Business Articles

GTA 6 pre-order sales were already impressive before the Netflix Extended Look. Sensor Tower projects a 572% increase between August 27th and 28th compared to the 30-day average. The PS5 trailer encouraged more PlayStation console owners to purchase the Rockstar title than Xbox fans.

Since 28 August, ChatGPT accepts more than one Google account at a time, so your personal and work inboxes land in the same chat window. Handy for checking two calendars at once. The permission OpenAI asks for on Gmail and Calendar, though, goes well beyond reading.

Configurations with the Core Ultra 7 366H or Core Ultra X7 358H cost nearly the same even though their hardware features are very different.

xTool has introduced the X1, an all-in-one desktop laser platform that combines cutting and engraving in a single machine. The system pairs a 55W CO₂ laser with a Galvo head and 20W diode laser, supports additional laser technologies through a modular system, and reaches processing speeds of up to 6,000 mm/s.

Panic, the brand behind the Playdate handheld, has issued refunds to customers who bought its product during the period there was a tariff surcharge. It made the decision after receiving a refund from the government. However, brands such as Nintendo have refused to do so.

Microsoft’s Project Positron converts supported Xbox One and Series X game discs into account-linked digital licenses but requires a console with a disc drive and currently excludes Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles. While the initiative strengthens access through Xbox Play Anywhere and cloud gaming, its limited scope undercuts Microsoft’s claims of broad game preservation where such preservation may be needed most.

The gadget called "Plaud One Explorer Edition" launches with introductory discounts and wants to help professionals process conversations, meetings and more through automation and with the help of AI. 4G LTE cellular connectivity is also supported by this new device.

Starlink installers and resellers in remote or rural regions could be delighted to learn that SpaceX has changed its incentive payout scheme. Previously, SpaceX was only giving Starlink service credit to its referrers.

Newzoo has distanced itself from a senior analyst’s claim that the Epic Games Store cannot recover, saying the remarks were unsupported by its data. Epic countered with 2025 figures showing record third-party playtime and a 57% increase in player spending, challenging the analyst’s assessment of the platform’s viability.

LG and Nvidia are ramping up their robotics efforts, with plans to generate 100,000 hours of training data by the end of 2026 to prepare LG's CLOiD robot for increasingly complex tasks. The move puts LG in an increasingly competitive field alongside Tesla Optimus, BYD Xiao Di, Figure 03, 1X NEO and other humanoid robots vying to shape the future of factories and homes.

In an interview with Nikkei Gaming, KONAMI President Hideki Hayakawa revealed that the company’s future plans have placed a high priority on the reboots of Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Silent Hill. He also said KONAMI wants to create original games and experiment with new genres.

X Crop has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Nitter, the open-source project behind XCancel. The project has now suspended the service while it looks into its legal options.

Nikon, a camera manufacturer with a history spanning more than 100 years, is facing the threat of a takeover. After an optics giant has gradually acquired nearly one-fifth of Nikon’s shares on the stock market over the past few years, rumors are now circulating about a full takeover.

TikTok, the Chinese social media platform, has to pay a $400 million settlement to the US Department of Justice for violating child privacy laws. This lawsuit started two years ago, when US officials claimed that the platform was collecting data and details of under-13s without the consent of their parents.

Taiwanese furniture hardware maker King Slide Works has become an unlikely beneficiary of the AI boom, supplying specialized rails for data-center servers. Its shares have surged nearly 280% this year, helping its founder become Taiwan’s richest person.

Strong performance, extremely long battery life, a premium display - there are many things that manufacturers can offer to sell a laptop. In the case of the ZBook 8 G2a 14, its manufacturer HP offers mainly one thing: 64 GB DDR5 memory.

YouTube now counts a view the moment playback starts, with no minimum watch time, across Shorts, long-form videos and live streams. Public view counts will climb faster without more people actually watching. Earnings are unaffected, and the stricter number lives on as engaged views in YouTube Analytics.

Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij dismisses recent GTA 6 leaks as inconsequential, arguing they are unlikely to affect the game’s launch or long-term success. Take-Two is taking a harder line, giving Discord until September 4 to disclose the identity of leaker CyberLeek under a DMCA subpoena.

Double Fine has regained the intellectual property and publishing rights to Psychonauts 2, Keeper, and Kiln following its split from Microsoft, allowing game revenue to flow directly to the independent studio. After cutting 23 jobs, the developer is also preparing an Amnesia Fortnight Kickstarter campaign to fund its next commercial project.

The new HP EliteBook 8 G2a 14 AI aims to lead the business class with up-to-date AMD power, a superb keyboard, and an extremely energy-efficient display. Yet, this expensive, long-lasting machine stumbles when it comes to its aluminum chassis.

AMD has a strong lineup of mobile CPUs, with Zen5 chips still doing well against Intel Panther Lake. There is only one issue: Its GPUs in the mid-range, as the HP ZBook 8 G2a 14 demonstrates in our review.

OpenAI switches on ChatGPT Ads in 31 European markets on 24 August. Only Free and Go users see them, and in the EEA and Switzerland there is no personalization at launch, so there is nothing to consent to yet. The free plan still hides an ads-free option that costs you messages and tools.

Employees who once planned to retire at Bethesda say Microsoft's ownership brought something the studio had never had before: annual layoffs. The revelation comes as Microsoft indicates it plans to axe another 3200 positions linked to its Xbox business.

Adobe is significantly expanding its generative creative platform Firefly by making three key audio tools available to all users. Firefly can now generate music, voices, and sound effects from simple prompts. All audio content is explicitly cleared for use in commercial video projects. The company is also adding leading models such as Google's Gemini.

Koelnmesse and game confirm Gamescom 2026 has sold out its entire 233,000 sqm exhibition floor with 1,600 exhibitors and record indie participation.

Bilibili has spent years building its audience in China. Now, it is setting its eyes on the rest of the world, and with over 5 million downloads on Google Play in mere days, the start looks promising.

Despite criticism over PS5 price hikes, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki is confident in PlayStation’s future. The memory shortage intensified when the company had already secured a large user base. The executive told The Wall Street Journal that he is content to profit from existing console owners.

Xbox fans are leading the charge toward an all-digital future. A new Circana U.S. sales report shows how few Series X owners choose physical games. The Series S and Game Pass day-one releases may be why PS5 discs and Switch 2 cartridges are more appealing.

Despite Micron’s promise to honor warranties for its consumer brand, Crucial, its own support apparently didn’t get the memo. A Reddit user recently purchased a Crucial X10 Pro 4TB, and the external SSD died at 1% of its lifespan, but they were only offered their original purchase price back, which is roughly half the cost of a new drive currently

Apple card users can now earn up to 5% cash back on eligible purchases through Booking.com, Hertz, Exxon, and a few other partners through September 15.

The success of smartphones with ever-improving cameras has taken a toll on the camera industry. Japan is now signaling a slow recovery, as camera production is expected to rise again. Data from the Japanese Ministry of Economy show just how serious the situation actually is.

The official game charts in Germany and on Steam have produced several surprises. The new action RPG from the creators of Pokémon failed to claim the top spot on PlayStation 5, while two inexpensive new releases priced below $20 climbed Steam's bestseller rankings.

Ferrari's first all-electric sports car, the so-called Luce, has broken every auction record. Chassis 0, a one-off designed by former Apple designer Jony Ive, sold for an astonishing $40 million. Here is why the polarizing electric supercar fetched this record price despite fierce criticism from purists, and why it sold out completely after just two months.

Wearable shipments across the world fell 2% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, according to preliminary data from research firm Omdia. Within that decline, Garmin's smartwatch market share grew to 15%, up from 11% a year earlier, while Apple's share slipped from 48% to 46% and Samsung's fell from 17% to 15%.

Microsoft is merging its two Copilot apps. Account migrations start on August 18, 2026, and three features do not survive the move: Deep Research, Podcasts and group chats. The replacement for Deep Research is Researcher, and that one sits behind Microsoft 365 Premium at $19.99 a month.

The new Asus ExpertBook PM5 G2 impresses with a matte 144 Hz WQHD display, a powerful Ryzen CPU, and solid battery life. This 16-inch business notebook is well-equipped for the demands of the workday.

Sony wants to develop new characters that could eventually grow into internationally recognized brands. The first candidate is a thoughtful bear named Nemu, who, despite his name, is not actually an owl.

Xiaomi has already delivered more than 500,000 SU7-series EVs in China. The tech giant needed just 28.5 months to reach this milestone. However, anyone now hoping for an affordable Xiaomi EV costing around €12,500 will be disappointed: Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has ruled out such an electric car for the foreseeable future.

The memory shortage has produced frightening predictions for the PS6 price. However, an analyst thinks that PlayStation transitioning away from physical games could reduce its cost. Earning more from digital game sales and PS Plus subscriptions, Sony can subsidize the disc-less console.

Heart Aerospace has completed the maiden flight of its X1. The aircraft's four electric motors are eventually intended to carry passengers affordably on regional routes. According to Heart Aerospace, the flight didn't cost much despite lasting quite a long time.

Overall smartphone sales in the US continue to fall as rising component costs, economic pressures and AI-driven demand for memory weakens supply and consumer spending. Budget smartphone sales plunged 64%, benefiting larger brands while squeezing smaller manufacturers out.

Rockstar may not need record-setting launch day GTA 6 sales to break even. An analyst estimates 25 million units from pre-orders will sell by the game’s release date. Bolstered by the popularity of the $100 Ultimate Edition, the purchases would generate around $2 billion in revenue.

While some manufacturers only equip their business laptops with pretty weak IPS panels, Asus equips its new ExpertBook PM5 G2 with a high-resolution WQHD IPS panel with a frequency of 144 Hz, which is ideal for productive tasks.

Jacob Navok says that buyers will save money in an all-digital future. After the demise of physical games, the one-time Square Enix business lead predicts lower prices on the PS Store. He argues that having more publishers on the marketplace will encourage deeper discounts.

Lenovo has two almost identical looking 15.3-inch ThinkPads: The Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15p. While they almost look identical, there is a clear winner here - though the price may convince you to pick the lesser model all the same.

Lenovo upgraded the ThinkPad X9-15 to the Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15p, making this 15.3-inch business laptop much more powerful and versatile. While the older version was clearly aimed at the MacBook Air 15, this new one is more like a MacBook Pro 15 - a model that does not exist.

Ford is launching the Transit City, a new electric cargo van for commercial customers. The compact EV offers almost 240 miles of range in city driving, can carry up to 2,800 lbs, and is expected to cost 40 percent less to maintain than a comparable diesel model in Europe.