Category: Technology

PlayStation Plus members can visit Night City on the house. Years after its botched release, the now-polished Cyberpunk 2077 is now in Sony’s Game Catalog. Other July arrivals include the Half-Life-esque Abiotic Factor and the banana republic sim Tropico 6.

Had Cyberpunk 2077 launched in its current state, it may have been a 2020 Game of the Year candidate. Alas, that wasn’t the case. It arrived as a buggy mess, including characters rocking the fashion-forward “penis outside the pants” look.

But CD Project Red weathered the (self-inflicted) storm and pushed update after update to fix it. What you get today is a damn good game. Explore the dystopian sci-fi world of Night City as the mercenary V. Take on jobs, level up and upgrade your bodily augmentations. All dongs are now safely stashed inside the pants.

PS Plus Premium and Extra members can play Cyberpunk 2077 today. Although the Game Catalog only includes the base game, you can save 30 percent on the Phantom Liberty expansion until July 23. That should help whet your appetite for the game’s sequel, which recently entered pre-production.

Meanwhile, Abiotic Factor is less like a modern-day Half-Life and more like an indie love letter to the first entry from 1998. Enter a network of underground research laboratories where strange paranormal stuff is happening. (Sound familiar?) Craft weapons from everyday objects, cook up some monsters and investigate the chaos.

All the while, manage your bathroom breaks (as one does). Developer Deep Field Games leans into the humor, including the ability to customize your character’s pocket protector.

The game combines a late ’90s throwback visual style with tight combat controls. You can play solo or with up to five friends. It’s been in Steam Early Access for over a year where it’s received “overwhelmingly positive” reviews. Abiotic Factor arrives in the PS Plus Game Catalog on July 22, its release date.

Speaking of games with cheeky humor, you can soon step into the polished boots of El Presidente in Tropico 6. Also on tap this month: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Risk of Rain 2 and Planet Zoo. Meanwhile, Premium members get a couple of old-school classics in Twisted Metal 3 and 4. They all arrive on July 15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/cyberpunk-2077-heads-up-julys-ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-182843496.html?src=rss 

Microsoft just announced that all digital games and experiences are now accompanied by clearly labeled and standardized accessibility tags. These Accessible Games Initiative tags are designed to “provide players with clear and consistent information about the accessibility features in video games.”

They are found on top of the store page. As you can see below, the game South of Midnight includes 13 accessibility features. Clicking “More” leads to a description of each. In this case, the game boasts adjustable input sensitivity, multiple volume controls, color alternatives, large subtitles and the ability to play without button holds, among other accessibility-minded features.

Each of these tags can now be used as a filter in the Xbox Store, to make it easier to search for the perfect game. They are also available in the Xbox PC app, Xbox Mobile app and, of course, on the website. Xbox began implementing Accessibility Feature tags back in 2021, but this move marks a transition to the standardized Accessible Games Initiative tags.

These standardized tags are being managed by the Entertainment Software Association, with input from companies like Nintendo, EA, Ubisoft, Sony and Microsoft. Other big firms like Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix and Warner Bros. Games have since joined the project. All told, there are 24 possible accessibility tags, advertising features like text-to-speech and menu narration.

Despite being involved since inception, Nintendo and Sony have yet to update their store pages with these tags. It looks like Microsoft is the first of the big three to do so.

While the gaming industry is standardizing this feature, the mobile app industry is playing catch up. Apple recently announced it’s developing its own accessibility tag system, called Accessibility Nutrition Labels. This feature will be introduced to the App Store later in the year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/all-digital-xbox-games-now-carry-standardized-accessibility-tags-170945916.html?src=rss 

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming to PS5. On Wednesday, developer GSC Game World said the shooter will launch on Sony’s console later this year.

To say Stalker 2 had a long development process would be an understatement. We’re talking 14 years here. After navigating funding issues, the studio nearly being shut down and a transition to Unreal Engine 5, it was delayed again and again… and again.

Then, right when things were looking up, along came Vladimir Putin. See, GSC Game World is a Ukrainian developer based in Kyiv. After Russia’s 2022 invasion, GSC paused development and later relocated part of its team to Prague. Sadly, a designer on the team was killed in the war. Work resumed nonetheless.

When the game finally arrived in November 2024, it was only available on PC and Xbox. That exclusivity window is now set to end, accompanied by the cheeky PS5 announcement trailer below.

Stalker 2 sold a million copies in its first two days. However, it landed with bugs aplenty (an all-too-familiar story these days). GSC has been pushing updates to clean it up ever since. In other words, the wait for PS5 owners may end up being a good thing.

You can wishlist the game now on the PlayStation Store. Although we know it’s coming “late this year,” we don’t yet have a firm release date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-is-coming-to-ps5-later-this-year-162539601.html?src=rss 

Once again, it’s time for Samsung’s mid-year Galaxy foldable showcase. Over the last 10 years, Samsung gave us curved edges, curved screens, and then screens that fold (both ways). While we’re still waiting for that rumored tri-fold Galaxy, Samsung has primed two new Flip foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and (surprise!) the Z Flip 7 FE. 

First, there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 7. This year, the biggest change is a larger 4.1-inch second display with cutouts for the dual cameras. This occupies the entire front surface of the device and is a considerable increase from the 3.4-inch display of last year’s Z Flip 6. (It also looks a lot like Moto’s most recent foldable.)

The Flex Window is also better in almost every way. It can reach peak brightness levels of 2,600 nits (matching the S25 Ultra), has a 120Hz refresh rate and the thinnest bezel yet (1.25mm) of any Samsung smartphone. The front screen is a significant improvement over the Z Flip 6, but refinements also extend to the main display.

Samsung has expanded the primary internal screen to 6.9 inches, up from 6.4 inches. It’s now in the more typical smartphone display ratio of 21:9. Previous Flips had a more elongated screen, making it harder to paw at the upper corners. This means video content fits better, too.

What about the crease? Well, in person, it looks the same as last year’s phones, and, interestingly, Samsung isn’t hyping some hard-to-measure crease visibility metric. I did chuckle when the company said that it made the main screen’s ultra-thin glass “50 percent thicker.” The wording’s clunky, but it points to Samsung’s continued focus on improving toughness and longevity. The Flip 7 now has a new waterproof coating beneath the glass and AMOLED display. Once again, the hinge has been further strengthened.

And yet, the Flip 7 is thinner than last year’s model. It measures 6.4mm (0.25 inches) thick, down from 6.9mm. That’s equal to the Galaxy S25 edge, where the major selling point was its thinness. I shouldn’t have to say, but that thickness doubles when you fold it away – Samsung says it’s 13.7mm (0.54 inches) when closed. However you measure it, this is the thinnest Flip yet.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, Z Flip 7, Z Flip 6, side by side comparison.

Despite less space, Samsung has increased the battery up to 4,300mAh, 300mAh more than the Z Flip 6.

Samsung is addressing our issues with its recent Flip foldables. It’s also delivered solid battery life on nearly every device it has launched in the last year or so. The company also mentioned that the Flip 7 packs a new 3nm processor, the company’s own Exynos 2500 chip.

This is intriguing: last year’s foldables featured the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that delivered impressive battery life. I’m interested in seeing whether Samsung’s latest silicon delivers similar performance and efficiency.

While Samsung has equipped the Z Fold 7 with a new sensor, the Flip 7 essentially matches last year’s model, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera with 2X optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide secondary camera. This year, the Flip 7 can record video in 10-bit HDR, up from 8-bit, resulting in richer colors for those seeking even more polished video from their smartphone.

Camera controls have been refined to better suit the Flex Display on the front. There’s now a zoom slider for smoother video punch-ins and more broadly, an interface tidy-up. If you’re into using Samsung’s built-in photo filters, the Flip 7 will show live previews in each filter before you even choose one. Some of my favorite software features introduced on the Z Flip 6, auto-zoom and auto-frame, are back once again in the Flip 7. While the Flip is closed, the cameras can detect and track users, zooming in and out to focus on the subject automatically.

Software-wise, Samsung is folding in the Gemini AI smarts and Now Brief features that debuted in the S25 series. As a refresher, it’s Samsung’s rival take on the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. It’ll present health information, music and video controls and live updates from supported apps like Uber. It’s a perfect fit for the Flip, with its small glanceable screen. Similarly, you can now chat to Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant without unfurling the phone.

As I mentioned in my review of the Galaxy S25, the appeal of the Now Brief and Bar depends on how frequently you use it. Hopefully — and I’ve asked Samsung to confirm this — transferring data between Galaxy devices should include the profile and information used to populate these two features. With the Flip 7, you can tap into the Now Bar without opening the phone.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a more typical 16:9 screen ratio.

Samsung is also adding weekly updates to your Now Briefing, although it was hard to discern from the demo devices earlier this week whether that would be future-facing summaries of your schedule or more of a what-you-did-last-week summary of the week that’s already happened – it’s something we’ll be testing during review.

There isn’t much new functionality for the larger 4.1-inch secondary screen, which is a shame. In this regard, Motorola still manages to offer more with its flip phones.

The Flip 7 is also the first Flip device to support mouse and keyboard peripherals, which means, yes, Samsung Dex is back. It never left. And Samsung will continue to tell us all about it. If you want to plug your foldable into a giant monitor, you can now do that.

There’s also the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, priced at $900, with a 6.7-inch main display and a 3.4-inch Flex Window on the front. And if you think it looks and sounds familiar, you’re right. This is almost entirely the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with a new name. The only significant aesthetic change is that the Z Flip 7 FE lacks the metal accents on the cameras. The only meaningful spec change is an Exynos chip, replacing the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.

The Z Flip 7 FE has a 50MP primary camera and 12MP ultra-wide, with a 10MP camera once it’s unfolded. The FE does a good job of showcasing how much thinner the Z Flip 7 is and how much better that full-width cover display looks, but those aren’t great selling points in and of themselves. The timing sucks, too: in Amazon’s Prime Day sale, the Z Flip 6 is $800. That’s $100 less than this “new” entry-level foldable, which is almost identical.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will launch at the same price as its predecessor, at $1,100. It’ll come in multiple colors: a very handsome dark blue, red and the usual monochrome black and white options. There will also be a mint color, available as an online exclusive. Preorders open today, with devices shipping on July 25.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-7-hands-on-bigger-screens-bigger-battery-better-foldable-140008222.html?src=rss 

Pre-release leaks may have spoiled most of the surprises Samsung had up its sleeve for Wednesday’s Unpacked event, but there were still some interesting details to gleam from the presentation. For example, we knew the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would be Samsung’s thinnest foldable ever, but now we know part of the reason for that is because the company dropped S Pen support. Samsung also announced updates to its family of Galaxy Watch devices. Here’s everything the company had to share at the latest Galaxy Unpacked.

Galaxy Z Fold 7

Samsung kicked Unpacked off with its new flagship foldable for 2025, the Galaxy Z Fold 7. After six previous iterations, the company has arrived at its thinnest foldable phone yet, with the new device measuring 8.9mm thick when closed and 4.2mm unfolded. If you’re curious, at its thickest the Z Fold 7 is only 0.7mm thicker than the S25 Ultra, and 26 percent thinner than the previous Fold. The new handset is also Samsung’s lightest foldable yet, weighing in at just 215 grams.

Despite the glow up, Samsung says the Z Fold 7 is also more durable than its predecessors, thanks to the inclusion of a new grade four titanium layer and a redesigned FlexHinge that should make the display crease on the Z Fold 7 less prominent. Speaking of the display, it’s now 8 inches big, up from 7.6 inches previously.

Internally, the new phone features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 4,400mAh battery. Samsung has dropped S Pen support, claiming stylus use on the Z Fold 6 was “really low,” and part of the reason the new foldable is so slim is that the company was free to remove the digitizer that was needed to process stylus inputs. Storage starts at 256GB, with 512GB and 1TB configurations available.

In addition to being thin, the Z Fold 7 offers Samsung’s best phone camera to date. The foldable has a massive 200-megapixel main sensor. It also comes with a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultrawide. The company has once again tweaked the inside camera. It’s no longer under the screen and offers a wider 100-degree field of view with 10MP of resolution. For selfies, Samsung has once again gone with a 10MP sensor above the phone’s cover screen. Rounding things out, the company has updated its visual engine to support 10-bit HDR capture.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 start today, with general availability to follow on July 25. Pricing starts at $2,000. At launch, Samsung will offer the phone in three colors: blue shadow, jet black and silver shadow. Samsung will also exclusively carry the phone in a mint color. The Z Fold 7 will ship with Android 16 out of the box.

Galaxy Z Flip 7

Samsung’s clamshell foldable has also received some upgrades. The new Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a 4.1-inch edge-to-edge FlexWindow display with 1.25mm bezels. That’s good enough to give it the thinnest display bezel on any Samsung phone. Additionally, the new screen offers a 120Hz refresh rate and 2,600 nits of peak brightness. It also works with Google Gemini, along with Samsung’s own suite of AI features, including Now Bar and Now Brief.

On the inside, Samsung has increased the size of the main screen for the first time. It’s now 6.9 inches, up from 6.7 inches on the Z Flip 6. For context, that’s the same size as the screen on the S25+. Samsung has also equipped the Z Flip 7 with a larger 4,300mAh battery. The entire phone offers improved water protection compared to its predecessor, and the new Armor FlexHinge should better protect the internal display against unsightly creasing.

Now, I’m sure this will upset some people, but Samsung has decided to spec the Z Fold 7 with one of its in-house chipsets, the Exynos 2500, instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon. I know what you’re thinking, but the company’s recent processors have been great — the Exynos 2400e was the best part of the S24 FE.

For photos and video, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a 50MP main camera, supported by a 12MP ultra-wide. For self-portraits, you can use either the main camera or the 10MP camera selfie camera found on the inside of the phone. Like the Z Fold 7, Samsung has updated the Z Flip 7’s camera engine to support 10-bit HDR capture.

The Z Flip 7 is available to pre-order today. It comes in three colors – coral red, blue shadow and jet black — and two storage configurations — 256GB and 512GB. As with the Z Fold 7, Samsung will also exclusively carry the phone in a mint color. Pricing starts at $1,100.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE

If the high cost of Samsung’s foldables has kept you from buying one in the past, this year Samsung is trying to offer a more affordable way to enter the ecosystem. I say it’s trying because at $900 the Z Flip 7 FE is still a nearly $1,000 phone. For that price, you get what is last year’s Z Flip 6 with an Exynos 2400 processor and a smaller 3,700mAh battery. The design of the new model doesn’t include any of the flourishes found on the Z Flip 7, including the edge-to-edge Flex Window display or the larger internal screen. For what it’s worth, Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite is included in the package.

Storage on the FE starts at 128GB. Samsung will also sell a 256GB variant for those who need more space. This being an FE model, colors to just two: white and black. Like all of its siblings, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is available to pre-order today, and expected to hit store shelves on July 25

Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic

As expected, Samsung has also updated its wearable line for 2025. Starting with the Galaxy Watch 8, it now features a thinner design reminiscent of last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra. Like with that device, Samsung has gone with a squircle form factor. There’s also a new lug system for changing out straps. As mentioned, the new watch is also thinner. In this case, it’s 11 percent smaller than its predecessor. Despite the size reduction, the Galaxy Watch 8 offers better battery life, thanks to the inclusion of larger power cells on both the 40mm and 44mm models. The former has a 325mAh battery while the latter has a 435mAh one. A new AMOLED display offers 3,000 nits of peak brightness to make the watch easier to read in harsh sunlight. Samsung has also improved the Watch 8’s ingress protection. The wearable’s case is rated 5ATM and IP68-certified against water and dust.

As for software, the Galaxy Watch 8 will ship with Wear OS 6 out of the box, making it the first Samsung wearable to offer the new operating system. Included in the update is Google’s Gemini assistant, which, thanks to AI, can better understand better natural language. New to the entire Galaxy Watch family is a feature that Samsung claims can accurately measure the antioxidant levels in your blood. To use the tool, you’ll need to take the Galaxy Watch 8 off your wrist and place the device’s heart rate scanner on your thumb.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic offers all of the enhancements found on the base model alongside the rotating bezel the Classic series is known for. This year, Samsung plans to only offer the Watch 8 Classic in a single 46mm size. That model comes with a 445mAh battery.

Samsung is probably holding off on a proper Watch Ultra update for 2025. Instead, the company has announced a new SKU of the wearable that has 64GB of internal storage and the lug system found on its siblings.

Pricing for the Galaxy Watch 8 series starts at $350. The Watch 8 Classic will cost $500 and $550 for the Wi-Fi and cellular models respectively. The entire family is available to pre-order today and will hit retail more broadly on July 25.

Samsung Wallet gets Buy Now Pay Later support

Samsung also updated some of its software features this Unpacked, and one piece of news that might get overlooked is something coming to Samsung Wallet. After launching a Tap to Transfer feature last year and announcing Instant Installment in January this year, the company is sharing today that its Buy Now Pay Later service is launching with the Fold 7.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/galaxy-unpacked-2025-everything-samsung-announced-including-the-z-fold-7-z-flip-7-and-galaxy-watch-8-140023487.html?src=rss 

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are the first phones to ship out of the box loaded with Android 16. Similarly, the company’s new Watch 8 Series will be the first to launch already running Google’s Wear OS 6. That means Watch 8 is the first wearable to have Google’s Gemini LLM ready to go the moment you switch it on, allowing you to ask the AI questions straight from your wrist. 

Google and Samsung are also upgrading Gemini Live so that it can be accessed on the external screen of the Z Flip 7. And thanks to updates rolling out to Gemini in general, you’ll be able to use your camera and ask it about what you’re seeing in real time while your Flip 7 is in Flex Mode. Gemini Live’s new camera sharing feature will also be accessible from the Flip 7’s external screen, so you can point the phone’s camera at something and get answers from the AI without having to open your phone. Take note that Gemini Live now supports more Samsung apps, including Samsung Calendar, Notes and Reminders. 

The new foldables are getting Google’s new Circle to Search updates, as well, including AI Mode. When you long press the home screen or the navigation bar on Samsung’s new phones and circle something on screen, you’ll get AI responses and will be able to ask follow-up questions. Circle to Search is also getting a feature called gaming help, which can help you with gaming questions while playing on mobile. You can encircle a character in the game to identify it, for instance, or get tips and strategies when you’re stuck. 

Of course, Google’s Gemini upgrades are coming to other devices, as well. Google has announced that Gemini on Wear OS is rolling out to all Pixel Watch users, and if you have a Pixel phone, you’re getting access to Google’s Veo 3 video generator. You’ll even get a full year of the company’s AI Pro subscription at no cost, as long as you have a Pixel 9 Pro. Finally, the new Circle to Search capabilities are also coming to Pixel phones. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-galaxy-z-fold-7-and-z-flip-7-are-the-first-phones-to-launch-with-android-16-140025335.html?src=rss