Author: Trent Meikle

Your digital games are being put under the microscope at PlayStation. Every thirty days, actually, if the reports flooding the internet this weekend are correct. Some users reckon that a recent update pushed to PS4 and PS5 consoles is quietly checking your purchased games’ online licenses in the background — not just PS+ titles. It’s a Damn Restrictive Mess, if you ask us Potential major DRM issue rolled out by PlayStation (and Xbox as well, allegedly). All new PSN purchases now have a 30 day validation countdown. Already investigating to find out more details. pic.twitter.com/4hqMdWfJ2T — Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1)…

Is Xbox… back? It’s certainly been gone for some time, having given up on just about everything that made it a competitor in the space. Even the one thing it had going for it — Game Pass — was slowly drifting towards the toilet. That is, until the new Xbox Ceo, Asha Sharma, righted the Xbox ship by cutting prices this week. It’s a great first step for Xbox. And it may be taking the next one soon, if the leaks are right. The company is reportedly looking to introduce a new ‘Starter Edition’ Game Pass tier that’ll drop the price…

Of all the streaming boxes available in South Africa, the Apple TV 4K feels the most alien. Sure, it’ll watch Stranger Things as well as the rest, but the lack of an Android soul can, ironically, feel a bit disconcerting. If the talk traversing the grapevine has an ounce of truth, the Apple TV may become even stranger. Seeing as it’s been four years since the last release, the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) is in desperate need of a re-up. Apple will likely give the A15 chip the boot, and instead favour the A17 Pro. You might think that…

It took a while, but Fuji’s Instax mini Evo Cinema “hybrid” has found its way to South Africa. If you’re already familiar with Instax, then you might already have one of its instant cameras or printers sitting on a shelf. Now imagine combining the two, adding a dash of camcorder, and you’ve got the mini Evo Cinema. Hybrid, get it? Absolute (evo) Cinema It’ll cost you to combine them all into one (small) package, though. Back when it was a Japan-only release, Fuji’s Super 8-like handheld shooter would set you back $410. Now that South Africa has stuck its paws…

Capitec, once again proving itself to be the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) special favourite, has expanded the number of branches where customers can apply for a Smart ID. Despite kicking off the rollout only a few months back, Capitec is quickly closing in on 100 such branches, having added another ten to the list today. It’s not alone, either. Standard Bank customers will be delighted to hear that their bank has followed Capitec’s lead. Just… not at the same rate. Today, three new branches were confirmed as part of its larger rollout, bringing its overall total up to 35…

The base iPhone 18 may be targeting a 2027 release, but that hasn’t stopped the leakers from doing their thing. When Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital revealed this departure from tradition, it came with the caveat that the phone may see a downgrade or two. Now, thanks to Schrödinger Intel, we know what that caveat could be. Then there’s the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which should still land sometime in September. These will seemingly be joined by Apple’s long-rumoured foldable iPhone and possibly the Air 2. We’re sure leaks for those will be along shortly, on top of…

Oppo’s wristwatch line-up is one of the more underappreciated in the ever-expanding space. Not that long ago, we saw the company’s X3 get its start in China, and now it’s got another little one on the way. That would be the Oppo Watch X3 Mini, which trades the 1.5in LTPO OLED panel for a more manageable 1.32in AMOLED. This being a cousin of the Watch X3, it makes sense that Oppo has recycled much of what made that one special. That’s true for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chipset as well as the 2GB of RAM accompanying it. It does…

Apple likes order. It likes people queuing up to give them money for an iPhone [insert number here] year after year. Historically, this takes place in September — close to Christmas. According to a new leak from Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via 9to5Mac), Apple is readying a shift in that strategy for the upcoming base iPhone 18. iPhone 18, when? That still leaves two iPhones on the shelves come September– possibly four, if the rumours of an iPhone Fold and Air 2 are true. The base iPhone 18 is now reportedly targeting an early 2027 release, coinciding with Apple’s more…

After prices reached absurd levels over the last two years, new Xbox boss Asha Sharma has decided that Xbox Game Pass cannot continue in its current form. Effective immediately, the tiers have undergone a major price cut everywhere, including South Africa. Only the Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers are affected. The Ultimate sacrifice? It’s not without some sacrifice. One of the biggest draws to the affected tiers was its promise to secure some of the biggest games on the service on the day of their release. Call of Duty was one of those, inviting customers to spend their…

Xiaomi may not feel it is correct to slap a ‘4G’ onto the already bogged-down Redmi Note 15 Pro, but when it sells two phones with identical names — one touting a 5G chip and one not — we feel it’s an important distinction. You’ll struggle to find the Dimensity-laden model in these parts, but still. We spent some time with the Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) for review, which commands a R8,000 price. Not bad, if all you’re after is a YouTube machine. Slimming down Not much thought went into helping the Note 15 series stand out from its…