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Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral services begin in Washington, D.C., today, and NPR will have special coverage of the events. And, photos from the winter storm plowing through parts of the U.S.

(Image credit: Brynn Anderson)

Light up your room in style with $24 off these awesome RGB strip lights.

The prototype I saw at CES isn't the Frazy Bot's final form, but there may be a future for coffee robots if you're particular about your brew.

The autonomous vehicle company says the buses, which are also electric and wheelchair-accessible, can help mitigate urban congestion.

In zebrafish, ketamine causes changes a brain circuit involved in "giving up." That may help explain how the drug helps people with depression.

(Image credit: CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT)

• US government adds Tencent to Chinese military entity list
• Tencent and CATL call their addition a "mistake"
• Addition comes a stone throw from Trump's inauguration

The US government has designated Tencent, owner of popular messaging app WeChat, as a Chinese military company.

The Section 1260H list consists of Chinese companies that operate in the US which could have links to the Chinese military, to warn US businesses against trading with these entities.

Both Tencent and CATL, a battery manufacturing company, were added to the list by the Department of Defense along with several other Chinese organizations.

Tencent says addition is a “mistake”

Speaking to the BBC in response to Tencent’s addition to the entity list, the company stated, “We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business.”

The company also said its addition to the list was “clearly a mistake.” CATL also called its addition to the list a mistake.

The Section 1260H list is updated on an annual basis and includes the Huawei Technologies Company, along with numerous Chinese semiconductor manufacturers.

The list does not ban US companies from trading with the listed companies, but it does add pressure for the companies to be sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, issued a statement on the updated list, saying, “The US's practices violate the market competition principles and international economic and trade rules that it has always advocated, and undermine the confidence of foreign companies in investing and operating in the United States.”

The US and its allies have been attempting to purge Chinese technology from domestic consumer markets and infrastructure, with the US banning numerous Chinese tech manufacturers including Huawei from selling their products in the US amid national security fears.

The UK has taken similar steps, including the ban of new Huawei technologies from 5G infrastructure, with existing tech needing to be removed from the network by 2027.

The addition of these companies to the entity list comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and China with an ongoing trade war, and president-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House this month after a campaign filled with anti-China rhetoric.

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The company is using the carrot of "new features" and the stick of "no more updates for your old PC."

• A portable projector for "when you're away from home"
• Battery power for go-anywhere viewing
• Unusual "magic cube" design twists to adjust angles

One of the downsides of CES is that the huge scale of it means there isn't time for presenters to talk in detail about every new product. And in the case of TCL's latest raft of announcements that's a shame, because I'm intrigued by one of the products the company only mentioned fleetingly.

It's called the Playcube, and as the name suggests it's a cube that plays things: video and presumably audio too. It's a portable projector with an unusual design that TCL calls the "magic cube": it's made of two rectangular sections, one of which twists to adjust the direction of your projection.

The TCL Projector A1 was launched in late 2024 as the firm's first portable projector. (Image credit: TCL) TCL's Playcube: what we know and what we don't

We know three things about the Playcube other than its name. We know that it has that unusual twistable design; we know that it has a built-in rechargeable battery; we know that it's very small.

TCL is relatively new to the projector business: it only announced its first portable projector, the TCL A1, in November 2024. That has an MSRP of $499 (around £395 / AU$770) and delivers 1080p resolution with 360 lumens of brightness on images from 45 to 120 inches.

That model has Google TV built in, which seems likely for the Playcube too.

Without knowing the price or seeing a spec-sheet (yet) it's hard to know where in the market this projector will fit – although given that it's TCL, it's likely to be priced very aggressively.

Our current pick of the best portable projectors is the second generation Samsung The Freestyle, which is often discounted to a street price of $599 instead of the list price of $799. And our favorite ultra-portable pocket-sized projector is the Anker Nebula Capsule II, which is the size of a Coke can and has a list price of $579.99 (about £465 / AU$830).

We're hoping to get full specs, pricing and a release date from TCL very soon (or perhaps even to experience it, at CES 2025). We'll keep you posted – watch this space!

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Flic's latest smart home button adds support for gesture controls.
• You'll be able to gesticulate, push a button, or do both on the Flic Duo to trigger an action.
• The button can be wall-mounted or used on the move.

It’s easy to gloss over the more simple launches at CES 2025, but as I was browsing the rows at a preview event on the eve of the official show floor opening, a smart home button caught my attention.

Flic is not an entirely new brand; it already has a few products, including buttons that you can use to control just about anything. At CES, though, it’s unveiling the Flic Duo, which, as the name suggests, offers two buttons that can be programmed to perform what feels like an endless list of possibilities.

It boasts a few firsts, and the Flic Duo feels like real competition for and a smart upgrade over classic switches. It comes with a wall mount, but even when it's on the wall you can easily pull it off to carry it around, or perform a gesture to trigger another task. This makes it something akin to a magic wand, and in a demo I saw someone adjust the brightness of a trio of lights by simply holding a button in and swiping to the left or right.

Well over 30 commands are available between button presses and gesture controls. For instance, you could set it to control a pair of smart blinds, and raise or lower them by mimicking that movement with the Flic Duo in hand. The options here are nearly endless, as the Flic Duo supports the Matter smart home standard out of the box and Apple Home or Amazon Alexa, so you can easily connect it and then begin to integrate it with automation and routines.

You can even have it change roles based on where it is – so when it’s wall mounted, the Flic Duo can act as a standard light switch, but when you’re moving around it can do any number of things. Maybe you’ll have it control a smart speaker, turn on the TV, or even start up a robot vacuum. The Flic Duo comes in either black or white and is only 8mm thick, meaning it won’t stick out much from the wall and is easy to carry. Plus, like an Apple AirTag, it runs on a standard, user-replaceable CR2032 battery.

(Image credit: Future)

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

What I think takes the Flic Duo to the next level is that beyond just letting you press a button or two to control something, you can really get the most out of it and be pretty descriptive with what you want to do to create an outcome.

Thanks to the sensors and accelerometer on board, you could create some fun custom gestures. For instance, Disney Channel fans might be able to make the mouse ears gesture to have the Flic Duo start their favorite playlist on a connected speaker or even fire up a classic film – High School Musical, anyone? You’ll also be able to control the experience within the Flic app (for Android or iOS), and if the Flic Duo goes missing, you can ping it to have it emit a sound.

Flic will open preorders on January 28, with shipping set to begin some time in the second quarter of this year. The Flic Duo is priced at $69.99 in the US, but early bird pricing will be as low as $49.99; availability and pricing for other regions is TBC.

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• The SwitchBot K20+ Pro is a mini robot vacuum with a mounting platform that clips on to the top
• A fan, tray, security cam and more can then be mounted on top of the vac
• SwitchBot thinks this will "redefine how we approach smart living"

CES is always a hotbed of exciting new gadgets, and CES 2025 is no exception. I'm not on the floor this year, but my inbox has been flooded with news of weird and wonderful new robot vacuums – like one with tiny little feet for climbing stairs, and another that has a big mechanical pincer arm to pick up your socks. But amongst all the new robovacs being shown off, SwitchBot's stands out as being the wackiest.

The K20+ Pro can vacuum your floors, but it can also act as an air purifier, patrol your home for security purposes, and even deliver you a sandwich.

The robot vacuum itself is a 'mini' bot, like the SwitchBot K10+ Pro (released in August 2024, and rated by TechRadar as the best small robot vacuum), which uses LiDAR for navigation and is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Onto this clips the lager wheeled 'FusionPlatform' and then various compatible SwitchBot appliances can be attached on top of that. The bot then essentially serves to drive those appliances round.

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

So you could add on an air purifier or fan, or a security camera, or a tablet stand. Or you could clip on a tray and use it, as the brand suggests, to "deliver items to seniors or manage pet care supplies". The tray can support up to 8kg in weight, but whether your grandma will appreciate her lunch being delivered by bot rather than hand remains to be seen. The promotional imagery even shows robotic arms picking up litter and throwing it in the trash, but this isn't mentioned anywhere in the press release.

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

SwitchBot is selling these as various combo kits, so you can pick the K20+ Pro Patrol Kit if you want the robovac and security cam, for instance, or the Ultimate kit for all the various appendages. It's due to go on sale "later in the year", and you can read more about it on the SwitchBot event page.

Elsewhere at CES, SwitchBot has unveiled its S20 Pro, a separate robot vacuum that just vacuums and mops. It's an update to the brand's S10, and is due to go on sale later in the year.

A step too far?

SwitchBot thinks the K20+ Pro will "redefine how we approach smart living, offering families an unparalleled blend of convenience, functionality, and adaptability", but I'm not entirely convinced.

It's a novel idea, and although I've not felt hampered by the fact I haven't been able to drive my fan and air purifier around, there are perhaps unforeseen benefits to this. The security camera is an interesting option because a number of premium robot vacuums integrate this function into the bot itself, using the camera (and sometimes also an onboard mic) and providing a feed via the companion app. Suggesting people attach a separate cam feels like an altogether clunkier and less elegant solution.

Overall, it feels more like a concept that's ready to be built upon and customized, rather than a fully realized solution. SwitchBot calls out the DIY possibilities in its press release, describing it as a modular foundation that's ready to be experimented with, and confirming that it can be integrated with custom-made attachments, 3D-printed components, or third-party devices.

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

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• Mega, a new AI Blueprint for creating agentic AI applications, will help manage robots
• The company is preparing for a robot takeover in warehouses as AI progresses
• KION Group has already successfully piloted the Mega blueprint

Nvidia is preparing for the rise of robots with a new fleet manager designed to help companies manage their digital workforce more easily.

In an announcement, director of product and technical marketing for Nvidia Omniverse Madison Huang stated that “the physical industrial market is still waiting for its own software-defined moment,” and we know Nvidia is betting big on robotics.

At a tech conference late last year, VP of Omniverse and Simulation Technology Rev Lebaredian declared that humanoid AI-powered robots are destined for businesses, and eventually homes, on a global scale. If there was ever a time for Nvidia to lay the foundations for a robotic future, it’s now.

Nvidia Unveils ‘Mega’ Omniverse Blueprint

The announcement of a new tool designed to build industrial robot fleet digital twins comes as Nvidia launches a series of AI Blueprints to help customers build agentic AI applications.

Together with partner blueprints, Nvidia launched a series of its own, including four Omniverse blueprints to help with digital twinning. The company envisions this one in particular – Mega – aiding in the development, testing and optimization of physical AI and robot fleets at scale in a digital twin so that they can be deployed into real-world facilities.

Huang added that the increasing complexity of sensors and robot autonomy has made it more challenging to safely deploy such technologies without disruption, hence the plans to help create digital twins of environments and hardware.

The Director explained how Mega works: “With Mega-driven digital twins, including a world simulator that coordinates all robot activities and sensor data, enterprises can continuously update facility robot brains for intelligent routes and tasks for operational efficiencies.”

Supply chain solutions company KION Group, an early tester of Nvidia’s Mega blueprint, noted how it can “capture and digitalize a warehouse digital twin in Omniverse by using computer-aided design files, video, lidar, image and AI-generated data.” CEO Rob Smith added: “We are reinventing warehouse automation.”

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(Image credit: Future)

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

CES 2025 is now officially underway – and we're on the show floor at the world's biggest tech show to help you separate the duds from the genuinely exciting new tech coming out this year.

What's happened so far? As always, new TVs have starred, with Samsung and LG both revealing their latest flagship OLED ranges. Samsung has also revealed its new The Frame Pro TV – and after seeing it in the flesh, we're impressed. Hisense also just launched the largest mini-LED TV yet, a 116-inch beast.

There's been some big news on the graphics cards front too, with nVidia revealing its GeForce RTX 5000 series, led by the flagship RTX 5090. At the other end of the scale, we've also just seen the launch of the Snapdragon X CPU, which could help deliver much more affordable Copilot+ PCs.

The smart home and wearables have also again been a big theme of CES 2025. From a robot vacuum with a mechanical arm for picking up socks to the promising (if polarizing) Halliday Smart Glasses, the launches are coming thick and fast – and we're only just getting started.

For a quick summary of the latest news, check out the list below – but for our very latest finds and experiences direct from the CES 2025 show floor in Las Vegas, read on...

CES 2025: the latest news

• I heard LG's new speakers made with will.i.am, and I kind of love them
• I saw Samsung's new The Frame Pro mini-LED TV, and it's whole new work of art
• Razer Blade 16 announced at CES 2025 with an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU – but Intel has been dumped
• I just saw Google's vision for the smart home and it's straight out of a Black Mirror episode
• CES 2025 day 1: the 11 best gadgets we've seen, from Samsung's new flagship OLED TV to the Garmin Instinct 3

First look: LG C5 OLED TV

(Image credit: Future)

LG's new mid-range C5 OLED TV wasn't given the fanfare of its G5 and M5 flagship TVs, but TechRadar's Matt Bolteon (Managing Editor, Entertainment) managed to track it down for a demo. And if you're in the market for well-priced panel in 2025, it's shaping up very nicely.

There's no pricing for it yet (and that'll be key), but it'll effectively be an LG C4 with improved processing, a slightly brighter display, and new webOS features. We've called it "another great-looking set" – to find out why, check out our full report from the show floor below.

• Read the full story: I saw the LG C5 OLED TV in action, and success here will be all about the price

Eyes-on with Samsung's new The Frame Pro TV

(Image credit: Future)

We've always been a little ambivalent about Samsung's popular The Frame TVs at TechRadar, but that could soon change. Our resident TV expert Matt Bolton has just seen a demo of the The Frame Pro mini-LED TV at CES 2025 and says "the new screen is a total game-changer".

When compared to the classic The Frame model, the difference is apparently "night and day" due to the inclusion of the company's Neo QLED mini-LED tech and local dimming, which improves realism and means the "colors are massively richer and bold".

I saw The Frame Pro in action next to a regular 2024 The Frame TV, and the difference is staggering. We've always had a slightly cool relationship with The Frame TVs here on TechRadar, because they're wildly popular and we understand why people like them, but it always rankled that they used such mediocre image tech.

• Read the full story: I saw Samsung's new The Frame Pro mini-LED TV, and it's whole new work of art

The 'greatest gadget we've seen at CES' so far?

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

It's a bold claim, but TechRadar's Homes Editor Ruth Hamilton makes a strong case for the Switchbot K20+Pro being the finest thing, in pure gadget terms, we've seen from CES 2025. It is, after all, a vacuum that can clean your floors, but also act as your air purifier, security camera and sandwich deliverer.

Like the SwitchBot K10+ Pro, this new model is a Lidar-powered modular bot that can have different SwitchBot appliances stacked on top of it. That means you can add a security camera, fan or a clip-on tray to deliver you anything up to 8kg in weight. It's been a long time coming, but a Jetsons-style home robot could finally be close...

• Read the full story: This robot vacuum can also bring you a sandwich, and it might be the greatest gadget we've seen yet at CES

Nvidia reveals the planet's most powerful consumer graphics card

(Image credit: Nvidia)

It wasn't exactly a surprise after months of leaks and speculation, but Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (in perhaps his finest leather jacket so far) has finally revealed the RTX 5000 series graphics cards at CES 2025 – and put AMD and Intel firmly in the shade.

As TechRadar's Computing Editor Christian Guyton noted, "it might not be called the Nvidia Titan RTX, but the RTX 5090 might as well be". The flagship card's specs are astounding and, frankly, so is the price at $1,999 (£1,999 / AU$4,039). Too much for a 'consumer' graphics card? Read our full report to make up your mind...

• Read the full story: Nvidia unveils new GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 graphics cards at CES 2025

• The Dreo ChefMaker 2 air fryer was unveiled at CES 2025
• It can turn scanned recipes into step-by-step cooking programs
• It will go on sale in August, but its price has yet to be revealed

Kitchen appliance company Dreo has launched a new air fryer that uses AI to convert recipes into smart cooking programs - whether they're taken from websites or scanned from cookbooks.

Recipes written for full-size ovens usually need significant changes to work well in an air fryer, but the Dreo ChefMaker 2, which debuted at CES 2025, should make that problem a thing of the past. No more burnt roasts or sad, deflated cakes – the fryer will handle the hard work of calculating new times and temperatures for your favorite dishes.

The original Dreo ChefMaker is easily one of the best air fryers we've ever tested, and our reviewer Michelle Rae Uy found that each of its many cooking modes delivered consistently excellent results, so I'm cautiously optimistic about the second-generation's AI-enhanced abilities.

What's cooking?

If you want to try cooking up something new, the Dreo ChefMaker 2 also comes with a bank of 100 pre-programmed recipes in its mobile app, which you can follow along in your kitchen with step-by-step instructions. You can also check on the cooking process in real time for peace of mind.

The Dreo ChefMaker 2 is due to be released in August. We don't yet know how much it will cost, but the original ChefMaker had a list price of $359 / £279 (about AU$540) at launch, so I'd expect it to be similar, if not slightly more expensive.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

• Newtopia lands on Prime Video on February 7
• It stars BLACKPINK's Jisoo in her second K-Drama role
• Parasite co-writer Han-Jin won has been recruited for its screenplay

No one is prepared for a breakup, especially when it happens at the cusp of a zombie apocalypse. Prime Video and South Korean streaming service Coupang Play have released the first trailer (see below) for new K-Drama series Newtopia, set to premiere on both platforms on February 7. And though we’re still waiting patiently for all of Prime Video’s new January 2025 titles, the first trailer for Newtopia has sparked my intrigue to see what February 2025 has in store for one of the best streaming services.

Just before the outbreak of a zombie virus, the trailer opens with a still shot of soldier Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min) at the receiving end of a phonecall breakup where his girlfriend Young-joo (BLACKPINK’s Jisoo) calls it quits on their long term relationship. Soon after, their world comes crashing down even more when they’re faced with the chaos of a zombie apocalypse and Seoul spirals into a frenzy as all traffic comes to a halt and people start dropping like flies.

When you think that Newtopia couldn’t get more messy, Young-joo rethinks her decision to end her relationship with Jae-yoon and sets out on a mission to be reunited with him. As he’s recruited for duty to stop the spread of the virus, Jae-yoon finds himself torn between his role as a soldier and the love of his life.

With Park Jeong-min at the centre of the story alongside Jisoo in her second K-Drama role since her appearance in the romance series Snowdrop (streaming on Disney Plus), Newtopia has roped in Yoon Sang-hyun as director who has movies Bleak Night (2010) and Time to Hunt (2020) under his belt. But the show wouldn’t be as hard-hitting without a striking script at its core, therefore the choice of Han-Jin won for co-writer seems sensible given his previous writing contributions to Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture winner Parasite (2019) - which sits proudly in our recommendations for the best Netflix movies.

Despite the trailer being a mere one-minute watch, it succeeds in promoting a new dystopia that’s just as unhinged as Netflix’s Squid Game, if not more, but with a little bit of silly humor attached to its story to take the edge off. Luckily, you have just one month to go until you can enter the chaotic world that is Newtopia, and I’m intrigued to see how it’s received.

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• MediaTek releases security advisory detailing 13 vulnerabilities
• Among them is a critical-severity RCE, plaguing 51 chipsets
• Flaws have been addressed and patches are available, so update now

MediaTek has disclosed more than a dozen vulnerabilities affecting various elements of its products.

Among the flaws is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting the modem component, found in 51 chipsets. Tracked as CVE-2024-20154, it was given a “critical” severity rating, although the exact score was not disclosed (it’s somewhere in the 9.0-10.0 range).

“In Modem, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote code execution, if a UE has connected to a rogue base station controlled by the attacker, with no additional execution privileges needed,” MediaTek explained in its security advisory. “User interaction is not needed for exploitation.”

No evidence of abuse

While the list of affected chipsets is fairly extensive and includes devices used in IoT gear, Chromebooks, cars, and smartphones, the number of software versions is only six. The entire list can be found on this link.

Among the other flaws are seven that were rated as “high severity”, including privilege escalations, denial of service, remote code execution, information leakage, and more. MediaTek said it notified device manufacturers two months ago, suggesting that the vulnerabilities have since been patched for the most part.

Prior to this January 2025 update, MediaTek addressed critical vulnerabilities in its chipsets in November 2024. That Product Security Bulletin detailed several high-severity vulnerabilities, including CVE-2024-20104 and CVE-2024-20106, which could lead to privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution. These flaws affected a range of chipsets, and users were advised to apply the latest security updates as soon as possible.

At press time, there was no evidence that any of these flaws were being abused in the wild. However, since threat actors will often scan the internet for endpoints vulnerable to known flaws, users are advised not to delay the patch.

Via The Register

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• Marvel Rivals Season 1 will introduce the Fantastic Four as playable heroes
• Season 1: Eternal Night Falls arrives on January 10
• The free-to-player shooter will also receive a new storyline featuring Dracula

NetEase has finally released the first details for Marvel Rivals Season One alongside a brand new trailer teasing new heroes.

Following the game's successful first month of release, players can now look forward to Season One: Eternal Night Falls, which is set to launch on January 10 at 9 AM GMT / 1 AM PST / 4 AM ET.

After weeks of rumors and leaks circulating online, it's now officially confirmed that the team-based shooter will add the Fantastic Four to the growing roster of heroes. The team includes Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing, and all will be playable free of charge.

Players can also expect three new maps and a new Doom Match game mode, as well as a fresh Battle Pass which will feature all-new goodies to obtain.

The free-to-play 6v6 game also has an ongoing story, and with Season One, this will be expanded to coincide with the release of the Fantastic Four. NetEase has already shared the official storyline for this season alongside the new trailer, which you can read below:

"Darkness engulfs New York as the Timestream Entanglement leaves Doctor Strange trapped in the Entangled Astral Plane, scattering the Darkhold pages. Dracula and Doctor Doom disrupt the moon’s orbit, plunging the city into eternal night and unleashing an army of vampiric creatures.

"With the world on the brink, the Fantastic Four join forces with iconic Marvel heroes, standing together in the epic battle to break the mystical darkness with science. Ignite the battle against Dracula with the Fantastic Four in Marvel Rivals!"

Marvel Rivals launched on December 6 and is now available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

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• Photos of an alleged Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con leaked this week
• They appear to show an optical sensor on the controller
• Some are speculating that this means it can be used like a mouse

We’ve seen no shortage of Nintendo Switch 2 leaks over the last few days, including what seems to be our first genuine photos of its controller. One small detail on these images has fueled plenty of speculation about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 feature.

If you look closely, you can see what appears to be an optical sensor on the side of the new Joy-Con. These are the same sensors that you can find on the bottom of a PC mouse, leading some to speculate that the controllers will be able to function similarly.

The idea is that, when placed on its side, you might be able to move the Joy-Con around like a mouse. It sounds a bit far-fetched at first, but this feature is already present on the Lenovo Legion Go, a PC handheld from competitor Lenovo, albeit in a more vertical orientation.

It’s not hard to see the potential utility of such a feature. It could offer some of the precision of the original Wii Remote, making it easier to play ports of old games. Newer titles could also benefit. Many Splatoon 3 players rely on gyroscope controls for faster and more accurate aiming, but a mouse-like accessory such as this could provide an even more precise control scheme.

Navigating a more complex user interface or a web browser would also be much simpler. If the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to feature a significantly altered UI or, as some have speculated, an integrated social media website à la Miiverse, then moving in this direction would make a lot of sense.

Just bear in mind that this is all pure speculation for now. Although they seem extremely genuine, we still don’t know for sure whether the leaked photos are actually real. We also don’t know whether that’s truly an optical sensor, or just something that looks an awful lot like one.

Of course, even if an optical sensor is present on the Nintendo Switch 2 controller, there’s no guarantee that it will actually be utilized like this. The original Joy-Con features an infrared camera, but it is hardly used outside of a single 1-2 Switch minigame and some basic eShop download software.

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