📦 Amazon's controversial changes, 📲 iPhone 15 gains power, 🎮 PS5 Slim sighted
Read today's ad-free tech headlines, and our 👍 winners & 👎 losers
🐦 Ask Matt Swider on Twitter or Instagram for hand-picked deals from Walmart / Best Buy / Amazon / B&H / Samsung / GameStop / Xbox Game Pass / PlayStation+ / Microsoft Office Windows $49 / MS Office Mac $49
It’s the waning days of summer, and that means Madden NFL 24 just launched, the new iPhone 15 and Microsoft Surface devices will be revealed next month, and we’re now in peak Back to School laptop season. But keep an eye out for the PS5 Slim and Lenovo Legion Go to shake up the Labor Day routine (as detailed below).
📆 Your Calendar
🏈 Out now: Madden NFL 24 - buy it here
🪲 In theaters: Blue Beetle dethroned Barbie to pull in $25M this weekend
🧵 This week: Threads by Instagram to launch for the web
🎮 August 23, Tues: Gamescom 2023 begins in Germany
🏎️ August 25, Fri: Gran Turismo movie in cinemas
🎾 August 28, Mon: US Open Tennis begins
🏴☠️ August 31, Thurs: One Piece live-action on Netflix
🕸️ Sept 1, Fri: Spider-Man 2 PS5 bundle release date
🌠 Sept 6, Wed: Starfield releases (biggest Xbox game in years)
🍎 Sept 12 or 13: iPhone 15 launch date rumored
💻 Sept 21, Thurs: The next Microsoft Surface launch event
Let’s get on with this week’s newsletter ⤵️
Today’s tech 👍 winners & 👎 losers
2nd Amazon Prime Day in October will give you more deals, but…
👍 🛍️ Winner: Deals to start a little earlier than Black Friday, thankfully
Amazon Prime Day October will once again move the holiday shopping season up by a month – last year it began on Tuesday, October 11, and this year I suspect it’ll be Tuesday, October 10. Just a hunch.
🙌 The benefit: This offer discounts a lot earlier than Black Friday, and allows for extended shipping times. That’s good news for you trying to receive a package before the holidays and for your local delivery person trying to keep up with a single holiday package blitz.
But Amazon is making a controversial change to its packages
👎 📦 Loser: More of your Amazon orders could arrive without a box
Prime Day October sounds good, but more of your items could arrive without a box concealing them in the future. Amazon is moving towards box-less shipping which, although beneficial to the environment and Amazon’s bottom line, raises more than a few concerns.
📦 Box out number: An estimated 260 million packages were stolen in 2022, a 50 million YoY increase, reports CNBC. That’s not to mention it’s a privacy concern. Who needs to know I ordered TP… again! 🧻
Lenovo Legion Go may one-up Nintendo with a handheld that uses AR glasses
👍 🤓 Winner: More powerful than a Nintendo Switch + AR glasses? Yes, please!
It seems like the Lenovo Legion Go is almost exactly what I thought Nintendo should do in my 2023 tech predictions back in January: a more powerful gaming handheld with AR/VR glasses that’ll be way cheaper than the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro price.
If Nintendo doesn’t introduce a direct sequel to the Switch, I’d love to see the company attempt a hybrid VR/handheld console – it has the iconic IP to propel virtual reality, and playing Super Mario in VR would be like the first time we played Super Mario 64 in 3D – utterly amazing. Maybe a console display that can be inside a VR headset, and, when you tire of VR, in handheld or TV dock mode?
We won’t see a Nintendo Switch 2 this year, but Lenovo seems to be running with this idea, according to a Windows Report leak. So while everyone is now debating Asus ROG Ally vs Steam Deck, a new challenger is about to enter the fight.
iPhone 15 rumor: mid-September launch with faster charging
👍 🔌 Winner: More charging watts and fewer cables in my life, please!
My Galaxy Z Fold 5 review and Galaxy Z Flip 5 review offered some nice depth thanks to ample time to test the devices at Samsung’s launch event. But now your incoming questions have turned to the next iPhone – naturally.
No, Apple won’t have a foldable phone this year, but it will usher in a new era of faster charging, better cameras, and thinner bezels with the iPhone 15, reports 9to5Mac.
The big ⚡ number: 35W. It’ll make the switch to USB-C worth it. iPhone 14 Pro is capped at 27W charging and the iPhone 14 is at 20W
📆 OK, but when? Apple hasn’t officially announced the launch event date, but September 12 and 13 keep popping up (it’s usually a Tuesday or Wednesday)
Laptops for students 2023: the best back to school buys
👍 💻 Winner: Pick up the perfect laptop just in time for the new school year
Looking for a new laptop in time before the school year begins? We got you covered with our honor roll selection of the best of 2023, from powerhouse performers to more sleek and compact personal computers. These back-to-school buys will keep you at the top of your game (and hopefully your class) for many years to come.
Why Amazon Prime Video just canceled these two ‘renewed’ shows
👎 ⚾ Loser: Renewals for ‘A League Of Their Own’ and ‘The Peripheral’ rescinded
I didn’t watch a second of either of these shows, but it’s interesting to see why both ‘A League Of Their Own’ and ‘The Peripheral’ were just canceled from the Amazon Prime Video lineup – despite being renewed earlier this year, notes The Hollywood Reporter.
Strike 111: The Hollywood Writers Strike, now 111 days old, is being blamed (at least officially) for benching these shows, as they’d have been delayed into a stacked 2025 season. I have a feeling we’ll see more show cancellations like this.
PS5 Slim leak video: our best look at Sony's ‘smaller’ PlayStation 5
👎 📏 Loser: Temper your expectations when it comes to the PS5 ‘Slim’
We potentially got our best look yet look at Sony’s upcoming PS5 Slim – and it turns out the console isn’t that slim at all. A new video has shown a slightly smaller-looking PlayStation 5 with a detachable disc drive.
When? Sony is tipped to announce the PS5 Slim towards the end of this month, so stay tuned for more.
The reaction: So far some people are hoping that this leak is fake because… it doesn’t look much slimmer than a normal PS5
Sony WF-1000XM5 review: finally, true wireless earbuds that truly rival AirPods
👍 🎶 Winner: Sony’s wireless earbuds are an excellent option for audio enthusiasts
Sony’s top-of-the-line noise-canceling earbuds are smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than ever before. What’s more, the larger drivers offer improved sound. Despite growing competition in the wireless earbuds space, the Sony WF-1000XM5 does enough to hold its position as one of the best options around.
We tested the XM5’s compared to the AirPods Pro and came away impressed. Maybe we’ll see this tech inside the forthcoming PlayStation Earbuds.
Best Apple Arcade games 2023: these are the top 10 titles you should play
👍 🍎 Winner: Whether you’re playing on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV, these are the best Apple Arcade games in 2023
Apple Arcade has slowly become an excellent service full of fantastic games that you can play across multiple devices. But with over 200 games to play, it can be a daunting task to figure out what you should play first. Luckily, we’ve rounded up the best Apple Arcade games in 2023.
Switch 2 could be the most expensive Nintendo console to date
👎 💰 Loser: Nintendo Switch 2 tipped to cost more than the original Switch
Nintendo’s successor to the Switch, which we’re dubbing the Switch 2 for now, is likely to be the most expensive console the Japanese company has ever released. Apparently, the number they have in mind is $399, or $50 more than the current top-tier Nintendo Switch OLED.
Flashback: The Switch was $299.99 when released in March 2017, but reports suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 could cost up to $100 more.
Red Dead Redemption PS5 vs Xbox: how it compares on each console
👎 🤠 Loser: The re-release of Red Dead Redemption is a bare-bones port, with some minor improvements
Red Dead Redemption is back, but it’s only available on PS4, PS5, and soon, Nintendo Switch. However, Rockstar hasn’t given its open-world epic the remaster treatment many had hoped for – 13 years after first releasing on PS3-era consoles.
Find out how the new PS5 version compares to the Xbox 360 version running via backward compatibility on Xbox Series X
Best DualSense Edge settings for God of War Ragnarok on PS5
🔒 Paid subscribers: Dominate your foes with our DualSense Edge settings for God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok demands quick reflexes if you want to master the game’s higher difficulty levels, but with our DualSense Edge settings, you can decimate every : opponent that stands in your way.
If you’re struggling to impose your will on an enemy or simply struggle with some of the game’s default controls, read on for the best DualSense Edge settings for God of War Ragnarok on PS5.
We also have the best DualSense Edge settings for Hogwarts Legacy and Gran Turismo 7 with more to come:
Minecraft Creeper Mini Fridge: price, restock alerts and where to buy
👍 😎 Winner: Bring a bit of Minecraft magic into your home
The Minecraft Creeper Mini Fridge is the perfect centerpiece for any gamer’s setup and even features glowing green external and internal lights to complete the look. You can store all your favorite gaming snacks and drinks, as it comes with two removable shelves, two compartments and a removable drip tray. What more could you want?
We know a few things about the PSVR 2 after six months
🧠 Brain bank: Everything about the six-month-old PlayStation VR 2 headset
The PlayStation VR 2 will be six months old tomorrow, and The Shortcut’s Adam Vjestica has explored every bit of Sony’s virtual reality headset since February. Here’s everything we know half a year in.
Current PSVR 2 price
