News
- Pearl Abyss adds new content to Crimson Desert via update 1.13
- The update adds new outfits, gear, and equipment for all three playable characters
- Oongka can now use the same outfits Kliff does
Pearl Abyss has gone above and beyond with Crimson Desert, thanks to a vast amount of content available at launch and consistent updates in recent months — and it's not taking its foot off the gas.
Crimson Desert has a new batch of content, with update 1.13 introducing new gear and outfits for all three playable characters, Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane, including expanded 'dyeable equipment options'. Also, both Oongka and Damiane will now be able to enter the Abyss and rematch bosses initially made for Kliff.
It's yet another substantial update for 2026's beloved hit, as the developers at the South Korean studio continue to listen to fan feedback and fine-tune areas that could do with more content.
Frankly, the game's continent, Pywel, is chock-full of activities to engage in, gear to find, and bosses to encounter, but one aspect has arguably been neglected since launch.
(Image credit: Pearl Abyss)Both Oongka and Damiane are characters that feel as though they've received the short end of the stick in terms of outfits and equipment — and fortunately, that's what this update addresses.
Notably, Oongka can now equip 'most outfits available to Kliff', further expanding the secondary character's customization options. It's a change I've been longing for, since it should provide far more incentive for me to use Oongka, particularly for replaying boss battles while being aptly equipped.
Even with my 236 hours spent playing Crimson Desert, it still feels like there's so much more to discover, especially with Pearl Abyss consistently improving the experience — and it's worth noting that an expansion is already in development.
It's also quite fascinating to see that four months after its launch, Crimson Desert has a 24-hour peak of 26,659 players on Steam, which is incredibly rare (or at the very least, difficult) for any single-player game to sustain post-launch. Hopefully, it stays that way, as I feel that Pearl Abyss deserves all the success and praise for its efforts on Crimson Desert.
- Merlin Bird ID is a go-to app for bird identification, with more than 40 million downloads
- It can identify over 2,000 species of birds by sound recognition
- A future update will share sound recordings with eBird, a huge biodiversity database
If you're into birdwatching, you'll need no introduction to the popular Merlin Bird ID app, by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. With over 40 million downloads worldwide, and over two million monthly users in the UK alone, Merlin is the go-to app for bird identification for many.
I'm in my forties, and birding has become one of my recent new hobbies, after years of photographing birds while testing cameras and lenses. And while I'm learning, I simply can't identify all the birds I see or hear, especially in my local nature reserve, which is a migration route for varied and sometimes rare birdlife throughout the year, and a popular birding spot.
The app helps me to identify the birds I'm unfamiliar with by their call / song, using machine learning sound recognition, and gives me lightning-fast and almost always reliable results, with an image for each identified bird. It's super helpful.
I can also feed the app one of my photos for identification, such as those taken during a recent outing with the Sony 400-800mm lens, with the results based on location data and other information from a database of more than 2,000 bird species.
So I was delighted to hear that the app — which is free for iOS and Android, with downloadable offline bird packs by location including US, Canada and Europe — is getting an update which will help users like me give something back: integration with Cornell's own eBird database, as reported by the Guardian.
Me during a recent visit to my local birding site, which hosts a wide variety of birdlife throughout the year (Image credit: Tim Coleman)A new wave of citizen scientistseBird is a huge citizen-science biodiversity database, with over two billion recordings logged worldwide since its 2002 launch. And it's set for an influx of new data — the Merlin Bird ID app update will in future allow bird identifications to automatically flow directly into the eBird database.
Jessie Barry, of the Merlin project, told the Guardian, "Upcoming feature developments will make an even better link to the eBird systems so that we can use the data from what users ‘hear’ with Merlin to monitor bird populations."
Bird conservation is a hot topic, what with bird numbers declining. The UK, for example, has 70 million fewer birds than it did 50 years ago. So here's the good part: these records could provide vital information to conversation efforts for at-risk birdlife around the world.
Barry added: “This data helps create tools that can be used to further conservation, inspire support and inform ecological management strategies.”
Notwithstanding the cautionary note of the app's outright accuracy, with concern from some about it occasionally misidentifying birds, the Merlin Bird ID app update could be a huge boost for bird conservation efforts.
Being directly connected to the go-to bird identification app, eBird stands to receive more data from millions of users, who don't need to make any special effort to take part; they just need to carry on using the app as before to record and identify birdsong.
I love the idea that I will be one of a new wave of citizen scientists across the world, with the recordings I make playing a small part in monitoring bird populations. And the surge in recording data will likely further improve the app's performance.
Right, I'm off out with my phone, I hear the birds calling...
Spoilers for Dutton Ranch episode 9 ahead.
From the jump, it was clear that the eventual finale of Dutton Ranch — episode 9 — would be an absolutely chaotic mind-melter. While I'm happy to report that my assumptions were right, there were some unanswered questions that I didn't expect at all.
For the most part, the Yellowstone spinoff has left us with multiple dilemmas following the ranch raid. The most pressing is whether Carter(Finn Little) will survive his kidnapping, and whether Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) can get to him before anything bad happens.
Then we'll have the fallout of Rob-Will's (Jai Courtney) death, which will definitely have messed with Joaquin's (Juan Pablo Raba) mind. This is also going to affect Mariano's (Raoul Max Trujillo) standing in the 10 Petal business, arguably likely to see even more power than he had before.
Beulah (Annette Bening), meanwhile, has absolutely nothing to her name. She needs to grieve Rob-Will, but Everett (Ed Harris) wants nothing to do with her, so her next moves cannot be immediately guessed.
Then, there's Oreana (Natalie Alyn Lind). Will she keep the baby? Will Beth be there to support her? And will Rio Paloma ever be the same again?
Amazingly, none of these issues are what fans are the most perplexed by... and if you've been keeping a close eye on the show's first-look images, you might have noticed that something is missing.
Dutton Ranch season 1 completely cut out Beth bonding with her horses — despite advertising it(Image credit: Paramount)Recognize the above image? Despite it being a key part of Dutton Ranch's initial advertising campaign, the scene itself never materialised.
It's this that fans are hung up on, rather than anything that actually transpired in the explosive season finale.
"It makes me so mad they cut this scene of Beth and her horse from the season finale," one fan posted on Reddit. "This photo was released as an episode still on the Paramount+ press website. I’ve been looking forward to this scene. I can’t believe they cut it, but left in the teen angst. Beth and her horse have more chemistry than Carter and Oreana."
A second added, "I was so annoyed this scene was cut! It looks so sweet. It really does seem like so many tender scenes were cut this season, which is so disappointing.
"I loved this storyline and hope we get to see more of Beth with her horse in season 2. I’d also like to know what she named her."
According to the show notes, the still should have come from the season finale, but was cut. Some fans are speculating that the change is linked to the exit of showrunner Chad Feehan, who announced his departure from Dutton Ranch three weeks before it aired.
"With 6, 7 and 8 being such short runtime episodes, it begs to wonder how much footage — that potentially could have elevated those episodes as they were not the strongest of the season — ended up on the cutting room floor?" a third fan speculated.
As of writing, we don't yet know when Dutton Ranch season 2 will air, enter production, or who will take over as its showrunner. For now, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed for some more equine action.
- Obsession star Inde Navarrette recently met with the director of Marvel's new X-Men film
- It's the only movie that Jake Schreier has publicly confirmed he's working on
- Some fans really don't want to see the award-worthy actor join the MCU
Inde Navarrette has revealed she's open to the possibility of starring in a Marvel movie — and rumors are now circulating online that she could appear in the comic giant's new X-Men film.
The breakout star of 2026 smash hit Obsession, Navarrette was recently asked by Nylon magazine if she'd like to show up in a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick. "I would," was the in-demand and award-worthy actor's brief reply.
Interestingly, Navarrette's possible involvement in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut might soon become a reality. Indeed, in the same interview, Navarrette confirmed she'd recently met with Jake Schreier, the director of the Marvel Phase 5 film Thunderbolts.
Currently, the only project Schreier has publicly acknowledged he's working on is the aforementioned X-Men movie. It'll come as no surprise to learn, then, that a rumor regarding Navarrette's potential casting in said film franchise reboot is already spreading like wildfire across the web.
Why some film fans don't want Navarrette to join the Marvel Cinematic UniverseSome fans would be unhappy to see Navarrette join the MCU (Image credit: Focus Features/Universal Pictures)It would be remiss of me not to point out that Navarrette joining the MCU is merely speculation at this point. There are bound to be other projects that Schreier is developing in secret, such as a third season of Netflix's critically acclaimed and award-winning albeit underseen comedy-drama Beef. So, the filmmaker could've sounded out Navarrette for a role in that show rather than a role in his untitled X-Men flick.
Nonetheless, some fans of Navarrette's works, which include this year's box office belle in Focus Features' Obssession, are dead-set against seeing the 25-year-old become the next big-name actor or rising star to sell their soul to the MCU.
On X/Twitter, bigmonkeong likened her rumored casting as part of the "MCU slop machine" to "seeing an angel get its wings cut off". Elsewhere, The_Epic_Mike accused Marvel of "trying to clout chase an indie horror film and nose-dive another actress' career", while tarmactorque suggested Navarrette should prioritize a role in a forthcoming film from Michael Mann, who she also recently met with. Mann's next project is the highly-anticipated Heat 2, so could Navarrette be set to appear opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale, who officially boarded the prequel-sequel earlier in July?
On the flip side, other cinephiles have already started fan-casting Navarrette in the MCU and, more specifically, in its first X-Men production. Chief among the characters some want her to play are fan-favorite individuals Rogue, X-23, and Mystique, but others are dreaming of seeing her play Magik or Kitty Pryde.
Who would you like to see Navarrette play in the MCU? Let me know by voting in the poll above. Once you're done, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order and how to watch the X-Men movies in order.
And, if you're one of the few remaining people yet to see Obsession, which is still in theaters, you'll be pleased to know that Obsession is also now available to watch at home.
For over a decade, driving profit from your website was relatively simple. Find the right keywords, optimize your site to rank for them, then convert as many visitors as you can.
But as AI overviews and conversational answer engines continue to replace search engines, traditional clicks from SERPs are rapidly dropping.
Fortunately, this shift isn't a death sentence for websites; in fact, it could be a big opportunity.
I caught up with Aja Frost, Senior Director of Global Growth and Paid at HubSpot, to get some insight into how HubSpot has reshaped its marketing strategy, helping it achieve a massive 1,850% increase in qualified leads from AI and a 3x higher conversion rate compared to traditional search.
With organic sessions and clicks sharply dropping for many websites, how can marketers continue to prove ROI? What are the new baseline metrics businesses should be measuring?Traffic volume is no longer the right North Star metric. When AI answers a question that includes your brand, you might not see any clicks — but you’ve successfully generated awareness that could convert later that day, week, or month.
The metrics that matter most now are AI search visibility and branded search (awareness), as well as conversion rate, pipeline quality, and revenue. LLM-referred traffic converts around 3x better than traditional search for HubSpot.
Start writing for AI search. If an LLM answers the question “What is a CRM” and cites your CRM in the response — because you’ve structured your content in an AI-friendly way, included original data, etc. — you will still ultimately reach the buyer.
Additionally, HubSpot diversified where we showed up, including YouTube, newsletters, and podcasts. Not only do humans still spend a lot of time here, but LLMs train and cite from these sources. Today, 90% of HubSpot’s leads come from non-blog sources, with YouTube leads up 100% and newsletter leads up 90%.
What other things should brands be doing to optimize their websites for conversational AI questions?Your content needs to answer conversational queries directly and authoritatively.
Think about how your buyers will ask questions to an answer engine, not how they’d type keywords into Google. Your content needs to answer conversational queries directly and authoritatively.
Using unique data, structuring your content so it’s easy to understand, and being cited in the places LLMs pull from will increase your visibility. You should also track your AI visibility systematically – you need to know how your products are described, which businesses are showing up instead of you, and whether your share of voice is improving over time.
Can brands leverage legacy content for AEO? If so, how?Legacy content written to rank on Google usually doesn’t explicitly connect the topic to your product or service.
Yes, but it needs to be updated with intent. Legacy content written to rank on Google usually doesn’t explicitly connect the topic to your product or service. Update content with these connections so AI will make them for the user.
For example, if you have a blog post on running good sales calls, you’d add contextual lines like, “HubSpot’s Smart CRM includes real-time call insights, so you can course-correct while you’re still on the phone with a prospect.”
Is SEO still important? If so, what are some good strategies small businesses can use to balance search engine and AI optimization?SEO is still important for a few reasons.
Google’s AI search (AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini) pull information from Google results. In addition, once buyers have discovered you in AI search, they’ll often use Google to navigate to your website.
HubSpot claims that its AEO playbook helped achieve an 1850% increase in qualified leads and a 3x higher conversion rate. What were the three main driving factors behind these wins? How can entrepreneurs and marketers apply them to their own businesses?You should start by measuring where you show up in AI answers, then systematically close the gaps.
Our strategy had three pillars.
First, on-site content built for AI. We created industry-specific pages with structured data, unique insights, and FAQ schema. 92% of those pages ended up cited by answer engines, generating a 49% lift in AI visibility. We also launched a glossary covering top-of-funnel terms (with explicit links to relevant products), which increased citation share for related prompts by 60%.
Second, off-site amplification. We identified publishers already winning citations but not yet mentioning HubSpot, gave them AEO recommendations and templates, and scaled to hundreds of new pages, earning hundreds of thousands of new AI citations.
Third, Reddit. We invested heavily in our Reddit strategy, as it was one of the most cited sources for questions our buyers are asking.
Any business can apply these tactics. You should start by measuring where you show up in AI answers, then systematically close the gaps.
The competition in artificial intelligence between the United States and China extends beyond a binary race for supremacy. The current landscape is more accurately characterized as "complementary competition."
While the United States and China compete, they occupy distinct positions within the global AI value chain, each possessing unique strengths that do not fully overlap.
This complementary competition is shaping the global AI industry through differentiated yet interconnected advantages.
The United States maintains leadership in foundational aspects of AI, including frontier model development, advanced semiconductors, cloud computing, basic research, and the broader developer ecosystem. Companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Nvidia significantly influence the architecture of the global AI industry.
For example, NVIDIA’s dominance in high-end GPUs provides the United States with a significant advantage in the computing layer. Additionally, leading universities, advanced research laboratories, and robust venture capital networks continue to supply AI development with talent, innovation, and funding.
According to Stanford’s 2025 AI Index Report, the United States attracted 109.1 billion dollars in private AI investment in 2024, and American institutions produced 40 of the world’s 50 most notable AI models.
This concentration of capital, research, and platform-building capacity reinforces the United States' position as a primary provider of the underlying AI architecture.
China's strengths in commercial contextsIn contrast, China is increasingly recognized for its strength in large-scale deployment of AI within industrial and commercial contexts. The Chinese industrial system is extensive, encompassing manufacturing, logistics, energy, automotive, electronics, and urban infrastructure. These sectors generate numerous real-world use cases for AI deployment, testing, and iteration.
China further benefits from tightly integrated supply chains and industrial clusters. For instance, in Shenzhen, hardware suppliers, software teams, factories, and logistics networks are highly interconnected, enabling rapid progression from concept to prototype to iteration. This integration allows China to embed AI into economic processes effectively, rather than confining its application to laboratory research or consumer chatbots.
This is why the U.S.-China AI competition is better understood as complementary rather than a zero-sum game. The U.S. provides many of the key enabling technologies, research breakthroughs, and software foundations. China excels at translating AI into industrial systems, business processes, and scaled commercialization. The two sides still compete intensely, especially over chips, standards, talent, and platform influence.
But they also pressure each other in different directions: the U.S. advances raise the technological frontier, while China’s deployment capacity pushes AI toward broader practice. Together, they shape the pace and structure of global AI development. This broader dynamic also elucidates why agentic AI products, such as Atoms, have disruptive potential.
A significant shiftThis shift is particularly significant for small businesses and individual founders. For example, a local service company can develop internal booking tools, a startup can rapidly test landing pages and advertising campaigns, and a consumer brand can assess product demand before making substantial investments. In each scenario, the primary value lies not only in automation but also in time savings, cost reduction, and improved coordination.
Within the framework of complementary competition, products such as Atoms occupy the intersection of American and Chinese strengths. These products rely on foundational model capabilities, cloud infrastructure, and agent architectures typically associated with the American AI ecosystem.
However, their greatest commercial impact may occur in contexts characterized by rapid deployment, cost-effective experimentation, and industry-specific integration, domains in which China holds considerable advantages. Thus, the future of global AI will likely be determined not solely by leadership in research or deployment speed, but by the ability to connect advanced intelligence with practical economic workflows effectively.
This is where complementary competition is most evident.
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- Xbox has announced that it is undergoing a "significant restructure"
- This will include the loss of 3,200 jobs over the fiscal year
- This includes 1,600 job losses today
Microsoft has announced that Xbox is to undergo the "most significant restructure" in the brand's history, with 1,600 jobs being cut today, for a total 3,200 jobs going over the coming months including four studios being jettisoned.
In another crushing blow for the people who make the games we love, these layoffs were strongly rumored to be coming this week — the sheer scale was unknown but predicted to be big. It turns out that was true.
In an email sent to Xbox employees that has now been made public via Xbox Wire, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma began by saying, "After careful consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to reduce our team by approximately 3,200 throughout FY27. This will include approximately 1,600 role eliminations today, and in addition, four studios will leave Xbox to new management."
Sharma added: "Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. We entered Gen 9 with a smaller install base and a higher cost structure. To grow, we bet on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content. While those businesses have created meaningful value, they did not grow at the pace we expected."
As well as the total of 3,200 jobs going this fiscal year, four studios are also affected. Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions are returning to being independent studios, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will gain new ownership with funding to complete their upcoming games, Senua and State of Decay 3.
Arkane — a studio many feared for in the run-up to this restructuring — is "beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options."
In a series of moves over the past decade or so, which has seen Microsoft acquire multiple studios, spend billions and billions of dollars, and make some curious decisions about Game Pass, prices, and more — all to take the brand from third in the console space to, well, third — this kind of feels like the bubble bursting before our very eyes. And the people who will pay the price will be the developers who make the games we all love playing.
Answer me honestly: do you actually understand what is going on in From season 4? I'm the first to admit that I have no idea, and it feels like the amount of lore I need to keep up with is spiralling out of control.
So it doesn't help, then, when the internet decides to add its own non-canonical lore that doesn't even exist. I'm talking about the Reddit rumors that From season 4 episode 11 exists, explaining all the plot holes that episode 10 (the actual season finale) left unanswered.
"Episode 11 is the best one yet," the thread begins. "They answered everything... every question."
A second fan added, "The pacing was insane. Answers actually landed instead of just more riddles."
But it should go without saying that From season 4 episode 11 doesn't exist, despite an alarming number of people searching for it.
Instead, we've got to wait for the already-renewed season 5, which is rumored to air at some point in 2027.
However, now is not the time to let our MGM+ subscriptions go to waste. From season 4 might be over, but get ready for your latest bingeable obsession: The Westies.
The Westies premieres on MGM+ this week — here's why you need to stream itWith a cast led by JK Simmons, The Westies follows a fictional version of the real-life Irish crime gang in New York of the same name.
As MGM explains, "The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia."
If that hasn't sold you already, The Westies is getting an epic police procedural crossover in the form of Bosch star Titus Welliver, who is playing the lead FBI agent tasked with tracking the mobsters down.
Don't be fooled by the above trailer, either — new episodes are about as gory, gruesome and disturbing as TV can get. Episodes premiere on July 12th and are released on a weekly basis (just like From).
Sure, it's a completely different kind of mystery... but you're welcome, in advance.
The temperature is rising again, and fans are selling out fast, but you don't need to settle for something sub-par that will just waft warm air around. I've done the hard work for you, combing through online stores to bring you a list of eight top-quality fans from big names that are ready to dispatch right now — and they're all under £100.
There's something for every room here, including compact desktop fans for working, and extra-quiet tower fans to help you sleep better at night, plus lightweight handheld fans to keep you comfortable on the move,
Remember, they're likely to sell out fast as the temperature climbs, so I'd recommend grabbing one while you can. Personally, I've just opted for the MeacoFan Sefte 8in Air Circulator, which moves a large volume of air and is ideal for bringing the night breeze indoors when the temperature drops outside in the evening. Which one will you pick?
Quality fans under £100 MEACO Meacofan Sefte 8in Air Circulator DREO 20dB Standing Fan for Bedroom Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan - Ink/Cobalt Dimplex Mont Blanc Cooling Tower Fan MEACO Meacofan Sefte 6in Air Circulator Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan - Stone/Blush DREO 25dB Quiet Desk Fan For Bedroom Dimplex Anthracite Tower Fan- Oura is bringing key features from its Ring 5 wearable to older models
- The features include Health Radar, live activity tracking, and more
- They’re now available on the Oura Ring 4 and Ring 3
Oura has just released its Ring 5 wearable, and we were pretty impressed with what was on show when we reviewed it. But if you haven’t been tempted to upgrade and are instead rocking an Oura Ring 4 or Ring 3, you might wonder if you’ll miss out on the new features packed into the latest model.
Well, the good news is that plenty of the new features have just been rolled out to those older products. Specifically, Oura is bringing Health Radar, live activity tracking, numerous Oura Labs tools, lost device locating, and a lot more.
Live activity tracking is a notable addition, as it adds real-time workout metrics to the Oura app, allowing you to monitor your progress as you’re keeping fit and active. It turns the Oura Ring into much more of a workout partner than before.
Health Radar, too, is a sizable update. With it on board, your Oura Ring can assess your long-term health signals in the background, including changes to your heart and breathing rates, to spot any emerging patterns in your health and wellbeing.
You’ll be able to find the full list of updates in Oura’s blog post. If you’ve been mulling over whether to upgrade, it could prove to be an insightful read.
A welcome change (Image credit: Future)Changes like this are very welcome, especially since the Oura Ring 4 is less than two years old at this point. It’s never nice to see relatively recent tech missing out on key software features that could feasibly be backported to it, so the fact that this has happened will be great news for owners of the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 3.
The update seems to have gone down well with customers, too. Posting on Reddit, user beanizzle noted that their Oura Ring can now recognize long-haul travel without any status needing to be manually entered. Speaking of the change, the user said: “This is definitely a great new feature as I sometimes struggle to remember to give my body more grace after traveling through time zones.”
They weren’t alone. Further down the thread, other commenters remarked how their readiness scores went haywire after taking red-eye flights, while another Redditor declared that the feature is “long overdue but so glad to have it!”
If these are the sorts of features you’re looking for in a wearable, Oura’s latest update means you might not need to upgrade to an Oura Ring 5 if you already have a Ring 4 or Ring 3. And anything that can eke extra life out of your existing wearables is good with us.
- A new leak shows off the Nothing Ear 3(a)
- We see the earbuds in four colors, with the case
- The official unveiling is scheduled for tomorrow
If you can't wait until tomorrow for the official unveiling of the Nothing Ear 3(a), the budget wireless earbuds have now appeared in an extensive leak that reveals the design, colors, and features — so this is pretty much a full spoiler.
The early reveal comes courtesy of WinFuture, and is based on information from retailers who couldn't wait to get their listings live. We can see the earbuds in all four of the already announced colors: black, white, yellow, and pink.
There are a few interesting tidbits here, but when it comes to the aesthetics, there are no dramatic surprises: the look of these earbuds is very reminiscent of previous Nothing Ear models, with the semi-transparent stems and the transparent lid on the charging case.
What we do learn is that the Nothing Ear 3(a) are set to come with a 12-millimeter driver, as well as support for LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless — so while the price is affordable, it seems the audio quality won't be compromised too much.
Touch to recordOnly dating DJs this summer.Ear (3a)7 July, 11:00 BSTShot on Nothingw/ Phone (4b) pic.twitter.com/srMb5bykNeJune 30, 2026
The leak gives us a glimpse of what seems to be a special feature we haven't seen from Nothing products before: the ability to press the stem of the earbuds to record voice notes, which is something to look out for.
WinFuture also refers back to previous leaks that mentioned a retail price of €99, so it would appear that the upcoming wireless earbuds are going to stick to the $99 / £99 / AU$169 starting price of the excellent Nothing Ear (a).
In our Nothing Ear 3 review, we praised those earbuds for offering "zealous, customizable sound" — though we weren't quite sure about how much value for money they offered, which is something this new pair might move the dial on.
One of the quirks of the Nothing Ear 3 is the 'Super Mic' that's included in the charging case, which you can use for calls and voice notes instead of the microphones on the earbuds — but as yet it's not clear if the Nothing Ear 3(a) will offer the same feature.
- Microsoft Frontier Company to embed 6,000 engineers and specialists into customer organizations
- Backed by $2.5 billion in Microsoft funding, it will help customers transform with custom AI
- This is the "largest" of its type, 2.5x the value of Amazon's alternative
Microsoft has launched a brand new subdivision to expand its own AI consultants into customers' companies backed by a massive $2.5 billion investment.
The new Microsoft Frontier Company will embed more than 6,000 specialists, AI engineers and technical experts directly inside customer organizations to help build, deploy and optimize their own AI strategies.
Microsoft described it as the "largest, most capable, outcome-driven engineering organization in the industry" – the scheme comes days after Amazon announced a similar scheme backed by $1 billion.
Microsoft launches forward-deployed engineer (FDE) program for AIThough similar in concept to other FDE programs, Microsoft believes its Frontier Company will be different in that it adds extra layers of industry expertise, change management, continuous improvement and more, rather than just racing to deliver AI ROI.
Microsoft Commercial Business CEO Judson Althoff emphasized the importance of intelligence and trust in tailoring a suitable AI strategy for its customers. Intelligence's role involves understanding broad organizational context, workflows and processes, while trust is all about governance, observability and accountability.
Early Frontier Company customers include LSEG and Unilever, and of course, being an enterprise-focused solution, the company stressed that proprietary data, workflows and more remain private to companies and doesn't get used to train models.
Another major selling point for the "largest" AI FDE scheme in the industry is that customers can pick and choose between models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and other open-source alternatives to provide the best solution for every workload, rather than forcing companies to lock in to one single tool.
Microsoft Frontier Company will be led by former President of Microsoft Asia, Rodrigo Kede Lima. "He has been at the forefront of helping customers and partners translate technology shifts into business outcomes, and understanding how platform innovation, engineering and partner ecosystem collaboration come together to drive growth," Althoff wrote.
- Amnezia VPN has restored its Premium service in Russia
- Amnezia Free is expected return in the coming weeks
- Roskomnadzor blocked over 90% of its local servers between June 1 and 15
Russian privacy provider Amnezia VPN has successfully restored its Premium service for users in the country, after suffering an unprecedented state-backed infrastructure strike.
Between June 1 and June 15, millions of Amnezia users in Russia lost their connection after the state censor, Roskomnadzor (RKN), launched a multi-pronged offensive that blocked over 90% of the provider's local servers.
The strike represents a dramatic escalation in Moscow's digital crackdown, deploying automated network fingerprinting and targeted cyberattacks to actively hunt down VPN infrastructure.
While the Premium tier is now back online with a newly updated, stealthier protocol, Amnezia has confirmed that its Free tier's Russian stack will return in the coming weeks.
For internet users trapped behind Russia's "sovereign internet" firewall, the stakes have never been higher. Identifying the best VPN has become a critical lifeline to the free web as the state dumps massive resources into its censorship machine.
A sophisticated, $898 million censorship machine(Image credit: Getty Images)According to Amnezia’s incident analysis, Roskomnadzor has abandoned basic IP-blocking in favor of a highly automated, aggressive ruleset.
By analyzing network traffic, Russian authorities appear to have learned to identify the unique "network fingerprint" of specific VPN protocols — Amnezia's proprietary AmneziaWG protocol included.
Once RKN's internet censorship and filtering system (known as TSPU) detects this fingerprint, it automatically blacklists the server's IP address. During the June assault, Amnezia attempted to swap out its servers, only to see the fresh IP addresses blocked within hours.
This technological leap is heavily state-funded. Forbes Russia and Kommersant estimate nearly 60 billion roubles (770million) is being spent to strengthen the filtering system, while The Moscow Times projects a wider RKN budget allocation of 70billion roubles (898 million) between 2026 and 2028.
To compound the technical assault, RKN paired its deep packet inspection with traditional hacking tactics, launching active DDoS attacks on VPN services. THis wave of attacks even targeted the Amnezia website, while deploying phishing schemes against the provider's staff.
Mazay Banzaev, founder of Amnezia VPN, believes this escalation is a proof that Roskomnadzor had been preparing a new set of rules for the TSPU for a long time, and fully applied them on June 1. He now expects these measure to be extended to other services operating in Russia.
"Such practices have been used in other countries too, Iran and China, for example, but in Russia they have been taken to a new level of automation: on average, a server is blocked within a few hours of users beginning to connect to it," said Banzaev.
Bouncing back with better securityDespite the severity of the attack, Amnezia confirmed that no infrastructure was breached and user data remained secure, crediting regular security audits by independent cybersecurity firm 7ASecurity.
To bypass the new TSPU ruleset, Amnezia has dropped a new version of its AmneziaWG protocol. This update strips out the specific feature that allowed censors to identify the VPN traffic in the first place. Users must update their AmneziaVPN client to restore their connection, as the provider has intentionally disabled older, vulnerable versions of the app to prevent repeat attacks.
To make up for the downtime, Amnezia is also compensating affected users. Premium subscribers on a 6-month plan will receive one extra month of service, while those on 12-month plans will receive two additional months.
The provider now has its sights set on future expansion, noting that interest in circumventing state censorship continues to surge globally. Amnezia plans to expand its network to 100 locations while developing new, open-source methods to outsmart the censors.
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MSI has something of a mixed history with gaming laptops. I've reviewed quite a few products from the Taiwanese computer hardware brand, and in the past, I've championed MSI for its ability to provide high-performance products with very competitive price tags.
Unfortunately, it seems that the ongoing RAM crisis has caused MSI's latest high-end gaming laptop, the Raider 16 Max HX, to take a hit in this department. Needless to say, this laptop is very far from cheap, with my review configuration clocking in at a steep $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235).
I'll dig more into the pricing details further down in this review, but the days of wallet-friendly gaming laptops are truly over. That's not a pure criticism of MSI, but I'll admit I balk a bit less at a sky-high price tag on something like Razer's Blade 18; at least Razer gear has always cost a premium, while MSI has frequently offered comparable specs at more reasonable prices.
(Image credit: Future)Setting aside the price tag for a moment, though: is this a good gaming laptop? Well, for the most part, I'd say yes. Performance is strong across the board, with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU combined with 32GB of RAM to deliver high framerates in games and power through creative workloads. It's well-equipped for AI-focused workloads too, if you're looking for a device that can pull double duty for both work and play.
The VESA-validated QHD+ screen is bright and colorful, with optional OLED models available in some regions. The chassis is pretty chunky – I certainly wouldn't recommend the Raider 16 Max HX to anyone looking for a laptop they can easily take on the go – but it makes good use of that size, with a full-scale keyboard that doesn't feel cramped in use and a great selection of ports for physical connectivity.
Pricing aside, my main criticism of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX is the overall build quality. The plastic outer casing and screen hinge feel sturdy enough, but the keyboard housing has far too much flex on firm keypresses, and the touchpad is frankly abysmal, feeling like it might break if I pressed down too hard.
I'll delve more into these issues in the design section of this review, but I will say this here: they're not absolute dealbreakers. For starters, you should really be using one of the best gaming mice with any gaming laptop anyway, so the weak touchpad shouldn't actually be a huge problem for actual gaming. Overall, I did quite like the Raider 16 Max HX – it's simply difficult to recommend such a high-end laptop in the current hardware climate.
MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Price & availability(Image credit: Future)- Starts from $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)
- Available now in the US and UK
- Higher-end configurations get expensive fast
Even the base configuration of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX isn't cheap, starting out at $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350) for a version with the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a less powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.
The review unit I received from MSI is a high-spec model, packing an RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor along with 32GB of RAM. This configuration will set you back a rather eye-watering $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235). There's also a middle-ground model, which uses the RTX 5080, and a few interstitial configurations that swap out the CPU, RAM, or display for slightly different components (including the aforementioned optional OLED display).
In short, it ain't cheap. Sure, you can find more expensive laptops out there, but not many of them. I can't comment on it with absolute confidence since I was sent an RTX 5090 version, but my past experiences with laptop RTX 5070 Ti GPUs lead me to suspect that the lower-end models might actually provide slightly more bang for your buck than the top-spec configurations.
MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: SpecsBase spec
Max spec (review config)
Price
$2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)
$4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235)
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 251HX
Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
Graphics
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU
RAM
16GB DDR5
32GB DDR5
Display
16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600p), 240Hz, IPS
16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600p), 240Hz, IPS (OLED optional)
Storage
1TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4
2TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4
Ports and Connectivity
3x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
3x USB-A (3.2 Gen2), 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Battery
91.8Whr
91.8Whr
Weight
5.73lbs / 2.60kg
5.73lbs / 2.60kg
Dimensions
10.6 x 14.3 x 1.1 inches / 26.9 x 36.3 x 2.89 cm
10.6 x 14.3 x 1.1 inches / 26.9 x 36.3 x 2.89 cm
MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Design(Image credit: Future)- Large, bulky 'gamer' design
- Bright, colorful display
- Plenty of ports and good cooling
Make no mistake, this is a gaming laptop through and through. From the translucent WASD keys to the patterned lid and RGB lightbar across the front of the chassis, the MSI Raider 16 Max HX absolutely screams 'gaming aesthetics' – so it might not be the laptop for you if you want something you can take into a serious office environment as well as gaming at home.
This advice goes double, in fact, because the Raider 16 Max HX is a bit of a chunky device, which hurts its portability. Weighing more than two and a half kilos and measuring over an inch thick with the lid closed, it's far from a lightweight laptop.
That being said, I won't knock the score down for the bulky chassis. MSI has made good use of the extra size, squeezing in a full-size RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad, yet the main key spread doesn't feel cramped – I found it pretty good for typing, with decent spacing and a reasonable amount of travel. Unfortunately, the aforementioned flex in the keyboard housing gives a slightly spongy feel on firm presses, which may turn some users off.
(Image credit: Future)The large chassis has some other bonuses, too; you get a rich selection of physical ports here, which I'm always pleased to see. In addition to multiple USB-A and USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, you also get HDMI for connecting a second display and an SD card reader – potentially excellent for digital photographers or filmmakers who want to use their laptop both for gaming and editing work.
A bulkier design also allows for superior cooling. I'll dig into this more in the performance section, but long story short: this Raider has a pretty solid cooling solution, utilizing a triple-fan design with five large exhaust vents that help keep the laptop from getting too warm even during lengthy gaming binges. Considering that some gaming laptops can get pretty toasty when running graphically demanding titles, this is a good inclusion.
There's also a degree of upgrade flexibility here, with a removable underside panel that lets you swap in a new SSD (with an empty slot) or upgrade the RAM should you so desire. This isn't an uncommon sight in modern gaming laptops, but I always appreciate the option to boost my system a little.
Moving over to the display, it certainly feels like it belongs on a high-end laptop, delivering good maximum brightness and color reproduction even on the default IPS panel in my review unit (certain high-spec configurations swap this out for an even more vivid OLED panel instead). The QHD+ (1600p) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate are ideal for gaming – especially if you're into fast-paced esports games that demand a high framerate, like Counter-Strike or Valorant.
(Image credit: Future)Above the display sits a 1080p webcam, which also includes a physical privacy shutter. In my opinion, physical shutters or camera killswitches should be mandatory in laptops, so I'm glad to see one included here.
I really do need to address the touchpad. This might be one of the worst-feeling touchpads I've ever seen on a 'premium' laptop; in fact, I've legitimately seen better pads on budget-friendly Chromebooks. Clicks feel wobbly and unsatisfying, the whole housing flexes far too much even on less forceful presses, and right-clicks sometimes fail to register unless your finger is in the extreme bottom-right corner of the pad.
It's just... bad. I acknowledge that in practice, this won't be a massive issue since all but the most unhinged PC gamers will always use a mouse over a touchpad, but considering that my review model costs in excess of four thousand US dollars, it feels egregiously poor quality.
Lastly, the speakers and microphone are decent but unspectacular. You could find a gaming laptop with superior audio features, but I won't mark the Raider 16 Max HX down for that, because much like the touchpad situation, any sensible PC gamer will be using a gaming headset anyway.
MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Performance(Image credit: Future)- Powerful AAA gaming performance
- Also good for creative and AI workloads
- Fans do get noisy
3DMark: Night Raid: 92,257; Fire Strike: 39,894; Steel Nomad: 6,203; Speed Way: 6,254; Solar Bay: 111,156
Geekbench 6: Multicore: 20,638; Single-core: 3,114
Cinebench R24: Single Core: 134; Multi Core: 2,229
Crossmark: Overall: 2,402; Productivity: 2,195; Creativity: 2,729; Responsiveness: 2,148
Passmark Overall: 15,144; CPU: 64,888; 2D Graphics: 1,016; 3D Graphics: 30,528; Memory: 3,730; Disk: 43,681
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,790MB/s; Write: 3,314MB/s
HandBrake 4K to 1080p: 119.5fps
Civilization VII: (Max resolution, AMD FSR 3, High): 209fps; (1080p, High): 219fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: (Max resolution, Highest, Balanced upscaling): 228fps; (1080p, Highest, SMAA x4): 209fps
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness: (1080p, Ultra): 98fps; (Max Resolution, Ultra): 80fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (Max resolution, Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 132fps; (1080p, Ray Tracing: Ultra, Balanced upscaling): 108fps; (1080p, Ultra): 146fps
Marvel Rivals: (Max resolution, Balanced upscaling, Ultra): 798ps; (1200p, Low): 175fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 8 hours and 11 minutes
Shocking nobody, my RTX 5090-toting review unit of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX blasted through our benchmarking tests with aplomb, delivering top-notch performance throughout.
Naturally, that meant excellent framerates in a range of triple-A games; in addition to the ones visible in that boxout, I also tested Marathon, Elden Ring, Warframe, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and they all looked fantastic on the QHD+ display.
It was even able to average exactly 60 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Overdrive preset at the Raider's native 1600p resolution, using only Balanced DLSS upscaling with no frame generation – a notoriously demanding benchmark that batters many of the best gaming laptops.
(Image credit: Future)So, both synthetic and real-world gaming tests went smoothly – but what about creative workloads? Well, the Raider 16 Max HX delivers on that front too, handily matching (and even exceeding, in some tests) the scores achieved by Razer's most recent Blade 18 with the same GPU. 3D rendering, video editing, statistical modelling, LLM training... you name it, the Raider can handle it.
The Intel Core Ultra 290HX Plus in my review unit is also a beast, delivering solid performance across both single- and multi-core workloads. For anyone looking to play CPU-bound games like large-scale management sims, strategy, and 4X titles, this ensures you won't encounter CPU bottlenecks that hamper performance.
I would note that during intensive workloads (predominantly games and creative software), the fans do get fairly loud. They're not the noisiest I've ever heard in a gaming laptop, but it's something potential buyers may want to bear in mind if they're planning to use the Raider in shared spaces, because they do have quite a noticeable whine that almost completely drowned out the fans of my nearby desktop PC during benchmarking. A good headset should insulate your ears from this noise, at least.
It also offers pleasingly fast SSD read and write speeds – which, in fairness, is something I would fully expect from a laptop in this price range, but is good to see nonetheless. Creative professionals who regularly work with large file sizes will appreciate how quickly you can transfer your files around.
(Image credit: Future)Since this is an Nvidia RTX 5000 laptop, regardless of which configuration you purchase, you're also getting the full suite of performance-boosting software tools inside the newly redesigned (and hugely improved) Nvidia App. That naturally includes DLSS resolution upscaling, but also up to 4x frame generation – though I'd personally recommend sticking to 2x for now, for better visual fidelity – as well as features like Nvidia Reflex, in-depth system monitoring, and AI-powered filters like RTX HDR.
Unfortunately, it seems MSI couldn't resist cramming in a load of their own software as well, and to be brutally honest, this is mostly bloatware. The default MSI Center tool is... fine, I guess, letting you customize the RGB lighting as well as tweak system performance presets, but it's hardly groundbreaking stuff. Add in Norton 360 antivirus, Nahimic audio, the Intel Killer network tool, SteelSeries GG, MSI True Color, MSI App Player, and all the Windows Store nonsense Microsoft insists on pre-installing with Windows 11, and it all becomes quite annoying.
Mercifully, you can uninstall the majority of this garbage, or simply do a clean Windows install when you first set it up. But I'm never going to stop being mildly irritated by laptop manufacturers cramming as much software as possible into their devices – especially when some of them are literally mirrored by base functionality within Windows itself.
MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Battery life(Image credit: Future)- Great for a gaming laptop
- Good at auto-switching to the iGPU
- Can be charged via USB-C or bundled adapter
MSI has evidently pulled some funky witchcraft with the Raider 16 Max HX, because it cleared the 8-hour mark in our video playback test – an exceedingly rare sight for a gaming laptop.
Okay, there aren't actually any magic spells involved here; the trick is in the new Intel Core Ultra chip that powers this Raider, which offers stellar power efficiency compared to older CPUs from the likes of Intel and AMD. Of course, the GPU will guzzle power when you're gaming (in my online gaming test playing Marathon on the Raider 16 Max HX, it drained from full charge to 10% in just over two hours, which is still decent), but the laptop will automatically switch to the Intel chip's integrated graphics when not running graphically-intensive software in order to conserve battery life.
I also found that it held charge very well, still packing more than 50% after sitting on my desk for several days following my initial unboxing and photography. You can charge it via the (very chunky) bundled adapter, or use any appropriate USB-C charger for slower but more portable charging if you ever opt to take it out of its usual desktop-replacement environment.
Should I buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX?Razer Blade 18 (2026): ScorecardAttributes
Notes
Rating
Value
Very expensive considering some of the build quality missteps, especially for higher-spec configurations – even if you could feasibly spend more on an RTX 5000 gaming laptop.
3.5 / 5
Design
Offers a fairly durable build with lots of ports and an very good display, but the bulky chassis, RGB-heavy gamer aesthetic, and terrible trackpad might ruin it for some potential buyers.
3.5 / 5
Performance
Best-in-class performance across both gaming and creative workloads, with an effective cooling solution that prevents the keyboard from getting too warm even during intense gaming sessions.
5 / 5
Battery life
Very impressive for a gaming laptop, with more than two hours of triple-A gaming or more than 8 hours of basic everyday use.
4.5 / 5
Total Score
The Raider 16 Max HX is a solid desktop-replacement offering from MSI, provided you can stomach the price tag.
4.125 / 5
Buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX if…You want best-in-class performance
The RTX 5090 configuration of the Raider 16 Max HX is an absolute monster when it comes to gaming performance, and can function as a professional workstation too.
You're a creative and a gamer
The high-spec components, VESA-validated QHD+ display, and broad port selection make the Raider 16 Max HX a decent choice for digital creatives who also want to play games on the side.
You want something portable
The Raider is undeniably a chunky unit, serving far better as a static desktop-replacement system than a gaming device for taking on the go.
You’re on a tight budget
Even the lowest-spec configuration of the Raider 16 Max HX will set you back a few thousand bucks; sadly, gone are the days when you could easily get a good gaming laptop for under $1,000.View Deal
MSI Stealth A16 AI+
A similarly powerful but significantly more compact and portable gaming laptop, MSI's own Stealth A16 AI+ also packs a selection of RTX 5000 configurations, but trades out an Intel CPU for the latest AMD Ryzen fare instead. Read our full MSI Stealth A16 AI+ review.
Asus V16
If the price of the Raider 16 Max HX made you balk while reading this review, my current top pick for laptop gamers on a budget is the Asus V16, which offers very respectable performance without breaking the bank. Read our full Asus V16 review.
- Replaced my usual system for 10 days
- Used for gaming and other tasks
- 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops
As usual for my laptop review process, I used the MSI Raider 16 Max HX as a replacement for my usual laptop and desktop PC, putting it through its paces in everything from gaming to my everyday work at TechRadar.
Naturally, I also ran the Raider through our synthetic and gaming benchmark testing suite as seen in the Performance section of this review, as well as playing several other games (just for fun!) which included Marathon, Warframe, Elden Ring, and my long-running obsession Slay the Spire 2 – though of course, that last one is hardly a hardware stress test, since it can literally run on my phone.
I've been a PC gamer since my tender pre-teen years, starting out on my dad's boxy beige home office desktop, and I've been a professional tech journalist reviewing all kinds of laptops and PC tech for nearly a decade now, starting out at Maximum PC magazine before making the jump to digital journalism and joining the TechRadar team. I've personally reviewed more than seventy laptops, so you can trust that my knowledge and experience give you reliable insights into the quality of the products I write about.
- First reviewed: July 2026
- Read more about how we test