Stop whatever you are doing right now, a new trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 has literally just arrived.
Developed by Rockstar Games, GTA 6 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of all time. The studio confirmed last week that the game will launch on May 26, 2026 - a delay on its previously announced 2025 release window.
"Grand Theft Auto 6 is now set to release on May 26, 2026," a statement released by the company read. "We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game."
It also provided a reason for the decision, stating that "With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve."
This latest trailer came out of the blue, and is presumably an attempt to help maintain all that hype now that we know the game is some time away.
You can watch it for yourself below, plus follow along for all the latest updates and my own analysis as it comes in.
Watch GTA 6 trailer 2 When does GTA 6 release?Last week, Rockstar Games confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 will release on May 26, 2026.
What platforms will GTA 6 be on?This latest trailer reaffirms the fact that Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
A new trailer is here! (Image credit: Rockstar)This is not a drill - the latest trailer for GTA 6 has arrived. It gives us an extended look at the upcoming open world game with loads of stunning in-engine footage.
Join me as I provide you with a steady stream of the latest updates surrounding this trailer drop, plus throw in some of my own analysis to explain some of the most interesting things that it shows.
The video's descriptions reveals details (Image credit: Rockstar Games)The description of the new trailer provides some interesting insight, namely through a shot plot summary that gives you a rough idea of what to expect from the story this time around.
"Vice City, USA," it reads. "Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."
This, alongside dialogue in the trailer, finally confirms that the name of Lucia's partner is indeed Jason, something that has been rumored for some time.
The Rockstar website is downUnsurprisingly, it seems that the Rockstar Games website is experiencing heavy traffic right now. It appears to be down, which is pretty frustrating as it was just updated with lots of juicy GTA 6 info.
Luckily, we managed to collect most of it before the website crashed - so hang tight for the details!
Our two 'heroes' revealed (Image credit: Rockstar Games)So, on to what we can glean from the Rockstar website. One of the first things on the page is an introduction to our two protagonists - Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.
Jason is described as an ex army soldier working for a local drug cartel. Meeting Lucia, his lover, "could be the best or worst thing to ever happen to him." It seems safe to assume that their relationship is going to be a central part of the game's story.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)As for Lucia, it seems like she's going to be a bit of a loose cannon. "Lucia's father taught her to fight as soon as she could walk," the site reads. She apparently just got out of prison and doesn't seem keen to return.
She's dreaming of a good life for her mother who, interestingly, hails from Liberty City - another prominent location in the Grand Theft Auto series.
The website says that she is "committed to her plan - no matter what it takes." What could this plan be? Presumably some kind of criminal enterprise. We'll just have to wait and see...
The game looks amazing on PS5 (Image credit: Rockstar Games)Here's one little thing you might have missed.
The new GTA 6 trailer ends with confirmation that it was "captured on PS5." Although the majority of the scenes shown look like in-game cutscenes, it seems safe to assume that they are rendered in engine given the presence of this text.
This is great news, as it suggests that the final game will have a similar level of graphical fidelity to this trailer. Given just how incredibly life-like the entire trailer looks, we might soon have one of the best looking games of all time on our hands.
Do I see a PS5? (Image credit: Rockstar Games)This trailer may have been captured on PS5, but that apparently hasn't stopped Rockstar Games from poking some fun at Sony's platform.
What appears to be a PS5 parody console is visible in one of the trailer's interior shots. Don't quote me on this, but I do actually quite like the look - maybe a bit more so than the real life PS5 Slim.
Love the song in the trailer?One of the things I like most about the trailer is its music, the 1986 song Hot Together from the album of the same name by the Pointer Sisters.
It doesn't take much imagination to figure out why this particular song was chosen - with the lyrics "we could be so hot together" presumably meant to reflect to the partnership between Jason and Lucia.
You don't need to whip out Shazam if you want to hear the full song, as I've found it on YouTube above.
Side characters detailed (Image credit: Rockstar Games)The official website now also tells us about some of the side characters that we can expect to encounter in the game.
First up is Cal Hampton, a conspiracy theorist friend of Jason. From his description, it sounds like his laziness is going to be something of a contrast to Jason's own ambition.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)We've also got Boobie Ike (yes that is really his name). He's apparently a prominent figure in Vice City, owning real estate, a strip club, and a recording studio.
He is working in partnership with a "young aspiring music mogul" named Dre'Quan in a ventured called Only Raw Records. The duo are seemingly searching for the next big hit, which might prove an important plot thread in the full game.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)And now a little more on Dre'Quan Priest.
A drug dealer turns music producer, Dre'Quan is moving up in Vice City. He's just signed the Real Dimez, two young rappers that are massive on social media and could be his ticked to mainstream success.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)The Real Dimez, Bae-Luxe and Roxy, are two long-time friends on the rise once again five years after their early hit single with a local rapper called DWNPLY.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)The website also introduces us to Raul Bautista. An experienced bank robber, he is searching for new talent for some fresh bank jobs.
Raul could very well be part of the "plan" mentioned in Lucia's description. Will the story feature the pair robbing banks across Vice City for easy cash? It definitely seems likely, especially given the handful of shots showing what appears to be various robberies in the trailer.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)The final character detailed on the website is Brian Heder, a "classic drug runner from the golden age of smuggling" currently living with his third wife Lori.
The site reveals that Brian is letting Jason live rent-free in exchange for helping with his local shakedowns. This explains one of the scenes we see early in the trailer, where Brian arrives at Jason's home to ask him to get him his checks - presumably cash from nearby businesses.
A fan favorite character returns? (Image credit: Rockstar Games)Fans on social media are currently speculating that the trailer might give us our first glimpse at a fan-favorite returning character.
Phil Cassidy, a prominent character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories might be coming back, as there is undeniably someone that looks an awful lot like him in the trailer.
We see a brief ad for a weapon store called Phil's Ammu-Nation, where the character is shown wearing a tank top with the store's logo on it.
Now this could, of course, be a completely unrelated Phil, but given how much Rockstar tends to bring back familiar faces in its games it seems safe to assume that it is a modern interpretation of Cassidy.
After briefly going back up, it looks like the Rockstar Website has buckled under the strain of eager fans booting it up to browse the latest details.
I'm currently seeing the following error message while trying to get it on screen:
"Access Denied You don't have permission to access "http://www.rockstargames.com/VI" on this server."Hopefully the website will come back online soon!
The latest key art revealed (Image credit: Rockstar Games)The trailer went live alongside two new pieces of key art for the game. Both show Jason and Lucia together and are follow that iconic Grand Theft Auto stylized aesthetic.
Of the two, the one with both characters at a dock is definitely my favorite. It's bright, colorful, and really highlights the iconic summery vibe of the Vice City setting.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games) The Rockstar website is back! (Image credit: Rockstar Games)Great news everyone! After a shaky start, it looks like the Rockstar website is back online.
It's got a wealth of screenshots to browse, so I'd recommend heading over there now.
Five things we learned (Image credit: Rockstar Games)From our first hints at what the story could be about to a cast of officially confirmed characters, the trailer (and corresponding update to the Rockstar website) taught us an awful lot about GTA 6.
If you're online just tuning in to my coverage and want a concentrated run-down of all the biggest news, my colleague Freelance Writer Demi Williams has put together a list of the five biggest things that we now know.
You can read the full list below.
The biggest and most prevalent iPhone 17 series rumor we’ve heard so far is that these upcoming phones will sport a new, more Pixel-like design, and in a new video, Google has teased Apple about this potential design shake-up.
Posted by Google's Made by Google account on YouTube, the video comes as part of the company’s '#BestPhonesForever' series, which features a talking iPhone and a talking Pixel.
In the new clip, the two phones talk about the iPhone 17's big design rumor, as well as how the iPhone’s Night Mode landed a year after Pixel’s Night Sight, and how Clean Up on iPhone launched three years after Pixel’s similar Magic Eraser tool. The video also highlights widgets, which had been present on Android for many years before they first appeared on iOS. Check it out below:
It’s a funny video, but as the talking phones themselves say, this iPhone 17 redesign is just a rumor for now, so it may not happen.
Copying can be good CAD mock-ups of the iPhone 17 series (Image credit: Majin Bu )It seems likely that Apple's design shake-up will happen, though, given how many times it's been rumored. But even then, the rumored iPhone 17 series design isn’t that similar to the Pixel 9 Pro's.
Sure, it includes a horizontal camera bar running across the back (just like on a Pixel), but it’s positioned higher on the iPhone, and in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, it’s also a lot bigger than on any Pixel 9 model.
And as for the other things the video highlighted as being copied from Pixel, well, they’re all just good ideas, so it benefits everyone if versions of them are available on a wider selection of phones.
Let’s not forget, too, that Google has also arguably copied Apple at times. For example, just last month, Android got an auto-reboot feature that we’d already seen on iPhones. But again, a good idea is a good idea, so tempting as it can be to poke fun, we don’t really have an issue with any of the above.
You might also likeIn recent years, we have seen Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the enterprise evolve from having the potential to be transformational to becoming an increasingly central component of core business processes. McKinsey found that the number of companies using AI has risen from 55% to 72% between 2023 and 2024.
To prepare for AI transformation, many businesses have doubled down on improving their data practices. However, being data-savvy is not enough to deploy AI at scale. Businesses would, therefore, be unwise to see being “data ready” as the endgame in their preparations for AI adoption. Data readiness is just one phase in the AI journey and needs to be viewed as such.
AI, like every other technology, has strengths, shortfalls and optimum operating environments. Understanding this is the difference between being data-savvy and being truly ready to realize the full potential of AI. I call this ‘AI-savviness’. Strong data management is important, but becoming AI-savvy requires organizational leaders to think bigger.
Fostering a culture that encourages continuous learning, experimentation and a fundamental understanding of when AI is and is not the solution are all steps that must be taken to capitalize on AI’s transformative potential.
Becoming data-savvyAn organization can have strong data practices and not be AI-ready. But it can’t be AI-ready without strong data practices.
The necessity to establish this foundation is made clear by Gartner’s finding that a lack of AI-ready data blocks 63% of organizations undergoing AI projects. Businesses need to ensure they have frameworks with strong governance principles and accurate and high-quality data in place before pursuing AI transformation projects.
There is a growing demand among organizations for AI applications that function in real-time and, in the near future, all applications will have a live element, especially as models become more sophisticated. Leveraging hybrid pipelines results in outputs that are more accurate due to models learning, unlearning and thinking in real-time, but businesses need to future-proof and design data frameworks with this in mind now to avoid being forced to re-platform later.
Knowing when AI isn’t the solutionThe AI hype and resulting explosion in demand and solutions is far outpacing that of any other recent technological breakthrough. While this is reflective of its potential within business, it encourages an AI arms race that has left many organizations feeling they have to adopt AI at any cost or risk falling to the wayside. This pressure often leads to poorly considered, ineffective investments.
Research suggests that global enterprise AI spending is set to rise by 5.7% in 2025 despite overall IT budgets only increasing by 2%, but blindly spending large amounts of money on new AI-powered applications is not enough to prime a business’s estate for AI.
When businesses fall into this trap, they enter the “trough of disillusionment" as their high expectations go unmet. This is made worse by the chasm that currently exists in many organizations between what leaders want AI to be able to do and what it can actually do. Understanding that the most cutting-edge technology is not always the best solution is a sign of an AI-savvy business.
In a similar vein, once it is ascertained that AI is the answer, leaders must decide whether to buy or build. Building AI applications in-house gives organizations a higher level of control and more tailored outputs, but training and maintenance are complex and come with a high price tag. AI-savvy organizations fundamentally understand when custom-built capabilities are worth the extra expenditure and when more value can be extracted from buying a more generic off-the-shelf product.
Fostering a culture of experimentationBeyond implementing an effective technology stack, leaders need to influence AI collaboration and innovation throughout their workforce, as this allows innovation and overall adoption to thrive. AI experimentation needs to be widely encouraged and reinforced as a central element of day-to-day work – and this has to come from the top.
Leaders should also practice what they preach with forward-thinking decisions that drive forward their company’s AI strategy. In the past, the fear of making incorrect decisions has guided executives. But in a business world where innovation is so closely aligned to competitive advantage, delaying AI decisions presents an even higher risk.
Employee buy-in is another essential feature of an AI-savvy business. Without it, even the most advanced and efficient AI tools become obsolete. To achieve and maintain buy-in, consistent use and ultimate return on investment, leaders need to build trust in the tools among the workforce.
The starting point for this is ensuring that the systems employees interact with consistently deliver accurate outputs. Otherwise, they will become frustrated with technology that doesn’t work as it should and become disillusioned and disengaged.
Instilling AI confidence in employeesBlind investment and faith in AI is not a comprehensive strategy, and no matter how advanced the tools, the workforce needs to know how to use them for maximum impact. Continuous training and education, therefore, need to be part of the package for AI tools to succeed.
When employees feel confident in their ability to use AI tools and applications, they will be more confident in experimenting with what AI-savviness means to them in their role and share discoveries and new use cases with their team, feeding into the culture of collaboration and creativity that defines an AI-savvy business.
Reaching AI savvinessAt its core, being AI-savvy means avoiding the lure of the next big technology and instead nurturing a culture that emphasizes AI education, thoughtful procurement and decisive implementation practices. It also means remaining dynamic and adapting to changes as the AI wave continues to crest. Prioritizing proactive strategic thinking, strong data foundations and an open environment that fosters creativity and innovation creates a fertile environment for exciting and effective AI use as the technology develops.
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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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, May 6 (game #1198).
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 #1199) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.
* 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 #1199) - 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 #1199) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.
Quordle today (game #1199) - 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 0.
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 #1199) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• Q
• T
• B
• N
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1199) - the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle, game #1199, are…
I’m really pleased that I got four correct guesses today, although I must admit that I was completely stumped after my first word.
Despite having four letters, I couldn’t make any words from U, O, T, and H with the letters I had remaining. QUOTH sounded like a past tense of quote so I went with that, but it was a shot in the dark.
The final three were a case of first-thought-best-thought, although with BESET I started typing in RESET before remembering I’d already used the R.
Happy days.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Daily Sequence today (game #1198) - the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster)The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1199, are…
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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, May 6 (game #695).
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 #696) - today's words (Image credit: New York Times)Today's NYT Connections words are…
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
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 #696) - hint #2 - group answersWhat are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #696) - the answers (Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Connections, game #696, are…
Today’s round of Connections was incredibly hard, so congratulations to anyone who got it.
The only group I managed to find was the easiest yellow one. Even with this I had uncertainty over including SAVE, which didn’t quite seem to match the other three words.
However, I completely floundered with the other three groups. I suspected that PENTACLES had something to do with witchcraft so I tried to conjure up some group with WANDS and assorted others.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of tarot cards at all, let alone the members of the MINOR ARCANA SUITS. This feels quite niche knowledge for a blue group.
My other blind alley was thinking that CUPS and QUARTS were in a measurements foursome and that there were some knitting terms beyond KNIT and PERL.
An all-round disaster. Hope you did better.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, May 6, game #695)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.
Kubernetes Helm charts can expose data without users ever knowing, Microsoft security researchers have warned, urging Kubernetes users to be careful and review the default configuration of their Helm charts.
Kubernetes is an open source platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Helm, on the other hand, is a package manager that simplifies the deployment and management of applications on Kubernetes using pre-configured templates called charts.
It allows users to define, install, and upgrade complex Kubernetes applications with minimal manual configuration.
Keeper is a cybersecurity platform primarily known for its password manager and digital vault, designed to help individuals, families, and businesses securely store and manage passwords, sensitive files, and other private data.
It uses zero-knowledge encryption and offers features like two-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, secure file storage, and breach alerts to protect against cyber threats.
Preferred partner (What does this mean?)View Deal
Default configurationsIn a new blog post, titled “The risk of default configuration: How out-of-the-box helm charts can breach your cluster,” authors Michael Katchinskiy, and Yossi Weizman argued that in many cases, Helm charts require no authentication, keep certain ports open, and use easy-to-guess, or hardcoded passwords.
This happens when Helm charts are deployed with default settings, which is often the case with inexperienced cloud users.
"Default configurations that lack proper security controls create a severe security threat," the blog reads. "Without carefully reviewing the YAML manifests and Helm charts, organizations may unknowingly deploy services lacking any form of protection, leaving them fully exposed to attackers."
Katchinskiy and Weizman added that the risk is “particularly concerning” when the deployed apps can query sensitive API, or allow administrative actions.”
They singled out three cases where Helm charts put entire Kubernetes environments at risk - Apache Pinot, Meshery, and Selenium Grid.
The best way to mitigate the risk is to be careful when deploying Helm, not use default configurations, and evaluate the setup from a security perspective to make sure it includes authentication and network isolation.
Furthermore, Microsoft recommends users run regular scans for misconfigurations that can expose interfaces to the public, and keep a close eye on containers for unwarranted activity.
Via BleepingComputer
You might also likeGaming peripheral maker Backbone has revealed the Backbone Pro, an all-new mobile controller.
The Backbone Pro is effectively a chunkier version of the existing Backbone One, but it is packed with additional features. This includes the incorporation of full-size thumbsticks and remappable rear buttons.
You will be able to remap every single button in the compatible Backbone app, creating tailored control profiles for your favorite games. The app has also been updated with new features, including an in-built retro game emulator.
Where the Backbone Pro sets itself apart from some of the best mobile controllers is in its unique wireless mode. In addition to the standard USB Type-C connector, the controller can be linked to phones, tablets, laptops, VR headsets, and smart TVs via Bluetooth.
According to the company, its FlowState Technology will allow the Backbone app to remember previous paired devices and switch between them with a tap.
In wireless mode, it offers up to 40 hours of play on a single charge.
Overall, it looks like a pretty formidable upgrade compared to the Backbone One. I'm a huge fan of the full-size thumbsticks of mobile controllers like the Razer Kishi Ultra, so I think that it could be a real game-changer here.
My only complaint is that the Backbone Pro does not appear to use Hall effect thumbsticks, which are highly regarded for their durability and accuracy and are found on much cheaper offerings from brands like GameSir.
The thumbsticks of the Backbone Pro do at least have anti-friction rings, which should help reduce the chance of wear.
The Backbone Pro is available today via the Backbone website, though official pricing is to be confirmed.
You might also like...Rumors regarding a new Surface lineup from Microsoft have run rampant, with hints that much smaller and thinner renditions of the Copilot+ laptops were in the works.
This comes after Microsoft's Surface Laptop and Surface Pro 2024 models, providing exceptional battery life thanks to their Snapdragon processors and great portability.
Well, it turns out those rumors were indeed correct. Microsoft has announced two brand-new Surface devices: the Surface Laptop 13-inch and the Surface Pro 12-inch. Both are built to deliver even more impressive performance across the board, but ahead, we're breaking down the four key takeaways you'll want to know about them.
(Image credit: Microsoft) The 13-inch model is the lightest and thinnest Surface Laptop everMicrosoft's new Surface Laptop 13-inch will be the 'lightest, most portable Surface Laptop ever', thanks to its ultrathin design and 13-inch touchscreen display. It will come in three different color variations – Ocean, Violet, and Platinum – to suit your preferred style.
It weighs just 2.7 lbs, which is an impressive 1.22kg, compared to 2024's 15-inch model, which weighed in at 3.67 lbs (1.66kg). Most importantly, this means portability is the new Surface Laptop's highlight, ensuring you can take your device with you anywhere you go and pack it in most backpacks. It's also an improvement over 2024's 13.8-inch model.
This includes USB-C connectivity that supports fast charging, DisplayPort 1.4a, and up to two 4K monitors at 60Hz refresh rates.
The new Surface Pro will have a 12-inch display, ideal for its 2-in-1 design, providing a pleasant laptop and tablet experience. That will also make it slightly slimmer than the previous 13-inch size.
It's also worth noting that there is no mention of an OLED model yet, and the new Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard is sold separately.
(Image credit: Microsoft) Surface Laptop 13-inch is '50% faster' than the Surface Laptop 5, competing with Apple's MacBook Air M3Using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus processor, Microsoft claims the Surface Laptop 13-inch is '50% faster' than its previous Surface Laptop 5, which Intel's 12th Gen processors powered. This will be the 8-core processor instead of the 10-core variant, which is enough to provide powerful performance in AI-intensive tasks with 45 NPU tops.
Microsoft also mentions it's faster than Apple's MacBook Air M3, and based on benchmarks, the Snapdragon X Plus wins in multi-core processing over Apple's M-based chip. We'll need to see how this competes with Apple's latest M4 chipset, though.
The Surface Pro 12-inch will also use the same configuration, keeping your productivity at its best on the go, thanks to its high speeds.
It's a different move from the previous Laptop and Pro models, as both came with X Plus and X Elite configurations. Even so, it's a reasonable compromise, as you'll see.
(Image credit: Microsoft) Improved battery life for both devicesUnsurprisingly, the new Surface Laptop 13-inch provides the longest and best battery life out of all Surface devices, with a promise of up to 23 hours of usage (local video playback). This is an upgrade from the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) 13.8-inch model's 20 hours and the 15-inch's 22 hours, almost giving a total of 24 hours of usage.
The same applies to the new Surface Pro 12-inch, as Microsoft claims it provides up to 16 hours of usage, a decent leap over the previous 14 hours.
We'll have to see real-world tests for both devices to gain an accurate insight, but this is great for anyone who needs extra power to stay locked into productivity on the go.
It seems that Microsoft has omitted the X Elite configurations to preserve battery life, which is great because the X Plus is still a powerful chip, and staying zoned into work that extra bit longer has an advantage.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors are among the most efficient available, providing great performance without draining too much battery. The Surface laptops have been a testament to that, and Microsoft is showing it again with the new models.
(Image credit: Microsoft) The Surface Laptop 13-inch and Surface Pro 12-inch are much cheaper than their predecessorsPerhaps the biggest highlight beyond the smaller designs and battery life is pricing. The Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $899, while the Surface Pro 12-inch starts at $799. These are huge price drops from their previous models, which both start at $1,099.
Microsoft's plan is clear; affordability is key, and it's kept prices within a reasonable range considering the presence of the Snapdragon X Plus chip. This will effectively help consumers get their hands on the new Surface Laptop, which is said to outperform its predecessors in the battery life department.
Both Copilot+ PCs are available to pre-order now and will be available in select markets on May 20. We're waiting for Microsoft to confirm pricing in the UK and Australia.
You may also likeThe biggest issue with sci-fi sequel Revenge of the Savage Planet is that, despite subjecting you to a barrage of offbeat humor, it’s just not particularly entertaining. There’s not a lot here that’s necessarily bad per se, but I would describe my journey through its five alien worlds as merely “good enough” at best.
Review infoPlatform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Release date: May 8, 2025
This mainly stems from the fact that none of its constituent elements are anything that I haven’t already experienced in countless other games. It’s a third-person 3D Metroidvania action-adventure title, where all the trappings of the genre are present and accounted for.
It’s got an open world that you progress through in a steady, linear fashion by unlocking new abilities that grant access to new areas, platforming challenges that see you zipping between high up ledges, and basic puzzles where you need to mess with the environment to open up doors or reveal hidden passageways.
Even its predecessor, 2020’s Journey to the Savage Planet, seemed a little bit more unique despite following a similar formula, thanks to the use of the more uncommon first-person perspective.
Planet hopper (Image credit: Raccoon Logic)Revenge of the Savage Planet kicks off with the protagonist, an unnamed employee of a recently bought out space colonization firm Kindred Aerospace, getting unceremoniously laid off mere moments after setting foot on a previously uncharted planet. To make matters worse, a rocky landing has damaged your ship and strewn capsules containing some of your valuable equipment across the world. Stranded with no support on the way, it’s up to you to recover your gear and escape.
You’re joined by Eko, a floating AI companion that loosely guides your progress and dispenses a near-constant stream of quips. These, in addition to plenty of full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes, comprise the bulk of the humor here. The jokes are often passé, with dated jabs at everything from consumer culture and the world of cryptocurrency to the infamous Call of Duty ‘press F to pay respects’ blunder that occurred more than a decade ago, but aren’t impossible to sit through like the agonizingly unfunny monologues of a game like High on Life.
I may not have laughed, but I did at least find the high degree of effort evident in some of the wacky props and costumes from the FMV scenes quite charming. I never felt the need to use it, but you do also get the option to reduce (or even entirely disable) chatter from Eko if you wish. I could see this coming in handy if you intend to play lots in co-op, which lets one other player accompany you at any point in the campaign.
Despite the strong co-op focus of much of the marketing, the mode honestly seems like a bit of an afterthought. I played it for a few hours and the experience was ruined as it's practically impossible to talk to your partner while any dialogue is occurring, which is most of the time. You either have to speak over the non-playable characters (NPCs), which is inevitably going to impact your ability to follow objectives and understand the already somewhat forgettable overarching narrative, or just awkwardly play in silence.
Many of the missions are clearly not designed for co-op either, practically requiring one player to take the lead while the other sits back and tries not to get in the way. In fact, it was often more effective for my partner to run off to the other side of the map to complete other tasks and, at that point, why would you even want to play with someone else at all?
Odd jobs (Image credit: Raccoon Logic)As for what you’ll be doing most of the time, the core of Revenge of the Savage Planet follows a fairly predictable loop. You arrive in an environment that requires a new ability to progress, for example a respirator to protect from toxic gases or a powerful ground pound to smash through fragile surfaces.
The materials needed to obtain this are located in another area of the map, so you follow an objective marker and complete a fun platforming segment and puzzle or two using your handy power hose (which can harvest a range of goos from the environment and spew them out to create conductive surfaces for makeshift circuits or burn through flammable barriers), to get them.
You then head back to the hub area, your spawn point and home to a few amenities like a 3D printer for creating upgrades and an outfit cupboard to customize the look of your explorer, to craft the ability using resources harvested from glowing ore veins littered throughout the map.
Some abilities also require research to obtain, which is accomplished by stunning and capturing a creature with your sci-fi lasso and then waiting around at the base for a few minutes while a progress bar fills up in real time.
Best bit(Image credit: Raccoon Logic)The hub area is home to your living quarters, a few rooms that can be extensively customized by spending a currency obtained on your travels. Placing objects to make the space your own is quite satisfying. Most can also be interacted with to see unique animations.
Pokémon, this is not, but die-hard completionists will probably get a kick out of hoovering up one of every possible creature or pursuing the many side objectives and collectibles on offer to pad out the runtime.
For others, it might begin to feel like a lot of busywork at times, especially if you go after those optional missions, which I would recommend given the substantial upgrades that some of them reward, but the modest length of about 12-15 hours means that it never becomes too monotonous.
It’s broken up by combat sections, too, which are unfortunately nothing to write home about. You’re equipped with a basic laser blaster, which you can outfit with engaging upgrades like a powerful charged shot or active reloading, but most fights simply involve strafing around foes and peppering them with shots until they explode into a pool of brightly colored goo.
Violently reducing some of the cuter critters that litter the brightly colored worlds into a pile of slime is actually quite funny, though, as is watching your character slide around on it, which does add to the overall enjoyment at least.
This cycle repeats itself across five total planets, each with its own unique look, population of creatures, and distinctly middle-of-the-road boss fights to round things off. A little more variety in how everything plays out would have gone a long way, but as it stands, while Revenge of the Savage Planet isn’t going to blow your socks off, I can definitely think of worse ways to spend an afternoon or two.
Should I play Revenge of the Savage Planet? (Image credit: Raccoon Logic) Play it if…You love Metroidvania progression
If you’re a big fan of Metroidvania progression, then the loop at the heart of Revenge of the Savage Planet should provide enough entertainment for its modest runtime.
You’re a completionist
It can feel like busywork at times, but there’s still plenty to do in Revenge of the Savage Planet. Pick it up if you love poring over an open world for collectibles or completing lots of side quests.
You intend to go co-op
With its constant NPC chatter, Revenge of the Savage Planet is poorly suited for a co-op setting. Consider other games if you want something to play with a friend.
The build of Revenge of the Savage Planet that I played has a disappointingly barren accessibility menu. It offers the option to disable controller vibration and motion blur, but that’s literally it.
Subtitles are enabled by default, though there is no way to adjust their size or presentation. There are no dedicated options for colorblind players and very limited customization when it comes to the control scheme.
How I reviewed Revenge of the Savage PlanetI played Revenge of the Savage Planet for just under 15 hours on PC before hitting the credits. I predominantly experienced the game in its solo mode, though I also endeavored to test out the co-op features for a few hours.
In addition to completing the main story, I was careful to experience plenty of the side content on offer, taking the time to pursue collectibles and try out the majority of the available upgrades.
First reviewed May 2025
For years now, I’ve heard many The Elder Scrolls fans proclaim that Oblivion is a better game than Skyrim. After nearly 80 hours spent exploring the diverse and fantastical land of Cyrodiil in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, I couldn’t agree more.
I’m floored by how well the core of Oblivion holds up almost 20 years after its release. This is a beautifully crafted RPG game with a true heart of gold, a wicked sense of humor, and a deceptively deep well of things to do and places to explore. Despite its name, Oblivion Remastered is closer to a full remake, with smart updates while keeping the core untouched. It’s just about perfectly executed, if just a touch too careful in its approach to modernizing certain systems.
I missed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion the first time around, having jumped aboard the Bethesda RPG train with Fallout 3 and then sinking my teeth into Skyrim around the time I should have been studying to get into University.
In the years since, I’ve learned to understand Oblivion’s reputation as a classic, but one that’s been made somewhat irrelevant by the juggernaut success of it’s sequel. Pair that thinking with my lack of interest in diving into RPGs of a certain age, especially ones as notoriously buggy as Bethesda’s, and it’s really no wonder I’d largely written Oblivion off until now.
Review infoPlatform reviewed: PS5 Pro
Available on: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, PS5
Release date: April 22, 2025
With Oblivion Remastered being perhaps the worst kept secret in gaming ever, I can’t say I was excited at the idea of a remaster of a 2006 fantasy RPG. Slap the word remaster onto a project, and I think we’ve all learned what to expect. A higher resolution, all of the DLC tied up into one neat package, maybe some re-recorded VO for good measure. Great for fans of the original, fairly unexciting for those that never played it.
But Oblivion Remastered isn’t what you would expect. This isn’t a simple facelift, it’s a meticulously crafted reconstruction, meshing old and new in ways that I don’t think we’ve really seen up to this point.
The visual upgrades are stunning, additional voice lines add new depth to character class choices, and combat is now just the right mix of Skyrim jank and contemporary action. This is the upgrade Oblivion always deserved, giving it the chance to finally step out of Skyrim’s shadow.
That old Bethesda charm (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)Whatever your opinions are on Starfield, Fallout 76, and Fallout 4, Bethesda’s modern RPGs are undeniably a bit of a mixed bag, with wildly different approaches to open-world design when compared to The Elder Scrolls series.
Still, I’ve found myself liking something about each, after digging deep to find the parts that prove the studio’s pedigree is well-earned, and ongoing. Oblivion might well be where Bethesda’s unique brand of game design is best showcased.
There are bugs and jank, oh the jank, but it’s all completely outweighed by excellent writing, an almost impossibly detailed world, and RPG systems that reward you for actually roleplaying. You can be a thief, an assassin, a mage. You can specialize in alchemy, go out into the world and clear fortresses for loot, and even run Guilds as the big boss in charge.
Best bit(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)The Dark Brotherhood questline in Oblivion Remastered is perhaps my favourite from all the Bethesda RPGs I’ve played. It rewards you for completing assassinations in specific ways, more akin to something found in Hitman rather than a fantasy RPG. Every single member of the Brotherhood is a standout, from the pale, vampiric leader Vicente Valtieri (who, in my playthrough, would sometimes appear completely bald due to what I’m assuming to be a glitch), to the obnoxious Khajiit sorcerer M'raaj-Dar. There’s a murder-filled escape room quest too that’s one of the best side quests I’ve ever played.
NPCs talk over each other, camera angles switch wildly in conversation, and picking up the wrong item can send the game into a hard crash, but it’s worth the trade off for moments that only Bethesda games can offer. Moments where you walk into a tavern and witness an argument that you have to intervene in, and before you know it you’re helping a man fake his own death to avoid paying his debts.
Moments like accidentally discovering a vampire lair and contracting Vampirism, which then must be cured if you’re ever to travel during daylight hours again. I can count the memorable quests and moments from the last few Bethesda RPGs I’ve played on one hand, but have no doubt that there’ll be twenty plus that’ll stay with me from my first Oblivion playthrough.
Best of both worlds (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)I’ve mentioned that Oblivion Remastered sits somewhere between a traditional remaster and a remake, but what does that mean exactly?
Well, in many ways, the team at Virtuous have Skyrim-ified Oblivion, bringing systems like levelling and player physics more in line with that of The Elder Scrolls 5. You now level up both major and minor skills just by doing that particular skill - e.g. improve lockpicking by picking more locks, get better at persuasion by attempting to persuade NPCs.
It’s a simple but elegant solution that helps remove some of the barriers that previously punished players for behaving out-of-character. You’re constantly improving your build as you go, whether that’s by sprinting between cities, or blocking attacks with a shield. These are very minor changes to the original formula, but offer a big enough quality of life improvement to make Oblivion feel like a game from 2016 (and a forward-thinking one at that), not 2006.
Then there’s the graphics, and oh boy, does Oblivion: Remastered look fantastic. By switching over to Unreal Engine 5, the developers have applied all new lighting tech. At night, this means moonlight dances across the surface of lakes, adding depth and vibrancy to even the darkest of settings. Wall-mounted torches flicker and cast shadows, filling cold sewer tunnels and deep subterranean caves with dynamic oases of light.
The game’s brilliant environmental design is left to provide the backbone here, but high-tech extras have been layered atop to accentuate and compliment, rather than remake completely.
You can tell Oblivion Remastered is a new version of an old game, absolutely, but it also gives some contemporary open world RPGs a run for their money in terms of presentation, art direction and atmospheric effects. It’s a strange mix - part old, part new, part something else entirely - but it works.
Moving forward, Oblivion Remastered should be a reference point for how to update an old game for new audiences, while keeping the magic of the original intact.
"Oblivion Remastered should be a reference point for how to update an old game for new audiences, while keeping the magic of the original intact."
As someone who had only played the latest instalment of The Elder Scrolls series until now, I’m impressed to find that Magic plays a deeper, more complex role in Oblivion. Mage builds are not only more viable, but easier to put together thanks to the superior Guild quests found in major cities. You can cast spells with your weapons out, and Conjuration can be used to truly kit yourself out as a versatile battlemage.
Like many players, I’ve tended to slip into a stealth archer build when playing these sorts of games, but in Oblivion I’m being constantly rewarded for experimenting with play-styles, and sampling from all aspects of the game’s build-mechanics. In general, this all feels more in-line with my experience with Dungeons & Dragons, in that regardless of the situation I’m in, there’s probably a stat change, an enchantment, a spell or consumable that can help me tip the scales in my favor.
There’s certainly room to roleplay if you want to stick to one defined path and character, but for those looking for more of a comprehensive experience of the game, there’s very little punishment for trying out something new.
Almost too faithful? (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)Remastering a game like Oblivion is no easy task, given that the original’s inherent bugginess and unpredictability are big reasons as to why players still bring it up to this day.
The memes are ancient at this point, the slightly wonky line deliveries and erratic camera snaps now heavily ingrained in internet culture. To remake Oblivion completely would be to snuff out its originality and heart, but just how faithful can you be before you simply offer up what amounts to the same game just on newer platforms? Well, Oblivion Remastered is just about as close as I think it’s possible to get to while walking this particularly precarious tightrope.
As a modern way to play a historically significant game, this is perfect for new players, preserving the spirit of the original while making it as pain-free as possible to experience. The developer has definitely erred on the side of caution with Oblivion Remastered, choosing to leave things the way they were back in 2006 instead of switching them out for elements that would probably be better to play in 2025.
This devotion to the source material, while admirable and ultimately the right call, does lead to a few downsides. The difficulty settings are all over the place, not quite managing to bridge the gap between simplified levelling systems and the newly updated combat mechanics.
I was constantly switching between two settings, finding one too easy and the other tough as nails. There’s also stability issues, where the new atmospheric effects and lighting slow things down in the open world. Whether these are new issues, or remnants of ancient bugs, I don’t know. But really, it’s disheartening to run into so many inconsistencies in what is an otherwise beautiful game.
Throughout my 80 or so hours of play time, I’ve actually run into fewer bugs than I’ve come to expect from a Bethesda RPG. That’s not to say it’s been smooth sailing, with strange visual glitches, quest-halting bugs, and straight hard-crashes being semi-frequent.
What’s really disappointing is that after looking up fixes for the issues I was experiencing, I found that they were predominantly issues that were rampant in the original version. This is unfortunately a consequence of choosing to remaster rather than remake, likely unavoidable with the level of care put into preserving the original’s more charming blemishes.
Still, I’d rather deal with twenty year old bugs than play a sterilized, over-polished remake that’s missing what fans loved about Oblivion the first time around.
On the whole, Oblivion Remastered is a triumph. A carefully considered love-letter to a game that’s been somewhat overshadowed in the years since its successor’s launch. By skating the line between remaster and remake, Bethesda and Virtuos manage to offer up a worthy modernization that finally gives more players the chance to weigh Oblivion up as the best game in The Elder Scrolls series.
It’s so good in fact, and I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but perhaps just one more version of Skyrim wouldn’t be so bad? Okay, maybe we should settle for Morrowind first.
Should I play The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered? (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks) Play it if…You want to experience Oblivion for the first time
This has been my very first Oblivion experience, and I haven’t been able to put it down. I tend to struggle playing older RPGs, but found this one to be modern enough, and good enough, to ignore some of the dated design.
You’re a fan of colorful, whimsical fantasy like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Fable
Oblivion’s world is much more colorful, varied and silly than the one found in Skyrim or even Fallout 4 or Starfield. It’s more Lord of the Rings than Game of Thrones, with rolling green hills, larger than life characters and a dark but whimsical sense of humor.
There’s a part of you itching for more of what you loved about Skyrim-era Bethesda
While I found something to enjoy in Starfield, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76, I have been itching to recapture the magic I felt playing Skyrim for the first time. Oblivion is Bethesda at its best, warts and all.View Deal
You need something to tide you over until The Elder Scrolls 6 finally comes out
Look, I know you don’t want to hear it, but The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely years off at this point. Still, with Oblivion Remastered being so good, it’s like we’ve gotten a new game anyway. This is plenty to keep you busy until we hear more about what’s next for the series.View Deal
You’re expecting an excellent main story or cinematic cutscenes
Oblivion is quite bare-bones in its presentation, with a main quest that’s solid, but unspectacular when compared to modern RPGs. There’s no sprawling narrative, no lengthy cutscenes, and no real set-pieces. Instead, there are brilliant side quests, character-driven dialogue and choices, as well as a world that’s fun to explore and teeming with things to do.
Oblivion Remastered features expanded accessibility options when compared with the original.
Aim Assist, five difficulty settings, and the option to turn off blood splatter are the only gameplay features on offer.
Sound is broken down into multiple categories that can be tweaked to personalize the experience, and FOV can be changed for both the first and third person viewpoints.
Text size and subtitle text size can be increased, though I found the largest options to be on the smaller size, especially when playing on a TV. There’s full button mapping, meaning the game should be compatible with accessibility controllers like the PlayStation Access.
Overall, this is a pretty standard suite of accessibility features. It would have been nice to see more resources put into further expanding the options, given this is a remaster, with gameplay-specific contrast modes and colorblind options being missing at present.
How I reviewed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion RemasteredI played Oblivion Remastered for 80 hours on the PlayStation 5 Pro. During that time I completed Guild Quests for Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild and The Dark Brotherhood.
I played around half of the campaign, choosing instead to focus on thievery to get myself a house in Anvil, which did end up being haunted. I’m planning to continue playing the game, leveling up my lockpicking, Heavy Armor and Blocking, hoping to set off clearing Forts around the map. I played in Performance Mode throughout, which prioritizes frame rate over graphical resolution.
On PlayStation 5 Pro, I played the game using a 4K LG gaming monitor (LG UltraGear 4K Gaming Monitor 27GR93U). I used a DualSense Edge controller, with the Razer Blackshark V2 gaming headset connected via the controller jack.
Occasionally, I’d move the game onto PlayStation Portal to play on the go. I found Oblivion Remastered to be the perfect PS Portal game, with great presentation and stability throughout.
First reviewed May 2025
YouTube is currently piloting a two-person YouTube Premium membership in select countries that allows a two people to split a subscription without going all-in on a family plan.
Much like Spotify Duo, YouTube’s two-person tier allows two people who live together to split a subscription at a cost that’s lower than if both subscribed separately, and also cheaper than a full family plan.
YouTube told TechCrunch that it’s part of the company’s experiments looking into “new ways to provide greater flexibility and value to our YouTube Premium subscribers.”
For example, in France, one of the test countries, an individual plan costs €12.99 per month and a family plan is €23.99, while a two-person plan is €19.99.
(Image credit: YouTube)Based on these prices we’d expect a US-based duo plan to cost perhaps $18.99 (so maybe £16.99 or AU$26.99), though we’ll have to see if YouTube deems the test a success or not.
If you want to try this two-person subscription sooner rather than later you’ll need to live in India, France, Taiwan or Hong Kong.
Otherwise you’ll want to consider splitting a family plan or opting for another of YouTube’s cost-cutting experiments, YouTube Lite. That plan just rolled out in the US and it costs $7.99 per month – compared to $13.99 per month for a full plan.
It allows you to watch "most" videos ad-free but doesn’t include ad-free music videos, YouTube Music access, or offline background play. So it’s ideal if you want YouTube Premium but already have access to a music streaming service.
YouTube Premium still feels pricey (Image credit: Shutterstock)Duo sounds perfect for me and my partner, as while we use a fair few streaming services, the one we both rely on most is YouTube.
I had thought about snagging a Premium plan for a while, but an individual account each is way too much, and a family plan feels like overkill. But I’m still not sure I’m ready to pay for YouTube.
While the ads have gotten worse, they are (generally) far from unbearable in my experience, and certainly not so bad that I’d consider jumping from paying nothing to paying $13.99 / £12.99 / AU$16.99 a month – or even splitting a duo plan.
The biggest advantage would be offline video, but I can only see that being essential when I’m on a flight – which has been a few times so far this year, but not enough to warrant paying every month.
To that end I’m waiting for something truly essential from YouTube Premium that elevates the experience above simply being ad-free. As tempting as duo plan is, it’s not yet enough to seal the deal for me.
You might also likeInfamous hacking group Rhysida has claimed it breached the digital platform of the Peruvian government, but the South American country denies any ransomware incidents.
The cybercriminals added the Peruvian government to their data leak site, including some documents allegedly stolen from the gob.pe portal, noting they also demanded a five bitcoin ransom, which equals roughly $471,000.
This prompted Peru’s Ministry of Government and Digital Transformation to publish a statement and deny any hostile takeover of its digital assets.
Keeper is a cybersecurity platform primarily known for its password manager and digital vault, designed to help individuals, families, and businesses securely store and manage passwords, sensitive files, and other private data.
It uses zero-knowledge encryption and offers features like two-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, secure file storage, and breach alerts to protect against cyber threats.
Preferred partner (What does this mean?)View Deal
Tax admin was struck“The Single Digital Platform of the Peruvian State, www.gob.pe, has not been compromised or breached. All its services remain operational and functioning normally,” the government said in a statement published on Facebook.
“The posts circulating on social media suggesting a supposed hijacking of the domain www.gob.pe are inaccurate,” it stressed, but added that an attack has, indeed, taken place recently.
“The incident in question is related to a service associated with the domain www.satp.gob.pe, which is not administered by the PCM (Presidency of the Council of Ministers) or the Secretariat of Government and Digital Transformation.”
This, according to The Record, is the tax administration website of regional capital Piura.
This government entity also released a statement, confirming a cyberattack in late March 2025. It disrupted its operations briefly, but they were restored within 48 hours. Allegedly, no files were stolen in this attack.
“As soon as we became aware of the possible security event, the National Center for Digital Security (CNSD) immediately activated preventive alerts to mitigate any potential risk,” the notice continues.
“Currently, investigation and analysis efforts are being carried out in coordination with relevant entities, both nationally and internationally. Additionally, direct collaboration is underway with the institution allegedly affected to clarify the facts and determine the extent of the incident.”
You might also likeIf you're a Roku TV owner and you think your 4K HDR streaming doesn't look right, it could be a software fault. Since the latest software update there have been multiple reports of "washed-out" HDR across multiple streaming services.
The first reports, shared on the Roku issue tracking board and reported by The Verge, were about problems with the video while streaming from Disney Plus on TCL TVs. But more reports have since emerged of video issues with Prime Video, YouTube TV, Netflix, Apple TV Plus and others, and on Hisense Roku TVs, too.
The good news is that it's clearly a software issue: some users reporting problems also say that their Blu-Ray players are working just fine, and others say there are no issues with non-4K HDR. So the TVs themselves appear to be okay.
What's wrong with Roku's streaming? This photo shows how lush greens and brown buildings all appear to be washed with grey on an affected Roku TV. (Image credit: Squinky / Roku Community)The common denominator appears to be the Roku software version 14.5, with streaming services suffering from what The Verge describes as "desaturated, almost black-and-white images" with HDR enabled. Some other users are finding their streaming video is overly bright.
It does look like there is an issue that kicks in when the video starts to stream: this post on the Roku Community pages shows the dramatic difference between affected and unaffected TVs, and replies from other affected users say that everything's fine with the app's menus and static images. It's only once you start watching the actual movie or show that the problems occur.
Roku is aware of the reports, although at the time of writing it apparently hasn't responded to press requests for comment. We've asked Roku directly and will update this story when we hear back.
This seems to be yet another example of automatic updates apparently introducing problems to people's A/V kit: just a few weeks ago Samsung owners found their expensive soundbars were being bricked by a firmware update.
You might also likeWindows 11 is apparently going to be graced with a new capability as part of its Presence Sensing feature, with the system warning you if someone is sneaking a look at your screen.
PhantomOfEarth, a regular leaker of Windows info on X, flagged up the potential new feature, which is called ‘Onlooker Detection’. As they explain, it offers you a couple of options for actions you can take.
New Presence Sensing feature coming soon to Windows 11: Onlooker Detection. When your device notices that someone else is looking at your screen, it can dim the screen, notify you that someone's looking, or both.May 2, 2025
When a nosy onlooker is detected, Windows 11 can either dim your screen to make it difficult for the person who’s looking over your shoulder to make out the content, or it can warn you of what’s going on. Or the OS can do both, and flag the onlooker as well as dimming the screen.
However, you’ll need the necessary hardware on board your laptop to use Presence Sensing, namely the requisite presence sensor (unsurprisingly – or multiple modules as there may be more than one). The technical name for this is HPD or Human Presence Detection hardware, and it’s a feature facilitated by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips – in conjunction with said sensor – as well as AMD and Intel chips.
If you’re unsure whether your notebook has a presence sensor or not, you need to look in the Settings app, under System > Power & battery, and see if the relevant options are there as detailed in this Microsoft support document.
Elsewhere in the world of Windows 11 development, new Dev and Beta channel builds have arrived. In those preview versions – which have essentially the same features – Microsoft is trying some fine-tuning of the interface for Recall which consists of repositioning some banks of icons. (This is the AI-supercharged search function that’s only for Copilot+ PCs).
Those builds have also seen the addition of a bolder way to highlight apps on the taskbar that are requesting your attention (or are in a ‘needy state’), with a wider, more visible line under the app icon to make it clearer.
Some tweaks have been made to HDR options within Windows 11, as well, which includes a choice to allow for HDR to be used when streaming a video even if the system-wide switch for HDR is turned off. That’s a neat touch, too.
(Image credit: Unsplash / Windows) Analysis: A top-notch feature for when you’re out and about – if it happensCurrently the presence sensor is used to offer the ability to automatically turn off your screen when you leave the PC, and wake your device when you return (using Windows Hello sign-in to make everything seamless and secure).
A new function to detect anyone sneakily stealing a glance, or indeed a longer, more invasive look, at the contents of your screen would be an excellent addition on the privacy front. Whenever you’re working on your laptop on public transport or in a cafe, there’s always a feeling someone might be peeking over your shoulder.
The catch here is that we don’t have any concrete evidence of this feature yet. Presumably, PhantomOfEarth dug up references to Onlooker Detection in recent preview builds of Windows 11, but the leaker doesn’t explicitly say so. The alternative is that they heard from a source at Microsoft that this feature is in the pipeline, but whatever the case, this is far from certain.
We'll need to see the feature officially in testing before we start to get excited about its arrival. Hopefully, it won’t be long before that happens, so keep those digits firmly crossed.
You might also like...Android is getting a fresh coat of paint in the very near future, and the team at Google is apparently so excited about the visual overhaul that it's accidentally leaked the changes ahead of time, giving us all a sneak preview of what's coming.
As spotted by 9to5Google, the now-deleted blog post outlining the upcoming "Material 3 Expressive" changes talks about it being "the most-researched update to Google's design system" ever applied to the software.
Google says the new look "makes you feel something", inspiring emotion, communicating function, and helping you achieve your goals – even if those goals are just making sure your phone alarm wakes you up on time, or you can connect to the office Wi-Fi quickly.
Colors and shapes have been revamped, with key actions and navigation options now better highlighted. There are more floating elements, and more curves, and this new leak builds on some of the details that we saw at the start of the month.
Android for the people An early look at some of the visual changes (Image credit: 9to5Google / Google)Google is keen to emphasize that a lot of research has gone into Android's new look, with engagement stats backing up the changes and showing how they improve usability and user satisfaction – proving that they "connect with people on an emotional level".
A floating toolbar that pops up in certain scenarios is one of the tweaks we can look forward to, while Google has also done work to improve consistency, and to make sure related items are better grouped together on screen.
It looks set to be the biggest design overhaul for Android since Material Design was introduced more than a decade ago, though of course phone manufacturers such as Samsung and Nothing will have their own spin on this new approach.
You can see some of the visual refreshes over on 9to5Google, while Google's own blog post has been preserved on the Wayback Machine. This will be made official very soon, once the Google I/O 2025 showcase gets underway on Tuesday, May 20.
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