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The Morning After: Are 8K TVs just a waste of time?

We had a disagreement about CES 2020's tentpole product.

Richard Lawler
Senior News Editor
·4 min read
0

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

One of the best parts of CES is spending some time with the rest of the Engadget team, instead of just chatting in Slack. That means when we have a disagreement, we can go over it in person, like when Devindra is wrong about 8K TVs. He thinks the extra-large high-res screens that dominated CES 2020 are a waste of time and, to be fair, he has a point: There's almost no native content, no way to deliver that content in most places and the quality difference is arguable.

Of course, he's also completely wrong, and I explained a bit about why in our combined editorial. 8K TVs are cool, and if I could afford to wallpaper my house with them I'd be doing that right now. There's no reason to diss new technology simply because it's too expensive at the moment. I can appreciate that companies are pushing the bleeding edge, even as I stick to more mainstream waters. 4K TVs are a great buy now, and 8K is nice to drool over until it's realistic -- you can do both.

-- Richard

Think months.Apple's next MacBook upgrades could be coming soon

We loved last year's 16-inch MacBook Pro, but now we want all those upgrades (namely the return-to-form keyboard) in other MacBook sizes. Fortunately, they may not be far away. According to 9to5Mac, a new filing with the Eurasian Economic Commission (the ECC) indicates that we could see the more ergonomic notebooks sooner rather than later.

Caveat: The filing simply mentions a "portable personal computer," so that could mean, well, anything.

And more storage than your Chromebook.Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra might have more RAM than your PC

Max Weinbach (who shared the leaked photos of the S20+ 5G) claims on Twitter that the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G will have extreme specs, including as much as 16GB of RAM in its top spec, a 5,000 mAh battery, a 48MP secondary camera and up to 512GB of built-in storage before you add a microSD card.

A 'Power Up Band' wearable will track visitors' progress in collecting coins and fighting bossesThe Super Nintendo World theme park is a 'life-size, living video game'

Universal Studios Japan is on track to open its Super Nintendo World park this summer, ahead of the Olympic Games. Now it's teasing the new area with a mostly CG music video and song made by Galantis with Charlie XCX.

It's not heavy on the facts or features, but there is a dance sequence and some dreamy segments showing how players go from hanging out at home with their Switch to enjoying a real-life experience. A companion website hints at something approximating Mario Kart and the ability to roam the park on Yoshi's back, but we'd love to hear more about those. Naturally, it's 2020, so there's a companion app, too.

Separate to the trailer, in a briefing in Tokyo, Universal Studios Japan showed the Power Up Band, which will track visitors' progress in its "life-size, living video game," as well as a mention that future parks will come to Hollywood, Orlando and Singapore.

At the Golden Globes, Netflix scored two wins from 34 nominations.Netflix receives more than 20 Oscar nominations

The 2020 Oscar nominations are in, and Netflix has received more than 20 nods. The Irishman and Marriage Story are both up for best picture. The Irishman has been nominated in nine categories, and Marriage Story could walk away with up to six awards, including lead actor (Adam Driver) and lead actress (Scarlett Johansson).

Engadget Deals.Apple's AirPods drop to $129 on Amazon

Don't worry if you missed out on some of the sweeter AirPods deals from the holidays -- you can get a solid bargain right now. Amazon is selling Apple's standard wireless earbuds for $129, or $30 off (and a return to an all-time low price). You won't get a wireless charging case or the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro, but you're also paying relatively little for some iconic audio.

But wait, there's more...

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