News

OPPO R17 Pro goes official with triple rear cameras, in-display fingerprint scanner

It even has SuperVOOC charging technology!

Published

on

OPPO is on a roll lately with new devices almost every month. After the flagship Find X and the midrange F9 phones, here now comes the R17 Pro which will fill in the gap. It comes with the newest hardware for the upper-midrange segment plus all the design trends from other 2018 smartphones.

The OPPO R17 Pro sports a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and the waterdrop-style notch. It’s topped with the latest Gorilla Glass 6 and has an impressive 91.5 percent screen-to-body ratio, according to OPPO. Also, there’s an in-display fingerprint reader beneath the display for unlocking the device.

The phone packs a Snapdragon 710 processor with a whopping 8GB of memory and 128GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, it’s got no microSD card support for expanding storage capacity.

The camera department is pretty intriguing with a 25-megapixel front camera and three cameras at the back — a first for OPPO. We first saw three rear cameras on the Huawei P20 Pro, but the R17 Pro’s setup is different. It has a main 12-megapixel sensor with variable f/1.5 to f/2.4 aperture lens like on the Samsung Galaxy S9+, a secondary 20-megapixel unit, and a 3D TOF depth sensor.

Usually, 3D TOF depth sensors are used for accurate facial recognition. But, OPPO says that they’ll use it for 3D photo capturing and to connect the phone to the TV as a game console. We have to see that in action before we draw conclusions.

The phone owns two 1850mAh batteries for a combined capacity of 3700mAh. Why is that? The R17 Pro has 50W SuperVOOC charging technology enabled which debuted with the Find X Lamborghini Edition. It promises a 40 percent charge in 10 minutes with the bundled fast charger.

As for the software, it’s got Android 8.1 Oreo that’s heavily skinned by the company’s own ColorOS 5.1.

Like other Chinese-made phones lately, the R17 Pro comes with a gradient color glass back. It’s priced at CNY 4,299 (US$ 625) and it’ll start selling by mid-October in China. International availability is yet to the announced.

SEE ALSO: OPPO R17 unveiled with tiny notch and under-display fingerprint reader

Gaming

AMD teases next-gen Xbox coming in 2027

It might double as a usable PC, too.

Published

on

It’s been a while since GPU companies focused on making chips for consoles. With how the industry is going now, chips feel like they’re destined to end up in the suffocating deluge of AI servers. Now, however, AMD is showing signs of healing by teasing the next-generation Xbox.

In the latest earnings call (via Engadget), AMD CEO Lisa Su teased that the next-gen Xbox, built with a custom AMD SoC, is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”

The subtle tease is vague enough to obscure any details about the upcoming console but clear enough to confirm that it’s coming. Since the Xbox Series X|S has been out for several years now, it’s not surprising that Microsoft is thinking about what’s coming next.

However, it’s still intriguing that Microsoft is going for another console. Previous reports have speculated that the company might focus on delivering games, especially through the Game Pass. Lately, both the PlayStation and the Switch have thoroughly dominated the console market ahead of the Xbox. Handheld consoles are likewise impressive, too.

Other reports have speculated that the upcoming generation will focus on delivering both a gaming and a PC experience. With the Steam Machine coming soon, it seems natural that the next consoles will be usable PCs as well.

SEE ALSO: Match Pulse: ROG Xbox Ally X

Continue Reading

Gaming

Overwatch reinvents itself with a new story and five new heroes

And it’s not “Overwatch 2” anymore.

Published

on

Overwatch 2 was not a disaster for the popular multiplayer shooter franchise. It did, however, make the game more polarizing. For 2026, Blizzard is shaking things up once again, starting by dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2.

During its scheduled showcase, the new-and-improved Overwatch will feature annual storylines that will keep the game fresh for years to come. The system will go live on February 10. By then, the year-long event called Reign of Talon will start with Season 1.

As the name suggests, this year will be all about the villain-coded Talon organization, and it’s going to be more story-driven. Right off the bat, a new cinematic sees Vendetta seemingly kill Doomfist and take over the leadership of Talon.

Blizzard says that the year will see ten new characters introduced to the roster. In fact, five of those will already be playable starting in Season 1.

Without a doubt, the highlight character for this round is the formerly cancelled Jetpack Cat. The character was first rumored all the way back in 2017 but will now be fully playable this season. The flying feline hero is a support character that can hook another hero to a location while healing them. Their ultimate reverses this by having them crash land onto enemies and then hooking one to, ideally, drop them off the map.

Jetpack Cat will join four other heroes. Anran, who is also affiliated with the Overwatch faction, deals fire damage. Domina, who, along with the next three heroes, works with Talon, is a shield-based tank. Emre imagines an evil version of Soldier: 76. Finally, Mizuki is a Talon-affiliated healer.

Besides a new story and heroes, Overwatch will feature new game modes and improvements across the board. The new Season 1 starts on February 10.

Continue Reading

Gaming

The Nintendo Switch is now Nintendo’s best-selling console ever

Meanwhile, the Switch 2 just crossed 17 million units sold.

Published

on

The Nintendo Switch 2’s success was bound to happen. After enormous success with the original Switch, Nintendo is practically destined to also put up impressive numbers for the console’s recently released sequel. Today, the company has whipped out some proof. The Nintendo Switch 2 officially sold 17.37 million units, as of December last year.

Nintendo shared the console’s numbers through an investor’s report. Despite coming out only eight months ago, the Switch 2 is already putting up impressive numbers. With those numbers, the console is already Nintendo’s fastest selling platform to date.

For comparison, the original Switch sold less than half of what Switch 2 has sold in the former’s first eight months. Though the second console is still miles away from its predecessor’s total numbers, it’s already well on its way. In fact, Nintendo already expects the Switch 2 to break 19 million units by the end of the quarter.

The second Switch isn’t the only console reaping the rewards of its hard work. The original Switch has also crossed a major milestone. As of last year, the console has sold 155.37 million units, making it Nintendo’s bestselling console ever. It just overtook the Nintendo DS, which sold 154.02 million units.

With that, the Switch 2 has a mountain to climb, just to reach the same heights that its predecessor already attained. For sure, the console’s ongoing success is buoyed by the goodwill established by the original. Now, the question is whether the Switch 2 can sustain its growth on its own.

To help, the console is expecting significant first-party titles including Pokémon Pokopia and Meetup in Bellabel Park, a Super Mario Bros. Wonder DLC.

SEE ALSO: The Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its lifecycle

Continue Reading

Trending