X has officially launched Chat, replacing its classic Direct Messages with a full-featured communication suite, now with end-to-end encryption, video/voice calls, file transfer and disappearing messages.

In a new personalization update, OpenAI says that ChatGPT will now respect your instruction to avoid using em-dashes when set in custom preferences. This might look trivial, but it marks a deeper shift toward fine-grained style control in AI conversations.

TikTok has rolled out Bulletin Board, a new creator tool that lets users publish one-to-many messages — text, image or video — to followers who subscribe. The move signals TikTok’s next step in creator engagement and competition with Instagram’s broadcast channels.

A new report shows that AI-powered toys intended for children aged 3–12 can misbehave wildly. Using large language models similar to adult chatbots, some machines in their tests offered explicit advice and lacked robust parental controls.

Uber is rolling out Uber Ski, a seasonal service that lets you reserve trunk-space friendly rides to nearly 40 top ski resorts and buy an Epic Pass directly in the app.

Valve has unveiled the Steam Frame, a standalone wireless VR headset designed to stream games from your PC or run titles natively, all built around SteamOS. With dual 2160×2160 displays per eye, inside-out tracking, and zero base-stations needed, it marks Valve’s biggest hardware push yet.

Valve has officially launched the new Steam Machine: a compact, SteamOS-powered gaming box that claims to deliver more than six times the horsepower of a Steam Deck. Paired with a revamped Steam Controller, it’s Valve’s stake in living-room gaming.

Bethesda’s executive producer Todd Howard has reaffirmed that The Elder Scrolls VI remains “a long way off,” despite being announced in 2018. With most of the studio’s resources still tied up in other projects, the team says fans shouldn’t expect a release or major reveal anytime soon. It’s time to reset expectations.

TCL just unveiled its new T7 Series 4K QLED TVs, promising premium picture, 144Hz motion, Dolby Vision, Google TV, and even a 2.1 speaker boost on the top model, all with the value-focused pricing TCL is known for. Whether for sports, streaming, or gaming, the T7 looks like a strong mid-range contender.

Samsung’s Galaxy S27 Ultra may finally get a serious face-unlock upgrade. A new rumor suggests the phone will use 3D facial scanning, similar to Apple’s Face ID, making it more secure for payments and logins. It’s still early days, but if true, it could fix one of Samsung’s longest-standing biometric weaknesses.

Halo Infinite is officially winding down. With Operation: Infinite arriving November 18, players get one last major update, complete with a 100-tier pass, XP boosts, and fresh cosmetics. All this, before the game shifts into long-term maintenance. No more new maps, no more big seasonal drops; Halo Studios is now focusing on the franchise’s future. If you’ve been waiting to jump back in, this is the moment.

YouTube users panicking over blank screens and broken playback can relax, the platform isn’t down. Google is reportedly stepping up its long-running battle against ad-blockers, causing videos to stall, error, or refuse to play unless extensions are disabled. With Chrome’s tighter web extension rules on the horizon, controlling ads might get even trickier. If you rely on an ad-blocker, this is a problem you’ll want to keep an eye on.

Apple has quietly cut trade-in values for iPhones and Macs, meaning older devices will now fetch noticeably less credit toward upgrades. While discounted trade-ins have become routine, this round brings sharper drops across recent models. As such, that next iPhone or Mac upgrade a bit tougher on the wallet. If you’ve been holding onto a device hoping for a solid payout, now might be the time to revisit expectations.

GTA 6 has been pushed back once again — this time to November 19, 2026. Rockstar says it needs extra time to deliver the level of polish fans expect, meaning players will have to wait nearly six more months beyond the previous May date. It’s a frustrating delay for one of the most anticipated games ever, but if history tells us anything, more time in the oven could mean a smoother, better launch when it finally lands.

BMW has tapped Amazon’s upgraded voice-AI platform, Alexa+, to power its next-generation in-car assistant, promising richer, more conversational voice control in future models. Integration begins soon, and when it lands it could shift how you interact with your car, turning commands into true conversations.

Finally, the lyrics don’t disappear when you go offline. Apple Music users on iOS 26.2 beta can now view synced lyrics even without a data connection, which is great for flights, trains, or signal-dead zones. It’s a small but welcome upgrade that makes sing-alongs and lyric-loving moments more seamless than ever.

Cloud gaming just became way more real on Sony’s handheld. The PlayStation Portal now supports streaming your digitally owned PS5 games through the cloud, meaning you no longer need your console powered on at home to play. With wider game access, smoother streaming, and smarter connectivity, this update transforms the Portal from a niche remote-play gadget into a genuinely useful travel-friendly PS5 companion.

Microsoft just rolled out its new in-house image model, MAI-Image-1, inside Copilot — and early testers say it’s a big upgrade. The model is already earning praise for producing more realistic textures, cleaner hands, and better lighting than previous Copilot image tools. You don’t need a subscription to try it — just open Copilot and start generating.

Anew Windows 11 update finally fixes a long-standing shutdown glitch that caused PCs to reboot instead of powering off — a problem that was quietly draining laptop batteries overnight. The fix is part of an optional update now rolling out, and it’s especially welcome news for gaming handhelds and ultrabooks that rely on every drop of battery.

Motorola is refreshing its budget lineup with the new Moto G and Moto G Play, two affordable phones built for everyday streaming, snapping, and scrolling.

AI is creeping deeper into game development — not just helping fix bugs or generate voice lines, but inching toward creating full games. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan believes AI-built hits could arrive in as little as two years, sparking excitement and worry in equal measure. It’s a future full of promise, but one that has many wondering what happens to creativity, game quality, and the people who make the worlds we love.

AYANEO, known for its high-end gaming handhelds, has teased its first smartphone. Early reveals show built-in shoulder buttons and a design tailored for gamers. With physical controls, possible sliding mechanisms, and game-first instincts, this phone may re-imagine what a mobile gaming device can be.

Apple Watch sleep tracking may soon get a serious upgrade. Thanks to a new UMass Amherst system called BIDSleep, which brings AI smarts to wrist-based data, researchers say the wearable can now get surprisingly close to medical-grade EEG sleep readings. If accuracy keeps improving, the Apple Watch could become a powerful tool for identifying sleep issues long before a hospital visit is needed.

TP-Link, which holds a dominant share of the U.S. home-router market, may soon face a total sales ban after a Commerce Department review found its products could pose "unacceptable risk" due to lingering links with China. The proposal is supported by multiple government agencies but remains under internal review.

Google’s Gemini for Home system, recently integrated with Nest Cams and other devices, is already drawing attention. Though, not for its slick smart-home control but for mis-identifications like mistaking a dog for a deer and detecting fake people. The mishaps underscore both the promise and early teething problems of AI in home security.

AMD’s latest Adrenalin 25.10.2 driver confirms new game support and Vulkan extension features are restricted to RX 7000 and RX 9000 families, signalling the end of full feature updates for the RX 6000 series. While security patches still arrive, gamers are now buying into a version of the card that won’t keep pace with future titles.

In the latest round of cost-cuts at Amazon, its long-in-development Lord of the Rings MMO, which was a revival of a project first cancelled in 2021, appears to have been axed again. Former developers at Amazon Games say the title, in collaboration with Embracer Group, has been cancelled as the studio shifts away from large-scale MMOs.

Disney+ now supports HDR10+ on Samsung TV models from 2018 onward, starting with over 1,000 Hulu titles and expanding to more content later. For Samsung, this is a natural move; for other TV owners, it highlights a growing format divide.

Microsoft has started rolling out Windows 11’s revamped Start menu, featuring grid and category views, a bigger "All apps" list, and a slimmer taskbar with animated thumbnails and battery percentage. The KB5067036 update is optional now and will reach more users soon.

After selling more than 7 million copies in its first three days, Battlefield 6 is doubling down with Redsec, its first standalone free-to-play battle-royale mode. Featuring massive maps, full squad play, destructible environments and tournament-style "Gauntlet" mode, it brings Battlefield’s DNA into the free-to-play arena.

OpenAI and PayPal announced a partnership to embed PayPal’s wallet in ChatGPT, enabling "chat to checkout" payments starting in 2026. The move leverages OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol and opens thousands of merchants to the chatbot.

Grokipedia launched with roughly 885,000 AI-generated entries on October 27, 2025. Created by xAI and backed by Musk’s mission to correct "editorial bias", the new platform is now live in version 0.1 — but it still faces early errors, scaling hurdles and credibility questions.

OpenAI is quietly building an AI-music generator to rival start-ups like Suno. Interestingly, it’s doing so while still grappling with deepfake video turmoil in its Sora platform. The next tune it drops could change how we compose, listen and litigate.

In its latest teardown the repair experts at iFixit found the MacBook Pro M5 finally lets you access battery pull-tabs without removing the trackpad — a subtle yet meaningful win for repairability. Apple still sells only a “top-case with battery and keyboard” kit, but this shift signals change. Just don’t ignore reports of thermal throttling under heavy loads.