Apps

Tekken Mobile review: A bit of an oddball

It might just be a little too strange

Published

March 8, 2018

Leez

If you like the thrill and action fighting games have but don’t have the hardware, strap up. Bandai Namco Entertainment recently released Tekken on mobile. It’s got a long list of interesting and strange features you won’t normally find in these types of games.

Worth a try

Although Tekken was the go-to bonding game for my siblings and I growing up, I haven’t really played many fighting games. I play them occasionally but never really stuck with it. So, when Bandai Namco announced this mobile release, I thought it would be interesting to test it out. The factor of having the ease of portability to play something so action-packed just intrigued me. Not to mention, it’s a huge title that’s decided to tap into mobile. I just needed to give it a shot.

You don’t have to resonate with Tekken or any fighting game for you to consider playing this. If you’re warming up to play other fighting games or you’re in need of a virtual punching bag, it’s worth a try — these games can be a great way to release your frustrations.

Starts off easy

If you’ve played mobile games like Mortal Kombat X, Injustice 2, and Transformers: Forged to Fight, Tekken Mobile will pull through with familiarity for you. Most fighting games that go mobile have the same mechanic of tap, swipe, and hold. It’s essentially a game of strategic tapping so your character moves to beat-up the other character.

Once you install the game, it walks you through how to play. It explains the tap, swipe, and hold controls that aren’t as overwhelming as the more technical aspect of traditional Tekken.

You tap and hold the left half of the screen to block hits and swiping left or right moves your character accordingly. The right side of the screen is where most of the attacks are customizable. You can tap the right half to deliver regular attacks and longer taps deliver tougher attacks. If you want your character to execute intricate combos and mix-ups, the game has an interesting feature I’ll discuss much later on.

A decent iteration of Tekken

As for any title that shifts platforms, the game is altered to optimize purpose-driven design. The interface is slightly tweaked while still maintaining a healthy dose of familiar. You can play and look through your items, the shop, and your character’s equipped skill with ease. The game has multiple modes you can explore and a local versus mode that’s coming out soon.

The game establishes itself from the story mode, just like Tekken on your PS4 or PC. This makes warming up to characters and Tekken lore more effortless.

Here comes the strange bit

There are a few things I found odd in the game. When you play it, the card system will throw you off. The cards represent your special attacks and show up on the bottom-right corner of your screen. To execute combos, you get to combine cards to inflict significant damage on your opponent.

Be cautious with using all the cards, though, because you eventually run out of them. This isn’t a total bummer since other mobile fighting games like Mortal Kombat X has a similar system to this. In Mortal Kombat X, the characters were cards that you could choose mid-game to switch characters so it’s a bit similar but not quite the same thing; in Tekken Mobile, the cards represent various technical moves you can tap to have your character execute.

These are hard-hitting attacks so be careful with timing it just right. It may come off a bit overwhelming at first but if you stick to finish a few rounds on story mode, this won’t be too much of a problem.

More quirks

Tekken Mobile rewards leveling up with loot boxes that have items, upgrades, and skill boosts for your characters. When you earn enough experience and in-game currency, you can buy them. I’ll be brutally honest: The loot boxes look too much like they came straight out of Overwatch. The structure, design, and animation are just too similar to the point that you can barely spot the difference.

Each character card has an element that categorizes familiar faces from the Tekken series. The game doesn’t really delve into the relevance of the elements that much; but when you earn gem shards, the element of the shard corresponds to the character you can level up. When I first encountered this, it didn’t give certain advantages over other character elements similar to Pokémon. It may just be Bandai Namco’s additional challenge to the game.

Strangely still fun

There are a lot of elements that Bandai Namco tried to squeeze into the game which makes the game confusing. With the cards, gem shard elements, and loot boxes, it felt like a hybrid of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Overwatch, and actual Tekken in a single mobile game.

Despite that, there’s no denying I was enjoying the game while ultimately relearning the psychological play in fighting games. I found myself appreciating the complexity of Tekken through this title’s simplistic take on it. I learned to time certain attacks better, position myself better, and even sequencing different attacks.

Is this your game match?

Does the game offer a revolutionary take on previously released mobile fighting games? Not quite. Is it worth a shot despite plot twists coming at you from every periphery? Yes.

Tekken Mobile is undeniably quirky. I can only guess Bandai Namco wanted to establish some sense of complexity in the game which may put off a few people.

It’s a tough game to play if you’re looking for a casual game to pass the time. It’s a game that takes a certain amount of interest to dive into, but it’s not too confusing to hate. If you want to give the game a try and kick butt on your mobile, it’s available on both Android and iOS.

Related Topics:Bandai Namco Tekken Tekken Mobile

Apps

Significantly better ChatGPT Images 2.0 launches

Stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more formats, improved overall experience

Published

April 22, 2026

GadgetMatch

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Images 2.0. This updated image generation model has a meaningful jump over competitors and its current ImageGen 1.5.

Now available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, Images 2.0 delivers stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more flexible formats, and a faster, more intuitive user experience.

Paid users (Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise) will benefit from a more advanced image experience (ImageGen Thinking 2.0). The state-of-the-art model can take on complex visual tasks and produce precise and immediately usable visuals.

ChatGPT Images 2.0 is likewise better for creative and professional use cases. It has a significantly better performance at producing text-heavy assets, infographics, product mockups, UI concepts, and more structured visuals.

Moreover, users can generate images in a wider range of aspect ratios. The outputs are limitless, from posters to comics or anime to detailed infographics to simple images. API users, on the other hand, will also have access to 4K resolution.

To try the upgraded image generation model, simply head to ChatGPT and select “Images” in the sidebar.

Users will be able to see the top five prompts as well, curated by OpenAI, for them to try. This is to highlight the capabilities of the new model.

Overall, ChatGPT Images 2.0 offers a more seamless experience on mobile, web, and desktop. The intuitive user experience includes improved prompt suggestions, loading states, editing features, and multi-output views.

Apps

Grab moves beyond the ride to become a companion for the life in between

Now updated as an everyday guide with 13 AI-powered experiences to navigate life in Southeast Asia!

Published

April 8, 2026

MJ Jucutan

Navigating life in Southeast Asia requires a different mental load.

You decide what to eat while rushing to a meeting; you deal with the anxiety of landing in a foreign airport and wondering how to pay for coffee and your cab. We often look to our phones for answers, but sometimes, we just find more tasks to manage with the information we’re overloaded with.

At GrabX 2026 held in Jakarta, Indonesia, Grab as a Superapp transforms into an intelligent companion that understands our routines. It has just launched 13 AI-powered experiences, designed to act as an everyday guide.

Moving through the city together

Traveling within a busy city requires a delicate balance of time and budget. We want to get to our destinations efficiently, but we also want to share that journey with others.

The new Group Ride feature understands this balance. It allows up to four people to share a single vehicle. The system intelligently sequences pickups and splits payments automatically.

You can save up to 40 percent on your fare when you travel with friends on similar routes. Soon, a Waiting Room feature will let everyone see who is ready in real time. It turns a simple commute into a shared moment of connection.

After a busy day, the “what’s for dinner” dilemma usually begins. Grab More solves the frustration of wanting different things from different places. You can now add another nearby merchant to your order without paying extra delivery fees or meeting a minimum spend. The AI ensures both orders arrive in sync.

For the bigger plans, the Grab AI Assistant acts as a personal concierge. If you’re organizing a team celebration, you can simply tell the assistant your group size and dietary preferences. It handles the restaurant recommendations and the booking in a single conversation. If you are stocking up for the week, the Grab Shopping Agent lets you send a photo or a voice note of your list. It builds a cart across multiple merchants and even suggests smart substitutions for out-of-stock items.

Finding confidence

Navigating a city is about more than just a blue dot on a screen. GrabMaps for Consumers now helps you decide when to leave and what to do when you arrive.

The Journey Planner connects to your calendar and predicts your destination based on your history. You can compare the price of a ride versus the toll fees of driving yourself.

Once you arrive at a massive mall, which are plenty in Southeast Asia, indoor navigation guides you to the exact shop entrance.

You can even use the Custom Voice feature to clone a voice you love for your turn-by-turn directions. *cue Rufa Mae Quinto’s tone* It makes the journey feel personal.

For those moments when unexpected expenses arise, Cash Loan provides a bridge. It offers accessible credit to millions of people who may not have a traditional financial history. The AI uses Grab data to provide a loan decision in seconds. You can customize a repayment plan that fits your budget directly in the app. It’s a safety net built into the platform you already use.

A travel companion

Travel is often beautiful but logistically exhausting. The Personalised Travel Experience turns the app into a travel partner. It consolidates your passport reminders, check-in counter details, and gate updates in one place. When you land, it guides you step-by-step to the correct baggage belt and pickup point.

Finding a place to stay is now just as integrated. GrabStays, built with the AI-first ecosystem Nuitee, is designed for the traveler who needs a last-minute booking. You get competitive same-day rates and earn GrabCoin rewards. Because your payment info is already saved, booking a hotel feels as easy as booking a ride.

Once you are settled, Discover by Grab helps you find where the locals eat. It surfaces authentic food content and uses AI to learn what you personally enjoy.

You can see a review, book a table, and get a ride there all in one flow. When the bill comes, GrabPay for Travel removes the stress of currency exchange.

You can scan national QR codes and pay with the cards already saved in your Grab account. There are no leftover foreign balances to worry about.

Empowering the people behind the business

Grab’s intelligence layer also extends to the entrepreneurs and drivers who keep our cities moving.

For shop owners, the Virtual Store Manager uses computer vision to monitor hygiene and foot traffic remotely. It sends alerts if staffing levels are low or if queues are getting too long. The Cloud Printer automates the workflow between the front counter and the kitchen. Orders print instantly, and the printer even pauses the store if no activity is detected. This prevents customers from ordering when a shop is closed.

Starting a business is also getting simpler. Tap to Pay turns any smartphone into a payment terminal. Merchants can accept cards and QR payments in minutes without any extra hardware.

For the drivers on the road, the Driver AI Assistant provides a hands-free companion. Drivers can ask for advice on policies or get help sending a message to a passenger.

A more human way to grow

All of these features are shaped by the people who use them. The Early Access Programme has grown to 200,000 users who have contributed thousands of improvements. A new “shake and share” feature now lets anyone submit feedback instantly by simply shaking their phone.

Because of these updates, we’re understanding how it feels to have a little more breathing room in our day. Grab is no longer just a way to get from point A to point B. It’s now a companion for the life that happens in between.

Apps

Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts

Published

March 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

TikTok has changed how we consume media. Everything is now vertical. Even the most established streaming services, often a bastion for traditionally horizontal content, is adopting the different format. Now, Disney+ is getting a vertical feed called Verts.

Like its contemporaries, Verts presents a continuous feed of content but tailored to show the plethora of titles from the Disney+ library. This might include the first scenes of shows or notable highlights. The hope, of course, is to direct users to the longform content.

Directly from the Verts feed, users can easily add the respective title to their watchlist or go straight to the title’s page. In turn, the feed is accessible from the homepage since it has its own tab.

According to Disney, early experiments with the feature have driven engagement to available content. Right now, the feed is mostly for clipping enticing content from shows. However, the platform will experiment further with the format for new ways to tell stories.

Though Verts surely stands for “verticals” in this case, “adverts” might fit better as its full government name. Still, it might be a useful tool if you’re figuring out what to watch for the night.

Currently, Verts is available for Disney+ subscribers in the United States. Disney also has plans to expand the feature to ESPN for sports-related content.