OPINION: We’re in the tech release busy season now, and things don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
This week we’ve seen Apple drop a surprise AI-infused iPad Mini, Google unleash Android 15 to the masses (of Pixel users) and Oppo confirm its upcoming Find X8 will have a camera button similar to the one on the iPhone 16.
That’s not all however, as there have been two particular stories that have caught my eye. Read on to find out more.
Winner: Analogue’s 4K N64 is here (sort of)
Analogue – a brand perhaps best known for its wonderful GameBoy recreation (the Pocket) – is back once again with the objective of allowing us to play nostalgic games in the best quality possible.
A year ago, Analogue first teased a device that could play N64 titles – and now it’s been fully detailed. The Analogue 3D is a dinky console that will bring classic Nintendo 64 cartridges into the 4K era.
The console boasts full compatibility with N64 games from the nineties thanks to its use of FPGA technology to recreate how the original N64 runs. This is the same tech the brand used with the portable Pocket.
There’s no region lock, so you’ll be able to play cartridges from anywhere, and the console features 4K upscaling that can output the N64’s old-school 3D visuals in Ultra HD.
This is a ten-fold increase in the console’s original resolution so classic titles like GoldenEye should look wonderfully crispy on modern TVs. Disappointingly, Analogue hasn’t chosen to recreate the console’s iconic funky controller, although those original pads will work and there are four ports to plug them into. There’s Bluetooth too, so controllers can be paired that way.
The price for all this? Well, the Analogue 3D will retail for $249.99 (around £190) and will be available to pre-order on October 21 with an on-sale date sometime in 2025.
Now, if the Pocket is anything to go by – quantities will be limited, selling out quickly and will rarely get restocked. So if you’ve got a load of N64 cartridges gathering dust, you might want to get in on those pre-orders quickly.
Loser: Leaks jump the gun on the biggest Kindle launch in memory
We have been waiting for new Kindles for ages. Ever since we reviewed the Kobo Libra Colour earlier in the year, we have been eagerly awaiting a colour display-toting Kindle to add some extra oomph to cookery books and graphic novels.
After a great deal of waiting, that device is finally here in the form of the Kindle Colorsoft. it looks fantastic, taking the basis of the Paperwhite and adding a colourful display. While we haven’t got it in our hands yet, it looks to be just about everything we would want.
The Colorsoft wasn’t the only new Kindle announced this week, there was a new Scribe with a tweaked design, a lighter basic Kindle that comes in a slick new Matcha hue and a faster Paperwhite. This looks to be the biggest Kindle overhaul in years, even if it looks like we have finally said goodbye to the Oasis line.
However, the launch itself was a little odd, mostly down to numerous leaks including some from Amazon itself.
First off, UK retailer John Lewis accidentally detailed the Kindle (2024) early, showing off the product itself alongside details like its battery life, storage size and price. It even revealed that a Kids Edition would arrive too.
To make matters worse, Amazon’s Spanish site then temporarily unveiled the entire range – including the Colorsoft, along with full US pricing and images for each new Kindle. For such a monumental step forward for the brand, this sort of launch can’t have gone down well. An official launch shortly followed, but the surprise was gone.
Of course, a slightly botched launch doesn’t take anything away from the actual products – all of which I am excited to properly put to the test, but for Amazon’s first colour Kindle to be revealed in such a messy way just feels like a bit of a shame.
We’ve extensively covered the new devices since launch, comparing the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) vs the Kindle (2024) and the Kindle Colorsoft vs Kindle Paperwhite (2024). We have also broken down the whole Kindle 2024 range so you can see which one is for you.
