Software

Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 paid out over $908,000 across 39 zero-days in two days, with Microsoft Exchange compromised for $200,000 and Windows 11 hacked four times.

A potentially overzealous cease-and-desist email to the OrcaSlicer fork developer, Pawel Jarczak, by Bambu Lab, is not playing out well on social media, with YouTube giants such as Gamers Nexus and Louis Rossmann weighing in on what they feel is unfair behavior.

Anbernic has released a Linux-based OS for its RG DS dual-screen handheld which ships with Android. The new OS can be installed on a microSD card, so users don't have to wipe the Android OS.

Microsoft's MDASH AI security system found 16 Windows vulnerabilities, including four critical RCEs, all patched in May Patch Tuesday, beating Anthropic and OpenAI benchmarks.

Windows 11 Release Preview builds KB5089573 and KB5089570 landed May 14 with Copilot in Excel, zero-day patches, Shared LE Audio, and new IT admin AI controls.

Google has confirmed it is testing a reduced 5 GB free storage cap for new Gmail accounts in select regions, down from the long-standing 15 GB. Existing accounts will be unaffected, but a global rollout is still on the cards if the experiment succeeds.

Foxconn confirmed a ransomware attack on North American factories after Nitrogen claimed to steal 8TB of data including Apple, Nvidia, and Intel project documentation.

Android 17 makes switching from iPhone to Android more seamless with a new migration tool that transfers everything from WhatsApp data and eSIMs to home screen layouts. Google's new Android version will expands Quick Share/AirDrop support, further bridging the gap between Android and iOS.

Neverness to Everness Phase 2 is live with Hotori's Misty Tipsy Style banner running May 13 to June 3, alongside the Bright Moon arc banner and Hourglass Perks event.

Bandai Namco has confirmed Digimon Alysion launches on iOS and Android in 2026, bringing the Digimon Card Game to mobile with original story content and TCG battles.

Around for over two decades, Unraid OS is back with a new update. Labeled 7.3.0, the new release features new licensing options, the ability to boot from an internal drive, a completely redesigned onboarding wizard, several security fixes, smarter networking thanks to the Docker update from 29.3.1 to 29.4.3, and more.

Samsung has released One UI 9 Beta 1 internationally. Based on Android 17, the first One UI 9 update has landed in the US and Europe. The new update is only available on some current flagships so far.

Canon has updated its EOS R1 and R5 Mark II cameras with expanded Action Priority AF, now including American football tracking, plus improved registered face recognition and new video shooting utilities.

Arknights: Endfield Version 1.3 launches around May 29 with Camille, the game's first male 6-star Operator, alongside Mi Fu. The Fest of Brilliance banner opens on May 14.

Genshin Impact Version 6.6 Luna VII launches May 20, 2026, with Nicole Reeyn, Lohen, and Prune, a new Archon Quest in Sumeru, and a Snezhnaya teaser for Version 7.0.

Samsung wants to revoke the privileges to send notifications from apps that constantly annoy users with ads through push notifications. An update to the Samsung Device Care app is intended to protect smartphone users from intrusive developers.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 28, 2026, marking the franchise's first appearance on PlayStation and Xbox hardware.

My Hero Ultra Impact closes its servers on May 17 at 10:59 PM ET. Players have five days to spend Hero Gems and claim daily free 10x pulls before the shutdown.

A new era of accidental "butt dials" is about to land after Google's annoucement during The Android Show: I/O Edition 2026 that new and enhanced Gemini Intelligence AI features will be added to Android OS. The AI will have the ability to use apps and the web browser autonomously, including placing orders using personal information and sending messages with photos.

The German game charts for April 2026 show a lot of movement at the top. Soccer game EA Sports FC 26 and sci-fi newcomer Pragmata dominate the latest sales analysis for PC and consoles.

Electronic Arts is launching Season 3 in Battlefield 6 and Redsec. The new update brings back two popular maps called Golmud Railway and Grand Bazaar. The ranked mode is also making its debut in battle royale.

Phasmophobia's first-ever collaboration with Alan Wake 2 is live today until 2 June. The one-time event brings the Dark Place into ghost-hunting investigations for free.

Windows 11 May 2026 Patch Tuesday rolls out KB5089549 today, pushing Xbox mode to all users and advancing Secure Boot certificate deployment ahead of the June 26 deadline.

It is now possible to synchronise Garmin Connect with another popular third-party service. From May 2026, Garmin Connect and OsmAnd can work together, with the former now capable of sending up to 30 days of activities automatically.

A new update has introduced over a dozen improvements and refinements to one of Garmin's recent mid-range smartwatches. Available globally on Garmin's Beta Program, Beta 17.25 should improve battery life estimates and prevents the Venu 4 from entering recovery mode during a software update.

Google's GTIG has confirmed the first zero-day exploit developed by AI, targeting 2FA in a web admin tool. A mass exploitation campaign was disrupted before it launched.

Garmin is now offering a new update globally. This time, Beta 17.25 and Beta Version 17.25 promise to bring over a dozen new improvements to multiple smartwatches.

Brawl Stars Season 50 Starr Patrol launches May 7 with a free Starr Nova Brawler on May 24, the Void Master Finx boss event, and Brawl Cup Berlin on May 15-17.

The privacy- and freedom-respecting mobile OS by UBports is back with a maintenance release for the 24.04-1.x series. Version 24.04.1.3 focuses on fixes and small improvements, touching areas such as desktop apps, docks, and shutdown hanging problems, as well as general bug fixes and security updates.

In addition to the 6.19.13 kernel, which comes with a patch for the "Copy Fail" bug, Parrot OS 7.2 comes with significant updates to parrot-menu and several other tools, as well as an alignment with the Debian project. Thanks to it, this release syncs Parrot with the latest Debian upstream updates.

Exclusive Hitoshi Sakimoto settles a 29-year debate exclusively with Notebookcheck: Final Fantasy Tactics is a rock record. We also got a chance to discuss his London Game Music Festival 2026 debut, made possible by the Game Music Foundation's efforts.

Anbernic has released a new major update for the RG477V handheld that brings some quality of life improvements. There's a revamped launcher and a new control center that puts important settings at players' fingertips.

Zepp Health will bring new and powerful software features to some very affordable smartwatches, including models we have already reviewed. These will add some genuinely relevant features.

Garmin is rolling out a new software update for several smartwatches. It promises a wide range of improvements and could significantly improve the user experience in the best case. The update for the Fenix 8 models can be installed easily, but it is not yet being rolled out to all users.

PUBG Mobile 4.4 Hero's Crown launches May 12 with a Greek mythology map overhaul, Nimbus Island, a Centaur boss fight, the M1 Garand, and a Blue Lock collab on May 22.

Age of Empires IV: Yue Fei's Legacy is now live on Xbox, PC, and PS5, adding the Jin Dynasty civilization, an 8-mission campaign set during the Song-Jin Wars, four new maps, and two new biomes.

OpenAI has launched GPT-Realtime-2, GPT-Realtime-Translate, and GPT-Realtime-Whisper through its Realtime API, now generally available for production voice agents.

Discord appears to be down for thousands of users right now. Most of them are being met with an error screen that says "increased API errors."

While sporting a wide range of fixes and tweaks as usual, the latest PrismLinux update, labeled 2026.05.05, also comes with a redesigned installer, GNOME 50 support, version 7.0 of the Linux kernel, xLibre migration, as well as a KDE Plasma-based LiveCD with Wayland and auto-login enabled by default.

Snowbreak: Containment Zone is back online on May 8 after a 66-day shutdown sparked by a China Post collab controversy, with generous compensation for all returning players.

CookieRun: Kingdom's Timeline of Fate update launched May 7 with Timekeeper Cookie, Ash Salt Cookie, a fractured timeline story, and new battle systems for Act 2.

A fake Claude AI website is pushing the Beagle Windows backdoor through Google sponsored search results using a trojanized Claude-Pro Relay installer that silently deploys a remote access tool.

Instagram removes end-to-end encryption from DMs on May 8, 2026. Here is why Meta made the decision, what it means for your privacy, and how to download your chats today.

Introduced in 1988, DR DOS survived all its competitors, and the latest version, labeled 9.0 Revision 648, arrived earlier this month. Its highlights include a full-featured editor, low-level access for direct memory manipulation and code execution via unique commands, core file management, and more.

The RPG is set to disappear for good this June, with downloads and in-app purchases ending today, May 7. No offline version is planned, and all player data will be permanently deleted when the servers close.

A faulty Defender signature update flagged two trusted DigiCert root certificates as malware and removed them from Windows systems worldwide.

Ironmouse has cut ties with Neverness to Everness after claiming Hotta Studio lied about AI use. Players have flagged suspected AI assets across the game's environments.

Google is hosting "The Android Show I/O Edition" on May 12. The company revealed a short teaser announcement depicting the Android mascot "The Bot" switching on a light bulb. The resulting aesthetic change has sparked concerns among fans that Google may be following Apple's Liquid Glass design language.

Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.8 launches today with new agents Promeia and Starlight Billy, plus HoYoverse's official confirmation of a Steam release in Q2 2026.

Windows 11 KB5083769 is blocking the psmounterex.sys driver used by Macrium Reflect and Acronis, causing backup failures and VSS timeouts on 24H2 and 25H2.