The Elder Scrolls 6 trailer, news and rumors

The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development and it will be released. Exactly when that release date will be, though, is the question on everyone's lips.

Since the game's initial reveal back in 2018, things have been pretty quiet as far as official news is concerned. This is partly down to the prioritisation of sci-fi RPG epic, Starfield, which is due out on November 11, 2022 on PC and Xbox as a console exclusive. We’re really only just beginning to learn more about Starfield while The Elder Scrolls 6 is still mostly a mystery so it's looking like we'll still have a while to wait before we learn about our next adventure in Tamriel in any great detail. 

With the tenth anniversary of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in the rearview mirror, it’s safe to say that fans are hungry for news about where the series will go next. It’s actually looking increasingly likely that one place it won’t go is PS5. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, fans have wondered whether or not The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive and recent comments have us thinking that will be the case.

There’s still a bunch we have to learn about The Elder Scrolls 6 but we've scoured the web to find the latest news and rumors about the game and collected everything here in this handy guide so that you can stay up to date. We'll be updating regularly as news comes in so make sure you keep checking back.

The Elder Scrolls 6: everything you need to know

The Elder Scrolls 6: key info

• What is it? The long-awaited sequel to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• When can I play it? Likely 2024 at the very earliest
• What can I play it on? PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are a certainty, but PlayStation 5 may not happen

The Elder Scrolls 6 release date

Don't hold your breath for The Elder Scrolls 6 release date – you won't be exploring its dungeons any time soon.

Despite being announced at Bethesda's E3 2018 conference, little more than a logo was revealed. We don't even have a subtitle or a release year. Todd Howard said that the game will be coming after Starfield, the company's next big IP, while Xbox Head Phil Spencer has said it won't release until after Fable 4. Given Starfield isn't releasing until November 2022, and Fable doesn't even have a release date yet, the wait for Elder Scrolls 6 is set to be a very long one.

Bethesda Games Studios director Todd Howard supported this in a 2021 interview with The Telegraph, stating: "It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we’re checking the tech: 'Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?' Every game will have some new suites of technology so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that that game is going to require."

As such, tentatively expect The Elder Scrolls 6 to release in 2024 at the earliest, after Bethesda has given Starfield at least a couple of years in the spotlight.

The Elder Scrolls 6 trailer

The only footage we have of Elder Scrolls 6 is a very short clip of the game's logo. Other than that, you might be waiting a while to see more. 

Here's the announcement trailer:

The Elder Scrolls 6 news and rumors

Bethesda wants to take its time to get it right

The Elder Scrolls 6 is probably still a few years away yet but that’s not because Bethesda is deliberately dragging its heels. In an interview with IGN, when discussing the gap between Skyrim and its follow up, Howard said “Would you plan to have the kind of gap we're having between Skyrim and the follow-up? I can't say that's a good thing. Do I wish I could wave a wand and the game we wanted to make [...] just came out? Absolutely.”

According to Howard, however, the time felt right for Bethesda to try something new with Starfield and the Elder Scrolls Online meant that the Elder Scrolls franchise was in a relatively good place.

“That being said,” he added, “everything takes longer than we would like as well, but we want to make sure that we get it right. Hopefully Elder Scrolls 6, you don’t want to say hey, that it’s worth that kind of wait, but that it does stand up to the series as it has been in a really big, impactful way for when it comes out.”

Xbox exclusivity wouldn't be about "punishing" PS5 players, says Xbox boss

While The Elder Scrolls 6's console exclusivity still hasn't been confirmed, Xbox boss Phil Spencer mentioned in an interview with GQ that if the game were to be exclusive, it wouldn't be to punish fans looking to play on PS5.

"It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow," said Spencer. "But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls 6. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises."

Todd Howard wants The Elder Scrolls 6 to be a "decade game"

In the same interview with GQ, linked above, Bethesda game director Todd Howard spoke on following up the legacy of Skyrim, which has enjoyed a decade of re-releases, upgrades and no shortage of fan-created mods on both PC and consoles.

Seemingly thinking ahead about The Elder Scrolls 6's longevity, Howard said: "I think that would drive me crazy to try to say, 'Okay, this is the thing you have to top,'" in reference to Skyrim. "But then you realise, like, The Elder Scrolls 6 has got to be a 'decade game.' How do you make a game where you go into it, like, 'people have to play it for a decade?'"

The adage of "if you build it, they will come" has almost always applied to The Elder Scrolls franchise, at least since the series exploded in popularity with the release of the third entry, Morrowind. To this day, fans are still creating mods and total conversions for Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, so we think Howard shouldn't be all that concerned with how to make the next entry a 'decade game,' as it will likely naturally become that through the modding scene, as well as with official support from Bethesda.

Reportedly an Xbox exclusive like Starfield

Starfield has been confirmed as an Xbox exclusive but for many question marks still remain around The Elder Scrolls 6 as nothing has been explicitly confirmed by Bethesda or Microsoft just yet. Well, according to GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb, The Elder Scrolls 6 is also “planned” as an Xbox exclusive. Grubb tweeted this in response to a user who suggested that Starfield and other Bethesda games could still have a chance of a PS5 release:

No. And also Elder Scrolls 6 is planned as Xbox exclusive as well. https://t.co/K4VCC5DrXLAugust 30, 2021

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"Very different" to Avowed
Upcoming Xbox exclusive Avowed has drawn some comparisons with the Elder Scrolls series in terms of its appearance but Phil Spencer has said there are “distinct differences” between the games. 

When asked on a recent IGN podcast if Avowed will play an Elder Scrolls role for Xbox, given the Elder Scrolls 6 is quite a while off yet, Spencer responded, “I think the games are very different, so maybe I struggle a little bit to say that's our version of this, just knowing what [Obsidian studio head Feargus Urquhart] and the team are going off to do. But when I think about our lineup, and I think about that more core fantasy RPG setting, I think Avowed is gonna be an awesome entrance there.”

You’ll play Fable 4 first
Speaking during a recent IGN podcast, Phil Spencer intimated that we’ll probably play the next Fable game before we play Elder Scrolls 6. Speaking about the tone of Fable, Spencer said, “Fable’s always been a little more light-hearted and a little more British, I think I could say, and I think Playground will keep it there,” adding, “Elder Scrolls 6 is further out, and when that comes out I think it's going to be incredible.”

Still in the early stages
We could still be waiting quite a while before we get the chance to play Elder Scrolls 6, as Bethesda Games Studios director, Todd Howard, has confirmed that the next chapter in the open-world fantasy saga is still in the early stages of development.

Howard told the Telegraph that: “It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we’re checking the tech: 'Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?' Every game will have some new suites of technology so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that that game is going to require.”

If we take Howard at face value, it seems unlikely that we’ll see Elder Scrolls 6 any time soon, with the game still being in the conceptual stages, and the team at Bethesda Game Studios still getting to grips with the new Creation Engine 2.

E3 2021 no-show
E3 2021 was a blast, and went with the Microsoft/Xbox show being one of the event's highlights.

But sadly, it didn't bring with it any new news on The Elder Scrolls 6, apart from the fact that it was still in development. Instead, Bethesda's main focus during the show was on revealing in-engine footage of the alluring Starfield. We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out more on that key franchise then.

The Elder Scrolls 6 may not come to PS5
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that future Bethesda games will be exclusive to "platforms where Game Pass exists", meaning PS5 players will miss out.

During the "Bethesda Joins Xbox" roundtable on March 11, Spencer addressed speculation around whether the acquisition will see future Bethesda titles, such as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, becoming Xbox exclusives following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media.

"If you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is that this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists," Spencer explained. "That’s our goal, that’s why we’re doing this, that’s the root of this partnership that we’re building.

However, games under contractual obligations from before the acquisition, such as Deathloop, will still land on PS5 – while games that currently exist on other platforms will continue to be supported.

"Obviously I can’t sit here and say every Bethesda game is exclusive, because we know that’s not true," Spencer said. "There are contractual obligations that we’re going to see through, as we always do in every one of these instances. We have games that exist on other platforms, and we’re gonna go support those games on the platforms they’re on. There are communities of players and we love those communities and we’ll continue to invest in them. And even in the future, there might be things that have contractual things or legacy on different platforms that we’ll go do."

Though it's worth noting that The Elder Scrolls 6 may not fall under this Xbox Game Pass exclusivity umbrella if Sony has already secured the games on its platform, it is entirely possible that a big hitter like this will only be available on Xbox and PC – for a time, at least – especially given platforms haven't been confirmed for either yet. That's certainly the case with Starfield, now a confirmed Xbox-only exclusive.

Leaked footage seems likely fake
A video claiming to be early test footage from The Elder Scrolls 6 has appeared online but its authenticity is suspect. Posted to Reddit (via GamesRadar) , the footage is extremely short (a grand total of 10 seconds) and only gives a first-person view of a figure running across grass and past rocks. 

Video taken from 4chan leak, could be map testing of Elder Scrolls 6 from r/ElderScrolls

There’s very little to indicate that the footage is the genuine article and there’s also very little to the footage full stop, even if it was the real thing. It seems to us that, as much as we wish we were getting a look at The Elder Scrolls 6 in action, the safest thing to do is take this with a pinch of salt and assume it’s fake.

An Xbox Game Pass day one title
According to Todd Howard, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get access to The Elder Scrolls 6 from day one as part of their subscription . 

New Indiana Jones game won't delay Elder Scrolls 6 development
Bethesda has recently announced that it’s working with MachineGames on a new Indiana Jones game, with Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard taking on an executive producer role for the game. 

Those worried, however, that this additional work might have an impact on The Elder Scrolls 6, on which he’s also working, need not fret. 

Responding to a tweet about Todd Howard’s involvement in multiple projects, Bethesda’s Pete Hines said “Todd is currently EP on many BGS and other projects, such as the Fallout TV show. His main focus remains directing the upcoming Starfield and TES6 games, which aren’t affected by today’s news.”

Todd is currently EP on many BGS and other projects, such as the Fallout TV show. His main focus remains Directing the upcoming Starfield and TES6 games, which aren't affected by today's news.January 12, 2021

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Is it Hammerfell?
2021 looks set to be a better year for Elder Scrolls 6 news than 2020 after the official Elder Scrolls account tweeted something that may or may not be a tease for The Elder Scrolls 6. The tweet, which reads “Transcribe the past and map the future. Here’s to a Happy New Year!”, includes a picture of a map with three lights on it. 

Transcribe the past and map the future. 📖Here's to a Happy New Year!🕯 pic.twitter.com/bL44CzLDIEDecember 31, 2020

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The lights are placed on different areas of Tamriel, with one on a box above the map, another on Skyrim and another, interestingly, on an unmapped area below Skyrim: Hammerfell. It’s long been rumored that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be set in Hammerfell, home of the Redguard, but nothing has actually been confirmed yet. Naturally, many fans are taking this image as a hint that the rumors about the setting are true. 

Another point of interest, picked up on by PCGamer, is the date on the map: 4E 182. This is actually only a few years before the events of Skyrim in around 4E 201 and hints that the 5th and 6th games in the series could be closely connected. 

We can’t know for sure that any of this is accurate or even related to Elder Scrolls 6 (and not Elder Scrolls Online) until official word comes from Bethesda but given the phrase “map the future” and the fact that Hammerfell on the map in the photo is yet to be mapped and explored, this is certainly a very leading Tweet. 

Even PlayStation isn’t sure about The Elder Scrolls' PS5 future
Last we heard, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said that even he’s still unsure whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will come to PS5, following Microsoft’s acquisition of the publisher’s parent company ZeniMax.

In an interview with Russian publication TASS  (via GamesRadar) in November 2020, Ryan said that it’s still uncertain as to whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will come to PlayStation or whether it’ll be a Microsoft exclusive.

“That’s a decision that is out of our hands,” Ryan said. “We’ll wait and see what happens. I look forward to learning about that.” 

Ryan also explained that Sony approaches things differently to Microsoft when it comes to making studio acquisitions.

“We just take a different approach,” Ryan said. “Our emphasis has been to focus on really steady, slow, but constant organic growth of our studios, selectively bolstered by acquisitions. We respect the steps taken by our competition, they seem logical and sensible. But we’re equally happy and confident, we’ve got a better launch lineup than we’ve ever had at any of our console launches.”

It appears, then, that the ball is in Microsoft’s court when it comes to The Elder Scrolls 6's release. At the very least, Todd Howard has said in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz that he finds it “hard to imagine” a title like The Elder Scrolls 6 not coming to multiple platforms. Though he also made it clear that, at the time, these kinds of decisions had not been made just yet.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will use a brand new engine
Bethesda has confirmed it is overhauling its current engine specifically for Elder Scrolls 6.

Imagine if Elder Scrolls 6 looked and ran like Skyrim. This is a thought which belongs somewhere firmly shut behind the Gates of Oblivion.

According to GamesRadar, the engine reportedly has the same name, but it will bring new renders, lighting, animations (hallelujah), landscape system and photogrammetry.

Todd Howard spoke about the engine after the announcement of the Microsoft merger, saying "it's led to our largest engine overhaul since Oblivion, with all new technologies powering our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, as well as The Elder Scrolls 6."

Speaking at the Develop: Brighton conference, Howard gave more information on the overhauled Creation Engine, saying that it’s been “a significant overhaul,” adding that “It’s taken us longer than we would have liked, but it’s going to power everything we’re doing with Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6. When people see the results, they’ll hopefully be as happy as we are with what’s on the screen and also how we can go about making our games.”

Skyrim (Image credit: Bethesda)

The Elder Scrolls 6 will be coming after Starfield
Starfield will be Bethesda's next big release in November 2022 and we won't be able to play The Elder Scrolls 6 until after that.

Todd Howard explained in 2019 that Bethesda is “still hard at work” on both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield. He said that “Starfield is playable, Elder Scrolls VI not in that way yet.”

The prime focus for Bethesda is Starfield. In an interview with Bethesda Game Studios, executive producer Tom Howard spoke to IGN, who warned "I think everyone should be very patient."

"The gap in between [Elder Scrolls games] is going to be long, It already is," continued Howard.

Job listings
Some job listings for Bethesda Game Studios have led to rumors that work on Starfield could be wrapping up and that The Elder Scrolls 6 could be heading into full production soon. As of October 23, 2020, it seems like the position is still taking applicants.

First spotted by a Reddit user, a job listing for Gameplay Programmers at the studio calls for "talented programmers to join our team that is pushing the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and consoles". As part of the team, they'll "Collaborate on the implementation of new gameplay features: player and characters’ behaviors, combat and powers mechanics, user interface, etc."

While there's no mention of The Elder Scrolls in this listing, it does seem to be a recruitment call for something in its early stages, rather than a project that's been underway for a while like Starfield. 

Adding fuel to the fire, there's also a listing for a Video Editor on the Bethesda site which some have taken as a sign that work on Starfield is in its final stages and that the developer will soon be looking to create video marketing material such as trailers. 

Skyrim Grandma
We already know that Skyrim Grandma, also known as Shirley Curry, will be coming to The Elder Scrolls 6 as an NPC. But it looks like she'll be brought into The Elder Scrolls V, her namesake game, first thanks to a new mod. The mod, due early this year, will make Shirley a follower in Skyrim with unique commentary and interactions and the plan is that down the line she'll have her very own quest. It'll even have Shirley's voice as she worked with the creators of the mod. You can get a look at the mod itself in its teaser trailer. The creators are aiming for an Xbox release for both the classic and special editions of Skyrim. 

The Redfall trademark dispute has been resolved - and explained
ZeniMax Media's dispute with Bookbreeze over the trademark of Redfall has now been resolved. Bethesda's parent company had attempted to trademark the name back in 2018 leading fans to believe that The Elder Scrolls 6 could finally have a name. Redfall is also, however, the name of a science fiction series published by Bookbreeze so the claim was naturally contested in February 2019.

However, we now know that Bethesda was hunting the trademark not for Elder Scrolls 6 purposes, but instead as the title for Arkane Studio's upcoming vampire-themed team shooter.

The resolution is reported (via Gamasutra) as being amicable and "mutually beneficial" for both parties but it remains confidential.

Skyrim (Image credit: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim)

Photogrammetry technology will be used
In that 25th anniversary panel which dashed the E3 dreams of so many, Bethesda did at the very least give fans a glimpse of some of the technology that will be used in the development of The Elder Scrolls 6. We got a peek at the use of photogrammetry which involves scanning real-life objects and environments to bring them into the game in detailed 3D. The technology will make its first outing in Starfield before the latest iteration is used for Elder Scrolls. 

Elder Scrolls 6 goes official
Bethesda is a busy studio: not only is it working on Starfield, it's also continuing to develop for Elder Scrolls Online and it's taking on the long commitment of Fallout 76. And that's only in its main RPG franchises. It's still got plenty going on elsewhere with mobile games, Dishonored, Prey and others.

Thanks to Todd Howard, we know Bethesda is working on two huge new titles simultaneously, though their developments are staggered. 

Having returned to Skyrim after some time away, Howard compared it to seeing an old friend from high school, adding that the time away had given him the chance to see Skyrim as a gamer for the first time. 

This, to us, would be the perfect time to start applying this new perspective to the next title in the series. 

At the very least we can say we know it won’t just be called Elder Scrolls 6. There’s going to be a colon and another word to round the title off if previous releases are anything to go by. 

Elder Scrolls 6: where will it be set?

We’re willing to bet that like all the other games in the series The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be set in the continent of Tamriel, the map of which is above.

Previous games have taken us to High Rock, Hammerfell, Morrowind, Cyrodil, and Skyrim. Valenwood, Elsweyr and Black Marsh are the biggest places left to explore. However, even though these areas are prime spots for exploration, that's not to say that Bethesda won't return to areas from previous games. 

Rumors online have previously heavily pointed towards Black Marsh, the home of the world’s reptilian Argonian race but there wasn't actually any solid reason for this rumor. Black Marsh's swampy marshlands and network of islands would make for an interesting geographic change for the series, though it’s a geography that would leave itself open to comparison with the Witcher 3.  It’s probably the region of Tamriel that we know the least about so Bethesda would have plenty of room to be creative.

That said, if we're just going by where might be interesting to explore, Elsweyr would also be a candidate with its dry plains and harsh badlands that the Khajit call home. 

It would certainly be nice to find out more about the culture of either the Khajit or the Argonians so both of these extremely different settings have an understandable appeal to fans.

There was also a strong rumor that the Elder Scrolls 6 could be set in Valenwood, the home of the Bosmer and it’s an area of Tamriel that Bethesda hasn’t explored much. 

The rumor that the game will be set here is based on a reported internal Bethesda memo from all the way back in 2014. In this memo, Bethesda employees were reportedly warned against using the terms Fallout: Nuka World, Elder Scrolls VI or Project Greenheart.

Though it was initially believed to be a fake, Fallout: Nuka World ended up being a big DLC release for Fallout 4 which gave slightly more weight to rumor that Project Greenheart is in fact the codename for the next Elder Scrolls title. The fact that Greenheart is a city in the verdant region of Valenwood made this even more interesting. 

However, after the brief announcement trailer for Elder Scrolls 6 was released during E3 2018, many fans began to move away from the idea of a Valenwood setting as the landscape shown in the trailer didn't reflect Valenwood all that much. 

It's hard to tell from the short E3 clip we have of the game but since it was shown general opinion has started to move towards the idea that the Elder Scrolls 6 will be set in either Hammerfell or High Rock.

Adding credence to the Hammerfell rumor is a post from the official Elder Scrolls Twitter account at the end of 2020 which says "transcribe the past and map the future" and shows an image with an unmapped Hammerfell region. There is, however, a chance that this teaser doesn't relate to Elder Scrolls 6 at all.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Todd Howard confirmed the team has settled on the location - but he won't tell us where yet. 

Details are, of course, exceptionally sparse at the moment. All we have are rumors to go off of, which doesn't form the basis of, well, anything really.

Obviously, those of us who know the world of Tamriel thanks to Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim and yes, even Elder Scrolls Online, the entire world is a veritable expanse of different lands and settings where the game could be set.

We do know one thing for certain; wherever it does end up being set, we can expect to be fulfilling a great many side quests.

The Elder Scrolls 6: what we want to see

Homebuilding
A feature that we’re fairly certain will be included in the game to some degree is house building or town creation. Skyrim introduced the idea of designing and maintaining a homestead with its Hearthfire DLC, which Fallout 4 expanded upon with the introduction of its settlement mechanic and the Elder Scrolls online built upon again with its Homestead DLC. This leads neatly into a further expansion of such features in the next Elder Scrolls title as it felt not-quite-finished in Fallout. 

It would be a feature that would actually fit in particularly well with the rumored Valenwood setting, if it involved the player adapting to the wilderness in the way the resident Bosmer have with their treetop cities. In a similar way the player used debris and junk to craft their settlement in Fallout, they could use their natural environment to do so in Elder Scrolls in a nice contrast. 

A whole new story
In an interview with Gamespot, Todd Howard said that Bethesda is looking into how exactly it tells stories in its games.

Howard noted that Skyrim and Fallout 4 take slightly different approaches to stories, with Skyrim leaving things more open to the player’s vision and Fallout guiding them more firmly through a story

Now he says the studio is looking at how to “tell a better story in an open world.”  He said “each of our games we've had successes and failures and if you ask us internally, we have new ideas that we want to explore in the future because we feel like we haven't really cracked it yet the way we think it could be.”

Being aware of the differences between Skyrim and Fallout’s approaches to storytelling and the fact that both have positives and negatives suggests that the next Elder Scrolls title could strike some kind of balance between giving the player completely free reign and telling a story around their character. 

It’s hard to deny that The Witcher 3 has had a massive impact on what players expect in terms of including an engaging story in an open-world game. 

Though we don’t in any way want Bethesda to just churn out a Witcher copy (we’re not sure it’d be possible anyway) it does put a certain amount of pressure on Bethesda when it comes to achieving high-quality environmental and quest-based storytelling. 

No multiplayer
Something we don’t expect to see, though, is multiplayer. Skyrim certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of multiplayer and it wouldn’t really make all that much sense to incorporate any online multiplayer gameplay with the Elder Scrolls Online still rolling along. 

Virtual reality
It's not a certainty by any means but the fact that Bethesda released a full VR experience for Skyrim means it's not out of the question down the line if not immediately.

Improved graphics and reduced bugginess
The remastered version of Skyrim showed just how far things have come visually since the game’s first release so we fully expect any title following on from it to be of that standard if not much higher, depending on how far away the game is.

We know that the new engine will be used, thankfully, giving Bethesda's games a much-needed boost in its delivery.

More fluid combat - taking advantage of new consoles
Everyone knows and loves the animations delivered from Oblivion, Skyrim and Fallout, but seeing them on an Xbox Series X or PS5 or high-end PCs would be nothing short of embarrassing. To this end, we expect to see a far more fluid combat experience and, considering how powerful the new consoles are purporting to be, a richly detailed open world to explore.

Replayability
During an interview with IGN Howard gave a small update on what people can expect from the game.

He said: "I think when they eventually see the game and what we have in mind, they'll understand the gap more in terms of technology and what we want it to do... We're eight years post-Skyrim. It lets us know going into Elder Scrolls 6 that this is a game we need to design for people to play for a decade at least."

From this, we know that Elder Scrolls 6 is being developed with longevity in mind. Of course, games like Skyrim and Oblivion are kept alive to this day purely by fans who make mods or those who simply can't get enough of it.

If this means there's more emphasis on replayability with branching and far-reaching consequences from certain decisions remains to be seen, but this could be one of the ways to keep the game interesting overtime.

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GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X: release date, enhancements and what we know

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X will expand and enhance the original game and, after a delay, you’ll be able to get your hands on it in March 2022. That’s more than seven years after its first release and it’ll bring the game into its third console generation. Why is it getting that kind of treatment? Well, GTA 5 and its online multiplayer GTA Online are hugely successful games and while that means we’re not getting GTA 6 in the immediate future, the key here is that GTA Online's player base will be engaged across generations.

We’re still waiting for details on exactly what kinds of expansions and enhancements GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X will include but a new trailer has underlined improved graphics, enhanced gameplay, seamless character switching and more. There’s also going to be a standalone version of GTA Online released in March 2022 and that’ll be free and exclusive to PS5 players for three months. 

Our main hope for GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X is that its improvements are better than what we've seen so far from the recently released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition - the remakes are so bad we'd recommend you avoid buying the GTA Trilogy if you haven't already. Worryingly, there has been concern that the expanded and enhanced edition doesn't like it improves much at all.

But if you're still excited for the GTA 5 remake despite that, here's what we know about the PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrade so far.

• US-only: PS5 restock tracker
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• The best PS5 games you can play right now

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X: what you need to know

• What is it? A remastered version of GTA 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X
• When can I play it? March 2022
• What can I play it on? PS5 and Xbox Series X
• If I own GTA 5 on PS4 or Xbox One, will I have to pay for the remaster? TBC

• New PS5 games on the way

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X release date

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 5 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in March 2022, bringing "new features and more". The game was originally set to release on November 11, 2021 but has been pushed back. 

GTA Online will also release as a separate standalone edition during March 2022. Could this be a deliberate move to reduce GTA's storage demands, and allow the multiplayer component to do more ambitious things? Or is it simply to position GTA Online as a continuous entity, even if another numbered GTA gets announced in the next couple of years? We'll have to wait and see.

PlayStation owners have a significant advantage in all of this. If you play GTA Online on PS4, you'll get GTA$1 million to spend in-game every month until the PS5 version of GTA launches. And when GTA Online's standalone edition arrives on PS5 in March 2022, owners of the console will have three months to claim the game for free after release - until June 2022. That means that Xbox Series X/S owners will have to pay if they want to play the new version of GTA Online at launch, though a price hasn't been disclosed.

It remains unclear if GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X will offer those who own the game on PS4 and Xbox One a paid upgrade option or whether these new versions will need to be bought outright.

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X trailers

A new GTA 5 trailer was revealed during Sony's PlayStation Showcase 2021 event. You can check it out below:

GTA 5 on PS5 was the first trailer revealed for the console during Sony's Future of Gaming Event in June 2020. The intro, featuring Michael saying 'Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather" parallels GTA 5's famous first trailer in 2011. We haven't had a similar trailer for Xbox Series X yet. Check it out below:

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X enhancements: what are they?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

"The new generation versions of GTA 5 will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever," is how Rockstar describes the upgrades for GTA 5 on next-gen hardware.  

Rockstar hasn't been overly specific with what the enhancements will be, though there have been reports of it managing 4K and 60 FPS on PS5 thanks to a post on the Official German PlayStation blog. This hasn't been officially confirmed by Rockstar just yet but it's something PC players can already achieve. We'd speculate that the game is likely to resemble the PC version as it runs on high-end hardware – though it's possible Rockstar is planning other tweaks we don't know about yet.

Rockstar has also teased that GTA 5 and GTA Online on PS5 and Xbox Series X will bring "new features and more".

We expect Rockstar will confirm these enhancements in the near future, given that GTA 5 is set to land on PS5 and Xbox Series X in November

Where is GTA 6?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

GTA 6 simply isn't ready yet. While we know almost nothing about the next entry in the series, these games are grand undertakings for massive worldwide development teams. Red Dead Redemption 2, of course, was Rockstar's last major project, and expecting GTA 6 so soon after that is unrealistic. 

In the meantime, GTA Online has an enormous audience, and the game is sustained by continuing sales of GTA 5 and in-game currency. Rockstar likely wants to maintain that interest between generations until GTA 6 is finally ready. 

GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X: news and rumors

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition delayed to March 2022

Rockstar's GTA 5 Enhanced Edition has been delayed to March 2022. The news was revealed during Sony's PlayStation Showcase 2021 event, which means the game will no longer hit its original release date of November 11, 2021. 

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

4K at 60 FPS on PS5?

The German PlayStation Blog may have spilled the beans on some features players can expect when they return to Los Santos this November. Namely, the current-gen versions of GTA 5 will support 4K at 60fps, at least on PS5.

The blog entry – loosely machine translated – reads: “You have never seen the criminal metropolis Los Santos so beautiful when the skyline shines thanks to a bold graphic update in crisp 4K resolution and you make the city extremely smooth and unsafe thanks to a smooth 60 FPS.”

Rockstar has yet to reveal any official details about Grand Theft Auto 5’s current-gen update, so while the official PlayStation blog is as trusted a source as we can get until then, it’s still best taken with a grain of salt until the developer itself confirms support for 4K and 60 FPS. It’s also worth noting that these details specifically relate to the PS5 version of GTA 5, and the post doesn't say anything about how the game will perform on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles. 

It’s unclear whether or not these features would be separated by different Quality and Performance modes as is often the case. Or, there’s a chance dynamic resolution could be employed, temporarily lowering it from 4K to help maintain that 60 FPS performance.

Vehicle upgrades for Online

Rockstar has announced on Twitter that when GTA Online hits the latest consoles, “select vehicles will be upgradable” on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, with “all new speed improvements and more”.

“These special upgrades will be available only on PS5 and Series X/S versions of GTA 5,” the Tweet confirmed, adding, “stay tuned for more details.”

When GTA Online launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later this year, select vehicles will be upgradable with all new speed improvements and more. These special upgrades will be available only on PS5 and Series X|S versions of GTAV — stay tuned for more details. pic.twitter.com/R9SS2miSC8July 18, 2021

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The tweet doesn’t go into a huge amount of detail, not revealing the exact nature of these upgrades. It also leaves some users with questions, specifically whether PC players will have access to these upgrades and whether or not current-gen players having faster, upgraded cars means there’ll be no cross-gen cross-play. 

Release date confirmed
Rockstar Games confirmed in a blog post that GTA 5 and GTA Online will land on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 11, 2021. These enhanced versions will apparently have "new features and more", with an "added bonus" being that this summer's updates to GTA Online will "include special benefits for players to take advantage of in these expanded and enhanced versions when they drop".

In addition, Rockstar stated that in honor of the 20th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, it will have "even more fun surprises to share — including some specifically for GTA Online players".

Not a 'simple port'
Speaking during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, earlier this week (via VGC), Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, explained that the company doesn't necessarily see remasters becoming a bigger part of the company's strategy going forward, it plans to approach any potential remasters differently from its competitors.

"Remastering has always been a part of the strategy," Zelnik said. "We’ve done differently than the competition – we don’t just port titles over, we actually take the time to do the very best job we can making the title different for the new release, for the new technology that we’re launching it on."

"So, we improve the technology, we upgrade the visuals, and we make performance enhancements," Zelnik continued. "And that’s why I think our remastered titles typically do so well.”

“We’ve done great with the Mafia series, for example, and Grand Theft Auto [V] is now heading into its third generation which is incredible", Zelnik said of the upcoming GTA 5 remaster. “It was a standard-bearer when it was launched, it continued to be the standard-bearer in the second generation, we’ll see how Grand Theft Auto does in the next generation. Obviously, I’m confident that Rockstar is going to deliver just a great experience, but you can’t do that if you’re just doing a simple port.”

Using Rockstar's RAGE engine?
There have been rumors that the game could use Rockstar’s RAGE engine, used in the development of Red Dead Redemption 2.

The rumors come from Rockstar insider ‘Tez2’ (Via Wccftech) who posted on  GTAForums that new GTA 5 game data makes reference to the RAGE engine rather than GTA 5’s original engine. Tez2 does also note, however, that this could mean that the game’s UI will run on the new engine while the rest of the game will still use its original engine. 

Writing on the forum, Tez2 says “Found out new structs that were added with the recent update relating to the standalone version and one of them is “rage::fwuiMessageBase”, which is from RDR2’s RAGE version, so that seems to go along what @Spider-Vice & @uNi stated, that the enhanced edition is likely to utilize RDR2’s RAGE version. However, it could just be that the UI would utilize RDR2’s base code, while the rest remains the same.”

As these are just rumors at the moment, however, we should be wary until Rockstar itself makes any kind of announcement. 

We're also still waiting for further information on how this edition is 'expanded' for new consoles, as the trailer mentions, but Rockstar will discuss the new version of the game more down the line. 

• Check out our PS5 review
• Check out our reviews of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
• PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console should you buy?

Hackers are guessing your credit card details - and there's nothing you can do about it

Cybersecurity researchers have revealed hackers have discovered a way to find card numbers without breaking into a database, and there’s also a booming underground black market for them. 

Researchers at popular VPN service provider, NordVPN analyzed statistical data that was collated by independent researchers from dark web markets and learnt that most of the card numbers sold on the dark web are brute forced.

The attackers are able to pull this off because the digits on most cards follow a fixed pattern, and can be deduced. For instance, the first couple of digits indicate the financial service provider, while the sixteenth is a checksum, and so on. Furthermore, the CVV is made up of three digits, which also helps with the guesswork.

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“Clever hackers can significantly cut down how many numbers they need to guess and check to find your payment card number. In fact, researchers at Newcastle University estimate that an attack like this could take as few as six seconds,” note the researchers, adding that an average hacked card’s data costs less than $10.

Numbers game

Crunching the available data, NordVPN says that of the 4,481,379 stolen cards, the maximum (1,561,739) belonged to US citizens. By comparison, only 134,607 cards for sale on the dark web belonged to UK residents. 

Also, the researchers discovered that debit cards were more common than credit cards, which is particularly worrisome since NordVPN says that debit cards don’t have the same level of protections as credit cards. Furthermore, Visa cards were the most common, followed by Mastercard, and American Express.

“There is little that users can do to protect themselves from this threat short of abstaining from card use entirely,” note the researchers, suggesting that users should keep an eye out for suspicious entries in their statements. 

Shield yourself online with these best identity theft protection services

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get monthly Halo Infinite bonuses

Microsoft has revealed that subscribers to the Ultimate tier of its Xbox Game Pass service will get access to monthly bonuses in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer. 

In a blog post covering some of the new titles that will be coming to Game Pass over the next month, the company says, “It’s an awesome time for Perks because we’re excited to reveal that Ultimate members will be locked in to get monthly Halo Infinite Multiplayer bonuses.” The first bonuses will be made available on December 8, when Halo Infinite’s multiplayer officially launches alongside its campaign. 

The post confirms that the December 8 bonuses will include the “exclusive ‘Pass Tense’ MA40 Assault Rifle coating” as well as “four 2XP Boosts, and four Challenge Swaps”. This is, of course, in addition to getting access to the game’s full release as part of the subscription. 

• All the best Game Pass Ultimate deals
• Best Xbox Series X games: essential titles you need to play
• Best Xbox Game Pass games: 30 games you absolutely need to play

Halo Infinite won’t be the only game Ultimate subscribers will get perks in this month; Dauntless, Apex Legends and World of Warships: Legends were also on the list. And as for new games coming to Game Pass before we go into 2022, you can expect to see Stardew Valley, Among Us, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and more.

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Analysis: Preparing to launch

Halo Infinite’s official launch date is December 8 so the game’s multiplayer is still technically in beta. While players have found much to like in its gameplay, problems with cheating are causing concern and its Battle Pass has been subject to a fair amount of criticism. 

Amidst frustration around slow progression in the game’s Battle Pass, those XP boosts and challenge swaps that are included in the Game Pass Ultimate perks are likely to be welcome to subscribers. But they may well raise the eyebrows of some non-subscribers.

343 Industries has been taking steps to improve the game based on player feedback and at the end of November community manager John Junyszek announced an XP increase for the first six matches of each day. Junyszek said he hoped the change would help players jumping on “each and every day” but acknowledged “we know many of you want even larger changes and we're committed to doing so, but those will take time.”

When we made our initial change to progression, which added Daily "Play 1 Game" Challenges, updated Weekly Challenges, and doubled the duration of 2XP Boosts, we promised that we'd monitor the data and make additional changes if needed. Now, it's time to follow up on that.November 30, 2021

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When Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launches on December 8, Microsoft has confirmed that any progress made in the beta will carry over. As for that highly-anticipated campaign, we went hands on with it recently and found a lot to like in the first four missions. 

• Halo Infinite Season 1: everything you need to know

Microsoft’s Adaptive Kit for making Surface devices more accessible is now out

Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit, which is designed to make Surface devices more accessible to everyone, is now available to purchase at the company’s online store.

The kit is a bunch of tools which make the Surface more easily usable for people with disabilities, and it includes translucent labels for keycaps which highlight keys visually and have tactile indicators to find them by touch. Plus there are port indicators with raised textures and different colors – and matching ties to go around the cable which is used with the corresponding port, using the same texture and color – to aid with plugging in peripherals to device ports.

There are also miscellaneous ‘bump’ labels which consist of different colored symbols that can be applied anywhere on the Surface device, so for example a dot label could be placed next to the audio jack.

Furthermore, the Surface Adaptive Kit comes with a pair of opener supports, which as the name suggests help to make it easier to open the Surface. One is designed for the lid (with a large loop), and the other for pulling out the Surface Pro’s kickstand (using an attached lanyard or wrist strap).

The kit can be purchased direct from Microsoft’s online store and is priced at $14.99 (£14.99 in the UK, or AU$24.95 in Australia).

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Analysis: Microsoft has made some impressive strides forward with accessibility

The Surface Adaptive Kit was announced back in September, and is a thoughtful addition to Microsoft’s range of accessories. It’s great to see that it’s now available to buy, and the various labels will doubtless come in handy for locating ports and keys with a lot more ease.

A whole host of Surface devices are supported by the kit, namely the Surface Laptop 3 and 4, Surface Pro 7 and 8, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Book 3, Surface Go and Go 2 plus Go 3, and the Surface Laptop Go (but keycap labels will be a little trickier to apply with the latter and the Go Type Cover due to the smaller key sizes).

And of course there’s nothing stopping you applying some of these labels to another non-Surface device (not in theory, anyway, aside from issues around things like key size perhaps).

Microsoft has been pushing forward on the accessibility front for quite some time now, and commendably so, making moves in the early days of Windows 10 to introduce eye tracking functionality for example (that was back in 2017).

• How AbleGamers helped millions of gamers with disabilities

The best Sky TV deals, packages and Sky Q offers December 2021

December is here and with it Sky is unveiling its festive schedule of Christmassy TV shows and films to get into the spirit. Still, with finances strained by the surge to ensure our Christmas gift list is all ticked off, we know its important that when getting a premium service like Sky, you get the best Sky TV deals and packages that offer the best rate.

Hosting a plethora of excellent entertainment that'll suit every member of your household, whether the holidays is all about watching a fantastic festive classic for all the family or catching the latest football fixture, Sky TV deals have got you covered.

• Find the current best Sky TV deals by heading straight to the Sky website

Leading the charge is Sky TV's most affordable bundle, bringing together your Sky TV package and Netflix subscription under one umbrella. Sky Sports packages have also dropped back down in price, offering everything from Premier League 2021/22 matches to F1 and cricket.

Keep reading as we list the best Sky TV deals and packages for new customers, as well as Sky TV upgrades for those already with Sky.

Sky TV deals: What is the cheapest Sky TV package?

While the definition of 'cheap' may be subjective in terms of how you value the money you spend, when it comes to Sky TV and its most affordable package it makes sense that you can snatch up your Sky TV and Netflix subscription in one. 

From there you can build it up by selecting any add-ons to your package, or simply enjoy the fantastic selection of content that comes with it, with over 100 channels and 500 ready-to-watch boxsets.

Sky TV & Netflix - best for binge watchers
Combine Sky TV and Netflix under one subscription in this excellent value Sky TV package for just £26 a month, essentially getting your monthly membership to Netflix for free on top of Sky TV's 100 channels and 500 boxsets.

Today's best Sky TV deals and bundles

Latest Sky TV bundle deals

If you're flicking through for TV-only offers that include excellent entertainment on the box, we've got the best of the bunch for Sky TV deals. From combining your Sky TV with other add-ons to make one great value Sky TV package to securing a lower overall cost, or ensuring you won't miss the next match when your team plays with Sky Sports, these are certainly the best Sky TV offers to keep your eye on right now.

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Sky TV + Sky Sports - best for sports fans
Save £264 in total across 18 months with this Sky TV bundle now just £41 a month and fill your boots with sporting coverage straight from Premier League Football, Test cricket, NFL games, and more.

Sky TV + Sky Sports + BT Sport  - the ultimate sports package
The ultimate Sky TV sports package, thrown in BT Sport on top and enjoy UFC fights, Champions League football, and more. Now £65 a month, save £300 in total.

Sky Sports + Sky Movies - the best package for families
Something for everyone, enjoy thousands of movies on demand, as well as movies premiering on Sky Movies, along with the best of sports coverage from Sky Sports. Now £52 a month, save £264 in total across 18 months.

Sky Sports, BT Sport and Movies - money's no issue package
Go big or go home with the ultimate Sky TV bundle, filling your boots with great TV series, movies and sporting action, all for £76 a month right now, with a huge saving of £300 across 18 months.

Sky TV and broadband deals

Want to tick off the TV and broadband bill in one clean sweep? Sky have you covered with its excellent Sky TV and broadband bundles. Benefit from exceptional speeds, and - if you're not satisfied - get your money back with Sky's Speed Guarantee. Choose between its Essential, Superfast, and Ultrafast broadband packages, and browse, stream, and game to your heart's content.

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Sky TV +  Superfast Broadband + Netflix - the best of both
For 18 months, get average speeds of 59Mbps with Sky's Superfast broadband, and the Sky TV + Netflix package, all for just £43 a month and with a set-up fee of up to £68.95.

Want a bit more choice? We have a page dedicated to the best Sky broadband deals, where you'll find Sky's current Internet packages in full.

Sky TV deals: all Sky TV package add-on prices

Want to spice up your Sky TV subscription? Well, there are plenty of add-ons, whether you're after extra content to binge or you want to change the way you watch and how you watch it. 

It's also worth bearing in mind, much like the constantly changing Sky TV deals, add-ons also receive their own price reductions, meaning you can enjoy the likes of Sky Sports, or the Kids package at a discounted rate for the next 18 months. So keep your eyes peeled below, and mix and match to keep everyone under your roof satisfied.

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Sky TV in HD | £7 a month
This is one of the most essential add-ons to any Sky TV package. If you have a HD TV, you'll want to upgrade to HD and enjoy your content with five times more detail than the old standard definition pictures. 

Ultra HD + HD | £11 a month
So you may be asking, what's the difference between HD and ultra HD? Well according to Sky, with Ultra HD you're getting "four times the detail of HD". Plus, it gives you access to watch Netflix on four screens rather than just two. So if you want the best screen quality, we recommend getting this add-on. 

Multiscreen | £15 a month
This is ideal for anyone who wants to be able to enjoy Sky on multiple devices. With this add-on you can watch Sky on up to four different devices in your home.

Sky Sports | £32 £20 a month
Watch live action from all eight Sky Sports channels, in HD as standard (you'll get 4K if you've selected the Ultra HD add on), with the Complete Sports pack. It's a pricey add-on so it might be worth going to the Sky TV website and checking if they have any bundles or packages to see if it comes out cheaper.

BT Sport | £27 a month
Thanks to BT's latest TV packages, you can now get the best of both worlds. So why not subscribe to this add-on for £25 a month and get access to all four BT Sport channels? You'd be getting access to exclusive Premier League games and every match of the UEFA Champions League!

Sky Cinema | £19 £11 a month
With a new premiere every day and over 1000 other films to choose from, the Sky Cinema is great for movie fans. You'll be spoilt for choice with this add-on, with plenty of movies from Aladdin, to Bad Boys, Crazy Rich Asians, Venom and many more!

Sky Kids | £5 a month
A mere fiver a month grants access to over 4500 episodes on demand. There's more though as there are also 10 live channels. Don't worry about them hogging the TV though as you can also have up to 10 individual profiles on the Sky Kids app with shows tailored to the age of your little ones.

What to watch on Sky TV this month

There's plenty to get excited about with Sky here to entertain the whole family during those cosy winter evenings at home. Get in the festive spirit with the likes of 8-Bit Christmas arriving on Sky Cinema on December 4 and A Christmas Number One landing on December 10.

There are some big releases travelling from the big screen that you can watch from the comfort of your sofa, including In the Heights on December 17 and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runway, which will be available to stream on Sky Cinema on demand from Christmas Day. The same can be said for The Suicide Squad on Boxing Day. 

For keen spectators, there are plenty of interesting Premier League fixtures on the way throughout the month, as well as the continuation of Formula One season with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix happening from December 3 and Abu Dhabi GP from December 10.

Ready to get watching right now? Start building your Sky TV package here

Sky TV deals FAQ

What is Sky Q?

Sky Q is Sky TV's way of adapting to the way people now watch television, with less tuning in to live broadcasts, instead opting for video on-demand and streaming services. Bringing you a modern interface where you can find all the content you want to watch in one place, including each individual service you subscribe to as well as Sky TV itself, Sky Q integrates both Netflix and Spotify onto one easy-to-use ecosystem.

Better still, Sky Q allows you to access content across devices, not simply your TV. Download the app and login on your smartphone or tablet, as well as being able to access on desktop, meaning you can watch just about anywhere, and comes as a part of any new Sky TV packages purchased.

What are Sky TV packages?

When it comes to Sky TV, there are plenty of options and price points for you to choose from. A Sky package allows you to get more for your money with the option of both building your own bundle or choosing one of Sky's pre-curated TV deals. 

And that's not all. Sky packages aren't all about putting TV in the spotlight. Sky TV packages can also throw broadband into the mix, securing both for a great price and ensuring your Internet connection is just as fabulous as the series and films you get to watch.

Why should I become a Sky TV customer?

Offering front row seats to some of the most anticipated releases, Sky TV really does have it all when it comes to content across the board with amazing TV shows, movies, as well as coverage of some of the biggest sporting events every year. 

Of course, as well as Sky TV, you can also get superb, fast broadband deals under the same umbrella, as well as landline calls in one easy, succinct package. 

While this can prove pricey, Sky TV is forever offering new customers the best Sky TV deals with new bundles and offers every month to entice you into its ever expanding library.

Are Sky TV deals available to existing customers?

The Sky TV deals available to see without logging in are exclusive to new customers (or anyone who may have left Sky and decides to return to them to start afresh). However, existing customers can find upgrade deals when logging into their account. What's more, if you're really not happy with the price you're paying, it's always worth giving their customer service line a call and see if they can match any of their current deals you've got your eye on. If all else fails, it's been known Sky will budge if you threaten to leave...

What happened to Sky One?

As of September 1, Sky One was pulled from Sky TV's scheduling and replaced by new flagship channel Sky Showcase. This replaces Sky One's linear TV offering as can be found on channel 106 on the Electronic Program Guide. The clue is in the name, Sky Showcase will bring together the best of Sky's roster of entertaining titles.

Sky Max was also launched at the same time, offering both a linear and on demand service, and will be home to Sky's blockbuster content.

All the latest Sky TV deals

Python could soon rival JavaScript for web applications

There’s a new project that’ll reportedly enable the Python programming language to run within web browsers with the help of WebAssembly.

The CPython on WASM project, which will build the default and most popular implementation of the Python language written in C is developed by Berkeley-based software developer, Ethan Smith.

According to The Register, the project was created with the help of core Python developer Christian Heimes, and could make Python a viable alternative to JavaScript, at least for some web applications.

Python on the web

"The new project which Christian Heimes and I are working on has a goal of making the web a supported platform for CPython, just like Windows or macOS," Smith told The Register.

WebAssembly has taken the world by storm thanks to its promise of bringing the performance of native applications to the web, to the level that isn’t possible with JavaScript.

However, The Register notes that at this point, the goal of the project to bring Python to the browser through WebAssembly’s  Emscripten compiler, is more about enabling the use case, rather than performance.

The project reportedly comes in the wake of another project, called Pyodide, which too enables Python code to run in the browser.

"My hope is that this will enable a wider ecosystem of Python developers targeting the web, and allow for easier integration with existing Python tools and processes, many of which Pyodide has had to reinvent like micropip to replace the standard pip package installer,” explained Smith. 

Smith hopes that his project can help facilitate web-based cross-platform app development, but is quick to add that CPython on WASM is still in the early stages of development.

• Code better using one of these best laptops for programming

The creator of the iPod says products are designed all wrong these days

Tony Fadell, inventor of the Apple iPod and smart thermostat Nest, has said he believes too many companies approach product design with the wrong priorities.

During a panel at Slush 2021, attended by TechRadar Pro, Fadell explained he thinks even some of the brightest entrepreneurs lack the sense of timing necessary to build truly iconic products.

“It’s vital to understand what people need, or will need. You’ve got to make sure you’re solving a problem that people are just beginning to have,” he said.

“It’s no good coming in two decades early, even if the technology is there. People need to understand the problems you’re trying to solve.”

Fadell says his advice for budding founders is to “stop trying to create something that impresses the engineers”, and to focus instead on creating something that “gives super powers to every person”.

Tony Fadell, live on stage at Slush 2021 (Image credit: Future)

The next generation of entrepreneurs

Fadell also used the startup conference, which was live again in Helsinki after a one-year hiatus, to unveil his latest project: a manual for the next generation of product designers, called Build.

Although precious little was revealed about the book itself, which won’t hit the shelves until May 2022, it was presented as “an unorthodox guide to making things worth making” that will help entrepreneurs take the big leaps necessary to bring about dramatic change.

“Over the years, working with all these entrepreneurs, I’ve realized something: the only reason I'm on this stage is because someone helped me to get here. They mentored and believed in me,” said Fadell.

"But a lot of my mentors have now passed away, so that baton of mentorship has been passed from them to me. The only way I can give back is to give back to the [startup] community.”

Another way in which Fadell will endeavor to support up-and-coming talent is by taking calculated risks on emerging deep tech companies, via his venture capital firm Future Shape.

• Check out our list of the best collaboration software

Black Friday and Cyber Monday online spending falls - but holiday season records are still broken

Online spending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday was down this year for the first time. That's according to data from Adobe Analytics, which shows that the extended sales period led to more people shopping earlier in October and November, rather than limiting their purchases to just the Thanksgiving week.

Adobe reports that consumers spent $8.9bn on Black Friday. That's a dip of 1.3 per cent compared to the year before. And it was a similar story on Cyber Monday, with consumers spending $10.7bn, down 1.4 per cent on the previous year. Adobe's analysis takes into consideration over one trillion visits to retailer websites in the US, 100 million unique products and 18 different product categories.

The dip in consumer spending on both days represents a sharp change from the normal pattern, which previously saw Black Friday and Cyber Monday growing every year. In 2020, this trend was particularly pronounced as a result of the pandemic forcing retailers to move their Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals online.

Record-breaking shopping season

However, despite the drop on these two days, online spending in November was actually up to $109.8bn - that's an 11.9 per cent increase over last year, and helps to demonstrate how elongated the holiday shopping season has become. Between November 1-29, 22 days in total exceeded $3bn in online spend, which sets a new record. Compare that to 2020, where only nine days had topped that figure in the same time period.

“With early deals in October, consumers were not waiting around for discounts on big shopping days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday,” said Taylor Schreiner, director, Adobe Digital Insights. “This was further fueled by growing awareness of supply chain challenges and product availability. It spread out e-commerce spending across the months of October and November, putting us on track for a season that still will break online shopping records.”

Increase in stock issues

(Image credit: ABACA/PA Images)

It seems many of the concerns around supply chain issues and stock availability were reasonable. According to Adobe, out of stock messages on Cyber Monday were up 8 per cent compared to the week before. 

Looking back even further, during November as a whole, out of stock messages increased by 169 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels in January 2020, and were up a whopping 258 per cent vs November 2019. 

It's not clear how much weighting has been given to the PS5 and Xbox Series X in this analysis, though, which is bound to bump the numbers up given how hard it's been to get a new console since launch.

• Where to buy PS5
• Where to buy Xbox Series X

What did we buy, then?

Some of the most popular product categories on Cyber Monday were toys, books, video games and kitchen appliances. Spending in these areas was as much as 11 times higher compared to September 2021. As for specific items, it was Hot Wheels, Nerf, Paw Patrol, AirPods, Apple Watch, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest 2 and TVs that were the top sellers.

People packed their baskets full of these (and more big ticket items), with the total value of shopping carts up 19 per cent overall. Adobe suggests online inflation could also play a part in this, however, as prices of online goods have increased for the past 17 consecutive months.

This leads us fittingly onto the quality of the discounts we saw in 2021. According to Adobe's data, discounts were weak overall compared to last year - and that's certainly something we noticed while we were tracking this year's offers. Electronics were reduced by only 12 per cent, compared to 27 per cent in 2020. Elsewhere, TVs fell by 13 per cent (compared to 18 per cent last year), and appliances dropped by 8 per cent (versus a 20 per cent drop last year).

A unique year, then, that shows people are still spending big over the holiday shopping season, but they're spreading it out even more to ensure they get the products they want. There's still an appetite to spend on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but these key days don't have the same impact as they once did - and, as we can testify, they don't necessarily have the best deals, either.

AWS CEO: Why the cloud isn’t just another tech revolution

The CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) has heralded a new generation of cloud computing-enabled businesses that have the power to change how the world around us operates.

Speaking at his opening keynote address for AWS re:Invent 2021 in Las Vegas, Adam Selipsky noted the seismic effect of cloud computing on almost every company operating today.

"The cloud has become not just another tech revolution, but an enabler of fundamental shift in the way that businesses actually function,” he noted. “There's no industry that hasn't been touched and no business that can't be radically disrupted, and every one of us here today is part of that movement."

Come a long way

Selipsky started his keynote with a look back, as AWS celebrates not just 10 years of its re:Invent conference, but 15 years as a separate entity.

“We sure have come a long way together in the past 15 years,” he noted. “It's hard to believe that when we first started, the concept of cloud computing barely existed.”

“Back then IT and infrastructure just weren't working. It was expensive. It was slow. It was inflexible. It suffocated innovation. And of course it was dominated by old guard vendors who loved the expense and the lock-in - but we knew there had to be a better path forward for all of us."

"I do remember perplexed looks and people's faces when I tried to explain AWS and the cloud - it was barely a concept yet and it was really hard to put into context. I can't tell you how many times I was asked, 'But what does this have to do with selling books?'”

Now, Selipsky notes that Amazon S3 stores more than three trillion objects and AWS offers over 200 fully-featured services to millions of customers around the world.

This year’s event is the first since former leader Andy Jassey moved to take over the top job at parent company Amazon following Jeff Bezos’ retirement, with Selipsky shifting into the leading cloud role with anticipation that further growth is assured.

"We're just getting started,” he said, noting that between only five and 15% of IT spending has moved to the cloud, and technologies such as 5G and IoT offering huge possibilities for the likes of AWS.

And with a customer list spanning the likes of Netflix to NASA, few would bet against AWS continuing that growth going forward, especially with hardware launches such as the newly-revealed Graviton3.

"Sometimes the work we do together can be hard,” Selipsky concluded. “But we love challenges...Ultimately what the cloud and AWS offer is the ability to transform.”

• Here's the best cloud storage around today

Korea’s P2P lending startup PeopleFund gets $63.4M Series C led by Bain Capital

South Korea-based peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform PeopleFund announced today it has closed a $63.4 million (75.9 billion won) Series C round led by Bain Capital with participation from Goldman Sachs. Returning investors in the round include CLSA Lending Ark Asia and 500 Global.

The latest funding brings the total raised by PeopleFund to about $83.6 million (100 billion won) since it was founded in 2015.

The Series C will support hiring AI engineers and secure alternative data to advance its credit-scoring algorithm further. PeopleFund also will beef up its machine learning-powered credit scoring system, which is one of its key differentiators, that provides a quantitative scoring model (for credit valuation), a qualitative scoring model and a demand forecasting model (for near-primer borrowers).

PeopleFund wants to address the structural problem involving the risk of high interest-rate loans in the near-prime loan sector and offer more personalized financial products to sub-prime and near-prime borrowers with its data-driven technology platform, said CEO and founder Joey Kim told TechCrunch.

“For the past six years, we have been focusing on proving the performance of our data-driven risk management technology, which is the essence of consumer lending,” Kim said. “Our mission is to grow into the #1 player in the Korean non-bank lending market to provide better loan options for average Koreans that the banks underserve.”

The financing event comes five months after PeopleFund received its regulatory approval from South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) to register with the government.

In early June, only three Korean P2P lenders out of 41 applicants were granted licenses from the FSC to operate the business legally: PeopleFund, Lendit and 8 Percent. The FSC said it will continue to review other applicants.

South Korea has passed the first law in the world dedicated to digital lending, ‘The Marketplace Lending Act’, in August 2020 to regulate marketplace lenders, protecting P2P consumers. The new law enables the licensed P2P lending startup to operate as an authorized financial institution to lend, raise capital from international and domestic institutions, and provide loan referral services to its customers.

The number of marketplace lenders in Korea has fallen from 237 to 102, between August 2020 and May 2021, as per its annual report in 2020.

PeopleFund

PeopleFund, which connects borrowers with lenders to enable lending, provides loans at an average interest rate of 11.25 percent per annum, about 3 percent to 4 percent lower than other non-bank lenders. Near-prime borrowers are not qualified for bank loans thus have no choice but to resort to non-bank lenders like credit card loans (or saving banks), Kim said.

What sets PeopleFund apart from other competitors is the lowest delinquency rate in the industry, being managed by its own alternative credit scoring system, and having strong risk management capabilities, Kim said. PeopleFund claims it has managed over $1 billion in loans as of October 2021, with a delinquency rate of 2.06%.

Another differentiator is its credit scoring system optimized for mid-interest loans based on about 480,000 loan customers registered on its platform. PeopleFund built a credit scoring system (CSS) 4.0 for near-prime borrowers to provide more affordable mid-rate loans to borrowers, who use the funds to refinance existing loans taken from other second-tier lenders. The refinancing loans account for 66 percent of its total loans, he added.

Korean lending startup PeopleFund raises $11M led by chat app Kakao’s payment unit

Kim said that its clients include near-prime borrowers and individuals and institutional investors who expect 7%-9% the ROI per annum (before tax). Its lenders are mostly retail customers the company has through its partnership with Kakao Pay.

“For individual and institutional lenders, we offer diversified lending opportunities at an average annual return rate of 6 percent to 9 percent. For the borrowers and the lenders, [our] AI-based data-driven underwriting process has been the core of its competitive advantage, which has been outperforming other non-bank players by a 3 percent to 5 percent gap in loss rate,” Kim said.

PeopleFund targets the traditional personal credit loans market in South Korea, which is estimated at around $67 billion, according to the company.

The company, which accounted for about 57% of market share in the personal loan of the P2P lending market as of October, expects to generate profit in 2022, Kim said.

“While leading online lenders in the U.S. have grown to worth billions out of lending platforms such as Upstart and SoFi, Korea’s online lending is only just beginning, said Tim Chae, managing partner of 500 Global that participated in all fundraising since the seed round. “We strongly believe that PeopleFund will grow to become a clear winner with its proven track record, accelerating tech-driven innovations in the non-bank lending sector in Korea.”

Funding Societies, a Southeast Asian lending platform, gets $25M Series B led by Softbank Ventures Korea

Why Qualcomm's next flagship chip isn't called the Snapdragon 898

The silicon brain that may be powering your next smartphone has just been unveiled, and unlike rumors had previously suggested it won't be called the Qualcomm Snapdragon 898.

This is a new chipset that we expect to see in upcoming top-end phones like the Samsung Galaxy S22, OnePlus 10, Xiaomi 12 and more. It'll be called the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and you can read everything you need to know about it here.

Flights and accommodation for this launch event were funded by Qualcomm, but the views reflect the writer's own honest opinion.

But why has it been given a new name? The different naming structure may confuse people, especially as this isn't a first-gen product. In fact, Qualcomm has been making the chipsets powering some of the most popular phones since 2012.

• Follow our Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 live blog

We spoke to Qualcomm about the new name, and here's why the company decided to change it for 2021... and beyond.

First, how does this new name work? The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the name of the new chipset, and future generations of lower-tier Qualcomm series will follow that convention – for example, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, or Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.

This change in naming structure will be used across all variants of the company's technology going forward from this release. It just so happens that it's introduced on the Snapdragon 8 series first.

It's still a sequel to the Snapdragon 888 Plus that was introduced earlier this year, and therefore it'll be the company's flagship product for 2022.

Ziad Asghar, VP of Product Management at Qualcomm, told TechRadar, “People know that 8 is basically the highest tier that we have. So we thought let’s simplify this – let’s call it the Snapdragon 8.

“This one will be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and then as we go further we’ll call it Gen 2, Gen 3 and so on. I think it really simplifies it, and you don’t have to remember three numbers.”

Or, conceivably, four numbers, assuming they'd have to go higher after the Snapdragon 898.

Consumers prefer it, apparently

According to Qualcomm's research, the general public prefers this new naming structure by a ratio of 5 to 1. It may take some getting used to for phone fans, but the idea is that it'll make it easier for the average consumer to understand which silicon is running on their device.

Debra Marich, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Qualcomm, told TechRadar during a briefing for the new chipset, "We're strengthening our Snapdragon brand as a standalone product brand for consumers, and we'll be leveraging the equity we've built in the last Snapdragon brand for the past 10 years."

It isn’t just the overall name for the Snapdragon platforms that are changing. Asghar confirmed to TechRadar that the company is also changing the names of its other elements that make up the platform.

Asghar said, “Underneath, we used to have technologies like the Hexagon 780 processor. So we’ve taken away those [names] too, just such that they’re now associated with each generation of Snapdragon 8. It just makes it very simple.”

Expect to see this new naming structure across Qualcomm's products for the foreseeable future. We won’t be getting a Snapdragon 898, but this is the same chipset in all but name and we’ll be looking for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 come the end of 2022.

• Follow our Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 live blog