TechCapsules

Sony announced the October lineup for PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra, featuring a mix of contemporary titles and nostalgic classics. The month’s releases include Mycopunk, a co‑op looter shooter debuting on day one, and Horizon Forbidden West returning to the service. Other titles such as Mafia: The Old Country, The Midnight Walk, Poppy’s Playtime: Chapter 2, and Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn Edition will be available on October 20th and 27th. Premium subscribers also gain access to Dino Crisis 2 [...]

Apple’s market value briefly surpassed $5 trillion on July 28, 2026, driven by robust demand for the iPhone 18 Pro despite production concerns. The stock closed at $342.96, equating to $5.005 trillion. Tim Cook warned of availability issues tied to strong demand, not supply chain shortages. Online orders for the iPhone 18 Pro Max now show a three‑week shipping window, longer than usual but indicating Apple’s capacity to meet demand. The company’s valuation may stabilize as new models shift focus to base models [...]

Colossal Biosciences unveiled GenoMorph, an AI platform that integrates 3D morphology, comparative genomics, and developmental biology to pinpoint gene edits for de‑extinction projects with scarce DNA. The tool, built over a year using data from over 70 bird species, has identified roughly 2,300 candidate targets for restoring the dodo’s cranial features. The company also announced progress in its Nicobar pigeon colony, producing essential germ cells, and introduced a lipid‑nanoparticle delivery system for rapid embryonic testing. The platform [...]

At the 2025 Game Awards, comedian Andrew Schulz mocked the absent cast of the Mortal Kombat 2 film while promoting the Street Fighter movie, where he plays Dan Hibiki. Schulz’s on‑stage jab, framed as a playful wrestling‑style rivalry, sparked viral backlash and prompted comments from Mortal Kombat actors, who defended their cast and clarified the joke. The incident highlighted tensions between competing fighting‑game adaptations and raised speculation about a future crossover, though the Street Fighter director said sequels hinge on box‑office performance. [...]

Apple released version 1.12.1 of its Invites app, adding RSVP enhancements and a larger Home‑Screen widget that utilizes the new extra‑large widget format introduced with iOS 27. The update follows a recent release that enabled full‑resolution photo sharing and Image Playground features. The new RSVP tools streamline guest management, allowing users to track responses more efficiently. Apple’s release notes detail the changes and encourage users to download the updated app from the App Store.

Google has added a “Shop devices” section to the Play Store, letting users buy hardware such as Pixel phones, Pixel Watch 4, Google TV Streamer, and Samsung Galaxy S26 models directly through the app. The new option appears in the profile menu and redirects to Google’s existing hardware storefront. Currently, only select devices are listed, and Samsung’s recent price hikes are not reflected, offering potential savings for buyers. Eligible Google One members receive a 10% store credit [...]

ChipAgents, an agentic AI platform for semiconductor engineering, partnered with NVIDIA to launch Build‑A‑Chip‑Bench, a comprehensive benchmark that evaluates AI agents on the full chip‑design flow—from specification and RTL generation to synthesis, placement, routing, and physical verification. The benchmark measures whether agents can produce a verified GDS that meets functional, timing, power, and area constraints. Initial tests show agents pass functional verification on about 40% of tasks, but only 10% meet physical performance targets, underscoring the gap [...]

Google has notified Gemini AI Plus subscribers that, effective November 13, 2026, their plan will no longer include access to the advanced Gemini Pro models. The change follows the launch of the new Argon model, which is now reserved for AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers. AI Plus members will retain only the Flash‑Lite and Flash models. The $4.99 monthly plan will offer these two models, while the $19.99 tier will include Argon, widening the gap between subscription