๐ iPhone 16 date confirmed, ๐ฎ Asus ROG Ally X review, ๐ป New Macs, ๐คซ PS5 Pro an 'open secret'
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๐ 1. Apple's iPhone 16 launch event is September 9, one day earlier than expected
๐ Appleโs launch event is Monday, September 9 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
๐ Itโs one day earlier than expected, but steers clear of the US politics
๐ โโ๏ธ The Presidential debate wouldโve been just 8 hours later on the 10th
๐ฑ Four new iPhones are expected โ 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro & 16 Pro Max
โ An Apple Watch 10 redesign and Apple Watch Ultra 3 upgrade, too
๐ง AirPods 4 and another affordable set of AirPods may also show up
It dawned on me over the weekend that if Apple stuck to the rumored (and natural) Tuesday, September 10 launch event date, it would ride a wave of press for less than a day, then run smack into the Presidential debate on ABC that night.
Hereโs how I see it unfolding date-by-date. Prep your trade-in devices now:
๐ Monday, September 9: Apple launch event (confirmed)
๐๏ธ Friday, September 13: Apple pre-order date (estimated)
๐ Friday, September 20: Apple iPhone 16 release date (estimated)
Thereโs no way Apple wanted to go head-to-head with the Trump-Harris debate on the 10th, just eight hours later, and it has never held an iPhone launch event on September 11 for obvious reasons (as a New Yorker, I respect that). Note: This doesnโt change theย iPhone 16 release date,ย which is estimated to be Friday, September 20.
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๐ 2. Asus ROG Ally X review: king of the handhelds
๐ Review score: 4.5 out of 5
๐
Editorโs Choice
Pros:
โ ๐โโ๏ธSlightly higher FPS performance in multiple games
โ ๐ชญ Improved cooling makes the Ally X run noticeably cooler
โ ๐ Larger battery delivers 3-7 hours of battery life
โ ๐น๏ธ Tighter thumbsticks & a more accurate D-Pad
โ โ๏ธ Weight and thickness has hardly changed
โโโ ๐ง 2x more storage and 24GB of faster memory
Cons
โ ๐ฐ $100 more than the original Asus ROG Ally
โ โโ๐บ Display has bigger bezels and is more washed out than other handhelds
โ โ๏ธ No direct tweaks to the Z1 Extreme chip to make the Ally X faster
๐ช 3. Sony's PSP 2 handheld can dethrone the Asus ROG Ally X
๐ฎ PSP 2 could shake up gaming handhelds in 2025
๐ฟ Sonyโs secret sauce: its vast library of game franchises
๐น๏ธ Imagine God of War, Uncharted & Spider-Man on PSP 2
๐ Asus wins on specs but doesnโt have beloved 1st party games
๐ Just donโt expect a PSP 2 release date until 2025
Things may change next year when it comes to modern-day handhelds. I wrote how Sonyโs PSP 2 handheld can dethrone the Asus ROG Ally X solely on PlayStationโs established game library. Think: on-the-go God of War, Uncharted, Spider-Man without the limitations of the PlayStation Portal, which canโt play games offline.
However, PSP 2 is only heavily rumored (a year out from the PS5 Pro). So itโs Asusโ crown for now (leaks of a Lenovo Legion Go Lite do intrigue The Shortcutโs crowning committee ๐).
๐ฅฝ 4. Meta Quest Pro 2 canceled and won't face off with Apple Vision Pro
โ Meta reportedly canceled its high-end VR headset codenamed โLa Jollaโ
๐ This $1,000+ Quest Pro 2 saw rising costs & low demand, says The Information
๐ It was reportedly in development for 8 months (ceasing 2 weeks ago)
๐ฅฝ Its microOLED displays could have rivaled the Apple Vision Pro
I continue to use my Apple Vision Pro during travel and have others experience the mind-blowing tech. At $3,500, itโs obviously not for everyone, and it sounds like Meta pulled the plug on its competitor weeks before its Meta Connect conference, where we may see much cheaper VR headsets instead of more expensive ones.
๐คซ 5. PS5 Pro is imminent and was an โopen secretโ at Gamescom
๐ฎ PS5 Pro was reportedly an โopen secretโ at Gamescom 2024
๐ฟ Developers are said to be syncing their game launches with PS5 Pro
๐ This backs up many rumors that PS5 Pro will be revealed in September
๐๏ธ PS5 Pro pre-orders could launch next month and ship in November
The PS5 Pro is being labeled an โopen secretโ by Canadian tech site Wccftech, which first spotted a revealing Twitch clip featuring journalist Lorenzo Fazio. The full video, hosted by the Italian publication Multiplayer, is more than two hours long, but the 24-second clip simply titled โPS5 Proโ tells us everything about what happened behind closed doors at Gamescom.
Apparently, at least one game developer has delayed their game to coincide with the imminent PS5 Pro launch. PS5 Pro pre-orders, in my estimation, will sell out.
๐ป 6. Waiting to buy a new Mac like me? Apple is reportedly testing M4 Macs
๐ป New MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMacs are reportedly coming this year
โ๏ธ Developer logs suggest Appleโs new M4 chip is being tested in computers
๐ฑ So far, only the iPad Pro from March 2024 has the M4 chip
๐ Apple usually announces new Mac hardware in October
As someone who regularly upgrades his tech to gain an edge, I have to say Iโm happy with my MacBook Pro with Appleโs M1 Max chipset from four years ago. This thing has held up fine. But if youโre like me, you almost want to be tempted by something fresh, and that may come in two months, reports Bloombergโs Mark Gurman.
Apple is reportedly testing M4 Mac computers, which means we may indeed get a new MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini in October (the usual timeframe). Itโs been four years since I bought the MacBook M1 Max, and Iโm tempted by the AI found on all of theย Snapdragon X-powered laptops, so Iโll wait until October to see what Apple has.
๐ 7. Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. Pixel 9: what's the $200 difference?
๐ Google has two 6.3-inch phones with different specs to choose from
๐ฑ These Pixel phones are the same size, but Pro design is a bit more premium
๐ธ A telephoto camera is on the back of the Pixel 9 Pro, not the Pixel 9
๐ฐ But the Pixel 9 has most of the Pro features for $200 less
๐๏ธ Pixel 9 is $799, while Pixel 9 Pro is $999. See the pre-order bonuses below โคต๏ธ
๐ 8. HP Omen 35L and HyperX QuadCast 2 S have the RGB and specs PC gamers want
๐ฅ๏ธ The HP Omen 35L gaming PC packs industry-standard parts and cooling
โจ๏ธ HyperX Alloy Rise 75 wireless keyboard features up to 1,500-hour battery life
๐๏ธ The keyboard includes customizable top plates, switches, and badges
๐๏ธ HyperX QuadCast 2 & QuadCast 2 S record hi-fi audio and RGBs
๐ 9. Revolution X Unlimited is Nacon's answer to the Xbox Elite controller
๐ Naconโs new Xbox and PC controller seemingly has it all
๐ฎ The gamepad builds upon the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro
๐ฅ๏ธ It has an LCD screen, microswitch buttons, and gyro support for PC
๐ The controller also uses Hall effect technology to stop stick drift
๐ฌ 10. Xbox's biggest game of next year is off to a disappointing start
๐ฃ Avowed will run at 30fps, Obsidian has confirmed
๐คทโโ๏ธ The gameโs art director said it allows for juicer VFX & lighting
๐ซ Itโs not the first Xbox-exclusive game to launch at 30fps instead of 60fps
โณ Starfield and Redfall both launched at 30fps but were eventually updated
โคด๏ธ The upside: Thereโs a chance Obsidian could revisit Avowed performance and boost the frame rate, similar to Starfield, Redfall, and A Plague Tale: Requiem, which eventually received 60fps patches. However, there are no guarantees, and no new Xbox seems to be on the horizon to make things easier on the hardware side.
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