In 1981’s Donkey Kong, the «jumpman» characters chased a humongous gorilla through a construction site to rescue a damsel in distress. The video game is now best remembered as the introduction of jumping and the introduction of a lovable plumber named Mario, who would go on to make billions of dollars in the Super Mario Bros franchise.

Despite Donkey Kong being a popular playable character in games like Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Kart, the villain-turned-goofy ape has arguably never quite gotten his own time to shine. The new, explosively popular Nintendo Switch 2 is changing that: DK is the headliner of Donkey Kong Bananza, which goes on sale July 17 and is only available on the Switch 2. (You can pre-order it now at Best Buy.)

CNET’s Scott Stein says Bananza is the Switch 2’s «new must-get game» – «full of its own styles and surprises that are utterly fresh.»

Explore an enormous world fueled by the Switch 2’s graphics

Donkey Kong can run, jump, and climb through a world of vibrant colors and creatures that are impressively realized in 4K on the Nintendo Switch 2. The character himself gets an upgrade with expressive eyes and textured hair. And he’ll sound familiar to anyone who watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as he’s once again voiced by Seth Rogen.

Since Banaza was made by the minds behind Super Mario Odyssey, an immensely enjoyable Mario title that revealed we were all hungry to see a T-Rex with a mustache and a tiny red cap, exploring the map is vital to the gameplay. You can wander endlessly through levels, collecting Banandium gems and competing in ancient ruin challenges. (If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of banana references in this game). For gamers overwhelmed by too many options and not enough directions, maps and arrows can guide you and bypass some of the wanderlust.

Donkey Kong likes punching, and so do we

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Donkey Kong game without showcasing his mighty fists. Donkey Kong can punch in any direction and destroy almost anything, unearthing treasures and paths hidden under the surface of walls and the ground. Make no mistake: this is where the fun is. It’s like a classic Nintendo brawling game. Or a room that you have the green light to demolish before renovating.

The punching isn’t just pure chaos. Donkey Kong can dig tunnels to get somewhere or find hidden bananas, which means hours of gameplay for the obsessive completists among us. You also often have to use debris to solve a puzzle, throw at a bad guy, or as a tool to get through the level. It’s a high level of game design that uses «voxels» – which are kind of like big pixels, so that the scattering of debris feels real in Donkey Kong’s world.

Play as a damsel no longer in distress

Pauline, the original damsel in distress in the 1981 game, returned in Odyssey as the mayor of New Donk City. In Bananza, she’s in her teens and sits on Donkey Kong’s shoulder as his sidekick. (Apologies to the much-maligned character Diddy Kong, you were a real one.) Pauline is a singer whose melodious voice can transform Donkey Kong into a more powerful ape. Read: he can now punch through more things. He can also transform into a muscular speedy zebra or a beefy flying ostrich.

The game also features a nifty two-player co-op mode, so a friend can use the Switch 2 Joy-Con’s mouse-like pointer feature to control Pauline. She shoots words at enemies (yes, actual words like Wow! Yeah! Ha!). The targeting is reminiscent of classic shooters like GoldenEye, a fun bonus for a Donkey Kong game. But it also underscores how Donkey Kong lives in a world with real people – and gives Bananza a surprisingly human touch.

Pre-order Donkey Kong Bananza now at Best Buy

Donkey Kong Bananza retails for $70 and releases on July 17. Preorder it today at Best Buy and get ready to throw some punches.

The rumored iPhone 17 color lineup includes a shocking twist for the iPhone 17 Pro models. 

Last week, a Korean blogger named yeux1122 published two images of camera covers that could be the full lineup from iPhone 17 base model and the rumored iPhone 17 Air, and leaker Majin Bu posted that the rumored Sky Blue color would be scrapped for the Pro models. And now, another leaker has posted this week the possible color lineup for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. We’ll get to the surprise in that photo below. 

We’ve already heard plenty of rumors that the iPhone 17 base model could come in purple, green and blue. Two to three other familiar colors are now said to be included in the options — totaling five (or maybe six) possibilities for the base model. The rumored iPhone 17 Air could come in four, while the Pro and Pro Max are expected to have five. 

The rumored iPhone 17 is likely to drop in September. As the month draws closer, we’re hearing plenty of rumors and leaks, but we’re still playing the guessing game. Here’s what we’re hearing about possible iPhone 17 colors. 

The rumored full color lineup 

Here’s the full lineup for the rumored iPhone 17 base and Air models, according to Sonny Dickson, a consumer tech reviewer, who shared an image on X on Monday:

The iPhone 17 base model could come in these colors:

• Black
• Gray
• Silver
• Light blue 
• Light green 
• Light purple

The iPhone 17 Air could be released in these colors:

• Black
• Blue gray 
• Light gold
• Silver

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could come in these colors: 

• Black 
• Gray 
• Silver 
• Dark blue 
• Orange

Yeux1122 has a similar lineup in their post, but the base options don’t include gray. 

Black and silver aren’t surprising since we’ve seen both neutral colors in earlier iPhone models and generations. However, if you use a colored phone cover instead, like I do, this possibility could be welcome. 

The iPhone color I didn’t see coming

Purple, blue and green are all part of the same color palette. The neutral colors don’t quite surprise me since they’re standard for iPhones at this point. But the color orange is shocking. Dickson expects that the color will only be for the Pro and Pro Max models. 

Dickson also noted the orange shade may end up being a dark gold or copper. 

Sky blue could be old to Apple, but a new iPhone hue 

The early rumored color for the iPhone 17 was sky blue. 

Well-known leaker Majin Bu posted the rumor of the new color on their blog, calling it «a refined, bright, and modern shade.» But why sky blue?

Perhaps because the latest M4 MacBook Air currently comes in sky blue, an iPhone in the same color could be an aesthetic win for sky blue MacBook owners. 

Bu initially wrote that the sky blue color could be for the iPhone 17 Pro, but recently scrapped that rumor to say sky blue would be for the iPhone 17 Air. 

It seems like there’s a possibility for different shades of blue, as we see in the lineup above. Rumor has it that there could be a blue option for the iPhone 17 base model and a dark blue for the iPhone 17 Pro. But based on Bu’s post, there’s a possibility of the iPhone 17 Air getting a sky blue hue. We’ll have to wait and see which — if any — blues will be available for iPhone 17.

The possibility of purple 

Bu posted on X and their blog on June 20 that Apple is testing purple and green, but that purple could be another new color for the iPhone 17’s base models.

Bu said that purple could meet Apple’s rumored demand for more personalization while blending into Apple’s ecosystem for its other products. 

If green is added to the iPhone 17 lineup, Bu says it could be a «fresh and natural tone, ideal for a minimalist yet striking aesthetic.» Yeux1122 and Dickinson included both purple and green in their rumored lineups this month. 

Could an aluminum iPhone design bring more colors?

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a titanium frame, but analyst Jeff Pu predicted that the iPhone 17 could usher in the return of the aluminum frame for both the Pro and baseline models, as we’ve seen with earlier versions like the iPhone 14 lineup. Considering the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s colors are based on titanium, it raises the question: Will an aluminum frame mean new colors? 

The one phone in the iPhone 17 lineup that could have a titanium frame is the rumored slimmer iPhone 17 Air, according to Pu. We’ll have to wait and see what Apple decides. 

Read more: WWDC Bored Me. I Need Apple’s iPhone 17 Launch to Make a Splash

A look at past iPhone colors

Apple likes to release both new and familiar colors for every new iPhone release. 

Usually, we see more color variations for the basic models, and more neutral colors for the Pro and Pro Max iPhone models. For instance:

The iPhone 14 came in six colors: midnight, starlight, red, blue, purple and yellow. However, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models only came in black, silver gold and deep purple. The same is true for the 15 model phones, but Apple offered one fewer color for its base model.

iPhone 15 models were available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black, while Pro and Pro Max models arrived in more neutral tones like white, blue, black and natural titanium. 

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max colors didn’t change from the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. However, the other iPhone 16 models were available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white and black. 

How many new colors we may see from the rumored iPhone 17 is still unclear, but as of now, a sky blue option could well be in your future.

If you fly often, you already know the routine. You settle into your seat, start messing with the in-flight entertainment screen, then remember that your AirPods won’t connect. That means reaching for the airline’s wired headphones that feel flimsy, let in every engine roar and make everything sound muffled. Just the worst.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of flying, especially on long trips when decent audio can make all the difference. Between the engine noise, crying babies and that one guy snoring in 14C, you need a better option. The good news is I’ve found a simple device that fixes the problem completely and makes flying feel a lot more like streaming at home.

The AirFly Pro has become a must-pack item in my travel bag. It’s a simple Bluetooth dongle that lets me connect my wireless earbuds (like my AirPods Pro) directly to the airplane’s entertainment system, no adapters or wired workarounds required. Since I started using it, I’ve stopped dreading in-flight audio and finally get to enjoy movies the way they were meant to be heard. If you fly often, this little gadget could completely change how you travel.

The AirFly Pro lets me enjoy in-flight entertainment

The AirFly Pro from Twelve South is a minimally designed dongle that lets me connect to the 3.5mm headphone jack in my airplane seat to listen to in-flight entertainment on my noise-canceling earbuds. All I have to do is pair the AirFly Pro with whichever Bluetooth headphones I’m using, like my AirPods Pro, plug the AirFly Pro into the display in front of me, and I’m all set. I don’t even need to use my phone to connect the two devices.

There are four versions of the AirFly: the AirFly SE, which sells for $35 on Amazon

and connects to just one set of headphones, the AirFly Pro at $55, the Pro V2 at $60, which is the newest version of the AirFly Pro, and the Pro Deluxe at $70, which comes with an international headphone adapter and a suede travel case.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

I use the AirFly Pro, which has been a game-changer for me on flights. I’ve never had to worry about battery life since the AirFly Pro lasts for more than 25 hours and can fully charge in 3 hours. I can also pair two separate pairs of headphones to a single AirFly Pro, in case I’m with someone else on a flight and want to watch the same movie or show. And if that’s not enough, the AirFly Pro also doubles as an audio transmitter, so I can turn any speaker with a headphone jack, like my old car stereo, into a Bluetooth speaker.

The AirFly Pro makes a great gift for any traveler

The AirFly Pro is the perfect present to give to someone who’s planning to travel this year. Besides my Anker MagSafe battery pack, the AirFly Pro really has become my most treasured travel accessory when I fly, which is why I consider it to be one of those can’t-go-wrong gifts. For more travel gear, here are our favorite tech essentials to travel with and our favorite travel pillows.