Technology

Google DeepMind tested Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite behind a cryptographic wall designed to protect confidential AI benchmarks and proprietary model weights.

The post Google DeepMind Seals Gemini Test to Protect AI Benchmarks appeared first on TechRepublic.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour brings back memories of a time when all a game needed was an unhinged premise and gameplay to match.

Anthropic eyed up to 5GW of AI data center capacity in NSW. Here’s what the potential buildout could mean for Australia’s power grid and IT leaders.

The post Anthropic Eyed 5GW of AI Data Centers in Australia: Could the Grid Handle It? appeared first on TechRepublic.

• Russia is offering the Garpia-A1E to foreign military customers
• The drone can reportedly travel up to 1,000 kilometres
• Garpia-A1E carries over 50kg payload and endures for over six hours

Moscow has begun marketing a long-range loitering munition built by a state defense manufacturer to foreign militaries.

The weapon, known as the Garpia-A1E, has drawn interest from buyers abroad following a series of live demonstrations.

Officials confirmed the export plan, but declined to name which countries have expressed interest so far.

A weapon built for distance

Unlike drones designed for repeated missions, this class of weapon flies toward its programmed coordinates and detonates on arrival, destroying itself in the process — a one-way flight profile that has earned the informal label "suicide drone."

The aircraft spans 3.4 meters in length, carries a takeoff weight of 250 kilograms, and stretches 3 meters across its wings.

Engineers built the airframe around an existing gasoline-powered munition design, relying on a tailless layout and a rear-mounted propeller to strike fixed coordinates set before launch.

It tops out near 170 kilometers per hour, can remain airborne for more than six hours, and operates at altitudes ranging from 50 to 2,500 meters.

"Today, the Garpia-A1E is the only loitering munition on the global market with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers," said Alexander Mikheev, general director of Rosoboronexport.

The payload capacity exceeds 50 kilograms, and the system's accuracy keeps errors within four meters of the intended point of impact.

Prospective buyers overseas have already shown interest following a round of live testing, the director added.

Rosoboronexport remains open to negotiating direct sales agreements, along with arrangements to manufacture the drone inside countries considered friendly toward Moscow.

Meanwhile, the drone's maker, Almaz-Antey, has expanded output at its production facilities, supporting the defense sector's ability to fulfill international orders on competitive timelines.

Domestic orders come first

Any commercial arrangement involving Russian military hardware must account for existing domestic commitments before new contracts move forward.

However, it seems Russia’s domestic needs will not be a problem because the company has since expanded production.

Almaz-Antey has now reached a production capacity sufficient to meet foreign orders within competitive delivery windows.

That balance between domestic obligation and export ambition now defines Russia's approach to marketing kamikaze drones internationally.

"When conducting contract and supply work regarding Russian military products, Rosoboronexport primarily considers the need for the manufacturer to fulfill its obligations to the Russian Ministry of Defence," said Alexander Mikheev, general director of Rosoboronexport.

“Almaz-Antey has mastered the series production of the Garpia-A1E system and reached a level that enables it to fulfill contracts with foreign customers…without compromising the country’s defence capability.”

Loitering munitions have grown into one of the defining weapons of current conflicts, prompting analysts to closely track their battlefield influence and cost.

As of the time of writing, no delivery timeline has been disclosed publicly, though analysts expect pricing and rival systems to shape eventual contract decisions.

Via The Drone Front

September brings dazzling planets, a harvest moon and the official shift to autumn.

More than 100 companies signed onto an open letter calling for more urgency in fixing bugs and shoring up cybersecurity.

I've hand-picked my 12 favorite Mac mini alternatives for Windows, from budget picks to high-end content creation stations. There's no denying Apple's newly unveiled Mac mini with M6 chip is a seriously cool piece of hardware, but fixed memory and limited port selection mean it's definitely not for everyone.

If you want upgradable RAM and additional connectivity like USB4 for hooking up an external GPU, these are the Windows Mac mini alternatives I really like. I've included top-tier compact machines from brands we've reviewed highly during our mini PC testing, including Beelink, Geekom, GMKtec, Minisforum, and Asus. Whether you need a cheap mini PC for the office or a high-performance powerhouse for heavier workloads, these are the machines I recommend.

My top 12 Windows mini PCs

Geekom A8

Minisforum UM890 Pro

Beelink SER9 Pro

GMKtec EVO-X1

AceMagic K1

Kamrui E3B

Geekom A8 Max

GMKtec NucBox G10

Asus Nuc 15 Pro

Peladn HO5

Bosgame P3 Lite

Acemagic X3

Why I chose these mini PCs

I had three key areas of focus when selecting these mini PCs — performance, connectivity and value for money.

Performance was obviously high on my list, which is why I've included mini PCs powered by some seriously capable AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors. The Beelink SER9 Pro ranked as our best mini PC for business.

I also wanted plenty of memory and storage, although upgradeability obviously varies considerably between these machines.

There are some particularly well-connected choices among my top 12, too. The Minisforum UM890 Pro has two USB4 ports, OCuLink for connecting high-speed external hardware, dual 2.5GbE ports and enough display connections to drive four screens simultaneously.

The GMKtec EVO X1 also combines USB4 and OCuLink with dual 2.5GbE networking, alongside HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.

Price was important as well, so I tried to include options for different budgets rather than filling the list with flagship machines. We rate Acemagic's K1 as our best mid-range mini PC, and at under $290, GMKtec's G10 Mini PC is a very affordable choice.

For more options, check out the best mini PCs we've tested, and for more savings, see our round-up of this week's best mini PC deals.

Fancy getting into vinyl, or upgrading your existing setup? This year has delivered some especially interesting new turntables, ranging from the classy to the tacky, and from the practical to the surely-just-for-show. I've rounded up some of our favorites below.

Oxblood is clearly in vogue, because we have not one but two decks in the moody hue: Technics' Friz Hansen turntable with a matching lamp, and Pro-Ject's ultra-minimalist Debut Evo 2.

Looking for something less understated? Rammstein fans should gear up to grab one of respected turntable brand Clearaudio's limited-edition themed decks when they finally become available in October. The brand's love letter to the German metal gods isn't simply a band logo slapped onto an existing turntable either — it was created in collaboration with Rammstein as a "fully independent model" featuring a metallic lacquer finish and dimmable LED lighting.

If you think that's bold, wait until you see Technics' other notable 2026 release. This limited-edition turntable is based on the SL-1200 model, and designed to mark its 55th anniversary. The inner workings remain largely untouched compared to the base model, but the exterior is altogether flashier: the theme here is gold, and lots of it. Everything from the tonearm to the controls to the platter has had the Midas touch applied — it even has a gold slip mat.

Scroll down for a closer look at all these decks and more — and hit the More details button for links to additional info.

Top turntables

Fluance RT87 turntable

View at Fluance

Technics Direct Drive Turntable System 55th Anniversary Edition

Read more: Technics' classic SL-1200 turntable is getting a 55th anniversary edition — and the big upgrade is 'lots of gold'

View at Technics

Goldring GR3

Read more: Goldring's GR3 turntable is all about style and convenience, but there's one aspect I wish I could switch off...

View at Goldring

Pros

• Detailed, rhythmically adept and confident sound
• Excellent pre-fitted cartridge is part of its plug-and-play convenience
• Great standard of build and finish

Cons

• Can sound slightly insubstantial at the top of the frequency range
• Phono stage really should be defeatable
• Not short of competition

Philips Fidelio FT1 (UK only)

Read more: I tested the Philips turntable with a CD player squirreled away in its plinth and honestly, for this money it's hard to argue with the versatility

View at Philips

Pros

• +Energetic and quite communicative sound
• Specified like a music centre of the old school (with some wireless stuff thrown in too)
• Tremendous flexibility where partnering equipment is concerned

Cons

• Splashy treble response
• Low frequencies sound slightly remote
• Quieter when physically connected than when using Bluetooth

Technics Limited Edition Fritz Hansen Turntable

Read more: 'Music is an art of time. Time flows without form': Technics releases a burgundy turntable, ties itself in knots over a matching 1930s lamp collab, we're all confused (but secretly I love it)

View at Technics

Sony PS-LX5BT turntable

Read more: It ain't heavy, but Sony's new budget Bluetooth turntable is still a winner eight days a week

View at Sony

Pros

• Energetic and forward, but not unsubtle, sound
• aptX Adaptive compatibility = lossy 48kHz wireless connectivity
• Integrated phono stage and fully automatic operation

Cons

• Little issues at either end of the frequency range
• Construction feels a little insubstantial
• Fixed counterweight

Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2

View at Pro.ject

Clearaudio Rammstein turntable (available Oct 2026)

Read more: Clearaudio just unveiled a stunning Rammstein turntable and truly, ich will!

• The Garmin Enduro 4 might have appeared in a new leak
• Details emerged in Indonesian regulatory filings
• The device might arrive before the end of 2026

We’ve barely had time to catch our breath after the Garmin Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro announcement, but here comes news of another high-end Garmin watch looming over the horizon. Only this time, it’s not an official announcement that has shone a light on the device, but instead an intriguing leak that Garmin would probably rather you didn’t see.

The leak in question first appeared in regulatory filings from Indonesia (via Garmin News). There, listings mentioned an unnamed Garmin device bearing the model number A05197 in the “Outdoor Product” category.

Other details are pretty thin on the ground, but there is reason to believe it could point towards the unreleased Enduro 4. For one thing, Garmin News reports that Garmin uses the Outdoor Product category for “almost all of its high-end multisport smartwatches during testing phases, including past Fenix, Tactix, and Enduro generations.” That could therefore be an indicator that this mystery device belongs to one of those product families.

Then there’s the issue of previously leaked code references. We’ve already seen mention of the Enduro 4 in code contained within the Garmin Connect app, suggesting that the wearable is in development at the very least. Combine that with the new Indonesian regulatory filings and an Enduro 4 launch is looking increasingly likely.

A battery champ

(Image credit: Garmin)

Prior to the Fenix 9 Pro announcement, we had hopes that the Enduro 4 would also appear at Garmin’s launch event. That never came to pass, but it hasn’t dampened our expectations that the device exists and is on the way.

Interestingly, the unnamed Garmin device was granted regulatory approval in Indonesia on August 25 — the same day as the Fenix 9 event. Garmin News notes that it can take one to three months for a Garmin device to be unveiled after it is approved, suggesting that we could see the Enduro 4 — or whatever this unknown wearable is — before the end of 2026.

If and when that happens, it should be good news for fans of the best Garmin watches who want a device with phenomenal battery life. After all, as our Garmin Enduro 3 review noted, this line of watches “puts battery first.” We can expect the Enduro 4 to continue that tradition.

• McKinsey report into the state of AI finds more businesses are deploying agentic solutions
• 20% of organizations have been constrained by operating costs but plan to increase investments into AI
• However some are still concerned about job cuts due to AI replacement

More companies are adopting agentic AI solutions, but are also facing difficulties in making the technology pay for itself, according to new research from McKinsey - however, there is good news on the horizon, with reports of an encouraging financial impact attributed to AI use.

Several cost-saving advantages of AI adoption have been found, with almost 33% of respondents saying they had moved away from software procurement in favor of developing in-house solutions with agentic coding tools.

Interestingly, the survey has found that while AI use for organizations at large seems relatively muted, it is boosting the performance of individual employees. But on the downside, 39% of those who responded expect a decline in the size of their organization’s workforce due to AI.

Reshaping businesses

Many organizations have explored AI, with 40% of those surveyed with annual revenues of more than $1 billion are scaling AI agents, an increase on last year’s survey which recorded 27%.

In smaller organizations, just 22% reported scaling, a figure that hasn’t improved notably since the previous survey. It’s a figure that suggests – unsurprisingly – that the larger organizations are more suited to exploring AI and scaling agentic applications. This is something that is highlighted in McKinsey’s report.

“Organizations’ conviction in AI is growing faster than the immediate financial returns they can attribute to it,” McKinsey said. “More expect AI to reshape their business over the next three years than did a year ago, and they continue to plan to invest more.”

So, the EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) factor, where at least 5% goes into AI, may seem low, and seems pretty flat with just 6% of respondents, but it has not declined, which at this stage is vital.

The downside of agentic AI

This survey reveals some significant trends, however, that could be seen as challenging for any business putting their eggs into a basked marked “AI.”

A key challenge is proving to be the token cost, with 20% reporting reduced use of AI due to operating costs. However, while 80% have reported that increases in “individual productivity” and 50% have claimed improved decision making, the use of AI seems to be making the changes that many observers have predicted over recent years.

The survey’s respondents are not optimistic on the impact of AI on the size of their workforce. 39% expect workforce declines caused by AI over the coming 12 months. This is up from 32% in McKinsey’s previous report, although it is important to note that 43% expect no AI-related decline or increase.

• Digital Foundry says getting Grand Theft Auto 6 to run at 60fps on current-gen consoles is "extremely unlikely"
• The tech experts say the 30fps footage from the Extended Look was "the most impressive example of real-time game rendering" they've seen
• It says the eventual PC version running at 60fps would be "genuinely challenging"

Tech analysts have suggested that getting Grand Theft Auto 6 to run smoothly at 60 frames per second would be a massive challenge on console.

After Grand Theft Auto 6's Extended Look, which finally offered a deep dive into Rockstar's biggest game yet running on the base PS5, reports confirmed that the game will run at 30fps on PlayStation and Xbox, with the possibility of 60fps being added post-launch.

That's no surprise considering the scale and how hyper-realistic GTA 6 looks, but according to the tech experts at Digital Foundry, it may be impossible for current-gen consoles to even hit 60fps.

Speaking about last night's extended look footage, the folks at Digital Foundry said it looks like "the most impressive example of real-time game rendering" they've ever seen; the gameplay shown is "relatively stable and well-paced 30fps output, with only very occasional single frame drops (though the nature of the 30fps asset means there could be more, unseen)."

It's believed that, while 30fps might seem low for a current-gen title such as GTA 6, Rockstar appears to be targeting this level to maximize the game's level of visual detail.

"It's clear that the focus was absolutely maximizing the level of visual detail at a fixed 30fps frame rate on all platforms," Digital Foundry wrote. "The rendering, simulation and presentation have all been tuned around that constraint — and the result is an unprecedented level of density, material quality and world coherence, with trade-offs landing primarily in image quality and animation smoothness rather than systemic scale or fidelity."

It continued, "The evidence suggests that the game maintains its 33.3ms cadence with care, and Rockstar has clearly spent immense effort balancing CPU and GPU workloads to fully saturate the hardware."

For this reason, Digital Foundry believes "a 60fps version extremely unlikely on console hardware — there's no way to regain enough GPU and particularly CPU time to make a 16.7ms update rate work without compromising the world."

It also suggests that the game could look better on PS5 Pro, thanks to the console's powerful GPU with PSSR upscaling, but Rockstar has yet to reveal official gameplay running on the hardware.

As for the eventual PC release, which hasn't been announced yet, "some level of caution is required" as while the platform could allow higher resolutions and benefit from upscalers like Nvidia DLSS, the CPU demand of GTA 6's complex world could "make hitting 60fps genuinely challenging in a way we don't often see, and will likely require a high-end CPU like a recent Ryzen X3D to avoid bottlenecks."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and Rockstar has confirmed that the game can take up to 80 hours to beat.

Operation Bluebird has launched Twitter.now while fighting X over rights to the Twitter name, betting nostalgia and AI tools can build a new social network.

The post A Startup Brought Back ‘Twitter’ — Now X Is Suing appeared first on TechRepublic.

Plaud One uses AI earbuds and a 4G-connected case to record, summarize, and act on workplace conversations without relying on a nearby smartphone.

The post Plaud One: AI Earbuds That Listen, Summarize, and Take Action appeared first on TechRepublic.

• An X investigation just found 200k Chinese bot accounts, including 200 posting anti-AI content
• The posts were targeting and amplifying legitimate US citizen concerns about data centers
• Is this part of a Chinese effort to slow down American innovation, to race ahead?

X's Global Government Affairs account has revealed it "identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts," 200 of which "posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy."

Some of the narratives that these 200 accounts were promoting included that: AI data centers are pushing up household electricity prices, rapid data centre construction is placing excessive strain on the US grid, and ordinary households are subsidising wealthy AI and data center companies.

Among the post types were visual, cartoon-like illustrations depicting data center operators getting rich, while consumers picked up the cost.

X Chinese bot accounts

X described the activity as an attempt to interfere with what it explicitly acknowledged as "legitimate debate" about American AI and energy – many of the underlying concerns about electricity demand and consumer bills are indeed supported by genuine data, but the platform worries these accounts could skew public discourse.

The company now says it's suspended the accounts that violate its authentication policy, stressing that while it wants X to remain an "open and authentic platform," fake accounts and bots are not welcome.

The post describes the offenders as "suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts," but no further detail was shared about the operators, the ties to China, engagement and reach figures, and what the other 199,000+ accounts were doing.

Is China targeting US AI?

In a similar vein, OpenAI also recently uncovered a similar operation, implying this X case isn't alone. The ChatGPT maker called that earlier operation a 'Data Center Bandwagon', when it banned a cluster of likely Chinese accounts using ChatGPT to produce propaganda-like material and other similar social media content criticizing US AI data centers.

According to the company, the accounts responsible prompted in Simplified Chinese, often requested English outputs and used VPNs to avoid the restrictions placed on mainland China.

More broadly, Axios previously reported pro-AI organizations were worried that China-linked bot campaigns were promoting opposition to US data centers, possibly in a bid to slow America's ability to build out its AI infrastructure while buying China time to get ahead.

"Industry, governments, civil society and the public should remain alert for similar attempts to scale these messages and foreign interference activities," OpenAI warned in its June 2026 report.

Together, these two cases imply that China-linked operators are deliberately experimenting with ways to boost American opposition to AI infrastructure using existing concerns, but what sort of an impact these accounts are actually having on public perception is not yet so clear.

"We take seriously any attempts to undermine the integrity of the global town square and suspend accounts that violate our Authenticity policy," X wrote.

Since I started my monthly Blu-ray Bounty column in November 2024, I’ve tested more than 100 4K Blu-rays. In that time, as well as finding that a lot of highly anticipated discs — such as Fight Club — lived up to the hype, there have also been some pleasant surprises, including the reference-quality Speed Racer and the spectacularThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The latter two are now part of the selection of discs I use to test the best TVs and best soundbars.

While I haven’t managed to test every disc I’ve wanted to (and certainly not every 4K disc released), one has remained frustratingly elusive: Hard Boiled. One of John Woo’s most iconic films, it's a cornerstone of Hong Kong action cinema, and I'd been keen to get my hands on the 4K release.

After failing to snag the Limited Edition, released in March 2026 in the UK, and every subsequent restock, I was starting to wonder if a Hard Boiled was destined to stay on my testing wishlist. July saw the arrival of a standard edition — and it shot to the top of my July 2026 most anticipated 4K list. After yet more courier delays, Hard Boiled finally made it into our testing lab — so, at long last, I was able to give it a spin to see whether the 4K disc is worth all the hype.

Awesome Atmos audio

Hard Boiled's numerous chaotic shootouts sound superb thanks to its engaging and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack (Image credit: Arrow Video / Future )

There are three soundtrack options on this disc: Cantonese Mono, Cantonese Dolby Atmos, and English Mono. I primarily used the Cantonese Dolby Atmos, to see how effective the upscaled audio track would be, although I was impressed by the clarity of the Cantonese Mono.

There're no shortage of action-packed scenes in Hard Boiled, in particular a number of gunfights, and the disc's Dolby Atmos soundtrack makes the most of them. During testing, I used a Samsung HW-Q990C 11.1.4 channel soundbar system, and the Atmos mix really came alive. As bullets tear through the room, ricocheting bullets can be heard bouncing off walls with impressive detail and precision. In the opening gunfight, as sprays of bullets from sub-machine guns fly, the trajectory of these bullets was precisely mapped to the rear channels, and as the camera moved around the room, the sound of the bullets moved with it.

While bullets generate impact, it’s the big explosions that deliver the meaty bass. While these explosions didn’t always resonate from the Q990C’s subwoofer (down to the older mix), there was still plenty of oomph to each one. The Atmos soundtrack also displays great balance and range. As Tequila and Ah Long are caught in a shootout with one another, the sound of bullet casings hitting the floor is audible in the loud gunfire, which is in turn well balanced with raised voices and the often-lively score.

4K picture wins again

The 4K Blu-ray delivers excellent colors, giving Hard Boiled a lively and rich picture (Image credit: Arrow Video / Future )

Arrow Video’s 4K discs are among the strongest when it comes to restoration, and this remains true with Hard Boiled. Textures have been finely restored, with details such as skin taking on a remarkably natural, almost 3D quality. In some scenes, the movie looks like it could have been shot only a few years ago rather than in 1992. Close-up shots reveal an impressive level of refinement, too, from the texture of a gun to the tiny details of a bullet. Having recently visited Silver Salt Restoration, which occasionally works with Arrow Video, I know just how much hard work goes into restoring films to such a standard.

Elsewhere, this 4K disc showcases bold, vibrant colors that really pop off the screen. The neon signs of downtown Hong Kong have a gorgeous richness to them, while restaurant interiors benefit from punchy yet natural-looking hues – such as a vivid green door in the opening gunfight. And then there's the blood — of which there is plenty in Hard Boiled — that displays real vibrancy, but in some scenes, also appears deep, rich and convincingly realistic. It really highlights the disc’s color reproduction.

This scene really shows off the 4K disc's contrast, but also the bright sparks looked great on the LG G6, showcasing its strong HDR highlights Arrow Video / Future The dimly lit jazz club shows lifelike contrast that looks fantastic on the G6Arrow Video / Future

Throughout the movie, there are plenty of scenes that, displayed on the right TV, really highlight the 4K disc’s excellent contrast. In the dimly lit jazz club during the opening credits, the dim surroundings contrast well with the wall and stage lights. A later scene of a parade of motorcyclists escorting a car along the docks also show deep black tones, which balance nicely with the headlamps from the vehicles.

Finally, there are plenty of moments that can give a good TV a chance to shine, too. Throughout the movie, bright sparks fly from car collisions, showers of bullets and explosions, and on the LG G6 I used for testing, they really showed off the G6’s strong HDR highlights. The film grain has also been cleaned up. There’s still enough to satisfy cinephiles, but the clean-up job gives Hard Boiled a more contemporary look without stripping away any character.

My 4K Blu-ray love grows

(Image credit: Arrow Video / Future )

I’ve written plenty about how much I love what 4K Blu-ray can do for more classic movies, with titles such as 1938’s Captain Blood, 1944’s Double Indemnity and 1950’s Sunset Boulevard from Hollywood’s Golden Age all given a new lease of life. Even "more recent" thrillers such as To Live and Die in L.A. — also from Arrow Video — have received stunning 4K makeovers, while remaining crucially faithful to the original, filmmaker-intended look.

Hard Boiled is just the latest in a series of titles I’ve tested that showcase just what 4K Blu-ray can do. It retains the movie’s iconic look, both of early-'90s Hong Kong cinema and John Woo’s distinctive style, while also giving the movie a new coat of paint. The superb new Atmos soundtrack adds another layer, bringing out a wealth of intricate detail and making the explosive action even more immersive. It's yet another fantastic 4K Blu-ray release that I’ll be adding to my now bursting 4K Blu-ray shelves.

• Grand Theft Auto 6's hand-crafted NPCs have over 600,000 animations
• Rockstar North co-head Aaron Garbut says Rockstar established a new team that art-directed every single NPC
• Garbut says every single room and the NPCs inside them were hand-crafted

To achieve the grand scale and realism we witnessed this week in Grand Theft Auto 6's extended look, the development team went above and beyond, according to Rockstar.

In an interview with The New York Times about the game's development, Rockstar North co-head Aaron Garbut revealed that the studio established a new Los Angeles-based team of writers, directors, and producers to focus solely on realizing non-player characters (NPCs).

"We art-directed each individual one of them," said Garbut, revealing that GTA 6 has over 600,000 animations, compared to GTA 5's 55,000 and double Red Dead Redemption 2's 300,000 animations.

"Every room in the game, somebody thought about this," Garbut said. "Who's sitting where, what they're drinking, the marks that are left on the table. The pictures on the wall will have the people that are in that room, with their tattoos on their arms and their family behind them. That whole thing has been made, and built, and photographed, and placed in this random room in a random building in a huge city, in a world."

Rob Nelson, the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, also emphasised that the game is "an evolution" of what the studio achieved with Red Dead Redemption 2 and its impressive gameplay systems.

"Once we managed to accomplish that level of interactive fidelity in a more sparsely populated version of America 100 years ago," Nelson said, "we were already imagining what it would be like if we could do that at the scale and density of a modern environment."

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, and a new report has confirmed that the game will run at 30fps on consoles at launch.

• Sony unveils cheaper Bravia 6 OLED TV, available in sizes from 48 inches to 83 inches
• It has four HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
• Prices start from $1,300 (about £957 / AU$1,805), putting it against Samsung and LG's mid-range model, but its unclear if performance will match

Sony has launched a new mid-range OLED TV, the Bravia 6. As the numbering suggests, it sits below the Bravia 8 and Bravia 8 II OLED TVs and the Bravia 7 II and Bravia 9 II RGB LED TVs in Sony's 2026 TV range.

The Bravia 6 comes in five sizes, ranging from 48 to 83 inches, and includes the MediaTek Pentonic 800 chip, which means it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz and variable refresh rate — unlike Sony's higher-end TVs, which only have two HDMI 2.1 ports each due to a quirk of chip choices. The Bravia 6 also supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, auto low latency mode and HDMI eARC.

The strapline for Sony's marketing is "OLED essentials, now within reach", and with prices ranging from $1,300 to $4,000 in the US (international pricing is coming soon) the Bravia 6 is priced to fight it out with the LG C6 and the Samsung S90H. So how do they compare?

(Image credit: Sony)Sony Bravia 6 vs LG C6 vs Samsung S90H: key features

As you'd expect from a new Sony, the Bravia 6 runs Google TV. LG has its webOS system, and the Samsung runs Tizen. There's essentially universal disagreement in the TV community over which of these is better, but they all support every major streaming service.

The Bravia 6 will come in five sizes: 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83 inches. The LG C6 and Samsung S90H are both available in six: 42, 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83 inches.

Samsung's model has HDR 10+ while the Sony and LG have HDR 10 and Dolby Vision; all three have Dolby Atmos audio but the Sony also has DTS:X.

For gamers, the Sony has variable refresh rate based on the standard HDMI 2.1 spec; the LG has HDMI-spec VRR, plus, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium; and the Samsung has HDMI-spec VRR, G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro.

All three TVs support at least 120Hz 4K, but this is where it gets interesting. The Sony only supports 120Hz at 4K, while the LG and Samsung both support 4K 165Hz maximum.

This suggests that the Sony is using a different panel to the other models, despite being the same kind of price. We don't have official confirmation yet, but multiple outlets are have reported that the Bravia 6 uses the new, more affordable OLED SE panel, which is also used in the LG B6.

But what's odd is that the OLED SE panel is capable of hitting 144Hz, so the Sony being limited to 120Hz doesn't actually confirm anything about its panel either way.

If it is using the OLED SE panel, the LG C6 and Samsung S90H have a clear advantage in terms of the brightness and color reproduction of the panel itself. We loved the performance of the LG C6, and our first impressions of the Samsung S90H were that its display came very close to the C6, though our full review is coming soon.

TV enthusiasts will be very interested in Sony's processing, however, rather than just the panel. Sony's built a reputation for offering extremely good motion handling and upscaling, and producing fantastic levels of accuracy in its pictures. However, this often comes with a dimmer-looking picture than the competition even when using the same panel, and Sony might be using a dimmer panel to start with here…

The LG B6 (right) has less vibrancy and brightness compared to the LG C6 (center) or the LG G6 (left) — and the Sony Bravia 6 may use the same panel as the B6 (Image credit: Future)

At $1,300, the Sony Bravia 6 is priced to compete with the LG C6, which has fallen to a regular price of $1,299, while the Samsung S90H is available for $1,199 at the time of writing.

The 48-inch version of the LG B6 is available for just $799 at the time of writing, and if the Sony TV does use the same panel, that's quite a start difference.

The mid-range OLED market is going to be a tough one for Sony to crack — the company is pretty cautious about discounting, but LG and Samsung are very aggressive with it. If the Bravia 6 has the performance to match the price, then it could be the cinephile's choice — but it could all depend on that panel.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

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It's getting tougher and tougher to find decent gaming laptop deals these days, but every now and again, I still spot the odd gem. One such example has to be this Gigabyte Aero X16 gaming laptop for $1,339 (was $1,499) at Best Buy.

It's a pretty pricey laptop, no doubt, but it's a rare example of a machine that features both an RTX 5070 graphics card and 32GB of RAM for under $1,500. I've spotted quite a few 'cheap' RTX 5070 laptops recently, but they've all come with a rather measly 16GB of RAM.

Since RAM is so expensive these days, getting 32GB right out of the box is a real selling point for this Gigabyte Aero X16. You shouldn't have any issues getting great performance here, even if you do have to pay a little extra versus the cheaper RTX 5060 laptops that are quite common in this price bracket.

If you're headed off to college, then I could see this one being a particularly fine choice, too. It's powerful enough to handle the applications you'll need, while also doubling as a great tool for gaming in your downtime. With a decent AMD chipset, this one should see you through all of college with no problem.

Today's best gaming laptop deal

Aero X16 Gaming Laptop: was $1499.99 now $1339.99
Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: AMD Ryzen Al 7-350
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Genuine gaming laptop deals are rare these days with such high component prices. This Gigabyte Aero X16 at Best Buy, however, is a listing that's almost bucking that trend. Not only is it an RTX 5070 gaming laptop for under $1,500, but you're also getting 32GB of RAM right out of the box. In short, this is a really great bang-for-the-buck option currently - even if it is still pretty pricey. View Deal

• See more: check out all of today's gaming laptop deals

This particular deal is one of the highlights of Best Buy's 'back to school' section, which includes plenty of laptops and gaming laptops of all shapes and sizes. I don't think any listing quite matches this one for value right now if you're looking for a higher-end gaming laptop.

If it's not what you're looking for, however, it's worth checking in regularly at the retailer as we'll almost certainly see some Labor Day specials over the next week or so. Best Buy has already launched a big appliances sale, and tech is sure to follow shortly.

The Great Lake’s name could change on your map app depending on what side of the US-Canada border you’re on.

I'm a big fan of reMarkable's line of digital handwriting tablets, having used them for years now. They genuinely offer the closest feeling of writing with pad and pen that I've ever experience. And right now, the whole line has up to £100 off.

Topping the list is my daily driver, the reMarkable Paper Pro Move, now £399 (was £499) at Amazon. I use this notebook-style E Ink tablet every day professionally and personally, and it rarely leaves my side.

For those who need extra screen space that's more similar to writing, sketching, and drawing in an A4 pad, the reMarkable Paper Pure is down to £375 (was £399) and the color reMarkable Paper Pro is down to £599 (was £699), too.

• Shop the full Amazon Tech Week sale.

Today's best reMarkable tablet deals

Paper Pro Move with Marker Plus and Basalt Book Folio: was £499 now £399
I absolutely love my Paper Pro Move, a notebook-sized colour tablet with front-light. This is the reMarkable I use daily for work now. In our 5-star review, we called it "the writing tablet of my dreams."

In the US: now $469 (was $569)View Deal

Paper Pure With Marker Plus and Ocean Blue Sleeve Folio: was £399 now £375
The Paper Pure is reMarkable's entry-level tablet. But while it lacks a colour screen or front-light, I found the writing to offer "a flawless pad-and-pen experience" in my 4-star review.View Deal

Paper Pro With Marker Plus and Basalt Book Folio: was £699 now £599
The Paper Pro is reMarkable's top-end colour E Ink handwriting tablet. It's a thin, lightweight 11.8in device with a front-light. In our 4-star review, we found it snappy, and "It feels like writing on real paper, not writing on a laggy screen." I completely agree with that sentiment.

In the US: now $679 (was $779)View Deal

2 With Marker Plus: was £429 now £345.68
I used the reMarkable 2 daily for years, and I still love the writing experience - it's smoother and softer than the new line of tablets. It's been discontinued in place of the above models, and while it's the slowest of the bunch, for pure writing it's perfect. At the time, our review noted that it had "the best writing and sketching experience." View Deal

Why I recommend them

I'm a prolific hoarder of notebooks. So, before I first took the plunge on an E Ink writing tablet all those years ago, I spent months researching and trying different models to find one that gave me the same tactile experience I get from writing with a pad and pen.

The reMarkable 2 won hands-down, and won me over in a matter of seconds once I got started. Since then, I've used the whole line - with the Paper Pure and Paper Pro Move both in my tech stack.

Beyond the minimalist, distraction-free ethos, the handwriting recognition is one of the stand-out features here. So long as you write relatively legible, the device can turn those handwritten notes into useable text. Other pro features I like include the ability to highlight and annotate documents.

For a distraction-free writing experience, reMarkable's surpass any other device out there. I've used the Kindle Scribe a fair amount (my wife swears by it). And while it comes close, it doesn't quite match that scratchy pen-to-paper feel you get from the reMarkable tablets.

Which should you buy?

✅ Buy the reMarkable Paper Pro Move if...

You want a pocket-sized notebook-style digital handwriting tablet. I love mine, and it's genuinely useful for taking notes at work. It easily replaced my beloved Moleskine.

✅ Buy the reMarkable Paper Pro if...

You need the largest canvas offered by reMarkable, and a colour screen is important to you. It's good for professional graphs and documents, as well as epubs like graphic novels.

✅ Buy the reMarkable Paper Pure if...

You just want the cheapest distraction-free tablet in the reMarkable line, and can live without a colour screen or frontlight.

✅ Buy the reMarkable 2 if...

You want a slightly cheaper model than the Paper Pure that replaced it, and don't mind the fact that this slower tablet has been discontinued (although accessories like the pen tips are still widely available)

Price context & historical value

As a bit of a reMarkable fan-boy, I'm always on the look out for deals on these tablets, and they don't come around nearly as often as I'd like. £100 off the Paper Pro and Paper Pro Move bundles, which come with a protective folio and the Marker Plus (you can turn it upside-down to delete your writing like it's a pencil with an eraser on the end).

The Paper Pure is the newest addition to the line-up, and I didn't expect to see a discount so soon - even if it is relatively small. I put it down to being a device that's tailor-made for the back-to-school season.

And frankly, any discount on the reMarkable 2 is welcome, as it's been discontinued so prices may rise as stock runs dry.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

These aren't iPads. They're not even a Kindle. reMarkable's tablets are focused on being as distraction-free as possible. So, while you can integrate certain workplace apps like Slack, OneDrive, and Google Drive, it's not built for streaming movies or reading eBooks from Amazon's store. The central idea here is to use the tablet for writing and sketching.

• See all tablets at Amazon