PS5 beta update finally adds Discord voice chat

After lightly integrating Discord features on PlayStation 5 consoles in early 2022, voice chat has finally arrived in its latest beta update, Sony has announced. PS5 Testers in the US, Canada and Japan will be able to join Discord calls, some months after Microsoft introduced the feature on Xbox. The PS5 is also gaining Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p, along with dashboard UX improvements and more. 

Discord integration is a bit clunky, much like it was on Xbox at first. Here’s how to set it up and use it, according to Discord’s blog. First, you need to link your PlayStation Network (PSN) account to Discord, then select Discord under “Linked Services.” After that, you can complete the integration using either a QR code or the PS5’s integrated browser. 

Each time you want to use Discord chat on console, though, you’ll need to use your mobile device to transfer your conversation, which isn’t ideal. Back in November, Microsoft made it possible to join Discord chats directly from the console, so hopefully Sony will eventually do the same. 

PS5's latest beta finally introduces Discord voice chat
Sony

Other new social features include a new way to share screens, party chats in the dashboard and “friends who play” that shows which of your friends are playing a game right now. Sony also introduced Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p gaming, so HDMI 2.1 displays should exhibit smoother performance at that resolution with less tearing. Sony launched PS5 VRR in April last year and 1440p support shortly afterwards, but the two features have yet to work together. 

Gamers will also find new tools to access PS4 saved data on a PS5, along with the ability to move games from one PS5 console to another over WiFi or ethernet. The new beta is rolling out to certified testers today, and should be available to everyone else over the next few months.

Nissan unveils a real-life version of its Max-Out EV convertible concept

Back in 2021, Nissan revealed a few concept vehicles as part of its announcement that it was going to invest $17.6 billion in the development of electric vehicles over the next few years. One of the concepts it presented is a convertible two-seater spo…

EA reportedly canceled an unannounced single-player Titanfall game

EA didn’t just kill Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile, apparently. Bloombergsources claim the publisher canceled an unannounced single-player game set in the Titanfall and Apex Legends universe. While details of the project aren’t available, veteran developer Mohammad Alavi (who also worked on the Call of Duty series) was reportedly helming the project until he left Respawn in early 2022. EA is said to be finding places for the affected 50 team members when possible.

EA declines to comment. Respawn says it’s shutting down Apex Legends Mobile as its content roadmap is starting to “fall short” of expectations. The studio also delayed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor by six weeks over quality concerns.

The reported cancelation doesn’t come as a shock. The global economy is slowing, and game publishers are among those scaling back to help endure financial turmoil. Ubisoft recently canceled three games amid a gloomy outlook, and Halo developer 343 Industries is dealing with the consequences of Microsoft’s layoffs. Decisions like this theoretically help EA and Respawn concentrate on known money-makers like Apex Legends, which has earned over $2 billion so far.

The rumor is likely to be disappointing to fans if true. The Titanfall games are well-reviewed, but Titanfall 2 arrived seven years ago. A third title in the series eventually transformed into Apex Legends as the battle royale trend took hold. Now, players may have to wait even longer for a new story-driven game in the franchise — if it happens at all.

Amazon is offering $50 or $100 gift cards with Samsung Galaxy S23 pre-orders

Before Samsung Unpacked even wrapped up today, Amazon swooped in with an offer on pre-orders for unlocked units of the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, Plus and base model smartphones — bundling a $100 Amazon gift card with the Ultra and plus and a $50 card with the S23 standard. All three phones will also get a free bump to the larger storage size and the offer is good on all available colors (black, cream, green and lavender). Like Amazon, Samsung is also offering $100 or $50 bonus, but in the form of Samsung credit.  

The S23 Ultra has an MSRP of $1,200 for the 256GB storage capacity and the S23+ starts at $1,000 for the 256GB size. The free storage upgrade bumps both of those models up to 512GB. The base S23 goes for $800 with 128GB, and the upgrade brings that to 256GB. The phones will ship on February 17th and the Amazon gift card will be delivered via mail once the phones ship.

We got a chance to spend some time with the S23 and the S23+ this week. The notable differences between the two versions are screen size, battery capacity and price. Both have vivid and smooth screens, as you’d expect from Samsung’s Galaxy S series, and this year’s versions include software advances for both photo and video capture. 

We also got a chance to check out the S23 Ultra, and, of course, the big news there is the big 200 MP camera lashed to its back. We’ll dive into full reviews on all three phones very soon, but in the meantime, the new S23 Galaxy phones are ready to pre-order as of today, and both Amazon and Samsung will throw in a bonus if you jump in now. 

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Samsung is making ‘extended reality’ wearable devices

Samsung’s Unpacked event isn’t just focused on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Book 3. The company has revealed to The Washington Post that it’s working on “extended reality” (that is, augmented, mixed and virtual reality) wearable devices. While there aren’t many details, the hardware will run a new, Google-designed version of Android designed with wearable displays in mind — this isn’t Meta’s heavily customized take on Android from the Quest line. Qualcomm will provide the chipset.

The “XR” hardware will also entail partnerships with Meta and Microsoft, although Samsung isn’t elaborating further. Rumors have swirled that Microsoft axed HoloLens 3 in favor of this project. In an interview with The Post, mobile president TM Roh says the ecosystem has to be “somewhat ready” before launch. The tech giant wants to avoid the missteps of rivals who debuted comparable hardware without robust support.

Samsung is no stranger to wearable screens. The company leapt into the market with 2015’s Gear VR, which used the smartphone as both the display and computing power. In 2017, the firm jumped into PC-oriented mixed reality headsets with the HMD Odyssey. Samsung largely left the market to rivals like Meta and HTC after 2018, however.

Whether or not the timing is right is another matter. Roh says Samsung has been working on its latest initiative for a while, and it may give the brand a quick counter to a long-rumored Apple headset that might debut this spring. With that said, Meta has been struggling with its metaverse efforts and cut 11,000 jobs to shrink costs last fall. Microsoft, meanwhile, has grappled with problems that include a halt to military HoloLens sales, the departure of the team lead over misconduct claims and reports the company may have scrapped the entire HoloLens unit as part of its recent layoffs. Samsung is reentering the mixed reality space right as some of the category’s biggest players are flailing or bowing out — it’s not certain if the Galaxy maker will fare better.

Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ hands-on: Flagship phones that play it safe

While the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be the 200-megapixel camera-toting showstopper, Samsung is also unveiling two more premium smartphones. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ feature a minor redesign, some useful software tricks and, this time, almost spec parity across the two devices.

Even more so than last year’s Galaxy S22 series, the 6.1-inch S23 and 6.6-inch S23+ are very, very similar. The main differences are the screen size, battery capacity and price. Although, the S23+ also has ultrawideband support, which could help with precision location hunting of any compatible Bluetooth trackers. Besides that, these are the same phone.

What’s new for 2023? Well, a mild redesign. The company has removed the camera cutout on the back of both devices, even though it’s another trio of cameras. The S23 series, regardless of which phone you choose, will launch in a range of colors: black, off-white, green and lavender. I like the muted green.

The Galaxy S23’s AMOLED FHD+ screen is capable of 120Hz refresh rates and now has a peak brightness of 1,750 nits – one of the notable upgrades from last year’s S22, which topped out at 1,300 nits. Beyond the bigger size, the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23+ has an identical screen and both are bright, vivid and smooth. Screens are what Samsung, always, does well on the Galaxy S series.

Galaxy S23 and S23+ stood upright on a wooden table, showing the homescreens.
Engadget, Mat Smith

The entire S23 series doubles the number of components made from recycled materials, up to twelve. That includes “pre-consumer” recycled glass for the front screen and back cover. In addition, Samsung used recycled aluminum for the SIM tray and volume keys. It also sourced recycled plastic from water barrels, discarded fishing nets and PET bottles for the speaker modules and in the construction of the back glass.

The camera specifications are recycled too: a combination of 50-megapixel wide, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto sensor. In Samsung’s defense, last year’s S22 series beefed up cameras substantially. This year’s update is more of the same. The cameras seemed responsive and capable enough during our brief hands-on, but we’ll have to wait and see if they perform better than their predecessors in real life.

At least there are some imaging software advances. You can now capture full 50MP images in Samsung’s Expert RAW format, which used to be limited to 12MP. Video capture also picks up upgraded video stabilization. The S23 analyzes movements and compensates for your shakiness at up to two times wider angles than its predecessor. Rounding out the camera hardware, both the S23 and S23+ have an upgraded 12-megapixel selfie camera, which features a Super HDR mode that captures 60 frames per second in higher dynamic range.

While the cameras may not be pushing the boundaries of smartphone photography (that’s the S23 Ultra’s job) there are bigger batteries in both phones year. The Galaxy S23 has a 3,900mAh battery (up from the 3,700mAh cell in the S22), while the Galaxy S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery, 200mAh bigger than the S22+.

This year One UI update also throws in a few new useful features. Typically, Google’s Android updates dominate a “what’s changed” list between S-series phones. But this year there are some Samsung-made additions worth highlighting. Let’s start with the improved comfort mode. The S23 will now adjust contrast levels and colors to reduce the screen’s harshness later in the day. The S23 series also has a new image clipper – no S-Pen needed – replicating the addictive sticker feature that Apple introduced on iPhones in iOS 16.

Galaxy S23+ propped up in the middle of a conveyor belt with food.
Engadget, Mat Smith

Our first impressions: it’s not a particularly exciting year for Samsung’s smaller flagships. This year especially, The Galaxy S23 Ultra is clearly the company’s favorite child – check out our impressions on Samsung’s most expensive phone here. While these are still premium smartphones, we’d wait for our full review if you’re using an S22 and considering an upgrade. The Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+ are available to preorder now. The S23+ starts at $1,000 with 256GB of storage, while the S23 starts at $800 with 128GB of storage.

How to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the rest of the S23 series

Samsung announced the latest cohort of Galaxy phones today at its annual Unpacked event, following it up with new laptop news as well. This year’s flagship is the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which sports a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a 200-megapixel camera sensor, S Pen integration and more. As in years past, Samsung also has the standard Galaxy S23 and S23+, which have the same processor as in the Ultra and similarly capable camera arrays. On the notebook side of things, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has 13th-gen Intel processor plus NVIDIA graphics, while the Galaxy Book 3 Pro series come in standard clamshell and 2-in-1 designs. Here’s everything you need to know about how to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and all of the other devices announced at Unpacked 2023.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is available for pre-order today and starts at $1,199. Those who pre-order between today and February 16th on Samsung’s website are eligible for a free storage upgrade and up to a $100 Samsung credit. If you pre-order through Amazon, you’ll get a $100 gift card along with the same free storage upgrade. In addition, specific carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T have their own pre-order specials.

Samsung didn’t deviate too much from last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra with this year’s flagship. The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks much the same, although it does have a slightly flatter design that presumably address complaints about its predecessor’s curved screen edges. This year’s phone has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity-O QHD+ touchscreen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. Beneath it lies an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, although you will still be able to access your info and apps with face recognition as well. The S Pen integration has carried over again, with the Ultra sporting an embedded stylus that you can use to doodle, take notes and more.

Aside from the small design change, the biggest difference between this year’s Ultra and last year’s is the upgraded rear camera array. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a whopping 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor, along with a 12MP ultra wide shooter and a 10MP telephoto lens. The system is capable of shooting 8K video at 30fps, 4K video at 60fps or FHD video at 120fps and 960fps, the latter of which is dubbed Super Slow-Mo. Plus, it can shoot 4K/60fps video from its 12MP selfie camera, too.

When it comes to specs, the Galaxy S23 Ultra runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and supports up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity. It has a 5,000mAh battery inside and supports fast charging and wireless PowerShare.

Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+

Both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ are available for pre-order today and they start at $799 and $999, respectively. Those who pre-order between today and February 16th on Samsung’s website are eligible for a free storage upgrade and up to a $100 Samsung credit. If you pre-order through Amazon, you’ll get up to a $100 gift card along with the same free storage upgrade. In addition, specific carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T have their own pre-order specials.

Much like last year, the S23 and the S23+ do have some similarities between them. Both run on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets and their rear camera setups are the same: a 50MP wide shooter, a 12MP ultra wide camera and a 10MP telephoto lens. With that, you’ll be able to shoot 8K video at 30fps, 4k video at 60fps and FHD video at 120fps or even 960fps with Super Slow-Mo.

While their designs are cut from the same cloth, the Galaxy S23+ has a 6.6-inch Dynamic FHD+ AMOLED screen while the Galaxy S23’s display measures 6.1-inches. Both, however, have an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750. In addition to the larger screen, the S23+ includes a larger battery, “Super Fast Charging 2.0” with a wired connection and UWB support, plus the option to get up to 512GB of storage (as opposed to only 256GB on the standard model).

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra

The new Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra will be available for pre-order on February 14th and it starts at $2,199. It will be widely available on February 22nd.

The most advanced model in Samsung’s notebook lineup, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has a 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED x2 display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It sports a full aluminum frame and parts made from recycled plastics. It maintains a sleek and slim design we’ve come to expect from Galaxy Books, while much of the upgrades are in its interior. The notebook runs on 13th-gen Intel Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics, and it can be specced out with up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. There’s even an expansion slot that you can use if you need even more storage in the future.

You’re also getting an FHD webcam on this laptop that offers improvements like light correction and auto framing using Samsung’s Studio Mode. That’s paired with AI noise-cancelling microphones to provide a better video conferencing experience. Standout new features include Multi Control, which lets you control your laptop, tablet and Galaxy phone from one keyboard and trackpad, copying and pasting content between devices seamlessly; and Second Screen, which lets you use your Galaxy Tab as another monitor when you need extra screen space.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes will be available for pre-order soon starting at $1,249. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (16-inch only) will also be available for pre-order soon starting at $1,399. All of the new laptops will be widely available on February 22nd.

If you’re just on the market for a regular laptop, you’ll get to pick from the 14-inch or 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro. The 2-in-1 version only comes with a 16-inch display, and all three of these laptops have minor differences when compared to the Book 3 Ultra. The Pros support 13th-gen Core i7 CPUs and Intel Iris X GPUs, but they can be configured to have up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage (albeit that’s your cap there, as there’s no expansion slot on these). You do, however, get the same 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2x display on the Pro laptops, so you won’t have to sacrifice there — and the 360 model supports touch input as well. The other noteworthy difference to call out is that both the 16-inch standard and 2-in-1 models have a larger battery than the 14-inch Book 3 Pro laptop, which is to be expected.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands-on: A 200MP camera is the biggest update

It’s February and the first major flagship phone launch of 2023 is here. Samsung is launching the new Galaxy S23 series at its Unpacked event in San Francisco today, and this year’s trio of phones are no surprise. While last year’s focus was on the add…

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 3 Ultra laptop includes AMOLED screen tech borrowed from phones

True to the rumors, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Book 3 line — including the company’s first-ever Ultra laptop model. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 convertible and Galaxy Book 3 Ultra all center around 120Hz, 2,880 x 1,800 “Dynamic AMOLED 2X” displays with technology lifted directly from Samsung’s higher-end smartphones. You’ll only find touch input on the Pro 360, but this still promises rich colors (120 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut), smooth responses and DisplayHDR True Black 500 support.

The 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (pictured above) is, unsurprisingly, billed as a performance powerhouse. It comes with up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i9 and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070 graphics — this is very much a gaming machine. You can also expect up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD (with an expansion slot), a 1080p webcam and an AKG-tuned quad speaker array with Dolby Atmos surround. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-A port, a microSD slot, a headphone jack and HDMI round out connectivity. The Ultra is an easy-to-carry system despite the specs, weighing 3.9lbs and measuring 0.65in thick thanks to a “full” aluminum frame that you’ll also find in other models.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
Samsung

The Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 (middle) are more conventional thin-and-light portables. Both support up to a 13th-gen Core i7 and lean on integrated Iris Xe graphics. They support up to 32GB of RAM a 1TB SSD and the ports of the Ultra, but don’t have the Ultra’s expansion or HDMI 2.0 compatibility (only HDMI 1.4). The Pro is available in a very light (2.42lbs) 14-inch model as well as a 16-inch (3.4lbs) configuration, while the Pro 360 is only available in a 16-inch (3.7lbs) variant. The touchscreen laptop does have optional 5G, however.

Integration with Samsung’s phones is tighter than before, too. Multi Control now lets you steer your handset (not just your tablet) using the Galaxy Book 3’s keyboard and trackpad — you can drag-and-drop content between devices. You can automatically upload the phones’ Expert RAW photos and edit them in Adobe Lightroom, too. The company is also eager to note support for Microsoft Phone Link, including new productivity features. You can quickly continue web browsing on your computer, or quickly connect to your phone’s hotspot.

Prices start at $1,249 for the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, $1,399 for the Pro 360 and $2,199 for the Ultra. Pre-orders begin today. They’ll ship on February 17th, starting with the Pro and Pro 360 notebooks. It’s evident that the Ultra is the headliner, though, as it’s one of the few truly portable laptops that can still deliver the performance needed for games and heavy-duty media editing.