Sony is ending selling games on physical discs. It’s not alone. But it’s wild this happened during a week in which Sony also announced hundreds of digital films people had bought were to be removed from their libraries. But, hey, “trust us” with your ‘purchased’ digital-only games? Hmm. As I write on Stuff, I think this is all a terrible idea.

Tidal has demonetised AI music. Which is good. But it’s not enough. I wrote for Stuff about the AI music crackdown, but how only one major music service (not Tidal) is willing to fully protect human creativity and combat slop. (Also: to the person who bought my most recent album off the back of this piece – thank you! I really need to get out the new one that’s been bumbling along for years now…)

Apple gear just got more expensive. I explore whether Apple really needed to raise its prices and how to still secure a tech bargain (while avoiding costly mistakes).

StandBy makes idle iPhones useful. Find out how to get the most from it here.

16,000 games on Apple Watch? Sort of. Picpic brings Pico-8 to Apple’s wearable. 

Google wants the UK to ditch copyright rules for its AI. And other AIs. It’s the latest entry in “Wah! Waaaaaah! Our business model doesn’t work unless we can freely rip off all human creativity, ever, without compensating creators!” In the UK, this is especially bonkers, given that it remains illegal to rip a legally bought and owned CD to MP3 on your computer. But Google will likely convince the UK government that every creative endeavour should be available for it to remix and regurgitate, entirely for free.

One rule for the public – another for megacorps… Bah.

Meta has new $299 smart glasses. I don’t want them. But, as I wrote for Stuff, I’d happily try some AirPods Pro for my eyes.

Retroid released another retro doodad. It’s more or less the Retroid Pocket 6 (my current gaming fave) but optimised for 4:3 systems. Here’s my piece on this end-game 4:3 handheld.

I’m an AI sceptic but have used it. My piece for Stuff outlines how – and what I thought it was good for. (Spoiler: not much. And even when I had some success, I felt guilty with all the waste.)

The N64 turned 30. Yeah, I know. Sorry if you’re old enough to remember using one at the time. Drown your sorrows with my piece remembering the foggy fun it unleashed and six of the best N64 games.

Apple updated RAW. I wrote about what this means from a consumer standpoint for Amateur Photographer.

I appeared on the PhotoActive podcast alongside co-hosts Kirk McElhearn and Jeff Carlson. The subject? Apple’s AI shenanigans in iOS 27. Have a listen here.

Brexit turned 10. It’s still a shitshow. People wonder why. Advocates moan that ‘proper Brexit’ hasn’t happened. But the UK did leave the EU, and so the original mandate was discharged. It’s done. The problem is that although individual Brexiters knew what they were voting for, Leave was a coalition of entirely incompatible versions of Brexit, largely driven by entitlement and outright bullshit. That means it’s an impossibility that the entire Leave group can ever be satisfied.

I hope one day that the UK will be back in the EU or at least the single market. But I also hope we never again have another referendum that is so poorly considered in terms of its setup and the lack of consideration for the ramifications.

The EU is effectively killing periodical imports. It took aim at Temu. It hit magazines and comics, which will no longer be viable to send. I’m pro-EU – see above – but, good grief, this legislation is daft. (Friends in music also suggest this will basically end their physical exports to the EU.)

Apple hiked its prices this week. The Apple TV is now hilariously overpriced. Although it’s not funny that broader Apple tech – notably the entry-level iPad and the MacBook Neo – are now less accessible to the masses. Back in March, I wrote about how AI is eating the tech world and your favourite gadgets will be next. (An editor later changed the title. Tsk.) I got crap for this piece at the time, since it was framed around retro-gaming doodads. But now? It’s everything. No one can say they weren’t warned.

Speaking of warnings, PlayStation is deleting paid movies from people’s accounts. Play Has No Limits should be the new slogan. It’s not the first time Sony’s pulled this move either.

As ever, if digital content you’ve bought isn’t DRM-free and is locked to a single device or service, you don’t own it. You just paid for a long-term rental. Maybe think about your purchases accordingly.

I don’t support social media bans. The UK government announced one this week and the response has been broadly positive. But that’s because people see a THINK OF THE CHILDREN headline and then don’t think about the deeper issues. I wrote for Stuff about why these bans rarely work – and what should be done instead. 

Labour’s mulling a VPN ban too. Which will put the UK right alongside the most oppressive regimes in the world, while creating a nightmare for countless companies in the country.

Mac gaming’s future is bright. Mostly because it’ll soon be much easier to play Windows indie games on the platform. Read my piece about GameHub to find out how. (Bonus: Android users may find this piece interesting too.)

Stop using AI for making important decisions! That’s the core of two articles that went live this week, one on why you should be wary about using AI for purchasing decisions and one on why you should be very wary about using AI for health advice. 

Apple’s raising its prices. No one knows when nor which devices will be affected. It’s quite possible Tim Cook’s announcement is preparing the ground for iPhone price-hikes this autumn.

Honestly, I’m half surprised Apple hasn’t done this sooner. Plenty of other companies have already ramped up prices to deal with rapidly increasing costs related to storage and RAM. But Apple has historically not changed prices once goods are on sale. 

What I find interesting is there’s been a narrative building that Apple currently offers reasonable value regarding RAM and storage – perhaps for the first time. But, really, does it? I’m aware Apple’s implementation cannot be compared with typical RAM and SSDs on a like-for-like basis. But its pricing right now is still significantly higher than what you find elsewhere. 

I suspect when Cook called the increases “unavoidable” and the situation “unsustainable”, he’s really talking with regard to Apple’s profits. Apple could choose not to increase its prices, but it won’t – and its own AI efforts are further fuelling the problem. 

What will be interesting is whether Apple’s prices will follow suit should RAM and storage prices rapidly fall at some point. If not, Cook is full of it.

Nu-Commodore announced a phone. It’s an odd one – seemingly a phone designed specifically to satisfy the wish-list of Commodore’s current CEO. The idea is it supports most Android apps and has a great camera, but reportedly blocks social media at a system level, along with by default removing various other elements that can be time sinks.

But it’s full of contradictions, such as claiming to be great for privacy yet preinstalling WhatsApp, claiming mobile games are addictive and yet preinstalling C64 games, and marketing itself with a slew of GenAI despite Commodore’s promise being to counter the shitshow that can be modern tech.

Pushback has been severe in some circles – even those that support Commodore’s comeback. Commodore’s response was defensive and whiny. It’ll be interesting to see how well the phone sells.

Lego made a pinball table. I’m in two minds about this one. I love pinball and the kit seems very clever. But I fear that, once complete, it will get old very quickly and not look especially amazing on display.

A touchscreen Mac might be on the way. I write for Stuff about why it would be a bigger risk for Apple than you’d think.

We know how iPhone Fold apps will work. Probably. Basically, Apple has finally decided iPhone apps can be responsive and adjust to fit a viewport. Yay, I guess. Although that surely means iPad apps on the iPhone Fold aren’t happening.

Screen Time is getting an upgrade. Which is probably just as well, because it’s full of problems. As a parent who uses Screen Time for my kid and myself, I like the look of some of the new features, not least scheduling.

WWDC happened. It had the weirdest keynote I’ve ever seen from Apple. No slides full of new operating system features. It was basically: Liquid Glass now sucks less; FASTER FASTER FASTER; we remembered Screen Time exists; AI AI AI AI. Anyway, here’s one piece on what I wanted and what we got and another on 8 things we learned at WWDC.

Apple Intelligence is somehow now ‘goodbad’. For Amateur Photographer, I argue that, despite some smart new features in iOS 27, Apple’s about to take a dangerous step towards fake photography. And over at TapSmart, I explain why Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 is a big leap forward and a mess of contradictions.

The World Cup has kicked off. As did Team Stuff when deciding which footie games should feature in the list. Here’s the top 30. And, no, the league leader is never going to shift.

Sayyyy-GAHHHH! The new Crazy Taxi game looks pretty great. Inevitably, though, Sega used generative AI during development. So, uh, CrazAI Taxi? But Sega then clarified that it was only for background assets. And then Sega clarified the clarification, claiming “everything in the final product is going to be original”. Good grief.

Judge Dredd’s creator is getting an MBE. John Wagner is on the 2026 list, which, given his anti-authority leanings, he probably thinks is pretty funny. Anyway, nice to see British comics – and especially Wagner – being recognised. Now the Americans need to do the same and get him in the Eisner Hall of Fame.

I’m still running iOS 18. Would I recommend doing so? Probably not. But I still find iOS 26 borderline unusable. I write for Stuff about how I hope WWDC 2026 will bring better news in the shape of iOS 27.

The men’s football World Cup is almost here. Think you can do better than your team? Prove your skills with these iPhone football games.

Ruark gear is lovely. I have a bunch of it in my home. The British company has just released some new kit, which is spendy but gorgeous. My piece for Stuff has the lowdown.

Halide Mark III is here. This iPhone camera app is opinionated and beautiful – and one of several I keep on my iPhone. I’ve updated my best iOS apps roundup with info about the new release. You can also find out more about Halide Mark III here – and how to gain quick access to multiple iPhone camera apps and editors by reading my tutorial on the Action button for Amateur Photographer.

Marjane Satrapi has passed away. Tragically, she’s said to have died of a broken heart at just 56. The NYT piece is worth reading. As is Satrapi’s Persepolis, if you don’t own a copy.

Squid Bits! In happier news, Jess Bradley’s superb Squid Bits finally has a collected edition. Buy one for your kid(s) – and yourself. It’s really fun.