Thankfully, I’m happy to say that PlayStation has just delivered what is easily its best State of Play to date, and one that gets me especially excited for its future.
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Simply put: it nailed the reveals. Of course, these are subjective to a degree; interests can vary greatly depending on the person. But inarguably, this State of Play was PlayStation’s most diverse yet thanks to a solid mix of major franchises, smaller indie titles and even new hardware. In this way, PlayStation touched on key parts of its business and signalled how they’ll all play an important role in the brand’s future.
The show opened with the official unveiling of a long-rumoured game: the Resident Evil 4 remake, which is coming in March 2023. It’s hard to understate the significance of this title — the original Resident Evil 4 is widely regarded to be one of the greatest games of all time, and it was incredibly influential to the third-person shooter genre. Moreover, it’s being made by the team behind 2019’s beloved Resident Evil 2 remake. RE4 remake alone would have elevated this above most State of Plays, and this was just the start.
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Right after, PlayStation gave some spotlight to PlayStation VR2, as promised. It’s here that the company really seemed cognizant of proper pacing. In the span of about six minutes, we get quick looks at four VR titles: Resident Evil Village, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Retribution, No Man’s Skyand Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Resident Evil 4 remake is also getting some sort of yet-to-be-revealed PS VR2 content, and after how chillingly scary Resident Evil 7 was in VR, I’m especially eager to see what Capcom does with the new headset. On the whole, this was an effective way of teasing some of the different experiences players can expect while not bogging down the whole show with VR. After all, VR as a whole is still quite niche, and we don’t actually have a price or release date for PS VR2, either. Ostensibly, this was just to remind people that a new headset is on the way, which seems wise for the time being.
Following this, we got confirmation that Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is coming to PC in August. It’s a smart move for the company, especially with the sequel coming next year. Miles Morales is also coming to PC this fall to complete the collection. The PC ports’ involvement in the State of Play serves to reiterate — especially to the whinier console fanboys — that PlayStation games coming to PC is a growing and important part of the company’s business. I’m also always in favour of allowing more people to play games, especially when they’re as wonderful as Insomniac’s Spider-Man titles.
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From here on out was just games, games, games — and lots of good-looking ones, at that.
On the indie front, we first got the promising cat adventure Stray, which comes to PS4/PS5 on July 19th. As an added bonus, those subscribed to either of the higher tiers of the new PS Plus will even get the game at no additional cost. Tunic, the recently released, critically-acclaimed Canadian-made adventure game, is making its way to PS4/PS5 on September 27th. Another Canadian game, Season: A Letter to the Future, got a trailer with a fall 2022 release window, and it looks like an engrossing, relaxing biking adventure. (It should be noted, though, that leadership at Montreal-based developer Scavengers was accused of abusing employees, and it’s unclear whether there’s been meaningful change has been made at the studio). That’s to say nothing of the fact that OlliOlliWorld developer Roll7 has a stylish rollerblading game, Rollerdrome, coming to PS4/PS5 on August 16th, or new team Studio Sai is making a Persona-inspired action-dating sim, Eternights, dropping on PS4/PS5 in early 2023.
Of course, there were more AAA games on top of that impressive assortment of indies. Striking Distance, the studio co-founded by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, showed off its survival horror space game, The Callisto Protocol, which looks like a worthy spiritual successor to his previous work. We’re getting that on December 2nd, 2022 on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. And while it’s not at all my cup of tea, Capcom’s Street Fighter 6got a fairly meaty new trailer, which is undoubtedly a big deal for fighting game fans. It’s coming sometime in 2023 to PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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But it’s the show’s closer that had me absolutely jumping out of my seat: Final Fantasy XVI. Since the action-RPG was revealed at the September 2020 PS5 Showcase, Square Enix hasn’t shown anything else from the game, so fans like me have been clamouring for a new trailer for over a year-and-a-half. Thankfully, we got that and more: a summer 2023 release window. Farther off than I would have liked, to be sure, but Square Enix had said the game was delayed half a year due to COVID, so it’s understandable. What matters more, though, is that it looks damn good. I confess that I didn’t much care for Final Fantasy XV; the game’s story, characters, open-world and combat felt half-baked in many ways. FF is my favourite series, so XV was pretty disappointing to me.
XVI, by contrast, looks to be everything XV wasn’t. And I have immense faith it will deliver — just look at the talent involved! Naoki Yoshida, the man who helped turn Final Fantasy XIV into one of gaming’s biggest redemption stories, is the producer. Hiroshi Takai, who’s worked on classics like Final Fantasy V and, more recently, XIV, is the main director, while Kazutoyo Maehiro — who penned XIV‘s outstanding Heavensward expansion — is the creative director and writer. Combat director Ryota Suzuki worked on a little action game called Devil May Cry 5, which should give you an idea of how great XVI‘s battles should be. And Masayoshi Soken, the magnificent composer of XIV, is handling XVI‘s music, so expect some absolute bangers. TL;DR — this game is going to be fire. It’s a timed PS5 exclusive, too, which is a big deal for PlayStation.
Ultimately, PlayStation accomplished a great deal in just under 30 minutes. It gave us a good mix of games that are pretty much all coming out within the next 12 months, while also showing more from its plans for PC and VR. Of course, questions remain surrounding when God of War: Ragnarok is coming, among other new first-party titles. But we knew going in that this State of Play was never going to be about that. For what it was — a largely third-party-centric showing — PlayStation absolutely crushed it, and hopefully, future State of Plays will be as strong.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
