## Partiful Takes Its First Step Toward Making Money

After six years of operating as a completely free service, Partiful — the wildly popular social events platform millions of people use to organize everything from backyard barbecues to neighborhood block parties — has unveiled its first significant monetization strategy. The company announced on Tuesday that it is introducing native ticket purchasing directly within its app, marking a notable shift in how the platform operates.

Previously, hosts who wanted to charge admission for their events had no choice but to direct guests to third-party payment platforms via external links. That workaround created unnecessary friction for both organizers and attendees. Now, the entire ticketing process lives inside Partiful itself.

## What the New Ticketing Feature Actually Does

The updated platform gives event hosts a comprehensive set of tools to manage paid events without ever leaving the app. These include:

- **Multiple ticket tiers** to accommodate different pricing levels
- **Capacity controls** so hosts can cap attendance
- **Integrated payment processing** handled seamlessly in-app
- **QR code verification** at the door when guests arrive

In exchange for providing these services, Partiful collects a percentage of each transaction. Hosts have the flexibility to absorb that fee into their ticket pricing or pass it along to buyers as a separate charge.

Partiful CEO Shreya Murthy was clear that the decision to build ticketing functionality was driven by user need rather than pure financial pressure. "We built this not because we felt the need to monetize; we really built it in response to a problem that hosts were facing," Murthy explained. She also confirmed that ticketing is just the beginning: "This is the first big monetization feature that we've had on the platform, and it won't be the last."

## A Brief History of Partiful

Partiful was launched in 2020 by Murthy and co-founder Joy Tao, both of whom previously worked at Palantir. The platform gained serious momentum in the post-pandemic era around 2021, as people eagerly returned to socializing. Its cultural moment truly arrived in 2024, when Partiful became the go-to hub for invitations to a viral Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition.

The company has operated on $27 million in venture capital funding from backers including Andreessen Horowitz, maintaining a free product for its growing base of millions of users. Those users have relied on Partiful to send invites for birthday gatherings, community events, trading meetups, and quirky local happenings.

## From "We Won't Make Money" to Monetization

The irony of this announcement is hard to miss. Back in 2023, Partiful posted a now-infamous tweet declaring: "Partiful will not make money. There is no pitch at scale. Investors gave us money to help u party, and that is what we are here to do. Enjoy it babes."

That post took on a life of its own, circulating widely and becoming something of a running joke — or, as many assumed, a genuine promise. Murthy clarified in a conversation with WIRED that the tweet was never meant to be taken seriously.

"It's kind of funny how many people took it literally, and now it's followed us around everywhere, and it's become a meme," she said. "But it is nice to say that Partiful is monetizing now."

Partiful's own website acknowledges the transition openly, stating that while its "core product is free, and always will be," the company plans to roll out optional paid features over time. Tickets represent the first chapter of that strategy.

## Can Partiful Monetize Without Losing Its Soul?

One of the biggest concerns users have when a beloved free platform starts charging for things is the dreaded "enshittification" effect — the gradual degradation of a product as it chases revenue at the expense of user experience. Murthy pushed back firmly on that characterization.

"I would contend that with the launch of ticketing, this is an act of unshittification," she said. "The experience today is janky for hosts, and it's janky for guests. That process that people were already going through is now streamlined directly in Partiful."

Partiful has always thrived on a sense of community charm and offbeat energy. A quick browse of events listed in the Bay Area reveals gatherings like "Open Paint Night," "Capture the Flag," and an event called "Bean-Up" — whose description simply asks, "Do you love beans?" — with dozens of confirmed attendees. That spirit is a big part of what has kept users loyal.

## Taking Aim at Community Events, Not Coachella

Murthy was careful to distinguish Partiful's ticketing ambitions from those of industry giants like Ticketmaster or AXS. The focus, she says, remains firmly on smaller, community-driven gatherings rather than massive stadium concerts or arena tours.

That said, when pressed on whether large-scale events could ever be in the picture, Murthy did not exactly close the door — especially when it comes to one very high-profile artist.

"Look, if Taylor Swift reads this article, please print that I would love for her to have her concert on Partiful," Murthy said with characteristic humor. "She can have her people contact my people."

With competitors like Facebook Events, Apple Invites, and the rising platform Luma all vying for the same audience, Partiful's move into ticketing is as much about survival as it is about growth. The question now is whether it can generate sustainable revenue while holding onto the irreverent, community-first identity that made it beloved in the first place.

Partiful launches native in-app ticketing after six years as a free platform. Here's what the new feature means for hosts, guests, and the company's future.

Partiful Adds In-App Ticketing in First Monetization Move

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Partiful Launches In-App Ticketing as Its First Real Revenue Play

## Rosamund Pike Takes a Stand Against Phone Use in the Theatre

Oliver Award-winning actress Rosamund Pike made a bold statement about theatre etiquette last Saturday when she returned to the stage following her West End performance in *Inter Alia* to address a member of the audience who had been texting during one of the play's most emotionally intense moments.

Performing at the prestigious Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End, Pike — best known for her roles in *Gone Girl* and *Saltburn* — stepped back into the spotlight after the curtain fell to deliver an impromptu, heartfelt message that left the crowd both stunned and ultimately cheering.

## What Pike Said to the Audience

After asking the crowd not to film her remarks, Pike addressed a section of the front stalls — the seats closest to the stage — where a theatergoer had been visibly using their phone during a pivotal scene.

"I just wanted to say for anyone going to the theatre, it's a huge thing that we're trying to give you," Pike told the audience. "I am trying to tell you a story, and I'm feeling you, and I hope you're feeling me too."

She was careful not to directly identify the individual, saying, "You know who you are and I'm not going to single you out." However, she made her feelings clear, adding that she hoped the texter had been a doctor responding to a genuine emergency.

"Maybe it was very important, and maybe you're a doctor, and you're saving someone's life, and I hope you are — but we do see these, we do feel them," she said. "I've got you, I feel like I've got to hold you all, so when I feel that and see it, it's hard."

The audience initially gasped at the candid address before breaking into applause once Pike finished speaking.

## An Eyewitness Account

One audience member who was present during the incident spoke to BBC News, praising Pike for addressing the situation with grace and restraint. The witness, who chose to remain anonymous, said the moment Pike returned to the stage, she had expected a standard charity announcement — common practice at West End shows — rather than the frank speech that followed.

"We were stunned to hear her berate an audience member in the front of the stalls who had been texting throughout the final, most moving scene," the eyewitness said.

She noted that the disruption occurred during what she described as "the hardest bit of the play" — a moment involving a serious on-stage revelation. Ironically, she also observed that other audience members nearby had been equally disruptive, including a man with a constantly buzzing Apple Watch and a couple who talked through the entire performance.

While the witness strongly supported Pike's speech, she expressed doubt that the culprit would feel any genuine remorse. "Sadly, I doubt this person will feel any guilt as we live in such an entitled world now," she said.

Interestingly, the same eyewitness drew a distinction between phone use during a show and filming the curtain call at the end, suggesting the latter is a relatively harmless tradition — and one that may hold sentimental value for parents of child performers who want to preserve memories of their children on a West End stage.

## About Inter Alia

*Inter Alia*, written by acclaimed playwright Suzie Miller — the Olivier Award-winning mind behind *Prima Facie* — is a powerful drama centred on sexual assault and the systemic failings of the legal system. Pike plays Jessica Parks, a London Crown Court judge whose professional and personal worlds become dangerously intertwined.

Earlier this year, Pike took home the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her commanding portrayal in the role, cementing the production as one of the standout theatrical events of the season.

## A Growing Trend: Actors Pushing Back Against Phone Use

Pike is far from the first performer to publicly confront disruptive audience behaviour linked to mobile devices. Actress Cynthia Erivo recently paused her performance of *Dracula* after spotting someone filming from the audience, while Andrew Scott famously stopped mid-soliloquy during a production of *Hamlet* when he noticed an audience member using a laptop.

High-profile names including Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman, and Patti LuPone have all voiced similar frustrations, and actress Lesley Manville recently told BBC Radio 4 that she finds phone use — even during curtain calls — to be outright "insulting."

"Come on, it's theatre — let's preserve it!" Manville urged. "We are all in this room, we are telling you a story, you're listening — clap or don't clap, but don't just stick your phone in our face."

### Juliet Stevenson Weighs In

Actress Juliet Stevenson also stepped into the conversation, speaking to BBC Radio 4's *World at One* on Monday to praise Pike's decision to speak up. Stevenson emphasised that both performers and audiences share a mutual responsibility in preserving the "imaginative world" created within the theatre walls.

"One person's phone going off shatters that for everybody," she argued, calling the act of disrupting a live performance "an act of extreme selfishness."

She also highlighted the double burden placed on actors in such moments: "You feel not only is your own concentration very disturbed and you're pulled out of the fiction, but then you also feel you've got to try and pull the audience back as well — so you've got two responsibilities."

As the debate around mobile phone etiquette in theatres continues to intensify, Pike's measured but firm response has reignited a conversation the theatrical community has been having for years — one that shows no signs of going quiet anytime soon.

Rosamund Pike publicly addressed an audience member for texting during her West End play Inter Alia, sparking a wider debate about phone use in theatres.

Rosamund Pike Calls Out Texter During West End Show

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Rosamund Pike Confronts Phone-Addicted Theatergoer After West End Performance

## From Viral YouTube Clip to Hollywood Feature Film

Kane Parsons hasn't had a moment to breathe. "It's been go, go, go," he recently told WIRED, acknowledging that even a brief pause would help him process the whirlwind of the past few years. For now, though, he's embracing the spotlight — and expects it'll be at least another month before he can truly step back and take stock of how dramatically his life has changed.

His debut feature, *Backrooms*, is a brooding, cerebral horror film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. An ambitious expansion of his atmospheric YouTube web series of the same name, the movie marks Parsons' arrival as A24's youngest-ever director — a remarkable milestone for a filmmaker whose career began not in film school, but in the comment sections and creative communities of the internet. With its release perfectly timed for summer blockbuster season, the anticipation surrounding the film has been enormous.

Yet Parsons is remarkably modest about how it all came together. "I never went into making that first short or making the series with the intention of proving to Hollywood that this concept could carry a film," he says. "It wasn't a calculated move."

## The Creepy 4Chan Post That Started It All

The story behind *Backrooms* stretches back to 2019, when an anonymous user posted on 4chan's /x/ paranormal forum. Alongside a deeply unsettling photograph of a bare, fluorescent-lit hallway, the post described a place called "the Backrooms" — an infinite, disorienting maze characterized by "the stink of old, moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms." The warning that closed the post was equally chilling: "God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you."

The concept quickly spread across social media platforms, spawning a wave of fan-created stories, artwork, and lore. It became part of a broader cultural fascination with liminal spaces — eerie, transitional environments that feel simultaneously familiar and deeply wrong. Parsons stumbled upon this growing mythology and felt an immediate pull toward it.

"It was clearly scratching something that I didn't really see much other media scratching," he explains. "I found myself wishing there was simply more of it to engage with."

## A Teenager With a Vision and the Right Software

Determined to fill that creative void, Parsons set to work using Blender 3D animation software and Adobe After Effects to craft his own interpretation of the Backrooms. The result — a nine-minute found-footage short titled *The Backrooms (Found Footage)*, uploaded in 2022 — depicted a lone figure being pursued through those endless, sickly corridors by something deeply threatening. The video exploded online, earning widespread praise for both its technical sophistication and its suffocating atmosphere. Fans immediately began dissecting the mythology, and within a month, Hollywood studios were calling.

Despite still being a teenager at the time, Parsons approached these overtures with a healthy dose of skepticism. "I was distrustful of pretty much everything that was happening," he admits. "It's a very common experience for that kind of buzz to turn into nothing — or something even worse than nothing."

His caution paid off. He eventually secured a deal that allowed him to preserve his creative vision, collaborating with screenwriter Will Soodik — known for his work on *Homeland* and *Westworld* — while being backed by producers Osgood Perkins and James Wan, two of horror's most respected names.

## What the Film Is Actually About

*Backrooms* is a visually rich, psychologically layered experience drenched in fluorescent unease. Ejiofor plays Clark, a hard-drinking divorcé barely keeping his San Jose furniture store afloat and carrying a deep-seated anger he struggles to acknowledge. In therapy sessions with Dr. Mary (Reinsve), he attempts to unravel the behavioral cycles that have derailed his life — the collapse of his marriage, the abandonment of his dream to become an architect. Mary, meanwhile, carries her own hidden wounds: as a child, her agoraphobic mother kept her confined indoors, windows sealed with yellowing newspaper.

The story shifts into supernatural territory one evening when Clark, investigating a malfunctioning circuit breaker in his darkened showroom, notices a faintly glowing seam in the wall. Inexplicably, the plaster gives way to reveal a passage into a vast, seemingly infinite labyrinth — an otherworldly maze of connected rooms filled with objects and architecture that feel almost recognizable, yet fundamentally wrong. Drawn back repeatedly, Clark attempts to map the sprawl and discover whether he is truly alone in there.

## Balancing Fan Expectations With Mainstream Appeal

One of Parsons' central challenges was crafting a narrative that would reward the Backrooms' devoted online fanbase without alienating newcomers. "You have to be careful not to lean too hard into the existing community," he says, noting that deeply invested fans — the "problem-solvers" and "puzzle-oriented people" — can develop such elaborate theories that they end up limiting rather than expanding a story's potential.

His solution was restraint. *Backrooms* deliberately withholds definitive answers, leaving viewers sitting with discomfort rather than resolution. The film is also set in the 1990s, a choice that adds an interesting layer of irony: a mythology born from internet culture is explored through a character who has no access to the internet, no search engine to consult, no platform to share his discovery. As Parsons wryly notes, "He can't even fly a drone down there."

The film's impossible spatial logic draws comparisons to the Overlook Hotel in *The Shining*, creating an architecture of dread that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll.

## A Landmark Moment for Horror and Hollywood

Industry trackers are projecting a massive opening weekend for *Backrooms* — one that could shatter A24's existing box office record. Beyond the numbers, many are viewing the film as a signal of a broader shift in how Hollywood identifies emerging talent, with YouTube increasingly serving as a proving ground for the next generation of horror directors.

But perhaps the most compelling aspect of the film's cultural moment is simpler than any industry trend: *Backrooms* is a genuinely original story. As I walked to my car after a screening — through a silent, underground parking garage — I caught myself glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting to hear footsteps that weren't there.

For Parsons, growing up immersed in overlapping online creative communities gave him a finely tuned sense of what audiences are hungry for but rarely receive. "What people are looking for, it feels like they're usually ignored or neglected," he says. "There's a real power in feeling tapped into that conversation — in actually having it with everyone else."

Director Kane Parsons turns a creepy 4chan myth into A24's boldest horror film yet, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. Here's the full story.

Backrooms: How a Viral Meme Became A24's Biggest Horror Film

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How a Teenage Filmmaker Turned a Creepy Internet Myth Into A24's Next Big Horror Hit

## Samsung Movingstyle M7 Review: The Rolling TV That Goes Where You Go

Samsung's Movingstyle M7 has officially taken over my living room. And my kitchen. And my dining room. That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about how this rolling smart display fits into daily life.

### Design and Setup

Getting the Movingstyle up and running is refreshingly simple. The assembly process involves just a handful of screws and routing the power cable through the stand — nothing that should intimidate even the most reluctant do-it-yourselfer. Once assembled, the rolling stand itself is an impressively thoughtful piece of engineering, offering adjustments for tilt, height, and rotation.

That said, all those adjustments are controlled through a single handle, and the experience is a bit clunky. For a display designed to be repositioned constantly, the adjustment mechanism could stand to be more intuitive. The stand also does not offer vertical movement on its own — height changes are made by repositioning the monitor along the steel mounting bar. Fortunately, the eight inches of available height adjustment proved sufficient for finding a comfortable eye-level position whether sitting on the couch or standing in the kitchen.

### Mobility: The Good and the Not-So-Good

For anyone without a dedicated television setup, the Movingstyle's portability is genuinely exciting. Wheeling the display from one room to another feels like a small luxury, and the unit glides smoothly across hardwood floors. Even moderately thin rugs present little resistance, making room-to-room transitions genuinely hassle-free on a single floor.

However, mobility does come with real-world limitations. Living in a multi-story home means stairs immediately cut off access between floors, significantly reducing the device's range. The power cable, measuring just four feet and nine inches, is another constraint. While it edges out the length of a standard desktop monitor cord, users in larger homes will almost certainly need an extension cord or will find themselves hunting for conveniently placed outlets as they move the display around. Thick carpet or high-pile rugs may also slow the wheels down considerably.

### Smart TV Software

Where Samsung truly shines is in its smart TV ecosystem. The Movingstyle runs on Samsung's Tizen operating system — the same platform found across the brand's smart monitor lineup — meaning the display operates as a fully standalone smart TV without needing to be tethered to a computer or laptop. Access to a wide range of apps, streaming services, and a generous library of free content makes this one of the more compelling smart monitor experiences on the market today.

### Speaker Performance

Audio quality from a thin rolling display might seem like an afterthought, but the Movingstyle's speakers deliver a surprisingly capable performance. Volume levels and clarity are strong enough to fill a mid-sized room comfortably, adding real value to the overall package.

### Picture Quality

The 32-inch 4K panel delivers a competent picture, though it stops short of being exceptional. Colors and contrast are adequate for everyday viewing and streaming, but videophiles or those accustomed to premium OLED or QLED displays may notice the limitations. For casual TV watching and everyday use, however, the screen performs well enough.

### How It Compares to Other Models

Samsung does offer a higher-end Movingstyle variant that adds a touchscreen, a 120Hz refresh rate suited for gaming, and a built-in battery — a feature that eliminates the cord-length frustration entirely. The catch? It steps down to a 27-inch 1440p panel and jumps in price to $1,200. For many buyers, that trade-off simply won't make sense.

LG has entered this space with the Smart Monitor Swing, a 32-inch 4K model featuring touch input capability, priced at $1,000 — landing squarely between Samsung's two Movingstyle options. The LG offering raises the bar for what a rolling smart display can be.

One solution Samsung could explore is selling the adjustable rolling stand separately, allowing consumers to pair it with a monitor of their choosing — a move that would open up significant flexibility and appeal.

### Final Verdict

At $580 to $700, the Samsung Movingstyle M7 delivers strong value for anyone seeking a versatile, room-roaming smart display. The rolling stand is clever, the smart software is best-in-class, and the speakers punch above their weight. The shorter power cable, average picture quality, and single-floor limitations hold it back from perfection — but for a cord-cutter looking to put one screen to work across multiple rooms, this is a genuinely compelling option.

**Pros:**
- Smart, well-engineered rolling stand
- Highly adjustable display positioning
- Excellent Tizen smart TV platform with plenty of free content
- Stronger-than-expected audio
- Competitive pricing

**Cons:**
- Short power cable limits mobility
- Adjustment handle lacks intuitiveness
- 4K panel quality is merely average
- Rolling stand not sold separately
- Not practical for multi-story homes

Is Samsung's Movingstyle M7 the ultimate portable smart TV? Read our full review covering design, mobility, picture quality, and value at $580–$700.

Samsung Movingstyle M7 Review: A Smart TV on Wheels

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Samsung Movingstyle M7 Review: The Rolling TV That Goes Where You Go

## Valve Steam Controller Review (2026): A Promising Peripheral Waiting for Its Moment

Valve's latest Steam Controller arrives as a technically sophisticated piece of hardware — loaded with features, highly customizable, and built to a premium standard. Yet without the long-awaited Steam Machine to anchor its purpose, the controller feels like a headline act performing without a stage.

## Build Quality and Physical Design

At just 292 grams, the Steam Controller is surprisingly lightweight given everything packed inside. Extended gaming sessions rarely feel tiring, and the overall construction exudes quality. The standout physical elements include TMR thumbsticks that deliver exceptional accuracy, along with the same responsive trackpads found on the Steam Deck, positioned on the lower half of the controller to enable mouse-like precision during gameplay.

However, the layout does come with trade-offs. Because so much space is dedicated to housing those trackpads, the thumbsticks sit slightly higher than ideal, requiring players to subtly adjust their grip. The D-pad, meanwhile, is the one area where Valve appears to have cut corners — it functions adequately but lacks defined edges and features a glossy finish that reduces tactile grip. Outside of that shortcoming, the controller's physical construction is genuinely excellent.

## Features and Technology

The Steam Controller is loaded with impressive technology beneath its shell. It includes both an accelerometer and a gyroscope for motion-based input, alongside advanced rumble engines capable of nuanced haptic feedback. Much like the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2s, the controller can vibrate at frequencies high enough to effectively function as a small speaker — enabling clever audio Easter eggs, including a hidden Wilhelm Scream.

A bundled charging puck rounds out the package, serving dual purposes as both a power source and a connectivity hub. It's an elegant solution that feels genuinely well-considered.

## Software Integration and Customization

Connecting the controller and pressing the Steam button a second time launches Big Picture mode — Valve's console-style interface designed for comfortable couch navigation. The interface remains largely unchanged from previous iterations, presenting bold game tiles, clear library filters, and large text optimized for TV viewing distances.

Where the Steam Controller genuinely shines is in its deep customization options. Launching any game from Big Picture mode displays a real-time overlay showing which inputs are assigned by default. From there, players can remap virtually every button and function. Holding the Steam button grants quick access to settings such as rear grip button behavior, gyroscope functions, and trackpad configuration. Trackpad sensitivity can be tuned anywhere from 25 percent to 3,000 percent responsiveness, with built-in haptic feedback providing satisfying tactile confirmation as you navigate.

This level of flexibility is particularly valuable for strategy games, where switching a trackpad to mouse-cursor behavior can meaningfully improve precision.

## The Big Limitation: Steam's Walled Garden

Despite its versatility, the Steam Controller carries one significant drawback that potential buyers must understand before purchasing.

Most PC gaming controllers — from premium options like the Thrustmaster ESWAP X2 H.E to budget-friendly alternatives like Hyperkin's Competitor — connect to Windows via the XInput API, allowing virtually any game to recognize them regardless of where it was purchased. The Steam Controller, by contrast, operates through Valve's proprietary Steam Input system.

This means Windows does not automatically identify it as a standard controller. As a result, playing games sourced from outside Steam — whether from GOG, the Epic Games Store, or directly from independent developers — becomes extremely difficult or outright impossible in many cases.

## Verdict

The Valve Steam Controller is an ambitious and technically impressive peripheral that demonstrates clear engineering thoughtfulness. Its trackpads, customization depth, haptics, and build quality place it among the more capable controllers on the market. But its dependence on the Steam ecosystem and its inability to function as a universal PC controller limit its appeal considerably.

More critically, the controller feels incomplete without the Steam Machine hardware it was presumably designed to complement. Until that device materializes, the Steam Controller remains a fascinating but context-starved product — one that is difficult to fully recommend for everyone, despite being easy to admire.

Valve's 2026 Steam Controller impresses with TMR sticks, deep customization, and premium build quality — but Steam-only support limits its broader appeal.

Valve Steam Controller Review 2026: Features & Limitations

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Valve Steam Controller Review (2026): Impressive Hardware Held Back by Platform Limits

## When AI Meets the Physical World

What happens when you hand an AI agent the keys to a real robotic arm? The answer, it turns out, is surprisingly impressive. A recent experiment explored exactly that — using an AI coding agent called OpenClaw alongside OpenAI's Codex to configure, operate, and even train a physical robot arm from scratch.

The AI successfully set up the hardware, used an onboard camera to perceive its surroundings, and gradually learned to grasp objects. It even helped train a secondary AI model to pick up and place specific items. If that sounds like science fiction, it increasingly isn't.

## The Robot: A LeRobot 101

The hardware at the center of this experiment is the **LeRobot 101**, a prebuilt robotic arm that's part of an open-source initiative from HuggingFace. The project is designed to lower the barrier to entry for robotics experimentation, making it more accessible and affordable than traditional industrial systems.

The LeRobot system includes two arms working in tandem:

- A **controller arm**, operated manually by a human using a handle and trigger
- A **follower arm**, fitted with a camera, that mirrors the controller's movements

This setup enables teleoperation-based AI training. As a person moves the controller arm, the AI model observes the follower arm's camera feed and learns to replicate those movements autonomously over time.

## Building With AI: Triumphs and Growing Pains

Getting started wasn't entirely smooth. Before leveraging OpenClaw, the experimenter spent several hours attempting to connect and calibrate the robot manually — at one point nearly burning out the motors by applying incorrect settings that caused them to overheat.

Once OpenClaw and Codex entered the picture, progress accelerated significantly. The AI agent navigated the complex process of establishing connections to the robot hardware, assisted with joint calibration, and generated a Python script that combined multiple libraries to detect and grip a red ball on command.

This approach — sometimes called **vibe coding** — isn't flawless. AI-generated code can produce hallucinations and introduce bugs, particularly when dealing with specialized hardware. But the overall results were striking enough to turn heads.

### From Simple Gripping to Model Training

Grabbing a red ball was just the beginning. The next phase involved using OpenClaw to guide the training of a dedicated control model for the arm. The AI proved adept at walking through each stage of the training process and evaluating the model's error rate after every training run — a task that would typically require significant robotics expertise.

## The 'Code as Policy' Revolution

The concept powering this experiment has an academic name: **code as policy**. First introduced in a landmark 2022 research paper, the idea proposes that AI-generated code can serve as a versatile and powerful method for programming and controlling robots — one that sidesteps the need for highly specialized robotics knowledge.

Since that paper was published, AI coding capabilities have advanced at a remarkable pace, and the code-as-policy approach has gained serious momentum across research institutions worldwide.

### A New Benchmark: CaP-X

A collaborative research team from UC Berkeley, Nvidia, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford has developed a new evaluation framework called **CaP-X** to measure how well AI coding models can handle robotic programming tasks.

The findings are revealing. According to CaP-X results, **Google's Gemini** outperforms both Claude and ChatGPT when it comes to robot programming — likely because Google DeepMind has heavily prioritized multimodal training, equipping its models with a stronger grasp of physical-world reasoning.

Alongside the benchmark, the team released:

- **CaP-Gym** — a controlled environment for testing coding agents on both simulated and real robots
- **CaP-Agent0** — an agentic framework that significantly boosts coding model performance, enabling them to outperform some models trained specifically for direct robotic motion control

## Industry Leaders Are Taking Notice

Ken Goldberg, a prominent roboticist at UC Berkeley and one of the researchers behind this work, frames the significance clearly:

> *"AI-powered coding is super exciting because it has the potential to bridge the gap between conventional engineering methods, which are reliable but don't generalize, and contemporary vision-language-action models, which generalize but are not yet reliable."*

Goldberg's team is also collaborating with Nvidia to expand the practical reach of the code-as-policy method, working to make it compatible with a broader ecosystem of robot software tools.

Spencer Huang, who has been organizing internal robotics hackathons at Nvidia and is currently involved in a joint research project with Goldberg, believes the implications extend far beyond the lab.

> *"Nearly anyone can get into robotics, which is the true holy grail,"* Huang explains. Enabling people to direct robots through spoken commands, typed instructions, or simple physical demonstrations is, in his words, the **"critical unlock for robots in society."**

## What This Means for the Future of Robotics

The barriers that once made robotics the exclusive domain of specialists — deep programming knowledge, costly hardware, and years of training — are beginning to erode. AI-powered coding tools are emerging as a genuine equalizer, enabling enthusiasts, researchers, and developers to experiment with physical robots in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

Whether this signals an imminent robotics breakthrough or simply an exciting step in a longer journey, one thing is clear: the relationship between artificial intelligence and the physical world is growing closer, faster, and more capable with every passing year.

An AI coding agent configured, operated, and trained a physical robot arm. Here's what the experiment revealed about the future of robotics and AI.

AI Agent Controls a Real Robot Arm: What Happened

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How I Gave an AI Agent Full Control of a Robotic Arm — And What Happened Next

## Strictly Come Dancing Announces Its New Presenting Trio

The BBC has officially revealed the three new faces set to front one of British television's most beloved programmes. TV presenter Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and professional dancer Johannes Radebe have been confirmed as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, stepping in to fill the considerable void left by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman following their departure from the show last year.

### A Historic Three-Host Format

This marks a first in Strictly history — the show will now be fronted by three permanent presenters simultaneously. While Sir Bruce Forsyth previously shared duties with Winkleman during his later years on the programme, a dedicated presenting trio of this nature is entirely new territory for the series. Hosting responsibilities are expected to be divided equally among the three, representing a notable shift from the format audiences grew accustomed to during the Tess and Claudia era.

### What the New Hosts Had to Say

Emma Willis expressed pure delight at the opportunity, describing herself as a long-time admirer of the show. "To be stepping into the Strictly ballroom is something I can't quite comprehend," she said, conveying the significance of the role.

Josh Widdicombe was equally enthusiastic, admitting he was "giddy with excitement, honoured and a little overawed" at the prospect of taking on what he called "the biggest shoes in television."

For Johannes Radebe, the announcement carries a deeply personal meaning. Having been a beloved professional dancer on Strictly for eight years, transitioning to a presenting role is, in his own words, "beyond anything I ever imagined."

### The Selection Process and Those Who Missed Out

The announcement follows a rigorous and widely publicised audition process involving several high-profile television personalities. Among those who screen-tested for the role was Zoe Ball, who later openly admitted to experiencing "the seven stages of grief and rejection" after learning she had not been selected.

Rylan Clark also confirmed his involvement in the process via social media, posting his congratulations to the newly appointed trio while acknowledging that "this wasn't my time." Ever the entertainer, Rylan accompanied his post with a now-iconic clip of himself breaking down in tears during his 2012 X Factor journey — a video that has long since achieved meme status online.

### Executive Producer Praises the New Line-Up

Strictly's executive producer Sarah James spoke warmly of the new combination, describing it as "unexpected" yet undeniably compelling. "Their magic was undeniable the moment they came together," she said.

James praised Willis for her "wealth of presenting experience and natural warmth," highlighted Widdicombe's "razor-sharp wit and unique self-deprecating humour," and celebrated Radebe as "a one-of-a-kind talent" whose deep knowledge of the show will enrich his new role enormously.

## Meet the New Hosts

### Emma Willis

Born in Birmingham, Emma Willis began her career as a model before making her TV debut on MTV in 2002. She rose to mainstream prominence hosting Big Brother on Channel 5, eventually taking charge of both the main show and its celebrity spin-off.

Willis is perhaps best known today as the long-running host of The Voice UK — a talent competition that originated on the BBC in 2012 before transferring to ITV in 2017 — as well as its junior counterpart, The Voice Kids. Her broader presenting portfolio includes Channel 4's The Circle, and appearances on Loose Women and This Morning.

On a personal note, Willis is married to Busted musician Matt Willis. The couple co-hosted Netflix's Love Is Blind UK in 2024 and previously worked together on the ITV2 companion show to I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Willis's Strictly appointment also raises an intriguing scheduling prospect — she could find herself presenting primetime Saturday night television on both the BBC and ITV simultaneously this autumn, having already filmed the upcoming series of The Voice UK.

### Josh Widdicombe

Josh Widdicombe launched his stand-up comedy career in 2008 and quickly became a familiar face on British panel shows, including Taskmaster, Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You, and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

Since 2012, he has been a core cast member of Channel 4's The Last Leg alongside Adam Hills and Alex Brooker. Originally commissioned as a one-off series running alongside the London 2012 Paralympics, the show proved so popular that it evolved into an ongoing weekly satirical programme.

Widdicombe also co-hosts Parenting Hell, a hugely successful podcast about family life that he records with fellow comedian Rob Beckett. He has additionally hosted BBC Radio 5 Live's Fighting Talk and starred in his own BBC sitcom, Josh. He is no stranger to Strictly either, having previously competed in the 2024 Christmas special.

### Johannes Radebe

A South African-born dancer and choreographer, Johannes Radebe has been a professional on Strictly Come Dancing for eight years, earning a devoted following for his charisma, artistry, and infectious personality. His transition from the dance floor to the presenter's podium represents a natural evolution for someone who has been at the heart of the show for nearly a decade.

## What to Expect This Autumn

The returning judging panel — Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke — will all be back when the new series launches later this year. Fifteen of last season's twenty professional dancers will also return, with the BBC confirming they will be joined by fresh international talent from the world of competitive dance.

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe are confirmed as Strictly Come Dancing's new hosts, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Strictly Come Dancing's Three New Hosts Confirmed by BBC

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Strictly Come Dancing Unveils Three New Hosts to Succeed Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman

## A Desk Gadget That Actually Holds You Accountable

Working from home sounds ideal until the reality sets in — your back aches, your water bottle sits untouched, and hours pass without a single stretch. Plenty of apps promise to fix these habits, but they're easy to swipe away and even easier to ignore. Hardware, on the other hand, has a way of demanding attention.

After nearly a decade of refining a home office setup — ergonomic chairs, lumbar cushions, adjustable monitors — one thing remained elusive: consistently good posture. That changed when I started using **Isa**, a desk device built by Deep Care, a startup founded by three former Bosch engineers based in Germany.

## What Makes Isa Different

Isa isn't just another wellness gadget. It monitors posture, hydration habits, ambient light, sound levels, and physical movement — all without a camera and without an internet connection. In an age where smart devices routinely harvest user data, that offline-first design philosophy is a genuine selling point.

The device resembles a compact table clock, featuring a **5.5-inch IPS HD display** and powered through a standard USB-C connection at roughly 2.45W — low enough that any existing charger will do the job.

## The Technology Inside

### Sensors That Do the Heavy Lifting

At the heart of Isa is a **Time-of-Flight (ToF) 3D depth sensor** — the same underlying technology found in facial recognition systems and modern smartphone cameras. This sensor handles posture analysis and movement detection across a range of 0.15 to 1.8 meters, meaning it can register whether you're seated, slouched, or standing at your desk.

Beyond the primary sensor, Isa is packed with additional monitoring hardware:

- **ToF 1D sensor**
- **Gyroscope**
- **Barometer**
- **Ambient light sensor**
- **Sound level sensor**
- **CO₂ and VOC sensor**
- **Temperature and humidity sensor**

All of this processing is handled by a quad-core 2 GHz processor built into the device. Wi-Fi connectivity is available exclusively for software updates and can be disabled at any time.

### How It Displays Information

Isa communicates your posture status through a **squircle ring** on its screen — a rounded square that fills or depletes based on how well you're sitting. When your posture deteriorates, the ring shifts from green to yellow or red. It's a subtle visual cue that proved surprisingly effective in practice; seeing that color change triggered an almost instinctive urge to sit up straight.

A separate widget styled like a water tank tracks your hydration, using the ToF sensor in beta mode to count drinking events. Another widget monitors whether you've been stationary too long, prompting you to stand and guiding you through brief on-device exercises. Once you return to your desk after a break, the movement tracker resets automatically.

The device also vibrates when you've been slouching past a set threshold — a gentle but firm reminder that works better than any phone notification.

## Setup and Usability

Getting Isa up and running is relatively painless. The device walks you through entering basic details about yourself and your daily work schedule. One notable gap: at launch, Isa only supports EU and US time zones, leaving users in Asia and other regions without proper local time support. The company has acknowledged this limitation, and broader time zone coverage would be a straightforward improvement worth prioritizing.

## Where It Falls Short

Because Isa relies entirely on depth-sensing rather than a camera, it's occasionally fooled by its environment. Objects placed between you and the sensor — a water bottle, a stack of books — can be misread as a person, logging false stationary periods. Pets or household members walking through the sensor's range can trigger similar errors.

Isa typically recognizes when you've left your workspace and switches to a standard clock display, but there's no manual override button to tell the device you've stepped away. Adding a simple physical or on-screen shortcut for this would significantly improve accuracy.

Occasionally, the device flagged prolonged inactivity after less than 30 minutes of sitting — a minor frustration but not a dealbreaker. Overall, these are manageable quirks rather than fundamental flaws.

## Pricing and Subscription Model

Isa is priced at **€299 (approximately $354)** and comes with two subscription tiers:

- **Core Plan — €4.99/month:** Posture tracking, healthy sitting habits, hydration detection, and access to the exercise library
- **Pro Plan — €7.99/month:** Everything in Core, plus monitoring of light levels, noise, and CO₂ for a healthier work environment

Deep Care initially sold Isa exclusively to businesses before opening sales to individual consumers — a move that reflects growing confidence in the retail wellness hardware market.

## What's Coming Next

Deep Care has signaled ambitions beyond posture correction. The company plans to leverage Isa's sensor suite for **mental health and stress tracking**, using signals like posture shifts, head movement, and chest movement patterns to estimate breathing rhythms. Combined with environmental data — noise levels, lighting, CO₂ concentration — the goal is to introduce a stress-related wellness score. Whether that feature lands well will depend heavily on accuracy and user trust.

## Final Verdict

Isa is not the cheapest solution for improving your desk habits. Between the upfront hardware cost and the ongoing subscription, it's an investment that demands genuine commitment to workplace wellness. But for remote workers who have tried and abandoned apps, stretching reminders, and ergonomic accessories without lasting results, Isa offers something more persistent and harder to ignore.

It's one of the more thoughtfully designed desk wellness devices available today — and if you're serious about protecting your posture and building healthier movement habits, it's worth serious consideration.

Deep Care's Isa tracks posture, hydration, and movement offline without a camera. Here's what makes this $350 desk gadget stand out for remote workers.

Isa Desk Device Review: Offline Posture Tracker Worth $350?

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Meet Isa: The Privacy-First Desk Device That Finally Fixed My Posture

## Gantri's Bold New Vision for Wireless Lighting

California-based lighting company Gantri has taken a significant step forward in home design with the launch of a new wireless lamp collection developed in partnership with renowned design firm Ammunition. Built using corn-derived polylactic acid (PLA) plastic and manufactured in Gantri's Bay Area production facilities, these lamps combine sustainable materials with premium aesthetics — all at a price point that sits between $200 and $500.

## A Partnership Built on Design Excellence

Gantri and Ammunition first joined forces back in 2020, with the shared goal of elevating what thoughtfully designed lighting could look like. Ammunition is no stranger to iconic product design — the firm is responsible for the look of Beats by Dre headphones, Square's widely recognized point-of-sale tablets, and a range of other high-profile projects spanning everything from robotic coffee machines to Jay-Z's short-lived cannabis vape line.

Their latest collaboration expands on that original vision with a broader range of fixtures, including floor lamps, table lamps, and compact handheld models. The smaller designs draw inspiration from the piers along the San Francisco waterfront, giving them a distinctly regional character.

## Wireless Freedom With Long Battery Life

One of the most notable features of this new collection is that every lamp in the lineup is completely wireless. Each unit detaches from its charging base and offers what Gantri claims is a battery life of ten or more hours — enough to carry a lamp from one space to another without being tethered to a wall outlet.

Gantri CEO Ian Yang draws an interesting parallel to justify this design direction. For the vast majority of human history, portable light sources — torches, candles, lanterns — were carried from place to place. The idea of lights being permanently fixed to walls and ceilings is, historically speaking, a relatively recent convention. Yang believes this collection challenges that assumption.

"I really think this product is going to change the way that people think about lighting, but also think about the power of digital manufacturing, about this new material that's plant-based," Yang said.

## Smart Home Integration on the Horizon

Gantri is currently developing a companion app to give users greater control over their lamps. The company also plans to integrate Matter compatibility — the cross-platform smart home connectivity standard designed to allow devices from different brands to communicate seamlessly — though that feature is not expected to roll out until next year.

## A Custom Charging System by Design

Perhaps one of the more debated aspects of the new collection is its proprietary charging system. The lamps use a custom charging port that allows them to be positioned upright and rotated in any direction while still receiving power. However, this means they are not compatible with USB-C or any standard charging cable.

For some users, this could limit the freedom that a wireless lamp is supposed to offer — if you move a lamp to a different room, you need to bring the proprietary charger along with it. Yang acknowledges this trade-off but insists the decision was intentional.

"What we want is something that we can use every single day," Yang explained. "To do that, you have to build a habit into charging. We want to make this as simple and seamless as possible."

Beyond the home, Gantri also sees commercial potential in this design choice. Yang notes that the lamps could work well in restaurant settings, where proprietary chargers act as a mild deterrent against theft — making USB-C-powered alternatives far easier targets by comparison.

## Rethinking an Entire Category

For Yang, this product launch represents the fulfillment of a long-held ambition. When he began exploring the portable lighting market, he found most existing options lacking in substance — too small, too dim, and more decorative than functional.

"They're really tiny, more like a candle, an accent, a mood thing — it's not like a real light," Yang said, framing Gantri's entry into this space as "an opportunity for us to not just replace that one form factor, but actually to rethink the lighting category."

With a focus on sustainable manufacturing, considered design, and genuine portability, Gantri appears to be making a compelling case that the future of lighting doesn't have to be plugged in.

Gantri teams up with Ammunition to release wireless, plant-based 3D-printed lamps with 10+ hour battery life and future Matter smart home support.

Gantri Launches Wireless 3D-Printed Lamps With Ammunition

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Gantri and Ammunition Team Up to Launch a New Line of Wireless 3D-Printed Lamps

## Bose Makes a Triumphant Return to Home Audio

After stepping away from the home speaker market, Bose is making a decisive comeback. The iconic audio brand has officially revived its legendary Lifestyle product lineup — a series that first launched back in 1990 and became synonymous with effortless usability and premium sound — before being quietly discontinued in 2022. Now, Bose is re-entering the space with two flagship products: the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker and the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar.

## What's New in the Lineup

### Lifestyle Ultra Speaker

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is a wireless home speaker starting at **$299**, with a limited-edition Driftwood Sand finish available for **$349**. Bose has positioned this as one of the finest speakers in its entire history — a bold claim from a brand with decades of audio heritage.

Audio enthusiasts will appreciate the innovative driver configuration: an upward-firing driver delivers Dolby Atmos–like spatial audio alongside two front-facing drivers, creating an immersive listening experience. Bose's proprietary **CleanBass technology** — which combines the QuietPort acoustic opening with a dedicated woofer — promises deep, room-filling bass that punches well above the speaker's compact size.

Connectivity is comprehensive. The Ultra Speaker supports **Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect**. It also includes an auxiliary input, making it compatible with turntables for vinyl enthusiasts. Notably, it is among the first speaker systems to integrate with **Alexa+** (currently available in the US only), enabling hands-free voice control for music playback.

Two Ultra Speakers can be paired together as a stereo system through the Bose app, or combined with the soundbar and subwoofer to build a complete home theater setup.

### Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Subwoofer

The **Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar**, priced at **$1,099**, represents the most significant soundbar redesign from Bose in over a decade. While the company has released soundbar updates in recent years, those were considered incremental improvements. This new model is a ground-up reimagining.

The soundbar's driver layout is impressive: two up-firing drivers, four front-facing drivers, a center tweeter, and two **PhaseGuide drivers** that direct sound toward the sides of the room for wider, more enveloping audio. It also incorporates **SpeechClarity** technology, which leverages artificial intelligence to sharpen dialogue — a feature particularly useful for movie and TV watching.

A dedicated **subwoofer rounds out the system at $899**, delivering the low-frequency performance expected from a premium home theater configuration.

## Smarter Setup, No Extra Accessories Required

One of the more practical improvements is how Bose has overhauled the room calibration process. Previously, users needed a proprietary ADAPTiQ headset to optimize audio for their specific room acoustics — an accessory that was easy to misplace. Now, the **Bose app leverages the microphone on any iOS or Android smartphone** as a calibration reference, eliminating the need for additional hardware entirely.

The app has also received a redesigned onboarding experience intended to make the initial setup process smoother and more intuitive for new users.

## Connectivity and Compatibility Notes

For multi-room audio, Bose delegates grouping functionality to **Google Home via Google Cast** or **Apple AirPlay** for iOS users, rather than building a proprietary ecosystem from scratch. However, there are some compatibility limitations worth noting. The new Lifestyle system is only backward compatible with the **Bass Module 700** from Bose's previous lineup. Additionally, connecting the Ultra Soundbar to legacy Bose speakers requires a wired connection rather than a wireless one.

## Strategic Timing and Market Context

Bose's return to the home audio space arrives at an interesting moment for the industry. In 2024, rival audio brand **Sonos** faced significant backlash after a poorly executed app update disabled core features and frustrated its loyal customer base. When pressed on whether the new Lifestyle launch is designed to attract disillusioned Sonos users, Bose Senior Product Manager **Gregory Haungs** was measured in his response.

*"We've been working on this for about three years,"* Haungs told WIRED. *"This has been a plan of Bose for quite some time to enter back into this space and make sure we're doing it right. Maybe that meant we got some additional market insights and learnings along the way."*

Regardless of competitive timing, the message is clear: Bose has been methodical and deliberate in planning this reentry.

## Availability and Pricing Summary

| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle Ultra Speaker | $299 |
| Lifestyle Ultra Speaker (Driftwood Sand) | $349 |
| Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar | $1,099 |
| Subwoofer | $899 |

All products are available for **preorder now**, with a general sale date of **May 15**. Whether Bose's renewed commitment to home audio can recapture the imagination of consumers — and perhaps win over those frustrated with competing brands — remains to be seen. But with three years of development behind these products, the company is clearly betting it has something worth coming back for.

Bose brings back its iconic Lifestyle speaker lineup with the Ultra Speaker and Ultra Soundbar, featuring Alexa+, spatial audio, and smarter room calibration.

Bose Revives Lifestyle Speaker Line With Ultra Home Audio

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Bose Revives Its Legendary Lifestyle Speaker Line With Powerful New Home Audio Products

## A Legendary Horror Classic Gets a Rare Reveal

For the first time since 1983, an exclusive secret screening gave a select audience a look at the assembly cut of the beloved horror-comedy classic *Gremlins* — a version of the film that has remained hidden from public view for over four decades.

## Horror's Finest Turn Out for the Historic Event

The private event attracted an impressive gathering of some of the most prominent names currently working in the horror genre. Among those in attendance were **Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky**, the directing duo behind *Final Destination: Bloodlines* and the highly anticipated *Gremlins 3*, for which they also serve as writers.

### A Roster of Modern Horror Visionaries

The screening also welcomed several other celebrated genre filmmakers, including **Drew Hancock**, known for his work on *Companion*; **Rob Savage**, the director behind *The Boogeyman*; **Brian Duffield**, acclaimed writer of *Whalefall*; and **Akela Cooper**, the creative force responsible for the blockbuster horror hit *M3GAN*.

## Why This Screening Matters

The unveiling of this rarely seen assembly cut represents a significant moment for film historians and horror enthusiasts alike. Assembly cuts — the earliest edited versions of a film before director and studio refinements — offer a unique window into the creative process behind iconic movies. For a film as culturally influential as *Gremlins*, this peek behind the curtain is nothing short of extraordinary.

A secret screening revealed the unseen 1983 assembly cut of Gremlins, drawing top horror filmmakers including the writers of Gremlins 3.

Gremlins Assembly Cut Screened Publicly First Time Since 198

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Rare Assembly Cut of 'Gremlins' Screens Publicly for the First Time Since 1983

## Soundcore Nebula P1 Projector Review: Portable, Practical, and Pretty Good

Anker's Soundcore Nebula P1 is the kind of device that turns heads before you even turn it on. Standing roughly 11 inches tall with a canvas carry strap draped over its top, it looks more like a stylish Bluetooth speaker than a full-featured projector. Priced at around $639, it sits well below the stratosphere of premium home-theater projectors from brands like Epson, JVC, or Sony—and that price difference does come with trade-offs. But for what it's designed to do, the P1 holds its own in impressive ways.

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## Design and Portability

The Nebula P1's compact form factor is its biggest selling point. It's genuinely easy to carry from room to room or toss in the back of your car for a backyard movie night. When the lens is closed, the unit offers splash resistance, making it a reasonable companion for outdoor use—even in light rain or dewy evenings. This is not a projector you'll need to baby excessively, which adds real-world value for anyone who wants flexibility without constant worry.

The included remote control is a small but thoughtful touch. It's slim enough to slip into your pocket, features logically arranged buttons, and comes backlit—so you're never fumbling around in the dark trying to find the volume control.

---

## Software and Streaming Experience

The P1 runs Google TV right out of the box, which means setup is refreshingly straightforward. There's no need to bring along an external streaming stick or additional hardware—everything you need to access apps and stream content is built directly into the projector. Netflix, YouTube TV, and a wide variety of streaming platforms are readily accessible through the familiar Google TV interface.

However, there is one notable limitation worth flagging: the P1 only supports screen mirroring from a smartphone or tablet rather than allowing direct app casting. During testing, attempting to stream movies through HBO Max and Hulu from both an iPhone and an iPad triggered digital rights management warnings, blocking playback entirely. The workaround—installing streaming apps directly onto the projector—is fine for indoor setups but becomes genuinely inconvenient outdoors, where you may not want to drag along power cables or risk damaging equipment.

---

## Picture Quality: Honest Assessment

With a peak brightness of 650 ANSI lumens and a 400:1 contrast ratio, the Nebula P1 is transparent about what it is: a portable projector built for convenience, not cinema-level performance. For comparison, Soundcore's own higher-end models—the Nebula X1 ($2,799) and the Nebula X1 Pro ($4,999)—both deliver 3,500 lumens and a significantly sharper 5,000:1 contrast ratio.

That said, the P1 surprised during real-world testing. Watching a Houston Rockets game on YouTube TV in a windowless room produced an image that was genuinely immersive simply due to its scale—up to 110 inches diagonally. A sports mode setting added a noticeable boost in brightness and clarity, which helped.

### Where It Falls Short

Switching to a local news broadcast revealed a slightly grainy texture even after manual adjustments to brightness and contrast. Streaming *Avatar: Fire and Ash* through the Fandango at Home app produced decent clarity during action sequences, but the image lacked the cinematic richness you'd expect from a dedicated home-theater setup. Side-by-side with an Epson LS9000, the difference was stark—the Epson rendered colors with vivid realism that the P1 simply couldn't match.

Other visual benchmarks told a similar story. A winter fence scene rendered background greens as muddy browns, and a sunset sequence lacked the contrast and color depth needed to feel truly lifelike. These are understandable compromises at this price point, but worth knowing before you buy.

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## Outdoor Performance

Where the Nebula P1 genuinely shines is in outdoor environments—particularly after dark. Positioned midway down a driveway on a small table and pointed at a garage door on an overcast night, the P1 delivered picture quality comparable to its indoor performance. More impressively, projecting at approximately 200 inches diagonally, films like *Relay* on Netflix and the classic thriller *North by Northwest* looked absolutely spectacular at that scale.

The sheer size of the image compensates for a lot of the technical shortcomings. When you're watching a movie at 200 inches under the open sky, minor contrast limitations become far less noticeable.

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## Audio Performance

The P1 includes two built-in wireless speakers that deliver sound quality that's genuinely good enough for casual viewing. It won't replace a dedicated surround sound system, but for outdoor movie nights or spontaneous indoor screenings, the audio holds up well without requiring external speakers.

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## Final Verdict

The Soundcore Nebula P1 is a well-designed, portable projector that delivers solid value for casual viewers who prioritize flexibility over picture perfection. Its Google TV integration, splash-resistant build, and massive projection capability make it an appealing choice for indoor-outdoor use. Just go in with realistic expectations—this is not a home-cinema replacement, and the screen mirroring limitations can be frustrating. But for backyard movie nights and spontaneous big-screen experiences, the P1 earns its place.

**Best for:** Outdoor movie nights, casual indoor viewing, travelers, and anyone who wants a versatile projector without spending thousands.

**Skip if:** You prioritize color accuracy, cinematic contrast, or need seamless phone casting.

Is the Soundcore Nebula P1 worth $639? Read our full review covering picture quality, portability, outdoor performance, and streaming limitations.

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