MySpace turns 20: 5 things we still miss in the age of Twitter's meltdown

MySpace launched exactly 20 years ago today – so if you remember the pre-Facebook beast of social networks, it's time to join us for a celebration of its charms and idiosyncrasies. 

As we survey the charred remains of Twitter, it's easy to forget just how massive MySpace was in the early 2000s. Soon after launching on August 1, 2003, MySpace overtook Google and Yahoo Mail in 2006 to become America's most visited website, according to Hitwise data. For the rest of that decade, it was the world's biggest social networking site.

So what went wrong? A combination of being acquired by News Corp – who filled MySpace new features and ads – plus the rise of Facebook, meant that the 'place for friends' quickly became slightly embarrassing joke. After a relaunch in 2012 that saw it try to be too many things, MySpace went on a slide that ultimately saw it become the niche music website it is today.

(Image credit: 360b / Shutterstock)

But that doesn't mean we've forgotten the site's early years. Not everyone on the TechRadar team looks back on those early MySpace years fondly, with our US editor in chief Lance Ulanoff recalling that it "it was like peoples' brains had been turned inside out and whatever didn't stick, dropped onto the page and was represented as a GIF".

Many of us do, though, remember picking our Top 8s (the site's weird ranking system for your friends) and decorating our MySpace pages with as many flashing lights as possible. So here are the five main things we miss about the original social network...

1. It was a place for genuine musical connection

MySpace was the best (and for a while, the only) way to feel close to bands I loved.

The year is 2006. Facebook has launched, but that is for ogling the current miens of historic crushes, shallow and impersonal ‘pokes’ plus the deflection of Scrabble requests from people you’re now glad you never dated in high school.

MySpace is not about silly visages and it isn’t about geographical locations (I was trotting around the world having quite the career as a professional dancer thanks very much, but MySpace wasn’t about me). No, MySpace is a place to look out – at bands expressing themselves on a much deeper level about musical influences, pride at upcoming tour dates and crucially, album launches. In the pre-Twitter era, it felt so personal and real.

(Image credit: MySpace)

I felt like I understood what each of Patrick Watson’s gifted Montreal-based musicians brought to Close to Paradise, the potentially difficult second album which only went and won the 2007 Polaris Music Prize, beating Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible to do so. I celebrated the win in my small London flat, thousands of miles away from the Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto.

And I think for a while, only MySpace made this possible.

Becky Scarrott, Senior Audio Staff Writer

2. MySpace made me feel like I was popular

Before Tinder, Bumble, Happn, Hinge and all the rest, there was… MySpace? Well, sort of. 

When the social network crashed onto our computer screens 20 years ago, smartphones weren’t a thing, so dating apps didn’t exist. There were dating sites, sure, but the late-twenties-me would never have considered signing up for one. 

Of course, I didn’t painstakingly craft my MySpace profile with romance in mind, either. Far from it. When MySpace arrived, I was working as a music journalist and it was the platform’s possibilities as a showcase for new talent that most excited me and my colleagues. Arctic Monkeys famously got their big break via demos uploaded to a MySpace fan page, and I spent many hours trawling the site for the next big thing.

(Image credit: Future)

I also spent many hours chatting to people on it when I should have been working – and that was solely because this newfangled social media thing made it possible for a socially awkward individual like me to actually make friends (in a sense).

I had help here: my workmates were all far cooler and more sociable than me, so it was very easy for me to garner huge numbers of Connections simply by piggybacking on their popularity. And in no time at all, I was the king of social media! The popular kid I’d always wanted to be at school! Look, I’ve got 200 friends on MySpace! Take that, school bullies!

The high, for me, was also the low. I got chatting to a friend of a friend of a friend, we hit it off and, somehow, we agreed to go on a date. Obviously this was a bad idea, because chatting to someone online is not the same as talking to them in real life, particularly for a socially awkward individual like me. The date was a disaster and I never tried that again. I still liked pretending I had hundreds of friends, though.

Marc McLaren, UK Editor in Chief 

3. It actually taught me to code

MySpace was my first interaction with a social media site. Outside of online chat rooms, like MSN Messenger, it offered a space on the web that you could own – much like a blog page. 

I was encouraged to sign-up for it in school by friends and, caving under the pressure, made a profile. Much like Messenger, where it was ‘kewl’ (why did we all type like this?) to use the plugin that showed what music you were listening to, MySpace also had a dedicated music player. It was a space for self expression, which meant that changing the style of your profile page with HTML and CSS became a big part of it.

(Image credit: Codecademy)

This was the early 2000s, when I didn’t know a lot about Web 1.0 or coding, and I wasn’t going to buy a MySpace layout, so I eventually worked out the basic prompts needed to hide my top eight friends as well as to add in some funky widgets that made my comments become visible again using JavaScript or Flash. 

I’m probably guilty for all the bugs that were on the site back then – sorry, Tom!

Amelia Schwanke, Senior Editor for Home Entertainment     

4. It was my favorite internet echo chamber

Many people, my colleagues included, remember discovering great bands and exciting new music on MySpace. But for me, my memories of MySpace is one of echo chambers and tribalism, albeit with a degree of fondness.

I was 15 years old, deep in a phase of palatable punk-rock, wallet chains and baggy jeans. All my friends were of a similar disposition: skateboarding, playing in local bands, and using MySpace to chat online outside of school. Via the magic of HTML and MySpace’s feature that allowed you to play a song automatically when you visited a page, scrolling through my top friends on MySpace would have assaulted your ears with a variety of alternative classics from Sum 41, Iron Maiden, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Korn… you get the picture. A mixed bag of sub-genres you could today throw into a Spotify playlist titled simply ‘rock’.

Our school was split right down the middle: the alternative kids took MySpace, the sporty kids who listened to pop chose Bebo, and never the twain shall meet. Rather than using MySpace as a tool to discover new music, it was a safe space to express our fondness for the music we already knew and loved. I remember MySpace fondly as my first ‘virtual hangout’ space, a village hall tailored to the interests of myself and my friends.

(Image credit: MySpace)

I switched to Facebook after all my friends did the same, and was disappointed at the lack of personality I was able to inject into the look and feel of my Facebook page. Where were my poorly-animated flames? The auto-playing music? Where was Tom? 

I didn’t know it then, but that was the start of my experience with the Corporate Internet, a move away from spending my time online with MySpace, HTML and link-surfing through the old Blogosphere, and more time spent in boxes set up by billionaires scraping our data for advertisements. When I remember MySpace, I remember the internet’s halcyon days, the advent of social networking, and sticking it to the man, Jack Black-style. Rock on, dudes. 

Matt Evans – Fitness, Wellness and Wearables Editor

5. It was the last age of social media innocence

It's hard to say exactly when social media became the performative, carefully stage-managed PR campaign that it is today, but MySpace reminds me of the innocent time before mass pile-ons and billionaire acquisitions. It was a bit like discovering your first favorite dive bar, before an inevitable takeover turned it into another sterile chain covered in fake graffiti.   

Before TheFacebook.com had escaped Harvard, MySpace was home to the photo albums that the unsuspecting pioneers of the early noughties would later look back on with fondness and, perhaps, more than a little regret.

(Image credit: BBC / Myspace)

A case in point are the accounts and grainy photos from some today's biggest Premier League soccer players, which have resurfaced to provide some excellent WhatsApp ammunition for their fellow team-mates. The cruise album above from what appears to be soccer player Harry Kane is a particularly fine example.

Still, the good news for anyone who uploaded some slightly embarrassing songs, photos or videos to MySpace before 2015 is that they've probably all disappeared – back in 2019, the social networking site blamed a faulty server migration for the permanent loss of 200TB of data from its first decade of existence. Cue a collective sigh of relief from everyone who'd forgotten all about their early MySpace adventures. 

Mark Wilson, Senior news editor

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Samsung didn't put an S Pen inside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for a very relatable reason

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 could have included an S Pen. No, not the one currently offered on the optional case, but inside the body of Samsung's largest and most productive foldable. This isn't guesswork, Samsung's design team considered it, going so far as to create an aluminum mockup with the integrated S Pen. I saw it, touched it, and even popped the S Pen out.

Samsung however, chose a different path. In fact, the road to the current Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 was full of such design considerations, something I learned when I (along with an invited collection of international journalists) sat down during Samsung UnPacked last week with the company's mobile design team at Samsung Headquarters in Suwan, South Korea.

The full expression of Samsung's foldable line was developed and influenced not just by last year's model or even the most recent Samsung Galaxy S23 line. 

Choose your aspect ratio. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

According to the man who worked on every Samsung smartphone since 2000, Samsung Head of Foldable Smartphone Design Tae-joong Kim (also known as "The Master" by his colleagues), the new foldables are influenced by everything from the company's first dual-screen folding phone to the thin Ultra Edition 5.9 and Armani Phone, both launched in 2007. The latter was the first collaboration with a third-party design company.

For its latest Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, the team went through countless prototypes and showed us many of them in their mock design studio.

Along with the pen, Samsung considered a wide variety of aspect ratios for the Z Fold 5, including some that made the cover screen look considerably wider and, yes, more like a Google Pixel Fold.

Some foldable mockups that show the potential impact of different cover screen aspect ratios. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Samsung's design team stuck with the relatively narrow form factor because they believe it offers the best "usability and grip and portability."

That Samsung looked into those other ratios makes me wonder if we'll see a change in the not-too-distant future. When Samsung was the only big-name foldable game in town, it could afford to tell consumers what their foldable experience should be like. Now, though, consumers have seen the well-reviewed Pixel Fold and Samsung may have to take a second look at those aspect ratio studies when it comes time to design the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Image 1 of 2

See? There's an S Pen in this mockup. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Image 2 of 2

These foldables, including the S Pen one on the left, look real, but they're just pretty blocks of metal. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Still, the potential inclusion of the S Pen really intrigued me. Based on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, we know Samsung can easily integrate the pen into the body of a not-too-thick smartphone. Plus, as I mentioned to Samsung Head of MX Design Hubert Lee, Samsung should consider including an S Pen in the $1,799.99 / £1,749 price of the Z Fold 5. After all, few people have adopted foldables, and even fewer understand the productivity potential of the Z Fold 5.

What better way to educate consumers than to have early adopters all running around with an S Pen that they pop out of the phone or off the case and use to draw, take notes, or markup a document on the Main unfolded screen? I don't want to speak for Lee, but he didn't dismiss my idea and his assistant appeared to take notes.

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The designers at work in Samsung's mock design studio. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Image 2 of 6

This guy spent a lot of time on the Z Fold 5 camera array. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

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Samsung spends a lot of time considering colors and materials for everything from the face plates to the hinge covers. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

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Z Fold 5 color considerations. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

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Some Z Fold 5 body design work. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

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Some credos from Samsung's walls. Words to live and design by. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Oh, but what a wonder it would be to have a Z Fold 6 that offers an embedded pen.

When I asked why Samsung didn't go ahead with that idea this time, Lee told me, "There's a lot to consider. You can't just stick a pen in there. If you stick in a pen in there are other cost consequences. For now, we decided not to have the pen in the Fold."

Those consequences are probably the weight, thickness, and battery life of the device. All would change with a pen tunneled into the body. The phone might get thicker, it could be a little heavier, and you'd definitely lose some battery capacity. The last bit is especially concerning because the current Z Fold 5 has the same battery capacity and life as the last model. It really can't afford to lose a few hours of performance to an integrated S Pen.

As Samsung EVP and head of R+D office Won-Joon Choi told us later, when developing these products, "every millimeter, every gram matters."

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The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could be virtually bezel-free

As smartphones become more advanced and more expensive, one change we’ve seen is the bezels becoming ever smaller, and with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max we might see them almost disappear completely.

This is according to Mark Gurman, a journalist and leaker with a great track record, writing in his latest Bloomberg Power On newsletter, in which he claims that these upcoming phones will have a bezel that's just 1.5mm thick. That’s down from roughly 2.2mm on current iPhones, so while we’re only talking about a reduction of around 0.7mm, that still knocks a third off of their total size.

This is apparently thanks to a new display technology, with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screens reportedly being made using low-injection pressure over-molding, also known as LIPO.

It’s a process that Apple has already been using on the last couple of generations of the best Apple Watches, specifically the Apple Watch 7 and Apple Watch 8, in order to allow for a larger display within the same footprint, and according to Gurman this tech will eventually be used for iPads as well.

It’s worth noting that while shrinking the bezels could allow for a slightly larger screen in the same space (as it has done on the Apple Watch), we’re not expecting the screen sizes to change on the iPhone 15 line, so the iPhone 15 Pro will probably be 6.1 inches, just like its predecessor, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max will likely be 6.7 inches.

What this might instead mean then is that the phones could be marginally physically smaller, and they would likely also look slightly more high-end, as they'll have almost no perceptible bezel.

This would be just a stepping stone though, with Gurman claiming that Apple's dream is to deliver a truly all-screen iPhone, with no bezels at all, and no cutouts for the front-facing camera and Face ID (instead they'd be hidden under the screen). It's a dream that's likely shared by most other smartphone manufacturers too.

Beyond the bezels

Gurman didn’t stop with talk of bezels, but the other details in his newsletter were largely things we’ve heard before.

For the Pro models, these details include a titanium frame, more rounded edges, a customizable action button in place of a mute switch, major rear camera upgrades, and a powerful new chipset.

In the case of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, Gurman points to a Dynamic Island being added in place of a notch, “major camera improvements” (which based on other leaks will likely include a new 48MP main sensor), and the inclusion of the A16 Bionic chipset currently found in the iPhone 14 Pro models.

All four phones are said to have a USB-C port, and Gurman also touches on pricing, saying to look out for “at least minor price increases” for all four models outside the US, with at least the Pro models probably getting a price increase in the US too.

As ever, we’ll take all these claims with a pinch of salt, but this is all largely in line with what we’ve heard previously, and it comes from a reputable source. We’ll know for sure soon though, as the batch of contenders for a place in our best iPhone round-up are likely to land in September.

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Sonic Superstars release date, gameplay, and everything we know

Sonic Superstars looks set to continue where the Genesis games of the 90s left off. It's being conceived as a new style for the side-scrolling part of the series, which will go on to run alongside the mainline 3D games. 

From what we've seen so far, the style of Sonic Superstars is similar to that of the 2.5D sections of games like Sonic Forces and Sonic Generations. And while the game technically has a 3D art style, it definitely harks back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog games. There are even four playable characters to enjoy, as well as the return of a fan-favorite villain.

Here's everything we know about Sonic Superstars so far, including a look at gameplay, playable characters, latest news, and trailers. As new details are revealed, this page will be updated. For now, Sonic Superstars might just be one of the most-anticipated upcoming games on the horizon, especially where platforms are concerned.

Sonic Superstars - Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new side-scrolling Sonic game based on the games of the 1990s
• When does it come out? Late 2023
• What can I play it on? PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
• Who is making it? Sonic Team, Arzest

Sonic Superstars release date and platforms

(Image credit: Team Sonic)

Unfortunately, there is no Sonic Superstars release date to mark in the calendars yet. We do know that it is set to arrive in 'Late 2023' but further details have yet to be revealed. In terms of platforms, Sonic Superstars will launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. We'll be sure to update this page once we hear more, but given the current release window, it should be sooner rather than later.

Sonic Superstars trailers

The latest full Sonic Superstars trailer we have received is the announcement trailer. This sets the scene for what to expect from a brand-new side-scrolling Sonic game. Check it out below:

We've included some more trailers for Sonic Superstars throughout this article. If you're looking for more, including some excellent developer interviews related to Sonic Superstars, head on over to the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel.

Sonic Superstars gameplay

So far, we've seen a fair bit of gameplay for Sonic Superstars, and it looks to be a great evolution from the original Sonic The Hedgehog games. It's a 3D art style that takes place on a 2D plane. You'll visit 12 Zones featuring classic side-scrolling gameplay.

In terms of characters, so far we know about Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Eggman, Fang, Trip, and Amy. Of those, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are playable, each with a distinctive play style. There are seven Chaos emeralds to collect across the acts, which are directly tied to the game's powers.

Sonic Superstars story and setting

(Image credit: Sega)

Sonic Superstars takes place on North Star Islands, where Eggman has sent Fang the Bounty Hunter to cause trouble. Sonic and friends must stop him from wreaking havoc, by collecting Chaos Emeralds and defeating him and his allies. Eggman has a new ally in the form of Trip, an armored character that has yet to be fully revealed in terms of how they tie into the story. This all looks set to be your standard Sonic story, with Amy, Tails, and Knuckles all tagging along for the ride.

Sonic Superstars latest news

All Chaos Emerald powers revealed in GameInformer interview
In an interview with GameInformer, Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka detailed the powers that you can expect to use in Sonic Superstars. Check out the full interview for more details.

That's everything we know about Sonic Superstars so far. For more on other games coming to Nintendo Switch in the future, check out our new Switch games list.

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The Samsung Galaxy Ring could go into production as soon as next month

With the dust beginning to settle from the huge Samsung Unpacked 2023 event, we can turn our attention towards what Samsung might have planned next: and a smart ring seems to be in the company's near future.

As per a report from South Korean outlet The Elec (via SamMobile), mass production on a Samsung Galaxy Ring could begin as early as August, with a decision imminent on the schedule for getting the wearable manufactured and out to consumers.

A full launch is slated for some point during 2024 though, rather than 2023. The nature of the device means that it'll need to clear several regulatory hurdles before it can go on sale and start tracking various vital statistics.

An early 2024 launch would put the Galaxy Ring on a similar schedule to the Samsung Galaxy S24 – and it would therefore make sense to launch both gadgets at the same time, perhaps in January or February if Samsung follows its 2023 routine.

The story so far

Rumors around a Samsung Galaxy Ring have been swirling since at least last year, when a Samsung patent emerged pointing towards some kind of smart ring from the company: one that would measure everything from steps to heart rate.

After the patent came the trademark filing earlier this year, mentioning the Galaxy Ring by name and describing it as a smart device "for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of ring" (forgive the translation from Korean).

Then the speculation went up another notch earlier this month, with news of Galaxy Ring prototypes that have apparently been tested. As we reported at the time, the prototypes were at an advanced stage and were being judged on their stability.

All of these signs point in the same direction and suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Ring is going to be here sooner rather than later. Right now the third-generation Oura is perhaps the most well-known smart ring, and it gives you an idea of what the Galaxy Ring might do.

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Quordle today - hints and answers for Monday, July 31 (game #553)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #553 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 11.

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #553) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• C

• S

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #553) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #553, are…

• SQUAT
• CHOSE
• SNORT
• THERE

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #553) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #553, are…

• TEASE
• CARRY
• PENNY
• DEBUT

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #552, Sunday 30 July: SHAWL, WRITE, ALONG, DEMON
• Quordle #551, Saturday 29 July: VALUE, ALONG, ALIVE, LEAST
• Quordle #550, Friday 28 July: TOTEM, BASAL, PULSE, COUCH
• Quordle #549, Thursday 27 July: EVADE, SPICE, FLOAT, ALIGN
• Quordle #548, Wednesday 26 July: INDEX, TAKER, CURVE, PEACH
• Quordle #547, Tuesday 25 July: HAIRY, ROWDY, QUARK, LIMIT
• Quordle #546, Monday 24 July: STUFF, HIPPO, LIVER, BLINK
• Quordle #545, Sunday 23 July: ENTRY, GIDDY, STAMP, VOMIT
• Quordle #544, Saturday 22 July: BEFIT, JIFFY, ARENA, TOUCH
• Quordle #543, Friday 21 July: ROUND, TEPID, LIVER, IRATE
• Quordle #542, Thursday 20 July: ENTER, TRULY, USUAL, CIVIL
• Quordle #541, Wednesday 19 July: WORST, KAYAK, HENCE, ZEBRA
• Quordle #540, Tuesday 18 July: DEBUT, HOARD, SILLY, UPPER
• Quordle #539, Monday 17 July: LUPUS, ALIVE, SALLY, ABLED
• Quordle #538, Sunday 16 July: STEAM, SALTY, SLOOP, TRUSS
• Quordle #537, Saturday 15 July: CYCLE, FALSE, FRILL, HEAVY
• Quordle #536, Friday 14 July: LIBEL, CABLE, WREAK, SCOPE
• Quordle #535, Thursday 13 July: BASTE, QUERY, SNAIL, PEARL
• Quordle #534, Wednesday 12 July: VOICE, MANGA, FROTH, BLOAT
• Quordle #533, Tuesday 11 July: MODEL, AISLE, LIMBO, TULLE

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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Assassin's Creed Mirage will only take around 25-30 hours to complete

Depending upon your viewpoint, we have good news or bad: Assassin's Creed Mirage will take around 20 hours to complete.

For some, this will be welcomed news, allowing people to dive headfirst into an Assassin's Creed adventure, knowing they won't have to dedicate months of their free time to get to the end.

This will be disappointing for others, though, as Assassin's Creed games have traditionally offered a lot of bang for their buck and provided hundreds of hours of entertainment. 

According to lead producer Fabian Salomon, however, who spoke to YouTuber Julien Chièze earlier this week, the upcoming Assassin's Creed adventure can be completed in 20 hours if players rush through, and around 30 hours for players who take their time and complete every mission.

"Given that we do a lot of playtesting internally at Ubisoft, it's part of our process, we really want to get as close as possible to the players, so we'll say that the latest playtimes we've received average at around 20-23 hours," Salomon said, as translated by PCGN.

"That can go up to 25-30 hours for the completionists, and we'll say that those who will be rushing the game will be around 20 hours."

Given prior instalments like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Odyssey roughly take around 60 hours to get through the main campaign – and double that if you commit to completing all the side missions and extra collectibles, too – that means Mirage will be around a fifth of the length of its predecessors.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is finally sending the series back to its roots with classic traversal and poses that look like something straight out of the first Assassin's Creed title. 

ICYMI, rumor has it Ubisoft is rebooting Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag. According to recent reports, Ubisoft's remake of the 2013 sea-shanty smasher is "still in its earliest stages" but reportedly involves the team based at Ubisoft Singapore. 

If true, it's an interesting decision, not least because Ubisoft is also set to debut another all-new swashbuckling franchise, Skull and Bones. Yes, the pirate adventure was recently delayed once again, but it's nonetheless set to release sometime in 2023-2024 – which may give Ubisoft the litmus test it needs to assess the appetite for the Black Flag reboot. 

The best Assassin’s Creed games often offer it all: A hero you can’t help but root for, oodles of intrigue, a beautiful part of the world to explore, and some of the best stealth and RPG combat up for grabs. Here are our picks of the best Assassin’s Creed games: every series entry ranked. Where does your favorite Assassin's Creed tale rank?

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Diablo 4 Sorcerer and Barbarian buffs are coming, says Blizzard

Blizzard has confirmed that buffs for Diablo 4's Sorcerers and Barbarians are on the way.

In yet another fireside chat with senior members of the Diablo 4 development team - associate game director Joe Piepiora, lead class designer, Adam Jackson, director Joe Shely, and associate director of community management, Adam Fletcher - the group addressed the most pressing issues arising from Patch 1.1.0, and revealed what changes players should expect when Patch 1.1.1. rolls out on August 8.

Front and center were changes to Diablo 4's classes. While the team says no class will go unloved, players maining Sorcerers and Barbarians should expect to see the biggest improvements after big nerfs adversely affected the strength and resilience of those classes.

"We want to kind of improve the effectiveness and fun of the Sorcerer and Barbarian," lead class designer Adam Jackson explained in the presentation. "Our goal is to find a way – and we're working on it right now – for all those different ways of dealing damage to have a lot of parity."

When Patch 1.1.1 is deployed, Sorcerers should find it easier to survive in late-game activities with the removal of some detrimental item effects, and Barbarians will get more Fury to invest in their skills. We can expect positive changes to their Unique items, too.

A new stash tab is also on the way, along with the ability to stack up to 99 Elixir. You'll also find it cheaper to respec, too, as the costs will be coming down around 40 per cent. There'll also be improvements to the range and reliability of the Legendary drops you get after level 35.

Other changes are also on the way, but Blizzard says it needs more time to work on things like the Necromancer minion builds, so expect those changes in further down the line (thanks, PC Gamer).

Diablo 4's Season of the Malignant started on July 20, offering new threats, a self-contained story, and brand-new ways to customize your wanderer. When you encounter an elite monster in Season of the Malignant, there's a chance that a malignant version of that monster will also spawn, complete with scary new powers and weird tentacle things. 

Still not sure if Diablo 4 is worth your time?

"Perhaps Diablo 4’s most adventurous quality is the move towards an open world in the 'modern' sense," we wrote in our Diablo 4 review.

"What could have been a featureless, bland expanse is, instead, a delight. Brimming with intrigue and danger, the open world of Sanctuary fits the Diablo formula like a glove, providing the space in which the game’s macabre aesthetic and bold mechanical design cohere beautifully."

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Path of Exile 2 is now a full standalone game with a closed beta planned for June 2024

Highly-anticipated sequel Path of Exile 2 has been delayed.

Whilst the action-RPG had been expected sometime later this year, developer Grinding Gear Games has now confirmed that the game won't even be ready for closed beta testing until June 2024.

Asked by Eurogamer why the project and its original beta test had to be delayed, director Jonathan Rogers said, "It's a lot of things. I, more than anyone, was hoping for a 2023 beta date as well. We honestly were extremely naive to think that we were going to hit the dates that we previously had."

To sweeten the news, the team did confirm that Path of Exile 2 – which started out as an expansion for Path of Exile before breaking away to become a separate, standalone game – will offer closed beta testing from June 7, 2024, and testing will "last months, for sure".

"And in terms of what [the beta testing] will be: it will be the game, the whole game. It's not just going to be 'oh here's the first act' or anything like that - it's going to be the game.

"The beta will be the last chance we have to fix any remaining balance mistakes," he added. "Action-RPG communities are pretty serious business when it comes to balance changes once the game is released - you have to be really careful about that stuff. So we want to have a pretty significant beta to make sure that we're not going to screw any of this stuff up."

As Cat recently summarized for us, reminiscent of Diablo 4, Path of Exile offers a more granular experience than its counterpart from Blizzard Entertainment. 

Though clearly in the realm of dark fantasy, Path of Exile 2 distinguishes itself from Diablo 4's distinctive art style by focusing on eldrich horror plucked right out of H. P. Lovecraft rather than the more biblical motifs of Diablo. 

But if Grinding Gear Games succeeds in meaningfully iterating on the genre's staples, its upcoming title could well earn a place amongst the best RPGs of recent years. 

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This man knows why the Galaxy Z Fold 5 isn't full of big changes – and it actually makes sense

The smartphone you hold in your hand is the result of an endless series of choices. It's the answers to questions about design, function, pre-installed applications, new features, and old ones. It's all the stuff that adds up  your experience, the customer experience.

If there's a single person focused on what it's like to use, say, a new Samsung Galaxy Z fold 5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, it's Patrick Shomet, Samsung's VP and Head of Customer Experience. 

Shomet, who sat down with me at Samsung Unpacked in South Korea, focuses on product design and feature experiences as well as the choice of features, apps, and partnerships that help make them.

"We pride ourselves on saying, 'I want the best music.' So we need to work with Daniel Ek at Spotify," said Shomet.

Working closely with design and product teams. Shomet helps define products and manage key partnerships like the one with Google. Even though Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones competes with Google's Pixel line, the two companies have thousands of employees working together.

Plus, as two very large companies, it's fairly easy to keep apart the parts that shouldn't be talking. 

"We happily compete," smiled Shomet, "We call it co-competition."

Competition vs. Rationalization

Patrick Shomet works closely with design to realize customer desires. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

But that competition has sometimes led to confusion. Many Android partners, like Samsung, produce duplicate core apps for, say, Messaging, Web Browsing, Photos, and Email. How does allowing those things to continue  the relationship and "co-competition"?

"10-to-15 years ago, Android was the core OS for a lot of OEMs, and it's fair to say many OEMs were seeking to reproduce every app to differentiate," Shomet told me. "That phase is gone," he said, "Differentiation is not being different, differentiation is being better."

1There is an abundance of great ideas but "much more than the customer can understand or marketing can market," he said.

Samsung now focuses, said Shomet, on assets where they have something customers want. "In the future, we will see more rationalization." He pointed to examples like Chrome now being the default browser on US devices, and the integration of RCS in messaging, a charge Shomet personally led.

That said, there will still be cases where Samsung and Google both have something. All Samsung Galaxy phones currently ship with both Google Assistant and Bixby. Shomet said that if you have more Samsung devices, you'll get more out of Bixby and if you have more Google smart devices, the Assistant might be your choice. In other words, there's reason for them to coexist on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Serial killer

Shomet knows when to say, "no." (Image credit: Future)

Shomet's job involves identifying the right features or partners to bring in, but also what to leave out.

"I have a funny job here," said Shomet. "Sometimes I'm called the 'serial killer'. My core innovation is mostly killing," laughed Shomet. However, it's an important role. There is an abundance of great ideas but "much more than the customer can understand or marketing can market," he said.

Shomet focuses on what's meaningful to people, which is easy if you follow what they've been doing.

Many of the choices Samsung makes or Shomet guides it to make are based on anonymized customer telemetry, which is gathered through Samsung account holder usage data. 

They know, for instance, that Samsung users use Samsung Notes on their Galaxy phones, so Samsung invests in that. Similarly, Samsung account holders are big Samsung Smart Thing users, so there's an investment in that.

When not to change

I wondered though how Samsung and Shomet's interpretation of user needs synced with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and its dearth of changes as compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. I offered Shomet my theory, that the foldable market is so small that, for most people, the category is entirely new. Why race ahead of customer needs you don't yet even understand?

"You're spot on," said Shomet, adding, "Most people, you are right, will be new users so they look at this thing in its own right."

Shomet also defended the lack of feature updates, explaining that what Samsugn did do was based on customer requests.

"The feedback from existing Fold users is that there are no issues, an amazing device, we love it, 'please guys keep doing it.' Second, “Can you make it thinner and lighter?” which we did. Third, 'Can you improve speed?' which we did with CPU."

There were also requests around productivity and software, which have seen some usability updates.

"We need to change what needs to be changed," he said.

Following an innovation path

Shomet, though, wanted to make it clear that the product teams are not simply picking and choosing new directions with each product iteration. The arc of vertical Samsung product development is long and, it seems, crystal clear.

There is for each Samsung product category a mid-to-long-term identity and direction, said Shomet, who outlined the key identities for each of Samsung's current core categories:

• Galaxy Buds: perfect fit and intelligent audio
• Galaxy Watch: fashion, health, and sleep
• Galaxy Z Fold Fold: productivity and big-screen viewing
• Galaxy Z Flip: fashion and personalization

"We invest in a very clear product direction, so it's not 'sleep this year' and something else next. We do not change identity every year, which makes it easier for people to say, 'In which direction should I innovate?'" explained Shomet.

Sometimes, the innovation is not quite ready or comes slowly. Shomet held up the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 and said "For five years, I wanted this."

However, what Shomet envisioned wasn't a foldable device, it was an ultra-compact, square, single-screen phone. Shomet acknowledges that they didn't do it because it didn't work as a product.

"Three years later we have that concept of the compact device. When the technology is ready, it becomes meaningful," said Shomet who held up the Flip 5 again and smiled, " I feel vindicated, I told you we need a compact device."

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Apple patent points to a modular MacBook future – and a record player

Patent applications often give us an interesting window into what a company is plotting, and a new Apple MacBook one just came to light: it shows off a computing device that can have different elements (like a keyboard) connected to it magnetically.

The patent (via Gizmodo) describes the device, which "can be reconfigurable to include one or more electrical devices in various configurations" – and displays and keyboards are specifically mentioned and shown in the accompanying diagrams.

It puts us in mind of the Framework DIY laptop in terms of modular laptops, though Apple's plans look substantially different. The patent was first applied for a couple of years ago, though it was only approved earlier this week.

As always with patents, this isn't a guarantee that a modular MacBook is ever going to appear – it just shows that Apple's engineers are thinking about ways in which they could innovate with the design and functionality of its laptops.

One potential use for the new system (Image credit: USPTO / Apple)

Vinyl vibrations

As AppleInsider points out, Microsoft applied for a similar set of patents ahead of launching the Surface series of products. It's possible that Apple is thinking of blurring the line between laptops and tablets even further.

While there are no 2-in-1 MacBooks right now, the steady evolution of iPadOS has meant it's now more like a desktop operating system than ever. We might soon see something like the Surface Pro 9 from Apple.

Interestingly, one of the diagrams included with the patent shows a record turntable in front of a display, as one of the possible attachments. Music producers or DJs could use the setup, complete with a touchscreen display, Apple suggests.

Whether or not Apple is going to bring out an LP player of its own remains to be seen, but it shows off the versatility of the system being proposed. For now, watch this space: any device like this is probably still several years away.

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Pixel Watch 2 faces leak out early ahead of Google's next smartwatch launch

We're expecting the Google Pixel Watch 2 to appear in the not-too-distant future, and the leak of new watch faces for the wearable would seem to suggest that the device is indeed about to be unveiled.

These watch faces come courtesy of Android Authority, and there are four in total. They're all going to be exclusive to the second-gen watch apparently, and they all offer plenty of options in terms of the way they can be customized.

The four watch faces are Accessible, Analog Bold, Arc, and Bold Digital, and we've embedded a quick look at them below. If the rumors are true, we'll be seeing these watch faces and the attached smartwatch in October at the Pixel 8 unveiling.

While it's disappointing that these faces won't make it to the original Pixel Watch launched last year, it's also worth bearing in mind that Google has pushed several new features to the wearable in recent months.

More watch faces to look forward to (Image credit: Android Authority / Google)

Those watch faces in full

First up in the leaked watch faces we have Accessible: it's very plain and simple, and easy to read, and you can have a variety of complications alongside the time (including the current watch battery level and the date.

Then there's Analog Bold, which has a chunky hour hand, chunky numbering, and a variety of color options to pick from. The face can be customized in a variety of ways, showing the date and alarms if necessary.

The Arc watch face is a more complex one, with six variants in total. These variants change the number of complications you get and where they're positioned, and control the display of different elements like the date.

Lastly in the leaked watch faces we have Bold Digital, which is based on one of the lock screen clocks recently added to Pixel phones running Android 13. Again you've got a few options to choose from in terms of colors and complications.

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Quordle today - hints and answers for Sunday, July 30 (game #552)

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #552 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #552) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• W

• A

• D

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #552) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #552, are…

• SHAWL
• WRITE
• ALONG
• DEMON

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #552) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #552, are…

• CRASS
• COMMA
• MANIC
• BILLY

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #551, Saturday 29 July: VALUE, ALONG, ALIVE, LEAST
• Quordle #550, Friday 28 July: TOTEM, BASAL, PULSE, COUCH
• Quordle #549, Thursday 27 July: EVADE, SPICE, FLOAT, ALIGN
• Quordle #548, Wednesday 26 July: INDEX, TAKER, CURVE, PEACH
• Quordle #547, Tuesday 25 July: HAIRY, ROWDY, QUARK, LIMIT
• Quordle #546, Monday 24 July: STUFF, HIPPO, LIVER, BLINK
• Quordle #545, Sunday 23 July: ENTRY, GIDDY, STAMP, VOMIT
• Quordle #544, Saturday 22 July: BEFIT, JIFFY, ARENA, TOUCH
• Quordle #543, Friday 21 July: ROUND, TEPID, LIVER, IRATE
• Quordle #542, Thursday 20 July: ENTER, TRULY, USUAL, CIVIL
• Quordle #541, Wednesday 19 July: WORST, KAYAK, HENCE, ZEBRA
• Quordle #540, Tuesday 18 July: DEBUT, HOARD, SILLY, UPPER
• Quordle #539, Monday 17 July: LUPUS, ALIVE, SALLY, ABLED
• Quordle #538, Sunday 16 July: STEAM, SALTY, SLOOP, TRUSS
• Quordle #537, Saturday 15 July: CYCLE, FALSE, FRILL, HEAVY
• Quordle #536, Friday 14 July: LIBEL, CABLE, WREAK, SCOPE
• Quordle #535, Thursday 13 July: BASTE, QUERY, SNAIL, PEARL
• Quordle #534, Wednesday 12 July: VOICE, MANGA, FROTH, BLOAT
• Quordle #533, Tuesday 11 July: MODEL, AISLE, LIMBO, TULLE
• Quordle #532, Monday 10 July: FILET, DULLY, IRATE, NOSEY

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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Nikon Zf: what we want to see

With shutter speed and ISO dials, a faux leather finish and a metal-effect top plate, the Nikon Z fc wowed us in 2021 with its retro charm. The Z fc, one of the best beginner mirrorless cameras, represented a compelling Fujifilm X-T30 II alternative, and remains competitively priced.

But I, like many Nikon fans, was left asking: will there be a more high-end, full-frame version of the 'casual' Z fc, one that truly pays homage to the Nikon FM2 – the 30-year-old 35mm film camera that the Z fc directly took its design cues from, a camera with legendary ruggedness.

If Nikon Rumors is accurate, we’ll see such a camera in 2023, and I couldn’t be more excited for what is likely to be one of this year's best mirrorless cameras. It will do what’s so important now – make for a delightful shooting experience, especially for enthusiast photographers. 

We spoke exclusively with Nikon back in 2021 about how it designed the Nikon Z fc, and why it thinks the future is retro, and the Zf could well realize Nikon's vision for cameras that the Z fc designer Shu Suzuki (of Nikon's Design Center) described as "designed with a focus on joy of ownership". Let’s take a look at what we can expect from the upcoming Nikon Zf. 

Nikon Zf: Cut to the chase

The top plate of the Nikon Z fc camera (Image credit: Future)

• What is it? A full-frame Nikon Z camera with the same retro design concept as the crop-sensor Nikon Z fc. 
• When is it out? Likely the final quarter of 2023 
• How much will it cost? Unknown, but we predict similar to the Nikon Z7 II, which had a list price of $3,000 / £3,000 / AU$5,500 at launch in 2020. 

Nikon Zf: What's in a name?

The 'f' in the Zfc stands for 'fusion', as in of the old and new, while the 'c' means casual. Nikon’s ‘f’ nomenclature was actually first seen a full 10 years ago in 2013, in the Nikon Df DSLR camera, which was a full-frame, weather-sealed, photography-only, design delight. 

Based on those two cameras, we can expect the rumored full-frame mirrorless version of this classic design, with a rugged build quality, to be called the Nikon Zf.

Nikon Zf: which full-frame sensor?

The next obvious question is what sensor the Nikon Zf will have. Nikon has three current full-frame sensors: the 24MP one in the Nikon Z6 II, a higher-resolution 45.7MP in the Nikon Z7 II, and a 'stacked' 45.7MP sensor in the Nikon Z8 and Nikon Z9. 

The latter stacked sensor delivers some serious firepower, offering next-level continuous shooting and video performance, with negligible rolling shutter. It’s what enabled Nikon to do away with the mechanical shutter in the Z9 altogether.

Great as that stacked sensor would be in a rumored Zf, it's a super-expensive component, and feels a bit overkill for a retro snapper that's primarily drawing the attention of photographers. If I was to hazard a guess, the 45.7MP sensor from the Z7 II will make its way into the Zf, and I predict that Nikon might recycle a lot of Z7 II's tech into the new shell of the Zf.

Creating a Z7 II in a new shell will allow Nikon to set the price of the Zf that little bit lower than the $4,000 / £4,000 / AU$7,500 Nikon Z8. But just how much lower can we realistically hope for?

(Image credit: Future)

Nikon Zf: price and release date

According to the rumors, the Zf is the only remaining Nikon mirrorless camera in the 2023 pipeline. As for pricing, we think the Zf will be pitched at the level of the Nikon Z7 II, which was launched in 2020 with a list price of $3,000 / £3,000 / AU$5,500 body only – that’s a full 25% less than the Nikon Z8. I don’t think Nikon can reasonably go much higher than the Nikon Z7 II, but I don’t think it’ll be a lot less. 

If indeed we’re talking Z7 II-like pricing, then throwing in the retro Z 28mm f/2.8 SE full-frame lens that was launched alongside the Z fc would be the cherry on the cake. I’d also love to see more retro Nikon Z lenses that take design cues from the Zf, or of course Nikon’s legacy 35mm lenses. 

It’ll feel a somewhat hollow exercise if you have to pair the Nikon Zf with the all-black, industrial-looking Z lenses. Of course, we can use an adaptor to pair Nikon lenses from the past, but you won’t get the Z-mount lens benefit for image quality and autofocus performance; we’ll need more retro Z glass. 

Nikon Zf: design delight

Design will be where the Nikon Zf shines. I think lovers of traditional cameras for photography need a Fujifilm alternative – and not just the Leica offerings that are unattainable for most people – and the Nikon Zf could be that very camera.

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(Image credit: Future)

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(Image credit: Future)

It will be an altogether different shooting experience to an awkward smartphone camera. The Zf will have those tactile exposure dials – shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation – plus a top LCD. Yet it could fuse that retro goodness with a modern flip-out screen that gives you the best of both worlds: easy viewing from any angle, or folded away completely to allow you to pretend it’s a screen-less camera like in the good old days.

The Zf will be beefier than the Nikon Zfc – both physically larger, and tougher, with a proper weather-sealed build quality that's hopefully even more rugged than the Df. Except, being a mirrorless camera, the Zf won’t be as large as the Nikon Df, which is a DSLR with chunkier pentaprism optical viewfinder and greater flange depth (the distance between image sensor and lens mount) that requires the camera to be physically deeper.

Most of all, the Zf will look damn good, and will tap into your creativity in a way that a smartphone and even a modern run-of-the-mill mirrorless can’t. It should be a camera that's a joy to use, and I can’t wait until to get my hands on one.

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