I'll go ahead and say it: anime is hugely addictive. I don't mean that in a bad way, either — from the moment the first episode of a new series completely grips me, I want to consume as much of it as possible.
In general, anime have figured out a winning formula that blends archetypal, classic storytelling with cutting-edge action and visual craft, and it's why IPs such as One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling and Demon Slayer have continued to do well.
Thanks to Crunchyroll, we get to enjoy a bombastic range of smaller titles, too. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and, most recently, BLACK TORCH are just some of the unmissable titles (and with those names, how could you overlook them?).
However, the missing detail that I've been intrigued about the most is how a typical day-in-the-life of recording works as one of the industry's many voice artists. Even more so because each series will have two separate casts: the original Japanese cast, and an English dub cast.
Luckily, I asked BLACK TORCH's AJ Beckles (Jiro) and Ryan Colt Levy (Ryosuke Shiba) to help fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. As part of the English dub cast, they're already arguably behind the curve of the show's creation, but one detail of their day-to-day lives still really surprised me.
'You're learning as it is happening'
"It depends episode to episode," Levy begins. "How many scenes or moments your character may have can be different, day to day. I usually will make sure I am caffeinated and hydrated, and that I'm super scratchy. Sometimes these sessions will be early in the morning, so I'll wake up a few hours before so that my voice is primed.
"There's, there's such a cool factor to Shiba's presence that I never wanted to sound tired. I want him to sound like he's in a calm space... so there's there's a fine line there."
All incredibly logical and sound advice — but it's Brackles' admission that scripts aren't received until the second that they enter the recording booth that surprises me the most.
"You go into the studio, say hi to everybody, get in the booth, and be ready to work," he adds. "We get the scripts on the day, and you're learning about what's happening in the episode as you go. There's back and forth between yourself and the director. Like Ryan said, making sure you're hydrated, that you can show your mouth doesn't make too many slappy, clicky noises. Don't wear a leather jacket, because it's too squeaky.
"Being professional in that way, but a lot of it just comes down to really doing the work in the booth."
If we think about Disney and Pixar projects as a comparison, normally some semblance of a script will be needed to either get the project itself greenlit, or to get talent (especially the high-profile kind) to sign on.
Anime shows tend to have the safety net of the original manga to achieve both of these, but not only do voice actors tend to operate differently (as Brackles has confirmed), the manga itself can't necessarily be relied on.
With scripts being received so late on in the process, I'd like to think that animators and producers are being given more creative scope to play around with the original material. Sure, we want to see the anime hit the same big beats that we see in the manga, but the interim is surely up for grabs.
Perhaps I'm naive in thinking this might be how things work, but I still can't hide my surprise that the voice cast are having to achieve so much with so little notice. If anything, it's a testament to just how good they actually are.
BLACK TORCH is available to stream now on Crunchyroll every Saturday at 6AM PT / 9AM ET in the US.
Have you ever had four religious experiences in a weekend? OK, that might be hyperbole, but if you had the weekend I just had at Audio Advice Live in Raleigh, then you can relate. Disregarding audiophiles’ apparent love of Steely Dan, I was enthralled and impressed time after time at what I was hearing.
Just about every audiophile adjacent brand (and some more budget friendly enthusiast ones) was there showing off its best stereo speakers. Bowers & Wilkins showcased its flagship 801 D5 , Focal had its all-in-one active Diva Alta Utopia, Klipsch went back to one of its original speaker designs with the Klipschorn, and JBL had its new Summit Series on display including the almost flagship K-2 (the flagship Everest model didn’t make it to the show).
All in all, it was an exciting time to get acquainted with these speakers. Of course, some of them cost the equivalent of a small house in the Midwest, but that’s the deal when a team of audio engineers put their best ear forward.
The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 was demoed using a Marantz streamer and amps. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
1. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5
Though the company’s original version of the Diamond Series (what the D stands for) came out in 1979, a lot has changed since then. Specifically, 2026 brings with it the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5, an update that doesn’t look much different to the D4 but sure sounds it.
The model keeps the same design principles in that every driver has its own casing, but comes with a number of improvements. Externally, there are three noticeable changes from the 801 D4: the more open tweeter grille design introduced on the 801 D4 Signature, the stronger and stiffer aluminum spine that’s fully incorporated into the cabinet, and an upgraded plinth that reduces vibrations via tuned mass and constrained layer damping.
More importantly, the internal matrix bracing has been completely redesigned so that the 801 D5’s cabinet is as stiff as can be. This means that the signal is less affected by internal vibrations and reflections.
All of these changes result in a speaker that sounds incredibly detailed yet warm, with a resolution worthy of a studio. They basically disappear so that you’re just focused on the music and reveal things you’ve never heard in your favorite tracks. The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 might possibly be the best pair of speakers I’ve heard. Just be ready to drop $65,000 (£43,000, oraround AU$81,900) on a pair…
The Focal Alta Diva Utopia, being active speakers, only need an outlet to use. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
2. Focal Diva Alta Utopia
Going into this event, I was excited to hear the Focal Diva Alta Utopia, the newest iteration in Focal’s first active speaker series. I almost didn’t get to hear them. Held hostage in customs during the first half of Audio Advice Live, their fashionably late entrance only made me want to hear them more. And oh, were they worth the wait.
There’s a lot going on here. The Focal Diva Alta Utopia speakers use Adapt, a DSP technology that can adjust listening position for imperfect rooms or placement. It also adds an additional driver per cabinet over the Focal Diva Mezza Utopia (the previous generation of this speaker line), making it a four-way speaker. And Focal added an additional Class A/B amp per cabinet for a total five per 600 watts per cabinet or 1200 watts total.
The Focal Diva Alta Utopia also features the company's new PRISM tweeter that’s only available on this model and the company’s Scala Utopia Evo M. This tweeter is essentially a carbon-coated composite material that offers more detail and more aural flexibility over the beryllium drivers that the company has leaned on previously.
Looks are important too, so Focal has made the accessory panels removable, so you can change out the color of the speakers if you get tired of a colorway by ordering additional ones in a different finish.
When I got to listen to these, the first thing I wrote down was “energetic.” These speakers, which retail for a cool $210,000 (£165,000, or around AU$296,800 and FYI, I don’t think you can take a mortgage out to finance these) are in your face in the best way. Room-filling with plenty of mid-bass, they offer that flagship audiophile experience without needing any additional amps or streamers. This is as good as it gets when it comes to active speakers.
The Klipsch Klipschorn looks as good as it sounds. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
People love vinyl for that analog sound. And if there’s anything that most resembles the feel of vinyl in speaker form, it’s the Klipsch Klipschorn, specifically the 80th Anniversary Limited Edition. Based on Paul Wilbur Klipsch’s original design from 1946, it comes with a few updates to bring it into the modern era.
Since only 280 of the 80th Anniversary Limited Editions will be built, Klipsch has pulled out all the stops visually. From its tigerwood veneer to the brass inlay adorning the front of the cabinet meant to emulate the folding that’s happening inside the cabinet, it’s stunning in a very mid-century modern kind-of way.
As far as its actual design, it has an active crossover and a two-way speaker design, composed of the K-5-K high-frequency horn with a 2-inch throat and four-way compression driver that takes care of everything above 350Hz and a 15-inch woofer hidden behind those brass inlays responsible everything under.
The resulting sound is one that’s a little softer around the edges than the other speakers I’ve mentioned here (hence the vinyl comparison). This makes them less ideal for reference-level use, yet they still work wonderfully with all sorts of music.
In terms of flagship speakers, the Klipsch Klipschorn 80th Anniversary Limited Edition are downright reasonable, a word I never would have expected to use for a pair of speakers costing $24,998 (so around £18,485 or AU$35,329).
The JBL Summit Series K-2 stands beside the other speakers in the Summit Series (excluding the Everest). (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
4. JBL Summit Series K-2
If you’re not familiar with JBL’s project series, let me give you a brief definition. A project series for JBL is one in which the lead engineers have been given a no-expense-spared, carte-blanche approach to making the best speaker they possibly can.
There have been five of these series since the company’s inception, and the Summit Series is the newest. Not only are they named after a series of mountains that have struck fear in many an expeditioner’s heart, but they have 12 US patents that have come about just from the creation of this series.
The penultimate of this series is the JBL Summit Series K-2 ($99,990 per pair, or £71,998, which is roughly AU$141,300), featuring a single 15-inch woofer, a 10-inch woofer, and three 1-½-inch dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers going into a 3-into-1 expansion manifold. That manifold has been designed in a way that requires it to be 3D printed instead of a more traditional construction method. The woofers themselves also use a rigid carbon fiber (HC4) material.
Also worthy of mention is the fact that they have decoupled isoacoustic isolation feet and come with the ability to tri-wire /tri-amp – a feature that only the more expensive Everest can do. The rest of the line can bi-amp.
When I had the opportunity to listen to the K-2s, it was in a large hall, bigger than any of the other spaces, yet these speakers filled out the space with seemingly plenty of headroom to spare. Despite the large room, these speakers had one of the cleanest sounds I heard over the weekend. And that 15-inch woofer kicked like a mule.
The Sonus Faber Olympica V were demoed using an all McIntosh signal chain. (Image credit: Future / James Holland)
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(Image credit: Future)
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Honorable Mentions
While I was most impressed with this set of speakers, there were quite a few other towers of power that impressed me more than enough to be worth a quick mention. The three-way ported Sonus Faber Olympica V, powered by McIntosh amps, sounded almost as good as the speakers listed above, as they should since they’re about $30k a pair.
Wharfedale impressed with its Elysian R and is probably one of the best representations of a speaker using an AMT speaker. And the new old kid on the block, French brand Cabasse (the company is actually 77 years old), just starting to make inroads into the US is one to watch out for. Cabasse makes some really unique looking and functioning active speakers, but also some great-sounding floorstanders. This time next year, you might be looking at a set of Cabasse speakers with the same amount of interest and deliberation as any of the other brands mentioned here.
RGB TVs have become the talk of the TV world this year, with just about every brand releasing their own RGB model. While the tech is still in its infancy, having been introduced by Hisense in 2025, the tech is being touted as an OLED-killer, delivering much higher brightness and bolder colors akin to a mini-LED, while also delivering the contrast and black tones of an OLED.
So far, I’ve tested the Hisense UR8 RGB mini-LED side-by-side with the Samsung QN80H (a traditional mini-LED), where the UR8’s color didn’t wow me, but its contrast and backlight control did. I’ve also tested the Sony Bravia 7 II RGB mini-LED side-by-side with one of 2026’s best TVs, the LG C6 OLED, and while the C6 came out on top, the Bravia 7 II showed real potential for RGB tech.
But, how do two RGB TVs compare? I’ve swapped out the 55-inch Bravia 7 II for a 65-inch Bravia 7 II and, thanks to some fortunate timing, the flagship Samsung R95H Micro RGB TV has landed in our testing lab at the same time. For context, a 65-inch Bravia 7 II costs roughly $2,599 / £1,999 / AU$3,995, while a 65-inch R95H costs $2,999 / £3,099 / AU$5,295. So, while prices are relatively close in the US (when you’re spending this much money), they are in different price brackets in the UK and Australia.
One note here: as the Samsung R95H has a matte screen, this can cause a red tint in photos that's not visible in-person.
Colors
While the R95H's (right) colors are brighter, the Bravia 7 II's (left) are much bolder and punchier, shown with the Lumas from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie(Image credit: Nintendo / Universal Pictures / Future)
Watching The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with both TVs in their Movie modes (Movie for the R95H, Cinema for the Bravia 7 II), I noticed that in their default settings, the R95H appeared to be overblowing its brightness, resulting in some clipping of bright objects. I found that dropping the R95H’s brightness from its default 50 (max) down to 45 or 40 was better for the picture. The color luminance was certainly impressive on the R95H though, with the Lumas’ colors looking extremely bright and vibrant on screen. The Bravia 7 II’s colors had more depth and richness to them, having a lot more boldness that reminded me of an OLED.
Both TVs' color accuracy for the red and green of Mario and Luigi’s overalls respectively, and the vivid pink of Peach’s dress, were very good, but there’s no denying the R95H has much more pop on screen. The R95H’s colors can look a little washed out next to the Bravia 7 II at times, as the latter has such richness in its color profile. While the R95H delivered the brightness of the animation, it was hard to ignore how rich and deep the Bravia 7 II’s colors were.
It's a similar story with real-world content, as Speed Racer's vivid colors have more depth on the Bravia 7 II (left) (A quick note that the R95H did not look this washed out in person) (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future)
Moving to Speed Racer, a real-world movie with equally cartoon-ish vibrant colors, the Bravia 7 II once again showcased richer, deeper colors, giving more detail to the gaudy outfits and decor of the 1960s-inspired aesthetic. The R95H once again delivered on the brightness, which really did make colors explode on screen.
On the surface, the R95H seemed to sacrifice some color accuracy in favor of the pop on screen and in some cases this worked. The orange walls and floors of the Racer home and Pops Racer’s shirt were much more vivid on the R95H, but had that nice clarity on the Bravia 7 II. Yellow however, such as Mom Racer’s apron, was much bolder on the Bravia 7 II.
Switching between picture modes, the Bravia 7 II’s Cinema and Professional (its equivalent Filmmaker Mode) were consistent in their color depth and volume, but Cinema mode suited the more colorful movies. On the R95H, while Filmmaker Mode had a nice accuracy to it, the colors were a bit lifeless in comparison to Movie mode. While the R95H’s Movie mode did sometimes sacrifice accuracy, its sheer brightness was better for Speed Racer.
Contrast and backlight
Both TVs show great contrast with The Batman, but the R95H (right) has a more dynamic look thanks to its higher brightness (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future)
Firing up the opening scenes of The Batman, an often challenging disc for backlit TVs, with both models set to their more accurate Filmmaker modes (Professional for the Bravia 7 II), they do an excellent job. Contrast was strong on both TVs, with a great balance between light and dark tones, such as wall lamps and dark wood walls in Mayor Mitchell’s house, or the overhead lights with the black walls of the Batcave. In the default settings, the R95H again demonstrates its higher brightness, which results in stronger perceived contrast compared to the Bravia 7 II.
Dark tones were pleasingly rich on both TVs as well, and there was very little sign of blooming when viewed head-on. From an angle however, both TVs did show some signs of blooming during dark scenes, with the R95H’s more obvious than the Bravia 7 II’s. The Bravia 7 II did sometimes show some black crush, resulting in detail loss in objects, while the R95H did a better job maintaining these details, such as the texture in Batman’s armor and the lapel of Gordon’s coat.
Both TVs do a great job with high contrast shots and shadows, seen here in Dark City, but the R95H (right) can show some more blooming at times (Image credit: Arrow Video / Future)
Both TVs did a great job with shadows, but during The Batman, the Bravia 7 II cast deeper, inkier shadows across people’s faces. Switching to Dark City, which features plenty of these high contrast shadow shots, this was actually reversed. The R95H cast darker shadows that delivered a higher perceived contrast compared to the Bravia 7 II.
Black levels looked great in Dark City on both sets, although interestingly, in a shot where Murdoch talks to the hotel clerk, I noticed the R95H was subject to black crush this time and the Bravia 7 II actually had better shadow detail. Some dark scenes in the movie did reveal some more blooming, moreso on the R95H when viewed from an angle.
Trying out some black and white content, the R95H’s higher brightness creates a greater dynamic range and higher contrast in black and white movies. Watching Dead Man, any scene during the day has much more punch on the R95H, thanks to the aforementioned brighter whites. Both TVs do demonstrate deep dark tones though, with a good range of grays in between. The 4K disc is in SDR and when switching from Filmmaker to Movie, the Bravia 7 II has a significant brightness upgrade over the R95H, though the R95H’s brightness is much lower by default in this mode.
Brightness
The R95H's (right) higher peak brightness gives bright scenes, like this one from Lawrence of Arabia, much more impact. (Image credit: Sony Pictures / Future)
Starting off with measurements, the R95H is significantly brighter with both TVs set to HDR Movie mode. The R95H clocked in at 1,960 nits HDR peak brightness, while the Bravia 7 II hit 1,163 nits. It’s a similar story in Filmmaker/Professional mode, as the R95H hits 1,977 peak HDR brightness and the Bravia 7 II hits 1,114 nits.
Fullscreen HDR brightness, however, is where things get interesting. In Movie/Cinema mode, the R95H clocks in at 607 nits, while the Bravia 7 II measures 830 nits. This means the Sony should display larger bright areas on screen with more punch and vibrancy.
Watching real-world content, the R95H demonstrates much higher brightness than the Bravia 7 II, especially in Movie mode and with HDR content on screen. Watching Lawrence of Arabia, specifically the desert scene where Lawrence and his guide fetch water from a well, the R95H demonstrates significantly higher perceived brightness, with the white sands and blue sky looking much more vibrant on the R95H. While the Bravia 7 II shows more detail in brighter areas, such as the patterns in the ground, the R95H clearly wins in the brightness battle here. This is interesting given that the Bravia 7 II had the higher HDR fullscreen brightness.
For out-and-out reflection handling, Samsung's glare-free screen (right) is still one of the best. (Image credit: Future)
The same is true with more colorful movies. Going back to Speed Racer, the R95H shows much punchier highlights, such as the lights of the Mach 5, as well as glossier whites of the Mach 5 and Speed’s helmet. I did find that switching to each TV’s respective Filmmaker Mode resulted in much closer brightness, though the R95H’s peak areas were still a little brighter.
As for bright room viewing, the R95H shows how effective its anti-glare, matte screen is. Even with darker movies such as The Batman, there’s no sign of mirror-like reflections at any point. For the Bravia 7 II, bright room viewing is more of a challenge. With a brighter scene, such as the desert one from Lawrence of Arabia, the Bravia 7 II does a good job in a bright room. Any darker or high-contrast scenes, and mirror-like reflections are clearer.
The best buy
(Image credit: Future)
Which TV you should buy from these two really comes down to what region you’re in and your budget. In the US, it’s a close contest, whereas in the UK and Australia, the Bravia 7 II is much cheaper. In terms of actual performance, both TVs did well. Both TVs rendered challenging dark scenes accurately, with hints of blooming on both (though they were sometimes more obvious on the R95H). Both TVs showed excellent color reproduction, with the R95H showing higher color luminance, where the Bravia 7 II showed more color volume.
It’s difficult to choose between these two TVs, and while I preferred the Bravia 7 II in some reference scenes, especially with color, the R95H performed better in darker, more contrast-y scenes. While this is a battle of a mid-range RGB (Bravia 7 II) vs a flagship RGB (R95H), the Bravia 7 II puts up a heck of a fight and is the better value option for the budget conscious. If however money isn’t an issue, the R95H is the TV to pick.
Do either of these TVs topple OLED? For my money, not quite yet, but the Bravia 7 II delivers some seriously impressive colors and the R95H shows again what RGB tech can do for backlight control. OLED, it's definitely time for it to start taking note.
In today's social media age, celebrity brand ambassadors are a common sight, helping endorse or promote a brand's products or tools, giving that extra bit of sparkle or star power.
This is especially true in the consumer market, but we're now increasingly seeing it in the B2B tech world, where what 10 years ago would have been niche businesses now have the power to hire top talent to promote their brand - I'm talking Idris Elba promoting ServiceNow, Keanu Reeves bigging up Palo Alto Networks, and Matthew McConaghey being the voice of Salesforce.
But as a massive Formula 1 fan, I was intrigued to read a press release announcing reigning world champion Lando Norris as a "brand ambassador" for a data company I'd never heard of - so who (or what) exactly are Starburst?
All about Starburst
Founded in 2017, and boasting that organizations in more than 60 countries rely on it to unify their data, "from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises" - Starburst's initial pitch is strong.
In its press release, Starburst describes itself as, "the enterprise intelligence platform for governed data and AI" - a pretty big claim, and one that the likes of Salesforce and Oracle might raise eyebrows at.
Continuing, Starburst says its platform will allow customers to, "run AI directly on distributed data in place, without moving or replatforming it, across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments while providing consistent business context to queries, models, or agents regardless of where it is stored or processed."
Overall, this should help companies develop and run faster analytics, "trusted" AI, and "better decisions at enterprise scale."
(Image credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
So what does this have to do with Formula 1? Over to Lando to explain.
“People often see motor racing at the highest level as being about reactions, but most of the performance comes from preparation and understanding the details," he says (in the same press release).
"I’m constantly asking questions, looking for information, and trying to build the clearest possible picture before making decisions. Whether that’s racing, running a business, or working with a team, having access to the right information at the right time gives you confidence to act. That’s what stood out to me about Starburst and why I’m excited to partner with them."
Not much clearer then - but it seems the two-year partnership will launch Starburst’s “Ask. Know. Go.” campaign, which the company says will be "connecting the speed, precision, and data-driven decision-making of Formula 1 racing with the enterprise challenge of turning distributed data into trusted action."
The three parts of this, unsurprisingly, are around getting access to data via AI agents, making sure this data is accurate and trusted, and supporting it with fast and powerful systems.
“Lando represents what happens when preparation, data, and split-second decision-making come together,” said Justin Borgman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Starburst.
“That's the challenge enterprises face with AI: ask the right questions, access the complete context behind the answer, and act before the opportunity passes. Starburst makes that possible by giving teams and AI agents governed access to data wherever it lives.”
So there you have it - another stitch in the fabric joining enterprises and Formula 1 - and one that will hopefully lead to a more successful second half of the 2026 season and beyond for Lando.
OVHcloud will raise dedicated server prices from September 2026, with latest-generation Game range going up by as much as 87%
Current-generation hardware will see increases of 51%, while older, 2024-gen hardware will see prices go up by 28% on average
Move is linked to AI-related surge in memory and storage prices, with OVHcloud CEO stating the former has increased sixfold and could potentially double again by early 2027
French cloud platform OVHcloud is sounding the alarm for customers who use its dedicated gaming servers about a price increase that kicks in starting in September 2026 for server configurations, including its 'Game' offerings, that currently start at $357 on the US storefront.
In a post on X, CEO Octave Klaba highlighted the projected price increases as a percentage over prior commitments, stating that while 2024-built machines would not see a price increase, Gen 2026 would see a mammoth 87% increase in cost for consumers.
This marks the steepest increase across the board; otherwise, Gen 2026 servers saw a +51% increase in cost, even as OVHCloud states that existing options would see a lower overall increase in cost and that existing commitments would see "nothing change".
A sign of troubling times for private gaming servers?
Many gamers host private servers for their gaming needs, ranging from a small group of friends and family running a persistent Minecraft instance to servers that cater to hundreds, if not thousands, of players simultaneously, often with commercial caveats.
An increase in price affects both, though possibly the latter disproportionately, as monetization or donations generally sustain them, and they can already run into hundreds of dollars a month in upkeep.
OVHcloud's CEO has highlighted why the move, which seems to be focused on newer gaming servers, which saw the largest increase across the board, is necessary: its memory costs have increased sixfold and could rise to as much as twelvefold by early 2027.
The underlying reason is one that is easy to point at: AI server demand is not only dictating storage and memory market prices, but it could also be weighing purchase decisions at cloud providers, many who can envisage growing and consistent demand for such server instances, therefore raising the opportunity cost of other deployments; OVHcloud's 2026 'Game' servers for example, come with AMD's Ryzen X3D CPUs in two trims currently.
While these CPUs are great for games, they might not be cost-effective for datacenter needs due to higher per-core costs and lower clock speeds than comparable mainstream options, placing them a distant third in a list that has core-heavy server-grade CPUs at the top.
The writing hasn't been on the wall exactly, and it makes for an interesting comparison of how far numbers have traveled in less than a year: in November 2025, Klaba anticipated cloud product prices rising 5 to 10% between April and September 2026. In February 2026, announcing the year's first increase, he described an impact on cloud deployments between 2021 and 2025 of 2 to 6%, depending on hardware age.
He conceded at the time that asking existing customers to subsidize new ones was a little unfair, and argued it was the only way to keep cloud accessible over the following two years.
OVHcloud is an unusual case here: it builds its own servers, which is rare in an industry that often offloads that end to a third-party provider, and while that vertical integration has historically been the source of its price advantage, it has not protected the company here because OVHcloud still buys the same DIMMs and NVMe drives as everyone else.
The hyperscalers have deeper balance sheets, longer supply agreements, and more room to absorb component costs quietly, so any move from them will likely be slower and less legible than a founder posting percentages on X. It will, however, arguably not be smaller and will be considerably more far-reaching thanks to how deeply integrated some of their products are across the world.
Founded in 2014 by competitive Starcraft 2 players Ian Ang and Alaric Choo, Secretlab has steadily grown from one of Singapore’s countless plucky start-ups to one of the most recognizable gaming chair brands in the world.
The award-winning Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is its flagship product (named one of the best gaming chairs on the market in our review). The brand also manufactures a successful line of desks and this year branched into the productivity-focused task chair market with its new Atlas model.
“I chose Batman at the start,” Choo, who also heads the company’s partnerships, explains as I relax on a sofa in his corner office at the brand’s HQ. A pile of material samples amassed over years of research and development sits on the glass coffee table in front of me: strips of bright orange fabric designed to look like Dragon Ball hero Goku’s iconic robes, a moulded plate inspired by the front of a supercar, a detailed print of the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter, and countless other items.
“We were much smaller back then, so we didn't have many options, but Batman was such a huge IP, and I just felt like it made sense for us,” he continues. This was nine years ago and, although other gaming furniture brands have embraced similar collaborations in the years since, Choo says a crossover gaming chair was a novel idea at the time.
“DC was kind of like, 'we have a lot of license categories. We have everything. We have figures, we have statues, we have cups, we have shirts and bags, but we've never done a chair.’"
In such uncharted territory, Choo reckons that it took a whole year to work out how to approach the product’s design. “It sounds obvious now: a Batman chair is black, right? But do you go with the iconic Batman, where it's a yellow logo and retro? We were coming off the armor and whatnot — the [Dark Knight] movie was out at the time, so we went that direction.”
(Image credit: Future)
“We were thinking about what Batman would sit in; what chair would he have in his bat cave?” reveals Choo. The final design is sleek and understated, adorned with a subtle bat emblem and a carbon-fiber-like pattern. It looks like something that could exist in the world of comics, and this approach immediately resonated not just with franchise owner Warner Bros. but also with consumers.
“It was crazy. [A picture of the panel] was just sent to us randomly,” laughs Choo. “I bought three copies: I kept one for myself. I sent one to the guy that's in charge of Warner Bros. in Singapore, and then the third one I showed my mom.”
Becoming the experts
(Image credit: Future)
The success of the Batman chair gave Secretlab plenty of reason to pursue future collaborations, and informed how it approaches each one to this day. “We don't want to just put logos on things and call it a day. We want to go in depth. We want to know the lore,” begins Choo.
Whether it's poring over comic book panels, diving into video games, or watching all the movies or cartoons in a particular series, the team isn’t afraid to go deep into the source material of any intellectual property they are working with. “If we weren't originally fans of the IP before, we become experts,” he adds.
Choo does admit there are occasions when this isn’t possible though, like the build-up to a new release where details are kept under wraps: “Sometimes we're designing stuff with very little information. We don't like to do that, but sometimes we have to do it.”
Walking around the company’s global headquarters, it’s easy to see that employees are encouraged not to shy away from the properties they love. Desks are covered in figurines and other collectibles based on a wide range of games, comic books, manga, movies, and more. Even Choo’s own space is adorned with nerdy memorabilia.
Secretlab collaborations are characterized by a careful attention to detail, with intricate design elements that often incorporate new materials and manufacturing techniques.
“I think we've always gone all out on all of our collabs,” says Choo. “We have certain manufacturing methods that have become more viable to use. One of the things that we talk about a lot is the embroidery. It's something that I think companies don't like to use because it's very expensive. It's very time-consuming. We have certain panels that can take seven, eight hours to do.”
We've always gone all out on all of our collabs
Alaric Choo, co-founder and technical & partnerships director at Secretlab
Secretlab’s crossovers with luxury car brands stand out as perhaps the most materially complex in its portfolio. The most premium Automobili Lamborghini editions, for example, are decked out in the same Dinamica microsuede material found on high-end car dashboards and lightweight carbon fiber plating.
“Lamborghini is one of the greatest luxury names, so we were thinking about how we can elevate the partnership,” Choo explains as I examine a sturdy black panel from the table. “When we look at Lamborghinis, there is a lot of carbon fiber usage. The weave that they use and how they put it together — carbon fiber is a pain in the ass to work with. It's like you're layering different sheets, and it bubbles very easily.
(Image credit: Future)
“When we did it, we looked at the shape of the carbon fiber on Lamborghini cars, and we were like, ‘We think that this is it.’ We had to come up with a mounting method and learn to use carbon fiber. Obviously, we used it sometimes in certain prototypes, but we hadn’t actually mass-produced it, so it was a first for us.”
Creating new manufacturing processes and tools can be expensive, but Choo isn’t worried that the added cost could hurt profits. “It may not always directly translate financially, but we don't think about things in so much of the short term,” he says. “In the overall term, it pays off that when we do something, we do it properly. I think that's the main point for us: if we're going to do it half-assed, let's not do it at all.”
He thinks that consumers appreciate the overall “consistency” and have come to expect a lot of effort from the brand: “Holding yourself to a very high standard pays off over time.”
A privately held company, Secretlab can afford to invest in developing this kind of relationship with consumers in a way that some of its biggest competitors perhaps can’t. With the company’s value estimated to be nearing the billion-dollar mark back in 2021, Choo’s long-term thinking is obviously paying off.
Bluetti's power stations show up often in our outdoor gear coverage, and we put the Elite 30 V2 through real-world testing during storm outages, inflating mattresses, and topping off tool batteries on a job site. And right now, the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is down to $219 (was $299) at Amazon.
It's a compact 288Wh station built around a LiFePO4 battery, with a 600W inverter that can briefly lift to 1500W in Power Lift mode, plus a 140W USB-C port and dual AC outlets for topping off laptops, phones, and small appliances. In the UK, the Elite 30 V2 is now £200 (was £239) at Amazon.
Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station: was $299 now $218.98 288Wh LiFePO4 battery rated for 3,000+ charge cycles, 600W continuous output with a 1500W Power Lift mode for brief high-demand loads, two AC outlets, a 140W and a 100W USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and both car-socket and solar charging inputs.
We've used the Elite 30 V2 in several real scenarios: recharging phones and tools during storm outages, powering an air mattress pump while camping, and running small job-site gear.
In our 4.5-star review, we found it held up consistently across all of them, and the 1500W Power Lift mode gave it enough headroom for occasional higher-draw devices that would stall a lower-wattage station.
The form factor is a genuine strength here. At around 9.5 lbs with an integrated handle, it's light enough to carry one-handed, and the front-facing port layout makes it easy to plug in multiple devices without fumbling around the back of the unit.
You can check out the full round-up, including the Elite 30 V2 in our guide to the best portable power stations.
Price Context & Historical Value
An $80.02 discount off $299 works out to roughly 27 percent, one of the larger price cuts we've tracked on this model. Compared to similarly sized LiFePO4 power stations from other brands, this price puts the Elite 30 V2 solidly in budget-that-doesn't-feel-budget territory.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 if...
You want backup power for short outages or outdoor trips, need to recharge devices and small appliances without lugging a heavier station, or want UPS-style backup for sensitive electronics with fast switching.
❌ Skip the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 if...
You need to run a full-size fridge or power tools for extended hours, you want the largest possible capacity in this size class, or you're looking for the fastest AC recharge speed available.
The Catch: What to know before you buy
At 288Wh, this isn't a station built for extended off-grid use or running larger appliances for hours at a time; it's built for short bursts and topping devices off. AC recharge time is also more moderate than some competitors, so if you need to refill quickly between uses, factor that into your decision.
Marvel's Wolverine will feature New Game Plus at launch
The game will also offer extra features like Mission Replay and a Nightmare Doors side activity
Nightmare Doors contains trials where players "confront Logan's nightmares to uncover his past"
Marvel's Wolverine is shaping up to be a big hit for 2026, and now Insomniac Games has revealed even more features that players can expect when the game launches next month.
Insomniac has confirmed that, unlike Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Marvel's Wolverine will launch with New Game Plus, allowing players to replay the game with all their upgrades, unlocked suits, and more.
"In a New Game Plus, you can use all of your loadout and progression that you already unlocked," senior project director Jess Reiner-Reed told IGN. "You can choose whatever suit you want. So there's some fun things that happen there. And also there's some adaptations that are only available in New Game Plus. So there's some fresh gameplay for folks."
Insomniac head of technology Mike Fitzgerald added that these adaptations, which are unlockable buffs, let players "amp up the difficulty" or make Wolverine "much more powerful and aggressive character."
Confront Logan's nightmares to uncover his past. 🚪Get to know the man behind the claws when Marvel's #WolverinePS5 releases on September 15th on PlayStation 5! pic.twitter.com/Zy5rz6ZWjsAugust 11, 2026
Alongside New Game Plus, the game will also offer Mission Replay, a feature that lets players rerun any mission for fun or to find collectibles, whiskey bottles that act as power-ups for Wolverine’s progression, and material crates holding raw materials that can be used to unlock new suits.
Another major feature is Nightmare Doors, a side activity containing trials where players "confront Logan's nightmares to uncover his past." According to Reiner-Reed, Nightmare Doors is "a story-driven adventure" where "Logan is pulled through uncovering these mysteries of his past. But you can go off the beaten path."
In these trials, Reiner-Reed added, players will encounter "manifestations of the horrible things happening in Logan's mind."
"There's many of those throughout the game with different types of trials," the developer said.
Linus Torvalds called Linux 7.2-rc7 part of a "new normal" of oversized release candidates
Torvalds attributes the volume of fixes to reviews by various AI tools, a week after calling rc6 the biggest in years by commit count
The growth is in late-cycle bug fixes rather than features, and Torvalds credits AI review rather than AI authorship, with humans still writing and submitting the patches
Modern coding approaches dictate that Release Candidates should be expected to shrink as patches and code fixes get increasingly smaller as the software enters what many call a "stabilization phase".
Linux 7.2-rc7 did not do that, and neither did rc6 before it - and announcing the seventh candidate on August 9, 2026 Linus Torvalds wrote he could not say he was thrilled about the size of it, but that it is what it is: the new normal, with a lot of fixes, many of them the result of review by various AI tools.
A week earlier, opening the rc6 message, Torvalds had been blunter still, calling that release candidate huge and reckoning it the biggest rc6 in years by commit count.
An easier, detailed AI-enabled review process?
Torvalds is not describing AI writing for the Linux kernel; that still requires human intervention. The tools being used are review and analysis agents pointed at existing code, and they produce actionable bug reports. Humans then write the fixes, submit them through the normal subsystem maintainer process, and the creator of Linux, as the maintainer, pulls the code.
Phoronix, which closely tracks the cycle, describes the current environment as one in which AI and LLM coding and review agents keep kernel activity at an all-time high. It has resulted in a much larger-than-normal Release Candidate this late in the cycle; RC7 comes packed with a plethora of bug fixes that would otherwise have been in play much earlier in past cycles.
By one count of the RC7 pull, more than 400 fixes came in from upwards of 230 contributors, a volume more typical of an early merge window than a closing candidate.
Torvalds noted in the accompanying message that nothing looked particularly scary, and that the majority of the fixes were spread across drivers, filesystems, core networking, and architecture code, which was relatively small, making a potential release by the following weekend possible.
The AI approach doesn't have Mr. Torvalds particularly keen, but he has subtly acknowledged its advantages when it comes to code review, and it could bring a different issue into play: the maintainer model, which involves a few trusted individuals to read and test code before it is eventually released to the masses may not be too keen to have the equivalent of an AI-powered firehose of fixes and new information to deal with indefinitely.
For now, it seems larger updates are the new norm, for better or worse, and AI will be powering an increasingly large share of code review in an ecosystem that drives most of the world's servers, smartphones and tablets, as well as a sizeable portion of its personal computers.
Apple's MacBook Air is facing supply constraints, as delivery estimates last up to a month
The delivery delays are a direct result of the ongoing RAM crisis
Consumers may have to look at Windows alternatives, as the RAM crisis gets worse
PC hardware manufacturers can't catch a break from the ongoing RAM crisis, and unfortunately, Apple arguably knows that more than anyone.
As reported by 9to5Mac, MacBook Air shortages are worsening, as delivery estimates for configurations on Apple's online store are longer than usual. Nearly all configurations have a 2-3 week shipment estimate, while those with 32GB of RAM have up to 4-5 weeks.
It's increasingly clear that RAM shortages are causing supply issues for Apple, and the extended delivery estimates come shortly after Apple's recent slate of price hikes on Macs and iPads. Notably, the MacBook Air M5 saw a $200 price increase earlier in June, and despite that, shortages remain.
Supply is so bad that 9to5Mac notes that Apple retail employees state that the MacBook Air shipments are "more constrained than they can ever recall", and that's a fitting statement since the PC hardware market is possibly at its worst state ever.
Fresh rumors also point to Apple being set on a price increase for its iPhone 17 — so without a doubt, proceedings aren't looking great for the tech giant (and several other hardware companies) in terms of supply stability.
Apple also has a history of rarely dropping prices for its devices, so the only other options consumers have are to buy MacBooks from other retailers or consider Windows alternatives.
What now?
(Image credit: Shutterstock / D.L.Sakharova)
Outside of Apple's online store, Amazon currently has the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air available at a lower price ($1,256) and a shorter delivery window using Prime. The same applies to several other configurations, including the 15-inch model.
Apple's RAM and supply constraints won't end anytime soon, so Windows alternatives are also sensible for consumers to aim for. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, Yoga Slim 7i Aura, and even Dell's XPS 13 are solid laptop options. They may not all match the MacBook Air in performance, but they are enough to get the job done.
There's no better time than now for consumers to act on purchasing a new laptop, as insiders like Mark Gurman and even Apple chief financial officer Kevan Parekh indicate that Apple's supply constraints aren't set to improve, but only worsen — and that likely extends to 2027 and beyond.
The FlexiSpot EN1 has long been the budget standing desk we recommend for those who wants a more secure wobble-free setup. Currently, the EN1 is $110 (was $170) at Amazon. Both the black desk and a model with a white frame and wooden top are discounted right now, to suit a variety of workspaces.
And what seals the deal based on our testing of standing desks is the inclusion of a single-piece desktop. Most cheap electric desks of this price have the less stable splice-board, with the desk using two pieces of wood instead of one.
An electric height-adjustable desk with a seamless, single-piece 48"x24" desktop. Height range runs 28.9in to 46.5in, with 4 memory presets for quick sit-stand switching and a 176lb weight capacity. Assembly is simplified compared to older FlexiSpot models, with fewer steps and less lifting required.View Deal
Why we recommend it
We've tested many FlexiSpot standing desks, and each one has impressed us with their build quality and price. So, while we haven't tried the EN1, expect the same quality here that we've experienced across the company's range.
Beyond our excellent experience with FlexiSpot in general, the main reason we recommend the EN1 is because of its single-piece desktop design.
Most standing desks under $150 use a splice-board top, essentially two pieces of wood joined at a seam, which keeps costs down but sacrifices rigidity. The EN1 uses a whole-piece desktop instead.
That makes it more stable when loaded with your laptop, monitor, and accessories, holding up better over time than cheaper alternatives in the same price bracket. The reasoning is simple: a one-piece top flexes less under load and doesn't develop the seam gap that splice-board desktops can show after a year or two of use.
It's also a genuinely simple desk to assemble and operate, with a four-button memory panel that handles the sit-stand switching without any fuss.
You can find cheaper standing desks (the Fezibo model seen in our guide to the best standing desks is the cheapest). But if you're prepared to spend a few dollars more, we absolutely recommend opting for the EN1.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the FlexiSpot EN1 if...
You want the sturdiness of a single-piece desktop without paying premium prices, you're working with a couple of monitors and the usual desk clutter within a 176lb limit, or you want a simple four-preset control panel without extra frills.
❌ Skip the FlexiSpot EN1 if...
You need storage and built-in cable management, a higher weight limit, or more premium materials, like those found on FlexiSpot's E7 Pro or a Herman Miller.
Price Context & Historical Value
This is the usual deal price we see on the EN1 - although it briefly dipped to $100 back in January, which is relatively rare. We wouldn't recommend paying full price for this, as it's often on sale for $110.
The discount brings the EN1 close to what budget splice-board desks typically cost, which is why this deal is worth flagging. You're not paying a premium for the single-piece top, and you get all the core features we expect to see in a standing desk.
The Catch: What to know before you buy
This is a two-leg desk, so if you're loading it up with heavy monitor arms or a lot of desktop hardware, you may notice more flex at full height than you would on a four-legged design. There's also no built-in cable management, so budget for a separate tray or sleeve if a tidy setup matters to you.
For anyone who wants a stable, no-frills standing desk without paying for features they won't use, the FlexiSpot EN1 at $109.99 is worth a look.
