Category: 4. Technology

A new generation of creative tools is arriving in the form of Intangible, a generative AI platform that lets artists build entire scenes in 3D, as if they were on a real set, placing their camera wherever they want in the virtual world, and then composing images and videos of professional quality. Now in open beta, Intangible blends the real-time responsiveness of game engines with the cinematic precision of film production and the flexibility of generative AI. Its browser-based platform offers directors, art teams, and creative producers a new way to generate visuals in 3D, in minutes.

“We think in space, in movement, in light,” said Charles Migos, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Intangible. “Most AI tools still rely on words, but that’s not how creatives work. Intangible lets you guide AI the way you would direct a scene.”

The company’s leadership spans decades of experience at Apple, Unity, Pixar, Netflix, and Google. Migos himself designed Apple’s first-party iPad apps and led design at Unity. Co-founder and CEO Bharat Vasan started his career in video games at Electronic Arts, before scaling multiple startups likeBasis and August Home (both acquired) and was most recently a venture investor at the Alphabet-backed incubator founded by David Friedberg (All-In Pod). Lead product designer Philip Metschan spent 20 years at Pixar working on The Incredibles and Inside Out, a resume that speaks to the company’s creative ambitions.

At its core, Intangible is a spatial intelligence platform, embedding spatial reasoning and camera logic directly into its design.. While most generative AI models interpret prompts as loose instructions, Intangible integrates a dynamic world model, AI agents, and cinematic camera controls to deliver precise, editable results. Users can create virtual scenes with drag-and-drop tools or quick text commands, and then refine them with professional tools: shot framing, camera paths, lighting, and style filters.

“Ideas move faster here,” said Vasan. “Language is fundamentally lossy—it can’t capture spatial reality. That’s why prompting AI often fails when building visual creative concepts. Intangible changes this by giving AI models spatial intelligence so you get speed and control without extensive prompting.”

Intangible is designed for creative industries where 3D spatial composition matters for storytelling, a $2 trillion sector that includes film, advertising, events, marketing and games. Intangible runs in any browser and is free to try. The current open beta is free through July 31, with pricing plans starting at $15 per month after that. Credits are used for video and image generation, with pay-as-you-go options also available.

Prime Day brings loads of discounts, but there are a few truly special deals that stand out, like this 65-inch TCL QM6K, hovering around $500. TCL fully revamped its TV lineup for 2025, and the entry-level QM6K was the first of the fleet, arriving early to give us a taste of the latest innovative tech from the brand—and it did not disappoint. It’s currently our pick as the best TV for most people, and at this price, it’s hard to think of a more affordable TV with this much awesome.

Looking for more sweet Prime Day deals? Make sure and hit up our Prime Day Live Blog post, our Best Prime Day TV Deals, and our near-comprehensive Absolute Best Prime Day Deals featuring all the best deals we’ve found, with frequent updates to keep the deals coming.

Balanced Beauty

The QM6K (8/10, WIRED Recommends) doesn’t load up the brightness to the Nth degree like some competitors, but contrary to what you might conclude from the current TV brightness bonanza, it isn’t everything. While the QM6K has enough punch to properly light up HDR scenes for some sparkling pizazz, it balances its brightness with excellent black levels for impactful contrast with very little haloing or light bloom, matched by rich and natural colors that draw you into your favorite TV and movie scenes.

Maybe just as impressive is the QM6K’s screen uniformity. The screen is remarkably clear and free of aberrations for an LED TV at this price, besting most similar models we’ve tested. It adds solid off-angle viewing for balanced performance that holds up well in a variety of viewing conditions.

As part of TCL’s Precise Dimming Series, the QM6K’s picture upgrades stem from the brand’s new secret-sauce picture innovations like a new LED chip for improved brightness and efficiency, and advanced mini LED backlighting with improved dimming control and reduced “optical distance” between the backlight and the LCD panel. That may sound like marketing speak, but in this case, the proof is truly in the performance.

Along with a great viewing experience for the money, the QM6K adds plenty of extras, including gaming features like a 144-Hz refresh rate with select PCs, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and low-lag input response. Like other TCL models before it, the TV adds support for all major HDR formats, and a swift and accessible Google TV interface that makes setup and control easy and intutive.

We already dug this TV for around $700 for the 65-inch version, but at this price, it’s a steal that’s well worth adding to your cart.

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At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked this year, company president TM Roh took the stage in Brooklyn, NY, to tout the transformative nature Galaxy AI. The presentation talked about how Samsung’s AI tech customizes information and systems to become your personal companion. It gives you morning briefs, synthesizes your health information and can integrate across different form factors, like foldables, VR and wearables. 

I am an active user of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 phone, but I’ve never once seen any of Samsung’s Galaxy AI features surface in my daily use. And it’s not like I’m not looking out for this stuff, I’m literally an AI reporter at CNET. So what am I missing?

Part of the reason I never notice Galaxy AI is that it’s hampered by the defaults of Google’s open source Android operating system. Unlike Apple, Samsung doesn’t control the software running on its devices. Instead, it uses Android. 

Samsung and other smartphone makers can add their own software features on top of Android. Google, however, doesn’t allow Android partners to completely delete Google’s included apps. So, if partners want their own interpretations of a calling app or text messaging app, it has to live alongside Google’s versions. 

Years ago Samsung did attempt to launch its own mobile operating system called Tizen, but, like with Windows Phone and other mobile operating systems, getting app developers on board proved challenging.

Where’s my AI, Samsung?

I have yet to see any of the AI features Samsung touts. Apart from Samsung’s daily brief there’s a host of editing features, including audio eraser for clearer audio, auto trim for video editing and generative edit, which lets you use AI to retouch images. On Samsung’s Galaxy AI website, the company says there’s call transcript, writing assist and interpreter features. 

I’m personally not a big photo bug, so I don’t spend too much time snapping pics and setting aside time to edit photos for Instagram. So, being blind to these features is on me.

But I am reporter, so the transcript and interpreter features are particularly handy. Well, they should be if I’d ever seen them. I jumped on an impromptu call with my co-worker Corin Cesaric to test if these transcript features would activate. They didn’t. 

I went into the settings to double-check if any of the AI features were enabled. Apart from Note Assist, all of them were turned on in the settings. The problem was perplexing. Turns out, it comes down to which apps you set as default when setting up your device.

It’s all about defaults

To get Samsung’s AI features, you have to use Samsung’s apps. But when I first set up my phone, I guess I clicked the box for Google’s suite of apps, maybe because I was coming from a Google Pixel device. For example, there’s separate versions of the phone, messages and photo apps, one from Google and one from Samsung. The Samsung Messages app wasn’t even installed on my device as Samsung made Google Messages the native app back in 2021. I had to go to the Samsung Store (yes, Samsung has a separate app store on Android) to install it. 

The bicameral nature of Samsung devices running Google’s operating system is to blame for all this confusion. Many Samsung and Google apps have the exact same names, making the issue even more confusing.

I think Google has tacitly acknowledged this division as a problem. Google advertises its Pixel-line of devices as having software that’s embedded deeply with Google DNA, mixing design and AI in ways that just work. If Google wants Samsung and other partners to have that same kind of clean integration, it needs to allow them to have greater control. Otherwise consumers will simply conclude that Samsung, OnePlus or Motorola are to blame. 

Circana has published its May 2025 US sales recap, revealing Elden Ring: Nightreign was the best-selling premium game of the month and the eleventh best-selling game of 2025 to date. FromSoftware’s Elden Ring spin-off was the best-selling game across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

The projected US spend in May 2025 on video game hardware, content, and accessories topped $4.1 billion, up 1% year-on-year. However, year-to-date spending fall 6% behind 2024 at $21.8 billion.

• Total video game sales in May 2025: $4,052m (+1% year-on-year)
• Total video game content/software in May 2025: $3,726m (+2% YoY)
• Total video game hardware sales: $172m (-13% YoY)
• Total video game accessories sales: $154m (-6% YoY)
• Total video game sales in 2025*: $21,838m (-6% YoY)

* year to date

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 re-entered the monthly best-selling titles chart at 12th place, and fifth across PC aggregated storefront tracking. That’s up from 135th place the previous month.

Monopoly Go! once again tops mobile consumer spending, followed by Royal Match and Last War: Survival. Candy Crush Saga, Whiteout Survival, Township, Coin Master, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Evony, and Gossip Harbor: Merge & Story round out the top ten.

Monster Hunter: Wilds remains 2025’s biggest game in the US by dollar sales.

Here are the top 20 best-selling games from the period May 4 to May 31, 2025, data courtesy of Circana:

^ Digital sales on Nintendo platforms not included
^^ Digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox platforms not included

“Comet transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions, collapsing complex workflows into fluid conversations,” the company wrote on its blog Wednesday (July 9).

According to the post, the browser lets users answer questions, and carry out tasks and research from a single interface.

“Tabs that piled up waiting for your return now join one intelligent interface that understands how your mind works,” the company added. “Context-switching between dozens of applications, sites, and interfaces has stolen the focus and flow that bring joy to our work and fuel our curiosity.”

The browser also features an assistant that can conduct browsing sessions while users work, and can do things like compare what a user is reading to something they’ve already read, or help with more practical matters like comparing insurance plans or deciding on investments.

Beginning Wednesday, Comet is available to Perplexity Max subscribers, with plans to roll out invite-only access throughout the summer.

Perplexity Max is the company’s $200-a-month or $2,000-a-year subscription tier, introduced last week.

These products are rolling at a time when Perplexity is seeing double-digit query growth. CEO Aravind Srinivas said last month that the AI startup was handling 780 million queries each month in May, with that figure growing over 20% month over month.

Srinivas said Perplexity expects to keep growing at that pace, with gains driven by the browser and consumers’ weariness with “legacy browsers” such as Google’s Chrome.

PYMNTS looked at some of the challenges facing Google in a report last month, after Bank of America Global Research hosted a bulls and bears debate with more than 200 investors to explore Google’s prospects.

“Overall sentiment on the stock was mixed with concerns ranging from share loss and monetization challenges to Apple’s reaction to the DOJ trial outcome, but we found that there is a strong share of bulls on the stock,” according to a research report shared with PYMNTS.

The bears argued that users are spending more time with AI rivals such as ChatGPT, which could reduce how often people use Google and lead to fewer clicks on Google search results.

The bulls’ case included the fact that Google has superior first-person data thanks to things like Gmail, Maps, Android and others, giving it an edge as foundation AI models commoditize, becoming similar to each other.

Sony’s soundbar lineup for 2025 zigged while most other brands zagged, and the result was one of my favorite all-in-one surround sound systems you can buy. The wild and wonderful Bravia Theater System 6 is a different kind of surround system that borrows from the past while keeping a keen eye on the future of your home theater room. It’s on sale for a killer deal during Prime Day, a rarity for Sony that’s worth jumping on for anyone looking for cinematic thrills. This is one of the best Prime Day soundbar deals we’ve seen this year.

Looking for more deals? Check out our Prime Day Live Blog post, our Best Prime Day TV Deals, and our mega-sized guide for the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals that features all our favorites across products.

A Sweet Sony Soundbar System Sale

The Theater System 6 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) doesn’t look like your average soundbar—it’s more like a hybrid between a soundbar and an HTIB (Home Theater in a Box) from the ’90s. The five-piece system is relatively easy to set up, with all components running through the potent subwoofer that grounds the sound, alongside the thin and surprisingly capable soundbar component. Tall and splashy rear surround speakers plug into a small amplifier, which connects to the rest of the system wirelessly.

Firing things up for the first time, I was immediately impressed with the System 6’s mix of touch and punch, providing excellent detail in the quiet moments and thundering bravado in action scenes. The rear surrounds add crisp and full performance, blending well with the rest of the system for a seamless swirl of 5.1 surround sound.

The System 6 does not offer up-firing speakers for 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, something we’ve come to expect in 2025. That said, it does support both formats for some solid virtualization that adds more spaciousness and overall immersion to the traditional 5.1-channel configuration.

Along with the System 6’s excellent sound, I like how easy it is to adjust and control with Sony’s stable and intuitive Bravia Connect app. You’ll also get a small remote, and thanks to HDMI eARC, you can connect to your TV with an HDMI cable and control volume and power with your TV remote. Newer Bravia TV owners can also control some settings directly from TVs like the fabulous Bravia 8 II OLED (9/10, WIRED Recommends).

For anyone after a major sonic upgrade, you’ll have a hard time finding a system this size with so much cinematic might. Now that it’s on a great deal for Prime Day, dropping that Sony tax, the Bravia Theater System 6 is hard to pass up.

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Steel Hunters, a free-to-play live service shooter developed and published by Wargaming, is being shut down just three months after release.

After releasing on Steam Early Access on April 2, the developer announced yesterday that it’s officially ending support for the multiplayer mech combat game. “You’ve given us so much passion and support but unfortunately we’ve come to the conclusion that continuing development is not sustainable,” reads the statement.

Servers will remain active for 90 days, until around October 8. The team is planning a myriad of activities, including the addition of custom game support, unlocking all characters for players, and a “Farewell Tournament.”

“From the very first days of Alpha you’ve shaped Steel Hunters with your energy creativity and dedication and we’re honored to have had you on this journey,” the statement ends. “We couldn’t have wished for a better community and we’ll miss you all dearly.”

On May 23, the developers announced attendance at Gamescom 2025, which would have entailed meet-ups with the team and news on “what’s next” for Steel Hunters. Before yesterday’s news, the team had released its second battlepass for season 1 of the game on June 9.

The average live service game’s runtime keeps getting shorter

Related:Peak surpasses 4.5M sales within a month

Steel Hunters is one of many examples of live service games having a short lifespan in recent times. After reportedly pouring $200 million into live service shooter Concord, Sony pulled the game from sale within weeks of release late last year, shuttering the studio behind it in the process. In January, Warner Bros. Games announced it would be shutting down free-to-play brawler Multiversus on May 30.

Other projects don’t even get a release to the market. At the start of the year, Sony canceled two first-party live service titles in development at Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio, reportedly cutting contractors at the latter weeks after. This isn’t new—back in December 2023, fellow Sony first-party studio Naughty Dog canceled a multiplayer spinoff based on The Last of Us‘ universe.

Despite all of this, some companies continue to chase the Games as a Service (GAAS) model. In an interview published last week, Sega president and COO Shuji Utsumi said that game companies with “a good record tend to have a strong [global] GAAS business.”

In regards to Sega, while the console and PC standalone business is “getting better,” the publisher and developer is still working on making its GAAS business global. “That’s one of the biggest challenges,” he added.

Related:Ubisoft is still making layoffs after securing $1.25 billion Tencent investment

Steel Hunters‘ shutdown, while unfortunate, may not be a big blow for developer Wargaming. The company still has World of Tanks and World of Warships (both over a decade old) driving revenue for the international company.

I bought the M4 Mac Mini last month after reading CNET laptop expert Joshua Goldman’s review on the tiny machine. I was looking for a computer that would increase my productivity and better organize my workflow. In four weeks of usage, I’ve found it to be the best value for money among Apple’s lineup. For less than $600, you can get a more powerful computer than the $999 MacBook Air. Even better, it’s now selling for $100 off for Amazon Prime Day. As a result, you can buy an M4 Mac Mini for as low as $500. That’s a fantastic deal for work-from-home employees and creatives. 

The M4 Mac Mini, Apple’s smallest computer, is an easy recommendation for me since it’s one of CNET’s picks for the best desktop computers of 2025. It’s also our go-to for the best cheap desktop alternative to a MacBook or iMac. Right now on Amazon, it’s currently discounted by 9%, and Prime members can get an additional $46 off when you apply the on-page coupon. That’s close to the lowest price we’ve seen on this powerful computer.

The M4 Mac Mini has been my best tech investment this year

I’ve been joyfully surprised by M4 Mac Mini’s value proposition and how wonderful it has been to work from a desk for me. As a freelance remote worker, I travel for at least 10 days every month, so I need a portable computer. Based on my lifestyle, I should be recommending the M4 MacBook Air. But it’s the remaining 20 days of the month that I need to work harder than usual to work on new pitches, deliver approved stories, sort admin tasks, coordinate for hardware, research for my work and more. All of this requires immense organization and productivity, and the M4 Mac Mini has helped make my life easier.

The smallest Apple computer doesn’t compromise on power. It features a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB solid-state drive for storage. It’s very powerful for a $599 machine and a bargain at $500. You likely won’t be able to find similar reliability and power on a Windows machine for $500. I’ve tried and failed. And no, I’m not forgetting that the Mac Mini doesn’t come with a display or a mouse and keyboard. 

I paired my M4 Mac Mini with a 27-inch LG UltraGear monitor (currently down to $180) and a Logitech mouse and keyboard combo — all for under $200. The UltraGear’s big screen is quite useful for research and multitasking, as well as watching movies. 

The M4 Mac Mini can be equally excellent for both home office and content creation needs. As CNET’s Goldman wrote in his review, “The Mini can fit in your hand and be everything from an everyday home office computer to a full-on professional content-creation machine — and an easily portable one at that — with support for up to three 6K-resolution displays.” 

My buying recommendation

The M4 Mac Mini was launched in November 2024, and it’s now available at a $100 discount, which is close to the lowest price we’ve seen. The small Apple computer offers a superb value proposition for remote workers and content creators alike. If you’ve been on the fence about getting a PC for home like me, I’d say pick up a M4 Mac Mini and see the difference for yourself.

Want to check out the competition? We’ve rounded up the best desktop computer deals from the likes of HP, Lenovo, Dell and, naturally, Apple. And if this desktop isn’t up to your tastes, you can check out the best laptop deals.