Feed aggregator
Sony Won't Budge on PlayStation Plus Day-One Releases For First-Party Games
PlayStation will continue withholding its first-party games from PlayStation Plus on launch day, despite Xbox offering day-one releases through Game Pass. Nick Maguire, PlayStation's vice president of global services, told Game File the company remains committed to its current approach of adding first-party titles to the subscription service 12 to 18 months after release. "We've sort of stayed true to our strategy across the board, where we're not looking to put games in day and date," Maguire said.
PlayStation instead selects four to five independent games annually for day-one PlayStation Plus releases, a strategy Maguire described as "working really well across the platform."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Windows is Getting Rid of the Blue Screen of Death After 40 Years
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has held strong in Windows for nearly 40 years, but that's about to change. From a report: Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was overhauling its BSOD error message in Windows 11, and the company has now confirmed that it will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. The new design drops the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code in favor of a simplified black screen.
The simplified BSOD looks a lot more like the black screen you'd see during a Windows update. But it will list the stop code and faulty system driver that you wouldn't always see during a crash dump. IT admins shouldn't need to pull crash dumps off PCs and analyze them with tools like WinDbg just to find out what could be causing issues. The company will roll out this new BSOD design in an update to Windows 11 "later this summer."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Malaysia Will Stop Accepting US Plastic Waste
An anonymous reader shares a report: Malaysia will ban plastic waste imports from the U.S. starting Tuesday because of America's failure to abide by the Basel Convention treaty on international waste transfers, in a move that could have significant consequences for California.
Malaysia emerged as a major destination for U.S. waste after China banned American waste imports in 2018. California shipped 864 shipping containers, or more than 10 million pounds of plastic waste, to Malaysia in 2024, according to the Basel Action Network, an advocacy group. That was second only to Georgia among U.S. states.
Under Malaysian waste guidelines announced last month, the country will no longer accept plastic waste and hazardous waste from nations that didn't ratify the Basel Convention, the international treaty designed to reduce the international movement of hazardous and other waste. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countries, including Fiji and Haiti, that hasn't signed the pact.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
'Made in the USA' reference disappears from Trump phone listing
Trump Mobile maintains the gold smartphone will be made in the US, despite the changed wording on its website.
'Made in the USA' reference disappears from Trump phone listing
Trump Mobile maintains the gold smartphone will be made in the US, despite the changed wording on its website.
'Made in the USA' reference disappears from Trump phone listing
Trump Mobile maintains the gold smartphone will be made in the US, despite the changed wording on its website.
Microsoft Moves Antivirus Software Out of Windows Kernel To Prevent CrowdStrike-Style Crashes
Microsoft is preparing to release a private preview of Windows changes that will move antivirus and endpoint detection and response apps out of the Windows kernel, nearly a year after a faulty CrowdStrike update crashed 8.5 million Windows-based machines worldwide.
The new Windows endpoint security platform is being developed in cooperation with CrowdStrike, Bitdefender, ESET, Trend Micro, and other security vendors. David Weston, Microsoft's vice president of enterprise and OS security, said dozens of partners have submitted papers detailing design requirements, some hundreds of pages long. The private preview will allow security vendors to request changes before the platform is finalized.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Who Needs Accenture in the Age of AI?
Accenture is facing mounting challenges as AI threatens to disrupt the consulting industry the company helped build. The Dublin-based firm, which made its fortune advising clients on adapting to new technologies from the internet to cloud computing, now confronts the same predicament as generative AI reshapes business operations.
The company's new generative AI contracts slowed to $100 million in the most recent quarter, down from $200 million per quarter last year. Technology partners including Microsoft and SAP are increasingly integrating AI directly into their offerings, allowing systems to work immediately without extensive consulting support. Newcomers like Palantir are embedding their own engineers with customers, enabling clients to bypass traditional consultants.
Between 2015 and 2024, Accenture generated a 370% total return by helping companies navigate technological transitions. The firm reached a $250 billion valuation in February before losing $60 billion in market value. CEO Julie Sweet insists that the company is reorganizing around "reinvention services." A recent survey found 42% of companies abandoned most AI initiatives, up from 17% a year ago.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
7 Best Outdoor Lights (2025), Including Solar Lights
Light up your backyard, porch, patio, or campsite with these WIRED-tested outdoor lights.
The Trump Phone Is Already a Lot Different From Last Week
WIRED had many questions last week about the Gold T1 Smartphone. Now we have even more—like where that “made in America” pledge went.
5 Best Google Assistant Speakers (2025): Speakers, Displays, Soundbars
From smart displays to soundbars, Google’s voice assistant comes in all shapes and sizes. Here are our favorites.
Study Finds LLM Users Have Weaker Understanding After Research
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School found that people who used large language models to research topics demonstrated weaker understanding and produced less original insights compared to those using Google searches.
The study, involving more than 4,500 participants across four experiments, showed LLM users spent less time researching, exerted less effort, and wrote shorter, less detailed responses. In the first experiment, over 1,100 participants researched vegetable gardening using either Google or ChatGPT. Google users wrote longer responses with more unique phrasing and factual references. A second experiment with nearly 2,000 participants presented identical gardening information either as an AI summary or across mock webpages, with Google users again engaging more deeply and retaining more information.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Amazon to open first Maine warehouse in Caribou
The Seattle-based online megaretailer had previously scouted locations for a potential facility in Scarborough, but no such facility ever opened.
The 8 Best Home Arcade Machines (2025), Tested and Reviewed
Rewind to the classic games of the ’70s and ’80s with a WIRED-tested home arcade machine.
CareerBuilder + Monster, Which Once Dominated Online Job Boards, File For Bankruptcy
CareerBuilder + Monster, which once dominated the online recruitment industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week and said it plans to sell its businesses. From a report: Created through the September merger of CareerBuilder and Monster, the Chicago-based company said it agreed to sell its job board operations, its most recognizable business, to JobGet, which has an app for so-called gig workers.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Roku Streaming Stick Plus Review: Cheap, Simple, and Pretty
This cheap little dongle is the perfect way to get better apps on your smart TV.
Pornhub to introduce 'government approved' age checks in UK
It is one of a number of porn sites which regulator Ofcom says will bring in tougher age verification for users.
Pornhub to introduce 'government approved' age checks in UK
It is one of a number of porn sites which regulator Ofcom says will bring in tougher age verification for users.
Seven Maine ski resorts that offer summer fun
With the snow gone, Maine's ski resorts transition to summer fun with hiking, biking, live music and more.
Meta admits wrongly suspending Facebook Groups but denies wider problem
Group administrators have reported receiving automated messages which incorrectly say they have violated the rules.
Pages
