What is The Shortcut?

I’m Matt Swider – you may know me as PS5 restock Twitter tracker Matt Swider if I helped you get a PS5 restock or get the lowest Xbox Series X price in recent months. I’m taking the trust you’ve placed in me for PS5 restock news and the credibility I’ve built up to expand my footprint in tech journalism.

I started The Shortcut to simplify your life. I'm here to tell you what technology to buy and how to save money – right in your email – without burying the answers in the fifth paragraph. Just look at the Google Pixel 7 review and the Pixel Watch review. I have an unofficial motto: "Down with dwell time," unlike websites that try to artificially keep you on the page longer (it’s not just you thinking that – they really try to game the system). I get straight to the point to save you time – like in my new PS5 SSD upgrade guide – and track deals to save you money.

I've proven that I can deliver timely information to purchase hard-to-find products, adding 1 million Twitter followers in 2022 with my PS5 and Xbox restock tweets

I'm an early adopter of tech, yet I still find clever ways to get major discounts and to work more efficiently than most people. That speaks to the name The Shortcut. I want to pass on that time-and-money-saving information to people in their inboxes, like any good journalist would want to do.

Why subscribe to The Shortcut?

I’ve helped you secure a PS5, Xbox or other hard-to-find gadgets
You don’t yet have PS5, Xbox, etc and need my help!
You want to support independent journalism
You love technology and saving money

I've proven that I can deliver timely information to purchase hard-to-find products while supply is constrained, adding 1 million Twitter followers with my PS5 restock and Xbox restock tweets. I struggled to deliver that on a normal website. It was luck if consoles were in stock when people were on those pages. Pushing my alerts directly to consumers' Twitter notifications and email inboxes is a game-changer.

Please consider subscribing to support my quest to continue to help people.

My PS5 restock information and strategy tips – which have worked for the 200,000 people I've coached – is a launch point for the advice I want to deliver. But it's just the start of the relationship I want to build with my Substack subscribers.

But it's just the start of the relationship I want to build with my Substack subscribers.

The Shortcut and Matt Swider in the news

My ability to help people with “service journalism” during the global chip shortage has been written about by several top publications. Here are some a sample:

Techmeme: We’re often linked on Techmeme each week
Buzzfeed News: How A Guy Who Tells You How To Buy A PS5 Accidentally Became The World’s Most Powerful Tech Journalist
The New York Times: A Journalist, a Philosophy Major and the Mad Scramble for Video Game Consoles,
CNN: A new crop of shopping tools aims to help consumers beat the supply chain crunch and the bots
Protocol: Rise of the restock account: How the PS5 shortage changed online shopping
CBS News: Why the PS5 video game console is still so hard to find — and tips on how to score one
Android Central: Supply chain issues turned shopping into a rigged game, but companies don't care enough to fix it

Who is Matt Swider?

I’m a tech journalist who’s been writing about gadgets and video games for 22 years. At age 14, I started a video game news and reviews website called Gaming Target and spent the last 9 years at TechRadar.com, where I became the US Editor-in-Chief.

I’ve tested 1,000+ gadgets and games in my lifetime and I don’t plan to stop seeking what’s new and novel, and then tell you about it on Substack and other platforms.

Will there be tech reviews on The Shortcut?

Yes, my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review shows I’m emphasizing two things:

Brevity – no one wants to read a 10,000-word review. Often, people just want to ask: “Is this good? Should I buy something else?”
FAQs – I want YOU to ask my questions when I haven’t covered a topic. You can reach out to me via Twitter.

My work ethic has enabled me to risk everything to start The Shortcut

Final pitch: how about a 1:1 experience?

This is designed to be a 1:1 experience. I reply to about 1,000 messages a day, and I love the support I’ve gotten from everyone in return.

My work ethic has enabled me to risk everything to start The Shortcut and I hope you come along for the ride.

Give a gift subscription

Get 7 day free trial

People

Adam Vjestica

Adam is Senior Editor at The Shortcut and was previously the Gaming Hardware Editor at TechRadar. He's also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Switch (he has a poster to prove it).

Callum Bains

Callum is News Editor at The Shortcut. He previously worked as News Writer at TechRadar, and has written freelance for the likes of The Telegraph, Dicebreaker and Clash.

Jackie Thomas

I'm the Senior Editor and Components Queen of the shortcut. I live to bash PC components together to make the best gaming PCs even better. I specialize in all things computing, so if you have any questions, I'm be happy to help.

Mark Knapp

Covering tech for the past decade, going hands-on with everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones. Catch me on Twitter at @Techn0Mark or on PCMag, IGN, TechRadar, Tom's Hardware, T3, Insider, and Reviewed.

Matt Swider

I write The Shortcut, a Substack newsletter that's meant to simplify your life. I'm here to tell you what tech to buy and how to save money and time.

Wes Davis

Wes is equal parts writer, musician, pizzaman, cyclist, and parent. He's written a lot about routers, smart home gear, and technology in general, and he's a gamer, if by gamer you mean "plays a lot of MarioKart," or "is bad at Elden Ring."

Gabe Carey

VP, Content Strategy & Partnerships for The Shortcut with Matt Swider. Previous: Editor-in-Chief at The Inventory + Kinja Deals and Lead Editor at Decidedly (RIP). Pronouns: he/they