🎮 PS5 Pro surprise, 🔉 Sonos Arc review, 🤖 iOS 18.2 & Android 16, 🎶 Nintendo Music app, 🔍 SearchGPT

10 tech stories in the quickest format possible

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1. PS5 Pro, just 3 days away, is more powerful than we thought

PS5 Pro has 2TB of internal storage and is expandable to 8TB. But the real news today is the extra 2GB of RAM (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

• 🎮 PS5 Pro releases Thursday, November 7, but gamers are getting it early

• 📄 Included is a specs sheet that reveals PS5 Pro has extra memory

• 🐏 The surprise 2GB of RAM is likely meant for system overhead usage

• 👨‍💻 This means developers will be able to utilize the full 16GB of games

The PS5 Pro is just three days away, and it’s a hard sell for a lot of subscribers of The Shortcut at $699. I don’t blame you. I’ll have a full PS5 Pro review in the coming days, keeping in mind the price vs performance.

But Sony left out a key detail that’s worth getting excited about if your pre-order is on the way: the new mid-cycle console will have 2GB of extra RAM, according to a specs sheet leak by early PS5 recipient Brunno Fast. This is likely system memory.

This means that video game developers won’t have to share the 16GB of RAM with Sony’s PS5 operating system. Just imagine what GTA developer Rockstar Games can do with GTA 6 on PS5 with more memory headroom?

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2. Sonos Arc review: all-in-one Dolby soundbar for movies, music and games

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

🏆 Review score: 5 out of 5

🏅Editor’s Choice

Pros:

• ✅ 🔊 All-in-one soundbar for Dolby Atmos surround sound

• ✅ 😌 Immersive Dolby Atmos surround lets you skip getting surrounds

• ✅ 🫨 Strong bass removes the need for a subwoofer

• ✅ ⚡ Imperceptible lag

• ✅ 🧰 Simple initial setup

• ✅➕ Easily expandable with Sonos wireless surrounds and sub

• ✅ 🎧 Unique wireless connection with Sonos Ace wireless headphones

• ✅ 🛜 Stream Bluetooth and line-in audio from other Sonos speakers

Cons

• ❌ 📏 It’s freaking thick

• ❌ 🤑 Pricey

• ❌ 🚫 Lacks built-in Bluetooth for easy streaming

• ❌ 🤖 Android users lose out on TruePlay

• ❌ 🔌 No passthrough HDMI 2.1 port

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

The Sonos Arc is truly an all-in-one soundbar that can give you a Dolby Atmos surround system for music, movies, and games. It’s a fully featured 5.0.2 channel unit with a huge center speaker for dialogue, front- and rear-oriented side speakers, plus two up-firing speakers that bounce off your ceiling for another dimension of audio. The $899 price ($829 lowest price) of this soundbar might bring you back to Earth, but believe me, the audio quality of this soundbar can’t be beat.

There isn’t a smarter soundbar on the market. Setting up and adding more speakers to the Sonos Ace couldn’t be simpler. It’s also the only soundbar that lets you push audio to a pair of wireless headphones, the Sonos Ace, to privately enjoy Dolby Atmos surround sound without waking your housemates. The TruePlay tuning makes adjusting the EQ and sound field to match the acoustic of your living space dead simple.

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📱 3. iOS 18.2’s next Apple Intelligence features may launch in early December

Visual Intelligence is coming to the iPhone camera in iOS 18.2 (Image credit: Apple)

• 🍎 Apple will reportedly launch iOS 18.2 on December 2

• 👀 Visual Intelligence image recognition will come to iPhone’s camera

• 🧠 ChatGPT integration and revamped Mail app will also launch

• 😉 Get ready for Genmoji based on text or image prompts, too

Your iPhone’s next big Apple Intelligence update may be a few weeks away. We’ve been tracking iOS 18.2 since the first beta came out, and while it usually takes a couple of months for Apple to release updates like this to the general public, it could arrive a week early, reports Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

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🤖 4. Android 16 release date will be much earlier than usual

(Credit: The Shortcut)

• 📅 Google has adjusted its release schedule for Android 16

• 🤖 Instead of releasing it in the fall, it’ll come out in summer 2025

• 📱 More phones will come with the new version of Android next year

• 🗓️ Google will also release a minor update to Android 16 later next year

In a post to the company’s developer blog, Google confirmed that Android 16 will be released in Q2 of 2025 instead of Q3, which means it’ll arrive before the end of June next year. According to the company, the change is to “better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner.”

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💰 5. PS5 Pro got more expensive: Sony says these accessories won't work

The PS5 Pro is advertised here with the $29.99 vertical stand, sold separately. (Credit: Sony)

• 📈 The PS5 Pro just got more expensive for those who want the full package

• 😭 Sony has confirmed that PS5 Slim covers won’t work with the new console

• 🔜 Instead, it’ll be releasing PS5 Pro covers at a later date

• 💰 PS5 Slim covers cost between $54.99 and $64.99

The PlayStation 5 Pro just got even more expensive as Sony has confirmed that PS5 Slim console covers aren’t compatible with its new system. Should the PS5 Pro covers cost the same as the Slim’s, the total price for a fully kitted PS5 Pro now stands at $864.96, and that’s without a game or a PS Plus Essential subscription.

Thankfully, Sony has at least rallied round developers to support its new console. PS5 Pro will launch with over 80 enhanced games, which is 30 more than we were initially promised. The PS5 Pro enhanced games list includes many of the best PS5 games, and already dwarfs the 45 enhanced games that were available when the PS4 Pro launched.

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🎶 6. Nintendo takes aim at YouTube with new Nintendo Music app

(Credit: Nintendo)

• 🎶 Nintendo Music lets you enjoy all of Nintendo’s iconic tunes

• 🆓 It’s free to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers

• 👍 The app features recommendations based on your Switch play history

• 👏 You’ll also find curated playlists, background play and offline play

Nintendo’s iconic soundtracks are now available on a dedicated smartphone app called Nintendo Music. It’s available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers at no extra cost and takes aim at YouTube Music, where the company’s tunes are often uploaded, much to the anger of Nintendo.

You’ll find soundtracks from past and present Nintendo games with unique features like the option to play extended versions, recommendations based on your Switch play history, and in-game screenshots for some tracks. The Nintendo Music app has already been updated and Nintendo has promised more games will appear in the future.

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👂 7. Nothing Ear Open review: these $150 earbuds are a tough call

(Credit: Max Buondonno/The Shortcut)

🏆 Review score: 2.5 out of 5

Pros

• ✅ Solid headphones for $150

• ✅ Long 30-hour battery life

• ✅ Nothing’s design language continues to impress

• ✅ No significant sound leakage

Cons

• ❌ Design might not fit everyone

• ❌ No wireless charging

• ❌ Case is pretty big

• ❌ Sound quality is too bass-heavy

The Nothing Ear Open, the first open-ear buds from London-based startup Nothing, take a stab at a market that’s become more popular thanks to brands like Bose and Sony.

The Ear Open is designed to latch onto your ears and play music like little speakers over your ear canals, letting the outside world in while still letting you enjoy all your favorite music. With a price of $150, I was intrigued, to say the least. Check out our full review below.

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🆚 8. Why you should buy a Meta Quest 3S instead of PS5 Pro during Black Friday

(Credit: The Shortcut)

• 👀 If you’re eyeing up a PS5 Pro this Black Friday, there’s another device you should consider

• 🆕 The Meta Quest 3S or Quest 3 or likely to be on offer and provide genuinely new and exciting experiences

• 💰 They’re also both significantly cheaper than Sony’s new console

• 👍 If you’re craving something new, Black Friday could be the perfect time to jump into the world of VR and AR

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🔎 9. OpenAI's search engine SearchGPT is available now for paid subscribers

(Credit: OpenAI)

• 🔎 OpenAI’s new search engine is now live

• 👀 It’s called SearchGPT, and it’s built into ChatGPT

• 🫵 ChatGPT Plus members can access it now, and those who were selected from the waitlist

• 🔜 It’ll roll out to free, enterprise, and education users in the coming weeks

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😲 10. Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is a flipping transformable Xbox controller

(Credit: Turtle Beach)

• 🎮 Turtle Beach announces a new transformable controller, the Stealth Pivot

• 🕹️ It features two flippable faceplates designed for FPS, fighting games, retro gaming, and more

• ➕ The left faceplate has a hall-effect joystick and D-pad or a D-pad and two buttons

• 🔘 The right faceplate features a hall-effect joystick and four face buttons or six face buttons

• 📆 Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot costs $129, preorders have started and it ships on November 29

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🍎 Don’t miss: our MacBook Pro M4, iMac M4 & Mac Mini M4 news

We’ll be getting and reviewing a MacBook Pro M4 on The Shortcut (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

On Friday, one day after the PS5 Pro launch, Apple will release not one, not two, but three new computers (no rest for the tech-weary, right?). If you didn’t see it earlier this week, here’s our coverage, plus a standout piece by Max about how the Mac Mini 4 base model might be the best value in computing right now.

💻 MacBook Pro M4: Apple upgrades its 14 and 16-inch laptops for AI

• 💻 The MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch laptops come with Apple’s M4 chip

• ⚙️ 16GB of RAM base (up from 8GB) with options for up to 128GB of RAM

• 👀 There’s an anti-reflective nano-textured glass option for $150 more

• 📆 Pre-order now for the November 8 release date

• 💰 Starts at $1,599 again, but configurable to $7,199

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Mac Mini M4 is a smaller, speedier and port-filled redesign for $599

(Credit: Apple)

• 🖥️ The first Mac Mini redesign in 14 years gets a 5 x 5 cube-shaped look

• ⚙️ Specs start at 16GB of RAM (up from 8GB) and a 10-core CPU/GPU

• ⬆️ M4 Pro chip has a 12-core GPU and 16-core GPU with 24GB of RAM

• 💰 Prices to sell at $599 (M4) or $1,399 (M4 Pro)

• 📆 Pre-orders are now available and releases on November 8

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Apple launches iMac M4 with an AI chip and new colors starting at $1,299

(Credit: Apple)

• 🖥️ iMac M4 is Apple’s latest all-in-one desktop Mac replacing the M3 edition

• 📐 Its 24-inch display size has a 4.5K resolution and 500 nits of brightness

• 👀 There’s an anti-reflective nano-textured glass option for $200 more

• 🌈 7 new colors: blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green, and silver

• 🧠 Launches alongside Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI

• ⚙️ 16GB of RAM base (up to 8GB) with options for 24GB or 32GB

• 📆 Pre-order now for the November 8 release

• 💰 Starts at $1,299, but configurable to $2,699

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MacBook Air gets surprise AI upgrade with more RAM

(Credit: Apple)

• 💻 Apple gave MacBook Air a surprise upgrade in time for Apple Intelligence

• 🤖 The base model of the Air now comes with 16GB of RAM

• 💨 This will help AI features and your workflow run more efficiently

• 💰 Same price as before: the M2 still starts at $999; the M3 starts at $1,099

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