Final Fantasy XV
Welcome to Tuesday. Nintendo is reviving the SNES, Amazon's Echo with a screen is here and we look at how iOS 11 is shaping up.
The SNES Classic is real, arrives on September 29 for $80
The delicious rumors are true: Nintendo is gearing up to launch the SNES Classic, a miniaturized version of the glorious original Super Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Nintendo's Twitter account, the system will be available on September 29 with 21 games built in -- including the never-released Star Fox 2. Perhaps the best news is that the company is trying to ensure the SNES Classic won't sell out quite as quickly as its predecessor -- although it seems the console will only be around for a little while.
Here's what Nintendo needs to do to make the SNES Classic great
Being virtually sold out everywhere wasn't the only issue we had with the NES Classic last year. With 30 of the original console's best games pushed to modern TVs over HDMI, it offered an excellent, easy-to-use retro-gaming experience. However, the console's ridiculously short 2.5-foot controller cables forced players to sit uncomfortably close to their TVs, and a few user-interface flubs made the menu weirdly difficult to access. We've troubleshooted those issues and a few more for Nintendo.
Amazon Echo Show review
The first Echo with a touchscreen is here, and as it turns out, it does make the Alexa experience better. Despite the angular design, Nathan Ingraham felt like it was a worthy $50 upgrade over the standard Echo, allowing him to digest information in a visual way instead of just listening to it. The video-calling feature wasn't live for us to fully test yet, but Amazon is serious about making this an intercom device that connects to other Echos or phones running the Alexa app.
Faulty airbags cost Takata everything
Takata, the Japanese corporation at the heart of the auto industry's largest ever product recall, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Its faulty airbag inflators have been linked to several deaths and resulted in the recall of more than 40 million vehicles. A rescue plan will apparently see US-based Key Safety Systems snap up its "non-toxic" assets for about $1.6 billion.
iOS 11 preview: full of promise, especially on bigger screens
The public iOS 11 beta has begun, and we're ready to share our first impressions of Apple's next mobile operating system. While it brings some welcome changes to the iPhone (like a revamped Control Center), there's a complete overhaul on the way for iPads. The new drag-and-drop setup, Files app and multitasking are, according to Chris Velazco, "worthy improvements." Are they enough to make you ditch your laptop? Probably not, but there's a lot to look forward to this fall.
Sorting Lego sucks, so here's an AI that does it for you
Lego reseller Jaques Mattheij apparently has better things to do than sort through pieces all day, so he's leaving the task to an automated sorter powered by a neural network.
SpaceX launches and lands two rockets in a single weekend
Elon Musk's rocket company wants to amp up the pace of its launches and proved it could handle the pressure by following up a Friday launch-and-landing with another one on Sunday. The technical problems that caused an explosion last September appear to be firmly in the rearview mirror now.
But wait, there's more...
- What's on TV: 'Crash Bandicoot,' 'Modern Warfare' and 'Okja'
- Netflix cancels 'Girlboss' after one season
- AT&T is rapidly expanding its rural wireless internet service