FTC Settles Over GTA: San Andreas

By Geoff Duncan June 8, 2006

Last year, hidden sexual content in Rockstar‘s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (accessed via the notorious “Hot Coffee” patch) caused an eruption of controversy, resulting in the game losing its ESRB rating, being pulled from retail shelves, and laboriously retooled by Rockstar to remove the content. The process cost the company millions of dollars and ignited a storm of public and political controversy as citizens groups and politicians called for tougher regulation of video games and their content.

Today the Federal Trade Commission announced it has reached a settlement with Rockstar games and Take-Two Interactive. the FTC has declined to fine either company, but has placed both companies on notice and warns that if the companies are again found in violation it would be charged up to $11,000 per incident, which would be more than enough to neatly bankrupt both companies in the case of a popular title like Grand Theft Auto. The FTC also revealed that Take2 has incurred almost $25 million in costs stemming from the recall, relabeling, and retooling of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Game. The companies are also being required to set up a comprehensive system to ensure that all content in an electronic game is considered for review by the ESRB or other rating authorities.

The fact that GTA: San Andrea’s hidden content was revealed only by third party tools doesn’t seem to have been a factor in the FTC’s decision: the fact that the content was present on the shipping version of the game was enough to qualify as misrepresentation. However, other cases may prove more difficult to decide, given that third-party modifications can change some games’ structure and content without the added content having been shipped with the original game, even in hidden form: for instance, the game Oblivion (from 2K Games and Bethesda Softworks) was recently re-rated “Mature” by the ESRB because a third-party modification introduced nudity to the game.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

GTA 5 cheats: codes and phone numbers PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC

The main characters of Grand Theft Auto V stand side-by-side.

A slam-dunk of a game for the talented developers at Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V has been out for several years now, but it’s still an extremely popular title. We’re also guessing there’s some renewed interest in the game because the world knows we’re getting a Grand Theft Auto VI in the somewhat-near future. If you’ve ever played a GTA game, you’ll know the going can get a little tough from time to time. This is why it’s nice to live in a world with cheat codes.

Whether you just want to have a ton of fun with unlimited health and ammunition, or you’re seriously struggling with a certain section of the game, we’ve rounded up all the cheat codes you’ll need to know for GTA V, for platforms including PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC.
How to use GTA 5 cheats
There are a few ways to enter GTA 5 cheat codes. The first and easiest is to use your cellphone. You can open your cellphone by pressing Up on the D-pad. From there, enter the corresponding number, and the cheat will fire. You can also classically input cheats by following a specific button combination. The combinations are the same across PlayStation and Xbox, but we've split them up to account for their different button-naming conventions, so it should feel more natural reading and entering them.
GTA 5 character cheats
Max Health and Armor

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.

Gaming

The wait is over: Hades 2 is out now in early access on Steam

Hades 2 key art from its first trailer.

Hades 2 -- the highly anticipated sequel to a roguelike that Digital Trends considers to be one of the best games of all time -- is out now.

Developer Supergiant Games surprise released the game at 10 a.m. PT on Monday following a positively received Technical Test in April. It costs $30, a price that Supergiant Games says it "may raise" in the future depending on the scope of content added between now and Hades 2's full launch. As for how long that will take, the Steam page says that thegame will "be in Early Access development at least through the end of 2024." Supergiant Games isn't committing to a specific 1.0 launch date at this time.