Technology

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As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to balk at choice; don’t get me wrong, I like to have a few drinks to choose from at a bar or be able to decide how I like my steak cooked. But increasingly, there’s almost too much choice in this world. Heck, just choosing what to watch is a quagmire of streaming platforms to pick, let alone selecting a show or movie.

However, the choice I hate most is the need to choose between performance or graphics on the current-generation gaming consoles. This is really a more recent phenomenon in console gaming, ushered in by the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X that arrived mid-way through the last generation, and one that I think diminished the joy at the heart of console gaming.

This dichotomy of choice was hammered home with some time I got to spend with the PS5 Pro.

PS5 Pro cut my gaming woe

(Image credit: Future)

As someone lucky enough to have a PS5 at launch, I’ve not fully bought into this mid-generation refresh.

I appreciate the extra power, storage, and design tweaks the console offers but I don’t think it offered enough for me to consider an upgrade; the uptick in graphics fidelity on already great-looking PS5 games feels like a case study in diminishing returns. And super-high frame rates don’t matter to me all that much on consoles; it's nice to have but when I’m flopped on a sofa, I don’t need to have the snappiest gaming response.

Where the PS5 Pro did shine for me was the fact that in a lot of titles, it - and the magic of Sony's PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) tech - let me have both a 60 frames per second (fps) frame rate and the best graphics settings. Or in the case of Horizon Forbidden West a sensible hybrid of the two that balanced performance with fidelity.

When looking at The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, I could simply pick the PS5 Pro mode and get to playing. Outside of professional tech journalist curiosity, there was no need for me to flirt with the other graphics modes. This was great as it nixed the need to try different modes and agonize over which is best – I hate losing out on a graphical showcase but then some games really do need a smooth 60fps to feel playable; I'm looking at you Elden Ring.

Ultimately, with console gaming I just want to play a game in the fashion the developer intended it – if that means 30fps but with ray-traced lighting so be it, if it means 60fps with some fuzzy shadows, I’m equally happy. I don’t want to choose, I just want to play; tweaking and fine-tuning graphics is best left for PC gaming, which I feel is a wholly different experience.

Crushing choice paralysis

(Image credit: Future)

With my PS5, and indeed my Xbox Series X, each time I try a new game, I spend a good bit of time not immersing myself in the action but trying to decide which graphics mode was best, squinting hard at my LG C1 OLED – LG C-series OLEDs make some of best gaming TVs so check them out – to try and see whether a drop in model texture or slight lighting changes was worth halving my frame rate.

The PS5 Pro acted as a medium to remove this choice. I could simply turn on the console and get to gaming, without all the graphics mode shenanigans; that’s the way console gaming should be.

But the downside to all of this is it’s got me thinking that the PS5 Pro should have been the PlayStation Sony released in the first place.

Make console generations great again

(Image credit: Future)

Now that might seem like an absurd comment as it would mean basically waiting an extra four years for a new PlayStation and extending the life of the PS4 past the decade mark. But given the PS5 launched amid the COVID-19 pandemic and all that came with it in terms of console shortages and game development being disrupted, I’d argue that we could have waited longer for a new console generation.

Furthermore, I’m keen to see new consoles that offer a real generational leap, something I feel the PS5 and Xbox Series X didn’t quite provide. I love the loading speeds of SSD storage and some of the things the DualSense controller can do are great.

Yet, I’ve not really seen many games that have felt truly next-gen, not just in terms of visual clout but also smart systems. And I feel this was crystallized with the number of games that launched as cross-generation titles in the first two years of this console generation.

True 4K 60fps gaming still feels like a stretch for this console generation - especially natively - and understandably so given the sheer pixel-pushing demands of 4K. It’s only with the PS5 Pro and advanced upscaling techniques that we can get close to that console gaming nirvana.

My solution to this is one that happened with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation, especially with the latter. That generation lasted eight years, offering a big jump in graphics and capabilities from the previous generation and a move towards Full HD gaming. At the time this was seen as a long generation, with no mid-gen ‘Pro’ models. What we got, as a result, was developers really pushing the machines to their limit in a fashion that felt rather exciting at the time.

(Image credit: emodpk/Shutterstock)

Case in point, 2012’s Halo 4 looked almost like a new-generation game on the Xbox 360, with it really pushing what the console could do at the end of its life.

The PS3, the younger machine of that generation, was also pushed to the max by the time The Last of Us arrived in June 2013, a mere handful of months before the PS4 was revealed. Naughty Dog’s pivot into a post-apocalyptic setting looked, and still looks, great on the PS3 and really showcased what developers could do as their knowledge of the console architecture matured.

Now I feel we’re in a situation where mid-gen refreshes somewhat stymie the idea and ambition of pushing hardware to the max, and also make the leap to another generation feel less impactful; for a gamer of my vintage, this feels underwhelming.

My hope is that this current console generation won’t come to a close until we have the hardware to really bring in a big jump in visual fidelity and performance at a palatable price. And if that means pushing the PS5 and PS5 Pro until their fans sound like a jet engine, so be it.

Of course, (glances sideways) that’s not going to stop us from speculating on what we’d like to see from the PS6…

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If you do your makeup on the go, this portable lighted makeup mirror makes a fantastic base station.

• High-power lasers and ethanol create scrambled holograms to encrypt data
• AI was trained to decrypt the data with 90-95% accuracy
• The optical encryption tech won't hit the market soon as some shortcomings inhibit its practicality

A team of Greek scientists has developed an optical encryption system that could potentially render traditional hacking methods obsolete.

In a research paper published by Optica, the researchers behind the system revealed it combines artificial intelligence (AI) and laser-generated holograms to provide high-level data protection that could be virtually impossible to crack.

Unlike traditional encryption methods, which rely on mathematical algorithms, this optical approach uses the physical properties of light, making it resistant to attacks from even the most advanced computers, including quantum machines.

How it works: scrambling light for security

“From rapidly evolving digital currencies to governance, healthcare, communications and social networks, the demand for robust protection systems to combat digital fraud continues to grow,” said research team leader Stelios Tzortzakis, from the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas and the University of Crete.

To this end, the team's optical encryption system relies on the chaotic pattern produced when a high-power laser interacts with a small container of ethanol due to scrambled light beams. This process, enhanced by thermal turbulence within the liquid, ensures that the original information is hidden beyond recognition, making it nearly impossible to decode using conventional methods.

For a way to retrieve the encrypted data, the researchers turned to AI. By training a neural network to recognize and decode the scrambled holograms, they achieved a 90-95% accuracy rate in retrieving the original images.

"We came up with the idea of training neural networks to recognize the incredibly fine details of the scrambled light patterns," Tzortzakis continued.

"By creating billions of complex connections, or synapses, within the neural networks, we were able to reconstruct the original light beam shapes. This meant we had a way to create the decryption key that was specific for each encryption system configuration.”

“The method we developed is highly reliable even in harsh and unpredictable conditions, addressing real-world challenges like tough weather that often limit the performance of free-space optical systems."

Finally, he said that "[the team's] new system achieves an exceptional level of encryption by utilizing a neural network to generate the decryption key, which can only be created by the owner of the encryption system.”

The team has tested the system by encoding and decoding thousands of images, including of animals, tools, everyday objects, and handwritten digits. However. the technology isn't quite ready for commercialization, as the current laser system used in the encryption process is bulky and expensive, thereby limiting its practicality and affordability.

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, February 8 (game #608).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #609) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SUPER
• BOWL
• PARTY
• PERSON
• JUMBO
• TRON
• ALIEN
• MONSTER
• DUNE
• SPOON
• GIANT
• CHARACTER
• INDIVIDUAL
• POT
• AVATAR
• LADLE

NYT Connections today (game #609) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Very large
• GREEN: Broth essentials
• BLUE: independent human 
• PURPLE: Big screen titles

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #609) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: MASSIVE 
• GREEN: USED WHEN SERVING SOUP 
• BLUE: SOMEBODY 
• PURPLE: SCI-FI FRANCHISES 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #609) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #609, are…

• YELLOW: MASSIVE GIANT, JUMBO, MONSTER, SUPER
• GREEN: USED WHEN SERVING SOUP BOWL, LADLE, POT, SPOON
• BLUE: SOMEBODY CHARACTER, INDIVIDUAL, PARTY, PERSON
• PURPLE: SCI-FI FRANCHISES ALIEN, AVATAR, DUNE, TRON

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Inevitably, the NYT put some timely misdirection into today's game, including SUPER BOWL PARTY as the first three words in the initial grid. But was there a Super Bowl-themed group? No, there was not. That would be far too simple.

As it happens, I whizzed through today’s puzzle anyway, and was shocked to get the purple group first, thinking initially that the four SCI-FI FRANCHISES must be some kind of cunning trap. Not entirely sure you can call TRON a franchise, but I’ll set that debate aside.

For MASSIVE, I thought I was looking for description of the enormous screens they have at some NFL arenas – like the whopping 50-yard wide JUMBO at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.

Thank you, Connections, for making me feel clever.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 8 February, game #608)

• YELLOW: INFO ON A BASEBALL CARD BIO, PLAYER, STAT, TEAM
• GREEN: SCRUNCH, AS FABRIC BUNCH, GATHER, PUCKER, RUFFLE
• BLUE: TIME ADVERBS LATER, NOW, SOON, THEN
• PURPLE: — FOOD FAST, FINGER, JUNK, SOUL

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, February 8 (game #342).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #343) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… We are the champions!

NYT Strands today (game #343) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• PORT
• SPORT
• BOOM
• SACK
• PURSE
• WOOL

NYT Strands today (game #343) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• The final game

NYT Strands today (game #343) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #343) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #343, are…

• PARTY
• TROPHY
• TACKLES
• TOUCHDOWNS
• COMMERCIALS
• SPANGRAM: SUPERBOWL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

The world will be watching when Super Bowl 59 kicks off in New Orleans on Sunday, and unlike any other sporting event on the planet a large proportion of those watching will be tuning in for the half-time show. Or to count the multiple shots of Taylor Swift in the stands (the most dangerous drinking game of the Super Bowl is to take a drink every time the cameras pan in her direction).

Away from the pitch the most incredible element to those outside the US is the commercials and the money spent to secure a coveted spot, making it the pinnacle of the advertising calendar as well as the sporting one.

It’s not hard to see why companies pay so much. 30 years on and I still think of frogs whenever I see a can of Budweiser.

Also, tangent, spangrams that end in the middle of the puzzle — not a fan.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 8 February, game #342)

• WORKING
• HOUNDS
• HERDING
• TOYS
• TERRIERS
• SPORTING
• SPANGRAM: DOG GROUP

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, February 8 (game #1111).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1112) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1112) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1112) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1112) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2+2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1112) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• S

• T

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1112) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1112, are…

• TAPIR
• SHAKE
• TOKEN
• SEVEN

A day where everything clicked for me today and the words unfolded into each other very nicely – SEVEN giving me the green “EN” for TOKEN which revealed the “K” in SHAKE.

As for TAPIR – it took me a while to wrestle in from my noggin, but there aren’t that many words that end in “IR”, a beast as rare as its name.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1112) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1112, are…

• ELATE
• BIDDY
• ASSET
• EMCEE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1111, Saturday 8 February: AFOOT, ALIKE, HUMUS, TOWEL
• Quordle #1110, Friday 7 February: PETAL, ABASE, AMONG, CORER
• Quordle #1109, Thursday 6 February: MADAM, SCAMP, FAUNA, TRACK
• Quordle #1108, Wednesday 5 February: SIXTH, VERVE, BLURB, CACTI
• Quordle #1107, Tuesday 4 February: BIRTH, DRAWN, MILKY, JOIST
• Quordle #1106, Monday 3 February: SLEET, TENSE, SEIZE, SCAMP
• Quordle #1105, Sunday 2 February: LOUSY, PENNE, CHUMP, SALVE
• Quordle #1104, Saturday 1 February: FACET, BLISS, FLUFF, FRANK
• Quordle #1103, Friday 31 January: PARER, SYNOD, BRAWN, BANJO
• Quordle #1102, Thursday 30 January: WEEDY, CHIRP, STALE, SUGAR
• Quordle #1101, Wednesday 29 January: CROWN, SCENE, AGILE, CRANK
• Quordle #1100, Tuesday 28 January: TOKEN, DAISY, INANE, PLIED
• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1097, Saturday 25 January: GIVER, GROOM, GUSTO, MAKER
• Quordle #1096, Friday 24 January: GRIND, STOCK, SERVE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN

HIV research programs have been halted, and many treatment clinics are still closed, despite a waiver for “life-saving” humanitarian aid.

• PlayStation Network has been down for just over 12 hours
• While the outage appeared to settle after an initial spike, it has worsened again in the last few hours
• We don't yet have an official cause or ETA for when PSN will get back to normal

Editor's note: We've now launched a PlayStation Network outage live blog to bring you updates on the problems.

The PlayStation Network has been down for just over 12 hours at this point, in what appears to be a major outage, and one that’s still very much ongoing, sadly.

Based on reports from Downdetector there was a huge spike of complaints initially, peaking at over 14,000 reports, and that appeared to settle down somewhat – notably without being completely resolved – before another smaller peak has been hit, and sustained, over the last few hours.

Those wanting to grab a weekend session of Call of Duty on PlayStation, or whatever their preferred online poison, may find that tricky right now.

Some users are telling us that they are successfully getting onto PSN, but there are plenty of other reports on X from gamers who can’t log in – and the official status looks, shall we say, shaky.

An unfortunate array of red lights

According to the PlayStation North American support account on X, “some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN,” but there are no further details given, or any idea of an ETA for a fix here.

We are aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN.For more details: https://t.co/NJX2xGusZMFebruary 8, 2025

That post on X just points to the PlayStation Network service status dashboard, which currently displays a rather worrying array of red lights.

There are reported sign-in issues for PSN, and we’re advised: “You might have difficulty signing in or creating an account for PlayStation Network. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.”

The red flag in the ‘Gaming and social’ part of the dashboard notes: “You might have difficulty launching games, apps or network features.” Again, a resolution is promised ASAP, but as you’re probably aware, these are boilerplate messages. It’s not like Sony wouldn’t be working to fix this quickly, is it?

For now, though, we remain rather in the dark at to any causes, but given that the red lights extend beyond PSN gaming and log ins, to also encompass the PlayStation Store, as well as PlayStation Video and Direct, this is looking like it might be a thorny one. Particularly given the prolonged nature of the outage so far.

We’ll keep a close eye on the situation and update this story if we hear anything more concrete from PlayStation support. But about all gamers can do right now is keep their fingers firmly crossed that this doesn’t turn out to be as complex as some of the indicators here are suggesting – and just keep trying to log in.

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