The Morning After: PS5 and RTX 3080 rollouts are frustrating for gamers
Sony and NVIDIA have next-gen gaming hardware that's hard to find, but we're keeping an eye out for you.
Good morning to everyone still trying to find a PS5 or NVIDIA RTX 3080. I’m not sure how this is still an issue in 2020, but both devices have had a launch period that boggles the mind and has frustrated many people who are just trying to hand over hundreds of dollars so they can do some ray-traced 4K gaming.
Sony told gamers pre-orders would start on Thursday, and then retailers opened their doors on Wednesday. When NVIDIA’s powerful new graphics card went on sale, it just as quickly went out of stock, and here we are — it’s like we’re all missing out on a SNKRS drop together. Anyway, stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated on PlayStation 5 offers as they arrive and any sightings of Ampere-powered graphics hardware that come in.
— Richard
Xbox Series X, Series S pre-orders start September 22nd at 11AM ET
If you're looking for a new Xbox, this is the easiest way to get one.
Microsoft already announced that pre-orders for the next generation of its Xbox consoles will start next week, and now we have more details on exactly when that’s going to happen.
But what about Xbox? Well, pre-orders for the $499 Xbox Series X and the $299 Xbox Series S start on September 22nd at 11AM ET / 8AM PT for the US and Canada. US retailers taking orders online will include at least the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club and Newegg. The big question now is Series S or Series X?
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Apple Watch Series 6 hands-on: A few new tricks in a very familiar package
There are only a couple hardware updates, but that's not a bad thing.
We’ve taken a look at Apple’s new hardware in person, so let’s start things off with the Apple Watch Series 6. (More interested in the Apple Watch SE? Read about that right here.)
We knew there were no major changes, but we homed in on that new sensor. The blood oxygen sensor and the accompanying app in watchOS 7 are the big new fitness features on the Series 6. Like measuring ECG, measuring blood oxygen requires only a few taps on the Watch’s screen, but you need to wear the Watch in a certain way to get a successful reading.
It took seven attempts of fiddling with the placement before Valentina Palladino, who tried out the new wearable, got it to work. The Series 6 does feel faster than its predecessor, but is that enough to be worth upgrading from the Series 5?
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Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS family
'The manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended.’
Three years after launching the Switch, Nintendo is putting the 3DS out to pasture. Back in July, the gaming giant shut down the Wii U and 3DS eshops in dozens of regions. Now, it has officially discontinued the family of handheld devices, in its myriad iterations. Yep, the 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and 2DS XL have all come to the end of the line. It’ll be interesting to see if Nintendo figures out a way to translate dual-screen games to the Switch — or its next-gen iteration.
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Sony snuck out a new phone
The Xperia 5 Mk II focuses on cameras again.
Surprise phone! The Xperia 5 Mk II is a smaller, cheaper version of the Xperia 1 II from earlier this year. Notably, it has a 120Hz, 21:9, 6.1-inch, FHD+ HDR OLED display, which should make everything smoother — including any video you capture.
The Mk II is able to shoot 120 fps slow-motion in HDR, as well as grabbing real-time eye-autofocus — and the cameras were one of the standout features on Sony’s last flagship phone. It’s priced at $950, with pre-orders opening on September 29th and shipping expected by December 4th.
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How and where to pre-order a PlayStation 5
What version should you get? And are the accessories worth buying?
Pre-orders have been selling out almost instantly, but we’ve laid out everywhere you might be able to order Sony’s next-gen console — and the accessories you’ll need to go with it. Time to get ready for November 12th.
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You’ll need more than $299 to truly enjoy next-gen gaming
512GB SSD won’t cut it for most.
The Xbox Series S is the cheapest point of entry into next-gen gaming, and costs just $299. It will come with a drive faster than those in the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. That means shorter load times and, eventually, new gameplay experiences that weren’t possible on older hardware. SSDs are expensive, though, so neither Microsoft nor Sony have pushed the envelope on capacity. The Xbox Series S has 512GB of onboard storage, while both PS5 models offer 825GB and the Xbox Series X boasts 1TB. It’s not enough storage for next-gen gaming.
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But wait, there’s more...
Apple iPad (2020) hands-on: A better kind of basic
Google Drive will start automatically deleting Trash files after 30 days
Ford’s electric F-150 can be a mobile power source for jobsites and more
Apple's latest iOS 14.2 beta adds a built-in control for Shazam
Confused about which console to buy? Just wait.
DTS:X for home theater comes to Xbox One
Google really wants you to game on a Chromebook for some reason
Mophie's latest portable battery pack has a flip-out Apple Watch charger
'Hades' suddenly lands on Nintendo Switch
Someone turned Lego Mario into a controller for 'Super Mario Bros.'
Pixel Buds firmware update fixes annoying audio cutout issue
