PS5 has reached another sales milestone in the UK – but it's not all good news

Sony has reached a new sales milestone with the PS5, but it’s probably not what you’re expecting. Despite a continued struggle with stock shortages, Sony’s new-gen console has overtaken the Nintendo 64 for lifetime sales in the UK. PS5’s now closing the gap on the Game Boy Advance, though, it’s still lagging behind the PS4.

According to GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring , the PS5 isn't the only console to overtake the lifetime sales of an older Nintendo console. The Xbox Series X |S overtook the GameCube “a few months back.” No exact sales figures were provided, though Dring believes that if console stock was more widely available “we'd be seeing some serious records breaking here.”

The last official figures we’ve received from Sony confirmed 17.3 million PS5 units had shipped worldwide , as of December 31, 2021. It’s a slower pace than the PS4, which sold three million more units in the same timeframe, though demand certainly isn’t lacking.

Thanks to the ongoing global semiconductor crisis , we’ve seen widespread hardware shortages across all areas of the industry following the Covid-19 pandemic, which has jointly affected Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and plenty more.

Back in February, Sony downgraded the PS5’s sales forecast during its third fiscal quarter earnings. At the time, Sony’s chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki provided a new forecast of two million PS5 units shipped between January and March 2022, a 1.3 million decrease from 2021. Totoki believed these shortages would last into next year but stated that the pandemic’s impact is otherwise disappearing.

In comparison, the Xbox Series X stock shortage may be finally over as we've seen more units hit digital and physical shelves in recent months. This is apparently due to an investment Microsoft made back in April last year to prioritize chip production at a number of factories. The increase in stock helped Xbox Series X|S outsell the PS5 in the UK for March .

Numbers aren't everything

As for the N64, we’ve still got a soft spot for Nintendo’s retro console decades later and on Switch, we’ve seen a recent resurgence. Back in October 2021, the Nintendo Switch Online service added N64 (and Sega Mega Drive) games as part of a new subscription plan, the Expansion Pack . Sure, the emulation hasn’t always been perfect , but we’ve seen improvements in recent updates.

The library of games began with an initial batch of classics like Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Since then, Nintendo’s added one game each month, recent additions including Paper Mario, Majora’s Mask, and F-Zero X. As confirmed earlier today, the Expansion Pack’s next title is the original Mario Golf , which arrives on April 15.

DJI sale slashes prices of its drones, but should you wait?

A major DJI sale has slashed the price on some of its biggest drones for two weeks, but only one of the deals offers the lowest-ever price for one of its flying cameras.

The DJI 'Spring Sale' , which is its global name despite it being fall in the southern hemisphere, is running from April 6 to April 20 and includes price cuts on the DJI Mavic 3 , DJI FPV and the older DJI Mavic Air 2 , along with its little cube-shaped DJI Action 2 camera.

The best deal is on its DJI FPV (First-Person View) drone in the US and UK, which is down to its lowest price of $999 / £899, a saving of 23% / 28% on its usual price. That beats the price we saw the drone fall to during Black Friday last year, and makes it a good buy for those who fancy dabbling in the dynamic, cinewhoop-style videos that FPV drones are capable of.

But while there are some decent savings on the other drones in DJI's sale, they don't all beat some of the prices we've seen recently at retailers. The DJI Mavic 3, for example, has been available for the DJI's sale price at Amazon (in the US) since April 1, and was actually even cheaper in the UK at £1,699.

Given recent rumors about the DJI Mini 3 , it's also a slight surprise to see that the DJI Mini 2 hasn't been given a discount. Instead, it's available in DJI's sales for its usual price, along with a free 'DJI exclusive badge set', which isn't a huge freebie.

Other products that have been given limited edition free gifts, rather than discounts, include the DJI Pocket 2 vlogging camera and DJI OM 5 smartphone gimbal. Buy these during the sale and you'll get a free 'DJI crossbody bag' for carrying accessories. While that could be handy, it is also only worth around $3 / £3.

Which is the best deal in DJI's drone sales?

If you're in the US or UK, the 23% / 28% price cut on the DJI FPV is the best deal of its 'Spring Sale'. It's a fine way to get into first-person view drones without some of the DIY tinkering that's traditionally involved, and it also shoots 4K/60p video.

That said, the DJI FPV is a more niche offering than its other models. If you need a more affordable flying camera right now, then the DJI Mavic Air 2 Fly More Combo offers good value at its current $789 / £759 / AU$1,499 price tag, although it's currently only in stock in the US.

Despite being almost two years old, the Mavic Air 2 is still riding high in our guide to the best drones and shoots 4K/60p video (albeit from a smaller sensor than our top choice, the DJI Air 2S).

If you aren't in a rush and don't need an FPV drone, though, we'd be inclined to wait and see what happens with the rumored DJI Mini 3 . That drone has been tipped to arrive within the next few weeks and could, based on the leaks so far, effectively be a much smaller version of the Mavic Air 2. There's also a chance that DJI's other drones could get discounts in the Amazon Prime Day deals , which are expected to start in July.

That said, all of the models in DJI's sale are strong options and are currently in our best drones guide, so we've rounded up our pick of the best drone deals below – and included links to cheaper offers from retailers, if they're available.

These wireless earbuds could actually replace your gaming headset

Gaming headsets are an essential bit of kit in any gamer's arsenal, but they can feel a little bulky during long sessions. Luckily, these new crowdfunded wireless earbuds from Genki could be the perfect solution for anyone that prefers the smaller form factor of a pair of in-ear headphones.

There are already lots of true wireless earbuds on the market for gamers to choose from, but the Genki Waveform Wireless Earbuds come with a special trick that could make them perfect for gaming: they're the first wireless earbuds that can play audio from two devices at the same time.

That means you could be playing a game on your PC and take a phone call through the earbuds, while still being able to hear your gameplay – or, you could sneakily listen to music from your smartphone while attending a boring Zoom meeting on your laptop.

As Genki points out on the earbuds' Kickstarter page, this DualStream feature could be particularly useful for Nintendo Switch players. To engage with voice chat on Switch games , you need to have a smartphone wirelessly tethered to the console via Wi-Fi using Nintendo’s Switch Online app. The Waveform Wireless Earbuds would allow you to connect to your smartphone and your Switch at the same time, and hear audio from both devices as you play your game.

The earbuds also come with aptX Adaptive for hi-res audio support, low latency to avoid lag between your games visual and audio output, and a 30-hour battery life. According to the company, 10mm dual hybrid drivers should deliver deep bass and a "rich soundstage without distortions", while noise cancellation means you should be able to block out some of the outside world as you game.

Are these earbuds as innovative as they seem?

While there are wireless earbuds that are capable of connecting to two devices simultaneously thanks to multipoint Bluetooth pairing, we aren't aware of any that can play audio from two separate devices at the same time, which makes the Waveform Wireless Earbuds a very exciting prospect.

Saying that, even the Genki earbuds aren't capable of natively delivering two Bluetooth streams simultaneously. For the DualStream feature to work, you'll need to connect the earbuds' charging case to one of your audio devices via a cable. Like the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 true wireless earbuds, this means the charging case acts as an audio retransmitter, and allows you to connect wirelessly to devices that may not even come with Bluetooth support.

That may not be quite as impressive as a pair of earbuds that can play audio from two devices without needing any kind of physical connection, but it should be easy enough to hook the charging case up to one of your devices, with AUX, USB-C, and Lightning connectivity supported.

The Genki buds are much cheaper than B&W's $399 / £349 / AU$599 PI7 earbuds, too. Early bird pledges for the Waveform Wireless Earbuds costs $199 (about £150 / AU$270), with delivery estimated for August 2022.

Before you rush to buy the Genki Waveform Wireless Earbuds, it's worth bearing in mind that they're part of a crowdfunding campaign – and that means there's no guarantee that they'll actually come to market. Still, Human Things – the company behind Genki – has a good track record when it comes to crowdfunding, having launched a number of products this way in the past.

Via Gizmodo