Technologies

I Played Resident Evil 9 Requiem at Summer Game Fest, and It’s Extremely Messed Up

The upcoming horror game was the most disgusting thing I played at Summer Game Fest.

During this year’s Summer Game Fest event, the kickoff showcase teased and then announced Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth installation in the mainline Resident Evil series. During the media-only Play Days events, members of the press were able to sit down to a guided presentation of the upcoming horror game. However, a very select few, myself included, got the opportunity to go hands-on with the demo and fight for our lives. Unlike the run-and-gun horror of Resident Evil Village, Capcom’s next entry in the franchise feels like it’s going for the slow and vulnerable terror of Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil Requiem is set in Raccoon City in the wake of nuclear destruction wreaked by the US government trying to clean up the zombie plague after Resident Evil 3. The preview began with Grace Ashcroft, the new protagonist for RE9 seen in the reveal trailer, strapped upside down to a gurney and looking extremely haggard. She’s clearly been through a lot, which is evident from the various needles and medical equipment she’s hooked up to as well as the impressive graphics tech on display when showing off her character model. The sweat she’s soaked in, the details on her hair and face, were all very impressive.

As the opening cutscene continued, Grace was able to break a bottle to cut herself free and tip over the gurney before standing up and giving control to the player. The demo for the game, which is set in first person, has you begin to explore this dirty room and the very dark hallway connected to it. During the theater presentation an audible «nope» was shouted from one of the attendees at the thought of venturing forth.

This early section of the game is set in some kind of abandoned hospital wing as a storm rages outside, complete with unsettling thunder and flashes of lightning through the windows. The only light inside is a few sparse red bulbs which doesn’t help ease the tension. The first fork in the road leads to either a pitch black room or a long dark hallway. People were audibly squirming in their seats when I watched the presentation — it was very similar to seeing a scary movie in a theater with an engaged audience. Turning the light on in the hallway reveals an odd horse statue at the end of it that, due to the distance and its unnatural shape, almost felt like a minor jump scare.

It’s one thing to watch a theater presentation of someone walking down a spooky hallway, it’s another to have to be the person doing it yourself. And although I mostly knew the big set pieces of this experience from beforehand, it still raised my heart rate when I was the one having to poke around in the dark and hope I’m safe.

You then search through a couple rooms, and there’s a few items to be found like an empty, throwable bottle and, more importantly, a lighter. However, unlike the most recent Resident Evil Village, there wasn’t a gun to be found. It feels more like Capcom is channeling the terror of the helplessness you feel in the early section of Resident Evil 7, including its emphasis on puzzles. The end goal was a locked gate but we needed to find a fuse, which happened to be behind a screwed-shut panel a little behind us.

Backtracking to the pitch dark room, now with a tiny lighter to protect us, it was possible to explore the pitch dark room from the forked-path earlier. Opening the single door at the end of the room led to the biggest jump scare in the demo, and thus, the biggest screams during the theater presentation. A dead doctor immediately falls out of the door next to Grace where she remarks how he’s been «infected.» Thankfully he wasn’t a zombie at this point since, other than a bottle, I hadn’t been able to find anything resembling a weapon.

Then we got to the best part of the demo. Without the camera moving, a massive beast-like claw came into view and grabbed the corpse. The camera turns to follow the body and you see a huge animal and human hybrid monster scream and devour the body before getting far, far too close to the camera to show off its bloody teeth and horrible face. Another great example of just how good and gross RE9 looks. The audience screamed.

I’m very glad I saw the theater presentation before going hands-on since it gave me some tips on how to proceed and where to run and hide from the creature. However, I won’t go into detail on the creature’s weaknesses — you’ll have to wait to find out for yourself. Running away through the hallways (at a far too slow of a pace in comparison to my heart rate) and avoiding the monster gave me access to the room it emerged from. Here you can move an unfortunately noisy rolling cart in order to reach a screwdriver on top of a shelf. As you move the cart, the creature hears and walks by the adjacent window, upping the tension.

Trying to leave the room causes the monster to reappear at the only exit. Stealth comes into play more here as I had to shut my lighter and hide under a table before sneaking past the monster and out the door. With the screwdriver in hand I made my way back to the locked fuse panel. Unfortunately the monster smashes through a wall and appears right before me. If you get grabbed (which I did a few times) the beast will pick Grace up and take a massive bite out of her shoulder. You can only withstand one of these before the second attack will kill you. Luckily this hospital had a single health pick up to help you sustain a couple maulings.

During the theater presentation, after kiting around the enemy again, the developer paused the game and went into the settings. They proceeded to the display options, as the crowd began to murmur about what was happening.

Then came the big reveal: The developer switched the camera position from first- person to third-person. The audience roared in cheers. We were then told the game can be played in either point of view for the whole game and switched on the fly. The remainder of the presentation was in third-person.

There wasn’t much left to the demo after this point. You’re able to collect the fuse and then open the gate and escape just before the monster reaches you. Overall, this sequence was plenty scary when I watched it first, but was even more tense as I played it myself.

It was a really fantastic demo and had a few clever puzzles for the player to deal with. If you’re able to fully explore the limited space, you’ll uncover clues and hints to aid you on your escape. I personally really enjoyed the cinematic and terrifying way they introduced the beast. It was a fairly limited demo, but it definitely built a ton of anticipation for the game. Capcom seems to be set to put out another solid entry in the franchise once again.

Resident Evil Requiem is scheduled to release on February 27, 2026 for Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5 and PC.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Sept. 19

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

I didn’t get off to a great start with today’s Mini Crossword, completely blanking on 1-Across. Thankfully, the other clues were easy, and that answer filled itself in. Need some help? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Cancel on plans at the last moment
Answer: FLAKE

6A clue: Shade of light purple
Answer: LILAC

7A clue: ___ acid (protein builder)
Answer: AMINO

8A clue: Sarcastic «Yeah, sure»
Answer: IBET

9A clue: Sardonic boss on «Parks and Recreation»
Answer: RON

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Stylish panache
Answer: FLAIR

2D clue: Party game that tests how low you can go
Answer: LIMBO

3D clue: Visitor from outer space
Answer: ALIEN

4D clue: Philosopher who posed the question «What can I know?»
Answer: KANT

5D clue: Environmentally friendly prefix
Answer: ECO

Technologies

Your Old Android Isn’t Dead. These Tweaks Can Bring It Back to Life

Clear space, optimize your battery and update the basics. These quick changes can make an old Android phone feel snappier.

You don’t need the latest Android flagship to get good performance.

Thanks to longer software support from brands like Google and Samsung, older models can still run smoothly, as long as you give them a little attention. Clearing out unused apps, updating your software and tweaking a few settings can breathe new life into a device that feels sluggish. These quick fixes can help your phone last longer and save you from spending on an early upgrade.

Before you start shopping for a replacement, try a few simple adjustments. You might be surprised by how much faster your phone feels once you free up space, optimize battery use and turn off background drains.

Whether you use a Samsung Galaxy, Motorola or OnePlus phone, chances are you can still improve battery life and overall speed without buying something new. Just remember that Android settings vary slightly from brand to brand, so the menus may look a little different depending on your phone.

Don’t miss any of CNET’s unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

Settings to improve your battery life

Living with a phone that has poor battery life can be infuriating, but there are some steps you can take to maximize each charge right from the very beginning:

1. Turn off auto screen brightness or adaptive brightness and set the brightness level slider to under 50%

The brighter your screen, the more battery power it uses.

To get to the setting, pull down the shortcut menu from the top of the screen and adjust the slider, if it’s there. Some phones may have a toggle for auto brightness in the shortcut panel; otherwise, you need to open the settings app and search for «brightness» to find the setting and turn it off.

2. Use Adaptive Battery and Battery Optimization

These features focus on learning how you use your phone, including which apps you use and when, and then optimizing the apps and the amount of battery they use.

Some Android phones have a dedicated Battery section in the Settings app, while other phones (looking at you, Samsung) bury these settings. It’s a little different for each phone. I recommend opening your settings and searching for «battery» to find the right screen. Your phone may also have an adaptive charging setting that can monitor how quickly your phone battery charges overnight to preserve its health.

Why you should use dark mode more often

Another way to improve battery life while also helping save your eyes is to use Android’s dedicated dark mode. Any Android phone running Android 10 or newer will have a dedicated dark mode option.

According to Google, dark mode not only reduces the strain that smartphone displays cause on our eyes but also improves battery life because it takes less power to display dark backgrounds on OLED displays (used in most flagship phones) than a white background.

Depending on which version of Android your phone is running, and what company made your phone, you may have to dig around the settings app to find a dark mode. If your phone runs Android 10 or newer, you’ll be able to turn on system-wide dark mode. If it runs Android 9, don’t despair. Plenty of apps have their own dark mode option in the settings that you can use, whether or not you have Android 10.

To turn it on dark mode, open the Settings app and search for Dark Mode, Dark Theme or even Night Mode (as Samsung likes to call it). I suggest using dark mode all the time, but if you’re not sure, you can always set dark mode to automatically turn on based on a schedule, say from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, or allow it to automatically switch based on your location at sunset and sunrise.

Keep your home screen free of clutter

Planning to hit up the Google Play Store for a bunch of new Android apps? Be prepared for a lot of icon clutter on your home screen, which is where shortcuts land every time you install something.

If you don’t want that, there’s a simple way out of this: Long-press on an empty area of your home screen and tap Settings. Find the option labeled something along the lines of Add icon to Home Screen or Add new apps to Home Screen and turn it off.

Presto! No more icons on the home screen when you install new apps. You can still add shortcuts by dragging an app’s icon out of the app drawer, but they won’t appear on your home screen unless you want them to.

Read more: Best Android Phones You Can Buy in 2024

Set up Do Not Disturb so that you can better focus

If your phone routinely spends the night on your nightstand, you probably don’t want it beeping or buzzing every time there’s a call, message or Facebook alert — especially when you’re trying to sleep. Android offers a Do Not Disturb mode that will keep the phone more or less silent during designated hours. On some phones, this is referred to as the Downtime setting or even Quiet Time.

Head to Settings > Sounds (or Notifications), then look for Do Not Disturb or a similar name. If you can’t find it, search for it using the built-in search feature in your settings.

Using the feature, you can set up a range of hours when you want to turn off the digital noise. Don’t worry, any notifications you get while Do Not Disturb is turned on will still be waiting for you when you wake up. Also, you can typically make an exception that allows repeat callers and favorite contacts’ calls to go through. Turn that on. If someone is calling you in an emergency, odds are they are going to keep trying.

Always be prepared in case you lose your phone or it’s stolen

Is there anything worse than a lost or stolen phone? Only the knowledge that you could have tracked it down if you had turned on Google’s Find My Device feature.

To prepare for a successful recovery, here’s what you need to do: Open the Settings app and then search for Find My Device. It’s usually in the Security section of the Settings app.

If you have a Samsung device, you can use Samsung’s Find My Mobile service, which is found in Settings > Biometrics and security > Find My Mobile.

Once that’s enabled, you can head to android.com/find from any PC or mobile device and sign in to your account. Samsung users can visit findmymobile.samsung.com to find a lost phone.

If you have trouble setting any of this up, be sure to read our complete guide to finding a lost Android phone.

Assuming your phone is on and online, you should be able to see its location on a map. From there, you can make it ring, lock it, set a lock screen note to tell whoever has it how to get it back to you, or, worst-case scenario, remotely wipe the whole thing.

And always keep your phone up to date

As obvious as it may seem, a simple software update could fix bugs and other issues slowing down your Android device.

Before you download and install the latest software update, make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi, or else this won’t work.

Now, open the Settings application and type in Update. You’ll then either see Software update or System update — choose either one. Then just download the software, wait for a few minutes and install it when it’s ready. Your Android device will reboot and install the latest software update available.

There’s a lot more to learn about a new phone. Here are the best ways to boost your cell signal, and here’s a flagship phone head-to-head comparison. Plus, check out CNET’s list of the best cases for your Samsung phone. More of an Apple fan? We have tips for boosting your iPhone’s performance, too.

Technologies

Your Pixel 10 Might Have Issues With Older Wireless Chargers

You might want to try taking the case off your phone in order to successfully charge it.

When Google introduced the Pixel 10 lineup in August, it became one of the first major Android phones to receive the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, which Google calls Pixelsnap. However, users noticed issues with wireless charging on the Pixel 10 almost immediately after its release.

Some people are having trouble charging their phone with the new Pixelsnap charger, and others are having issues with older wireless chargers, including Google’s own Pixel Stands. The bulk of the problems happen when a case is on the phone — whether it has the magnet array or not.

I own both the first and second generation Pixel Stands and both will charge my Pixel 10 Pro XL without an issue if there’s no case on it. However, when I add a case to my phone, the problems begin.

I have three cases for my phone, the Mous Super Thin Clear Case, the Magnetic Slim Case Fit by Grecazo, and a no-name soft TPU case. If my phone has any of those cases on and I attempt to charge it while it’s vertical, it starts to charge and then stops after a second or two, and keeps doing that.

I can fix this for the first-generation Pixel Stand by turning the phone horizontal, but it will still charge very slowly. I can’t seem to fix it at all for the Pixel Stand 2 — vertical, horizontal, it doesn’t charge.

Not everyone has this issue

The problem doesn’t seem to be universal. CNET editor Patrick Holland said he had no issues charging the Pixel 10 Pro during his time with it.

A Google spokesperson told me the Pixel 10 lineup is not optimized for older Qi wireless charging standards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the phones won’t work with older wireless chargers.

Qi 2 is backwards-compatible with older standards, but the phone’s height and charging coil placement on both the phone and the charger are still factors. If you’re having problems, you might see if removing the case helps.

The prospect of potentially needing to replace your older wireless chargers with newer ones isn’t ideal, especially if you shelled out $80 for one or both of Google’s own Pixel Stands. Still, if you want the best wireless charging speed for your brand new Pixel 10 phone, it won’t be with wireless chargers that only support older Qi standards.