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The United States will choose between two drastically different futures in the coming days. Here’s what you can expect from WIRED.

The weekend before the election, one Pennsylvania pastor told congregants that hosting Elon Musk weeks earlier was “phenomenal.” In Nevada, another dressed as a garbageman while urging his flock to vote Trump.

The UK Government has announced plans to help high street retailers by applying a higher rate of tax to large distribution warehouses used by ecommerce retailers such as Amazon.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced the plans in the recent budget, targeting properties with a ‘rateable value’ of over £500,000, which is based on an assessment of the property’s annual rent estimate.

The intention of the plan is to introduce permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties.

Small businesses will still struggle

Physical shops have seen a steady decline since COVID, with the equivalent of 38 stores per day closing so far in 2024, so this tax aims to ‘level the playing field’ by easing the burden of business rates on property-intensive sectors.

The reaction from the retail sector has largely been one of disappointment, with many pointing to the new 40% relief to RHL properties, which is actually a cut from the current 75% rate.

“Freezing the small business rates multiplier was a sensible move but the loss of the retail, hospitality and leisure relief will still see bills for shopkeepers rising. Business rates remain intolerably high for shops and the multiplier must be lowered to an affordable rate for all.” said Chair of the Shopkeepers Campaign Vivienne King.

Online retailers have seen a huge boom in sales since the pandemic, even continuing to see profits soar when physical stores reopened after lockdown. This has meant growth for brick and mortar stores has struggled, finding it difficult to compete with the convenience and low costs of online shopping.

Amazon, one of the UK’s largest retailers, reported a $33.6 billion revenue in 2023, and benefits from the current tax rate that favours stores with smaller physical presence, or whose land is often in cheaper areas outside of town centres.

Via Bloomberg

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• 54 games were made for the old-school click wheel iPod
• Those games have been impossible to play in recent years
• A new project aims to make the games available for any iPod fans to play

These days, the iPhone is one of the most popular gaming platforms on the planet. But before all that, there was a brief period when the iPod had its moment to shine as a gaming destination. With the death of the iPod and Apple’s draconian DRM keeping old-school iPod games trapped on ancient devices, though, those days are long gone … or are they?

Not if a determined group of iPod enthusiasts has anything to say about it. A combination of nostalgia for the long-lost games and the unique gameplay mechanics of the click wheel has led to the creation of an iPod games preservation project that aims to make these titles available for anyone with a compatible device (via Ars Technica).

For a few years, Apple partnered with firms like Sega and EA to launch iPod games specifically for clickwheel models at $7.49 a pop. But when Apple gave up on the idea in 2011 and removed the titles from the iTunes store, fans of the games started backing up the compressed IPG files to various online archives. However, the problem is that the DRM on each IPG file ties it to both the iTunes account that it was registered to and the identifier of the machine that ran that instance of iTunes.

While those games will work fine with the devices they were originally synced with, the DRM means it’s very difficult to get them working on newer hardware (or a newer iTunes installation). To get it to work, you’ll need the original IPG file and the iTunes account that made the original purchase. If your IPG file wasn’t backed up, you’ll struggle to get the game working again.

Making them click

(Image credit: Andres Urena / Unsplash)

However, a bunch of iPod enthusiasts have managed to find a workaround of sorts. If you have a clickwheel iPod loaded up with games, you can reauthorize your account through Apple’s servers, even with a secondary installation of iTunes. But if several iPod owners reauthorize their accounts to the same iTunes installation, that iTunes instance becomes a “master library” containing verified copies of the games from every account that is connected to it.

Once that’s done, the iTunes account in question can be used to distribute those games to any number of iPods. Better yet, this method doesn’t require any kind of online check with Apple’s servers, meaning people with working click wheel iPods can access the games without the painful hurdles.

Now, Reddit user Olsro has set up the iPod Clickwheel Games Preservation Project. The idea is to create a virtual machine that anyone can connect to and sync games to their iPod. Once you’ve set up the virtual machine on your computer, you should be able to access Olsro’s library of games and download them to your iPod.

It’s not without risk, though. Apple could disable its servers for reauthorizing clickwheel iPods – something that might happen at any time. While Olsro has 47 iPod games in their library, they’re a few short of the full 54 titles that Apple released. That means the clock is potentially ticking on their efforts to complete the library for other iPod gamers.

It’s a world away from the modern M4 MacBook Pro and Apple’s renewed focus on bringing games to its platforms. But if you’re interested in a curious chapter in the history of Apple’s gaming efforts – or you just want to relive the days of playing on your iPod – it’s a fascinating story.

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Apple’s MacBook Pro for next year isn’t going to be particularly groundbreaking, at least not compared to the fully revamped version due in 2026, rumored to come complete with that major OLED screen upgrade, and a serious uplift for performance with the M6 chip, too.

Mark Gurman’s latest instalment of ‘Power On’ is the source of this juicy MacBook rumor, but if you check the online newsletter at Bloomberg, you won’t see the speculation, as only subscribers get to peruse the answers to Gurman’s post game Q&A at the end of the piece.

One of the questions pitched to the leaker is: “Should I wait for next year’s MacBook Pro to upgrade?” And the short answer is that if you’re expecting a revamped model for 2025 after a relatively modest overhaul for the 14-inch and 16-inch flavors this year – mostly based on the new M4 SoC – you may be disappointed.

Gurman replies to the question to note that “the MacBook Pro probably won’t get another true overhaul until 2026,” with Apple looking at a five-year cycle for redesigns of the laptop (rather than four years as has been the case in the past).

The MacBook Pro 2026 will likely be the move to OLED (finally) and a thinner chassis.

So, Gurman tells us that he believes the MacBook Pro for next year will be “mostly about the chip (again)” except in this case, we’ll obviously be looking at the M5 and its Pro and Max versions. Apparently, development of those CPUs is already nearing completion, the leaker informs us.

With the M6 chip in 2026, Apple will shift to a 2nm process, and we can expect a major boost from that, whereas the M5 will represent a modest uplift in performance compared to the M4.

In short, then, the MacBook Pro 2026 is the laptop to watch, possibly toting a full redesign, thinner body, new OLED screen, and M6 processors which are much more powerful than their predecessors.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Analysis: OLED and thin-for-the-win

So, if you’re not tempted by the MacBook Pro M4 models that are about to be unleashed – perhaps because you have an M3-powered laptop already, and the new flavors won’t be a huge difference – then the laptops for 2025 likely won’t persuade you to pull the trigger on an upgrade either. At least if Gurman is right – and there’s an element of caution in his writing, with qualifiers like ‘probably’ and so on – you’ll be waiting for 2026, and there’s other evidence on the grapevine that this is likely the case.

In fact, for some time now, the rumor has been that Apple is looking at 2026 to bring OLED to the MacBook Pro, and some of the regular leakers on all things Apple have recently said that they expect the 2025 model of the MacBook Pro to stick with Mini-LED. (As MacRumors points out, they include reliable display-related leaker Ross Young).

An OLED screen will help to ensure the MacBook Pro is more svelte, and so it makes sense that we’ll be getting a thinner laptop as part of this full redesign, too – especially given Apple’s renewed focus on thin-for-the-win. Gurman has already predicted that thinner MacBooks are in the works, after Apple released its ‘thinpossible’ iPad Pro (with OLED).

We should note that the MacBook Pro M4 does make improvements with the display – and some quite nifty ones – and doubtless the MacBook Pro M5 next year will not be a complete fizzle either. However, there’s already a consistent level of buzz on the grapevine to suggest that the real fireworks are coming with the MacBook Pro M6 in 2026.

The suggestion, then, is that if you can’t wait until 2026, you may as well upgrade now rather than seeing what next year brings.

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A new 'PS5 Pro Enhanced' trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart emphasizes not needing to choose between fidelity and performance on the upcoming mid-generation refresh console.

The trailer, uploaded to the official PlayStation YouTube channel, features about a minute and a half of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart footage running on PS5 Pro, interspersed with commentary from staff at developer Insomniac Games.

Principle engine programmer Jahrain Jackson says: "You're basically getting both performance and fidelity in one package. There's no fear of missing out on something by choosing one or the other."

He adds that PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) "is really exciting," describing it as a "game changer for bringing our visual fidelity up to the next level." PSSR is exclusive to PS5 Pro and is Sony's proprietary upscaling tech. It acts similarly to Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution - boosting resolution and image quality with seemingly little to no impact on performance.

At just over a minute and a half in length, the trailer doesn't go into particulars about what exactly playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 Pro entails, aside from the mention of PSSR and the allowance for both high fidelity and performance in one package.

It does, however, showcase the game running in 4K resolution at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second. As such, it's looking likely that PS5 Pro will be the best way to experience the 2021 action platformer.

PS5 Pro is due to launch this Thursday, November 7 worldwide. If you've yet to put down a PS5 Pro pre-order, you can still do so with stock available at PlayStation Direct and multiple other retailers. The upgraded console will set you back a rather eye-watering $699.99 / £699.99 though, and it doesn't ship with either a disc drive or a vertical stand - worth keeping in mind if you're considering the upgrade.

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Review info

Platform reviewed: PlayStation 5
Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: November 8, 2024

Slitterhead is a weird horror game. The combat is a bit stiff, it reuses environments (and sometimes missions), and lacks voice acting outside of the occasional fully-voiced scene. Yet it’s probably the most refreshing game I’ve played in a while, and is far more than the sum of its parts. Behind that veneer of rust and dirt is a compelling storyline that uses its horror elements to craft a brilliant mystery that had me rethinking the entire story constantly.

You play as Hyoki: a lost spirit in the fictitious town of Kowlong with the ability to possess human beings (as well as the occasional dog). However, Kowlong is plagued with Slitterheads: monsters who assume the form of human beings in order to feed on them. Among these humans are Rarities, beings who have a unique connection with the spirit and are able to retain their consciousness while possessed, while having their own combat abilities to boot.

Visions of an impending apocalypse lead Hyoki to team up with a young woman named Julee and a mysterious man named Alex to destroy the Slitterhead populace to change their fate. However, the spirit discovers it is able to go back in time while retaining memories; however, this reveals another layer, as each time they go back, things aren’t as they once were. One aspect I loved about this tale is that it tackles the hypocrisy of a spirit that takes over the consciousness of people, battling evil beings that take over the consciousness of people. This led to me getting invested in the lives of those on both sides of the story.

Head like a haunted house

(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studios)

Despite being directed by horror royalty Keiichiro Toyama (creator of Silent Hill and Siren), horror is more of a backdrop in Slitterhead, as the game plays out like a detective story. You’ll be trying to figure out just what is happening in Kowlong while simultaneously figuring out who in the crowded city is secretly a monster. The main gameplay loop is heading into a mission, investigating, before running into a Slitterhead who you’ll need to take out.

As the adventure progresses, you’ll run into more and more Rarities who join your cause. Between missions, you’ll be able to chat with them a la Persona’s social links and learn more about each of them. These range from people of all walks of life, doctors, a high school student, the homeless, and even an elderly woman. Despite some having more screen time than others (the story is mainly focused on Julee and Alex), I loved learning about the characters I was taking into battle.

The regular humans have a club and two unique skills (as well as two slots for your rarities bonus skills), while you can bring two Rarities out on a mission with you, who have their own unique skill sets based on their personalities. Edo – who lived as a boxer before being forced to live on the streets – is a fast-paced, hard-hitting character with a moveset designed around getting in the opponent's face and wearing them down. Meanwhile, Julee – who is compassionate and has reservations over human lives being used by Hyoki in service of Slitterhead destruction, has abilities to avoid damaging non-player characters (NPCs) and reviving a number at once.

Combat isn’t the most in-depth in terms of combos. You have a standard combo and a heavy attack alongside four unique skills depending on which Rarity combo you take into the field. But where the combat really shines is in the possession mechanic; switching about from host to host is near-mandatory and adds an extra layer of strategy to what could’ve been a barebones beat 'em up. This is complemented by a For Honor-esque parry system, which can send you into a slow-mo state to really while on your enemies.

Who can it be now?

(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studios)

The biggest issue the game faces is also in part due to the time loop mechanic. The missions mostly take place in the same few city blocks, which can lead to a bit of repetition, and while the mandatory mission replays will have new tricks, you are still replaying parts. This becomes an issue later in the game as you’ll play the same two missions multiple times in a row to progress the story.

The other problem is that sometimes the objective of the game is unclear. It’s easy to get lost in the city, and without a map system, it’s a bit of a pain to navigate when there are no waypoint markers. This gets especially rough at a point in the middle where you need to find two hidden Rarities to progress, where I combed through the same missions a few times before cracking it.

Best bit

(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studios)

One of Slitterhead’s most investing moments is investigating the Echoes of Love Society. While these missions are slower-paced, this storyline opens up some interesting questions about the nature of Slitterheads and the ethical issues surrounding your mission.

Visually, the game is a bit of a mixed bag; the neon-soaked streets of Kowlong are gorgeous, and the character models for the main characters look great, but the human fodder characters is a bit less polished, which really stands out if you take them into a cutscene. Meanwhile, the creature design from Siren designer Miki Takahashi is nothing short of phenomenal. The different breeds of Slitterhead are disgusting and impressive bits of body horror to boot. While the game isn’t too scary, these monsters are unsettling, especially when you see them transform.

Slitterhead also reunites Toyama with Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka – which is all I should need to tell you to let you know the music and sound design are fantastic. The soundtrack ranges from the oppressive industrial sounds Yamaoka is famed for to some nice lo-fi beats that make the menus a joy to navigate. And the titular monsters sound just as gross as they look.

Still, Slitterhead is not without its problems, but these are mostly relegated to the gameplay. While the combat is fun and engaging, it could do with a bit more combo variety. Meanwhile, the reused missions and environments don’t necessarily feel like padding, but they can be grating at certain points. However, it’s more than worth moving past those flaws to find one of the most unique and interesting horror experiences in a long time.

(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studios) Should you play Slitterhead? Play it if...

You’re after a unique experience from a horror legend
Slitterhead does take inspiration from Toyama’s previous games, like Siren’s Sightjacking mechanic. But Slitterhead is a unique beast that’s more about detective work and intense combat than straight-up horror. Plus, the time loop mechanic adds an extra layer to an already interesting story.

You like strategically focused combat encounters
Slitterhead’s possession mechanic is a cool thing in many ways, from traversal to just seeing who and what you can take control of. However, it adds an extra layer to combat as you’ll be constantly switching between hosts to flank enemies, while careful consideration of what rarities is a must.

Don't play it if...

You’re after a highly polished AAA game
I rarely encountered glitches in Slitterhead, but it’s not as polished as your usual AAA affair. While the Rarities, cutscenes, and environments look lush, NPC character models are a bit lackluster, and the awkward use of voice acting is an unfortunate flaw.

You can’t stomach body horror
Slitterhead’s grotesque horror is tough to stomach; you’ll constantly see human heads explode into viscera as their Slitterhead forms burst out. This is even worse for the bosses, as you see the transformation even slower and in more detail as their necks extend and contort.

Accessibility

The accessibility features in Slitterhead need some work. While the option to fully rebind your controls is a welcome addition, outside of multiple language options, subtitles (without closed captioning), and difficulty options, there’s not much else to talk about here unfortunately.

(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studios) How I reviewed Slitterhead

I played Slitterhead for around 18 hours completing the game’s main storyline (including the true ending) and unlocking all of the rarities and a majority of the costumes. In my playthrough, I played on Hard difficulty for the majority before switching to Medium when the level replays were introduced.

I played the game on my PlayStation 5 Slim on a DualSense wireless controller (although it felt wrong to play with the Astro Bot Controller). For my screen, I used a Samsung Q65T 50-inch QLED 4K TV, and for my audio, I switched between the PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless headset and a Samsung HW-T450 Soundbar.

First review November 2024

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JBL Authentics 200: Two-minute review

We pride ourselves on having tested all of the most notable and best wireless speakers on the market at TechRadar, so it’s always a welcome moment when one comes along that does things a bit differently. That’s very much the case with the Authentics 200: one look at this vintage-inspired beauty is all you need to see that JBL has gone its own way here.

From the curved foam grille to the aluminium frame, the Authentics 200 is a stunning homage to amps of old. That retro aesthetic is matched by a solid build which, apart from the plastic dials on top, feels wonderfully premium. It’s distinctive enough to get people talking, without ever feeling like a fad.

Its beauty is more than skin deep. JBL has been generous with the feature set: you get Wi-Fi streaming from a range of services, multi-room audio, as well as connectivity with the slick JBL One app. That’s where you can integrate it with different streaming platforms and customize the EQ – although it’s more fun to do that physically by rotating the treble and bass knobs on the unit itself.

The app is also where you can connect the Authentics 200 to both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant (yes, JBL has aimed to make it of the best smart speakers too). Crossover between the two isn’t seamless, mind, but support for both at the same time means you can have full access to their respective services from a single speaker.

Then there’s the listening experience, which is superlative. In our tests, the Authentics 200 impressed us at every turn – from the powerful bass to the clear treble, balanced with rich mids that give wonderful definition. Separation is impressive, and there’s a depth to its soundstage that delivers remarkable immersion for a single speaker.

It’s not the cheapest smart speaker you can buy, nor does it have the Atmos compatibility of the less expensive Amazon Echo Studio, for example. But if you value its heritage design – as well as its premium feature set and sound quality – there’s really nothing else like the Authentics 200.

JBL Authentics 200 review: Price and release date

• Released August 2023
• Officially priced at $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$299

The JBL Authentics 200 was released in August 2023, priced at $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$299. It was launched alongside the larger, Atmos-compatible JBL Authentics 500, which is significantly more costly, at $699.99 / £579.99 / AU$999.

Pitched as a high-quality smart speaker with a retro look, its price tag is at the upper end for the category. Arguably its closest competitor is the Amazon Echo Studio, which costs $199.99 / £219.99 / $349. Also in that price bracket is the Sonos Era 100, priced at $249 / £229.99 / $399. 

That gives the JBL Authentics 200 some stiff competition, setting the bar high for it to justify the extra outlay. As you’ll read below, though, we think its design, features and sound quality do a very good job of that.

(Image credit: Future) JBL Authentics 200 review: Specs

(Image credit: Future) JBL Authentics 200 review: Features

• Wi-Fi streaming from a wide range of services
• Simultaneous support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
• Support for multi-room playback

Despite its heritage looks, the JBL Authentics 200 is every bit the modern smart speaker. Wi-Fi streaming includes support for AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify Connect, with multi-room playback available through AirPlay, Google Home and Alexa Multi-Room Music. Strangely for a speaker that doesn’t pick sides, you won’t find Spotify or Apple Music in the app’s list of supported music streaming services though – which means neither works with the shortcut button.

Still, this is a speaker that’s happy to receive audio from pretty much any source. That includes a USB-C input on the back, as well as the option to keep things old-school with Ethernet and 3.5mm inputs. While we’re all for wireless streaming, these wired options are always welcome, especially if you’re not blessed with consistent signal throughout your home. For our part, we didn’t experience any dropouts during our time with the Authentics 200.

Initial setup was simple using the JBL One app. It’s a pretty foolproof piece of software that makes it easy to control the Authentics 200 and adjust settings. We were online in less than a minute, with an update over Wi-Fi quickly out of the way. Connecting Alexa and Google Assistant proved similarly seamless, with no hiccups hooking up to either. Network and voice assistant status is signalled by a single LED in the grille, with a handy table in the guide to help you decipher its various colors and states of solid, pulsing and flashing.

With both voice assistants activated, we had no trouble getting each to respond. In theory, where there’s overlap between supported services, either assistant should be able to start or stop a command. In our experience, this crossover wasn’t always seamless. We found it simpler to stick with one assistant for a specific task. So when we asked Alexa to play a song on Spotify, we asked her to stop it as well.

In reality, there’s rarely a need to jump between the two assistants, and you’ll soon learn which you prefer for different commands. The real benefit here is that you get access to both systems in a single speaker, including their full range of supported smart home devices. So if you find it easier to use Google Assistant with your Nest Thermostat, but Alexa for two-way talk on your Ring doorbell, you can do exactly that. You get the best of both worlds.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future) JBL Authentics 200 review: Design

• Heritage design featuring a Quadrex grill and aluminium frame
• Physical controls include volume, treble and bass dials
• Made from mostly recycled materials

In a market of muted designs, the JBL Authentics 200 stands out for all the right reasons. It’s rare to see smart home tech designed with flair these days (although the Edifier D32 wireless speaker is one other example), so the JBL's mid-century style is certainly refreshing. Taking more than a few cues from vintage amps, the Authentics 200 is a gorgeous bit of kit. Its curved foam frontage, aluminium frame and leather-like skin all leans into the heritage aesthetic, without looking out of place in a contemporary kitchen.

Measuring 266.3 x 171.7 x 167.4mm, it strikes an ideal balance between physical presence and ease of placement. Its bigger sibling, the Atmos-compatible Authentics 500, is an altogether more substantial thing. With its mid-size footprint, the Authentics 200 will easily find a home in most rooms.

Build quality feels deserving of the price tag too: this is a robust unit and a relatively weighty one at 3.12kg. It’s all suitably solid and well put-together, standing firm on rubber feet which reduce vibrations from the downward-firing radiator. In a perfect world, we wish JBL had used metal instead of plastic for the control panel and dials which live on top of the unit. But that’s the only part which feels anything less than premium.

Among those controls you’ll find illuminating treble and bass knobs, as well as a volume dial with a play/pause button at its centre. These give you the kind of hands-on audio control that isn’t offered by many smart speakers. While you can make the same adjustments in the app, we found something refreshingly tactile about being able to physically tweak the EQ.

Beneath the Bluetooth button is another with a heart on it. This works as a shortcut to a playlist on a supported music streaming service, configured in the JBL One app. There’s also a microphone mute switch hidden on the back of the unit, for privacy when you need it.

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future) JBL Authentics 200 review: Sound quality

• 2x 25mm tweeters, 5-inch woofer, 6-inch passive radiator
• Automatic audio calibration on power-up
• Customizable EQ settings in the JBL One app

Little about the stature of the Authentics 200 hints at how well it fills a room. With two tweeters, a full-range woofer and downward-firing passive radiator at its disposal, this is a speaker with real punch. Bass is particularly noteworthy, with a huge amount of energy available at the low end. Even with the bass knob at halfway, the Authentics 200 has rumble to spare.

But it’s not just the power that surprises, so much as the depth and separation that the Authentics 200 is capable of. We were blown away by the breadth of the soundstage, with instrumentation given real space to breathe. Throughout our time with the Authentics 200, we found ourselves noticing details in songs that would be lost on lesser speakers. You’d need to pair up a second unit for a real sense of stereo, but in every other respect, the depth here is impressive.

Top-end clarity is underpinned by a lovely weight to the mids. There’s a real richness in the midrange, which feels deftly balanced for definition. Altogether, the impression is one of fullness. From The XX and alt-J to Norah Jones to the Arctic Monkeys, there wasn’t a genre that stumped the Authentics 200. Whether gritty electronic beats, twangy lead guitar or stripped-back vocals, there’s a real richness to the sound, without sacrificing any detail.

All of the comments above are based on the default EQ setting. According to JBL, the Authentics 200 self-calibrates every time it powers up, and it certainly suited every room we used it in. Besides the physical treble and bass controls on the unit itself, you can customise EQ settings via the JBL One app. This is a nice option to have, although in our experience, the Authentics 200 did best when left to its own devices.

You don’t get the vertical component of an Atmos speaker such as the Amazon Echo Studio, while the cheaper Sonos Era 100 is equally engaging, albeit with less oomph. But for its size and price, we think the Authentics 200 is bang on the money.

• Sound quality: 5/5

(Image credit: Future) JBL Authentics 200 review: Value

Seen as a smart speaker, there’s no escaping that the JBL Authentics 200 is pricier than most. If you’re mainly in the market for a voice assistant in your home, there are much cheaper ways to get that. The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), for example, costs just $49.99 / £54.99 / AU$79. Similarly, the Google Nest Mini will set you back only $49.99 / £49 / AU$79.

There are also wireless speakers with high-quality audio available for less. The $199.99 / £179.99 (so about AU$300) Edifier D32 is a fine example that also has a retro aesthetic – although the build-quality isn't quite as premium-feel as the JBL model. 

What those value comparisons don’t account for is the individuality of the Authentics 200. With its solid build and vintage design, it stands apart among home speakers, smart or otherwise. The quality of its sound output blew us away in testing, while the flexibility to connect with both Alexa and Google Assistant is a real boon. Plus you get a generous set of streaming features and useful app connectivity. So while it might not be a bargain, if you buy into its vintage aesthetic, we think you’re getting a good deal.

• Value score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the JBL Authentics 200? Buy it if… Don’t buy it if… JBL Authentics 200 review: also consider How I tested the JBL Authentics 200

• Tested for a month in a number of rooms
• Played a variety of genres at different volumes
• Listened via Spotify app on iPhone and Mac

I used the JBL Authentics 200 as my primary home speaker for more than a month. It split its time between the kitchen and living room, giving me a good impression of how well it adapts to different spaces.

I challenged the Authentics 200 with a whole spectrum of musical genres, from electronic to acoustic, soul to rock and roll. I also tested it with different treble and bass settings, and at different volume levels – from Sunday-morning mellow to loud enough to get a text from the upstairs neighbours.

The Authentics 200 also served as my default smart speaker during testing, connected to both Google Assistant and Alexa. That meant asking it to cue up playlists, hit me with my morning routine and generally field any queries which came to mind (usually recipe related).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: October 2024

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Republicans are favored to take control of the chamber thanks to a 2024 map of races that tilts disproportionately in the GOP’s favor. Here are the races to watch.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

The candidates are both spending time on the last day of the campaign in Reading — a majority-Latino city — where that bad joke about Puerto Rico has resonated.

(Image credit: Carmen Russell-Sluchansky)