Technologies

Diablo 4 Takes Bleakness to a New Level, Which Is Just Fine With Me

Commentary: Be ready to be disturbed.

The Diablo franchise has had some incredible highs and more than a few lows.

Games like Diablo II: Resurrected received huge hype when first announced but failed to win over fans when released. Diablo Immortal received ridicule from day one that didn’t stop after its release. Diablo 4, however, is another entry into the series with a lot of buzz, and the developer team has a grasp of the pressure on it as well as the legacy it has to live up to when it comes out June 6.

Having spent eight to 10 hours playing Diablo 4 on the Xbox Series X in December, I can confirm the short amount of time I spent with the game was downright disturbing — in a good way. Fans of the game can check out the game for themselves starting Friday with the Diablo 4 beta.

Pre-order Diablo 4

$70 at Target

The game’s «Return to Darkness» tagline is more than a marketing ploy. It heralds a return to the bleak, dark world of Diablo that’s been ensnaring gamers since the original’s debut in 1997. In those days having a game with a boss named Diablo was disturbing enough. In current times, the envelope has to be pushed a bit more.

«When you look at what pop culture is like in the industry, you have Game of Thrones, Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy,» said Rod Fergusson, general manager for Diablo. «These are very dark topics and dark themes that are mainstream. We felt like this was an opportunity to kind of embrace Diablo’s roots and bring it to the forefront and make it mainstream as well.»

Leading this darker tone is the main antagonist, Lilith. She’s the daughter of Mephisto, one of the Great Evils, and is called the Mother of Sanctuary, the world in which the Diablo series takes place. Unlike previous games where there was a slow buildup to the big boss behind all the evil in the world, Blizzard put Lilith upfront from the very first cutscene.

When it launches later in June, Diablo 4 will have five classes available to play: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorceress, Necromancer and Druid. Since the Necromancer wasn’t available, I went with the Barbarian to get a feel of the melee combat and how dynamic it is. It’s also one of the classes I’ve played the most in the series.

The playable build starts off at Fractured Peaks with my hero’s horse being killed leaving him in a cave by himself for the night. From the caves came the first stop, Nevesk, a very small town where things aren’t what they seem. Lilith already had an impact on the few people here, and her true power comes from having people indulge their dark side. This was the first interaction my character had with other NPCs, and it was pretty clear how the developers wanted to give the hero more of a part within the story by having their own dialogue and playing a part in the cutscenes.

It’s in the town of Nevesk where Lilith’s effect on the people of Sanctuary is shown. There’s far more to her than just being evil, which sets her as an interesting antagonist when compared with the other Great Evils from previous Diablo titles. While her ultimate plan isn’t apparent early on, Lilith’s presence is immediately felt and was done deliberately so by the development team.

lilith from diablo 4 — Lilith in all of her glory.

Blizzard Entertainment

«By having you unravel her story about what’s happening, her impact on the world, you get to hear her motivations,» said game director Joe Shely. «You get to understand what she’s trying to do and you get to get more connected to her and maybe there’s even a little bit of ambiguity there where you’re like: watch Star Wars and go like maybe Vader was right. I think that notion of having more face time with the big bad means that it’s a much more satisfying resolve as you play through the story, as you go through it.»

Diablo 4 doesn’t stray from the hack-and-slash action the series is known for, but movement feels more fluid and active thanks to the evade move. First introduced in Diablo 3, the evade button feels more integrated into the sequel. Certain enemies telegraph attacks, allowing the player to dart away in response. The developers say as the players level up, other options to evade, such as being able to pull off multiple dodges at a time, can be unlocked.

a column of fire shoots from the sorceress engulfing a monster — The sorceress blasts beautiful fire onto a monster.

Blizzard Entertainment

The skill tree in Diablo 4 has also evolved. As someone who played all the Diablo games, that took a bit of getting used to. The options available grant players freedom to customize for specific playstyles, but won’t leave newbies feeling confused. As a Barbarian, I could focus on dual-wielding weapons for quicker attacks that deal more bleed damage or go with a two-handed slashing weapon in order to perform a spinning attack that lets me carve through huge groups of enemies. The tree looked like a buffet of attacks, but there was a logic to it all as it was in previous Diablo games.

As expected in a Diablo game, there are plenty of dungeons to clear in Diablo 4. but the game’s new open world adds a layer of complexity to the proceedings. I was surprised when I came across a cliff and there was an option to «climb down» leading to another part of the map.

While there isn’t an extensive, vast open world like Elden Ring or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it was interesting to have a broader land to explore. Previous Diablo games had procedurally generated maps that were big, yet limited. While Fractured Peak was still restricted, it didn’t feel like I was bound to a map. There are horses available to purchase but only after you complete a quest that is available later on.

a hero cross a ravine via rope — Sanctuary got a little bigger in Diablo 4.

Blizzard Entertainment

In the time I played the build, I found myself compelled by Diablo 4’s story as well as how it played, which isn’t what I felt in Diablo 3 where it was the gameplay that kept me coming back but the storyline was quickly forgotten. Combine that with an open world and I was even more enticed to explore while also seeing how I can build my Barbarian. It’s that combination of story and gameplay that makes what I played of Diablo 4 so interesting and should be the same for fans when it comes out.

Diablo 4 will release on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S for $70 in June.

Technologies

My Early Time Testing the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Brought a Smashing Surprise

Commentary: Samsung rolled out a major change to its foldable phones. And I can definitely vouch for the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s sturdiness.

If you’re concerned about how durable Samsung’s foldable phones are, I’m here to tell you not to worry. And that’s especially true when it comes to the new Galaxy Z Flip 7, which holds its own among today’s best smartphones.

After less than six hours with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, I accidentally performed my own informal drop test. At a catered affair in Brooklyn, I walked outside to get a view of the waterfront, and when I pulled the Z Flip 7 out of my pocket, I fumbled it. I watched helplessly as Samsung’s newest foldable phone fell to the ground. The noise it made when it clacked against the concrete caused everyone around to look at me with a knowing, sympathetic expression that said, «Aw, that’s a shame. Your phone is toast.»

Have you ever dropped your phone? There’s that Schrödinger’s cat-like moment before you pick it up when you’re anxious to see if the phone survived.

Fortunately, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 was fine. The 4.1-inch cover screen didn’t have any cracks or scuffs. The 6.9-inch inner display was unharmed because the phone was shut. The only tell that it kissed the ground was a tiny scuff on the bottom of the phone near the microphones. Samsung’s claim that its new «Armour Flex Hinge» is built to withstand impact is indeed true.

In the early days of foldable phones, one of the biggest unknowns was their durability. It’s amazing that about six years later, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 can handle being dropped on concrete like it had landed on a velvet pillow. Now, I still wouldn’t take the Flip 7 (or any foldable phone) to the beach, as it can only withstand particles that are 1mm or larger. So going to a confetti factory would be fine, but a salt factory is a definite no-no.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s thin design

The star of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event was the Galaxy Z Fold 7. At 8.9mm thick when closed, the Fold 7 is ridiculously thin. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 looks like it also went on Ozempic, but it’s 13.7mm thick when closed. That’s slim, but not Fold 7 slim. Why couldn’t the Flip 7 be super slim like the Fold 7? I just keep imagining a Galaxy Z Flip 8 with the same thinness as the Fold 7.

For some perspective, here’s how the Flip 7 compares to its clamshell kinfolk:

Galaxy Z Flip 7 thickness vs. other flip phones

Phone	Closed	Open
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7	13.7mm	6.5mm
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6	14.9mm	6.9mm
Motorola Razr Plus	15.32mm	7.09mm
Motorola Razr Ultra	15.69mm	7.19mm
Motorola Razr (2025)	15.85mm	7.25mm

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s big cover screen

The original Galaxy Z Flip had a tiny, 1.1-inch pill-shaped cover display. It was perfect for showing the time but pretty much useless for anything else. The defining feature on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is its 4.1-inch cover display. The screen looks incredible. I was checking my notifications on the screen under direct sunlight and was able to read everything. One of the hang-ups I had reviewing the Galaxy Z Flip 6 was switching from the inner screen to the cover display outdoors. There would be times on sunny days where I could barely make out what was on the cover display, despite having no issues with the main screen.

Samsung has increased the maximum brightness of the Flip 7’s cover screen to 2,600 nits, which is the same as the inner display. Both screens now top out at 120Hz, too, which should make for a much more consistent experience by having system animations, gameplay and scrolling through a social feed look super smooth.

The 6.9-inch inner screen is big, but it doesn’t feel unwieldy when I use it. The Flip 6 had a 6.7-inch display, but that extra 0.2 inches on the Flip 7’s screen makes it feel much bigger, which my middle-aged eyes are grateful for.

In terms of functionality, the cover screen’s natural state is widgets. And some, like Spotify’s widget, are all I need in lieu of using full apps. But I want apps on the home screen, so I need to enable this functionality in the Labs section of Settings and download the MultiStar app. It takes a couple of minutes to set up, but I do wish the interface supported apps by default.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cameras

The Flip 7 has three cameras: a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie camera (in the main 6.9-inch screen). The cameras are the same as those on the Flip 6 and Flip 7 FE. But the phones run on different processors, so differences or improvements in photos and videos (if any) will come from Samsung’s processing and machine learning.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the Galaxy Z Flip 7 so far:

Galaxy Z Flip 7 final thoughts for now

Samsung gave its foldable line a major overhaul. And while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 feels like an entirely different phone from previous Folds, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 seems like a nice refinement. I will say that I’ve had only two days with the phone. And as enamored as I am with the larger cover screen, I’m excited to see how the battery life measures up.

Samsung gave the Flip 7 a 4,300-mAh battery (compared with the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s 4,000-mAh battery), but I wonder if the increased capacity will be offset by the power needed for its Exynos 2500 chip and those larger, brighter displays.

I have a lot more testing to do. But as I work my way toward a full review, I’ll try not to drop the Flip 7 anymore.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 specs vs. Motorola Razr Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7	Motorola Razr Ultra (2025)	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	4.1-inch AMOLED, 948×1,048p, 120Hz refresh rate	4-inch pOLED, 2,992×1,224p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate	3.4-inch AMOLED; 720×748 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate
Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.9-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1-120Hz refresh rate	7-inch AMOLED; 1,272×1,080p, up to 165Hz variable refresh rate	6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,640×1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz refresh rate
Pixel density	Cover: 342ppi. Internal: 397ppi	Cover: 417 ppi. Internal: 464 ppi	Cover: 306 ppi. Internal: 425 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	Open: 2.96×6.56×0.26 Closed: 2.96×3.37×0.26	Open: 2.91×6.75×0.28 Closed: 2.91×3.47×0.62	Open: 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 Closed: 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59
Dimensions (millimeters)	Open: 75.2×166.7×6.5 Closed: 75.2×85.5×13.7	Open: 73.99×171.48×7.19 Closed: 73.99×88.12×15.69	Open: 165.1×71.9×6.9 Closed: 85.1×71.9×14.9
Weight (grams, ounces)	188 g (6.63 oz)	199 g (7 oz)	187 g (6.6 oz)
Mobile software	Android 16	Android 15	Android 14
Cameras	50 megapixel (main), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)	50 megapixel (wide), 50 megapixel (ultrawide)	50 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)
Internal screen camera	10 megapixel	50 megapixel	10 megapixel
Video capture	4K at 60fps	4K	TBD
Processor	Samsung Exynos 2500	Snapdragon 8 Elite	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM/storage	12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB	16GB + 512GB, 1TB	12GB + 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage	No	None	None
Battery	4,300 mAh	4,700 mAh	4,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	Side	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None
Special features	One UI 8, IP48 water resistance, 25-watt wired charging, Qi wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Galaxy AI	IP48 rating, 68-watt wired charging, 30-watt wireless charging, 5-watt reverse charging, dual stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic cover display, 3,000 nits peak brightness on cover display, 4,500 nits peak brightness on main display, 5G.	IP48 rating, 25-watt wired charging, wireless charging + powershare, 3x optical zoom (up to 10x digital and 30x Space Zoom with AI Super Resolution tech)
US price starts at	$1,100	$1,300	$1,100

Correction, Jul. 12: The Galaxy Z Flip 7 runs on Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chip.

Technologies

The GameSir G8 Plus Is a Solid Mobile Controller, With One Big Caveat

If you don’t mind a bad app, the G8 Plus is a solid controller.

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Written by Jason Cockerham

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GameSir G8 Plus

$80 at Amazon

Pros

Great hardware
Fits phones and small tablets
Extra back buttons
Good battery life

Cons

Buggy app
No extra faceplates available
No case included

If you don’t think gaming on your phone could be fun, you’ve likely never tried using it with a controller. Once you do, you’ll realize why mobile gaming is continuing to grow exponentially. It really is, pun very much intended, a game-changer.

There are a ton of mobile controllers out there. Most of them are bad but there are some great ones out there too. The G8 Plus from GameSir is one of the latter. It works with Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. And it feels great to use, but the app leaves a lot to be desired.

Great hardware

There’s a lot to like about the G8 Plus, starting with the hardware. Arguably, the most important aspect of any controller is how it feels to hold and use, and luckily the G8 Plus does well there. It’s not my favorite hardware on a mobile controller — that’s currently a tie between the Razer Kishi Ultra and the Elo Vagabond — but it’s still solid.

It’s comfortable to hold, even for long periods of time. It feels like an Xbox controller that stretches in half to make room for your phone, which is a good thing. The textured grip on the back means it won’t slip out of your hands and it’s light enough not feel too heavy after an hour or so.

The buttons are nice and clicky with plenty of travel, and the D-Pad is decent too. D-Pads often gets overlooked on mobile controllers, but it’s solid here. There’s also a Home button on the front for launching the GameSir app, a capture button for recording in-game content, and an M button for switching connection modes.

I was impressed by the two programmable back buttons. They aren’t mushy like on the PowerA Fusion and they sit where my fingers naturally rest, so they’re easy to use. These buttons are always hit or miss on mobile controllers, but here, they’re great.

The Hall Effect joysticks and triggers are good as well. While there is no physical hair trigger setting, you can adjust the triggers digitally in the app. More on that later. GameSir also offers a couple different joystick tops so you can pick the one that suits your gameplay. They aren’t different heights, just differently shaped tops.

The best part of the G8 Plus is the range of compatible devices. The two halves stretch out far enough for probably every phone and it can even fit some small tablets like the iPad Mini or the fantastic Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3. Since it’s Bluetooth, there’s no need to mess with connecting to USB-C. Plus, it will automatically wake up and connect to your phone as soon as you pull it apart, and it will sleep as soon as you remove your phone.

Frustrating software

Sadly, the biggest frustration and reason I hesitate to recommend the G8 Plus is the same one that’s been plaguing GameSir controllers for years: the software. GameSir’s app is not only barebones, it’s barely functional and it has some annoying bugs.

The UI is just… basic. There’s nothing flashy or exciting about it, and it looks like the company just threw it together just to say it has an app. The games tab that’s supposed to highlight the latest games for you is instead full of things that don’t even exist anymore like Apex Legends: Mobile. Your own games are hidden behind a tab on the Device page.

To be fair, you can do a lot within the app, including remap buttons, customize joystick and trigger dead zones, even adjust the vibration intensity. This is also where you setup the virtual touch mapping for games such as Call of Duty: Mobile that don’t natively support controllers.

The GameSir app will sometimes override the settings for other controllers. For example, after playing COD:M on the G8 Plus, I switched back to the Elo Vagabond to find it no longer worked; my phone didn’t recognize it at all. Not even a restart would solve this. I had to uninstall and reinstall the app, which also means redownloading the dozens of gigabytes necessary to play it. Very annoying. I realize most people don’t have more than one controller, but just be aware of that if you do switch controllers.

Worth it if you can get past the software

If you don’t care much about the lackluster app, then the G8 Plus really is a solid controller. It feels great, responds well, and has respectable battery life. But it’s also pricey at $100, especially with the poor app experience. If GameSir put some work into its app, the G8 Plus would be much easier to recommend. I also wish it came with a case, but there are some on Amazon that don’t look too bad. Still, it’s a great controller, even for $100.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, July 19

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 19.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword is a delight. I was thrilled to spot a cute salamander with a funny name in the clue for 9-Across. Good thing I remembered how to spell it! Keep reading for help with today’s Mini Crossword. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.