News
- A new type of pixel is capable of both controlling and analyzing light
- It's based on the Fourier mathematical tool
- We'll have to wait some time to get this in our gadget screens
Screens that double up as cameras could be packed into future gadgets, as researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a new type of pixel that can analyze and create images simultaneously.
These bidirectional pixels are able to both control and read the intensity, oscillation, phase, and polarization of light, and they're based on the fundamental physics of interfering light waves. The pixels are carefully sculpted at the nanometer level to direct light as it hits the surface and gets scattered.
At the same time as the light is traveling across the pixel and being scattered back out to the viewer, creating the required images and patterns, an analysis of the incoming light can be carried out as well — all on the same pixel.
The approach "establishes a scalable, universal architecture for vectorially programmable pixels with applications in adaptive optics, holographic displays, optical communication, and quantum information processing," write the researchers in their paper on the new pixel, which is published in Nature.
Scaling upTiny surface ridges are used to control the light (Image credit: Glauser YM, Vonk SJW, et al., Nature 2026)The pixel is termed a Fourier pixel after the mathematical tool that the component is based on. It's essentially a way of breaking down a complex output signal into a series of waves that can be controlled more easily — like the light fields here.
It's still early days for the research, and there will be challenges scaling this up. Right now the pixels need laser light as a source, and are fixed in what they can display — this isn't like a TV screen that can show anything, although there are several potential routes through which the tech could be developed in that direction.
The reactions on Reddit are perhaps a sign of our current technology times, as people have instantly latched on to the surveillance potential. "Screens that are also cameras, what could go wrong?" reads one poster, while another says that "I ain't ever buying a device with that technology". Fans of dystopian sci-fi have also been inspired to quote sections from 1984 about 'telescreens', which were two-way televisions and security cameras used to monitor citizens.
Interesting related piece of tech history of the day: the term 'pixel', originally 'picture element', was used in print for the first time in 1927, so next year marks a century since the words (now word) were originally introduced.
- A Chinese medtech firm has gained EU approval for its remote surgery robot
- Medbot’s Toumai system can now be moved and marketed freely in the European Union
- The approval comes after Toumai was used for the UK's first long-distance surgery
A Chinese medical technology firm has gained EU approval for its remote surgery robot following its use by a London surgeon to operate on a patient 1,500 miles away in Gibraltar.
Shanghai Microport MedBot’s Toumai is a three-part remote surgery system that allows doctors and surgeons to perform operations on the abdomen and pelvis.
The system is composed of a surgeon console, patient cart, and vision cart, with robotic ‘limbs’ allowing operators to perform operations. The system uses 5G connectivity to connect the surgeon console to the vision cart over long distances.
The approval follows Toumai’s successful use by a London surgeon to perform the UK’s first long-distance teleoperated surgery, a full prostate removal on a man with prostate cancer in Gibraltar.
Dr. Proskar Dasgupta performed the operation using the teleoperated system on 62-year old Paul Buxton in March 2026. Speaking to the BBC, Buxton said it was a “no-brainer” to take part in the experimental procedure and become “part of medical history”.
The robot will see you now(Image credit: Getty Images)Gibraltar, a small UK territory just south of Spain, has a single hospital within its borders, meaning residents may need to travel 1,500 miles north to the UK for more complex procedures.
However, Toumai and remote surgery systems like it allow patients to be treated by experts without traveling to meet them. Dr. Dasgupta said to the BBC that he felt “almost as if I was there” while conducting Mr. Buxton’s procedure.
On June 22, Shanghai Microport MedBot announced that the Toumai robotic surgery system had received the CE Mark — an EU stamp of approval required to sell products in its common market
As South China Morning Post reports, this allows the system to be "moved and marketed" freely in the EU, meaning the company is free to offer Toumai to healthcare providers in any of the EU’s 27 member states.
This will be welcome news for MedBot, which made 73 per cent of its revenue from overseas sales in 2025, up from 20 per cent in 2023.
- A designer working with NASA and agricultural experts has created a coffee that tastes like it was grown on Mars
- MA student Sarah Ali created the coffee as part of her 'Brew_Lab' project
- The project reflects on how climate change might affect the availability and composition of coffee
A designer working with experts at NASA and the UK’s Royal Botanical Society has produced a coffee that tastes like it was grown on Mars a hundred years from now.
The red planet-flavored Mars 2126 coffee — an ‘edible scent’ added to a regular cup of joe — is a product of Brew_Lab, a project by industrial designer Sarah Ali. The project is centered around a futuristic vending machine that brews coffee from three different dates in the future, based on climate projections.
Ali, 35, produced Brew_Lab to conclude her MA in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and exhibited the project at Milan Design Week in April 2026, as well as CSM's degree show which runs until June 21.
“This is very much a climate futures project” said Ali to TechRadar, “and the way I got to Mars was through the fact that if we keep on doing what we do now, our future in 100 years time might be that Earth won’t be able to facilitate all the things we need it to.”
“It’s a little bit speculative,” she continued, “but what I found really cool was that people at NASA were already testing what food and drink would be like on Mars. There’s a lot of investment in that space.”
The Arabica successors(Image credit: Sarah Ali)As well as providing passers-by the chance to try a cup of Martian mud from 2126, the project also includes an edible scent designed to predict the taste of coffee grown in Sierra Leone in 2080. This uses the revived stenophylla species of coffee bean, which is more resilient to climate change than the industry-leading arabica bean.
The third and final flavor, Brazil 2027, is used to emphasize the frailty of the Arabica bean, with crop yields expected to fall by as much as 80% by 2050 (via University of Florida).
To design the scent profiles of each coffee, Ali used machine learning models fed by data from NASA’s Dr. Gioia Massa, and Kew Gardens’ Dr. Aaron Davis, a world- leading coffee expert.
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“Dr. Davis has studied 127 different coffee species, of which only 7 to 12 are likely to survive into our future” adds Ali. Brew_Lab uses rare, hardy racemosa beans for its Martian brew, and Ali explained that NASA’s research on agriculture allowed her to factor in the effect of gravity on our perception of taste on the final product.
“I thought of Mars because it’s a very extreme scenario”, Ali said, “and the extreme scenarios allow us to really understand what’s happening. How do we think about things differently, to avoid that future or prepare for it.”
Still, it might take a few years yet for the best coffee makers to add a ‘Martian’ setting.
Full spoilers follow for The Bear season 5, including its finale.
About Power On...Nowadays, everyone has an opinion they want to share with the world — and TechRadar senior entertainment reporter Tom Power is no different. That's why he created Power On..., aka a collection of articles that allow him to give his verdict on the industry's biggest stories, things that grind his gears, and more besides. For more pieces like this, check out the full series here.
I love The Bear. It's one of my favorite TV shows of the past decade. And, while I understand the criticism leveled at its third and, to a greater extent, fourth season, I don't necessarily agree with all of it.
Nevertheless, when it was announced that The Bear season 5 would be the FX TV Original's last hurrah, I'll readily admit that I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach. The reason? Other shows I've enjoyed that ended recently, including Stranger Things and The Boys — coincidentally, they also stopped after five seasons — failed to stick the landing with their finales.
I feared that The Bear would go the same way. You can probably sense my relief through the screen, then, that its series finale not only delivered a fittingly bittersweet conclusion to its overarching narrative, but avoided the pitfalls that its TV peers blindly stumbled into.
One of the biggest issues — among many other problems that I don't have the time nor space to cover here — that befell the hit Netflix and Prime Video shows' finales was that they didn't utilize their time well.
Where The Boys season 5 was concerned, the Amazon TV series' rushed ending gave the impression that it simply couldn't wait for its end credits to roll. In sharp contrast, Stranger Things season 5's finale was dragged out to the point where I was begging for its final credits sequence to begin.
Admittedly, The Bear season 5's pacing isn't perfect, but it uses its time more efficiently and wisely. Indeed, part of its success comes from how this season's plot is structured.
Carmy, Syd, Jessica, and the rest of the gang are dealt blow after blow in season 5's first half (Image credit: FX Networks)Unlike past seasons, The Bear's fifth installment is 24-esque in its storytelling approach. Vis-à-vis its eighth and final chapter notwithstanding, it takes place over the course of a single day.
In episodes 1 to 7, we follow the titular restaurant's ragtag but lovable crew as they navigate what could be their final-ever service, due to the eatery's lack of funds.
That possible scenario ends up being the least of their problems. A massive, unrelenting thunderstorm not only floods the restaurant but also results in the next food delivery being canceled, meaning the staff can only serve what little stock they have left. Throw an overbooked guest list and storm-related traffic issues in for good measure, meaning their table turnover has to be on point, and it's no surprise that tensions and tempers are soon running at an all-time high.
It ends up being smiles all around by The Bear's final-ever episode (Image credit: FX Networks)However, rather than do what past entries have done by slowly but purposefully building the pressure until things boil over, The Bear 5 deliberately shows how its eccentric — and, depending on who we're talking about, emotionally damaged — cast of characters have evolved over the five seasons.
A great example of this happens midway through the penultimate episode, titled 'Caramel'. Here, the storm's impact on the restaurant's power supply makes the lights flicker and leads to Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto dropping a lamb rib-based dish for one of the evening's most important diners.
Previous seasons would've seen Carmy completely spiral and take his anger out on his colleagues, which would've likely resulted in a verbal and/or physical altercation with occasionally confrontational associate — oh, and long-time family friend — Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich.
I lost count of how many times I fought back tears, clapped, and fist-pumped the air in The Bear's final two episodes
This time, though, Richie and Carmy's former protégé, Sydney 'Syd' Adamu, calmly prevents him from overreacting, keeping what's already been a nightmarish day on track.
That's just one of myriad instances this season I could point to that show how far these individuals, and the collective as a whole, have grown since the series first premiered on Hulu and Disney+. Compare that to Stranger Things and The Boys, whose approach to individual character development wasn't always on point, and, from a character study perspective, The Bear is — if you pardon the pun — a different beast altogether.
Every character gets their moment in the spotlight this season (Image credit: FX Networks)Speaking of character progression, each member of The Bear's primary ensemble gets their moment in the spotlight, as well as a fitting conclusion to their personal arcs.
And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. With Carmy's blessing and Uncle Jimmy's backing, Ebraheim finally starts to turn The Original Beef of Chicagoland into a franchise. Meanwhile, Sydney reaffirms her trust in Tina by appointing her as the restaurant's new chef de cuisine.
Furthermore, Marcus starts to make peace with his estranged father and proves that his recent award win wasn't a flash in the pan. Natalie, aka 'Sugar', and the Berzatto family matriarch Donna's previously strained relationship continues on an upward trajectory. Heck, even Gary, aka 'Sweeps', gets a genuinely crowd-pleasing moment; after the storm ruins the 1997 and 1999 year labels on two bottles of red wine, he correctly guesses the right one – using his wine-based powers of deduction – to serve to a diner who happens to be a wine connoisseur.
Yes, chef! Jessica and Richie are finally together (Image credit: FX Networks)The biggest wins are reserved for Carmy, Syd, and Richie, though.
Richie is offered the chance to attend an international hospitality summit in Japan. He's not only accompanied by Jessica on the trip, but showrunner Christopher Storer also gives fans what they've been wanting for this pair by ending the 'will they, won't they' subplot and establishing their romantic feelings for each other.
As for Syd and Carmy, Syd fully establishes herself as The Bear's new head chef, while Carmy quits the food business entirely and, putting his love and skill for drawing to good use, becomes an architectural intern.
However, the biggest cause for celebration is that, almost four seasons after they first set their sights on earning a Michelin star, they don't get one, but two.
You're lying if you say you didn't get teary-eyed during this scene (Image credit: FX Networks)Like so many other moments in season 5 – and after watching this duo endure hardship after hardship throughout the series – the emotional release I felt once they processed their achievements and shared a joyful hug was euphoric. It's the sign of great writing when you genuinely care about a bunch of fictional characters, and I certainly lost count of how many times I fought back tears, clapped, and fist-pumped the air in The Bear's final two episodes as its crew individually and collectively triumphed against the odds.
Stranger Things 5 and The Boys 5 occasionally struck an emotional chord, and there's no denying that they have their fair share of impactful moments. Held up to the light against another tale centered on a group of underdogs fighting the impossible, though, and it's clear The Bear just does everything better in a concluding chapter whose every bite is delightfully delicious.
If I had to choose a fictional, found family to be a part of... I'd choose The Bear every time
Though it ends in magical albeit bittersweet fashion, The Bear doesn't wrap up every storyline in a neat little bow, nor give every character the perfect send-off, but I suppose that's the point.
As a fixture of the Chicago food scene, the eponymous eatery doesn't end simply because Carmy is no longer a part of it — its story, and the lives of those past and present who were involved in it, continue whether we have a seat at the table to see what happens next or not. As Lucca reminds Marcus towards the end of its finale: "The Bear has something that no other place has... family" — and he's right. If I had to choose a fictional found family to be a part of out of the previously mentioned shows, I'd choose The Bear every time.
All five seasons of The Bear are out now on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (everywhere else), aka two of the world's best streaming services.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 has only just landed on Netflix, but we're already thinking about season 3 (you can read our ending explained to learn why).
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3: key information- Was renewed at the same time as season 2
- Rumored release window of Summer 2027
- Production has wrapped
- Core cast is expected to return
- Is expected to adapt the third book in the original book series
Luckily for us, it had incredibly early confirmation. We've known all along that Aang (Gordon Cormier) needs to learn all four elemental bending skills in order to stop the Fire Nation, led by Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), from controlling the Four Nations.
As our current batch of episodes draws to a close, we're still far from reaching this conclusion. Enter Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3, which is already poised to take over.
From release window predictions to returning cast, here's everything we know about the next installment.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 release window predictionIt's worth pointing out that, as of writing, Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 doesn't have a confirmed release date or window. However, internet rumors suggest we could be seeing new episodes at some point in summer 2027.
The Avatar will return. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Seasons 2 & 3. Only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/sUnY5w6JgfMarch 6, 2024
Seasons 2 and 3 were shot back-to-back, and filming for new episodes wrapped back in November 2025.
Worst case, we can expect season 3 at some point in 2028, given that there's been a two-year gap between seasons 1 and 2.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 trailer: is there one?A trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 hasn't made its debut yet. Once one is released, we'll update this section.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 castCommander Zhao's return in season 2 seems unlikely (Image credit: Netflix)We can expect the following cast to return for Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3:
- Gordon Cormier as Aang
- Kiawentiio as Katara
- Ian Ousley as Sokka
- Dallas Liu as Zuko
- Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Zuko
- Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula
- Miya Cech as Toph
- Chin Han as Long Feng
- Justin Chien as King Kuei
- Amanda Zhao as Joo Dee
- Crystal Yu as Lady Beifong
- Kelemete Misipeka as The Boulder
- Hoa Xuande as Professor Zei
- Lourdes Faberes as General Sung
- Rekha Sharma as Amita
- Madison Hu as Fei
- Dichen Lachman as Yangchen
- Lily Gao as Ursa
- Terry Chen as Jeong Jeong
Dolly De Leon as Lo and Li, Jon Jon Briones as Piandao, and Tantoo Cardinal as Hama were all originally tipped to appear in the second reason, but do not. Despite this, we can expect them to star in season 3.
More new names will likely be announced as we get closer to the show's release, so keep your eyes peeled.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 plot predictionsSuki and Sokka will continue to support Aang in battle (Image credit: Netflix)Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 ahead.
We're pretty confident that season 3 is going to directly adapt the third Avatar book, following Aang learning to firebend, infiltrating the Fire Nation, and preparing for his climactic showdown with Fire Lord Ozai before Sozin's Comet arrives. Not too much, then.
We also know that Zuko will eventually team up with Aang and the gang to make this happen, so we can expect to see some more emotional upheaval from him.
Obviously, finding out if Aang has actually survived the battle is a top priority for season 3. But the mere fact that season 3 has already been greenlit basically confirms that we'll be seeing Aang again anyway.
Will there be more seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender?(Image credit: Netflix)As of writing, nothing has been announced. Narratively, it makes sense for season 3 to be the last, if Books 1, 2, and 3 have all been adapted in each.
However, the fact that there are so many written and comic book continuations means that the possibilities could be endless. Even if we don't get a direct season 4, Netflix could invest in spinoffs galore.
When Apple unveiled its upcoming software updates at WWDC 2026 on June 8, we didn't really get much on macOS 27 — aside from an animated skit about how the Golden Gate name was chosen. But having given the operating system a trial run, I can report that there is in fact a lot to look forward to.
It's worth emphasizing that installing the developer beta is risky: it's no exaggeration to say it can potentially brick your Mac, or at least some of its apps. Unless you're sure about this, you should wait for the public beta in July or the full release of the software sometime in the fall (for the northern hemisphere).
Just because I haven't come across any problems in my testing doesn't mean it'll be the same for you, but I can tell you that I'm impressed by what I've experienced so far. This is still very much a work in progress from Apple of course, so don't treat this as a review — features may come and go before it's pushed out to everyone.
As for compatibility, macOS 27 Golden Gate leaves Intel Macs behind. You'll only be able to install and run this if you're on an Apple Silicon machine. Here are my three favorite things about it so far.
1. It's smooth and fastmacOS 27 is just one of several software updates on the way from Apple (Image credit: Apple)Apple has promised performance upgrades with macOS 27 — though it's been a little vague on the details — and while I haven't run any benchmarks, I'd say my MacBook has felt noticeably faster and snappier. Perhaps Apple is taking advantage of not having to take Intel chips into consideration any more.
Other users have noticed the speed increases too, and it seems that high performance tasks are particularly benefitting from this. Even though I don't do much beyond writing, web browsing, and photo editing, I've seen less in the way of lag and sluggishness than I did before, which bodes well.
These performance gains should hopefully translate into battery life improvements as well, though I haven't noticed any real change in terms of time between charges. Bear in mind that there are still months of development to go on macOS 27 Golden Gate, so it's likely to get better over time (this is still only the developer beta, after all).
2. Siri AI is a genuine upgradeSiri AI is actually good now (Image credit: Apple)I have to mention Siri AI, which is now up and running on my MacBook. With a little bit of help from Google and Gemini, it feels like Siri is now genuinely useful on the desktop: answers are accurate and informed, relevant, and personalized to you.
One of the most helpful upgrades is the way that Visual Intelligence now works on macOS 27. You can highlight anything on screen (Shift+Cmd+Space is the shortcut you want), and then ask Siri something about it — and the assistant then uses clues about what's on screen and image recognition to serve up an answer.
It's the sort of feature that should've been in Apple Intelligence from the beginning, but at least it's here now. In addition, the dedicated Siri app and the integration with Spotlight works really well too, making the AI more accessible and more versatile.
3. The interface tweaksSeveral welcome interface tweaks have been added (Image credit: Apple)There are numerous interface tweaks here that aren't major on their own, but which all add up to make a significant difference. Even something as simple as having an overflow button for menu bar icons is really effective — it means if you've got a lot of them, they won't start disappearing behind the notch.
The Liquid Glass slider has been given a lot of attention, and it works as advertised. You can find it in the Appearance section of System Settings, and I've moved it all the way to the right — it's as little transparency as possible for me, please. I'm actually hoping Apple gives us more control over this in the final release.
As we've written about before, the icons that were plastered all over app menus are gone as well, leaving behind an interface that suddenly seems more elegant and clean. This isn't a user interface revamp by any means, but it feels as though Apple's engineers have thought long and hard about what changes to make.
- OpenAI announces three new AI models in the GPT-5.6 series
- The flagship Sol model is accompanied by Terra and Luna
- Access is currently restricted, as per requests by the US government
OpenAI has announced new GPT-5.6 model upgrades for ChatGPT, though for now they're only available to a select group of "trusted partnerships and organizations" — a restriction requested by the US government, which OpenAI doesn't seem best pleased about.
"We don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default," explains OpenAI's announcement. "It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them."
There are three models in the series: Sol (the flagship), Terra (for "everyday work"), and Luna (the smallest, fastest, and cheapest of the three). OpenAI says model performance is "competitive" with GPT-5.5, with improvements in affordability, safety, agentic capabilities, coding, biology, and cybersecurity.
Sol is the best model yet for deep thinking and complex agentic work, OpenAI claims, and it apparently matches the Anthropic Mythos model for cybersecurity tasks while using a third of the output tokens.
More safety testing to comePreviewing GPT-5.6 Sol: a next-generation model from r/singularityAll three models set a new standard for safeguards and protection against "adversarial pressure" as per OpenAI's announcement. They should be resistant to attempts to disguise intent from users and to jailbreak the model.
Those who do have access to the GPT-5.6 models may come across some apparently unnecessary blocks and restrictions, OpenAI explains, as the safety and security of the AI upgrades are tested. Eventually, feedback from early testers should make these upgrades more robust, ready for a full release.
We'll hopefully get that release "in the coming weeks", OpenAI says. The US government wants to do its own testing and evaluating, and although OpenAI is complying with those requests this time, it clearly doesn't want this to be the new standard.
The mood from users left out of the loop for now seems to be one of resignation. "The days of the public getting access to these frontier models is gone," writes one Redditor, while another says "the divide has started" between the AI haves and have-nots.
With AI undoubtedly revolutionizing the way many office jobs get done, the effects new technology is having on blue-collar jobs often flies under the radar.
But it is in these hands-on industries where AI can really make a difference, boosting not only productivity and efficiency, but also improving safety and worker welfare.
At its recent Samsara Beyond 2026 conference, I saw first-hand some of the new AI-powered tools and services which could revolutionize the operations industry in years to come - but also heard why the human connection will always remain vital.
AI improvement"Humans are extremely capable - and I don't see the machines or AI replacing that anytime soon - I see it augmenting us, and helping us," Johan Land, CPO at Samsara tells me at the event.
We're speaking after a jam-packed keynote which saw the company reveal a host of new AI-empowered tools and services, from a smart shipping label sticker, to a 360-degree camera which can help truck drivers navigate cramped delivery yards.
But it was the new AI tools which drew a lot of attention, including the ability for drivers to talk directly to their manager or an AI agent remotely, as well as a new AI Studio which lets customers create bespoke offerings for specific use cases - so why such a big focus on AI right now, I ask Land.
"First of all, the AI has got so much better over time - but then in addition to that, our customers want it," he notes, highlighting how Samsara can help customers on how to best plug AI into their systems.
"Physical operations is tough! It's very labor-intensive, there are many tasks that are very repetitive and it's hard to hire people - so this solves a really acute problem in that sense."
(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)Ryan Yu, VP of Product at Samsara, agrees with Land, telling me Samsara's goal, "is to be the operating system for physical operations."
When it comes to improving the efficiency of customer's workflows, "there's so much low-hanging fruit", he notes, highlighting the importance automating the big things, in a way that makes sense.
Samsara's customer base is everyone from mining operations to building firms, from school districts to logistics firms, so I ask Land how important AI will be as a selling point over its competition - and how eager these more "traditional" industries are to get working with AI.
"The hardest thing with AI is probably making it work for people in their real life and to create true value," he says, "it can easily become vaporware, it looks good on the surface"
"Sometimes they get it (AI), and sometimes they don't," he adds, "but it doesn't matter - and it might be even better if you don't understand it, because their expectations are super high...that's the empowerment, they expect it to just work."
"We need to provide the rails," Yu adds, "and we also need to provide guidance to what types of use cases are best served...because the underlying technology is still evolving."
AI augmenting humansSo how long will it be before even the most hands-on industries are fully embracing AI to get their work done? Land notes that the work is already well underway.
"Overall, we see the AI augmenting humans, taking care of some tasks," he says, "but overall it's making humans more empowered, stronger and capable."
Yu notes the immediate future will be dominated by the themes of "discovery, education and adoption" by customers, and the role Samsara can play in this.
"We want to make sure we meet them where they are, and provide the right templates," he notes, "and the good thing is we know what their most important use cases are, and what they struggle with...when we talk about reducing manual drudgery, we understand deeply how customers engage with their products."
"This is a time of distractions," Land laughs, "but for us it's very simple, we follow our customers, we just talk to them, understand what their problems are, what they need from us, and then that's how we prioritize literally everything we do."
"The direction this is going is that a job site or workplace of the future will have all kinds of things inside of it...the way we see ourselves to be is as the connecting tissue - the agentic platform that ties all of this together."
Final VR3000 EX for Gaming: two-minute review
The Final VR3000 EX for Gaming is a multi-platform gaming headset aimed at the more affordable end of the gaming market. It offers a low-latency connection, a fold-to-mute mic, and spatial audio for a much more manageable price than many of the premium pads on the market. But does it deliver on everything it promises?
The Final VR3000 EX for Gaming’s build isn’t bad, all things considered. I’m not a huge fan of the plastic on its earcups or how rattly it can be — both make it feel a bit cheap and flimsy — while the adjustable headband doesn’t really go tight enough for people with smaller heads. But the fabric section of the headband and the faux leather cups are really comfortable: despite a tiny bit of sweatiness, I found them comfortable enough to wear for the best part of a day.
Sound quality on the VR3000 EX is really solid: trebles feel crisp enough to give everything real immediacy, while the mids have sufficient clarity that I could easily differentiate the different roars of demons I gunned my way through in Doom. The only area where I’d say the headset doesn’t quite match pace with the best wireless gaming headsets out there is bass. It would be nice if guns had a little more boom — unless I’ve really misunderstood, the F in BFG9000 does not stand for ‘feeble’.
On paper, the VR3000 EX has some pretty great features for its price point, but I found this was the point it really struggled to deliver. Although Final talks a good game about the headset’s spatial audio, in practice the only dimension I really found had strong differentiation was left / right, with noises behind me being harder to pinpoint and there seemingly being no height effect that I could detect at all.
(Image credit: Future)The headset’s Footstep Clarity Mode is a similar story. While creeping around the Dust II map on Counter-Strike 2, I found detecting the footfalls of rivals to be pretty easy, which is great. However, I couldn’t really appreciate a significant difference in this, whether the mode was enabled or not. It seems churlish to complain about this, given footsteps were still easy to hear, but I’m just not sure how much this feature actually adds.
I will give Final less faint praise over the headset’s foldaway mic though. Testing it out, I found it did a pretty creditable job of picking up my voice and its fold-to-mute functionality worked well to stifle the recording, even though there was a slight lag of a little under a second for it to kick in. However, it doesn’t seem to have a near-field mic or significant noise gating, as when it was recording it absolutely picked up the background music I was playing and the clack of my keyboard.
And whatever quibbles I may have about the VR3000 EX’s other features, I was pretty blown away by its battery life. During my battery tests, I found that Final was pretty on the money with its 55-hour estimate for this headset. That blows even many more premium headsets out of the water for longevity and means you’re unlikely to need to charge it more than once a week, even if you’re gaming for a significant proportion of each day.
Everything is relative. Given its price, I’d usually be pretty generous with the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming. And it doesn’t get everything wrong: it has decent enough mids and trebles and a good stereo field. But bass is pretty lacking and many of the features it professes to have are almost imperceptible. In light of that, I’d argue another budget option like the Corsair HS55 Wireless might serve you better instead.
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 EX for Gaming review: price & release date- Launched on December 12, 2025
- List price of $149.99 / £99.99 / $259
- But it’s already on sale for £69.99 in the UK
Released on December 12, 2025, Final VR3000 EX for Gaming is available now. While it originally went on sale at a list price of $149.99 / £99.99 / $259, it’s already showing up for a fair amount less in some regions. You can currently pick it up for as little as £69.99 in the UK, which is a pretty low price for a gaming headset.
As for your options at that price, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that there’s not a whole load of customizability and it only comes in one colorway, black. On the plus side, there aren’t loads of different versions for different platforms: the one version of the VR3000 EX is compatible with PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, although unfortunately there’s no Xbox Series X / S compatibility.
Final VR3000 EX for Gaming review: specsDrivers
3D Extra Wide Sound Stage Over-Ear Dynamic Drivers
Weight
389g
Compatibility
PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, mobile
Connection type
2.4GHz Wireless (via ultra-low latency USB Transceiver), Bluetooth 5.3
Battery life
Up to 55 hours (800mAh capacity)
Features
25ms ultra-low latency mode, Footstep Clarity Modes, fold-to-mute microphone
Software
Dedicated final VR3000 EX mobile app (10-band EQ customization, Footstep Clarity Mode toggle)
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 EX for Gaming review: design / features- Comfortable to wear
- Not all materials feel that premium
- Epic battery life
- Quite loose fitting
Given its price, it’s not surprising that the Final VR3000 EX’s build quality seems a little on the cheap side. Not only does the textured plastic on their cups feel pretty low quality, but they are incredibly rattly when you handle them, which doesn’t speak to a tremendously robust construction. On the plus side, they didn’t seem to rattle at all when they were on my head.
Additionally, the fabric headband and faux leather earcups are delightfully soft, meaning I actually found the VR3000 EX to be surprisingly comfortable. I wore them on and off for much of a day, and they didn’t start to squish my ears, a problem I’ve always found with cheaper headphones and headsets. However, I will say the faux leather gets decidedly sweaty during longer use, particularly during tense first-person shooters.
I’m less convinced by the VR3000 EX’s fit, unfortunately. While the clamping force feels just about right, it’s not all that easy to adjust the stiff adjustable headband while the headset is on your dome. And Final seems to have modeled this headset around Mr Mackey from South Park — I have a pretty big head and yet the VR3000 EX only just about felt stable on the shortest setting, while one of my smaller-skulled colleagues definitely found he couldn’t get it small enough for it to feel comfortable.
(Image credit: Future)All of its controls are on the left earcup. There’s an on switch, the volume dial, a Mode button that lets you switch between Bluetooth and USB mode — as well as play/pause media and answer/end calls — and the Control button, which allows you to trigger Footstep Clarity Mode. Each button has a clicky enough action to provide decent tactile feedback, while the volume dial is lightly notched to make increasing the volume feel nicely precise. However, I will say that they’re positioned close enough that it’s not always easy to know right away which button is which by feel alone.
The app for the Final VR3000 EX is pretty limited. It has three features: it enables you to update the headset’s firmware, switch on Footstep Clarity Mode, and provides access to Final’s EQ settings. While it’s hard to justify using the app just for the Footstep Clarity Mode, the 10-band EQ that’s included is pretty decent, even if I’m not all that convinced that the impact of the lowest 31Hz is really that appreciable. So while it’s not like you need to rush to download this, it’s still useful so I’ll count this one as a bonus.
A far more unequivocal win for the VR3000 EX though is its battery life. Final quotes its total life as being up to 55 hours, and this was borne out by my testing. I set it streaming music constantly for six hours, and during that time the battery only dropped to 90% — a back-of-the-envelope calculation would put its total life at 60 hours. So even factoring in that battery discharge curves aren’t necessarily regular, I’d say 55 hours is a perfectly reasonable expectation for how long this headset should last you.
(Image credit: Future)Final VR3000 EX for Gaming review: performance- Good sound performance, even if bass is weaker
- Spatial audio claims totally overblown
- Not sure Footstep Clarity mode adds much
Design and features are all well and good. But where the rubber meets the road for a gaming headset is whether those things translate into a good sonic performance in-game. And, sadly, when you actually take the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming for a test drive, it doesn’t quite deliver on the expectations it’s set for itself.
The VR3000 EX sounds very decent, but it is a little uneven in how it handles the balance of frequencies. On the plus side, it has a good level of bite in the high-end. The screams of the possessed when I was playing Doom were immediate enough to be rattling, while the whine of my chainsaw as I carved up imps felt sufficiently realistic.
But it’s when it comes to bass that the VR3000 EX is a little more lacking. When I tested the Turtle Beach Atlas 200, I heaped praise on it for the almighty boom that issued when I was clicking heads with the sniper rifle in Counter-Strike 2. With the VR3000 EX, it almost felt like I was playing a different game, with the game’s rifles having scarcely any more impact than my dual Berettas. While that has a very limited impact on your kill ratio in-game, it does make the whole thing feel a lot less immersive.
(Image credit: Future)Speaking of, Final spends a lot of time hyping up the VR3000 EX’s spatial audio skills in its product description. And yet I’d say rumors of its immersiveness have been greatly exaggerated.
On the one hand, the VR3000 EX has a pretty creditable stereo field, with action occurring on either side of me always feeling pretty easy to pinpoint. Whether I was trying to spot where an inbound explosive engineer was charging from or fleeing from hell knights in Doom, the VR3000 EX generally made it easy to tell which side their howls and roars came from.
Unfortunately, I can’t say Final’s headset fares as well in other dimensions. There’s just enough variation in footsteps in front and behind you that I could tell which was which when giving it my full attention — but in the heat of battle, I’m not sure how useful I actually found these subtle cues. And while Final explicitly mentions height effects on its site, I could not spot any significant difference at all between action happening above me and gunfights happening right under my nose.
Honestly, that’s fine: I do not expect accomplished Dolby Atmos-style effects from hardware that costs roughly the same dough as a couple of AAA computer games. But I do wish brands would stop denuding the term spatial audio of its meaning by using it as a marketing gimmick.
(Image credit: Future)Sadly, the VR3000 EX also treads a pretty similar path with its Footstep mode. While engaged in a free-for-all deathmatch in Counter-Strike 2, the headset did a perfectly adequate job of allowing me to pick out my rivals’ footfall and react accordingly. So far, so good, right? Except during this match I switched Footstep mode on and off many times, and I genuinely couldn’t spot whether I was actually getting an enhanced sense of steps or whether it was largely just a placebo.
One area I’ll happily give the VR3000 EX its due, though, is its connectivity. Using its USB dongle, I honestly couldn’t detect any latency between kills onscreen and the crack of gunfire. While an effective low-latency mode is pretty common with gaming headsets, it’s still a welcome feature on a headset this affordably priced. Even when connected via Bluetooth, the audio wasn’t remotely laggy and enabled me to respond pretty quickly to what was going on around me. So it definitely gets some points there.
And as long as you don’t have particularly high expectations, the VR3000 EX’s foldaway mic works well enough as well. Its action is smooth, and the fold-to-mute function absolutely works, meaning you can be sure no one is overhearing you when you want a bit of privacy — although there is a lag of around a second before it mutes, so bear that in mind. Unfortunately, though, sound quality isn’t great, with my voice sounding a little bit on the tinnier side, and there’s no noise-gating that I can tell, meaning friends and foes online will be able to hear any background chatter or music in your room.
(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming?Buy it if…You want decent game sound without spending a fortune
Despite not having quite as much low-end heft as some headsets, the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming has clear enough mids and treble to bring your games to life.
You want an epic battery life
Even compared to much more expensive headsets, the VR3000 EX has an impressive battery life, clocking in at roughly 55 hours. That should keep you gaming for days and days.
You want a premium-feeling experience
The VR3000 EX feels comfortable enough on your head. But it’s not made of the most luxe-feeling materials, and the adjustable headband doesn’t run tight enough for smaller heads.
You want a premium-feeling experience
The VR3000 EX feels comfortable enough on your head. But it’s not made of the most luxe-feeling materials, and the adjustable headband doesn’t run tight enough for smaller heads.
Final VR3000 EX for Gaming
Corsair HS55 Wireless
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)
Drivers
3D Extra Wide Sound Stage Over-Ear Dynamic Drivers
50mm Neodymium
Customized Dynamic 50mm Driver (Razer TriForce Titanium)
Weight
389g
266g
320g
Compatibility
PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, mobile
PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, mobile
PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, mobile
Connection type
2.4GHz Wireless (via USB Adapter), Bluetooth 5.3
2.4GHz Wireless (via USB Adapter), Bluetooth
2.4GHz Wireless (via USB Adapter), Bluetooth 5.2
Battery life
Up to 55 hours
Up to 24 hours (2.4GHz) / Up to 37 hours (Bluetooth)
Up to 70 hours
Features
25ms ultra-low latency mode, Footstep Clarity Modes, fold-to-mute microphone
Dolby Audio 7.1 surround sound (PC/Mac), Flip-to-mute boom mic
Detachable HyperClear Super Wideband 9.9mm Mic, THX Spatial Audio, Razer SmartSwitch toggle, FPS audio profiles
Software
Dedicated final VR3000 EX mobile app (10-band EQ customization, Footstep Clarity Mode toggle)
Corsair iCUE (10-band EQ, mic settings, EQ presets)
Razer Synapse (10-band graphic EQ, THX Spatial layout)
Corsair HS55 Wireless
There’s a reason that the Corsair HS55 Wireless is our current budget pick for the best PC gaming headsets. Its 50mm Neodymium audio drivers serve up crystal-clear sound with generous bass, while its build is super comfortable to wear. Most importantly, it offers true 7.1 Surround Sound, meaning it’s capable of much more impressive spatialized sound.
Read our full Corsair HS55 Wireless review.
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro
Despite having been released in 2022, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is still one of our favorite gaming headsets, thanks to its lush sound quality, epic battery life and THX spatial audio. And while its original list price of $179.99 / £179 / AU$299 is a fair bit higher than the VR3000 EX, in the years since its release its price has come way down: I’ve seen offers placing it more in the region of $107.99 / £99.98 / AU$176.55.
Read our full Razer BlackShark V2 Pro review.
(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming- Tested over a week
- Tried out on a range of titles including Counter-Strike 2 and Doom
- Have 10 years experience writing about audio and 35 of gaming
I tested the Final VR3000 EX for Gaming over the course of a week. I paired it with my desktop PC at home, my MacBook Pro M4 and TechRadar’s Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop. I then tested it out with multiple titles including Counter-Strike 2 and Doom, as well as listening to some playlists on Apple Music.
In terms of specifics, I tested out the spatial audio in multiple Counter-Strike 2 deathmatches and tried switching the Footstep Clarity Mode on and off to see how much difference that made to how perceptible opponents’ positions were. I recorded myself while talking, typing, and playing music to test the VR3000 EX’s foldaway mic, as well as folding it away to test how effectively it muted incoming audio.
When it comes to my personal experience, I’ve been writing about and testing audio gadgets for over ten years now, as well as using audio gear to produce and listen to music. I’ve been playing games on a daily basis since they were all 8-bit, sharing my time pretty evenly between console, handheld and PC gaming. And yet, it turns out, I still get thoroughly mogged when playing Counter-Strike 2, which I blame on my middle-aged reflexes.
- First reviewed: June 2026
- Read more about how we test
Sometimes I feel like the only person who actually liked Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. Sure, the old third-person shooter isn’t exactly the most fun to play — but that’s entirely the point.
Under the RadarUnder the Radar is our way of highlighting great games that might have passed you by. Through a regular mix of news stories and features, we'll cover great experiences that we feel haven't found the audience they deserve. Read the full series here.
It’s the gory swansong of two disgusting men, presented entirely through the low-res lens of a handheld camcorder that intentionally leaves you disoriented as you navigate the towering concrete skyscrapers of Shanghai. The game does everything it can to overwhelm, with its fragmented plot told almost entirely in a language that you can’t even understand.
The whole experience is devoted to being as unapologetically miserable as possible, and that’s exactly what makes it so alluring. Like a grimy slasher movie, you just can’t look away. In my eyes, there’s never really been an experience quite like it. That is until now.
Pure rage(Image credit: MicroProse Software)When an ad for Better Than Dead came across my Instagram feed, I instantly knew it was just what I’ve been looking for. The camcorder perspective is the most obvious similarity, although unlike Kane & Lynch 2, the camera in Better Than Dead is being held by the protagonist, so everything unfolds in first-person.
The storytelling is just as raw. The game opens on a visual of a bright blue sky, distorted by the fisheye lens and film grain effects. This serene scene is nothing more than a clever visual trick, a poster plastered to the wall of the cell where our young woman protagonist has been confined.
You look around to discover a mattress covered in blood, gross scraps of discarded food, a filthy squat toilet, and an alluring side table bathed in light from a little lamp.
On it, you find a pistol, accompanied by an unknown message in Chinese and a drawing of a bird fleeing a cage. You don’t need a translation to know the stakes: something horrible is happening here, and this gun is your only way to escape.
(Image credit: MicroProse Software)From there, your rampage begins, sprinting through the corridors of what turns out to be a dodgy porn studio, gunning down members of the triad before eventually bursting out onto the street.
After this, each level has you infiltrating other triad-affiliated locations, like seedy restaurants or shifty back alleys, to take out every gang member in sight. It’s paced almost like a first-person Hotline Miami, with dense layouts and tricky enemy placements that require at least a few goes to learn the ropes, and an emphasis on speed and brutality.
You’ve got a slick slide that helps dodge incoming fire and offers a sliver of bullet time — vital for success as you die in just two hits.
Back for more(Image credit: MicroProse Software)The gunplay isn’t exactly simple, though. Although our protagonist is fueled by pure rage, she’s still untrained with firearms, with swaying hands that make it difficult to land hits on target. Mercifully, ammunition is unlimited, so dumping a whole magazine in the general direction of enemies is the way to go.
Can it be frustrating? Incredibly, but that only increases the satisfaction of pulling off the perfect massacre. Throw in the fact that the game isn’t afraid to touch on some pretty dark subject matter, and I’m feeling the same rush that had me so in love with Kane & Lynch 2.
I can’t fault the presentation either. If you can look past the crude menu UI, the total lack of on-screen icons in the game lends the action a cinematic, realistic feel. The strong camcorder effects and wise decision to pixelate characters’ faces (facial animation is usually a sticking point for lower budget games) do a great job of smoothing out the visuals. Squint, and you could even mistake what’s on screen for real video footage.
The sound design is impeccable as well. Gunfire is meaty, and enemies scream in pain when they’re shot, often dropping to the floor and twitching a little before you finish them off. Given that all of this comes from a solo developer and costs just $14.99 / £13.75 / AU$ 20.95, it’s a pretty impressive achievement.
Better Than Dead is currently in early access via Steam and is receiving frequent updates. There are only a handful of levels now, but in the time I’ve owned the game, the developer has already added the start of a hub world with a handy practice firing range and is constantly tuning things based on player feedback.
Kayne and Lynch 2 fans (I know there are potentially dozens of us out there), this is one to watch.