HeyWhatsNew: Mind-Reading Tech Looks for Licensing, Meta Layoffs Continue, and Pokémon Go Fest Global Is Free
Hi there, Heyuppers! In the last week, a lot has happened in the tech and gaming world, so let’s get the gist of it today, starting 28/04/2026.
Regulators Found to Lag Financial Institutions in AI Adoption
The ability of financial institutions to flag and regulate security risks of AI models has been called into question after a survey found that authorities significantly lag financial firms in AI adoption and lack data on emerging harms. Research also showed that financial institutions are adopting AI at more than twice the rate of their supervisors, with just two in 10 regulators reporting "advanced AI adoption".
Earlier in the year, Anthropic released Mythos, which cybersecurity experts said posed significant challenges to the banking industry and its legacy technology systems. The report highlights Mythos as an example of next‑generation systems that could soon exploit software vulnerabilities at scale, potentially limiting existing human governance and oversight mechanisms.
The findings feed into the idea that traditional approaches to oversight by regulators may no longer be sufficient, stating that regulators must adopt agentic AI capabilities themselves, capable of taking actions without human oversight, to match the systems they oversee, to keep pace with the industry.
Neurable Looks to License ‘Mind-Reading’ Technology to Consumer Companies
Neurable, a company specializing in “non-invasive” Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology, has recently announced plans to license its technology to consumer wearables. The company uses a combination of EEG sensors and signal processing to scan a user’s brain activity, analyze it with AI, and provide information about a person’s cognitive performance.
The technology is meant to provide detailed data about how a person’s brain works while they’re engaged in various activities and could be integrated into wearables, such as headphones, hats, glasses, and headbands, to improve product design and user experience across areas like healthcare, athletics, productivity, and gaming.
Valve's New Steam Controller’s Price Raises Eyebrows
Valve’s upcoming Steam Controller has been highly anticipated for some time now. The company announced that the device will be available to order from the 4th of May and will cost £85 in the UK and $99 in the US, a pricing choice that has made quite a few gamers uneasy.
Valve has described the second-generation Steam Controller as having an ergonomic design, programmable buttons, dual touchpads, and expanded connectivity. The controller is also compatible with PC’s and Valve’s handheld console, the Steam Deck.
While most modern controllers charge much higher prices, gamers took to social media to share their hesitation about spending this much money on a product. The rising cost of computer components has also been linked to higher hardware prices across the industry.
Meta Confirms Cutting Off 10% of Workforce
Last week, Meta announced in a memo that the company would be laying off 10% of its workforce as it focuses its budget on more pressing areas, significantly AI development. Roughly 8,000 staff will be fired, and the company will not be filling in the thousands of other open jobs it had been hiring for.
While Meta has already cut around 2,000 workers in two smaller rounds of layoffs this year, employees have been bracing for further cuts. A main reason for the layoffs is the company’s spending on AI, which this year amounted to $135 billion, which is roughly equal to the amount it has spent on AI in the previous three years combined, according to a person who viewed the memo.
The company has also begun to track and log all its employees' interactions with work computers to help train and improve its AI models. According to an employee, this move is almost "dystopian" given the looming layoffs.
Keychron Launches $65 Single-Key Keyboard
Fighting gamer rage can be difficult at times, which is why Keychron went ahead and released a large, single-key device with a mechanical switch, a full metal base, and an 8K polling rate for super-low latency. The Keychron Q0 Mini 8K Action Key is said to offer "endless possibilities," bringing "fun and stress relief while boosting your daily productivity."
The $65 full-palm mechanical keyboard comes equipped with a mechanical switch that occupies 64 times more volume than a regular switch and is compatible with Keychron's QMK and Launcher apps for full mapping configurability. It also runs over USB-C and is said to be compatible with Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
Pokémon Go Fest Global Will Have Free Entry and Mega Mewtwo
The Pokémon Go Fest Global will be taking place on July 11 and July 12 to celebrate the game's 10th anniversary. However, this year, players won’t be required to purchase a paid ticket and can access the event's Special Research with a boosted Shiny rate without charge.
The Go Fest will also be featuring the long-awaited launch of Mega Mewtwo in both its X and Y versions, something that the game has been teasing for a very long time. Mega Mewtwo will be battled via the game's new Super Mega Raids, which require large crowds to defeat.
Players will get a chance to catch Mewtwo and receive either Mega Energy X or Mega Energy Y to Mega Evolve the creature into their Mega Evolution of choice. Before Go Fest Global, the game's usual three regional in-person Go Fest events will introduce Mega Mewtwo early for those who make the journey. This year’s locations include the returning Chicago for North America, Copenhagen in Europe, and Tokyo in Japan.
That’s all for now, Heyuppers! Thank you for tuning in for the latest updates. We’ll be back with more news on the latest and greatest tech developments in the industry soon.
