In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest innovations in robot vacuums, new AI PC hardware from AMD and Intel, and Dell's decision to nuke its PC brands in favor of Apple-esque "Dell Pro" and "Dell Pro Max" branding. (Note: We recorded this episode before NVIDIA announced its new RTX 5000 GPUs, but we'll have more to say on that soon!)
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
NVIDIA is launching a native GeForce NOW app on the Steam Deck and browser versions on major mixed reality headsets including the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 and 3S, the company said at CES 2025. That will bring NVIDIA's 2,100-plus titles to those devices, including two AAA Microsoft games arriving later in 2025.
Valve's Steam Deck already had limited beta support for GeForce NOW via the Chrome browser and an automated script. The native version should improve performance, with up to 4K 60p resolution with HDR when connected to a TV, powered by cloud-based GeForce RTX gaming rigs. Users will get the same benefits as RTX GPU owners, including DLSS 3 technology to improve frame rates. NVIDIA didn't provide an exact launch date other than "later this year."
GeForce NOW is also coming to VR headsets and much sooner. The company will support the Apple Vision Pro and Meta quest 3 and 3S, along with Byte Dance's Pico VR and MR headsets. If you own one of those headsets, you'll just need to open the browser to play.geforcenow.com when the version 2.0.70 app update arrives later this month.
On top of the existing GeForce Now game library, owners of those devices will gain access to Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed and
Apple plans to scale up its News app by adding new countries to the platform beyond the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, according to the Financial Times.
Satechi introduced its Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure at CES 2025, and we were able to take a look. Probably the most compelling feature is the notch that makes accessing the petite PC's power button easier. The stand elevates the Mac Mini off your desk, but leaves a concave space so that you can reach the power button on the bottom of its rear side. This awkward location was one of the very few dings we had against the Mac Mini M4 in our review of the computer.
Amy Skorheim / Engadget
On the front of the hub are USB-A 3.2 and 2.0 ports, as well as an SD card reader that promises speeds of "up to 312MB/s" for file transfers. The SSD enclosure allows you to add up to 4TB of NVMe storage for the Mac Mini. The hub has a recessed space at the top where the computer sits to allow better airflow from the Mac Mini's fans, and it comes with its own bottom vents as well. It connects with a built-in Thunderbolt cable that's just lon
One of the things I love the most about CES is finding all the silly one-offs and concept products that might never see full production. At CES 2025, MSI made something truly joyful when it created a custom CPU cooler that features a built-in turntable.
The water block's official name is the Mag Coreliquid A13 concept, though a name doesn't really matter because MSI says it doesn't have plans to turn it into an actual retail device. That's kind of a bummer since not only does it mean you won't be able to put a fun little spinning table inside your desktop, it also sucks because the cooler that the A13 is based on — the Mag Coreliquid A15 360 — is a real product that has some neat specs. It features an offset CPU mount that can improve the performance of recent Intel chips (like the Core Ultra 200S) that have hotspots in unusual positions.
Sadly, there are no plans to put it into actual production.
Also, the Lucky the dragon figure does not come included.@engadget pic.twitter.com/X70XJeAq8I
— Sam Rutherford (@samrutherford) January 7, 2025
Now I fully admit that the fun of having a spinning table inside your PC might be lost on a lot of people. But then again, just look at Lucky (that's the name of MSI's dragon mascot) twirling in place while the desktop churns along. And what's better is that you can raise the clear lid on the water block and put anything you want inside. Think about a fancy watch or maybe a disco ball. Wouldn't that be a hoot, especially with all those RGB lights ne
Sony's foray into electric cars, the Afeela 1, is now available to pre-order. Bookings are now open in California, with the Origin trim starting at US$89,900, and the Signature trim at US$102,900.
At CES 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang kicks off CES, the world's largest consumer electronics show, with a new RTX gaming chip, updates on its AI chip Grace Blackwell and its future plans to dig deeper into robotics and autonomous cars.
The original ROG Flow Z13 was always a bit of an odd machine. It felt like the strange lovechild between a Surface Pro and a traditional gaming laptop. But at CES 2025, ASUS is giving the tablet a much needed refresh that includes a massive performance boost thanks to the company's updated XG Mobile graphics dock.
One of the biggest departures from the previous model is that this time instead of relying on a CPU/GPU solution from Intel and NVIDIA, ASUS is going with an all-AMD configuration. The ROG Flow Z13 features up to a Ryzen AI Max 395 APU with unified memory that tops out at a whopping 128GB (though ASUS' spec sheet suggests it actually maxes out with 32GB of RAM). Also, by using a chip with an increased emphasis on power efficiency and combining that with a larger 70Whr battery (up from 56Whr), ASUS says the Z13 should deliver improved longevity of up to 10 hours on a charge. Meanwhile, the system remains rather svelte, weighing just 2.6 pounds and measuring just half an inch thick. This means it should be an excellent choice for portable gaming and productivity.
The Z13's screen is also pretty impressive, because even though it's not an OLED, its Nebula Display is powered by a vivid IPS panel with a 180Hz refresh rate, up to 500 nits of brightness and 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 spectrum. I also appreciate that even on a system this sleek, ASUS still found room for a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack in addition to two USB 4 ports, one USB-A, 3.5mm audio and even a microSD card reader.
Some other subtle updates include a redesigned keyboard with larger keycaps, a more durable PU leather cover and a much bigger touchpad. Inside, there's also a new steel vapor chamber that ASUS sa
NVIDIA has introduced DLSS 4, the latest version of its real-time image upscaling technology, at CES 2025. It is coming to all RTX GPUs, including the RTX 20 series that was discontinued back in 2020, but the older models aren't getting all its features. In the new GeForce RTX 50 series models, DLSS 4 will enable Multi Frame Generation. The feature generates up to three additional frames for every traditionally rendered one and can help multiply frame rates by up to eight times more than traditional brute-force rendering. NVIDIA says the improvements brought by Multiple Frame Generation on the GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, its new $1,999 flagship GPU arriving this month, will enable 4K 240 FPS fully ray-traced gaming.
In addition, DLSS 4 represents what the company is calling the "biggest upgrade to its AI models" since the release of DLSS 2. DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA will now be powered by the same advanced architecture powering AI models, such as ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The company says that translates to improved temporal stability, less ghosting and higher detail of objects in motion.
A total of 75 games and apps will support DLSS 4 from day zero. When the new RTX 50 cards come out, games like Alan Wake and Cyberpunk 2077 will be updated with the ability to take advantage of the technology's Multi Frame Generation feature. More titles will be updated with support for Multi Frame in the future, including Black Myth: Wukong, while upcoming ones like
While parent company Dell is doing a big rebrand of its entire PC portfolio, at CES 2025 Alienware is sort of returning to its roots by bringing back the classic Area-51 name back for its new flagship laptop line.
Available in 16- and 18-inch versions, the resurrected Area-51 gaming notebooks feature what Alienware is calling a brand-new industrial design. Though if you look closely, you can see some similarities to existing systems like the x14 and x16. Both models sport a striking anodized liquid teal paint job with an almost iridescent quality. Around back, the company's Aurora lighting has been integrated into the rear of the system to create a striking gradient effect on the laptop's thermal shelf. And as before, you still get plenty of customizable RGB lights on the inside including behind both the touchpad and keyboard.
But the Area-51 laptop's most distinctive feature might be its bottom, where Alienware has installed a Gorilla Glass window with an integrated vent to help manage airflow while also giving you a peek at the hardware inside. The company claims that thanks to its new thermal architecture, Area-51 laptops have 35 percent better airflow while being 15 percent quieter than before. There's also a new hinge design that's meant to hide exterior components while still allowing for easy access and stability.
Naturally, as Alienware's latest flagship gaming laptops, the new Area-51 notebooks should offer top-notch performance thanks to support for up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPUs, 64GB of RAM (at up to 7200 MT/s, the highest yet on
Schlage today unveiled a new Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt that's able to connect to smart home platforms like HomeKit using Matter-over-Thread. The device has no key hole as it is exclusively designed to be unlocked with a smartphone.
Apple is working on an update for Apple Intelligence that will cut down on confusion caused by inaccurate summaries of news headlines, Apple told BBC News. In a statement, Apple said software coming soon will clarify when notifications have been summarized by ?Apple Intelligence?.
AMD is following up its impressive Ryzen Z1 chip, which powered the original ASUS ROG Ally, with the Ryzen Z2 at CES 2025. You can pretty much guess what it delivers: More power, and potentially more battery life, but if you plan to wait for Valve to release a Z2-powered Steam Deck, don't get your hopes up. Following AMD's announcement, a Valve employee said "there is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck."
Leading the charge for the Ryzen Z2 family is the Z2 Extreme, featuring eight cores, a 5GHz max clock speed and 16 RDNA 3 graphics cores. The least powerful model is the Z2 Go with four CPU cores and 12 graphics cores. That could be a useful chip for cheaper handhelds, especially those that tout game streaming capabilities over local play.
AMD
AMD didn't have any performance metrics to share, but it likely won't be long until we see the Ryzen Z2 in action. It'll arrive in the first quarter of 2025 in revamped versions of the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. While Valve has said it's trying to avoid a horsepower rat race, constant leaks around a potential Stea
First, the chassis. This thing is almost a literal brick, at least in terms of size and weight, albeit a fashionable one. HP didn't provide me with dimensions at the presentation, but it's approximately the size of a two-drive NAS setup, or maybe one-third as small as the smallest Mini-ITX desktop I've seen. Much bigger than a typical "mini PC" sold to consumers, yet still a fraction of the size of a conventional desktop PC.
At CES 2025, Anker has a pair of new speakers under its Soundcore brand. The first, the Soundcore Rave 3S, is a $349 party speaker with AI-powered karaoke tricks and built-in light shows. Joining it is the SoundCore Boom 2 Pro, a more powerful follow-up to its non-Pro namesake, which adds boomier bass and better protection from water and dust.
The appropriately named Rave 3S is described as an "AI party speaker" with 200W output and 108dB volume. Anker says it can fill spaces of up to 1,076 square feet. Like some other Soundcore models, its RGB LEDs can create a light show that syncs with the beat of your music.
Red-shirt dude has perfected the art of couch-dancing.Anker
The Rave 3S includes a pair of wireless microphones for karaoke nights. That's where the AI comes in: The speaker has a vocal removal feature that can "turn any song into a karaoke track with just one click." If it works as advertised (we haven't tested it yet), it could save you the trouble of scouring YouTube or paying for a service like KaraFun to get de-voiced versions of your go-to jams.
It also includes a vocal enhancement feature, which adds clarity to your voice, and a reverb effect so you can sound like Phil Collins on your air-drum-ind
TiVo is back...sort of. Xperi, the owner of the TiVo brand as of 2019, announced at CES 2025 that TiVo OS will be available in the US for the first time on Sharp TVs. The storied TV brand was last seen stateside as the TiVo Stream 4K, a $50 streaming dongle. This new software push makes TiVo the main interface of participating affordable TVs, and puts it in direct competition with Roku's operating system.
"The Sharp Smart TV Powered by TiVo" is a pretty standard TV for 2025, with an "Ultra High Definition and High Dynamic Range 55" QLED screen," according to Xperi, and three HDMI ports for connecting various accessories. It's big differentiator is TiVo OS. The operating system aggregates content from streaming services, linear TV channels, and sports packages, and gives users access to "a vast library of free and paid content," Xperi says. The OS also supports "natural voice navigation" and "advanced search and recommendation capabilities." Nothing too revolutionary when compared to the competition, but TiVo's at least known for making user-friendly ways of navigating TV content.
Hyundai Motor envisions an interactive and partially virtual future it calls "metamobility," in which a variety of robotic devices interact with humans to provide a wide range of mobility services, from automated personal transport to remote control of robots in factories.
Hyundai executives, led by Chief Executive Euisun Chung, elaborated on the vision during a press conference at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Buzzwords aside, Hyundai plans to leverage its growing expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence to build a future mobility network that connects humans in the real world with objects and tasks in the virtual world.
