Subaru’s first EV, the Solterra SUV, starts at $44,995

Subaru has detailed pricing for the Solterra SUV, and it’s clearly costlier (if easier to pronounce) than its Toyota bZ4X sibling. The company’s first EV will start at $44,995 in its Premium trim before the $7,500 federal tax credit and a $1,225 destination fee. This base model includes an eight-inch infotainment system (with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto) as well as driver assists that include rear camera detection, blind spot monitoring and safe-exit door alerts.

Spend $48,495 for the Limited tier and you’ll get a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a 360-degree camera view, a wireless phone charging dock, parking assistance, rear cross-traffic warnings and phone-based digital key support. You can also expect more conventional upgrades like a Harman Kardon audio system, LED fog lights and a power rear door. The $51,995 Touring variant adds a digital rear-view mirror with HomeLink support, a panoramic moonroof, footwell lighting and ventilated front seats.

Regardless of model, you’re largely paying for Subaru’s better off-road capabilities versus Toyota’s EV. All Solterra models come with all-wheel drive (optional on the bZ4x) and a dual-motor setup with 215HP, 249lb/ft of torque and up to a 228-mile range. You’ll also find an “X-Mode” feature to adjust for dirt and snow, while grip and downhill control features help you maintain a steady course.

Sales are still poised to begin sometime in 2022. Reservations are available, though, and will include offers like EVgo charging credit or money toward a Level 2 home charger.

The starting price is higher than the $39,000 some expected. It’s not far from VW’s all-wheel ID.4 Pro ($44,440) or Ford’s Mustang Mach-E Select ($43,895), though, and may represent a better value than those if you’re likely to take your EV camping — and don’t mind the slightly reduced range compared to those alternatives.

‘Sifu’ is getting difficulty options to help more people actually finish the game

Sifu has been a critical and commercial success for Sloclap, but the developer isn’t resting on its laurels. The studio has revealed a roadmap of updates for the notoriously tough beat-’em-up, which includes the imminent addition of difficulty modes.

Starting on May 3rd, you’ll be able to select from student, disciple and master difficulty options, which could help more folks finish the game and give returning players an even more challenging experience. Sloclap will also add an advanced training option and outfit selection features next week.

Over the summer, Sifu will receive an advanced scoring system, as well as some more outfits and intriguing gameplay modifiers. Those include a one-health-point option (good luck with that), stronger enemies, a way to unlock all skills and a bullet time mode.

More outfits and modifiers will be added over the rest of the year, as well as a replay editor in the fall and an all-new arenas mode in winter. All of these will be free updates.

Sifu arrived in February on PlayStation 4, PS5 and PC. Though it debuted just a few days before the all-conquering Elden Ring, it still sold a respectable one million copies in just three weeks.

Ubisoft shuts down online services for 91 games

You might be disappointed if you were planning an Ubisoft-themed nostalgic gaming session. Kotakureports Ubisoft has shut down online services for 91 games. Many of them are ancient, or versions for old (and sometimes defunct) platforms. You aren’t about to play Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood using the long-dead OnLive service, for instance. However, there are some games you could still play on current hardware, or might have good reason to revisit.

The first two Far Cry games have lost online support for PC, for instance, and Blood Dragon won’t connect on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Just Dance fans may need to stick to newer games. While it isn’t surprising that Ubisoft dropped support for PS3, Wii, Wii U and Xbox 360 versions of Just Dance 2018 and before, PS4 and Xbox One players might not enjoy losing access to the songs from Just Dance 2014 or 2015.

Other classics you might miss include Beyond Good & Evil, the original Ghost Recon, multiple Rainbow Six games, older Settlers titles and certain Splinter Cell releases (including Chaos Theory and Conviction). Games that used Ubisoft Connect won’t let you earn Units, and you can’t unlock content on any platform or access it on PCs.

Ubisoft isn’t exactly rushing to leave some players in the dark — it’s just now shutting off Rainbow Six Lockdown support for PS2, GameCube and original Xbox owners. All the same, you probably won’t be thrilled if you’ve kept an old console around to play the games of your youth.

Ford starts production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup

The electric pickup truck market is now truly competitive. Ford has started “full” production of the F-150 Lightning at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, roughly four months after it stopped taking reservations. The company will start shipping the base Pro model in the “coming days,” Ford said at an event (below). It’s not certain how many Lightnings will reach customers this year, but Ford expected output to scale to 150,000 trucks per year in 2023.

The automaker capped reservations at 200,000 and has stopped taking orders for the 2022 model year. About three quarters of these potential adopters don’t currently drive Ford vehicles, the company said. The firm added that “many” are first-time EV or truck buyers, but didn’t provide figures.

The electric F-150 promises usual EV benefits like acceleration (0-60MPH in 4.5 seconds with an extended battery) and strong, near-instant torque (775lb/ft) with up to a 320-mile range. However, it also has a few uncommon perks. The front trunk is unusually cavernous at over 14 cubic feet, and owners can power their homes, work tools and (eventually) the electrical grid.

Ford F-150 Lightning production line at Rouge Electric Vehicle Center
Ford

The main allure, however, remains the price. While the $39,947 base Pro model won’t satisfy some (you’ll have to pay $72,474 to get an XLT with the extended battery), that makes it the most affordable electric pickup available and within reach of many conventional F-150 buyers. Rivian’s R1T starts at $67,500. Tesla originally quoted a $39,900 entry point for the Cybertruck, but it stopped listing prices. Chevy doesn’t deliver its $39,900 starter Silverado EV until 2024.

This isn’t the first electric pickup in the US. Rivian began production in September. As Ford is keen to point out, though, the F-150 is still the best-selling passenger vehicle in the US. While the Lightning is unlikely to outsell its conventional sibling in the near future, its familiar name could draw in EV newcomers who were wary of smaller brands, or even the Mustang Mach-E. At the least, it puts pressure on Chevy, Rivian and others hoping to challenge Ford’s cargo hauler.

The latest macOS beta includes a fix for the Studio Display webcam

When we got our hands on Apple’s $1,599 Studio Display last month, one issue soon became apparent: the webcam offered pretty subpar image quality. Apple said it was working on a fix, and now that software update is starting to make its way into the wild as part of the latest macOS Monterey beta.

“An update to the Studio Display firmware is now available with today’s beta release of macOS Monterey 12.4,” Apple said. “This beta update has refinements to the Studio Display camera tuning, including improved noise reduction, contrast and framing.”

In his review of the Studio Display, Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar wrote that the webcam was “surprisingly grimy” and images captured with it appeared as though they were “covered in a layer of Vaseline.” That’s despite the Studio Display having a 12-megapixel sensor and an A13 chip to help with image processing.

Apple doesn’t typically take long between rolling out a beta and reading a new version of an OS publicly, so this update will likely be available to all Studio Display owners soon. Once you’ve installed the latest macOS Monterey beta or the upcoming public build on your Mac, you can update your connected Studio Display by going to System Preferences then selecting Software Update.

Sega will delist digital versions of classic Sonic games on May 20th

Ahead of the June 23rd release of Sonic Origins, Sega announced today it would delist the standalone digital versions of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. Outside of a handful of Nintendo-related exceptions (for instance, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will continue to be available through the recently announced Switch Online Expansion Pack), you won’t have the option to buy those titles through marketplaces like Steam as of May 20th. If you don’t already own those titles after that date, you’ll need to obtain them by buying Sonic Origins, which will remaster and bundle them together.    

The announcement comes just days after Sega shared the first details on the different versions of Sonic Orgins it plans to sell. In a chart that has since been roasted endlessly, the company revealed some of the collection’s new features would be locked behind DLC and special editions of the game. If you want the full experience, you must pre-order the “Digital Deluxe” version of Sonic Origins. Contrast that to the original releases of the games included in the collection: those shipped as complete games without the need for you to pay extra for additional features.

The first Android 13 beta is available now

Google is making good on its promise to deliver the first Android 13 beta in April. The company has released Android 13 beta 1 for Pixel devices ranging from the 4 to the 6 and 6 Pro. The inaugural beta only includes three new features (two of them for developers), but there are now more granular permission controls for shared media files.

Beta 1 also includes all the upgrades from Android 13 Developer Preview 2, including a requirement that apps ask for permission to send notifications. You’ll also find a new photo picker, Bluetooth LE audio and support for MIDI 2.0 instruments over USB.

Anyone can install the beta. As before, though, you probably won’t want to load this release on a primary phone. While betas are generally more reliable, Google doesn’t expect to focus on platform stability until June and won’t release the finished Android 13 until sometime after July. This is meant more for developers who want apps ready by the time the operating system is available to the public.

As it is, these early Android betas don’t typically include every user-facing feature. Google didn’t show Android 12’s Material You redesign until I/O 2021, months after the first previews arrived. While the beta is still useful, it may be worth waiting for I/O 2022 in May if you’re mainly interested in top-level changes.