If you haven't been able to get your paws on a PS5 yet, then get ready to join the party. The console has been difficult to get since it was released in late 2020 due to supply chain issues.
On a call with investors this week, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said the materials shortages that were keeping PS5s off of shelves were improving and that Sony is planning heavy further increases in production.
Ryan says Sony hopes to produce 18 million consoles in the next four years. That jump is 57 percent.
The news comes as some cities in China institute new lockdowns to slow the spread of Covid-19, which analysts fear could further disrupt manufacturing schedules and gum up global consumer product shipments. Despite the new developments, Sony says its own manufacturing is improving.
Another State of Play event is taking place on June 2. You can watch the live broadcast to see trailers and teases for new titles, as well as updates on games coming to PS4.
Here is what happened this week.
Cometh Xdongle.
Microsoft confirmed that it is working on a streaming stick. Microsoft has told Jez Corden at Windows Central that it is about to release a device that connects to its cloud gaming service.
Microsoft has a code name for this device. We don't know what it looks like or any other details, but the concept is clear: connect a low-cost dongle to your television's HDMI port, then use it to access Xbox games that live in the cloud. This would allow people who don't own consoles to play games on the internet, and it would also open up console-style gaming to people who don't own consoles.
You should not expect to see this thing until next year at the earliest, though Microsoft did not give any details about pricing or a release date.
You can watch this on the internet.
If you are one of the millions of people who own a watch, you should look at it quickly and check your notifications. An update to WearOS added support for the Google Assistant. You can speak into your carpus or hold the home button to talk to your assistant. The update that became available on May 23 adds a number of new features to the watch.
Last year, we had a review of the Watch4 Classic by our own Julian. These watches were the first from the company after abandoning its own Tizen mobile OS for WearOS. That change earned the watches a 7/10 rating and the coveted WIRED Recommends Badge. Huzzah.
Surrounded by sound.
In San Francisco, I visited a cool music venue called Envelop. The room has 32 speakers built into eight stacks that are arranged in a wide circle around the audience. It is completely immerse and dreamy. One of the cool things about attending a concert at Envelop is that you can walk up to each speaker stack to hear different details, then find a spot in the room to stand or sit that gives you a unique mix based on your position in the 3D space.
Digital musicians can use Envelop's plug-ins to arrange their compositions for virtual environments. Envelop Stream is a streaming version of the experience that allows anyone in the world to virtually attend the venue's concerts through a web browser.
Metaversal attendees can buy a ticket to an event, surf on into a space complete with virtual speaker stacks, then navigate around the room and change their position on the fly. You can check out a demo. It works best with 5.1 surround systems.
Sound baths, listening parties for popular artists, and a DJ set by Tycho are some of the events on the summer schedule. The rooms are BYO.
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