So this is it: the new consoles are here. Well, not here, not both (or all) of them: along with many of you in the UK and Europe, I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my own PlayStation 5 next Thursday. But look, there on my desk, peeking discreetly out from behind the monitor as I type this: a real, live, retail Xbox Series S. Isn’t it lovely?
And here’s the thing. Whisper it, because it feels like there has been too much good news already this week, and we’re not used to it, it’s making us suspicious. I think it’s going great. This is the best generational shift in consoles in a long time; not necessarily the most exciting, but the most upbeat. The most optimism-inducing. It’s certainly better than last time. PlayStation 4’s launch slogan was “for the players”, which was an effective rejoinder to Microsoft’s ill-begotten Xbox One strategy, but away from that flattering mirror, it never really felt true. The PS4, with its conventional architecture and basic feature set, its overpowered graphics processor and underpowered CPU, its emphasis on the same but more, was a tactical retreat onto safe ground. It was simple, it was sensible, it was effective, but did it really make things better for us? Did it move our gaming lives forward? Barely.
This time, it’s different.
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Do the PS5 and Xbox Series X launch lineups matter? The news team gets into it.
Well – it’s not all different. Once again, there is not much between the PlayStation and the Xbox in power or design (leaving the outlier of Xbox Series S to one side). Their engineers were working from the same basic silicon, and seem to have agreed on the same priorities: that a big boost in CPU power was a must, after a generation of graphically lavish but computationally weak consoles held back developers’ ability to innovate; and that fast storage and vastly reduced loading times were also essential to improving the experience for players. It may take years for the first of these priorities to bear fruit, but the second is the most tangible quality of life improvement when using one of these consoles now – and it may not be glamorous, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hugely impactful. It means hours of your life reclaimed, the distance between you and the games you love reduced, and those games materially improved (taking Forza Horizon 4 as a personally game-changing example).
Another thing that is reminiscent of 2013 is that behind these similar boxes lie strikingly different strategies on the part of their makers. But here the similarities end – and here is where things also get much more interesting and encouraging. In 2013, the difference had little to do with video games and everything to do with marketing. Microsoft did everything wrong – some things too soon or presented in the wrong way, others of no interest to any humans who weren’t on the board of Microsoft – while Sony just did the opposite of whatever Microsoft was doing (which usually meant not doing much at all) and got rapturous applause for it. It wasn’t about ideas, it wasn’t about games, it was just an ugly PR war.
This time, it’s a matter of philosophy. Sony says it believes in console generations as tectonic shifts that usher in a new era of gaming. Now, this happens to be consistent with this consumer electronics company’s metier – putting gadgets in boxes and selling them – not to mention PlayStation boss Jim Ryan’s record as a retail marketeer of the old school. It has also been a little easier to poke holes in this conviction than you might hope. But credit where it’s due, when you unbox a PS5 and plug it in, it produces exactly that tingle of excitement, that thrilling feeling of the start of something new. This is because Sony has put its money where its mouth is, investing in a sparkling front-end, an innovative controller with a a joyous pack-in game to show it off, a gasp-inducing PS5 version of a cross-gen blockbuster and, in the form of Demon’s Souls, a single, actual, honest-to-god, big-time PS5 exclusive.
Ray tracing in Spider-Man: Miles Morales – literally dazzling.
Over the aisle, as it were, it is a different story. It is a terrible shame and an unprecedented let-down that the new Xboxes arrive without a big new game to call their own – though Halo Infinite’s delay was doubtless the right thing for that game, the Halo series and the staff at developer 343 Industries. But Halo Infinite never belonged just to the Xbox Series consoles, or even to the wider family of Xbox consoles. It is also a PC game, and a game you will be able to stream on Android phones. It is, above all, a Game Pass game, and Game Pass, not Halo Infinite, is the killer app for Xbox.
Even Game Pass does not make up the whole of Microsoft’s big picture, though. Fire up an Xbox Series X or S and it is the incredible seamlessness of the experience that strikes you. There’s no data to be transferred, there are no saves to be copied to a USB stick. Everything has already been backed up without you having to think about it. All your Xbox games are only a download away, your progress will sync in a few seconds, and the games’ compatibility with the new machine has been quality assured and, in many cases, carefully optimised. You can set preferences for how they run at system level. Did you buy Destiny 2 on PS4? Doesn’t matter, it’s on Game Pass (with all expansions) and there’s cross-save, so your characters carry over. It all just works. This is for the players.
Come on out, don’t be shy!
On Game Pass, you will find Final Fantasy 7 taking pride of place alongside a shiny new version of Gears 5; trashy bargain-bin deep cuts like Black alongside curated indie darlings like Don’t Starve and Night in the Woods. It might not feel as much like the future of gaming, but it’s a joy and relief to encounter a new console that isn’t so desperately keen to turn its back on the past. Best of all, Microsoft’s assiduous work in this area since its backwards compatibility drive began in 2015 has pressured Sony into following suit, with the result that PS5’s compatibility feature is also excellent, if less full-formed and well-tested. The same is true of Microsoft’s eager embrace of cross-play and cross-save in the last few years. Competition, of course, cuts both ways, and I am sure the game-makers at Microsoft’s many newly acquired studios will be inspired by the next-gen visions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls.
Sony’s eyes are over the hill and on the horizon; it is thinking about what’s next. That’s vital to the creative and technological health of the medium. But gaming has been on a relentless forward path for too long now. Microsoft’s broad-church, platform-agnostic approach, also evidenced in the existence of the low-cost Series S, is here to make sure nothing and nobody gets left behind. That’s just as important for the future of video game culture.
These are differing philosophies, yet they’re both right. Better still, they’re actually complementary. Under each others’ influence, both platforms should come out stronger. It is a cliché to say we’re all winners in this fight – but this time, I think it might actually be true.
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.
