Google DeepMind has just revealed Genie 2, a world-modelling AI capable of creating 3D worlds and sustaining those environments for significantly longer. Genie 2 isn’t a game engine. It’s a diffusion model that generates images as the player (either a human being or another AI agent) moves through the world the software is simulating. All it needs to start is a single image prompt either generated by AI or from a real-world photo.
Apple has wrapped up all your listening stats in a bow with its annual recap of your entire year in music streaming. This time, you can view the full Replay experience in the Apple Music app via the home, new and search tab — yes, no need to go to a microsite for your vital listening statistics.
It’s been a quiet few news days as everyone seemingly parses deals from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday. But there’s always time for a shock announcement: Pat Gelsinger is retiring after over 40 years at the company and close to four years at the chip manufacturer’s helm. Effective December 1, Gelsinger left his post and his position on the board of directors. The board has created a search committee to “diligently and expeditiously” find a new CEO.
Elon Musk’s attorneys filed for an injunction against OpenAI and Microsoft on Friday, accusing them of anticompetitive practices. He wants to stop OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit company. Musk first sued OpenAI earlier this year for allegedly violating its founding mission of building AI “for the benefit of humanity,” but he withdrew the lawsuit a few months later.
CRKD’s Nitro Deck turned my OLED Switch into an OLED Switch Lite, in a way. The Nitro Deck’s lightweight frame added chunkier grips to both sides of the screen, a more logical USB-C charging passthrough and substantial triggers, it felt like a proper controller enveloping my favorite Nintendo games. And you could get it in Gamecube purple.
According to reporting by TechCrunch and others, Threads is tapping into one of Bluesky’s best new features: starter packs of people to follow. Chris Messina, who invented the hashtag (!), posted a screenshot of the tool to the social media app. You can see an early version of the tool by pasting “installedbarcelona://recommended_follow_lists” into Safari on iOS if you have the latest Threads app.
Alongside a new foldable and flagship phone, Huawei has revealed its first mobile OS made entirely in-house.
While the PlayStation Portal offered a way to play PS5 games remotely, it wasn’t a standalone handheld. In fact, it’s been about 14 years since the PS Vita appeared, and now, according to a report from Bloomberg, the company is developing another portable console able to play games on device, as well as any cloud-based/ remote play tricks.