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Microsoft announces Xbox Series X games event for July 23rd - The Verge
Exclusive: Galaxy Z Fold 2 is what Samsung is calling its next foldable - SamMobile
Survey teases PS5 price that’s just too good to be true - BGR

Microsoft announces Xbox Series X games event for July 23rd - The Verge

Posted: 06 Jul 2020 07:29 AM PDT

Microsoft will hold its Xbox Series X games event on July 23rd at 9AM PT / 12PM ET. The company is planning on showing games made by its Xbox Game Studios, including Halo Infinite. 343 industries briefly teased Halo Infinite in a trailer a couple of weeks ago, revealing that The Banished antagonists are returning for the next big installment in the Halo franchise.

There will be more than just Halo, though. Microsoft has been steadily acquiring game studios, and the company now has 15 Xbox Game Studios in total. Xbox fans are now hoping to see what those studios are working on for the Xbox Series X. Microsoft recently created a Fable placeholder Twitter account, leading fans to wonder if the game might make a return during July's Xbox event. Microsoft also recently extended its Fable trademark to cover USB chargers, portable speakers, headphones, and more.

Given Microsoft released a Hellblade 2 teaser during its Xbox Series X unveiling last year, it's reasonable to assume we'll see more from Ninja Theory about this upcoming title. Psychonauts 2 is still due in 2020 from Microsoft's Double Fine studio, and there's bound to be some hints at how Forza and Gears of War will adapt to the more powerful hardware in the Xbox Series X.

Rare also unveiled its new Everwild game in November, and we might get a closer look at that during Microsoft's event. And like always, Xbox fans are still hoping for surprises like a new Perfect Dark or Banjo-Kazooie game.

Microsoft has already promised that some of the company's Xbox Game Studios teams will reveal new gameplay, games optimized for Xbox Series X, and even brand-new game announcements.

Stay tuned to The Verge on July 23rd for all the latest Xbox Series X games information and more.

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Exclusive: Galaxy Z Fold 2 is what Samsung is calling its next foldable - SamMobile

Posted: 06 Jul 2020 05:15 AM PDT

There is a lot of anticipation for the Galaxy Fold's successor. Samsung's first foldable smartphone had a bit of a rough start but the company redeemed itself with the Galaxy Z Flip. All eyes are now on what's referred to as the Galaxy Fold 2.

That's not what it's actually going to be called, though. Samsung has decided to slightly change the naming convention, and it doesn't come as a surprise given the hint that it dropped earlier this year.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 is due to be launched soon

We hear from reliable sources that the Galaxy Fold 2 is going to be launched as the Galaxy Z Fold 2. There's no doubt now that Samsung's foldable smartphones will henceforth be grouped under the Galaxy Z umbrella.

The series branding was introduced to us by the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung's first clamshell foldable. The company confirmed back in February that it had chosen to brand its foldable device portfolio as Galaxy Z. It added that the "Z" was chosen because "it intuitively communicates the idea of a fold while delivering a dynamic, youthful feel."

That's also when Samsung moved the original Galaxy Fold to the newly-added Galaxy Z category on its website. We had pointed out at that time as well that there was now a possibility for the Galaxy Fold's sequel to follow the Z-based naming convention instead.

It doesn't come as a surprise. Samsung had to consolidate its foldable smartphones under one brand. It's going to launch many more in the years to come so the naming convention can't be all over the place.

What's in a name, though? Samsung fans will be more interested in what the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has to offer. From what we know so far, it's going to feature a larger cover display in addition to a 7.7-inch foldable display. It's also going to have top-notch specs, 5G and the latest version of One UI.

No word on the pricing yet but there's hope that it may be priced a bit lower than its $1,980 predecessor.

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Survey teases PS5 price that’s just too good to be true - BGR

Posted: 06 Jul 2020 04:48 AM PDT

What if the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition prices were a lot lower than estimates? That's what a survey asked fans.
Some customers received Nielsen questionnaires proposing random pricing for the unreleased PlayStation 5 consoles, and the surveys leaked online.
It's unclear what the surveys are for, but the suggested PS5 prices could translate into significant losses for Sony.

We were unsure a few months ago that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will launch this holiday season, as the first phase of the novel coronavirus pandemic halted manufacturing in China, as well as travel between continents. But as the months passed, both Sony and Microsoft made it clear that the PS5 and Series X will meet their holiday 2020 launch window. Reports said the consoles could be in short supply during the Christmas quarter. Microsoft publicly acknowledged that the COVID-19 health crisis will impact console sales, suggesting it's already accounting for lower sales than usual. But neither company is so far willing to share the key detail that could make or break new PlayStation and Xbox models this fall: The price.

Rumors so far favor Microsoft, which is supposedly looking to undercut the PS5 with the Series X. Add to that the Xbox All Access program, and Microsoft does have a massive advantage over Sony. Not to mention that the cheaper Series S console is said to start at just $200 in a best-case scenario. Meanwhile, the consensus on the PS5 is that the regular model will cost $499, or $100 more than the Digital Edition. But a survey just teased a PS5 price point that's just too good to be true.

A Redditor posted the following screenshot, via NotebookCheck, that shows "random pricing" for the PS5:

Screenshot shows a Nielsen survey that indicates random pricing for PS5 consoles.

Here's what that quote says, emphasis ours:

As mentioned in the product description, the pricing of this new product (PlayStation 5) has not yet been determined. For the purposes of this survey, we will assign you random pricing. Please take this random pricing into consideration at the following questions.

The random prices for this new product (PlayStation 5) that you will evaluate are PlayStation 5: £349; PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: £259.

Nielsen doesn't know the price of the PS5, and it's probably gauging user interest based on several price points that are apparently assigned randomly to respondents. But we can certainly speculate on these figures.

A £349 ($436) PS5 and £259 ($323) do sound too good to be true. Could Sony afford to sell any of the two consoles that low without taking a considerable loss? A report said a few months ago, the PS5 could cost $450 to manufacture.

We'll remind you that the UK factors in VAT tax for all products, so the conversion to US dollars will not give you an actual price for the US. The PS4 original price was $399 without tax for the US, and £349 with tax (or $436) for the UK. Therefore, a £349 PS5 could cost $399 in the US. Sony would take at least a $50 loss on the regular version if that $450 bill of materials is accurate. The £259 PS5 Digital Edition could be priced at $299 in the US. The loss on the Digital Edition would be even more significant. The two consoles are expected to pack the exact same hardware setup, except for the Blu-ray disk. So the main components, including the CPU, GPU, and custom SSD, would be just as pricey.

Factors like the health crisis and Microsoft's aggressive pricing strategy for the Xbox could determine Sony to surprise fans with a much lower price point for the PS5 consoles. But the random pricing above still looks too good to be true. If the Digital Edition can somehow start at $299, the Series S could indeed sell as low as $199.

Both Sony and Microsoft are expected to announce official prices, preorder, and release dates for the two consoles at some point in the coming months.

Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his views on tech stuff with readers around the world. Whenever he's not writing about gadgets he miserably fails to stay away from them, although he desperately tries. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

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