More from It’s clearly time: all the news about the transparent tech renaissance
No, not that kind of Windows — I mean you can see rumble motors inside each of the transparent impulse triggers! Guess I should have bought one in June when Tom first told me about it; they seem to be sold out.
I’m a sucker for transparent tech. But PDP’s new Switch and Xbox gamepads aren’t just see-through — as Verge alum Alice writes at Polygon, they’re dioramas. Sega, Nintendo, and Hasbro are all helping put figurines and graphics inside. Wired start at $40, wireless at $60, arriving as soon as September.
I wouldn’t say they’re practical, but I absolutely love how they look — and the new $59 Icemag even has its own tiny RGB fan.
These three batteries are all from Sharge (I think it rhymes with “Charge”) and I can’t wait to see what the Shenzhen company does next. While I don’t own these batteries, I did Kickstart its tiny transparent SSD enclosure, where my old Steam Deck drive will hopefully soon live.
That’s the best way I can describe the FunKey S, a very adorable, but extremely tiny, retro gaming console. It comes in a bunch of colors including the late 90s-early 2000s classic Atomic Purple and should be able to emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation.
But given it looks like it was made for ants I wouldn’t anticipate either the most pleasing gaming experience or the longest lasting one.
Naturally I ordered one as soon as I saw it because I want to see what Syphon Filter looks like on a 1.54-inch screen. I’ll report back once I find out.
The iMac wasn’t the first (remember the ConairPhone? How about transparent prison tech?) and thankfully it won’t be the last. The third age of clear tech is here.
For more, check out our Verge StoryStream.
$40 for the RGB back cover, $60 combo with the front plate for the fully transparent look, $36 for front plate by itself, $60-$90 for the RGB docks.
Don’t miss our report on how Jsaux rode the Steam Deck to escape the Amazon wilderness.
The transparent PS VR2 has been shown, and here’s a special edition clear Quest Pro unit from Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, posted during the launch of Threads. Since Meta’s shutting down production of these, we don’t expect to see it released, but at least it exists.
Check ‘em out on the PlayStation blog. My favorite is easily this transparent PSVR 2. Sony, please release this for real!
Jsaux’s Transparent Backplate for the Steam Deck is $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon for Prime Day.
But the best part of this excellent deal isn’t even that the user-replaceable shell comes with a heatsink for better cooling, or that it also includes swappable rear buttons to choose your preferred feel. No, the best part is that these shells come in six fantastic colors, and one of them is atomic freakin’ purple!
They tell us the $40 PC0106 has its own battery, but it’s not clear what kind. Is that a USB-C port and a button on the back to fire up the LEDs, right beneath the Deck’s volume keys? Seems like! We’re asking.
More here, including Jsaux’s new RGB dock — which has an expanding stand so it can work with other handhelds as well.
The slow drip-feed of rumors and details about Nothing’s next phone continues, with exec Carl Pei tweeting a photo of a USB-C cable (only the ends are clear, which is a little disappointing) that we expect to see debut with the Phone 2 on July 11th.
You know we love transparent gadgets, and while a cable is pretty basic hardware, now that Beats has stepped up to match Nothing’s clear earbuds, it has to do more.
At $65 for a single 65W port and no folding plug, it won’t be stealing too much business from Anker — but when’s the last time you saw a PD charger suitable for your transparent gadget collection? I kinda love the look. Plus, it comes with a 6-foot 240W-ready cable, for whenever those chargers arrive.
With better sound, improved noise cancellation, and a standout translucent design, these are everything the original Beats Studio Buds should’ve been.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei has done another of his product review videos on YouTube — this time for Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro.
The most interesting part starts at the 1:35 mark, when Pei mentions that the Nothing Ear 2 assembly line is “like a rainforest” and filled with humidifiers to prevent dust from finding its way into the transparent earbuds or the carrying case. (Humidity makes the dust settle, which is why some people apply screen protectors in a bathroom with the shower running.)
Even after going to such lengths, 20 to 30 percent of units are rejected and have to be remade.
“You deserve more than the Nintendo Switch’s drift-prone analog sticks. Gulikit’s Hall Effect replacement sticks are the answer. Why not add an awesome transparent shell while you’re at it?” my shoulder devil whispered to me.
Itty-bitty wires make the task way harder than it sounds — but I don’t regret listening!
The Dockcase Explorer Edition is the coolest-looking M.2 enclosure money can buy. A little half-baked, though. If you’re a transparent gadget connoisseur, this see-through USB-C hub is also on the way.
The second-generation earbuds might look almost identical to the Ear 1s but with a $50 higher asking price. Lucky for Nothing, their sound quality is in a different league.
I almost wish I’d waited before buying JSAUX’s excellent transparent heatsink backplate for my Steam Deck...because it now comes in better colors, too! Oh BTW: don’t do the RGB mod yet.
