GTA6 to launch Autumn 2025, WhatsApp rolls out Chat Lock on linked devices
One of the most eagerly anticipated video game releases of recent times – the sixth edition of the Grand Theft Auto franchise – will take place in autumn 2025, its publisher says. Take-Two Interactive, parent company of developer Rockstar Games, made the announcement during its latest earnings call. Interest in GTA 6 is huge: the trailer for it has had more than 190m views on YouTube since it was released by Rockstar in December after being leaked online. Gaming industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls told the BBC the long development time meant it was set to come to market “as the most expensive game ever made”. BBC
Google announced this week that it would begin the international rollout of its new artificial intelligence-powered search feature, called AI Overviews. When billions of people search a range of topics from news to recipes to general knowledge questions, what they see first will now be an AI-generated summary. Google touted AI Overviews at its annual I/O developer conference as a way of delivering customers quick answers and simplifying the online search experience as well as keeping users, and advertisers, on Google.com. The Guardian
WhatsApp, Meta’s instant-messaging app, is set to introduce a feature on linked devices that will enable users to protect their chats from other people. According to a recent report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out its Chat Lock feature on linked devices. This feature, which allows users to lock and hide their chats behind a passcode or biometric authentication, was initially limited to primary devices. However, according to the report, the Chat Lock feature appears to be available to users using WhatsApp for Android (version 2.24.11.9), rather than just a select few users. GeoNews
A portal that links people in Dublin and New York via a live stream has been reactivated after inappropriate behaviour was reported. The artwork had been temporarily shut due to people flashing body parts to the camera, swearing and displaying images of 9/11. The portal has now reopened with set times of operation – 6am to 4pm in New York City and 11am to 9pm in Dublin. To tackle antisocial behaviour, the team behind the installation – Portals.org – has adopted a “proximity-based solution” where if people now try stepping on the portal and block the camera, it will trigger a blurring of the live stream. Sky News
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that a good, premium portable laptop is either made by Apple, Lenovo, Microsoft, or Asus. But Huawei has always been there and its line of 14-inch MateBooks is ever-evolving and always competitive. This is the MateBook 14 (2024), and it’s a solid successor to the 2023 model – moving from a 300-nit IPS LCD to a 450-nit OLED panel, from an i7-1360P CPU to a more powerful Core 7 Ultra 155H, a bigger 70Wh battery (vs 56Wh on the last model), and slimming down to just 1.31kg. It’s also the first stylus-compatible MateBook. GSM Arena
Staff at Raspberry Pi are set to share a windfall of up to £68m when the micro computer maker floats in London in the coming weeks. The Cambridge-based company’s employee incentive scheme controls shares amounting to around 13.6pc of Raspberry Pi, according to registration documents filed with the London Stock Exchange earlier this week. At a £500m valuation this would be worth up to £68m – or an average of £660,000 for each of the company’s 103 employees. Telegraph
