GoKawiil
Tech News
The Australian Recording Industry Association will bar songs wholly created by generative AI from its official charts starting this Friday. Tracks that use AI tools may still qualify, but only if they are substantially human-made and free of streaming or chart manipulation concerns. Songs deemed ineligible for the charts will also be barred from ARIA Awards consideration.
Sony revealed its September 2026 PlayStation Plus monthly games, headlined by MLB The Show 26 alongside Sniper Elite: Resistance, Wobbly Life and Chained Echoes. The games become available to subscribers at no extra cost starting September 1, though the overall lineup is being described as one of the less exciting rosters PS Plus has offered.
Sony had initially scrapped plans for a sixth entry in the 'Insidious' horror franchise, but franchise star Lin Shaye pushed back against the decision. Her intervention reportedly played a key role in reviving the project, which has now been announced under the title 'Insidious: Out of the Further.'
Bose has released a second-generation QuietComfort Headphones priced at $359, positioned as a step-down model from its $449 QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2. The new version keeps a similar design with more plastic parts, adds new color options like mauve and light avocado green, and offers improved default sound tuning compared to earlier Bose models, though the midrange still sounds muted.
Sony sent PlayStation account holders a reminder email outlining its full Terms of Service, Code of Conduct, EULA and Privacy Policy, emphasizing that digital games are licensed rather than owned. The timing coincided with widespread anger over Sony's plan to drop physical disc drives from the PlayStation 6 and end disc production by January 2028, following an earlier removal of purchased digital movies from user accounts. A player-led boycott of PlayStation logins and purchases began shortly after the email went out.
Sony has released the Xperia 10 VIII, a midrange Android phone that keeps most hardware from last year's Xperia 10 VII, including its 6.1-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, 8GB RAM, 5,000mAh battery and dual-camera setup. The main changes are a brighter screen, louder speakers, a translucent back panel and a quick-payment shortcut, yet UK pricing jumps to £549, about £150 more than the previous model. The phone launches in September in three colors, though it remains unavailable in the US.
Sony has officially unveiled the Xperia 10 VIII, a phone that shares almost all its hardware with the Xperia 10 VII, including the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and the same dual-camera setup. The main changes are a 50% brighter OLED display, 30% louder speakers, and new color options, while microSD expansion up to 2TB remains a standout feature. The device is priced at €599 (about $698) and is set to launch in mid-to-late this year.
Following its announcement that PlayStation disc production ends in January 2028, Sony sent customers copies of its Terms of Service and End User License Agreement, which state that PlayStation software is licensed rather than sold. The emails, likely routine notices tied to recent PlayStation Store purchases, arrived amid ongoing backlash over the discontinuation of physical media and a planned consumer boycott running August 23-30.
ESPN executive Michael Szykowny and Pixar's Jay Ward described at Disney's D23 convention how the network builds its animated alternate broadcasts, which recast real athletes as characters like Toy Story figures or Simpsons cast members. The system combines NFL Next Gen Stats player-tracking data, Sony's Beyond Sports engine and Hawk-Eye optical tracking to animate characters in real time, while commentator Drew Carter now uses a VR headset instead of a full motion-capture suit to sync his live calls with his on-screen avatar.
Nintendo's 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System launched in North America 35 years ago, arriving nine months after its Japanese debut as the Super Famicom. The console shipped with Super Mario World and went on to host classics like Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, and Star Fox, ultimately selling 49.1 million units before discontinuation in 1999.
Vivo product manager Han Boxiao revealed on Weibo that the upcoming X500 Pro will use a custom 'Ultra Dynamic Camera' sensor, co-developed with ZEISS and Sony, offering 17 stops of dynamic range. The phone is also claimed to be the first to record slow-motion video at 4K resolution and 240 frames per second, ahead of an expected September launch.
A leaked image obtained by Android Headlines gives an early look at Sony's upcoming Xperia 10 VIII, showing a design nearly identical to its predecessor with a flat back, horizontal dual-camera bar, and side-mounted power/fingerprint button. Early reports suggest the phone will retain the same Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip and 8GB of RAM as the Xperia 10 VII, with the device set to be officially unveiled on August 25.