💸 $100 off Samsung deal, 💬 Exclusive Sweet Baby Inc. Detected interview, 🤖 ChatGPT-5 release date, 🎮 PS5 Pro specs are 'real'
10 tech stories from this week in the quickest format possible
📺 1. $100 Samsung TV discount & giveaway ends TODAY
I’m keen on having one of my subscribers at The Shortcut win the Samsung portable projector and seeing everyone save $100 on a new TV. So I’m highlighting the soon-to-expire giveaway and $100 deal one more time at the top of today’s newsletter.
Guaranteed $100 off a 2024 Samsung TV or audio product
Simply fill out this form before it goes away and hit the check box. Because I think many people will skip over this second step, you actually have a chance.
Also, please let me know if you win through my link.
Today’s 10-story newsletter continues below the calendar ⤵️
📆 Your Tech Calendar
🧟♂️ TODAY: Alone in the Dark remake launch – buy it here
💰 TODAY: Amazon Big Spring Sale 2024
📺 Mar 21, Thur: Samsung’s $100 off TV deal & giveaway ends
🎮 Mar 21, Thur: PAX East begins (we’ll be there)
⚔️ Mar 22, Fri: Rise of Ronin - pre-order here
🐉 Mar 22, Fri: Dragon’s Dogma 2 - pre-order here
🗣️ 2. Exclusive: We spoke to the creator of the controversial Steam group Sweet Baby Inc. detected
A Steam Curator Group called Sweet Baby Inc. detected became the center of a heated debate among the gaming community earlier this month with some people believing that the narrative consultation company has hurt established franchises by shoehorning in diversity, while others argue that the decisions made are long overdue.
In an exclusive interview with The Shortcut, we spoke to the group’s creator Kabrutus on his thoughts on how the story has been covered by the gaming media, dealing with bad actors on both sides of the debate, and how he thinks diversity should be tackled moving forward.
📈 Sweet Baby Inc. detected has over 300,000 followers on Steam
📃 It’s currently the 6th biggest Steam Creator Group
😤 The group and its creator have come under fire from gaming journalists and industry members
🆚 Our interview tells the other side of the story that hasn’t been covered
⚖️ In fairness, we reached out to developer Sweet Baby Inc. for an interview but haven’t heard back. Our invite remains open
🤖 3. ChatGPT-5 reportedly set for mid-2024 with ‘materially better’ upgrade
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is looking to launch the next version of its Large Language Model (LLM) chatbot in mid-2024, reports Business Insider.
ChatGPT-5 demos are already said to be available to select enterprise customers, and the upgrade is ‘materially better.’ What does that mean? Well, the AI chatbot is likely to be able to perform functions autonomously by working with task-specific ‘AI agents’ developed by Open AI. ChatGPT-5 should also address degraded reliability issues that have popped up over time as its training has expanded (and gotten worse).
🗓️ ChatGPT-5 may launch in mid-2024, a major refresh for the AI chatbot
🤖 It’s the sequel to current ChatGPT-4 Turbo, which launched in Nov 2023
🙌 It’ll use ‘AI agents’ to perform functions autonomously, improve reliability
🤔 Still no word on how OpenAI plans to respect copyrighted work it scrapes
🎮 4. PS5 Pro specs are real, and it’ll be ‘the most powerful console yet’
The tech experts say that the Sony PS5 Pro will be “the most powerful console yet” and is likely to cost $599, just like we predicted. As of this week, it’s no longer merely wishful-thinking rumor, as trusted outlet Digital Foundry has corroborated the recent spec leaks of Sony’s next console.
Plenty of questions remain regarding PlayStation Pro 5, but it’s clear it will provide a significant step up from the standard PS5 in terms of graphics and performance.
✅ The PS5 Pro spec leak has been confirmed by a trusted source
🤔 Digital Foundry has said the PS5 Pro is real and weighed in on the specs
💪 The console is a step above PS5, but don’t expect it to perform miracles
📆 It’s due to be released this year, with November the most likely launch month
🔋 5. Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger review: the best wireless iPhone MagSafe charger
I’ve been testing various travel chargers during my work trips, and I now have one rule: I don’t leave home without my mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe. It’s with me right now. This all-in-one wireless charger has become essential when I travel the world and I’ve put it to the test over thousands of nautical miles.
Pros
✅ 🏆 The best compact 3-in-1 wireless travel charger we’ve tested
✅ 🔋 Fastest 15W wireless charging for your iPhone (or Android)
✅ ⚡ Fastest 7.5W charging for Apple Watches 7 and above
✅ ⌚ Apple Watch charging puck turns 90° for Night Stand mode
✅ 🛅 Fabric case is compact, actually useful for travel organization
✅ 🛡️ Holds up better than cheap, no-name tri-chargers on Amazon
Cons
❌ ⌚ Sometimes an Apple Watch Ultra with a heavy band slips off at 90°
❌ 🔌 I wish the USB-C port wasn’t located under the Apple Watch puck
❌ 💰 Other 3-in-1- wireless chargers are cheaper (but less reliable)
💰 6. Intel awarded up to $8.5 billion under CHIPS Act
It looks like the CHIPS Act is finally going to produce new Intel-made silicon in the US, as the company was award $8.5 billion in direct funding and $11 billion in loans today. According to CNBC, Intel says it’ll spend the funds on chip fabs and research centers in four US states: Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon.
Intel, which has a hand in both the design and manufacturing of chips, could play a big part in rivaling TSCM, the Taiwanese firm responsible for the largest share of chips worldwide. TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Microchip, and BAE Systems have all received CHIPS Act funds, too, but to date Intel’s $8.5 billion slice is the biggest.
Intel to get $8.5 billion in direct funding from the CHIPS Act
It’ll also have access to $11 billion in loans
So far, this is the biggest amount allocated from the act, surpassing the funds marked for rivals TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Microchip, and BAE Systems
The goal is to return chip manufacturing to the US, as it’s larg
🎮 7. Alone in the Dark review roundup: ‘too many flaws for a blanket recommendation’
Alone in the Dark features the Hollywood talent of Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and David Harbor (Stranger Things) in their first video game roles, but it hasn’t managed to save the game from mediocre reviews from critics. The game suffers from too many technical issues and frustrating combat, but horror fans may find some enjoyment here – especially if the developer can address some of the game’s most glaring issues in the next few months.
👍 Alone in the Dark has an Opencritic score of 66 after 45 critic reviews
😔 Only 45% of critics would recommend the game
🪓 Alone in the Dark is a reimagining of the iconic game
💰 The game is out now and costs $59.99
👨👩👧👦 8. Steam Families will save you money
Valve has revamped its parental controls and launched Steam Families, a new way to share your game library with up to five family members and save you money in the process. When you join a Steam Family, you’ll automatically gain access to shareable games that other family members may own. It doesn’t matter if the family member is online, either, as you’ll still be able to enjoy their past and future purchases regardless.
Steam Families is now available in the Steam Beta Client and makes Valve’s digital storefront even better for PC gamers.
[Editor’s note from Matt: I’m going to force Kevin to be in my ‘Family’ as he has hundreds of more games than me. 🙌]
👨👩👧👦 Steam Families is now available in the Steam Beta Client
👏 It lets you share your Steam library with up to five family members
📝 A game needs to support Family Sharing and you can’t play the same game at the same time
👩👧👦 Steam has also revamped its parental controls to make it easier for parents
📷 9. The Logitech Mevo Core is the live-streaming camera of the future
The Logitech Mevo Core is a $999 camera that wants to revolutionize live streaming the same way RED changed cinema cameras.
You can connect up to three cameras together with the Mevo Multicam app over Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth and switch between different angles and/or hosts. The Mevo Multicam app also lets you adjust focus on-the-fly and Logitech tells us it plans on enabling electronic zoom control with future updates.
🎥 The Logitech Mevo Core is a compact video and live streaming camera with a micro four-thirds sensor
🔋 It can livestream completely wirelessly in 1080p 30fps for up to six hours
👆 Mevo Multicam app simplifies camera switching and focus changing with a touchscreen interface
💵 It’s available now for $999 for the camera body on its own
📦 10. Amazon’s ‘Big Spring Sale’ began today – but lasts until March 25
It’s not Amazon Prime Day, but the retailer is holding a seasonal sale with discounts on spring fashion, fitness products, cleaning and yardwork essentials, and Amazon devices. The good news is that it will last longer than the usual 48 hours of Prime Day – this one goes until March 25.
📦 Amazon is having a special five-day sale starting today
📝 The list of deals focuses on spring fashion, fitness products, cleaning and yardwork essentials, and Amazon devices.
🗓️ We’re still expecting Amazon Prime Day 2024 is happen in July
