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While I was thoroughly impressed with Sony's PlayStation VR 2 virtual reality headset, after putting it through its paces I’m sad to admit I’ve not used it in more than a year. The hardware is very slick and Horizon: Call of the Mountain is one immersive experience, but there’s been a lack of games to really pull me back into Sony’s VR world.However, the recent PlayStation State of Play might just have me dusting off my PSVR 2. That’s because the game showcase featured Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow.This is a VR game all about sneaking around infiltrating buildings and complexes in a pseudo medieval/Renaissance city to steal persons items.The big hook is this is a Thief game, a series that gamers of a certain vintage will remember as the progenitor of salary games and immersive sims way back in 1998 with Thief: The Dark Project on PC. I am one such gamer, and absolutely love the quiet, smart exploring and pilfering the games offered; I think they even hold up today, mechanically speaking.Thief was a smart game about knowing your environment and using tools to navigate it, such as noise arrows to distract guards, moss arrows to put a layer of soft flora on creaky wooden floors and, somewhat against traditional game logic, making areas darker rather than lighter as you creep through them.While player character Garrett has a sword and a ‘blackjack’ club, he wasn’t designed for combat, with guards easily able to kill the thief. So the game was equally about running away as it was sneaking; if a guard caught you, Garrett’s nimble speed meant scarpering from the authorities was a totally legit tactic.And I reckon this will translate really well into VR. While I’ve enjoyed faster paced games like Superhot in VR, I feel slower paced, more tactile experiences work better in virtual reality.(Image credit: Sony)Having more time to scope out an area, delicately shifting ornaments and peeking behind walls, and shifting paintings to uncover hidden alcoves, as shown in the Thief VR trailer, looks to be a more immersive experience that lends itself to the PSVR 2 and its tech, such as foveated rendering and eye tracking.I can also see the dynamic mechanics of Thief working equally well in VR; the feel of carefully drawing back a bowstring to unleash a rope arrow or reaching out with one’s real and virtual hand to pinch out a candle, all supported by the haptics and smart tracking of the PSVR 2’s controllers.While I’d not say Thief was known for the most captivating storytelling, the series had some interesting plotlines. This time you’ll be put in the padded boots of Magpie, who looks like she’ll stumble across some more intriguing things than just some valuables to snatch. And I think seeing The City and its characters in VR will definitely help suck one into the story.It’s been a while since I’ve felt excited by a VR game, but Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow has both caught my next-gen gaming attention and also tickled my nostalgia. We could seen a new dawn for PlayStation VR games grow out of the shadows some time this year.You might also likeNintendo Switch 2 restocks liveDespite its co-op framework feeling stuck in the past, after 30 hours with Elden Ring Nightreign, I just want to keep playing it for yearsSummer Game Fest 2025 live build-up: where to watch and everything you need to know before the Geoff Keighley showcase

Alien: Earth has a new full-length trailerIt reveals there will be five dangerous lifeforms featured in the seriesThe series premiers on Hulu on August 12Hulu (or Disney+ internationally) series Alien: Earth has an official trailer and it has a shocking twist. There's not just one deadly species here, but five, when the series lands on August 12.Any good Alien fan will tell you that the Xenomorphs are bad news. We've been running from them for years whether it was the original Sigourney Weaever-led movie, or the hit horror game Alien: Isolation.But somehow, after watching this trailer, it seems we could have much bigger threats ahead and the Xenomorph could be the least of our concerns.In my eyes, Alien: Earth could be a real contender for a spot on our best Hulu shows list based on this shocking twist alone.Take a look at the trailer below.What do we know about Alien: Earth?(Image credit: FX/Hulu/Disney Plus)The plot of Hulu's Alien: Earth teases a dystopian future where Earth is governed by five corporations. Part of their work is creating cyborgs and synthetics, who co-exist alongside humans.Alien: Earth picks up when one of these corporations unlocks a new technological advancement, hybrids, which are humanoid robots infused with human consciousness. Their hybrid prototype marks a new dawn in their search for immortality.However, their plans are severely delayed when a spaceship crash lands and the hybrids uncover five mysterious lifeforms that Hulu teases as being "more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined".There's a stellar cast list here including Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, and Adrian Edmondson.The series was created by Noah Hawley, with original Alien director Ridley Scott serving as executive producer.You might also likeFX has birthed a new teaser trailer for Alien: Earth – here are 5 of my favorite sci-fi shows to watch on Hulu and Disney+ while you waitIf you like The Last of Us you'll love Netflix's new alien snowfall series that's adapted from an Argentine sci-fi novelThis animated sci-fi series is dripping in 80s nostalgia, has a near-perfect IMDb rating and is completely free to stream

Threat actors are creating fake DocuSign and Gitcode websitesThe sites come with fake CAPTCHA and other scam mechanismsVictims are tricked into downloading a TrojanSecurity researchers have found fake Gitcode and DocuSign websites distributing remote access trojan (RAT) malware using the infamous ClickFix method.Experts from DomainTools Investigations (DTI) found “malicious multi-stage downloader Powershell scripts” hosted on spoofed websites inviting visitors to pull up the Windows Run terminal and run a script copied into their clipboard."Upon doing so, the powershell script downloads another downloader script and executes on the system, which in turn retrieves additional payloads and executes them eventually installing NetSupport RAT on the infected machines,” the researchers said in their report. These multiple stages and downloads are designed to evade detection, and help the campaign “be more resilient to security investigations and takedowns."SocGholishThey also said they don’t know exactly how victims end up on these websites. However, it is safe to assume that social engineering, email spam, and possibly malvertising, are a part of the methodology. In some cases, the fake websites also come with a fake CAPTCHA verification mechanism which, to be solved, requires the victims copy and paste a code into the Run program, effectively downloading the malware.TDI could not confirm the identity of the attackers, but did stress it had observed a similar campaign late in 2024, which was attributed to SocGholish:"Notably, the techniques involved are commonplace and NetSupport Manager is a legitimate administration tool known to be leveraged as a RAT by multiple threat groups such as FIN7, Scarlet Goldfinch, Storm-0408, and others,” the report concluded.SocGholish, also known as FakeUpdates, is known for its fake browser and fake software update alerts. After compromising a website, the crooks would inject a popup, notifying the visitors that their browser, or operating system, needs “fixing” or “updating”.This is the “original” ClickFix method, one that spun from the ancient “you have a virus” popup that imitated popular antivirus programs and delivered - viruses.Via The Hacker NewsYou might also likeDevious new ClickFix malware variant targets macOS, Android, and iOS using browser-based redirectionsTake a look at our guide to the best authenticator appWe've rounded up the best password managers

Chinese propaganda and social engineering operations have been using ChatGPT to create posts, comments and drive engagement at home and abroad. OpenAI said it has recently disrupted four Chinese covert influence operations that were using its tool to generate social media posts and replies on platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Reddit and X.

The comments generated revolved around several topics from US politics to a Taiwanese video game where players fight the Chinese Communist Party. ChatGPT was used to create social media posts that both supported and decried different hot button issues to stir up misleading political discourse.

Ben Nimmo, principal investigator at OpenAI told NPR, "what we're seeing from China is a growing range of covert operations using a growing range of tactics." While OpenAI claimed it also disrupted a handful of operations it believes originated in Russia, Iran and North Korea, Nimmo elaborated on the Chinese operations saying they "targeted many different countries and topics [...] some of them combined elements of influence operations, social engineering, surveillance."

This is far from the first time this has occurred. In 2023, researchers from cybersecurity firm Mandiant found that AI-generated content has been used in politically motivated online influence campaigns in numerous instances since 2019.

In 2024, OpenAI published a blog post outlining its efforts to disrupt five state-affiliated operations across China, Iran and North Korea that were using OpenAI models for malicious intent. These applications included debugging code, generating scripts and creating content for use in phishing campaigns.

That same year, OpenAI said it disrupted an Iranian operation that was using ChatGPT to create longform political articles about US elections that were then posted on fake news sites posing as both conservative and progressive outlets. The operation was also creating comments to post on X and Instagram through fake accounts, again espousing opposing points of view.

"We didn't generally see these operations getting more engagement because of their use of AI," Nimmo told NPR. "For these operations, better tools don't necessarily mean better outcomes."

This offers little comfort. As generative AI gets cheaper and smarter, it stands to reason that its ability to generate content en masse will make influence campaigns like these easier and more affordable to build, even if their efficacy remains unchanged.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/foreign-propagandists-continue-using-chatgpt-in-influence-campaigns-161509862.html?src=rss

Official teaser shows off new camera in silhouetteVoiceover describes the X-E rangefinder-style line as an “essential” part of X Series historyExpect a full launch at the Fujifilm X Summit on June 12 2025A 15-second teaser video, released today ahead of next week’s Fujifilm X Summit event, appears to all but confirm that the Fujifilm X-E5 is being announced imminently.The short film shows a compact camera and lens in silhouette, with most of its details dark and obscured, while a voiceover says, “There’s another rangefinder-style series that’s just as essential when telling the story of our X Series history”.Given said image follows those of X100 and X-Pro series cameras in the teaser, the remaining Fujifilm rangefinder-style series this refers to is undoubtedly the X-E range, and so it follows that the obscured image must be of the long-rumored X-E5.The X-E series of cameras have APS-C sensors and a compact rangefinder-style body, just like the popular X100VI – but also support interchangeable lenses.What could the X-E5 have in store for us?The X-E4's minimalist approach to physical controls wasn't beloved by Fujifilm enthusiasts. (Image credit: Fujifilm)The X-E5 would be the first new X-E range release since the X-E4, which launched in 2021. It had a 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, no in-body stabilization (IBIS), no viewfinder, no weather-sealing and only a single SD card slot.The X-E4 also stripped back physical controls like dials and buttons to the bare minimum. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a camera, but some felt Fujifilm went a little too minimalist for its own good here – to the point where it actually impacted on the camera’s user-friendliness.If I was to draw up a personal wish list of improvements I want for the X-E5 (bearing in mind that it’s always going to have to make compromises here and there to keep its price affordable), I’d love to see the inclusion of IBIS and weather-sealing, which would give all-round image performance an overall boost while making the camera a bit hardier and more travel-friendly. Throw in a viewfinder and it might be the perfect affordable street photography camera.Previous rumors about the X-E5 suggest that at least one of my wishes is coming true. Fuji Rumors has reported that the camera will have IBIS and a 40MP X-Trans V sensor, bringing it more in line with Fujifilm’s fixed-lens superstar, the X100VI.Of course, the X-E5 will also be an interchangeable lens camera, so it’ll offer greater versatility than the X100VI. In fact, it seems likely to be launching alongside a new X-mount prime lens, the XF23mm f/2.8. This is rumored to be a low-profile pancake lens, portable and discreet – and mounted on a body like the X-E5, the two should make a very compact pairing.There’s not long to wait now to find out exactly what Fujifilm has up its sleeves for the X-E series. That June 12 X Summit can’t roll round fast enough. Let us know what kind of camera you’d like to see unveiled next week in the comments below.You might also like...The rumored Fujifilm X-E5 is the camera I'm most excited about in 2025 – here's whyFujifilm X half review: Who needs film?Best Fujifilm camera 2025: top mirrorless and compact cameras

Sony unveils its first-ever wireless fight stick, codenamed Project DefiantThe fight stick is launching in 2026 and is designed for PS5 and PCThe controller can be used wirelessly via PlayStation Link technology for ultra-low latency gameplay, or wired using a USB-C connectionSony has revealed its first-ever wireless fight stick, codenamed Project Defiant, and it's releasing in 2026.Announced during PlayStation's June State of Play, Project Defiant is designed for a variety of fighting games and can be used wirelessly or wired for the PlayStation 5 and PC."This sleek new controller will give players more flexibility to play their favorite fighting games, whether that is wirelessly with the innovative PlayStation Link technology that provides ultra-low latency, or through a wired connection on PS5 or PC," said Edwin Foo, Vice President, Product Development, SIE, in a PlayStation blog post.Project Defiant features a high-quality digital stick that’s custom-designed by Sony, toolless interchangeable restrictor gates (square, circle, and octagon) for the stick, buttons with mechanical switches, and a touch pad like the one found on the DualSense wireless controller.The controller also boasts a sturdy, ergonomic design for long gaming sessions, features a storage compartment for restrictor gates for convenience, and a PS Link USB adapter.Like the DualSense wireless controller, Project Defiant also supports the ability to wirelessly wake up the user's PS5 by pressing and holding the PS button on the top side of the device.As previously mentioned, input timing has been refined thanks to Sony's PS Link wireless technology, but there's also an option for players to plug in to play by using a wired USB-C connection.Sony has also confirmed that the fight stick will come packaged with a sling carry case, which includes a lever gap to keep the digital stick safe, allowing players to take the hardware on the go.Since Project Defiant is just a codename, we'll likely learn the name of the fight stick closer to launch.You might also like...Nintendo Switch 2 launch day live: all the latest news and updates as the console starts arriving with fans and at retailersNioh 3 has been announced for 2026, but PS5 owners can play an exclusive demo right nowThe first trailer for 007 First Light reveals a young James Bond and it's coming to PC and console in 2026, including Nintendo Switch 2

Airbnb’s redesign, and its push into enabling users to Airbnb more than just a vacation spot or getaway, has been out for a few weeks now. The idea is that you’ll Airbnb more than just a lovely cottage on a beach – also turning to the service, for example, when you want to experience a city that’s close to home or add some adventure to your trip abroad.We’ve already broken down the additions, including the launch of Experiences and Services, as well as the new look for the app. It all feels a lot sleeker, with visuals that adjust on the fly, a mini social network, and a passport of sorts that saves all the information from your trip. So, if you have a favorite spot, you can easily share it with a friend. It all feels very material.Here we're taking a look under the hood and finding out how Airbnb is making the app work better for you. The company has rebuilt its entire tech stack for the app and the service as a whole, meaning you'll find easier navigation with three choices at the top: Homes, Experiences, and Services.Furthermore, there's a redesigned profile that makes it easier for you to take a look back and even reconnect with people you've had experiences with. The rebuilding effort enables what's already launched, while also setting Airbnb up for the future, a note that Jud Coplan, VP of Product Marketing at Airbnb, shared with TechRadar.“One of the huge benefits of rebuilding the architecture and rethinking, really, the infrastructure of the app was that we created something that can expand beyond the 10 categories of services.” Coplan told me.He was referencing the 10 that currently exist – chefs, photographers, massages, spa treatments, personal training, hair treatments, makeup, nails, prepared meals, and catering – but hinted that expansion is very possible, adding, “We've created a new Airbnb that can go even beyond what we've been talking about today.”(Image credit: Airbnb)That could mean we see grocery deliveries integrated, so you can be well stocked when you arrive at your Airbnb to make dinner, or maybe that even means you can order directly to your home.It’s really an expansion of the platform to book these services, whether you’re in your home city or on a trip. Coplan told me how his family had booked an experience in their home city of San Francisco, a kind of a staycation excursion.The 10 aforementioned options are further themed by activity, such as cooking, city walks, learning a new skill, and even more exclusive ones featuring celebrities.During the keynote, Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, highlighted the importance of people, noting that it’s real folks who are experts offering these experiences and services, and it’s real people offering up their homes, lofts, or apartments for Airbnb.There is an element of AI being used here, one example being an AI-powered photo tour, as Coplan explained. “For homes, if you upload all your photos, we recognize them, we organize them, we present them really nicely,” all with the aim of making the listing easier and theoretically helping to encourage more bookings. There are also quick replies powered by AI, in which, for a host, the app will automatically suggest a response that could be sent.For services and experiences, the two new offerings from Airbnb utilize AI to recommend what you might find most appealing. It bases this off of “where they are in their journey, their past bookings, their current trip, what they've told us about in their profile,” explained Coplan.Lastly on AI, Coplan also shared that Airbnb began rolling out an AI assistant for customer service in the US in English, “that allows people to do is have a natural language conversation with customer service and get answers to questions really easily.” It’ll be interesting to see how this performs, and what feedback users provide.(Image credit: Airbnb)On the app’s new look and flow, it was clear that Coplan and the team at Airbnb focused on the human element, emphasizing that what one can book is all tied back to a real person. He noted that the color palette, animations, and dimensionality all tie back to the real world, giving a sense of what you might experience.Even more interesting, and maybe hinting at Airbnb’s future, is the community aspect. “We didn't want this to be a place where you have followers, where you meet people online,” explained Coplan. “The people you see are people that you know from the real world, and so that connections page within your profile, those are people you've traveled with and those are people you've met on your experiences.”It’s certainly a unique approach and a more intentional one, rooted in a shared experience. Now, it’s entirely opt-in, and there are privacy controls that allow you to turn off this community aspect.Separate from the community, but also housed within the profile, is a sort of passport-like experience, allowing you to look back at where you’ve been and easily share details. Much like a card in Apple Wallet, it has a shimmer and shine effect when you move your phone around.While Airbnb’s main event is its annual summer release, and that’s done with for 2025, I suspect we’ll hear more from it sooner than a year from now, and I’m intrigued to see just how far the tech stack can go. For now, I’m on the hunt for an experience to try.You might also likeI carried the Galaxy S25 Edge for two weeks and it slimmed down my pockets but didn’t blow me awayThe Airbnb app just got a massive redesign – here are 3 new features to look out forYour Amazon delivery person might soon be a robot, which isn't as terrible as it sounds