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Watch Sony’s elite ping-pong robot beat top-ranked players

2026-04-22T14:41:37-04:00

Ace is the first robot that can beat the best human players while following the official rules of table tennis. | Image: Sony AI

Humans have been building ping-pong playing robots for decades, such as Omron's FORPHEUS that challenged amateur competitors at CES 2017. What sets Ace apart from the rest is that the robot, which was developed by Sony's AI division, is the first that can hold its own against top-ranked human players and occasionally even beat them in matches that follow the official rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

AI is already capable of besting humans at games like Chess and Go, but physical games pose a much greater challenge as robots have to be engineered to match the speed and responsiveness of the human mind and body. To b …

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PlayStation’s age-gating restrictions are coming to UK consoles

2026-04-21T09:39:37-04:00

Sony is starting to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act by notifying PlayStation players of its age verification requirements today. PS4 and PS5 owners in the UK and Ireland won't be able to participate in voice chats, messaging, parties, or other third-party communication services from June unless they verify their age.

"Beginning June 2026, if you have not completed age verification, you can continue playing on PlayStation, but some features won't be available until you verify your age," says Sony in a support note. Age verification will also be required for broadcasting features or sharing gameplay to YouTube or Twitch from a PlayStat …

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Sony’s new 1440p OLED gaming monitor seems a lot better than its first

2026-04-14T12:10:51-04:00

The original InZone M10S OLED gaming monitor stood out for a mix of reasons when I reviewed it for Polygon back in late 2024 - some good (impressively small stand, high 480Hz refresh rate) and some bad (high price, low on features versus the competition). The company is launching its follow-up model, the InZone M10S II, at the same $1,099.99 price as before, but with numerous updates to better justify the cost. It'll come out later this year and will be sold exclusively through Sony's online shop.

For instance, it's built with a fourth-gen WOLED panel (LG Display's Primary RGB Tandem tech) that offers higher brightness and contrast than pre …

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Sony’s latest gaming headset offers great open-back audio

2026-04-14T12:10:14-04:00

Sony's PC-focused InZone brand is covering a lot of ground, now adding open-back headsets to its growing catalog of gaming accessories. The $199.99 H6 Air borrows the comfortable, easy-to-adjust design of the flagship $350 H9 II wireless headset, makes it wired, and pokes a bunch of holes in the ear cups, resulting in an open-back design that sounds more natural and fits more comfortably than most other headsets.

Like other open-back headphones, the H6 Air isn't built to reduce outside noise. Instead, sounds coming from the headset's drivers are mixed with outside sounds. Open-back headsets or headphones are a bad choice if you're easily di …

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Today is the final day to save up to $150 on a PS5 before the price goes up

2026-04-01T09:22:44-04:00

Behold, the PlayStation 5 Pro. | Photo: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The cost of the PlayStation Portal and every PlayStation 5 console is going up tomorrow, April 2nd, by as much as $150 in some cases. That means time is running out if you want to save yourself the money you’d soon have to spend to secure a PS5, which is why I’m going to point you in the right direction to get a console before the changes take effect. I also found a deal if you’re okay with buying a refurbished model.

If you want the slim PS5 console with or without a disc drive, there’s no need to pay full retail price. Right now, you can grab a refurb model (with minor cosmetic imperfections but tested to perform like new with a one-year warranty) from Sony’s PlayStation Direct storefront starting at $399. That’s how much the Digital Edition costs, while the slim version with the disc drive is going for $449. Both are $100 lower than the retail cost as of April 1st. Sony is also selling the original model with a disc drive (and a smaller 825GB SSD compared to 1TB in the refurbished slim versions) for $399. You’ll find those options below.

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (slim, refurbished)

Where to Buy:

$399 at PS Direct

PlayStation 5 (slim, refurbished)

Where to Buy:

$449 at PS Direct

PlayStation 5 (original, refurbished)

Where to Buy:

$399 at PS Direct

At this point, I see little reason to suggest spending more at retailers for a new console; once the price increases on April 2nd, you’ll have figured out a way to save $200 compared to buying new, maximizing the leftover cash you would otherwise spend on games and accessories. But, hey, it’s possible that you might have a gift card or another motivating factor to buy from a different retailer. If so, don’t let me stop you!

If you want to pick up a PS5 through traditional retailers, the slim Digital Edition (now with 825GB of storage, following a downgrade in October) is available for $499 from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Sony, and GameStop. The model with the disc drive, meanwhile, is available through the end of today for $549 from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and Sony.

If you’re hoping to snag a refurbished PlayStation 5 Pro, you’re out of luck, as there’s currently no refurb option available via Sony. You’ll need to buy it new to get Sony’s most powerful console, which will cost you $749 until April 2nd ($899 afterward). It’s available in its usual 2TB configuration from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Sony.

PlayStation 5 Pro

Where to Buy:

Lastly, today is your last day to save on the PlayStation Portal, which will jump from $199 to $249 tomorrow. You can buy it at its regular price at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and through Sony via PS Direct. Sony has been steadily enhancing the handheld remote player’s capabilities since its 2023 debut, and what started out as a gadget you could use strictly over Wi-Fi to view and control your PS5 games now offers cloud-based streaming with a PS Plus Premium Plus subscription. Sony also recently rolled out an option that can push a higher-bitrate 1080p resolution to the handheld from your PS5, assuming your Wi-Fi connection can handle it.

PlayStation Portal

Where to Buy:

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones are a whopping 39 percent off

2026-03-31T11:14:43-04:00

Every color is discounted at Amazon for a limited time. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Amazon is hosting a fantastic lightning sale on every color of the Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones, offering them for $243 (originally $399) for a limited time. This is one of the biggest price reductions we’ve ever seen. Outside of a February discount at Adorama that briefly sold them for $204.56, we haven’t seen them fall below $250 price. The discount comes during the final day of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which ends at 2:59AM ET on April 1st.

At this discounted price, the XM5 are over $200 cheaper than their successor, the $458 XM6.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Where to Buy:

The XM5s that released in 2022 still sound incredible, with some of the best active noise cancellation available in over-ear headphones. Plus, they’re comfortable to wear for long durations. Even with its successor on the market, Sony’s steeply discounted headphones are worth picking up, especially at this price. Read our review of the WH-1000XM5 headphones.

TCL is taking over Sony’s TV business

2026-03-31T12:18:28-04:00

Future Bravia TVs will feature Sony branding with TCL’s display technology. | Image: Sony

After signing a nonbinding agreement in January to spin off its TV business, today Sony officially announced that TCL will pay approximately 75.4 billion yen (over $473 million) for a 51 percent stake in a new joint venture called Bravia Inc., with Sony holding the remaining 49 percent.

Bravia Inc., which will be headquartered in Sony's Osaki office in Tokyo, is expected to begin operations in April 2027. When they announced the joint venture, the companies said the TVs it sells will have both Sony and Bravia branding, "while utilizing TCL's advanced display technology, global scale advantages, industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficie …

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Sony temporarily suspends memory card sales due to shortages

2026-04-08T05:51:55-04:00

Sony has announced that as of March 27th, 2026, the company is no longer accepting orders for nearly all the products in its CFexpress and SD memory card lines. The list of affected memory products includes CFexpress Type A, Type B, and SDXC/SDHC cards, although a few models of Type B and low-end SF-UZ series SD cards remain in production, according to PetaPixel, and you may still be able to find them on shelves until the existing supply runs out.

This includes orders from the company's authorized dealers as well as general consumers for "the foreseeable future," with the news coming out on the same day Sony said it will raise PS5 prices wo …

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Sony is raising PS5 prices by $100 in April

2026-04-08T09:09:25-04:00

Sony is raising the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles globally starting April 2nd. In an announcement on Friday, Sony says that the standard PS5 will now cost $649.99, up from $549.99. Meanwhile, the PS5 Digital Edition now costs $599.99 instead of $499.99, and the PlayStation 5 Pro will cost $899.99 instead of $749.99.

Along with these changes, Sony is increasing the price of its PlayStation Portal as well, going from $199.99 to $249.99.

This is the second time in less than a year that Sony has raised the price of its PS5 consoles, as the company hiked prices by $50 for all three models last August. Sony cites "continued pressures in th …

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Cox Communications not liable for pirated music, Supreme Court rules

2026-03-25T13:03:20-04:00

The Supreme Court has issued its ruling in a lengthy copyright battle between Cox Communications and major record labels, determining that the cable and internet service provider isn't responsible for illegally downloaded music, as reported earlier by the Associated Press. The unanimous decision says Cox "neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement."

Several record labels, led by Sony Music, sued Cox in 2018, alleging the company allowed 60,000 internet subscribers to download over 10,000 copyrighted songs illegally. A jury found Cox liable for piracy in 2019 and granted Sony $1 billion in damages …

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