Nobody likes being forced into too many subscriptions, but sometimes they're necessary. If you're hoping to play online games with the Nintendo Switch, you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online membership. The Xbox and PlayStation require subscription plans to allow online multiplayer gaming, and Nintendo Switch Online is a similar proposition.

The good news is that Nintendo Switch Online costs less than PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass, at $20 a year. (You can also pay in installments, at $4 a month or $8 for three months, but the $20 for 12 months plan is the best value.) That plan gets you online play, online cloud saves and access to some free games you can play as long as you're subscribing to the service. But it'll only cover one Nintendo Switch account holder.

Families with multiple Switches, or anyone with multiple accounts on the same Switch, will need to pay $35 a year, which covers up to eight family members. Otherwise, the only way to play many games online will be through whichever individual account has the Switch Online membership. 

Online play: For me, it's essential

You don't need to play Nintendo Switch games online, and Nintendo's games are arguably the most offline-friendly experiences offered by the big three console makers. (You can also get tons of local, same-room multiplayer games.) Still, a lot of Nintendo's games have online multiplayer, and for that alone the service is essential. Nintendo's online multiplayer features aren't always great, but they're slowly getting better over time: Switch Sports, Mario Strikers: Battle League and Animal Crossing are all online-focused, and many of Nintendo's recent games have online features.

There are some games that don't need Switch Online, and most of them are free-to-play games such as Fortnite or Fall Guys. So, there are ways to live with a Switch without Nintendo Switch Online.

Cloud saves: They come in handy

Cloud game saves are useful if you have multiple Nintendo Switches. Hopping from one Switch to another to play a game is a lot easier when you can just load your game save from the cloud. If you have multiple Switches in your household, only one can be set up to play games while offline, but the others can be used while Wi-Fi connected.

Even if you're a solo-Switch household, you might want this for upgrading from, for example, the original Switch to the new OLED version. If you don't have cloud saves, game save data can still be transferred between systems.

'Free' games: Nintendo's retro offerings are a nostalgic treasure trove 

Nintendo dangles a few game freebies for Switch Online subscribers, but far fewer than either PlayStation Plus (which recently added some new tiers for extra premium and retro games) or Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate, which cycle games monthly. 

Nintendo leans on its NES and SNES classic games, both of which come in Switch apps that semi-regularly update their libraries with new titles. There are 62 NES games right now and 54 SNES games, so it's a lot to keep you busy. The NES and SNES apps mimic what Nintendo used to offer on those cute plug-in NES and SNES Classic retro consoles, or in "Virtual Console" games on the older Wii and the Nintendo DS and 3DS. One fun advantage of these games is that many of them are playable online.

My favorite Online freebie game is Pac-Man 99, a battle royale competitive game like Tetris 99 where you play Pac-Man against 99 others to try to survive. I love it dearly.

The step-up Expansion Pack: You don't need it

Nintendo has a step-up tier called the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack which adds Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis retro game collections (about 16 N64 games, and 25 Genesis games so far). Both of those compilations have some excellent games including Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Sonic 2, Phantasy Star IV. They also come with game save features built in, but they're not worth the added price of the step-up plan unless you're a die-hard N64 or Genesis fan. N64 games are hard to find otherwise, but there aren't many available yet. The Genesis games can be had in other ways; there's an excellent, separately sold Sega Genesis Classics compilation on the eShop, plus some standalone Sega Ages games. At an extra $50 a year for the Expansion Pack (or $80 for a Family subscription), it doesn't seem worth it.

Nintendo's also started adding some other DLC content with the Expansion Pack to sweeten the deal: a Splatoon 2 expansion, extra Mario Kart 8 Deluxe courses and Animal Crossing extras. These can be bought separately at about $25 each.

The best value among console subscriptions? Not entirely

It could be said that, for $20, Nintendo's Switch Online fee is a better deal than Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. It doesn't have the discounts or continuous flow of high-end freebie games that the others have, but it certainly costs less. I also appreciate there's also a family subscription for Switch Online, considering how many Switch players are in my house. 

I'm not wild about having to pay yearly fees for game consoles, but $20 for a Switch Online membership is acceptable. The Expansion Pack service, however, probably isn't worth it unless you have a serious love affair with N64 games.

Pixel phones are usually the first to get new Android updates, and that's one of the biggest perks separating Google's phones from other Android devices. Your Pixel phone may be eligible for upgrades over the next three to five years, but that depends on which model you own.

Android version updates usually bring new features and design tweaks to your phone. Android 13, for example, will introduce more Material You customization when it launches this fall. It'll also have better privacy and security features and improved compatibility with devices such as laptops and speakers. 

Google guarantees three years of software and five years of security updates for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro from when those devices became available in the US Google Play Store. That includes three major Android version updates, security updates until October 2026 and "feature drops," which are smaller software updates introducing extras such as vaccine card shortcuts and air quality alerts. If you own a Pixel 4, Pixel 4A, Pixel 5 or Pixel 5A, you can expect to get updates for at least three years from the date each phone launched in the US Google Store. 

The Pixel 3 and earlier are no longer eligible for Android version and security updates. Google still includes the Pixel 3A and 3A XL on its list of supported phones even though those devices are only guaranteed to receive updates until May 2022. CNET has contacted Google for clarity and will update this story accordingly. 

Take a look at the table below to see how long your device will be compatible with new Android software updates.

Read more: What iOS 16 and Android 13 Tell Us About the Future of Smartphones

Google Pixel Software Updates

Phone	Android Version Updates	Security Updates
Pixel 6 and 6 Pro	Guaranteed until at least October 2024	Guaranteed until at least October 2026
Pixel 5A 5G	Guaranteed until at least August 2024	Guaranteed until at least August 2024
Pixel 5	Guaranteed until at least October 2023	Guaranteed until at least October 2023
Pixel 4A 5G	Guaranteed until at least November 2023	Guaranteed until at least November 2023
Pixel 4A	Guaranteed until at least August 2023	Guaranteed until at least August 2023
Pixel 4 and 4 XL	Guaranteed until at least October 2022	Guaranteed until at least October 2022
Pixel 3A and 3A XL	Guaranteed until at least May 2022	Guaranteed until at least May 2022

Android 13's new features

Android 13 will introduce a bunch of new features that aim to improve security, customization and connectivity with other devices. Some highlights include:

• End-to-end encryption for group conversations to its Rich Communication Services messages app
• Emergency SOS calls for Wear OS smartwatches
• An expansion of Material You that includes premade color sets and themed icons for your home screen apps
• The ability to automatically erase your phone's copy-and-paste clipboard after a short period of time
• Fast pairing for setting up new devices

Android 13 is currently still in beta, and we're expecting to see the final version arrive in the fall alongside the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Check out our full story on Android 13 to learn more about what's coming in the update. 

Read more: The Most Exciting New Phones We're Hoping to See in 2022

Pixel feature drops explained

Pixel feature drops are exactly what the name implies: regular updates that bring new features to Pixel phones. While new Android versions, such as Android 13, bring sweeping changes to the entire operating system, feature drops are smaller updates focused on specific additions. Google launched its first feature drop in December 2019, and new releases typically debut in December, March and June. 

Google announced its latest Pixel feature drop on June 6, and it's available for the Pixel 4 and later. The update includes a new tool for creating music videos, easy access to your COVID-19 vaccine card from the home screen, new wallpapers for Pride Month, conversation mode for reducing background noise in the Pixel's Sound Amplifier accessibility mode and more information on the lock screen, such as a Nest doorbell video feed. 

Read more: Google Pixel Watch: What We Know (and Don't) So Far

How to see your Pixel's Android version and check for updates

You can check your phone's Android version and see if updates are available by opening the Settings menu, tapping System and selecting System update. 

While Google says most security patches will happen automatically, you can check for security updates manually by launching the Settings app, choosing Security and selecting the Google Security checkup tool. 

You can also see if a Google Play system update is available from this menu by choosing the Google Play system update option in the Security section. 

Looking for more Pixel advice? Learn whether you should upgrade to the Pixel 6 and check out these Pixel tips and tricks. 

The HumanCentric DockBook is a simple way to have more of a desktop-like experience with a MacBook Pro without sacrificing the instant mobility of a laptop. It's a vertical USB-C dock with the speed of Thunderbolt 3 and works with all 13-, 15- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar made from 2016 and 2020. For hoteling or hot-desking, it's a fantastic addition to a desk setup.  

The cantilever-style design snuggly holds the MacBook Pro vertically while also acting as a pass-through for the two Thunderbolts on either side of the laptop. Because the ports on both sides of the MacBook have identical spacing, the left or right side can be slotted in. There are pads inside the mount that grip and hold the MacBook in place. While it adjusts some, the slot wouldn't accommodate the slim hardshell case I use. A slimmer case might work, though.

Again, the DockBook simply duplicates the two USB-C ports on the MacBook Pro on the rear of the dock. If you need other connections such as HDMI or DisplayPort outputs, Ethernet, USB-A ports or an SD/microSD card reader, you'll need to connect an additional USB-C dock to the DockBook or consider HumanCentric's vertical stand that's combined with a built-in USB-C dock. It's not as elegant as the DockBook but connects your MacBook to much more. 

The DockBook, however, is perfect for a display like Dell's UltraSharp U3223QZ monitor that has a lot of extra connectivity built-in. With the right cable, though, you can connect from USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort as well. I know it might not seem like much of an inconvenience to connect a cable or two, but being able to sit down at a desk, slide a MacBook Pro into the DockBook and get right to work is a much better experience. And when you're done for the day, you simply slide it back out, put it in your bag and go. The single-cable connection means less mess on your desk, and the vertical design means more desk space, too. The one downside for me is, with the MacBook closed, I can't use Touch ID. 

The dock's footprint is minimal, too, compared to something like Brydge's vertical dock, which stands the MacBook on end creating more of a tower that needs a wider base to balance. The DockBook is more low-profile and, because it is open-ended, it can be used with 13-, 15- and 16-inch models so it's not necessary to buy a size-specific version of it. 

The DockBook is available directly from HumanCentric for $168 and it will ship to the US, Canada and UK. HumanCentric also sells through Amazon in the UK and Australia. The price converts to approximately £135 or $240.

Warning: This story contains descriptions some readers may find disturbing. 

Kanye West responded on Sunday to fierce backlash against his music video that appears to show the musician kidnapping a character that looks like Pete Davidson and burying him alive from the neck down.   

"Art is therapy," the musician wrote  in an Instagram post. "Art is protected as freedom of speech. Art inspires and simplifies the world. Art is not a proxy for any ill or harm. Any suggestion otherwise about my art is false and mal intended." 

The rapper has made his feelings toward Davidson clear in the months since the comedian began dating his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. The four-minute black and white music video is for Eazy, a song West released in January in which he rapped about wanting to "beat Pete Davidson's ass." 

The video, posted last week, includes claymation imagery and also features rapper The Game. Roses appear on top of the head of the character who resembles Davidson, and an animated West clips them with scissors. We see a close-up of Davidson's face, where he seems teary-eyed and in pain.

"I hope Pete Davidson is OK and has excellent security," one Twitter user wrote, reflecting widespread "That video is disturbing as hell." 

After the song Eazy first dropped, so did a flood of aberrant Instagram posts. In them, the rapper shared bizarre memes of him and Davidson alongside more hostile posts toward the SNL comedian that have raised alarm bells. 

"Globally, we are witnessing the disturbing actions of Kanye West against Kim Kardashian and it is our responsibility to name this abusive behavior," Vera House, a nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic violence, tweeted Monday. 

West has spoken publicly about his struggles with bipolar disorder, as has his former wife, who pleaded for "compassion and empathy" toward her then-spouse in July 2020 as his behavior became more erratic. Despite actions that many observers consider alarming, he still has vocal supporters. "As dark as it is, it's beautiful," one fan wrote of the Eazy video. "He's an artist expressing his grief." 

So what led to the Eazy video? Here's a breakdown.

Kanye and Kim's divorce

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West in February of 2021, after more than six years of marriage. A Los Angeles judge declared Kardashian legally single on March 2, the same day Kanye released his music video for Eazy.

Pete Davidson and Kim get together

In October of 2021, Kim and Davidson were spotted together holding hands on a theme park ride. Kim had appeared on Saturday Night Live a few weeks earlier. Over the next few months, they'd be captured doing various activities together including going to see Spider-Man: No Way Home and traveling to The Bahamas.

Pete Davidson publicly called Kardashian his girlfriend for the first time last month in an interview with People magazine. 

Kanye's public comments against Pete, and Eazy song release

West released the song Eazy on Jan. 15. The song included the lyrics "God saved me from the crash, just so I could beat Pete Davidson's ass," which references Kanye's 2002 car accident.

In mid-February, Kanye posted a meme of himself and Davidson photoshopped onto a poster for Captain America: Civil War. He captioned it, "The internet has still not found a decent picture of Skete." The artist has repeatedly referred to Davidson as "Skete." 

Some posts were less amicable. On Feb. 13, West posted a screenshot of a text conversation between him and Davidson and wrote, "No you will never meet my children." The next day, West told his Instagram audience that if they love him, they should, upon seeing Davidson in real life, "scream at the loser at the top of your lungs and say Kimye forever." All of these posts have since been deleted. 

West also posted a screenshot of a text exchange between him and Kardashian to Instagram. She wrote, "U are creating a dangerous and scary environment and someone will hurt Pete and this will all be your fault." He captioned the Instagram post, "Upon my wife's request please nobody do anything physical to Skete."

Kanye West Eazy music video

After West trims the roses from a mostly buried Pete Davidson's head, we see a truck filled with flowers that looks similar to one involved in West's gesture to Kardashian on Valentine's Day. 

Parts of the visually and thematically dark music video also show West holding a decapitated head. The end of the video includes text that says "Everyone lived happily ever after, except Skete you know who." Another panel adds, "Jk, he's fine."

Davidson did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday, but some of his supporters spoke out in his favor. "For the record, Pete Davidson is one of the nicest, sweetest guys I know," director James Gunn tweeted. "A truly generous, tender and funny spirit, he treats everyone around him with respect."

Apple Arcade added virtual pet game My Talking Tom to its catalog of titles on Friday. In the game, you adopt a cat, give it a name and take care of it. Make sure Tom's needs are met and that he's happy, fed and well-rested. 

Taking care of Tom is a far cry from what you'd experience with a real cat. Tom stands on his hind legs, snoozes in his own human bed and grins sheepishly while using a real toilet -- this animation, particularly, verges on being too realistic.

My Talking Tom also includes mini games like bubble shooter, 2048 and Flappy Tom, as well as memory and matching activities. The more you play, the more in-game coins, diamonds and keys you earn to unlock prizes and accessories for Tom.  

The game asks for access to your device's microphone early on in the game. This is so Tom can actually "talk" to you and repeat words you say. You can choose to leave the microphone off and still enjoy other aspects on the game. 

My Talking Tom is also available in the App Store for players who aren't subscribed to Apple Arcade, but you'll encounter ads and in-app purchases. Outfit7, the studio behind the game, also has multiple apps featuring Tom and other talking animals. 

Apple Arcade adds new games and content updates every week. If you're interested in trying Apple Arcade, you can get a three-month free trial with the purchase of a new device, or one month for free if you're signing up for the first time. Open the App Store and tap the joystick icon at the bottom of the screen to launch the service. 

Ninja is among the more inventive kitchen brands of the last several years. One of its out-of-the-box small appliances is this Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 indoor electric grill and air fryer -- yep, you heard that right. Right now, a refurbished model is down to $140 on Woot.com with free shipping for Amazon Prime members. That's more than 50% off the price of a new one. 

The Ninja Foodi Smart Indoor grill sports a 9- by 12-inch grill grate to sear steaks, chicken and burgers. A built-in thermometer will help you nail the temps on bigger cuts of meat. And to round out the meal, this grill transforms into a high-capacity air fryer to make a batch of crispy, oil-free fries to go with said steak or burger. The Foodi grill has four smart protein settings and nine customizable doneness levels. Both the grill top and air fryer reach temps as high as 500 F.

While I haven't had a chance to use this one, Ninja's kitchen appliances almost always work as advertised and very often punch above their weight. A 90-day limited warranty is included on the grill. 

Read more: June Oven Review: The Updated Smart Oven Is Now $700 Cheaper

After a weekend of play, Elden Ring is meeting my lofty expectations. I've spent a lot of hours playing developer FromSoftware's latest game over the past three days. I sort of treated this weekend as a staycation: I made very few plans, ordered pizza and allowed myself to become completely immersed in the magically crafted world of Elden Ring. 

As a refresher, this is my diary as I play through the game. My goal is to reflect on the experience as it changes over time and to tell the stories that naturally arise from the many secrets and surprises of the world. Here is the first entry if you want to see my hopes and fears going into the experience. 

This entry will have spoilers as I start telling my own story, but I'll start that section with an indication of how far I've gotten so you can come back later if you haven't made it as far. First, I'll dive into some spoiler-free impressions of the game after my marathon weekend.

Shine gone

After rejoicing in the reviews on Wednesday, the shine faded a bit by the time I started on Friday due to reports of poor PC performance and a save bug on PS5. I was playing on PS5, but I knew the bug wouldn't apply to me, as it only occurred if you put your system into rest mode without saving and quitting, and I never do that. 

Despite knowing I wasn't going to experience the reported stuttering on PC, I was still hoping this would be a universally awesome adventure for all who dared to undertake it. I wanted it to be communal. It might still be. Developer FromSoftware has already released a patch to fix the PS5 save bug, and I'm sure they're working hard on the PC stuttering. 

Nevertheless, I'd say I was still sufficiently excited when I booted up the game on Friday afternoon. I danced around my apartment for a solid 10 minutes with the start screen on my TV. I'd been waiting years for this. It was finally here. It was glorious. 

I spent a solid hour creating my character. The customization options are many and detailed, and I still agonized over which class to pick. I ended up with the mostly naked Wretch -- the class designed to make the start of the game as hard as possible since you have no armor or skills at the outset. 

Once I started the game, it felt familiar. The combat, controls and much of the basic structure bear similarities to the Dark Souls trilogy from the same studio. Dark Souls makes for a fine core to build upon but, at first, I thought I'd be a little disappointed in what seemed to be a fancier sequel instead of an entirely new experience.

After a brief tutorial, the game lets you into its open world and, even then, I was underwhelmed at first. You can see beautiful structures and landmarks in the distance, but following the main path, you're moving across seemingly ordinary grassy fields, fighting generic camps of soldiers. Even the first few dungeons I encountered were short and predictable. I was worried. The experience was solid, but not wonderful or surprising. Thankfully, that impression would not last long. 

While indulging in sour grapes, one complaint I had in the early game still holds true: The inventory is clunky and the crafting feels like an unnecessary addition. I don't think I'll change my opinion of the former, but my opinion of the latter could shift as I keep going. 

As it stands, crafting seems like the game's way of drip feeding rewards out over a larger space. That's understandable and not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope at some point in the future that craftable items have a more meaningful impact on my play. As it stands, when I venture into a deep, frightening area and find a rare crafting ingredient as my reward, I'm inevitably disappointed. Again, I'm looking forward to being proven wrong here as I continue and uncover the full impact of these rare ingredients.

Beautiful adventure

My worries about the rest of the game were quickly alleviated. At first, I thought it was Dark Souls combat mixed with a dumbed down open world, with FromSoftware's trademark level design broken up into smaller, underwhelming side dungeons to fill out the space. 

As it stands, it is what I hoped it was. Combat combines the best elements of Dark Souls with the studio's other great titles: the speed of Bloodborne and the urgency of Sekiro. The open world quickly becomes marvelous, both along the main path and as soon as you decide to start venturing off toward one of those cool structures in the distance.

You gain access to a horse which controls smoothly, travels quickly and can jump enough to allow you to reach previously inaccessible areas. The horse also allows you to pick your battles in the open world. I laughed gleefully after I stole a treasure from a chest near a giant and then galloped away while he angrily chased after me.

Wander towards something in the distance and you might make it there, and it will be spectacular, or you might get distracted by any of the other wonderful surprises built into the landscape with regularity. It's astonishing. It sure seems like FromSoftware, known for their great level design, have taken the lessons they've learned over all of their other titles and translated it to an open world that's just as rich and tightly crafted.

I've been surprised and delighted so many times at this point that I've lost count, and I've only been playing for a few days. Yes, some of the side dungeons are simple, but they're fun. I was also worried that they'd equate to watered down main dungeons. In the famously good open world of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the side dungeons are amazing, but I wished they would have put some of those ideas into the four main ones as they were much shorter than past Zelda titles. 

With Elden Ring, the one main dungeon I've played might be the company's best level design I've experienced to date. This dungeon is simply magnificent in scope and it winds together like a perfectly crafted web. I was stunned.

I also think that the way they've implemented a self scaling difficulty system is amazing. If you want to play in classic sword-and-shield Dark Souls style, the bosses and major enemies are more difficult than ever. It's perfect for long time fans of the series. 

However, you can also make things easier on yourself with tons of optional resources to hit enemies from range, call in real life friends to help, or even summon the computer controlled spirits of the dead to fight by your side.

Thus far, Elden Ring is living up to all of my lofty expectations. I've been consistently filled with wonder, I've been made to feel afraid, I've been exuberant when I've risen to the challenge, I've been surprised repeatedly and I've been delighted each step of the way.

Trials and tribulations

Story time. I'll keep these somewhat quick. I won't have nearly as much time to play before my Friday update as my life returns to normal, so I'll save some of my weekend stories until then. Also, my weekly Friday entries from here forth will be focused mostly on stories now that I've blabbed through my thoughts and feelings. 

For this entry, I'll talk about my experiences with the first two main bosses in Stormveil Castle. I believe they were both in the network test, but still, if you are experiencing the game for the first time and don't want to know anything about those two bosses, now is the time to click away and come back when you're done to hear my thoughts.

Last chance. Spoilers for the first two bosses ahead.

Boy, they are brutal. When I played Dark Souls 3, given my experience with the series, I beat the majority of bosses in five tries or less. These two taught me that when it comes to Elden Ring, I know nothing. They are both so fast. Like I said, FromSoftware has used the lessons it learned from their other titles here, including the speed of the encounters of Bloodborne.

If you have the courage to stand in there, though, in the face of these ferocious and scary attacks, you get rewarded with opportunities for huge strikes similar to Sekiro. Again, you can summon help and attack from range, but I wanted the pure challenge of beating them by myself with my sword, and both took me hours of attempts. 

Margit

With the first main boss, Margit, I discovered that you could break his posture and score a critical strike with three to four big hits in short succession. Doing that, though, was no easy feat. Still, after only a few attempts, I was able to repeatedly make it through his first phase relatively unscathed. When he gets to roughly half his health, he enters phase two, and that's when he started smashing me with his magical hammer. 

By that point, I'd found a shield that stopped 100% of physical damage, but only about 50% of magic damage, so every single strike from that hammer was deadly unless I dodged it perfectly. Little by little, I learned to do that, but a mistake or two and the fight would spiral out of control even if I'd been doing well previously. 

I'd feel the pressure, or I'd get hit and try to back away and heal. Big mistake. Margit has a lot of moves specifically meant to punish retreating. As a melee striker, the best approach is to stay on top of him and use your smaller size to circle to his side or back. 

That said, staying right next to him when he wound up a huge attack, especially if I was low on health, went against every panicking survival instinct I had. He killed me repeatedly as I'd deviate from my own strategy and try to find breathing room.

Eventually, though, I started to get it. I used my spirit summons on one attempt just to give me enough breathing room to watch his attack patterns, but I let myself die as I wanted to win one on one. The very next attempt, I was relaxed and I was perfectly dodging and blocking his moves. I broke his posture repeatedly and was taking big chunks of his health at once. 

I got his life down to about a quarter while still holding most of my healing potions (you have a set number of items you can use to heal on a given attempt), and I tightened up. I thought "this is my chance" and I started playing conservatively to chip away at his remaining health. It did not go well. 

He turned the fight against me, but I was hanging on and getting in occasional chip shots. I used all of my healing potions, but his life was almost gone by that point. I dodged an attack, connected on a swing and thought I had him, but it wasn't enough. I needed one more hit. I tried to back away to refocus and approach one last time, and he killed me on my retreat. 

It's been awhile since a video game has made me feel that much despair. At that point, I was tired and frustrated and my subsequent attempts were getting worse and worse. I ended up using my summons to beat him. It's not cheating by any means, but I was mad at myself nonetheless for falling short of my goal. 

Godrick

Stormveil Castle followed. It's the first main dungeon of the game, and as I described above, it's just spectacular. The next day, I reached the boss at the end of the Castle, Godrick the Grafted. He's slower than Margit, but Godrick hits harder and flails with less predictability given his many limbs. 

I learned to beat his first phase after only a few attempts and was treated to a delightful cutscene where he cuts off his own left arm and replaces it with the head of a dragon, because of course he does. The fire attacks of that dragon head incinerated me pretty quickly. I'd found decent armor by that point, so I switched to a set with slightly more resistance to fire damage, and back I went.

I almost had him on a relatively early attempt. I stuck with the strategy of staying with him and it was working well. My practice with the systems was paying off. A lot of his fire attacks have a huge range in front of him, but I rolled behind him during the windup and then had plenty of time to punish during the attack from relative safety. 

Then, he wound up a new attack that I hadn't seen before in which the dragon head on his arm majestically rears back with an open mouth. "Huh, that looks neat," I thought. I'm still mad at my reflexes for that one. I didn't do anything, just watched, and the dragon grabbed me, lifted me up, chomped me, slammed me to the ground and incinerated me. That attempt was over.

Numerous attempts after that were ended by that dang dragon head grabbing me, but I finally learned how to dodge it. I learned the tell for his area attack slams that were the other wrinkle in my strategy to stay close. I simply needed to put it all together. I'd gotten to the same place where I'd failed with Margit.

Just like with the Margit fight, I knew I had a real shot in one particular attempt. I absolutely eviscerated Godrick's first phase without getting hit. I even stayed ahead of the healing curve on the first part of the second phase and got him to a quarter of his life. And again, I tightened up. 

He turned the fight on me in an instant and I found myself with some breathing room but no health potions remaining and one hit away from death. He was still at a quarter of his life. I hadn't even touched him in this miserable streak. Oddly though, the feeling that the attempt was over allowed me to relax. I started hitting him again and again while perfectly dodging or blocking all of his attacks. 

I whittled him down until he had two hits remaining. I had one. He did his area attack forcing me to back away. I took a deep breath as he approached afterwards. I reacted well to his engaging strike and scored a hit, but then he rolled away from me. He jumped into the air to slam down with his deadliest attack, one that would often kill me if I slightly missed the time on the dodge. 

I didn't miss. I rolled behind him perfectly as he landed and his attack went astray. I turned and finished the fight in my favor. 

I then proceeded to shout with joy and dance around my apartment for a solid 20 minutes. Even writing about it now has my heart fluttering. It was amazing, and I'd redeemed myself after the disappointment of Margit. 

I'd also finally made it over the initial learning curve for melee combat in this game, and the curve was a doozy. I was ready for the next steps of this grand adventure, and I was every bit as excited as when I started. 

Following a recent price increase overseas last week, Sony released an updated PlayStation 5 with one noticeable difference so far: it weighs less. 

New versions of the Digital and Disc PS5 are available in Australia, according to a Monday report from Press Start. Paperwork for the updated consoles shows the weight is lower by 200 grams for the digital and 300 grams for the disc version. There could be other internal changes that won't be known until this new PS5 is torn down. 

Sony first released its updated PS5 in Australia this same month last year, with slightly less weight and a new base screw. This means that since its launch in 2020, the digital PS5 has dropped 500 grams and the disc version is down by 600 grams. There were initial concerns last year that the smaller heatsink on the updated console led to it running hotter, but further tests showed that wasn't the case. 

Last week, Sony increased the price of the console in markets across the globe, saying the move was a "necessity given the current global economic environment." The PlayStation maker also revealed a new PS5 customizable controller but didn't provide details on the price or when it'll come out. 

It's unclear if this updated PS5 will be more widely available, as the console has been elusive since its release. Those still searching for a system can check the PS5 tracker. 

Sony didn't respond to a request for comment.

Apple's getting ready for a Sept. 7 event , which is very likely to be the moment we learn about the company's next iPhone line. 

The newest version, expected to be called the iPhone 14, is rumored to include an always-on display similar to what's on the Apple Watch now, allowing for constant glanceable information without ruining battery life.

Apple hasn't really said what it plans to announce at its event, only sending out a cryptic invitation to the press, with an Apple logo seemingly set in a night sky, suggesting potential camera improvements or last year's rumored satellite emergency calling. The image looks like something we might see from the James Webb Space Telescope, whose stunning photos have already begun changing how we view the cosmos since first being released earlier this summer. In its announcement, Apple included the teaser words "Far out." 

Read more: Apple Makes 'Far Out' iPhone Launch Event Official For Sept. 7

The iPhone 14 launch will also mark the 15th year since the original iPhone's debut, in June of 2007. Back then, the device wasn't the sure hit it is today. Many tech industry watchers were enthusiastic about Apple's prospects of course, but it hadn't proven it can build reliable phone technology before then. It was also up against massive competitors such as Microsoft, Palm and Research in Motion, whose Blackberry devices ruled the business world at the time. Within a decade though, Apple -- as well as Google's popular Android software -- had bested all three companies.

While the iPhone will be a key product we see at Apple's event this year, and likely what most people focus their attention on, the company's expected to hold other events later this year with other devices to show off. Those include new Mac computers with upgraded chips and new iPads.

Read more: Everything We Know So Far About the iPhone 14

When is the Apple event?

Apple's online-only event will be Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. PT, which is 1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST and 3 a.m. AEST. (Sorry, Australia.) Here's a handy time zone converter to help find what time it'll be where you are.

Where can I watch Apple's livestream?

You'll be able to stream Apple's event straight from the company's website. Meanwhile, we'll be reporting on the event live here at CNET.

What can we expect, besides the iPhone 14 launch?

Apple's digital events are fast paced and slickly produced. And even though Apple's now trying its hand at in-person events again as coronavirus pandemic-era health concerns slowly recede, the company still seems to be applying what it's learned about how to make its events more compelling. During its last event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple held a livestream but then offered in-person demos for the press afterward.