This week we saw the return of Anthropic's Fable, and PlayStation set the gaming world on fire by announcing the end of physical discs for its consoles in 2028.
To catch up on these two mega stories and several more, scroll down to read our recaps of the biggest tech news from the past seven days. You'll find links to the longer original stories below each entry if you need to know more.
Before you catch up on this week's tech news, why not test yourself with the seven biggest tech stories from the past week to see how good your memory is? Take the quiz below or scroll to see the week's top tech news…
7. Tidal strikes back at AI-created music
Tired of music created via text messages creeping into your recommended feeds? You are in good company; It seems like the tide is finally turning with AI-generated audio.
This week, in what must be very welcome news for artists (and their parents, owners, loved ones, and simply lovers of original musical works featuring human voices and instruments), high-resolution music streaming giant Tidal has drawn a line in the sand.
The platform published a new comprehensive AI policy with the tagline “Promoting equity and economic empowerment in the era of AI-generated music.” The key is that as well as Working with what the platform told TechRadar is “a third-party partner to manage discovery,” the site will also exclude fully AI-generated music from all royalty payments.
The news follows big strides in this area made by Deezer, with its free AI detection tool that works on any streaming platform, Bandcamp's strong and concise anti-AI stance established in January, Qobuz's announcement of a proprietary AI detection system in February, Apple Music's 'Transparency Labels' from March (which unfortunately rely on labels and distributors to label AI content), and Spotify's… er, Verified by Spotify badge, which It certifies that an artist is human, but it doesn't help filter out the remaining AI from your playlists.
All this makes Tidal's stance, although not prematurely, particularly firm.
6. Netflix received another hated account update
A handful of Netflix users have noticed a new pop-up in the app that requires each member of a shared account to add individual email addresses to their individual profiles, instead of using the account owner's email address as the primary one. One of the most jarring parts is that the popup does not disappear unless the request is fulfilled.
Netflix family accounts have always been built on the traditional “one email, one password” basis, but the question on everyone's mind is why Netflix has decided to roll out another crackdown.
Although Netflix says it's to make room for more convenient logins and more personalized recommendations, users believe it will give the streaming giant another way to better distinguish between the activity of individual profiles, or even switch them to individual accounts later.
Netflix said the launch began on June 15, we imagine a global launch is on the way.
5. We ran with the Garmin Forerunner 70
We have tested this new running watch from Garmin. While it offers some clear improvements over the previous Forerunner 55, these improvements come at a cost ($249.99 / £219.99 / AU$399), making this device less budget or entry-level and more mid-range.
The problem is not specifically with this smartwatch. In fact, with new workout and smartwatch features, a vibrant AMOLED display, and solid Android and iOS compatibility, the watch is pretty solid. What worries us about the Forerunner 70 is that at this price (or for just a handful of dollars more) you can get watches from rival brands that have richer features and newer hardware.
At four stars it's definitely good, but if you're looking for the best, or even just the best at this price, the Garmin Forerunner 70 may not be the choice.
4. The Steam Machine sold out in Japan
Valve's upcoming PC/game console hybrid has launched and the reality is that it's a pretty terrible deal at first glance, although that hasn't stopped it from being sold out in Japan and resellers asking ridiculous prices for their pre-order spot (allowing people a better chance of getting the device).
Rather than fight the disappointment of pre-orders or the high costs of the right machine, some have looked for alternatives, but you will have to be careful. For every stimulation machine that presents itself as a sensible alternative (with some admittedly downsides), there is an avalanche of cheap online alternatives that are frankly too good to be true.
With components that wouldn't actually fit inside the chassis shown in the image, a combination of parts that wouldn't work together, and the sheer number of never-before-seen companies proposing Steam Machine alternatives at incredibly cheap prices, suggests that most of these options are probably some kind of scam.
3. Anthropic's Fable 5 Allowed for Release
Anthropic's Fable 5, the public version of its Mythos model, returns after the US government lifted export controls that had forced the company to suspend access to it and Mythos 5 in early June. The models were removed after officials raised national security concerns related to a possible leak, a method of bypassing security restrictions on an AI model.
Anthropic responded strongly, saying it believed the issue was “a misunderstanding” and arguing that it had not been shown evidence of a broad or universal leak. The company said governments should be able to block unsafe AI deployments, but only through a process that is transparent, fair, clear and based on technical facts.
The return of Fable 5 is important because it shows how frontier AI releases may be increasingly influenced by governments, not just tech companies. Powerful models can now be launched, restricted, traded and restored in a matter of weeks.
2. WhatsApp released usernames
WhatsApp has revolutionized its platform this week by introducing usernames, allowing you to create your contact information without sharing your phone number. They won't be fully taken over for a while, but people are already reserving their username to be ready for when the update fully goes live.
While many are quite positive about the change, many fear that this could increase the presence of cybercrime fraud and scams, as bad actors reserve and use names that attempt to imitate politicians, celebrities and companies. This problem is not new to social media, but given the more direct nature of WhatsApp and that businesses use the platform to chat with customers, potential scams could be easier.
WhatsApp has responded to this saying that “only legitimate account owners can reserve names of well-known public figures.” However, it's unclear whether, with enough imagination, people will find ways to reserve names that the Meta-owned platform hasn't been able to account for.
1. PlayStation ended physical games
Just a few days later Grand Theft A 6 Pre-orders opened with purely digital versions and code-in-a-box drops, PlayStation shook up the gaming world this week by announcing that it will end all releases of new PlayStation games on physical discs starting in January 2028. It also comes just days after Sony removed select movies from users' accounts that were purchased digitally and offered no compensation.
Stating that the move will “allow us to align more closely with how the majority of our community prefers to access and play games today,” Sony appears to reflect recent statistics showing that the vast majority of game purchases are digital.
The move has not been well received by fans, gamers, and the industry at large, as it likely paves the way for an all-digital future and possibly a critical, perhaps terminal, blow to the second-hand games market, the ability to share games with others and from a game preservation perspective.
It also means that the PS6 will likely be all-digital by default, perhaps with an optional disc drive, and won't launch until 2028 at the earliest. With rumors that Xbox could do the same with its next-gen console, the future looks increasingly digital and game collectors like us are deeply concerned and saddened by it.
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