Discussion over the future of Sark launched

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI and the industry’s power dynamics and societal implications, follow Hayden Field. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. Since ChatGPT became a household name, people have…

Cyber Monday has arrived an if you have a gamer in your life that you have yet to get a gift for, there’s a slightly cheaper way to become their favorite person. There is currently a sale on the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle that wasn’t available on Black Friday. You can…

Amazon’s October Prime Day sale tends to be a decent source of discounts for gaming gear, and the latest iteration of the “Prime Big Deal Days” event is no exception. Several games, mice, controllers and other accessories we like remain on sale as we approach the end of the two-day event, so if you just…

This morning Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing agreement: Starting in 2026, ChatGPT and Sora can generate images and videos incorporating Disney IP, including more than 200 characters from the company’s stable of Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel brands. To say these companies make for strange bedfellows is an understatement. The agreement brings together…

Sony’s first State of Play stream of the year included an update on Mina the Hollower, the latest title from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games. It’s now slated to arrive sometime this spring. The developer initially planned to release the retro-style action-adventure platformer on Halloween last year, but delayed it to “to apply some…

India’s government retreated less than a week after sending a private order to smartphone manufacturers instructing them to preload a state-backed app on all phones in the region. The reversal comes after industry sources told Reuters that Apple planned to refuse to comply with the order. Sanchar Saathi is a security app operated by India’s…