it ourselves and found similar results.
Google's answer claimed that "You can't golf without a fish" is a riddle or play on words, suggesting you can't play golf without the necessary equipment, specifically, a golf ball. Amusingly, the AI Overview added the clause that the golf ball "might be seen as a 'fish' due to its shape." Hmm.
Then there's the age-old saying, "You can't open a peanut butter jar with two left feet." According to the AI Overview, this means you can't do something requiring skill or dexterity. Again, a noble stab at an assigned task without stepping back to fact-check the content's existence.
There's more. "You can't marry pizza" is a playful way of expressing the concept of marriage as a commitment between two people, not a food item. (Naturally.) "Rope won't pull a dead fish" means that something can't be achieved through force or effort alone; it requires a willingness to cooperate or a natural progression. (Of course!) "Eat the biggest chalupa first" is a playful way of suggesting that when facing a large challenge or a plentiful meal, you should first start with the most substantial part or item. (Sage advice.)
This is hardly the first example of AI hallucinations that, if not fact-checked by the user, could lead to misinformation or real-life consequences. Just ask the ChatGPT lawyers, Steven Schwartz and Peter LoDuca, who were fined $5,000 in 2023 for using ChatGPT to research a brief in a client's litigation. The AI chatbot generated nonexistent cases cited by the pair that the other side's attorneys (quite understandably) couldn't locate.
The pair's response to the judge's discipline? "We made a good faith mistake in failing to believe that a piece of technology could be making up cases out of whole cloth."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-trick-googles-ai-overviews-into-explaining-made-up-idioms-162816472.html?src=rssRoku is wading deeper into the smart home space with two new security cameras, which can run on batteries. As such, you'll be able to place the Roku Battery Camera and Roku Battery Camera Plus pretty much anywhere.
The former is said to run for up to six months on a single charge, while the Roku Battery Camera Plus can operate for up to a couple of years before you need to juice it up. There's an optional solar panel attachment so you might never have to manually recharge the batteries.
These cameras are designed for simplicity. A step-by-step guide on your phone walks you through how to set them up. They provide 1080p full-color visuals and there's a color night vision mode. Other features include motion detection and notifications. You can create schedules for the cameras too.
Of course, you can monitor what the cameras see via the Roku Smart Home app or the web, as well as Roku TVs and streaming devices. Through the Roku Cameras app on your TV, you can view a carousel of camera feeds that cycle either periodically or based on motion events. There's a picture-in-picture option in case you want to watch TV and keep and eye on what's happening in and around your home too. The cameras lack microSD card support for local storage, though; if you want to store video clips in the cloud (or receive object-specific detection alerts), you'll need to pay a subscription fee.
Roku hasn't announced pricing for the cameras as yet. They'll be available in the coming months and will join the likes of the Indoor Security Camera in Roku's lineup. The company also unveiled its latest streaming sticks and announced new TVs and feature updates at an event on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Roku revealed two new streaming devices at an event in New York City. The company says its Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus are the most compact on the market, measuring 35 percent smaller than other brands' models, so they shouldn't prevent you from hooking other devices into nearby HDMI ports. However, Roku says there's no compromise on performance despite the small size.
The entry-level Streaming Stick costs $30 and knocks the wedge-shaped Roku Express out of the company's lineup. Like the older model, it's a 1080p player aimed at folks who just want a cheap way to add streaming apps to a slower TV. It has many of the features you'd expect from a Roku device, such as personalized recommendations, access to thousands of streaming channels, Apple AirPlay support, a voice-enabled remote (something the Express lacked) and Backdrops â a way to display art and photos on your TV when you're not streaming anything. It makes a few significant sacrifices to hit its low price, though: There's no HDR whatsoever, and Wi-Fi connectivity is limited to a barebones 802.11 b/g/n, not even the old Wi-Fi 5 standard.
The $40 Streaming Stick Plus, meanwhile, replaces the Roku Express 4K+. Naturally, this has all of the features of the Streaming Stick, plus support for 4K streaming, HDR and Wi-Fi 5. That said, it still lacks Dolby Vision HDR and a longer-range Wi-Fi radio â for those, you need the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which will remain at the top of Roku's streaming stick lineup at $50. Roku notes the small size of the new sticks makes it easy to bring either with you when you travel, so you can plug one into a TV at your hotel or vacation rental and keep watching your shows. The company says the new devices can be powered directly by the USB port on most TVs as well.
The Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus are coming to the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama. US pre-orders are open today and the sticks will become available from Roku directly and major retailers on May 6.
Beyond that, the company previewed new TVs with "under-the-hood enhancements." Roku is promising richer and more vivid visuals, along with improved audio quality and faster app launches in its 2025 lineup. The company pledged to deliver custom factory calibration for its top-end Roku Pro Series models, along with more local dimming zones and better bass response from the built-in speakers.
The middle-tier Roku Plus Series TVs are getting a feature called Roku Smart Picture Max, which automatically adjusts picture settings on a scene-by-scene basis to help you avoid fiddling in menus more than you need to. (Previously, this was limited to the Pro models.) The Plus Series will also come with mini-LED backlighting with the aim of improving contrast without increasing prices. The built-in remote finder button and integrated cable management that were first introduced with the Pro Series will be there as well. The budget-level Roku Select Series TVs, meanwhile, will support Bluetooth headphones for remote listening and include a new 85-inch model.
Roku also announced software updates, which it claims will make streaming on Roku OS "smoother and more personalized." Meanwhile, revamped content discovery features include personalized sports highlights and a "Coming soon to theaters" row for movies. (Hey, cinemas need all the help they can get.) There's a new daily trivia game, too, and the oddly popular "Roku City" screensaver will now be available through its own tile if you don't want to wait for your screen to timeout. The aforementioned Backdrops feature is also coming to all Roku TVs and streaming devices in Canada starting today.
The updates come as Roku has received pushback from some users over its approach to ads built into Roku OS. Last month, for instance, Ars Technica reported that the company had started testing auto-playing video ads that run before a user reaches their home screen. At the event in NYC, Roku ad marketing head Jordan Rost declined to confirm whether the company plans to implement that particular feature on a permanent basis, saying generally that decisions like those are based on the data and feedback it receives from its users and advertising partners.
Elsewhere, a patent filing unearthed by Lowpass last year suggested that Roku had explored ways of displaying ads on third-party devices connected to Roku TVs. When asked about that, Rost reiterated that the company is focused on ad experiences in Roku OS specifically right now.
Itâs rare for a turn-based RPG to excite the editorial team beyond Engadgetâs usual core RPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has many excited, however. Maybe itâs the dreamy Belle Ăpoque aesthetic and design. Maybe itâs the gloriously pulpy concept of an all-powerful Paintress dooming humankind to an ever shortening mortal clock. Maybe itâs the characters, bolstered by a starry voice artist roster, and nuanced animation and story. Maybe, at this point in gaming, itâs the $50 price tag.
Maybe itâs just the treat of a turn-based RPG for those of us not looking for another real-time action RPGs. Expedition 33 does a great job setting up its world in a way that allows everyone to get on board. Lumiere, which seems to be a chunk of Paris plus change, is doomed to repeat a cycle of death, with a powerful godlike figure, the Paintress, looming on the horizon. The vestiges of humanity send out expeditions each year to âthe Continentâ in a bid to stop the death. This is the story of Expedition 33, although itâs not the 33rd, but closer to the 77th, with the clock counting down from 100.
Once youâre exploring the dangerous world beyond the safety of the city, youâll discover that each expedition, while failing at ending the Paintress, made progress in different ways, paying it forward for the expedition that followed. Some groups set up grapplehook points across the world, while others figured how to use the worldâs painty powers to tattoo themselves to boost their combat powers. Some tried to reach the Paintress on boats and submarines, but failed miserably.
It gets the player excited about exploring the world and the lore, even before youâve left the safety of Lumiere. You start the game as Gustave, picking up party members throughout the early part of the game. While not all of them are part of your battle party, Gustave seems to have a connection with many other members of Expedition 33. A farewell party, tinged with hope, pessimism and loss, sets up the journey before things go wrong, pretty much as soon as they land.
Expedition 33 introduces its battle system and its take on turn-based RPGs in easy-to-digest parts. First youâre taught the basics of parrying and dodging, as well as a Free Aim shooting mode, which gobbles up your activity points just as much as a straightforward attack, but can be used to hit weak points or sabotage powerful attacks of your enemies. Quick-time actions, pressing the right button at the right time, will ensure your skills do even more damage, but are more crucial for parries and dodges.
Youâll want to refine your ability to parry attacks as soon as possible. Parries have a shorter success window than dodges, but offer extra action points for the character, and if performed perfectly, set up an automatic (and powerful) counterattack. Later abilities, learned from Pictos (sort-of accessories) can augment your parries to offer mild healing, extra action points, and even more powerful counter attacks. From the mid-game onwards, parrying will likely be your life.
Thereâs then the addition of elemental attacks, which can apply status effects, augment future attacks and more. Initially, I found the skill sets of each character, which are entirely different, a little complicated. Sure, Gustaveâs shot ability was laced with Lightning, but it also applied the Mark status effect, which adds 50 percent more damage to whoever attacks the same enemy next. It all soon clicked into place, though, and I was cuing up each characterâs attack to build upon the last.
Alongside their unique skills and spells, each character has their own fight mechanic too. Our preview touched on Gustaveâs super-charged robot arm, Luneâs elemental stains which she can store up and apply to add more oomph to spells, and Maelleâs battle stances that can risk weakened defense for heavier hits.
The party is eventually joined by Sielle, who has a light-dark mechanic that tags enemies, building up momentum to convert into considerable damage, or a mixed hit-and-heal attack. Then thereâs monkey-monk Monoco who is both the comic relief and blue mage, collecting defeated monsterâs feet (!) and wielding their moves in combat. Those skills are further complicated by a Beastial wheel, which spins after each attack Monoco makes, and augments certain families of attacks. For example, if wearing the Caster mask, a regen spell will also heal the party substantially. Like I said, initially confusing, but you get to grips with it.
In the later game chapters, enemies will often deliver seven-hit combos, with some attacking all of your party each time. Youâll find yourself dodging, parrying and leaping over attacks in a bid to shore up ability points, or just keep yourself alive, and it can get a bit stale at times.
But! When you nail that bossâ attack pattern, flawlessly countering the evil older man (there shouldnât be anyone alive over 33!) and his eight laser cane attacks, and your three-person party coalesce into a group counter attack, severing a considerable chunk of his health bar.
Urgh. I felt like an athleteâan artist.
There are no random encounters, so like Metaphor Re:Fantazio (There are a lot of parallels there) enemies exist in the world, ready for you to sneak attack â or just avoid. The auto-save system is forgiving, and even kindly keeps three saves at hand, so you can perhaps retreat from an area youâre not quite ready for. And you will get thrashed by a random super enemy when you push your luck. There are also a few difficulty spikes, but itâs often a matter of attack pattern recognition.
While there are distractions and optional areas to explore, Expedition 33 guides you in a relatively linear fashion for most of the game. As more exploration options become available, youâre eventually able to easily return to past areas, and go obliterate that one monster with the giant spear that shamed you in the early hours of your playthrough.
Most transport options come from befriending a giant plushie-kind-of-mythical-creature called Esquie, who can swim, blast through rocks and eventually fly you around the world. To do so, however, youâll have to find his friends. Those friends are stones that add skills. So while he can fly as soon as you meet him, he canât carry you until you find his special stone buddy. I love this kind of RPG nonsense. Gestrahl villages (another species that inhabits the continent) add some welcome comic relief amid all the death, family strife, and betrayal.
Fortunately, the cast of Expedition 33 have the dramatic bonafides to deliver on the emotional beats, including Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Jennifer English (Baldurâs Gate 3âs Shadowheart) Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI) and Andy Serkis (do I even have to say?).
There are both French and English VAs, and Iâd recommend playing through at least part of the game in both. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi â or at least made me feel somehow cultured. There are numerous other playfully French touches and clichĂŠs, including a droopy Eiffel Tower and a series of formidable enemies: a tribe of mimes.
Sandfall decided to forgo maps; thereâs an overworld map, accessible by pressing up on the D-pad, but it lacks an overlay, and youâll have to zoom in significantly to see the areasâ labels.
The bigger frustration is the lack of mini maps in core areas. While itâs not an open-world exploration kind of game, thereâs some latitude for exploring off the beaten path, which is nearly always rewarded with new equipment (or a strong enemy). However, without a map, I often found myself running in circles, struggling to find a way forward.
Itâs a good thing, then, that the environments are gorgeous and filled with detail. I need a camera mode added to this game, as soon as possible. The sinister Monolith, counting down the years, always seems to be visible from cliff sides, valleys, and abandoned train stations, always in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Even the campsite that the group uses to save, rest and develop friendships overlooks the Paintressâ countdown clock.
We covered the faux underwater level from the early part of the game in our preview, but there are several more meticulously designed levels and areas later in the game. One optional distraction partway through is a vertiginous structure made of gravity-defying floating objects and parts of buildings that you can climb up for a (frustrating) mini-game. Thereâs also a fractured snowy Belle Ăpoque ski resort that you have to hike up, and a broken city, skewered by swords of light, to fight through on your way to confront the giant, weepy Paintess, whoâs always slumped on the horizon.
Side quests and distractions from the main story are minimal until later in the game, and I found myself happily moving on without completing them, hoping for an easy way to backtrack to areas. That doesnât quite ever happen, although a Doctor Who-esque house found within the game, with doors attached to various places across the Continent, would have made a convenient shortcut. Instead, you have to wait until youâve found Esquieâs stone for flying, which comes pretty late into the game.
Once Esquie takes to the skies, thereâs no shortage of mini quests and new areas, including gorgeously hued floating islands, paintings to test your battle strategies and curios that help bolster smaller story beats. I havenât finished all of the optional bosses and quests, but the only frustrating ones so far have hinged on some precarious platforming segments. Itâs not great; it's frustrating. These characters were not built for leaps of faith. And if youâre sprinting, donât be surprised if you parkour roll off the platform you landed on, and fall to your death.
Without spoiling the story, many of the characters have a degree of plot blindness that stretches incredulity. It can be especially jarring when woven amid a lot of heaviness, themes of loss, death of close friends and the whole attempting-to-save-the-world when no-one even knows if itâs possible.
Iâm willing to forgive the high-concept wankery to an extent (Itâs an RPG!). Still, when new characters join you, almost certainly connected to mysterious enemies trying to kill you, youâd expect other party members might have a few questions.
You can tell the team loves RPGs. The director said he was âstarving for turn-based RPGsâ and heâs helped make quite the meal. The RPG inspirations come from many places. You can easily see the affection for both the Persona and Final Fantasy series in places. Still, during the battles, it was Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, of all things, that came to mind, with the judicious use of timing and quick button presses being the best way to win â or at least survive.
Another thing that Expedition 33 does right is a rather fantastic run of battles, cinematic set-pieces and exploration towards the end. The final villain, too, is someone I was hoping to fight â no random evil big bad here, like we have suffered in one or ten RPGs past.
Expedition 33 is a solid, enjoyable RPG â and Iâve already started. However, later into the game, and on the higher difficulty level, it devolves into a rhythm action game, especially on damage-sponge bosses. Although that might not be what turn-based RPG fans want, it adds urgency and focus to fights. Itâs also a gorgeously made and well-considered world. A strong endorsement for it all is that Iâm still hunting down records of every expedition that came before Gustave, Maelle and Lune.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review-an-original-hit-rpg-090012488.html?src=rssMay the 4th be with you is almost upon us, so get ready for an influx of Stars Wars paraphernalia. That includes new merch, such as Casetify's collaboration with Star Wars. Yes, starting today, Star Wars fans can get a series of branded accessories for devices ranging from iPhones to wireless chargers.
One of the most over-the-top items available is a Darth Vader AirPods holder. As you can see above, it's an entire stand for your AirPods that almost looks like a little bobblehead doll. But, it fits your AirPod case (which can also be Star Wars themed) and leaves space for the keychain to poke out. Plus, Casetify claims it's "complete with authentic breathing sound effects" â a purchase that truly falls under the category of something you never knew you needed.
The Darth Vader head follows similar Casetify products, including a stand that looks like RX-78-2 from Gundam. It also held both AirPods and another case from the anime collaboration. A separate roll out with Neon Genesis Evangelion included an AirPods case based on the head of Evangelion Unit-01.
As for the Star Wars collection, you can check out all the products below and purchase items starting at $32. Some of the themed accessories will be available to buy in bundles.