Digital Trends Live: PlayStation 5 leak, Zuckerberg goes to Congress, and more

By Todd Werkhoven Updated April 25, 2023

On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Hanif Jackson dig into the biggest-trending tech topics of the day, including a leaked PlayStation 5 photo, Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to testify before Congress, Virginia’s snack-delivering drones, NASA’s inflatable habitats, an artificial skin phone case, and more.

Nibler then talks with Jordan Zietz of the All-Star eSports League, a gaming league that is built to serve as a feeder system for collegiate esports teams.

We’re then hands-on with a Google Pixel 4, where we take a look at the winning camera, and the not-so-winning battery life.

Gene Wang, co-founder and chief executive office of PowerPeople, joins the show to discuss Internet of Things smart home devices versus assisted living for the elderly.

Finally, Nibler sits down with Othniel Mbamalu, founder and CEO of Advanced Rockets Corporation, and talks about reusable rockets and the proliferation of space junk.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Todd Werkhoven's work can be read at numerous publications and he co-authored a personal finance book called "Zombie…

Gaming

Bungie lays off workers as it forms new PlayStation studio

A character in Destiny 2 glowing blue and holding a sword ready to throw it.

Bungie is making some drastic changes as it integrates more deeply into Sony and deals with the "rising costs of development and industry shifts," according to a Wednesday announcement.

The company announced that it's laying off 220 people -- roughly 17% of its workforce -- from every level of the company in what CEO Pete Parsons called a "difficult and painful day."

Gaming

PlayStation is testing adaptive controller charging in latest beta, but only for certain PS5s

The Playstation 5 system standing upright.

The latest PlayStation beta, announced Wednesday, will be introducing a bunch of in-progress features that better personalize your PlayStation 5 experience, including adaptive charging support for controllers — but only for the latest models.

Sony laid out the beta updates in a blog, but noted that adaptive charging, which will work on PS5-era controllers (although not the PlayStation Portal) and can adjust the power sent to them based on battery level, will only be available for the newest PS5 model, which is slimmer and has a larger internal SSD for more storage. Many newer phones have this feature so that the battery doesn't get overcharged and fried over time.

Gaming

PlayStation Plus’ July game catalog is absolutely stacked

Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth stand back to back in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.

PlayStation announced its PlayStation Plus catalog for July, and it's one of the most packed lineups we've seen in a while. It's not only a great mix of genres (including VR) but it features some well-known franchises as well as indies. They're all coming to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members on July 16.

Arguably, the two largest games are Remnant 2 and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. The former is a third-person Soulslike shooter (yes that combination is possible) with procedurally generated areas and quests. It's a direct sequel to the popular Remnant: From the Ashes, so if you're looking for more of its unique blend of gameplay elements, this might be a good pick. Unfortunately, this is the standard edition, so you won't get access to the The Awakened King DLC