gHacks

OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT ads test to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea, according to an August 11, 2026 update from OpenAI. The ads are shown to logged-in adult users on the Free and Go tiers, while the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education tiers do not have ads. OpenAI states that ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers and that conversations stay private from advertisers. The test began in the US in February 2026 and has since expanded to several markets.

The International 2026 takes place in Shanghai from August 13 to 23, bringing together 16 Dota 2 teams to compete for the Aegis of Champions and a $2.9 million prize pool. Seven teams received direct invitations, while nine others made it through regional qualifiers. Defending champions Team Falcons return to try for a second title, facing opponents such as TEAM VISION, Team Liquid, Team Spirit, Iron Wing, and Aurora Gaming.

Google introduced its latest Pixel devices at the Made by Google 2026 event. The lineup includes the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, as well as the Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Buds Pro 2, and the long-anticipated Pixel Tag. Preorders began August 12, with most products shipping August 20. The Pixel Tag ships later, on November 11. All Pixel 11 models use the new Tensor G6 chip and include new Gemini-based AI features.

Google is updating Google Sheets to improve how Microsoft Excel files import and to add two new features for Connected Sheets users working with BigQuery. Excel tables now convert directly to native Sheets tables, and linked pivot tables import as interactive pivot tables instead of static grids. For Connected Sheets, Google is introducing list parameters and column aliasing to make BigQuery analysis easier.

Google has added the Aptoide app store to Google Play, making it the first third-party store available through Google's own storefront. This change comes after a court ruling in the Epic v. Google case, which required Google to make it easier for users to install apps and games from third-party stores. For now, Aptoide is only available in the US and focuses on gaming. Google Play now includes a dedicated section for third-party stores.

Microsoft Edge may soon support signing in with an Apple account. Flags found in the latest Canary build, suggest that users could soon sync bookmarks, history, and other data between an iPhone and a Windows PC using their Apple account. This follows the recent rollout of Google account sign-in support in Edge. The feature was first highlighted by Leo Varela, who often tracks new browser features. Microsoft did not initially plan to support non-Microsoft accounts within Edge.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick says that early preorders for Grand Theft Auto 6 are leaning toward the $100 premium edition instead of the $80 standard version. In an interview with CNBC, Zelnick said this is likely because the most dedicated fans are the ones preordering at this stage. He also said Take-Two does not plan to lower the game's price.

Meta has released Muse Glimmer, a 30-billion-parameter open-weight AI model that runs on a Mac or PC with a single consumer graphics card. The model is available as a free download from Hugging Face under the Apache 2.0 license. This allows commercial use, modification, and redistribution, without the restrictions found in some other open models. Muse Glimmer is distilled from Muse Spark 1.2, Meta's closed flagship model launched on August 5.

Overwatch is changing its battle pass system in Season 4: Heroes of Busan. The old linear 80-tier setup is being replaced with several tracks, so players can choose which rewards to unlock first. The new system arrives August 11. Blizzard also plans to bring back some older battle passes later in the season. The total number of tiers and the time needed to finish the pass are not changing. Each of the five main tracks contains a Legendary or Epic skin.

Microsoft is removing the option to set up new picture passwords in Windows 11. Users who already have a picture password can keep using it, but if it is removed or disabled, it cannot be set up again. The change comes with the July 2026 security update for Windows 11. Microsoft recommends switching to a Windows Hello PIN, facial recognition, or fingerprint recognition. This change only affects new enrollments. Existing picture passwords still work for now.