Technologies

Stay Inside This Holiday Season With These PlayStation Plus Games

PlayStation Extra and Premium subscribers can play Skate Story now, as well as Assassin’s Creed Mirage and more very soon.

Hell is skateboarding, or whatever Jean-Paul Sartre said. Some PlayStation Plus subscribers can now pick up a board and grind across the underworld as a demon in the devilishly unique skateboarding game Skate Story. In addition, Sony plans to add other games to the service on Dec. 16.

PlayStation Plus is the Sony version of Xbox Game Pass, offering subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. PlayStation Plus has three tiers — Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) — which each give subscribers access to games. But only Extra and Premium tier subscribers can access the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.

Here are all the games PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can access on Dec. 16.

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Skate Story

Listen, the premise of this game is simple, so I’m only going to explain it once: You’re a glass demon who made a deal with the devil to skate your way to the moon in order to eat it and free yourself from eternal damnation. That makes total sense, right?

That really is the plot of the game, and according to our sister site IGN, you’ll encounter quirky characters, like a frog barista and a subway with legs, along the way. But underneath the trippy visuals and absurd story is a skating game that feels more like Tony Hawk than some other modern skating games. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game now.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

In this installment of the expansive media franchise, you play as a young street thief in the streets of ninth-century Baghdad. While some newer Assassin’s Creed games, such as Valhalla, rely on more role-playing gaming mechanics, Mirage is a return to the basic stealth mechanics of early Assassin’s Creed games.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

You’ll fight demons, dragons and more enemies in this dark fantasy RPG set during China’s late Han Dynasty. Chaos and destruction have overcome the land, and the imperial dynasty is about to collapse. You’ll use martial arts, weapons and devastating magic to overcome your enemies and defend your home.

Other games coming to PS Plus

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can also play these games starting on Dec. 16.

Cat Quest III
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
Lego Horizon Adventures
Paw Patrol: Grand Prix
Paw Patrol World
Planet Coaster 2
Soulcalibur III*

*Premium subscribers only.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here is what to know about the service.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Goes Desktop: Launches macOS Version as Part of Expanding Digital Ecosystem

The team behind Verum Messenger has announced a new update, introducing a full-featured macOS version of the application.

The launch of the Mac version marks a significant step in the platform’s development, enabling users to access Verum Messenger not only on mobile devices but also on desktop environments.

The macOS version ensures seamless synchronization across devices while maintaining the platform’s core principles: security, stability, and independence.

Unified Digital Experience

With the release of the macOS version, users can now:

— communicate on a larger screen
— manage chats and files more efficiently
— use the messenger in a full desktop environment
— access core features without limitations

This is particularly valuable for users who rely on messaging platforms for both communication and professional use.

Expanding Capabilities

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional platform combining:

— secure communication
— financial tools (Verum Finance)
— digital asset operations, including Tether
— investment features such as Verum Gold

Toward a Full Ecosystem

The macOS release reflects Verum Messenger’s strategy to become a universal digital platform available across all major devices.

According to the team, the goal is to provide users with continuous access to communication and financial services regardless of device or environment.

Verum Messenger continues to build technologies focused on security, usability, and global accessibility.

Technologies

Google, Meta and Amazon Join Global Pact to Fight Rising Online Scams

The companies will share fraud intelligence and coordinate responses as AI makes scams faster, cheaper and harder to detect.

Modern online scams operate across multiple platforms, perhaps spanning social media, messaging apps, email and online marketplaces. Google, Meta and Amazon are among 11 tech, retail and payments companies that have signed a new agreement to combat online scams by sharing threat intelligence across platforms, Axios first reported Monday.

The initiative, called the Industry Accord Against Online Scams & Fraud, is designed to improve how companies detect and respond to fraud that spans multiple services. Participants say they will exchange signals, such as scam-linked accounts and fraudulent domains, and coordinate enforcement actions.

By sharing intelligence in near real time, companies hope to identify these scams earlier and stop them before they spread.

The effort reflects how modern scams operate. A victim might encounter a fake celebrity investment ad on social media, move to a messaging app where the scammer builds trust, then faces prompts to send money through a fraudulent website, payment app or crypto wallet — spanning multiple companies’ ecosystems.

Google said it now blocks hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day using AI, underscoring how both attackers and defenders are increasingly relying on the same technology. Meta removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025 and is expanding AI tools to detect impersonation and warn users.

Online scams are growing rapidly, in part because generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. AI can be used not only to produce realistic phishing emails but also to clone voices and deepfake videos that impersonate executives, public figures and even family members.

The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t create new legal obligations, but it comes after regulators’ increased pressure on tech platforms to address fraud more aggressively. The companies say they will begin building frameworks for reporting and intelligence-sharing, though it’s not yet clear how quickly those systems will be deployed or how effective they will be in practice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 18.

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.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was a fairly easy one, but 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.