After three years, Apple has finally unveiled its next entry-level iPhone. The iPhone 16e takes over for the iPhone SE in the company's lineup. It borrows the blueprint of the iPhone 14 and spices it up with (among other changes) an updated processor that's ready for Apple Intelligence. At $599, it's the cheapest AI-equipped iPhone by $300.
As leaks suggested, the fourth-generation iPhone 16e resembles the iPhone 14, the company's 2023 standard (non-Pro) model. This is the first entry-level model to adopt the iPhones modern full-screen design. That means it's also the first with Face ID. At 6.1 inches, this is the biggest screen yet on an entry-level model. (The 2022 iPhone SE is only 4.7 inches.) But like Apple's 2017 to 2022 flagships, it has the notch at the top of the display, so youll still have to pay for a more expensive model to get Dynamic Island.
Some external details differ from those of the iPhone 14. It has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and like older iPhone SE models, it has only a single camera lens on the back. However, it's a 48MP "2-in-1" with integrated 2x zoom capabilities, which is quite an upgrade over the last SE.
Apple
It also gets the Action button, the customizable physical shortcut button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. On the other hand, it lacks the MagSafe charging found on Apple's more expensive handsets: It only supports Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W. That aligns with the iPhone SE it replaces, but it could still be a big drawback for some buyers.
One of the biggest differences is inside, where you'll find the A18 chip the same one powering the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. In addition to fast and smooth performance, the A18 enables Apple Intelligence, which the company recently began activating by default during onboarding. (You can still turn it off in Settings.) You get Apple's generative AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and the recently tweaked notification summaries all in a sub-$600 iPhone. Not bad if you're into those things.
The new iPhone SE comes in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage tiers. You can order it in black and white finishes.
At $599, the 2025 iPhone SE is priced comparably to Google's $499 Pixel 8a and Samsung's $400 Galaxy A35 for those wanting flagship-esque features in a more affordable handset. You can pre-order the new iPhone SE starting on February 21 at 8AM ET, ahead of its February 28 ship date.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16e-gives-you-apple-intelligence-for-599-161435332.html?src=rss
World models AI algorithms capable of generating simulated environments represent one forefront of machine learning. Today, Microsoft published new research in the journal Nature detailing Muse, a model capable of generating game visuals and controller inputs. Unexpectedly, it was born out of a training set Microsoft built from Bleeding Edge.
If, like me, you had completely erased that game from your memory (or never knew it existed in the first place), Bleeding Edge is a 4 vs. 4 brawler developed by Ninja Theory, the studio better known for its work on the Hellblade series. Ninja Theory stopped updating Bleeding Edge less than a year after release, but Microsoft included a clause in the games EULA that gave it permission to record games people played online. So if you were one of the few people who played Bleeding Edge, congratulations, I guess: you helped the company make something out of a commercial flop.
So what's Muse good for anyway? Say a game designer at Blizzard wants to test an idea for a new hero in Overwatch 2. Rather than recruiting a team of programmers and artists to create code and assets that the studio may eventually scrap, they could instead use Muse to do the prototyping. Iteration is often the most time-consuming (and expensive) part of making a video game, so its easy to see why Microsoft would be interested in using AI to augment the process; it offers a way for the company to control runaway development costs. Thats because, according to Microsoft, Muse excels at a capability of world models the company calls persistency.
"Persistency refers to a models ability to incorporate (or 'persist') user modifications into generated gameplay sequences, such as a character that is copy-pasted into a game visual," says Katya Hofmann, senior principal research manager at Microsoft Research. Put another way, Muse can quickly adapt to new gameplay elements as theyre introduced in real-time. In one of the examples Microsoft shared, you can see the "player" character immediately react as two power-ups are introduced next to them. The model seemingly knows that the pickups are valuable and something players would go out of their way to obtain. So the simulation reflects that, in the process creating a convincing facsimile of a real Bleeding Edge match.
According to Fatima Kardar, corporate vice president of gaming AI at Microsoft, the company is already using Muse to create a "real-time playable AI model trained on other first-party games," and exploring how the technology might help it bring old games stuck on aging hardware to new audiences.
Microsoft says Muse is a "first-of-its-kind" generative AI model, but thats not quite right. World models arent new; in fact, Muse isnt even the first one trained on a Microsoft game. In October, the company Decart debuted Oasis, which is capable of generating Minecraft levels. What Muse does show is how quickly these models are evolving.
That said, there's a long way for this technology to go, and Muse has some clear limitations. For one, the model generates visuals at a resolution of 300 x 180 pixels and about 10 frames per second. For now, the company is releasing Muse's weights and sample data, and a way for researchers to see what the system is capable of.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-trained-an-ai-model-on-a-game-no-one-played-160038242.html?src=rss
Niantic, the company that developed the wildly popular augmented reality (AR) game Pokémon Go, is reportedly considering selling its video games and according to a source speaking to Bloomberg, the deal could be worth just $3.5 billion. The company raised additional funding at a $9 billion valuation back in 2021.
Many people still play Pokémon Go, but the game no longer enjoys the same popularity it had during its launch and the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are around 80 million monthly users as numbers reported midway through last year, but that's a steep decline from the game's peak of 232 million active players. During those same heady days, Pokémon Go was generating close to a billion dollars annually; now it's bringing in about half of that.
Pokémon Go was also a breakthrough success Niantic was unable to replicate, despite its follow-ups being essentially reskins of the same AR experience. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite lasted around three years, while NBA All World survived only five months. Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now are still around, but have never been the cash cows of their older sibling. The company also raised funding in 2021 on the promise of creating a real-world metaverse, which has yet to materialize.
Niantic also has not been immune to the broad layoffs affecting the games industry. It dumped eight percent of its workforce and canceled four projects back in 2022. The following year, it laid off another 230 employees and killed a Marvel-related project.
The reported party Niantic is considering selling its games division to is Scopely, which is owned by Savvy Games Group. Savvy Games Group is part of Saudi Arabias government-linked Public Investment Fund, which has stakes in EA, Activision, Nintendo and more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/pokemon-go-developer-niantic-may-sell-its-games-division-for-a-mere-35-billion-160027485.html?src=rss
Eero has today announced Wi-Fi 7 equipped versions of its eponymous mesh routers, the Eero 7 and Eero 7 Pro. The Amazon-owned company is selling both products on the back of Wi-Fi 7s promised improvements in speed compared to its existing fare.
The advent of both products is hardly a surprise as, last year, Eero launched both the Max 7 and Outdoor 7. Max 7 is the companys flagship standalone router / repeater duo equipped with beefy ethernet ports, while the latter is designed to push internet for distances up to 15,000 square feet.
Eero
First up, the Eero 7 is a dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) system that promises a maximum wireless top speed of 1.8 Gbps and up to 2.3 Gbps through its pair of 2.5 Gb ethernet ports. All of that is crammed into the same small package Eeros mesh units have become famous for, easily able to blend in to your homes decor.
Naturally, the Eero 7 Pro is the more eye-catching of the pair, since itll harness all three bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) available for Wi-Fi 7. The company promises a theoretical top wireless speed of 3.9 Gbps and, when hooked up to one of its two 5 Gb ethernet ports, will get 4.7 Gbps when wired.
Eero
Previous Eero Pro units stood in the same chassis as its vanilla siblings, but the 7 Pro is getting the same body as found on its Max 7. Eero says that the bigger, cylindrical passive thermal design offers quieter operation and far less risk of dust build up compared to its predecessors.
Both the Eero 7 and 7 Pro promise a range of 2,000 square feet per node, and will be sold in single, two or three-packs at retail. The company does remind users, however, that you can tie on additional nodes depending on your needs and the size of your home.
A big part of Eeros pitch has been to ensure setting up a mesh in your home is as easy and stress free as it possibly can. That incudes a suite of software technologies to keep everything running smoothly, getting your data routed to the most efficient node at all times. Users who pay for Eero Plus will also get additional online security features and parental controls, plus access to 1Password, Malwarebytes and Guardian VPN. All of the units will also connect to your smart home gear if it uses Matter, Thread or Zigbee, and will get the usual Amazon and Alexa integrations.
If youre familiar with our mesh Wi-Fi buyers guide, youll know Wi-Fi 7 is a less exciting upgrade than Wi-Fi 6E. The current standard offers a more robust experience and can take advantage of the 6GHz band to cut the volume of wireless clutter on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Wi-FI 7s headline feature is its ability to combine those bands together for a vastly increased maximum speed and far more connections. Which is great if youre in dire need of pushing an 8K movie from one device to another in a matter of seconds.
Until now, Wi-Fi 7 gear was still prohibitively expensive, although the fact Eero is joining the fray suggests prices will start falling in the near future. Certainly, Eero can boast that it is selling the cheapest Wi-Fi 7 gear on the market in the US, with the Eero 7 available for $170, $280 (two-pack) or $350 (three-pack). The 7 Pro, on the other hand, will set you back $300, $550 (two-pack) or $700 (three-pack), which still makes it one of the cheapest tri-band Wi-Fi 7 products on the market. Both products are available to pre-order today, with the first deliveries beginning on February 26.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/eero-launches-its-wi-fi-7-mesh-routers-160018656.html?src=rss
Microsoft has introduced Majorana 1, a chip for quantum computing, which it said will enable computers to solve incredibly difficult industrial-scale problems in mere years instead of the decades current machines need. The company explained that Majorana 1 is the first quantum computing chip that uses a Topological Core architecture. Specifically, it uses a new type of material called a topoconductor or a topological superconductor that can create Majoranas a state of matter that's not a solid, a liquid or a gas.
Majoranas were first predicted in the 1930s, but they do not exist in nature: They need to be brought into existence with the right materials under the right conditions. Microsoft's topoconductor wire, which the company built atom by atom for precision, combines indium arsenide with aluminum. When a topoconductor wire is cooled to near absolute zero and tuned with magnetic fields, it forms Majorana Zero Modes (MZMs) at its ends. Majorana qubits are more stable than current alternatives, Microsoft explained. They're fast, small and can be digitally controlled, and they have unique properties that can protect quantum information.
Since the company's chip architecture joins topoconductor nanowires together to form an "H," each unit has four controllable Majoranas that make up one qubit, the basic unit in quantum computing. The H units can be connected, and Microsoft has already managed to put eight of them on a single chip. As you can see in the image above, the chip can fit in one's hand and can be easily deployed to data centers. Microsoft designed the chip to be able to fit one million qubits, because that's the threshold anybody developing quantum computers has to reach for their creation to be able to truly make a difference in the world.
A million-qubit machine could lead to self-healing materials that can repair cracks in planes, Microsoft said, or to catalysts that can break down all types of plastic pollutants into valuable byproducts. It could also allow scientists to perform computations for the extraction of enzymes that can boost soil fertility or promote sustainable growth of food for the sake of ending world hunger. Microsoft's Majorana 1 requires more parts than just the topoconductor to work, and the company needs more years to get all the elements to work together at a bigger scale. Figuring out how to stack the topoconductor's materials just right was one of its biggest challenges, however, and Microsoft had already conquered that. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsofts-majorana-1-quantum-computing-chip-uses-a-new-kind-of-superconductor-160009056.html?src=rss
Despite the obvious benefits of electric cars, Toyota spent the last decade insisting hydrogen would win out in the end. But, as the company announces its third generation fuel cell system, you can tell its finally ready to tacitly admit defeat: the new cell is designed for industrial applications, where hydrogen clearly always made more sense.
The new cell is designed to meet the particular needs of the commercial sector, focusing on durability equal to a diesel engine. Its a lot more fuel efficient, cheaper to make and outputs twice as much power while sitting in the same footprint as the second-generation model. Given Toyotas love of shrinking its engine technology, that size wasnt a factor here is enormously telling of where it envisions these cells being used.
Toyota could never make the economic or technological argument for hydrogen cars as a better option than electricity (the Mirai, Toyotas flagship hydrogen EV, has managed to sell just 28,000 models since its 2014 birth). But for heavy duty vehicles, where battery weight and power are more pressing concerns, hydrogens flaws turn into assets. Trucks, construction vehicles, trains, ships and backup generators less at risk from the lack of general-purpose hydrogen infrastructure are welcome homes for fuel cells.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/toyota-kinda-sorta-gives-up-on-hydrogen-cars-151059624.html?src=rss
Do AI-generated blog posts perform similarly to human-written blog posts on Google Search? To find out, researchers analyzed the search performance of 20,000 URLs. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
CMOs are exploring AI's potential with both excitement and uncertainty; they need clear steps to move forward strategically. These three initial key steps will help integrate AI into marketing. Read more. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
It's honestly difficult to remember the simpler days of video card shopping, before crypto fanatics, supply chain issues and pandemic demand pushed GPUs far beyond rising manufacturer prices. Ideally, I'd like to tell you that NVIDIA's $549 RTX 5070 and $749 RTX 5070 Ti are more reasonable alternatives to the $2,000 RTX 5090 and $1,000 5080. But card makers and retailers have already pushed RTX 5070 prices far beyond those MSRPs. Our review unit, the ASUS 5070 Ti Prime, is currently selling for $900 at Best Buy and $750 at Newegg (we'll see how long that lasts). And of course, it's out of stock at both stores.
While I can't guarantee the actual cost for any RTX 5070 Ti card, I can say this: they'll definitely be solid 4K performers for far less than the RTX 5080 and 5090. But if you're not desperate for an upgrade, it's worth waiting a few months for inventory and prices to stabilize.
Hardware
Based on its specs and (hopeful) pricing, the RTX 5070 Ti currently offers the best balance between performance and value in NVIDIA's lineup. It features 8,960 CUDA cores and 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM, well below the 5080's 10,752 CUDA cores, but at least those cards have the same amount of memory. The cheaper 5070 comes with just 12GB of VRAM, which could be a problem when gaming in 4K.
Our ASUS 5070 Ti card is fairly nondescript, with three fans, a plastic frame and a standard heatsink design. You can choose between performance and quiet BIOS modes, which only changes how aggressive the fans are. Its 2.5-slot design makes it tiny enough for small form-factor cases, though I noticed it was actually slightly larger than the RTX 5090 Founders card.
RTX 5090
RTX 5080
RTX 5070 Ti
RTX 5070
RTX 4090
Architecture
Blackwell
Blackwell
Blackwell
Blackwell
Lovelace
CUDA cores
21,760
10,752
8,960
6,144
16,384
AI TOPS
3,352
1,801
1,406
988
1,321
Tensor cores
5th Gen
5th Gen
5th Gen
5th Gen
4th Gen
RT cores
4th Gen
4th Gen
4th Gen
4th Gen
3rd Gen
VRAM
32 GB GDDR7
16 GB GDDR7
16 GB GDDR7
12 GB GDDR7
24 GB GDDR6X
Memory bandwidth
1,792 GB/sec
960 GB/sec
896 GB/sec
672 GB/sec
1,008 GB/sec
TGP
575W
360W
300W
250W
450W
The 5070 Ti could also easily fit into more gaming rigs without requiring a power supply upgrade. It has a peak power draw of 300 watts, compared to the 5080's 360W and the 5090's whopping 575W. That means the 5070 Ti should be able to run comfortably with an 850W PSU, without needing to make the leap to a massive 1,000W unit.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
What really makes this GPU special, though, is that it fully supports multi-frame generation in DLSS 4, NVIDIA's AI upscaling technology. That allows the GPU to generate up to 3 frames with AI for every frame rendered in real-time. It also lets NVIDIA claim that the 5070 can match the speeds of the $1,599 RTX 4090. While you could argue those frames are just "fake" to make benchmarks look better, my time with the RTX 5070 Ti and 5090 has shown that they do lead to a smoother gameplay experience.
On top of multi-frame generation, other DLSS 4 features are also trickling down to earlier NVIDIA cards. As I noted in my 5090 review, "RTX 40 cards will be more efficient with their single-frame generation, while RTX 30 and 20 cards will also see an upgrade from AI transformer models used for ray reconstruction (leading to more stable ray tracing), Super Resolution (higher quality textures) and Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA)."
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
In use: A capable 4K gaming GPU
First things first: The RTX 5070 Ti is only slightly faster than the 4070 and 4070 Ti in most benchmarks. The new card is 17 percent ahead of the 4070 Ti in the 3DMark Timespy Extreme test, and 21 percent faster than the 4070 Ti Super in Speedway bench. The difference is even smaller in raw computing and rendering tasks: The 5070 Ti scored a mere 8 percent more than the 4070 Ti in the Geekbench 6 GPU benchmark.
None
3DMark TimeSpy Extreme
Geekbench 6 GPU
Cyberpunk (4K RT Overdrive DLSS)
Blender
NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti
12,675
238,417
153fps (4X frame gen)
7,365
NVIDIA RTX 5090
19,525
358,253
246fps (4X frame gen)
14,903
NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti Super
11,366
220,722
75fps (1x frame gen)
7,342
NVIDIA RTX 4070
8,610
N/A
45fps (1x frame gen)
6,020
But, of course, actual gaming performance matters more than benchmarks. And if you're playing something with support for DLSS 4, you'll certainly notice some improvements. Dragon Age: The Veilguard held a steady 200fps in 4K with 4X multi-frame generation, ray tracing and graphics settings maxed out, On the 4070 Ti, I typically saw between 90fps and 100fps with those same graphics settings and DLSS 3.5's single frame generation.
Now, I can't actually say the game looked twice as smooth on my Alienware 32-inch QD-OLED monitor, but it definitely looked silky over the hours I've tested. There weren't any weird upscaling artifacts, those frames felt real. It's also worth noting the RTX 5090 clocked 240fps in Dragon Age with the same graphics settings. Perhaps my CPU held it back a bit (I'm running a Ryzen 9 7900X), but the 5070 Ti's performance was still remarkably close while being a much cheaper GPU.
Cyberpunk 2077 also played like a dream in 4K in ray tracing overdrive mode with multi-frame gen, reaching 150fps on average. That's well below the 5090's stunning 250fps figure, but it's still impressive for a game that used to bring powerful rigs to their knees. Cyberpunk also hit 230fps in 1,440p with those same settings, which also upscales beautifully to 4K screens.
For games without DLSS 4, like Halo Infinite, the 5070 Ti was still a solid performer, reaching an average of 140fps with maxed-out graphics and ray tracing. In comparison, the 5090 hit 180fps on average. Even if you're lucky enough to have a 240Hz 4K monitor, I'd bet even demanding gamers would be just fine with the 5070 Ti's speeds. But if you care more about framerates than resolution, it'll still have you covered. I saw 220fps in Halo Infinite in 1,440p, and 320fps in 1080p.
The ASUS 5070 Ti typically idled between 30C and 35C, and it quickly reached up to 65C under load. Its fan array isn't as sophisticated as the 5090 Founder's card, but it still managed to cool down the card below 40C in around 15 seconds.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Should you buy the RTX 5070 Ti?
Simply put, the RTX 5070 Ti handled just about everything I threw at it, and I didn't find myself missing the 5090 too much (aside from bragging rights). Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to test the RTX 5080, but given its high cost, it's still something I'd have trouble recommending to anyone.
The real question for gamers right now is: Do you need the RTX 5070 Ti's 16GB of VRAM and higher CUDA count? If you're aiming to play in 4K most of the time, it'll be worth having more than just the 5070's 12GB of RAM. Games are becoming more complex every year, so it likely won't be long before you'll actually need 16GB of VRAM to play 4K games comfortably. But if you're living the 1,440p life, then 12GB will likely be enough for years to come.
DLSS 4's multi-frame gen is the biggest draw for NVIDIA's 50-series cards, and it's mostly useful for 4K gaming. So if you're happy with your 40-series GPU and don't need to push a 4K 240Hz monitor to its limit, there's not much reason to upgrade. For 30- and 20-series owners though, your patience will be rewarded.
As I mentioned before, it's still worth waiting a few months to see how prices settle. If you're lucky enough to score the RTX 5070 Ti for $750, go for it. But it's far less compelling at $900 or above. At that point, you're just way too close to the 5090's $1,000 MSRP.
We're still waiting to see how AMD's upcoming RDNA 4 Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs will perform, but they're being positioned as direct competitors to the 5070 and 5070 Ti. AMD finally has DLSS-like AI-powered upscaling coming this year, so the difference between its cards and NVIDIA's may be slimmer than usual. But NVIDIA also has a dramatic head start, and it'll likely take a while for AMD's Fluid Motion Frames technology to catch up on multi-frame generation.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Wrap-up: A great 4K card... if you can get it close to $750
The RTX 5070 Ti won me over in ways I didn't expect. I knew it would be a tad faster than the 4070 Ti Super, but with the addition of multi-frame generation, it's also a far more capable 4K card. And it's definitely more future-proof than the 5070, since it has 16GB of VRAM like the 5090.
While I think the $549 5070 remains the most intriguing entry of NVIDIA's new family, it's nice to see that there's something for sensible enthusiasts between that and the $1,000 5090. And yes, it's still strange to call a $750 video card "sensible."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-geforce-5070-ti-review-a-sensible-4k-powerhouse-for-749-140023082.html?src=rss
Chinese game publisher NetEase has laid off Marvel Rivals development team members including the game director, Kotaku reported. Some of those let go expressed surprise and dismay at the move considering that the team-based PVP shooter has consistently been in the top ten on Steam since its December debut. A large part of the Marvel Rivals development team is located in China, but only North American layoffs were reported. It's not clear yet how many people were let go.
"This is such a weird industry," wrote game director Thaddeus Sasser on LinkedIn. "My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games... and were just laid off."
I dont get it, man, wrote game artist Del Walker on Bluesky. You make one of the most successful LIVE service titles of the generation, despite the world telling you LIVE service is dead - and still get laid off? What are we even doing at this point."
Marvel Rivals currently sits at number six on Steam's top seller list and just had its first big content update for Season 1 that happened at nearly the same time as the layoffs. The game has received solid reviews for its Marvel lore and straightforward gameplay and has reportedly been very successful in its first month. It has been one of the rare good stories in terms of live service games, following announcements from Sony that some of its titles in development had been scrapped.
There are concerns that more layoffs may be coming from China-based studios in response to US tariffs. In a statement to VentureBeat, however, NetEase denied that it is eliminating its foreign investments and overseas gaming studios.
"For 2025, we have an extensive pipeline of titles in development, feature a variety of genres, including FragPunk, Ananta and more," NetEase said in the statement. "[However] as part of our investment strategy, we started scaling down two of our studios at the end of 2024. This decision was based purely on business evaluations and not influenced by other factors. And this represents only a small portion of our overseas studio portfolio." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marvel-rivals-team-hit-with-layoffs-despite-huge-success-of-game-133002120.html?src=rss
