Black Ops 7 Season 2 features seven new weapons, including a brutal handheld buzzsaw

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 2 has been revealed
• It's arriving on February 5, 2026 and adds loads of fresh multiplayer content
• This includes plenty of new maps and a selection of new weapons

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 2 has been revealed and it's shaping up to be another huge dose of content for the already massive first-person shooter game.

Some brand new maps are coming to multiplayer, including Torment – a small 6v6 environment set in David Mason's mind. It's a maze of shipping containers and twisted tree roots, complete with spooky pools of blood and strange rifts that let you teleport around the map.

It's complemented by a second 6v6 map, Nexus. This is again set in a dream world with floating debris and partially destroyed buildings. It can also be played in 2v2 modes, as it's particularly small.

Back in the real world, players will be able to explore Sake – a large Japanese brewing plant with multiple zones including a production facility, fancy bar, and even a little museum for visitors to explore.

(Image credit: Activision)

Black Ops 2 fans can also dive back into the small streets of Slums. This remastered map has been rebuilt for Black Ops 7, though it maintains the fan-favorite layout of the original. Yes, even that infamous electronics store...

And if that wasn't enough nostalgia, a third fantastical 6v6 map, Torque, is also being added as part of the mid-season update. This one is set in a memory of the iconic Battle of Los Angeles in the Black Ops 2 campaign, with a mix of tight interior and exterior environments complete with huge twisted highway that trails off into the sky.

It will arrive alongside Cliff Town, an updated version of Yemen from Black Ops 2, plus the massive Mission: Peak, a 20v20 behemoth for the Skirmish mode. In addition to all of this, Grind and Firing Range (two Black Ops 6 maps) are also returning.

The fight continues

(Image credit: Activision)

Expect a wealth of new weapons too. At launch you'll be able to try the new Rev-46 SMG, EGRT-17 assault rifle, GDL Havoc special grenade launcher, and the absolutely brutal looking H311-SAW buzzsaw.

The SG-12 automatic shotgun, Voyak KT-3 assault rifle, and Swordfish A1 marksman rifle will then follow as the season progresses. Each new gun has its own compatible attachments too, giving myriad fresh ways to customize your arsenal.

Of course, there will also be a shiny Season 2 battle pass to work your way through, plus plenty of new bundles in the in-game store.

This is just a small taste of what's coming to the game when Season 2 launches on February 5, 2026. For the full details, plus news on the addition to Zombies, Endgame and Warzone, see the massive official Call of Duty blog post.

Black Ops 7 is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Xbox One.

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'We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people': Microsoft promises to fix Windows 11 this year — and it's about time

• Microsoft has promised to fix Windows 11
• The company will undertake a major effort to smooth out performance issues and fix bugs
• It's acting based on 'clear' feedback from Windows 11 users and testers who aren't happy with the current failings of the desktop OS

Microsoft has finally said that it's going to work hard on fully fixing Windows 11, smoothing over performance issues and remedying glitches.

The Verge got the scoop here and reports that Windows engineers are going to focus on fixing the core problems with the desktop operating system. This will happen in a process called 'swarming' – which is basically referring to bringing a lot of software engineers together to work collaboratively on bug fixing and fine-tuning.

In short, it means Microsoft is throwing everything it has got at fixing up Windows 11, and not before time.

Pavan Davuluri, who heads up the Windows and devices division at Microsoft, told The Verge: "The feedback we're receiving from our community of passionate customers and Windows Insiders has been clear. We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people.

"This year you will see us focus on addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers: improving system performance, reliability, and the overall experience of Windows."

Analysis: reputational recovery

(Image credit: Foxy burrow / Shutterstock / Microsoft)

Obviously, it's one thing to say this, and another thing to go through with it – and get results. I'm hoping that we'll start to notice differences in Windows 11 sooner rather than later, and the initial goal, I'd imagine, is to stem the flow of bugs in the first place.

In this first month of 2026, we've witnessed quite a number of fresh gremlins scurrying around in the innards of Windows 11, causing quite a bit of havoc for some users. Indeed, some nasty bugs have been evident, such as that boot failure glitch, and reported issues around sleep mode with older PCs (and much more besides). A terrible start to a new year, all in all.

If Microsoft can bring Windows 11 back on more of an even keel with updates, so that they aren't, for example, solving some issues while bringing in a bunch of new bugs, that'll be a good start to this 'swarming' effort to fix Windows 11 and its fundamentals.

Performance tuning will also be key here, and that includes speeding up File Explorer and making it more responsive, as it's been a long-complained-about sluggish aspect of Windows 11.

I write about Windows pretty much daily, and one of the common themes that constantly pops up for me is how Microsoft is losing trust with Windows 11 users due to all the brokenness, the bugs, and the sluggish performance.

Davuluri acknowledges this in one of his statements to The Verge, observing that: "Trust is earned over time and we are committed to building it back with the Windows community."

Trust is crucial when it comes to one of the other key areas of Windows 11 for Microsoft – namely AI. If the reputation of Windows 11 keeps suffering blow after blow – due to this bug, or that performance glitch – over and over, the desktop OS may never recover its standing.

And if users don't have any faith in Microsoft to keep Windows 11 together and in generally decent working order – how are they going to have trust in the AI agents Microsoft so desperately wants to make one of the cornerstones of its OS going forward? They won't, and Microsoft's AI plans will come off the rails as a result – particularly if these agents turn out to be buggy themselves.

AI has, of course, been a very controversial area for Windows 11. People feel Microsoft is relentlessly pushing AI as the next big thing, bringing it to all corners of the operating system (more or less) with dubious benefits, and moreover at the cost of ignoring the fundamentals and everything that's wrong with Windows 11.

This is Microsoft signalling that this is no longer the case. I just hope it turns into more than just mere signalling, and 2026 does indeed prove to be the year where Microsoft turns Windows 11 quality assurance around – which will require a longer-term strategy than 'swarming' it should be noted – while beating back the performance demons that lurk in certain parts of the OS.

I've already said that I think this year is going to be make-or-break for Windows 11, and it seems that Microsoft now realizes the gravity of this situation. The proponents of Linux in its various flavors certainly do, and are waiting to capitalize on any further failings.

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Nvidia just gave gamers another reason to switch to Linux — a shiny new GeForce Now app

• Nvidia has released a full GeForce Now app for Linux
• It's out for Ubuntu 24.04 and later, but may run on other distros too
• This is still a beta release, so manage your expectations for now – but it's still good news for accessing a wider range of games on Linux

If you're a gamer on Linux, there's a new way to play a broader range of games, with the arrival of the official GeForce Now app on the platform.

Nvidia just revealed that there's now a full native Linux app for its game streaming service, albeit it's still in beta, so you might experience some wonkiness here and there.

Initial support is available for Ubuntu 24.04 and later, and the new desktop app boasts the full GeForce Now experience, including streaming games at up to 5K resolution (on the Ultimate tier) at 120 frames per second, or 360 frames per second with Full HD resolution.

It also means no compatibility worries on Linux with certain games (notably anti-cheat online efforts – such as Fortnite), and of course, no concerns about the hardware in your rig not being good enough for fluid frame rates. Of course, you're trading hardware specs for the quality of your internet connection; with slow broadband, you won't do very well with streaming games.

The other point to remember here is the supported library of games on GeForce Now, as the title you want to play obviously needs to be in Nvidia's offerings (and you need to own it, too).

Analysis: reasons to be cheerful

Linux gamers are just getting more and more reasons to be optimistic these days. SteamOS is forging ahead nicely, and an increasing number of games are now compatible with Linux as a result, with the Steam Machine (which should be arriving before long) likely to drive that progress further.

The GOG ('Good Old Games') gaming platform has been making positive comments hinting that there are big things inbound for Linux in 2026 for the service (a job advert that emerged this week underlines this, too). And the demise of Windows 10 appears to be pushing a sizeable number of new recruits to some Linux distros, as they decide against heading to Windows 11.

On top of that, cloud gaming is another way to make the most of a Linux PC, and GeForce Now is obviously a big player in that field – and we've been impressed with Nvidia's service in recent times.

With the official app now here for Linux, catering for desktop PCs and laptops, GeForce Now is obviously a more tempting prospect than what was previously offered by Nvidia, which was handheld-focused (Steam Deck) and limited as a result.

While it's for Ubuntu only to begin with, as noted, it's possible other distros can run this app, though in those scenarios it's likely to be even more erratic than beta software already is. Still, it might be worth a whirl for the keen, and you can bet people will be trying this out on alternative distros.

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It's not a myth – Capcom has fixed Monster Hunter Wilds, and I even tested it to find out

• Capcom released a new Monster Hunter Wilds patch to address performance issues
• The new patch significantly improves performance problems, reducing stutters during gameplay
• The patch has made the game more playable on handhelds like the Legion Go S

Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds (MHW) has been the subject of heavy criticism from gamers, specifically on PC, due to poor performance and optimization impacting all system configurations, but a major advancement has been made.

Thanks to a new performance patch, Monster Hunter Wilds now runs at more consistent and stable frame rates on both high and low-end PC configurations. The patch also comes with a new CPU options menu, allowing users to adjust settings such as game effects that are heavy on processors.

This comes after a Reddit user discovered a bug that has the game constantly making DLC checks, effectively leading to worse performance with frustrating stutters in hub areas and a lack of smoothness during intense gameplay sequences.

Now, with multiple fixes officially implemented by Capcom, the difference is clear, with a significant reduction in micro stutters. If the massive uplift to positive reviews on Steam isn't enough evidence for you, then perhaps my tests should do the trick.

Frame rates are stable, but don't expect a miraculous boost

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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Running on the RTX 4080 Super gaming PC... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

I tested the new patch on my main gaming PC, equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super, an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D processor, and 32GB of RAM (yes, I know I'm lucky), as well as on my Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme handheld.

First things first: if you're going back into MHW expecting a major boost in frame rate, you might be a little underwhelmed. While there will be a frame rate jump, especially if you were previously playing on a lower-end system, there's a bigger impact to take note of.

Instead, this update improves performance via much higher 1% lows, which are effectively the lowest possible frame rates your game is hitting, or in other words, your lowest frame rate 1% of the time. It's also massively decreased VRAM usage, ideal for 8GB GPUs.

On my main rig at 4K with maximum graphics settings, DLSS 4.5 Performance, and no Frame Generation enabled, I was able to maintain 60 fps the majority of the time during monster battles, with a few dips into the mid-50 fps range.

When playing at my usual ultrawide 3440x1440 resolution, I could get away with using DLSS 4.5 Quality, and manage 62 to 75 fps (and much higher in some regions), which is a huge accomplishment for this game without relying on frame gen.

Without the small performance loss (on an RTX 40 or 50 series GPU) from using DLSS 4.5, you could probably expect more frames in these scenarios, but what was most important was that the 1% lows were within the same range as the base frame rates – and that eliminates the stutters that previously plagued the game experience.

Image 1 of 2

Running on the Lenovo Legion Go S... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

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(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

On my Legion Go S, using the low graphics preset at a 1200p resolution, with Intel XeSS or FSR 3 Balanced enabled, I managed 40 fps during exploration and combat, and around 30 fps in areas that were previously CPU-heavy (e.g., the Grand Hub).

Bear in mind, this wasn't previously possible on this Z1 Extreme configuration, as it was effectively unplayable due to consistent stuttering and frame rate drops, both of which aren't an issue after Capcom's patch.

Fortunately, enabling frame gen works as intended on both my beefy gaming PC and handheld, by doubling the frame rate without gameplay feeling choppy. With the new CPU options available, you can yield even better performance results by reducing the CPU load for more GPU utilization.

More work is needed, as I feel that frame rates could be a little higher in circumstances of using DLSS or FSR Performance upscaling methods. However, from where MHW's performance started at launch, this is a massive improvement, and fortunately, Capcom still has performance patches planned to make Monster Hunter Wilds run optimally.

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Mark Zuckerberg says it's 'hard to imagine' a future without AI glasses – but there's bad news from the metaverse

• Mark Zuckerberg has been hyping up AI glasses in Meta's latest earnings call
• Sales of Meta models have tripled in the last year
• But Meta's metaverse company is losing a lot of money

There's no doubt the best smart glasses of today are better than they've ever been, but they're yet to really go mainstream – something Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is confident will happen in the future, even as his digital metaverse company posted a hefty $6 billion loss for the last financial quarter.

Speaking on an earnings call (via TechCrunch), Zuckerberg went on the record as saying "it's hard to imagine a world in several years where most glasses that people wear aren't AI glasses" – comparing the wearable revolution he's anticipating to the move from classic flip phones to smartphones.

Zuckerberg pointed out that billions of people worldwide wear glasses or contacts for vision correction, which is a lot of potential customers. He also said that sales of Meta smart specs (including the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2) have tripled within the last year.

There's certainly plenty of interest from tech manufacturers: Google and Samsung have smart glasses on the way, with Samsung separately confirming that its long-anticipated AR glasses are coming later this year.

Apple is rumored to be working on its own pair, and earlier this week Snapchat developer Snap announced a new subsidiary called Specs to drive its future smart glasses products.

Meanwhile, in the metaverse...

Taking a tour through the metaverse (Image credit: Future)

Zuckerberg will be hoping that the smart glasses category turns out better than his efforts to date in making the metaverse happen: as CNBC reports, Meta Reality Labs posted a $6 billion loss for the last quarter of 2025, up from $4.43 billion the quarter before.

The metaverse, you may remember, is the completely virtual world that Meta hoped we would all be living in by now – it's partly why the company was renamed from Facebook to Meta. While a sizable number of us enjoy gaming in VR, there hasn't been much interest from users in spending a substantial chunk of their time as digital avatars.

Meta isn't completely giving up on the metaverse, and there have been suggestions that Horizon (which is the official name of Meta's metaverse) could become more of a Roblox clone, with more of a focus on mobile devices.

We'll have to see what happens, but those financial losses are continuing to go in the wrong direction. The future for smart glasses looks somewhat brighter, especially with the continuing advances in AI assistants to power them.

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Sony really, really, wants PS4 players to switch to the PS5 — 'Now's the perfect time to upgrade your PS5 console'

• Sony is encouraging PS4 users to upgrade to PS5 via console messages
• A new analyst report suggests that Sony wants to extend the PS5 lifecycle to retain its current playerbase
• It's also suggested that the PS6 won't arrive until after 2028

Sony is sending messages to PlayStation users still using their PS4, suggesting that they finally switch to the current-generation PS5, and it could be tied to a PS6 launch delay.

As PushSquare reports, PS4 owners are now receiving messages from Sony, encouraging them to upgrade to a PS5, along with a QR code that takes them to PlayStation's official website, where more information about pricing and deals can be found.

"Whether you’re catching up with hits from 2025 like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, ARC Raiders, and Ghost of Yotei or getting ready for the most anticipated games of 2026, including SAROS, 007 First Light, Nioh 3, and so much more, now’s the perfect time to upgrade your PS5 console," the message reads.

Notably, all these games are only available on PS5 and other current-gen hardware, so it sounds like Sony is persuading players to finally take the plunge.

However, a new analyst report may have shed some light on the situation.

PlayStation Is Sending From PlayStation Message To PlayStation 4 Users To Upgrade To PlayStation 5!#PlayStation4 #PS4 #PlayStation5 #PS5 pic.twitter.com/GsRb94IiAEJanuary 27, 2026

According to a recent Sandstone Insights Japan report published by senior analyst at MST, David Gibson, Sony may push the launch of the PS6 to after 2028 in order to extend the PS5's lifecycle (via IGN).

The report notes that Sony’s earnings for the third quarter are expected to exceed previous predictions, with first and third-party titles continuing to drive sales, and game and network services, including PSN subscriptions, are expected to remain strong.

In addition, Q3 sales for Sony are forecasted for around 1.8 trillion yen total (approx. $11.6 billion), with operating income at 160 billion yen (approx. $1 billion).

With the PS5 hardware and software continuing to push big numbers, it's suggested that Sony will want to expand the life of the console, therefore delaying the launch of the PS6.

"Sony expects the PS5 lifecycle to be longer than that of previous console generations," Gibson stated, adding that the PS6's launch likely won't occur until after 2028.

Gibson also suggested that Sony is more focused on retaining existing PS5 users over boosting console sales, as well as noting that PSN services and active PS5 users are at an all-time high.

"PS5 user activity continues to set all-time record highs according to usage data," Gibson said. "Sony is focusing more on retaining active users than expanding hardware sales."

The tech and games industry has suffered price hikes over the past year or so; an issue we've seen recently is due to memory shortages and the ongoing rise in tariffs.

For now, it seems like PS5 consoles aren't going to be hit with another price increase like last August, although Gibson believes it could happen eventually.

Gibson explained that "rising memory prices will not impact short-term performance thanks to Sony’s existing inventory", but said the increased memory costs could affect the company in the fiscal year, adding, "Sony might pass future cost increases onto consumers."

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'We have some exciting news to share' — Wordle will enter new era next week with 'magical' change that will completely shake up the game, and it's much needed

Wordle will start repeating answers next week in a move that’s certain to cause deep controversy among devotees of the game – but which I believe is wholly necessary.

The move was announced in a rather low-key fashion, in the form of a brief statement at the top of the New York Times' Gameplay email newsletter yesterday.

"Hey, Wordlers! We have some exciting news to share," the statement begins. "Starting on Monday, we will begin adding previously run words back into play. There are still many first-time answers to debut, but also more chances for Wordle in ones and those magical, serendipitous moments when Wordle overlaps with real life. Happy solving!"

This is massive news for the many millions of people who play the game, because it completely changes its nature. Is that a bad thing? Not in my book – and I'll explain why below – but you may well disagree. Let me know what you think by voting in this poll or letting me know in the comments below.

The memory game

When Wordle was launched by developer Josh Wardle in June 2021, it was based upon a database of 2,315 set answers that each had an assigned day.

That number was whittled down to 2,309 by the NYT after it bought Wordle in January 2022, and then increased by an unknown amount over the next couple of years, with the addition of solutions such as SNAFU (game #659) and OOMPH (#1662).

There have now been 32 of these extra answers, however, there are only so many valid five-letter words, and I suspect even with the NYT's additions Wordle's word pool will not have been above 2,400. Given that we're now on game #1685 for today's Wordle answer, that left only around two more years before all of the solutions had been used up and the game would be over.

The NYT could simply have waited until that point and then made a change – maybe relaunching it as a six-letter game or something – but that wouldn't have solved a growing problem with the way it's now played: namely knowledge of past answers.

Specifically, some people were looking at a list of already-used solutions when solving each day's puzzle. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, because nothing in the rules says you can't do that, and indeed it's a game that you can decide how you want to play anyway. Plus, full disclosure, I'm part of the problem here – because I've maintained a list of all past Wordle answers for several years.

The issue is that as the answers got used up and the pool of remainders shrunk daily, it fundamentally changed your chances of picking the right word, if you did look at a past solutions list.

For instance, take FREAK – the answer to game #1682 on Monday. With no knowledge of past answers, you might well guess CREAK or BREAK or WREAK instead. On a lucky day, you'd get the correct one, on another, you wouldn't. Or you'd have to play a word such as CABLE to rule out a couple of the options.

However, if you looked at past answers you'd see that BREAK (#172), CREAK (#347) and WREAK (#1225) have all appeared already – meaning that you could play FREAK right away and have an advantage over those that didn't.

Whether this was a problem is a matter of opinion, but it undeniably made Wordle less of a level playing field – which, after all, was part of the idea behind the game when it launched with its 'everyone plays the same game daily' approach.

What the future holds

The NYT's announcement that previous answers will now appear again fixes all of that. Take the FREAK example above: the fact that BREAK had appeared before wouldn't mean it might not be the answer again, so you'd be left to solve it in isolation once more.

Plus, it extends the game's lifespan. Theoretically, it could now last forever, with games repeating over a timespan of anything between a one-day and six-year period.

However, we don't know exactly how the NYT plans to roll this out. The statement says that "we will begin adding previously run words back into play" rather than "we're adding them all back in and randomizing them" – it could well be that the NYT takes the same approach that it has for its additional words, just picking and choosing certain words on a given day.

It might also do so with a themed approach – for instance, making CAROL the answer on Christmas day or similar. I hope it doesn't do this, because it should be a puzzle-solving game rather than one of 'what's in the puzzle-setter's head today', but you may disagree.

Either way, it shakes the game up at a point at which it was beginning to feel a little stale. And best of all, it means I could go back to my favorite ever start word of STARE and have a chance at scoring a solve-in-one, a feat which would otherwise have been impossible. I just might have to wait a long while for that to happen…

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'We have some exciting news to share' — Wordle will enter new era next week with 'magical' change that will completely shake up the game, and it's much needed

Wordle will start repeating answers next week in a move that’s certain to cause deep controversy among devotees of the game – but which I believe is wholly necessary.

The move was announced in a rather low-key fashion, in the form of a brief statement at the top of the New York Times' Gameplay email newsletter yesterday.

"Hey, Wordlers! We have some exciting news to share," the statement begins. "Starting on Monday, we will begin adding previously run words back into play. There are still many first-time answers to debut, but also more chances for Wordle in ones and those magical, serendipitous moments when Wordle overlaps with real life. Happy solving!"

This is massive news for the many millions of people who play the game, because it completely changes its nature. Is that a bad thing? Not in my book – and I'll explain why below – but you may well disagree. Let me know what you think by voting in this poll or letting me know in the comments below.

The memory game

When Wordle was launched by developer Josh Wardle in June 2021, it was based upon a database of 2,315 set answers that each had an assigned day.

That number was whittled down to 2,309 by the NYT after it bought Wordle in January 2022, and then increased by an unknown amount over the next couple of years, with the addition of solutions such as SNAFU (game #659) and OOMPH (#1662).

There have now been 32 of these extra answers, however, there are only so many valid five-letter words, and I suspect even with the NYT's additions Wordle's word pool will not have been above 2,400. Given that we're now on game #1685 for today's Wordle answer, that left only around two more years before all of the solutions had been used up and the game would be over.

The NYT could simply have waited until that point and then made a change – maybe relaunching it as a six-letter game or something – but that wouldn't have solved a growing problem with the way it's now played: namely knowledge of past answers.

Specifically, some people were looking at a list of already-used solutions when solving each day's puzzle. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, because nothing in the rules says you can't do that, and indeed it's a game that you can decide how you want to play anyway. Plus, full disclosure, I'm part of the problem here – because I've maintained a list of all past Wordle answers for several years.

The issue is that as the answers got used up and the pool of remainders shrunk daily, it fundamentally changed your chances of picking the right word, if you did look at a past solutions list.

For instance, take FREAK – the answer to game #1682 on Monday. With no knowledge of past answers, you might well guess CREAK or BREAK or WREAK instead. On a lucky day, you'd get the correct one, on another, you wouldn't. Or you'd have to play a word such as CABLE to rule out a couple of the options.

However, if you looked at past answers you'd see that BREAK (#172), CREAK (#347) and WREAK (#1225) have all appeared already – meaning that you could play FREAK right away and have an advantage over those that didn't.

Whether this was a problem is a matter of opinion, but it undeniably made Wordle less of a level playing field – which, after all, was part of the idea behind the game when it launched with its 'everyone plays the same game daily' approach.

What the future holds

The NYT's announcement that previous answers will now appear again fixes all of that. Take the FREAK example above: the fact that BREAK had appeared before wouldn't mean it might not be the answer again, so you'd be left to solve it in isolation once more.

Plus, it extends the game's lifespan. Theoretically, it could now last forever, with games repeating over a timespan of anything between a one-day and six-year period.

However, we don't know exactly how the NYT plans to roll this out. The statement says that "we will begin adding previously run words back into play" rather than "we're adding them all back in and randomizing them" – it could well be that the NYT takes the same approach that it has for its additional words, just picking and choosing certain words on a given day.

It might also do so with a themed approach – for instance, making CAROL the answer on Christmas day or similar. I hope it doesn't do this, because it should be a puzzle-solving game rather than one of 'what's in the puzzle-setter's head today', but you may disagree.

Either way, it shakes the game up at a point at which it was beginning to feel a little stale. And best of all, it means I could go back to my favorite ever start word of STARE and have a chance at scoring a solve-in-one, a feat which would otherwise have been impossible. I just might have to wait a long while for that to happen…

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It's not Dante's Inferno 2, but this upcoming indie game takes inspiration from the same classic poem and could be the sequel to Visceral's 2010 game I've been hoping for all these years

• The Alighieri Circle: Dante's Bloodline is an upcoming narrative adventure game coming this year
• The game takes inspiration from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy poem but reinterprets the classic literature
• It will release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and a demo is coming in mid Feburary

Ever since EA's Dante's Inferno, I've been hoping (rather in vain, I know) for a sequel or at least for another developer to take inspiration from Dante Alighieri's classic narrative poem, The Divine Comedy - and now my wait might just be over.

Developed by Italian studio One O One Games and published by Entalto Publishing, The Alighieri Circle: Dante's Bloodline is a narrative adventure game coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, that "reinterprets Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy as a surreal, introspective experience".

A psychological mystery thriller played in first-person, you play as a regular man, Gabriele Alighieri, who has to gather lost pages of the Divine Comedy and solve puzzles to save his family from a destiny written in blood as part of a cycle that sees the barrier between reality and Hell fade away every 33 years.

Returning to his ancestral home and exploring its silent and melancholic halls, you'll slowly uncover the truth about the Alighieri bloodline, all in a tense atmosphere and an environment that reacts to your internal state of mind.

You can check out the reveal trailer below for a bit more of a flavor.

I have harbored a deep interest in The Divine Comedy for a while, and absolutely loved playing Dante's Inferno on PS3. Yes, it wore its God of War inspiration clearly on its sleeve, but the rich source material was interpreted and deployed interestingly with some memorable recreations of 'famous' souls that appear in the original work, and locations within each of the circles of hell that Dante writes about that brought The Divine Comedy to life in a pretty successful video game form.

While The Alighieri Circle: Dante's Bloodline sounds like its gameplay will be several circles of hell away from Visceral's 2010 action-adventure game, it's definitely got its hooks in me, and I'm intrigued by its new interpretation of such a classic piece of literature.

The game is coming this year, but there's no release date or window yet. You can wishlist the game on Steam right now and look forward to the demo coming through Steam on February 19.

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French President takes aim at ‘American platforms’ and ‘Chinese algorithms’ as France moves to ban social media for under-15s

• French MPs voted to pass a social media ban for minors into law
• It isn't law yet; it must first pass through France's Senate
• Once enacted, under-15s would no longer be able to access social platforms

French MPs just voted 116-23 in favor of a social media ban aimed at minors – in what is being heralded as a “major step” towards protecting kids and teenagers online.

As you can imagine, not everyone is happy with the proposed rules.

The bill hasn’t been passed into law yet – France’s Senate must also approve it, and some wonder if it will be blocked under European law after a similar bill was stopped in 2023 – but it follows in the footsteps of similar rules we’ve been seeing in Australia, the United Kingdom, and some US states.

Speaking in a video broadcast about the bill, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms” – clear references to the likes of Instagram, X, and TikTok.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Once introduced, these and other social media services will need to verify the age of French users or bar them from accessing content. Given that some kind of age verification system may be coming at the European level, France will probably be just the first EU nation to impose such a ban – case in point, Ireland, Spain, and Denmark are also considering such rules.

While many parents, lawmakers, and even some children have reacted positively, others have had fewer kind words to share.

Scrolling through (ironically) social media, you’ll find plenty of comments calling this “legislative overreach.” While others are concerned about needing to share their IDs online – especially following various data leaks involving IDs from countries that have imposed similar rules (such as a Discord breach which saw hackers steal thousands of government-ID photos)

The better of two evils

You don’t have to look far to find reports showing the harmful effects of social media on mental health – some of which come from the companies themselves. Nor to find examples of the ways platforms could be used and abused by users and their own creators – such as the recent example of Grok being used to create explicit images of women and children, or whistleblower claims that Meta platforms can target users with ads based on their emotional state (something Meta has denied doing, but did admit to researching across a series of statements back in 2017).

(Image credit: Shutterstock/JR des)

At the same time, I know how valuable social media can be. YouTube and TikTok can be incredible educational platforms, social media can provide access to invaluable news sources, create spaces for people to organize action around an important cause they care about, or simply give people the chance to find a crowd they can fit in with that they might not be able to find locally.

But does this good outweigh the evils?

Honestly, I’m not sure. If asked to choose one extreme or the other, I’m in favor of a ban – in part because widespread bans could be what forces platforms to finally clean up their act.

I’d still prefer a more nuanced approach.

Something which involves identity verification that’s secure and private to check age and that someone is a human, which addresses the issues plaguing social media that go beyond those simply affecting minors to those affecting users of all ages too, and that gives parents the ability to make decisions for their child (choosing to allow access to certain platforms when they believe their kid is ready).

Though that might be too much to ask of politicians who aren’t as internet savvy as they should be. Maybe as we see more bans over the coming year, they’ll prove me wrong and find an approach that works for everyone.

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Watch out! Lego's 5 new Smart Play sets might be more affordable, but they lack a crucial brick

Following the tech’s debut at CES 2026, Lego has just announced a quintet of new Smart Play compatible Star Wars sets, but be warned, these sets don’t come with the most important piece: the Smart Brick.

While I was initially unconvinced by Lego’s evolution of play, I’ve quickly come around on the tech, which relies on special minifigures and tiles built into sets that can activate lights and sound effects inside the Smart Brick to enhance the toy’s play features.

The fact that it doesn’t require an app, has a big focus on kid-friendly play, and that the components are as Lego system compatible as their non-smart variants has convinced me that Smart Play could be an excellent advancement of Lego rather than a downgrade.

(Image credit: Lego)

It appears Lego agrees, as its three-set lineup has five new additions – all still in the Star Wars theme.

We have the Millennium Falcon, Luke’s Landspeeder, and Mos Eisley Cantina, as well as sets depicting Yoda’s Hut and Jedi Training, and the AT-ST Attack on Endor. Each build comes with at least one smart tile and one smart minifigure, but crucially, no Smart Brick is included.

And that means you'll still need to pick up one of the Smart Play All-in-One Sets like Luke’s Red Five X-Wing, Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, or the Throne Room Duel & A-Wing.

(Image credit: Lego)

This naming convention appears to be how Lego will differentiate its sets. All-In-One Smart Play sets have everything you need, while merely Compatible builds lack the Smart Brick – so make sure you don’t get caught out.

Without the Smart Brick, these new Compatible sets are at least a little more affordable, with better piece-to-cost ratios, but as a themed set, there is still a premium to pay.

The cheapest, Luke’s Landspeeder, comes with 215 bricks and costs $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.99; meanwhile, the priciest of these new builds is the 885-piece Millennium Falcon at $99.99 / £89,99 / AU$149.99.

Of course, the most interesting of these five sets is the Mos Eisley Cantina one. I can already hear the space jazz filling the bar from the Smart Brick. I'm also excited to listen to the smart Ewok in action from the Attack on Endor set, but gutted that the Jawa included with Luke's Landspeeder isn't able to deliver its iconic Jawanese calls, as it's just a regular minifigure.

I’m still waiting for something under $20 and a collection of just smart pieces to enhance existing sets or creative builds, but these models are a major step in the right direction in my mind, and I’m excited to see more.

If you're sold on these compatible sets and maybe already locked in an order for the core Smart Play sets, Lego is taking preorders now and will begin deliveries on March 1, 2026.

• Lego Smart Play Luke's Landspeeder: $39.99 at Lego
• Lego Smart Play AT-ST™ Attack on Endor: $49.99 at Lego
• Lego Smart Play Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training: $69.99 at Lego
• Lego Smart Play Mos Eisley Cantina: $79.99 at Lego
• Lego Smart Play Millennium Falcon: $99.99 at Lego

You can also preorder it on Amazon in the United States here.

Lego UK: £139.99

Lego Australia: AU$249.99View Deal

You can also preorder the X-Wing on Amazon in the US.

Lego UK £79.99

Lego Australia: AU$149.99View Deal

It's also available at Amazon in the United States here.

Lego UK: £59.99

Lego Australia: AU$99.99View Deal

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This popular free YouTube function could be locked into its paid Premium plan — and I won't be happy if I have to sign up for another subscription service

• YouTube is experimenting with charging users for its playback-speed tool, a recent experiment reveals
• A Reddit user shared an image that says a YouTube Premium subscription is required to access playback speeds, although it's not appearing for everyone
• If YouTube decides to lock the feature behind a subscription, it could encourage more Premium sign-ups – or turn off free users

While many people subscribe to YouTube Premium, its free experience is still widely used by millions, myself included – but one of its best free features could soon be locked behind the Premium paywall.

Playback speed is one of the platform’s last remaining handy free features, but now there's evidence that reveals YouTube has been experimenting with making it a new paid feature as part of YouTube Premium. If this is true, it will join other Premium benefits such as offline listening, ad-free viewing, and background viewing, as well as the five handy new features it rolled out in September last year.

The experiment was first spotted by a user on Reddit, who shared a screenshot of a YouTube Premium pop-up showing they had lost access to amending video playback speed – but it’s not appearing for everyone.

Youtube and playback speeds from r/youtube

It appears that YouTube is testing this out by splitting users into two different groups – ‘Group A’ and ‘Group B’ as categorized in the Reddit thread. Users in Group A will still get access to free playback speeds, so nothing changes, whereas users in Group B will run into the pop-up which requires them to be subscribed to YouTube Premium to use playback speeds.

Although it’s not set in stone, we’re not ruling out the possibility of this happening just yet. We’ve reached out to Google and YouTube for a comment, and we'll update this story when we know more.

Opinion: What a way to push away more free users

It just goes to show that YouTube is desperate to persuade more free users to come over to the Premium side, but at what cost?

For the most part, I find that most YouTube users are pretty content with what the free experience offers. Though the benefits of Premium are game-changing, there are enough free tools to suffice not paying for another subscription service – but this potential move could be the one that pushes free users over the edge.

Playback speed is one of the last remaining free tools that’s keeping me locked in, and it’s the same for many users out there. I love using it to speed up videos that are far too long to watch at the standard 1.0 rate, especially long interview videos. Thankfully, I haven’t been hit with a YouTube Premium pop-up yet, and I hope it stays that way.

While this would be a huge inconvenience for us free users, I’ve always been intrigued by YouTube Premium and how much it upgrades the viewing experience. I can’t say that I’ve never been tempted by a free trial – I think it would be a game-changer for music video viewing. Who knows, maybe this is the year where I cave.

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Rockstar could be trying to prevent even more leaks by making Grand Theft Auto 6 completely digital at launch, report claims

• Grand Theft Auto 6 will only be released digitally at launch, a new report claims
• An insider with an accurate track record for reporting release dates for several ports says it's to prevent further leaks at launch
• It's claimed that the physical edition could arrive weeks later or as far as early 2027

A new report claims that Grand Theft Auto 6 will only be released digitally at launch to prevent further leaks.

According to the Polish site PPE.pl(via VGC), its "trusted" insider Graczdari, who handles physical game sales in Europe, told the publication that Take-Two has no current plans to release GTA 6 physically due to the possibility of story or gameplay leaks.

It's claimed that GTA 6 will launch digitally first, with a physical edition arriving later on. However, conflicting reports say it could be three to four weeks later, or as far as 2027, before players could get their hands on a physical copy.

"We're hearing more and more that the physical version won’t be released simultaneously with the digital version to prevent leaks," the source said.

"We’re getting conflicting reports – some say the physical version will arrive three to four weeks after the digital release, while others say it won’t happen until early 2027. More information will be available in mid-February."

We'd take this report with a grain of salt for now, since the idea of a digital-only GTA 6, one of the most highly anticipated games of all time, seems like it could have a massive effect on sales for the studio, especially considering the game won't be released on PC at launch.

However, it's worth mentioning that Graczdari has a track record for accurately reporting on the release dates for the Oblivion: Remastered physical edition, the PS5 version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

GTA 6 has been subject to leaks in the past, with its first trailer dropping online ahead of its official debut back in 2023, and then again later when some early animation work was flagged on Reddit.

GTA 6 was initially set to launch on May 26, 2026, but was delayed and will now arrive on November 19, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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