The Scuf Valor Wired is a mid-range wired PC and Xbox controller. It’s actually the second controller to bear this moniker, with the previous version equipped with the less-sensitive Hall-effect thumbsticks rather than the TMR ones here. But is a wired controller worth the investment right now, when there are so many cheap wireless alternatives to pick from?

Despite its mid-market price, the Valor Wired feels suitably premium in the hand. Thanks to its lightly textured grips and thumbsticks, I always felt like I had a firm grasp on it, even with sweaty palms during particularly stress-filled FPS tournaments. I also love the silky-smooth plastic of its faceplate, while the Smoke colorway I tested looked gorgeous, with its translucent gray body and orange highlights.

The Valor Wired isn't a poser, though: many of its features equal those of the best Xbox controllers on the market, even if it can’t fully eclipse them.

Rocking the TMR thumbsticks more usually seen in premium pads, the Valor Wired won’t succumb to stick drift and should prove more sensitive than Hall-effect alternatives. Meanwhile, its dual-mode shoulder triggers allow you to switch between full-range analog movement and clicky micro-switches — sadly, they’re not quite as sensitive as the more premium TMR triggers of some pads — and provide discrete vibrations from the grips for more immersive gameplay. Remappable back buttons deliver plenty of options for in-game shortcuts, although I’d rather its face buttons were of the faster micro-switch variety than the more spongy ones here.

Many of these inputs are customizable in Scuf’s flexible and easy-to-use companion app, available for both Windows and Xbox. Whipping up personal profiles for shooting and racing games took barely any time at all — I was able to tweak dead zones and set custom curves based on my needs, as well as remap buttons to suit my requirements. Saving my preferred profiles to one of three slots on the controller was simple, and I could rapidly flip between them in-game with a single press of a button.

But how does all of this translate to performance? Pretty efficiently, it turns out.

Not only do those TMR thumbsticks offer better durability, but they felt sensitive and responsive, delivering great control over the steering wheel in Forza Horizon 6. I’m already fully converted to the benefits of dual-mode triggers, and they’re fantastic here, enabling me to fire off effective parries in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, even if it wasn’t quite as snappy as on my more premium Asus ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless. And the separate rumble function in the triggers is a fun addition, even if I wouldn’t say it's a revolution in immersion.

And those custom profiles I created definitely seemed to have a material impact on my performance. With its dynamic response curves and trimmed dead zones for the triggers, my racing profile felt like it offered more granular control over the gas and brake pedals, enabling me go from seventh in some races to first place. Meanwhile, aggressive trigger curves in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made squeezing off headshots faster — although not quite as fast as when using the triggers’ micro-switch mode.

All things being equal, the Scuf Valor Wired is a strong PC and Xbox controller. Its TMR thumbsticks, dual-mode triggers, and sheer customizability are impressive. Its lack of wireless connectivity, TMR triggers, and micro-switch buttons stop it from being truly top-tier, though. Having said that, it's the price that makes it truly compelling. Getting so many features in a pad for $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$179.99 is fantastic, even if that means sacrificing the flexibility of wireless connectivity and the most premium features.

Scuf Valor Wired review: price & availability

• Launched on March 31, 2026
• Available from $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$179.99

Released on March 31, 2026, the Scuf Valor Wired is available now. While its list price is $99.99 / £94.99 / AU$179.99, we're already seeing reductions in some markets, seeing it go down to $89.99 / £69.99 in the US and UK.

Rather than a bunch of different versions for different platforms, the one-size-fits-all Scuf Valor Wired is just for Xbox and PC, so if you’re a PlayStation gamer this isn't for you.

On the plus side, it's available in a huge range of colorways — from the ash-colored body and orange detailing of the Light Grey to the red-and-black, dragon-bedecked Prosperity. Plus, removable face plates mean you can purchase multiple colorways to switch things up when you fancy a new look.

Scuf Valor Wired review: specs

Scuf Valor Wired review: Design & features

As soon as I got my hands on the Scuf Valor Wired, I was struck by how comfortable it is to hold. It’s pleasingly ergonomic, perfectly tailored to the shape of my palms, and using it feels effortless even over longer gaming sessions. The satin-smooth finish of its faceplate is wonderfully tactile, too, giving a distinctly premium vibe despite its mid-market price.

While I don’t always love coarser textures for controller grips, the hexagonal print on the rubber here meant the Valor Wired had decent traction in my hands. On top of this, the light texturing on its triggers and around its stock thumbsticks prevents either feeling slippery, even during the sweatiest shootouts I encountered while playing FPS games.

But the Valor Wired tickled more of my senses than touch alone. Visually, I’d say it’s a knockout — I legit love the translucent charcoal casing and orange highlights of the Smoke colorway I tested here. If that isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of alternative options, such as the sakura-bedecked Cherry Blossom or the cyberpunk-coded purple and magenta Respawn. And if you’re perennially indecisive like me, its faceplate is easily removable, meaning you can buy a bunch of options to switch out depending on your mood on a given day.

Let’s talk inputs. Probably the most immediate attention grabber is its thumbsticks. Unlike Scuf’s previous Valor Wired controller, this incarnation comes with TMR sticks, rather than Hall-effect ones. So not only can you breathe easy knowing your controller won’t eventually succumb to the dreaded stick drift, but it should also offer far better sensitivity, more granular tracking, and better centering.

Like some of the more premium pads on the market, each of the Valor Wired’s triggers has a toggle that allows you to switch between full-range analog movement and micro-switches, giving you more rapid response for games such as shooters. While these aren’t the super-precise TMR triggers you’ll see on controllers such as the ROG Raikiri II, they do have their own discrete rumble function, which at least promises to add to the in-game immersion.

Perhaps a little less premium-feeling are the Valor Wired’s buttons. I’ll admit it took me a while to warm up to snappier micro-switch face buttons on my controllers, but now I find that the spongier buttons featured on this pad feel a bit less precise.

On the plus side, the mappable back buttons trigger with a satisfying click. However, their horizontal arrangement is a little unorthodox, forcing you to hold the pad in a certain way. When I rested just my index fingers on the pad’s triggers, the rest of my digits naturally found their way to these switches — but if you prefer to double up your index and middle fingers on the shoulder buttons and triggers, activating these switches feels more awkward. A vertical alignment would make the pad feel a little more grip-agnostic.

An equally novel — but definitely less controversial — design decision Scuf has made here is to include two distinct volume controls on either side of the 3.5mm headphone jack, one for controlling the volume of your mic and the other for in-game sound.

Admittedly, I don’t play a lot of online games — a skill issue more than a lack-of-friends issue — but I can absolutely still see the appeal here for those who do. Despite the fact that both dials are lightly notched, I’d say they still feel a little loose to offer super-precise control. Fortunately, though, their position at the base of the controller means you’re unlikely to knock them accidentally, so this is unlikely to cause you too much stress during day-to-day use.

So that’s it as far as hardware goes. But what about software?

Honestly, the Scuf Valor companion app is very strong. Not only is it easy to download and use on both PC and Xbox, but it also delivers a lot of granular control over various settings on the Valor Wired, which you can then save to custom profiles. You can remap all of its inputs, customize trigger and thumbstick curves and dead zones, and tweak the intensity of trigger or grip vibration. Once you’ve saved the resulting profile, you can then save it to one of three slots on the pad as either red, green, or blue.

Switching between these profiles on-the-fly is super easy. Any time I wanted to change to a different profile, I just had to tap the profile button on the back to cycle through them. Reaching this button can sometimes feel like a bit of a stretch — but, being charitable, this might be an intentional move on Scuf's part to reduce the risk of an accidental knock in the midst of a heated gun battle.

All things considered, the Scuf Valor Wired is well-featured and designed for its price. It may not come with cutting-edge tech such as TMR triggers or micro-switch face buttons, and — spoiler alert — it’s not wireless. But in return for sacrificing a few of those premium features, you get a seriously solid spec for a much lower price. So where’s the downside?

Scuf Valor Wired review: performance

Well, a major downside would be that the features the Scuf Valor Wired offers don’t translate to great performance. Fortunately, this isn't the case — while it can’t quite compete with the best Xbox and PC controllers I’ve ever used, it still does a pretty decent job.

First off, let’s start with those TMR thumbsticks. Not only did their action feel nice and smooth, but they rapidly spring back to their dead zone, making gentle steering corrections in Forza Horizon 6 a breeze. And thanks to that superior sensing tech, their responsiveness really wowed me, always feeling smooth and in control.

In addition, the discrete trigger vibration delivered some decent additional feedback for racing titles, offering a bit of haptic response as my tires locked when drifting around corners. I wouldn’t expect too much here, though — we’re not talking about a PlayStation DualSense level of immersive haptic feedback; it’s not going to substantially up the realism.

In my mind, there’s only one game that provides a worthy test of how responsive shoulder triggers can be: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Using the analog triggers, parrying attacks from new enemies could still be punishingly difficult, but after switching them to micro-switch mode, I found the Catapult Sakapatate's cannon attack in the Endless Night Sanctuary much easier to rebuff. That said, during some of the game's more complex combos, I still found myself flailing around like strips of flypaper glued to an electric drill, suggesting these triggers aren’t quite as responsive as some of the TMR options on the market.

But I wasn’t satisfied simply testing the Valor Wired’s stock settings. I wanted to get to the nitty-gritty of how you can really customize the controller to suit your play style. So I whipped up a couple of custom profiles: a Racing profile and my Pew Pew! profile (FPSes, for anyone with an emotional age of more than eight).

Trying out the pad’s default profile in Forza Horizon 6, I found I was regularly finishing center of the pack. Basically the only way I could keep control of my 2022 Toyota GR86 was to feather the accelerator approaching the bends, then pump the brake trigger to prevent my wheels from locking. But once I’d activated my Racing profile with reduced trigger dead zones and dynamic response curves, it was far easier to reduce the throttle in a controlled way before easing on the brakes for far more controlled drifts. After this, I happily netted several first-place spots on the podium.

By contrast, for my tailor-made profile for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, I remapped the faceplate buttons to the rear paddles and stuck the triggers to an aggressive response curve. While it took some getting used to, the remapped controls made it easy to control the in-game action without ever taking my thumb off the stick. By contrast, the sharper trigger curve made a small difference, but it was switching on the Valor Wired’s micro-switches that really helped me click some heads.

And the nicest part about all of this is how easy it was to tweak these settings on the fly. My chief complaint about my beloved ROG Raikiri II is that I can’t access its Gear Link software on Xbox, meaning I have to fire up my PC whenever I want to tweak a setting. By contrast, updating my settings or swapping out the profile saved to the controller here was easy to do on either platform — I simply had to switch to the app mid-game, edit and save my profiles, and then I could leap back into the action.

Ultimately, the Scuf Valor Wired offers great performance. On many fronts, it comes close to many premium controllers in its performance, feeling highly responsive and customizable. While a physical umbilical cord connecting your pad to your console is a definite compromise, it’s one of the few sacrifices you have to make here to get snappy, pro-feeling performance without having to pay through the nose.

Should I buy the Scuf Valor Wired?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Scuf Valor Wired review: also consider

How I tested the Scuf Valor Wired

• Tested over four days
• Tried out on a range of platforms and games
• Many years experience writing about gadgets

I tested the Scuf Valor Wired over a long weekend. I tried it out on both my Xbox Series X and my gaming PC, as well as playing a range of games of different genres, including racing games, FPSes, and RPGs. I particularly focused on the sensitivity and responsiveness of the TMR thumbsticks, the triggers, and the buttons to see how they compared to other controllers.

To really test the Valor Wired’s capabilities, I customized its settings in multiple ways. I experimented with different dead zones, utilizing different response curves for its thumbsticks and triggers, saving them to multiple profiles to see how they impacted different styles of game. I also created various custom button mappings to gauge their impact on play.

Alongside working and writing about tech and gadgets for over seven years, I’ve been playing games all my life. I play across multiple platforms, on my desktop PC, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam Deck.

• First reviewed: August 2026
• Read more about how we test

While the Sennheiser HD 660S2 aren't the most expensive headphones I've ever owned, I'd argue they are the most premium, sonically speaking. Compared to wireless headphones where a decent chunk of your spend is going on Bluetooth chipsets, ANC and fancy features, wired headphones such as the HD 660S2 are a pure audio play. Pretty much every cent you spend goes towards their engineering for sound quality.

As a result, it's not surprising that my initial response to these cans has been positive. They don't have the most strongly flavored sound profile — for example, there wasn't throbbing bass pounding my ear drums like Neil Peart trying to slaughter a fleet-footed fly crawling across his skins. But their frequency balance is as judicious as any of the best headphones, neglecting no part of the spectrum.

Another huge factor is their open-backed design. As they let in near enough every perceivable external sound, the idea of using them on the subway brings me out in a cold sweat — ain't nobody there to hear fellow passengers discuss nasty medical ailments in graphic detail before breakfast. But that same transparency gives them a seriously spacious sound that allows each element a decent amount of room to breathe, already making them a great upgrade over their closed-back cousins.

Perhaps the biggest win in their corner is the very fact that they're wired. As they don't have to contend with the limited bit- and sample rates of Bluetooth headphones, they're free from lossy compression (in themselves at least — they can't help your source material if it's not up to the job), meaning they can maintain the original source's resolution and detail. While that might matter less when you're using a flimsy $30 / £20 / AU$40 pair of cans, in more premium headphones, you can absolutely hear lossless formats the way they're meant to be heard.

This all comes with a pretty serious asterisk though. As alluded to above, unlike their wireless rivals, wired headphones aren't packing their own DAC, meaning those digital files you're listening to need to be converted to analog audio before passing along that wire. And while laptops — and the few phones that still have 3.5mm jacks — have their own built-in DACs, these usually lack the power to drive heavy duty cans like the HD 660S2.

Don't get me wrong: while I knew the Sennheisers wouldn't necessarily be giving me their A-game without a DAC, their sound has still been impressive, which is no mean feat. But it has started me wondering: what am I missing? Could one of the best DACs help me unlock the loftiest realms of audio quality?

I resolved to find out.

DAC-seat driver

Given iFi created many of our picks for our best DACs guide, it seemed a sensible place to start and I eventually settled on the iFi Zen DAC 3. Not only is this portable DAC capable of audio resolutions of up to 32-bit/768kHz, its 390mW amplifier should have plenty of power to drive the 300-ohm resistance of the Sennheiser HD 660S2.

Setting it up is simplicity itself. All I had to do was hook it up to my laptop with a USB-C cable, plug the HD 660S2's chonky 6.3mm jack in its front port and I was all set to start comparing the quality of some tunes.

Mid-range frequencies fared surprisingly well, even without a DAC. During Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon, I felt like I was sat right at the heart of Ladysmith Black Mambazo's choir and there was some really tasty detail to the low toms in the percussion. Once I'd plugged in the iFi, there was some improvement, with a little more dynamism to those vocals and a bit more spaciousness in the mix, but the changes were very subtle.

Treble is a similar story. Before I plugged the DAC in, Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac sounded bright and crisp — the strumming of the guitars felt suitably tight and had a decent amount of bite, without feeling brittle. Hooking the the HD 660S up to the DAC didn't substantially transform the treble, but the iFi did allow for even more low-end heft to the track without overshadowing the pinpoint definition of those guitars. Honestly, this is probably the first time I've ever felt like this track actually sounded bassy.

In light of this, you won't be surprised to hear that low-end performance is where iFi's DAC made the biggest difference, making Otomo by Bonobo sound truly ridiculous. Even without the DAC, the HD 660S2 made the bass sound warm and punchy, without harming the clarity of the percussion or those tribal choral vocals. But when using Zen DAC 3, the impact bass during the drop was unreal — the sub bass is so strong it feels like it hits you right in the brain stem.

This increased low-end clarity and dynamism also helps when it comes to precision and separation too. Deprived of DAC, the HD 660S2 did an excellent job of rendering I Need the Night by London Grammar — those reverberant vocals sounded wonderfully detailed and gorgeously expressed, even when the beat kicked in. But with a DAC picking up the slack, the sustained guitars and bass were able to shine more without encroaching on the vocals, while the beat still felt suitably punchy.

So the iFi Zen DAC 3 definitely added some spit and polish to my tunes.

DAC to reality

Still, all of the improvements I've noted above feel incremental at best. Attempting to jack up my listening experience with a DAC resulted in what I'd class more as a 5% improvement, rather than the revolutionary experience I was expecting. So what gives?

Turns out, some sacred cows need to be put out to pasture. While there are plenty of people who will swear blind that you need a discrete DAC for a pair of high-impedance headphones like the HD 660S2 (which come with a rating of 300 ohms), that's not actually always true. Because, if you're lucky, you may find that your gear's built-in DAC is plenty powerful enough on its own.

I should have dug into the specs of my hardware a little more. Both the MacBook Air M5 I use at home and the MacBook Pro M4 I use at work have a pretty sophisticated DAC built-in — if you're driving some low-impedance wired earbuds, it'll deliver a far lower voltage but when you pop in a pair of audiophile-grade headphones like the Sennheiser HD 660S2, it'll deliver substantially more power. That's why these cans sounded so great out of the box to me.

While that's great news for me — and for anyone else who's happy to drop $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,099 on a MacBook just as an expensive network audio player — it's not that illuminating on whether your more humble devices will benefit from the help of an external device.

So I guess it's DAC to the drawing board.

To hell and DAC

Like all great technologists, I know every catastrophic failure is just a fantastic opportunity to pivot. So I redesigned my experiment on the fly. I grabbed one of our testing smartphones — the skilled yet affordable OnePlus Nord CE5 — plugged in a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and jacked in the Sennheiser HD 660S2. And boy, was it a... whatever the opposite of a revelation is.

When drip-fed on the meager power a phone outputs, the HD 660S2 sound like a completely different pair of headphones. As you'd expect, their output is much quieter and mids lack impact. On Painted Wolf by O’Flynn, the Rhodes-style keyboard and strings sounded far more hollowed out than when listening with the DAC, which gave that fiddle part real body and texture.

Without the Zen DAC, the phone struggled to deliver much treble either. Thanks to its bright presentation, Crash into Me by Dave Matthews Band quickly shows up any glassiness or sibilance in a pair of headphones high-end, yet here it sounded rolled off and lacking in confidence. Conversely, once hooked up to iFi Zen DAC 3, the HD 660S2 made each of those densely layered guitar parts feel distinct and detailed — I could practically hear the vibration of the plectrum as it scrapes over the strings.

One area I'll give the Sennheisers their due though is when it comes to bass. Even without a lot of power behind them, the low end of Listen by Pola & Bryson and Goddard. still sounded pretty tasty — those snarling D&B bass warps still felt deep and beautifully detailed and there was a soupçon of sub beneath it all. The DAC still delivered here too though, swaddling you in lush pads, while that bassline genuinely sounds like you’re being hit full-force in the chest by a Funktion One rig.

It isn't just the frequency balance that felt off either: the lack of DAC limited the HD 660S2's to present its soundstage with quite as much dynamism or distinction. Playing Breathe This Air by Jon Hopkins with the Zen DAC 3 plugged in, I found the wonderful interplay of piano strikes across the stereo field to be genuinely breathtaking. Thanks to the Sennheisers' open-back design, they were still able to get a decent stereo spread without the iFi's help but the pinging of each element across the soundstage felt considerably less dynamic than before.

So a DAC absolutely makes a huge difference. If you're playing music off a cheaper or more portable device, any increased investment in higher-quality headphones may well be wiped out if you don't pair it with a discrete DAC. But don't assume you need one by default, as the days of all built-in DACs being dreadful are well behind us.

On top of that, we’re actually not expecting to see a base iPhone 18 model this year, with that device reportedly landing in March or April instead. So at Apple’s September 9 launch you might only be able to choose from an iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, or iPhone 18 Ultra.

Typically, it’s only the standard model that gets a price drop — so when the iPhone 18 finally does launch (likely next year), the iPhone 17 may well drop in price. But I’d guess the launch of the Pro series this month probably won’t trigger a price drop, since the iPhone 17 will probably remain the latest standard model for a while longer.

In fact, the rising price of memory could mean Apple won’t drop the price of the iPhone 17 even when the iPhone 18 does finally launch. Instead, it might decide to sell the iPhone 18 at a new, higher price and keep the iPhone 17 at its current one.

But I doubt that. If the iPhone 18 doesn’t land until early 2027, then the iPhone 17 will be well over a year old by that point and definitely due a price drop — though, at that point, Apple might instead choose to discontinue it altogether, especially as the cheaper iPhone 18e might land then too.

Regardless, this could be a rare year where there are no price drops, as my prediction is that, as usual, Apple will discontinue the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max when the iPhone 18 Pro series lands, rather than dropping their prices.

As noted above, the iPhone 17 may get a price reduction when the iPhone 18 lands, but that feels up in the air at the moment, and probably won’t happen this year. If it does happen, Apple typically knocks $100 / £100/ AU$150 off the price, which would take the starting price of the iPhone 17 from $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 to $699 / £699 / AU$1,249. But I’d think you’ll be waiting until next year for that reduction, if it happens at all.

Limited options

So your options after the September 9 launch are likely to be either one of the new models at a (probably) higher price than existing iPhones, or an iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, or iPhone Air at their current prices.

It’s not impossible that Apple will drop some of these prices, or even keep the iPhone 17 Pro series around, but I doubt it.

If you’re desperate for a cheaper phone, though, you might not be totally out of luck, as while I’m not expecting Apple to drop any prices this year, third-party sellers might drop the prices of discontinued models to make way for the new ones.

So in other words, if Apple discontinues the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max — like it usually does when new Pro models land — the likes of Amazon and Best Buy might drop the sticker price on them until they sell out.

Pre-owned handsets are also likely to fall in price, so if you don’t mind buying a used phone, you may be able to find a real bargain.

As such, if you’re in the market for an iPhone upgrade but don’t want any of the upcoming models, I’d still recommend waiting until they’re announced before buying anything, even though there probably won’t be any official price drops this year. Just don’t wait too long after September 9 to buy, or stores might run out of new units.

It ends up being diverting fun and well-priced for what it is, and gamers who loved the original (or perhaps loved games like it, such as Dragon Age: Origins) will enjoy the return to this sort of simple-but-satisfying gameplay loop of hitting orcs, looting gear, and upgrading your characters so they can hit orcs harder, faster, and for longer without falling over.

But while much of the game is fine, if not spectacular, it's a shame there are a few technical problems and deeper issues. Swapping between characters on-the-fly is novel, and there has been an effort to incorporate this into all aspects of gameplay. However, hot-swapping is obviously not quite what the original game intended, so there is some awkwardness here, while glitches and bugs sometimes mar the game at key points.

What about second Fellowship?

If you never played the old version, the basis of the game is this: as the Fellowship of the Ring embarks on their quest for Mount Doom, you play an adjacent, original party consisting of Eradan, a Dunedain ranger with all the skills of Aragorn; Farin, a dwarf warrior from the Lonely Mountain who looks an awful lot like Gimli with the serial numbers filed off; and Andriel, a Loremaster elf from Rivendell who can create magical blasts and forcefields.

Together, the 'other' Fellowship party chats with old friends like Aragorn, Arwen and Gandalf, visits familiar and new locations (book-readers will get a kick out of delving into the Barrow-Downs and fighting the famous Wights), and slices through hordes of orcs led by an evil man called Agandaûr, a fallen Numenorean like the Mouth of Sauron. Agandaûr is one of Sauron's trusted servants, one we've never heard of before or since.

So yes, it's all a bit fan-fictionesque, and it plays a lot like other action RPGs set in fantasy worlds, only this one takes the basic fantasy character set and plops them straight into Middle-Earth rather than a parallel-but-similar setting of elves, dwarves and dragons. It's even funnier when you get hold of special character weapon options, and you're controlling a random dwarf running around with legendary gear like Anduril or Sting. Dedicated Tolkien enthusiasts might find it a bit egregious, but it's all in the name of good fun and enabling the sort of repetitive hack-and-slash gameplay the genre is best at.

If you've played any other Lord Of The Rings games, whether the PlayStation 2's Return of the King or a more recent title like Middle-earth: Shadow of War, you'll be used to LOTR games taking these sorts of creative liberties. As a result, it works for what it is, and even as a die-hard hobbit-enjoyer I had fun scything through the dark lord's evil hordes and meeting characters never adapted like Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's twin ranger sons.

Old game, new tactics

If you've played any action RPG, you'll know what to expect: you and your party are taking on wave after wave of mooks, weapons swinging with basic attacks, but you'll also trigger powerful maneuvers and spells that require cooldowns and replenishing a power meter, so tactical implementation of these moves is vital. Playing as Eradan, I would be skirting low on health and could use my disappearing skill, so I could make a break for it unharmed to Andriel's side, who can create a protective healing field. I'd quickly swap to Farin to unleash War Cry to up my party's health and durability.

It's this sort of synergy that creates tactical play beyond mashing light and heavy attacks until you see the 'Finish Him!' yellow triangle that pops up over an enemy's head. The ability to swap characters allows the quick-of-thumb to set up these combos without the use of the AI characters, who are otherwise competent enough to look after themselves and augment the main player. But you do need to be nimble, as the controls to do this are awkward on Switch: even ten hours in, I was accidentally drinking potions when I was trying to swap from elf to dwarf. Co-operative gameplay is available on most platforms (both online, in which you drop into someone else's game, and couch), but not on the original Switch.

There's a surprisingly steep learning curve once you learn the ropes: enemies come from all sides thick and fast, in numerous varieties, forcing you to switch from attack to defence, and then to ranged as explosive enemies approach, and implement your powers carefully.

You level up quickly too, and loot is plentiful, so there are plenty of regular rewards encouraging you to persevere through the samey waves of orcs and goblins, as PCs, enemies and environments begin to blend into various overlapping shades of brown and grey. I began the game thinking carefully about upgrading stats at each level, but after a while, I just pumped Stamina to keep myself alive while concentrating on that character's main attack stat, and that strategy seemed to work just fine too. I'm honestly not sure how much difference these RPG elements made.

Feeling thin, sort of stretched...

While a simple-but-satisfying gameplay loop, it's still very much of its time, and parts haven't aged well. The target lock-on can get tricky, and you'll occasionally find your character engaged in a long, sluggish animation, swinging their weapon at empty air while you cringe as you watch orcs running at you from behind.

Despite the hot-swapping feature and inclusion of each character's unique secret-finding ability (the dwarf, for example, can detect treasure hidden behind stone walls), the game is clearly still geared for a single-character experience. Ammo drops are still linked to the character you're playing at the time, so you might find you swap to a character without any ranged capacity. You'll also need to visit shops with each character in turn to do a proper gear comparison before buying new equipment, which is tedious.

Your health and power replenish slowly on their own, but once you've cleared an encounter, you're under no pressure to carry on. Occasionally, I found myself putting the controller down unpaused, heading off to make a cup of tea, and returning with my beverage to a rested, unmolested party at full health.

There's no sheathing weapons, so you'll occasionally be wandering around Bree or Rivendell, incongruously with swords drawn ready for action. There's also no jumping, which is fine on its own, but the frustration of encountering a chest-high wall and having to find a set of stairs is a sensation I've almost forgotten about, a relic of level design marred by the technology of the time.

Worst of all are the bugs, Aspyr's revamp of the game delivering fresh technical glitches alongside the improvements. These are quite common complaints on threads about WITN, and my experience was no different: from flashing inventory tiles to small areas of the map that caused my entire screen to flip to solid green. At one stage I was fighting blind, looking at chequered green flashes, while I could still hear Eradan's shouts of 'You face a Dunedan now!'

Others report platform-specific glitches, such as an 0KB save file problem on PlayStation 5.

The North Remembers

I think you already know if you want this game: you're either a Tolkien fiend who likes the idea of exploring and interacting with lesser-known locations and characters in an original story, a fantasy action RPG junkie, or you played the original and remember loving it. At the reduced price it's selling for, it's worth getting if you fit two out of three of the above criteria.

Personally, even though I'm as Tolkien-mad as they come and I've got no shortage of love for the RPG genre, I think The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North Legacy Edition is... fine. Serviceable. Enjoyable at times, but without much to set it apart from all the other games in the space, even back when it was first released, other than its LOTR wrapper and nostalgia goggles.

I liked my experience with the game, but I can't see myself going back to it once done. It's a poor man's bite of lembas compared to the previous generation's excellent Return of the King hack 'em up.

Should you play The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North Legacy Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

How I reviewed Lord of the Rings: War In The North Legacy Edition

I played Lord Of The Rings: War In The North Legacy Edition on my Nintendo Switch (generation 1) for 15 hours, trying each character's various combinations and progressing through the story mode. I used the Switch both in handheld mode and on my LG OLED TV. When I encountered glitches, I examined community pages and threads for similar reports.

First reviewed August 2026

I was so pleasantly surprised by the natural chemistry between new presenters James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois that now I want to see the trio do even more together.

Head to YouTube and you'll find some additional videos of the trio together, ranging from more Grand Tour-related content to separate clips posted on Engelsman and Holland's channel, Throttle House.

But what if that's not enough? What if — and I'm massively running before I can walk here — Amazon is so pleased with the trio that they want to commission a spinoff?

Clarkson's Farm is the blueprint that immediately springs to mind (for obvious Jeremy Clarkson-based reasons), but according to the team, their spinoff would have to look like something else entirely.

'Clarkson can't even do Clarkson's Farm'

"I don't know. I think Clarkson can't do Clarkson's Farm... that's what makes it so entertaining to watch," Engelsman jokes. "We would not be able to do the farm."

But that doesn't mean that they don't have ideas. In fact, leave it to TikTok star Bourgeois, who seems to be able to turn his hand to just about anything, to have a completely unexpected spinoff idea.

"I'd do the cafe at Queenstown Road Station. There's a business opportunity there," he explains. "The aperture where the tickets would be sold as you go into the station is still there. So I don't know why it isn't utilised to sell coffee through there too. Then there's a disused platform at Queenstown Road Station that could then be the outdoor coffee veranda with a view of the railway."

If you've ever wanted to meet Bourgeois and hoped he would be exactly like he seems online, hopefully this exchange confirms that as the truth. Stick this concept on BBC 2 or Channel 5, and I'd be lapping it up like there's no tomorrow.

"This is our retirement plan," Holland laughs. "Maybe it could be a joint venture. Don't tell her anymore about it... this is our new business."

In all seriousness, I think we'd be waiting for years if a trio spinoff were to be announced. Instead, let's hope that The Grand Tour will be renewed for more seasons... my fingers are crossed.

Not only has Amazon been pushing the political espionage plot hard, completely changing the tone and feel of the show altogether, but some are arguing that Reacher (Alan Ritchson) himself has become a muscly husk of a man... and I'm inclined to agree.

Still, we've got two more episodes this season for him to hopefully rediscover his spark. So, when does Reacher season 4 episode 7 arrive on Prime Video?

What time can I watch Reacher season 4 episode 7 on Prime Video?

We're expecting episode 7 of Reacher season 4 to be available on September 9 at 12am PT / 3am ET in the US.

Internationally, look out for the below times:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 5pm AEST
• New Zealand – 7pm NZST

When do new episodes of Reacher season 4 come out?

After its three-episode premiere, new installments of Reacher season 4 episodes will air on a weekly basis. That gives us the following release schedule:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: out now
• Episode 3: out now
• Episode 4: out now
• Episode 5: out now
• Episode 6: out now
• Episode 7: September 9
• Episode 8: September 16

Interestingly, the Reacher season 4 finale coincides with the day that all episodes of spinoff Neagley will arrive on Prime Video.

Flock is battling a growing backlash against its network of license plate readers and cameras — with some 120,000 or so installed across the US — amid questions over how the technology can be misused and the privacy implications for citizens.

Now reporters at Wired have managed to reverse engineer part of the Flock software interface based on the code that's delivered to police officers in a browser, giving the public an unprecedented insight into how this system actually works.

There are search tools for vehicle types, colors, and features for example, and a 'free form' query option that can look for pretty much anything passing through the video frame — although this needs a full video camera, not a license plate reader.

Wired also found an "AI-powered watch list" tool, where part of a city can be marked for continuous surveillance via video camera until a person fitting a specific description is spotted. This could be something as simple as "person wearing scrubs" for example.

'You are responsible'

While there are warnings on the Flock software that AI can make mistakes, much as there are at the bottom of Gemini and ChatGPT conversations, there's no real way of spotting inaccurate information or judging how inaccurate it might be.

Officers do have the option rank search results based on how relevant and accurate they are, feedback data which is then used to refine the results page further. Meanwhile, there are blocks on some search terms, including those related to race, ethnicity, and religion.

"You are responsible for your searches and agree not to use the tool in illegal, harmful, or abusive ways," runs the agreement screen that appears before the Flock software is accessed. "All queries and metadata are recorded for security and auditing purposes."

Flock has been responding to concerns over the misuse of its network — by limiting the time data is held on file for, for example. However, it has more to do to convince both state authorities and the public that its systems are only deployed for legitimate uses.

Today's Arsenal vs Chelsea live streams will showcase a feisty London derby, and early six-pointer at the Premier League 2026/27 summit, between a pair of sides with two wins from two. Both have title aspirations and will want to hit the ground running after mixed transfer window fortunes.

After a regulation win over new boys Coventry to open the season, the EPL champions passed their first stern test with a battling win at Villa Park thanks to a goal from Bukayo Saka. Some of the positivity in Mikel Arteta's camp, however, has had the sheen taken off following the deadline day disappointment of missing out on Argentina and Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez. The manager will therefore be eager to see other summer signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis impress the Emirates faithful without delay.

The main story of Chelsea's deadline day was an exit rather than an entrance – that of Enzo Fernandez. But Morgan Rogers' earlier arrival is a more than fitting replacement, helped by a fully rested and on-fire Cole Palmer. New boss Xabi Alonso will also be delighted to have snagged 2022 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for some surety between the sticks after now-departed Robert Sanchez's opening weekend struggles against Fulham. Nevertheless, the Blues nearly threw away a 3-0 lead against Brighton to scrape a 4-3 win last time out and must tighten up against the ruthless Gunners. It's an early test of their title credentials.

Will the UK capital be red or blue this weekend? Here's how to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2026/27 Premier League from anywhere in the world.

Arsenal vs Chelsea team news

Arsenal: Raya, White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Havertz, Tzolis. Subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Merino, Guimaraes, Eze, Madueke, Dowman, Gyokeres

Chelsea: Martinez, Acheampong, Fofana, Lacroix, Neto, James, Lavia, Hato, Palmer, Rogers, Joao Pedro. Subs: Penders, Colwill, Gusto, Chavvaria, Barco, Quenda, Gittens, Estevao, Welbeck

Use a VPN to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea from anywhere

A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, thereby letting you unlock your usual streaming service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 75% discount.

It's really straightforward to use a VPN to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you want to watch the Sky Sports stream, select 'United Kingdom' from the listed countries.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sky Go and tune into Arsenal vs Chelsea.

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live streams in the USA

Arsenal vs Chelsea will be shown on USA Network in the US.

To access USA Network you can use a variety of cord-cutting options; Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV (all which carry free trials) and Sling TV all carry the channel.

Outside the US for this EPL clash? Use NordVPN to unlock your stream of Arsenal vs Chelsea.

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live streams in the UK

Sky Sports is broadcasting Arsenal vs Chelsea in the UK on its Premier League and Main Event channels.

Packages cost £35 per month for new customers, or £22 per month if you already have a Sky TV contract. The Sky Go app lets you watch on your laptop, mobile or tablet.

Fans can also tune in using a NOW Sports Membership, with 24-hour passes costing £14.99.

Not in the UK for Arsenal vs Chelsea? Use NordVPN to access your usual Premier League streams.

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live streams in Canada

Fubo is broadcasting every EPL game this season in Canada, including Arsenal vs Chelsea.

Prices start from CA$31.49 per month for Fubo's flexible Sports Monthly package. Although the best option right now is the Quarterly Package with it costing just CA$27.99 CA$14.99 for each of the first three months. And you can also watch Fubo's content if you have a selected DAZN subscription in Canada.

Not in Canada? Use NordVPN to access your Premier League live streams from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea live streams in Australia

Arsenal vs Chelsea will be broadcast on Stan Sport in Australia.

Stan Sport subscriptions start at AU$29.99 per month, which includes the base plan (from AU$9.99) with the sport add-on (AU$20).

Missing the game because you're outside Australia? Use a VPN to login to your Stan Sport account.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

'Great shot!' chimed a few people in the 500 or so comments on TechRadar's Facebook post, which also received almost 25k reactions. The majority of the comments, however, focused on the camera gear element of the headline (not the photo itself or the age of the photographer), which pinpointed that the photo was captured with a 10-year-old Nikon DSLR.

In case you were wondering, the camera in question is the enthusiast-level Nikon D500 (APS-C), and Crockford paired it with the Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR telephoto zoom lens to get the shot.

Cue the age old photography debate I've read time and again in my 15+ years writing about camera gear — is it the gear, or the photographer, that gets a great photo?

The correct answer, of course, is that there's no simple, single answer — it depends on the context and subject being photographed — and that the end result is the work of both tool and creator. For Crockford, however, gear certainly empowered him to get his WPOTY award contender.

Sometimes, gear really does matter

I'm all for celebrating the photographer, and rightly so. The craft and dedication (and, sometimes, a dash of fortune) required to create an image that stands out is undeniable, and deserves appreciation.

I see it in myself — I have a better eye for a photo now than I did at the start of my career, and I'm still improving (emphasis on having an eye for it to begin with).

But to those that simply said in the comments section; "it’s not about the camera", or "photography was never about the equipment", and “it’s the singer, not the song", I say you'll need more than luck to get a photo like the image in question — a distant bird in flight.

Skill alone doesn't reach 600mm, a lens does. Nor is your iPhone bagging you that shot. You need telephoto reach, and decent autofocus helps.

Technically speaking, enthusiast-level and pro-level mirrorless cameras are the most advanced cameras today for wildlife photography, thanks to dedicated subject tracking modes (which, in many models, includes bird detection autofocus), and faster-than-ever burst shooting. You are more likely to get a technically sound image with modern camera gear.

Many of the comments defended DSLRs, but the point of the article was never to attack the format, which in the current market has essentially been replaced by mirrorless, but to highlight how popular (and capable) these systems are still.

DSLRs are still seemingly the camera of choice for wildlife photographers — if the shortlisted entries for WPOTY 2026 are anything to go by. I still rock my Nikon D800 which precedes Crockford's camera, and its age doesn't stop if from taking good photos.

You don't need the latest gear to get the (wildlife) shot, but it does help. But for the incredible shortlisted entries in WPOTY 2026, it took skill and gear to get the shot. There is a gear bottom line required to stand a chance.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 winners will be unveiled in October, and you can see the winning images in the flesh when the exhibition begins in October at London's Natural History Museum, UK — you can grab tickets here.

Before, after Nvidia's initial DLSS 5 reveal in March, I was skeptical on some points, but I wasn't tearing holes in the idea like some gamers were. However, this week, we've seen a rapid shift in opinions and the general online sentiment around DLSS 5 — and I'm a good deal more excited about this AI trickery myself.

Indeed, I think there are a number of reasons to be hopeful that DLSS 5 could prove to be a compelling step forward for PC gaming, from Nvidia's clarification on support for GPUs, through to what modders have shown that the tech can achieve since it was leaked — some of which is truly eye-opening.

Here are my five reasons why Nvidia's incoming neural rendering model could turn out to be a very literal game-changer.

1. Nvidia has clarified that DLSS 5 won't just be for RTX 5000 GPUs

While DLSS 5 is currently only supported by RTX 5000 graphics cards — the tech went live this week in NBA 2K27 — Nvidia has confirmed that it will come to older GeForce GPUs. Indeed, we won't have to wait that long before wider support is ushered in, which is good news.

VideoCardz spotted an update from an Nvidia rep on Reddit which stated: "Our current focus is on optimizing performance for the GeForce RTX 50 Series with model updates expected later this fall. Once RTX 50 Series performance is more fully tuned, we plan to work on expanding official support to the GeForce RTX 40 Series."

So, we could be looking at early 2027 for work to begin on bringing DLSS 5 to RTX 4000 models — and possibly previous generations of GPUs will be in line for the same treatment. Modders have already got the tech working on RTX 3000 and 2000 models, after all — although the performance levels could well be the sticking point here.

At any rate, this puts paid to fears that DLSS 5 could remain locked to just the latest Nvidia RTX 5000 graphics cards.

2. Continual optimization should improve performance a good deal

I just touched on performance, and this is the area which has proved to be the biggest downer with the mentioned unofficial experiments that have been conducted with DLSS 5.

As Tom's Hardware observes, the performance hit with DLSS 5 is a nasty one, and it's generally causing a 40% to 50% drop in frame rates. In some reports, it's less than this (more like 30%), and what we have to remember is that all these unofficial figures are based on a pre-release version of DLSS 5 being fudged into play by modders.

The final version of DLSS 5 will likely provide better performance, and in any case, optimization is going to be high on Nvidia's list of priorities. I'd be surprised if there weren't major strides taken in this department as 2027 rolls around and more games are supported.

3. Experimental results with DLSS 5 are pretty incredible

Those modders playing with the leaked version of DLSS 5 have clearly shown us that this tech can be used to produce seriously impressive results. Of course, on the official front, the demo of NBA 2K27 at Gamescom 2026 proved the case that this AI-powered graphics uplift can work wonders, too.

That said, the benefits of DLSS 5 are situational to an extent, and it's not a silver bullet for making all graphics better. It really shines in certain use cases, though. For example, even if you don't want the main character models in a game to have the tech applied because you hate that idea, it can still make a huge difference to background details, and the likes of the faces of NPCs in the lurking atmospheric crowds which are the backdrop for open world games.

As one Redditor points out: "NPC crowd faces are one of the best use cases for it [DLSS 5]. It sometimes takes you out of the game when you're talking to a character model that's clearly been hand crafted with a lot of effort, and as you said then there's some janky smooth skinned ghoul walking by you lol. Watching an LTT [Linus Tech Tips] vid where they showed the difference in random NPCs was actually super impressive."

DLSS 5 can also transform lighting and shadows to make graphics look far more realistic, including character models — some of the results shared by modders in a megathread on Reddit make that crystal clear. I was blown away by some of these examples, frankly. When it works, DLSS 5 works really well — although it doesn't always come off.

That said, some of the wonkier examples that have been aired are down to modders being daft with the sliders and options on offer, which brings me onto my next point.

4. Tuning options are key for DLSS 5

As noted, some of the more stomach-churning moments from the various modders messing around with DLSS 5 have come from those folks ramping up the intensity of the sliders — sometimes intentionally just to provoke an anti-AI reaction.

There's a decent level of granular control over various aspects of what DLSS 5 does (including intensity, tone, and structure), and when a game developer properly tunes the tech for their particular release, the effect is going to be more subtle, appropriate, and in line with the overall art direction. (Well, hopefully — you'd assume this will be the case, anyway).

Used judiciously, it's clear enough that DLSS 5 can really enhance the visuals of a game — modders have proved that in some cases, and NBA 2K27 is a great official example of how this works, too.

Yes, it is very possible to get 'uncanny valley' kind of effects with character models if you're extravagantly flinging sliders up towards their maximum limits — and not every game's art or graphics style suits DLSS 5, by any means. But we come back to the last point — when it works, it really does work.

5. DLSS 5 will probably age like a fine wine (ahem)

My final point is a simple — but important — one. And okay, I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating. Rewind time back to when Nvidia revealed the original DLSS, the very first take on this tech that was purely about upscaling, and it had some quite pronounced flaws. Problems like blurriness, ghosting and artifacts proved a blight on the upscaled graphics, but these were issues that Nvidia resolved with the next iteration of the tech.

I'd expect there will be examples of DLSS 5 which show the visuals going off the rails in a similar kind of way, although it already looks off to a far better start than DLSS 1. The point being that whatever we think now, at launch, may change quite drastically in a year or two, and there's a genuine potential for DLSS 5 to be revolutionary in polishing up gaming graphics — albeit that caveats around its misuse and situational nature aren't going to go away.

Futurama season 14 will feature the Planet Express crew continuing to bumble their way through the galaxy, with the latest outing proving as hilariously entertaining as always.

Canceled more times in its 27-year history than Fry’s had-hot pizzas, Futurama’s latest revival is going from strength to strength, with some of the most out-there episodes and side-splitting jokes ever delivered arriving during its streaming era.

So far this season we’ve seen Fry (Billy West) attempt to resurrect the extinct cow Jurassic Park style, Bender (John DiMaggio) travel cross-country to take on a sexy scammer, the pair come under attack from vicious space pirates, the crew go up against hyper intelligent rats, pop star-led zombies, and an emotional episode for Hermes (Phil LaMarr) and Zoidberg (West).

We’ve still got plenty of adventures to come, too, with Nibbler sent off on a one-way mission, and the Planet Express crew finding themselves all at sea before we reach the ominously titled finale, “Final Ending: The Last Conclusion.” That being said, this show is no stranger to definitive endings.

Season 14 continues to drop new weekly episodes, so read on and find out how to watch Futurama online and from anywhere.

Use a VPN to watch Futurama season 14 from anywhere

A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country and unlock your usual streaming services. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

How to watch Futurama season 14 in the US

Futurama season 14 is currently streaming on Hulu in the States, with new episodes every Monday through September 28.

Prices for Hulu start at $11.99/month while Disney+ can be added for just a buck more.

Away from home? You can still access your usual streaming services from anywhere by using a VPN.

How to watch Futurama season 14 in Canada, UK, Australia and worldwide

Viewers outside the US can watch Futurama S14 on Disney+, with new episodes arriving every Monday.

You can take a look at Disney+ prices and plans where you are, starting for as little as CA$8.99 / £5.99 / AU$9.99 per month in Canada, the UK and Australia respectively.

Away from home? You can still connect to your usual streaming services by downloading a VPN and pointing your location back to your home country.

Futurama season 14 – Need to Know

Futurama S14 trailer

Futurama S14 episode schedule

• Episode 1: "Beef" – Monday, August 3
• Episode 2: "Our Flag Means Medical Coverage" – Monday, August 3
• Episode 3: "Lords of the Ring" – Monday, August 10
• Episode 4: "The Charm Offensive" – Monday, August 17
• Episode 5: "Catfish Hunter" – Monday, August 24
• Episode 6: "Late Bloomers" – Monday, August 31
• Episode 7: "Lord Nibbler in the Nothingverse" – Monday, September 7
• Episode 8: "Oceans Three" – Monday, September 14
• Episode 8: "A New New York Yankee in King Elfo’s Court" – Monday, September 21
• Episode 8: "Final Ending: The Last Conclusion" – Monday, September 28

Futurama S14 cast

• Billy West as Philip J. Fry, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Dr. John Zoidberg, and Captain Zapp Brannigan
• Katey Sagal as Turanga Leela
• John DiMaggio as Bender Bending Rodríguez
• Lauren Tom as Amy Wong
• Phil LaMarr as Hermes Conrad
• Tress MacNeille as Mom
• Maurice LaMarche as Lieutenant Kif Kroker, Morbo, and Calculon.
• David Herman as Scruffy

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

Drones, sensors, AI-assisted targeting and decision-making all rely on these systems in one way or another, and the destruction of a single frontline AI data center can seriously damage an army’s capacity to function.

But these problems go beyond hardware. How does a drone adapt its mission parameters without being able to communicate? How can AI models continue inference without access to critical battlefield data? And what compromises must be made to prepare battlefield AI for these conditions?

Battlefield AI should continue functioning, even when comms go down or hardware is disabled

While the conflict circling the Strait of Hormuz may be a hugely expensive endeavour, Iran is providing valuable lessons for warfighters. Relying on traditional data centers in the Middle East has already shown its weaknesses. These sprawling warehouses make easy targets for cheap missiles, and entire systems can be taken offline from a single hit.

Palantir has already begun deploying shipping containers filled with Nvidia hardware as an alternative to the traditional data center. These containers can be deployed on frontlines and can connect directly into operational workflows, offering decentralized compute where it is needed most.

Scaleout is a company building infrastructure for edge AI and federated learning that trains models on distributed, sensitive data without centralising it. The company has worked with NATO - most recently the Swedish Air Force - and defense primes such as BAE Systems.

Andreas Hellander is the CEO and co-founder of Scaleout. He holds a PhD in Scientific Computing and an MSc in Biotechnology Engineering, and is an Associate Professor at Uppsala University, where he built one of the top research groups at the Department of Information Technology before founding Scaleout.

I spoke to Andreas to learn more about how battlefield AI systems can be made more resilient, and how drones, sensors, and other frontline technologies can continue functioning when conditions go downhill.

• What happens when parts of a battlefield AI's computing and hardware are taken offline? What redundancies are in place to keep communications between systems operational?

The aim is not to promise an unbreakable connection; it is to stop the loss of one component from taking down the whole capability. In our architecture, a disconnected node continues local inference using its last approved model, caching detections and telemetry until a link returns.

Multiple aggregation points can be used above the edge. If one becomes unavailable, clients can be reassigned and training can proceed with those still reachable. That creates graceful degradation rather than an all-or-nothing failure. We do not supply the tactical communications network itself; our job is to ensure the AI workload does not assume that any radio, satellite or other link will always be available.

• What are the trade-offs between a highly centralized battlefield AI network and a more distributed approach, especially concerning data gathering, targeting, battlefield coordination and logistics?

Centralisation provides a consistent operational picture, substantial compute and a clear place to enforce security, model approval and command policy. It supports theatre-wide coordination and logistics, but also concentrates risk: losing one link or facility can remove a disproportionate share of the capability, while moving large or classified datasets may be slow, prohibited or impossible.

A distributed system keeps analysis close to the sensor, reducing latency and allowing local functions to continue during disconnection. The trade-off is fragmentation. Targeting based on a partial or stale picture is risky, and local logistics decisions may not be optimal for the wider force. The best design is usually hybrid: central coordination when available, with clearly bounded local capability when it is not. Authority remains with the relevant command-and-control and human decision process.

• How do these AI drones and sensors adapt to the battlefield and what differences are there in the behavior of an AI drone that can still communicate and one that has lost communication?

It is important to separate running a model from retraining it. Small platforms typically perform inference in flight, while controlled retraining and approval happen on a ground node or more capable edge computer. Onboard learning exists in research, but uncontrolled mid-mission retraining creates serious assurance problems.

A connected platform can share detections, receive tasking and contribute to a wider operational picture. After losing its link, a drone follows its pre-approved failsafe: depending on the mission, it may continue a bounded task, return, hold or land. Onboard processing can keep perception and navigation working, but the platform loses external context, new instructions and fleet coordination. Disconnection should be a designed operating state with explicit limits, not an improvised emergency mode.

• How is the data collected by these drones and sensors used to help battlefield AI systems adapt to new conditions, threats, and tactics?

The useful data is often the hardest to move, so we send the model to the data rather than centralising the footage. Active-learning software identifies the frames most likely to improve it, such as uncertain detections, unfamiliar objects or changed conditions. A person still labels the selected material; the software reduces the searching, not the need for human judgement.

The model is then fine-tuned locally and tested against a benchmark. A candidate can also run beside the current model in shadow mode before an operator approves it. Where policy and connectivity allow, sites exchange protected model updates rather than raw training footage, combining them into a shared model. Federated learning reduces data movement, but the updates still need to be secured, validated and audited.

• What are the main challenges you encounter when deploying AI drones and sensors? What capabilities are available for militaries to source the required compute and energy production close to the front lines?

The hardest constraints are usually power, heat, weight, weather, vibration, electronic warfare, inconsistent data and safe software updates across a mixed fleet. Integration and accreditation can be as demanding as the machine learning.

The compute is commercially available: low-power modules such as NVIDIA Jetson for small platforms, and ruggedised GPU servers or containerised edge units for ground sites. Energy is tougher. Every processor competes with propulsion, sensing and communications, while generators, batteries and distribution equipment add logistical burden and new points of failure. In our public demonstration with BAE Systems Bofors, the perception workload ran on onboard compute at -18°C without connectivity. The principle is to use the smallest practical footprint and assume both power and bandwidth are scarce.

• There is an increasingly blurred involvement of commercial companies providing services for military use, such as AWS data centers in the Middle East and drone production in the UK for Ukraine. How are companies providing services to the military adapting to the pressures of potentially being deemed a legitimate military target?

Speaking for Scaleout, rather than for the sector as a whole, we design our platform so that a customer’s operation does not depend on Scaleout remaining continuously available. It runs in the customer’s own infrastructure, works air-gapped, and does not require a licensing call-home or persistent connection to our systems or a public cloud.

That matters in any contested or disconnected environment: reliance on a remote provider can become an operational vulnerability. Our approach has therefore been to keep control and continuity local to the customer, rather than make our own infrastructure a critical dependency.

The wider question of how commercial providers are viewed in a conflict is one for policymakers, legal experts, and the companies involved. We would not want to speculate about other providers’ risk assessments or operating models.

• What is the future trajectory of these systems? Will each individual drone and sensor have its own connectivity that can feed data back through a global satellite network? Will these systems be able to operate autonomously for multiple days or weeks without human input?

Connectivity will improve, including through low-Earth-orbit satellites, but connecting every sensor directly to space is unlikely to be the universal answer. Terminals consume power and spectrum, add cost and can create an electronic signature. A more resilient pattern combines local mesh links, opportunistic synchronisation and selected gateways to satellite or other long-range communications.

Longer disconnected operation is realistic, but endurance is often limited by batteries, weather and maintenance rather than AI software. There is also a critical distinction between operating without a connection and operating without human authority. The first is a resilience property; the second is a policy, legal and ethical decision. The future is therefore not simply more autonomy, but verifiable control: knowing which model ran on each platform, what produced it, where its limits were and who approved it.

This of course will almost certainly be the most expensive iPhone in history — though if you think of it as an iPhone and iPad all in one then it could still be reasonably good value. But despite the definitely high price and the possibility of ‘Ultra’ in the name, it might actually be lacking some standard iPhone features.

Their absence will probably be part of an effort to keep the device slim, but in some cases could also be a cost-cutting measure, and combined they might make some buyers question just how ‘Ultra’ — and how good value — the phone really is. We’ve detailed these possible omissions below.

1. Face ID

It’s long been rumored that the iPhone Ultra won’t have Face ID — instead it could have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Though unlike the last iPhone to sport Touch ID (the iPhone SE (2022)) this will probably be built into the power button, rather than being housed in a large home button under the display.

Still, it’s been many years since a high-end iPhone has lacked Face ID, and in recent years even budget models like the iPhone 17e have had it, so this omission could really sting.

There’s no guarantee that the iPhone Ultra won’t have Face ID, but numerous sources say it won’t, apparently because it’s going to be too slim for Apple’s TrueDepth camera array which powers Face ID.

2. A telephoto camera

Another casualty of the iPhone Ultra’s likely slim build could be a telephoto camera, with this phone reportedly having just a dual-lens rear camera, with wide and ultra-wide sensors.

This is a very believable claim, as not only has it been repeated a lot, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — which it’s likely to have a similar form factor to — also only has a dual-lens camera.

Plus, Apple hasn’t equipped the standard iPhone 17 or the iPhone Air with a telephoto camera, so the company doesn’t seem to see it as an essential feature, even for quite expensive handsets. But given that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max do have one, it would mean the iPhone Ultra is far from the best iPhone for photography.

3. An Action button

Apple debuted Action buttons back on the iPhone 15 Pro series and since then loads of iPhones have had one, but the iPhone Ultra reportedly won’t.

At this point we’ve seen numerous dummy units of the phone, such as some from leaker Sonny Dickson, and they lack an Action button, which could be a sign that the phone won’t have one — likely because it’s too slim for the required components.

These dummy units also lack a mute switch, which could make this the first iPhone to have neither.

4. MagSafe

As with the Action button, dummy units of the iPhone Ultra also lack a MagSafe ring, and while this could just be an omission from the dummies, it’s present in dummy units of the iPhone 18 Pro series, suggesting that the iPhone Ultra might not include magnets for connecting wireless chargers and accessories.

That said, Mark Gurman — an Apple watcher with a superb track record — has said in an interview with Tom’s Guide that "all indications that I've heard is that ‌MagSafe‌ is in for this foldable phone. They were able to get it into the iPhone Air, and I don't see why they wouldn't be able to get it into the foldable."

So right now we’re not sure whether MagSafe will be included or not. We’re inclined to believe Gurman, but then again the iPhone Ultra looks like it might lack some other features the iPhone Air has (such as Face ID and an Action button), so his comparison there doesn’t fully add up.

5. A SIM card slot

Apple has already ditched physical SIM card slots for its phones in the US and a handful of other regions. But except for the iPhone Air, all of its phones currently do have SIM card slots in most of the world — including the UK and Australia.

However, the iPhone Ultra might join the iPhone Air in relying purely on eSIM, whatever country you buy it in.

This is something we’ve heard from multiple sources and it would make sense, since if the iPhone Air is too slim for a SIM card slot then the iPhone Ultra likely will be as well. In fact, of all the possible omissions, this is the one we’re most sure of — though for buyers in the US it will be business as usual.

Today's Everton vs Man Utd live streams feature Toffees manager David Moyes trying to put a difficult week behind him as he faces his former club in the Premier League 2026/27 season.

Everton's chaotic end to the summer transfer window has left Moyes short of bodies in key areas. Following the exits of Iliman Ndiaye, Beto and Nathan Patterson, the signing of USA star Folarin Balogun fell through when the striker decided against a move to Merseyside. The Toffees did manage to get deals over the line for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Jack Grealish, the latter returning for a second loan spell from Man City, although it remains to be seen if either player will face United. The sour mood belies Everton's strong start on the pitch, and they will aim to follow the 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace and 1-1 draw at Bournemouth with another positive result here.

In contrast, United had a quiet last few days of the window, having sealed the £70m signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba before last weekend's 5-2 home win over Ipswich. The Cameroon international will have to wait to make his debut due to an ankle injury. Talismanic captain Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick against the Tractor Boys as United bounced back from their shock opening-weekend defeat at Hull, with the Portugal star's treble sending him top of the Premier League goalscoring charts. Fellow midfielder Mason Mount could also feature after recovering from a foot injury.

Read on for our dedicated guide on how to stream Everton vs Man Utd in the Premier League, live and from anywhere in the world.

Can I watch Everton vs Man Utd for free?

Yes! Fans in Brazil can watch Everton vs Man Utd for free on CazéTV's YouTube channel. CazéTV will have live coverage of one Premier League match per gameweek during the 2026/27 season.

There is also a way for viewers in the US to watch at no cost.

US coverage is live on USA Network, which can be accessed via YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV and DirecTV and all have free trials of varying lengths for new customers.

Not in Brazil or the US? Use NordVPN to access your CazéTV or USA Network stream – more details below.

Use a VPN to watch Everton vs Man Utd from anywhere

A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, thereby letting you unlock your usual streaming service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 75% discount.

It's really straightforward to use a VPN to watch Everton vs Man Utd.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you want to watch the CazéTV stream, select 'Brazil' from the listed countries.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to CazéTV on YouTube and tune into Everton vs Man Utd.

How to watch Everton vs Man Utd live streams in the US

Everton vs Man Utd will be shown on USA Network in the US.

USA Network is part of NBC Universal, which holds the Premier League broadcast rights in the US.

As we've mentioned above, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV and DirecTV all carry USA Network and have free-trial options, while Sling Blue has USA Network and NBC.

Outside the US for this EPL clash? Use NordVPN to unlock your stream of Everton vs Man Utd.

How to watch Everton vs Man Utd live streams in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Everton vs Man Utd on Sky Sports.

The game will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It is one of at least 215 Premier League matches broadcast live across Sky Sports this season.

Plans start from £35 a month on a long-term TV contract, while existing customers on a 24-month Sky TV contract can add Sky Sports from £22 a month.

Not in the UK right now? Use NordVPN to watch Everton vs Man Utd on Sky Sports.

How to watch Everton vs Man Utd live streams in Canada

Fubo is the Premier League's broadcast partner in Canada and has live coverage of Everton vs Man Utd.

Prices start from CA$31.49 per month for Fubo's Sports Monthly package. However, the best option right now is the Quarterly Package which costs just CA$27.99 CA$14.99 for each of the first three months. You can also watch Fubo's content if you have a selected DAZN subscription in Canada.

Traveling away from Canada? Use NordVPN to access your Everton vs Man Utd live stream from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Everton vs Man Utd live streams in Australia

Everton vs Man Utd will be broadcast on Stan Sport in Australia.

Stan Sport will once again show all 380 Premier League games live this season, and in even better news, it's even cheaper after they introduced a new Basic tier at AU$9.99. You'll also need the AU$20 Sport add-on, but you get every Premier League fixture, plus the Champions League, FA Cup, and more, all for AU$29.99 a month.

Missing the game because you're outside Australia? Use a VPN to login to your Stan Sport account.

Everton vs Man Utd: Tickets

Want to watch Everton live this season? Seat Unique has you covered...

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

From the hospital explosion in its opening minutes, the drama is operating with a full-force gusto we've rarely seen in the show. There's no longer one main storyline with smaller ones unfolding in the background — which is the usual Casualty format — but a gigantic story that involves absolutely everybody.

Nobody is overlooked or left behind, and all cylinders are firing. Whether we're in the heart of the hospital with Dylan (William Beck) as he struggles with the overwhelming influx or patients, or outsourced to makeshift emergency rooms with Flynn (Olly Rix) and Stevie (Elinor Lawless), the intensity never lets up.

But even with all of this chaos going on, I can't help but think that Flynn and Stevie would make a beautiful couple... if it was something that they wanted.

With an underlying tension already between them, is this something that we're ever going to see? If Rix's response is anything to go by, we can remain cautiously optimistic.

'There is a real depth to their relationship'

"To some extent, the answer to that is quite a simple in that it's not my decision," Rix explains. "That's one for the producers. But I think there's something there that they're the last to see.

"The audience has seen it. The producers and the writers have seen it. I think it's sort of been there from the off, and it's taken a moment like this to reorientate them, and perhaps to get them to realise that there is a real depth to that relationship. I think there's a lot more to come... I'll say that much."

I think Rix is right. There's nothing quite like a life-risking tragedy to bring two people together in a way they've never been before — I mean, how many romantic dramas have based their premise on this exact idea?

The truth is that if Flynn and Stevie do end up together, their romance will likely be incredibly drawn-out, leaving us kept waiting for the slow-burn to materialise into something more.

For now, at least, we've got the great chemistry between the two actors. "Ellie and I work very nicely together anyway and we've always improvised well," Rix adds. "We're quite free in the way we do scenes together, and that was encouraged and embraced in the filming of these specials. I had a great time. I hope it shows."

Effective edge trimming has long been the bane of a lawnbot-maker's life. After all, what good is a robot mower if you then have to go in with a side-trimmer to clean up all the lawn edges afterwards? Anthbot's newest robo-mower — the R7 Series, on show at IFA 2026 — has an innovative solution.

The brand has tacked a string trimmer onto the side of the lawnbot. Or, more accurately, onto a "robot arm", mounted to the side of the lawnbot. This arm is designed to adjust to follow winding lawn boundaries, ensuring "zero-gap edge cutting without manual touch-ups". Anthbot dubs the system 'EdgeEase'.

I saw it being demoed — albeit on an AstroTurf lawn, without any actual cutting. The arm movement is smooth and functions well, tucking neatly away when not required. (It's a little less visually impressive than Segway Navimow's own mechanical side-trimming system, but which system functions better remains to be seen.)

I've seen side-mounted blade trimmers before, but this string version feels like a slightly safer option to be protruding out into the open... at least when not in use. Of course, when spinning, those strings will be able to slice just as effectively as a blade.

On that point, I'm surprised Anthbot hasn't added any kind of protective casing. There is a camera specifically dedicated to keeping an eye on the trimming arm, but it's still putting a lot of trust in those obstacle-spotting skills.

Hedgehog spotting

The EdgeEase string trimmer is the headline addition, but I was also interested to see Anthbot has included an infrared sensor for animal detection. This is designed to pick up thermal signals from critters like hedgehogs that might be hidden in the grass, so the mower can avoid them.

These are two standout features in what looks like an altogether extremely capable lawnbot. For the main mowing, it uses two floating cutting discs, designed to adjust to uneven ground for a clean finish. There's also all-wheel drive — precisely powered by four drive motors and two independent steering motors. That's designed to help with traction and maneuverability.

The navigation suite includes LiDAR, RTK, and three AI-backed cameras (including that trimmer cam) to provide "robust, all-scenario positioning" that won't drop out if, for example, the satellite signal is blocked. Anthbot emphasizes the R7 Series is "designed to handle the complexity of real gardens rather than idealized, flat lawns".

The ANTHBOT R7 Series comprises two lawnbots: the R730 and R720. The R730 is designed for lawns up to 3,000㎡ and has the string trimmer included as standard. The R720 has a smaller battery and is meant for yards up to 2,000㎡, and the string trimmer is an optional extra.

Ever wondered what life would be like if your earbuds had a touchscreen case? OK, you probably haven’t, but stick with me here. The JBL Live Buds 4 are the new generation of the audio specialist’s in-ears that pair with a smart charging case, enabling you to adjust sound settings, adapt ANC, and more — all without having to download a companion app.

They’re a standout model in a congested market. The Live Buds 4 also sit within JBL's wider Live range, which is itself fairly congested in that it also includes the stemmed JBL Live Beam, plus the open-fit JBL Live Flex. This specific model, though — the Live Buds 4 — comes with a number of claimed upgrades over its predecessor, including enhanced ANC, new “fidelity drivers,” and boosted call quality. But are they worth the money and can they compete with options in our best earbuds roundup? Here’s what I think after three weeks of testing.

We’ve got to start with the smart charging case, which has a revamped UI for a smoother, more complete user experience. The touchscreen is undoubtedly small, but it's highly responsive, and there are clear menus to access EQ tweaking, ANC modes, appearance options, and even tools like a flashlight and timer. I sometimes preferred using the JBL Headphones app for the ease of a larger screen, and the ability to set a custom wallpaper from my photo gallery, but for on-the-go tweaks, the charging case is a neat option — even if it is arguably a little bit gimmicky. But hey, I like a good gimmick now and then.

Beyond what I’ve already mentioned, the case features a lot of fun features, like a smart-talk option, which picks up voices if you want to have a conversation while keeping your buds in. There are also customizable touch controls for the buds themselves (which I found to be reactive and convenient), and settings for how your voice sounds on a call, including a bright, natural, and powerful option.

Speaking of calls, JBL has included 6 mics in these earbuds, as well as its new Perfect Calls 2.0 tech, which makes use of AI to keep your voice clear, even in noisier environments. As I mentioned in my JBL Live Beam 4 review (I know, it's easy to get confused with names), I did find my voice to be relatively clear on calls and when taking a recording, but unfortunately I didn’t get the premium clarity I was expecting. There was some noticeable sibilance in my recording, and I also found that some background noises remained more prominent than anticipated.

I also want to talk about active noise cancellation, which has been improved for the Live 4 series. Overall, ANC is decent, but it’s still not up to the standards offered by buds from Apple and Bose. When out and about or on public transport, I could still make out background chatter, and in the office, typing sounds and doors closing were still audible. Sounds are still dulled effectively, and ANC is by no means bad — but if you’re expecting a curtain of silence when using the Live Buds 4, you may be left wanting more.

One area that the Buds 4 totally excel in, though, is sound quality. For earbuds in this price-range, the Buds 4 are excellent, dishing out impactful bass, clean mids, and expressive highs, impressive handling of dynamics, and good attention to detail.

When tuning into Labor of Love by Ned Doheny, I was struck by the beautifully textured and weighted acoustic guitars, which were well separated from clear, tonally accurate vocals. Subtle percussive details also came through beautifully, and funky bass sounded impactful without drowning out other sounds across the frequency range. What’s more, by activating the higher-res Bluetooth codec, LDAC, I could make out some more intricacies in the mid-range, with almost life-like guitars taking the listening experience to the next level.

The Live Buds 4 proved to cope brilliantly with any genre, though. With a deeper, more energetic track, such as Don’t Compare Yourself by Kolter, the pumping deep bass hit phenomenally hard, and reached down to tremendous depths for this level. Bassy synths sounded textured and controlled, lively drums sounded articulate and precise, and emotive vocals, while impactful, never overwhelmed the mix.

I have very few complaints about the sound, and it’s super-simple to customize it to your liking with the EQ settings on the charging case or JBL headphones app. But one thing that could’ve been better was the spatial audio setting, which just lacked the clarity and openness of the standard tuning. I’d also argue that the soundstage is relatively broad on the Live Buds 4 anyway, so you should just keep this mode off if you ask me.

Let’s also talk design, as this is the main area where the Live Buds 4 differentiate themselves from the Beam and Flex. They take up a small, snug in-ear feel, which is ideal for those who prefer earbuds without the stems. I found the buds to be incredibly comfortable, and had no issue keeping them in for multiple hours at a time. They’re also highly secure, never feeling as if they’ll fall out of your ears.

The buds also have a good standard of build, the case has an attractive, textured finish, and the model can be purchased in a wide range of colors. The buds are also IP55-rated, making them splashproof. Some rivals offer superior IP57 protection, but IP55 is enough to keep your buds safe on a rainy day.

One more difference the Buds 4 have, is that they offer the least amount of battery life in the Live 4 lineup, with 8 hours of playtime with the buds when ANC is on, and up to 40 hours with the case. That’s still a good amount of playtime, and competes well with major rivals.

So, are the JBL Live Buds 4 worth their £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240) asking price? For me, it’s an emphatic yes. Of course, they’re not the cheapest buds on the market, but they’re also a fair bit cheaper than big-name rivals like the AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2. They also sound fantastic for the money, with the nifty charging case only adding more value. Sure, they could do better in the call quality and ANC department, but ultimately, they still offer decent enough quality in those areas.

JBL Live Buds 4 review: price & release date

• List price of £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240)
• Revealed in May 2026

The JBL Live Buds 4 were revealed in May 2026, alongside their siblings, the JBL Live Beam 4 and the JBL Live Flex 4. They released about two years after their predecessor, the JBL Live Buds 3.

They come in at £179.99 / AU$269.95 (about $240), which is the same as their predecessors cost at the point of launch (in the UK). We’re yet to catch wind of a release date and pricing for the US, but we’ll update this review accordingly if and when further details emerge.

These buds are available at a relatively affordable price for the quality on offer, coming in at a lower cost than rivals such as the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2.

Our top pick for wireless earbuds whatever your budget is the Technics EAH-AZ100, at $299 / £259 (around AU$478). So at quite a bit less than those figures, the JBL Live Buds 4 can be yours for a shade under flagship money — and that's a very good thing in terms of value.

That said, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 are our current 'best mid-range' pick in that detailed guide, and those excellent buds retail for the same £179.99 fee as the JBL option. They don't have a smart charging case, but still, food for thought…

JBL Live Buds 4 review: specs

Should I buy the JBL Live Buds 4?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

JBL Live Buds 4 review: also consider

How I tested the JBL Live Buds 4

• Tested over the course of three weeks
• Used in the office, on walks, and on public transport
• Mainly streamed tunes over Tidal, but tapped into Spotify too

I spent three weeks putting the JBL Live Buds 4 through their paces. During this time, I listened to countless hours of music, messed around with everything the smart charging case had to offer, and exhausted their various features.

As always, I made sure to use these buds in a range of environments — including at home or at the office, but also when out on walks near busy roads, and when on public transport like buses and trains. When listening to tunes, I predominantly streamed music over Tidal on my Xiaomi 17 phone, but I also jumped into Spotify now and then. I made sure to soft through the multi-genre TechRadar reference playlist, but also bumped a bunch of tunes from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed everything from premium wireless headphones like the Sony 1000X The Collexion to hulking party speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750. Of course, I’ve also tested many pairs of wireless earbuds, so I know exactly what it takes for a model to stand out in a highly competitive market.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: August 2026

This series is where I test the picture and audio quality of select new 4K discs from each month. I personally use 4K Blu-ray all the time when I’m testing the best TVs and best soundbars, and have become somewhat of a collector myself.

In last month’s July 2026 Blu-ray Bounty, I looked at four discs: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (which has now entered my testing rotation), To Live and Die in L.A., Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Hairspray (1988).

I’ll be using our usual setup to test this month’s seven discs, which includes one of 2026’s best OLED TVs the LG G6, the Panasonic DP-UB820, the best 4K Blu-ray player on the market and the Samsung HW-Q990C, an older-but-excellent 11.1.4 soundbar system. As always, I won’t be reviewing any of the movies here: just the picture and audio.

Project Hail Mary (Amazon MGM)

Based on the Andy Weir (author of The Martian) novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary follows schoolteacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who awakens on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. He soon discovers he must stop a substance from killing the Earth’s Sun.

From the offset, this is a breathtaking disc. As grace awakens and explores the ship, black tones are rich and deep, and there’s plenty of strong contrast between the dark recesses of the various hallways and the lights around the ship. It’s the same with scenes of space, as the disc renders the blackness of space with real accuracy, while still showing every individual star. There are scenes with plenty of strong shadows as well, and within these scenes there is excellent shadow detail, with details maintained in the dark areas on screen.

With Dolby Vision supported, colors are both punchy and accurate. Grace’s yellow coat is vibrant and true-to-life. There are even more spectacular colors later on in the film, such as ‘Adrian’ (a planet Grace studies), which really pops on screen but keeps that nice, realistic look that is present with colors throughout the movie. Any brighter colors really dazzle on screen, aided by Dolby Vision.

This disc’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack is fantastic. The sound is accurate with a fantastic balance, demonstrated in scenes where Grace frantically explores the ship. As he grips onto surfaces and moves through space, the sound of his rubber suit is clear and detailed, mapped to the rear speakers. This balances nicely with the ethereal score during the movie’s more curious moments, such as the first meeting with Rocky. There’s plenty of thumping bass too, with any impacts during the movie’s tense moments generating some solid punch from the subwoofer.

Michael (Universal Pictures)

A biopic of the legendary ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, Michael covers the singer’s life from his early days in the Jackson 5, culminating in the late 1980s during the Bad World Tour. Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson takes the role of his uncle.

Obviously, we’ll start with audio. The disc has a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and the most impressive sequences are the live concerts and recording sessions. There’s a terrific balance between instruments and the crowd, which utilizes all the space within a surround system, such as the Samsung soundbar I used. When Jackson first records 'Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough' , the Atmox mix is superb, with Jackson’s vocals crystal clear at the front, a tightly controlled drum and bass line, as well as detailed strings and guitars, all given room to breathe.

Picture-wise, this is a crisp, polished presentation as you’d expect from a modern, high-budget movie. Colors have plenty of punch and vibrancy, but also look true-to-life, and the clothing looks accurate and detailed for the time. The peacocks on the lawn of the Encino mansion in particular show what Dolby Vision's color reproduction is capable of. There’s also good contrast throughout during night time sequences and when Jackson is on stage, particularly during his live performance of Billie Jean.

Troy (Arrow Video)

Troy follows the story of Paris, Prince of Troy (Orlando Bloom), who falls in love with Helen (Diane Kruger) and convinces her to leave her husband King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Menelaus declares war on Troy and sends an army led by Achilles (Brad Pitt) to take the city. The movie is loosely based on Homer’s Iliad, focusing on the Trojan War.

This 4K restoration presented by Arrow Video is brilliant. Textures such as skin look lifelike with a 3D-level of detail, and the detail within objects such as armor and weapons is intricate and clean. Colors are bold and vibrant, such as the lush greens of the trees in the opening fight scene, as well as the blues of the sky above. Landscapes look superb thanks to fantastic cinematography, and again really demonstrate the excellent quality of this restoration.

Gold detail within the armor shines and is a showcase for TVs with good HDR highlights, like the G6 I used. There’s also plenty of strong contrast, with dark tones balancing the light, such as the dark walls of the palaces balancing with the fire torches on the walls. There’s some good film grain still present too, despite how clean textures look now.

There’s no Dolby Atmos soundtrack supported here, but there is a DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtrack that more than lives up to the task. During battle scenes, the sounds of arrows and spears whipping through the air is clear through the rear channels, creating a sense of height despite the lack of channels, while the front channels handle the clanging swords and more visceral sounds as people are slain. There’s plenty of strong bass too, as horses and chariots take part in battle.

West Side Story (1961) (Capelight Pictures)

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story follows Tony, a former member of the Jets gang, who falls for Maria, a girl whose brother is a lead figure in the rival Sharks’ gang. Set in 1950s Manhattan, New York, it is one of the most well-known musicals in cinematic history.

Starting with audio, the 4K disc has a DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtrack, restored from 70mm 6-channel master, and its quality shows. There’s a lovely balance between the backing score and vocals, all of which have been made into a natural-sounding, clean surround mix that makes use of all the space it's granted.

Vocals are consistently clear and instruments sound detailed throughout. Even more subtle effects, such as the shuffling of feet during dances, sound refined and well-defined within the mix.

Visually, this is an impressive restoration. The colorful clothes and locales around the New York neighbourhoods really pop on screen. During the opening sequences, the reds of the walls and various gang member’s clothing are both vivid and true-to-life, and this carries on throughout the movie, with the vibrant 1950s clothing looking bright and vivid.

Textures have been given a nice uplift, with skin in particular benefitting from the 4K restoration, giving people a 3D-like appearance that makes the movie feel much more contemporary than its 1961 release date. There’s also some demonstrations of strong contrast during the movie’s night sequences, with stage spotlights overhead creating strong shadows, while still maintaining rich black tones.

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (Arrow Video)

A sequel to the beloved Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey sees the duo Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) end up in the afterlife, after a pair of evil doppelganger robots is sent back in time to stop them from ever becoming famous musicians and creating a utopia.

This is another excellent (pun intended) 4K restoration from Arrow. From the get-go, colors are bold, vibrant and engaging. The neon clothing of the people in the future explodes on screen, but in the 1980s, people’s clothes really shine too, particularly Ted’s red jacket. Colors still look true-to-life at the same time.

Black tones are rich and deep as well, including the deep black during the tunnels in hell and of Death’s cloak. Textures have been upscaled nicely too, cleaning up skin and objects throughout the movie, while maintaining a good amount of grain.

The disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtrack that delivers a surprising amount of detail. Various effects throughout really use every channel, such as the crackle of the time-travelling phone booth coming through clear in the rear channels, while speech is clear in the front channels. More subtle effects are also clear, such as the creaking of the Colonel's leather boots as he tells Bill and Ted to do infinity pushups. Musical scenes also sound great as well, with punchy drums and bass and detailed guitars.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople (Visions Home Video)

Hunt For The Wilderpeople tells the story of Ricky (Julain Dennison), a young orphan who ends up running from his foster home with his foster uncle Hector (Sam Neill) into the New Zealand wilderness. As a manhunt ensues, the two must work together to avoid the law. This was one of Taika Waititi's first movies.

The showcase visual aspect of this disc is of course the gorgeous New Zealand wilderness. The greens of the fields and trees are beautiful, looking both vibrant and accurate in equal measure. Any bolder colors, such as Ricky’s bright red jacket and yellow hoodie, also pop on screen whilst also looking true-to-life. Textures are crisp and realistic, with the detail in nature, such as leaves and roots, adding some nice depth to the image.

The DTS-HD 5.1 MA soundtrack sounds great here. As Hector and Ricky move through the wilderness, the sound of birds tweeting and the crackle of twigs and leaves underfoot is nicely detailed, with the birdsong demonstrating some accurate mapping as it quietly comes through the rear channels. Speech is clear throughout the movie, balancing well with the other aspects of the soundtrack. There’s even some nice directionality as well, with the sound of a travelling bullet moving around the rear channels behind me.

Mars Attacks! (Warner Bros.)

From Tim Burton, Mars Attacks! follows a group of aliens who land on Earth, and after meeting with US President Dale (Jack Nicholson) under peaceful circumstances, begin to attack cities across the globe. The movie has an ensemble cast including Annette Benning, Glenn Close, Jack Black and Michael J Fox.

Colors are the 4K disc’s real highlight here, with the gaudy aesthetic of Las Vegas, both the casinos and the people’s outfits, really popping on screen. The silk shirts a lot of the characters wear are extremely vivid, but never look oversaturated. Textures have been cleaned up well, giving the overall picture a refresh, particularly in people’s skin. During darker scenes, black tones are deep and there’s strong contrast on show, particularly during any night scenes on the Vegas strip.

The 4K disc’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack is engaging and detailed throughout. Explosions deliver plenty of meaty bass that's also well controlled through the right subwoofer. The sound of the alien’s ray guns is accurately mapped to the action on screen, demonstrating some brilliant, refined detail. As spacecraft fly overhead, Atmos is in full effect, demonstrating an effective use of height channels.

With three straight wins, Les Kiss' Australia tenure is off to the perfect start, and victory against Argentina in Mendoza would be another huge step forward. Across three previous multi-game series, the Wallabies have never secured a sweep on Argentine soil, and to do so now they'll have to break a telling pattern.

Argentina and Australia have alternated wins in their past six meetings, a run of results that illustrates both the Pumas' improvements and the Wallabies' inconsistencies.

The 1st Test in San Salvador de Jujuy was a back-and-forth thriller, which ended with both sides effectively punching themselves out, exhausted, in their pursuit of victory. The tourists shot to a 10-point lead and just about managed to outlast the Argentina fightback to stagger out 27-21 winners, thanks in no small part to the immense exploits of back rower Rob Valetini.

Tom Wright will earn his 50th cap at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, where Ben Donaldson will step in for Carter Gordon at fly-half and Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i will start at center for the first time under Kiss.

Felipe Contepomi, who's lost multiple players to the Top 14, has also reshuffled at fly-half, with Santiago Carreras shifting to full-back and Nicolas Roger slotting in. With this set to be Argentina's final home Test of the year, the visitors can expect a particularly hostile reception.

Read on as we explain how to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test for free.

Can you watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test for free?

Yes. Argentina vs Australia is being shown on free-to-air RugbyPass TV in the US.

Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Argentina vs Australia for free as if you were right at home.

Use a VPN to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in the US

Argentina vs Australia is available to live stream for FREE on Rugbypass TV in the US.

RugbyPass TV has live coverage of a range of international rugby, including Rugby's Greatest Rivalry and the Nations Championship, plus an on-demand library stuffed with full-game replays, classic matches and documentaries.

Outside of the US? Use a VPN while you're traveling away from home to unlock your stream.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in the UK

In the UK, Argentina vs Australia is being shown on Sky Sports Action.

Sky Sports packages start at £22 per month for existing Sky subscribers and rise to £35 per month for those without a Sky subscription.

You can also watch the Pumas vs Wallabies game unfold via a NOW Sports membership that carries the Sky Sports channels.

If you're out of the UK but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your subscriptions from anywhere.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in Australia

In Australia, Los Pumas vs Wallabies is exclusive to Stan Sport.

Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch the action as if you were back home.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in New Zealand

In New Zealand, Sky Sport NZ is showing the Argentina vs Australia game on the Sky Sport 2 channel.

You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at NZ$29.99 per day or NZ$59.99 per month.

Those outside of New Zealand can use NordVPN to gain access to their home streaming service.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in South Africa

The Argentina vs Australia game is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa.

SuperSport is the home of live rugby in South Africa, including coverage of the Springboks and the United Rugby Championship. You'll need a DStv access package to watch the game, with prices starting at Rs99/month for the streaming version.

Abroad right now? Use a VPN to tell your device that you're back home and you'll be good to go.

How to watch Argentina vs Australia 2nd Test live streams in Canada

The Argentina vs Australia game is available to watch on Premier Sports in Canada.

A monthly pass costs CA$29.99. You'll need either the CA$79.99 six-month pass or the CA$139.99/year annual subscription to tune into the whole tournament.

If you're out of Canada but still want to catch the action, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.

Team News

Argentina team: Santiago Carreras, Rodrigo Isgró, Luico Cinti, Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, Ignacio Mendy, Nicolás Roger, Simón Benítez Cruz; Joaquín Moro, Guido Petti, Pablo Matera (c), Franco Molina, Efraín Elías, Pedro Delgado, Ignacio Ruiz, Boris Wenger

Replacements: Leonel Oviedo, Mayco Vivas, Francisco Moreno, Tomás Lavanini, Juan Martín Scelzo, Facundo Cardozo, Gonzalo Bertranou, Mateo Soler

Australia team: Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, Len Ikitau, Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Ryan Lonergan; Harry Wilson (capt), Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Josh Canham, Taniela Tupou, Billy Pollard, Angus Bell

Replacements: Josh Nasser, Aidan Ross, Massimo de Lutiis, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Charlie Cale, Kalani Thomas, Carter Gordon, Isaac Henry

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

So, there’s a lot to sift through, but the rumors below are among the biggest whispers we’ve heard about these upcoming phones.

Beneath each rumor, we’ve detailed just how likely we think it is to become a reality, to give you a better idea of what to expect at Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ event.

The foldable iPhone Ultra will finally launch

What's the rumor?

We’ve been hearing rumors that Apple has been working on a foldable phone for years, but it finally looks like such a device might launch this year, possibly as the iPhone Ultra.

Leaks point to this phone having a passport-style design like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, with a foldable screen of around 7.8 inches and a cover display of roughly 5.5 inches.

It might also support MagSafe, but unlike some of Samsung’s foldables, it probably won’t come with stylus support — at least at launch.

How likely is this rumor?

Given how long we’ve been hearing about a foldable iPhone, with some rumors pointing to earlier release years, there’s still reason to doubt its existence. But the sheer number of leaks pointing to it now, including from reputable sources, makes us almost certain that we will, in fact, see the iPhone Ultra this year.

As for the specific details of the phone — such as screen sizes and MagSafe support — we can’t be quite so certain of those, but we’d be very surprised if the phone itself doesn’t launch next week.

• Likelihood: 9/10

No standard iPhone 18 until next year

What's the rumor?

While we might get a whole new type of iPhone this year in the form of the iPhone Ultra, leaks suggest that one of the models you’d typically expect will be absent, with the standard iPhone 18 supposedly not launching until March or April.

Apparently, it might launch alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2, giving Apple a second big phone launch in the space of around six months.

How likely is this rumor?

It’s completely unprecedented for Apple to launch a new base model at a separate event months after the Pro phones, so we’d take this rumor with a slight pinch of salt.

But that said, pretty much every leak now points in that direction, and we’ve heard less about the standard iPhone 18 than the Pro models and the Ultra — which would make sense if it’s not launching for a while.

• Likelihood: 8/10

A camera with a variable aperture

What's the rumor?

One of the more intriguing spec rumors we’ve heard is that either both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max, or possibly just the iPhone 18 Pro Max, will have a camera with a variable aperture.

This would allow you to adjust the depth of field, giving you more control over what’s in focus. It might also allow for improved low-light performance if it also means the aperture can get wider than on current models.

How likely is this rumor?

We’ve heard talk of a variable aperture from multiple sources, including some well-regarded ones. But details of it still feel a bit wooly, which makes us slightly unsure of its existence, since a lot of things have leaked in more detail.

Still, the number and quality of the sources pointing towards a variable aperture make us think it’s more likely than not on at least one upcoming iPhone.

• Likelihood: 7/10

Bigger batteries

What's the rumor?

Leaker Digital Chat Station has found regulatory filings that suggest the iPhone 18 Pro will have a 4,288mAh battery and the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a 5,567mAh one in the US.

For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro has a 4,252mAh battery, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088mAh battery. Again, that’s in the US, where capacities are higher than in most other regions because these are eSIM-only models (so no space is taken up by a SIM card slot). But this would suggest a slight boost for the iPhone 18 Pro and an enormous increase for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

How likely is this rumor?

A battery capacity increase is fairly likely, as Apple often increases the capacity with new phones, but one as large as we’re hearing the iPhone 18 Pro Max might get is more questionable. In fact, even the source of the leak themselves says “this is questionable and needs further verification.”

So, you can probably expect an increase, but we’re far from certain that it will be this drastic.

• Likelihood: 6/10

New designs

What's the rumor?

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max probably won’t look dramatically different to their predecessors, but there are at least two significant design changes we might get.

One is to the rear, with the metal frame and the glass panel being more unified in color, rather than offering the slightly two-tone look of current models.

More excitingly, we’ve also heard from Instant Digital and other leakers that the Dynamic Island could be smaller this year, coming in at around 13.5mm, rather than the 20.7mm of the current one.

How likely is this rumor?

This is multiple rumors in one, really, but both elements sound convincing. Both leakers and CAD renders have pointed to a smaller Dynamic Island, and it would make sense for Apple to want to reduce the size.

Making for a more unified look on the back of the phones also sounds logical, though only a couple of sources have pointed to this, so we can’t be certain it will happen.

• Likelihood: 7/10

Expect goals aplenty as Ajax host back-to-back-to-back Eredivisie champions PSV in the first De Topper of the season. Held at Amsterdam's cavernous Johan Cruyff Arena, the fixture is one of the biggest games in Dutch football and provides an early litmus test for both title-chasing sides.

Holding their rivals to a pair of draws was about as good as it got for Ajax in a miserable 2025/26 that featured three different managers en route to a fifth-place finish. Under ultra-attacking boss Michel, the Amsterdammers have started the new campaign in electric – albeit chaotic – fashion, with 42 goals (at either end) coming from seven wins, two draws and a shedload of entertainment across the Eredivisie and Champions League qualifying.

PSV, though, are the Eredivisie's top scorers on 15 after four games, with Ricardo Pepi and Ivan Perisic already among the goals for Peter Bosz's men, who chase a fourth straight Eredivisie title this term. If there's one blot against Bosz's name it's his record against Ajax. He led Eindhoven to an emphatic 5-2 victory in his first De Topper in 2023, but five subsequent encounters have yielded three draws and two defeats.

With four goals in his past three outings, Ajax's Wolves loanee Tolu Arokodare is on fire and will look to put the pressure on the visitors early.

Here's how to watch Ajax vs PSV in the 2026/27 Eredivisie from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Ajax vs PSV from anywhere

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

How to watch Ajax vs PSV live streams in the US

Ajax vs PSV is available to watch on ESPN Select in the US.

If you don't have ESPN2 on cable, it's available through Sling. The Sling TV Orange plan carries ESPN2, plus ESPN, TBS, TNT and the Disney Channel, with prices ranging from $4.99 per day to $115 per quarter.

A subscription costs $13.99/month or $139.99/year, but you can bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu for $21.99/month.

Another option is ESPN Unlimited, which costs $31.99/month or $319.99/year and includes streaming access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SECN, ACCN, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SECN+, ACCNX, NFL Network and CW Sports. You can bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99/month.

Outside the US for the game? Use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.

Can I watch Ajax vs PSV in the UK?

The Eredivisie hasn't picked up a broadcasting partner in the UK.

If you're in the UK from abroad, however, a VPN will help you tune in to Ajax vs PSV. NordVPN is the one we recommend above all others.

How to watch Ajax vs PSV live streams in Canada

Ajax vs PSV is available to watch on Sportsnet in Canada.

Sportsnet is available to live stream via Sportsnet Plus, which starts at CA$29.99/month or CA$249.99/year.

Not in Canada? Use NordVPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your preferred Ajax vs PSV coverage from anywhere.

Can I watch Ajax vs PSV in Australia?

In Australia, select Eredivisie games are shown on ESPN via Foxtel, with live streaming available via Kayo Sports.

However, Ajax vs PSV Eindhoven appears to have slipped through the cracks.

Visiting Australia from the US or Canada? Use NordVPN to watch the game.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

As a standalone spin-off, it delivers the first full-length first-person Silent Hill experience that was the initial promise of the cancelled Silent Hills meant to be directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro (though its playable teaser 'P.T.' ultimately became a horror classic in its own right).

Its setting in the fictional Scottish town of St. Amelia couldn't be more perfect, given that the series is iconic for its fog, which actually occurs on the Scottish east coast when warm air passes over the cold North Sea during the summer and can make its way inland.

And who better to realise this vision than Screen Burn Interactive, the Glasgow-based developer whose acclaimed games Stories Untold and Observation (released back when the studio was known as No Code) were also experienced in the first-person perspective?

Yet despite the authenticity of its setting, the Scottish studio has opted not to feature Scottish-sounding characters in its main cast, unlike the BAFTA-winning Still Wakes The Deep. Protagonist Simon Ordell, played by British-American actor Jovan Adepo, is something of an outsider who has been instructed by a mysterious voice to come to St. Amelia to "make it right" — whatever “it” may be.

Make it right

For the Gamescom demo, things certainly start off not quite right. Simon arrives at the town's harbor not by boat, but simply emerging from the water. Judging by the red wristband with his personal details on one hand and tubes connected to the other (like he’s escaped from a hospital), something's clearly up with him too.

St. Amelia, meanwhile, is a ghost town, as evident by the sight of abandoned shops as well as one street lined with 'house for sale' signs. If you get a creeping fear that this might be one of those indie games from over a decade ago when you just walked around in a photorealistic area in the aftermath of the actual story, it’s instantly resolved by the ringing coming from a nearby public phone box just past the town square.

It goes dead when I pick it up. I survey possible numbers to ring and go with “100,” which tells you to "save yourself" (and is literally how you save progress in this game).

Back in the town square, I spot an upright man being fed some kind of fluid coming from a tube seemingly attached to the sky above. As Simon instinctively goes to free him, his voice is familiar — it's the voice from the beginning calling out to Simon to "make it right". When I next return to the square, things have changed again, with protest banners and placards alluding to a crime that had occurred that may be linked to a company with the acronym 'CEG'.

As eerie, enigmatic, and atmospheric as this beginning is, it also feels a bit aimless. There were several occasions during my session when I was still slowly plodding around St. Amelia's streets, only to discover doors that were locked, and the option to sprint had not yet been unlocked.

It turns out this is because I had overlooked a few key numbers I could have called on the phone. Whereas some games can be overzealous in marking the critical with yellow paint, Screen Burn seems quite content with letting you get literally lost in its world, even if that might make for an even slower burn than intended…

Tactile horrors

If there was one consistent thing about Silent Hill: Townfall, it's that you really do have to pay attention to every detail. That is, fortunately, the benefit of the first-person perspective: you can really scrutinize all the flyers displayed on a community noticeboard without having to bring up a larger text box.

There's also a real physicality to the clues and equipment you have access to, such as a double-sided map you have to hold and flip over manually rather than just bringing up a map UI. The most tactile of these is the CRTV, a portable television that you can tune using the analogue triggers.

So you're not completely lost, a couple of markers do appear at the bottom to hint at the signal you should be tuning towards. Once you get a video clip, it's about carefully scrutinising the image, often waiting for it to loop back, as a hint of what you need to find next or where to go.

Not that these hints will spell it out for you. In one case, I was supposed to look for a white house, which is not the most obvious clue when most of the houses in St. Amelia's streets have white walls.

The CRTV also has another function, as it can be tuned to detect enemies nearby. Even if they're obscured by walls, their outlines can still be made out through noise and static. Alternatively, you can also hold another button along with the left stick to peek around corners.

Even though I only encountered a couple of enemies during my hands-on, which stay true to Silent Hill convention as nightmarish deformed figures with uncanny movements, combat remains a clunky aspect of the game, made no better or worse in first-person. This made it more important for me to prioritise evasion as a tactic.

But from what I managed to play at Gamescom, it's the unsettling vibes that resonate strongest over hostile threats, such as the dread of what could be in a locked box that's meant for carrying human organs, or an extremely Scottish puzzle that involves having to top up an electric meter with a prepaid card from a newsagent.

Having moved to Glasgow under two years ago into a newly renovated tenement building that nonetheless still had one of these relics in the cupboard, it was a moment when Silent Hill: Townfall's mundane horror became a little too real. That's also sure to make this unlike any other Silent Hill game I have played.

Silent Hill: Townfall releases for PlayStation 5 and PC on September 24, 2026.

Nvidia revealed its RTX Spark at Computex in May, an ARM-based superchip designed for Windows on ARM laptops, with AI capabilities and obvious strong suits for creators – but also gamers, too, with a powerful integrated RTX GPU. It's designed for slim laptops and compact PCs, keeping workspaces less cluttered and making creation alongside gaming much easier when travelling.

I was lucky enough to go hands-on with an RTX Spark laptop at Gamescom 2026, specifically the HP OmniBook Ultra 16, which was running Borderlands 4. Gearbox Interactive's latest entry in the franchise was notorious for its rough performance at launch.

It has significantly improved since then, and the OmniBook Ultra 16 was running the game at an incredible frame rate, one I could tell was above 60 frames per second, with the help of Nvidia's Frame Generation x2.

The mention of Frame Generation may throw some off; after all, it's been frowned upon for a long time with the 'fake frames' nickname (a criticism I disagree with). However, the input delay and overall latency weren't an issue for me on this RTX Spark system.

I didn't get the chance to put the system through its paces other than playing that particular game, but it's worth noting that the other RTX Spark laptops at Nvidia's booth were running games like 007 First Light and Arc Raiders, both of which ran at smooth, solid frame rates.

If it wasn't clear already, I think RTX Spark is great for laptops and compact PCs, and my only concern is the price. I'm hoping for something that isn't too expensive, but that's probably wishful thinking due to the nature of these devices and the ongoing RAM crisis. However, it would be a shame if RTX Spark laptops don't blossom as a result of memory shortages.

Handheld manufacturers could use RTX Spark

Speaking with Nvidia's staff at Gamescom, I asked if the RTX Spark was intended to be used with handheld gaming PCs, and it was made clear that Team Green is completely open to any handheld manufacturer reaching out to use the superchip.

Handheld territory isn't exactly foreign to Nvidia either. The Nintendo Switch 2 uses the Tegra T239 processor, with access to DLSS across multiple games — and the upscaling technology does wonders for image quality and performance.

While AMD and Intel's processors continue to provide fantastic performance on most handheld gaming PCs, especially with Intel's new G3 Extreme CPU, I told Nvidia that DLSS on something like a Legion Go or MSI Claw would be untouchable.

Of course, performance has to be balanced with battery life and power usage, as well as pricing, and I'm very aware that this could be a tricky equation to deal with.

If the RTX Spark (or any similar chip in Nvidia's plans going forward) could be the engine of a handheld gaming PC, using more aggressive upscaling wouldn't be something to avoid in terms of any easy win to boost performance. DLSS Super Resolution is great at maintaining sharp image quality, and it would work even better on the smaller screen of a handheld.

Will this ever happen, though? That's down to the manufacturers of these devices.

We’re just days away from Apple’s Surprise and Shine event, where the Cupertino firm’s new CEO John Ternus will unveil all the latest and greatest iPhones the company has up its sleeve. And with the iPhone 18 Pro range nearly upon us, there’s been plenty of chatter about what sort of colors we might see at the show.

Here, we’ve gathered all the latest iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max color rumors, as well as what the best tipsters believe will be coming to the much-discussed foldable iPhone Ultra.

We haven't seen anything about expected colors for the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e yet, but with those devices expected to arrive next Spring, it might be a bit too early. If you’re interested in what Apple's expected to reveal this week, however, you’re in the right place.

iPhone 18 Pro colors

According to the latest rumors, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will come in three shades: Silver, a maroon-flavored Dark Cherry, plus Sky Blue. The latest evidence of this comes from renowned leaker Sonny Dickson, who posted an image on X allegedly depicting SIM trays in the iPhone 18 Pro roster that match these reported tones.

But hold your horses: at the same time, a leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital has claimed on Weibo that the color selection will actually consist of Dark Cherry, Sky Blue and Black, with the Silver option potentially missing from the palette. We’ll have to see which pundit is correct once Apple’s iPhone event is upon us.

What seems to be agreed is that there will be no more of the Cosmic Orange that we saw so vividly in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This year’s range will allegedly be a bit more down to earth, with nothing quite so bright making its way into the lineup.

At the same time, none of the colors on offer look to be as dark as the Deep Blue of last year’s iPhones, suggesting Apple is reining in your choices at both ends of the brightness spectrum.

iPhone Ultra colors

As for the iPhone Ultra, previous leaks have claimed that Apple’s first foldable phone will come in black and white colors.

Leaker Evan Blass recently threw a spanner in the works by arguing that there would be a third model sporting a reddish tint, but Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman quickly poured cold water on that idea by saying that Blass’s images were in fact renders from rival phone maker Xiaomi. Blass has since deleted the post, suggesting that it might have been in error.

Most iPhone Ultra rumors so far have stuck to the line that Apple will limit its foldable phone to two tones. With the launch event less than a week away, it’s likely we would have seen more evidence if there were to be any additional shades.

While a surprise isn’t impossible, the sensible money is on Apple sticking to black and white for now.

Off the back of OpenAI’s accidental hack of Hugging Face and the company’s subsequent efforts to improve how AI agents behave and interact, numerous cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the model’s new ‘recurrent depth’ reasoning capabilities.

This new reasoning architecture allows the model to consider a problem multiple times before taking an action, compared to the standard chain-of-thought reasoning used in previous models.

Why the concern about recurrent depth reasoning?

This new level of reasoning apparently offers improved performance. OpenAI also says it has fixed its models' abilities to circumvent boundaries when performing tests by monitoring the models reasoning and ensuring the model stays aligned within the scope of its task.

During Astra’s launch event, OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki said: “We will not accept degradation in our ability to monitor model alignment beyond a certain level. We will withhold scaling until we can regain enough confidence.”

But numerous experts believe that the lessons of the Hugging Face incident have not yet been learned, and the model has been released without adequate testing on Astra’s reasoning and monitoring.

After all, no one thought one of OpenAI’s models could set up a hidden internet-connected messaging board that allowed AI agents to influence each other's behavior.

But with Astra being released into the real world, the lessons may have to be learned on the fly.

Expert perspectives on OpenAI Astra release

• James Blake, VP of Global Cyber Resiliency Strategy at Cohesity:

The launch of Astra is raising questions again around the safety of Frontier AI. Instead of simply asking whether a model is "safe", organisations now need to ask whether it remains safe across millions of different situations, prompts and interactions. Cyber resilience has traditionally assumed that systems and threat actors behave deterministically. AI systems don’t.

Advanced models can and will continue to exhibit behaviours that emerge from their optimisation process rather than from explicit programming. We have to move beyond thinking about AI as just another software tool and find ways to ensure these systems remain observable, auditable and governable throughout their lifecycle.

The most important question we’ll need to answer in future is one of liability. Suppose an AI system autonomously develops a strategy that causes financial loss, leaks confidential information or violates regulation. Who is responsible? The developer that trained the model? The cloud provider operating the infrastructure? Currently the answer is surprisingly unclear. It’s not just about what AI can do: it’s about who is accountable when it does something nobody expected.

• Oleksandr Yaremchuk, Co-Founder & CTO at Manifold Security:

OpenAI is calling Astra its most aligned model yet, even as its chief scientist admits monitorability is getting harder as models get more capable. Evidently, Astra hides its reasoning in the majority of tested cases, and some successful attacks left no reasoning trace at all. That's the tool many organisations still use, including the labs themselves, for auditing what an agent is doing, and it's getting less reliable with every release.

That matters because Astra isn't staying inside OpenAI's test environment. It's going to run as an agent on employee laptops and in the browser, holding real credentials, inside companies that have no way to watch what it does once it's there. A model that explains itself less isn't more aligned, it's just harder to catch when it goes wrong.

Labs can keep debating what these models say or refuse to say. Security teams need to stop relying on that and start monitoring what agents actually do at runtime, with the ability to shut one down mid-action. That's the only oversight left that still works once the reasoning goes quiet.

• Kristin Lowery, Field CISO at Optiv:

For boards and executive leaders, the emergence of OpenAI’s Astra model highlights a broader reality: AI is no longer just a productivity issue; it is a risk management issue.

Just as organizations established governance for cloud adoption and digital transformation, they now need clear policies, strong oversight, and accountability for AI use.

The question is not whether AI will become more capable — it will. The real challenge is whether organizations can strengthen their governance, security controls, and workforce readiness quickly enough to keep pace.

• Patricia Titus, Field CISO at Abnormal AI:

OpenAI crossing this threshold deserves attention. Credit where it's due, they're handling it responsibly by restricting Astra's advanced cyber capability to a small coalition rather than releasing it broadly.But this isn't one company's problem to contain.

Once a model can find and exploit unknown flaws without a human in the loop, that capability doesn't stay exclusive for long. Open-weight and modified models typically trail the frontier by only months, and that's the reality defenders have to plan around now.

Static, signature-based defences were built for attacks that repeat. They weren't built for an adversary that generates a new one every time. Defenders need the same shift, systems that learn what normal looks like for every identity, human, machine, or AI agent, and flag and contain the moment something deviates, at machine speed.

The window to build that is open now. It won't stay that way once this capability is common instead of rare.

• Raghu Nandakumara, VP of Industry Strategy at Illumio:

With the Astra announcement, OpenAI is doubling down on monitoring the model's own behaviour – a response to the model "breakouts" seen over the past few months.

When Anthropic announced Claude Mythos Preview, the core concern was the model falling into the wrong hands. OpenAI's answer goes further adding guardrails around the model's own reasoning and actions, regardless of the user's intent. The goal is to catch a model going rogue mid-task, not just stop it being misused at the outset.

The rest of this announcement can be summarised as ‘we have a new frontier model, and it’s more capable than the last one’.

You may not think about it, but Earth is under a constant bombardment of solar radiation shooting through space. While our planet's magnetic field does an excellent job of blocking it, sometimes concentrated bursts of radiation known as solar flares are strong enough to interfere with our ground infrastructure via secondary magnetic field ripples.

Writing in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from the US have documented the damage done by a solar 'superstorm' that erupted from the Sun on November 11, 2025. It hit the maximum level on the scale used to measure these storms, causing an unprecedented level of disruption in Earth's upper atmosphere (the ionosphere).

The storm's effects were also unusually widespread, the researchers report, stretching coast to coast across the US for hours. It threw GPS positioning systems off by as much as 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas, and interrupted satellite communications.

Given that GPS errors of just 1-2 meters (3.3-6.6 feet) can cause "catastrophic issues for precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles", the researchers state, this is serious interference. However, the study doesn't go into any specific detail of incidents with self-driving cars or farming machinery.

Potential damage and harms

The researchers are mainly concerned with the scientific aspects of the storm, but do point out that if the event had happened during the main farming season months, the damage could have been much worse. A May 2024 solar storm was estimated to have cost the US agriculture industry around $500 million (£386 million / AU$695 million).

For people, the risk of direct health harms is minimal – though if you're in an airplane and up close to the ionosphere, you might expect to experience bursts of radiation that are equivalent to several X-ray scans. On the plus side, these incidents come with vibrant auroras across the northern and southern poles.

As we can't shut down the Sun, the best way to protect our infrastructure and tech systems from these storms is to improve scientific prediction models, and upgrade hardware protections, which is what the study team emphasizes.

"The results underscore the importance of accurate understanding of various space weather phenomena to enhance our predictive capabilities through coordinated observations and physics-based modeling and ultimately reducing disruptions to RF applications during space weather events," write the researchers.

After that explosive season 2 finale, I think I'd have rioted on the streets if Netflix didn't renew The Gentlemen season 3.

As we said in our season 2 review, it's still up there with the best TV that Netflix has to offer. Think more of what we want, but the shock factor is now off the scale... and I don't think that this is going to change any time soon.

With Eddie (Theo James) breaking away from Susie (Kaya Scodelario) and Bobby (Ray Winstone) to work directly alongside Mafia crime boss Marco (Sergio Castellitto), he's still reeling from his incredibly short-lived marriage to Bella (Benedetta Porcaroli).

The fallout has involved Freddy (Daniel Ings) in the most disturbing of ways (more on that below), and the setup for season 3 couldn't be any more delicious.

Frankly, I need new episodes like it was yesterday. But what do we actually know about The Gentlemen season 3's arrival on Netflix?

The Gentlemen season 3 release window predictions

At the moment, we've got no confirmation of when The Gentlemen season 3 will even begin filming, let alone when we might see it on screens. Because of this, I think we're looking at a 2028 release date, at the very earliest.

This also follows the current release schedule pattern, with season 1 debuting in 2024 and season 2 following up two years after.

Creator and director Guy Ritchie says, “The ambition of The Gentlemen has accelerated, the world has expanded, and the consequences carry weight.

"A third season felt inevitable, and I’m looking forward to pushing the boundaries of it further.”

The Gentlemen season 3 trailer: is there one?

Don't be silly. It took us until the end of August 2026 to get one for season 2, so expect the first full trailer to arrive around two weeks before the third season does.

The Gentlemen season 3 cast

As stated, Theo James is currently the only confirmed returning cast member as of writing. However, we're expecting the following main cast members to return for The Gentlemen season 3:

• Theo James as Eddie Horniman
• Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass
• Ray Winstone as Bobby Glass
• Daniel Ings as Freddy Horniman
• Joely Richardson as Lady Sabrina
• Vinnie Jones as Geoff Seacombe
• Jasmine Blackborow as Charly
• Michael Vu as Jimmy Chang
• Harry Goodwins as Jack Glass
• Ruby Sear as Gabrielle
• Giancarlo Esposito as Stanley Johnston
• Benjamin Clementine as Nanny
• Amra Mallassi as Amir
• Maya Jama as Aisha

Rumors of Meghan Markle joining season 3 have previously circulated, but have since been shut down by existing cast members.

We can still expect new faces to join the cast, so watch this space.

The Gentlemen season 3 plot predictions

Spoilers for The Gentlemen season 2 ahead.

While nothing has been confirmed, we can make some educated guesses based on what's already happened.

By the end of season 2 family dynamics between... well, everyone, are incredibly up in the air. The relationship between brothers Eddie and Freddy is now in its strangest place yet, and it would be fair to assume that there's no legitimate trust between them — even if things feel more 'even', so to speak.

Does Freddy become a lapdog for Marco, if Eddie's allegiance stays with him? Does Freddy rebel if Eddie is so intent of having control over him? And do Sabrina or Geoff intervene either way?

Then there's Eddie's relationship with Susie and Bobby, which is bound to change again now that Bobby has bought the debt. Now that things are smoothed over with Susie, it makes sense that the trio will find their way back to each other... somehow.

It goes without saying that new faces, enemies and drama will be knocking on season 3's door, but for now, all we can do is wait and find out.

The Springboks vs All Blacks 3rd Test is set up to be a nail-biting contest, with the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series delicately poised at 1-1. Whoever comes out on top in Johannesburg cannot lose the four-match series and will have the chance to claim overall victory in next Saturday's finale in Baltimore, US.

South Africa bounced back from their defeat in the opening game with a 33-26 win in Cape Town last Saturday, as inspirational captain Siya Kolisi returned from injury to lead his country to a vital victory. Cheslin Kolbe was a late addition to the Springboks side after initially being ruled out through injury and the winger delivered a player-of-the-match performance, scoring 18 points with the boot.

Kolbe moves to full-back in South Africa's only change for this 3rd Test, with Damian Willemse injured and Kurt-Lee Arendse coming into the squad to start on the wing. Manie Libbok is added to the bench, too, but don't rule out some last-minute alterations from Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus, whose eventual squad in Cape Town showed five changes from the one initially announced the Monday before.

New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has made three changes to his XV, all in the forwards. Hooker Asafo Aumua, lock Sam Darry and flanker Peter Lakai replace Codie Taylor, Fabian Holland and Simon Parker respectively, while Samisoni Taukei’aho and Test debutant Wallace Sititi are on the bench, in for Taylor and Parker. Meanwhile, second row Tupou Vaa’i makes his 50th Test appearance.

The All Blacks have recent experience of winning in Johannesburg, having triumphed 33-16 at Ellis Park in the series opener, and there are more good omens ahead of this clash at FNB Stadium: New Zealand have triumphed on both of their previous visits to the venue, although they were back in 2010 and 2012.

Read on as we explain how to watch Springboks vs All Blacks for free as Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 2026 continues in Johannesburg.

Watch Springboks vs All Blacks for free?

You can watch the South Africa vs New Zealand game free on RugbyPass TV in the US.

The game will also be available to watch for free on ThreeNow in New Zealand on tape-delay at 11.30am NZST on Sunday.

Traveling abroad right now? You need a VPN to watch South Africa vs New Zealand for free as if you were right at home.

Use a VPN to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams

A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country and unlock your usual streaming services, allowing you to watch South Africa vs New Zealand from anywhere in the world. One of our favourites is Proton VPN – it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and comes with up to 70% off.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in the US

As alluded to above, the 3rd Test between South Africa and New Zealand is available to live stream for FREE on RugbyPass TV in the US.

RugbyPass TV has live coverage of a range of international rugby, plus has mobile apps (iOS/Android) if you are looking to watch on the go.

Outside of the US? Use a VPN while you're traveling away from home to unlock your RugbyPass TV stream.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in the UK

In the UK, the South Africa vs New Zealand 3rd Test is being shown on Sky Sports Action with coverage beginning at 3:55pm.

Sky Sports packages start at £22 per month for existing Sky subscribers and rise to £35 per month for those without a Sky subscription.

You can also watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry unfold via a NOW Sports membership that carries the Sky Sports channels.

If you're out of the UK but still want to tune in, Proton VPN will help you access your subscriptions from anywhere.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in Australia

The South Africa vs New Zealand 3rd Test is exclusive to Stan Sport in Australia.

Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$9.99/month, and gives you access to a range of international rugby as well as football.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like Proton VPN to watch the action as if you were back home.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in New Zealand

Fans in New Zealand can watch the South Africa vs New Zealand 3rd Test on Sky Sport NZ, with coverage on the Sky Sport 1 channel.

You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at NZ$29.99 per day or NZ$59.99 per month.

However, if you can wait a few hours, you can also watch the game for free on ThreeNow, which will show a full replay of South Africa vs New Zealand at 11.30am NZST on Sunday. It's ideal for those who don't want to wake up at 3.10am NZST to catch the action live.

Those outside of New Zealand for any part of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour can use Proton VPN to gain access to their home streaming service.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in South Africa

The South Africa vs New Zealand 3rd Test is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa.

SuperSport is the home of live rugby in South Africa, with extensive coverage of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series. You'll need a DStv access package to watch the game, with prices starting at Rs99/month for the streaming version.

Abroad right now? Use Proton VPN to tell your device that you're back home and you'll be good to go.

How to watch Springboks vs All Blacks live streams in Canada

Viewers in Canada can watch the South Africa vs New Zealand 3rd Test on Premier Sports .

A monthly pass costs CA$29.99, but you can also get a six-month pass for CA$79.99 or pay CA$139.99/year for the annual subscription.

If you're out of Canada but still want to catch the action, you can access your accounts from anywhere with Proton VPN.

Team News

South Africa: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.

Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.

New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Peter Lakai, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupou Vaa'i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 George Bower.

Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Josh Moorby.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Upcoming grand strategy game Afterworld is all about building your own society in a post-apocalyptic North America, and, like other games by developer Paradox Interactive, it offers an incredible level of freedom to run things the way you want.

In a recent interview with TechRadar Gaming, director Dan Lind opened up about some of the emergent possibilities that players might encounter as they build their own stories in the wasteland.

"A lot of it will come from the kind of things that you have to adapt your society to," he began. "One story could be like, 'oh, I found like this huge colony of only the elderly or something, and I took them in, and we worked with a lot of tech that meant people lived for a long time, but they're not able to contribute work-wise, and society is struggling...

"So now we figure out ways where they can, say, jump off cliffs at a certain age for the betterment of everybody, or something like that, right? The story becomes 'whoa, how did you end up there? Why do you have this kind of society? Well, it was because this thing happened and I had to make this thing illegal, so nobody could use this resource, and now we're all vegetarians or something. Those are the kind of stories I think you're going to get from this."

In addition to managing your own civilization, Afterworld also has you interacting with those ruled by others — including powerful, ancient tyrants who run large swathes of the wasteland and can subjugate you with military might.

"I also think you're going to get interesting stories when it comes to the big political space where it's like, 'well, I decided to betray this tyrant in this way, so now I have to manage all of New York' or something like that."

Lind said he thinks that the stories players create will make for perfect water-cooler conversation, and went on to reveal that the game won't prevent you from doing evil things like cannibalism or selling members of your society to other groups.

"One of the rules that we have is that we shouldn't judge the player for their terrible choices," he explained. "The game will, for sure, in the sense that your population is not gonna necessarily just like you doing terrible things.... Unless you have a terrible population. Maybe you managed to get them to that point, or you found some people like that.

"This [freedom] is definitely where I see the game sticking out a little bit. It's expected of the setting, right? People don't expect people to behave normally and with a moral code in the apocalypse [...] but as you develop, you can take it in different directions. There's certainly an advantage to having a society that is not doing too many crazy things if you want to grow."

The director went on to say that he's "super excited" to see what players manage to achieve when Afterworld arrives: "For all our games, that's the fun part. Someone's like, 'Whoa, you did that! That's crazy!' Right?"

Watch Man City vs Coventry in the Premier League 2026/27 season, as Enzo Maresca looks to maintain his 100 per cent record in the top flight following his appointment at the Etihad.

After a disappointing Community Shield defeat, City have enjoyed a smooth start to the Premier League campaign. They had to do things the hard way against Bournemouth, coming from behind to win 2-1 late on, but flexed their muscles in a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace last time out and have a shiny new toy to play with in the form of Maresca disciple Enzo Fernandez.

Coventry have found things tougher. A 3-0 loss to Arsenal on the opening night was to be expected, but a 1-0 home defeat by fellow promoted side Hull was a blow. Frank Lampard's side will be keen to get their first point on the board as soon as possible, but the Sky Blues are huge underdogs.

It's hard to see Coventry keeping City out. Rayan Cherki has started the season in explosive form, while Erling Haaland looked sharp against Palace. Coventry's best hope is to keep things tight and nick a goal on the break or from a set-piece via new man Taiwo Awoniyi. Their recent experience at Arsenal will serve them well, but knowing what to expect is not the same as being able to stop it.

Here's how to watch Man City vs Coventry in the 2026/27 Premier League from anywhere in the world.

Man City vs Coventry team news

Man City XI: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Cherki, Anderson, O'Reilly; Semenyo, Haaland, Ndiaye.

Coventry XI: Rushworth; Van Ewijk,

How to watch Man City vs Coventry from anywhere

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and you can get our exclusive deal too...

How to watch Man City vs Coventry live streams in the USA

Soccer fans in the US can watch Man City vs Coventry in the Premier League on USA Network.

There is no dedicated streaming platform for USA Network, but it is available on cord-cutters like YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV, many of which carry free trials.

Outside of the US? Use a VPN whilst you're traveling away from home to unlock your stream. We like NordVPN best.

Can I watch a Man City vs Coventry live stream in the UK?

Unfortunately, Man City vs Coventry is not being broadcast in the UK this weekend.

That's because of the country's TV blackout rules, which prohibit the broadcast of any 3pm kick-offs on Saturday.

If you're currently in the UK but you're usually based overseas, explore the VPN route to access your streaming accounts from back home. NordVPN is our top pick.

How to watch Man City vs Coventry live streams in Canada

Fubo is the Premier League's broadcast partner in Canada and it has live coverage of Man City vs Coventry.

Prices start from CA$31.49 per month for Fubo's Sports Monthly package. However, the best option right now is the Quarterly Package which costs just CA$27.99 CA$14.99 for each of the first three months. You can also watch Fubo's content if you have a select DAZN subscription in Canada.

Not in Canada? Use NordVPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your preferred coverage from anywhere.

How to watch Man City vs Coventry live streams in Australia

A Man City vs Coventry live stream is available in Australia on Stan Sport.

You can pick up a Stan Sport subscription for as little as AU$29.99 per month for the basic plan containing adds. That price consists of the AU$9.99 Stan subscription fee plus the Sport add-on for AU$20.

Outside of Oz? You can use a VPN to access your usual Premier League coverage. We recommend NordVPN.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Equipped with cameras and LiDAR to sense the world around it, the ev1c really has two key sets of interesting features that come from these sensors: being able to fully self-drive within a known and mapped environment; and being able to offer automatic measures for safer use when you're out and under manual control.

Within the home, what it does at first is exactly what robovacs do: it takes a map of the whole area using LiDAR. The system is able to distinguish temporary, moving objects (people and pets) from static objects (walls and tables) — that's obviously important for mapping, but also means you can see what it 'sees' at all times on a little touchscreen on the armrest.

Once the map is created, you can then choose different areas to set as "Waypoints", basically giving you a menu of places you want it to self-drive you between. So you can use the touchscreen or the connected phone app to select a waypoint, and the chair just starts driving you, no controls necessary from there.

You can also trigger waypoints using voice, so you can tell the app "Take me to my bed" and as long as you have a waypoint called "my bed", it'll take you there.

This also means that if you're someone who doesn't need the vehicle all the time, though you may sometimes need it suddenly. You can use the app to have the ev1c bring itself to you, even if you'd left it on the other side of the house.

There's another feature that the team is testing right now for people who only need the vehicle intermittently, which is a "Follow me" mode — so you can start walking, and the ev1c will just trundle along behind you. If you need it, there it is, ready to go.

I tried that out at Strutt's booth, and while it was buggy at this stage, it did work — and would probably take some getting used to, because having something quietly following right behind you is pretty unnerving.

However, the self-driving side of the tech is ready to go, and when I tried that side out as well, I was truly impressed. The chair can be a little jerky when it's turning around in a small space, but that's really the only issue I could take from it, from my admittedly limited demo.

Starting at one end of the fake 'living space' in Strutt's booth, it steered me around a dining table, through a narrow gap towards a doorway, through the doorway, and then up to the couch. It finished with me facing the couch, for convenience, and it didn't touch a single thing along the way — no brushing a dining chair or clipping wheels against the door. I went across a rug as well as a hard floor, and that made no difference.

I also tried it in its more manual modes, with the 'Co-Pilot' feature switched on. This is the 'smart' system for when you're driving it yourself, and the key thing it adds is object avoidance. The simplest benefit is that the system won't let you crash into anything — Strutt's team told me to drive towards them at full speed, so I did, and the vehicle just stopped as we got a few inches away. It wasn't like slamming on the brakes — it just ramped down and left me stationary.

Other handy features for when you're in manual control include a reversing camera (with a line of your steering trajectory) and a 'cruise control' mode so you can just set it to go in a straight line at a set speed, and you can relax your hand.

But there is also a 'Co-Pilot+' more advanced assistive mode, and the interesting feature the team showed me here was an alternative to the auto-stop, in which the system will look for space and actually steer around the blockage, rather than just braking when you get too close.

Perhaps more useful in the day-to-day use of the chair, is that this mode will just finesse your driving, so if you're at risk of clipping the door in your home it'll automatically adjust the steering to make sure it doesn't happen — it's like the steering assist in Mario Kart.

I tried the same demo of driving into someone, but this time the ev1c steered in an arc around them, then returned me to my original position on the path and carried on forward — but my hand had just stayed on pushing the controls forward the whole time, I didn't contribute any motion to the steering.

As for the vehicle's general specs, it's capable of going up to 8mph, with a range of around 20 miles on its battery, depending on the terrain. It can handle grass and gravel, as well as inclines of up to 13° (23%) and two-inch curb heights, all powered by a four-wheel drive system.

The ev1c breaks down into five pieces for packing into car, and Strutt told me that it's looking into offering a backup battery bag, so you can hot-swap when away from home if you want support for longer distances.

It's officially priced at $7,499 / £5,995 / AU$9,999, though the actual price you pay might be affected by local schemes to make mobility vehicles more affordable.

It's a lot of money, though I assumed it was going to be even more expensive than that. I'm not someone who uses a personal mobility vehicle, so all my opinions here need to be taken in that context, but I was really impressed with how the chair works in practice, how it's been designed and built, and what it can do — it even picked up one of our 'IFA 2026 Best in Show' awards.

The simplicity is the main appeal of these solar panels, which can be plugged straight into a standard outlet in your home, without any expensive roof mounting or time-consuming planning permission required. Any energy that you generate from free sunlight is used immediately for the appliances in your home, cutting down your electricity bill.

Now that the tech is legal in a growing number of places, we're seeing more and more certified kits and compatible batteries appear on sale. During our travels around the IFA 2026 tech expo in Berlin, the products below particularly caught our eye.

There's one big caveat here — in the UK and US, grid-tied plug-in batteries aren't currently a legal part of plug-in solar, so in those regions the products below will need professional installation (which slightly negates that 'plug-in' descriptor).

Still, there are hopes that plug-in batteries could soon be legalized in the UK and elsewhere, which means the bill-cutting products below could be a glimpse of our home energy future...

1. EcoFlow Stream 2 / Ocean 2

EcoFlow has been in the energy storage game for some time of course, and brings all of its expertise to bear on these two new products. Starting with the 3-5kWh Stream 2 home battery, we've got support for up to 5,000W of solar input and 3,000W of electricity output, so enough to power washing machines, dishwashers, and the like.

It's modular too, so you can stack these up like Lego bricks as your energy needs change, and the units offer four MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) inputs if you need to connect panels in different spots. There's also an AC version if you already have solar panels installed and just need somewhere to store the electricity.

As for the Ocean 2, this is a fitted home battery, replacing the PowerOcean line. It does up to 30 kWh with a single inverter, and can provide backup power if the grid goes down with an instant switchover so you'll never even notice. Both require professional installation, but you can take the Stream 2 with you when you move.

2. Anker Solix Solarbank Max

On to the Anker Solix Solarbank Max, and this impressive-looking home battery brings with it 7 kWh of storage capacity, which should be enough to keep an entire home going overnight (assuming it hits the average figure for usage).

Unlike the AC version that's already on the market, this can connect directly to your solar panels, and it can take on 10,000W of solar input across three MPPTs. You can also expand the capacity up to 42 kWh with extra batteries.

You do need to get an electrician to fit this to your home power network, just to avoid anything blowing up, but Anker reckons you'll have saved on up front costs and be getting pure profit within 2.5 years — though your mileage may vary.

3. Zendure SolarFlow 2400 Pro / 4000 Mix Pro

The Zendure SolarFlow 2400 Pro and 4000 Mix Pro aren't entirely new, but they were shown off at IFA, and we're including them here. Again the emphasis is on simple, easy to manage solar energy storage: the SolarFlow 2400 Pro can take on 4,800W of solar input across four MPPTs, and offers 2,400W bi-directional AC power (hence the name).

With the SolarFlow 4000 Mix Pro, we've got capacity for 13,000W of solar input across two MPPTs, and you get (you've guessed it) up to 4,000W of bi-directional power, so it's a more heavy duty operator and larger unit.

Both these batteries can be connected to plug-in solar panels as well as retrofitted to panels that are already on your roof, though obviously the SolarFlow 4000 Mix Pro can handle more of them.

4. DJI Power 2000 and solar bundle

We were very impressed with the DJI Power 2000 portable power station when it launched last year, and at IFA 2026 it told us that it's going to turn this into a fully fledged balcony solar system — complete with its own solar panels and a microinverter for connecting to a standard power network.

Details are a bit thin on the ground though, as we don't know how much it's going to cost or exactly how it's going to work. Apparently the bundled kit is going to be sold in Germany first, with no word yet on an international expansion.

What we do know is that DJI has the technical experience and nous to put together one of the most compelling plug-in solar packages out there — and one which you can pick up and take camping with you. We'll be keeping a close eye on this.

5. Bluetti Balco 260 / Balco 500

While the kits were unveiled shortly before IFA 2026, we've been able to get a good look at the Balco 260 and Balco 500 at the expo. They offer 2,400W (through four MPPTs) and 4,300W (through a single MPPT) of solar input, respectively.

As with the Zendure models, they're basically an entry level and more advanced version of the same pack: They can be hooked up to balcony solar or rooftop solar as needed, and connected to the mains electricity network in your home.

We were at the launch of these units back in May, and there was a big emphasis on simplicity throughout. The aim here is to reduce as many barriers to entry as possible, which is helped through the changes in regulations now happening in the US and UK.

Since moving to multiple model sizes for its premium outdoor smartwatch, the largest ‘X’ models quickly came to represent the introduction of exciting, cutting-edge innovations that then start to filter down to the rest of the best Garmin watches. But I wasn;t convinced a multi-LED flashlight on the top of the watch case was something prospective Garmin watch owners should get excited about.

Garmin claimed it would be a “game-changer for sport, adventure and daily life”. In the early weeks of testing the 7X, that wasn’t my experience. I’d quite quickly written it off as rather gimmicky. The question I kept on asking myself was; ‘why would I choose it over reaching for the pretty good LED flashlight I have on my phone?’

It probably wasn’t until being out of that testing bubble of a month with the 7X and I started simply living with it, that my opinion began to change. I was using it more and more each week.

It probably wasn’t until being out of that testing bubble of a month with the 7X and I started simply living with it, that my opinion began to change. I was using it more and more each week.

It started to become the flashlight I used when trying to quietly hunt out charging cables at night moving around my flat without turning on the main light and getting a telling-off. I didn’t need to be a further nuisance and look for my phone because I already had an exceptionally bright light on my wrist. Then it became the source of light on darker sections of my nighttime running routes or helping me to navigate my way back home from the gym. When I was dabbling in some DIY, it was less awkward to use than a phone to line up fixings.

I began to appreciate that Garmin didn’t just slap on a flashlight because it could. It wanted to show how useful a wrist-based source of light could be. I now also had a flashlight I could set to strobe or match my running cadence to improve visibility. It could also switch from white to red light for a still bright, yet less intrusive way to illuminate what lay ahead and around me.

As Garmin moved to share the flashlight love to other watches in its range, it also continued to evolve its abilities to become smarter. Now when I went out for a run or walk after sunset, the watch would display a prompt to turn on the strobe mode to make sure I was thinking about staying seen as day turned into night. There’s a distress mode that when set up from the Garmin Connect app, can display emergency contact information on screen while flashing an SOS light pattern.

It’s no big surprise that rival watchmakers thought it was a great idea too. Suunto, Coros, Amazfit and Polar now all have torch-toting smartwatches.

Are there any downsides of having a flashlight on a smartwatch? Well, it does mean creating more space on the watch case for it. That’s likely why so far it’s mainly been included on larger more rugged watches like the Suunto Vertical 2, Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro and the Polar Street X, although Garmin has managed to plant it onto its slimmer Forerunner and Venu series watches.

Another consideration is battery life. Running a flashlight while also using GPS or any other onboard watch sensors will contribute to that battery drain, but unless you’re planning to keep it switched on continuously for hours, I’m not sure the type of battery life drop you’ll experience is going to be anything to be massively worried about.

How could it become even smarter? I think Garmin in particular has shown it can be more ingrained with your current environment or the time of day. Further integrating with safety features is an obvious one. Especially for anyone that goes on solo adventures. Could we get a UV mode or even be one strong enough to start a fire for that added outdoor appeal? As smartwatch makers focus on making brighter watch displays, should the same happen for the built-in flashlight?

When it feels like there’s more of a focus on breaking new health tracking ground or cramming our lives and screens with more metrics , it’s easy to forget about some of the simpler gadgets that makes a smartwatch a useful thing to own. I’d now put the LED flashlight in the bracket of things I hope to see on any new smartwatch. We’ve not seen one on an Apple Watch Ultra model yet, so maybe that’s to come. I’ve definitely seen the light and it’s in the form of a feature I thought had gimmick written all over it. How wrong I was.

Editor-in-Chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) is still desperately searching for the stories that will take his team to the next level, while Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore) rarely thinks about anybody's reputation but her own. Nicole (Ramona Young) is still giving Kelly Kapoor vibes in a majorly inferior way, while Mare (Chelsea Frei)... well, she's just trying her best.

Okay, so maybe there are a few big changes, but you'll have to wait to find out what they are. So, when does The Paper season 2 land on Peacock?

What time can I watch The Paper season 2 on Peacock?

For US viewers, we're expecting The Paper season 2 to be available on September 9 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

Internationally, look out for the below times:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 5pm AEST
• New Zealand – 7pm NZST

In the UK, you can catch season 2 on both Sky TV and NOW. Episodes should be released around 8am BST.

When do new episodes of The Paper season 2 come out?

All 10 episodes of this season will be released at the same time. Unlike weekly drops on the likes of Prime Video, Apple TV, and Disney+, then, you won't need to wait around for new installment of The Paper season 2.

As for the series' future, there's currently no public word on whether a third season has been greenlit. Hopefully, we won't be made to wait much longer.

We had a host of new products on show at the IFA 2026 tech event in Berlin, OpenAI dropping its best ChatGPT model yet and declaring the age of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), and Dyson bringing out its first toothbrush. Oh, and we also made time to review the Pixel 11 Pro and have an exclusive chat with Sonos CEO Tom Conrad.

You'll find all that and more in our ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) round-up below — our pick of the best tech headlines on our pages over the past week. Enjoy catching up!

7. The 'Lake America' saga hit Google and Apple

The Trump administration has decided that Lake Ontario on the US-Canada border should be called Lake America, after some 400 years or so (and a few trade spats with Canada). Google Maps and eventually Apple Maps went along with the change, stressing that it was just their policy to use government data — but MapQuest has been standing firm so far.

While Canadians still see 'Lake Ontario' on their maps, and international maps users see both names together, the acquiescence of the mapping companies hasn't gone down well with commenters online. "Beyond ridiculous" and "braindead" are just a couple of the comments left in a Reddit thread on the name change rolled out in Google Maps.

• Read the full story: 'Beyond ridiculous': if you're seeing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America on Google Maps, here's why

6. IKEA revealed its first smart radiator thermostat

IKEA has made a concerted effort to push out simple, affordable, reliable smart home gear in recent months, and the Liljebagge is the latest in the series to appear. It fastens to your radiator and can be used to control its temperature independently, either through a connected phone app or via the buttons placed on the actual thermostat itself.

With Matter and Thread support, this looks like another appealing gadget from IKEA, though we don't yet know about international availability and pricing. Hopefully this device goes on sale worldwide before too long — and we'd like to see IKEA continue to compete with the big names in tech when it comes to sensibly priced smart home kit.

• Read the full story: IKEA launches its first smart radiator thermostat, with Matter support and an impressively affordable price

5. We reviewed the Google Pixel 11 Pro

TechRadar's Jason Cipriani has spent a week testing out the new Pixel 11 Pro from Google, and he's ready to share his thoughts: his in-depth review covers the core specs and pricing of the phone, and its design, display quality, performance, software, cameras, and battery life. You'll be hard pushed to find a more thorough review anywhere else on the web.

You'll have to click through to get the final verdict, but phrases like "enticing to potential iPhone converts" and "truly magical" (in regard to one specific AI feature) give you an idea of the way the review leans. It's now been a decade since Google switched the Nexus branding for the Pixel branding, and all of that experience is starting to really show.

• Read the full story: I spent a week with the Google Pixel 11 Pro, and I think Google has perfected the Pixel formula

4. Sonos exclusively talked to us about its new Ultra products

Sonos CEO Tom Conrad is the man in charge of trying to turn the company's fortunes around after the software debacles of the last couple of years, and he was kind enough to give his time to TechRadar for an exclusive chat about new hardware and a new AI-infused 'operating system' that runs seamlessly across all the products in the Sonos portfolio.

There are new Ace Ultra headphones and a new Beam Ultra soundbar to talk about, and based on early impressions, it seems as though Sonos is getting back to what it does best — making high-end audio equipment that's as good as anything else you'll find on the premium market. Find out what Conrad has to say about his first year in charge below.

• Read the full story: Exclusive: Sonos CEO Tom Conrad explains why the new Sonos Ace Ultra headphones can achieve what fans wanted the first Ace to do, why its new Ultra soundbar is small, and the AI features of the company's new 'operating system'

3. We reviewed Dyson’s 'game-changing' toothbrush

Dyson just entered the smart toothbrush category, and it's not messing about: the Dyson CameraJet offers deep teeth cleaning, liquid flossing, and oral hygiene guidance in a complete package. There's even a camera on board this toothbrush, so you can get feedback on how well (or otherwise) you're managing to clear the grime from your mouth.

We've already given the Dyson CameraJet toothbrush the in-depth TechRadar review treatment, so we can tell you honestly whether it's worth your while picking up this (rather expensive) gadget and sticking it in your mouth — read on to find out why we described it as a "a unique and effective solution" for keeping your precious teeth in top shape.

• Read the full story: Dyson CameraJet review: This game-changing toothbrush offers liquid flossing, precision-brushing and a camera that doubles as a dental endoscope — I tried it for a week

2. We went to IFA 2026 and picked our favorite gadgets

There's always so much great tech to see at the IFA 2026 tech show that takes place every year in Berlin. To help cut through the thousands of brands and products being exhibited to the very best gadgets, we've put together a list of our favorite reveals. You'll find projectors, exoskeletons, e-readers, AI recorders, laptops, tablets, and more listed here.

While a lot of these listed products won't be available to buy for a month or three, they give us plenty to look forward to for the rest of the year, and act as indicators of where the technology industry is going next. In summary, everything is getting smarter, thinner, and lighter, and there's never been a better time to be a fan of cutting-edge technology.

• Read the full story: IFA 2026 'Best in Show' awards: our 25 favorite reveals at the Berlin tech expo, from somersaulting robots to modular solar batteries for renters

1. OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra and said 'welcome to the AGI era'

OpenAI has announced the new GPT-6 Astra model for ChatGPT, and it comes with a lot of hype attached. According to the company, this is a "significant step forward" for AI, which is now reaching an "extremely capable" stage that apparently can't be fully understood. At the same time, OpenAI's president Greg Brockman is saying "welcome to the AGI era".

AGI is a reference to Artificial General Intelligence, a point at which AI gets smarter than humans and can do just about everything better than we can — although there's plenty of debate around the definition. Our take? We perhaps need to be more cautious about developing these AI models if it means a high risk of them escaping our control.

• Read the full story: GPT-6 is here, but what if we just said 'no thanks' to Astra, a model so powerful that we may never fully understand it

When the Fenix 8 finally dropped in 2024, it quickly earned a reputation as the best Garmin GPS watch money can buy, even if that meant parting with a lot of money. I gave it a thorough test on the 11-day trek to Everest Base Camp, and with Garmin’s full suite of training features, a bright AMOLED display, microphone and speaker, plus an LED torch, there was no doubt that it was a big step up from the hugely popular Fenix 7.

Last year, Garmin followed the Garmin Fenix 8 up with the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, which took the winning formula and added built-in LTE cellular and inReach satellite connectivity for phone-free messaging and SOS alerts. I tested it at the Love Trails running festival this summer, and genuinely started to doubt the rumours that a Fenix 9 could really be imminent. What more could there possibly be to add?

I went along to the Fenix 9 release in Chamonix to find out, and immediately afterwards I strapped the Fenix 9 Pro on and hit the trail. It hasn’t been off my wrist since, and between its refined design, faster processing, plus some very fun new navigation and tracking features, I can say it’s a clear improvement over the Fenix 8.

Built with a titanium case and bezel, the 9 Pro is lighter, more durable and resistant to the elements. Side-by-side with my 8 Pro, it looks nicer and more expensive thanks to a nanomoulding construction process that produces a more streamlined build without the need for screws. This also makes it significantly thinner, in all sizes, and with the arrival of a 43mm case option (which I’m testing), it’s more wearable day-to-day than its predecessor.

The 3,000-nit AMOLED display is brighter, sure (although not as bright as the 8 Pro’s MicroLED option), but it’s more the improved clarity that I find myself appreciating. The green light option that’s been added to the LED torch makes a fantastic difference to my night vision, whether I’m out late on the trail or trying to make a cup of tea in the middle of the night without disturbing my entire household.

Garmin is already the industry leader in maps, and the Fenix 9 Pro map loads faster and adds a new Perspective orientation, which I think is useful when navigating in urban areas, and it’s more useful to be able to see what side streets and road junctions are up ahead.

Rolled out with the Fenix 9 are improved Stamina readings, including new Stamina Zones, which I’ve started using to help me manage my effort and pace when I’m on the trail. Brand new is the Garmin Epic feature, which essentially lets you group workouts such as training blocks, long-distance treks or adventure holidays so you can see their cumulative effect. There are also updates to the Rucking activity mode, so it now reflects the additional energy demands of your pack weight.

Like the Fenix 8 Pro, this watch boasts LTE-M cellular technology, which means I can easily respond to messages and phone calls from my wrist so long as my phone is nearby. There are some improvements to LiveTrack and Location Tracking, which are useful for both urban explorers and long bouts in the wild.

For hikers like myself, inReach satellite connectivity means I can reach emergency response from almost anywhere on the planet, and it does mean I can message friends and family when I’m offline; however, that’s only through the Garmin Messenger app. When I spoke to Garmin’s Global Lead Product Manager Jon Hosler in Chamonix, he admitted that the brand’s functionality here does lag a bit behind competitors like Apple, which have more control over the cellular ecosystem, but he also stressed that the Fenix remains a performance watch first and foremost.

In summary, the Fenix 9 Pro plants a flag firmly at the GPS watch summit as a top-of-the-line option. It’s brighter, faster, ludicrously well-featured, and, unsurprisingly, even pricier. All of that said, this shouldn’t be considered a realistic upgrade for Fenix 8 users, who are already sporting a fantastic timepiece. But compared to anything before the 8, it’s better by a country mile.

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: specifications

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: price and availability

• Starts at £949.99 for smallest 43mm
• Prices for Fenix 9 start at £859.99
• Reaches up to £1,209.99

The Fenix 9 Pro starts at $1,099.99 / £949.99 / AU$1,749 for the 43mm case size without inReach connectivity. With inReach, pricing starts at $1,199.99 / £1,029.99 / AU$1,899. The Fenix 9 Pro Solar is the same price, while the regular Fenix 9, which has a fibre-reinforced polymer case instead of titanium, starts at $999.99 / £859.99 / AU$1,599, and that’s for both the 43mm and 47mm.

The largest and most expensive 51mm Fenix 9 Pro with inReach is priced at $1,399.99 / £1,209.99 / AU$2199, and for that you get yourself a considerable increase in battery life with up to 31 days in smartwatch mode / 56 hours in activity mode compared to 10 days / 18 hours in the 43mm watch.

If you’re looking at a model with satellite technology, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of an inReach subscription if you actually want to use it (which starts at £7.99 / $7.99 a month), and all in, it definitely prices a lot of people out.

But the high price shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone familiar with Garmin Fenix watches, and it’s hard to criticize it on being a high-performing piece of tech made with premium materials. There are plenty of other great options out there right now, including the Fenix 8, which you’re likely to find at a discount now that the Fenix 9 has been unleashed.

• Value score: 4/5

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: design

• Titanium case and bezel
• Slimmer design
• Brighter AMOLED display

I tend to feel a bit indifferent to changes in materials in my GPS watches, but I have to admit that the titanium case and bezel on the Fenix 9 Pro do make this look and feel like the expensive watch that it is. It’s sleeker and less rugged, down to both the materials and the nanomoulding process, which removes the need for screws.

It’s not totally fair to do a side-by-side comparison with the Fenix 8 Pro here because the latter isn’t available in 43mm, and that accounts for some of the 15g weight difference (equalling an almost 25% increase), but suffice to say that my Fenix 9 Pro is considerably lighter and thinner (to the tune of 16%, according to Garmin), and it has a less sporty aesthetic, which for me is a huge upgrade. If I’m being honest, this is the first Garmin watch I’ve tested that I’m happy wearing all of the time, though I might take it off to go to a wedding.

The AMOLED display is brighter than both my Fenix 8 and 8 Pro models, while the new, more subdued colour scheme is a bit more sophisticated, and it’s all a little sharper whether I’m looking at the stats of a run or using maps to navigate. I’m also amazed at how accurate the touchscreen keyboard is for typing out text messages, even on the smallest display available.

Other than that, everything will feel familiar to existing Fenix users, including the five-button setup, intuitive widget-based layout and responsive touchscreen (that is sometimes a little too responsive, pulling up the weather forecast when I’m in the shower). I’ve finally taken the time to add a bunch of widgets that I use frequently to my quick list, such as my endurance score and recovery estimates, last activity, moon phases and tides, so it’s ready to go before I even leave the house.

You’ll need the enormously comprehensive Garmin Connect app to view your metrics, and the slightly clunkier Garmin Messenger app if you want to use satellite technology for messaging, and if I were to pinpoint a weakness, I’d say it’s a shame that these two aren’t yet integrated into one app.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: features

• Updated build
• Better maps and LED torch
• New training and adventure tools

First up, maps have been updated, and according to Garmin, they render 40% faster than on the 8 Pro and pan 30% faster when you’re searching for something up ahead. There’s a new perspective view added to the map orientation, which you can enable to better see what’s up ahead.

Also new are Stamina Zones, which use heart rate, pace and speed, and Hosler explains that they can be more useful than Heart Rate Zones for managing your effort. I’ve added them to the data screens in different activity modes, so I can see what zone I’m in and how much of my potential stamina I’m using. It’s more obvious in interval training, where I can see my zones dip and rise, but even on long plods it’s an interesting way to see how much gas I might have left in the tank at a current pace.

After an activity, I can view the top contributors to my Endurance Score (hiking for me), and see estimates of how long I should be able to run at a given pace: apparently over seven hours at my easy pace and nearly 20 minutes at max effort, which I’m yet to put to the test.

Garmin’s commitment to upgrading Rucking mode in recent years signals that this is an activity in ascendancy, and it now calculates better estimates of your energy expenditure rather than just being a way to catalogue different activities. The Fenix 9 allows you to set a calorie goal rather than distance or time, and to edit your pack weight mid-activity, which Hosler explains gives ruckers more accurate readings when they’re hiking uphill with water or rocks that they ditch for the descent. I often hike with a heavy pack, and now my activity report shows the difference between my calories burned through activity and the additional calories from the weight of my pack. This is mildly interesting, and could in theory change my fuelling strategy on a long thru hike.

A very fun – if non-essential – feature rolled out with the Fenix 9 and 9 Pro is called Garmin Epic, which lets you group workouts. When I heard about it in the press conference, I worried it might be similar to the gratuitous Adventure Journal in the Coros Nomad, but after testing it out, I genuinely love it. I gave it a quick test in Chamonix by grouping together all five hikes and trail runs I went on so I could see my cumulative distance, time on the trails and related health stats. But it’s also retrospective, so I’ve been able to make an Epic for last year’s trek to Everest Base Camp and finally see that entire, unforgettable trip as one adventure, from the map of my entire 11-day route to my total elevation gain. I can share my Epic with friends and family, but I can see the demand for Garmin to develop this into a video that users can share on social media.

As for connectivity, I have an active inReach subscription, so I’m able to signal for help from anywhere, but fortunately haven’t had to do so yet. This feature does rely on the Garmin Messenger app, and most of my friends and family are not on there, so this is an area where the Fenix lags behind the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In our conversations, Hosler was clear that he doesn’t consider this watch a true replacement for a satellite device like my Garmin inReach Mini 2, but more of a nice-to-have backup. LiveTrack has improved and now you can send a tracking link directly from your phone, which has good implications for urban runners as well as hikers.

And last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention everyone’s favourite feature: the upgraded LED torch, which was being heralded by elite trail runners like Katie Schide, Tom Evans and Elsey Davis in Chamonix, who all said this was among their top Garmin features.

The Fenix 9 and 9 Pro have both added a green light option, which is better for night vision, though perhaps not quite as kind to your significant other when you’re looking for your running socks at 5 a.m. It may not be a substitute for a headtorch on a night run, but when your torch runs out of batteries, you’ll be glad you have your Garmin.

Add on to this all the features of the Fenix 8, and I can’t imagine what else you could possibly want from your watch.

• Features score: 5/5

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: performance

• Reliable sensors
• Lightning-fast maps
• Better night vision

The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro has all the same sensors as its predecessor, and after testing the two out on the same run, I’m confident that the readings were all virtually identical (though Hosler did explain that GPS differences can be down to the two watches being on different wrists and pointing in different directions).

I prefer the smaller case size, but it does mean I’m sacrificing battery life. My battery lost 17% during my first two-hour hike, which was a little shocking, but going forward I’ve been using Max Battery mode for longer sessions, which uses energy-saving measures and means a little less accuracy from GPS.

In the last 10 days, I did four short hikes and runs in Chamonix, two spin sessions, a pool swim, a long trail run, a short treadmill workout and a base run. I ran the battery all the way down, had to charge it once, and now it’s at 61%. In regular use, where I’ll typically have it in activity mode for at least 30 minutes a day, I expect to have to charge it once a week, and for a multi-day trek, I’d expect to be charging it at least every other day. That said, if you compare the 51mm Fenix 9 Pro and 8 Pro side by side, the 9 Pro has a better battery life, so if you’re after endurance, size up.

The display is really easy to see in all light conditions, brilliant sunshine and torrential rain and is really responsive when I lift my wrist, although this naturally declines as the battery runs low.

I put maps to the test straight away in Chamonix, charting a course to a mountainside cafe on the Tour du Mont Blanc, and it all renders so quickly and smoothly I don’t even really have to stop and think about it. Though I didn’t find the perspective view that helpful on the trails, it was great for navigating through the busy streets of Chamonix, which often poses a challenge as my phone doesn’t work well there. On my first test, I tried going off-course to see if the maps would reroute me and it didn’t work, but I’ve since been able to chalk that up to Garmin rolling out the watch to the world at the very same time I was testing it, as when I got back to Scotland, I went out on a 12k trail run and found the rerouting to work perfectly.

he LTE connectivity means I can leave my phone in my backpack, and that is really quite refreshing. I did send my boyfriend a link to track me on my most recent trail run via Garmin Connect, and he was able to do so, if not with a fair amount of apathy. I’ve also sent some test messages to my few Garmin Messenger contacts; it’s easy to type directly on the watch, and the message sends in a flash.

I don’t love wearing a watch to bed, but thanks to the slimmer design, I’ve been able to test out the sleep tracking, and it’s really accurate. My subsequent training Readiness scores and Recovery predictions have been pretty in line in accordance with how I feel.

Also at night, the green light function on the torch has quickly rendered my beloved red light nearly obsolete, making it easier than ever to creep around the house without bumping into things and even read a book in bed without turning my lamp on.

• Performance score: 5/5

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: should I buy?

Buy it if…

Your adventures take you into the wild

The Fenix 9 Pro has all the field tools for a backcountry adventure, and the technology to help get you out of there if things go wrong.

You’ve been running on a Fenix older than the 8 for years

Even the fabulous Fenix 7 pales in comparison to this one.

You’re a tech junkie with a big budget

All the best tech is on display here at an aspirational price.

Don’t buy it if…

You have the Fenix 8

The Fenix 8 is a cracking watch, and while we admit this is an upgrade, we can’t make a compelling case to switch

You’re saving up for a down payment on a house

This watch comes with some serious sticker shock

Also consider

How I tested

I’ve tested this watch from the French Alps to Scotland, over multiple hikes, trail runs and road runs, with a few indoor workouts on the bike, treadmill and in the pool thrown in. I’ve compared it with the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and the Suunto Vertical 2 for good measure, and spent hours talking to Garmin experts and poring over the data in the watch and on the Garmin Connect app.

Brisbane step up their bid to win a third flag in a row as they face Sydney in an enticing AFL 2026 Qualifying Final at the SCG. The Lions will be looking to prey on a Swans team missing several players as they hunt a place in the preliminary finals.

The reigning champions know exactly what it takes to reach and indeed win an AFL Grand Final, doing so in each of the past two years — including beating Sydney in the 2024 showpiece at the MCG. Brisbane look menacing again this time around, winning 10 of their last 11 matches by an average of 48 points to finish third in the ladder.

The Lions' strong run of form included an impressive victory over the Swans at the Gabba in Round 16, as they gained revenge for a defeat by their Qualifying Final opponents way back in Round 1. They are set to be boosted by the return from injury of co-captain Hugh McCluggage, who missed the final three matches of the regular season with a calf issue.

Sydney finished second in the ladder, four points behind minor premiers Fremantle, but all is not well in the Swans camp. They are already without club-suspended quintet Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice for the rest of the season, while Joel Amartey doesn't make the 23 following an Achilles injury.

Swans' poor record against the rest of the eventual top six is also a concern — their Round 1 victory over Brisbane at the SCG was their only win in six attempts — as they look to keep alive their hopes of a first flag since 2012.

The loser, of course, gets another crack in the upcoming semi-finals.

Read on as we explain how to watch Sydney vs Brisbane for free in the AFL 2026 Qualifying Final.

Can you watch Sydney vs Brisbane for free?

Yes. Sydney vs Brisbane is being shown on free-to-air Channel 7 in Australia, with live streaming available via 7Plus.

Outside of Australia? You can use a VPN to watch Sydney vs Brisbane for free on 7Plus.

How to watch Sydney vs Brisbane from anywhere

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

How to watch Sydney vs Brisbane live streams in the US

US viewers can watch live Sydney vs Brisbane coverage on FS2.

If you don't have the channels on cable, FS2 is carried by Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, each of which offers a free trial to new users.

Traveling away from the US? Use a VPN while you're abroad to unlock your stream.

How to watch Sydney vs Brisbane live streams in the UK

Sydney vs Brisbane is being shown on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.

You can add TNT Sports to your Sky, Virgin Media or EE TV package, or get an HBO Max plan that includes TNT Sports. Prices start at £25.99/month if you commit to a year.

If you're out of the UK but still want to watch the game on TNT Sports, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.

How to watch Sydney vs Brisbane live streams in Australia

Free-to-air Channel 7 is showing Sydney vs Brisbane in all regions of Australia, with live streaming available via 7Plus.

Just create an account using a valid Australia postcode (e.g. 2042).

Not in Australia right now? You can use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action as if you were back home.

How to watch Sydney vs Brisbane live streams in Canada

AFL fans in Canada can watch Sydney vs Brisbane on TSN2.

If you don't have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs CA$24.99 a month to access what goes out on regular TSN.

If you're out of Canada but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

For the past decade I have been getting by without a dishwasher. My small apartment just doesn't have space for one — at least, not if I want to have, say, a sink. So when I saw Lissome's countertop dishwasher at IFA 2026, it was like my prayers had been answered at last.

The Lissome R1 is a compact dishwasher designed exactly for situations like mine: small households or apartments that don't have space for a full machine, or rented homes that you can't plumb something new into.

"Dishwasher ownership often assumes a cabinet opening, fixed plumbing and unused worktop space," says the brand. "R1 is designed around the homes where those assumptions do not hold, giving users a compact alternative without asking them to redesign the kitchen first."

It's a compact 280mm wide, 507mm deep, and stands 502mm tall. That means it should be able to squeeze into your kitchen without eating up all your counter space. More useful — for renters especially — is that it doesn't need to be plumbed in. Instead, the water tank is filled manually, giving you plenty of flexibility about where you put it . Plus, you can easily take it with you when you move homes.

Lissome is keen to emphasize that the R1 is designed to be a main dishwasher rather than an overflow machine. In fact, it's rather TARDIS-like, with the ability to hold up to 34 items — it's meant for up to three people's place settings.

It's not a plain white box, but instead has glass windows on three sides. Not only does it look good, but it also allows me to finally satisfy my long-held curiosity as to what actually happens inside a dishwasher. (How well the glass-forward design holds up after being exposed to many weeks' worth of cereal, sauce and coffee dribbles remains to be seen.)

Lissome says the inner workings are built around "the World's First Sweeping Jet Technology". Essentially, there are two rotating arms in the base, shooting out artfully coordinated jets of water that arc gracefully — picture the Bellagio Fountains — across the whole interior chamber.

There are six preset programs. These include Quick Wash, which combines 13 minutes of speed-washing with two minutes of steam-release and drying, and Smart Wash, which uses an AI-powered sensor that "detects water turbidity and grease levels, then adjusts the cleaning cycle and detergent dosage" to get your dishes sparkling without wasting water or cleaning fluid.

The Huntsman line has long been a distinguished marque in the gaming keyboard world, and now this new analog addition seeks to add Hall Effect technology to the formula.

It looks like a high-performing machine. The all-black colorway might be a little drab, but the floating keycaps and subtly brushed metal faceplate add touches of class. The bright RGB backlighting also helps to sell its gaming prowess.

What’s more, it’s built exceptionally well. That faceplate feels incredibly smooth and solid, while the keycaps are planted and have a great-feeling texture. At the same time, the V3 HE is also very light and compact — doubly impressive when you consider it includes quite a few navigation keys.

Razer’s Synapse software can be used to customize the inputs of the V3 HE. You’ll find plenty of analog adjustments here, and there’s even a handy visualizer to display key travel in real time, although this isn’t available for every analog setting. The software is easy to use and I didn’t experience any major issues during my time with it.

Once you’ve dialled in your preferred settings, gaming with the V3 HE is a joy. The keys are very tactile and provide plenty of feedback without feeling heavy. However, due to the height of the keycaps and the lack of wrist support, I found typing quite uncomfortable.

This is perhaps the major drawback of the V3 HE, along with its price, which is quite high for a keyboard lacking wireless connectivity. However, its gaming performance and build quality are to be admired, and might just make it worth the outlay.

Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz review: Price and availability

• $139.99 / £139.99 / AU$229.95
• Preorders available now
• Expensive for a wired keyboard

The Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz costs $139.99 / £139.99 / AU$229.95 and will be available later this year, but you can preorder it now. A mini 65% variant will also be available for $20 / £20 / AU$30 less.

It's undeniably expensive for a wired gaming keyboard. However, it’s still cheaper than some of its rivals, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL, another fantastic analog keyboard. This is easily one of the best analog keyboards I’ve tested. It also features an integrated OLED screen for a visually appealing way to access various settings and adjustments, and it can display certain in-game information as well.

If you’re looking for a decidedly more budget-friendly analog keyboard, you can’t do much better than the MonsGeek FUN60 Ultra. Not only is this much cheaper than the Huntsman, but it also performs very admirably and has multiple wireless connectivity modes to boot.

Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz review: Specs

Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz review: Design and features

• Great build quality
• Bright RGB lighting
• Copious customization options

In line with Razer’s other products, the V3 HE looks like a premium product. I especially liked the floating keycaps and the brushed metal faceplate, which add elements of sophistication. The all-black colorway is a little austere, but the bright and customizable RGB backlighting does well to liven things up, especially since those aforementioned floating keycaps increase the illumination.

Equal to its appearance is the build quality of the V3 HE. Despite the plastic material, the chassis is incredibly solid, while that faceplate feels lusciously smooth. The double-shot PBT keycaps have a gratifying texture to them as well, and are as planted and as stable as you could wish for.

Another nice touch is the recessed USB port. This encloses the jack completely, adding security and creating a neater look. The included cable should prove long enough to accommodate most setups, and what’s more it’s braided, which is more common on the best gaming mice. This improves flexibility, although it’s thicker and seems more durable than those on said mice.

Despite the strong build, the V3 HE is also very light, which pleasantly surprised me. It’s also quite compact, yet still features some useful keys for navigation. And there are plenty of Fn shortcuts dotted around, including those for tweaking certain aspects of the V3 HE, such as the RGB, actuation point (between 0.1mm and 4mm), and Rapid Trigger sensitivity. Thankfully, these shortcuts are also labelled.

For further customizations, you’ll need to download Razer’s Synapse peripheral software. Alongside those mentioned above, you can adjust the Rapid Trigger sensitivity of upstrokes and downstrokes independently, map up to four inputs to a single key, select up to four keys to have a secondary function on their release, and decide which key takes priority when two are pressed at the same time (with numerous options to choose from). There are also a few pre-made profiles catering to certain game types and scenarios, as well as a remapping suite with a large selection of assignments at your disposal, including gamepad buttons, sticks, and triggers.

I was glad to see the inclusion of a visualizer that shows the travel of your presses in real time by filling up a bar. This bar is also marked with your currently set actuation point in millimeters, so you can see when you’ve passed it. It’s a shame there’s no visualizer for the Rapid Trigger function, given this can be a little tricky to comprehend. For the most part, though, Synapse is clearly laid out and easy to use.

Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz review: Performance

• Snappy and tactile
• Comfortable and secure when gaming
• Hard to type with

As with most Razer keyboards, the performance of the V3 HE is exemplary. The analog switches have plenty of tactility, being easy to press yet providing just enough resistance to allow for controlled presses; relative to other analog keyboards, I found it easy to hit certain actuation points. They also have a wonderfully springy response, which makes them feel snappy. But they’re quite clicky, too, with just enough dampening to prevent them feeling harsh.

The keycaps themselves are a boon when gaming, too. Their aforementioned texture not only feels great but should also help to prevent slips when things get sweaty. Prominent indentations improve finger security further, as well as helping you to avoid hitting the wrong key.

However, I found them less amenable to typing. Their sheer height means that even though the base of the V3 HE is reasonably thin, I still found myself having to angle my wrists upwards to an uncomfortable degree. I wish a wrist rest was included in the box like other Razer models, especially as Razer’s are some of the best in class thanks to their exceedingly plush padding.

Should I buy the Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless 8KHz?

Scorecard

Buy it if…