You can now upgrade your PS5's SSD, if you meet all the criteria

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It's Friday, July 30, 2021.

Yes, you can finally upgrade your SSD storage on the PS5 — a console that already demands pretty huge game file sizes. It’s a whole lot more complicated than plugging in a USB drive, however. First up, you have to be a PS5 beta user in the US, Canada and parts of Europe. Then, you need a PCIe Gen4 SSD for read speeds of 5,500MB/s or higher — there are options from Samsung, Western Digital and Seagate.

But that’s not the end of things. Sony notes in its guide to SSD upgrades that you also need to factor in the PS5's cooling mechanism. This means you might have to add a heatsink to your SSD or choose a compatible SSD with the cooling structure built-in.

Sony PlayStation 5 with Xbox consoles in background

Oh, it has to be the right-sized heatsink, too. And Sony suggests doing the whole installation in a well lit room, flashlight “optional.” It literally says that.

Did you buy a next-gen console so you didn’t have to think too much about these kinds of things? Well, sorry. It’s time to measure a heatsink. The feature will roll out to non-beta PS5 users later this year.

(TLDR: The Western Digital Black SN850 heatsink model should work if you want to upgrade your PS5 storage.)

— Mat Smith

Intel NUC 11 PC Extreme review

A tiny gaming desktop you may actually want.

Intel NUC 11 Extreme mini gaming desktop

Intel’s very own desktop PC series gets a little more compelling. The new NUC 11 Extreme, AKA Beast Canyon, is a lot like last year’s NUC 9 Extreme. But it's a bit cheaper and more flexible, thanks to its faster 11th-gen Intel CPU and support for full-sized GPUs. It’s bigger, yes, but that ability to work around full-sized GPUs makes it a genuine, if expensive, gaming PC desktop option. Devindra Hardawar puts it through its paces. Continue reading.

Cat simulator 'Stray' heads to PlayStation and PC in early 2022

Watch the first gameplay trailer.

Finally, a game you play as a cat. After being teased in 2020, we finally get to see the game in action — and news it will arrive next year. Gameplay involves using physical abilities as a cat to navigate the environment and solve puzzles. You can also scratch furniture. Continue reading.

Nothing’s Ear 1 wireless earbuds are an ambitious start

And a tribute to tech design of the past.

Nothing’s long-teased launch product is almost here. Its transparent-cased wireless earbuds look cool, ring in at $100 and, perhaps a little surprisingly, sound pretty good. The Ear 1s are a little temperamental with connectivity — and pricier headphones sound better — but Nothing has delivered some stylish buds that will come to the US next month. Mat Smith tests them out. Continue reading.

'Black Widow' star Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over streaming strategy

The simultaneous release will reportedly cost Johansson over $50 million.

Scarlett Johansson in Marvel movie 'Black Widow'

Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the company's decision to release the movie in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously. Johansson claims this was a breach of contract. In the suit, Johansson says Black Widow was supposed to be released exclusively in theaters, per her deal with Marvel. A large portion of Johansson's salary was tied to its box office success.

The move to launch the film on Disney+ may have impacted Black Widow's performance in theaters. According to Variety, it’s on track to become one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies to date, based on box office sales. Continue reading.