Technology moves really fast until it doesnt. Facebook rebranded to Meta in 2021, and weve had a grand total of 3 companies actually occupy the metaverse space in 4 years. Its honestly embarrassing that the only mainstream companies to really embrace AR and VR since 2021 were Meta itself, Apple with the Vision Pro, and now Samsung, with the Project Moohan headset they showcased at MWC 2025.Although just a concept, the Nothing VR (1) would theoretically be a big move for the AR/VR or metaverse industry. Nothings developed this uncanny ability to make every product so much fun that it lifts the entire industry up. It debuted transparency as a design aesthetic and now has multiple larger companies playing copycat. Dbrand even debuted the Something skins that emulate transparent backplates found on Nothing phones, allowing you to customize your Samsung or Apple mobile with a transparent-inspired skin. Designer Priyankar Saha hopes to do the same for the VR industry by making its most fun headset yetDesigner: Priyankar SahaThe headsets design is best described as functional minimalism. Unlike Nothings budget smartphones that use fake ribbon cables to create an industrial-teardown-like aesthetic, every component on the VR (1) is meaningfully placed. From its circular elements on the front (that look like eyes), serving as an indication screen as well as a cooling fan, to the glyph interface around the eyes that give them added character.Up until the Vision Pro, AR/VR headsets looked like toasters strapped to your face and that was perhaps the singlemost detrimental part of the VR headsets. Sure, a lot of people experienced nausea while strapped in, but if there was a bigger deterrent to the popularity of said headsets, it was the fact that they looked hideous. The VR Pro changed that by anthropomorphizing the headset, adding a display with eyes on the front and who knew that was all it would take to make the headsets look less awkward and more meaningful again. The Nothing VR (1) does the same, through its anthropomorphized components. The circular display and the fan both look like eyes, reminding me vaguely of the Clockwork Orange logo.The display, directly above the left eye, plays a pretty important role. You see, traditionally, the only display ever on a VR headset has been the one inside it, so for anyone not wearing the headset, its nearly impossible to get any status information or visual cues at all. With this display, the VR (1) informs people around it of notifications without needing to be worn. Charging it? The display tells you how much its got in the tank. Wearing it? Itll inform others whether youre busy or whether youre in passthrough mode.Meanwhile, the fan above your right eye draws air away from the VR headsets processor, keeping the device cool and running smoothly. Both the fan and the display are flanked by cameras that help track the headsets movement while also offering passthrough, or the ability for the headset wearer to see the world around them. Along with the cameras are also Glyph lights, which really serve more of an infotainment purpose by lighting up in fun patterns while youre strapped in and gaming.Audio units on the side sport glyph lights too, as they fire audio directly into the wearers ears, eliminating the need for headphones or TWS earbuds. The VR (1) is a pretty all-rounded device, being about as good as say a Quest 3 or a Quest Pro, but with the added beauty of a design thats fun, functional, and gorgeously transparent as opposed to the white blob that the folks at Meta keep designing every couple of years.For now the Nothing VR (1) is just a fan-made concept, but it comes at a time when spatial computing or the metaverse is on life support. Apples done nothing since the Vision Pro (and it doesnt seem like theyre keen on launching that budget headset like they initially planned), and Metas pivoted to other things like Project Orion and its collab with Ray-Ban. Sure, Samsung debuted a headset just this year, but that was purely to demonstrate Googles new virtual-reality-ready Android operating system. VRs living on borrowed time as the metaverse got almost instantly obliterated by the AI wave but this Nothing VR (1) concept still gives me hope.The post Forget Samsung, We Need A Nothing VR Headset Running Android XR Right NOW! first appeared on Yanko Design.

One campaign, thousands of designs.

Weve rounded up our favorite speakers that let you talk to Alexa, from the best Echo speakers to third-party options like the Sonos Era.

Building a new computer or looking to upgrade your memory? Here are our favorite options right now.

Apple's expected upgrades to iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 will be a major overhaul, with executives apparently confident consumers will like the faster and easier to use interfaces.iOS 19 is due this fall, but will be previewed at WWDCEvery year, Apple reveals its inbound changes to its operating systems at WWDC. So far, rumors have claimed that there will be some major interface alterations on the way, and executives are apparently confident they will keep consumers happy.According to Mark Gurman in Bloomberg's Sunday newsletter, top executives in Apple are confident that users will love the new look and feel of the updated operating systems. The key point of the move is to appeal to existing users, while still attracting new users down the road. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The iPhone 17 Air will herald the start of a new iPhone engineering ethos at Apple, with Apple said to have pulled off a herculean effort to come up with its design.A render of what the iPhone 17 Air could look likeThe 2025 iPhone lineup is expected to include quite a few changes. Alongside a radical iPhone 17 Pro camera bump alteration, speculation is that Apple will be bringing out hardware referred to as the iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim.In Sunday's newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman writes about the model's details, including how it won't look that different from a standard model when viewed from the front. It will have a 6.6-inch display with slim borders and ProMotion, as well as the Dynamic Island at the top. Rumor Score: Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Angry Miao is known for ridiculous, over-the-top mechanical keyboard designs, but now its made a gaming mouse thats, you guessed it: ridiculous and over-the-top. Its also cool as all hell, starts at $125 on a Kickstarter preorder special ending March 17th, and may be my new favorite mouse. The AM Infinity Mouse has a skeletonized magnesium-alloy shell that weighs just 49 grams, making it one of the lightest full-size mice on the market. Within its hollowed-out, super lightweight black chassis is a magnetic battery that can be popped out and swapped in seconds. A spare is kept charged and at the ready on the mouses 2.4GHz receiver. This functionality gives the mouse its name, as Angry Miao claims hot-swapping equals infinite battery. Just like how my fridge has infinite ice cubes, obviously.Its like an Ariel Atom, but a mouse.The Infinity Mouses more conventional features include an 8,000Hz polling rate for minimal input latency, even with high-refresh monitors. Its PixArt PAW3950 optical sensor is capable of 30,000 DPI so you can make the mouse as ridiculously sensitive as you want. And its new TTC Orange Dot Optical V2 micro switches have a nice tactile click, sensitive enough to confidently register when pressing anywhere on the left and right mouse buttons (even up near the mouses center). Its forward and back buttons on the left side are see-through blue in this pre-production model, but Angry Miao says theyll be black on final units expected to ship in June.In addition to the 2.4GHz connectivity enabled through its RGB-illuminated dongle / battery charger, the mouse also supports Bluetooth and wired USB-C. (In wired mode without a battery, its just 39 grams). Angry Miao claims that when using 8,000Hz polling over 2.4GHz wireless you can get up to 17 hours of continuous use before having to swap its 340mAh battery. Thats ample time for it to recharge on the receiver. And if you bump the mouse down to 1,000Hz the estimated battery life extends to 43 hours.The wireless receiver puck has RGB lighting that shows charging status once you swap batteries.I expect the most polarizing aspects of the AM Infinity Mouse to be the aesthetics and the ergonomics of its open design. The open look may not be to everyones liking, especially if you dont want to deal with dust buildup on your mouses circuitry. While plenty of other mice have had cutouts for the sake of weight savings, theyre usually much more conservative honeycomb patterns. The Infinity Mouse leaves just the bare-minimum of metal. Angry Miao claims it pursued this design upon inspiration from the Lotus Evanora concept and late-1970s Lotus Type 79 F1 car, and it does look like a small sampling of automotive art on your desk.But like a race car, the Infinity Mouse and its massive cutouts may not comfortably accommodate everyone. My average hands feel perfectly fine gripping the Infinity Mouse, but none of my fingers or palm touch points fall directly on an edge. If you have small hands and rest your palm harder on the base of your mouse, you may feel differently about this ones comfort.I love this thing. Like Angry Miaos keyboards, its a striking design piece to have on your desk. But unlike its boutique mechs, the Infinity Mouse is priced much more logically. Im no esports competitor, but Ive used my share of quality gaming mice from the likes of Logitech, Razer, and SteelSeries and I regularly use an older Logitech G Pro Wireless.The Infinity Mouse has great tactile click sounds, it feels snappy and solid, and its movements on a desk mat are nice and smooth. It makes my 80g Logitech feel a little hefty by comparison, and its swappable batteries are a treat. I never have to worry about pulling a cable out to clutter up my desk while the mouse charges.1/17Here are a whole bunch of macro detail shots of the Infinity Mouse, if youre like me and like staring at every square inch of this thing.I know you can free yourself of mouse charging woes with something like a Logitech G Powerplay (of which my mouse is actually compatible). But that Qi-based charging pad alone costs over $100 and still requires a cable stretching across your desk. The Infinity Mouses receiver can just discreetly hang out at the perimeter of your desk (even more so if you turn off its RGB lights) and have your fresh charge ready for you in a snap. A mouse that uses AA or AAA batteries is arguably just as hot-swappable as the Infinity Mouse and costs as little as $30. But any old mouse like that is not going to look this cool or feel this smooth. And dealing with disposable batteries is a wasteful nuisance that I personally, strongly dislike.Theres a lot of marketing hype around high-performance mice being tuned for esports-level performance and giving you a competitive edge. The reality is, most people are not able to take full advantage of a mouse or other peripheral to make much of a difference in their KDR or how often they land the dub. But lets be honest, its fun to pretend our tools enable us to perform our best, even when we know its overkill. The Infinity Mouse has those fancy specs like a lot of other mice out there, but its also got a truly unique design and some handy functionality benefits.Photography by Antonio G. Di BenedettoSee More:

Who doesnt love a pirate game, especially a pirate game that involves racing your ships around an archipelago of islands? And, extra-especially, a pirate game thats currently on sale? Glory Islands, from Rio Grande Games, typically retails for $45, but Amazon has it on sale right now for the oddly-specific price of $32.17. To save you a calculation, that's a 28% discount. Not bad.Glory Islands for 28% OffGlory Islands$32.17 at AmazonIn Glory Islands, youll be dropping off your scurvy crew onto the spaces in the hope of winning treasure and scoring points via a fun mishmash of different mechanics that adds up to a shipshape whole. Ship movement is governed by playing numeric cards from your hand that also have special powers, such as the five allowing you to pause and drop a second pirate. But be careful, as using too many high-value cards will cost you points at game end. Occupying an island space wins you small bonuses but, once an island is full, it bags a bunch of points for the player with the most crew members there. Glory Islands is a fast, fun, family-friendly board game that doesnt have the depth to sustain itself over repeat plays or for hardcore hobbyists, but its plenty enjoyable if you pick it up at sale price. Getting the balance right between doing well in the race, while still hitting the spaces you need to score with your crew and not incurring a penalty for sailing too recklessly is surprisingly hard. And theres real tension in watching where other players drop their sailors, as islands you think are in the bag can swing away from you with surprising speed. The game also comes with neat wooden ships and sailor pieces, plus miniature barrels of rum you can stockpile to really feel like a miniature pirate king.Check out more cool board games:Resident Evil 2: The Board GameSee it at AmazonBloodborne: The Board GameSee it at AmazonSlay the Spire: The Board GameSee it at AmazonPac-Man: The Board GameSee it at AmazonStardew Valley: The Board GameSee it at AmazonDoom: The Board GameSee it at AmazonMatt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.

ASUS ROG Ally is an incredible handheld gaming PC, but after spending a solid amount of time with both ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB and ROG Ally X 1TB, I can confidently say the upgrade was worth it. Both models deliver fantastic performance, but the Ally Xs improved battery life, additional USB-C port, and increased RAM make a real difference in daily use. If youre trying to decide between them, you cant go wrong with either, but if you're going for long gaming sessions or need more expandability, the Ally X is the one to get.ROG Ally Z1 Extreme vs. ROG Ally X Which One Did I Prefer?ROG Ally X (2024) RC72LASee it at ASUSROG Ally X (2024) RC72LASee it at Curry'sASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB579.00 at AmazonASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB599.00 at Curry'sASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB599.99 at ArgosThe Ally Xs better battery, extra port, and upgraded RAM make it a clear winner for me, but both models are fantastic handhelds. Obviously ROG Ally X is the most expensive, but the white ROG Ally is a cracking handheld for the money.ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme 512GB SpecificationsStorage512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDBattery40WHrs, 4-cell Li-ionRAM16GB LPDDR5 (6400MT/s)PortsUSB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) + XG MobileWeight608gGlass ProtectionGorilla Glass DXC + VictusASUS ROG Ally X 1TB SpecificationsStorage1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDBattery80WHrs, 4-cell Li-ionRAM24GB LPDDR5 (7500MT/s)PortsUSB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) + USB 4 (Thunderbolt 4)Weight678gGlass ProtectionGorilla Glass VictusThe Ally Xs bigger battery means I actually get proper portable gaming, and the extra USB-C port has made docking a lot easier.Optimisation Guide How to Make the ROG Ally Even BetterThe first thing I did after setting up both models was check for updates. ASUS provides BIOS, firmware, and GPU driver updates right out of the box. Using Armoury Crate SE and MyASUS, I made sure everything was fully up to date. The difference was noticeablebetter power management and smoother performance across the board.Lossless Scaling (Steam App)Lossless Scaling (Steam App)Save 1.18 with a Humble Choice Membership5.89 at HumbleLossless Scaling is a game-changer. AMDs FSR 3 has too much motion blur, but Lossless Scaling gives crisper visuals and way better performance. Running games at a lower resolution in windowed frameless mode, then scaling them up, has doubled my FPS in some cases. There are occasional visual artifacts, but for single-player games, its absolutely worth it.Little AppsLittle AppsFree at Little AppsWindows 11 is full of unnecessary background apps that eat up system resources. Little Apps Suite took care of registry cleaning, disk cleanup, and privacy protection. Boot times got faster, RAM usage dropped, and the whole system just felt snappier.Winaero TweakerWinaero TweakerA tick box windows de-bloater programSee it at WinaeroWinAero Tweaker helped me disable all the bloat, including telemetry and copilot. It's all in a tickbox format with descriptions on all the features, so you're not going to deactivate something that you need. As always, if you're not sure, don't touch it and do your research.AvastAvastThe perfect all-in-one security suite.See it at AvastThe ROG Ally is still a Windows PC, meaning it's just as vulnerable to ransomware, phishing, and malware. Avast Premium Security is what I useit has real-time malware protection, a built-in VPN, and anti-phishing tools. Its lightweight, doesnt impact gaming performance, and provides far better security than Windows Defender.Best Micro SD Cards for ROG AllyPNY PRO Elite 1TB microSDXC Memory Card + SD Adaptor109.99 at AmazonSanDisk 1TB Extreme microSDXC card +SD adapterSamsung PRO Plus MicroSD Card, 512 GBPNY XLR8 Gaming 512 GB44.99 at AmazonPNY PRO Elite 256GB microSDXC Memory Card + SD Adaptor24.99 at AmazonStorage expansion is essential for handheld gaming, and Ive tested a bunch of microSD cards to see which ones are worth buying.SanDisk Extreme1TB190MB/s86.98 (Was 101.05)Fastest speeds for big game librariesNY PRO Elite1TB100MB/s109.99Reliable storage for 4K content and gamingSamsung PRO Plus512GB180MB/s49.99 (Was 73.99)Best balance of speed and pricePNY XLR8 Gaming512GB100MB/s44.99Budget-friendly gaming optionPNY PRO Elite256GB100MB/s24.99Cheapest reliable optionThe SanDisk Extreme 1TB has been the best performer, with fast load times and reliable performance. The Samsung PRO Plus 512GB is great for speed without breaking the bank.Best Power Banks for ROG Allysharge SHARGEEK 170 Power Bank, 170W OutputINIU Power Bank, 100W 25000mAh Portable Charger UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 25000mAh 200WAnker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) with 100W Charging Base, 3-Port Portable ChargerA 65W USB-C power bank is a must-have, and these are the ones Ive tested.sharge SHARGEEK 17024,000mAh170W136.99 (Was 166.99)Best high-end choiceUGREEN Nexode25,000mAh200W74.99 (Was 98.99)Best mix of power and affordabilityINIU 100W25,000mAh100W50.99 (Was 79.99)Budget-friendly fast chargingAnker Prime 250W27,650mAh250W189.99 (Was 229.99)Ultimate performance for heavy usersI use the sharge SHARGEEK 170 the mostit charges fast and has a cool display. The UGREEN Nexode 200W is a great mid-range option with fast charging.Best Docks for ROG AllyJSAUX Steam Deck Dock, 6-in-1 Docking StationAsus 65W Dock Charger for ROG Ally59.99 at AmazonUGREEN Steam Deck Dock, 6-in-1UGREEN Steam Deck Dock, 9-in-1Docks are essential for turning the ROG Ally into a full gaming setup. Heres what I recommend.JSAUX 6-in-1 DockHDMI, Ethernet, USB-A27.99 (Was 39.99)Budget choiceAsus 65W Dock ChargerUSB-C, DisplayPort59Official ASUS optionUGREEN 6-in-1 Dock4K HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet24.69 (Was 39.99)Best value for moneyUGREEN 9-in-1 Dock4K HDMI, USB-C 10Gbps39.99 (Was 59.99)Best all-in-one dockThe UGREEN 9-in-1 Dock is what I use for docking to an external monitor. The Asus 65W Dock Charger is great for fast charging while docked.Do you know something I don't? Maybe a better Windows de-bloater or frame generation software for Window's AMD handhelds? Let me know in the comments!Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Thanks to Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, we now have our first look at some dummy models for the iPhone 17 lineup. These dummy models highlight a number of things: new camera bump designs across the Air and Pro models, MagSafe support across the whole lineup, varying thicknesses, and more.These dummy models dont unveil anything particularly new, at least in terms of design. Weve seen these camera bumps before. However, it is notable that all iPhone 17 models offer MagSafe. With the removal of MagSafe on iPhone 16e, some had speculated that the iPhone 17 Air model wouldnt offer it because of how thin the model is. There were also some rumors that MagSafe interfered with the C1 chip. However, we can now rest easy, as it appears iPhone 17 Air will continue to offer MagSafe.Additionally, iPhone 17 Air offers a slightly tweaked Dynamic Island, with the front facing camera being on the left side of the pill. Ever since iPhone 14 Pro, the camera has been on the right side of the pill. Thatll continue to be the case with iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max just not the 17 Air.Last but not least, we get a good look at the thickness. iPhone 17 Air is going to be quite thin, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro models will be getting a fair bit thicker. The standard iPhone 17 looks about the came.You can check out Sonny Dicksons tweet for the full array of images.What do you think of these iPhone 17 dummy models? Let us know in the comments.My favorite Apple accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel