AMD on Thursday introduced AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.1 (FSR 3.1), an improved version of its FSR3 frame-boosting gaming technology that AMD said will be available in 40 games, both available now and coming soon. The new FSR 3.1 technology adds a "Native AA" mode, as well as a very subtle though interesting tweak: AMD has decoupled FSR 3.1's upscaling capability from frame generation, meaning that it's possible that AMD's FSR could be tasked to pair with Nvidia's DLSS or Intel's XeSS graphics technology, too. AMD has already added FSR 3 to titles like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Farming Simulator 22, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, REMNANT II, Starfield, The Last of Us Part I, and The Thaumaturge. It will be added to 21 upcoming games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon's Dogma 2, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Frostpunk 2, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, the company said. The first game to receive the specific FSR 3.1 upgrade will be Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart from Insomniac Games, Nixxes Software, and Sony Interactive Entertainment, AMD said.

Last Friday was the final day for PS5 owners to claim Sony's PlayStation Plus Collection, a bundle that came with nearly 20 free games, including Bloodborne and God of War (2018). When Sony announced at the start of February the collection was going away, the company said it would instead focus on growing the PlayStation Plus library of monthly games. Unsurprisingly then, May's PS Plus lineup is chockful of titles you can download to your console, provided you subscribe to PS Plus Extra or Premium. In all, Sony will add 19 titles to the service this month. Even if you have already played some of the games that are about to join PlayStation Plus, this is a strong expansion for Sony.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Welcome back to Talking Tech. Brett Molina's off today, but I'm being joined by our colleague, Tech column's Marc Saltzman.

Video games make for great stocking stuffers for kids and kids at heart. But with so many console and computer titles to choose from, shopping for a gamer can be an overwhelming endeavor. After all, no one wants to gift a dud that will quickly become a drink coaster or shiny Christmas ornament. If you're looking for some suggestions, the following are a handful of recommended gaming picks – a very subjective look at some of 2021's best – divided into various age groups. Prices are $60 unless otherwise specified.

Death, it seems, is everywhere. From the resurgence of Covid-19 thanks to the Delta variant and low vaccination rates to the effects of climate change ravaging our communities, everything is a reminder of humanity's own mortality, its own fleeting existence. It's no wonder, then, that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the perfect game for right now: Play it right, and you'll never die. Let's clarify what "play it right" means. It's not about being so good you never get your ticket punched.

At several points during my time with Ratchet & Clank – after landing on a new planet whose peculiar rocky landscape stretched off far into the distance, for instance, or while I was zipping around a collapsing city and battling a titanic robot as dimensional rifts catapulted me at speed through different worlds – I felt compelled to call my partner into the room to watch. If you want to know what the PlayStation 5 can do visually, this is the game that will show you. I have rarely been as awestruck by how a game looks; I think the last time was when I was drinking in the austere beauty of mythical Scandinavia in God of War. It's hard to overstate how technically impressive Rift Apart is, and how much that contributed to the joy I felt playing it. This family-friendly action game might not do anything revolutionary with its structure or storytelling, but good lord, does it elevate the spectacle and fun to a new dimension. This is a blissfully uncomplicated cartoon science-fiction escapade about two furry aliens trying to save the universe (multiple universes, in fact) from a robot supervillain with a gun that can tear open portals between dimensions.

It's been six months since the PlayStation 5 launched, and they still fly out of stock minutes after appearing in stores. But anyone still waiting to pick one up can be comforted by the knowledge that as yet, there haven't been many games to show off what it can do. The only one that has felt strikingly next-generation is the superb horror-sci-fi-shooter Returnal, which is like Groundhog Day on an alien planet where everything is trying to kill you. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, out 11 June, is also science-fiction, but unlike Returnal, it is more cuddly and approachable. Part of a long-running series about a furry big-eared alien and his unflappable robot companion having adventures in space with a wacky arsenal of weapons, it's made by Insomniac Games in California, the developer behind PS5 launch game Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Sony has officially unveiled the PlayStation 5, the company's next generation gaming console planned for launch'later this year.' In a new video presentation titled'The Future of Gaming,' Sony also revealed the PlayStation 5 will be available in two models. One model will include a standard a disc drive, while a second option, called'PlayStation 5 Digital Edition,' will lack a disc drive and likely only play games downloaded over the internet but not physical discs bought in stores. Sony revealed the full design for the PlayStation 5, which will be available in two different versions, one with a disc drive and one without, called'PlayStation 5 Digital Edition' In a new video presentation titled'The Future of Gaming,' Sony also revealed the PlayStation 5 will be available in two models. One model will include a standard a disc drive, while a second option, called'PlayStation 5 Digital Edition,' will be disc free Sony did not announce a price point or launch date, but said it still plans to release the PlayStation 5 before the end of the year.

The launch of the PlayStation 5 is still running on schedule despite the coronavirus outbreak, according to Sony. The company said that it has seen significant changes to the way it works – but that development is still continuing as expected. Sony said earlier this year that the console was planned for the holiday period at the end of this year, along with the Xbox Series X. And though the outbreak has led to "some challenges", it is still progressing as scheduled, the company said. Sony gave the update in a new results release, which also indicated a rise in the number of people buying and downloading games during lockdowns.

Sony has revealed the PlayStation for the upcoming PS5 – and claims it is a "radical departure" from what has gone before. Named "DualSense", the controller comes with a variety of new features including haptic feedback, new triggers that can make themselves harder to push, a built-in microphone and a whole new redesign. The chief change in that redesign appears to be that the controller is larger and bulkier than the DualShock 4 that came with the PlayStation 4, borrowing a design more akin to the chunkier Xbox One controller. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said the controller marks a "radical departure" from its previous generations, and promised that more about the console – including its design – would be unveiled in the coming months. Both Xbox and PlayStation have taken the unusual step of showing off a variety of details about their new consoles, months ahead of their "Holiday 2020" release schedules.