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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Leaps Onto PS Plus in February

Peter Parker and Miles Morales are here to save the day once again.

Sony put on its superhero cape and will bring one of its best franchises to PlayStation Plus in February. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will swing onto the subscription service on Feb. 17, along with nine other games. The heroic sequel, originally released in 2023, picks up after Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and lets you play as both Spider-Men. 

PlayStation Plus, which is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, offers a large, constantly expanding library of games. Subscribers can choose from the Essential, Extra and Premium tiers, each with unique perks and benefits. Starting at $10 a month for the Essential tier, the plans give subscribers access to monthly games and rewards, but it’s the Extra ($15 per month) and Premium ($18 per month) tiers that allow access to the PlayStation Plus game catalog.

Here are the games PS Plus subscribers can play starting on Feb. 17. You can also check out the games Sony added to the PS Plus Game Catalog in January, which includes Resident Evil Village. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5)

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doubles up on heroes as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are playable in the game. The two heroes are once again saving New York City from destruction. This time around, the danger is multiplied as the Spider-Men deal with Kraven the Hunter and Venom. 

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (PS5)

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown brings the series back more than a decade after its last entry, expanding on its open-world racing roots with a shared online experience. The game features a broad lineup of vehicles, from classic road cars to modern hypercars and off-road machines, drawn from more than 30 manufacturers, including Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. Players can align with one of two rival clans, the bold Streets or the refined Sharps, and compete in competitive events to rise through the ranks and unlock exclusive rewards.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Neva (PS5, PS4)

Neva is a story-driven action-adventure that follows Alba and a young wolf who have been brought together by a violent encounter with a spreading darkness. Set in a world that is steadily breaking down, the game centers on the bond between the two as they face growing dangers and learn to rely on each other. As the wolf matures and begins to assert his independence, their relationship is tested, pushing both characters to adapt, survive and find a place to belong in a world on the brink.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Venba (PS5)

Venba is a narrative-focused cooking game about an Indian mother building a new life in Canada during the 1980s. As her family settles into a different culture, her damaged recipe book becomes a way to reconnect with memories of home by rediscovering and preparing traditional dishes. Through everyday moments, player choices and branching conversations, the game explores family relationships, identity and the quiet challenges of starting over.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Season: A Letter to the Future (PS5, PS4)

Season is an atmospheric third-person adventure built around a bicycle journey through a world on the edge of change. Leaving home for the first time, players travel through unfamiliar places, meeting people and preserving moments before an impending cataclysm erases them. Using a range of recording tools, the experience focuses on capturing sounds, stories and environments, gradually revealing the culture, history and deeper meaning of the world along the way.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Monster Hunter Stories (PS4)

Monster Hunter Stories reimagines the Monster Hunter universe as a turn-based role-playing adventure centered on companionship rather than the hunt. Players step into the role of a Monster Rider, forming lasting bonds with creatures and living alongside them as part of a story-driven journey. This updated return of the original game includes full voice acting in Japanese and English, along with added features like a museum mode that highlights music and concept art from the series.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (PS4)

Following the return of the original Monster Hunter Stories, its sequel builds on that foundation with a larger, more ambitious adventure. Players once again take on the role of a Rider, this time as the grandchild of the legendary Red, forming bonds with Monsties while navigating a story driven by fate and legacy. The journey centers on a mysterious egg tied to a powerful Rathalos, pushing players to confront old legends and test the strength of their friendships in a world facing upheaval.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition (PS5)

Echoes of the End is an action-driven adventure that follows Ryn, a young woman born with a rare connection to ancient magic, as war and political control threaten her homeland. After her brother is taken by an oppressive empire, she sets out alongside Abram, a scholar carrying his own past, on a journey shaped by trust, loss and difficult choices. Set across stark landscapes inspired by Iceland, the game blends magic and technology while players explore ruins, face dangerous creatures and uncover the remnants of a fallen civilization.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Rugby 25 (PS5, PS4)

Rugby 25 aims to deliver an authentic take on the sport, covering everything from local club matches to major international competitions. The focus is on realistic gameplay, tactical decision-making and the physical intensity of each play, from tackles to scoring opportunities. Players can take control of club or national teams across a wide range of venues, with an expansive roster designed to reflect the full scope of the rugby world.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

Disney Pixar Wall-E (PS5, PS4)

First released on the PlayStation 2, Wall-E adapts Pixar’s animated film into an adventure focused on exploration and light puzzle solving. Players control the solitary robot as he cleans a deserted Earth, collects curious items and sets off on an unexpected journey after meeting Eve. Alongside the single-player story, the game also includes competitive mini games for up to four players, offering a mix of races and challenges set beyond the planet.

Only PS Plus Premium subscribers can play this game in February.

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 January. You can also check out the latest and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass.

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Google races to put Gemini at the center of Android before Apple’s AI reboot

Google is using its latest Android rollout to position Gemini as the AI layer across phones, Chrome, laptops and cars.

Google is using its latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across the phone, browser, car and laptop, just weeks before Apple is expected to show its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of its Google I/O developer conference next week, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a sweeping set of new security features.
Alphabet is counting on Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, while also serving as the AI backbone across its expansive portfolio of products, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is powering part of Apple’s new AI strategy, giving Google a role in the iPhone maker’s reset even as it races to prove its own version of personal AI on the phone is further along.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We’re transitioning from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcements. Google said Gemini Intelligence will be able to move across apps, understand what’s on the screen and complete tasks that would normally require a user to jump between multiple services. That means Android is moving beyond the traditional assistant model, where users ask a question and get an answer, and acting more like an agent.
For instance, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts and book reservations. Samat gave the example of asking Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, build a menu, add ingredients to an Instacart list and return for approval before checkout.
A big concern surrounding agentic AI involves software taking action on a user’s behalf without permissions. Samat said Gemini will come back to the user before completing a transaction, adding, “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to show a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard on the market. Apple has long framed privacy, hardware integration and control of the user experience as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show it can bring AI deeper into the device experience while still giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can act and when it needs confirmation.
The app automation features will roll out in waves, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, before expanding across more Android devices, including watches, cars, glasses and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for its assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes its biggest maps update in a decade and Gemini-powered help with tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, which has pushed the company’s stock price up more than 140% in the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40% gain. Investors now want to see how Gemini can become more central to the products people use every day.
WATCH: Alphabet briefly tops Nvidia after report of $200 billion Anthropic cloud deal

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Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch allowed some vehicles to ‘drive into standing water’

Waymo issued a voluntary recall of about 3,800 of its robotaxis to fix software issues that could allow them to drive into flooded roadways.

Waymo is recalling about 3,800 robotaxis in the U.S. to fix software issues that could allow them to “drive onto a flooded roadway,” according to a letter on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
The voluntary recall is for Waymo vehicles that use the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS), the U.S. auto safety regulator said in the letter posted Tuesday.
Waymo autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, were seen on camera driving onto a flooded street and stalling, requiring other drivers to navigate around them. It’s the latest example of a safety-related issue for the Alphabet-owned AV unit that’s rapidly bolstering its fleet of vehicles and entering new U.S. markets.
Waymo has drawn criticism for its vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, and for the performance of its vehicles during widespread power outages in San Francisco in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic, causing gridlock.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it’s “identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways,” and opted to file a “voluntary software recall” with the NHTSA.
“Waymo provides over half a million trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments across the U.S., and safety is our primary priority,” the company said.
Waymo added that it’s working on “additional software safeguards” and has put “mitigations” in place, limiting where its robotaxis operate during extreme weather, so that they avoid “areas where flash flooding might occur” in periods of intense rain.
WATCH: Waymo launches new autonomous system in Chinese-made vehicle

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Qualcomm tumbles 13% as semiconductor stocks retreat from historic AI-fueled surge

Semiconductor equities reversed sharply after a broad AI-driven advance, with Qualcomm suffering its worst day since 2020 amid inflation concerns and rising oil prices.

Semiconductor stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, reversing course after an extensive rally that had expanded the artificial intelligence investment theme well past Nvidia and driven the industry to unprecedented levels.

Qualcomm plunged 13% and was on track for its steepest single-day decline since 2020. Intel shed 8%, while On Semiconductor and Skyworks Solutions each lost more than 6%. The iShares Semiconductor ETF, which benchmarks the overall sector, fell 5%.

The sell-off came after a key gauge of consumer prices came in above forecasts, and as conflict in Iran pushed crude oil higher—prompting investors to shift away from riskier assets.

The preceding advance had widened the AI opportunity set beyond longtime industry leader Nvidia, which for much of the past several years had largely carried the market to new peaks on its own.

Explosive appetite for central processing units, along with the graphics processing units that power large language models, has sent chipmakers to all-time highs.

Market participants are wagering that the shift from AI model training to autonomous agents will lift demand for additional AI hardware. Among the beneficiaries are memory chip producers, which are raising prices as supply remains tight.

Micron Technology slid 6%, and Sandisk cratered 8%. Sandisk’s stock has surged more than six times over since January.

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