Right on schedule, the first beta version of Android 13 has now been released by Google, but as usual this first release is a developer preview, so it’s not designed for consumers.
In fact, if you download it and you aren’t a developer then you probably won’t see much that’s new or different, as the initial changes are largely hidden features aimed at developers.
Highlights of this release include a photo picker tool, which allows users to select media files (such as photos) without having to grant the app they’re in access to their entire media library. So that’s aimed at maintaining your privacy and not giving apps more access than they need.
There’s also a new ‘Nearby device permission for Wi-Fi’, which allows apps to discover and connect to nearby devices over Wi-Fi, without also needing access to your location. So again, this is a feature that has privacy in mind.
Another change is the ability for the color of all app icons to match your theme if you’re using a Pixel phone.
Currently, Google’s dynamic theming will change the color of app icons and other interface elements to complement whatever wallpaper you use, but it doesn’t work with third-party apps. With Android 13 it will, though developers will need to provide compatible icons. Google claims this support will eventually come to other phones too.
There are also other tools very much aimed at developers, like a simplified process for adding custom Quick Settings tiles, while one other user-facing change is a per-app language preference, so you don’t need to have all apps defaulting to the same language, which could be handy if you’re multi-lingual (or trying to be).
That’s about it. If you have a Google Pixel 4 onwards then you can grab this preview , but we’d strongly advise you don’t if you’re not a developer. It won’t be stable, and as you can see, there’s not much here for you. We’d expect more exciting features will appear in public betas.
Analysis: the Android 13 roadmap
Alongside this beta, Google has handily released a roadmap for its Android 13 plans, so we can see that the first public beta will probably land in April, with the software becoming stable in late June or early July. This might coincide with Google I/O, where the company typically reveals a bunch of big features for its upcoming OS version.
The final release then looks like it might land in September, though October is possible too, as that’s when Android 12 was released.
We wouldn’t really suggest grabbing any of the betas before Google reaches platform stability, but at a minimum you should probably wait for the first public beta in April.
Forza Motorsport: everything we know so far
Forza Motorsport is the eighth entry in the Xbox exclusive racing series and it’s currently in development at Turn 10 Studios. There’s still plenty we have to learn about the game but it's likely going to be a showcase of what the Xbox Series X can really do.
Turn 10 has confirmed that this game will simply be known as Forza Motorsport, rather than Forza Motorsport 8. That’s because the studio is looking to refresh and reinvigorate the series and that’s being reflected in its title.
To achieve that refresh and reinvigoration, Turn 10 has also stepped back from the series’ standard two-year development cycle. The last Forza Motorsport release was all the way back in 2017 with Forza Motorsport 7, so this is the longest we’ve gone without a new entry. With the extra development time, though, Turn 10 has overhauled the ForzaTech engine so that it’ll deliver a truly next-gen racing experience that will hopefully be worth the wait.
How much longer we'll be waiting remains unclear as there’s currently no release date for Forza Motorsport. In a development update at the end of 2021 the studio promised it'd have more to share in 2022, so we're hopeful we'll learn more in the coming months. In the meantime, keep reading to find out everything we've learned about Forza Motorsport so far.
Forza Motorsport: cut to the chase
Unfortunately, a Forza Motorsport release date hasn't been shared but whenever it does arrive, it'll be available on Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S and PC. With the game being targeted for the newest consoles available, we can reasonably expect it to take advantage of some new features, such as ray tracing or even offering a 120fps mode . Like all Xbox first-party games, it'll be available on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the day it is released.
While we may not have a firm release date (or even window) right now, we can estimate when we might get our hands on Forza Motorsport. Factoring in how the pandemic has slowed down game development for many teams, and the fact that Forza Horizon 5 released in November 2021, we're not expecting Forza Motorsport until late this year at the very earliest.
Announcement trailer Forza Motorsport was announced with a world premiere trailer at Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase in 2020. The trailer doesn't give much away but the in-engine footage is certainly impressive. Check it out below:
Turn 10 revealed that the Forza Feedback Panel will be how players can get their hands on the next Forza Motosport, so the game can be shaped by the community.
Signing up is simple: you need to be at least 18-years-old and agree to a confidentiality statement, which you can opt-out of at any time if you decide to leave the program.
The first playtest took place on May 8 2021, and resulted in a “ton of great feedback” from the community, according to creative director Chris Esaki. Esaki said that after the playtest, the team was pretty sure that everyone is “super hyped and energized” by what was shown. He also explained that the reason why only small parts of the game are being tested is so that the team can get “critical feedback” on “focused areas”.
But if you happened to miss out on the first playtest, fear not. More playtests are expected to take place in the future, though we're waiting for an exact date on when these will take place.
Xbox showcase in June?
The official E3 show has been cancelled for 2022 (it won’t even be online only) but there are rumors that Xbox could be planning its own show.
GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb (via VGC ) said in March that Microsoft is talking to publishers about hosting its own June show, something VGC says it has heard from its own sources.
“I’ll probably have more to say on this soon, but it’s in June, not May,” Grubb said. “Well, they might do something in May or September, I don’t know, but I know that they’re planning for an E3-style show in June.
“They’re talking to partners to get big games in there. That is ongoing right now and it’s March, so it’s not like they can change that train or turn that big ship around. They are heading in that direction and they’re going to do something in that timeframe.”
After a long period of silence around Forza Motorsport, a summer showcase feels like it could be the next most likely opportunity to see more from the game. We’ll have to wait for some official confirmations before we get too excited.
DNA of Forza Street will live on
Forza Motorsport developer, Turn 10, has announced that it's shutting down its mobile title Forza Street and as of spring 2022, the game will no longer run. In an FAQ covering the shut down, Andy Beaudoin, Principal Design Director at Turn 10 Studios, said the decision to close the game comes "as the team shifts its focus to new and exciting Forza experiences" and that "while saying goodbye to Forza Street may be difficult, know that its DNA will live on in the next wave of products we create."
More to come in 2022
In a studio update closing out 2021, Turn 10 promised more Forza Motorsport news in 2022. Touching on the progress made through 2021, the studio mentioned hosting the game’s first ever external playtests and promising “more changes from FM7 to now than all the changes we made from FM4 through FM7.”
Closing out the section on Forza Motorsport, Turn 10 wrote to say, “we’ll have more to share about Forza Motorsport in the new year; stay tuned. In the meantime, our team is constantly experimenting and to reiterate, what we’ve been testing in 2021 is nowhere near final. We’ll continue to test as needed because we know how crucial the online racing experience is to our community and for us, it’s just as important to get this right.”
Forza Motorsport 7 pulled from sale Forza Motorsport 7 has been pulled from sale as of September 15, meaning the game and its DLC are no longer be available for purchase and nor is it on Xbox Game Pass . For those hoping this is a sign that the next game’s release is right around the corner, unfortunately, that’s not the case.
On Twitter , the official Forza Motorsport account confirmed that the game has been pulled as its third-party licenses (which allow the game to feature real-world cars, tracks and other elements) are set to expire. It’s not too surprising that Microsoft isn’t opting to renew these licenses, though, given Forza Motorsport is coming at some point even if we don’t know exactly when.
Cloud gaming could be key for Xbox One Forza Motorsport looks set to come to Xbox Series X/S and PC, skipping the Xbox One generation. However, Xbox One owners might not miss out entirely.
In a post to the Xbox Wire blog, Microsoft says that it will be using its cloud streaming technology to serve up games that require the Xbox Series X/S’s power in order to deliver them to the last-gen Xbox One.
“You'll see many games this holiday, including Forza Horizon 5, which will boast DirectX ray-tracing on both Xbox Series X and S, and Battlefield 2042, which will run at 60fps while supporting 128 players on Xbox Series X/S.
“Some games launching next year from our first party studios and partners, such as Starfield, Redfall, and Stalker 2 require the speed, performance, and technology of Xbox Series X/S.
“We're excited to see developers realise their visions in ways that only next-gen hardware will allow them to do. For the millions of people who play on Xbox One consoles today, we are looking forward to sharing more about how we will bring many of these next-gen games, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, to your console through Xbox Cloud Gaming, just like we do with mobile devices, tablets, and browsers.”
Though Forza Motorsport isn't mentioned explicitly in the blog post, it's possible that it could fall under this umbrella of first-party games.
A 'huge generational leap' over previous games Chris Esaki, the game's creative director, shared details on how Forza Motorsport’s physics have evolved from Forza Motorsport 7. “To put the physics work into perspective… the changes we made from Forza Motorsport 7 till now, is more than the changes we made from [Forza Motorsport] 4 through [Forza Motorsport] 7. It’s basically a huge generational leap coming to the game.” According to Esaki, the tire collision model has also been overhauled. From the first game to Forza Motorsport 7, tires have always had a single point of contact with the track surface, and refreshed at 60 cycles per second (60Hz). In Forza Motorsport, there are now eight points of contact with the track surface, and the engine will refresh at 360 cycles per second (360Hz). That’s a 48x fidelity jump for a single tire collision.
Multiple tire compounds confirmed Multiple tire compounds have been confirmed for Forza Motorsport, a first for the series. Tire compounds such as hard, medium and soft will deepen the gameplay and racing strategy, and Esaki said it will lead to “exciting new gameplay decisions during a race.” Weather warning Environmental factors will also need to be taken into account in Forza Motorsport, and have the potential to make each lap feel different, according to Esaki.
“We’re working on things like track temperature and how it affects things like grip and tire pressure, and tire wear. In addition, you can imagine how changes in the time of day and weather, along with the new tire wear modeling and all of the new compounds lead to a much deeper driving and racing experience.” Name change Surprisingly, the eighth Forza Motorsport game isn't called Forza Motorsport 8. Forza Motorsport’s creative director Chris Esaki admitted that there’s some confusion regarding the game’s name, and clarified that the eight has been dropped altogether.
“I just wanted to reaffirm that the name of the game is Forza Motorsport," said Esaki. "There’s no sequential eight after the title. It really is an all-new Forza Motorsport experience.”
What kind of cars can we expect to see in Forza Motorsport, and more importantly, which vehicle will grace the game's cover? While that's hard for us to guess with much accuracy, we can at least get a sense of how many cars will be in the game, based on Forza Motorsport 7's total.
Forza Motorsport 7 featured 700 cars and 32 tracks, which is an impressive amount. While there's no guarantee the next game will beat this figure, mostly owing to the fact the cars will likely have to be remodeled or upgraded for the next-gen systems, we hope Forza Motorsport will at least come close to this figure.
We'll update this section when we have more information on Forza Motorsport's car list.
Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X update brings it more in line with PC
The PS5 and Xbox Series X /S update for Cyberpunk 2077 has been released and is live now, according to CD Projekt Red, which announced the game’s next-gen launch during a livestream .
The sci-fi action RPG’s next-gen versions are available as both standalone releases and as free upgrades for those who already own the game on PS4 and Xbox One . A free update will also bring improvements to the PC version of the game.
The update will launch alongside a free, five-hour trial of the game on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
The next-gen updates will introduce several quality-of-life improvements, graphical tweaks like ray traced local shadows, and a handful of gameplay changes, including combat rebalances, a reworked perk system, new UI for some elements of the game, more crowd and NPC behaviors, additional map details, and a rebalanced economy.
You’ll also now be able to change the appearance of protagonist V mid-game. Returning to your apartment, you’ll be able to tweak V’s appearance using the same character creator presented at the start of the game. New appearance options, including additional hairstyles and make-up, have also been added, alongside options to change the interior of your apartment and purchase additional properties located in different cities.
Check out a rundown of what features are coming to which version of the game in the table below or skim through the full patch notes .
News of the launch leaked early when the official Xbox Netherlands Twitter account posted (and later deleted) a Tweet advertising the Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox Series X/S update, as well as the free trial. Last month, PlayStation Game Size, a notable Twitter account that has a history of leaking information found in the backend of the PlayStation network , shared new findings suggesting the game would release in the middle of February.
The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S has been a long time coming. Its original release was delayed several times before finally launching on December 20, and its next-gen launch was initially due to release late last year but was pushed back to early 2022 .
Analysis: a lot to prove
A lot is riding on these next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077. Since the game’s initial launch back in 2020, game-breaking bugs and persistent performance issues have dissuaded many from picking up the game on console, and soured not only its perception among fans, but also much of the goodwill and reputation CD Projekt Red had established through developing The Witcher series.
For many, the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Cyberpunk 2077 offer the opportunity to experience the ambitious game as it was meant to be played. Free from bugs, and leveraging the latest hardware to iron out all the remaining performance gaps and glitches, the next generation of consoles might finally allow some players to see the game in all of its glory.
The fact a free trial is available on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 suggests CD Projekt Red is taking steps to improve the game’s image in the eyes of potential fans. With many having written off the title entirely, a free demo might go some way to show that it’s no longer the broken RPG it was at launch, convincing them to give Cyberpunk a second chance.
Of course, if the next-gen versions don't meet player expectations, Cyberpunk 2077's reputation is all but sealed. Few games are given a second chance to win back favor with their audiences. Let's hope CD Projekt Red has used the opportunity wisely.