Technologies
Loverwatch: Secret Ending, Sequel Chances and More
Stop what you’re doing and go play the Overwatch dating sim.
Overwatch 2 promised players some unexpected things in season 3, and the biggest and best surprise has been the web-based dating sim Loverwatch. In the game, you’re guided by Hanzo in cupid form as he helps you navigate your way to Genji’s or Mercy’s heart. The path will take you to Overwatch locales like Midtown and Circuit Royale as you spend time with your date and get to know them better. It’s a hilarious ride filled with Overwatch in-jokes and a surprising amount of heart.
You can play Loverwatch by going to loverwatch.gg. It plays directly in your web browser — no downloads required. If you sign in to your Battle.net account, you’ll be able to earn in-game rewards for successfully earning the admiration of the Overwatch heroes, though some rewards will be added only at a later date.
As I mentioned in CNET’s season 3 guide, the Overwatch roster is overflowing with eligible dates. Of those 30-plus heroes, though, Genji and Mercy are two of the most popular, with plenty of backstory to draw from. That makes them good choices for what’s hopefully the first Overwatch dating sim, or at least the first iteration of it. The game itself hints at the hopes for future installments.
Loverwatch, as weird and unexpected as the project might seem, is one of the best things Overwatch has produced. CNET got to talk to the game’s writers and brand manager in media interviews the day after its launch. Here’s what we learned about the game’s origins and the possibility of fans getting more in the future.
Is Loverwatch canon?
No. The writers pulled from the characters’ personalities based on longstanding lore and in-game interactions, but the events of the dating sim aren’t canon. The game states that upfront before players begin courting the hero of their choice.
How to get the secret ending
For the rewards hunters: Genji and Mercy are the two options at the start of the game, but theirs aren’t the only hearts you can win. If you successfully form a connection with both heroes, you’ll unlock a secret ending where Cupid himself tells you that he admires your dedication to love in all its forms. You’ll get a unique reward for earning this ending, which transfers to your Battle.net account.
Why a dating sim?
Overwatch has needed something like this for years. It’s a bright, vibrant game filled with characters who inspire late-night lore-binging sessions, yet the core game is a competitive shooter — not the most inviting or accessible environment for everyone. A dating sim is a great way for Blizzard to get the game and its characters out in front of more people without asking them to go through the terrors of online matchmaking. The writers do a remarkable job of slipping in-jokes into the dialogue for people who’ve played for years, while still providing context for people who might’ve joined when Overwatch 2 launched as a free-to-play game.
The developers seem to be aware of the potential for engagement outside of the core gameplay. Overwatch Brand Manager Beth Bryson said that, as part of the game’s new free-to-play model, «We’re going to give [fans] ways to experience the Overwatch world and experience our heroes and interact with them in unique and different ways,» and Loverwatch is the introductory path.
According to Senior Narrative Designer Miranda Moyer, heroes are the lifeblood of the game, and the Overwatch developers were enthusiastic about giving fans an opportunity to interact with those heroes in a more character-focused experience. Moyer wrote Genji’s path in the dating sim.
Narrative Designer Kyungseo Min, who wrote Mercy’s path, said, «We wanted to [expand the universe] in a way where we wanted to include members of the community who kinda felt left out by the PVP experience,» and that a project like Loverwatch gives them the opportunity to expand while being inclusive.
Will there be more Overwatch dating sims?
Everyone who plays the game seems to be asking for more. Bryson said the hope is that the player response will be big enough to explore other avenues like Loverwatch. «I think there’s a very large appetite for that within the team. No promises, but we certainly make a stronger case for ourselves if players are jumping in and enjoying it.»
Moyer added, «There is absolutely a lot of enthusiasm behind this project, and we have a ton of ideas for the rest of the cast.»
Maybe your ultimate hope is to be able to court the troubled-but-wholesome members of Overwatch or the more complicated heroes like Ashe or the members of Talon. Or perhaps you just have an unquenchable thirst for one of the game’s omnics. Regardless, the best way to guarantee that possibility is to go play Loverwatch right now. Trust me, it’s worth the 10 minutes or so a single playthrough will take you, and you’ll be helping out the entire Overwatch community by advancing our obsession.
For more on Overwatch, check out how the newest hero expands the game’s lore and what you can find in the new map.
Technologies
Crank Up the Tunes With Over $200 Off the Top-Rated Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Earbuds
Woot is offering you the chance to put these Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ANC buds in your ears for a massive 44% off, but the deal ends soon.
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds with ANC in anthracite black are now just $280 on Woot. That’s an impressive 44% off the usual $499 sticker price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen so far, but this deal won’t last long. Quantities on Woot are limited, so grab yours while the deal is still live.
The design’s comfy enough for long hauls, and the 15-minute quick charge is clutch when you’re heading out the door. The charging case even doubles as a Bluetooth transceiver, so you can plug into in-flight entertainment systems without fuss. These buds are featured in our roundup of the best wireless earbuds of the year, and audio expert David Carnoy called them «easily among the best-sounding earbuds out there,» with better ANC and a more ergonomic fit than earlier models.
If you’re picky about sound, these are worth a look. They have a snug fit, single-button controls and a case that’s been redesigned to feel more premium. They’re splash- and dust-resistant (IP54 rating), and the updated shape fits better than the Pi7 S2 and Pi5 S2. You can also tweak settings using the Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android.
If this isn’t quite your vibe, check out our full roundup of the best headphone deals you can add to your cart now.
HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$248 (save $152)
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$170 (save $181)
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$398 (save $62)
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$200 (save $250)
Why this deal matters
These earbuds don’t go on sale often, and when they do, it’s usually not this steep of a discount. The anthracite black Pi8s are sitting at their lowest price yet, and they’re backed by solid reviews and a spot on CNET’s best earbuds list. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to splurge, this is it. We last saw this deal during Black Friday, so there’s no telling when these buds will come back on sale after this deal expires.
Technologies
Apple Reportedly Eyes ‘iPhone Ultra’ Name for Folding Phone Expected This Year
It’s another week and another bunch of rumors about the company’s first foldable phone.
It’s a new week and a new set of rumors for Apple’s first foldable phone. If Tuesday’s reports are true, the device will be called the Ultra, have a bookish shape and launch in September.
The main report comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said the foldable is on track for a September launch, despite Nikkei Asia reporting that the phone might not launch until 2027 due to issues that cropped up during the engineering test phase.
Citing unnamed sources, Gurman said Apple will introduce the foldable phone in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Those phones would likely go on sale about a week after being unveiled.
An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s important to note that while rumors abound, Apple has confirmed none of them — not even the existence of a foldable iPhone.
Still, the earlier Nikkei Asia report was jarring enough to send Apple’s stock down 5.1% before it rebounded later, Gurman noted. The Nikkei Asia story said unexpected issues had arisen during engineering testing and that more time was needed to make «necessary adjustments.» Under a worst-case scenario, the first shipment of the foldables would not occur until 2027, the report said.
More from CNET: Foldable Phones Have Solved Nearly Every Trade-Off, Well Before Apple Debuts One
Looks like a book
Meanwhile, consumer tech reviewer Sonny Dickson posted images on X showing dummy models indicating how big the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max might be. In the image, the foldable has an almost square shape when fully opened.
Dummy images are useful for phone accessory manufacturers — such as case-makers — so they can get a head start on mass production before the devices are launched. When phones are released, consumers are quick to order cases and other accessories, so the sizes need to be known. It is unclear whether the dummy models shown are actual mockups from Apple.
People who commented on X didn’t seem to love the dummy images, particularly because the models shown appear to lack MagSafe, Apple’s magnetic system on the back of the phone that lets chargers and other accessories snap on.
Stefan Moser wrote, «If the Fold is missing MagSafe, this will be a big NO for me.»
There were other criticisms, too.
An X user going by DasnkiCS posted that the phone looks «too wide, can’t palm that easily in normal phone use.»
And another X user, Brosnan Hoban, wrote, «Fold looks like a credit card from 2050.»
What’s in a name?
Tuesday’s other big rumor concerned the foldable’s name.
A leaker, Digital Chat Station, posted on the Chinese social site Weibo that the foldable iPhone could be called the iPhone Ultra. The post also said Chinese competitors may use the Ultra name for their own foldables to compete directly with Apple on design, specs, and price.
The predominant rumored name has been the iPhone Fold, but others have included Flip, Duo and iFold.
In March, Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that Apple was considering a full line of Ultra products, possibly including a foldable phone, an M6 MacBook Pro with OLED, a foldable iPad and high-end Macs. Gurman also said Apple might introduce AirPods with «computer-vision cameras» to send visual data to Siri for its AI assistant feature.
We’ve seen a steady stream of tidbits about the foldable recently. There could be a large inner screen for multitasking, and people could open apps side by side. There might also be two rear cameras, a front-facing camera and a Touch ID side button.
Whatever Apple finally comes up with, it will be playing catch-up. Other major phone-makers already have foldable phones on the market, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the OnePlus Open, the Huawei Mate XT, the Honor Magic V5 and the Motorola Razr Ultra.
Technologies
Artemis II Astronauts Name Moon Crater After Commander Reid Wiseman’s Late Wife
The emotional moment was streamed by NASA moments after the crew made history.
On Monday, after the crew aboard Artemis II made a historic feat by breaking Apollo 13’s distance record, they made the moment even more special by proposing to name one of the craters on the moon «Carroll,» in memory of Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.
While contacting Mission Control, Mission Specialist and astronaut Jeremy Hansen stated that the «close-knit astronaut family» previously lost a loved one who was «the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie.»
«It’s a bright spot on the moon,» Hansen said while describing the crater during the emotional call. «And we would like to call it Carroll.»
After the request, you can see Wiseman embrace Hansen before the rest of the crew joins in for a group hug.
Carroll Wiseman died in 2020 at 46 years old from cancer. Wiseman’s NASA bio page states that Carroll «dedicated her life to helping others as a newborn intensive care unit Registered Nurse.»
Before the Artemis II mission, Wiseman posted a selfie with his two daughters on X with a caption that reads in part, «I love these two ladies, and I’m boarding that rocket a very proud father.»
Follow CNET’s coverage of the 10-day Artemis II mission as the Orion makes its way back to Earth.
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