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PS5 restock: Here’s where and how to buy a PlayStation 5 this week

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It’s not too late to try to score a PlayStation 5 this week. Here’s where to look for the elusive PS5 in stores and online.

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

If you’re still looking for a PS5 for a holiday gift or for yourself, there’s still a chance. I’m in the trenches with you, trying to nab one for my kid, and here’s where I’ve been searching and what I’m finding. I’ll update this article regularly as I find out more information.

Of course finding a PlayStation 5 has been a nightmare since it launched on Nov. 12. Retailers such as Walmart, Meijer, Target and Best Buy sold out fast. Bundles became the way to go, with GameStop, AntOnline and Newegg offering bundles starting at $600-plus and even those sold out within an hour or less.

For those new to the PS5 shopping game, there are two versions. There is a $400 digital-only model and a $500 console version. The only differences between the two are that the console edition includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive to allow for PS5 Blu-ray disc games and PS4 Blu-ray disc games, and video from 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays and standard Blu-rays and DVDs. The digital edition has been selling out faster than the console version, because of its lower price, but that’s if you count time in seconds. They’re both in great demand, and the goal for most people is to buy one at any reasonable price solo or in a bundle. There are scalpers afoot, but we won’t talk about them since that’s not an option I’m willing to consider.

Check sites regularly, use the refresh button

An important way to find a PS5 is to constantly check the main sites that sell the PS5, such as Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Kohl’s, Costco, Sony direct, GameStop and AntOnline, and refresh the page frequently.

For instance, Best Buy often shows out of stock, but several times it’s given me an “Open Box” option for stock. It disappeared just as quickly, as others grabbed the available stock, but it was there. So someone nabbed one. The last time I saw this was Nov. 25, so it’s been a few days, but others have reported on social media that they’ve seen the same thing more recently.

With that in mind, here are the places to look for a PS5 this week. Retailers such as GameStop have been offering bundles of a PS5 console or digital edition paired with controllers and games for around $800, and they sell out fast. AntOnline offered a PS5 bundle in the mid-$800 price range yesterday and it was available for several minutes before selling out. Adorama released limited stock online Monday morning, but it sold out in four minutes.

Target is offering the PS5 for online ordering and in-store pickup, so it’s worth regularly checking the site to see if your local stores have added any new stock. Remember to look at Walmart periodically, too. And also Amazon. The retailer has been showing restocking, and sometimes it’s through third parties that are selling for scalped rates, but you might get lucky and find it for the regular retail price.

You can use these direct links to go to the retailers’ pages for the PlayStation 5 digital edition and console version:

Best Buy: PS5 Console and the PS5 Digital Edition

Amazon: PS5 Console and the PS5 Digital Edition

GameStop: PS5 Console and the PS5 Digital Edition

Target: PS5 Console and the PS5 Digital Edition

Walmart: PS5 Console and the PS5 Digital Edition

Sony PS5 queue for direct purchasing

Buying a PS5 direct from Sony is a definite possibility as they restock periodically as well. A queue is formed when stock is available and it gives an approximate wait time and it will let you enter the purchase area once your time arrives. This actually happened once for me, and it told me my wait time would be more than an hour, but at the time the queue opened up, I had stepped away from my laptop and I missed my chance after being in a digital line for about 90 minutes. But this option does work, even if you’ve been waiting for a very long time as I had that day, so there’s hope.

Follow PS5 social media accounts

Another option is to use social media to your advantage. There are many social media accounts providing regular updates on which retailers are offering potential merchandise drops of the PS5. Employees who work at the stores are leaking information, and shoppers are showing receipts as they find in-store units.

To take advantage of this source of information, find the social media accounts that you find trustworthy and follow them. A quick glance on Twitter has @spieltimes reporting Walmart walk-ins as a reputable source for PS5 units, as well as a possible PS5 queue opening up today on the PlayStation direct store online, and potential stock coming in at Target. And Canadian shoppers will have better luck at Walmart, according to @PS5StockUpdates, who reports that on Dec. 3 at 11 am EST, there will be new stock available online.

Whichever option you choose to try to score a PS5, know that you’re not alone. I’m there with you and will keep updating this article with any information I find that might help in everyone’s search.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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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.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Kuwait bans ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ video game, likely over it featuring Saddam Hussein in 1990s

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.

There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.

Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.

“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.

“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.

But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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