🟦 $1 Samsung deal, 🎮 GTA 6 release, 🏈 NFL on Netflix, 🏌️ Happy Gilmore 2, 🐦 Twitter finally becomes X
🟦 $1 Samsung deal, 🎮 GTA 6 release, 🏈 NFL on Netflix, 🏌️ Happy Gilmore 2, 🐦 Twitter finally becomes X
10 tech stories in the quickest format possible
🔥 Launching Monday
The Discover Samsung sale kicks off Monday, and I’ll have news about $1 Samsung deals with exclusive promo codes. I’ll highlight all of the daily deals at the button below. Follow me on X and Instagram with notifications on for that limited $1 deal.
1. 👀 Check out this page deals list (refreshed every morning starting Monday):
2. 🔔 Turn on notifications on my X and on my Instagram for a chance to get the $1 Samsung deal:
🔒 For paid subscribers only (at the BOTTOM of the page)
My PlayStation, Apple and Xbox Game Pass discount codes are a hit, and you can get them (while they last) as a paid subscriber (you can use a free trial to nab them, but do consider supporting The Shortcut team if you’re saving money in the process).
$100 PlayStation Gift Card for $84**
$100 Apple Gift Card for $83.99
$60 Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut (PC/Steam) for $46.69
50% off Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $25.99 (MSRPP is $51)
➡️ I’ll put them at the very bottom of this page until they run out*
*If they run out, I’ll have more discount codes next weekend for subscribers
**If this one sells out (it’ll go FAST) and you subscribe, message me. I’ll put you first in line for the next batch and privately DM you
🐦 Ask Matt Swider on Twitter or Instagram for hand-picked deals from Walmart / Best Buy / Amazon / B&H / Samsung / Google / GameStop / Xbox / Microsoft Office (PC) / MS Office (Mac)
Today’s 10-story newsletter continues below the calendar ⤵️
📆 Your Tech Calendar
🟦 May 20, Mon: Discover Samsung Spring sale begins
💻 May 20, Mon: New Microsoft Surface devices debut
💵 May 21, Tue: $1 Samsung deal – follow me on X and on IG
⚔️ May 21, Tue: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox Game Pass)
💥 May 24, Fri: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters
🧸 May 31, Fri: Hypercharge: Unboxed on Game Pass
💻 June 3, Mon: Computex begins in Taipei (we’ll be there)
🍎 June 10, Mon: Apple WWDC 2024 keynote
⚽ June 14, Fri: UEFA Euro 2024 begins
🥇 July 26, Fri: Summer Olympic Games begin
🎮 📆 1. The GTA 6 release date is Fall 2025
We’re edging ever closer to a solid release date for GTA 6, as Rockstar announced its highly-anticipated follow-up to Grand Theft Auto 5 will be released sometime during Fall 2025. That means we should see GTA 6 release anywhere between September 22 and December 22, barring any unforeseen delays.
GTA 5 was first released back in September 2013, and the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game came out the following year in November. It’s unclear exactly when GTA 6 will drop, then, but it would make sense to release it before Black Friday 2025. The game could also be bundled with Sony’s PS5 Pro, which is due out this year.
The good news is that we won’t have to wait much longer until Rockstar officially confirms when we can all get our hands on the most-anticipated video game of all time. The wait, however, will no doubt be excruciating for gamers to endure.
📆 Rockstar has given us our best hint yet at the GTA 6 release date
🤞 It’ll launch in Fall 2025 – barring any delays, of course
🎄 That means it’ll be released between September 22 and December 22
🎮 So far, it’s for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S; no PC or Nintendo Switch edition
🤩 Why it matters: GTA 6 is probably the most-anticipated game of all time
🍎 2. Apple adds new accessibility options to iPhone and iPad
Apple has introduced a range of new accessibility features for iPhone and iPad, including Eye Tracking which lets users with physical disabilities control their device with their eyes. It’s also added a new Music Haptics feature that offers a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone.
What’s more, Vocal Shortcuts will allow users to perform tasks by making a custom sound, and Vehicle Motion Cues promises to help reduce motion sickness when using an iPhone or iPad in moving vehicles. More accessibility features are also planned for visionOS. You can read more on Apple’s website.
“We believe deeply in the transformative power of innovation to enrich lives,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “That’s why for nearly 40 years, Apple has championed inclusive design by embedding accessibility at the core of our hardware and software. We’re continuously pushing the boundaries of technology, and these new features reflect our long-standing commitment to delivering the best possible experience to all of our users.”
♿ Apple has added a suite of new accessibility features to iPhone and iPad
👀 Eye tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues are a few of the standouts
🏆 Apple has continued to champion accessibility in its products
🍎 The next big Apple event, WWDC 24, takes place on June 10
🥷 3. Every version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows explained
Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on November 15 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC and Mac. But which version should you buy? Like most AAA releases, there are no less than four versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows to choose from: the standard edition, the gold edition, the ultimate edition, and a collector’s edition.
The standard edition costs $69.99, the gold edition costs $109.99, and the Ultimate Edition costs $129.99. The standard edition comes with a pre-order bonus quest.
The gold edition comes with the same bonus but also includes a Season Pass and grants you 3 days early access.
The Ultimate Edition includes all of the above plus the Ultimate Pack, which contains a character pack including gear and weapon sets, four unique ornaments to customize your hideout, five skill points, and a Red Dragon filer in Photo mode.
The Collector’s Edition, exclusive to GameStop, has everything we just mentioned plus collector’s items like a dual character statue, Steelbook case, art book, a katana tsuba, world map, creed wall scroll, and 2 sumi-e lithographs. It costs $279.99.
📆 Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out on November 15
🏯 It takes place in Feudal Japan
🗡️ You can play as two characters, a black samurai named Yasuke and a shinobi assassin named Naoe
🥲 It’s complicated: There are four versions of the game to choose from, with the top-tier Collector’s Edition exclusive to GameStop
🤖 🙅♂️ 4. OpenAI and Reddit strike a deal no one wants
Reddit shares jumped by more than 10% after it announced it had struck a deal with OpenAI. The agreement will let the ChatGPT chatbot access Reddit content, and also bring AI-powered features to the popular social platform.
Reddit struck a similar deal with Google, which lets the search engine giant scrape all of its data to train its Gemini AI model. That deal has led SEO experts to question why Reddit is suddenly topping Google Search results, with some suggesting foul play.
Not everyone is happy for AI to scrape Reddit data, however. Reddit is often filled with clueless answers or biased results (sometimes both).
Sony has sent letters to Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI demanding to know if they had used the company’s extensive library of songs to help develop their AI systems. It seems like the road to GenAI is fraught with misinformation, theft and plenty of lawsuits.
🤝 Reddit has stuck a new deal with OpenAI
📈 It’s been well-received by investors
🤖 The new deal lets the ChatGPT chatbot access Reddit content
💰 It’s similar to the deal Reddit agreed with Google
💚 ♿️ 5. Xbox Proteus controller: everything you need to know
Microsoft is releasing a new Xbox controller in partnership with ByoWave. The Xbox Proteus controller is a modular, wireless controller that can be configured in more than 100 ways. It can be made to resemble a traditional gamepad, but it’s more aimed towards helping those with disabilities play their favorite games more comfortably.
The Xbox Proteus is the second accessibility-focused controller from Microsoft, as it released the Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018. Sony later followed suit with the PS5 Access controller, empowering more gamers who may struggle to use a traditional controller.
. Other accessibility pre-orders on sale:
💰 The Xbox Proteus controller costs $299 but you can save 15% if you preorder today
🫰 The ‘snap and play’ parts let you build hundreds of configurations
👍 It comes with everything you need in the box and is wireless
🖥️ The Xbox Proteus is compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows 10 and 11 PCs
🎮 🏈 6. College Football 25 returns after an 11-year absence
It’s been a long time coming, but a new College Football game is out next year. EA confirmed that College Football 25 will be released on July 19, 2025, and will feature real student-athletes and teams.
EA had faced several legal issues in the lead-up to the game’s official announcement and originally planned not to use any students’ real names or likenesses. That’s now changed after EA settled a lawsuit that alleged the publisher was paying student-athletes “significantly below market value”.
Pre-order from Walmart to get an exclusive Steelbook case
Also available from Best Buy (standard version)
📆 College Football 25 is out July 19 or July 16 2025 if you buy the Deluxe Edition
➡️ You can pre-order the game now at Best Buy
🧑⚖️ The game was announced in 2021 but faced legal challenges
👏 It was originally planned to not include any real names or likenesses, but that’s since changed
🏈 7. Netflix snaps up NFL’s Christmas Day games
Netflix has secured the rights to show two NFL games live on Christmas Day. The streamer will also air at least one holiday NFL game each year for the next three seasons.
Netflix has started to branch out into more live sports and TV and will show the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on June 20. The 58-year-old former heavyweight champion will be looking to knock out the Youtuber turned boxer in a contest that will last eight rounds.
🏈 NFL is coming to Netflix this Christmas
🎄 The streamer will host two Christmas Day games live this year
🙌 It’ll also show at least one holiday game each year for the next three seasons
🥊 Netflix has recently expanded into showing more live sports
🏌️ 8. Happy Gilmore 2 tees off on Netflix
Happy Gilmore, one of Adam Sandler’s most beloved comedies, is getting an unexpected sequel on Netflix. It’s been almost 30 years since we saw Happy’s unorthodox slapshot technique win the golden jacket against Shooter McGavin, and Sandler will reprise his role as the neurotic hockey player turned pro golfer.
Christopher McDonald will also return as Shooter, but some of the film’s classic characters are sadly no longer with us. Carl Weathers, who played Chubbs Peterson, passed on February 1, 2024, and Bob Barker, from the Price is Right, passed on August 26, 2023. Hopefully, Sandler and the Happy Gilmore 2 cast will make everyone proud.
🔮 Bold prediction: Happy Gilmore will pick a fight with current “Price is Right” host Drew Carrey as he did with late host Bob Barker in the original movie. Note: Carrey is a former US Marine.
👏 Happy Gilmore 2 has been ordered by Netflix
⏳ There are no release details yet, such as storyline, writer, or director
🆚 Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald will reprise their roles
🤯 Sandler signed a $250 million Netflix deal with the streamer in 2014
👁️ 9. Own the all-seeing eye with this Lord of the Rings LEGO set
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and LEGO won’t want to miss this three-foot-tall Barad-dûr, the home of Sauron. The famous all-seeing eye glows thanks to a LEGO light brick, and inside of the imposing tower lies plenty of easter eggs that will please Lord of the Rings fans. The set costs $459.99 and includes 5,471 pieces. It’s available on June 4.
📆 A new LEGO Lord of the Rings set is out on June 4
👁️ Fans can own Barad-dûr, the home of Sauron
💰 The set costs $459.99 and includes 5,471 pieces
🦶 It also comes with 10 minifigures which include Frodo
🐦 10. Twitter is officially dead, long live X
It’s been coming, but the last few remnants of Twitter have been scrubbed from Elon Musk’s social media site. Even though the app’s logo, name, and famous lexicon like “tweet” and “retweet” have been replaced, the ghosts of Twitter have endured. The domain would still direct to twitter.com, but you’ll now see the domain shows as X.com.
Musk made the announcement on X, saying, “All core systems are now on X.com”, though some people still refuse to let the Twitter name die. Elon Musk’s vision to make X the “everything app” continues, and there’s no doubt that the platform is drastically different from how it once was. Video calls, articles, ad-sharing, verification changes, and Grok AI have all come since Musk took over, and it’s unlikely to end there.
🪦 The Twitter domain is finally dead
🙅♂️ X now redirects to X.com
🆕 Musk announced Twitter would be changing to X in July 2023
🤷♂️ It’ll be a while since people stop calling it Twitter though
🔒 Bonus: Discount codes for subscribers
These should last longer, as I’m paywalling them. And if you’re a subscriber, you’ll have access to these codes weekly. Every week, the PlayStation discount code sells out almost immediately, so I’m offering first access to The Shortcut’s biggest supporters.
Note: If you’re outside of the US, you’ll need to use a VPN, as checkout requires you to be in (or VPN in) from a US location.
Here are the discount codes, loyal subscribers:
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