TechCapsules

Apple continues to charge customers more than three times the cost of higher‑storage upgrades on the iPhone 18 Pro, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The price difference between the base model and the 1 TB variant is $600, while Apple’s estimated direct cost is $192. The company’s earnings report notes rising component costs squeezing margins, yet it maintains steep markups on storage and RAM. The WSJ’s figures suggest the practice persists despite higher supply expenses.

Microsoft released its XBOX Nano controller on November 4, 2026, retailing at $49.99. The ultra‑compact gamepad measures just over 5 inches and weighs 3.5 oz, making it ideal for mobile and cloud gaming. It retains the familiar button layout of standard XBOX controllers but omits rumble. Features include a rechargeable battery, an Action Button for screenshots and recordings, and wireless or Bluetooth connectivity. The Nano is compatible with XBOX Series X | S, XBOX One, Windows PCs, Android, iOS, smart TVs, and XBOX Cloud [...]

D‑Wave announced a major upgrade to its Stride hybrid solver, delivering markedly better solution quality and faster runtimes on optimization benchmarks. In traveling‑salesperson tests, the new solver achieved results within 0.02 % of optimal for up to 10,000 locations in just 15 seconds, surpassing the previous version’s 120‑second run by more than 200‑fold in closeness to optimum. The company also launched a three‑course Applied Quantum Optimization learning path to help developers apply the enhanced solver via its Leap cloud [...]

Leon Hurley, Managing Editor of GamesRadar’s guides section, oversees all tips and walkthroughs across PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch. He writes and plans guides with his team, focusing on horror, action‑adventure, FPS, and open‑world titles, and currently plays Silent Hill F, Dying Light The Beast, Outer Worlds 2, and Ghost of Yotei. Hurley began as a staff writer for Official PlayStation Magazine, rose to deputy editor, then website editor, before moving to Kotaku UK and finally GamesRadar. He also writes about game development and creates games in [...]

Sony will announce the full roster of titles exiting PS Plus Extra and Premium in December 2026, following its 12‑ and 24‑month departure cycle. The service’s next “Last Chance to Play” list is expected on December 15, with predictions that day‑one releases like Skate Story may leave. Current December 2024 additions still available include Rabbids: Party of Legends, Coffee Talk, and A Space for the Unbound, while 2025‑added games such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Wo Long: Fallen [...]

Macronix, a long‑time supplier of ROM memory for Nintendo’s Switch and Switch 2 cartridges, announced it will discontinue ROM production by the end of Q3 fiscal 2026. The company’s ROM segment now accounts for only 5 % of its business, down from 26 % a year earlier, and it is reallocating capacity to NOR flash and eMMC chips. Nintendo also sources ROM from Rohm, so the loss of a key partner tightens supply and could raise cartridge costs.

A hacker collective named Calif released a video on X showing a jailbreak that persists on an iPhone 18 Pro even with Apple’s Lockdown Mode enabled after installing iOS 27.2. The demonstration involved sending a PDF via AirDrop, navigating to Settings, dismissing a Lockdown warning, and completing the update while the jailbreak remained active. Apple had claimed a 100 % protection rate since 2022, but the exploit suggests vulnerabilities remain. Calif stated it was disclosing flaws to Apple and [...]

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, praised for its foldable design, falls short in camera performance, prompting criticism after three months of use. The device features dual 50 MP sensors but lacks a third lens, limiting zoom and causing framing issues, such as accidental finger inclusion. Users rely on secondary phones for higher‑quality shots, citing poor zoom beyond 2× and design constraints. Leaks suggest the upcoming Fold 9 will retain the same sensor specs, offering little hardware improvement. Samsung’s focus on [...]