🎮 $100 PlayStation gift card deal, 🔐 Disney+ password crackdown, 🎥 New Matrix movie, 🎶 Budget AirPods, 📺 Samsung TVs
10 tech stories from this week in the quickest format possible
Yesterday’s Apple Vision Pro two-month review was one of the biggest content pieces we’ve launched on The Shortcut with a stellar open rate. Thank you! And I’ve gotten a lot of questions about gift card discounts. I hear and see you!
Good news: I found a $100 PlayStation gift card discount – below – that can be used to renew PlayStation+ (which got a price increase last year that many of you are struggling with) as well as PS5 games, and it’s joined by Xbox, Apple Nintendo gift card discounts. You’re going to need to save money, too. Disney+ is getting a password crackdown this summer, the Sony PS5 Pro is rumored to cost more than the PS5 Slim, and whenever GTA 6 pre-orders, there’s likely going to be a pricey collector’s edition you’ll want.
Today’s 10-story newsletter continues below the calendar ⤵️
📆 Your Tech Calendar
🌕🌑 Apr 8, Mon: Total Solar Eclipse in the US
🎮 Apr 9, Tues: Xbox Nocturnal Vapor controller release date - pre-order now
📶 April 10, Wed: NTT Upgrade conference begins
🏜️ Apr 25, Thurs: Sand Land release date - pre-order now
⚔️ Apr 26, Fri: Stellar Blade release date - pre-order now
🤖 May 14, Tues: Google IO keynote at 1pm ET
💻 June 3, Mon: Computex begins in Taipei (we’ll be there)
🍎 June 10, Mon: Apple WWDC 2024 keynote
💰 1. PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop, Apple and Xbox gift card discounts
I have developed a track record for hunting down discount codes for gift cards, a service to counteract inflation. This weekend, I found ones for the PlayStation Store, Apple, Nintendo and Xbox Game Pass.
🟦 $100 PlayStation giftcard for $86.98
Use my discount code: PSN100US
Use my discount code: Apple100
🍄 $35 Nintendo eShop gift card for $28.49
Use my discount code: NIN35
🟩 Xbox Game Pass discount 50% off
Use my discount code: TSC8
*If Eneba sells out, stay tuned for more (deals expire on Monday morning).
🔐 🏰 2. Disney+ password sharing crackdown begins in June
Disney is set to crack down on password sharing in some countries in June, with a wider rollout taking place in September.
Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that it will begin enforcing its policy to stop customers from impersonating someone else by using their username and password, which means you’ll no longer be able to log into your friends and family’s accounts across multiple devices in different locations.
The password crackdown follows Netflix’s decision to stop users from sharing login details, which resulted in a significant jump in signups and an increase in revenue. Netflix announced it had gained 5.9 million new subscribers in Q2 2023 after the move.
🤚 Disney will stop users from password sharing in June
📆 A wider rollout is expected in September
🔒 The move follows Netflix’s decision to stop password-sharing
📈 Disney hopes it will result in new subscribers and an increase in revenue
🛑 We’ll let you know the official rules and how to bypass it – stay tuned
🎥 3. The Matrix was released 25 years ago – and another sequel is coming
You’re about to feel old: The Matrix was released 25 years ago. It made its US debut on March 31, 1999, and drew a total box office of $460 million on a $63 million budget and won four Oscars. And now a fifth sequel is in development.
Matrix 5 is coming from The Martian screenwriter, and director of The Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard, will write and direct a new Matrix movie, reports Deadline. There’s no word yet whether the core cast of Keanu Reeves, Carrie Anne-Moss, and Laurence Fishburne are returning, but it’s hard to imagine a Matrix film without them.
Goddard said, “It is not hyperbole to say The Matrix films changed both cinema and my life. Lana and Lilly’s exquisite artistry inspires me on a daily basis, and I am beyond grateful for the chance to tell stories in their world.”
🤔 The Matrix 5 is officially in development
🎬 It’ll be directed by Drew Goddard (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods)
👍 The Matrox co-director & co-writer Lana Wachowski will executive produce
⭐ The cast hasn’t been revealed, but everyone hopes Keanu Reeves returns
🔋 4. Mophie reveals new Qi2 wireless charging accessories
If you’re buying a new wireless charger in 2024, you’re going to want to look for a Qi2 charger, the new standard that’s been inspired by Apple’s MagSafe technology and offers 15W wireless charging rates. To that end, more manufacturers are teasing Qi2 chargers, with three announced this week from mophie.
We’re starting to review more power accessories, including the 20,000mAh mophie powerstation pro and mophie 3-in-1 travel charger, so we’re looking forward to adding to our collection when the Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount, 3-1 Wireless Charging Vent Mount and Snap+ Powerstation Mini with Stand launch this month.
🆕 mophie has three new Qi2 wireless charging accessories
⚡ Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount, 3-1 Wireless Charging Vent Mount and Snap+ Powerstation Mini with Stand
👍 All of them support 15W charging speeds and MagSafe
💰 Prices start from $59.95
🔋 Qi2 provides 15W instead of the usual 7.5W for faster charging
📱 5. Nothing Phone 2a review: redefines the ‘cheap phone’
Most budget phones are functional but basic at best, but not the Nothing Phone 2a. For $350, you’re getting a phone with a huge personality, excellent specs, and a distinct, eye-catching design. If you’re in the market for an affordable phone, there’s nothing quite like the Nothing Phone 2a, especially at this price point.
✅ 💿 Retro design inside and out
✅ 📺 Large all-screen front that’s bright, colorful, and contrasty
✅🫰 Snappy performance for everyday apps and basic gaming
❌ 📷 Camera photos look overly contrasty with off-color highlights
❌ 😰 Too low-powered for high-resolution and high frame rate gaming
❌ 📞 Limited buying options and no device support
📺 6. Samsung TV hands-on reviews and The Music Frame impressions
We’ve gone hands-on with Samsung’s new lineup of TVs, and there are some stunning displays to look forward to. The Samsung S95D is the pinnacle of what a gaming TV should be, while the Samsung QN900D delivers a crystal-clear 8K picture which is perfect for movies. If 8K is too many pixels, the Samsung QN90D is a 4K beast that features a new AI-focused processor.
We also tested Samsung’s The Music Frame, which disguises tech as art. It’s one of the best-sounding speakers we’ve heard this year and it has more capabilities than you might expect.
💰 Expect to pay $6,299 for the 75-inch Samsung QN900D
👍 The Samsung QN90D costs $2,699 for the 65-inch model and $1,499 for the 43-inch version
🖼️ The Music Frame is $399 (plus a $100 Best Buy gift card)
🎮 7. 5 games that will benefit from the power of the PS5 Pro
The PS5 Pro is set to enhance existing and future PlayStation 5 games thanks to its more powerful hardware. There are plenty of candidates that will run or look better when played on PS5 Pro, but these five titles would all benefit from Sony’s new console.
📆 The PS5 Pro is tipped to release later this year
💪 Games that take advantage of the new hardware will be classed as ‘PS5 Pro Enhanced’
📈 PS5 Pro Enhanced games will run at a higher resolution, a higher frame rate and may include more ray tracing effects
👀 Games like Gran Turismo 7, Alan Wake 2 and GTA 6 could all benefit by being on PS5 Pro
🎧 8. Audeze Maxwell review: the best wireless gaming headset in 2024
The Audeze Maxwell headset makes your games come alive and is one of the best PS5 gaming headsets we’ve tested. They provide spacious and immersive sound, and every detail sounds crystal clear and natural. You can also choose between a selection of EQ settings or create your own to dial in the sound to your liking. What’s more, they work on practically every device, which makes the $299 price tag easier to justify.
✅ 🎧 Exceptional sound quality and battery life
✅ 👏 Compatible with everything
✅ 📶 Extremely reliable connection and intuitive on-board controls
❌ 😤 Frustrating Bluetooth integration
❌ 💰 High price tag
❌ 🏋️ Rather heavy
🎶 9. New 'AirPods Lite' and AirPods Max could launch this year
Apple is reportedly working on a budget-focused pair of AirPods that could be released later this year. Dubbed ‘AirPods Lite’, the wireless earbuds will cost $99 and could be released alongside a new version of the AirPods Max. Apple currently sells five different versions of its AirPods and we may hear more about its next revision during WWDC 2024.
🆕 Apple could release a new pair of AirPods for $99
💰 The budget-focused version will be called AirPods Lite
👍 Apple is also planning to revise the AirPods Max
📆 Expect new AirPods towards the second half of 2024
🤍 10. Images of white Xbox Series X all-digital model leak ahead of reveal
It looks like Microsoft will reveal a white, all-digital Xbox Series X soon. The console, which is identical apart from ditching the disc drive, was first rumored back in February, but new leaked images suggest it’s real. The console will reportedly cost less than the MSRP of the standard Xbox Series X at $499.99.
📷 New images of a white Xbox Series X have emerged
👋 The console ditches the disc drive for a lower price point
💁♂️ This isn’t the Xbox Series X Slim which is still rumored to arrive
🤞 Microsoft has promised new hardware will be released this holiday
