We know the PS5 and Xbox Series X are arriving this holiday season, but it’s not impolite to ask how long they’ll actually stick around for, before getting replaced by the next “latest and greatest” machine.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer himself isn’t making any promises. But speaking to the AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook podcast, he doesn’t think that cloud gaming will kill the console, saying “I think I’m going to have a game console plugged into my television for the next decade-plus.”
More good news for gamers came in the form of increased backwards compatibility for the PS5 and Xbox Series X means these consoles will have deeper catalogues of games — so their long-term viability increases. That’s especially true as Microsoft revealed Smart Delivery, which lets you buy an Xbox game once, and get its enhanced version on subsequent consoles at no extra cost, since these consoles are becoming more and more like PCs.
To get a sense of how long the PS5 and Xbox Series X will last, we’ve flipped through the annals of gaming history, looking at the history of Sony and PlayStation’s hardware releases. The good news — for customers trying to save money, at least — is that the lifespan of a console has grown with each generation (with two notable exceptions).
Just to keep things consistent, we’re looking at each console’s earliest release date, which often took place in Japan. Here’s how long every PlayStation and Xbox generation has lasted, and what it tells us about the future of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
(Image credit: Future)
Sony PlayStation
Released – replaced: December 3, 1994 – March 4, 2000
Lifetime: 5 years, 3 months, 1 day
Units sold: more than 102 million
The first of its name, and the first console to move over 100 million units, the original Sony PlayStation delivered solid gameplay and allowed a number of franchises to flourish. Shortly after, the PS2 came out, Sony released a smaller, whiter model, dubbed the PS one.
The PlayStation started at $299 in the U.S., and Sony earned applause for being comparatively affordable when compared to the $399 Sega Saturn. It would later get marked down to $199. Over time, Sony changed the ports on the back of the PlayStation, first gutting the RCA ports and then removing the wide (and old-looking) Parallel I/O port.
Sony PlayStation 2
Released – replaced: March 4, 2000 – November 11, 2006
Lifetime: 6 years, 8 months, 7 days
Units sold: Approx. 155 million
Introduced less than 6 years into the life of the OG PlayStation, the PS2 debuted in September 1999 at the Tokyo Game show. In the years leading to its release, word leaked that Sony was going to deliver backward compatibility with PS1 games and controllers.
Sony made the PS2 more appealing by adding a DVD player, as well as including internet connectivity (though browsing a web page in its browser was flawed at best). It was the first PlayStation to offer online gaming. The more-svelte PlayStation 2 Slim debuted two-thirds into the console’s life, in 2004.
Sony PlayStation 3
Released – replaced: November 11, 2006 – November 15, 2013
Lifetime: 7 years, 4 days excluding the end date
Units sold: More than 87 million
Sony released the PS3 three times, slimming down the shape of the machine with each update. Its inaugural release, in 2006, followed a wait of about a year and a half from E3 2005, where it was first announced. Sony gets retroactive points for correctly choosing the right media format, as the PlayStation 3 got support for Blu-ray discs (which are still sold today), while the Xbox 360 got HD-DVD (which failed, and fast).
The PS3’s 7-year life cycle was merely 4 months ahead of the PS2’s 6-year, 8-month window and suffered a bit as developers saw it as hard to develop and program for. Its unique cell processor may have been mighty, but it led to backward-compatibility issues for PS4 owners. When Sony announced that the PS5 would support PS4 games, PS3 owners breathed a sigh of relief.
Sony PlayStation 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Released – replaced: November 15, 2013 – Holiday 2020
Lifetime: Approximately 7 years
Units sold: More than 106 million
Estimating the PS5’s release as “holiday season 2020,” and looking at how often “holiday season” translates to November, it’s safe to see that the PS4’s successor will bow out about 7 years after Sony released the winner of this current generation of the console wars.
The PS4 dominated the last 7 years because Sony smartly ditched the Cell microarchitecture and focused on delivering quality exclusive games, with highlights including Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, God of War, Gran Turismo Sport and Marvel’s Spider-Man. The PlayStation 4 would get two siblings, the smaller PlayStation 4 Slim and the 4K UHD-supporting PlayStation Pro.
Microsoft Xbox
Released – replaced: November 15, 2001 – November 22, 2005
Lifetime: 4 years, 7 days excluding the end date.
Units sold: More than 24 million
A giant X with a green dot in the middle, the original Xbox was Microsoft’s big brash jump into the world of gaming hardware. And it didn’t just stick a toe into gaming culture. Microsoft’s official Xbox unveiling was done by no lesser pop culture icons than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bill Gates.
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Selling 1.5 million units in its first month and a half, the Xbox thrived off of the must-play title of its launch year: Halo: Combat Evolved. In its second year, Microsoft added Xbox Live, an online gaming platform that made the Xbox the console to get to play against your friends who lived out of town.
Microsoft Xbox 360
Released – replaced: November 22, 2005 – November 22, 2013
Lifetime: 8 years excluding the end date.
Units sold: Approx. 80 million
Reportedly in development since about half-way into the Xbox’s life, the Xbox 360 looks like both a hit and a miss in hindsight. While PS3 had its exclusives, Microsoft was not without wins, including Gears of War, and its Xbox Live success.
While it sold 80 million units worldwide, it arguably could have sold many more — and outpaced the 87 million mark posted by the PS3. Standing in the way of said financial success was the 360’s Red Ring of Death failure issue, that basically rendered the console unusable.
Microsoft Xbox One
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Released – replaced: November 22, 2013 – Holiday 2020
Lifetime: Approx. 7 years
Units sold: not reported
While the Xbox One will last as long as Sony’s PS4, it’s inarguably the loser of this generation. Sony’s PS4 sales eclipsed 106 million units, while Microsoft simply stopped reporting that detail. Multiple additional releases, the digital-only Xbox One S and the 4K Xbox One X, didn’t help things.
As to why it lost? Well, much like how Arby’s has the meats, Sony had the games. Despite strong exclusives like Forza Horizon4 and Gears of War 5, the Xbox One didn’t quite have anything on the level of God of War or Spider-Man. Microsoft’s response? Buying up all the studios it can (including recent acquisitions Double Fine and Ninja Theory), to hopefully gain exclusives that will help the Xbox Series X thrive.
So how long will the PS5 and Xbox Series X last?
Based on the above math, I expect the PS5 and Xbox Series X to last through 2027 or maybe 2028. As we move to streaming-only gaming, with offerings like Google Stadia (which already feels dead) and Project xCloud, the console still has firm footing, and it appears as if each of these machines is made to go the distance as much as they’re meant to make an immediate impact.
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.
