PlayStation State of Play build-up live – start time, how to watch, rumors, and our predictions with just hours to go! - Related to our, actually, state, just, time,

PlayStation State of Play build-up live – start time, how to watch, rumors, and our predictions with just hours to go!

Hello gamers! Hardware Writer Dash here, signing on to keep you up to date with all the latest. I've been covering PlayStation for years (including for the UK's own PlayStation magazine!), so know exactly what makes a great State of Play. I'm hoping that tonight will be an all timer, so use this time to get some snacks and a nice warm blanket ready for later. With that out of the way, here's a photo of me in a funny hat. Hardware Writer, TechRadar Gaming.

With that, I'm signing off to make some popcorn for later!

Hello there, Jacob Krol – US Managing Editor, News – taking over for a bit, and the anticipation for today's PlayStation State of Play is certainly continuing to build up. As a reminder, it'll kick off at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm GMT / 11pm CET – just a few hours away. Jacob Krol US Managing Editor, News, TechRadar.

OK, I'm off out for delicious burgers now with some friends but will be returning later for the presentation and to cover it moment to moment! My colleague Jake is going to take over and guide you through our State of Play live build-up coverage for the next little while. Catch you all in a bit!

PlayStation State of Play start time reminder! With a little over four hours to go until the February State of Play starts, it's worth a reminder as to when it kicks off and where you can watch it. Today's State of Play start time is 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm GMT / 11pm CET and will be broadcast on PlayStation's YouTube and Twitch channels which we've linked to here. We've got high hopes for this presentation so make sure you get in position early and strap in.

Prediction: Some trailers for Xbox games on PlayStation My colleague Dash has got some thoughts on a potentially seismic inclusion into a Sony State of Play show: trailers for Xbox games coming to PlayStation. "It looks like Microsoft is fully embracing its new multi-platform strategy. We in the recent past learned that Forza Horizon 5 is coming to PS5 this year and I expect a trailer for it to show up tonight. I also wouldn't be shocked if more trailers for Xbox games are on the menu too, maybe one confirming a future port of upcoming games Avowed or South of Midnight. We could also see some older games revealed for PS5, like the long-rumored Halo: The Master Chief Collection port or an updated collection of Gears of War games." Dash Wood, Hardware Writer.

Returning to Monster Hunter Wilds for just a moment - while I think of it - don't forget to check out our hands-on preview of the game in which Rhys says the game has made "monster hunting more thrilling and engaging than ever before".

What about Marathon, or a something else from Bungie? There's growing hope that we might see something from Bungie during this State of Play too. Marathon was revealed a while ago and we've heard nothing in the meantime so this could be a good time to modification fans on how development of that is going as Bungie tries to replicate the live service success of Destiny 2.

Prediction: A look at Pirating in Hawaii Oh! And speaking of yet another upcoming release we might get another look at or promotion for; Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii comes out next week on PS5 and PS4 so that would also be a prime candidate for a show-off in the State of Play today!

Prediction: What about hardware? I really don't think we'll see new hardware showcased, but it wouldn't be out of the question to see new PS5 Slim bundles showcased - and a recent leak did suggest that an Astro Bot PS5 Slim bundle was on its way soon... This would be both a welcome bundle and one that makes sense. It'd be welcome as it would provide an excellent starting point for those looking to dive into PS5 for the first time, team the console and brilliant DualSense controller with a game that truly makes the most of both, and to the latter, it'd also make sense for Sony to build a bundle around what's largely regarded as its new poster boy. I reckon this could well be a hardware addition to the State of Play.

Prediction: A last promo for Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered before releasing this week On the topic of upcoming releases and safe best, we've also got Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered releasing this week (February 14) too which Sony may well want to highlight one last time. Lara Croft is a PlayStation icon, after all, so celebrating this remastered trilogy with a last trailer before launch is not a bad guess. It'd be very safe, but that might well account for a couple of minutes later today...

Prediction: a last look at Monster Hunter Wilds before release We can also look to confirmed upcoming releases for some clue as to what might be shown in the State of Play later. I'm specifically looking at Monster Hunter Wilds which releases just around the corner on February 28. We've seen a fair bit of the game not long ago given its Beta sessions and the hands-on previews that were , but I reckon we could see one last hype-y trailer for the game on PS5 during today's State of Play.

So, the big question: what do we think we'll actually see tonight? Sony is promising more than 40 minutes of a show that will "celebrate a creative and unique selection of exciting games from studios around the world", which is nice and vague. We're going to start sharing some info on what we can probably expect - absolute certainty isn't a thing, but some things are easier to predict right now, of course - as well as thoughts on what we really want Sony to show off...

What about the potential importance of a February PlayStation State of Play show? Is it usually in Sony's schedule? Well, simply put, yes - though the business has mixed it up occasionally with what it demonstrates. Looking back over the past few years, there's regularly been a State of Play presentation in February or March time - but of varying length and focus. For example, last February we had a Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play in early February dedicated to that one game, but that followed a late January State of Play which showed off loads of games. In 2023, we had a 'normal' State of Play show too. All in all, thus, this State of Play fits with Sony's schedule which explains the level of expectation around it. We're hoping that the content of the show delivers, as that's the ultimate pudding of proof with these events...

First, let's get to the key details of tonight's show, the State of Play start time, and where it's being broadcast. As per Sony's own PlayStation Blog, today's February State of Play will begin at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm GMT / 11pm CET tonight (February 12). This translates as 7am JST or 9am AEDST on February 13 for folks living in those regions. In terms of where you can watch it, the show will be broadcast on PlayStation's YouTube and Twitch channels. Simple!

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The US and UK refuse to sign AI safety declaration at Paris summit

What just happened? A divide emerged between the United States and Europe regarding the regulation of AI at the AI Action summit held in Paris this week. While approximately 60 countries, including China, India, and Germany, signed a declaration to ensure AI is "safe, secure, and trustworthy," the US and the UK notably withheld their support.

Vice President JD Vance cautioned against "overly precautionary" regulations on AI, emphasizing the US commitment to maintaining its dominance in the technology. "The Trump administration will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the US, with American-designed and manufactured chips," Vance mentioned before the assembled crowd of world leaders and tech executives. "America wants to partner with all of you... but to create that kind of trust, we need international regulatory regimes that foster the creation of AI technology rather than strangle it," he added.

The summit declaration calls for "ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all."

Although the commitments are non-binding, the US and UK had previously signed similar declarations at earlier AI summits. This shift signals a potentially more competitive approach to AI development under the new US administration. Vance's speech was "a 180-degree turnaround from what we saw with the Biden administration," Keegan McBride, a lecturer at the Oxford Internet Institute, told the Financial Times.

The UK government released a brief statement saying it had not been able to sign the agreement due to concerns about national security and global governance. "We felt the declaration didn't provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it," a government spokesperson told the BBC. Meanwhile, Downing Street insists its decision was not based on the US shift. "This is about our own national interest, ensuring the balance between opportunity and security," the spokesperson mentioned.

The US stance comes amid increasing competition with China in AI development, including chip manufacturing, foundational models, AI chatbots, and the energy required for supercomputers. The recent emergence of the cut-price AI model from the Chinese research lab DeepSeek, for example, caught Silicon Valley groups off guard.

As for Europe, it is actively seeking to establish a stronger foothold in the AI industry, aiming to reduce reliance on the US and China. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the two-day summit, where European leaders and companies unveiled approximately 200 billion euros in planned investments in data centers and computing clusters to support the region's AI endeavors. "We need these rules for AI to move forward," he presented.

Vance also cautioned countries against entering AI deals with "authoritarian regimes," a veiled reference to China. He warned that "partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure," citing CCTV and 5G as examples of "cheap tech... [was] heavily subsidized and exported by authoritarian regimes."

Concerns were also raised by the US that Current AI, a foundation launched by France during the summit, could be used to funnel money to French-speaking countries.

Frederike Kaltheuner, senior EU and global governance lead at the AI Now Institute, noted that following the launch of the powerful open models from DeepSeek, Europeans felt they had a chance to compete in AI. McBride stated of Vance's speech: "[It] was like, 'Yeah, that's cute. But guess what? You know you're actually not the ones who are making the calls here. It's us."

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