Fully Charged: PlayStation 4 update coming, Google stops selling Nexus 5, and Netflix on an NES
Kick off Friday with our quick-hit collection of top tech and gadget news
PlayStation 4 improvements inbound
Sony’s next big PlayStation 4 firmware update will bring a handful of requested system updates, namely the ability to suspend and resume a game – which means less time wading through menus when you’re deep into a game and just want to come back after a breather.
Additionally, the 2.50 update (dubbed “Yukimara”) will let you choose between 30 or 60 frames per second on supported games for Remote Play and Share Play, letting you select the video playback quality that best fits your broadband connection. The update will also let sub-accounts upgrade to master accounts, as well as bring along accessibility options and trophy tweaks. No official date has been set for the release, but Sony says it’s “coming soon.”
[Source: PlayStation.Blog]
Google stops selling Nexus 5
The Nexus 5 had a longer-than-usual run, but now it’s officially been sent out to pasture by Google. With the launch of the new Google Store on Wednesday, the company stopped selling the LG-made smartphone from 2013. Of course, you can still find the device elsewhere, but Google won’t be the source.
Typically, Google has stopped selling the last Nexus smartphone when the new one arrives, but with the Nexus 6 being such a large and expensive device – a real break from the ones the preceded it – the company said it would keep the previous model around during Q1 2015. Guess the timer’s up, so if you’re looking for a Nexus 5 at this point, start searching elsewhere.
[Source: The Verge]
Read More › Google Nexus 5 review
See Netflix running on an NES
Netflix’s internal hack days not only let their developers blow off some steam and try some weird ideas, but they also usually result in some amusing videos for us to watch after the fact. Which we should all do right now, as this clip shows the service running on an original Nintendo Entertainment System from the 80s.
It’s purported to be an unmodified console, which doesn’t make a ton of sense to us without a deeper explanation, but that’s besides the point. Seeing the chunky scrolling content lineup and Kevin Spacey’s face rendered in 8-bit glory is worth a minute of your time, no matter the execution.
[Source: Slate]
Read More › The 35 best things to watch on Netflix right now
Mount Everest as Street View Trek
Sure, “Street View” might not be the best way to label a look at this kind of terrain, but all the same: Google has added some amazing, interactive imagery of the communities that surround Mount Everest, offering a glimpse at the way people live around the iconic landmark. That trailer above is absolutely stunning – and the Maps images aren’t half-bad, either.
[Source: Google Maps Treks via TechCrunch]
Read More › Google Maps gets Cardboard VR mode