iWorld
Cyber threats loom in Special Ops 2 trailer
MUMBAI: JioHotstar has plugged in with the trailer for Special Ops Season 2, signalling the electrifying return of Kay Kay Menon as the redoubtable R&AW officer Himmat Singh. This time, the stakes are not just high, they’re sky-high, as the series pivots to a perilous cyber front.
Created and directed by Neeraj Pandey, who also serves as a writer for the series, alongside Deepak Kingrani and Benazir Ali Fida, the show’s cinematography was handled by Sudheer Palsane, Arvind Singh, and Praveen Kathikuloth.
Under the keen eye of director Shivam Nair, the new season plunges audiences into a volatile geopolitical skirmish. Wars, it seems, are no longer confined to muddy battlegrounds but are now waged in the digital ether, with the enemy lurking in plain sight. Himmat and his crack squad face a silent, insidious war – one of coordinated cyber breaches that threaten to dismantle national stability without a whisper of warning or a single visible scar. It’s a battle for the very soul of the nation, folks.
A sterling ensemble cast, including Prakash Raj, Vinay Pathak, Karan Tacker, Saiyami Kher, Muzammil Ibrahim, Gautami Kapoor, Parmeet Sethi, and Kali Prasad Mukherjee, lend their considerable talents, adding layers of intensity to this high-octane narrative.
The Grand Hyatt Mumbai played host to the grand unveiling, where the full cast mingled with the press. JioStar CMO & head-SVOD Sushant Sreeram, offered a fascinating insight into the streaming giant’s greenlighting philosophy. Addressing the perennial question of audience attachment to characters, Mr Sreeram mused that on-screen personas transcend mere viewing figures, becoming integral to a process. He elaborated, rather pointedly, that audiences seek inspiration, hope, or solace in these journeys, finding reflections of ‘either what we are or what we want to be.’
While JioHotstar boasts a ‘repertoire’ of ‘best characters’, their true vibrancy, he noted, stems from the collective genius of ‘writing it, to directing it, to the people who actually portray the characters,’ not forgetting the ‘fantastic teams at JioStar’ who bring them to the screen. In essence, he argued, these on-screen figures are but echoes of ‘our close relationships’, promising both familiarity and ‘surprise and, you know, delight’ this season.
JioHotstar, not one to miss a beat, shared the trailer on Instagram with a pithy caption: “This time, everyone is a Target! Cyber-Terrorism vs. Himmat Singh and his squad. #HotstarSpecials #SpecialOps2, streaming from July 11, only on #JioHotstar”.
https://www.instagram.com/jiohotstar
With a fresh antagonist in Tahir Raj Bhasin, and a global scale matched by razor-sharp performances, Special Ops Season 2 is set for a thrilling 11 July drop. Brace yourselves, because this time, the battlefield is everywhere!
Gaming
Sony raises PS5 prices for second time in under a year
US disc edition jumps $100 to $649.99 as memory costs surge.
MUMBAI: Sony just hit the pause button on affordable gaming because when memory prices skyrocket, even the Playstation has to pay the premium. Sony has announced its second price increase for the Playstation 5 range in less than a year, citing pressures in the global economic landscape and a sharp rise in memory component costs driven by AI demand.
In the US, the PS5 disc edition will rise from $549.99 to $649.99, a $100 hike while the digital edition increases to $599.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro will jump $150 to $899.99. The Playstation Portal remote player will also rise by $50 to $249.99. The new prices take effect on 2 April 2026.
Similar increases have been applied in the UK (£90 per model), Europe and Japan. Sony last raised PS5 prices in the US in August 2025.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” Sony said in a blog post.
The hikes come amid an unprecedented surge in memory prices, as manufacturers prioritise supply for AI data centres. Analysts say Sony had likely secured price protections for components that have now expired, forcing the company to protect its hardware margins.
Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls told CNBC that further increases from Microsoft and Nintendo would not be surprising, though Nintendo may hesitate to raise the price of its recently launched Switch 2 while establishing the new platform.
The increases arrive eight months before the highly anticipated release of GTA 6, which is expected to drive strong console sales. However, early reactions online have been a mix of disappointment and resignation, with growing concern that premium gaming is increasingly becoming a hobby for higher-income players.
In a sector already grappling with tariffs, inflation and component shortages, Sony’s move underscores a tough reality: even the most popular consoles are not immune to the rising cost of keeping up with the latest technology.
