We already knew that Apple is hard at work on its own augmented and virtual reality headset. But a new report today suggests that the upcoming hybrid headset may rely on another Apple device to take advantage of all the features available on the device.

In a new report by The Information, the outlet claims that the headset is designed to communicate or be tethered to a host device via a wireless connection, such as an iPhone or another Apple device.

The reliance on another product within the Apple ecosystem is due to the headset's custom 5-nanometer chips, which Apple recently completed. Though these chips are not as powerful as chips used in other Apple devices, reporting that it lacks a neural engine for AI and machine learning abilities.

Yet, the headset still includes a CPU and GPU, so there's a chance the device may have some limited features available without another Apple device connected. This chip is also rumored to offer better wireless data transmission, video compressing and decompressing, and energy efficiency features.

This would not be the first time Apple relies on users to be integrated more into its own tech product ecosystem. The Apple Watches with only Wi-Fi connectivity require an iPhone to function. Facebook is another big tech company that was criticized for requiring Quest 2 owners to have a Facebook account in order to use its standalone VR headset.

Alongside a VR/AR headset, Apple is also working on a pair of AR smart glasses with a 2023 launch window.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Today Amazon is offering price drops on two of the best controllers for the Xbox Series S|X consoles. The Forza Horizon 5 controller is one of the best looking controllers out there and has a few quality of life upgrades like textured controller and trigger grips. The Xbox Elite Series 2 adds another layer of adjustability for those of you who require more precision. In other deal news, the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo is back in stock on Amazon, the new 31-disc Middle Earth 4K and Blu-ray Ultimate Collector's Edition is up for preorder, the WD SN850 SSD with heatsink (the most highly recommended SSD upgrade for your PS5) is now available at the WD Store, and more.

Forza 5 Limited Edition Xbox Controller

This wicked looking Xbox controller went up for preorder last week for $74.99. Today, it's on sale on Amazon for $69. This is one of the best new Xbox controllers out on the market. There's much attention to detail in this controller, like the transparent yellow finish with candy colored splatter, custom-colored, visible rumble motor and lighting effects, color shifting hybrid D-pad, asymmetrical thumbsticks in different bold colors, and textured controller grips.

Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller

This is the controller to get if you want the most precise and customizable Xbox controller on the market. This professional-grade controller features adjustable tension thumbsticks, shorter hair trigger locks, wraparound textured grips, interchangeable thumbsticks and paddle shapes, custom profiles saved on your controller itself, and included USB Type C cable with charging dock. It boasts up to 40 hours of battery life and is compatible with the Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, and PC.

Zelda & Loftwing amiibo

This amiibo is finally available on Amazon. It's been sold out on Amazon for a while while occasionally coming back in stock at other vendors, but scalpers were selling this at way higher than MSRP. Let's hope Amazon keeps it in stock for the long term. If you've been wanting this amiibo to round out your collection, better to get it now just in case.

Preorder the Middle Earth 6-Film Ultimate Collector's Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

This impressive Middle Earth Collector's Edition includes both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies over a whopping 31 discs. That's because there are separate 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs for both the Theatrical Editions and the Extended Editions. You also get digital HD copies for free, and they are compatible with MoviesAnywhere so you can merge it into your digital library. As far as extras go, you get a Special Features Blu-ray disc, a 64-page booklet, and 7 travel poster art cards. All the discs are stored in collectible foil sleeves.

Video Game Deals

Back in Stock (Including 1TB Model): WD Black SN850 M.2 SSD with Heatsink

The Western Digital official storefront has all models of the SN850 SSD with heatsink in stock right now, and that includes the extremely hard to find 1TB model. This is currently the most popular (and probably the best) SSD to get for your PS5 storage upgrade. It's blazing fast drive with transfer speeds rated at up to 7,000 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface and it comes preinstalled with a heatsink. It's also confirmed by Western Digital themselves to be compatible with the PS5.

50% Off Atgames Legends Gamer Mini (Standalone Arcade Console)

The Atgames Legends Gamer Mini is a wireless arcade control top that also serves as a standalone arcade console (with the included puck). Plug the puck in and you get to play over 100 licensed built-in arcade classics without ever having to buy a separate arcade cabinet. The Gamer Mini connects via Bluetooth or via USB (hard-wired). You can also use it as a controller for your PC, streaming device, or gaming console.

Intel Gamer Days Deal: Dell XPS Intel Core i7 RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC for $1499

True high end gaming on a budget. There is one of the best deals we've seen for an RTX 3060 Ti equipped PC. The RTX 3060 Ti is a very powerful video card; it's better than the previous generation's RTX 2080! It's a big upgrade from the 3060 non-Ti model and the one to get if you're going to play games at resolutions of 1440p or higher. This is the best Intel Gamer Days deal that Dell is offering so far, but there are a couple of other good deals as well.

Intel Gamer Days Deal: CyberpowerPC Intel Core i7 RTX 3080 Gaming PC for $2199

If you play games at 1440p or less, you can get away with an RTX 3060 or 3070, but if you want to game in 4K, then you're going to want to splurge for the RTX 3080 video card. It's the first card that really lets you play games at 3840×2160 without worrying about your framerate. This CyberpowerPC is equipped with an RTX 3080 video card, an unlocked Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and both SSD and HDD storage.

Lenovo Intel Gamer Days Sale: Save on Legion Gaming Laptops and Desktop PCs

Lenovo's "Legion" series of gaming PCs and laptops offer the latest and greatest gaming performance at a very reasonable cost. They're equipped with the newest RTX 30 series video cards, which offer huge speed gains compared to the previous generation's RTX 20 series cards, along with new technology like DLSS 2.0 (very useful) and ray tracing (not as much). Alongside these new GPUs are your choice of either AMD's Ryzen 5000 series or Intel's Rocket Lake/Tiger Lake processors. Lenovo also offers one of the best customer service experiences compared to other prebuilt PC makers, which is especially important if you haven't built the PC yourself. Lenovo's sale events can be hard to navigate, so we've conveniently rounded up a list of the best Legion deals going on right now.

New Lenovo Legion AMD Ryzen RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops Also Discounted

The Intel Gamer Days Sale obviously covers Intel equipped gaming laptops and PCs, but that doesn't mean AMD is out for the count. Lenovo has AMD Ryzen 5000-series gaming laptops that are just as powerful as the latest Intel Core i7 processors, are equipped with the same RTX 30 series video cards, and are also marked down to a very competitive price.

$2,100 Off Lenovo ThinkPad 15" 4K RTX 3080 Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are known for their best-in-class ruggedness and reliability, and even if it ever breaks down, Lenovo offers the best customer service in the business. Usually, that level of build quality and support usually comes at a steep price. Add an RTX 30 series video card to the mix and you'd expect a cost that most people would balk at. Take this laptop for example. It's retail price is nearly $5,000. However, there is a coupon today that drops the price way down to under $2900. If you're looking to purchase a ThinkPad that's got the power to do some serious gaming, you won't find a price like this anytime soon.

Blue Microphones Yeti X USB Mic Warcraft Edition

The Yeti X improves upon the original Yeti with a 4-capsule microphone array, a multi-function smart knob that controls mic gain, mute, headphone volume, a customizable 11-segment LED meter to visualize your voice level, and Blue Voice broadcast vocal effects. The Warcraft Edition features gold accents, laser-etched runes on the LED meter and base, voice modulation with Warcraft presets, and hundreds of Warcraft HD audio samples.

New Release: Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset with More Storage, Same Price

The Oculus Quest 2 has so far been the best value when it comes to VR gaming. It's hundreds of dollars cheaper than its competitors, it has phenomenal tracking, it doesn't need to be tethered to a PC, and it boasts a huge library of games (even Half Life: Alyx is easily playable on the Quest 2). It's also the best VR headset for Beat Saber. Now, Oculus has re-released its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset with double the storage (128GB vs 64GB) for the exact same price. There's even less of a reason now to pick something else.

Amazon Prime Student Members Get 3 Months of Free Audible Premium Plus

If you're an Amazon Prime Student member, you get a lot of pretty amazing perks like 6 months of free Amazon Prime membership followed by 50% off your Prime membership for up to 4 years, Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99/mo, and more. Now, there's yet another perk exclusive to Amazon Prime Student members; get 3 free months of Audible Premium Plus (normally $14.95/mo). If you're a current student or faculty, you're eligible for an Amazon Prime Student membership.

More Daily Deals for September 2

Spectre developers Jordan Crawford and Fred Toms first met while working at a restaurant together in their teenage years. They bonded quickly over video games – and one game in particular: Splinter Cell. The duo would make Splinter Cell jokes to other employees and introduce themselves to restaurant guests as ‘Sam Fisher’.” After decades as friends and a COVID-induced separation, the two veteran developers, who have each worked in the industry separately, decided to form Symbiosis Games together, “a nod to our symbiotic relationship,” Toms said. “Jordan is a very artistic and visual person, while I am absolutely the opposite of that.”

Their minds kept coming back to Splinter Cell, a beloved franchise that, outside of a few Fisher cameos in other Ubisoft titles, has laid dormant since 2013’s Splinter Cell Blacklist. “We thought, 'What better way to introduce Symbiosis Games to the world with a game that features deep-seeded teamwork and partnership, heavily inspired by the glory days of our favourite franchise?’” Toms told IGN. And so Spectre was born.

It is a multiplayer game, for now (more on that later) – a spiritual rebirth of Spies vs. Mercs, since Ubisoft has shown no interest in making it themselves. As a fellow Splinter Cell die-hard, I was eager to learn more about the pair’s ambitious project. I had to start by asking a key question: Which version of Spies vs. Mercs is their favorite? Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory, or Blacklist? “Jordan and I strongly agree here,” Toms began. “It’s Chaos Theory. The level design, particularly Aquarius, was outstanding. We both feel like Blacklist steered the Spies Vs Mercs genre, if you can call it a genre, away from what made it really special. When you were a spy in Chaos Theory, stealth was exhilarating. Watching an unsuspecting Mercenary from afar and surreptitiously planning your next move was thrilling. I feel like Blacklist took some of that magic away by making the spies a lot deadlier and making the gameplay a lot faster. I feel like it removed some of that classic, slower-paced, nail-biting experience that stealth games used to offer. We aim to have that feeling return in Spectre.”

The multiplayer gaming landscape has changed a lot since Spies vs. Mercs’s heyday, so what, I was curious, makes Symbiosis optimistic that Spectre will find a dedicated audience and that the project will be successful? “A huge benefit we have is that we are a very small team,” Toms said. “Symbiosis Games is Jordan and I, two guys, although we do have a small team of contractors who work with us. But success for us means that if we are supported by that small pool of SvM-loving, devoted fans, then we’ve arrived at success. Our very lean, indie approach to Spectre means that we don’t need to experience AAA sales like the bigger companies do.”

“Hardware and software advancements aside,” Crawford answered, “I think one massive benefit that we've seen has been the community involvement and support. From the get go, we were able to tap into a wealth of SvM experience via our Discord community members who have been waiting around for a very long time, and who have a lot of valuable input.

“Another benefit that will work in our favour is post-launch support. With technology today, it’s just a lot easier to deploy.”

Symbiosis says its current plan is to include three maps, two training missions (one per side – which, by the way, are referred to as Spectres and Reapers here in place of Spies and Mercenaries), and two modes. Expect seven gadgets per side along with a progression system and an ability system of sorts called “Edges” that give extra, seemingly temporary, perks. And teammates can combine their Edges for greater effect. For example, the guys told me, “one of our Edges is ‘Ohm’s Naw’. It’s an Edge deployed by the Reapers that reduces the amount of time they spend in a shocked state.

In trying to bring Spies vs. Mercs back successfully, Toms says he and Crawford have had to be careful about clinging too closely to the past. “A lot of our fans remember Chaos Theory with rose tinted glasses,” he said. “It’s an incredible game, even to this day, but we couldn’t release that today. The entire experience needed a huge overhaul to bring it up to modern day standards. This approach has been infused into every aspect of Spectre. We do, however, wear our inspirations very much on our sleeves.”

While Symbiosis plans a PC release by the end of the year, the team called Spectre “a perfect fit for PC and Xbox,” and added, “We very much hope to see Spectre on the Xbox Series X, hopefully as a Game Pass offering. We think that the Xbox Game Pass service is exceptional. With a bit of luck and some hard work, we’re hoping to release to both platforms simultaneously. We also can’t wait to see Spectre on the new Steam Deck!”

Toms and Crawford also fully intend to react to their community once the game is out, and they’re planning plenty more post-launch content. “Truly, we’re hoping that SPECTRE’s release just begins to scratch the surface of what it eventually becomes,” they said.

I couldn’t help but conclude by asking about the other Sam Fisher-sized elephant in the room: a single-player campaign. “We have discussed this!” Toms told me. “If Spectre takes off, we would be absolutely thrilled to offer single-player content. We’re not sure what that would look like quite yet, but the notion is really exciting.”

If you’re interested in Spectre, you can wishlist it on Steam.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Sony and Columbia Pictures have revealed that Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be rated PG-13 just like the first film in the symbiote series.

According to Film Ratings, the Andy Serkis-directed sequel has received the same rating as Venom's first standalone feature, with the MPAA giving it a PG-13 rating for "intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material, and suggestive references" despite speculation that Venom 2 would usher in an R-rating classification.

As pointed out by Forbes, the MPAA's rating for Venom 2 appears to be following a similar formula to its predecessor, which achieved box office success after opening in October 2018 alongside a slew of "restricted" studio releases, making it one of the few outwardly kid-friendly options to buy a ticket to upon its release in theaters.

Venom's rating opened up its demographic potential and that may have helped its box office performance. The movie set a record for the biggest opening weekend for the month of October when it opened in North America, earning over $80.2 million. After its record-shattering opening, Venom also performed well in its second weekend, dropping only 56.4%.

The first Tom Hardy-led Sony film ended up hauling in more than $854 million worldwide on a budget of $90 million, and even though the likes of Deadpool, Logan and Joker have proven that R-rated comic book movies can pull in big numbers at the box office too, it might not have been a smart play to shift gears with the Venom franchise now.

That said, Venom 2 has competition at the box office. A new poster for the sequel just confirmed its October 15 release, which means it's scheduled between No Time to Die, out October 8 in North America, and Dune, which debuts on October 22, but importantly, Venom 2 is still able to appeal to any younger cinemagoers who may have watched the first film.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

New details have been revealed about Magic: The Gathering’s next card set, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, including its rare dual lands and unique mechanics – as well the return of a recognizable ability for its werewolves, now formalized with new keywords and a shifting day-night mechanic.

Midnight Hunt revisits Magic’s gothic horror-themed plane of Innistrad during a time when the nights are growing unnaturally long and the local Harvesttide Festival is being threatened by werewolves. Werewolves have been an iconic part of Innistrad since its introduction in 2011, and the idea behind the transforming dual-faced cards that define them has been tweaked in small but significant ways here.

Flip through the gallery below to see brand new cards from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt:

Werewolves traditionally have a human “day” side that can be played normally and a werewolf “night” side that they need to transform into, but the the triggers to do so have now been made proper keywords: Daybound and Nightbound. These still behave the way previous werewolf cards generally have – Daybound triggers when a player casts no spells during their turn, flipping them to the night side, while Nightbound triggers when they cast two or more, flipping them back.

But now rather than simply transforming any relevant werewolf cards on the battlefield, this trigger flips an overarching day/night tracker to the appropriate side for all players. That means whether it’s day or night is always known and tracked globally, and can clearly flip back and forth during the course of a game. Werewolves will transform to their appropriate side to match the time of day, meaning if you play one while it’s already night you’ll get your werewolf right away instead of having to activate it first like Innistrad’s previous werewolves.

That’s a significant difference, adding a rotating day-night cycle to any match where a werewolf is played, and Wizards of the Coast says a double-sided day/night card can be found in packs to help paper players keep track of the current time. Past werewolves won't be errated to use these new keywords, but certain Midnight Hunt cards can interact with werewolves and the time shifting mechanic in unconventional ways. For example, Tovolar, Dire Overlord (visible in the gallery above) will make it night if you control three or more wolves/werewolves at the start of your turn, and even has an extra ability specifically meant to allow past werewolves that don't automatically change with Daybound or Nightbound to transform along with it.

But while werewolves might be the main course, they aren’t the only dish at this dark feast. Wizards of the Coast detailed Midnight Hunts cycle of rare dual lands as well, which are very similar to the “Battle lands” from 2015’s Battle for Zendikar set. The key difference is that they lack basic land types (a relevant change for any format with Fetch lands), and that they enter the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more of any other land, not just basic lands, but they are also only be available in allied color pairs.

Midnight Hunt will also introduce three other mechanics: Disturb, Decayed, and Coven. Cards with Disturb can also be transformed to their back face, but only if you cast them from the graveyard for their specified Disturb cost. Decayed, on the other hand, is a keyword that will primarily show up on certain zombie creatures, preventing them from being able to block and causing them to be sacrificed after combat if they attack, essentially making them a one-time-use attacker.

Meanwhile, on the less monstrous side of things, the more human-focused forces of Innistrad might have the ability keyword Coven, which can cause a unique ability if you control three or more creatures with different powers when it’s triggered. One example given is the legendary angel Sigarda, Champion of Light, which not only buffs humans but also has a Coven ability that allows you to look at the top five cards of your deck and put a human from among them into your hand when it attacks.

Outside of new mechanics, Midnight Hunt draft boosters are guaranteed to contain two double-faced cards each: one common and one of a higher rarity, with a chance to get a third if you happen to get a foil one. That provides plenty of chances to pull its werewolves and Disturb cards during drafts, and every pack will contain a double-faced helper card to make playing with them easier as well. It’s also possible to get special Equinox showcase versions of every werewolf and warlock card, which have unique art and ornate card frames themed after the Harvesttide Festival.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt spoilers and card reveals are officially entering full swing as it approaches launch on September 24. Of course, it’s not the last we’ll see of Innistrad this year either, with the vampire-themed Crimson Vow set following hot on its heels just two months later. Midnight Hunt itself comes only a month after Historic Horizons too, which introduced digital-only cards to MTG Arena – and things will get even wilder next year as Magic gets its very first cyberpunk-themed set, as well as crossovers with Fortnite and Street Fighter.