Razer is back with a new addition to its Core line of external graphics enclosures. The Razer Core X V2 external graphics enclosure can house recent GPUs from brands including NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon. It uses a single Thunderbolt 5 cable to the host device; in its press materials, Razer claims this tech delivers up to twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4. This is true, but Thunderbolt 5 still isn't on the level of a modern desktop GPU connection, being roughly equivalent to 8 lanes of PCIe Gen 3. The Core X V2 s not available yet, but will retail for $350 when it does go on sale some time "soon."
An eGPU can beef up the visual power of a gaming laptop or handheld. Razer has had several available over the years, starting with the Core alongside its Blade Stealth model in 2016. It followed up with the Core X in 2018 and the colorful Core X Chroma in 2019. The availability of Thunderbolt 5 ports has renewed interest in this product category since it increases the maximum bandwidth for an eGPU. ASUS also introduced an eGPU of its own at CES 2025.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/razer-revives-its-egpu-line-with-a-thunderbolt-5-dock-221526901.html?src=rss
US tariffs continue to cause problems and supply issues in the gaming space. The latest to feel the effects is Analogue. The company announced today that its Analogue 3D, a modern remake of the Nintendo 64 console, will not start shipping until late August.
Analogue noted that "last week's sudden tariffs" were the reason for this change. "We’re absorbing the costs—your preorder price stays the same. No additional charges," the company said in a post on X.
This isn't the first time the highly anticipated Analogue 3D has been delayed. It opened for pre-orders in October 2024 and was initially due to ship in the first quarter of 2025. In March, the company pushed the ship date back to July, although its blog post didn't provide a reason for that move.
Many gaming brands have been forced to adapt to the fluctuating tariff rules. Nintendo, Sony, Razer and Anbernic are just some of the companies that have changed their product pricing, availability or launches in the US as a result of the ever-changing situation.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/analogue-says-its-delayed-n64-remake-console-will-start-shipping-next-month-191520648.html?src=rss
With so many different handheld gaming devices entering the market, having a flexible gamepad that works with many different hardware platforms can be a valuable addition to your gear collection. A promising new option arrived today with the pre-order announcement of the 8BitDo Pro 3. This controller retails for $70 and is due to start shipping on August 12.
The Pro 3 gamepad will be compatible with the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 as well as the original Switch. It will also work with Windows PC, SteamOS, Apple and Android devices and has both Bluetooth and wired USB connection options. The controller's feature set includes TMR joysticks and triggers that can operate with Hall effect or in non-linear micro-switch mode. It also sports extra bumpers, two Pro paddle buttons for the back of the device and swappable magnetic ABXY buttons. The gamepad comes with a charging dock and a pair of ball-top joystick caps for that more arcade feel. On the aesthetic front, this retro-style controller is available in purple, gray, or white models.
We're big fans of the peripheral brand's previous generation 8BitDo Pro 2, so having a refreshed version with some improvements on the joysticks and triggers is a worth a look.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-new-8bitdo-pro-3-gamepad-is-open-for-pre-order-now-181006305.html?src=rss
YouTube has clarified its rules about repetitious content and your favorite reaction video channel won't be impacted. Earlier this month, the platform said it would be changing its rules for monetization in an effort to address AI-generated materials, but didn't include many specifics, which led many to sound the alarm that reaction videos might get swept up in the new rules. The company has now provided a few tweaks and more clear delineations in its guidelines about channel monetization policies.
For starters, the rule is being renamed to the inauthentic content policy. "This type of content has always been ineligible for monetization under our existing policies, where creators are rewarded for original and authentic content," a note appended to the support page states. "There is no change to our reused content policy which reviews content like commentary, clips, compilations and reaction videos."
YouTube provided a few examples of material that it would deem to be mass-produced or overly repetitive, and thus ineligible to be monetized. Inauthentic content includes video "that exclusively features readings of other materials you did not originally create, like text from websites or news feeds" or "image slideshows or scrolling text with minimal or no narrative, commentary, or educational value." The company also shared examples of reused content. YouTube said those beloved reaction channels, as well as videos that contain clips for analysis, review or commentary, are unaffected by the new rules. The no-nos for reused content rules might include "Content uploaded many times by other creators" or "Content downloaded or copied from another online source without any substantive modifications."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/never-fear-reaction-videos-are-still-allowed-under-youtubes-new-inauthentic-content-policy-222401009.html?src=rss
Anthropic's Claude can now create and edit designs with visual studio Canva from within an AI chat. This integration is powered by a Canva server that uses Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, or MCP. Claude can use Canvas's tools to generate a design or search for materials within a user's Canva workspace. This functionality requires a paid subscription to Claude, and access also varies based on the user's Canva plan.
Multiple artificial intelligence platforms have started using MCP to connect their models to applications. Anthropic unveiled its MCP in November, and earlier this month, it announced that Wiley and Panopto had created MCP servers to connect to Claude.
In addition, Anthropic now has a directory of all the platforms that use its MCP tech. From that directory, users can discover and access the remote services and local apps that connect to Claude. Subscriptions are required for the remote connectors. It seems likely that the company will continue to expand its roster of supported services and get its chatbot active in more third-party platforms.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/claude-ai-now-integrates-with-canva-201808571.html?src=rss
Apple has introduced new fee structures for developers using the App Store in the EU in order to meet the requirements of the bloc's Digital Markets Act. Last month, the European Commission ruled that Apple was not in compliance the legislation and ordered the company to make changes within 30 days. Apple can still file an appeal of the decision until July 7.
The new terms make things a little complicated. When apps promote offers for digital goods or services in the EU, they'll be subject to an "initial acquisition fee" and a "store services fee" as well as a Core Technology Fee for apps with more than 1 million annual installs. Developers who agree to the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum will be charged a Core Technology Commission (CTC) of 5 percent rather than the CTF. The CTC applies to "all sales of digital goods or services that occur within a 12-month period from the date of an install, including app updates and reinstalls" rather than the CTF approach based on installation numbers. The exact rules and exemptions are now listed on a dedicated support page.
There are also two separate tiers of fee structures. Tier 1 is for apps using mandatory store services and Tier 2 covers apps using optional store services. The initial acquisition fee is 2 percent for both tiers, although participants in the Apple Small Business Program and recurring subscriptions after the first year will not be subject to that charge. The Tier 1 store services fee is 5 percent, while Tier 2 is 13 percent normally or 10 percent for program participants.
That's the approach for the remainder of this year, although Apple said it plans to adopt a single business model of the Core Technology Commission for all developers in the EU beginning January 1, 2026.
Apple is also offering new terms about how developers can promote and communicate offers to users in the EU. The destination for a promo can now be "a website, alternative app marketplace, or another app, and can be accessed outside the app or within the app via a web view or native experience." The company is also toning down language in the "scare sheets" it displays when a user follows a link to outside the App Store.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-details-new-fee-structures-for-app-store-payments-in-the-eu-204253948.html?src=rss
Get ready for your game library to grow, because the Steam Summer Sale is open and ready for business. The promotion runs through July 11, so you've got plenty of time to peruse all of the available deals, but there are a couple fun highlights in this season's selections.
For starters, two likely contenders for 2025 game of the year are on sale. You can pick up the spectacular puzzle game Blue Prince for 15 percent off or about $25, and the lush Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a slight discount of 10 percent, which puts it at $45. I'm sad they didn't go thematic and make it $33, but even a small price cut is nice for games this recent.
A couple other newish releases are available at smaller discounts. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is 20 percent off, as is Black Myth: Wukong, while Civilization VII is 15 percent off. The Silent Hill 2 remake is down to $42 thanks to a 40 percent cut.
Most of the biggest deals are on older titles. For instance, if you don't already own the excellent Doom (2016), it's only $4 with an 80 percent off discount. Or pick up Death Stranding Director's Cut for just $16.
Steam sales are also a prime chance to add more indies to your library. For multiplayer mayhem, Human Fall Flat and Overcooked 2 are each $6. You can explore the beautiful underwater world of Abzu for just $5. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is half off at $10 and Slime Rancher 2 is down to $20.
Those are just a few of the highlights. Now you just have to find the time to play everything you buy.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-steam-summer-sale-is-live-with-a-fresh-batch-of-big-discounts-190844050.html?src=rss
Diablo IV has been demonically chugging along since the release of the major Vessel of Hatred expansion last fall. The seasonal model usually brings temporary gameplay updates and storylines, but when Season 9 hits on July 1, it will add a couple of useful permanent changes. First, console players are getting support for mouse and keyboard controls. Second, there will be new additions to Nightmare Dungeons.
The endgame of Diablo IV involves a lot of grinding Nightmare Dungeons, so even with a healthy dose of procedural generation, the landscape of those challenges starts to feel overly familiar. Season 9 will add some new wrinkles to the tile sets. Horadric Strongrooms are micro-dungeons within the Nightmare Dungeon that offer big potential rewards as well as a buff for the remainder of the main dungeon. Escalating Nightmares are a trio of dungeons in increasing challenges, and when tackled at Torment difficulty, they conclude with a riff on the Astaroth boss fight.
It'll be a while yet before the developers bring another expansion on the scale of Vessel of Hatred, but Blizzard has been providing new twists on the game each season for the players who log hundreds of hours in Diablo IV. The Season 9 permanent additions, which also include some brand new dungeon affixes, could help keep things challenging and interesting for the game's hardcore fans.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-next-season-of-diablo-iv-adds-extra-challenges-to-the-endgame-203832761.html?src=rss
Anthropic has received a mixed result in a class action lawsuit brought by a group of authors who claimed the company used their copyrighted creations without permission. On the positive side for the artificial intelligence company, senior district judge William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California determined that Anthropic's training of its AI tools on copyrighted works was protected as fair use.
Developing large language models for artificial intelligence has created a copyright law boondoggle as creators attempt to protect their works and tech companies skirt rules or find loopholes to gather more training materials. Alsup's ruling is one of the first that will likely set the foundation for legal precedents around what AI tools can and cannot do.
Using copyright materials can be deemed fair use if the output is determined to be "transformative," or not a substitute for the original work. "The technology at issue was among the most transformative many of us will see in our lifetimes,” Alsup wrote.
Despite the fair use designation, the ruling does still provide some recourse for the writers; they can choose to take Anthropic to court for piracy. "Anthropic downloaded over seven million pirated copies of books, paid nothing, and kept these pirated copies in its library even after deciding it would not use them to train its AI (at all or ever again)," Alsup wrote. "Authors argue Anthropic should have paid for these pirated library copies. This order agrees."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/judge-rules-anthropics-ai-training-on-copyrighted-materials-is-fair-use-182602056.html?src=rss
If you’ve ever struggled with mushy grains, burnt bits or inconsistent texture, investing in the best rice cooker for you can transform how you cook rice at home. These smart kitchen tools take care of the timing, temperature and technique, freeing you from stovetop babysitting and delivering reliably fluffy rice every time. Whether you’re making a quick cup of rice on a busy weeknight or prepping for a family feast, a good rice cooker is a game-changer for convenience and consistency.
What makes a rice cooker so appealing is how versatile it can be. Many modern models do much more than just steam white rice — they can cook brown rice, handle other different types of rice and even prepare oatmeal, soups and stews. With features like keep warm settings, preset cooking functions, and easy-to-clean nonstick inner pots, they’re built for the modern home cook. In this guide, we’ve rounded up the best electric and multi-use rice cookers to suit every kitchen, no matter your budget or experience level.
Best rice cookers for 2025
How we test rice cookers
Since rice is a foundation for so many different cuisines, I placed a high value on a machine’s ability to cook different types of rice well. I started testing each electric rice cooker by making a Japanese style, sushi-grade white rice. The appliances that delivered tasty results moved on to the brown rice round, then the top performers made long-grain white basmati as a final challenge. Some models I tested included a steamer basket, but I didn't try all of them out. This is a rice-only party. Multi-cookers and steaming functions are merely a nice bonus in these, although if that's a feature you want, an instant pot might be more your jam.
While I weighed rice tastiness and texture as the most important criteria, I also assessed how easy the machines were to use and to clean. That includes things like how intuitive the cooking functions are, whether the inner pot is nonstick and how well the keep warm setting performs. I also took note of helpful kitchen tools that came included like a measuring cup, which is essential when getting the amount of water just right for each cup of rice. Because a cool piece of gear that sits in your cabinet gathering dust is a cool, but ultimately useless piece of gear. I limited my testing to models retailing for less than $300, which felt like the most I could recommend investing in a specialized appliance, and value for cost wound up being the distinguishing point for a good rice cooker.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/best-rice-cooker-120015478.html?src=rss
The more things change, the more they stay the same. After unveiling some new visual elements to the next generation of its operating systems during WWDC 2025, Apple has already walked back some of the proposed design revisions. 9to5Mac noticed that the most recent developer betas included changes to the new Liquid Glass operating system appearance and to the Finder app icon.
Liquid Glass was divisive from the start. The idea of layering transparency in the user interface appealed to some, while others felt it was needlessly fussy and hard to read, especially when using the Control Center. In the second developer beta of iOS 26, Apple has increased the darkness and blur on the background when the Control Center is active.
The other controversial change centered on the imagery for the Finder app in macOS Tahoe. The previous developer beta flipped the colors in the icon, putting blue on the right and white on the left. It's a reversal of decades of Mac design, which has long had a lighter shade on the right and a darker color on the left, even as other details of the face illustration have changed. And people were not pleased about it. The usual color layout has returned in the current developer beta.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-read-your-mean-tweets-about-liquid-glass-and-finder-222230726.html?src=rss
Media Matters for America has sued the US Federal Trade Commission, claiming that the agency is unfairly targeting it in retaliation for past criticisms of the social media platform X in violation of the organization's First Amendment rights. It's the latest move in the ongoing hostilities between the nonprofit media watchdog and X owner Elon Musk.
"The Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern—including how X.com has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter," the complaint from the watchdog states. "The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop."
This back-and-forth legal battle began in 2023 when Media Matters published a report finding that X ran advertisements next to antisemitic posts, which led to many prominent companies withdrawing their ads from the social media network. After Musk threatened to file a "thermonuclear lawsuit" in response, X sued Media Matters later that year, claiming the organization was attempting to push advertisers into boycotting its service. CEO Linda Yaccarino called the report "misleading and manipulative" in a note to X employees, while a representative from Media Matters told Engadget: "This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X's critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."
Last month, while Musk was still closely tied to President Donald Trump's administration and working with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the FTC launched its own investigation into Media Matters to determine whether the group illegally colluded with advertisers. The FTC is now comprised of only three Republican commissioners following Trump's dismissal of two Democratic commissioners, which those former civil servants said was an illegal action by the president since their terms cannot be ended early without "good cause." Considering that earlier today, the FTC allowed a $13.5 billion acquisition within the advertising agency on the condition that purchaser Omnicom cannot engage "in collusion or coordination to direct advertising away from media publishers based on the publishers’ political or ideological viewpoints," it seems unlikely that the regulator will be receptive to Media Matters' case.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/media-matters-is-suing-the-ftc-to-block-investigation-into-x-advertiser-boycott-204514805.html?src=rss
Samsung has announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be taking place on July 9 at 10AM ET. This is the third major Unpacked event of the year, following launches of the Galaxy S25 series in January and, more recently, a virtual unveiling of the Galaxy S25 Edge. This time, if previous years are any indication, the company should be showing off new foldables and wearables.
A lot of it may be business as usual, but the company has hinted that some possibly exciting new additions are in the works. Engadget will be liveblogging the event that day, so make sure to come back here for our coverage. We'll also continue to update this roundup of what we expect to see next week with the latest reports and rumors.
Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Based on the usual annual cadence, this summer Unpacked 2025 will most likely introduce the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. One recent leak claimed that Gemini Live will be a core part of the foldables' presentation, and considering AI is the buzzword for every tech presentation these days, it would be strange if Unpacked didn't follow suit. AI features got a positive reception from both our Fold 6 and Flip 6 reviewers, although they fell more under the umbrella of parlor tricks than valuable assets.
Android Headlines is back with renders of what it claims show the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The foldable sports a slimmer profile than the prior model and the navy blue chassis is certainly pretty. It also indicates that both the cover display and inner display are reportedly bigger in this design, up to 6.5 inches and 8.2 inches, respectively. The publication also showed purported images of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 that also pointed to increased screen real estate.
There may be a third player in the foldables lineup for this Unpacked. A teaser from Samsung last month pointed toward a Galaxy Z Fold Ultra that will come with Galaxy AI. There are no specs in the blog post, but the company insists that this will have "industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format." This doesn't appear to be the tri-fold design we've heard rumblings about, but that would be a fun reveal if Samsung does pull that off as a surprise announcement.
Galaxy Watch 8
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
On the wearables front, the only thing we're really anticipating is news about the Galaxy Watch 8. But the anticipation is pretty mild.
This smartwatch collection from Samsung hasn't really pushed the envelope for several years; the Galaxy Watch 7 was the third iteration where our reviewers felt the new model offered only incremental improvements over the previous generation. So either this Unpacked will be yet another round of small gains on the specs or Samsung will surprise us with some substantial upgrades. Improved battery life would be a big plus.
Galaxy S25 FE
For the past few weeks, Samsung fans have been speculating that a new smartphone announcement could be on the way soon. Although the company's standard mobile hardware is usually unveiled at the start of the year, we've seen some credible rumors that a new Galaxy S25 FE is in the works. If Samsung is looking to release a new version to that line in the fall, it would make sense to announce and open pre-orders at the summer Unpacked.
The Galaxy S24 FE had some solid specs but was a little pricey to be a true budget model, especially with an underwhelming set of AI features. So far, the leaks about the S25 FE also point toward continued underwhelm, with claims that its cameras won't be seeing much in the way of upgrades, although it may be getting a boost to performance and battery if rumors that it will use the Exynos 2400 processor turn out to be true.
Update, July 3 2025, 8:00AM ET: This story has been updated to include confirmed dates for the Unpacked event.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/what-to-expect-at-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-next-week-150001011.html?src=rss
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