The RedMagic 10 series is coming, and the display of one phone has just been detailed. The RedMagic 10 Pro+ will feature a large display which will be ideal for gaming in a number of ways, as this is a gaming smartphone after all. Before we begin, do note that this comes from RedMagic China’s General Manager.

The RedMagic 10 Pro+ display gets detailed ahead of launch

The RedMagic 10 Pro+ will have a 6.85-inch 1.5K display by BOE. That will be an OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 95.3% screen-to-body ratio. That screen-to-body ratio is immensely high, how did RedMagic get there?

Well, as you’ll see in the provided image above, the bezels are very thin. That’s not all, though. The company also does not include a display hole or notch on this panel, as it uses an under-display selfie camera.

I’ve mentioned that the bezels are thin, but how thin? Its bezels are only 1.25mm thick, and they’re uniform. The frame thickness is 0.7mm, in case you’re wondering, that’s on top of the black border itself.

It will have thinner bezels than any other phone on the market

That means that this phone will have thinner bezels than the leading flagships now. The OPPO Find X8 trumped the iPhone 16 Pro (Max) with its 1.45mm bezel thickness. The Xiaomi 15 trumped OPPO with its 1.38mm bezels. Well, RedMagic will top both.

It was also mentioned that the display brightness will go up to 2,000 nits, in case you were wondering. All in all, this smartphone will be a sight to behold based on everything listed here.

Its predecessor were some of the nicest-looking phones out there, due to their design. It’s nice to see that RedMagic is sticking with the no display hole rule here too, as that’s the ideal setup for gaming.

This handset will also likely have a high touch sampling rate for gaming. Shoulder triggers will be included, and a fan will be placed on the inside of the phone. A number of gaming software features will also come pre-installed. The Snapdragon 8 Elite will be a part of the package too, and much more. The phone will launch on November 13, along with its siblings.

It’s pretty easy to tell if the PlayStation 5 Pro is for you. If you have no problems with the PS5’s existing performance, if you balk at the $700 price tag, or if you don’t have a modern 4K TV, you can just ignore this console entirely. But if you’ve been annoyed about losing graphical fidelity in 60 fps performance modes, or just want to avoid 30 fps gaming entirely, it could be the console you’ve been waiting for.

There’s no doubt that the PS5 Pro is a niche product, not an upgrade targeted at all PS5 owners. It’s meant for the Sony devotees who want the absolute best PlayStation experience, and who will never upgrade to a gaming PC. After all, those rigs typically run well over $1,000 for similar graphics performance, and they also involve all the complexity of Windows PCs, like driver issues, OS instability and juggling multiple game storefronts.

So sure, if you’re eager to see what Spider-Man 2 looks like in 60 fps with extra graphical flourishes, it may be worth stepping up to the PS5 Pro. And if you haven’t jumped on the PS5 bandwagon yet, it’s a solid option if you just want a no-compromise experience. To echo our preview, you might not need it, but you’ll want it.

While the PS5 Pro certainly lives up to the hype, at least based on my week of testing, it’s also a bittersweet product. When the PS5 debuted in 2020, Sony touted it as a powerful console that could finally give players a taste of PC gaming with features like ray tracing, while also delivering 4K playback. The reality was far more complicated: While some games ran at 4K, they were typically limited to 30 fps in fidelity modes. If you wanted smoother 60 fps gaming, you typically had to give up ray tracing and/or graphical quality for the performance mode.

But of course, the same was true for the Xbox Series X. Both Sony and Microsoft were limited by hardware constraints and the economics of console gaming. But now, Sony is finally able to deliver on the initial promise of the PS5 by swapping in a more modern GPU and pushing for a higher price. The PS5 Pro is certainly great news for anyone who desires more performance, but I wouldn’t blame some PS5 owners for being a bit miffed.

Engadget / Sony

The PlayStation 5 Pro is the most powerful console ever made, but you’ll pay dearly for its performance. Thanks to a faster GPU, it finally delivers 4K and 60 fps performance for PlayStation gamers, with a dash of new ray tracing features.

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Pros

• Faster GPU enables 4K/60 performance
• PSSR AI upscaler works well
• New ray tracing capabilities
• Can slightly upgrade PS4 titles
• Comes with a 2TB SSD

Cons

• Expensive
• So expensive
• No disc drive
• Not all games have Pro enhancements

$699 at Amazon

The PS5 Pro’s new features: A faster GPU and AI upscaling

So what do you get for a $700 gaming console? Sony threw in a new GPU with 67 percent more compute units, alongside 28 percent faster memory. That leads to 45 percent faster rendering performance, according to Sony, and up to triple the ray tracing power of the launch PS5. All of that new hardware is assisted by PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), an AI upscaling technology that can make lower-resolution graphics appear as if they’re natively 4K.

We’ve already seen similar AI upscaling in action with NVIDIA’s DLSS, which has been around since the RTX 20-series cards debuted in 2018. While DLSS wasn’t always perfect early on, NVIDIA steadily improved on it to the point where I prefer it to natively rendering a game in 4K. True 4K gaming is far too resource-demanding for a minor visual upgrade (in my eyes, at least) over 1440p. I’d typically rather play a game that’s upscaled from a lower resolution if it leads to smoother gameplay.

The PS5 and Xbox Series consoles already support AMD’s FSR upscaling, but in my experience on PCs, it’s not as effective as DLSS. FSR upscaling places dead last in comparisons among PC upscalers, and a recent Digital Foundry deep dive had PSSR (which I just love to pronounce phonetically) beating out FSR, since it delivers a more stable and detailed image with better anti-aliasing around edges. When using the PS5 Pro, PSSR essentially replaces FSR upscaling, making it yet another selling point for fidelity obsessives.

The two other big upgrades are 2TB of storage — 1.86TB is available out of the box, though you can claw some back by deleting Astro’s Playroom — and Wi-Fi 7 support. While your best bet will always be a direct, wired connection to your router, Wi-Fi 7 is a meaningful upgrade for those who can’t or don’t want to use a network cable. We didn’t have a Wi-Fi 7 router on hand, but the Pro was slightly faster than a launch edition PS5 when connected to a Wi-Fi 6 Nighthawk router. The standard PS5 had max download speeds of 401 Mbps and upload speeds of 53 Mbps. The Pro (in the same location and time of day), clocked 484 Mbps down and 53 Mbps up.

What you don’t get with the PS5 Pro, oddly enough, is a disc drive. You’ll have to pay $80 to add on Sony’s disc drive, which was released alongside the PS5 Slim last year, or just rely entirely on digital downloads. With its 2TB SSD, plus room for an additional drive, the PS5 Pro certainly has enough room to hold a decent library of games.

But why give up on the disc drive? Sony is likely just reading the tea leaves: A report by the gaming analytics firm NewZoo (via Destructoid) noted that 72 percent of console title sales in 2022 were digital. Still, it’s odd to see what’s ostensibly the ultimate PS5 missing a feature that was included in the launch model four years ago. Without a bundled disc drive, players will have to pay extra to take advantage of cheaper used games and watch 4K Blu-ray titles.

The PS5 Pro in action: The most powerful gaming console yet

The PlayStation 5 Pro is a beast, simply put. Sony makes that clear the moment you power it on, when you’re welcomed by a bombastic opening sequence that’ll give your surround sound speakers a workout. (Remember when The Simpson’s Milhouse played Bonestorm for the first time? It’s basically that.) It’s a minor thing, but it’s one way to impress someone who just spent $700 on a console.

I jumped right into Spider-Man 2‘s Performance Pro mode, and I was knocked out by how clear and smooth the game looked. It brings over all of the features from the game’s standard Fidelity mode, including ray-traced reflections across windows and water, but it also delivers 60 fps with higher-res textures, thanks to PSSR. It was as if I were playing Spider-Man 2 on a gaming PC. Swinging around the city was silky smooth and the reflections on buildings were simply stunning. I found myself just wandering around the streets of NYC or hanging out on rooftops just to drink in the additional detail.

Spider-Man 2‘s Performance Pro mode basically delivers everything I wanted from the game on the original PS5, where you had to choose between a less graphically intense, 60 fps Performance mode, or the 30 fps Fidelity setting with ray tracing. But, as if to constantly rub compromise in our face, there’s also a new Fidelity Pro mode that once again brings the frame rate down to 30 fps to make room for new graphical features, including ray-traced ambient occlusion, key light shadows, and enhanced reflections and interiors.

Much like a gaming PC, you can tweak the levels of those new ray tracing settings to your liking. The Fidelity Pro mode looked fine when there wasn’t much action on the screen, but swinging around NYC was far less thrilling at a sluggish 30 fps. It also made me feel a bit dissatisfied with the graphics of the Performance Pro mode. While some console gamers probably won’t mind, I can’t see myself playing a modern title at 30 fps when I know the same hardware can deliver a more fulfilling 60 fps experience.

In The Last of Us Part 2, the new 4K/60 fps Pro mode is a striking upgrade over when I originally played it on the PS4. It also looks noticeably more fluid and realistic than the previous PS5 revamp. While the game is being rendered at 1440p and relies on PSSR to hit 4K, textures and skin tones appear sharp, and characters’ hair is far more natural. I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Last Of Us Part 2 when it debuted (the revenge narrative felt a bit simplistic), but the visual leap on the PS5 Pro is enough to make me want to replay the entire campaign.

Demon’s Souls, a game that already looked great on PS5, also gets an impressive update. The new Pro mode looks sharper than the old Performance option, it still runs at 60 fps and it features a more lifelike contact shadow system. While it’s arguably a game that didn’t need a huge graphical bump, the improvements are still welcome. Once again, it feels reminiscent of playing Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring on my gaming PC.

I spent most of this review playing the PS5 Pro on my Formovie UST 4K projector, which was outputting to a 120-inch screen around eight feet away from my seat. So, as you can imagine, I had a pretty close look at graphical details. It’s often annoying to play console games on such a large screen, where every imperfection is magnified to an obscene degree. But the PS5 Pro felt similar to projecting from my RTX 4090 gaming PC: Gameplay looked wonderful at 60 fps and it was all delivered in scrumptious detail.

The author of our PS5 Pro preview, Jessica Conditt, tested out the new console on a 55-inch LG OLED C2. Her impressions are as follows:

PSSR certainly isn’t without fault, though. Sometimes while playing Spider-Man 2, objects like spinning fans or signs with fine text would get distorted. Some textures would start shimmering for no reason. I remember coming across similar issues in the early days of DLSS, and I still frequently see these issues while using AMD’s FSR technology on PS5 and PC titles. There’s still room for Sony to improve PSSR down the line, so hopefully obvious problems will get ironed out soon.

The PS5 Pro can enhance the quality of PS4 titles, similar to the PS4 Pro’s boost mode. Bloodborne was the only older game I was eager to try out, and I can confirm that it looks a bit more detailed, particularly when it comes to the intricacies of your wardrobe. But while the facelift is nice to see, and it’s the best we’ll get until Sony listens to fan demands and remakes Bloodborne, it’s still not running at 60 fps.

Should you buy the PlayStation 5 Pro?

A $700 game console isn’t for everyone — that much is obvious. Most players would be better off with the $450 all-digital PS5, or the standard $500 model if you need disc support. Given how long the console has been around, you can also often find used or refurbished PS5s for $400 or less.

The PS5 Pro clearly isn’t meant for anyone who is prioritizing value — unless, of course, you’re comparing it to a full-fledged gaming PC. If you want 4K-like graphics with ray tracing at 60 fps, the PS5 Pro is simply your best choice under $1,000.

South Korea’s Smilegate announced the survival RPG adventure IfSunSets will launch globally in early access today for PC via Steam for $20.

I got a look at the game and interviewed the CEO of the indie game studio Polymorph, which made the pirate survival role-playing game, during the Tokyo Game Show recently.

IfSunSets takes place on the island of Luminora, and it has immersive day-and-night cycles, each offering distinct gameplay experiences. During the day, players must make the most of every moment as they explore the abundant island to hunt, farm, fish, gather resources, craft materials, build fortifications, and level up through combat against ancient bosses and cursed monsters.

As night falls, gameplay transforms from RPG adventure to survival horror, unleashing swarms of zombie-like monsters that relentlessly stalk the player in an undead invasion. Surviving until the morning becomes the sole objective once the sun sets, with every decision made during the day being essential to achieving this goal.

The game is still in development, but it looked pretty good when I played it. My favorite thing was swinging a huge pirate sword around and killing zombies by the dozens as they swarmed around me. It had a Pirates of the Caribbean look to me. I enjoyed that part, but the tables were turned as I fought a giant boss in the shallows.

“It’s a game where you can get rid of some stress,” said Byunghun Cho, CEO of Polymorph, in an interview with GamesBeat, speaking through a translator. “You are fighting through the horde.”

A 10% Early Access discount ($17.99) will be available until November 18. The debut release from indie studio Polymorph, IfSunSets’ early access period will include both single-player and online co-op, with English, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages supported.

“Our small team of eight is dedicated to building a polished game that provides something truly new within the survival genre.” said Cho, in a statement. “In September, we conducted a Playtest for IfSunSets and gathered valuable user feedback. Based on these insights, we will be incorporating various improvements and new content into the Early Access version. Key features and updates to be added in Early Access include the World Selection Mode, skill system improvements, night defense improvements, bug fixes and more.”

“We’ve ensured there’s a satisfying amount of content available at launch and plan to expand it further throughout Early Access,” said Cho. “We’ll continue optimizing and improving the game while prioritizing community feedback. Our aim is to expand both the depth and breadth of the experience to make IfSunSets truly shine.”

Early Access for IfSunSets, specifically, will feature five different game modes: “Standard mode,” in which zombies appear; “Safe Night Mode,” a world without zombies; “Custom Mode,” which allows players to tweak the world to their liking; and two additional modes—easy and hard—with zombies present.

The game has a big open world where players can collect mystical ores, Cthugha Stones, and uncover hidden secrets across the island. You can also build your own custom fortress with traps to stop invading enemies. You can increase your power by defeating the beasts and bosses across the island.

You can gather resources on the island to craft enhanced weapons and armor, and use various skills in action-packed battles to defeat enemies and level up.

Smilegate has more than a billion registered users to date, and its flagship franchise is Crossfire, one of the most successful shooter games in history.

Polymorph is a VFX creative studio founded with just two people in 2019 and based in Seoul, South Korea, with expertise in 3D content for films, TV, commercials, VR, and virtual humans. Now the company has eight people, and it has been working on the game since 2021. It is built with Unreal Engine 5.

The team started with a focus on creating a survival game, as that was one of the popular genres on Steam. Early on, they saw the game as having a dual-time period, with a daytime mode and a night mode. During the night, you have to fight zombie hordes. While that sounds like Dying Light, Cho said the inspiration was more like Seven Days to Die. A full release is expected next year.

“Move cautiously and red-team things” is sadly not as catchy as “move fast and break things.” But three AI safety advocates made it clear to startup founders that going too fast can lead to ethical issues in the long run.

“We are at an inflection point where there are tons of resources being moved into this space,” said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. “I’m really worried that right now there’s just such a rush to sort of push product out onto the world, without thinking about that legacy question of what is the world that we really want to live in, and in what ways is the technology that’s being produced acting in service of that world or actively harming it.”

The conversation comes at a moment when the issue of AI safety feels more pressing than ever. In October, the family of a child who died by suicide sued chatbot company Character.AI for its alleged role in the child’s death.

“This story really demonstrates the profound stakes of the very rapid rollout that we’ve seen of AI-based technologies,” Myers West said. “Some of these are longstanding, almost intractable problems of content moderation of online abuse.

But beyond these life-or-death issues, the stakes of AI remain high, from misinformation to copyright infringement.

“We are building something that has a lot of power and the ability to really, really impact people’s lives,” said Jingna Zhang, founder of artist-forward social platform Cara. “When you talk about something like Character.AI, that emotionally really engages with somebody, it makes sense that I think there should be guardrails around how the product is built.”

Zhang’s platform Cara took off after Meta made it clear that it could use any user’s public posts to train its AI. For artists like Zhang herself, this policy is a slap in the face. Artists need to post their work online to build a following and secure potential clients, but by doing that, their work could be used to shape the very AI models that could one day put them out of work.

“Copyright is what protects us and allows us to make a living,” Zhang said. If artwork is available online, that doesn’t mean it’s free, per se — digital news publications, for example, have to license images from photographers in order to use them. “When generative AI started becoming much more mainstream, what we are seeing is that it does not work with what we are typically used to, that’s been established in law. And if they wanted to use our work, they should be licensing it.”

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Artists could also be impacted by products like ElevenLabs, an AI voice cloning company that’s worth over a billion dollars. As head of safety at ElevenLabs, it’s up to Aleksandra Pedraszewska to make sure that the company’s sophisticated technology isn’t co-opted for nonconsensual deepfakes, among other things.

“I think red-teaming models, understanding undesirable behaviors, and unintended consequences of any new launch that a generative AI company does is again becoming [a top priority],” she said. “ElevenLabs has 33 million users today. This is a massive community that gets impacted by any change that we make in our product.”

Pedraszewska said that one way people in her role can be more proactive about keeping platforms safe is to have a closer relationship with the community of users.

“We cannot just operate between two extremes, one being entirely anti-AI and anti-GenAI, and then another one, effectively trying to persuade zero regulation of the space. I think that we do need to meet in the middle when it comes to regulation,” she said.

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This version of the Steam client is also the first to drop support for Windows 7 and 8 machines, as well as Macs running macOS 10.13 and 10.14 after Valve announced the move at the beginning of this year.

After an automatic update, players can start recordings manually using a hotkey (Ctrl + F11 is the default) or set it to trigger automatically, with options to restrict the length, quality, and storage space that Steam can use. Valve says it works with any game, including non-Steam games that allow Steam Overlay to run. Recording is off by default — you’ll find its settings in a new Game Recording tab in Steam’s settings.

Valve has updated Steam Game Recording with a handful of new features that weren’t there when the beta period began in June, including adding “advanced” export options and the ability to configure game-specific settings. The company also added Session View, which includes a “Recordings & Screenshots manager with game-specific tags and data.”

Apple, it seems, is all about ‘intelligence’ these days, as following on from the launch of Apple Intelligence, the company might be about to roll out a feature dubbed Battery Intelligence. But unlike Apple Intelligence’s suite of tools, this new feature will seemingly have just one job.

9to5Mac has found a framework called ‘BatteryIntelligence’ in code from the latest iOS 18.2 beta, and while the feature isn’t active in the beta, it’s reportedly designed to estimate how long it will take to charge your phone.