ISSUE #003 · 5 SEPTEMBER 2026
This Week on Tech Torque Media
Welcome to Issue #003 of This Week on Tech Torque Media, our weekly selection of the stories worth catching up on. This week brought the full reveal of the Range Rover Electric, a sharp rise in UK EV registrations, hands-on impressions from the Modern Warfare 4 beta, a major change to Xbox Cloud Gaming, another Netflix price rise and a packed week of motorsport from Milwaukee to Monza.
Rather than repeat everything published across the site, each Saturday we pick the strongest stories from the week and bring them together in one place — with one standalone Editor’s Pick for the piece we think deserves a little extra attention.
EV & Technology
Range Rover Electric Finally Revealed With 372-Mile Range and 350kW Charging
The first Range Rover Electric has now been fully revealed, promising up to 372 miles of WLTP range, 350kW rapid charging and production at JLR’s Solihull plant.
Why it matters: This is one of the most significant British-built luxury EV launches yet, combining long-distance range and very rapid charging with one of the industry’s most recognisable premium nameplates.
UK Electric Car Sales Jump 30% as EVs Lead the August Market
UK battery-electric car registrations jumped by around 30% year-on-year in August, taking roughly 30% of the new-car market as EVs became the month’s leading powertrain.
Why it matters: New-model launches only tell part of the story. Registration data gives a much clearer indication of how quickly electric cars are moving into the mainstream UK market.
Gaming
Modern Warfare 4 Beta Is Over — What Worked and What Infinity Ward Still Needs to Fix
With the beta now finished, we looked back at Ben Oliver’s hands-on time across Multiplayer and Warzone to assess what worked and where Infinity Ward still has work to do before launch.
Why it matters: Betas are most useful when they reveal how a game actually feels to play. Our hands-on testing gives us a much stronger basis for judging what needs refinement than trailers or marketing material alone.
Xbox Cloud Gaming Will Add Monthly Hour Limits in November — What It Means for Game Pass
Xbox Cloud Gaming is moving to monthly playtime limits from November, with 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium and five for Essential, while extra hours will be available to buy.
Why it matters: Cloud gaming has become an increasingly important part of the Xbox ecosystem, so putting a meter on monthly usage changes the value calculation for players who rely on streaming regularly.
Special Gaming Feature
How Xzem Built a 39K Brawl Stars Community — and Why Creators Matter More Than Ever to Supercell
This week we also featured Xzem, whose Brawl Stars community has grown to 39.1K followers on TikTok. The feature explores his Supercell Trusted Creator status, community growth and ambitions beyond 100K followers.
Why it matters: Gaming coverage is not only about games, hardware and platform announcements. Creators increasingly shape the communities around major live-service titles, and Xzem’s growth offers a real-world example of how that relationship is evolving.
Home Entertainment
Netflix UK Price Rise: Cheapest Plan Jumps 33% to £7.99 a Month
Netflix has increased all three UK subscription prices, with Standard with Adverts rising to £7.99, Standard to £13.99 and Premium to £20.99 a month.
Why it matters: Streaming subscriptions are becoming harder to treat as low-cost extras. Another across-the-board Netflix rise puts household value and service rotation firmly back in the spotlight.
Motorsport
Pato O’Ward Completes Extraordinary Milwaukee Double as Alex Palou Clinches Fifth IndyCar Title
Rain turned the Milwaukee weekend upside down, leaving Pato O’Ward to win two IndyCar races on the same Sunday while Alex Palou secured his fifth championship.
Why it matters: It was an extraordinary conclusion to a disrupted race weekend, combining one of the season’s most unusual scheduling stories with another major milestone in Palou’s IndyCar career.
Russell Tops FP2 as Ferrari and Mercedes Trade Blows at Monza
Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in FP1 before George Russell put Mercedes on top in FP2, leaving the Italian Grand Prix finely balanced heading into qualifying.
Why it matters: Monza’s opening day offered no obvious runaway favourite. Ferrari and Mercedes both showed genuine pace, with McLaren still close enough to keep the competitive picture open.
Editor’s Pick
Nearly 25 Years With Xbox: Why I’ve Stayed Through Every Generation
Ben Oliver looks back across nearly a quarter of a century with Xbox, from the original console and Xbox Live through the 360 era, Kinect, Game Pass and Series X.
Why we picked it: News moves quickly, but original perspective is what gives a publication its identity. This is a genuinely first-person Tech Torque Media feature built around years of ownership, gaming memories and experience across every Xbox generation.
Coming Next Week
We’ll continue our Italian Grand Prix coverage through the weekend and into the post-race analysis, while the weekday Reporter Desks return with fresh EV & Technology, Gaming and Home Entertainment coverage. We’ll also follow up the stories from this week where new developments make an update worthwhile.
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