By Umar Shakir , a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.
Gadgets, much like fashion, can make style comebacks. For tech: we’ve lived through the ’80s beige keyboards, transitioned to the ’90s with gray and black plastic video game systems plus bright colors for Sony’s Walkman and Nintendo’s Game Boy handhelds, and then, at the turn of the millennium, welcomed the amazing see-through iMacs, N64 controllers, and other gadgets with clear casings. Outdoor Umbrella Base
And just like the return of grunge makeup and baggy jeans, transparent tech is back. See-through devices are leapfrogging over the ’00s piano white iPods, ’10s matte black smartphones, and some of today’s colored aluminum and glass finishes to (hopefully) become the next big trend. Now, we’ve got clear smartphones like the Nothing Phone, see-through earbuds like the Beats Studio buds, colorful translucent shell casings for game consoles, and even chargers and USB-C cables that show off some capacitors for your pleasure.
So dust off your Apple Studio Display CRT monitor, Toys R Us-exclusive Extreme Green colored N64 controller, and your other favorite transparent gadgets as you scroll through all of our clear tech news.
It will be available starting on June 25th and will update the original Backbone One controller with a translucent green shell (reminiscent of the Jungle Green N64), laser-etched buttons, an aluminum D-pad, and glow-in-the-dark Post Malone branding.
The Backbone One: Post Malone Limited Edition Controller will be limited to just 500 units, and that exclusivity is reflected in its $199.99 price tag.
The first under-$100 true wireless earbuds from Beats (and, by extension, Apple) are here. Starting today, you can order the $79.99 Solo Buds online in four different colors — black, purple, red, and gray — and they’ll be in stores on June 20th. The red earbuds come with one advantage over the others: they include a translucent case that’s reminiscent of the one that comes with the Studio Buds Plus. The earbuds themselves are opaque, but it’s still a great look. I’ve been testing the Solo Buds for a few days, and that candy red case really pops. And whatever color you choose, it’s the smallest carrying case for any Beats earbuds yet.
But therein lies one of the tradeoffs that the company made to hit this lower price point. See, unlike basically all competitors on the market, this case doesn’t include a battery for recharging the buds whenever you’ve put them away. Instead, Beats decided to give the earbuds themselves a marathon 18-hour battery life, after which you’ll need to plop them into the case and recharge them over USB-C. In theory, this could help the Solo Buds last longer since they’re likely to go through fewer charge cycles over their lifetime. But it’s an important thing to be aware of.
Mini Maker wasn’t on our transparent gadget radar, but I’m fixing that now! The Turbo Mini X looks incredibly svelte for something with a 65W Intel desktop chip inside, and there’s a companion eGPU with direct PCIe connection that’s allegedly faster than Thunderbolt. It’s not just vapor: Tom’s Hardware saw one.
Anbernic is the biggest name in affordable emu-portables. Many mimic a Game Boy — but the RG35XXSP is first to tackle the beloved folding Game Boy Advance SP.
It’s got dual microSD slots, a headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.2 and “5G WIFI,” plus HDMI output to your TV. Transparent shells, too! No price yet, but Retro Dodo says it’s imminent.
This new BattlerGC Pro controller looks like it could be the ultimate GameCube gamepad — one with drift-resistant Hall effect joysticks, hybrid analog / digital triggers, programmable back buttons, a rechargeable battery with a USB-C port, and the ability to use it across different consoles and systems thanks to Bluetooth support. And of course, it’s the latest controller to host the best face button layout ever, and I will fight to the Final Destination defending it!
I do, however, acknowledge the GameCube controller layout is not everyone’s favorite, so it’s no surprise there aren’t a lot of great modern GameCube controller options besides the PowerA-made licensed one that runs on AA batteries, which is my current go-to for docked Switch gaming. Most fans have official GameCube controllers and either use adapters or Bluetooth converters to play Smash Bros. games on Nintendo consoles.
HMD really wants us to have more fun. Earlier this year, it announced a collaboration with Mattel on an upcoming Barbie flip phone. Now, it’s teaming up with Heineken and creative firm Bodega on another effort designed to tap into nostalgia: the Boring Phone. There are more details on Heineken’s site — which you’ll need to be at least 21 to view — but basically it’s a translucent flip phone with no apps, just good retro vibes to help you connect with your friends over a cold one.
The Boring Phone is apparently real — I know, I was skeptical, too — but it will only be available through giveaways and isn’t going on sale. It’s a limited edition run and Heineken’s website indicates 5,000 will be made. There’s a 2.8-inch QVGA display on the inside, a 1.77-inch display on the outside, a 0.3-megapixel camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It supports calling and texting via 2G, 3G, and 4G, but good luck finding a functioning 3G network anywhere in the US.
The DJI Mic 2 launched today, with the company known for its drones and cameras producing a second-generation wireless clip-on lav mic that pairs with a transmitter attached to your camera or smartphone. It connects via USB-C, 3.5 analog jack, or Bluetooth.
New features include intelligent noise canceling, a see-through case (you know how we love those), and a slightly larger 1.1-inch touchscreen. It’s out now and will run you $349 for the two-mic kit or $219 for a single.
LG’s DukeBox is pitched as a modern-day jukebox, but in person, it’s got much more potential.
A smooth-sounding 3D audio speaker with a 30-inch transparent OLED display that lets you see its retro-style insides and displays album art, the DukeBox is also a TV.
The music controls on the screen are just for show — it’s not a touch screen. But if LG ever ships this concept product it should totally be one. It would make a gorgeous smart display.
Unlike LG’s transparent OLED TV, Sammy’s transparent MicroLED display is still just a prototype, but CES 2024 is the first time Samsung is showing it in public.
As a reminder, MicroLED — first seen in “The Wall” at CES several years ago — has many of the same benefits as OLED (like self-lit pixels) without the organic downsides or chance of burn-in. But MicroLED is still too expensive despite the seamless panels getting smaller and more TV-like in recent years.
Transparent display prototypes have had a presence on the CES show floor for many years. They’re a guaranteed way to wow people and showcase the unique capabilities of an OLED panel. But LG has seemingly decided that the time has come to ship a real, bona fide transparent TV that people will actually be able to buy this year. At some undisclosed date. For what’s certain to be an exorbitant amount of money.
The company has announced the OLED Signature T (you can guess what the T stands for) here at CES 2024. The product that LG demoed for press in Las Vegas isn’t exactly “final.” The 77-inch display won’t be changing at all, but the company hasn’t decided whether it’ll come bundled with all the side furniture you see in these photos or if it’ll sell those items separately.
I’m a sucker for Sharge’s charging gear because it looks like nothing else, and that continues to be true of the new Sharge 170 model and especially the “Internet Hostkey” in my CES hands-on gallery below. Be warned that the Hostkey comes in a wimpy 40Wh capacity model in addition to its reasonable 72Wh one. Here’s my video with a few earlier Sharge products.
The DukeBox is a modern take on the jukebox from the company’s experimental LG Labs division. It combines front-firing speakers on the bottom and a 360-degree speaker on top with a vacuum tube audio system behind a transparent OLED panel that can display things like track information, album art, or... a fireplace, naturally. It’ll be demonstrated at the big CES show starting next week in Las Vegas.
Dbrand just sued a rival casemaker for copying its “Teardown” skins that let you see under the back cover of your phone, laptop, or handheld gaming machine.
It’s also — purely coincidentally, I’m sure! — announcing a brand-new set of skins that take the idea even farther. No, I don’t mean “further”; I’m talking about going literally millimeters deeper into a device’s components with a 450-kilovolt X-ray, showing details you can’t get just by photographing a gadget with its back cover off.
It’s a limited-edition $679 1TB model of the just-announced Steam Deck OLED, and this one’s only for sale in the US and Canada.
Valve says it’s an experiment and is hopeful it can do more colorways in the future. It’ll come with an exclusive case, too, based on the new case within a case that ships with the $649 version.
The latest entry in the renewed transparent gadget craze: your Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC. Today, lauded Steam Deck accessory maker Jsaux is taking the wraps off a $40 frosted RGB rear shell for the Asus handheld that lets you see some of its delightful innards.
It might not give you a perfect look through the back, now that I see how much of that frosting blocks the red circuit boards. It also probably won’t enhance your cooling like the company’s Steam Deck backplate, but that frosted surface should bathe nicely in RGB light, not to mention the five light-catching stickers you can place inside.
Ever heard of Sharge? The company is arguably just as responsible as Nothing for bringing transparent gadgets back — its see-through batteries swarmed social media and have inspired a wave of copycats. Less famously, it sells a kickass charger shaped like a classic Mac that offers 67 watts of USB-C PD charging across three ports despite its tiny frame.
They all tend to be pricey, but through October 11th, almost all of its chargers and power banks are on sale for their best prices ever — after you clip the Amazon coupon codes, anyhow.
The Flipper Zero — which the company calls a “portable multi-tool for pentesters and geeks in a toy-like body,” Verge friend Chris Person calls “a Swiss Army Knife of antennas,” and my kids call “the meebo” because I use it to emulate Amiibos for them — is now available in a limited edition with a transparent shell. I could have made several sentences from that info, but it felt appropriate to the spirit of Flipper Zero to cram it all into one.
Aside from the casing, the limited-edition translucent model is just like the other Flipper Zero units, with (among other things) RFID, NFC, sub-GHz, Bluetooth, USB-C, and a row of GPIO ports along the top so you can interface with other hardware. In July, the company added an app store, which makes it easier for dilettantes like me to find cool software for the Flipper Zero.
Gaming accessory company Human Things is coming out with new Genki ShadowCast external capture cards that feature higher-quality recording for livestream sessions, plus a slightly souped-up new Covert Dock GaN charger for Nintendo Switch. The company is crowdfunding its new “Alpine collection” on Kickstarter, including ShadowCast 2, ShadowCast 2 Pro, and Covert Dock 2.
The Genki ShadowCast 2 Pro capture device supports up to 4K video at 60 frames per second and can handle HDMI passthrough with HDR and VRR. The company claims it has an instant setup process — just plug your gaming system (for example, a PS5) into the ShadowCast 2 Pro hardware, then plug in a USB-C iPad or a computer. You can capture video through Genki Studio (now on iPad), OBS, or other software and also view it on a TV plugged into the second HDMI port. You can even capture at 144 or 240 frames per second if you drop the resolution to 1440p or 1080p, respectively. There are also two 3.5mm audio ports for monitoring and mixing.
Most of them are, anyhow. See through frames! Here’s our hands-on. And here’s our StoryStream tracking all the see-through gadgets coming to market.
Angry Miao usually specializes in bespoke mechanical keyboards with zany or nonsensical designs that cost small fortunes. But today, its new Japan-based sub-brand, Dry Studio, is announcing a Lamborghini-inspired gaming keyboard that looks like a futuristic race car on your desk, yet it clocks in at a price some of us mere mortals can actually stomach.
It’s called the Black Diamond 75, a pre-built 75 percent mechanical keyboard (switches, PBT keycaps, and PCB-mounted stabilizers all included and preinstalled) with an integrated wrist wrest, and it starts at just $240 on Indiegogo ($204 on an “early bird” special) — with expected shipments in November.
Another special edition of the Analogue Pocket handheld is on the way. Later this week, the company will be launching a new transparent version of the device, which will be available in seven different colors: clear, smoke, red, blue, orange, green, and purple.
Like the recent glow-in-the-dark version of the Pocket, Analogue says that the transparent handheld will only be available in “limited quantities.” It goes on sale on September 29th at 11AM ET on the company’s site and will cost $249, a slight bump from the base model’s $219 price tag. Units are expected to start shipping two weeks later.
No, not that kind of Windows — I mean you can see rumble motors inside each of the transparent impulse triggers! Guess I should have bought one in June when Tom first told me about it; they seem to be sold out.
I’m a sucker for transparent tech. But PDP’s new Switch and Xbox gamepads aren’t just see-through — as Verge alum Alice writes at Polygon, they’re dioramas. Sega, Nintendo, and Hasbro are all helping put figurines and graphics inside. Wired start at $40, wireless at $60, arriving as soon as September.
I wouldn’t say they’re practical, but I absolutely love how they look — and the new $59 Icemag even has its own tiny RGB fan.
These three batteries are all from Sharge (I think it rhymes with “Charge”) and I can’t wait to see what the Shenzhen company does next. While I don’t own these batteries, I did Kickstart its tiny transparent SSD enclosure, where my old Steam Deck drive will hopefully soon live.
That’s the best way I can describe the FunKey S, a very adorable, but extremely tiny, retro gaming console. It comes in a bunch of colors including the late 90s-early 2000s classic Atomic Purple and should be able to emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation.
But given it looks like it was made for ants I wouldn’t anticipate either the most pleasing gaming experience or the longest lasting one.
Naturally I ordered one as soon as I saw it because I want to see what Syphon Filter looks like on a 1.54-inch screen. I’ll report back once I find out.
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