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The wait is finally over as we are just a day away from Apple’s “Unleashed” event. If rumors turn out to be true, Cupertino’s company will unveil a new MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the long-awaited AirPods 3.

Although many people already expected these launches, it’s the leaker Dylandkt who doubles down on this bet, according to some of his tweets and information gathered by 9to5Mac.

Dylan has become one of the most prominent leakers in the Apple community being more right than wrong about the company’s upcoming launches.

During this past year, the leaker has been teasing a revamped 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, a new Mac mini, and AirPods 3 being. Here’s everything he said.

MacBook Pro

Back in May, Dylan corroborated about the new MacBook Pro having a brand-new look with flat edges, reduced bezels, and expanded connections — which includes an SD card reader, MagSafe, and HDMI port.

Then, in June, he said that the new MacBook would be unveiled during Apple’s Q4, during October or November. By August Dylan posted that the upcoming Apple Silicon 14-inch MacBook Pro CPU would be identical to that of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

It’s comforting to note that both MacBook Pro’s that are coming this fall will have the same chip and the same performance. It’s definitely a win for those who like to opt for the smaller size […]

Just so that everyone understands, I am referring to the 16 and 14 inch pros both having the same M1X.

Last week, finally, he doubled down these predictions and added what we should expect from these launches

• 14-inch and 16-inch models;
• miniLED display;
• Smaller bezels with no bottom logo;
• 1080p webcam;
• Base models with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage;
• Base M1X configuration for both models;
• Similar pricing between both models;
• New charging brick.

Mac mini

Although he talked less about the new Mac mini, Dylan believes it will also launch alongside the new MacBook Pros with the new “M1X” chip or whatever Apple’s going to call it.

Other leakers and rumors not from him say that Apple will probably unveil a Mac mini with a new design.

AirPods 3

Yesterday, Dylan reiterated that AirPods 3 will have a similar design to the AirPods Pro, just without the ear tips. He tweeted that “tips were shown to be an optional attachment on an early prototype, but recent leaks do not show these tips so it’s likely that they aren’t coming.”

Also, the leaker says the long-awaited AirPods 3 will launch during Apple’s “Unleashed” event. Read everything we know about the rumored AirPods 3 here.

What could be coming next from Apple?

For those expecting a replacement for the 27-inch iMac, Dylan claims you’ll need to wait a bit longer. It’s likely that a new iMac will launch next year due to the current chip shortage, which also makes part of Apple’s two years transition from Intel to its own processor. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman also reported a few months ago that Apple briefly stopped the development of this new iMac to focus on the 24-inch iMac, which was unveiled in April.

What do you think of these leaks? What excites you the most about tomorrow’s event? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Following the last-minute rumor that Apple’s upcoming new MacBook Pro models could feature a notch at the top of the display, much of the online discussion has involved concerns that such a notch would encroach on the active screen area, potentially eating into the macOS menu bar.

However, it’s worth noting that Apple has explored ways of including a notch in a MacBook Pro display that would avoid ingression into the main screen area, make the notch appear seamless against a black strip, and potentially allow for additional information to be displayed to the user that would also free up menu bar space in the main 16:10 display.

For example, an Apple patent filed in 2019 with the U.S. patent office, titled “Electronic Device Display With Extended Active Area,” describes, among various embodiments, a laptop computer featuring a main rectangular screen and two “extended regions” between the screen and an inactive border, wherein “the first and second rectangular extended regions are on opposing sides of the camera.”

Specifically, the laptop’s “first and second rectangular extended regions display icons on a black background while the main rectangular region displays a rectangular picture.”

“The first and second extended regions may be located on opposing sides of a camera or other electrical component in a protruding portion or island-shaped portion of the inactive region. Icons or other information may be displayed on a black background in the extended regions, giving the display a continuous unbroken appearance.”

Such an implementation could potentially add system status information in a black strip above the macOS menu bar, but that would of course require a significant adjustment to the way the menu bar operates on these new Mac models in the final release of macOS Monterey, and there’s been no evidence of that so far.

The notch rumor, while seemingly sketchy on its own, has gained some traction since Friday, initially due to a discovery by MacRumors of screen resolutions that will feature in the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

In the ‌macOS Monterey‌ beta, MacRumors uncovered potential display resolutions of 3024×1964 and 3456×2234 for the rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. When subtracting 74 pixels from the height of both, the resulting 3024×1890 and 3456×2160 resolutions work out to an aspect ratio of 16:10. All of Apple’s current MacBooks feature a 16:10 aspect ratio, leading to speculation that the extra 74 pixels could be for a notch.

The possibility that Friday’s rumor may have substance to it has further been bolstered by an alleged photo of a MacBook Pro screen with a notch that was originally shared by a Weibo account.

Apple is hosting a virtual event on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with rumors widely suggesting the event will be focused on redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a faster version of the M1 chip, brighter mini-LED displays, MagSafe, and additional connectivity.

The aspect ratio on the Galaxy S22 series is rumored to drop to 19.5:9 from the previous year’s 20:9

The Galaxy S22 line, which includes the Galaxy S22, the Galaxy S22+, and the Galaxy S 22 Ultra, is expected to feature hole-punch front-facing selfie snappers on all three models instead of an under-display camera. Speaking about cameras, the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ could  sport a 50MP primary camera with both models equipped with Samsung’s ISOCELL GN5 sensor with all-directional autofocus and big 1.0µm pixels.

This year the Exynos 2200 will feature a GPU produced by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Negotiations between Verizon and Samsung are supposedly taking place. Part of the reason why Samsung might be more stingy than usual with its Exynos APs  could have something to do with the global chip shortage. In addition, there have been some issues with low yield and other production problems. Samsung Foundry is the world’s second-largest independent foundry behind only TSMC which is the largest contract foundry on the planet.

The reason for Verizon’s demand could have something to do with the Exynos 2200’s use of a GPU made by AMD. The Snapdragon 898 will be using Qualcomm’s latest Adreno GPU. Last year’s Exynos 2100 SoC featured the Mali-G78 MP14 GPU designed by ARM Holdings.

What appears to be new Elden Ring gameplay footage is currently making the rounds on social media, seemingly offering a glimpse of how the game will run outside of official trailers.

The thirty-second clip is set on a rocky hilltop near a broken castle, with a spectral tree rising in the distance. After rotating the camera to offer a clearer look at the environment, we’re treated to the character jumping up to the hill crest, causing a pair of eagles to light into the air in a flurry of feathers.

Alleged Elden Ring footage from xbox One. pic.twitter.com/uaGbogXBrB

— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) October 16, 2021

The footage was allegedly captured on an Xbox One, though its origin remains unconfirmed. Assuming it’s legitimate, the new footage gives us a better feel for Elden Ring’s movement, particularly in terms of how the main character handles jumping.

Otherwise we still know comparatively little about Elden Ring, though we’re just a few months from its release date. In an interview with IGN, director Hidetaka Miyazaki described the open world and the gameplay, but little else has been shown in terms of official footage.

The Best Games of 2021

Regardless, Elden Ring remains highly anticipated, not the least because Dark Souls and Bloodborne are some of the finest action games ever made. With Elden Ring Ring due early next year, hopefully we’ll get to see more of this open world Soulsborne game very soon.

Elden Ring is currently set to release January 21, 2022 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. You can find our impressions of Elden Ring’s first 15 minutes of gameplay right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Update 10/15: Epic Games has come out in support of blockchain technology so along as “they follow the relevant laws,” according to CEO and founder Tim Sweeney.

Hours after it was reported Steam would ban blockchain-backed games that offer NFT and cryptocurrency, Epic Games has taken the opposite stance and said they are open to blockchain-based games.

In a tweet, Sweeney says, “Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group.”

Sweeney says that Epic will not be using crypto in its own games, but welcomes “innovation in the areas of technology and finance.”

Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group. Though Epic’s not using crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in the areas of technology and finance. https://t.co/6W7hb8zJBw

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 15, 2021

Sweeney did Tweet in September that Epic won’t touch NFTs “as the whole field is currently tangled up with an intractable mix of scams, interesting decentralized tech foundations, and scams.”

Replied:

We aren’t touching NFTs as the whole field is currently tangled up with an intractable mix of scams, interesting decentralized tech foundations, and scams.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 27, 2021

Still, Sweeney seems to maintain that Epic itself will not be incorporating crypto into its own games and reaffirmed that the technology itself is a “utility whether or not a particular use of it succeeds or fails.”

Original Story: Games that feature blockchain technology that allows for the exchange of NFTs or cryptocurrency will no longer be allowed on Steam.

According to a new rule on Steam’s partner onboarding page, Valve says distributors shouldn’t publish, “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs.”

Age of Rust, a game that involves players collecting in-game NFTs, says Steam informed them that they’re kicking “all blockchain games off the platform, including Age of Rust, because NFTs have value.”

Community: A few minutes ago, we were notified that @Steam will be kicking *all blockchain games* off the platform, including Age of Rust, because NFTs have value. Behind the scenes, we’ve had good communication and have been upfront with Steam. #blockchaingames #NFT
1/4 pic.twitter.com/W4pR3Xl63q

— Age of Rust (@SpacePirate_io) October 14, 2021

NFT stands for “non-fungible token,” and they are digital assets that are sold and bought online. NFTs can take many forms, but they have become increasingly popular as digital art. Artists can create a piece of digital artwork, register it as an NFT, and sell a limited number of them.

You can think of it as building a collection of paintings, trading cards, or other collectibles, only in the digital space. In video games, NFTs could take the form of in-game collectibles, skins, and more.

According to Age of Rust, Steam doesn’t want to allow items on the platform that can have real-world value. IGN has reached out to Valve for comment, and we will update this article when we hear back.

For more on Valve, check out our impressions of the Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld gaming PC.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Earlier this year, Dbrand started selling matte black PS5 side plates that it called Darkplates, and when it did, it baited Sony right on the product’s info page to “Go ahead, sue us.” We got our hands on some, and they look exactly like you expect, making the sides of your PS5 black instead of white. They even have their own tongue-in-cheek take on the PlayStation icon microtexture.

As of Saturday, though, you can’t buy Darkplates anymore, as Dbrand has removed them from sale after (perhaps unsurprisingly) receiving a cease and desist letter from Sony. (If you visit the Darkplates site right now, it just shows a list of news articles, including ones from The Verge).

Dbrand shared the letter with The Verge, which we’ve included at the bottom of the article. Sony raises a few grievances in the letter, including taking issue with how the faceplates “replicate SIE’s [Sony Interactive Entertainment] protected product design” and with Dbrand’s versions of the PlayStation icons. Dbrand says the letter was issued earlier this year but didn’t provide an exact timeline as to when.

As part of the letter, Sony asked that Dbrand “promptly and permanently cease and take down all marketing and promotion for and cease all sales worldwide of faceplates featuring the product configuration of SIE’s PS5 faceplates or any similar product configuration, including without limitation all faceplates currently for sale at dbrand.com.”

Dbrand does not appear to be agreeing to comply with a permanent cease and desist, though. It says it will comply for now.

Or more specifically: “We’ve elected to submit to the terrorists’ demands… for now,” Dbrand writes in this 1,666-word post on the company’s subreddit, one packed with harsh words for Sony and even a few F-bombs. The company signs off with “talk soon,” suggesting it has already has other plans.

Image: Dbrand

This isn’t the first time Sony has threatened legal action over PS5 side plates. One company that started life as PlateStation5 changed its name to CustomizeMyPlates and then canceled and refunded orders, allegedly after Sony threatened legal action, VGC reported in November. That company returned in January and is selling its custom plates again.

Part of the reason that there is a market for side plates is likely because it’s not too hard to take them off a PS5. In fact, Sony shows exactly how you can do it in its official teardown of the console.

The ease with which you can take the PS5’s plates off not only makes it easy to get to the inner workings of the console but could also hint that it plans to release other versions of the side plates in the future. You can now buy red and black DualSense controllers and a black Pulse 3D Audio headset is on the way, suggesting that Sony is at least experimenting with other color combinations for its accessories, so an official set of black side plates doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility.

If you don’t want to wait for Sony, though, you have one less option of third-party side plates to pick from while Dbrand’s are off the market.

Update October 16th, 12:54AM ET: Added information from a Dbrand post on Reddit.