TechRadar News

• Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly suggests more Star Wars games could be made following the success of Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Star Wars: Zero Company
• Reilly says that while "huge triple-A games like Battlefront are always going to be an essential part of the strategy," the "goal" is to find "the best partner"
• This goes for both triple-A and smaller independent studios

It sounds like Lucasfilm Games wants to release more Star Wars games following the success of Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Star Wars: Zero Company, but it's not necessarily looking for triple-A studio pitches.

That's according to Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly, who told The Game Business that games developed by independent studios "very much is part of the strategy."

"Obviously, huge triple-A games like Battlefront are always going to be an essential part of the strategy," Reilly added. "But one of the great things about Star Wars is it has all kinds of other opportunities to tell stories in different genres.

Reilly said, "The goal has been to find the best partner who makes that experience come alive inside the galaxy far, far away," and it doesn't necessarily "have to always be triple-A."

"Sometimes it can be double-A, and it’s really about the experience that we’re delivering and the fantasy we’re fulfilling," he said, adding that Lucasfilm Games has "tried to be more flexible about who we’re willing to take pitches from."

Saber Interactive is quietly working on its Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, which it confirmed is still in development, while a new game from Arcnaut Studios and Mass Effect trilogy director Casey Hudson, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, is now in the works.

In addition, a new report has now claimed that Destiny developer Bungie and DICE are "aggressively" pursuing a Star Wars: Battlefront 3 project, but official confirmation has yet to come in.

"Good ideas can come from a lot of different places," Reilly continued. "You don’t have to necessarily be a top five publisher to make a great Star Wars game. There are some hurdles.

"We have a high-quality bar, and that means typically we work with more experienced teams than ones with no track record. But we’re exploring all kinds of things, large and small, with partners that are going to surprise folks."

I reviewed both Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Star Wars: Zero Company, and they're among the best games of the year. Galactic Racer is the Star Wars racing game I've always wanted and an exhilarating roguelike racer with endless customization, while Zero Company acts as an excellent companion story to the Clone Wars era with immensely fun turn-based tactics gameplay.

AI development and expansion is rocketing across our society, sparkling and bright like a Roman candle, but with its tail on fire. The disruptions are coming so fast, and the concerns are rising so quickly, that no one, not even those running the biggest AI companies, knows what to do. Instead of addressing issues like AI slop, job loss, self-replicating and developing AI running amok, and data centers, these AI bosses have come up with a better solution: cold, hard cash.

On Monday, Elon Musk casually posted on his X platform that he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America, with the promise of more to come. Over at Anthropic, Dario Amodei proposed a public fund built on the value of 5% of his company's shares when it goes public next month.

Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.October 19, 2026

Of the two offers, Anthropic has the most obvious value. The company might be worth a trillion dollars when it goes public in November, which means the fund will be close to $50 billion. That's a lot of money.

Whether it's $150 (the approximate value of a SpaceX share) or $5 billion, neither offer actually addresses AI's myriad issues. None of this equals regulation, oversight, a pause, or a concrete global discussion about a technology that may in 12 months' time be able to do any of our jobs, access most of our systems, and start making decisions on our behalf. None address the real-time, growing cybersecurity threats posed by AI that can crack any encryption and set off Denial of Service attacks at unimaginable scales.

But how?

Let’s leave aside all that for a moment and talk about the nuts and bolts of these proposals.

First of all, there’s the question of how Elon Musk is going to give every one of the 72 million children in America a stock grant (assuming — a big assumption — he follows through). There are ways of doing this (custodial accounts, transfer to a brokerage, even platforms like GiveaShare that support stock gifts for children). Trump Account recently did something similar (sort of tiny Individual Retirement Accounts for pint-sized people). However, when those stocks go in there, they're not something the children will access now or in the near future.

What would be the value of $150? A couple of toys, a few outfits? More likely, what’s going to happen here is those SpaceX shares will sit and maybe accumulate value (maybe not), and then, when the child is an adult looking for one of the few jobs AI has not taken over, they’ll use it to help support themselves for a little while. Maybe buy a meal.

Those SpaceX shares will sit and maybe accumulate value (maybe not), and then, when the child is an adult looking for one of the few jobs AI has not taken over

As for Amodei's Anthropic offer, well, it is a lot of money, but once you set up the fund, you’d figure out how to manage it and allocate it. Who is going to control that fund, and how will it be parceled out? Will it, for instance, go to every individual state? Will it go to schools, grade schools, maybe high schools, maybe universities? Will it be used to set up AI curriculum? If so, what curriculum built now will be useful a decade from now? Those billions could be used, but they’ll have to be sort of churned and replenished so that new curriculum could be built (probably by AI).

I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen because it could just be for job training centers, retraining for new jobs that people have never done before, but that AI cannot reasonably do. Maybe Anthropic will be funding trade schools. I have yet to see an AI plumber or electrician, though I guess eventually the robots will be skilled enough to run a pipe or fix a circuit.

Of the two plans, I have far less confidence in Musk to hand over those 72 million shares because he’s made promises like this before and has not carried through. It becomes a bit of a show, a flurry of hands and a digital wink to convince people that he actually cares, but there’s no indication that he really does beyond the growth of his company and personal wealth.

Money for something

Now, these things are not mutually exclusive. I do believe we need money to help retrain vast workforces in this AI age, and that should happen sooner as opposed to later. And sure, you know, giving a child a share is not a terrible gesture, a little something to put aside for later, for a rainy day, or a day when they realize that the AI is in control and the only way they can buy food is directly from another person because the AI is running the grocery store.

I have yet to see an AI plumber or electrician, though I guess eventually the robots will be skilled enough to run a pipe or fix a circuit.

Maybe though, Anthropic's Fund could be used to figure out a better, more environmentally and community-friendly way to build data centres, perhaps in places where both people and wildlife don’t need to live (space, underground). I don’t know what the answer is to that, but that research needs to happen.

It’s unclear if either one of these monetary plans will actually come through, but one thing I can guarantee is that AI is not slowing down. Yes, there’s probably a coming correction, and there may be more consolidation, but the trajectory is set. It will continue, and if we don’t get people together to actually talk about how we’re managing this revolution, no amount of money is going to solve our AI problems.

AI development and expansion is rocketing across our society, sparkling and bright like a Roman candle, but with its tail on fire. The disruptions are coming so fast, and the concerns are rising so quickly, that no one, not even those running the biggest AI companies, knows what to do. Instead of addressing issues like AI slop, job loss, self-replicating and developing AI running amok, and data centers, these AI bosses have come up with a better solution: cold, hard cash.

On Monday, Elon Musk casually posted on his X platform that he would give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America, with the promise of more to come. Over at Anthropic, Dario Amodei proposed a public fund built on the value of 5% of his company's shares when it goes public next month.

Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.October 19, 2026

Of the two offers, Anthropic has the most obvious value. The company might be worth a trillion dollars when it goes public in November, which means the fund will be close to $50 billion. That's a lot of money.

Whether it's $150 (the approximate value of a SpaceX share) or $5 billion, neither offer actually addresses AI's myriad issues. None of this equals regulation, oversight, a pause, or a concrete global discussion about a technology that may in 12 months' time be able to do any of our jobs, access most of our systems, and start making decisions on our behalf. None address the real-time, growing cybersecurity threats posed by AI that can crack any encryption and set off Denial of Service attacks at unimaginable scales.

But how?

Let’s leave aside all that for a moment and talk about the nuts and bolts of these proposals.

First of all, there’s the question of how Elon Musk is going to give every one of the 72 million children in America a stock grant (assuming — a big assumption — he follows through). There are ways of doing this (custodial accounts, transfer to a brokerage, even platforms like GiveaShare that support stock gifts for children). Trump Account recently did something similar (sort of tiny Individual Retirement Accounts for pint-sized people). However, when those stocks go in there, they're not something the children will access now or in the near future.

What would be the value of $150? A couple of toys, a few outfits? More likely, what’s going to happen here is those SpaceX shares will sit and maybe accumulate value (maybe not), and then, when the child is an adult looking for one of the few jobs AI has not taken over, they’ll use it to help support themselves for a little while. Maybe buy a meal.

Those SpaceX shares will sit and maybe accumulate value (maybe not), and then, when the child is an adult looking for one of the few jobs AI has not taken over

As for Amodei's Anthropic offer, well, it is a lot of money, but once you set up the fund, you’d figure out how to manage it and allocate it. Who is going to control that fund, and how will it be parceled out? Will it, for instance, go to every individual state? Will it go to schools, grade schools, maybe high schools, maybe universities? Will it be used to set up AI curriculum? If so, what curriculum built now will be useful a decade from now? Those billions could be used, but they’ll have to be sort of churned and replenished so that new curriculum could be built (probably by AI).

I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen because it could just be for job training centers, retraining for new jobs that people have never done before, but that AI cannot reasonably do. Maybe Anthropic will be funding trade schools. I have yet to see an AI plumber or electrician, though I guess eventually the robots will be skilled enough to run a pipe or fix a circuit.

Of the two plans, I have far less confidence in Musk to hand over those 72 million shares because he’s made promises like this before and has not carried through. It becomes a bit of a show, a flurry of hands and a digital wink to convince people that he actually cares, but there’s no indication that he really does beyond the growth of his company and personal wealth.

Money for something

Now, these things are not mutually exclusive. I do believe we need money to help retrain vast workforces in this AI age, and that should happen sooner as opposed to later. And sure, you know, giving a child a share is not a terrible gesture, a little something to put aside for later, for a rainy day, or a day when they realize that the AI is in control and the only way they can buy food is directly from another person because the AI is running the grocery store.

I have yet to see an AI plumber or electrician, though I guess eventually the robots will be skilled enough to run a pipe or fix a circuit.

Maybe though, Anthropic's Fund could be used to figure out a better, more environmentally and community-friendly way to build data centres, perhaps in places where both people and wildlife don’t need to live (space, underground). I don’t know what the answer is to that, but that research needs to happen.

It’s unclear if either one of these monetary plans will actually come through, but one thing I can guarantee is that AI is not slowing down. Yes, there’s probably a coming correction, and there may be more consolidation, but the trajectory is set. It will continue, and if we don’t get people together to actually talk about how we’re managing this revolution, no amount of money is going to solve our AI problems.

When you create a smash-hit like Season 1 of Cyberpunk Edgerunners, returning for a second outing was never going to be easy. Setting the bar so high you’ll need top-shelf cybernetics to make that leap — but with Edgerunners Season 2, Studio Trigger yet again proves why it stands alone as master animators of high-octane action that is as visually stunning as it is visceral.

The story itself will be familiar in theme and setting to fans of Edgerunner's first outing, but the series is more of an anthology than direct follow-ons to what came before. The events of the first season are referenced — David is a known Night City legend by characters in the show — but don’t expect to see any follow-ups on Lucy or other stories.

Instead Edgerunners gives us a whole new cast — focused on budding videographer Roman, the chrome-obsessed renegade Talia, cyberpsychosis-survivor King, and revenge-fuelled netrunner D — whose individual stories cross and diverge as the events of Season 2 unfold.

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

Don’t worry, things are easy to follow, and the plots develop at an excellent pace — keeping you engaged while also making sure characters aren’t abandoned for longer than you want.

To some extent, you *could* start here considering the disconnect to Season 1, but (1) you’ll be missing out on a phenomenal season of animated TV, and (2) while the characters don’t make a return, the world of Cyberpunk and Night City and its factions do.

More generally, Season 2 is fuelled by the same themes as its predecessor, and there are familiarities between the new cast and Maine’s crew. There’s naivety and dreams of a different world to what exists, grizzled veterans and long-standing grudges between factions, and a looming sense of inevitable tragedy that seems to eventually catch up with everyone in Night City.

The context of Season 1 will help you better appreciate Season 2, even if it isn’t necessarily required reading (though required or not, you’re depriving yourself if you skip it).

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

I’m aiming to keep things spoiler-lite for this preview, so I’ll cut myself off here before I get into more specific plot details and shift gear to the animation.

Simply put: it’s sublime.

Studio Trigger is well known for its dazzling action — delivering artistically beautiful scenes of violence, but also graphically gory fight scenes that make it clear you never want to be on the wrong side of a gunfight.

Each combat encounter is unique too, with Studio Trigger finding ways to keep its action constantly feeling fresh rather than just repetitive brawls and shootouts, thanks to engaging set pieces and aesthetic flashes that make every gory execution different from the last.

This was showcased in Season 1, and that same mastery is present in Season 2. But I love the artistic approaches taken in the show’s calmer moments too. The grainy film footage effect of Roman’s recordings gives the technofuturistic events an appropriately vintage quality; D’s traumatic and hazy flashbacks are rendered with minimal, blocky colors and silhouettes.

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

There are also playful ‘anime moments.’ Roman’s over-the-top visual reaction to hearing of a rare 35mm camera almost doesn’t fit the gritty reality around him, but helps to cement his position of child-like wonder — one that has yet to be corrupted by the harsh reality of Night City.

In every case these artistic choices don’t add to a frenetic chaos — they emphasise moments both in and out of action, provide a deeper insight into the psyche of the characters, and bring the world of Cyberpunk Edgerunners to life in all its technofuturistic glory.

If you have a Netflix subscription and haven’t experienced Cyberpunk Edgerunners yet, you’re doing yourself a disservice — stop reading and get over there. Season 1 and now Season 2 are masterclasses in animated excellence that are sure to delight fans and non-fans of anime alike.

Heck, they’re worth subscribing to Netflix if you don’t already for a month to catch it all. It’ll be the best binge-watch of your life.

When you create a smash-hit like Season 1 of Cyberpunk Edgerunners, returning for a second outing was never going to be easy. Setting the bar so high you’ll need top-shelf cybernetics to make that leap — but with Edgerunners Season 2, Studio Trigger yet again proves why it stands alone as master animators of high-octane action that is as visually stunning as it is visceral.

The story itself will be familiar in theme and setting to fans of Edgerunner's first outing, but the series is more of an anthology than direct follow-ons to what came before. The events of the first season are referenced — David is a known Night City legend by characters in the show — but don’t expect to see any follow-ups on Lucy or other stories.

Instead Edgerunners gives us a whole new cast — focused on budding videographer Roman, the chrome-obsessed renegade Talia, cyberpsychosis-survivor King, and revenge-fuelled netrunner D — whose individual stories cross and diverge as the events of Season 2 unfold.

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

Don’t worry, things are easy to follow, and the plots develop at an excellent pace — keeping you engaged while also making sure characters aren’t abandoned for longer than you want.

To some extent, you *could* start here considering the disconnect to Season 1, but (1) you’ll be missing out on a phenomenal season of animated TV, and (2) while the characters don’t make a return, the world of Cyberpunk and Night City and its factions do.

More generally, Season 2 is fuelled by the same themes as its predecessor, and there are familiarities between the new cast and Maine’s crew. There’s naivety and dreams of a different world to what exists, grizzled veterans and long-standing grudges between factions, and a looming sense of inevitable tragedy that seems to eventually catch up with everyone in Night City.

The context of Season 1 will help you better appreciate Season 2, even if it isn’t necessarily required reading (though required or not, you’re depriving yourself if you skip it).

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

I’m aiming to keep things spoiler-lite for this preview, so I’ll cut myself off here before I get into more specific plot details and shift gear to the animation.

Simply put: it’s sublime.

Studio Trigger is well known for its dazzling action — delivering artistically beautiful scenes of violence, but also graphically gory fight scenes that make it clear you never want to be on the wrong side of a gunfight.

Each combat encounter is unique too, with Studio Trigger finding ways to keep its action constantly feeling fresh rather than just repetitive brawls and shootouts, thanks to engaging set pieces and aesthetic flashes that make every gory execution different from the last.

This was showcased in Season 1, and that same mastery is present in Season 2. But I love the artistic approaches taken in the show’s calmer moments too. The grainy film footage effect of Roman’s recordings gives the technofuturistic events an appropriately vintage quality; D’s traumatic and hazy flashbacks are rendered with minimal, blocky colors and silhouettes.

(Image credit: Netflix / CDPR)

There are also playful ‘anime moments.’ Roman’s over-the-top visual reaction to hearing of a rare 35mm camera almost doesn’t fit the gritty reality around him, but helps to cement his position of child-like wonder — one that has yet to be corrupted by the harsh reality of Night City.

In every case these artistic choices don’t add to a frenetic chaos — they emphasise moments both in and out of action, provide a deeper insight into the psyche of the characters, and bring the world of Cyberpunk Edgerunners to life in all its technofuturistic glory.

If you have a Netflix subscription and haven’t experienced Cyberpunk Edgerunners yet, you’re doing yourself a disservice — stop reading and get over there. Season 1 and now Season 2 are masterclasses in animated excellence that are sure to delight fans and non-fans of anime alike.

Heck, they’re worth subscribing to Netflix if you don’t already for a month to catch it all. It’ll be the best binge-watch of your life.

• AdGuard VPN's v2.17 update improves both iOS and Android platforms simultaneously.
• iOS users get revamped Shortcuts, allowing one-tap connections, Home Screen widgets, and Siri voice commands.
• Android users can now spot promotional discounts directly inside the app, while both platforms benefit from expanded non-Latin script domain exclusions.

AdGuard has just launched version 2.17 of its virtual private network app, and this time, the privacy company is taking a unified approach.

For the first time, the release rolls out simultaneously for both iOS and Android devices. Moving forward, the provider says it will "keep updates for both platforms in sync to bring you key features and improvements faster."

For iPhone and iPad users, the standout feature is a revamped Shortcuts integration that lets you control your secure connection with just one tap or a simple voice command.

Meanwhile, Android users are getting a streamlined way to snag cheaper subscription deals, alongside improved split-tunneling exclusions for international websites across both operating systems.

Speeding up your connection on iOS

If you regularly toggle your VPN on and off to use local services, the process can quickly become tedious.

As AdGuard points out in its official release post, jumping between your privacy tunnel and restrictive local services can be a chore: "You start the day with AdGuard VPN on. Then you need it off for a few minutes to check your bank account, so you open the app, tap Disconnect, open the banking app, close the banking app, open the AdGuard VPN app again, and tap Connect."

To bypass this daily annoyance, version 2.17 introduces improved Shortcuts for iOS. Users can now place a Connect, Disconnect, or Toggle button directly on their Home Screen or within their phone's Control Center.

You can even set up background automations to ensure the VPN turns itself on the moment you open a specific application or connect to an unfamiliar public Wi-Fi network.

If tapping a widget is still too much effort, the update also brings full Siri integration to the table. By diving into the app's settings menu, you can record custom voice triggers, such as "Hey Siri, connect to AdGuard VPN", to control your privacy completely hands-free.

While we noted in our latest AdGuard VPN review that the service had room to grow against industry giants, quality-of-life updates like these certainly push it in the right direction.

Smarter exclusions and easier savings

While Apple users get the flashy widgets, the Android camp hasn't been entirely left out.

Finding a good deal on a digital privacy subscription usually requires hunting through promotional emails or constantly refreshing a provider's website. Now, AdGuard VPN will display active promotions and discounts directly on the purchase screen inside the Android app.

Finally, the v2.17 update brings a highly requested technical tweak to both the iOS and Android platforms. AdGuard's Exclusions feature, which allows you to choose which websites automatically bypass the encrypted tunnel, now fully supports domains written in non-Latin scripts. This means users can seamlessly whitelist domains like *.рф for Russia and *.中国 for China without the application returning an error.

The version 2.17 update is available to download right now. If you spot any bugs, the provider encourages users to submit feedback directly through its social media channels or via its GitHub repositories.

• AdGuard VPN's v2.17 update improves both iOS and Android platforms simultaneously.
• iOS users get revamped Shortcuts, allowing one-tap connections, Home Screen widgets, and Siri voice commands.
• Android users can now spot promotional discounts directly inside the app, while both platforms benefit from expanded non-Latin script domain exclusions.

AdGuard has just launched version 2.17 of its virtual private network app, and this time, the privacy company is taking a unified approach.

For the first time, the release rolls out simultaneously for both iOS and Android devices. Moving forward, the provider says it will "keep updates for both platforms in sync to bring you key features and improvements faster."

For iPhone and iPad users, the standout feature is a revamped Shortcuts integration that lets you control your secure connection with just one tap or a simple voice command.

Meanwhile, Android users are getting a streamlined way to snag cheaper subscription deals, alongside improved split-tunneling exclusions for international websites across both operating systems.

Speeding up your connection on iOS

If you regularly toggle your VPN on and off to use local services, the process can quickly become tedious.

As AdGuard points out in its official release post, jumping between your privacy tunnel and restrictive local services can be a chore: "You start the day with AdGuard VPN on. Then you need it off for a few minutes to check your bank account, so you open the app, tap Disconnect, open the banking app, close the banking app, open the AdGuard VPN app again, and tap Connect."

To bypass this daily annoyance, version 2.17 introduces improved Shortcuts for iOS. Users can now place a Connect, Disconnect, or Toggle button directly on their Home Screen or within their phone's Control Center.

You can even set up background automations to ensure the VPN turns itself on the moment you open a specific application or connect to an unfamiliar public Wi-Fi network.

If tapping a widget is still too much effort, the update also brings full Siri integration to the table. By diving into the app's settings menu, you can record custom voice triggers, such as "Hey Siri, connect to AdGuard VPN", to control your privacy completely hands-free.

While we noted in our latest AdGuard VPN review that the service had room to grow against industry giants, quality-of-life updates like these certainly push it in the right direction.

Smarter exclusions and easier savings

While Apple users get the flashy widgets, the Android camp hasn't been entirely left out.

Finding a good deal on a digital privacy subscription usually requires hunting through promotional emails or constantly refreshing a provider's website. Now, AdGuard VPN will display active promotions and discounts directly on the purchase screen inside the Android app.

Finally, the v2.17 update brings a highly requested technical tweak to both the iOS and Android platforms. AdGuard's Exclusions feature, which allows you to choose which websites automatically bypass the encrypted tunnel, now fully supports domains written in non-Latin scripts. This means users can seamlessly whitelist domains like *.рф for Russia and *.中国 for China without the application returning an error.

The version 2.17 update is available to download right now. If you spot any bugs, the provider encourages users to submit feedback directly through its social media channels or via its GitHub repositories.

• Bloomberg's Jason Schreier says Rockstar Games spent years developing an alternative weapon system for Grand Theft Auto 6
• He says, "They wanted GTA 6's weapon system to be more like Red Dead," with a reimagined weapon wheel
• However, after years of iteration, Rockstar stuck to a classic design

Rockstar Games reportedly spent years developing a new weapon interface for Grand Theft Auto 6, but eventually stuck with the classic weapon wheel the series is known for.

As reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who shared a YouTube video about his visit to Rockstar North, co-studio head and head of development Rob Nelson said that the team wanted the game's weapon loadout system to be more like Red Dead Redemption 2 than GTA 5.

"They wanted GTA 6's weapon system to be more like Red Dead, where you couldn't just carry an unlimited number of guns," Schreier said, which was "a little more realistic."

In Red Dead Redemption 2, loadouts are tied to your horse, and players can only carry a certain number of weapons on their person at a time, whether a pistol or a shotgun, while the rest is stored on your saddle.

The team wanted to recreate a similar system for GTA 6 by having storage tied to the player's car and a limited loadout of weapons that players can carry at any given time, but wanted to reimagine the weapon wheel.

"So the idea that they were thinking was like, well, if we use a weapon wheel, is that just going to remind people of all these blank spots in it? It'll remind people of what they can't actually do, what they can't carry. And so maybe we shouldn't use a weapon wheel," Schreier explained.

"And so they spent months, if not years, trying a million different things that would replace the weapon wheel."

Schreier revealed that Rockstar tried "trays and webs and all sorts of different things in the UI" and other ways to replace the weapon wheel, but in the end, the team ended up back at the weapon wheel.

"They tried not having one," he said. "They tried all these different iterations on this. After all that, they just wound up back at a weapon wheel, and in the final game it's just a weapon wheel again."

Schreier believes this was part of the "dark periods" of development that "led to some problems for the game", as developers continuously reworked prototypes for the UI, only to end back at square one.

However, he added that "really ended when the game started coalescing, I would say around [the] end of 2022, beginning of 2023, something like that is where they really started to see it all come together."

"As I mentioned in the story, the first trailer that they released in December 2023 was really a guiding light for a lot of the people on the team to see, 'Oh, this is what the game is going to look like,'" Schreier said.

Rockstar recently released the cinematic GTA 6 launch trailer, ahead of GTA 6's launch on November 19. The game is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, with a new report claiming the PC version could launch in early 2027.

Amazon has found another way to make itself part of our everyday lives with its new Bee AI devices. The Bees can record conversations and are pitched as a way to remember important details and translate plans into actions. Naturally, those actions can include buying things from Amazon, making every casual conversation a potential shopping cart. You can pay $75 or $100 for the privilege, depending on whether you choose the Bee Frontier, which clips to a wrist strap or clothes, or the Bee Eclipse, a magnetic smartphone attachment.

There are practical applications for something that remembers conversation details you might otherwise forget. An assistant that recalls an appointment, prepares a follow-up email, or reminds you about a promise could save considerable time. But Amazon's announcement also promises personalized shopping recommendations based on what Bee learns about you, which strikes me as a depressing, if inevitable destination for AI tools.

Of course, you might argue plenty of people have invited Amazon into their homes through Alexa devices. Plus, Amazon already has a potentially huge amount of customer data from shopping histories, which lets it recommend products so well that it's a cliché joke to feel like you only have to mention a topic out loud for related items to show up in your recommendations.

That joke is an explicit feature of the new Bees. Turning spoken conversations into another source of personalized assistance is supposed to appeal to potential customers. The question is whether this is a bridge too far when it comes to allowing Amazon to eavesdrop on our lives to shape our shopping.

Idle chat becomes a shopping list

(Image credit: Amazon)

The idea of an AI assistant remembering what you say and not letting anything important slip through the cracks is enticing for the convenience it promises. But imagine casually mentioning that your back hurts, your car is making a strange noise, or your child has developed an interest in dinosaurs. Those aren't just setups for a reminder to make a doctor's appointment, bring in your car, and buy tickets to the museum you'll get. They're also data points for potential purchasing interests that might otherwise never have reached a retailer.

Amazon hasn't said Bee will automatically turn every overheard complaint into a product recommendation, yet the shopping integration creates an obvious path to do so. But it might be too much personalization. Adding information from spoken conversations to what Amazon already knows could paint a much more intimate picture of someone's life, good and bad, regardless of Amazon's promises to keep data under the user's control.

And there are real privacy protections in the system, according to the company. Bee's AI processes audio in real time and deletes it rather than retaining recordings, while conversation transcripts are encrypted and users can delete them. The devices also include physical controls and lights that indicate when they're listening. Plus, the Amazon shopping connection is optional and opt-in.

But deleting the original audio doesn't eliminate every privacy concern when a device is specifically designed to remember and interpret what people say. The information extracted from a conversation can be just as revealing as the recording itself.

Eavesdropping Bees

(Image credit: Bee)

The privacy problem becomes even more complicated when other people enter the conversation. Someone wearing a Bee device might be perfectly comfortable having their conversations analyzed, but their friends and colleagues haven't necessarily agreed to participate. A small recording indicator is hardly a substitute for meaningful consent, especially when people may not recognize the device or understand what it does.

We've already seen this controversy unfold with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. People have reported unexpected recordings, and even filming. Bee doesn't have the same camera-related concerns, but recording conversations introduces its own problems. A friend discussing a medical diagnosis or workplace dispute in confidence might not feel so open if they know you're wearing a Bee. They haven't necessarily agreed to have an AI system connected to the world's largest online retailer convert their comments into searchable data.

There are also practical questions about where recording is appropriate. Private conversations can involve confidential information, and recording laws can be wildly different depending on location and circumstances. Anyone using Bee needs to consider the consent of the people talking around them, regardless of whether Amazon deletes the original audio.

The fact that personalized shopping is part of the product's ambitions says something revealing about how the company imagines the future of personal AI. Amazon and Meta seem convinced that the future involves devices observing more of our lives so they can anticipate what we need next. And it's easy to think of reasons to develop these capabilities. People with memory difficulties, busy professionals, and anyone struggling to manage complicated schedules could benefit from reliable reminders and searchable conversations. But making recording devices an ordinary accessory could have far-reaching consequences, not all pleasant.

For me, the shopping integration is where Amazon's vision becomes particularly unappealing. I can appreciate an assistant remembering that I promised to call someone or reminding me about an appointment. I have considerably less enthusiasm for a device that might turn a casual remark about needing new shoes into another opportunity for Amazon to suggest something I should purchase.

We've spent years teaching technology companies about our interests through searches, purchases, clicks, and browsing histories. Wearable AI assistants like the Bee could extend that relationship into our conversations with other people. I don't particularly want my conversations becoming another source of shopping recommendations, though. If it's that important, maybe just write it down.

• A hacker used AI agents to target more than 1,200 websites, compromising over 100 in under a month
• Autonomous agents tested vulnerabilities, adapted tactics, and established access with minimal human input
• Researchers warn AI-powered attacks are making large-scale website compromise faster and cheaper

In less than a month, a single Chinese hacker managed to break into more than 100 company websites, while doing almost none of the work himself. Instead, he tasked AI agents to do it for him and paid them around $5,000 in tokens for the job.

The campaign was spotted by cybersecurity researcher Snorre Fagerland from NorForge, who was looking for exposed Cairn installations when he found approximately two dozen being used for malicious purposes. These gave him first-hand insight into an active cybercriminal operation.

Cairn is described as an open source, general-purpose AI problem-solving engine, designed to help autonomous agents find solutions to complex tasks. Instead of focusing on a single application, Cairn provides a framework that defines goals, explores different approaches, and then executes actions to try and solve the problem. According to numerous media outlets, Cairn is quite popular in the cybercriminal community (although it’s not malicious by design).

When security becomes a problem needing solving

In this case, the “problem” Cairn was trying to solve for the attacker was how to run code on a website without signing in. They were trying out SQL injection, file uploads, as well as unsafe handling of stored objects. The goal, according to the researcher, was to establish persistent access to shopping and payment systems which could later be used to steal money.

Fagerland said the attacker used a combination of models, likely Claude Code with a DeepSeek model, although it is very difficult to determine. The instructions themselves were very brief, generally fewer than 100 Chinese characters, and in less than a month, the agents tried to break into more than 1,200 sites.

On average, the agents poke around a website for a day (23 hours), before either breaking in or moving on. With some 100 successful break-ins, Fagerland says the hacker paid $50 for tokens on average, per breach. This, however, is an estimate and not a confirmed billing.

The analyst did not name the victims. In its report, Cybersecurity News said the victims were mainly online stores in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan, and Reuters managed to confirm some targets by “independently reviewing the hacker's Cairn activity”: including Deere (farm equipment maker), SharkNinja (home appliance ​company), and Cummins (engine manufacturer). It added that two “smaller businesses” also acknowledged being compromised but did not reply to the agency’s inquiries.

Impressive technique

Deere told Reuters it took “necessary remediation actions” and added that there was “no indication that sensitive information was accessed.” SharkNinja said the breach hit a standalone site carrying product support information only, and that the threat had been remediated. Cummins just said it was looking into reports.

So far, no one knows if the attacker managed to steal any sensitive data from his victims, and if so - how many. The researcher apparently found “hundreds” of exposed secrets in the open panels and was working with Reuters to let the victims know.

Fageraland told Reuters he was “impressed” by some of the techniques the agents used while compromising their victims. Apparently, after hitting a dead end against one of the targets, the AI agents scanned digital records in search of associated infrastructure. When they found a public-facing control panel, they discovered a “subtle weakness” in how it processed data. It took “hours of trial and error” before finally being able to execute a malicious command on the website’s server.

"It's ⁠not straightforward to come up with solutions like that," Fagerland said. "It's not script kiddie stuff."

AI attackers are the new normal, it seems. Business owners are advised to patch public-facing applications, restrict access to admin panels, and keep an eye on unexpected files in web directories.

Via Tom's Hardware

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is here, and this new first-party Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive has big shoes to fill.

You see, when Wii Sports entered the scene 20 years ago, it was a total phenomenon. It was a smash hit thanks to its simplistic yet addictive gameplay, enticing players of all ages…even your grandparents could get involved.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2 only
Release date: October 22, 2026

Its successor, Wii Sports Resort, expanded on the formula, adding more sports, more depth, and more precise controls. And Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is attempting to do the very same for a new generation — to refine the relatively basic Nintendo Switch Sports and create a more fleshed-out experience, all while retaining that sense of widespread appeal for players of all ages.

But can Nintendo Switch Sports Resort pull off this seemingly daunting task? I’ve spent about 15 hours playing the game solo, with friends, and with fellow gaming journalists online, and this is my verdict.

Getting sporty on Switch 2

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The original Nintendo Switch Sports was a decent overall experience. It was a bit thin at launch and lacked single-player replayability, but the version we know today has a solid lineup of events, with fairly responsive controls, and is a good party game to enjoy with friends. And luckily, it feels like Nintendo Switch Sports Resort has fixed a lot of the issues I had with its predecessor.

Let’s start off by talking about the sporting variety on offer. There are 12 core sports available here. You’ve got some classic options like Basketball, Bowling, Boxing, and Tennis, as well as some Leisure Sports, such as Power Cruising and Prop Plane. What’s more, there are two sports that have never been seen in previous entries — namely Skateboarding and Thumb Wrestling.

I found that all 12 of the included sports were great fun to play. Let’s start with the returning events. Sports such as Basketball and Tennis are much unchanged, but feel incredibly tight and enjoyable, with accurate motion controls and multiple modes, such as Three-Point Contest for the former and a slower-paced Laid-Back Match for the latter. Bowling, Golf, and Volleyball are similarly unchanged, and continue to be a favorite for my pals and me, with plenty of laughs and tense moments.

Some of the returning sports feel far more refined, though. The biggest example of this is Boxing. Gone are the days of randomly flailing your disconnected gloves to down your opponent. Now, Boxing feels far more tactical. You have a stamina bar; it's far easier to land uppercuts and hooks, and picking the right moment to land your knockout punch is crucial.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

My highlight was definitely conquering the island champion in Table Tennis. This was my favorite sport by quite a margin, and landing a crushing power shot to snag the number one ranking felt incredible. Take that, Yunsu. I’m the champion now.

It’s a similar story with Table Tennis, which, in my view, is the most fun sport in the game. At higher levels, you’ll need to be incredibly strategic with your slice shots to recover back to the centre and perfect your timing to hit shots right onto the table edge. The Return Challenge mode is also a whole lot of fun, and honing your accuracy to beat your high score feels super rewarding.

Archery is another highlight, with the Joy-Con 2 controllers providing pinpoint precision when aiming for the target. There are also some hidden targets to discover, adding plenty of replay value to the sport. Other sports, like Power Cruising and Prop Plane, translate nicely onto Switch 2 as well, and although the latter asks you to hold the Joy-Con 2 in a slightly bizarre way, it’s fairly comfortable and effective after you get used to it.

Out with the old, in with the new

(Image credit: Nintendo)

We’ll get onto the new events in just a moment, but before we do that, let’s talk about something that irked me a little. Some of the events from the original Nintendo Switch Sports have been cut.

Yes, it’s out with the old and in with the new, as three events — Badminton, Chambara, and Football (or soccer) — are no more. This is a shame, as these were all among my favorite sports last time out. Football in particular is a big miss — it provided a chaotic, all-action multi-player experience with tense last-minute theatrics. Will these sports return in some kind of update or DLC? Quite possibly. But I would’ve loved to have seen them here at launch.

Anyway, no point in crying over spilt milk, eh? After all, the newly added sports are a blast. Thumb wrestling is a truly bizarre addition, and I can’t believe that Nintendo managed to make this feel fun. You have to hold your thumb against your opponent's hand to enlarge it, and then pin them down to attain victory. I feel like they missed a trick by leaving out ‘one, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war’ as the countdown, but otherwise, no complaints here.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort has made one other key addition that helps it to totally surpass its predecessor, that being Island Crown.

I can see skateboarding dividing opinion, but I had good fun with it. This mode makes use of the Switch 2’s mouse mode capabilities, and this works surprisingly well. Whether I was lifting the Joy-Con 2 to jump or trick, tilting to steer, or pushing back to accelerate, movement always seemed to be accurate. The Skate Sprint mode is definitely the highlight here; tricking to gain speed, sneaking up behind your opponents, and grinding on railings is a whole lot of fun.

What I would say, however, is that the Free Play mode could’ve been better. The world that you skate around isn’t empty or anything, but I wish there was more to do and explore. The Sightseeing Tour is also a little lacking; you’re tasked with collecting photos, which isn’t the most thrilling experience — I would’ve preferred the option to collect customization parts for my board or character instead. This also applies to the Prop Plane and Power Cruising modes, which have Free Play options as well.

Oh, and a quick note on online play, which was very enjoyable in my experience. Here, you can expect highly responsive, smooth controls. Even though my home Wi-Fi is far from great, I ran into no performance issues whatsoever when linking up with a couple of other gaming journalists online — vital when playing reaction-based sports like Table Tennis and Volleyball.

A more replayable sporting experience

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort has made one other key addition that helps it to totally surpass its predecessor, that being Island Crown.

Island Crown is a primarily single-player experience, where you have to rise up the ranks in a particular sport and challenge the island champion. Initially, your foes will seem laughably weak, but as you climb up the table, some highly skilled challengers will stand before you. If you manage to beat the island champion, you’ll have the opportunity to face a legendary Mii from the Wii era…I won’t spoil the identity of these, though; I’ll let you discover them for yourself.

This mode has kept me coming back to Nintendo Switch Sports Resort time after time. You get new customization options as you improve your rank; the challenge of beating tough opponents is highly compelling, and the mode serves as an excellent way to develop your sporting prowess. This is the sort of single-player replayability that the original Switch Sports was crying out for, and I absolutely loved it.

I’ve mentioned customization options a few times in this review, so let’s talk about them. By playing sports, you’ll earn points which you can spend at the item center to get a random title, hairstyle, costume, or such things. Previously, you could only earn points online to customize your character — meaning you’d need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but no longer. Now, you can earn points offline too, and I loved a lot of the straight-up weird customization options available. I mean, come on, just look at my character.

Just like Wii Sports Resort, this entry succeeds in building on its predecessor with additional depth and versatility.

You can either customize your standard character or a Mii that’s saved on your Switch 2 console. But I never deviated from the standard option. I’m afraid that the Miis just look so out of place in this game, with this visual style...and I feel like it’s time to let them go. Maybe they should simply remain as a relic of a bygone era.

More generally, I would say that the visual style of Nintendo Switch Sports is a bit lackluster. It misses the personality and sauce of the Wii era titles, and goes for a more ‘streamlined,’ modern look which ends up feeling a tad soulless. Even the menus are a touch dull, and given that this is a Nintendo game, I expected more flair, and perhaps a few nods to the company’s most beloved IPs to add even more charm.

The quality of the visuals is generally strong, though, and frame rates are consistent in docked or tabletop mode. I did notice a few texture loading issues in tabletop when playing Prop Plane, but this was fairly minor.

Otherwise, though, I’m coming away from my experience with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort feeling largely positive. The bolstered single-player replayability, enjoyable new sports, refined classics, and brilliantly responsive controls ensure it's a hit that’s especially great for multiplayer mayhem.

It’s a shame that some sports were cut, and I’m still not sold on this series’ visual direction, but just like Wii Sports Resort, this entry succeeds in building on its predecessor with additional depth and versatility. So, if you’re looking for a fun sporting experience to add to your Switch 2 library, this is well worth picking up.

Should you play Nintendo Switch Sports Resort?

(Image credit: Nintendo)Play it if…

You want to enjoy more multiplayer mayhem on Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 already has an excellent lineup of multiplayer experiences, and Nintendo Switch Sports only adds more variety into the mix. I enjoyed playing all 12 of the sports here with friends and family, and had no end of chaotic showdowns. This one’s definitely going to remain in my party game rotation alongside Mario Party Jamboree and Mario Kart World.

You’re looking for more single-player goodness
The inclusion of Island Crown means that there’s so much single player replayability on offer in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. Fighting to rise up the ranks and defeat the island champion is an absolute blast, and keeps the experience feeling fresh, even without friends or online rivals.

Don't play it if...

You’re not a big fan of motion controls
If you don’t enjoy motion controls, this is one to be avoided. All of the sports here highly rely on motion, with no other control schemes available, other than the mouse mode-enabled Skateboarding.

You didn’t vibe with the previous game’s visuals
The visual style from the original Nintendo Switch Sports has been retained here, and again, it doesn’t feel very inspired or charismatic. If that ended up being a major turn off for you last time, don’t expect much in the way of change here.

Accessibility features

You can change the dominant hand for each individual sport, alter camera controls for Prop Plane and Skateboarding, and turn on Shot Assist for Golf, which makes it easier to hit the ball accurately. Otherwise, there aren’t many ways to customize your experience in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, with no colorblind modes or alternate control schemes available.

How I reviewed Nintendo Switch Sports Resort

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I spent 15 hours playing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, trying out Island Crown mode in single-player, as well as a number of core and Leisure Sports via local and online multiplayer.

For the most part, I played in docked mode, with my console connected to the Sky Glass Gen 2 TV and the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar. However, I did dabble in some tabletop mode gameplay, and used the JBL Live Beam 4 to enjoy in-game audio.

More generally, I’ve spent years reviewing gaming software and hardware here at TechRadar. I’ve reviewed a number of Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives, including Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and Kirby Air Riders. I've also logged more than 50 hours on the original Nintendo Switch Sports, which I directly compared against its newly released successor.

First reviewed October 2026

There's no doubt that the Samsung 990 Pro SSD is an exceptional drive - it scored 5 stars in our tests, where we called it the drive to beat. But when it comes to good value, there's a deal on the Samsung 990 2TB SSD for $330 (was $530) at Amazon.

Compared to the 990 Pro, which is selling for $410, I'd be inclined to opt for the cheaper one and save $80. It's an ideal SSD for applications, large files, photos and videos, and a quick PC storage upgrade. The main point of difference is the speeds, with the 990 hitting up to 7,250MB/s, versus the 990 Pro at 7,450 MB/s. In the real-world, for general users, that's practically invisible.

• Best for: Desktop PC builders, content creators, professionals working with large files, and anyone upgrading from a smaller or slower SSD.

• What we like: The 990 SSD boasts high-speed PCIe 4.0 performance. Its advertised sequential read speeds reach 7,250MB/s, while write speeds go up to 6,450MB/s. That's fast enough for demanding tasks, including transferring large video files.

Today's best Samsung SSD deal

2TB 990 SSD: was $529.99 now $329.99
This 2TB internal SSD features PCIe 4.0 NVMe connectivity, sequential read speeds up to 7,250MB/s, write speeds up to 6,450MB/s, hardware encryption, drive-management software, and three-year limited warranty coverage.View Deal

Why we recommend it

While we haven't tested the 990, we have reviewed the upgraded Samsung 990 Pro, which remains one of our top-rated drives with 5 stars. If you don't need flagship-tier performance (and most people don't), the 990 is a strong pick.

Random performance is rated at up to 850,000 read IOPS and 1,200,000 write IOPS, helping the drive tackle intensive tasks involving numerous smaller files. Samsung claims up to 38% better performance per watt than the 990 Pro under its own test conditions.

You can manage the drive through Samsung Magician software, which provides firmware updates, health monitoring, and security features.

Price context & historical value

The Samsung 990's usual price is $529.99, but it's currently $200 off, bringing the price down to $329.99. That works out to approximately 38% off, or around $165 per TB.

This is not only the cheapest it's been in 30 days on Amazon, it's as affordable as it's ever been there, so we'd definitely recommend you snap it up now.

For more savings, we're tracking all the best SSD deals to help beat all the price hikes on components.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 990 if...

You need 2TB of fast internal storage for a desktop, workstation, or compatible laptop. The combination of PCIe 4.0 performance and generous capacity is great, and ideal for use in a new system.

❌ Skip the Samsung 990 if...

You're working with a tight budget and can grab a rival 2TB SSD for cheaper. Also, note that this is the standard Samsung 990, not the higher-end 990 Pro. It's also an internal M.2 SSD, so your PC needs a compatible slot and you'll need PCIe 4.0 support to achieve the advertised maximum speeds.

More Samsung SSD deals

990 Pro SSD (2TB): was $639.99 now $409.99
The Samsung 990 Pro SSD is still one of the best around - especially at an unbeatable price like this. In our review, we hailed it as "an absolutely stellar M.2 SSD for both professional users and gamers." View Deal

9100 Pro SSD (2TB): was $679.97 now $410.64
Offering up to 14,700MB/s read speeds, this PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD pairs 2TB of storage with hardware encryption, advanced thermal control, Magician Software support, and excellent performance for creative workloads, AI applications, and demanding multitasking.View Deal

• Shop all internal SSD deals at Amazon

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani has urged New Yorkers to push back against AI
• He says there has been a 'complete abdication of federal law' when it comes to regulating the technology
• Mamdani has banned AI use in some schools in New York and has banned AI from being used to generate images on property listings

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has urged city residents to push back against the doom and gloom feelings around AI, telling them that “Nothing has to be.”

Speaking at The People’s AI Assembly, hosted by the AI Now Institute in Webster Hall, Manhattan, Mamdani noted there has been a “reckless adoption of technology without any kind of a reckoning with the limitations of that technology.”

“There’s a creep that comes with this, and there’s an intent to overwhelm that leaves people feeling as if there is simply no option,” Mamdani said.

“Reckless adoption of technology”

Federal regulations on AI are few and far between, and are failing to keep pace with the technology, prompting widespread worry that AI will replace jobs and harm education for both New Yorkers and people around the world.

Mamdani’s comment centers around how AI technology is being relentlessly pushed into products, services, education, and elsewhere with people having very little say in how it is used.

Schools were a particular sticking point for the conversation on AI. Mamdani recently introduced a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools after the technology began creeping its way into classrooms. Actress and activist Ilana Glazer, interviewing Mamdani, said, “It just makes me nervous. It feels so non-consensual, as though…this has to be in schools. It wasn’t two years ago. Why does it have to be in schools?”

AI is also having an impact on schools in other ways. Speaking on the reckless adoption of AI, Mamdani referenced the US military’s use of an AI targeting tool that was involved in a strike on a school in Iran earlier this year that killed over 150 people including at least 123 children. A subsequent Pentagon investigation found that overreliance on AI tools was a factor in the deadly strike.

President Trump has pushed forward with an AI at any cost rhetoric framed as an arms race against China, with the President arguing that any attempts to regulate AI could cost the US its lead. “There is this desire to speak about [AI] as if it is infallible, as if it cannot be questioned, as if the only people who can regulate it are the ones who are currently developing it,” Mamdani said.

“What it really is, is an attempt to escape any kind of accountability at any level, without also jeopardizing the potential valuation from an IPO.”

Anthropic is set to enter the public markets before the end of 2026, with OpenAI looking to make the same move in 2027. Both companies have been involved in hacking incidents where AI agents undergoing testing have escaped sandboxes and breached other companies. These incidents have been labelled as ‘rogue’ behavior, despite evidence from investigations suggesting the AI agents were behaving exactly as intended.

The use of the word ‘rogue’ has also been questioned by experts, with Tenable Field CTO Bernard Montel saying the use of the word “muddies the public policy debate by distracting regulators from enforcing strict legal liability for flawed software deployments.”

Despite these events, little movement has been made to introduce regulations, which Mamdani labelled as a “complete abdication of federal law.”

“As we are looking at what comes after this federal administration, there has to be a very different kind of framework in how we think about AI, talk about AI, the accountability we’re willing to bring forward when it comes to that,” he said.

• A new location-sharing upgrade for Google Messages has been spotted
• You'll be able to add different map layers, including live traffic
• It's not clear how long it will be before the feature is enabled for everyone

While Google has added plenty of new features and refinements to its Google Messages app in recent months and years, it still lags behind competitors such as WhatsApp when it comes to certain facets of the app — like sharing your location with other people.

This is something that's essential for social meet-ups, keeping tabs on the kids, planning journey times, and more besides, and hidden code spotted by Android Authority suggests that location sharing in Google Messages is about to get a significant upgrade.

This is code that's present but not yet enabled in the latest beta version of Google Messages for Android, but the Android Authority team was able to get it working. It adds several map types and a map details option, when you choose to share your location.

Currently, you can only show a map in the default Google Maps style when location sharing in Google Messages, but the new options would let you switch to satellite or terrain views instead, as well as overlaying live traffic information on top.

Benefits to users

Sharing your location in Google Messages (Image credit: Future)

The satellite view would make it easier to find someone in relation to a landmark or a feature or the landscape, for example, while the terrain view would give you a better idea of how simple (or otherwise) it might be to reach someone in a remote area.

Then there's the traffic view — say if the roads were blocked up around a person you're trying to pick up in a car, you could get them to walk and come and meet you, rather than getting stuck in a traffic jam unnecessarily.

Most of the time I do tend to default to WhatsApp when it comes to letting people know where I am, because everyone's got the app and it's straightforward to use. You can also set time limits on location sharing, something which Google Messages doesn't have.

If improvements like this continue, I might switch to Google Messages for locations instead — at least for those people on Android. There's still work to do, but the feature only arrived earlier this year, so it's encouraging to see upgrades on the way already.

• Garmin's Connect IQ store has seen an 'enormous influx' of new submissions
• These include apps and watch faces, and are causing a big backlog as developers struggle to get their submissions reviewed
• It's likely AI is to blame, as the sudden wave of submissions 'was never a problem in the past'

If you wear one of the best Garmin watches, you might have used the Garmin Connect IQ store to download an app like Spotify or Komoot, a new free or paid watch face (even a Pokémon-branded one), or a fun community-made complication like the Walk with Frodo app. However, downloading stuff from the Connect IQ store in future may involve sifting through thousands of low-quality, AI-generated submissions.

Watch face and app developers are complaining on Garmin's forums about delays in submission review: while the process typically takes 1-2 days, according to some devs, the process is now taking up to 13 days.

Garmin Connect IQ moderator/representative Brandon posted directly to one thread, stating: "This is not due to a bug — we have gotten an enormous influx of app submissions in the last month, with no signs of slowing down, and are working through approvals as quickly as we can.

"This was never a problem in the past, except perhaps delays because of a long holiday weekend (e.g. Christmas)."

(Image credit: Future)

The fact this glut of submissions is a sudden problem or new phenomenon points to one thing only — AI. Garmin Connect IQ has likely been flooded with vibe-coded or AI-generated products designed to make a quick buck by flooding the digital marketplace.

One Garmin user said in response to Brandon: "You need to limit the upload frequency for each developer; those poorly made AI-generated watch faces will consume everything."

Another said: "I have observed this trend worsening significantly as well. The Connect IQ Store is increasingly flooded with low-effort, repetitive submissions that hurt discoverability, degrade user trust, and crowd out well-crafted apps."

While this is bad for developers (who get charged $100 annually to sell apps on the Connect IQ store) it's also bad for Garmin users. We'll now have to wade through a sea of AI slop watch faces in order to get to faces and apps created the old-fashioned way — with human-led, thought-out complications developed and designed by real Garmin users.

It's just one more example of digital merchants being reduced to dealing with an avalanche of AI slop submissions, just like other app stores, and almost every other breed of online storefronts for digital products. We reported as far back as 2023 that AI-generated e-books were flooding Kindle Unlimited, making it difficult for users to find new books, and the problem has only gotten worse with time. The same will likely happen to the Connect IQ store.

I've reached out to Garmin for comment on the situation, and will update this article if I get any response. In the meantime, if you're a Connect IQ user and you've noticed the change, let us know in the comments below.

• Microsoft unveils Guardian Agents to monitor, constrain, and manage risks posed by autonomous AI agents
• New controls dynamically adjust agent permissions, behavior, and access based on changing risk levels
• Company warns “agentic insiders” require continuous AI-driven oversight beyond traditional security controls

AI fans, your vocabulary is about to become two phrases richer: Agentic Insider, and Guardian Agent. These are the two phrases Microsoft used while announcing a swathe of new tools and features to help businesses secure their operations running AI agents.

A new Microsoft blog, published by Microsoft's Corporate VP for Identity and Network Access, Nadim Abdo, argues that agents, while not inherently malicious, can make mistakes or be manipulated and compromised.

Since they need to be granted relatively extensive permissions in order to be able to work properly, it creates the sort of risk that can prove disastrous if not properly handled.

Agentic Overwatch

Abdo also added that AI agents doing their master's bidding cannot be trusted with their own security.

"Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, recently described the trust architecture this new era requires: we must separate the supply of intelligence from the authority over it," Abdo writes.

"We should not ask a model to be its own security authority. The controls that determine what it can access, what actions it can take, and whether it should continue operating must sit outside the model, where the model cannot bypass or tamper with them."

So, oversight is the keyword here. But AI agents move at machine speed, something no human can match, and therefore humans are not properly equipped for the job. Instead, separate AI agents need to be introduced to keep their juniors in check. Earlier, Microsoft introduced Project Perception and the Microsoft cyber stack, to help organizations defend with agents.

Project Perception is an AI-powered cybersecurity system designed to coordinate specialized AI agents that analyze security data, identify vulnerabilities, and investigate different threats. The system uses three types of agents: red agents that probe for weaknesses, blue agents that investigate potential threats, and green agents that implement corrections and fixes.

Now, Microsoft says it is extending the project to secure “the agentic insider”. They’re calling it - Guardian Agent.

“Guardian Agents help security teams operate continuously, at machine speed and scale, while sensors, context, and actuators across the cyber stack help understand changing agent risk and continuously adapt protection in response,” Abdo explained. “Project Perception and Microsoft Agent 365 share signals, context, and a unified registry giving IT and security teams a consistent view of agents and risk, with the controls each needs.”

Drill sergeant

Abdo says Guardian Agents build on a security principle where non-deterministic intelligence needs to be surrounded with deterministic controls, independent evidence, and containment boundaries.

These controls are divided into seven aspects - identity, permissions, data, endpoints, network, cloud, and runtime - and these have four responsibilities: to know which agent exists, who owns them and why, and what they’re doing; to contain what each agents can access and do before it acts; to protect the data, tools, runtime, resources, and systems the agent uses; and to adapt protection continuously as behavior, context, and risk change.

In other words, the AI needs to be the drill sergeant for the drones, adapting to changes in real-time to make sure they’re doing good work and not going rogue.

Microsoft also said it is expanding discovery to 35 additional types of local agents, including Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and GitHub Copilot. It also announced extending Microsoft Entra Agent ID with identity types for additional agent patterns, including both local and previously unknown agents discovered through security sensors.

With “Dynamic Permissions” and “Dynamic Agent Risk”, Microsoft wants to give businesses tighter control over what AI agents can access and do, while keeping tabs on their behavior and risk levels. Dynamic Permissions limit agents to the access they need for a specific task, while Dynamic Agent Risk checks for potential threats.

Dynamic Conditional Access can then respond to rising risks by restricting permissions, blocking certain operations, or asking for human approval. In more extreme scenarios, an agent can be stopped and isolated.

You don't need a bulky desktop tower to get a powerful Windows 11 Pro device. The Getorli GT106 mini PC is currently priced at $450 (was $500) at Amazon, and combines an eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD in a compact design. For the price and specs, our managing editor has dubbed this "the best mini PC under $500."

• Best for: Home offices, multitasking, multi-monitor workstations, media centers, and anyone who wants a compact system for everyday computing and lighter gaming.

• What we like: Alongside the Ryzen 7 chip and fast DDR5 memory, the mini PC also has integrated AMD Radeon 780M graphics and can drive up to four 4K monitors at a time via HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and two USB4 connections.

Today's best mini PC deal

GT106 Mini PC: was $499.99 now $449.99
This compact desktop features an eight-core Ryzen 7 H255 processor, Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB DDR5 memory, 1TB PCIe SSD, dual USB4 ports, quad 4K display support, Wi-Fi 6, and Ethernet.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The Getorli GT106 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 H255 processor with eight cores and 16 threads, running at up to 4.9GHz. There's also 16GB of DDR5 RAM, which comes installed as a single module, leaving the second slot available for an upgrade. For storage there's a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a second M.2 slot, with support for up to 4TB capacity.

Alongside Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, you get dual 2.5Gb Ethernet ports and two 40Gbps USB4 ports for connecting fast external storage and other peripherals.

It comes with Windows 11 Pro installed, and Getorli includes a VESA mounting bracket so you can tuck the device behind a compatible monitor.

For more of our favorites, we've tested the best mini PCs you can buy.

Price context & historical value

The Getorli GT106 is $50 below its usual $499.99 price. That's a 10% discount, bringing the mini PC below the $450 mark. I've seen it retail for as low as $404.99 in the past, however. But so long as it flies easily under the $500 mark, it's a great buy.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Getorli GT106 if...

You want a small Windows 11 Pro mini PC with a Ryzen 7 processor, 16GB DDR5, and 1TB SSD. It's a useful option if you need several monitors or want to connect fast external drives via USB4.

❌ Skip the Getorli GT106 if...

You need a more powerful device. It ships with a single 16GB DDR5 module, which means it initially operates in single-channel memory mode, which can reduce integrated graphics performance.

• Shop all mini PCs and Amazon

• Rockstar Games has been working on Grand Theft Auto 6 for 11 years, as the artists needed to plan out the map first
• The game's roads are much narrower and denser than GTA 5's, which created "ripple effects," according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier
• Schreier says head of development Aaron Garbut told him, "All these things sort of come [back] to bite you later"

Rockstar Games has reportedly been working on Grand Theft Auto 6 much longer than realized, since the studio needed to plan out the game's ambitious map first.

That's according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who shared more details about his visit to Rockstar North in a YouTube video after releasing his behind-the-scenes GTA 6 article.

While it's common knowledge that full-scale development of GTA 6 began around 2018 and was originally planned to be made alongside Red Dead Redemption 2, pre-production on the game actually began much earlier.

"Something that I learned while talking to those folks [the developers at Rockstar North] is that there are a few artists at Rockstar who have actually been working on GTA 6 for more than 11 years since 2015, if not earlier," Schreier said. "2015 is when Rockstar started kind of planning out GTA 6 in the sense that it was conversations before like before that."

Schreier explained that the game's massive map, which is twice as big as GTA 5's world and more densely populated and interactive, was a priority for the studio and the first thing it planned.

"2015 is when they started going to Miami, actually starting working on the map of the game, which is always the first thing that Rockstar does on these big open-world games as they start planning out the map first," Schreier said.

He added that gradually over the next couple of years, top leadership then mobilized everyone to work on Red Dead Redemption 2, as the game needed a lot of help due to its ambitious systems. However, a few artists continued work on GTA 6's map.

Aaron Garbut, art director, current head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, also told him that "the roads are significantly narrower in GTA 6 than they were in GTA 5," which fans may have noticed in the trailers.

This created a more realistic depiction of a fictional Los Angeles, and less like a racing game with wider spaces to zip through like GTA 5. However, Rockstar's goal of making GTA 6's map have narrower roads and denser traffic from the beginning presented some technical challenges, or what Schreier called "ripple effects."

Garbut told Schreier, "All these things sort of come [back] to bite you later," because narrow, denser roads meant the team had to implement more surrounding buildings, and artists have worked on the concept for 11 years.

GTA 6 launches in under one month, on November 19, for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S. Rockstar recently released the cinematic GTA 6 launch trailer, which offers a deeper look into the game's story. Elsewhere, a new report claims the PC version could launch in early 2027.

• Enterprises are being forced into software upgrades that they can't really get out of, report finds
• 91% have upgraded hardware in the past three years just to maintain software
• Enterprise protection legislation and software support obligations could be the answer

Legacy tech has become something of a hot topic in recent years with AI, but while hardware and data foundations have been core to the discussion around artificial intelligence, a new Origina report has revealed that around one-third of enterprise IT budgets are being earmarked for software upgrades.

The report found that 28% of large enterprise IT budgets are being spent on vendor-driven changes that they would not have otherwise chosen in a trend the company's calling a 'software tax'.

But more than just consuming budgets, software changes are also impacting worker time and leading to potentially lost productivity as a result.

Software upgrades cost more than you might think

"That's not a one-off cost, it's a recurring drag on capacity, and every year it repeats is a year those people aren't working on the initiatives that actually differentiate the business," former Liberty Mutual CIO James McGlennon and Origina board member James McGlennon explained.

More than four in five (84%) report that senior engineering staff always or often spend time dealing with vendor-driven software changes, taking them away from more meaningful work that they're employed to do. A similar number (80%) also reported that leaving a major software vendor could lead to widespread disruption within their business, ultimately forcing them to stay with that software vendor and enforcing vendor lock-in – with exit costs and migration technicalities to blame.

More than three-quarters now agree their software vendor dictates the timing and terms of changes, not them (78%), and that they have very little negotiating power (76%).

In many instances, enterprise customers don't even feel that an upgrade was totally necessary. Nearly all (91%) had retired fully functional hardware within the past three years just to comply with software vendor support deadlines. While Origina doesn't specifically state it, Windows 10's end of support is likely a large factor in this statistic.

Looking ahead, most (91%) support legislation to provider greater protection for enterprise customers, and four in five (82%) support software support obligations similar to what the EU has introduced for hardware repairability.

• A vulnerability in NordVPN's Windows app allowed local attackers to stop unprotected system services.
• The flaw, officially tracked as CVE-2026-106030, does not affect NordVPN version 8.12.0.0 or later
• Experts label the bug "clumsy," but the actual impact on users is minimal, requiring a device to already be compromised by malware.

Nord Security has rolled out an important security update for its Windows application to address a vulnerability that could allow a hacker to stop unprotected Windows services.

The flaw allowed a local, low-privileged attacker to act as a trusted process. From there, they could potentially stop unprotected Windows services or change their startup types to manual, leading to a denial of service for those specific applications.

When a top-tier provider, frequently ranked as the best VPN on the market, flags a security patch of this nature, it naturally turns heads. However, cybersecurity experts stress that while the coding error shouldn't have happened, the real-world danger to users is incredibly low.

The issue, officially tracked as CVE-2026-106030, was responsibly reported to CERT Polska by IT Security Expert Marcin Ressel. NordVPN appears to have fixed the vulnerability in version 8.12.0.0, and users are simply advised to ensure their app is fully up to date.

How the vulnerability works

(Image credit: NordVPN)

To understand the bug, you have to look at how Windows applications talk to each other using a feature called "named pipes."

According to an intelligence brief published by Mallory, the vulnerability allowed an attacker to connect to a specific NordVPN named pipe and invoke methods to stop services or change their start types without proper authorization.

Mike Williams, Technical Editor at TechRadar, explains the core of the issue: "Named pipes are a common means for Windows processes to communicate with each other. One process might send a message to another asking it to carry out some task."

Because this communication channel is incredibly powerful, it is a frequent target for threat actors. "Because named pipes are so sensitive, hackers often try to abuse them, to run these tasks without permission," Williams notes. "That means it's important to secure them, and make sure that only messages from legitimate processes are accepted. Any good developer knows this: it's a fundamental aspect of using named pipes."

Unfortunately, the NordVPN Windows app, specifically versions earlier than 8.12, fell short of this standard. "NordVPN has failed to do that, which makes this a clumsy bug. It should never have happened," Williams adds.

Why the real-world impact is minimal

While the technical details of the flaw, which carries a CVSS v4 base severity score of 6.8, sound alarming, the practical implications for the average user are far less dramatic.

In a LinkedIn post, the researcher who discovered the flaw, Marcin Ressel, described it as "a local privilege escalation with limited impact" that he found while "playing around with NordVPN for Windows."

Crucially, this exploit can't shut down critical, system-protected security services. Built-in defenses like Windows Defender and processes guarded by Windows Tamper Protection are entirely immune to this specific attack.

"There's no impact on the VPN itself, and you would have to have malware running on your PC to even cause the issue"

Mike Williams, Technical Editor

"But the impact of the bug is very small," Williams clarifies. "All an attacker can do is change the status of non-critical Windows services. That is, it can't turn off Windows Defender, but maybe it could disable something related to media playback. But even if it did that, it's only flipped a Windows setting, and once you understood the cause, you could just flip it back."

Furthermore, this vulnerability cannot be triggered remotely over the internet. An attacker would already need to have a local foothold on your machine to exploit it. There has also been no active exploitation of this flaw reported in the wild.

"In other words, there's no impact on the VPN itself, and you would have to have malware running on your PC to even cause the issue," Williams concludes. "(And if there's malware running on your device then you've much bigger problems than this.)"

If you are running NordVPN on Windows, your best defense is simple: open the app and confirm you are running version 8.12.0.0 or later.