The ZephVR blows air in your face, which might actually make VR better

Why it matters to you

ZephVR looks to make VR a more immersive experience by simulating the wind blowing on your face.

The ZephVR might blow air on your face, but it’s nothing like the Nosulus Rift farting face mask. This is a real virtual reality accessory for VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PSVR, that lets you feel the action. Attaching to current-generation VR headsets, the ZephVR accessory uses machine learning to blow air on your face to simulate real wind and movement in games and experiences.

One of the biggest difficulties with virtual reality, is that as real as it looks, you don’t actually feel much. You might ‘feel’ like you’re there, but beyond a little haptic feedback through motors in your controllers, there is no touch sensitivity in games and experiences. That is perhaps most noticeable when you’re flying through the air or racing along the ground because without feeling the air on your face, there is not much indication to the reptilian part of your brain that you’re actually moving.

That is what the ZephVR add-on accessory is designed to fix. It looks a little similar to cooling systems like the Vive n’ Chill, but Zeph VR is designed to do more than just cool you down. It’s supposed to make you feel the in-game wind on your face.

The fans are said to be powerful, quick-acting and most importantly, quiet. They work by listening for the sound of “wind” in games where it is apparent and blow on you in conjunction with that audible cue. The developers claim to have categorized hours of in-game audio and then used machine learning to pick out unique identifiers, so the fans should only blow when the time is right.

For games where the rush of wind isn’t apparent, they are said to still add to the experience. In the case of horror game jumps scares, a brush of wind on the face is said to massively enhance the feeling.

That all happens without any input from the user as part of the fans’ “autonomous” mode. At the flick of a switch, the user can also turn it to “always-on,” which lets the ZephVR cool the user so they can play for longer in the confines of their VR headset.

The ZephVR is available now on Kickstarter, with at “Earliest bird” pledge level of $50. That gets you the ZephVR itself, along with a 15-foot mini-USB cable for Oculus Rift users. Those late to the party will need to spend $90 for an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive compatible version. PSVR users will need to spend up to $120, due to the additional need for an audio processing box and audio cable.

Whatever you opt for though, you should be netting a saving. The developers told Digital Trends that the final retail price could be as much as $150.

All versions are slated to ship out in May, though as with all Kickstarter campaigns, that is not set in stone.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Here is everything we know about Respawn’s Oculus Rift VR shooter
• ‘Skyrim VR’ will launch in November, followed by ‘Doom VFR’ and ‘Fallout 4 VR’
• These are the 20 best HTC Vive games available today
• From horror fests to shoot-’em-ups, here are the 20 best Oculus Rift games
• PlayStation VR review

You’ll need more storage if you’re downloading ‘L.A. Noire’ on the Switch

Why it matters to you

L.A. Noire may be just one of many games that force Switch owners interested in third-party titles to require additional storage for the console.

The port of Rockstar’s cult classic historical detective title, L.A. Noire on the Switch is not exactly compatible out of the box. While the game will run just fine on the new Nintendo console, you need additional storage to do it, as the digital version of the game comes in at 29GB. That is too much space for the Switch’s internal memory.

As much as people are enamored with Nintendo’s newest console, many have pointed out the lack of storage space as a real downfall. We said as much in our review, as compared with the hundreds of gigabytes available on the Xbox One and PS4, it seems like a real oversight. The L.A. Noire storage requirements could be the tip of an iceberg which sees expanded storage become near mandatory for Switch owners.

At 29GB, the game is too big for the Switch’s standard storage. Although the console comes with 32GB as standard, 6.2GB of that is reserved for the system, which Gamespot notes. That means that if you’re running the digital version of L.A. Noire, you absolutely need expanded storage. Rockstar also warns that any microSD card used must have a minimum read speed of at least 60MBps.

One way around this for those not looking to splash out on expanded storage is to play the physical version of the game. Although you will still be required to download a 14GB patch alongside it, that should at least make it possible to play the game without additional storage — even if the update does take up almost half of the onboard memory.

Although this is a problem that is likely to extend to many more games — Doom already requires an additional 9GB of space for multiplayer — this may be a more common issue with third-party games on the console. Nintendo’s own titles tend to be much more compact, with Mario Odyssey weighing in at just 5.2GB in total, while Arms is just over 2GB.

If you’re wondering why there is such a disparity between game install sizes, you are not the only one. We recently sat down with several developers to ask them why so many modern games take up so much storage space.

Editor’s Recommendations

• ‘L.A. Noire’ comes to HTC Vive, Nintendo Switch, and more this November
• How much RAM do you need? It’s probably less than you think
• Xbox One X: Everything you need to know about Microsoft’s newest console
• What is Windows Mixed Reality? It’s simpler than you think
• Want to download a YouTube video? It’s easier than you think

A.I. may outclass humans in ‘Go,’ but we still hold the upper hand in ‘Starcraft’

Why it matters to you

AlphaGo demonstrated that an artificial intelligence can outmatch human players in Go, but Starcraft is a different story – for now.

We’ve seen various showdowns in recent years between human players and artificial intelligence in games like Go. While A.I. has held the upper hand in games like Go, a professional Starcraft player took on four different computer systems this week, and came away as the victor.

Sejong University in South Korea played host to the exhibition, where Song Byung-gu managed to defeat four different bots in just under half an hour, according to a report from Hexus. The longest game lasted ten and a half minutes, while the shortest came to an end in less than five.

One bot, known as CherryPi, was developed by Facebook’s A.I. research lab, while the others came from teams in Australia, Norway, and Korea. Deepmind, the Google subsidiary responsible for the much-publicized AlphaGo project, did not take part, even though it recently collaborated with Blizzard to release AI research tools for Starcraft II.

Games like Go have a finite number of possible moves, and a playing field that’s relatively easy for an A.I. to analyze. By comparison, Starcraft offers up a great deal more complexity – and that’s what makes it such an appealing task for A.I. researchers. Now that the likes of Go have been comprehensively cracked, it’s time to take on new challenges.

The bots that competed against Song were capable of carrying out as many as 19,000 actions per minute, while even the best players can only manage a few hundred. However, there isn’t as much training data available for the A.I.s to learn from, which is being cited as the reason that they’re so far behind their human opponents.

Several professional Starcraft players have indicated that they would put their reputation on the line in a televised event, along the lines of the AlphaGo series of matches that featured professional Go player Lee Sedol.

“We professional gamers initiate combat only when we stand a chance of victory with our army and unit-control skills,” Song told the MIT Technology Review when asked about the difference between human players and A.I. He went on to praise his synthetic opponent’s defensive unit management as “stunning.”

Editor’s Recommendations

• BMW’s Active Hybrid ebike promises ‘significant power boost’ for riders
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• ‘Absolver’ review
• ‘Jigsaw’ wins pitiful Halloween weekend box office as ‘Suburbicon’ flops
• ‘Overwatch’ review

Razer Phone vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 8: A new challenger approaches

Razer has lifted the lid on the Razer Phone — a beast of a device with a Snapdragon 835, a staggering 8GB of RAM, and screen technology that promises to make mobile gaming into something truly beautiful.

But how does the Razer Phone stack up against the biggest boys on the block? We’ve put the Razer Phone to the test, sending it up against Samsung’s premiere pit fighter, the Galaxy Note 8, in a six-round slobberknocker deluxe.

Specs

Galaxy Note 8

Razer Phone
Size
162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm (6.40 x 2.95 x 0.34 inches)
158.5 x 77.7 x 8 mm (6.24 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches)
Weight
195 grams (6.88 ounces)
197 grams (6.95 ounces)
Screen
6.3-inch Super AMOLED
5.72-inch 120 Hz Ultramotion LCD display
Resolution
2960 × 1440 pixels (522 ppi)
2560 x 1440 pixels (514 ppi)
OS
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Storage
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
64GB
MicroSD card slot
Yes
Yes
NFC support
Yes
Yes
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (U.S.), Samsung Exynos 8895 (international)
Snapdragon 835 with Adreno 540
RAM
6GB
8GB
Connectivity
LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
GSM, UMTS, HSPA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, TDD LTE, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Camera
Dual 12 MP rear (both with OIS), 8MP front
Dual 12 MP rear (f/1.75 wide angle & f/2.6 zoom), 8 MP front
Video
Up to 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, 720p at 240 fps
 Up to 4K at 30 fps.
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5.0
Yes, version 4.2
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
 Yes
Other sensors
Accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, heart rate, proximity, iris, pressure
 Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Water resistant
Yes, IP68 rated
 No
Battery
3,300mAh

22 hours of talk time, 13 hours of internet, 16 hours of video playback, and up to 74 hours of audio playback

Fast charging, wireless charging (Qi standard)

4,000mAh

Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0+

Charging port
USB-C
USB-C
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Colors
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray
 Black
Availability

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Unlocked

 Razer
Price
$930
$700
DT review
4 out of 5 stars
Hands-on review

In terms of pure internal specifications, we’re looking at two similar phones. Both the Razer Phone and the Galaxy Note 8 are using the Snapdragon 835 processor, as is common for 2017 flagships. The Razer Phone has an edge in RAM, with 8GB compared to the Note 8’s 6GB, but the impact of RAM on day-to-day usage is arguable. If you really love to multitask, then the extra 2GB might be a draw.

It’s a similar story in storage options. The Razer Phone offers 64GB of storage, equaling Samsung’s Note 8 (although international versions come with 128GB and 256GB). Both phones also support MicroSD cards for storage expansion, with the Razer Phone offering up to a staggering 2TB in extra storage through a MicroSD card, trumping the Note 8’s 256GB restriction.

There are some real differences when we move to audio features. The Razer Phone has forgone the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone port — a feature that you’ll still find on the Note 8. To make matters worse, the latest Bluetooth 5.0 isn’t available in the Razer Phone, just the older Bluetooth 4.2. The Note 8 comes with Bluetooth 5.0, despite also having a headphone jack. Since the Razer Phone is going to rely on USB-C headphones (and a dongle) or wireless connections for personal music,  we would have liked to see the improved range, strength, and features that Bluetooth 5.0 offers.

Razer does pull some points back for the speakers. While the Note 8’s speaker is decent enough, it can’t hold a candle to Razer’s set of dual front-facing speakers. We’re expecting some great performance out of those, and the Razer Phone should be a go-to for media sharing.

Despite the inclusion of the same processor, extra RAM, and that awesome-looking set of front-facing speakers, the Razer Phone finds it hard to win against the Note 8’s headphone port, and upgraded Bluetooth 5.0. The Galaxy Note 8 wins here — narrowly.

Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Design and display

You’d be hard pressed to confuse these two phones. The Note 8 is a bezel-less beauty, with a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display taking up the majority of the front, with only a slim chin and forehead containing the front-facing camera and sensor suite. In contrast, the Razer Phone is far from bezel-less with a sizeable forehead and chin housing the aforementioned front-firing speakers. Despite that, it’s not a bad looking phone. The angular sides remind us of a Sony Xperia, and the 5.7-inch screen still dominates the front. It’s a design that you’ll either love or hate — the Razer Phone celebrates an angular aluminum design that contrasts heavily with the smooth curves and sleek glass on the Note 8.

It’s the display that will be the real draw for the Razer Phone. While the LCD screen won’t be capable of the color saturation and deep blacks you’ll find on the Note 8’s Super AMOLED panel, the Razer Phone boasts a 120Hz Ultramotion screen that’ll provide extremely smooth gaming on the go, and give a boost to VR. While it’s not the first device to offer this high level of refresh rate, it’s not a common feature, and proponents say that it provides a much smoother experience over the more usual 60Hz displays.

Durability-wise, the Note 8 is a beautiful behemoth of glass and metal, and comes with the worries that you’d expect from such. As always, we recommend a case for peace of mind. The Razer Phone won’t have any such worries, since the body of the phone is made from aluminum. While the Razer Phone comes with older Gorilla Glass 3 (compared to the newer Gorilla Glass 5 on the Note 8), it only needs glass coverage on the flat screen.

In terms of waterproofing, the Note 8 comes with IP68 resistance, meaning it should be able to take exposure in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes with few adverse affects (though we don’t recommend testing that). The Razer Phone comes with no water resistance at all, so keep a strong handle on this phone at all times around anything even slightly wet.

This category has a clear winner. While the Razer Phone wows with its 120Hz Ultramotion display, and we have a certain soft spot for its angular design, it simply can’t compete against the pure elegance of the Note 8’s curved glass build, incredible Super AMOLED screen, and waterproofing features.

Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Camera

Both phones are rocking the latest dual camera trends, and amusingly, use 12 megapixel sensors for both of their lenses. The Note 8’s camera is a proven beauty, scoring a 94 on DxOMark’s rigorous camera tests, and earning a spot on our best smartphone camera list for its outstanding low-light performance. Peer a little deeper into the Note 8’s cameras and you’re looking at an f/1.7-aperture wide-angle lens and an f/2.4-aperture telephoto lens. Optical image stabilization (OIS) keeps your shots steady, even when using the 2x optical zoom function, and the phone is capable of a DSLR-style “bokeh” effect by using both lenses to keep a subject in focus, while applying a soft blur to the background.

We’re yet to spend any quality time with the Razor Phone’s cameras, but the hardware seems solid at an initial glance. Like the Note 8, we’re looking at two 12 megapixel lenses, with a wide-angle and a zoom lens side by side, though the aperture sizes are slightly different to the Note 8 — f/1.75 and f/2.6 respectively. These sorts of stats should provide solid camera performance, and we’re expecting good things from the Razer Phone.

Switching over to video, you’ll get 4K at 30 frames per second (fps) from the Note 8, as well as a supersmooth 60 fps on video shot at 1080p. If you’re watching something particularly impressive, you can slow the action down with 240 fps slow motion video — though you’ll need to drop to 720p for this. In contrast, the Razer Phone can also shoot 4K at 30 fps, but we’re not expecting any slow motion trickery from higher fps videos.

The front-facing cameras on both are pretty standard 8 megapixel lenses that should provide good selfie shots. The Note 8 has something of an edge here, thanks to the suite of extra fun effects you can add to your selfies, including Snapchat-style filters. To date, we haven’t seen anything like that from the Razer Phone.

It’s tough to make a call in this category. However, in lieu of quality time with the Razer Phone, we have to give it to the Galaxy Note 8’s proven cameras. We’re expecting good things from the Razer Phone, but we’re not sure it’ll quite manage to topple Samsung’s strong record in photography. We’ll update this if the Razer Phone’s camera does turn out to be a Note 8-beater.

Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Battery life and charging

With a 3,300mAh battery, the Note 8 was good enough to make it through the day pretty easily, ending with around 30-percent battery at 6 p.m. after a day of medium to heavy usage. With that in mind, we’re also expecting good things from the Razer Phone’s 4,000mAh battery. While it’s not all about numbers, and software optimizations can help make a smartphone more energy efficient, we’re pretty confident that the Razer Phone is going to have beefy battery life with plenty in the tank for hours of gaming.

The Note 8 benefits from fast charging, being capable of charging from 40 percent to 92 percent in under half an hour. The Razer Phone will be the first phone to come with Qualcomm’s new QuickCharge 4.0+, with promises of five hours of power from five minutes of charge. If the Razer Phone can fully deliver this radically fast charging, then Razer Phone users are likely to be spending even less time tethered to their charger — though Samsung Note 8 users will have the option of wirelessly charging their phone, which the Razor Phone lacks, thanks to the aluminum body.

It’s another exceptionally close race here, and each phone has its own strengths and weaknesses. But we’re suckers for a larger battery. Wireless charging is great, but a longer battery life trumps the ability to charge wirelessly. The Razer Phone takes this round.

Winner: Razer Phone

Software

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Stock Android-heads beware! Boot up either of these phones and you’ll be looking at a modified version of Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The Note 8 comes with Samsung’s altered version of Android, the Samsung Experience, while the Razer Phone is using acclaimed third-party Android launcher, Nova Launcher.

The Samsung Experience on the Note 8 serves up Samsung’s latest version of the Android platform, and comes with a host of useful options for the user. Top of the list (certainly in Samsung’s book) is Bixby — Samsung’s in-house personal AI assistant. In practice, it’s actually pretty useful, bringing up lists of information it thinks might be useful, and executing various simple voice commands. Performance on the Note 8 is supersmooth, the only black mark being the consistently slow launch of Bixby Home.

If the Samsung Experience is Samsung’s attempt at tailoring the Note 8 to your specific needs, than Nova Launcher is the perfect way to set your phone up exactly how you want it. We don’t know a huge amount about the specific Nova Launcher used on the Razer Phone, but from our own use of Nova Launcher, we know that it’s an incredibly customizable interface, with options for changing your app drawer, animation types for swapping between windows, unique gestures to open apps, and tons more features. It’s a great little piece of software that runs smoothly on a variety of devices, and with Android 7.1.1 Nougat running underneath, it also comes with all the latest innovations from Google.

However, the Note 8 has the S Pen. Samsung’s awesome stylus brings a whole new angle to the Samsung Experience, letting users write notes on their Always On display, doodle pictures for friends, capture GIFs and screenshots at the touch of a button, magnify the screen, and loads more. The Razer Phone was always going to have a hard time beating the extra tools that Samsung Experience brings to the table — and with the addition of the S Pen, it’s clear that the Note 8 comes out the stronger.

Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Price and availability

The Note 8 is available from multiple vendors in the United States, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. However, pricing for it starts at an eye-watering $930 for 64GB of storage. That sort of price is very difficult to justify when the Razer Phone starts at $700 for the same amount of storage. With that said, we’re not sure about availability for the Razer Phone, with no carriers having announced that they’ll be taking on Razer’s new beast. And with a lack of banding for CDMA, you’re restricted as to which carriers you’ll be able to take an unlocked Razer Phone onto.

This is tough to call — the Note 8’s high price versus the restrictions on the Razer Phone. We’re going to give the Razer Phone the win here since its $230 cheaper, but Verizon or Sprint customers will want to look elsewhere.

Winner: Razer Phone

Overall winner: Galaxy Note 8

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Let’s get real — it could only ever have been this way. The Note 8 is Samsung’s frontline soldier in the war against Google for dominance of the highest-end Android marketplace, and it’s packed to the brim with the latest gizmos, bells, whistles, and everything else that Samsung could cram into its tiny frame. It’s a triumph of design and execution, with power in droves, design to die for, and the brilliant S Pen.

That said, the Razer Phone put up an exceptionally tough fight, and this loss shouldn’t be taken as a reason not to buy it. Coming in more than $200 cheaper, it’s still a great choice and boasts a Snapdragon 835 processor, more RAM than you’ll likely ever need, and that incredible 120 Hz Ultramotion display. We’re expecting great things from the Razer Phone when we properly get our hands on it, and even if it’s not capable of standing up to the Galaxy Note 8, that’s no slur on its performance.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Razer Phone hands-on review
• The Razer Phone, with its Snapdragon 835 and 8GB of RAM, is finally here
• Razer Blade Pro (2017) review
• EVGA SC17 1080 review
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8 Plus: S Pen not the only difference

That turtle is a gun! MIT scientists highlight major flaw in image recognition

Why it matters to you

It may sound amusing, but this demonstration actually poses some really major security risks.

When is a rifle actually a 3D-printed turtle? When is an espresso actually a baseball? No, it’s not a case of predictive text gone massively wrong, but an alarming new piece of research from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), designed to show the limits — and potential dangers — of image recognition algorithms.

In a new paper, a team of MIT researchers were able to produce actual 3D-printed objects which could repeatedly and consistently trick neural networks, designed for image classification. This was done by slightly changing the texture of an object, thereby highlighting just how easily AI can be fooled in certain contexts. The work adds physical evidence to a theory about so-called “adversarial examples,” which can utterly baffle image recognition systems, regardless of the angle they are viewed from, by making tiny, imperceptible perturbations to inputs.

“It’s actually not just that they’re avoiding correct categorization — they’re classified as a chosen adversarial class, so we could have turned them into anything else if we had wanted to,” researcher Anish Athalye told Digital Trends. “The rifle and espresso classes were chosen uniformly at random. The adversarial examples were produced using an algorithm called Expectation Over Transformation (EOT), which is presented in our research paper. The algorithm takes in any textured 3D model, such as a turtle, and finds a way to subtly change the texture such that it confuses a given neural network into thinking the turtle is any chosen target class.”

While it might be funny to have a 3D-printed turtle recognized as a rifle, however, the researchers point out that the implications are actually pretty darn terrifying. Imagine, for instance, a security system which uses AI to flag guns or bombs, but can be tricked into thinking that they are instead tomatoes, or cups of coffee, or even entirely invisible. It also underlines frailty in the kind of image recognition systems self-driving cars will rely on, at high speed, to discern the world around them.

“Our work demonstrates that adversarial examples are a bigger problem than many people previously thought, and it shows that adversarial examples for neural networks are a real concern in the physical world,” Athalye continued. “This problem is not just an intellectual curiosity: It is a problem that needs to be solved in order for practical systems that use deep learning to be safe from attack.”

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Google might be hit with a lawsuit over Pixel 2 XL’s display complaints

When will this be over?

We understand you’re tired of hearing about “Display-gate” for the Pixel 2 XL, but we swear this will (hopefully) be the last time we need to bring it up.

Girard Gibbs LLP is a law firm based out of New York and San Franciso, and it’s now offering “free and confidential case consultation” for those that purchased either the Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. The reasoning for the suit mostly boils down to the numerous complaints about the Pixel 2 XL’s reported burn-in and the smaller Pixel 2’s clicking noises, and the full statement reads as follows:

Girard Gibbs is investigating claims against Google, HTC, and LG for manufacturing, marketing, and selling defective Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones. Both phones have exhibited abnormalities. Owners of the more expensive Pixel 2 XL have reported that the devices’ OLED screens are suffering from “burn-in”—a phenomenon where a portion of the display remains visible even after changing the screen to display something else, degrading user experience. Pixel 2 XL owners have also reported significant “black smear”—a problem affecting certain OLED displays, in which the movement of pixels against a black backdrop creates a black smudge, distorting the display. Finally, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners have reported persistent whistling and clicking sounds while attempting to make phone calls.

In regards to the clicking noise found with the Pixel 2, Google’s already announced that a software update is on its way that will soon cease its existence. All it is is a quirk with the NFC radio, and in the meantime, you can disable NFC on the phone to temporarily stop the noise.

The Pixel 2 XL’s display has been met with controversy since its release.

Now, the Pixel 2 XL’s display. While it may not be the best-looking compared to other flagships, Google’s already issued a statement here as well and reports that the OLED panel on the phone is working as intended. The burn-in and blue shift are definitely annoying to some users, but there’s nothing technically wrong with the phone. You’re absolutely entitled to not like the Pixel 2 XL’s display (I’m not a fan of it myself), but in no way is that grounds for a class-action lawsuit.

It’s very possible that Google could get hit with this suit assuming enough people get in touch with Girard Gibbs LLP, and this is especially true when you consider that this is the same firm that was responsible for the bootloop case with the LG G4 and V10 a couple years back.

This really could go either way at ths point, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Everything you need to know about Sony Playlink

Turn your phone into a controller with Sony Playlink.

Sony Playlink games deliver a new kind of experience on PlayStation 4 by linking up your mobile phone with your console. While these new games can easily be played solo, they’re really meant to be played with friends, as each one turns your phone into a controller. It’s only just made it’s debut, but we’ve got all the details on Playlink for you here!

What is Sony Playlink?

We first heard about Playlink at E3 2017, where we got a sneak peek at this new kind of gaming. Playlink games are built to be social experiences, best enjoyed with a few friends. They aim to be easy to pick up, even for those folks who don’t usually ever touch a game controller.

You use your phone or tablet as a controller, which means it’s a wireless gaming experience with all of the action played out on your television, making it easier to ensure that everyone can play at once.

What kind of games are available?

For the moment there are only a handful of games out, but all of them are somewhat competitive in nature. Playlink games are built to be social experiences for you and your friends to enjoy together.

In some cases, you’ll be directly competing during gameplay in trivia with Knowledge is Power or with crazy minigames in Frantics. While you are pitted against each other in a variety of ways depending on the game you’re playing, it’s generally in a fun and lighthearted way versus an out and out competition.

What do I need to play Playlink games?

In order for everyone to enjoy Playlink games, you’ll first need to download one of the Playlink games from the PlayStation Store. Each person who plans on gaming will also need a smartphone or tablet.

Most importantly, you’ll need Wi-Fi that both your PlayStation 4 console and all of the mobile devices can connect to. There isn’t a main Playlink app that you need to use. Instead, each game has it’s own app that can be found in the Google Play Store.

How does it work?

Each game is a bit different in terms of mechanics and controls, but the basic premise remains the same. Once your mobile device is connected to the same network as your console, you just need to open up the companion app on your phone and sign in.

After you’ve done this, your phone will sync up with your console and act as a controller with all of the action playing out on your television.

Do I need a group to enjoy Playlink games?

While Playlink games are really made to be played with friends, it isn’t mandatory. Different games offer different functionality in single player mode, but you can definitely play by yourself if that’s more up your alley.

Questions?

Do you still have questions about Sony Playlink? Do you plan on checking it out with friends? Are the Playlink games up your alley? Let us know about it in the comments below!

PlayStation 4

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Galaxy S8 Oreo + Samsung Experience 9.0 beta launches in U.S., UK, South Korea

Now you can sample the latest tasty treat.

After an early roll-out that saw a couple people get in on the update early, Samsung has officially announced that it has opened its beta program for testing Android 8.0 Oreo on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Not only does it bump the core Android version to 8.0, but the beta update also includes the latest “Samsung Experience” version 9.0, which is shaping up to be a nice jump up from version 8.5 launched with the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung says that the software being previewed here will be closely related to what launches on the “next flagship Galaxy device” — aka the Galaxy S9.

As usual, there are a few caveats here. For those of us in the U.S. to get in on the beta, we’ll need to have a Sprint, T-Mobile or U.S. unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 or S8+. (For what it’s worth, I wasn’t prompted for the registration until I put an active SIM in my phone.) If you’re in the UK, you need to have a non-carrier SIM-free model. Unfortunately the Note 8 isn’t included in the beta at this time — though we can expect to see very similar software on the Note 8 when it exits beta.

The process of signing up for the Oreo beta is pretty simple. Just download the Samsung+ app from Google Play (or Samsung Members app outside of the U.S.), sign in with your Samsung Account and wait to see if you receive the prompt to enroll in the app — it’ll show up right on the main screen.

Last year’s beta program for testing Nougat on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge was severely limited at first to just several thousand people, but Samsung has bumped that up this year to 10,000. It does say that there will be “additional rounds” of registration, but it isn’t clear if that means it will open up more slots overall.

Have you enrolled in the beta program on your Galaxy S8 or S8+ yet? Let us know in the comments!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

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• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
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Press release:

Samsung Experience 9.0 Beta Now Available

Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of the Samsung Experience 9.0 beta, part of the Galaxy beta program which offers select customers a chance to experience new features available through the Galaxy ecosystem.

Previously known as TouchWiz, Samsung Experience is based on the Android OS and has expanded beyond the user interface to provide Galaxy users with a consistent and seamless experience across all Samsung mobile software, apps and services. This change is in recognition of the increasing suite of unique services Samsung has developed for the Galaxy devices.

Following Samsung Experience version 8.5, which was released with the Galaxy Note8, Samsung Experience 9.0 is based on the latest version of the operating system built on the Android Oreo UI and UX, and will be available on the next flagship Galaxy device.

Samsung is launching a Samsung Experience 9.0 beta program for select customers. Starting on November 2, 2017, Galaxy S8 and S8+ users based in South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K*. will have the opportunity to preview the upcoming Samsung Experience 9.0 before its official release, with additional rounds of registration.

The beta period will allow Samsung to gather helpful insights and feedback from customers on their first impressions of the Samsung Experience 9.0 beta’s performance** and usability during the testing period*** to develop a more reliable, high-performing software package and provide Galaxy users with an improved and optimized experience.

To apply for the program, users must have an active Samsung Account and meet certain requirements. The Galaxy beta program may be provided via the Samsung Members app or the Samsung+ app for the U.S., which are available through the Google Play store or Galaxy Apps, depending on the user’s country of residence.

Video: Watch our HTC U11+ hands-on!

HTC kicks off November with new flagship smartphone launch. It has the Taiwanese company’s biggest screen to date, encased in hardware that finally feels as polished and modern as the M7 and M8 did back in the HTC glory days.

This is the HTC U11+, with a huge screen, an enormous battery and, unfortunately, little chance of a US launch. This one’s Europe and Asia-only for the time being.

In our hands-on video with the HTC U11+, we’ll get an early look at a slimmer, elongated, slightly flattened U11 with a bigger screen and a gigantic battery. Is this the phone the HTC U11 should’ve been from the beginning?

• Android Central on YouTube
• HTC U11+ hands-on preview
• HTC U11+ specs
• HTC U11 review

Oprah will be Alexa’s first celebrity-voiced shopping assistant

Alexa is getting its first celebrity voice. To go along with the Oprah’s Favorite Things storefront on Amazon, users of Alexa-enabled devices can have Oprah herself guide them through this year’s 102 favorite things. To do so, you’ll just have to say, “Alexa, let’s shop Oprah’s Favorite Things.” Oprah will then describe one of the products on her list and tell you why she recommends it. If you want to buy it, say “yes,” if you don’t, say “no,” and Oprah will move on to another item.

To be clear, Oprah’s voice is not a permanent Alexa fixture — it’s limited to just guiding you through the Favorite Things storefront, which this year includes earphones, various food products, clothing items and, naturally, Amazon’s Echo Show. And while it may seem like a fun companion to Oprah’s iconic holiday list, it’s also another way for Amazon to encourage you to shop. The company has developed a few different ways to attract customers and add convenience to shopping recently including the introduction of Spark — Amazon’s Instagram-like shopping feed — the addition of Alexa assistance in the Android Amazon app and the launch of its AR View feature that lets customers get a preview of how a range of products will look in their homes. Just having to say “yes” in order to buy one of Oprah’s Favorite Things certainly makes for an easy shopping experience.

If you don’t have an Alexa-enabled device or if you’d rather just scroll through Oprah’s Favorite Things yourself, you can take a look at this year’s list here.