ICYMI: The week's 7 biggest tech news stories from PlayStation killing physical games to Anthropic finally re-releasing Fable 5

Date:
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Description:
As the USA turns 250, here's the week's biggest tech news stories from PlayStation, Valve, Garmin, WhatsApp and more.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter This week we saw the return of Anthropics Fable, and PlayStation set the gaming world ablaze by announcing the end of physical discs for its consoles in 2028.

To catch up on these two mega stories and several more, scroll down to read our recaps of the biggest tech news stories from the past seven days. Youll find links to the longer original stories under each entry if you need to
know more. Before you catch up with this weeks tech news, why not test yourself on last weeks seven biggest tech stories to see how good your memory is? Take the quiz below, or scroll on for the biggest tech news of the
week... Latest Videos From Watch full video here: 7. Tidal hit back at
AI-made music (Image credit: Tidal) Tired of music made by text-prompt infiltrating your recommended feeds? You're in fine company; it seems the
tide is finally turning on AI-generated audio.

This week, in what must be hugely welcome news for recording artists (and their parents, landlords, loved ones, and just lovers of original musical works with human vocals and instruments) hi-res music streaming giant Tidal has drawn a line in the sand. You may like Sony's physical game disc elimination may ruin the future of gaming In a huge blow to game ownership, PlayStation confirms end of physical games mere days after GTA 6's disc-less pre-orders 'I will quit buying games' Sony is killing physical discs in 2028 and now unhappy fans are concerned about what it means for game ownership

The platform published a new comprehensive AI policy with the strapline "Promoting Fairness and Economic Empowerment in the Era of AI-Generated Music". The key bit is that as well as working with what the platform told TechRadar is an external partner to manage detection, the site will also be excluding wholly AI-generated music from all royalty payments.

The news follows huge strides in this area made by Deezer, with its free AI-detection tool that works on any streaming platform , Bandcamp's strong
and concise anti-AI stance set out in January, Qobuzs announcement of a proprietary AI-detection system in February, Apple Musics March-issue 'Transparency Tags' (which unfortunately rely on record labels and distributors to tag AI content) , and Spotify's er, Verified by Spotify badge , which certifies that an artist is human, but doesn't help filter the remaining AI slop from your playlists. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

All of this makes Tidal's stance, while not before time, particularly firm. Read more: 100% AI-generated tracks wont earn royalties on Tidal 6. Netflix got another hated account update (Image credit: Shutterstock) A handful of Netflix users have noticed a new in-app pop-up that requires each member in a shared account to add individual email addresses to their individual
profiles, instead of using the account owners email address as the primary one. One of the most jarring parts about it is that the pop-up doesnt clear unless the request is fulfilled.

Netflix households accounts have always been built on the traditional 'one email, one password foundation, but why Netflix has decided to roll out yet another crackdown is the question that everyone is asking. What to read next These are the physical PlayStation releases we'll treasure forever The end of physical game copies is coming, and retailers are not happy Ex-PlayStation boss calls Sony's plan to kill physical disc production 'fairly dramatic' and remembers a time when 'digital sales were zero percent because we didn't have a digital market'

Though Netflix says its to make room for more convenient log-ins and more personalized recommendations, users believe it will give the streaming giant another way to better distinguish between the activity of individual
profiles, or even shift them to individual accounts later down the line.

Netflix said that the rollout began on June 15, we imagine a global rollout
is in the way. Read more: Netflix subscribers are furious at the platforms latest update 5. We ran with the Garmin Forerunner 70 (Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh) Weve taken this new Garmin running watch for a spin. While it offers some clear upgrades over the Forerunner 55 that came before it, these enhancements come at a cost ($249.99 / 219.99 / AU$399) which makes this gadget less budget or entry level and more mid-range.

The trouble isnt with this smart watch specifically. In fact, with new training and smartwatch features, a vibrant AMOLED display, and with solid compatibility across Android and iOS the watch is pretty solid. What were concerned about with the Forerunner 70 is that at this price (or for only a handful of bucks more) you can snatch up watches from rival brands that boast richer features and newer hardware.

At four stars its definitely good, but if youre after the best, or even
simply the best at this price point, the Garmin Forerunner 70 might not be
it. Read our full Garmin Forerunner 70 review 4. The Steam Machine sold out
in Japan (Image credit: Valve) The upcoming Valve gaming PC-console hybrid
has launched and the reality is its a pretty terrible deal on the face of it though that hasnt stopped it from selling out in Japan, and from scalpers asking for ridiculous prices for their reservation spot (allowing people a better chance at snagging the device).

Instead of battling with preorder disappointment, or the high costs of the proper machine, some have looked to alternatives but youll need to be
careful. For every Stim Machine which presents itself as a sensible alternative (with some admittable downsides) theres a flurry of cheap alternatives propping online that are frankly too good to be true.

Boasting components that wouldnt actually fit inside the pictured chassis, a combination of parts that wouldnt function together, and the plethora of
never before seen companies proposing Steam Machine alternatives at
impossibly cheap rates hints that a majority of these options are likely some kind of scam. Read more: The Steam Machine is overpriced but be careful
about buying a cheap clone 3. Anthropics Fable 5 was allowed to release
(Image credit: Anthropic) Anthropics Fable 5, the public version of its
Mythos model, is returning after the US government lifted export controls
that had forced the company to suspend access to it, and Mythos 5, earlier in June. The models were pulled after officials raised national security
concerns linked to a possible jailbreak, a method of bypassing an AI models safety restrictions.

Anthropic pushed back strongly, saying it believed the issue was a misunderstanding and arguing that it had not been shown evidence of a broad
or universal jailbreak. The company said governments should be able to block unsafe AI deployments, but only through a process that is transparent, fair, clear, and grounded in technical facts.

The return of Fable 5 matters because it shows how frontier AI launches may increasingly be shaped by governments, not just tech companies. Powerful models can now be launched, restricted, negotiated over, and restored within weeks. Read more: Anthropics Fable 5 is back after US shutdown it called 'a misunderstanding' 2. WhatsApp debuted usernames (Image credit: Meta) WhatsApp has revolutionized its platform this week by introducing usernames allowing you to build your contact information without sharing your phone number. They wont take over completely for a while but folks are already reserving their username so that theyre ready for when the update goes live fully.

While many are fairly positive about the change, many fear this could
increase the presence of cybercrime fraud and scams as bad actors reserve and use names that attempt to mimic politicians, celebrities, and businesses.
This issue isnt new to social media, but given the more direct nature of WhatsApp, and that businesses do use the platform to chat with customers, potential scams could have an easier time.

WhatsApp has hit back against this saying only the legitimate account owners are able to reserve well-known public-figure names" however its unclear if, with enough imagination, people will find ways to reserve names that the Meta-owned platform hasnt been able to account for. Read more: WhatsApp
should freeze username rollout as it could increase cybercrimes, says India
1. PlayStation killed physical games (Image credit: Shutterstock) Just days after Grand Theft A 6 pre-orders opened with purely digital versions and code-in-a-box releases, PlayStation rocked the gaming world this week by announcing it is ending all releases of new PlayStation games on physical discs from January 2028. It also comes just days after Sony deleted select films from users' accounts that were bought digitally, and offered no compensation.

Claiming that the move will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today, Sony looks to be reflecting recent statistics which show the vast majority of game purchases are indeed digital.

The move has not gone down well with fans, gamers, and the wider industry, as it likely paves the way for an all-digital future, and possibly a critical, maybe terminal blow to the second-hand game market, the ability to share
games with others, and from a game preservation perspective

It also means that the PS6 will likely be all-digital by default perhaps
with an optional disc drive and wont release until 2028 at the earliest.
With rumours that Xbox could follow suit with its next-generation console,
the future looks increasingly digital, and game collectors such as ourselves are deeply worried and sad about it. Read more: In a huge blow to game ownership, PlayStation confirms end of physical games mere days after GTA
6's disc-less pre-orders Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/icymi-the-weeks-7-biggest-tech-news-stories-fro m-playstation-killing-physical-games-to-anthropic-finally-re-releasing-fable-5


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)