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Of all the platforms, Xbox is the only one to have just grown year-on-year – but there’s a big catch
Circana’s June 2026 US games market report shows a broad decline in industry spending, down 21% year-on-year to $4.5bn, largely because June 2025 was an exceptionally high baseline thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. Xbox was the only hardware platform to post growth, with Series X/S spending more than doubling year-on-year, though this mainly…
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How Pokémon Go encouraged me to find wonder in the world
A Guardian writer marks Pokémon Go’s tenth anniversary by reflecting on how the augmented-reality game, which has been downloaded 800 million times across 150 countries and has seen a trillion Pokémon caught, reshaped their relationship with the outside world. Released in 2016, the game turned ordinary walks around the writer’s home town of Frome into…
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Grok muscles into Excel with an AI add-in of its own
xAI has launched a Grok add-in for Microsoft Excel, distributed through the Microsoft Marketplace, giving Office users a sidebar assistant that can search the web, update spreadsheets and build financial models. The move puts Grok in direct competition with Microsoft’s own Copilot, which is already deeply embedded in Excel and can be invoked at the…
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Xbox Paid More Than It Cost to Make STALKER 2 to Keep It Off PS5 for a Year
GSC Game World founder Sergiy Grygorovych has revealed that Microsoft paid more to secure a 12-month Xbox console exclusivity deal for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl than the game actually cost to develop, meaning the studio turned a profit before a single copy was sold. The disclosure, made in a translated video interview, offers a…
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs. Motorola Razr Ultra: Which is the better buy?
Samsung and Motorola have released rival high-end flip phones within weeks of each other, giving foldable phone buyers a clear choice this summer. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 launched on 22 July 2026 at $1,200, while the Motorola Razr Ultra has been on sale since May at $1,500, and the two devices differ enough…
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Samsung unveils new Galaxy Z8 foldables and Galaxy Watches, available August 7
Samsung has officially unveiled its 2026 foldable lineup, expanding from two to three models for the first time, alongside two new Galaxy Watches. The new range includes the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a wide-body foldable aimed at media consumption rather than multitasking, the top-tier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and a thinner Galaxy Z Flip…
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Sparks announce first official live album, share “Whippings And Apologies”
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Macon, Georgia, Is Not Only for Allman Brothers Fans. It’s a Music Lover’s Haven
Macon, Georgia, is being highlighted as a key pilgrimage site for American music fans, thanks to its deep ties to the Allman Brothers Band and other soul and rock legends. Rolling Stone visited the city, roughly 80 minutes south of Atlanta, for a screening of the new documentary “Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul,”…
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Lawmakers target energy affordability through sweeping permitting overhaul in new House bill
House Republicans have introduced a new legislative package, dubbed the POWER Act, aimed at reducing energy permitting costs and lowering energy prices for American consumers. The bill arrives as congressional negotiations over permitting reform intensify, with lawmakers seeking to streamline the approval process for energy infrastructure projects amid concerns that outdated regulations and prolonged litigation…
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Unlimited AI tokens aren’t unlimited after all as US Army burns through supply
The US Army has had to reimpose limits on staff use of generative AI tools after burning through an entire year’s supply of tokens in about a month, despite having announced “unlimited” access in May 2026. Members of the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command were told by email that the CIO’s token pool, offered as…