Technologies

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Are In for a Scary Fun October With These Great Games

All subscribers can play Alan Wake 2, while Extra and Premium subscribers can play The Last of Us Part 2.

There’s a chill in the air, the days are getting shorter and Halloween is only a few weeks away. Sony announced at its PlayStation State of Play event on Wednesday that it was treating PlayStation Plus subscribers to Alan Wake 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 this October.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass and it offers subscribers a large, constantly expanding library of games. Subscribers can choose from the Essential, Extra and Premium tiers, which each have unique perks and benefits. The plans start at $10 a month, and each tier gives subscribers access to monthly games and rewards.

Here are the games PS Plus subscribers can play in October for spooky season. You can also check out the games Sony added to the PS Plus Game Catalog in September, including WWE 2K25.

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The Last of Us Part 2

This award-winning action adventure game drops you right back into an apocalyptic world filled with cordyceps-infected zombies, violence and a whole lot of pain — so much pain. You play as both Ellie from the original game, as well as the person she’s hunting, Abby. You’ll see grief and trauma from both of their perspectives and how those things can heighten our emotions like a funhouse mirror. It’s a heavy game that forces the air from your lungs and won’t let you breathe until the credits roll.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game starting Sept. 26.

Alan Wake 2

This sequel picks up years after the first game but Alan Wake 2 drops us back into the haunted world of the original. An FBI agent has been murdered by a cult in the town of Bright Falls, the town from the original Alan Wake game. Agents Saga Anderson and Alex Casey are sent to investigate. As you help these characters in their investigation, you’ll also assist the titular Alan Wake as he tries to write his way out of an alternate dimension. You’ll have to explore your environments, solve puzzles and keep enemies at bay in this mind-bending survival horror game.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

Goat Simulator 3

Despite what Game of Thrones might have you think, chaos is not a ladder. Chaos is a goat and your goal in this game is to cause as much havoc as you can while on four hooves. For the first time in the series, this game features a story mode where you attempt to rise through the ranks of the Illuminati. Otherwise, this entry maintains the goofy and absurd humor as well as the sandbox setting of past games, giving you free rein to do whatever you want.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

Cocoon

Get ready to go on an adventure across worlds within worlds in this puzzle game. You play as an insect-like creature who wakes up in a barren wasteland. You soon find an orb that contains an entire world within it that you can dive into, explore and solve puzzles in. As you progress, you’ll find more orbs, and each one will help you unravel a cosmic mystery.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here’s what to know about the service and a rundown of PS Plus Extra and Premium games added in September. You can also check out the latest and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade.

Technologies

Meta and AMD’s Multibillion-Dollar Deal Is All About the AI Chips

Meta will take a stake in the chipmaker in exchange for a commitment to buy billions of dollars’ worth of AI chips.

Meta is joining OpenAI as one of the major tech companies to take a stake in chipmaker AMD, as part of an AI hardware buying frenzy. Meta and AMD on Tuesday announced a partnership that will involve CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant buying billions of dollars’ worth of AMD Instinct GPUs in order to fuel its ambitions to build out AI offerings across Meta platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

In a release, Meta described the deal as «multi-year,» and said the AI purchase will provide Meta with up to 6 gigawatts of AMD GPUs, «the silicon computing technology used to support modern AI models.»

According to the US Department of Energy, a single gigawatt (1 billion watts) is equivalent to nearly 2,000 large solar panels or 100 million LED bulbs.

In AMD’s version of the announcement, CEO Lisa Su said, «We are proud to expand our strategic partnership with Meta as they push the boundaries of AI at unprecedented scale.» As part of the deal, Meta will take a 10% stake in AMD.

AMD, based in Santa Clara, California, previously signed a deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI that it announced last October, which is similar to the Meta deal and also gives its AI rival 10% ownership of AMD.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

What does this mean for the rest of us?

AMD’s two megadeals may not have an immediate impact on people who use Meta’s social networking and communications apps, or even on those who buy AMD’s products, including desktop processors and graphics cards.

But it signals that large companies making huge bets on the future of AI are doing what they can to secure the hardware they need as supplies tighten and prices rise for components such as RAM. Some of those constraints aren’t expected to end anytime soon, and shoppers could begin to see prices rise even more than they already have for computers, smartphones, vehicles and other products that heavily rely on computing components like these.

It is also a sign that Meta’s ambitions for AI are not slowing down as it continues to compete with companies including OpenAI, Microsoft and Google to develop AI products and tools.

Also a factor: Meta’s push into wearables

Another reason AMD may want access to AI chips goes beyond its own data centers and online platforms: Meta has increasingly been focused on wearables such as its Oakley Meta AI Glasses and other potential new portable products.

In addition to what AMD’s GPUs can offer Meta for AI infrastructure power, AMD may also be part of its wearable future.

«With AI models requiring unprecedented processing power to process real-time data and information, Meta is focused on securing the supply chain necessary for its wearable devices,» said Michael J. Wolf, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Activate.

Wolf believes that the deals Meta and OpenAI have signed won’t be the last time a major AI-focused company locks down a supply of semiconductors.

«As consumer hardware transitions from smartphones to smart glasses, we will absolutely see more of these mega-deals,» Wolf said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 25, #520

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 25, No. 520.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a mix of difficulties. The green one is kind of fun today. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Whack it!

Green group hint: Halloween colors.

Blue group hint: The airport is YUL.

Purple group hint: It’s also a hat.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: To hit a baseball hard.

Green group: Orange and black teams.

Blue group: Associated with Montreal.

Purple group: ____ derby.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is to hit a baseball hard. The four answers are belt, blister, hammer and tattoo.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is orange and black teams. The four answers are Bengals, Flyers, Giants and Oklahoma State.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with Montreal. The four answers are 1976 Olympics, Canadiens, Expos and Youppi!

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ derby. The four answers are home run, Kentucky, Merseyside and roller.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Feb. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

I thought today’s Mini Crossword was a tough one! Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.