Google is back with a new round of phones, and the Pixel 9 sits at the base of the stack. It features a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, the Pixel 8, and most of them are fairly minor. That may make it a slightly tougher sell when Google has bumped up the starting price by $100, bringing the base model to $799. But it has some extra memory, a new ultra-wide sensor, and access to more AI capabilities that could make it worthwhile for some.

Season 2 of Pachinko premieres August 23 on Apple TV+. The first season of the Apple TV+ drama Pachinko boasted rich storytelling, cinematography, and production design. But in their attempts to adapt as much of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling, multigenerational epic as possible, the first eight episodes of the series often felt overstuffed. Season 2 seems to recognize those shortcomings, and finds its own voice and interpretations by taking creative liberties with its source material that create more plot- and character-driven storylines.

Google’s new phones are here, and the Pixel 9 Pro is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch. It shifts the formula, offering the Pro camera setup and hardware enhancements but keeping them in the more small-hand-friendly form factor of the base Pixel 9. At $999, the Pixel 9 Pro is still a pricier option, but it comes with a number of meaningful upgrades over the base Pixel 9 that will be well worth it for photo fiends.

The fancy folding phone. Foldable phones have been around long enough that they’re no longer just a fun little gimmick that draws stares from across the room. However, now that foldables have proved their staying power, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is trying to turn heads anyway with a design that looks like it’s meant to be in the pocket of a CEO. It may just be the colorway Samsung sent me for review, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6, with its flat edges and aluminum finish, seems to have taken a note from the iPhone 15 Pro.

Approaching perfection. For a short time, Samsung’s QD OLED panels were untouchable. Now, a few years after their debut, LG has refined its WOLED displays to the point where they are nearly as good as Samsung’s top-of-the-line OLED televisions while being slightly less expensive, offering more customization, and removing the baggage that comes with the Tizen operating system. It’s a real fight at the top and LG makes a damn good argument for itself.

Scuf made its name delivering custom controllers with high-end features for competitive gamers and with the Nomad, it brings that design philosophy to mobile. Competing with existing top-picks like the Razer Kishi Ultra and Backbone One, and coming in at only $90, it presents a compelling mix of features that will feel familiar to any previous Scuf user and elevating to newcomers. Running wirelessly over Bluetooth and paired with its excellent supporting app, it’s in contention as one of the best phone controllers for iPhone users available today.

Games about high stakes, globetrotting military operations with the balance of global power at stake are a dime a dozen. But take their automatic weapons and tactical gear and replace them with flying brooms and pointy hats, and now we’re firmly in “things you don’t see everyday” territory. Tactical Breach Wizards’ imaginative setting pairs well with its snappy and witty script. The actual tactics in its main campaign didn’t challenge my brain as often as its jokes tickled my funny bone, but the small encounters kept a brisk and engaging pace that put hours of my time under a magical handkerchief and made it disappear in a blink of an eye.

The Gigabyte Aorus 16X ASG is out to take a bite of the midrange gaming laptop apple. With a price that extends from $1,349 to $1,799 depending on your configuration, it makes big promises on performance and cooling. Packing a high-performance 14th-gen Intel processor, an RTX 4060 or 4070 graphics card, and a high-res, high refresh rate, Dolby Vision screen, it’s specced to deliver. And for the most part, it does, but be prepared to grab a gaming headset to contend with its fans.

While many folks are currently out exploring the beaches and tropical forests of Tural in Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, Dawntrail, other folks have been able to dip their toes into and explore the world of Eorzea on their tabletop, thanks to Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG (referred to simply as FF14 going forward). To level set expectations, I want to make clear that this Starter Set offers a narrow look at only a small aspect of the experience that this RPG system features – how combat works and the narrative flow (i.