Best Heavy Duty Cases for Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 XL is the slightly larger, slightly more expensive, and slightly cooler new Google phone — I suppose you could say it’s a notch above the competition. All jokes aside, with a quality phone like the Pixel 3 XL you’re going to want to protect it with a heavy duty case to make sure it last and always looks great. We’ve rounded up the best cases, from budget-friendly cases to more premium offerings.

A clear case with style

Ringke Fusion-X

The Ringke Fusion-X is one of the more unique-looking cases you’ll find for the Pixel 3. It offers heavy-duty protection with a clear PC backplate combined with an impact-resistant bumper around the edges to protect against drops and bumps.

$10 at Amazon

Tough as nails

Spigen Tough Armor

This case offers maximum durability without adding too much bulk to the Pixel 3 XL’s design. Designed with a shock-absorbing TPU sleeve hugged by a rugged shell, the Tough Armor will live up to its name with a built-in kickstand offering a nice little bonus.

$17 at Amazon

All-round protection

Poetic Revolution 360 Degree Protection 

The only case on this list that comes with its own screen protector, Poetic Revolution is able to claim 360-degree protection with this heavy duty case that certainly looks the part. Thick, textured edges should ensure you always have a solid grip on your phone, and there’s a built-in kickstand that works in both landscape and portrait orientations.

$17 at Amazon

Best on a budget

CoverON HexaGuard Series

CoverOn offers a great budget option for those who want to protect their Pixel 3 XL for under $10. This is a dual-layer case that is designed to take the abuse if your daily use. The back features a basketball-inspired grip pattern that looks and feel great in your hand.

$8 at Amazon

Iconic brand

OtterBox Symmetry Series 

OtterBox offers premium cases for the Pixel 3 XL, and we recommend the Symmetry Series because it’s the thinnest case they offer and an ideal pairing for the bigger Pixel phone. This is the most expensive option on our list, but if you’ve ever bought an OtterBox case before and dealt with its superb customer service, you know that you’ll get your money’s worth.

$50 at Amazon

Top defender

Lifeproof NËXT 

From the brand that aims to offer truly life-proof cases, the NËXT case is a clear case that claims to be drop-proof, dirt-proof, and snow-proof but not waterproof. It’s compatible with wireless charging, too, and offers optional accessories such as a lanyard that cleverly includes a USB-C to USB-C lanyard.

$80 at Lifeproof

Which case you choose to protect your Pixel 3 XL with is ultimately up to you and your personal tastes, but with larger phones, we always try to recommend something that’s a bit slimmer since adding extra bulk to an already large phone makes it that much harder to slip in and out of your pocket. I’d personally recommend the Spigen Tough Armor which offers great protection at a reasonable price with a pocket-friendly design.

New gameplay footage leaks ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2’s PS4 launch

The wild west has never looked this good.

Yes, it’s finally happening my fellow outlaws. Red Dead Redemption II is real and it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year. After Rockstar Games’ massively successful open-world cowboy game set during the death of the Wild West, fans began clamoring for a follow-up that continued the story of the Marston family or embraced a new gunslinger.

After years of rumors and silence on Rockstar’s end, they finally surprised the world on one random morning in 2016 by announcing a sequel to their critically acclaimed western. It took over a year to get any actual concrete details regarding the game and frankly, it’s still a bit of a mystery but it sounds like it could be a mix of a story of a new outlaw and also fill in a massive gap in John Marston’s story.

See at Amazon

What’s new with Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar Games has been quiet lately regarding the highly anticipated sequel, but with Red Dead Redemption 2’s imminent launch approaching in just a few short months, the studio is starting to discuss the game some more. We’ll keep you up to date with everything you need to know as it’s released.

October 22, 2018 — New gameplay footage leaks

A 23-second clip of Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay leaked on Reddit this past weekend. While not particularly long, it was a rather exciting third of a minute that shows main character Arthur Morgan approaching a hostile camp on horseback.

They aren’t too welcoming at first, but they at least have a cool enough temperament to ask what he’s doing there before they go any further. But whoever was controlling Morgan here had no time for words, as he immediately climbs off his steed to pull out his dual wield revolvers and lay waste to its inhabitants in the very way you’d think an old western badass would. The quick draw ends with a final fatal shot that is glorified in slow motion, blood flying everywhere as the body is blown back from the force of the bullet.

While the scene itself was great, we see a few interesting things going on in the HUD throughout this clip. A big label up top shows the current status of Arthur Morgan in whichever area he’s visiting. It says “Wanted” here, which explains the caution displayed by the folks he’s approached. Beneath that label, it’s clear that the player is in an interrogation situation, something that quickly changes once the bullets start flying.

We also get a glimpse at the weapon wheel. It’s a standard mechanic in action adventure gmes, but it allows us to see just how much he can carry. On his person are a hunting bow, a rope, a shotgun, a combat knife, and his pistols. Oh, and those fists of his which we also know can be deadly weapons on their own. The player will also have separate wheels for their items and whatever their horse is carrying in its inventory.

While we’ve seen official in-game footage from Rockstar already, this is the first time we’ve seen uncut gameplay that wasn’t carefully selected for purposes of marketing. It’s possible the clip comes from a reviewer who has broken embargo, a lucky player who was able to buy the game early, or maybe even leaked from Rockstar’s very own offices, perhaps intentionally as the company looks to keep the hype machine going full throttle. We suppose the origin doesn’t matter much, especially since the world will be able to play the game in just a few short days. Red Dead Redemption 2 will arrive October 26, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox one.

October 18, 2018

We’re in the homestretch now and Rockstar has released Red Dead Redemption 2’s launch trailer a week ahead of its anticipated release. At only a minute long, it’s short and sweet, but it teases some tense conflicts with the Van der Linde Gang.

October 15, 2018

A little less than two weeks out from Red Dead Redemption 2’s release, Vulture recounted the highly-anticipated titles making in a new article published today.

One of the most notable pieces of information to come out of the publication’s interview with Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser is that the development team was apparently working 100-hour weeks to get the game done on time. This has caused quite a stir and a renewed conversation surrounding the unsustainable working conditions that game developers suffer through.

Rockstar additionally employed over 1,200 SAG-AFTRA actors to bring to life the game’s massive 2,000-page script. This ended up requiring 2,200 days (a little over 6 years) of motion-capture work.

Despite 700 of these actors being brought on for speaking roles, the studio decided that it wouldn’t bring big name actors onto projects anymore because of their egos. “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, poor bugger,” said Houser, “but we don’t bring in name actors anymore because of their egos and, most important of all, because we believe we get a better sense of immersion using talented actors whose voices you don’t recognize.”

Red Dead Redemption 2 features 300,000 animations, 500,000 lines of dialogue, and “many more lines of code.” Hundreds of versions of its trailers were produced until perfected. According to Houser, this immense amount of work results in “this seamless, natural-feeling experience in a world that appears real, an interactive homage to the American rural experience. (It’s) a vast four-dimensional mosaic in which the fourth dimension is time, in which the world unfolds around you, dependent on what you do.”

As for how long the game’s main campaign will take, you can expect to put in roughly 60 hours. It used to be closer to 65, but as release day approaches the team cut 5-hours of content because “they were never going to work technically or be quite slick enough, or they felt superfluous. We removed a mission on a train where you had to deal with bounty hunters, because it was fun at first, but then it wasn’t. This part of the process is always about compromise and horse trading. Everyone always loses bits of the game they love.”

October 12, 2018

The Wild West was filled to the brim with its own unique weapons for the time period, so Rockstar is ensuring that Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of authentic weaponry as well. The developer recently detailed the game’s weapons and their customization systems.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will feature over 50 unique usable weapons, from classic revolvers to sawed-off shotguns. If you gravitate toward one specific weapon, you’ll be happy to hear that the more a weapon is used, the better it will perform. The drawback to this being that weapons in Red Dead Redemption 2 will degrade over time, so you’ll need to clean your weapons to keep them in pristine condition.

The game boasts “a myriad of customization options ranging from visual upgrades like new metals, woods, varnishes and engravings to performance upgrades like new barrels, grips, sights and scopes.” Performance upgrades can improve your damage output, accuracy, reload speed, and more. It’s best to take the time and consider what’s best for your playstyle, or what suits a particular weapon type the most.

October 10, 2018

Rockstar has clarified some recent news surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 and how its NPCs will react to players whether they have their mini-maps and HUDs turned on or off. Previous reports stated that if players turned off their mini-maps that NPC dialogue would change, giving them more directions and information about where to go. This appears to have been false. According to Rooster Teeth employee Alanah Pearce, “they’ll always give you directions, people likely just noticed them more when their HUD was off.”

Seeing as NPCs will provide context and dialogue regardless of your mini-map status, it could end up working out similarly to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s exploration mode. Whether you have this mode enabled or not, NPCs can and will give you directions should you ask.

October 1, 2018

Rockstar has released its second Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay trailer showcasing just a few of the illegal activities that the Van der Linde Gang can commit. What would a Western be without a good old-fashioned train heist? You won’t just be out and about committing crimes all the time though. The world that Rockstar created feels alive, and as Arthur, you can go into taverns, have a nice meal, play some cards, and even decide when to shave or bath.

This trailer also gives us a new look into the game’s revamped Dead Eye system, which will now progress in stages. Players will be able to slow time, mark multiple targets, and view critical or fatal points of their enemies. According to Rockstar, “how and when you use it is up to you.”

Near the end, we even got a better glimpse of Red Dead Redemption 2 in its 1st-person mode, which will launch with the game unlike its later introduction into Grand Theft Auto V.

September 24, 2018

Sony has announced a new PlayStation 4 Pro bundle featuring Rockstar’s upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2. Pre-orders begin today for $400. The console will release alongside the game on October 26.

See at Amazon

September 19, 2018

Rockstar has officially announced Red Dead Online, a multiplayer component for Red Dead Redemption 2 similar to that of Grand Theft Auto Online.

According to the developer, Red Dead Online is “an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways. Using the gameplay of the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 as a foundation, Red Dead Online will be ready to be explored alone or with friends, and will also feature constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players.”

Though Red Dead Redemption 2 releases in October, players won’t be able to hop into Red Dead Online until the following month, where it is set to initially enter a public beta sometime in November.

September 7, 2018

Rockstar has revealed new plot details surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter

“Dutch’s presence loomed over the original Red Dead Redemption, and his influence on events was a big inspiration for the setting and direction of Red Dead Redemption 2,” said art director Josh Bass. “We all wanted to know more about him and the gang —what was it like riding in that gang? What led them to the events of the original game? What happened to them along the way?

“In Red Dead Redemption 2 you get to see that gang, including Marston, at the peak of their notoriety and at the very moment things begin to fall apart,” he continued. “This story focuses on Arthur Morgan, Dutch’s most trusted enforcer. Adopted into the gang by the Dutch when he was a young boy, Arthur considers the gang to be his family — Dutch has given his life some much‐needed purpose, and the gang has served as the one positive and constant in Arthur’s life.”

Since this is the tail end of the Wild West, Dutch’s gang is struggling with their old ways of life coming to an end as they flee through the country.

“We’ve aimed to capture a wide slice of American life in 1899, a rapidly industrializing nation that would soon have its sights on the world’s stage — and would do whatever possible to ‘modernize,’ ” said director of art Aaron Garbut. “It’s a brutal landscape with a sordid history, but also one that’s full of opportunity. One of the most satisfying aspects of creating a world of such scope and scale is the ability to experience a whole range of stories and characters in your journey across that world. The gang’s journey and the game’s epic scope makes room to touch on all aspects of turn of the century America in a meaningful, substantial way.”

Though Rockstar’s previous title, Grand Theft Auto V, switched between the perspectives of a few different characters, Red Dead Redemption 2 is centering all on Arthur Morgan.

“Sticking with a single character felt more appropriate for the structure and narrative of a western,” said Bass. “Arthur lives with and fights alongside the other members of the Van der Linde gang, and they are a group of fully realized characters with relationships to each other and to Arthur, but this is Arthur’s story and we are placing players firmly in Arthur’s boots as he and the gang deal with a rapidly changing world. We think people will really love the feeling of being in the gang. It isn’t like anything we’ve done before.”

Rockstar also revealed the entire Van der Linde gang, all 23 members, along with short character bios for each.

August 15, 2018

Digital Foundry has given us our best look yet at Red Dead Redemption 2 running on a PlayStation 4 Pro. According to the outlet, which analyzed a 68mbps version of the trailer provided by Rockstar, RDR2 appears to run at native 1920×2160 on the PS4 Pro, “halving the pixel count on the horizontal axis from a proper 4K.” This is still a 12.5% increase in pixels over a 1440p image.

They were unable to get a reading on gameplay performance as the game is set to run at 30FPS and the video itself only supported 30FPS.

August 10, 2018 — New Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay has arrived!

Rockstar today released new gameplay footage for Red Dead Redemption 2, giving us our deepest look at the wild west open world game yet. The 6-minute trailer showed us a great deal of the gameplay mechanics, a bit of the world, and more.

For starters, we got to see the sheer scope of the open world. Red Dead Redemption 2 will be massive in size, and there will be a variety of environments to explore both on foot and on horseback. From mountainous terrain and forested countrysides to those growing towns chock full of saloon-goers and merchants, it appears players will be able to take in the full breadth of the cowboy experience.

Rockstar says it was important for the game to be massive not just in size, but also in depth. That means the player — taking the reigns as Van Der Linde gang member Arthur Morgan — will have a living, breathing society around him to interact with.

Red Dead 2 may set a new standard for open-world gameplay.

You can go into shops and sell the pelts you’ve skinned off the back of your latest game hunting prey. And if you get caught trying to steal or shortchange the shop vendor, well, don’t be surprised if you have to knock him out in the street. That the townspeople gathered around to watch the confrontation as it went down is a testament to the emphasis Rockstar is placing on immersion.

That sort of interaction can be coerced out of the game by your own will, too. You can interact with almost everyone and everything. Meet some passersby on the road with a quick greeting and be on your way, or question someone you think might be doing dirt in the city. These interactions seemingly have the potential to escalate into something more, whether that be a new opportunity for Arthur Morgan and Co. or more fisticuffs to keep people in their place. And yes, that also means you can defuse certain situations.

Should the fighting become so fierce that you resort to weapons, you’ll find a new combat system that makes the deed more fluid and fun. Hand-to-hand combat, especially, seems far more involved than the original game. As far as shooting is concerned, Dead Eye is back, and it’ll be cooler than ever to put bullets into the heads of six of your enemies simultaneously.

At the end of your daily musings, you’ll head back to camp to meet up with your gang. This is likely where you’ll be getting the bulk of your missions, but it’s also a chance for the player to get to know the other characters in the group. They’ll share stories and sing and dance with you as you eat, and you can also play various games to keep morale high. There’s a gameplay benefit to all this, as Rockstar says spending time with these people could unlock new secrets.

As a pillar of the gang, you’ll be tasked with helping keep them afloat by regularly replenishing food, water, and other supplies. We’re not sure what would happen should their morale get too low, but apparently that will play a part in how others in the gang approach you.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is slated for an October 26th release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Head to Amazon and pre-order yours today.

See at Amazon

August 8, 2018

Rockstar has announced that we will see new gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 on August 9. This should be our first significant look at gameplay since the game’s announcement. The trailer will air 11AM Eastern, and can be viewed on Rockstar’s website or YouTube channel. We’ll be updating this post with details about the gameplay announcement once it arrives.

August 6, 2018

The big question on everyone’s mind: When are we finally getting gameplay? All signs point to soon. Rockstar has recently sent out Red Dead 2 care packages to members of the press, and with Gamescom taking place in just a few weeks, the developer could be gearing up for a big reveal. Red Dead II was notably absent at E3 2018, so the next biggest gaming convention seems like a good bet for it to make an appearance.

During a recent financial call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick took the chance to hype up Red Dead 2 even more, saying, “My belief is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will shatter expectations and that the online experience also will be extraordinary, but unexpected.”

Its online aspect was a bit contentious when rumors of its existence began floating around since Red Dead’s identity was tied to its single-player, but it looks like Rockstar may have something special they’ve got cooking up if they’re hyping it up so much.

He continued by saying that Red Dead II will “redefine the industry” and “captivate audiences around the world.”

PC release?

Though Rockstar only announced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, there’s still hope it could come to PC. It appears that a programmer at Rockstar, who previously worked on GTA V and L.A. Noire, listed Red Dead II on his LinkedIn profile with its platforms being labelled as “PS4/Xbox1/PC.” This was eventually amended once word got out, but it’s unknown if this was a simple mistake or a PC version is indeed in the works.

The story so far…

Rockstar Games appears to be returning to the traditional one playable character route after successfully experimenting with three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V but he’s not John or Jack Marston. Players will travel back to 1899 (12 years before the first game) to fill the boots and don the hat of a much less noble man that goes by the name of Arthur Morgan, a brute that’s running with Dutch van der Linde’s gang during their prime. While little is known about Arthur, we know he’s a much more sinister cowboy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In the second trailer, we see him interrogating and roughing up several people who appear to owe money to Dutch’s Gang, perhaps for protection. He’s a brutal force that is loyal to Dutch and likely only Dutch.

It’s likely we’re going to see the rise and fall of the gang, with Arthur Morgan playing a pivotal role.

The story will see Morgan and Van der Linde’s gang stealing, running, and fighting to survive the rugged and cruel world that is the Wild West. Order has not yet been established, technology is slowly beginning to evolve into something far more advanced, and people like Dutch believe it’s important that things stay the way they are. The Van der Linde gang was always viewed as a Robin Hood-type of bandits, stealing from the rich to give to the poor and resisting the government in favor of a structure where it was an “every man for himself” situation.

The gang eventually evolved into something far more dangerous and unhinged according to an anecdote provided by John Marston, leading him to realize their Robin Hood act was all a front for their evil actions and crimes. The event that likely leads to the start of the downfall of the gang seems to be a heist in Blackwater which later became known as the Blackwater Massacre. In the plot synopsis for the game provided by Rockstar, it’s revealed that the gang is being hunted after they botch a robbery in the wealthy town that is seen toward the end of the first RDR.

Within the lore of the series, the Blackwater Massacre was a massive shootout that took the lives of over 30 people. Civilians, cops, and criminals were among the casualties of the bloody shootout, actual details of why the battle took place remain a mystery to the residents of Blackwater because the officials went to great lengths to cover it up. Why? Well, we’ll likely find out in Red Dead II.

Most people involved died or were criminals who escaped but one of the few survivors was the legendary lawman, Landon Ricketts. Ricketts is in the first game and Marston teams up with him in Mexico, Marston knows him for his status but the two don’t seem to know each other. It’s entirely possible that Marston was uninvolved in the heist or was playing coy and using him to further his quest for redemption.

How does it connect to the original Red Dead Redemption?

So, what’s the connection to the first Red Dead Redemption? Well, Rockstar is being very, very careful not to say much about this game and how it connects to the first game but it will shed light on the stories John told in the first game as well as provide more depth to the men we hunt down in that same game.

John Marston is indeed in the game but Rockstar has noted that this is Arthur Morgan’s story, not John’s.

Given this game takes place long before the events of the original game and has a direct link to it via Dutch van der Linde and his gang, it’s hard to imagine Rockstar isn’t trying to expand John Marston’s story in some way. With games like Grand Theft Auto, there have been very subtle connections tying the games together but none of them are direct sequels or relate to each other in any way. With Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar had the chance to name the game something like Red Dead Revolution, Red Dead Retribution, or something along those lines given that the series so far has gone Red Dead Revolver and then Red Dead Redemption. They purposely named it in a way that links the two games.

Marston was also a substantial part of Dutch’s Gang, he was taken in by Dutch when he ran away from the orphanage he lived in. He was raised by this gang and lived with them for a large majority of his life and in the fallout of him abandoning the gang, it all went to hell and it was more or less disbanded. John Marston is indeed the game, he’s heavily featured in new screenshots and is seen in the newest trailer once or twice but Rockstar says this is Arthur’s story, not John’s. That doesn’t mean that we can’t expand on the character, it just means he will not be the focal point of the narrative.

Major gameplay innovations are coming in the western sequel

Since Rockstar has been pretty prude about Red Dead Redemption II, we only have the word of the press who have seen the game in action to understand how the game plays. There will be more details in the future regarding what the gameplay will look like but for right now we’ll just give you the basic rundown of what we know. For starters, Rockstar seems to be creating their most realisitic world yet and abandoning some of the most video game-y aspects in their formula for something with more depth.

According to Rockstar, they’ve been developing Red Dead Redemption II for eight years, starting as they were wrapping up the first game. In that time, they’ve been handcrafting a world with lots of detail and creating systems that may be fairly unexpected from them. A large portion of the game is centered around managing the gang, Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man and he helps keep everything running smoothly. This means you’ll help perform odd jobs for gang members, go hunting to get food for the camp or get money to line their pockets with, and so on.

Rockstar has been very clear that you don’t have to do this and you won’t be severely punished if you don’t but the gang will make comments if you leave them hanging for days on end. If you do choose to take care of your gang, you’ll be rewarded in ways that have not yet been revealed and your gang will grow stronger.

Also on tap is a new dialog system that allows you to approach situations with more options than just shoot and kill. Each NPC has their own set of branching dialog, with the player able to talk niceties or show a degree of impatience in any given encounter. And this isn’t just a black and white morality system either. Some choices will be gray areas, some will be lore-advancing, some will lead to friendships, and others will most certainly erupt into bloodbaths. It’s unclear if there will be any more to this system – such as a relationship mechanic that gauges each NPC’s level of warmth toward you – but it’s something.

If you do choose to go off and do things like hunting, you’ll be able to see the amount of depth that Rockstar has added to its hunting system since the original game and Grand Theft Auto V. You’ll find yourself stalking animals, choosing your weapon carefully so you don’t damage pelts/meat, and tracking an animal by following blood trails after you’ve hit it. Once you’ve tracked the animal down, you may find it still alive, bleeding out and yelping. Arthur will then take out his knife and stab the animal in the heart to end its suffering and take what you want from it.

You can then string up your kill on the back of your horse and take it back to camp to feed your people or sell it in town and take the money for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, your hunt will rot and decay over time so the longer you have it on the back of your horse (yes, it’s literally on your horse, not in an invisible pouch), the less valuable it’ll be. If you were to kill an animal (or even a person) behind and let it sit in the wild, vultures, coyotes, and other creatures would come and munch on the remains.

It looks as if Rockstar will be carrying over the heists from GTA V as we see Arthur Morgan robbing a bank and holding up a train in the second trailer. It’s unclear how much of a focal point these will be in the game since it was the core of GTA V’s campaign but one has to imagine it plays a similar role given you’re a gang of notorious western criminals.

We do know there will be some depth to those heists, though. Players can go loud or quiet, create distractions, choose who you bring with you (some can be done solo but isn’t recommended), and use a bunch of other different variables to create different outcomes throughout the heists. All of this will result on if and when law enforcement shows up amongst other things. It’s unclear if you can have gang members die or get critically wounded in these heists like in Grand Theft Auto V or just how dynamic these systems are. Grand Theft Auto V’s heists were heavily scripted, if you chose a certain crew member to come with, they’d always die on the same mission in the same spot because it was coordinated by Rockstar’s writing. It was more of the illusion of choices having consequences rather than them actually having any meaning at all.

Some major changes are also coming in combat with the ability to dual wield weapons like Max Payne, bows and arrows used for hunting and maybe even some stealth combat as we see Arthur Morgan taking a knife to someone’s back in the dead of night. We also see Arthur brutally beating people up in the third trailer, suggesting Rockstar has refined their melee combat to create more intense and fun brawls.

A cowboy’s best friend

A cowboy’s best friend isn’t his fellow outlaws/lawmen, it’s his horse. In the original Red Dead Redemption, your horse was almost supernatural in the sense it teleported to you and was basically immortal. You didn’t have much of a connection to it because outside of its speed and stamina, there was nothing too special about the horses. In Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar plans on changing that.

Your horse in the sequel will be very special. Perhaps the most significant change from the first game or any Rockstar game for that matter is that you won’t be able to carry every single weapon with you. The joke of pulling an RPG out of your rear end in GTA wouldn’t apply in this game as you’ll only be carrying small weapons such as handguns on your person, rifles and other gear will travel via your horse. We’re not sure if you can sling at least one rifle over your shoulder while walking around but you can expect most of your guns to be unavailable if your horse isn’t nearby.

Your horse won’t be disposable in this game, it’ll mean a lot more to you because it has lots of value. You’ll grow a bond that effects how scared it gets when put in danger, how far it gets from you, and more. Rockstar hopes that this bond won’t just serve a gameplay effect but a personal and emotional one to. If your horse gets critically wounded, you can attempt to heal it with medical supplies, if you don’t have any you can try and run into town quickly and gather some and run back. You may come back to your horse dead, making you realize that you left that poor animal that loved you to die thinking you abandoned it in its final moments. Brutal stuff, I know. Should it die, you’ll have to start that bond all over with a new horse and presumably any gear you can’t carry off of that horse’s corpse is lost.

It adds a whole new layer to an aspect that’s iconic to westerns but doesn’t have a lot of attention paid to it.

When you can play it and when we’ll know more

The only questions remaining are when we can play the game and when we can expect more firm details from Rockstar. The game is currently scheduled to release on October 26th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and we can likely expect some news regarding the game in June or July via a Game Informer cover story or a new breakdown directly from Rockstar. As of right now, we’ll just have to hold our breaths and keep waiting to saddle up again.

Where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2

You can now pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its October 27th release date. You’re in for some nice goodies if you decide to give Rockstar your cash early. All pre-orders for Red Dead Redemption 2 come with the War Horse mount and the Outlaw Survival Kit. The former is a grey-colored steed that has better courage and stamina than others, while the Outlaw Survival Kit gives you extra health kits, Dead Eye replenishment, and more.

If you pre-order the digital copy on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you’ll also get some extra in-game cash to start your game, as well as a treasure map, though you’ll need to pre-order the game by July 31st to get those.

There’s also a special edition of the game available. It comes with 2 extra side missions, a black thoroughbred horse, gameplay bonuses through medllian and talisman charms, in-game cash bonuses, gameplay boosts, and discounts, a gunslinger outfit, and three additional weapons. You’ll also get a real map of the game world.

If that’s not enough, the Ultimate Edition comes with everything that the Deluxe Edition does, but you can add two more in-game outfits, another black thoroughbred with an exclusive saddle, a Survivor camp theme for the game’s online mode, three additional free weapons, and XP bonuses for online play up to rank 25.

As an added bonus for Grand Theft Auto 5 players, all digital pre-orders also come with in-game currency for GTA Online. Standard Edition gets $500,000, Special Edition gets $1,000,000, and Ultimate Edition gets $2,000,000.

Then there’s the big kahuna reserved for the most die-hard Red Dead fans. It’s a full-blown Collector’s Box, a red-tinted metal tithing box with a lock and key that comes with an assortment of real world goodies. There’s a collectible coin, a double-sized puzzle, a red bandana, a treasure map, a pin set, commemorative playing cards, a real 150-page Wheeler, Rawson and Co. catalogue, and 12 collectible cigarette cards.

You can pre-order your preferred digital edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 at the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or direct from the Rockstar Warehouse. Those opting for the Collector’s Box, however, can only get it through the Rockstar Warehouse.

Wanting to catch up and play through the original Red Dead Redemption before the sequel drops? You can find the Game of the Year Edition for $20 at Amazon

See at Amazon

Updated October 2018: Rockstar has released a launch trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2.

PlayStation 4

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Fallout 76 for PS4: 5 main factions revealed

Fallout 76 is about to take nuclear survival to an entirely new level.

Post-apocalyptic nuclear wastelands are supposed to be terrifying, but we’re always excited to experience those conditions whenever we take a visit back to the world of Fallout. With Fallout 4 having kicked this generation off, Bethesda is ready to turn in yet another new title – and all of this is before we’ve had another proper Elder Scrolls game!

It’s called Fallout 76. And no, that doesn’t mean it’s the 76th Fallout game made. To find out the significance of that number and everything else you need to know about Fallout 76, read on.

What’s new with Fallout 76?

Excited about rebuilding a civilization devastated by nuclear fallout? Keep it locked here for the latest details on Fallout 76. We’ll be updating this post periodically as new information surfaces.

October 22, 2018 — New factions revealed

Bethesda took the weekend to trickle out new information about Fallout 76, namely the different factions you’ll encounter in the game. There will be 5 major factions, each with their own motives and goals.

Those factions are the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, the Raiders, the Free States, and the Responders. The former three are returning from previous Fallout games, with the others being brand new.

Here’s a bit about each of those groups of folks and what they’ll be up to once you step into the nuclear wasteland later this year:

Brotherhood of Steel: Formed by Captain Roger Maxson, this Brotherhood typically had more capitalistic aspirations. The group holed up in the Californian Bunker of Lost Hills. It was there they found a working satellite, and used that technology to extend their reach from one coast of the United States to the other.

Raiders: Raiders want everything, and they’ll do anything to get it. The group is headed up by Rose, whose ruthless leadership makes this group one to take note of, if not outright fear.

Enclave: US leadership retreated to a remote oil rig right before the bombs fell. They’ve lost control of America for now, but their goal is to make it back to the US mainland and reestablish government from a secret bunker hidden somewhere in Appalachia.

Free States: A heady group of doomsday preppers knew this day was coming, and their preparations have helped them survive the worst of it. Or, at least they thought the bombs were the worst of it.

Responders: They have one goal: save everyone they can, no matter what it takes. Comprised of firefighters, doctors, police, and other brave souls, the Responders’ sole interest is to get aid to the people in need.

Fallout 76 launches November 14, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

September 28, 2018

Bethesda has revealed that Fallout 76’s B.E.T.A. will begin on October 30 on PlayStation 4.

August 7, 2018

Bethesda has released new details regarding Fallout 76’s B.E.T.A. (Break It Early Test Application). Over on its FAQ page, the company noted that the beta will contain the full game, and all progress made within it will be saved and carry over once the game launches in November. If you’re playing on PC, you’ll need to access the beta through Bethesda.net as it won’t be available through Steam’s storefront.

July 23, 2018

Just like Fallout 4 received, Fallout 76 is getting a strong marketing campaign in the months leading up to its launch. Bethesda has new videos showcasing a few of the new mechanics you’ll encounter within the game.

Intro to multiplayer and griefing

Fallout 76 won’t feature any human NPCs, so when you see another person out in the Wasteland, it’s someone from the real world. Whether they turn out to be hostile or friendly, this constant knowledge should always keep you on your toes.

In order to avoid griefing, you cannot be killed by another player until you reach level 5, giving you some time to accustom yourself to the gameplay. Those deemed overly aggressive will also be given a wanted level, further discouraging players from ruining the fun of others. Bethesda is still tweaking the systems in place to deter griefing, but there will be systems so players cannot be abusive.

“So you can’t be harassed by somebody who just keeps chasing you around the world and keeps killing you over and over again,” said Bethesda’s Pete Hines. “The game literally doesn’t allow that to happen to you.”

Intro to C.A.M.P.

Bethesda expanded upon Fallout 76’s base building. Dubbed the C.A.M.P. (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform) system, this differs from Fallout 4’s settlement system in that you can move your base around. It wouldn’t seem fair to settle down in one area only to find yourself plagued by enemies day and night. If you do find your little base under attack too often for your liking, you can move it around between pre-determined areas of the map. The building process, menus, and UI are similar to that found in Fallout 4.

Intro to nukes

When Todd Howard revealed that players could nuke sections of the map, there were some reservations about this mechanic. How would this affect gameplay? Could this be abused? Thankfully, Bethesda is implementing nukes in such a way that sounds more like a fun challenge and less a constant annoyance.

The ability to use nukes is gated behind randomly finding every piece of the code to launch one. You can’t just go up to a silo and instantly nuke the world. When you’re out fighting the various threats in West Virginia, you may find that one of the fallen enemies has a nuclear Silo Alpha Code when you go to loot them. This is just the beginning of your journey to unleash hell. Once you collect several pieces to get the full code, you can then find the appropriate nuclear silo and choose a target to wipe out in one of the six distinct regions; Ash Heap, Toxic Valley, Savage Divide, The Forest, The Mire, and Cranberry Bog.

Nuking an area turns it into an end-game location of sorts. The resulting destruction changes the land for a period of time (not forever), welcoming more powerful enemies, rare loot, and new environmental hazards. Great rewards come with great risk. Think of areas similar to the Glowing Sea in Fallout 4.

B.E.T.A.

As announced at E3, Fallout 76 will indeed be getting a B.E.T.A. (Break-it Early Test Application) before arriving this fall. Bethesda recently revealed that the beta will be taking place in October, though specific dates were not announced. The company has stated that Xbox One users will get access to the beta first before PlayStation 4 and PC. Currently you can get a code to participate in the beta by pre-ordering Fallout 76 at participating retailers.

July 1st, 2018

Speaking on the issue of cross-play. Bethesda’s Todd Howard confirmed that Fallout 76 won’t have the feature. He mentions that they would love to add it, but it isn’t currently possible due to Sony’s policy on not allowing cross-platform play with competing platforms.

A loosely translated report from German outlet Gamestar suggests Howard specifically called out Sony, noting that they are “not as helpful as everyone would like it.” This comes as no surprise, as Sony has been under fire lately for the cross-play issue that keeps Fortnite players from being able to use their accounts on multiple platforms.

Howard’s tone would suggest that cross-play could eventually be added if Sony ever lifts restrictions, but for now, you can expect the online communities of Fallout 76 to remain isolated.

June 10th, 2018

At E3 2018, Bethesda premiered a new trailer for Fallout 76. It’s a direct extension of the launch teaser, with the company showing us life outside the vault. We’ve learned that the wastelands are still just as ravaged as you’d expect after a nuclear bomb hits.

The trailer doubled down on expectations that Fallout 76 will be focused on the act of rebuilding a society in the rural plains of West Virginia. Players will not only build up houses but also help grow and nurture entire communities. It even tasks you with educating young ones, a sign that we may see some sort of hereditary system. And you might also get to rebuild an entire government.

We also saw the same power armor suits we’ve seen in previous games, some sort of dragon-esque creature flying about, and a handful of rural towns and cities. Bethesda noted that the overall game world would be four times larger than Fallout 4, some of which was on display in the trailer.

Bethesda also confirmed some gameplay details in their own E3 showcase. We got confirmation that Fallout 76 is entirely online, with folks entering the vast wasteland with at least a dozen other players.
You and your friends can build a survival settlement together, help other players, or even get into some sort of conflict with other players you come across. That conflict can escalate quite heavily with the ability to find nuclear keys and use them at active nuclear launch sites.

Despite the heavy online focus, players will be able to play the game entirely solo if they so wish. Bethesda didn’t specifically say they could play offline, however, so there may be some sort of passive gameplay option available to players. And if you do decide to jump into a friend’s game every now and then, you will be able to take all the progress you’ve made (and, presumably, items found) back to your own game.

Fallout 76 will launch November 14th, 2018, and there will be a beta test ahead of the game’s launch for players who want to ensure Bethesda catches as many bugs and fixes as many issues as possible.

If you’re going to pre-order Fallout 76, you’ll want to consider this awesome collector’s edition. Called Poer Armor Edition, those willing to drop the money on it will get an actual Power Armor helmet, complete with a working light and voice modulator. The helmet is even designed to be worn if your head will fit inside.

There’s also a West Tek duffle bag, a glow-in-the-dark world map, collectible figurines, an exclusive steel case, and bonus digital in-game items. There’s no pricing for all of this just yet, but we’d suggest saving at least $150 if you plan on getting it.

What’s Fallout 76?

The Fallout series has traditionally placed players within a post-nuclear world. It’s a survival game at heart, they’re typically open world affairs ever since the third mainline title, and they feature Bethesda’s signature RPG touch, but with a combat twist that’ll make each encounter equally interesting and intense.

You’re typically in control of a character who has spent most of their life within a “vault,” built for sheltering survivors from the effects of nuclear radiation. In previous Fallout titles, these vaults were typically evacuated due to emergency circumstances, with the events forcing you out into the world to fend for yourself. Some of these vaults are moderate in size, but there are a number of bigger ones called “controlled vaults” which house as much as 500 survivors.

The original purpose of these vaults was to have them open exactly 20 years after the nuclear bombs dropped, with the creators looking to compare the survival rate of those who were let out versus those who remained inside. Vault 76 was one such vault, and it serves as the starting point for Fallout 76.

What’s the story so far?

While the trailer nor Bethesda managed to reveal any hard facts, several things within the announcement trailer help us begin to paint a picture. For starters, the game is set in the year 2102, as spotted by the date entered on one of the Pip-Boy units lying around. We’re not sure if the entirety of the game moves on chronologically from that point, but it’s significant for a couple of different reasons.

The first reason is that this will have been the earliest time in a Fallout game we’ve ever seen. The original Fallout took place in 2161. Fallout 2 was 2241. Fallout 3 and New Vegas were 2277 and 2281, respectively. The most recent entry – Fallout 4 – took us to the year 2287.

While the bombs have already dropped by the time 2102 arrived (doomsday was October 23rd, 2077), Fallout 76 should be the purest a Fallout world has ever been, meaning buildings won’t be as worn down, vegetation won’t be as scarce, wildlife won’t be as mutated, and things might not be quite as depressing overall. That’s not to say you should expect an oasis, but it could be the perfect excuse for Bethesda to give us more of a living, breathing world when previous games gave them every excuse not to.

The second reason the year 2102 is significant is because Vault 76 was supposed to have opened precisely 20 years after the first bombs dropped — the inhabitants even seem to be celebrating their “Reclamation Day” at some point — but that date would mark 25 years. That means one of two things happened: the vault did open five years ago and we’re just seeing the abandonment in all its glory, or something terrible has happened that delayed the grand opening. And if you know the history of Fallout games, you know you’ll almost never leave the vault due to some regular occurrence.

Beyond that, Bethesda dropped hints as to the game’s setting. The song playing on the radio throughout the trailer is Country Roads, a country song about West Virginia, and sure enough that’s where the game will take place.

We now know that the player will be among the first inhabitants to leave the vault, and that it’ll be up to them to help begin the slow rebuild of society.

Base building, rodent killing, and online play

The first Fallout 76 trailer didn’t give us any expectations of gameplay mechanics, but some early rumors have given us an idea of what to expect. We’ve heard that the base building aspect introduced in Fallout 4 will return in Fallout 76, presumably with more polish and a greater level of detail. In fact, it may serve as the entirety of the game’s premise (whereas Fallout 4’s felt like more of an afterthought feature). We can see a situation where you’re one of Vault 76’s inhabitants and you’re tasked with building up a settlement to help you and your family survive.

And we’re sure all this base building would necessitate supply and food runs, meaning there’ll be plenty of reasons and opportunities to venture off into the wildlands. Expect a huge bundle of quests along the way that’ll help you gain new companions, gather the supplies you need, and indulge in Fallout’s unique combat system that mixes real-time action and turn-based strategy.

Fallout 76 will not be your typical Fallout game.

Another big detail is that Fallout 76 will be the first ever online Fallout game. Fallout 76 originally began as an experimental project to see if an online component would be right for Fallout 4. While that development never came to fruition for the existing title, Fallout 76 gives them a nice opportunity to take a chance.

It’s suggested that it will be akin to games like Rust or ARK: Survival Evolved, where dozens of players can exist on the same server. In those games, you start off with absolutely nothing in your possession, and it’s up to you to start building the shelter, sowing the seeds, crafting your tools, and marking your territory. There will be both cooperative and PVP elements in play.

But those who are fans of single-player experiences shouldn’t fret, apparently. It’s said there will still be a massive quest line for you to enjoy solo should you shy away from interconnected conflict. That’s sure to be good news for folks who enjoy Bethesda games for their strong single-player stories.

When can you play it?

Bethesda has confirmed that Fallout 76 will launch November 14th, 2018, and you’ll be able to play the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC whenever it launches. Be sure to check back often for more news and updates about Fallout 76 as we begin the long wait for an eventual release!

Updated September 2018: Added information regarding its B.E.T.A.

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• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
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Canada Daily Deals: iTunes gift cards, TCL TVs, Nest Hello doorbells, more

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on ILIFE Robotic Vacuum Cleaners, TCL 4K HDR Roku TVs, Nest Hello bundles, AMD Ryzen processors, and much more!

View the rest of the deals

Each day, the Thrifter Canada team scouts out and shares amazing deals on products you know and love, helping you find the best prices on the ‘net.

For more Canadian deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter CA, sign up for the Canadian newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

Tim Cook Visits Europe Ahead of Brussels Privacy Conference

Later this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to speak at the European Data Protection Conference in Brussels during the “Debating Ethics: Dignity and Respect in Data Driven Life” session.

Ahead of the event on Wednesday, Cook is in Europe visiting app developers and filmmakers who work with the iPhone. Cook has been sharing his European adventures on Twitter.

Cook visiting the developers behind Asana Rebel, a yoga app
Cook started off the week in Berlin, where he met with developer Peter Kolski and took a look at mauAR, an upcoming augmented reality app that will display the Berlin Wall as it was prior to its demolition in the 1990s.

Schön, wieder einmal in Berlin zu sein! Thank you @peterkolski and the mauAR team for bringing the Berlin Wall’s history to life through augmented reality — a new way to learn from the past. We are looking forward to seeing your app on the App Store! pic.twitter.com/NhwGUUgG2O

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 21, 2018

Cook went on to visit the Asana Rebel team, who have created an augmented reality yoga app available on the iOS App Store .

Here’s to the rebels! Thanks for the visit, @AsanaRebel, and for sharing your enthusiasm for yoga and wellbeing. 🧘‍♂️ We’re thrilled when entrepreneurs like you use the App Store to turn their passion into a thriving global business. pic.twitter.com/G4FOR3HtNK

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 21, 2018

After that, he stopped off in Paris where he met with French filmmaker Claude Lelouch, who shot his upcoming movie on the iPhone.

Bonjour Paris! 🇫🇷 Honored to meet legendary director Claude Lelouch and hear about his upcoming film, which will be #shotoniphone. In 50 years of filmmaking, he says he’s “never been happier” than when shooting with iPhone! pic.twitter.com/t5q8J8jOW6

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 22, 2018

Cook then stopped by the offices of Foodvisor in Paris. Foodvisor is an app that is designed to analyze the nutrients in food through a photograph.

Now here’s a good reason to snap that photo of your lunch! Had a blast at @foodvisor_app’s office in Paris, seeing how their artificial intelligence makes food tracking easy. 🍣 pic.twitter.com/i1NoM1OLM3

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 22, 2018

After visiting Foodvisor, Cook stopped by L’Atelier des Artistes en Exil in Paris, which showcases the artwork of artist refugees around the world.

A profoundly moving visit to @aartistesenexil in Paris. Through their works of creativity and courage, these artists are shining a light on the hardships that so many face as refugees. “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” pic.twitter.com/rKGz2rlFAX

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 22, 2018

Cook has one more day in Europe ahead of the Brussels conference, and he is planning to meet with French president Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace tomorrow, where taxes and developer relationships may be topics of conversation.

Cook will be in Belgium on Wednesday, and following the conference, he may spend some more time in Europe before flying back to the United States to prepare for Apple’s October 30th event in New York City.

Tag: Tim Cook
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Google Home Hub review

First there was the Google Home. Then, the Google Home Mini and Home Max. For 2018 it’s the Google Home Hub.

Unlike its predecessors, the Home Hub is the first product in the smart home line to offer up a full display. It’s the same smarts underneath, and features a a decent speaker, and sounds pretty much like the same experience. It’s not. The Google Home Hub changes the game for Google.

Think back over the last decade or so and chances are good that you’ve either owned or known someone who purchased a digital picture frame. Google Home Hub is that, but so much more.

Almost all of us have at least one Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connected speaker that we like to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks on. Nothing fancy, just a favorite unit that travels either throughout the house or stays in a convenient location. The Google Home Hub is that, too, but so much more.

Many of us own a smart speaker that we can tap into for reminders, grocery lists, help with cooking or homework, or general search. Google Home Hub is… well, you already know.

Falling Fast in Love

After just a few days with the Home Hub we’ve already come to appreciate it for so many reasons. From the simple, intuitive design to the technical prowess under the hood, it’s one of those devices we can see in each room of the home.

The Home Hub is more compact than you’d imagine, but it doesn’t feel small. It’s comprised of a 7-inch display with a white bezel and a speaker. The former sits in landscape mode at a reclined angle while the latter is your base. The speaker is wrapped in a fabric not unlike what Google has on the Home Mini.

The front side features two far-field microphones, and “Ambient EQ” light sensor. Around back is the volume rocker and the microphone toggle. There’s no camera to be found, but you won’t really need, or miss that option.

The light sensor automatically adjusts brightness and color temperature based on the ambient lighting in environment. Place it in a well-lit kitchen or living room area and it pushes out a brighter image. Dim the lights, or keep it on the nightstand, and it dials things down so they’re not jarring or harsh.

Display

Surprisingly, the display resolution is relatively low at 1024 x 600, which is far less than what you’re getting in today’s smartphones. What’s more, the pictures you’re capturing tend to have exponentially higher pixels. That’s hardly noticeable here as pictures still pop right off and look every bit as sharp as you’d like.

Color balance and saturation are tuned to our liking and we never really felt like we needed to dial something up or back. Brightness, thanks to the sensor, is always what the room calls for and doesn’t distract.

Tips and tricks every Google Home user should know

If for no other reason than to provide a connected digital picture frame, the Google Home Hub is worth the price. Moreover, it’s incredibly simple to set up and work with; it’s a perfect gift idea for grandparents or long-distance family.

Setup

Setting up the Home Hub is incredibly simple, particularly if you’ve already got a device or two in the home. Our process consisted of plugging and following the prompts in the Google Home apps on our phone. All told, we probably spent 3-4 minutes in setup with some of that coming from an update.

The connected device is designed to work as a passive, always-ready, speaker and display. You can leave it alone for days on end and let it cycle through your Google Photos or a collection of curated pictures. Alternatively, you can opt to show one of a few clock options.

Choosing your pictures to showcase can be a lot of fun as all of your shared albums are ready to go. Additionally, you can just let Google do its magic and pick highlights of your gallery, randomly pulling up your best stuff.

Users have control over how often pictures change with a range of five seconds to ten minutes. Changing the album(s) and speed is a breeze; you’re never stuck with anything.

The Google Home app has really improved over the last few releases, adding in options and a more friendly interface. It’s insanely easy to configure your connected speaker or display.

If anything, the Google Home Hub is the easiest device we’ve added to a network. Why? Maybe it’s the visuals that help us see where we are in the process.

What Else?

The Google Home Hub is ready for you to Cast to it. That’s an awesome feature and one we’ve found ourselves using quite a bit. Depending on where you’ve placed the unit you might want to send YouTube TV or Hulu over to it to act as a second or third screen in the room.

You can cast pretty much anything you want to the Home Hub save for Netflix. This isn’t a limitation on the side of Google so much as an Netflix decision. Nevertheless, as much as we’ve enjoyed watching small bursts of news or sports as we go about chores, we don’t see ourselves binge-watching our way through Ozark on it.

Sound is good, but it’s not great. If you’re primarily concerned with pumping out music, you’ll want to pair a separate Bluetooth speaker to it. Generally speaking, we’re okay with the somewhat flat audio experience as it’s right in line with the Google Home or Google Home Mini.

The more we’ve used Google Assistant over the last few years, the more we’ve come to appreciate it. We’ve evolved from having it on our phones as a Google Search/Google Now on steroids to something we often rely for small things.

Today we’re routinely asking Google Assistant about our day, the weather, our appointments, or commute. Getting that information is helpful not only on a phone, but anywhere we happen to be. Having visuals makes that better.

It cannot be overstated how nice it is to see a graphic representation of the weather, or calendar events. Ask how your day looks and you get a map of the route with any slow downs or accidents to accompany the commute details.

We’re going to have a difficult time getting the Home Hub outside of the kitchen. Not only are we enjoying the manner in which recipes look and work, but we’ve asked it to be our oven timer and conversion tool, too.

Although the Home Hub doesn’t have a camera on it, you can use it for Google Duo calls over voice. By contrast, the Lenovo Smart Display does allow for this, and it’s pretty nice to have. We don’t necessarily need it, though, as it’s not a primary means of communication.

As the name implies, the Home Hub does give you control over the various connected items in your home or office. You can’t set everything up directly from within the app, but it’s a solid way of managing things once they are up and running.

Controls can include things such as dimming lights or switches throughout the house, adjusting the thermostat, or viewing Nest doorbells and cameras. Google has done an excellent job of adding in new controls and hardware partners over the last couple of years. Looking ahead we fully expect that to ramp up, particularly now that we have visuals.

Conclusion

The Google Home Hub is a must-have device for those who rely on Google Assistant. For about $20 more than the Google Home you end up with a 7-inch digital display that compliments search and routines.

We like creating groups of speakers and devices so we can play music, podcasts, and other media throughout the home. As we move from room to room in the morning, as part of readying for bed, we appreciate that we can keep up with the news or a book.

Given how easy it is to install and configure, we’re really itching to add devices like these to other rooms. In fact, we’re already looking ahead to the holidays and outfitting the homes of friends and family.

If you’re considering a connected or smart speaker, you absolutely should put the Google Home Hub on your list. Whether it’s your first foray into the world of Google Assistant or if you’re complimenting your current setup with something visual, it’s the stepping off point.

Samsung’s HMD Odyssey Plus gives you a clearer view into the virtual world

Samsung is giving its Odyssey Windows Mixed Reality headset a nice refresh. With the HMD Odyssey+, Samsung is focusing on a better and more comfortable visual experience. Though Samsung’s refreshed efforts didn’t result in a wireless mixed reality headset that has been rumored in recent months, the biggest improvement that the Odyssey+ delivers is a new exclusive anti-screen door effect, or anti-SDE, in the display.

The headset ships with dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays, delivering a combined resolution of 2,880 x 1,660 pixels, and the new anti-SDE feature should give wearers a cleaner and crisper view into mixed and virtual reality experiences. And by eliminating the screen door effect, Microsoft claims that this not only leads a more enjoyable experience, as it could help reduce the feeling of dizziness or nausea.

“Samsung anti-SDE AMOLED Display solves SDE by applying a grid that diffuses light coming from each pixel and replicating the picture to areas around each pixel,” Microsoft explained in a blog post. “This makes the spaces between pixels near impossible to see. In result, your eyes perceive the diffused light as part of the visual content, with a perceived PPI of 1,233PPI, double that of the already high 616PPI of the previous generation Samsung HMD Odyssey+.”

With the anti-SDE feature, the headset and its motion controllers will ship for the same $500 that its predecessor debuted at starting Monday, October 22. Microsoft also reduced the price of the original HMD Odyssey down to $349 on its online store, but at at the time of this article’s publication, a listing for the Odyssey+ has not appeared on Microsoft’s online store.

Although the overall design of the Odyssey+ is reminiscent of the original Odyssey, Samsung also made a few tweaks to make the headset more comfortable this year. The Odyssey+ is a few ounces lighter, weighing 1.3 pounds, and comes with improved ergonomics, like a wider eye box. The headset is also more adjustable this year, allowing you to adjust the display position and control the Inter-Pupillary Distance with a wheel.

Like recent Samsung consumer products, the headset leans on AKG to deliver a premium audio experience. Samsung claims that the headset will deliver 360-degree Spatial Sound that can simulate 3D sounds. This will help you feel more immersive in mixed reality environments, especially since the Odyssey+ also supports six degrees of freedom (6 DoF).

“The 6DOF controller can detect your every move and distance traveled inside your MR world, responding quickly to the slightest motion, ensuring your gameplay movements are more natural, and significantly reducing any dizziness from in-game motion,” Microsoft said.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Acer OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset lets you straddle real, virtual worlds
• Oculus Quest vs. Oculus Rift
• Oculus Rift review
• Oculus Quest vs. Oculus Go
• The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is a tablet and computer rolled into one

Intel denies rumors that 10nm Cannon Lake CPUs have been canned

Intel

If you were holding off on upgrading your PC to see what Intel’s truly next-gen 10nm CPUs are capable of, you might want to rethink that decision. A new report claims that the notoriously troublesome architecture has been scrapped entirely and will no longer be coming to market in 2019, or ever. However, Intel has since denied the rumors, claiming that production is on track with previously announced timelines.

Intel’s 10nm Cannon Lake CPUs have been troublesome throughout their developmental life cycle. Originally slated to debut in 2016, they were pushed back again and again due to manufacturing difficulties that lead to their yield being far lower than expected and needed. The last report we heard was that they were only likely to appear in serious numbers at the tail end of 2019, but now it’s uncertain whether we’ll see them at all.

Intel has since rejected such claims, stating in a tweet on Monday, October 22, that its yields were improving and that the development of the 10nm standard was ongoing:

Media reports published today that Intel is ending work on the 10nm process are untrue. We are making good progress on 10nm. Yields are improving consistent with the timeline we shared during our last earnings report.

— Intel News (@intelnews) October 22, 2018

The initial rumor came from Semi-Accurate’s Charlie Demerjian, who claimed that Intel has now axed 10nm production entirely. If true, this would be a major step by Intel, suggesting we may have an even longer wait than next holiday season before Intel can offer something beyond its newly launched 9-series range.

Though Intel’s new 9900K, 9700K, and 9600K CPUs are impressive, they aren’t exactly revolutionary. That could be problematic with AMD slated to debut its first 7nm Zen 2 Ryzen CPUs at CES 2019, with a general release estimated to take place later in the year.

With suggestions of big performance gains to be had with AMD’s die shrink to 7nm from existing 12nm Zen+ CPUs, Intel will need to do something special to remain competitive. Cannon Lake CPUs were expected to do just that, but now its future has been brought into question. Intel’s language didn’t name Cannon Lake specifically, so it could be that that architecture has been canceled and Intel is shifting work to its planned “10nm+” successor for Cannon Lake, known as Ice Lake — that is pure speculation on the part of this writer, however.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel’s 10nm ‘Cannon Lake’ processors won’t arrive until the 2019 holiday season
• New Intel CPUs bake in gigabit wireless and Alexa support
• Intel’s ninth-generation CPUs could launch on October 1
• New Apple MacBook may appear in September at $1,200
• Google may launch two Pixelbook 2 laptops in October

Not to be outdone, Samsung says it’s making a laptop with a foldable display

Ryan Smalley | Behance

Samsung’s ambitions with foldable displays in consumer electronics won’t stop at building and launching one of the first smartphones with a foldable screen. Not to be outdone by PC rival Lenovo, which was reported to be working with LG Display on plans to launch a laptop with a foldable screen, Samsung announced that it is also working on a notebook with a large foldable screen that will leverage technologies found in flexible displays.

“Like foldable smartphones, Samsung is collaborating with display makers to develop laptops with foldable displays that will not just simply fold in and out but create new value and user experience, amid the changing market trends for laptops,” Samsung vice president of PC marketing Lee Min-cheol said, according to Patently Apple.

Creating new value for the novel user experience isn’t something that hardware companies like Samsung are grappling with. Microsoft, which has its own hardware business under the Surface branding, was also widely believed to be working on a compact PC with a dual-screen display known as Project Andromeda. However, it’s been reported that Microsoft shelved its plans for the dual-screen device because it did not find a compelling use case for the device. And lacking a clear use, it would be hard for marketing teams to ask consumers to justify what will likely be a premium for the new technology.

A recent Microsoft patent filing revealed that Microsoft may be reconsidering its dual-display strategy for Project Andromeda by going with a new hinge design and a single flexible display that can fold. If Microsoft does release such a product, the idea may be similar to Samsung’s strategy with its foldable smartphone and laptop. Microsoft may also be exploring concepts for a laptop with a flexible display, according to earlier patent filings.

Earlier this year, Intel worked with a PC partners Asus and Lenovo to show off prototypes of dual-screen laptops. Though these devices, referred to as Tiger Rapids, replace the keyboard portion of a traditional clamshell notebook with a second screen, they don’t come with a single, large foldable display that Samsung’s Min-cheol referenced. In a separate report on Patently Apple, Samsung said that it “will continue developing innovative PCs with partners like Intel and Microsoft.”

A foldable display will offer the convenience of a smaller footprint for travel when folded, but can expand to a larger, more immersive display to consume content when it’s opened. In the past, Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh stressed that a folding smartphone would be “really meaningful to our customers.” In addition to Samsung, Huawei is also working on a folding phone that can open up to a tablet-size screen.

Pick up Amazon’s 1st gen Fire TV Stick for $30 right now

Watch all your favorite shows.

The Fire TV Stick streaming media player is down to $29.99 on Amazon. That’s $10 off its regular price and a match for a deal we haven’t seen since September.

Amazon does have a newer generation of the Fire TV Stick, but it is currently $50. That version includes 4K video support and an upgraded Alexa-enabled voice remote.

The Fire TV Stick is Amazon’s most affordable streaming hardware that provides quick and easy access to popular services like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, and more. It has an Alexa-enabled voice remote, which means that you can speak to it and get your favorite shows played without having to search for them manually. The device supports a picture quality up to 1080p and Dolby Audio.

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