Technology

Activision believes there’s a “Call of Duty tax” on the way the series is covered by games media these days, according to an executive. In an interview with The Game Business, Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl was asked whether he felt that traditional games media doesn’t cover Call of Duty like it used to, and whether most of the coverage these days comes from the Call of Duty influencers and community. Bahl replied that while he did think the series was still covered by traditional games media, he feels the fact it’s been around for so long means some have started to forget the work that goes into each entry. “I think we get the coverage, but we call it the ‘Call of Duty tax’,” he replied. “When we’re thinking about the reviews or we’re thinking about the reception and stuff, in a lot of ways there’s obviously a lot of fandom around indie games, and excitement around, new games popping up every day on Steam. “And I think in a lot of ways, Call of Duty has been here for a very long time. And with that, you know, people sometimes forget that there’s so much work that goes into making these games.

By Lee GriffiThe Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) is encouraging residents to be aware of smart tracking devices and their potential misuse following reports of unidentified trackers on personal property and vehicles. At the same time, one of Canada’s leading tech gurus said the WRPS report shows the duality of the today’s technology. “It can save you the heartache of losing something by zeroing in on where it is, but at the same time, that very same technology can be used against an unwitting victim to identify when they may or may not be home,” said London-based Carmi Levy. Bluetooth tracking devices commonly help locate personal items such as keys, wallets, luggage and other valuables. Using Bluetooth technology and nearby mobile devices, these trackers can provide location updates and help owners recover misplaced property. While these devices offer many practical benefits, investigators have seen an increase in reports of tracking devices being placed on vehicles and personal belongings without the owner's knowledge or consent. “They can be misused to monitor an individual's movements and daily activities without their knowledge.

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Rockstar Games has released the launch trailer for 'GTA6,' reaffirming its November 19 release date. On the 15th, a 1-minute and 30-second GTA6 launch trailer was released on Rockstar Games' official YouTube channel. The video begins with Jason taking a phone call from Lucia while working on a boat, followed by a sequence showing Jason and Lucia speeding down the highway in a convertible, gearing up to perform a heist, and sharing romantic moments together. Just as with the GTA6 Extended Look revealed via Netflix in late August, this trailer is drawing praise from players for its lighting, visuals, and cinematic direction that push current-generation consoles to their absolute limits. Furthermore, the trailer once again solidified the partnership with PlayStation. Right as the video starts, the text 'PLAYS BEST ON PS5' is displayed, emphasizing that GTA6 will deliver an optimal play experience particularly on the PS5 by supporting a variety of features. Reaffirming its release date on November 19, 2026 with the release of this launch trailer, GTA6 is the latest entry in the GTA series developed by Rockstar Games.

There’s a lot to be optimistic about in the Technology sector as 2 analysts just weighed in on Penguin Solutions (PENG) and Applied Materials (AMAT) with bullish sentiments. Penguin Solutions (PENG)In a report released yesterday, Katherine Murphy from Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on Penguin Solutions, with a price target of $85.00. The company’s shares closed last Wednesday at $72.95. According to TipRanks.com, Murphy is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 63.5% and a 65.1% success rate.

PSP Investments’ senior vice-president and chief technology, data and operations officer David Ouellet is leaving the C$320 billion pension investment manager in January 2027 after nearly 15 years with the organization. Ouellet announced his exit in a LinkedIn post, saying until his departure, he will support Alexandre Roy, the pension fund’s senior vice-president and chief ... Read more

Tom Warren is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Earlier this year Microsoft laid out a plan to fix Windows 11, with a focus on performance, reliability, and the overall OS experience. After months of fixes, Microsoft now says the “result is a Windows experience that’s up to 20 percent more responsive.”Microsoft has made improvements to Start, File Explorer, Search, Edge, and other parts of Windows 11 to make it feel faster and more responsive. “A big part of that work is making smarter use of memory and system resources,” says Navjot Virk, corporate vice president of Windows experiences at Microsoft. “We’ve improved memory management and efficiency across Windows to help keep more of your PC’s resources focused on what you’re actively doing.”The improvements to memory management now make a “meaningful difference” on PCs with just 8GB of RAM. “Windows can now keep up to 2GB more of your active data in memory instead of moving it to slower storage,” says Virk.

The global smash-hit series hosting 10s of millions of players annually returns CHICAGO (Oct. 15, 2026) – Jackbox Games today ushered in a brand-new era of partying with the newest entry in the legendary Jackbox Party Pack series - The Jackbox Party Pack 12. Prove your friendships, show off those debate skills, be the loudest in the most chaotic trivia game out there and make sure your parties are unforgettable - Party Pack 12 is available on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Apple TV, iPad and the Mac App Store for $29.99. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4199960/The_Jackbox_Party_Pack_12).

OpenAI lets anyone inject ads into ChatGPT users’ sessions, targeting specific groups of people based on their email address, phone number, or a unique identifier on their phone, according to 404 Media’s own tests of ChatGPT’s advertising ecosystem. While the ad targeting available in ChatGPT is somewhat standard practice across the advertising industry, the chatbot’s one billion monthly active users may not understand they, in some cases, are being specifically targeted because of their personal data the advertiser has uploaded to OpenAI. ChatGPT’s ad targeting is also novel in that it is also based on the prompts users enter into the chatbot, prompts that users may assume are private but which, as 404 Media has previously shown, may be reviewed by humans. Or in this case, used for ad targeting purposes. Become a paid member for unlimited ad-free access to articles, bonus podcast content, and more.

Open-world survival sandbox will be available via a closed playtest starting in Q1 2027 4J Studios has announced that its open-world survival sandbox Reforj will be available on PC via a closed playtest starting in Q1 2027.

1 day agoBBCUnion members and sacked workers protested outside the tribunal building in GlasgowA group of workers sacked by gaming giant Rockstar have held a protest outside an employment tribunal as company bosses are quizzed for a second day. The case centres on the dismissal almost a year ago of 34 workers, most of them based in Edinburgh, who claim they were unfairly sacked for trade union activity. Rockstar, which is due to launch Grand Theft Auto 6 next month, maintains they were dismissed for "sharing confidential company information" in an insecure private online forum. Workers outside the tribunal building in Glasgow held signs calling for fired workers to be reinstated. The claim for unfair dismissal is being brought by 23 former staff, represented by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Most of them were based at the flagship Rockstar North development studio in Edinburgh, described as the "home" of the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar claims workers were fired for posts sent in a private online forum that they considered to be disparaging about the company or to breach confidentiality policies.

Inside Compound Camera No.3, the outside world becomes a patchwork of light, spread across walls soft enough to press with your hands. Rhode Island studio Pneuhaus designed the inflatable pavilion as a camera you enter, with projected views you can bring into focus by gently pushing its interior surface. After so much looking through screens, I like the idea of giving an image a little nudge rather than another swipe. The installation premiered at MODE Fest in Minneapolis from September 18 to 20, 2026. It covers more than 700 square feet and brings together 221 camera obscura cells, which project views of the surrounding environment onto its translucent inner surface. The subject matter is whatever happens to be outside, giving familiar scenery an unusually elaborate viewing room.

Can't get enough of the Fire Emblem™: Fortune's Weave game for the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system? Well, how does even more content sound? Yep, there's a lot going on with this game… Please watch the video for your first look at the paid Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Expansion Pass DLC*. This Expansion Pass DLC will add extra content in three different waves, with Wave 1 coming out…today! Wave 1Releases: Out nowObtain prototype weapons for the four heroes, modeled after Heroes’ Relics from the Fire Emblem: Three Houses gameWave 2Releases: Winter 2026Enlist the aid of powerful gods Aurora, Smyrnos, and Jurah in battleGain the ability to wear new outfitsWave 3Releases: 2027Discover new stories along with additional allies, class types, and more! If you'd like to purchase the Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Expansion Pass DLC, add it to your Wish List, or learn more about the base game, please visit the link below. We hope you enjoy your time in Dagda.*Full version of game required to use DLC for that game. Sold separately. Individual DLC waves cannot be purchased separately.

Published: October 15, 2026 at 9:12a.m. EDTQ3 earnings season unofficially kicked off this week with the release of the U. S. bank earnings. The bank earnings were a mixed picture and did not provide a catalyst for the S&P 500 to move higher. What should investors expect for the rest of the earnings season? The Q2 earnings season was spectacular, with earnings growth coming in at 53.7 per cent, and revenue growth at 15.8 per cent (LSEG I/B/E/S). These results were well above the historical average. What happened? To start with, the earnings growth is a year-over-year comparison. The Q2 results in 2025 were fairly tepid, creating a base effect that helped to boost the results in Q2 of 2026. S&P 500 year-over-year % growth The biggest factor driving the Q2 earnings growth was the mandatory reporting of unrealized gains by some of the large technology companies that had invested in other technology companies. According to GAAP, these gains have to be declared as other income. Some of these gains were huge. The technology sector and in particular the AI sector companies generally had large rallies.