The iPad mini with Retina display

A Retina display-equipped iPad mini now seems inevitable. In August, both The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on such a device, and they said that it was likely that it'd use the same 7.9-inch screen size as the current tablet. If Apple decides to stick with its developer-friendly model of quadrupling the screen resolution when jumping up to Retina, the device will likely have a 2048 x 1536 resolution.

However, there has been some debate over when Apple could ship a Retina iPad mini. Reports haven't pinned down a specific date; the consensus seems to be that the device will be announced at the October 22nd event and ship in time for the all-important holiday season, but there have been hints of supply issues. Reuters reported earlier this month that supply will be very limited this year, while supply chain analysts IHS iSuppli concluded that Apple wouldn't be able to launch until the first quarter of next year. If a 2014 launch is accurate, it's unlikely that Apple will announce the tablet this month, as the company typically puts its products on sale soon after they're revealed. However, even if Apple can get supply in order for this year, the government shutdown could throw a wrench in the company's plans: much of the Federal Communications Commission's staff has been furloughed and can't approve new devices.

Valve demonstrates how its Steam Controller works with your favorite PC games

You've seen the design, and now Valve is showing gamers how its Steam Controller works in practice. The company has posted a new video to its YouTube account that demonstrates how the unique gamepad functions when being used with popular games like Portal 2, Civilization V, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It's not quite the finished design that Valve showed off last month; what you're seeing here is the same prototype controller that will be distributed to Steam Machine beta participants later this year. Valve says that more demos will follow soon, "including footage of some other game developers using the controller to play their own games." Is it a worthy replacement for your trusty keyboard and mouse? Reach your own conclusions after watching the clip below.

Apple's Jony Ive designs a Leica camera you will never own

The Leica M for (RED) has a lot of recognisable Ive touches. The "laser machined aluminum body" and "anodised aluminium outer shell" strongly resemble a current generation Mac Pro, Apple's most advanced desktop computers.

Also evident is Ive's tendency to focus on simplicity. The designers removed a number of features from a normal type 240 Leica M, the basis for their take. Most importantly, there's no hotshoe, the slot which accepts accessories like a flash, and there's no port for an external viewfinder. Just like the original iPod was criticised for lacking features its competitors offered, Ive's Leica focuses on the basics.

Google updates maps tool with multi-stage directions

Google has updated its maps feature, introducing the option to get multi-stage directions, find upcoming events at local venues, and view flight, hotel, and restaurant reservations.

The update affects Google's Maps Preview on desktop, which allows users to choose to upgrade to an early version of the company's next major release of its maps product.

Driving, walking and cycling directions can now have multiple destinations. Clicking a plus sign lets users search for new locations and add them to the bottom of the list. They can then be rearranged by clicking and dragging, with up to 10 locations visited in order.

Public transport directions, however, are still limited to one start point and one end point.

GTA V 'to hit PC in 2014'

Although Rockstar is yet to confirm anything (and it won't until it's good and ready), the rumours come at an interesting time. On Monday, Chris R Silva, director of marketing for Intel's premium notebooks, controversially told PC Gamer: "I don't think it'll be console exclusive very long. But that's what happens when you have a brand new launch with two companies that have lots of money trying to make sure they have content. Somebody paid a lot of money to make sure that title was exclusive."

However, Rockstar has a history of releasing its GTA titles on console first, before announcing a PC edition months later. GTA: San Andreas launched on PlayStation 2 in October 2004, but didn't arrive on PC until the following June, while GTA IV hit consoles in April 2008, with the PC version arriving in December. And if/when it does show up, it should be worth the wait: the PC version of GTA IV featured a number of improvements, including doubling the number of players in online games to 32 and adding customisable radio stations.

Android on the PC?

Asus, for instance, offers the Transformer Book Trio, which it bills as the world's first 3-in-1 notebook, tablet and desktop PC.

That device is a dual-boot Windows 8 and Android laptop running Windows on an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and Android on an Intel Atom. The screen detaches to become a tablet, and the Trio plugs into an external monitor to serve as a desktop PC. The tablet runs Android apps that are on users' smartphones.

Acer, meanwhile, offers the DA241HL, a 24-inch all-in-one desktop PC running Android.

In March, Intel released a pre-alpha build of an optimized version of Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 that would run on an x86 processor. There's one catch, though: Apps written for ARM-based devices will need to be recompiled for x86 or emulated.