Technology News for Wednesday 18th June 2025

1. Colorado authorities investigate theft of nearly 3K Nintendo Switch 2 consoles from semi-truck

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday in a press release that the semi-truck driver discovered the theft around 8 a.m. on June 8 in the town of Bennett. The suspect or suspects ...

2. Nintendo's Switch 2 has powered a $39 billion rally this year

Nintendo shares have rallied 46% this year, adding more than $39 billion to the stock's value. The surge has been driven by strong demand for the newly released Switch 2 console. Nintendo this month said it sold 3.5 million units of the Switch 2 in the ...

3. Sam Altman said none of his 'best people' at OpenAI were enticed by Meta's $100 million signing bonuses

Altman said that so far, "none of our best people have decided to take them up on that." Meta recently made a $15 billion investment in data-labeling firm Scale AI.

4. Biotech firm aims to create 'ChatGPT of biology' – will it work?

A UK biotech firm spent years gathering genetic data that has uncovered 1 million previously unknown microbial species and billions of newly identified genes – but even this trove of data may not be enough to train an AI biologist. By James Dinneen.

5. This moon rover uses a battery management system from a super fast e-bike

Venturi Space has unveiled its latest moon rover, the Mona Luna. Sporting 'hyper-deformable' wheels, smart batteries and a battery management system also used in the Voxan Wattman, (aka the world's fastest electric motorbike), it's part of a European ...

6. Sam Altman says Meta offered $100 million bonuses to OpenAI employees

The alleged attempts by Meta to hire OpenAI staffers are the latest signs of a frenzy to hire top engineers to develop AI models, and they come at a time when the Facebook owner is working on building its superintelligence unit to catch up with competitors ...

7. Nintendo reveals more Donkey Kong Bananza details

Donkey Kong Bananza is the next landmark 3D platformer from Nintendo -- the first on this scale since Super Mario Odyssey released in 2017 -- and it looks like the team has taken things to a whole new level, with a massive array of ideas and mechanics ...

8. Full 2026 Yamaha Off-Road Lineup Coming to Dealerships in July

The following press release is from Yamaha: Yamaha Announces 2026 YZ Off-Road Lineup. Including Stunning New 70th Anniversary Models. MARIETTA, Ga. – Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, is announcing its new 2026 lineup of advanced, industry-leading YZ ...

9. Climate Station shares Reading's stripes and science

Climate scientists from the University of Reading have helped transform complex climate data into an immersive PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PlayStation VR2 (PS VR2) experience that puts users face-to-face with our changing planet.

10. Was the $1.4 Million Nintendo Switch 2 heist an inside job?

On June 8, 2025, a trailer carrying 2,810 Nintendo Switch 2 consoles, valued at $1.4 million, was stolen, discovered missing during a pre-trip inspection at a Love's Travel Stop in Bennett, Colorado. This major gaming hardware heist highlights the ...

11. Amazon says it will reduce its workforce as AI replaces human employees

Amazon is warning its employees that artificial intelligence will help the company have a smaller workforce in the future. In a blog post Tuesday that was sent out earlier to employees, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that efficiency gains from AI would ...

12. AI Will Replace Amazon Jobs. CEO Andy Jassy Confirms Workers' Worst Fears.

CEO Andy Jassy has finally confirmed what we've been fearing all along—artificial intelligence will lead to job cuts. “??As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change ...

13. Trump will toss TikTok another lifeline, pushing back its sell-by date for a third time

President Trump said he will once again give the short video app TikTok a reprieve, five months after the start date of a federal law banning it in the U.S. unless it splits with its Beijing-based owner, ByteDance. "We'll be extending it.

14. Chevrolet reveals 2026 Corvette ZR1X 'hypercar' with 1250 HP, 0-60 in under 2 seconds

(WXYZ) — Chevrolet unveiled the 2026 Corvette ZR1X, which the automaker is calling a "true American hypercar." The Corvette ZR1X is the most advanced Corvette ever, according Chevrolet, and will have electrified all-wheel drive and up to 1,250 ...

15. Google Veo and the future of fake

But in an age flooded with misinformation and deepfakes, a tool like Veo 3—with its ability to produce lifelike video and synchronised audio—raises pressing questions for journalism. It opens new creative possibilities, yes, but also invites serious ...

16. Beyond Mario Kart World: what else is worth playing on Nintendo Switch 2?

Developer IO Interactive maintains a schedule of live events to keep you sneaking back into this morally questionable stealth game. In handheld mode, World of Assassination looks especially stunning, the Switch 2's HDR screen lending extra vibrancy to a ...

17. Pokémon GO Fest to be held in Aurora at start of summer

The festival is a worldwide event that offers premium in-game features for participating players. FOX31 spoke to a community ambassador for the event in Aurora in an email interview. Madison Gaines said that event ...

18. DOOM: The Dark Ages | June 2025 PC Update | Path Tracing (select NVIDIA GPUs) Benchmark Mode Release Notes

Path Tracing, when combined with DLSS Ray Reconstruction adds accurate light bounce modeling, bringing new detail into view on material surfaces and reflections at a level previously not possible in a DOOM game. Image ...

19. Amazon Rebuilt Alexa Using a 'Staggering' Amount of AI Tools

From writing code to testing the new Alexa+, Amazon engineers used generative AI throughout the build process. We talk to Amazon's Daniel Rausch about the next version of the voice assistant.