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Everything You Need to Know About the Sonic the Hedgehog Magic: The Gathering Drop

Sega’s superspeedster is getting some genuinely awesome cards in a limited drop next month.

Magic: The Gathering hit a goldmine earlier this month when it released its Final Fantasy set based on one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Final Fantasy was reportedly the bestselling Magic set before it even released, thanks to extensive preorders. Now, Wizards of the Coast is hoping to repeat that success with Secret Lair drops themed around video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog, launching Monday, July 14.

Depending on which century you were born in, you’ll either recognize Sonic as the star of 1991’s Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog, or as the star of Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog movies. (Or maybe you know him from Smash Bros. or Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, or any of the countless other places he shows up.) Now he’s joining the storied Magic: The Gathering card game in a year where Magic is aggressively investing in crossovers with other properties.

Those crossovers started years ago with The Walking Dead, which became an official Magic series called Universes Beyond when it released a Secret Lair drop for Stranger Things. We’ve gotten Magic cards for everything from Street Fighter to Lord of the Rings, The Evil Dead, Jurassic Park and even SpongeBob. Lord of the Rings was the first full Universes Beyond set, but it set the table for Final Fantasy last month, and we’re getting full sets for both Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender later this year.

The new Sonic Magic: The Gathering cards are different from the game’s Final Fantasy set because these are Secret Lair products — limited-run drops of a handful of cards, rather than a full set of hundreds of Standard-legal cards. That means you can’t build decks for most tournament formats around Sonic. Like many Secret Lair crossover products, these cards seem aimed at the casual multiplayer Commander format that lets you build decks around your favorite characters and play with a group of friends. 

Sonic being a legendary creature with white mana, blue mana and red mana in his color identity, means that a Sonic Commander deck allows you to include his allies Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose in the deck. Shadow costs red and black mana, which means he doesn’t fit in a Sonic Commander deck, but he would fit in a Dr. Eggman deck.

And, gang, these cards are kinda wild. Whenever Sonic attacks, he puts power-increasing counters on other creatures with flash or haste, which not-so-coincidentally includes all of the aforementioned allies that fit in his deck. And Sonic having the haste ability himself means he can attack the same turn you cast him, virtually guaranteeing one activation. Tails can draw cards when flying vehicles enter — a nice nod to his plane, which first showed up in the late stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Knuckles has a lot going on, including the ability to create treasure tokens that can help you cast spells — or just outright win the game if you have enough while he’s on the battlefield. 

There’s also some mechanical synergy between these cards and the new Final Fantasy cards. Amy Rose automatically attaches equipment when she attacks and then can buff the power of other creatures, making her a great fit for the Limit Break Commander deck led by Cloud (or Tifa), which cares about equipment and power stats! 

Similarly, Dr. Eggman gets to draw cards at the beginning of your end step — if you also control Y’Shtola Rhul from the critically acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy XIV, you get an extra end step, allowing you to draw two cards instead of one for the low, low cost of ending your turn. 

All of that adds up to mechanically fun Magic cards that feature a lifelong favorite character for me. And it’ll add up financially if I can get my hands on either the foil Sonic: Friends & Foes collection ($50) or the nonfoil collection ($40), the cards in which are less likely to warp compared to the foil treatment.

There are two other Sonic Secret Lair drops announced, including one that focuses on reprinted artifacts like vehicles and equipment and another that rounds up existing cards that synergize with the new cards. Both will be available in $40 foil or $30 nonfoil versions. All three Secret Lair sets go on sale Monday, July 14, at noon PT (9 a.m. ET). 

When they do, and I cannot stress this enough, you gotta go fast to get ’em. 

Correction, June 30: This story has been changed to reflect corrected pricing from Wizards of the Coast on the Sonic: Friends & Foes collection.

Technologies

Analyst Says Apple Has Big Vision Pro Plans For 2027, Including Smart Glasses

We could also be getting an updated Apple Vision Pro later this year.

Apple will release multiple head-mounted AR and VR products in 2027, with an upgraded Vision Pro headset dropping later this year, according to a report from respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities on Monday.

There are three Vision series products currently in development along with four pairs of smart glasses. A Ray-Ban Meta-style smart product will see 3-5 million shipments in 2027. Apple expects to ship out more than 10 million AR/VR products in 2027, suggesting the company sees this as the next major consumer tech category.

Later this year, however, Apple will release the Vision Pro M5 Version, which will see an upgrade from Apple’s M2 chip. 

In 2027, Apple will release a lighter Vision Air that’ll feature a 40% reduction in weight and will be powered by the latest iPhone processor. A second-generation Vision Pro is slated for 2028 with a brand new and «significantly lighter» design at a lower price. On the smart glasses end, a mass market displayless pair of frames will see a 2027 release. For those wanting an XR experience, extended reality glasses with a built-in see-through color display will come out in 2028 and those will feature AI connectivity. 

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Smart glasses market continues to grow

The global smart glasses market was valued at $1.93 billion in 2024 and is projected to rise to $8.26 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. It’s why many players in Big Tech are jumping in on creating the next generation of wearable technology. 

Meta, along with its Ray-Ban and Oakley-branded smart glasses, has shown off its Orion prototype, featuring a transparent display that can project information on the lens. 

Earlier this year, Google unveiled Android XR, its new AR and VR platform, along with glasses made in collaboration with Qualcomm and Samsung. Chipmaker Nvidia is also working on AI models to help the smart glasses experience. 

In this race, Meta has the most to gain since it doesn’t own a phone or computing platform and is largely beholden to rule changes from Apple, Microsoft and Google. However, gaining a footing in the AR and VR space could allow it to own both a hardware and software stack in smart glasses market. 

But Apple has massive brand loyalty, and entrance into this space would be a major threat to Meta’s current market dominance. At the moment, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold two million units and its Quest VR headset have also pushed 20 million units.

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Early Prime Day Headphone Deals: From AirPods to Beats, Jam Out With These Savings Now

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How Galaxy AI Camera Tools Help You Take Better Photos Automatically on the S25

From photobomb fixes to better low-light shots, Galaxy AI1 helps you get polished, post-worthy photos without a heavy manual lift.

Summary:

  • The Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra are packed with new AI-powered camera
    features.
  • The Scene Optimizer feature will automatically adjust settings like exposure and contrast to optimise for different scenes and lighting conditions.
  • Editing tools like Object Eraser and Generative Edit
    let users remove, move, or resize elements in photos
    with just a tap.
  • Super HDR enhances dynamic range, delivering richer detail and truer color in both stills and previews.
  • AI-driven search
    capabilities make it easier to find photos and get pro-quality results without navigating complex menus or learning new skills.

If you’ve ever missed a perfect photo
op because you were fussing with settings, you’re the kind of photographer Galaxy S25 is built for. In Samsung’s
latest flagship device, the brand embeds intelligent enhancements throughout the camera experience—from photo capture to editing and sorting.

What’s so compelling about these Galaxy AI* updates is that they don’t require you to watch hours of tutorials to master—they just work. The S25 marks a step forward for the way AI quietly works in the background to elevate your photography, without you needing to do anything special.

Here’s how Galaxy AI helps make great photos happen automatically.

Smarter settings in real time

One of the most low-key powerful features of the S25 is Scene Optimizer, which uses AI to identify what you’re shooting—landscapes, food, people, pets—and automatically fine-tune settings like exposure, contrast, and saturation to make it looks its best. Simply enable the feature in the camera app settings to turn it on indefinitely.

Thanks to AI, the S25 also produces more balanced photos in tricky lighting scenarios. For instance, in low light, Samsung’s Nightography feature reduces noise while preserving sharpness
and color. (Results may vary depending on lighting, subject, and shooting conditions.) In broad daylight, the device’s built-in Galaxy AI compensates for harsh contrast and reflective surfaces.

That means the S25 can adapt instantly to your environment, making quick decisions that improve image quality without slowing you down. Shooting your dinner in a dim restaurant? When you turn on Scene Optimizer in your settings, Galaxy S25 kicks in to enhance brightness without making it look like a flash went off. Snapping a mountain range in peak sun? The S25 will naturally balance the sky and landscape so neither gets washed out. No toggling between modes, no extra effort—just a well-adjusted shot, ready to send to your friends or post online.

Take a clean shot, every time, with Object Eraser and Generative Edit

We’ve all had great shots ruined by a stranger walking into the frame
—or a power line cutting across an otherwise pristine skyline. The Galaxy S25‘s Object Eraser handles those intrusions with ease.

Powered by advanced AI and Samsung’s ProVisual Engine, users can simply tap on an object they want removed, and the phone fills in the background. In seconds, the tool recreates patterns, textures, and lighting to make it look like the offending object was never there.

Generative Edit, the broader suite of AI tools included on the S25, also lets users move or resize elements in their photos—for instance, you can reposition a subject for better framing, or scale down a distracting element in the background. The AI fills in any gaps for a seamless final result.

Super HDR for richer detail in every pic

Dynamic range is one of the toughest things for smartphone cameras to get right. Bright skies and dark shadows often lead to blown-out highlights or murky details. Super HDR on the S25 addresses this common problem by capturing multiple exposures nearly simultaneously, and blending them with AI to preserve detail across the full tonal range.

Super HDR doesn’t apply solely to stills in the camera app; it also enhances preview and playback in the Gallery. It even extends to social media apps like Instagram, so what you share is more representative of what you actually shot.

Better and more intuitive search

The Galaxy S25 also makes it easier to find the photos you’ve already taken without spending half an hour in a conversation-interrupting endless scroll. Thanks to Galaxy AI-enhanced search in the Gallery app, you can now type natural queries like «dog playing fetch» or «spring break at the beach,» and the phone will parse both visual elements and metadata to surface exactly what you’re looking for. 

AI that’s there when you need it—and invisible when you don’t

One of the best parts about Galaxy AI is that it doesn’t require a learning curve. Even if it’s your first-ever Samsung device, you can pick up the phone and just start using it. Most of the photography tools activate automatically or appear at the precise time you need them with minimal interruption. 

You don’t need to fiddle with menus or sliders; the phone quietly does the heavy lifting. Behind the scenes, the device’s AI is making thousands of tiny decisions—tweaking exposure by fractions, choosing the right tone curves, sharpening only where it helps—in mere milliseconds.

Whether you’re taking, editing, or sharing a photo, Galaxy AI helps eliminate the friction between your vision and the final result. You don’t have to overthink it—the S25 helps you get a great shot, then gets out of the way.

It flips, it folds, it’s anything but expected: the Galaxy Foldable is coming.

*Samsung account login is required for certain AI features.

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