Author: Trent Meikle

The one thing we’ll say in Netflix’s favour is that it doesn’t give up. Despite overwhelming evidence that it’s in over its head, and undeserving of a second chance, it’ll keep trudging along until it eventually stumbles upon the right answer. Netflix, the streamer, will host Tudum the Event on the platform directly on 31 May 2025. Ta-da! If you weren’t aware, Tudum is Netflix’s “premier global fan event”, named, perhaps unsurprisingly, for the ‘TUDUM’ sound effect that’s become synonymous with the streamer. And our favourite shows being cancelled, now that we think about it. It’s a place where Netflix…

Yesterday, Sony announced the new PS5 and PS4 games joining the PS Plus subscription as part of the ‘Essential’ and up tier – High on Life, Payday 3 (yikes), and Pac-Man World Re-Pac. These are the titles that subscribers can keep forever (as long as users claim the games in a timely fashion and keep their subscriptions active). But, in the PS5’s now five-year-long lifespan, there’s always been a nagging worry at the back of our minds. When would Sony finally stop catering to the PS4 fanbase, and focus solely on PS5 titles? This model has potentially harmed an all-PS5 line-up of games…

Ah, Asteroids. One of the most iconic games of the shady underbelly of arcades is turning 46. So of course, Atari has a 45th birthday celebration lined up for 2025. Don’t ask us why Atari left the party this late – but it appears as though it was worth the wait. Atari, in collaboration with Nubeo, has announced a set of Asteroids-themed-watches that look, well there’s no other word for it: awesome. Watch this (from afar) We should hope so, considering the R9,300 ($500) price. But it’s more than just a pretty Asteroids face (that we absolutely wouldn’t mind sacrificing a…

Honor really knows its ABCs, huh? At an event hosted in Kramerville on 29 January 2025, Honor South Africa proved as much when it debuted its latest mid-range device, the Honor X9c, a successor to the Chinese company’s previous mid-range efforts – the X9a and X9b. Honor took its mid-range game to a whole new level with the X9b, boasting a near-indestructible screen (and similar body) that served to bolster the phone’s already decent specs. The X9c has kicked it up a notch in 2025, delivering even better specs and a shell that’s supposedly just as impervious to damage as…

Now that your budget isn’t being skimmed in search of those Eskom-fighting machines, it’s time to put that money elsewhere. Perhaps a cordless vacuum? Or maybe a smart fan to beat the heat? What about an air purifier? Now we understand that might not sit atop your list of priorities – it sure didn’t for us. But after a few weeks in the company of Solenco’s big-boy purifier – the 803 (nicknamed Thuza) – our tune has changed. We mean that almost literally. A nearly full-time assault on the very air we breathe will have that effect. But in this case, that’s…

With a little under a week to go before the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) adjusts the country’s petrol and diesel prices, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has released another of its daily predictive snapshots which foretells yet another massive price hike is on the cards for motorists – despite a similarly rough January in SA. This won’t be a small increase, either. The CEF’s latest snapshot, captured on 28 January, predicts a minimum R1+ increase for diesel drivers, while petrol drivers will have to suffer through an equally tough increase near the R0.90 mark. It might not…

Two of the entities that made Drake’s life a living hell in 2024, Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG), have come together to ink a new multi-year agreement. One that could finally see Spotify deliver on its promises to bring hi-res audio to subscribers – nearly four years later – as part of a streaming tier aimed at “superfans”. The phrase being thrown around by both Spotify and UMG is “Streaming 2.0” which is seemingly where the idea to charge dedicated customers more for certain privileges was born. It lines up with UMG’s philosophy on the subject at the very…

More and more Chinese smartphone makers are bringing the good stuff to South Africa, and we’re glad to say that Vivo has finally boarded that train. The arrival of the Vivo X200 Pro is significant in more ways than one, delivering a sublime product that’ll be the one to beat in 2025 (despite its 2024 international release), as well as presenting a fresh face in the South African gene pool currently dominated by Samsung and Apple. At the risk of sounding like someone who’s just watched Maximising Alphaness (thanks Silicon Valley), your biggest enemy truly is yourself. The Vivo X200…

PlayStation 5 Pro Max Ultra (2) Five years later, Sony’s PlayStation 5 still feels like a brand-new console, blossoming from its infancy. And yet, the rumour geyser has sprung a new “leak” that reckons the PlayStation 6 is closer than you might imagine. Not that we should be surprised. PlayStation’s consoles typically spend seven or so years in the limelight before the hot new thing takes its rightful place atop the throne. According to KeplerL2 in the NeoGaf forum, a known ‘tipster’, Sony’s next big thing – the PS6 is “design complete” and “in pre-si validation already, with A0 tapeout…

Once upon a time, gaming monitors were thought of as mythical beings – visible only to those with the necessary funds to acquire them. Budget-conscious gamers were forced to make do with similarly budget monitors and their poor panels, high latency, and low refresh rates. Now, securing a monitor with a decent refresh rate, crucial to success in any competitive game, has become reasonably affordable. In no monitor is this clearer than the MSI G255F, coming in at R3,500. Despite the relatively low price, the G255F still packs plenty of features that make it an easy recommendation for anyone still…