Hi, everyone. If you live in the southern half of Australia, a frosty front is preparing to sweep right across the lower states. So grab a blanket, make a coffee and settle in with five things you should know about in tech this morning.
1. New Webb Telescope images of Jupiter
The Webb Space Telescope is capturing Jupiter as it’s never been seen before. The gas giant is glowing in the latest batch of Webb images, which show bright auroras at its north and south poles, huge storms that have been raging for centuries, extremely faint rings and two of the planet’s 79 known moons. Jupiter is always a stunner.
2. Senate to discuss the Electric Car Discount Bill
The Senate Economics Committee is today holding its first public hearing regarding the Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) Bill 2022 [Provisions]. Central to this Bill is changes to the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 Bill. The specific amendment? Making electric cars, hydrogen cars and plug-in hybrids below the luxury car tax threshold exempt from the fringe benefits tax. This is the new government’s first step in making EVs cheaper, even if only marginally so for some people.
3. Google is finally fixing that Google TV lag
If your Chromecast with Google TV has been feeling sluggish on startup lately, there’s good news on the horizon. Google has made a flurry of “under the hood” changes to Google TV to help it feel faster and more responsive. The changes are relatively minor, like dialling down the memory requirement for certain interface elements and improving overall cache management. But you’ll have to check your Google TV dongle or device to see if anything has rolled out to it yet.
4. PlayStation VR2 is on its way
Back in February, Sony gave us our first look at the PlayStation VR2 along with more detailed shots of the Sense 2 controllers. The headset, first announced in January, looks similar to the previous model but adds some noteworthy enhancements, including a lens adjustment dial and a new vent design. This morning, we were given a reason to get excited. The PlayStation VR2 is coming to Australia early next year.
Coming early 2023. #PSVR2 pic.twitter.com/QXwhs79p9O
— PlayStation Australia (@PlayStationAU) August 22, 2022
5. Saints Row disappoints
Staying at the gaming end of tech, reviews dropped for Saints Row overnight, and things are looking grim indeed. With scores ranging from middling to the downright poor, critics are complaining of dated design, game-breaking bugs, ugly visuals, irritating characters and a sense that developer Volition doesn’t actually understand what the word ‘reboot’ means. Check out Kotaku Australia’s review for more.
BONUS ITEM: We had a day off from prime minister-related content for the bonus item, but we’re back. We had to. Anthony Albanese sculled a beer. #straya.
Albo getting cheers (and peer pressure to skull his beer) at Gang of Youths pic.twitter.com/5h5ETHglsA
— Tahlia Pritchard (@Tahls) August 22, 2022
Stay warm, folks.