Due to the global electronic component shortage, it has been extremely difficult to buy any next-gen hardware. Whether you want Sony’s PS5 or Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, the restocks are far and stock is limited. Fortunately, GameStop is restocking a limited number of bundles for both systems today, while supplies last.
The PS5 Digital Edition bundle — which includes the console, plus one-year subscriptions for PS Plus and PS Now, an extra DualSense controller, and a $20 GameStop gift card — is selling for $600, which may sound like a lot until you factor the retail price for each item separately.
The second bundle costs $730. At that price, it nets you one PS5 with a disc drive, two $70 games (Spider-Man: Miles MoralesUltimate Launch Edition and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War), an extra DualSense controller, and a $20 GameStop gift card. There is also a third bundle for $745, which includes the disc drive console, three games (Marvel’s Avengers, Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition, and Hitman 3), an extra controller, plus a $20 gift card to GameStop.
GameStop also has one Xbox Series X bundle, which costs $745. It includes a copy of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Hitman 3, plus a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Additionally, an extra controller and a $20 GameStop gift card are included with the purchase.
Audi is taking wider aim at the growing market for electric vehicles with two new compact EVs: the Q4 E-Tron and the Q4 Sportback E-Tron. Revealed on Wednesday and due out later this year, the two electric SUVs are far more affordable than the flagship E-Tron but also don’t skimp on things like range (up to around 300 miles) and futuristic tech.
The new electric SUVs also represent a strategic shift of sorts because they’re the first models Audi will build on the modular electric vehicle platform designed by parent company Volkswagen. This architecture, which Volkswagen refers to as the MEB platform, is powering everything from the entire VW ID lineup of electric cars and SUVs, to EVs from sub-brands like Škoda and Seat, and even a Europe-focused SUV from Ford that’s part of an alliance the created in 2019.
The new Q4 E-Tron will start at €41,900 and the Q4 Sportback E-Tron at €43,900 when they go on sale in Germany in June, with sales spreading wider into Europe after that and to the US before the end of the year. That timing may just be perfect. The original E-Tron (and its own Sportback variant) were struggling mightily near the end of 2020 in the US, but sales have shot up dramatically despite the higher price tag. President Biden is making a big push to encourage electric vehicles, including potentially extending or expanding the $7,500 federal tax credit.
Audi’s actually spent about two years teasing electric versions of its popular Q-series SUVs, and one of the more remarkable things about the Q4 EVs announced Wednesday is just how much they resemble the concepts the German automaker revealed in 2019 and 2020. They both retained the same large faux front grille and aggressive body work that the concepts featured, which should help them stand apart from competing electric SUVs that are more likely to blend in — like the original E-Tron, the Mercedes-Benz EQC, or even to some extent the VW ID 4.
Audi says the Q4 E-Tron measures 4,588mm (about 15 feet) long, 1,865mm (about 6 feet) wide, and 1,632mm (about 5.4 feet) tall. While the company calls it a “compact SUV,” it has a wheelbase that’s more comparable to a midsize SUV and interior space on par with a full-size SUV, which is thanks to all of the EV tech being moved to the underlying MEB platform. It’s a bit smaller overall than the original E-Tron and the Tesla Model Y.
The base models are built on a 55 kWh version of the MEB battery pack (with 52 kWh of usable energy), and Audi says they’ll get about 341 kilometers (212 miles) and 349 kilometers (217 miles) on a full charge, respectively. While that’s a healthy chunk of range for the size of the battery pack, those estimates are based on the less stringent European WLTP test cycle, meaning their EPA range estimates will likely be a bit lower.
Buyers who want to take their Q4 E-Tron farther (or drive them longer between charges) will have to pony up for one of the more expensive configurations, all of which are built on an 82 kWh battery pack (with 77 kWh of usable energy).
The midrange Q4 E-Tron will travel the farthest, offering 520 kilometers (323 miles) of range. (There is no midrange Sportback.) Then there’s the top-of-the-line Q4 E-Tron and Sportback E-Tron, which can respectively travel 488 kilometers (303 miles) and 497 kilometers (309 miles) on a full charge. The VW ID 4 also uses an 82 kWh battery (and even has the same amount of modules — 12 — in its pack), and it just got rated for 260 miles by the EPA.
Audi didn’t reveal US pricing, and it will be a while before we get official EPA estimates for the range of each model. But it does look like there is more value in the new Q4 EVs as far as range goes when compared to the E-Tron. The original E-Tron starts at $65,900 and currently gets an EPA-rated 222 miles from its 95 kWh battery, though that’s after Audi decided to increase the usable energy from 83.6 kWh to 86.5 kWh for this year’s model. The Q4 is likely to start at a lower price point and at the very least will be around 50–60 percent more efficient with its energy.
One of the reasons the top models don’t get quite as much out of that larger battery pack as the midrange Q4 E-Tron is that they come with all-wheel drive powered by a pair of electric motors, one on each axle. This setup makes these most expensive models the quickest, but that extra weight — the top-line Q4 E-Tron weighs 2,135kg (4,707 pounds), versus 1,890kg (4,167 pounds) for the base model, and the Sportbacks are five kilograms heavier — means they won’t be lightning-quick. They can make the run from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 6.2 seconds, which is about three seconds faster than the base models but still slower than some of Audi’s competition.
While the starting price is lower, buyers will have to pay extra if they want the most fanciful tech features that Audi is promising in the new Q4 electrics. The headliner is an augmented reality heads-up display system that Audi first showed off in March, which has a larger viewing area and more advanced (and animated) overlays than the typically static options found on many modern cars — including navigation markers that “float” on the road ahead of the Q4.
There’s also an optional 11.6-inch touchscreen, the largest Audi’s ever put in one of its vehicles. The standard screen is the same 10.1-inch version found in Audi’s recent cars, but regardless of which main screen buyers choose, there will be a 10.25-inch driver display behind the steering wheel. Audi is also offering a Sonos sound system as an option — which is a first for the speaker company.
Audi has, for now, abandoned plans to roll out a hands-free driving feature like GM’s Super Cruise or Ford’s BlueCruise, but the Q4 E-Trons will have a suite of optional driver assistance features that leverage three radar sensors (one in front, two in back), eight ultrasonic sensors, and five cameras.
Those who don’t want to pay extra will still get features like a wireless charging pad for their smartphones, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audi has also revamped the steering wheel in the new Q4s to include backlit touch surfaces and flat buttons for a sleeker look.
Audi found success with the original E-Tron, especially outside of the United States, despite its high price tag and unremarkable range. The company delivered nearly 50,000 E-Trons and Sportback E-Trons in 2020, making it the second-best-selling EV in the larger Volkswagen Group’s stable last year behind the far-cheaper ID 3.
But the Q4 E-Tron and Q4 Sportback E-Tron are the German automaker’s best chance yet at going truly big in the electric vehicle space. By leveraging Volkswagen’s more efficient and more cost-effective MEB platform, Audi is ready to make a far more compelling pitch with these new EVs — one that will look all the more attractive as governments around the world continue to emphasize and incentivize a consumer shift to electric vehicles. It may still be far behind Tesla when it comes to total EV sales, but Audi’s not in bad shape to capitalize on the rise of electric vehicles considering its role at the heart of the Dieselgate scandal just a few short years ago.
Before Fantasian launched on Apple Arcade, most of the discussion centered on how it looked. There was a good reason for that. Mistwalker, the studio helmed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, pioneered a new technique that involved crafting more than 150 incredible, charming dioramas, which were then photographed to become the locations you explore in the game. Whether you’re venturing through a wind-swept desert, luxury cruise ship, or robot metropolis, every area you visit in Fantasian was handcrafted from real-world materials. It not only looks amazing, but it lends the game’s fantasy world a very particular vibe.
Fantasian is also just a great game. It’s not particularly original, hewing very closely to the Final Fantasy games that Sakaguchi built his career on. But it also takes those ideas and mechanics and changes them just enough to feel fresh, while also making some notable quality-of-life changes. Fantasian isn’t just an adorable handcrafted game from the creator of Final Fantasy; it’s the most approachable Japanese RPG I’ve ever played.
The premise is, admittedly, not very original. If you’re played a JRPG any time over the last two decades, it’ll probably feel familiar. You play as Leo, a hero who has lost his memory and quickly gets pulled into a quest for the fate of the world. It’s hard to talk too much about details of the story since, for most of the game, Leo doesn’t even know what’s going on. Early on, you’re mostly just following leads, as Leo goes pretty much anywhere he can in order to potentially learn more about who he is. You’ll explore mysterious and well-guarded vaults, visit gorgeous cities on the water, and eventually be transported to a mechanical realm ruled by robots. It’s a lengthy adventure, though what’s available now is actually only the first of two parts, with the second expected to release later this year.
The story itself is… fine. Fantasian certainly doesn’t live up to its spiritual predecessors in that regard. I never felt any real sense of urgency as I saved the world, and few of the main cast of characters are very memorable. It’s cute at times, and there are some interesting surprises and worldbuilding details to dig into. Mostly, it just gets the job done. Fantasian is much more about the vibe than the narrative. I loved poking around each and every location, seeing the buildings and landscape from different angles. I didn’t really care why I was doing it. The handmade diorama art style is reminiscent of the pre-rendered backgrounds from the PlayStation era, except with a much finer level of detail. An incredible soundtrack from frequent Sakaguchi collaborator Nobuo Uematsu only adds to the nostalgia. It’s a world you want to linger in.
Fantasian doesn’t just look and sound familiar; it also plays a lot like the classics it’s inspired by. That means random battles, turn-based combat, and a relatively straightforward character customization. The battles, in particular, do some interesting things. While there are familiar elements — like enemies with elemental weaknesses and bosses that change forms mid-fight — there are also some nice twists, like spells and weapons that you can aim to maximize your attack by hitting as many enemies as possible in one shot. It makes battles, particularly bosses, feel more strategic and less mindless. It’s really satisfying when you line things up just right.
Perhaps the best addition is the awkwardly named dimengeon — a portmanteau of dimension and dungeon — that lets you put off random battles for a short period. Essentially, when you turn the feature on, any monster you come across gets trapped in this device, and it can hold up to 30 of them at a time. Whenever you want — or whenever it’s full — you can then take on all of the trapped monsters in one giant brawl. It’s a great feature for when you just want to explore without fighting or when you’re in a rush to get to a save point.
There is a handful of other quality-of-life tweaks — plentiful save points, locations that are big but simple to navigate, touch and gamepad controls that work equally well, little need for grinding — that add up to an incredibly accessible take on the classic formula. Fantasian streamlines the genre, keeping the parts that work best, while updating the rest for modern tastes. There are a few small hiccups, like flat cutscenes and some jarring difficulty spikes toward the end. But at its best, Fantasian is everything Sakaguchi does best, just in a slightly smaller and more refined package.
Amazon is today introducing its second-generation pair of Echo Buds. The new true wireless earbuds improve on the originals with a more comfortable design — they’re now 20 percent smaller — and enhanced active noise cancellation. But Amazon is staying aggressive on price: the 2021 Echo Buds are priced at $119.99 for the earbuds and a USB-C charging case or $139.99 for an upgraded case with wireless charging. For a limited time, both are being discounted. The regular set drops under $100 to $99.99, with the wireless charging pair costing $119.99. The new Echo Buds will be released on May 13th.
Aside from shrinking them down, Amazon has also made comfort-focused design changes to the Echo Buds. They now have a vented design (like the AirPods Pro, Pixel Buds, etc.) to reduce unwanted ear pressure. The company has shortened the nozzle so that the Echo Buds don’t sit as deep in your ear canal, and the external depth has been reduced for a more flush fit. The ear tips — four sizes come included — are now oval-shaped, and you also get two sizes of optional wing tips in the box.
Instead of a glossy touch surface like on the original Echo Buds, the outside-facing exterior is now all matte. But Amazon has slapped its logo onto the earbuds this time around, which I could’ve done without. They now come in white in addition to black.
Four sizes of ear tips and two wing tips come included.Image: Amazon
With the first Echo Buds, Amazon borrowed some of Bose’s noise-reduction technology. But this time, it’s doing everything itself. The company says that the second-gen earbuds “cancel twice as much noise” as before. When in passthrough mode, you can adjust the amount of ambient noise you want to come through. Sound quality has also seen some improvements, according to Amazon’s press release:
Echo Buds deliver crisp, balanced sound with extended dynamic range — so you get the most out of your music, regardless of genre. The premium speakers are optimized for increased fidelity in bass and treble, which reduces distortion during media playback, delivering vibrant melodies and clear spoken word.
The second-gen Echo Buds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat, which Amazon says should cover any exercise and “light rain.” And Amazon says the microphones on these earbuds — three on each bud — are improved, too; they’re “optimized to capture lower frequencies compared to the prior generation,” which apparently results in better quality for voice calls. Either bud can be used standalone in mono mode.
Amazon has made comfort a big priority with the second-gen Echo Buds.Image: Amazon
Battery life is estimated at five hours of listening with noise cancellation enabled, with two additional full charges in the case for a total of 15 hours. (The case now has status LEDs for each individual earbud, which is a handy addition.) If the battery runs low, charging over USB-C for 15 minutes should get you around two hours of playback.
To see just how aggressive Amazon is on pricing, let’s compare the Echo Buds against the wider market of popular true wireless earbuds. Most of these have noise cancellation, though some (like the Pixel Buds) don’t:
$279 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds $249.95 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 $249 Apple AirPods Pro $229.99 Jabra Elite 85t $229.99 Sony 1000XM3 earbuds $199.99 Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro $179.99 Google Pixel Buds $179.99 Jabra Elite 75t $139.99 Amazon Echo Buds with wireless charging ($119.99 for a limited time) $129.99 Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro $119.99 Amazon Echo Buds with USB-C ($99.99 for a limited time)
Just like the first model, Amazon hopes a big part of the appeal with the Echo Buds will be the ability to use Alexa everywhere you go. You can ask for a specific artist or song, of course, but Amazon also added the option late last year to ask for music by activity type. You can control your smart home, play an Audible audiobook, ask for transit directions, or even use Alexa’s local search powers to find the nearest COVID-19 testing site.
You can also ask any nearby Alexa device to find your buds, and they’ll play an audible chime to help make them easier to locate. Amazon says “later this year,” it will add the VIP Filter feature that debuted on its Echo Frames, which allows you to choose the notifications you want to hear and avoid the rest.
If the noise cancellation improvements are as significant as Amazon claims, the second-generation Echo Buds could prove quite compelling — especially at their low price versus the competition. Stay tuned for a full review in the next few weeks.
Urbanista’s new wireless noise-canceling Los Angeles headphones have a solar panel integrated into the length of the headband, allowing them to draw power from both indoor and outdoor light, Wired reports. Although its built-in 750mAh battery can be charged traditionally via USB-C and offers up to a respectable 50 hours of battery life, the real appeal to these headphones is the solar charging. They’re due to ship in early summer for £169 (around $232), according to Wired.
Although Urbanista’s site promises “infinite playtime” from the headphones, the exact amount of power these headphones can generate while solar charging varies. One hour spent in the sun should generate enough power for three hours of playtime, but on a cloudy day that drops to just two hours, the company says. In a worst case scenario on a long-distance plane flight, Wired notes you’d need around eight hours of light exposure to get an hour of listening.
The solar panel is built neatly into the headband.Image: Urbanista
Beyond their solar-powered smarts, the Urbanista’s Los Angeles headphones are similar to its existing Miami range. They’ve got built-in microphones for use with voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant, on-ear detection, an ambient sound mode, and they wirelessly connect over Bluetooth 5.0. In the box you get a carrying case, audio cable, and in-flight adaptor.
JBL announced a very similar pair of solar-powered headphones back in December 2019, which was subsequently crowdfunded on IndieGoGo. However, the Reflect Eternal headphones aren’t yet available. In December 2020 the company posted an update on the project’s page saying the headphones were facing “major delays” due to the pandemic, and that it would be offering refunds to its backers.
Both JBL’s and Urbanista’s headphones rely on the same Powerfoyle solar charging technology developed by a company called Exeger. “JBL were a bit unlucky with Covid hitting, and so Urbanista became lucky because we’re in the same city,” Exeger’s CEO Giovanni Fili told Wired. “We’re looking forward to picking it up with JBL as soon as they can.”
It’s been two years since Sony launched 360 Reality Audio, a format that uses Sony’s object-based spatial audio technology to deliver 360-degree sound. In that time, 360 Realit Audio has become available on Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music HD and nugs.net, with subscribers to those services able to listen to them in all their immersive glory.
Compatible products include Sony’s dedicated SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 wireless speakers, Amazon’s Echo Studio smart speaker and certain Sony headphones (such as the WH-1000XM4) via the firm’s dedicated Headphone Connect app.
Now, however, it seems as though Sony has plans to widen compatibility for the format to more Android devices. In the Android Open Source Project, code reviews and comments from both Sony and Google have directly mentioned Sony 360 Reality Audio, as spotted by XDA Developers. The report highlights a comment by Sony software engineer Kei Murayama: “This is one of the patches mentioned in the meeting ‘Android OS 360RA support’ between Google and Sony.”
That suggests a collaboration is in the works to bring Sony’s custom decoder for the format (which is built on the open MPEG-H 3D Audio standard) to the wider Android world, presumably allowing app providers to easily offer 3D audio playback.
While 360 Reality Audio can support up to 64 channels of audio, the code mentions support for a 13-channel audio layout “which uses surround 5 channels, top 5 channels and bottom 3 channels”. It also states that a “Virtualizer can place individual sounds in a 360 spherical sound field from these channels on any headphones” – so it looks like the technology may be able to work in a psuedo capacity with any set of headphones or, indeed, speakers.
With that Sony and Google joint venture in mind, plus the fact Sony recently announced video streaming capabilities for 360 Reality Audio and 360 Reality Audio Creative Suite content creation software, we could well be seeing – and hearing – more of Sony’s immersive audio efforts in the near future. Look out, Dolby Atmos Music.
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The PS5 is getting its first major software update today. According to PlayStation.blog, the PS5 April Update “lets you store PS5 games on USB extended storage, share gameplay across PS5 and PS4 consoles, and more.” Here’s the scoop…
Fed up with freeing up space for new games? Today’s update allows PS5 titles downloaded to the internal SSD to be moved to a compatible USB drive and vice-versa. Handy. It’s worth noting, though, that this is purely a storage measure – games can’t be played directly off your external drive.
The other big news is that Share Play is now “cross-generational”, meaning that PS5 users can share their game screen with PS4 gamers while in a voice party. Better still, Share Play lets other players try out PS5 games by ‘passing them a virtual controller’. That way your friend can take control of your game and, say, show off their swinging skills in Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
(Image credit: Sony)
Sony has also streamlined the PlayStation user experience with a new “Request to Join” option in the PS5 and PS4 social menus. That should make it easier to join games without digging through the in-game menu. A similar shortcut allows you to disable in-game chat from the main PS5 menu. You can choose to cut out a loudmouth entirely, or just dial down their mic a couple of notches.
Last but not least, the PlayStation App, which connects to your console remotely, has been overhauled. You can now join a multiplayer session on PS5 from your phone or tablet, compare your trophy collection with a friend’s, and keep an eye on your storage space.
It’s not all great news, though. There’s no mention of the promised fix for the HDMI 2.1 bug that seems to prevent PS5 users gaming in 4K HDR at 120Hz on Samsung TVs. Nor is there any sign of support for M.2 storage drives – Sony says “we’re working on this feature and will keep you posted with any updates”.
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Bravia Core is Sony’s high-end movie streaming service. It promises picture quality to rival 4K Blu-ray, the world’s largest selection of IMAX Enhanced movies and the latest box office releases from Sony Pictures. But is it right for you? And how can you get it? Here’s everything you need to know about Bravia Core…
As we reported back in January, Bravia Core claims to offer the highest bitrate of any streaming service currently available. Where Netflix streams 4K video in HDR at up to 17.2 Mbps, and Apple TV+ stretches to 40 Mbps during certain scenes, Bravia CORE claims to go one further with high-quality streaming up to 80 Mpbs.
Impressive. If Sony’s figures are correct, Bravia Core is truly an industry first. It’s not for everyone, though – we’ll explain why below. Read on as we reveal the Bravia Core price, launch date, streaming quality, movie selection and more…
Bravia Core: release date
(Image credit: Sony )
Bravia Core – the ‘Core’ stands for Centre of Real Entertainment – was unveiled at CES in January 2021 and officially launched on 6th April 2021. The service is due to launch in 50 territories in 2021, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and most of Europe (but not Italy).
The video streaming service aims to serve the latest blockbusters from Sony Pictures Entertainment and also hundreds of the company’s classics in 4K Blu-ray-like HDR quality (provided you have a fast enough internet connection). Some content also supports DTS – but not DTS:X.
Here’s a look back at the Bravia Core launch video…
Bravia Core: price
(Image credit: Sony)
Bravia Core is available for free – but only when you buy a Bravia XR 4K or 8K TV from the 2021 Sony TV line-up. Right now, the Bravia Core app comes pre-loaded on the Master Series Z9J 8K LED and Master Series A90J, as well as other 4K LED models such as the X95J, X90J and X80J (you can find the full list here).
Don’t fancy shelling out for a brand new Bravia XR TV? Unfortunately, there’s no other way to experience Bravia Core just yet.
So will Bravia CORE will be available on older Sony TVs, or other Sony devices such as the PS5, in the future? Sony’s FAQ page seems pretty clear: “No. BRAVIA Core will be available for eligible BRAVIA XR models.”
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the more you spend on a Bravia XR set, the more free Core you get. Splash out on the Z9J or A90J and you get 24 months’ free Bravia Core plus 10 credits to spend on lossless titles that would otherwise be available on pay-per-view basis. Purchase any other Bravia XR models and you get 12 months’ access and five credits.
At this point, you might be wondering what happens when the complimentary period ends? Short answer: nobody knows. Sony has yet to announce long-term pricing but according to Core’s terms and conditions, “you may watch the movies you have redeemed via Bravia Core until February 23, 2026”. That suggests Core could shift to a paid subscription model in years to come… assuming it’s a success.
Bravia Core: free trial
The likes of Disney+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ all offer new users a free trial, so you might be wondering if Sony offers a Bravia Core free trial. The answer? Sort of.
Sony does offer a ‘free trial’ – a free 12- or 24-month subscription to Bravia Core – but only with the purchase a 2021 Sony Bravia XR TV. No bad thing, since the Bravia XR range could well include some of the best TVs Sony has ever made.
Bravia Core: streaming quality
(Image credit: Sony)
Bravia Core aims to “bring the cinematic experience home” using Sony’s own Pure Stream technology, which offers streaming at 30 – 80 Mbps.
“Pure Stream is the highest streaming picture quality available on Bravia XR television,” commented Bill Baggelaar, EVP and CTO, Technology Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Bravia Core’s main attraction is its collection of 300 new and recent titles that can be purchased or redeemed via Core credits. These are the crème de la crème, quality-wise, and many are available to stream in up to 80Mbps (4K Blu-ray discs tend to be around 82Mbps).
Then there’s ‘Unlimited Streaming’, which offers over 100 titles from the Sony Pictures catalogue in up to 4K HDR quality. Lastly, Sony has thrown in more than 50 ‘IMAX Enhanced’ titles, each of which is remastered using IMAX’s proprietary technology in 4K HDR. Some of these titles boast DTS sound, too.
Of course, the streaming quality you achieve all depends on the speed of your broadband…
Bravia Core: broadband speed
While Netflix recommends a 25 Mbps connection for streaming 4K movies, Sony says Bravia Core “requires a minimum internet speed of 43 Mbps.”
For reference, the average broadband speed in the UK is around 64 Mbps according to regulator Ofcom. That’s nowhere near enough to max out your Core experience – especially if Sony adds 8K content later in the year, as has been hinted.
Indeed, those who want to stream the highest quality lossless movies via Core will need a minimum internet speed of – drumroll, please – 115 Mbps. Sadly, many UK households don’t have access to those kinds of speeds yet.
Bravia Core: catalogue
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Sony has yet to release a full list of Bravia Core movies but the Japanese giant has highlighted the following titles:
Venom
Blade Runner 2049
Peter Rabbit
Ghostbusters
Blade Runner 2049
Jumanji: The Next Level
Little Women
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Bad Boys For Life
Baby Driver
Bloodshot Hotel
Transylvania
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Expect around 450 titles in total, including the premium titles above, popular classics and an extensive selection of IMAX Enhanced film titles. Around 100 of the titles can be streamed as many times as you like, at no cost, in up to 4K HDR quality.
On top of that, there’s exclusive ‘Studio Access’ content, which offers behind-the-scenes extra footage and interviews from Sony Pictures productions.
Bravia Core: early verdict
Bravia Core will almost certainly find itself cast as “the high-end Netflix” but it’s a very different proposition. Firstly, it’s exclusive to selected Sony TVs. Secondly, it’s designed to act as a showcase for Sony’s Pure Stream technology. And thirdly, the current selection of movies is still quite limited when you compare it to some rival services.
If you’re after a next-level, cinematic experience and have a smokin’ broadband connection, Bravia Core could be a fantastic addition to your home cinema. If you don’t, a 4K Blu-ray player could provide just as good picture quality and, we’d imagine, superior sound given the lack of compatibility with high-quality audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD.
Still, there’s no doubting Sony’s ambition and we look forward to putting Bravia Core through its paces when testing compatible Sony TVs.
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There’s no shortage of wireless earbuds around at the moment, and Google is about to add another pair to the fray. Its next pair is said to be called the Google Pixel Buds A, and could launch very soon indeed.
So what can we expect? Can they beat the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM3 and Cambridge Audio Melomania 1? And will they cost less than the Apple AirPods? Let’s delve into the rumour mill and see what’s what.
All the news on the upcoming Sony WF-1000XM4: release date, price and leaks
Google Pixel Buds A: release date
It’s been a year since Google launched its second-generation Pixel Buds, prompting the belief that a new model is waiting in the wings. And, based on what’s dropped online, it does seem like a launch is coming soon.
Google has sent out a marketing email featuring its as-yet-unannounced Pixel Buds. D’oh. The new pair were pictured with a new green colour scheme, and were even listed in the Accessories section of the Google Store.
If the firm has got as far as adding a final image to its marketing materials, surely an official announcement can’t be far off?
Google Pixel Buds A: price
How much will the Google Pixel Buds A cost? The original Pixel Buds were £159 when they touched down in 2017, while the Pixel Buds 2 cost £179 ($179/AU$279). But this new model could be significantly cheaper according to one online leaker. They don’t mention a specific amount, but it would make sense for them to cost around £125/$125/AU$225 or less. Could they even come in under £100/$100/AU$180?
The same source claims they will be called Google Pixel Buds A. Google uses the A naming convention for its budget smartphones like the Google Pixel 4a (though here it’s a lower case ‘a’). If that name is correct, we could be looking at a pair of true wireless earbuds that undercut the Apple AirPods’ price of £159 ($159/AU$249). Tempting.
Google Pixel Buds A: design
(Image credit: Google)
The Pixel Buds have evolved over the years. The originals had a cord connecting the earbuds behind the neck, but last year Google snipped this and went with a pair of true wireless earbuds. This year could see a couple of extra tweaks to their design.
One of the main changes will be a new colour scheme. The Pixel Buds A will reportedly come in white and a new green colourway, which should be slightly darker than the “Quite Mint” finish that launched for the Pixel Buds 2.
The white model will have an all-white case and buds, while the green should boast black ear tips, wings and case interior.
The overall look appears very similar to last year’s model, but that doesn’t mean the features and tech inside the earbuds won’t change.
Google Pixel Buds A: features
(Image credit: Google / 9to5Mac)
Despite the leaks mentioned above, there isn’t much to go on in terms of the actual specifications of the Pixel Buds A.
The current Pixel Buds offer Google smarts, including voice controls, touch controls and impressive real-time language translation. There’s also an adaptive sound feature that automatically adjusts the volume as you move between quiet and noisy environments.
Battery life of the Pixel Buds 2 is a little modest, at five hours, but the bundled charging case boosts that to a very respectable 24 hours (on a par with the Apple AirPods). A 10-minute charge in the case delivers up to two hours of listening time and up to one hour of talk time, too.
IPX4 certification means they’ll survive water splashes but not being submerged in the drink.
Will Google be able to include all these features while reducing the price and delivering excellent sound quality? Fingers crossed…
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Sony has launched a full refresh of its Xperia phone range, headed up by the Xperia 1 III (the successor to our favourite phone of 2020) and the Xperia 5 III (the follow-up to the five-star Xperia 5 II).
The new third-generation Xperia handsets are virtually identical with almost matching features and specs, but the main difference lies in their screens. The Xperia 1 III sports a 6.5in 4K OLED display – designed for those who like a big screen device – while the 6.1in Full HD+ Xperia 5 III is a little more hand and pocket friendly.
The big draw for both gamers and film fans on-the-go will doubtless be the flagship Xperia 1 III, which according to Sony has the world’s first 120Hz 4K OLED screen. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio for full width cinema and gameplay, and that refresh rate can be set to 60Hz if you want to save on battery life. Plus, there’s even space to throw in extra frames for Sony’s 240Hz motion processing tech which should smooth out any blur.
The OLED on each of these phones is individually factory calibrated with what Sony says is a highly accurate white point to mirror the colour reproduction of the company’s film industry monitors. They also benefit from a mobile version of Sony’s X1 Bravia TV engine for HDR processing.
Sony has continued its commitment to quality sound not only with its support of a 3.5mm headphones socket but also its offering of hi-res audio over wired or wireless headphones. They feature newly optimised audio circuitry aimed at improving loudness by 40 per cent while reducing distortion. Most interesting of all, though, is that it can up-mix your local and streamed two-channel music tracks into 360 Spatial Sound in real-time. That should offer some very interesting insight into Sony’s emerging immerse format.
(Image credit: Sony)
Both handsets are Dolby Atmos-enabled and have front-facing stereo speakers that Sony promises will have enriched bass and a build to reduce vibration. You’ll also be able to appreciate your tracks in 360 Spatial Sound through the speaker as well as headphones.
They are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip and boast a 4500mAh battery that Sony says will remain in top health for a minimum of three years. They come with 12GB RAM and the option of either 128GB or 256GB of storage space.
Naturally, the Xperia III family is replete with the kind of Zeiss photography smarts to make most compact cameras blush. Both the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III come with a 12MP triple lens camera that can handle four focal lengths (16, 24, 70 and 105mm) thanks to what Sony says is the world’s first dual-position telephoto sensor. The company has made advances with its AF tracking, its AI detailing for digital zoom and has added burst shooting of 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure.
Once again there is no support for 8K video shooting, but the phones can capture 4K video at up to 60fps as well as at 120fps for slow motion. There’s also the option of plugging your Xperia into a Sony Alpha camera to use the mobile as a large viewfinder monitor for stills and video.
The Sony Xperia 1 III will come in a choice of Frosted Grey, Frosted Black or Frosted Purple. Included in the box is a new 30W charger which offers a 50 per cent charge for 30 minutes of wall time. The colours for the Xperia 5 III are black, green and pink.
While pricing isn’t currently available, we do know that both phones will launch at the same time in early summer this year along with Sony’s mid-price phone, the Xperia 10 III. It’s a 5G handset, like the others, and it still gets the 4500mAh battery – a considerable improvement on the 3600mAh unit from the previous model.
(Image credit: Sony)
It has a 6in, 21:9, HDR OLED display, coated in Gorilla Glass, and at 154 x 68 x 8.3mm is marginally smaller than the Xperia 10 II. There’s no 360 Spatial Sound but there’s plenty of decent audio specs with support for hi-res audio (wired and wireless), LDAC and a 3.5mm socket.
Under the hood is a slightly lowered powered set-up of the Snapdragon 690 processor, 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage space. It has an 8MP front-facing camera, an 8MP 16mm ultra-wide lens, a 12MP 27mm wide and an 8MP 54mm lens for portraits.
All of the Xperia phones will ship with Android 11.
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Bravia Core is Sony’s high-end movie streaming service. It promises picture quality to rival 4K Blu-ray, the world’s largest selection of IMAX Enhanced movies and the latest box office releases from Sony Pictures. But is it right for you? And how can you get it? Here’s everything you need to know about Bravia Core…
As we reported back in January, Bravia Core claims to offer the highest bitrate of any streaming service currently available. Where Netflix streams 4K video in HDR at up to 17.2 Mbps, and Apple TV+ stretches to 40 Mbps during certain scenes, Bravia CORE claims to go one further with high-quality streaming up to 80 Mpbs.
Impressive. If Sony’s figures are correct, Bravia Core is truly an industry first. It’s not for everyone, though – we’ll explain why below. Read on as we reveal the Bravia Core price, launch date, streaming quality, movie selection and more…
Bravia Core: release date
(Image credit: Sony )
Bravia Core – the ‘Core’ stands for Centre of Real Entertainment – was unveiled at CES in January 2021 and officially launched on 6th April 2021. The service is due to launch in 50 territories in 2021, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and most of Europe (but not Italy).
The video streaming service aims to serve the latest blockbusters from Sony Pictures Entertainment and also hundreds of the company’s classics in 4K Blu-ray-like HDR quality (provided you have a fast enough internet connection). Some content also supports DTS – but not DTS:X.
Here’s a look back at the Bravia Core launch video…
Bravia Core: price
(Image credit: Sony)
Bravia Core is available for free – but only when you buy a Bravia XR 4K or 8K TV from the 2021 Sony TV line-up. Right now, the Bravia Core app comes pre-loaded on the Master Series Z9J 8K LED and Master Series A90J, as well as other 4K LED models such as the X95J, X90J and X80J (you can find the full list here).
Don’t fancy shelling out for a brand new Bravia XR TV? Unfortunately, there’s no other way to experience Bravia Core just yet.
So will Bravia CORE will be available on older Sony TVs, or other Sony devices such as the PS5, in the future? Sony’s FAQ page seems pretty clear: “No. BRAVIA Core will be available for eligible BRAVIA XR models.”
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the more you spend on a Bravia XR set, the more free Core you get. Splash out on the Z9J or A90J and you get 24 months’ free Bravia Core plus 10 credits to spend on lossless titles that would otherwise be available on pay-per-view basis. Purchase any other Bravia XR models and you get 12 months’ access and five credits.
At this point, you might be wondering what happens when the complimentary period ends? Short answer: nobody knows. Sony has yet to announce long-term pricing but according to Core’s terms and conditions, “you may watch the movies you have redeemed via Bravia Core until February 23, 2026”. That suggests Core could shift to a paid subscription model in years to come… assuming it’s a success.
Bravia Core: free trial
The likes of Disney+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ all offer new users a free trial, so you might be wondering if Sony offers a Bravia Core free trial. The answer? Sort of.
Sony does offer a ‘free trial’ – a free 12- or 24-month subscription to Bravia Core – but only with the purchase a 2021 Sony Bravia XR TV. No bad thing, since the Bravia XR range could well include some of the best TVs Sony has ever made.
Bravia Core: streaming quality
(Image credit: Sony)
Bravia Core aims to “bring the cinematic experience home” using Sony’s own Pure Stream technology, which offers streaming at 30 – 80 Mbps.
“Pure Stream is the highest streaming picture quality available on Bravia XR television,” commented Bill Baggelaar, EVP and CTO, Technology Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Bravia Core’s main attraction is its collection of 300 new and recent titles that can be purchased or redeemed via Core credits. These are the crème de la crème, quality-wise, and many are available to stream in up to 80Mbps (4K Blu-ray discs tend to be around 82Mbps).
Then there’s ‘Unlimited Streaming’, which offers over 100 titles from the Sony Pictures catalogue in up to 4K HDR quality. Lastly, Sony has thrown in more than 50 ‘IMAX Enhanced’ titles, each of which is remastered using IMAX’s proprietary technology in 4K HDR. Some of these titles boast DTS sound, too.
Of course, the streaming quality you achieve all depends on the speed of your broadband…
Bravia Core: broadband speed
While Netflix recommends a 25 Mbps connection for streaming 4K movies, Sony says Bravia CORE “requires a minimum internet speed of 43 Mbps.”
For reference, the average broadband speed in the UK is around 64 Mbps according to regulator Ofcom. That’s nowhere near enough to max out your Core experience – especially if Sony adds 8K content later in the year, as has been hinted.
Indeed, those who want to stream the highest quality lossless movies via Core will need a minimum internet speed of – drumroll, please – 115 Mbps. Sadly, many UK households don’t have access to those kinds of speeds yet.
Bravia Core: catalouge
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Sony has yet to release a full list of Bravia Core movies but the Japanese giant has highlighted the following titles:
Venom
Blade Runner 2049
Peter Rabbit
Ghostbusters
Blade Runner 2049
Jumanji: The Next Level
Little Women
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Bad Boys For Life
Baby Driver
Bloodshot Hotel
Transylvania
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Expect around 450 titles in total, including the premium titles above, popular classics and an extensive selection of IMAX Enhanced film titles. Around 100 of the titles can be streamed as many times as you like, at no cost, in up to 4K HDR quality.
On top of that, there’s exclusive ‘Studio Access’ content, which offers behind-the-scenes extra footage and interviews from Sony Pictures productions.
Bravia Core: early verdict
Bravia Core will almost certainly find itself cast as “the high-end Netflix” but it’s a very different proposition. Firstly, it’s exclusive to selected Sony TVs. Secondly, it’s designed to act as a showcase for Sony’s Pure Stream technology. And thirdly, the current selection of movies is still quite limited when you compare it to some rival services.
If you’re after a next-level, cinematic experience and have a smokin’ broadband connection, Bravia Core could be a fantastic addition to your home cinema. If you don’t, a 4K Blu-ray player could provide just as good picture quality and, we’d imagine, superior sound given the lack of compatibility with high-quality audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD.
Still, there’s no doubting Sony’s ambition and we look forward to putting Bravia Core through its paces when testing compatible Sony TVs.
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No matter what you do during your waking hours — work at home or outside of it; commute in a car, a train, or by walking from your bedroom to your living room; or spend your days watching the kids or job hunting — you’re probably spending at least some of that time listening to music. But where do you find that music? And if you already have a site you go to regularly, would you like to try something new?
There is a wealth of streaming music services now available to anyone who wants to listen and experiment. Some offer both free and paid subscription versions. Others are completely free.
We asked the staff of The Verge to tell us about their favorite music streaming services. Some listen to major outlets such as Apple Music, Spotify, or YouTube Music, while others have discovered lesser-known but interesting venues.
Here’s what they recommend.
Radio Dismuke
Image: Earl 1900s Music Preservation
For some reason, my partner and I have become addicted to the popular music of the early 20th century, mostly the 1920s and ’30s. Over the past few years, we’ve become happily familiar with the sounds of Cliff Edwards, Bessie Smith, Ruth Etting, Annette Hanshaw, Paul Whiteman, Cab Calloway, and Ethel Waters. (Here she is, in one of her sadly few motion picture appearances, singing “Birmingham Bertha.”) So we spend a lot of time listening to Radio Dismuke, a little-known streaming service sponsored by Early 1900s Music Preservation, which gives us a constant diet of pop and jazz from the early part of the last century. —Barbara Krasnoff
Soma fm
Soma fm started life as an actual micropower radio station in San Francisco in 1999 but flipped over to the internet in 2000. It has been one of my go-to audio sources ever since. The site has tons of different genre stations. While working, I bounce between Groove Salad (ambient / downtempo), Secret Agent (think classic Bond meets modern sensibilities), and Drone Zone (very chill). In the early 2000s, Indie Pop Rocks was my secret weapon for finding new bands my friends didn’t know yet. When the holidays come around, Soma’s holiday stations will make your party twice as festive and half as corny. There are apps for it on all platforms, but if you’re using TuneIn for terrestrial radio, Soma’s stations are listed there, too. It’s all free, but if you use it a lot, find a way to chip in a bit — after more than 20 years of streaming, Soma deserves it. —Dieter Bohn
YouTube Music
Most of my time on YouTube isn’t spent watching videos; it’s listening to music. YouTube Music is everything I wanted out of Google Play Music, plus some. Its catalog of music is incomparable, mostly thanks to users who upload music that otherwise isn’t available on streaming services. It has recent hits and full albums if you want to use it like, say, Spotify, but it’s my destination for listening to uploads of older music or obscure tunes, live performances, and compilations of video game soundtracks. (For some reason, I know the Ghost Trick original soundtrack by heart, yet I haven’t played much of the game.) I’m always a little concerned that my favorite playlist or an upload of a hard-to-find album will be delisted, but perhaps it’s that rush that keeps me listening to it more often than any other music streaming service these days. —Cameron Faulkner
8tracks
I’ll confess that I don’t listen to 8tracks regularly these days, but using it is a predictable way to trigger a burst of nostalgia. The streaming service launched in 2008, and it lets users upload playlists of at least eight songs (aka 8 tracks). You can search through playlists based on their tags (which could include artists, genre, or “mood”), but you can’t see the list of songs ahead of time. They’re revealed as you listen. You also only get three skips per playlist per hour. The forced discovery helped me find songs and artists I never would have listened to. 8tracks shut down in December 2019 but was brought back to life by a new startup called BackBeat last April. All of the playlists I made in high school are still intact, but they are very embarrassing — so I’m keeping that username a secret. —Nicole Wetsman
KEXP
Image: KEXP
KEXP, a public radio station based in Seattle, is my favorite radio station in the world. It primarily plays alternative and indie rock, but there are also weekly blocks with completely different genres like blues, Latin music, songs entirely by Pacific Northwest-based artists, and my wife and I especially enjoy reggae on Saturday mornings. We regularly stream the station to our kitchen speaker while eating dinner or doing chores. The music selection is consistently excellent, and it’s also a regular reminder of the city where we met and fell in love. —Jay Peters
Aux Live
As The Verge’s resident Post Malone fan, I recently discovered Aux Live when a recording of his performance at PostyFest in 2019 was featured. My first intention was to only keep the subscription long enough to watch that one concert, but I ended up really enjoying the service. Aux Live is a music-focused service with a range of live concerts and documentaries across an expansive range of genres and legendary artists. It works both in-browser and via app. It costs $4.99 a month, but that feels reasonable given the vast number of artists featured in the service. —Kaitlin Hatton
Qobuz
Image: Qobuz
After purchasing a portable DAC to listen to higher-resolution music on my phone, I was looking for a place where I can actually listen to higher-resolution music. I found Qobuz, which allows you to stream songs with up to a 192kHz sampling rate and 24-bit depth. You’re also able to buy hi-res songs or albums and download them from the Qobuz store without having to subscribe to the service. Revisiting some of my favorite albums that I listened to during my iPod days gave me a newfound appreciation for those recordings, and I ended up paying closer attention to the way they were mixed and mastered. —Andru Marino
Spotify
Okay, fine — I’ll be the boring member of staff who recommends Spotify. Yes, other streaming services might offer better audio quality or curation, but Spotify has a nice user interface and compatibility with almost every piece of streaming hardware on the market, and that’s really all my basic music tastes require. And soon, with Spotify HiFi launching later this year, audio quality will receive a big boost. It helps that I’ve been using Spotify for close to a decade at this point, so it has near-limitless data on me to create custom playlists tailored to my tastes. Its daily mixes are far from perfect, but they’re good enough that I regularly use them when I can’t be bothered to pick a specific band to listen to. —Jon Porter
Apple Music
Photo: Apple
I use Apple Music for a very specific reason: because it lets me listen to music that’s not on Apple Music. Let me explain. A solid 10–15 percent of the music I listen to isn’t on Spotify or any streaming service. Whether it’s something I made or one of my friends made, a rip from a long-forgotten song posted to YouTube or SoundCloud, an album that’s too copyright-infringement-astic to be allowed on streaming services, or just music that’s on Bandcamp but not streaming services, I still want to have a good way of syncing all of the music I like across devices — and Apple Music does a great job of that. I just drag something into the application formerly known as iTunes, and in a few moments, it shows up on my iPhone, syncs to my iPod, and can even be played through my HomePods. I’d write more about how much I love this one aspect of Apple Music, but honestly, I’m starting to sound like an annoying hipster, even to myself. —Mitchell Clark
Live Music Archive
Did you know you can listen to over 200,000 concerts in lossless audio quality for free? And I really do mean free. The Live Music Archive, part of the Internet Archive, hosts an enormous vault of live performances from a wide range of artists who’ve given their blessing to have concerts traded among fans. Yes, there’s a ton of material from the Grateful Dead and jam bands in there, but the LMA also contains hundreds of recordings from acts like the Drive-By Truckers, John Mayer, Elliott Smith, Smashing Pumpkins, and more. Every so often, I’ll start digging through the archive and land on a gem I hadn’t heard before. Most are audience-recorded shows, as commercial releases (understandably) aren’t allowed.
Now, the Internet Archive isn’t exactly known for intuitive navigation, and the Live Music Archive site can be very kludgy to use. Thankfully, there are apps like this one for iPhone or this for Android that serve as easier-to-browse portals for everything inside the Live Music Archive, complete with features like offline downloads. —Chris Welch
The JBL 4309 is a smaller version of the JBL 4349 and shares the same retro aesthetic. The compact speakers (they measure just over 41cm/16in tall) come equipped with a 1-inch compression driver teamed with a High-Definition Imaging horn and a 6.5-inch, cast frame pure-pulp cone woofer.
The crossover network features air-core inductors, cast wire-wound resistors and low-ESR metallized film capacitors, which JBL says optimise the performance of those drivers.
On the front panel, an ultra high-frequency tonal adjuster lets users tweak the sound to their preference, and the enclosure is braced with 3/4-inch thick walls incorporating a bass-reflex design with dual front-firing flared ports. On the back, you’ll find twin sets of gold-plated binding posts suitable for single-ended or bi-wire/bi-amplified connections.
2021 marks JBL’s 75th anniversary, and to help celebrate this milestone, the speaker baffles are presented in the brand’s iconic blue. The cabinet comes finished in a choice of walnut (with a blue cloth grille) or black walnut (with a black grille) satinwood veneers.
The JBL 4309 Studio Monitor will be available from June priced at $2000 a pair.
Spotify’s first gadget has landed. Car Thing, a Spotify-only, voice-controlled device for the car, is launching today in limited quantities to invited users. It’s a dedicated, Bluetooth-connected device for controlling Spotify without the need for a phone screen, which seems to be meant for people who drive older cars without built-in infotainment systems or phone connections.
Before getting to the device details, let’s focus on the basics. Car Thing is only being released as a “limited product launch,” so you can’t buy one outright. Instead, you can sign up for the waitlist and hope Spotify reaches out. It’s only available for US customers, and you have to subscribe to Spotify Premium to qualify. Another thing to know: if you’re chosen to try Car Thing, the device is free, but you have to pay for shipping. Spotify declined to comment on how many units it’d be giving away. The company’s also billing the gadget as an “exploration,” so it’s unclear how serious the team is about the product and its future.
The device is shockingly small and lightweight. It has a thin profile and features two prominent buttons on the front, a small one that serves as a back button and a larger knob that lets you interact with whatever’s on-screen. There’s no speaker, so it’s easiest to think of the device as, essentially, a Spotify remote. Yes, you could use your actual phone to play Spotify content, but instead, Spotify is betting that you’ll want voice controls and a dedicated interface to control your audio.
Photo by Ashley Carman / The Verge
I’ve tested Car Thing for a couple days and found the voice controls to be easy to use and relatively intuitive. I drive a 2009 Honda Fit and already keep my phone mounted to the dash for navigation, so I ended up mounting the Car Thing on my vent. This meant I had two bright screens facing me throughout my drive. (I do have a screen built into my car, which you’ll see in photos, but I don’t use it for anything because I prefer Google Maps.)
The voice controls mostly worked — for some reason it only got tripped up on a Kid Cudi request — but I grew frustrated with the steps it took to control music. When a song that I didn’t like played, it took longer to say, “Hey Spotify, skip” than it would have to just tap the skip button on my phone. I generally felt like I could more efficiently navigate Spotify just by using my phone at stop lights. The device does shine, however, when you ask the voice assistant to start a playlist, and it registered those commands easily.
As for the hardware itself, Car Thing pairs with a phone over Bluetooth. It needs this phone for a data connection, so yes, users will require a decent amount of data to stream. In a press briefing, Spotify noted that right now, there’s no way for users to pull only from their downloaded content, although that functionality could come in the future. Depending on a car’s connectivity, users can either rely on an auxiliary cable for sound or keep their phone paired to their car’s Bluetooth to play audio content over the speakers. The Car Thing doesn’t have a speaker itself, and it’s basically controlling the Spotify app on your phone. It’s a strange setup.
The device comes with a 12V adapter into which you’ll plug the provided USB-A to USB-C cable. Car Thing does not include a rechargeable battery and needs to be plugged in at all times. The device also ships with three different mounts: a vent mount, a dashboard mount, and a CD player mount. You can clip a magnetic attachment to these mounts, which then lets you take the Car Thing off easily. (Also worth noting is that the dash mount doesn’t come with a suction cup and instead requires that you stick it to your dash with 3M adhesive backing.)
Spotify
Once mounted, you can interact with Car Thing in three ways: through your voice using a “Hey Spotify” command, through its tactile buttons and knob, or through its touchscreen. It also features four preset buttons on the top of the device, which you can set to specific content.
Now that I have a Car Thing, can I see it being a success? I guess it depends on how comfortable people are with a Spotify-owned microphone in their cars and whether they think the device offers a more meaningful experience than their built-in infotainment systems. Because my car is older, it did provide a hands-free interface for music while also adding another screen to my setup. But I also feel uneasy about a Spotify microphone being within earshot of all my conversations. (The device does feature a digital setting to turn the microphone off, probably to address concerns like mine, but still.) Spotify’s voice privacy page says it only records and stores what users say after its “Hey Spotify” wake phrase is spoken, but I still don’t love the idea of an always-listening microphone near me. The privacy page mostly details the company’s interactive voice ads, which I have yet to come across.
Broadly, I’d assume people with modern infotainment systems likely won’t need or want a Spotify-only Bluetooth remote, whereas people like me, whose cars are older, might end up wanting to stick with whatever system they’ve already figured out. One thing that Spotify might accomplish with Car Thing, however, is getting users who default to the radio to switch to Spotify instead. It’s clearly making a play for the space with its Your Daily Drive playlist, which updates daily with music and spoken word content, as well as its push into podcasts. I default to the radio often because it’s the easiest thing to put on. Car Thing, if I keep it in my car, would admittedly change that and give Spotify more of my listening time, and that’s likely all Spotify wants.
Roku’s introducing a trio of new devices today, led by the new $39.99 Express 4K Plus streaming device. Shipping in mid-May, the Express 4K Plus basically replaces the Roku Premiere as the company’s entry-level 4K player. It now has a faster processor, dual-band Wi-Fi, and increased internal storage. Plus, Roku says you can now attach a Micro-USB-to-Ethernet adapter if you prefer a wired connection. The Express 4K Plus is also the first Roku player to support HDR10+, which will come to the Roku Ultra as well after a future firmware update.
A stripped-down “Express 4K” player will be sold exclusively at Walmart in the US for $35. This model will also make its way to Canada, Mexico, and the UK. The only real difference is that it ships with a basic Roku remote instead of the voice remote that comes with the Plus SKU.
Next up is the first Roku remote with a rechargeable built-in battery. We knew this one was coming, and you’ll be able to buy the Roku Voice Remote Pro starting today for $29.99. It includes a built-in headphone jack for private audio, two customizable shortcut buttons, TV controls, and, in another first for Roku, it features mid-field microphones for hands-free voice commands.
Image: Roku
By default, the mics will listen for the “Hey Roku” hot phrase. But there’s a slider button right on the remote that turns off the always-listening mode. (If you do so, you can still hold down the microphone button on the front of the remote and speak a command.) One reason for maybe leaving the mics on? You can call out to the remote with a “Hey Roku, find my remote,” and it’ll make a sound to reveal its location in the couch cushions.
Image: Roku
And the last of the new Roku products is what the company is calling its Streambar Pro, described as “an evolution of the Roku Smart Soundbar.” The Smart Soundbar came with Roku’s streaming software built in, and this refreshed hardware “now includes a Roku voice remote with personal shortcut buttons and private listening, Roku headphones, and the new virtual surround feature for $179.99.” (Virtual surround will also come to the Smart Soundbar with a software update.)
The Streambar Pro will be available to order from Roku’s website in late May and should start arriving at major retailers in June. Roku still doesn’t face any real competition from Amazon in this combined soundbar / streaming player category, though Apple is rumored to be experimenting with a product similar in concept.
Roku’s player lineup now consists of:
Roku Ultra
Roku Streaming Stick Plus
Roku Express 4K Plus
Roku Express
Roku Streambar Pro
Roku Streambar
Image: Roku
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