Apple Confirms iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus Release Date
Apple has confirmed the existence of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and announced that both will be available on September 16. iPhone 7 will cost $649 and come in 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB models. The iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769 and is available in the same sizes. Pre-orders will be open September 9. iOS 10 will be available on September 13.
The new iPhone models do not feature a headphone jack, as previous leaks suggested, and instead will use the lightning port for audio and feature stereo speakers. The iPhone 7 will also be water and dust resistant and comes in jet black, black, gold, silver, and rose gold. Apple says over 900 million devices feature a lightning connector in the world and showcased lightning headphones on stage during the conference.
Daily Deals: PS4 Pro Pre-Orders, Quantum Break, Samsung 4K TV
The PS4 Pro Is Up for Pre-order
4K-ready, HDR-enabled version of Sony's console is now ready to order, and despite what the Amazon listing says, the system starts shipping November 10th.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Pokemon GO, and the Power of Nostalgia
Marty Sliva is a Senior Editor at IGN. He once ate a whole blueberry. Follow him on Twitter @McBiggitty.
Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem Mobile Delayed to 2017
While Nintendo's upcoming Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile titles were originally planned for release later this year, one or both games have been delayed to 2017.
According to a press release from Nintendo—detailing its upcoming iOS game Super Mario Run—the company "plans to deliver its previously announced mobile device titles in the Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem series before the end of March, 2017."
We reached out to Nintendo for clarification and the company provided the following statement, confirming to IGN that both titles will release sometime after Super Mario Run's launch this December:
Apple Watch Series 2 Announced
At its press conference earlier today, Apple announced a “new generation” of Apple Watches called Apple Watch Series 2.
According to Apple COO Jeff Williams, Apple Watch Series 2 has been “completely re-engineered,” with a dual core processor that is 50% faster than before, a new GPU that can deliver twice the graphics performance, and built-in GPS.
It starts at $369 and is available for pre-order on September 9. Watch OS 3 updates launch on September 13, while the stainless steel and sport editions of Series 2 begin shipping a week later.
Apple Watch Series 2 also features a second generation display that is twice as bright as the original series of Apple Watches. According to Williams, it is the brightest display Apple has ever shipped on any of its products at 1,000 nits.
Pokemon Go Is Coming to Apple Watch
Pokemon Go is on its way to the Apple Watch, Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams announced today at Apple’s special event.
The Pokemon Go Apple Watch app performs many of the same functions as the full app. Players can visit Pokestops, hatch eggs, and check their team and level. Unlike the smartphone app, players cannot catch Pokemon on Apple Watch, but they can see what Pokemon are nearby.
The Pokemon Go Apple Watch app allows players to start and end a workout, that shows how much time they've been exercising, calories burned, distance traveled, and items collected.
Niantic CEO John Hanke said the Pokemon Go Apple Watch app will be available before the end of this year.
Super Mario Run Coming to iOS
Super Mario Run is coming to Apple devices this December. During the Apple event today, Shigeru Miyamoto came on stage to reveal the game, which is an automatic runner similar to Ubisoft's mobile Rayman games.
In Super Mario Run, your character is constantly moving to the right. Tapping the screen causes Mario to jump, which means the game can be played using only one hand.
According to a listing on the App Store, the game features three modes. "The first mode features challenging courses for you to complete. In the second mode, you challenge the play data of other people's completed courses. You compete to see who can finish the course with the most style. In the third mode, you can create your own Mushroom Kingdom using coins collected by playing the first two game modes."
Nintendo Will Give Away an NX in Splatoon Tournament
Those in Europe will have a chance to win Nintendo's upcoming console, codenamed NX, in an upcoming Splatoon tournament.
According to Nintendo's announcement, the first place team in the ESL's first Go4Splatoon tournament will receive a Nintendo NX.
The tournament will be begin this coming Sunday, September 11 and span six months of tournaments that will "culminate with a grand final showdown in 2017," during which the "winning team from each month's cup" will face off to win the system. Each member of the winning team will receive an NX.
8 Reasons to Get Excited for Disney’s Moana
Moana is a project five years in the making at Disney, and is easily one of the studio's most anticipated animated movies. Its credentials are exciting enough on paper: Ron Clements and John Musker, the duo behind Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, are directing it; Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda co-wrote the songs; and Dwayne Johnson is voicing main character Maui.
But during a recent visit to Walt Disney Animation Studios in North Hollywood, Calif., the creative team behind the upcoming film pulled back the curtain to reveal the extensive research, development and creativity that's been going on behind the scenes.
Niantic’s Next Game Will Follow in Pokemon Go’s Footsteps
Niantic has more projects in development which will be built upon the foundation laid down by Ingress and Pokemon Go.
CEO of Niantic John Hanke spoke to Game Informer in its most recent issue, saying that it has "always been our strategy to build up a platform underneath a game that can be used for other games, and frankly other experiences that may not exactly be games, but are still within that area of exercise, discovery, and social interaction."
"The Niantic platform is very much a part of our long-term vision and we have some projects that are in the early stages now that will be built on top of it so you can definitely expect to see that from us in the future," said Hanke.