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Tech News
Google has released an AI experiment called Playground that lets users create games by describing ideas, art styles and mechanics in natural language, without writing code. Games are browser-based, support leaderboards and multiplayer for some genres, and can be shared or published to a public gallery. The tool connects to a Play Games account and is currently available only to users aged 18 and over in the US.
Google has introduced Playground, an experimental platform that lets users create 2D or 3D games by typing prompts instead of coding or drawing. Users can refine mechanics, physics and graphics through further prompts, share games via link or publish them to a community gallery with leaderboards, or keep them private. The platform is live now in the US for users 18 and older, with access tiered by Google One membership.
A new jailbreak has emerged that unlocks PS5 consoles running firmware versions 7.00 to 13.60, including the relatively recent July release. Modders have reportedly used AI tools to get various emulators, from Switch to original Xbox, running on jailbroken consoles, while separate efforts are enabling PC emulation of PS5 exclusives like Demon's Souls. Newer titles such as Marvel's Wolverine require firmware beyond v13.60 and remain unaffected.
Google has launched Playground, a browser-based platform that lets users 18 and older create custom games by typing prompts rather than writing code. The service, free with usage limits tied to Google One subscriptions, is powered by Gemini, Nano Banana and Lyria models, and lets creators share games via link or publish them to a public gallery. Google also unveiled Unity Spark, a more advanced collaborative AI game-development tool built with Unity, whose outputs can be shared on Playground.
Android Authority found strings in a Google Messages beta build referencing a new 'Games' section with titles like Chess, Pool, Basketball, Darts, Crazy 8s, Checkers, Cup Pong, Four in a Row, and Word Scramble. The feature's internal codename is 'Midnight,' and the discovery stemmed from a tip by Abhishek Yadav on X. Details on how gameplay would actually function remain unknown.
An independent developer released TerrainSR, a model trained on paired 100m-to-10m elevation data that generates higher-resolution terrain heightmaps from coarser input. The model excludes built-up and human-modified land from its training data so outputs avoid artifacts like roads or buildings, and on an RTX 4070 it can process a 50x50km patch in 0.74 seconds.
Nintendo released the WaveBird controller for the GameCube in 2002, using 2.4GHz radio frequency technology to offer wireless play with a range of about 20 feet. It lacked rumble support to conserve battery life but ran for up to 100 hours on two AA batteries, and required a receiver plugged into the console paired via matching channel sliders.
AnyPS5 is an open-source tool that relinks PlayStation 5 executables into native Windows and Linux binaries rather than emulating them, using reimplemented system libraries for dynamic linking. The project reports roughly 87% of known PS5 system library functions mapped so far, with one game, Dreaming Sarah, confirmed running at a stable 60fps on modest hardware. It supports SDL game controllers and configurable keyboard/mouse input, and is released under GPLv2.
Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid and The Witness, is releasing The Order of the Sinking Star this Thursday after a decade of development with a small team. He describes it as containing roughly 1,500 puzzles, which he estimates could take around 500 hours to finish.
A gaming hardware roundup recommends several third-party PC controllers that cost less than Sony's DualSense while offering features such as TMR joysticks, rear paddle buttons, and multiple onboard profiles. The GameSir G7 Pro is singled out as a lightweight, pro-style option with remappable buttons, a charging dock, and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity at roughly half the DualSense's price.
Abxylute, known for its S8 mobile controller, has opened a Kickstarter campaign for two new gamepads, the M5 and M6. The M6 attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone, slides open Xperia Play-style to reveal a full control layout, and adds Bluetooth 5.3, capacitive thumbsticks, Hall Effect linear triggers, a six-axis gyro and a customizable macro-capable Z button, plus an optional grip attachment. The M5 is pitched as a slimmer alternative offering similar console-level controls.
Apple Arcade and developer Hipster Whale announced Crossy Road Rush, a new voxel-style arcade adventure launching exclusively on the subscription service November 5 at 4 p.m. PST. The game adds combat and exploration to the familiar Crossy Road aesthetic, offering both solo play and local or online multiplayer racing for up to four players, and is now available for pre-order.