Kojima Productions disputed reports of financial trouble following Sony's cancellation of Physint and its shift to Xbox. The studio released a statement affirming it remains in a healthy, profitable state, while Kojima expressed concerns about industry-wide studio closures and the impact of losing the Sony contract.
Gamers Nexus released a video exposing LG TVs for tracking viewing habits and potentially recording audio, sparking controversy across the industry. All major TV manufacturers use automatic content recognition systems to collect and sell user data, with consent often buried in confusing agreements using deceptive design patterns. Users can protect their privacy by rejecting non-essential agreements, disabling tracking features, and avoiding voice control features.
The iPhone 18 Pro's camera features a variable aperture main lens for improved low-light and depth-of-field control, but software upgrades prove more useful for daily photography. The Vergecast explores these camera improvements alongside discussions of AI safety concerns and third-party evaluators in AI labs.
Unsealed court documents from the New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal the companies acknowledged they were creating a 'doom loop' that would harm the web and publishers. Internal communications show executives and employees knew their data scraping for AI training constituted massive copyright infringement and violated fair use principles, yet proceeded anyway.
FunnyPlaying announced the FPGB Mini, a compact handheld that plays original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges using FPGA technology. Priced at $69.99 (discounted from $89.99), it undercuts Analogue's Pocket at $239.99 while offering a smaller form factor, though with more limited cartridge compatibility.
Camp Snap launches the 110D, a pocket-sized digital camera inspired by vintage 1970s film cameras that used Kodak's 110 cartridge format. The $74.95 camera features an 8-megapixel sensor, retro filters, and is designed to offer a nostalgic shooting experience with modern digital convenience.
Claude Code has relaunched its Projects feature, enabling users to manage multiple AI agents in the cloud with shared memory, goals, and files. Each project contains parallel threads that coordinate through a central coordinator, with merge conflict resolution for overlapping code changes. The feature is available in beta for select subscribers, with broader rollout planned.
Microsoft's disc-to-digital feature, which converts physical Xbox game discs to digital copies, stems from a decision made 15 years ago to uniquely identify discs. The capability is now part of Xbox's game preservation efforts and gives Microsoft an advantage over Sony, who cannot easily replicate the feature without similar disc metadata. The move reflects the industry's broader shift toward all-digital game distribution.
Bose announced updated Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) with improved bass, volume, and battery life (up to 9 hours), alongside a new cheaper Sport Open Earbuds model ($199) designed for secure fit during physical activities. Both models feature clip-on designs, wireless charging cases, and automatic volume adjustments, with the Ultra version launching September 19th for preorder at $299.
The Apple Watch Series 12 introduces internal hardware improvements including a faster S11 chip and redesigned sensor array that enable continuous heart rate monitoring and new AI health features, positioning it as a significant upgrade despite its unchanged external design. While many advanced AI-powered features won't launch until later this year, the Series 12 marks Apple's entry into a new era of AI-powered wearables that aim to synthesize health data and provide personalized insights.
Snap is launching Specs Intelligence, an AI assistant designed to anticipate user needs by connecting to apps like Gmail and Slack to manage work tasks, travel information, and personal priorities across iOS, Mac, and Snap's AR glasses. The service uses proprietary open-source models and promises not to access personal content or use connected data for training or ads.
Meta is reportedly developing camera-free smart glasses codenamed Luna to address privacy concerns surrounding its existing recording-enabled frames. The new glasses will feature six microphones for AI interaction instead of a camera and are expected to launch in October. Meta also plans to reveal AR glasses codenamed Phoenix set for 2027 release at next week's Connect event.
Anthropic has launched Claude Docs and Slides, new productivity tools that let users create and edit documents and presentations directly within Claude chats. The company is also consolidating its interface into "one Claude," merging regular chats and Cowork to provide unified access to AI productivity features, directly competing with Google's Gemini integration in its office suite.
Google Home now integrates with the Model Context Protocol, allowing third-party AI agents like Claude to access, control, and analyze connected smart home devices and their data. The feature launches for Google Home Premium Advanced users in the US, enabling capabilities like cross-camera analysis and custom dashboards, though Google notes potential security and safety concerns.
Nintendo brings its open-ended game design philosophy to Fire Emblem with Fortune's Weave, featuring multiple hero routes, flexible progression, and deep customization systems. The game lets players tackle stories in any order, build teams as they prefer, and merge character stats across playthroughs, making it highly replayable.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro features a variable aperture camera system ranging from f/1.48 to f/4, offering marginal improvements in image quality and manual exposure controls. Despite being $100 more expensive than its predecessor, the phone remains largely iterative and similar to the iPhone 17 Pro, with the foldable iPhone Duo being the more notable launch this year.
Canon announced the EOS R8 Mark II, a lightweight full-frame camera featuring in-body stabilization, a 24.2-megapixel sensor, and retro-inspired design. Launching in late October at $1,899 for body-only, it offers improved autofocus tracking and creative features aimed at amateur photographers, positioned between the original R8 and the higher-spec R6 Mark III.
Boox announced the Palma 3, a smartphone-sized e-reader with a redesigned aluminum frame, stylus support, and Android 16, priced at $339.99—a $60 increase from the Palma 2. The device retains the same 6.13-inch E Ink screen but adds optional stylus functionality for note-taking, available soon.
Microsoft will host a major Windows and Surface event on October 7th in San Francisco, featuring CEO Satya Nadella and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The company plans to discuss how local AI will shape the future of PCs, with focus expected on RTX Spark PCs and Surface Laptop Ultra pricing.
Voicemod launched the Key Pocket, a $99.90 mobile device that enables real-time voice changing on iOS and Android phones by functioning as an external audio bridge. The device connects via USB-C and works with gaming apps, streaming platforms, and calls, with optional Pro licenses providing access to over 200 Voicemod voices and 76,000 community-created options.