Physical games aren’t entirely dead at PlayStation
Sony, in its infinite wisdom, wants to pull the plaster off fast. Instead of dishing out all of its anti-consumer decisions over, say, the next couple of years, it’s jammed them all into a week. You’ve almost definitely heard that PlayStation will cease physical game disc releases by 2028. You may, however, have missed the news that another PlayStation Plus price hike is on the cards. What about when Sony deleted movies customers had paid for?
All in all, it’s been a rough week for PlayStation gamers. But there is one speck of good news. Rather than ceasing all physical game disc releases in 2028, the company said it would continue printing discs for games released before that point. That means the likes of Elden Ring and just about every other top-seller will remain physical.
PlayStation’s blog post on the subject said: “This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.” So as long as a developer’s game is released before the cut-off point, they can order new batches of discs, assuming they’ll be worth printing.
That’s according to Game File, which shared a private message sent to developers in light of the changes, stating they would “still be able to place re-orders for existing PlayStation disc games.” The report also mentioned that the system for ordering new discs would change, though it didn’t share details. That makes sense. Sony has reportedly already invested $34 million into repurposing its disc factory in Austria.
The iPhone Ultra may not be ready by September
Less than a week after reports pegged Apple to manufacture approximately 10 million units of its foldable iPhone Ultra, a new report suggests that the device won’t be available for pre-order immediately after its reveal. The phone is still expected to be unveiled in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Fruit Company is facing some pretty major manufacturing challenges. The result? The iPhone Ultra will be revealed in September, but pre-orders will only go live after those for the iPhone 18 brethren. When pre-orders eventually go live, it’ll only be available in limited quantities.
Kuo expects the foldable to eventually ship in Q4, and anticipates the device to sell out, despite the high price tag. Older reports reckon the device will sell for $2,500 and up, depending on its storage configurations. It’s a lofty goal, and one that Apple will certainly hope to hit. Whether it can actually manage the feat is another matter.
You don’t need a new keyboard, but come on…
We’ve seen some truly strange keyboards in our time, but this is easily one of the coolest we’ve seen in a while. Enter the KeyBoy Advance from PromoType, which borrows more than just the name from Ninty’s most iconic handheld, incorporating actual design elements into the half-sized keyboard. Without Nintendo’s say-so.
Not that it needs it, while it’s harmlessly channelling nostalgia into something wholly new. This is still a perfectly functional keyboard, but we’ll hold off on calling it ergonomic for the time being. It isn’t just the general shape and colour scheme that’s been borrowed here. That speaker module on the bottom right is ripped straight from the handheld. As is that power LED indicator in the board’s top right corner.
The best bit, though, are the board’s shoulder buttons — which are as functional as you’d hope. They’re using micro-switches to better recreate the feel of the original console’s triggers. They’re customisable, too, meaning you won’t be beholden to whatever PromoType decides to do with ’em out of the box.
We hope you’re content with just looking. Getting one is another matter entirely. It’s currently up for sale in the form of a “group buy”, demanding approximately R4,400 (£240.83) before it’ll even get made. The company expects to start shipping orders by Q4 this year, so there’s still time to try and wrangle up the necessary funds.
Yup, that’s Lego E.T.
If you’ve ever wondered how a big brown bag of skin would fare in Lego form, here’s your answer. Lego has unveiled the new E.T. set from Spielberg’s iconic sci-fi hit from the early 80s. The set, comprising a manageable 1,226 pieces, is currently up for pre-order, with plans to ship the freaky lil’ alien out on 1 August 2026.
E.T. isn’t confined to a single pose, either. It’s got more than enough pieces to allow him to move around somewhat. It can move its head up and down, and the arm can be brought up to recreate the iconic finger pose from the film. The set also arrives with a buildable flower pot to stick in E.T.’s other arm.
There’s even a little switch to make the heart inside light up, though Lego doesn’t say which, or how many batteries you’ll need. You’ll find that out for yourselves, we guess, when the set ships in “early August,” according to South Africa’s official distributor. If you want it, you’ll need to lay down a sizeable R2,600 for the honour.
