Consider this the other shoe dropping. Almost three months after deciding to make the E3 gaming conference an all-digital event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has pulled the plug on the entire affair.
"We previously announced that E3 would not be held in person in 2022 due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19," the ESA told TechRadar. "Today, we announce that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022."
The news came first via an industry insider, Will Powers, PR lead, Americas for popular gaming gear company Razer. He tweeted the news of the apparent cancellation on Thursday:
That's the bad news. The good news is, as of today, the ESA is planning to bring back E3 in 2023. The organization told TechRadar, "E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations."
The ESA added that it will "devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer."
It's been a rough few years for E3. In the face of the pandemic, it canceled the event in 2020, successfully held an all-digital one last year, but was forced to again cancel in-person festivities for 2022 in the face of the Omicron surge.
While we're mostly through that COVID variant wave, ESA has made another tough decision for the once-bustling event ( 66,000 attendees in 2019 ), pulling the plug on the digital experience, as well.
The loss of even a virtual event could be a tough pill to swallow for gamers who see it as more than just an industry trade show. As TRG's Vic Hood wrote when E3 canceled this year's in-person event:
"[E3] has grown to become a celebration of gaming: media attend to report on the biggest upcoming games, while fans attend to get their hands on the newest releases and to be among like-minded individuals. I can only describe it as a paradise for gamers."
Happily, we won't be completely devoid of an industry event jam packed full of new announcements. Summer Game Fest is returning for its third year running – although an exact date has yet to be announced.
In previous years, it's been host to global showcases from the likes of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. So it should make for a decent substitute in the absence of an E3 this year.
It's not, according to the ESA the end of E3, and it's been through rough patches before. In 2016, multiple major game studios, including EA and Activision Blizzard, pulled out of the show , holding their own game showcases nearby. Plus, interest has waxed and waned in the periods between new console launches and major title releases.
E3 has, in general, rebounded and was looking strong right up until the pandemic when virtually all in-person tradeshows around the world were either canceled or shifted to virtual events.
As we write this, the ESA has not updated its social media or its news blog , though we assume it will soon. Notably, the E3 Twitter account page still has an E3 2021 logo on it and has posted nothing about any change in status for the event.
The official E3 page does say, "E3 2022 See you next year," with no hint of irony that we're already well into 2022. Subscribers to the E3 newsletter get a welcome message that still includes "E3 2021" in the header art.
iPad Pro (2022) could land with the iPhone 14, but it might not be worth the wait
If you’ve been holding out for the iPad Pro (2022) then you might have to keep holding out for quite a while longer, as the latest information on the slate suggests that it won’t be landing for at least around six months.
That’s according to Mark Gurman (who has a good track record for Apple information) in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Gurman claims that the next iPad Pro will likely land this ‘fall,’ meaning between September and November.
That would probably mean a launch alongside the iPhone 14 range and the Apple Watch 8 , both of which are expected to land in September – though it’s possible that Apple will hold two events during that period, like it did in 2020.
In any case, whenever it does arrive, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently feature an M2 chipset. This will reportedly have the same octa-core CPU as the M1 found in the iPad Pro (2021) range, but potentially with more GPU cores, along with speed and efficiency improvements, due to being made on a 4nm process.
Additionally, the iPad Pro (2022) will apparently support MagSafe, like the iPhone 13 range, allowing – among other things – wireless charging. This is something we’ve heard a number of times now.
Gurman doesn’t say anything more than that about the iPad Pro (2022), but if it really is that far out, then it’s not surprising that news about the slate is limited.
Of course, we’d take Gurman’s claims with a pinch of salt, but given his track record and the fact that there’s no imminent sign of the iPad Pro (2022), there’s a high chance that he’s right.
Analysis: don’t wait, just buy
With the prospect of a wait of six months or more, you might be wondering whether it’s worth holding out for Apple’s next iPad, and the answer is probably not.
The M1 chipset in the iPad Pro (2021) is already more powerful than most apps or users need, and by the sounds of things the M2 will only be a fairly small upgrade anyway. MagSafe meanwhile is more of a nice-to-have feature than an essential one for most people.
And beyond that? Other leaks have suggested that the 11-inch iPad Pro (2022) could get a mini-LED screen , which actually is quite a big change, though the current model’s display is already great. And the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) already has a mini-LED screen, so no significant changes are expected for its bigger sibling's display.
Indeed, the screen sizes will probably remain the same too based on current leaks, so despite the potentially long wait for the 2022 models, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be very big upgrades at all.
Via MacRumors
Casio's thinnest ever G-Steel watch could be on your wrist next month
A brand new Casio G-Steel watch looks set to land very soon, according to details leaked by a Malaysian retailer. The G-Steel GST-B500 series would be a follow-up to last year's B400 range, and looks set to be even thinner.
Details of the new G-Steel series were were picked up by eagle-eyed writers at Casio fan blogs G-Central and CasioBlogom . According to the snippet of information released, the new watches are due to land in Japan next month, and if they follow the same pattern as previous G-Steel watches, we can expect a global launch shortly afterwards.
The new watches are said to be /.1 mm thinner than their predecessors; a tiny amount, but an impressive feat of engineering nonetheless considering the B400 series were Casio's thinnest G-Steel watches just a year ago.
Five models are expected to arrive at launch, and G-Central's post included a photo illustrating what the series will look like:
Like all G-Steel watches, the five new models will have Casio's Carbon Core Guard structure to protect their components from shocks and knocks. They have the same stainless steel bracelet and bezel as the B-400 series, but the face seems to be slightly simpler, and the negative LCD display is now all one piece rather than divided into two sections.
Time for a change
The B-400 series was the thinnest G-Steel watch when it launched in 2021, and the B-500 seems to be carrying across many of its design features, including its generously sized buttons. We can't be certain just yet, but from the leaked photos it appears that the new model also has the same fiber-reinforced resin case underneath its polished metal bezel, which helps minimize weight.
Despite its slimmer size, the B-500 also seems to have retained the B-400's Bluetooth module. Unlike the G-Squad Pro released last year, this isn't a dedicated running watch or smartwatch , but you'll be able to make a few small tweaks such as changing world time settings through the Casio Watch smartphone app.
There's no information on pricing yet, but we'll keep you updated with more details of the B-500 line as soon as it arrives.