As if It wasn’t hard enough to buy a PlayStation 5, now they’re getting even more expensive. On Thursday, Sony announced that it plans to raise the price of its PS5 consoles in several countries. The increase does not affect the US, but markets in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico and Canada will see a price jump equivalent to about 50 euros per console.
In a statement explaining the increase, Sony attributed the move to high inflation and “adverse monetary trends.” Problems with the global supply chain have made PS5s hard to come by since the console launched in November 2020. For a moment, it looked like Sony was close to being able to meet demand when it said it would increase production in May this year. course But this recent price change makes it clear that there are still some attractions.
After Sony’s announcement, both Microsoft and Nintendo said they would not increase the prices of their consoles, the Xbox and the Switch.
If you’re still willing to fork over $400 for the digital-only version of the PS5, or $500 for the disc-drive version, here are some tips on how to grab one.
And now some more news from the world of consumer technology:
Apple goes to space
Apple’s next product announcement event will be on Wednesday, September 7. It will be a live show, coming from Apple headquarters in Cupertino starting at 10am PDT.
Apple likes to tease the themes of these events by leaving visual cues in the graphics that accompany their ads, so take away from this event’s “Far Out” title and starry background what you will. Perhaps it’s a hint of some astrophotography features coming to iPhone cameras to compete with what’s already on Google Pixel phones. Perhaps it’s a reference to the company’s spaceship campus. Or, you know, maybe Apple just thinks space is cool.
These annual September events are usually when Apple likes to announce new iPhones, so expect to see a few iterations of the iPhone 14. Another Apple Watch or two is possible, as rumors of an upcoming slightly beefed-up “rugged” version of the Watch. they’ve been going around for months. Apple announced its lineup of new MacBooks at its WWDC event earlier this year, so it’s likely that there won’t be anything new on the computer front this time around.
There is some MacBook news though, as the company recently expanded its new repair program to include some Mac laptops. It only applies to the MacBook M1 and has already received some criticism for its limited scope, just like the other products covered by Apple’s self-repair program.
Meta reveals more about its upcoming VR headset
Meta’s next VR headset is coming this October, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He announced the news about the controversy Joe Rogan Experience podcast, because of course he did. Rumors have pointed to the device being called the Quest Pro, a potentially expensive premium headset.
While no official specs have been released, Zuckerberg showed off a couple of new features of the headset. The eye and face tracking technology is supposed to capture a person’s expressions and allow them to make eye contact in the virtual reality setting. All this in an effort to build Zuckerberg’s metaverse ambitions, where he imagines people interacting in virtual reality on a regular basis. Hopefully, having technology that incorporates your real expressions and emotions will make you look less like Zuckerberg’s dead-eyed avatar.
Twitter is now podcasts
It always seems like a crazy time to be on Twitter. In addition to the ongoing Elon Musk drama, there is the recent controversy that sparked when The Washington Post published a story about a whistleblower who accused Twitter of widespread security breaches. Still, Twitter continues to fight back, and this week announced a new feature: podcasts.
Thursday, Twitter posted on his blog which has begun incorporating podcast content into its audio-based Spaces feature. Twitter launched Spaces after the popularity of Clubhouse, and is now expanding this audio category to include professionally produced sound snippets. It’ll be sort of a mish-mash of clips you can scroll through, with podcast snippets produced by outlets like NPR and Vox Media mixed in. Twitter says it’s testing the feature with some users now, but it could be rolled out to everyone soon.
Making way for the IRA
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act allocates $400 billion to research into green energy technology in the US. That means tax credits, rebates and incentives for people who want to make energy-efficient upgrades. Whether you’re looking to get better home insulation, solar panels, or an electric vehicle, you may be able to use some of these credits to offset that cost. The only problem is that everything is still a bit complicated.
This week at Gadget Lab podcast, WIRED writers Aarian Marshall and Matt Simon discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and share tips on how you can save money on green energy technology.
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