We’ve already had a ton of gaming news this month but we’re far from done. Annapurna Interactive is hosting its own showcase on June 29th, for one thing. Before that, though, there’s the small matter of a Nintendo Direct. The second full-fledged Direct of 2023 will stream on June 21st at 10AM ET on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
The showcase will run for around 40 minutes and it will primarily focus on Switch titles that will arrive this year. With Nintendo not planning to release a Switch successor until at least next spring, it makes sense to start padding out the release slate for the rest of 2023. Currently, the only first-party games on the horizon are Everybody 1-2-Switch! (which will arrive on June 30th) and Pikmin 4. We’ll learn more about Pikmin 4, which has a release date of July 21st, during tomorrow’s Direct.
Tune in on June 21 at 7:00 a.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 40 minutes of information focused mainly on Nintendo Switch titles launching this year, including new details on Pikmin 4.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 20, 2023
Nintendo has yet to reveal exact release dates for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violetexpansion, other than to say it will arrive in two parts this fall and winter. It’s been a long, long time since we’ve had any official word about Metroid Prime 4, while a Detective Pikachu title for the Switch has been in the works for several years. We may or may not learn more about those during the Direct.
Elsewhere, Pyoro, a leaker with a decent track record, says the showcase will include looks at a new 2D Mario game and a “remake of a SNES classic.” Then, of course, there’s always the hope that Hollow Knight: Silksong will make an appearance. In any case, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out exactly what Nintendo has in store.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-next-nintendo-direct-will-take-place-on-june-21st-145140349.html?src=rss
The easiest way to avoid a costly repair job on your vehicle is to take it in as soon as warning lights pop up on your dashboard, but that assumes you understand what each dashboard symbol means—and when your car is reaching out for help. You can do one of two things to ensure you know what your car is saying: read…
Although Twitch’s new Partner Plus program, which gives streamers an increased share of their subscription revenues, was seen as an olive branch by many in the streaming community, creators should probably take a second look at the company’s sparkling initiative before starting to cheer, industry experts say.
Not everyone needs an NVIDIA RTX 4080, or a blazing fast 500Hz screen. These days, you can find plenty of affordable gaming notebooks that can easily hit decent frame rates in modern games. Cheaper machines are ideal for high school or college students who don’t need the absolute best performance. And they’re also great options for younger gamers, who may not be ready for the responsibility of a premium, $2,000 notebook.
What is a budget gaming laptop?
At the high end, you can easily spend $5,000 on a fully tricked-out notebook like the Razer Blade 18. When it comes to budget models, we’re focusing on the other end of the pricing spectrum: laptops under $1,000. It used to be tough to find a decent gaming option at that price point but, as PC prices have fallen, they no longer seem like unicorns.
Stepping up a bit to systems between $1,000 and $2,000 puts you firmly in mid-range territory, which is beyond the scope of this guide. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye out for sales that can push those PCs below $1,000. Be sure to check out our gaming laptop guide for a general overview of what to look out for in these more expensive systems.
Are budget gaming laptops worth it?
Budget gaming laptops are definitely worth it if you’re trying to save money and are being realistic about what you can get at this price range. You can expect to find Intel and AMD’s latest (but not greatest) CPUs, as well as entry-level GPUs like NVIDIA’s RTX 3050. They’re also typically paired with 1080p screens running at 120Hz or beyond. There are some exceptions though: Dell’s G16 (currently discounted to $900) is notable for its 16-inch quad HD+ screen.
Many cheap gaming laptops also skimp on RAM and storage. We’d recommend getting at least 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Modern games need a decent chunk of memory to run, and they also tend to be large, so you wouldn’t be able to fit much alongside Windows 11 on a 256B SSD. You might be tempted to jump on one of those dirt-cheap gaming laptop deals from Walmart or Best Buy, but it’s just not worth it if you’re stuck with 8GB of RAM or a tiny SSD.
As for build quality, expect to find more plastic than metal on budget systems. Still, everything we’re recommending should be sturdy enough to last a few years. Affordable systems will also be heavier and thicker than mid-range and premium models, and they typically don’t have great battery life. These are worthwhile trade offs if you’re looking to save money, though, and even the priciest gaming laptops struggle with battery life.
Best overall: Dell G15
Dell was one of the first PC makers to combine a decent amount of gaming power in a sub-$1,000 system. The latest G15 builds on that experience. It starts at $800 with Intel’s 13th-gen i5-13450HX, an RTX 3050 GPU and 8GB of RAM. We’d recommend bumping up to the $1,000 model with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 165Hz 1080p screen with NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology.
While it’s no Alienware, the G15 carries over some of that premium brand’s design cues with a sharp, angular case and LED-backlit keys. There’s a distinct lack of gamer bling, which for some may also be a plus. If you’re looking for something larger, consider the 16-inch G16 mentioned above (which, funny enough, is also slightly lighter than the G15).
Runner-up: Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is another great option, though we’ve yet to see it get Intel’s 13th-gen chips. Still, the 12th-gen model is no slouch: It’s equipped with 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 and 512GB of storage. (At the time of writing, it’s also on sale for $800 at Best Buy, though it typically sells for $1,000.)
Just like Dell, Acer has plenty of experience building gaming laptops, so this will likely survive years of extreme play. The Nitro 5’s multi-colored backlit keyboard and rear red accents also give off a stronger gamer vibe than the G15. Side note: Acer’s Nitro 16 may also be worth considering if it dips below $1,000, since it features newer CPUs and GPUs.
A more understated option: HP Victus 15
The HP Victus 15 is the ideal gaming laptop for someone who doesn’t want to be seen with a gaming laptop. Its all-black design is wonderfully understated, and its edge-to-edge screen is impressive for such an affordable system. It also has enough power to handle today’s games, including an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 Ti graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 144Hz 1080p display. And best of all, it’s almost always on sale somewhere. In fact, at the time of writing, it’s $828 on Amazon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-budget-gaming-laptop-130004199.html?src=rss
Earlier this year, Panasonic launched the S5 II and S5 IIX full-frame cameras, finally embracing phase-detect autofocus that puts it on par with rivals. I’ve already tested the S5 II and found it to be one of the company’s best cameras yet for content creators. Now, we’re looking at what I think is the more interesting model, the S5 IIX.
It has an identical design and shares many of the same features as its sibling, like the new autofocus system and highly effective in-body stabilization. However, it adds a key function: the ability to record high-quality, easy-to-edit ProRes video internally onto SSDs via the USB-C port. With a bit of rigging, you can record hours of 4K or even 6K video to a relatively inexpensive drive.
What’s surprising is that the S5 IIX only costs $200 more than S5 II. ProRes RAW is also included for free, whereas it’s a $200 upgrade on the S5 II. To see if it’s worth that, I shot photos and videos in Paris, Brittany and elsewhere around France.
Body and Handling
I’ve already looked at the S5 II’s body and controls, and the S5 IIX has an identical layout – but it’s worth revisiting them briefly — particularly in the context of video and content creation.
One key difference is the general appearance. The S5 IIX has a distinctive dark design, with a black logo and subtle gray graphics on the controls. The only dash of color to be found is the red record button. Quite a number of bystanders have oohed and aahed over the black-on-black look.
Like the S5 II, the X model is a nice handling camera. The grip is large and uses relatively tactile materials, and features a ridge at the ring finger so it won’t slip out of your hands. The controls are spot on, with the record button in an easy-to-find location on top. That said, it would’ve been nice to have another one on the front like the GH6. The menus are also among the best among camera companies (and nearly the same as the GH6), with most settings easy to find.
It weighs 714 grams, a bit more than Sony’s A7 IV and the Canon EOS R6 II. An external SSD can also add 100 grams or more, making it a bit heavy if you’re holding it out at the end of your arm while vlogging.
The screen fully articulates for self-shooting and has a sharp 1.84-million-dot display. It features a 3.69-million dot electronic viewfinder with resolution that’s comparable to rivals and easily enough to check focus when shooting on a bright day. It has a full-sized HDMI port that’s key for a camera with RAW video output, and USB-C for capturing internal video.
The S5 IIX also includes dual UHS-II SD card slots, headphone and mic ports, plus the same battery as the original S5, GH6 and other models. You can get about 370 shots on a charge by CIPA stands, fewer than most of its rivals. For video, you can shoot for about 45 minutes at 4K 60p, again, a touch less than rivals.
If you’re planning to rig the S5 IIX to use SSDs, many folks are using the SmallRig universal holder with a hotshoe mount, though any clamping type device will work (I’m using a smartphone tripod mount from Joby). If you need to use a shotgun microphone along with the SSD, you may need to mount it elsewhere on the camera, though, or use a cage. As for SSDs, Panasonic lists models from Samsung and SanDisk compatible with the GH6 (which has the same USB-C feature) and those should work for the S5 IIX as well. Other high-speed models should work as well.
Video
Yes, the S5 IIX is a hybrid camera, but video is the main attraction. With high-quality ProRes capture to an SSD, plus RAW video over the HDMI port, it offers a lot of capability for the price.
First, let’s look at capture via the USB-C port. It supports internal 10-bit ProRes capture to supported SSDs, which is a huge benefit to videographers. Media is relatively cheap, and there’s no need to transcode or even transfer footage – you can just hook up an external drive to a PC or Mac and start editing.
Image by Steve Dent for Engadget
In ProRes USB-C mode, there’s a strange mix of recording formats. It captures 5.8K 17:9 30p footage in either ProRes HQ (1.6Gbps) or regular ProRes (1.1Gbps), but not at 16:9. It can only capture 17:9 C4K at 60p with a crop, or 30p supersampled video without a crop. But again, not 16:9 Ultra HD. The 17:9 part isn’t a huge deal as you can crop the edges, but it’s odd considering most vloggers shoot 16:9 UltraHD. Perhaps that’s something Panasonic can address in a future update.
Luckily, you can capture 16:9 5.9K 25p footage and 4K 60p and 30p at 16:9 in the .MOV format. The latter supports All-I with data rates up to 800Kbps when capturing to USB-C, which is nearly as good as ProRes quality-wise though a bit slower for editing.
On top of that, you can record 12-bit ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW files to Atomos or Blackmagic recorders via HDMI. It supports recording up to 5.9K 30p at 16:9 and not 17:9, or the rather odd 4.1K 4,128 x 2,176 17:9 format. Again, not a huge issue as you can crop the sides, but also a bit weird.
Image by Steve Dent for Engadget
As with other Panasonic models, you can capture “open gate” 6K 3:2 footage that uses every pixel on the sensor. That allows content creators to easily output both horizontal and vertical formats, but also to capture anamorphic video with supported lenses.
Finally, you can record to regular old SD UHS-II cards. Where the S5 II is limited to recording longGOP files that aren’t very easy to edit, the S5 IIX can do most formats using an All-I codec at up to 600Mbps.
So how is the quality of all the video? Mostly excellent, depending on the format. 4K 30p video is supersampled, so it’s extremely sharp. Panasonic’s colors are accurate, quite natural and easier to work with than Sony’s files, I find. Skin tones aren’t as flattering as Canon offers, though.
4K 60p video is cropped to an APS-C size which isn’t ideal, considering Canon’s like-priced R6 II has uncropped 4K 60p. Sharpness also drops a hair, as it’s pixel-for-pixel instead of supersampled. 5.9K video is also captured on a pixel for pixel basis, but I like that format as it allows for a lot of cropping options.
Compared to other mirrorless cameras with the same resolution, it has good low-light capability. The Dual ISO system does a good job keeping noise down at ISOs as high as 12,800 or even 25,600.
Image by Steve Dent for Engadget
Panasonic’s V-Log delivers extra dynamic range, particularly with ProRes. Of course the best option, quality-wise, is V-Log RAW video. That lets you edit video just as you would with RAW photos, with a lot of room to recover highlights and shadow details. With those things together, the S5 IIX delivers results in line with expensive, professional video cameras.
Pros will also appreciate the new hybrid phase-detect autofocus. It’s designed to eliminate the wobble inherent in Panasonic’s past contrast-detect AF camera, and it does that very effectively.
The S5 IIX offers continuous AF modes along with subject tracking, for both humans and animals. It’s not quite up to Sony and Canon models like the A7 IV and R6 II, as subject tracking isn’t quite as fast or reliable. However, it’s as good or better than Nikon and Fujifilm’s latest models.
Image by Steve Dent for Engadget
The S5 II has updated in-body stabilization borrowed from the GH6, and it’s powerful and impressive – the best on any camera on the market for video. It can’t match a gimbal, of course, but the electronic mode smooths out steps much better than the S5, despite some side-to-side sway.
It also has a “Boost IS” for handheld video with no movement, keeping shots locked off like the camera’s on a tripod. One cool feature not seen on too many other cameras is full stabilization support for anamorphic lenses (most types) via a setting.
And finally, it supports high audio quality either through the mic port or an XLR adapter that attaches to the hotshoe.
Photography
If you need to use the S5 IIX for photography from time to time, it’s not bad at all. You can shoot at up to 7 fps with the mechanical shutter or 30 fps in electronic mode. The buffer is quite impressive, as it allows for 200 shots in RAW before throttling. Oddly though, a USB-C drive doesn’t improve that number much compared to an SD card.
The autofocus can keep up as well, but as with video, it’s not quite as fast or smart as the AF on recent Sony cameras. It’s particularly noticeable when using the AI subject modes — for example, it can lose a subject’s eyes if they turn their heads. Tracking is also a bit more limited than Sony and Canon models. Still, for vlogging and most types of content creation, it performs well.
The stabilization system is rock solid for photos. And photo quality is outstanding, with dynamic range comparable to Sony and Nikon’s latest models. You also get natural looking colors and skin tones. It also shines in low light situations thanks to the stabilization, dual ISO system and relatively large pixels.
Wrap-up
Image by Steve Dent for Engadget
When I reviewed the S5 II earlier this year, I said that its biggest competition would be the X version, and now I’m sure of that. Simply put, this is a $2,200 near-professional camera with the image quality and most of the features a content creator needs.
The new autofocus is good but not quite up to the Sony A7 IV, and it lacks full-frame 4K 60p video like the Canon R6 II. It’s far better for video than both of those models, though, thanks to the ProRes and other features nowhere to be found in either rival model. And the AF is as good or better than you’ll find on like-priced Nikon and Fujifilm models, with the focus wobble of past models a thing of the past.
One thing that might give you pause is the L-Mount lens choice and value. However, Panasonic recently lowered the prices on key lenses, including this 24-70m f/2.8 model. It now has 14 of its own lenses, on top of 31 from Sigma. All told, if I was looking for a new camera system for around $2,000, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab the S5 IIX.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/panasonic-s5-iix-review-power-and-value-in-one-vlogging-package-133058128.html?src=rss
Rumors about a Spotify HiFi tier have been around since at least 2017, and the company even announced plans to launch such a feature in 2021 — only to back off the next year. Now, the company may finally be ready to launch a high-fidelity plan (dubbed “Supremium” internally) that would be its most expensive tier, according to Bloomberg.
The aim would be to drive more revenue and address investor demands that it raise its prices. Spotify reportedly delayed rolling out the plan back in 2021 as two of its primary rivals, Apple Music and Amazon Music, started including the feature for no charge in their standard plans.
In addition, Spotify may enhance its regular Premium offering with expanded audiobook access, either through a certain number of free hours per month or a specific number of books (with an option to purchase more). Audiobooks are currently only available on Spotify via individual purchases.
There’s no word on whether audio would be lossless at up to 24-bit and 192kHz, as it is on Apple Music and Amazon Music. Lossless audio generally doesn’t work on Bluetooth speakers or headphones (including Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Max), due to the high bandwidth, so users need a wired or WiFi setup.
Pricing hasn’t been revealed, either. Spotify has kept its Premium plan at $9.99/month in the US, unlike Apple and Amazon, which raised their rates to $10.99. CEO Daniel Ek said in a recent earnings call that the company tries to balance subscriber growth with revenue, so pricing varies by region depending on which of those it’s trying to boost. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would cut its staff by two percent, after laying off six percent of its workforce in January.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-may-finally-be-ready-to-launch-a-premium-hifi-audio-tier-123847826.html?src=rss
Former President Donald Trump’s arraignment in federal court has highlighted a popular strategy among Republicans: likening their opponents to “Marxists” and “communists.”
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