Winners & losers: PS6 release date, Microsoft's sneaky price hike and Google Pixel Fold flops
Ready for PlayStation 6? This week's tech headlines all in one place
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As an independent, banner-ad-free tech editor supported by subscribers like you – I’m taking Independence Day 🇺🇸 seriously. With that, I’m making The Shortcut’s lone Brit, Adam Vjestica, compile today’s newsletter and work double next week. 😉 But before we set off more fireworks than Katy Perry, I’m encouraging you to subscribe or stay subscribed for some big team news and giveaways that I’ll share next week. For now, follow us on Google News and enjoy the round-up below. ⤵️
📆 Calendar
🎆 Today: 4th of July deals at Best Buy, Amazon and Walmart
🎮 Today: Get 3 Switch games for the price of 2 at Best Buy
👾 July 4: New PS Plus free games will be available to download
😬 July 6: Big Xbox Game Pass price increase – get this discount now
📱 July 11: Nothing Phone 2 launch event
🙌 July 11: Amazon Prime Day 2023
🧨 July 12: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 releases
🕹️ July 13: Steam Deck sale ends on this day – save up to $130
📦 July 18: Amazon starts selling Google Pixel Fold (pre-orders now open)
👩🚀 July 21: Nintendo’s Pikmin 4 release date – preorder here
👱♀️💄💣 July 21: Barbie movie vs Oppenheimer. Which film is your speed?
🇰🇷 Late July: Samsung launch event in Korea (expect Galaxy Z Fold 5 & Flip 5)
Today’s tech 👍 winners & 👎 losers
PS6 and next Xbox to release in 2028
👍 📆 Winner: The PS5 and Xbox Series X are only just hitting their stride, so a release date of 2028 is actually a relief
You probably heard that Microsoft has been embroiled in a court battle with the FTC over its pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. But one interesting news nugget that came out of the trial is an expected release date for PS6 and the next Xbox.
Microsoft believes we’ll see the next generation of consoles in 2028, which is honestly a good thing. We’re only starting to see the PS5 and Xbox Series X start hitting their stride, so a new console launch in the next few years would leave a lot of people feeling short-changed. The Xbox Series X is finally going to reach its potential now that Microsoft has stopped supporting the Xbox One, too.
Microsoft to increase Xbox Game Pass price July 6 – get a $20 discount now
👎 📈 Loser: This discount is a real winner, but next week Microsoft will increase the price of Xbox Game Pass as another blow to your wallet
I’m here to save you from Microsoft’s price increase that starts Thursday, July 6, with a $20 discount for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest tier of the company’s on-demand games and online multiplayer service. It’s become a must-have.
Bad news from Microsoft: It’ll cost an extra $6 per quarter – an EXTRA $24 per year! – or at least that’s how the math works out (Microsoft only announced that Game Pass Ultimate will cost an additional $2 per month and hasn’t told me the quarterly pricing, despite the fact that quarterly at $45 is its best-selling SKU).
Good news from me: Plugging code “TSC8” into the discount code field at Eneba and buying multiple instant codes (up to three years’ worth as Game Pass “stacks”) will save you hundreds of dollars vs waiting until on or after July 6.
Google Pixel Fold unboxing and first impressions: I'm underwhelmed
👎 📱 Loser: Google Pixel Fold doesn’t create a great first impression out of the box
We’ve waited a long time for Google to enter the foldable phone space, but has it done enough to disrupt a market that still hasn’t found mass appeal? Maybe not.
Nirave Gondhia gave the Pixel Fold high marks in his photo-filled camera tests, but has mixed impressions of Google’s first foldable. Having just reviewed the stylish Moto Razr+, he feels underwhelmed. Amazon start selling the Google Pixel Fold on July 18, one week after Prime Day 2023, which takes place on July 11 this year. Ironically, the better Moto Razr+ will be on sale during Prime Day.
Get 3 Nintendo Switch games for the price of 2 with this super Best Buy deal
👍 💰 Winner: Switch fans will want to jump on this Best Buy promotion before it ends
Best Buy is running a fantastic Nintendo Switch promotion where you can buy three games for the price of two, and it even includes upcoming releases like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Hogwarts Legacy.
You’ll need to be My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total member to take advantage of this offer, but it’s well worth it. A My Best Plus membership costs $49.99 and gives you access to exclusive member prices, access to hot products like the Starfield Constellation Edition, and free two-day shipping.
Samsung's Pokémon-themed Galaxy Buds make me want to catch 'em all
👎 🇰🇷 Loser: Very cool! Unfortunately, these perfect Pokémon cases are only available in South Korea
Samsung has teamed up with The Pokémon Company once again for another cute collaboration. However, cruelly, it’s only available to consumers in Samsung’s native home of South Korea.
The Korean electronics company is offering Galaxy Buds 2 cases that resemble Snorlax, Ditto and Jigglypuff, and you’d be right in thinking I’d like to buy them all. The announcement comes before Samsung reveals its next lineup of products at its Galaxy Unpacked event, which is rumored to be held on July 26 or July 27.
Sony ZV-E1 review: vlogging made easy
👍 📸 Winner: The Sony ZV-E1 is a fantastic camera and the winner of our Editor’s Choice Award
Pros
✅ 💪 Full frame sensor in a tiny body
✅ 📸 Auto Framing and Dynamic Active stabilization will wow pros & beginners
✅ 🤌 Fantastic image quality for both stills and video
Cons
❌ 😩 Tiny camera body limits buttons and dials
❌ 🍠 Dynamic Active stabilization requires heavy 2x crop
❌ 👎 Auto Framing necessitates a tripod due to locked-out stabilization
With a $2,200 starting price, the Sony ZV-E1 isn’t cheap, but this is a camera you can really grow into as a beginner. Its 12MP sensor sings whether you’re shooting stills or video in any lighting conditions. Also, you have access to all of Sony’s cine camera capabilities – including 4K 4:2:2 10bit internal recording and Slog3. Alternatively, if you’re an experienced pro this camera gives you almost everything from Sony’s bigger pro-bodies, like the A7s III and Sony FX3, in a much smaller package.
The LeBron James PS5 controller is now available to preorder
👍 🏀 Winner: Basketball fans and lovers of LeBron won’t want to miss this limited edition PS5 controller
Fans of ‘The King’ LeBron James can now preorder the limited edition PS5 controller he designed in collaboration with PlayStation. The controller is set to release on July 27 for $79.99, and preorders opened on June 29.
You can also grab some matching PS5 cover plates that cost $64.99 if you really like the graffiti-style design. Preorder yours below before it’s gone for good.
Steam Deck is on sale again, and you can save up to $130
👍 🎮 Winner: This is the lowest price we’ve seen on the Steam Deck yet
I still haven’t grabbed a Steam Deck yet, and the recent release of the Asus ROG Ally made that decision a little more complicated. However, Valve’s portable PC is on sale once again until July 13 – and it’s the biggest discount we’ve seen yet.
All three models of the Steam Deck are discounted, with the 64GB dropping by 10% to $359, the 256GB dropping by 15% to $449 and the 512GB version dropping by 20% to $519. You can also save 20% on the Steam Deck Dock, which is currently $71.
PS5 overheating when playing Final Fantasy 16? You're not the only one
👎 🔥 Loser: It looks like Final Fantasy may be too hot for some PS5 consoles to handle
Final Fantasy 16 is out now, and even though the game has received rave reviews, it appears to be causing some PlayStation 5 consoles to overheat and crash during the game’s more intense moments.
Multiple reports and clips from streamers have shown the PS5 console crashing to the homescreen with the following error message: “Temperature Alert: Your PS5 is too hot. Turn off your PS5, and wait until the temperature goes down.”
The issue doesn’t seem to be too widespread at the moment, but it does raise concerns about a PS5 design flaw that was highlighted at the start of the year. If you are experiencing overheating issues, make sure your PS5 has been cleaned and it is positioned where air can flow freely.
Nintendo Switch 2: everything we know so far
👎 🎮 Loser: We don’t want to wait until 2024 for Nintendo’s next console because we’re impatient
With the Nintendo Switch now in its sixth year, we’re getting closer to seeing a true successor to Nintendo’s incredibly popular hybrid console. But what can we expect from the Nintendo Switch 2?
Our new hub attempts to answer all your burning questions while making some educated guesses about what to expect from Nintendo’s follow-up to the Switch. We just wish we didn’t have to wait until 2024.
