Fans are slamming Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection on the very first day of its launch because of bugs, glitches, and server issues on multiplayer.

Following its launch on March 14, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection faces negative responses from players, thanks to numerous bugs and evidence of a severe lack of preparation for its online multiplayer services. Available to play on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, the game includes both the original Star Wars: Battlefront and its sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, from 2004 and 2005, respectively, as well as all bonus content released for each. The combined efforts of two popular classics drew much attention– and quickly turned to criticism.

Players are reporting numerous bugs across all platforms, prompting many to seek refunds, reports Eurogamer on March 14. Limited servers have also posed issues to many players, once again across multiple platforms.

Server issues impacted Star Wars Battlefront gameplay from the off

Early reports from users indicated that there were only three servers for Battlefront 2 on PC, each able to support 64 players, meaning a total of 192 players could join at one time. Given that Steam reported 9,232 players at a given moment, joining the dots suggests that hundreds, if not thousands, of players could not join servers.

Players on other platforms reported similar issues of being unable to join multiplayer matches or create their own servers.

Other bugs outside the server included the game crashing entirely or missing cutscenes. After less than one day on Steam, the reviews as of March 14 are deemed ‘Mostly Negative,’ with 1,972 reviews listed already.

This isn’t the first time that game developer Aspyr has had similar snags. When re-releasing Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, players on the Epic Games Store got to play with a “development build with incomplete assets.” At the same time, Aspyr ended up getting hit with a class-action lawsuit after canceling the Restored Content DLC for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 on Switch.

Star Wars gamers are not having the best time of it at the moment, between this and the fact that a first-person shooter based on The Mandalorian was canceled at the end of last month.

Featured image: StarWars.com

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Video game company Gameloft has announced plans to release a Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Bringing together survival, life simulation and action RPG into one game for both PC and consoles, the unnamed Dungeons & Dragons project is the result of a new license between Gameloft and Wizards of the Coast, the IP-holder and a division of Hasbro. It will be set in the mythical Forgotten Realms within the DnD universe.

Players will be able to play through an adventure story backed with plenty of lore from the franchise, with real-time survival elements that promise “a unique campaign of resilience, camaraderie, and danger at nearly every turn”.

No release date has yet been announced for the game, which is still in its early stages – so early in fact that Gameloft Montreal has also announced several job positions opening for the new game.

“We are honored to partner with Wizards of the Coast to deliver a completely new experience in the Dungeons & Dragons universe,” said Lee Kaburis, Executive Producer at Gameloft Montreal, in a press release announcing the new game. “We are all big fans of D&D and are already hard at work bringing our concept to life, including growing our team, and we look forward to sharing more details in the future.”

Dungeons & Dragons video games are on the rise

This isn’t the first instance of such a game, with Hasbro currently working with several different partners to develop video games based on the iconic franchise. The massive success of fantasy games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring in the last couple of years has only encouraged those efforts.

For example, Starbreeze, the studio behind The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Payday 2 and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, announced it was working on a DnD game that’s described as a co-op live service game. A separate VR game from Resolution Games was announced as recently as January 2024.

Several other DnD video game projects have been announced in the last few years but, at the same time, Hasbro also cancelled five DnD video games last year. That means it’s currently unclear which projects are still in active development.

However, Comicbook reported on March 14 that Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks  stated in a recent investor call that the company expected to continue to grow DnD’s video game presence over the next five years.

Featured image: Gameloft

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After Apple Vision Pro’s initial release in the United States, Apple now appears to be preparing to launch in nine other countries.

Apple Vision Pro currently only supports English (US) and Emoji as languages but a closer look at the code that underpins the technology by MacRumors suggests that preparations are underway for 12 new languages coming soon.

Apple plans for a wider Vision Pro launch

This is a vital step to bringing the Vision Pro to new countries. The code appears to demonstrate that Apple is planning to add support for the following languages:

• Cantonese, Traditional
• Chinese, Simplified
• English (Australia)
• English (Canada)
• English (Japan)
• English (Singapore)
• English (UK)
• French (Canada)
• French (France)
• German (Germany)
• Japanese
• Korean

Judging from these languages, the code seems to hint that Apple will launch the Vision Pro in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, as well as possibly Hong Kong and Taiwan.

However, it’s worth noting that this is speculation for now and Apple hasn’t confirmed where it plans to launch the VR headset next. It could easily be that support for wider languages is planned but the device will still only be sold in the United States – although this seems less likely with the inclusion of regional dialects like English (Australia), English (Canada), English (Japan), English (Singapore), and English (UK).

Apple has openly stated that it plans to bring the Vision Pro to more countries later in 2024 but without defining exactly when or where. This comes after the VR product got largely glowing reviews from critics, despite an admittedly slow start during the pre-order phase.

Despite being an impressive product for people who get their hands on it, the high price might be getting in the way of people wanting to try it out, especially considering the steep production cost for the headset.

Featured image: Apple

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The FTSE-100 gambling group that owns Ladbrokes, Entain, has begun to prepare a sale of PartyPoker, in an effort to stall activist investors.

Entain has hired bankers to prepare a sale of PartyPoker as part of its attempts to revive its core operations, reports Sky News on March 12. Advisers from Oakvale Capital are reportedly working on the prospective sale of the online poker business, according to company insiders. The deal is expected to go for roughly £150 million ($192 million).

That’s quite the drop from the £5 billion valuation that PartyPoker’s then-parent company PartyGaming got when it first floated in London in 2005. However, the last 19 years have seen the online poker service lose a huge swathe of its customers.

PartyPoker is considered non-core to Entain’s business, as it also owns British-based Ladbrokes, Coral, and a stake in major US betting company BetMGM, which recently made a push into the UK market. The planned sale comes after Entain has endured pressure and criticism from activist investors that have built up strong positions on its share register.

The company parted ways with former CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen last year and is now headed up by interim chief executive Stella David. Shares in Entain were trading at around 758p on Friday morning, down from 739p on Tuesday morning.

What are activist investors?

Activist investors refer to those engaging in a form of activism where shareholders use equity stakes in a corporation to put pressure on its management. In the case of Entain, these investors are using the methods to express their concern about Entain’s poor performance in its core markets, particularly as regulators have recently tightened regulation on the online gambling industry.

These investors have also voiced grievances with management’s costly deals, which could account for why the sale of PartyPoker is now on the table. No official reason has yet been stated as to why Entain is considering and reportedly preparing for the sale of the online poker company.

Featured image: Entain

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Wearable ring Oura has introduced new pregnancy features in a bid to help pregnant people understand the changes their bodies go through.

It’s no secret that wearables have made health monitoring an everyday habit for many, from smart watches to smart earrings – and now it can help people stay informed throughout pregnancy too. On Tuesday, March 12, Oura Ring launched Pregnancy Insights, with data and in-app education to walk people through each trimester. It was developed by a team of scientists, led by Neta Gotlieb, PhD, women’s health product manager and clinical research scientist at Oura.

“Pregnancy is one of the most physiologically significant events in many members’ lives,” Dr. Gotlieb said. “Our goal with this feature is to equip our pregnant members to better know their bodies and take care of their health accordingly. And we’re just getting started — we’ll continue to iterate and develop this feature based on our members’ input.”

What pregnancy features does Oura Ring offer?

Oura Ring users can turn on Pregnancy Insights in the new Women’s Health settings in the menu at the top left of the home screen or opt-in after tagging a positive test in their tracking.

From then on, users can track their gestational age (meaning how far along they are in their pregnancies) and get weekly updates on physiological changes they can expect. For example, people can expect to see their resting heart rate spike after conception, and then drop off. Levels of restless sleep while pregnant can also be compared to those of other expectant people.

Pregnancy Insights also offers in-app content on topics related to bearing a child, based on population-level data and peer-reviewed research. These are general trends and user data may deviate from the patterns you see in the Pregnancy Insights content.

“Although we can characterize the physiological pattern for most pregnancies, every person and every pregnancy is unique and deviations or fluctuations are not necessarily a negative sign,” Dr. Gotlieb explains. “If you have questions about your individual pregnancy, it’s best to speak with your OB-GYN.”

Oura also states that minor fluctuations are normal and advises users to monitor long-term trends using the data provided by the wearable ring.

Featured image: Oura Ring

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As US lawmakers approve a bill that could see TikTok banned, China warns that such a ban would “come back to bite” America.

March 13 saw the House of Representatives voting on a bill that could result in TikTok being banned in the US within six months, unless the Chinese-owned app severs its ties with China. The US is the country with the largest TikTok audience by far as it stands, with almost 150 million users engaging with the popular social video platform – a substantial audience that the company, Bytedance, will not want to lose.

Concern around TikTok from US officials has been a long-standing issue, with fears around data protection and child safety on the app at the forefront. However, Bytedance has always defended the app’s safety regulations.

What happens next with the TikTok bill?

The bill, under the official name of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. It will now head to the Senate and, if it has enough support there, go on to President Joe Biden in the White House to sign it into law.

Before the House of Representatives vote, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin maintains that the US has “never found evidence that TikTok threatens national security.”

“This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts companies’ normal business activity, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order,” Mr Wang stated.

“In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself.”

Ironically, as with other global social media platforms, TikTok is banned in China. Chinese users can access a similar app called Douyin, however, only available in China and subject to monitoring and censorship by the government.

Featured image: Ideogram

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After an open beta last year, Warner Bros.’ MultiVersus has an official release date for the free-to-play game.

Warner Bros.-owned Player First Games has announced that MultiVersus will return in full from May 28, 2024. Spanning multiple franchises (and not the only one of its kind making the news recently), the fighter game has been developed using Unreal Engine 5, headed up by director Tony Huynh.

Player First Games plans to share more specific details ahead of MultiVersus’ May release, but it’s confirmed to be accessible via Steam and the Epic Games Store on PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

“The team has heard your feedback, we’ve learned a lot from our open beta,” Huynh said in a video announcement. “From day one, we set out to make a game that not only packs a punch but makes a mark on the game genre we love.”

What’s new in MultiVersus after the open beta?

Those ‘learnings’ mean that the game will undergo a few changes in pursuit of “an improved gameplay experience.” This includes a new Player-versus-Environment complete with its own rewards, new fighters joining the multi-IP library, and new stages based on “reimagined universes and environments.”

Player First Games pulled the game offline after the beta to make those changes. After racking up 20 million players by September 2023, there has been a 10 million player increase since August. It was the most played game on Steam for several weeks, and therefore, pulling the game entirely didn’t go down well with many players.

Now, however, the game is on its way back, and if last year’s promises are to be believed, “all progress and previously earned or purchased content will carry over.”

New threads for launch. What ya think? #MultiVersus pic.twitter.com/BgqIJV5yKZ

— MultiVersus (@multiversus) March 11, 2024

Featured image: Warner Bros. Games

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The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are working with gaming community platforms to track ‘extremist content’.”

Thanks to a new government report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), it’s been revealed that the FBI and the DHS are working with gaming companies like Roblox, Discord, Reddit, and others. These platforms share the ability for members to interact with one another and create group chats or discussion threads at will.

“The FBI and DHS have some tools for sharing information with and receiving information from social media and gaming companies on threats related to domestic terrorism,” reads the report. “But neither agency has developed strategies and goals related to such information-sharing efforts.”

The GAO recommended in January 2024 that the two organizations develop stronger strategies in this area as part of wider efforts to counter ‘violent extremism.’ While gaming companies often have mechanisms to track and prevent extremism within their communities, the GAO reports recommend that this should also lie with national security agencies.

Even after the earlier recommendation, the GAO report highlights that the two agencies have further to go.

“The FBI and DHS have been taking steps to engage with social media and gaming companies to share information on threats related to domestic violent extremism,” the conclusion reads. “However, the FBI and DHS have not developed goals and strategies related to these information-sharing efforts.

“By establishing program goals and strategies, the FBI and DHS can help ensure that the mechanisms align with and serve the agencies’ overall missions.”

What counts as extremist content?

Within the report, the impact of ‘violent extremism’ in gaming communities is highlighted, reading: “Domestic violent extremists have used online platforms to recruit followers, plan and rally support for in-person actions, and disseminate materials that contribute to radicalization and mobilization to violence, among other purposes.”

Both the FBI and the DHS have teams dedicated to tracking activities of both “lone offenders and small groups of individuals” who the report states are “often radicalized online and “motivated by a mix of ideological, socio-political, and personal grievances.” The GAO reports describes such circumstances as “one of the most significant terrorism threats.”

In essence, it seems the national security agencies are looking for anyone with radicalized views on any topic that could expand into violence, either online or in real life.

Featured image: Pexels

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Ready Player One author Ernest Cline is heading up his latest project, a multiverse game that involves Web3.

The product of game studios Walker Labs and Readyverse (of which Cline is one of the co-founders), the game is called Open and has been revealed in the form of a short trailer. It’s unclear whether the clip is of actual gameplay or more to give a flavor of the style, but it depicts a silver-haired person walking through a grungy warehouse. They get to an old computer screen that reads, ‘Are you ready?’ before it lights up in a colorful, gas-like portal.

Complete with “nostalgia-infused biomes”

The game is described as an “immersive multiverse filled with nostalgia-infused biomes featuring characters and cultural legends across iconic franchises.” So far, Rock Paper Shotgun reports that the only IPs confirmed amongst those “iconic franchises” are Reebok, the DeLorean car, and Ready Player One.

The idea of incorporating content and characters from multiple franchises in one game is not all that new. Indeed, Fortnite has been doing it since 2018, the first time it teamed up with the MCU in its season 4 collaboration. Since then, Fortnite has a seemingly endlessly expanding library of collaborations that spawn skins, builds, and weapons pulled from dozens of other IPs — even expanding to ancient topics like the Greek Gods.

What is relatively unusual, however, is that Open is described as involving Web3 in some way, a new version of the web that involves decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics. The main appeal for many tends to be its decentralized nature, meaning individuals can identify themselves without a governing authentication system.

How to try out the game for yourself

While there’s no release date yet confirmed for Open, you can already sign up to the waitlist if it sounds up your street. Otherwise, the details for the upcoming game are thin on the ground, with a website dotted with stars on an all-black background.

Featured image: Walker Labs / Readyverse

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The showdown between Apple and Epic Games has started up once again with the news that the iPhone maker has terminated the game developer’s account.

The first few months of 2024 have been littered with gauntlets being thrown down between two long-feuding giants, Fortnite developer Epic Games and tech giant Apple. Starting with Epic Games CEO Time Sweeney accusing Apple of acting in a “devious” manner in January, this was then followed by a tenuous truce when Epic Games returned to iOS, at least in some regions.

Now, however, the relationship has taken a turn for the worse as Epic Games shares that Apple has terminated its developer account. This reverses the return of Epic Games to Apple devices in the EU.

According to the game developer, Apple’s lawyers sent a letter stating Epic Games Sweden’s developer account would be terminated in a move that Epic describes as a “serious violation of the DMA” in a company blog post.

“In terminating Epic’s developer account, Apple is taking out one of the largest potential competitors to the Apple App Store,” reads the article. “They are undermining our ability to be a viable competitor and they are showing other developers what happens when you try to compete with Apple or are critical of their unfair practices.

“If Apple maintains its power to kick a third party marketplace off iOS at its sole discretion, no reasonable developer would be willing to utilize a third party app store, because they could be permanently separated from their audience at any time.”

Why did Apple terminate Epic Games’ account?

According to Epic, Apple stated the reason for the terminated account was because the game developer publicly criticized its proposed DMA compliance plan, citing this X post from this thread written by CEO Tim Sweeney.

“Apple is retaliating against Epic for speaking out against Apple’s unfair and illegal practices, just as they’ve done to other developers time and time again,” wrote Epic.

In response to Epic’s blog post, Apple shared the following statement with Tech Crunch:

“Epic’s egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate ‘any or all of Epic Games’ wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games’ control at any time and at Apple’s sole discretion.’ In light of Epic’s past and ongoing behavior, Apple chose to exercise that right.

“The company also told us its right to terminate Epic’s account is based on the September 2021 judgment which resulted from Epic’s litigation against Apple. This judgment stated that “Apple has the contractual right to terminate its DPLA with any or all of Epic Games’ wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games’ control at any time and at Apple’s sole discretion.”

Apple went on to add that Epic Games Sweden entered into the Apple Developer Progam License Agreement via a click-through agreement, therefore not requiring any executive review by Apple at the time.

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EA CEO Andrew Wilson believes generative AI could offer ‘deeper, more immersive experiences’ within the company and the wider industry in the next five years.

In a speech at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday, March 6, Mr Wilson touched on the potential impact of generative AI in game development. The EA boss highlighted that advancements in such technology are allowing his company to create personalized content faster and more efficiently.

As a result, this rapid development paired with “deeper, more immersive experiences” will, according to the CEO, lead to significant audience expansion in the next five years, reports Techraptor.

Generative AI in gaming

At EA, Mr Wilson said that the teams are embracing the growth of generative AI, in an industry where many fear their jobs will be replaced with AI.

“Part of the process is how do we get our people to embrace [generative AI] and for creators of games, this is incredibly exciting,” he continued. “The ability to get to the fun faster and get to market faster is the Holy Grail for them.”

The gaming CEO used the example of building an in-game sports stadium to illustrate the point. Something that used to take six months now can be achieved in just six weeks. Down the line, this could even be reduced to six days. 

Looking at specific games, FIFA23 has 12 run cycles for how players can move. Already, EA Sports FC 24 has 1,200 options, created by generative AI.

“What we’ve seen every time there’s been a meaningful technological advancement in media and in technology, where you can democratize an industry and hand it over to the population at large, incredible things happen,” Mr Wilson said.

“Once you give that to the world where you have three billion players around the world creating personal content and expanding and enhancing the universes that we create, and building and creating their own universe on our technology platform, all of a sudden we are the beneficiaries of platform economics.

“For me, that’s a multi-billion dollar opportunity for us in addition to what we would otherwise get from our regular growth.”

Featured image: EA

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When people refer to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, they may be referring more specifically to generative AI which is exploding in popularity and usage.

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is a term used to encompass deep-learning language models that generate text, images, videos, and other content using external prompts. They use the datasets they learn from to create various forms of content, ranging from short poems to long articles.

The topic of generative AI came to the fore with the wide release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool, bringing generative AI to the general public at large. While this might have been the first form of generative AI that many people had come into contact with, it certainly wasn’t the only one to hit the market.

There are now dozens of different ways that generative AI can be accessed, with almost every major tech company releasing its own versions, whether that’s Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s massive investment in OpenAI, Github’s GitHub Copilot, and plenty more besides.

Before generative AI became synonymous with chatbots, it was also being used in statistics. It is an enormously helpful tool for analyzing numerical data, being able to quickly read through and identify patterns and trends. It was the growing strength of deep learning that made it possible to use the same technology for images, speech, and other complex data types.

The very first type of this new class of generative AI was introduced in 2013, known as variational autoencoders VAEs). These were widely used for generating realistic images and speech. Over time, the tools were fine-tuned to create ever more realistic images, sounds, and writing.

Introducing Sora, our text-to-video model.

Sora can create videos of up to 60 seconds featuring highly detailed scenes, complex camera motion, and multiple characters with vibrant emotions. https://t.co/7j2JN27M3W

Prompt: “Beautiful, snowy… pic.twitter.com/ruTEWn87vf

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 15, 2024

How does generative AI work?

The definition of generative AI means that the tool is turning raw data (which can be anything from a quick prompt to scanning the entirety of a Wikipedia page) into output. The machine learning element means that the AI is learning what kind of output would be most likely, based on the data that it has access to. It cannot truly create anything new; genuine creativity still remains with living creatures alone.

However, it can create fresh pieces of output that are inspired by or similar to what it’s learned from, without it being a direct copy. Generally speaking, a prompt is given in any format, whether that’s text, an image, a video, a webpage, or any other input that the AI system has learned to process. It then uses its internal AI algorithms to create new content in response to the prompt, based off patterns it’s learned.

Digging into the deeper technology required, generative AI tools will usually combine several algorithms to process content. The input given will then be transformed into raw characters, such as turning paragraphs into basic letters, punctuation, and words or images into distinct visual elements. These basic characters are then encoded as vectors, something that the AI can use to create fresh output.

Bias in generative AI

It’s worth noting when explaining generative AI that this process of teaching language models can expose the possibility of teaching AI models human biases. If there is bias in the original data, whether unconscious or otherwise, that bias will show up in the output later created.

In real-world terms, this has resulted in AI creating images or text that have inaccurate identities or references in them. As just one example, Google recently had to shut down its image-generation tools within Gemini because of historical inaccuracies showing up in its results.

Is the United States a better place to live compared to Nazi Germany? Google Gemini says no. pic.twitter.com/kQTJMZW8a3

— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) February 27, 2024

Generative AI criticism

This is not the only form of criticism leveled at generative AI. Artists of various different disciplines have complained that deep-learning models are ‘stealing’ from human-made art. After all, as established above, generative AI can’t learn from anything.

The data used to ‘teach’ AI models is usually sourced from artistic work. Legally, this must be artwork that is open to the public, but that hasn’t stopped people from resenting the fact that AI images can other forms of output can be created instantaneously, seemingly off the backs of human artists.

How to generate AI images

If you want to try out AI image generation for yourself, there are plenty of tools to choose from. Many graphic design tools, including Adobe, Pixlr, and Canva have incorporated generative AI into their offerings, but some dedicated tools get the job done as well. These include:

• Open AI’s DALL-E 2
• Imagine
• Midjourney
• Stable Diffusion

Of course, tools like these aren’t free, with all requiring a paid subscription in order to use them. Midjourney is included in ChatGPT’s $20 monthly subscription, DALL-E with the ChatGPT Plus plan for $20 per user, Stable Diffusion’s Basic plan starting at $27 per month, and Imagine starting from as low as $3 a month.

Once you have access to your tool of choice, you can start straight away. Most generative AI tools appear much like a chatbot, with a dialog box where you can type in your prompt. Getting the best out of your tool requires some nifty prompt use but it’s worth noting that the model will quite literally learn as it gets to know you.

You can ask it to tweak images as you go, remaking the same image in different styles or altering specific areas of the image. Every tool is different in the level of changes you can make, but most offer some sort of tool where you can pick out individual elements that can be altered in different iterations.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Following the launch of the PlayStation 5 Slim in November of 2023, console fans haven’t wasted any time in trading rumors about a possible PlayStation 5 Pro that’s rumored to be on its way this year.

As the name would suggest, the PS5 Slim was a smaller, lighter console that still packed a punch, offering increased storage and a detachable disk drive to boot. However, that’s nothing when compared to the potential power of the rumored PS5 Pro. Based on what we know so far, here’s a closer look at the PlayStation 5 Pro release date, the specs, and the possible price.

When is the PlayStation 5 Pro release date?

After a substantial leak we have a pretty good idea when the release date of the PlayStation5 Pro will take place.

According to claims, Sony plans to unveil its mid-cycle console upgrade in time for the upcoming 2024 holiday period at the end of the year.

A document obtained by YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead unveils several crucial specifications for the highly anticipated new console. It indicates that the Pro model will feature significant enhancement in graphical performance, boasting rendering speeds up to 45% higher than the current PlayStation 5. The prediction has since been backed up by several other gaming media outlets.

What is the PS5 Pro price?

Much like the release date, much of the chatter around a potential PlayStation 5 Pro price is speculative. However, this isn’t the first time Sony has released a Pro console following a Slim version. The company did just that back in 2016 with the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Back then, the Pro console cost $100 / €50 / £50 more than the Slim version. By that logic, we might expect the PlayStation 5 Pro to cost in the region of $599.99 / £529.99 if we just hike up the Slim’s price of $499.99 / £479.99. However, consoles, in general, were less expensive back in 2016. For a 2024 console, it’s possible that the console could be even more expensive, reaching over the $600 mark.

Sony might also employ a price hike for the PS5 Slim, perhaps dropping the price of the PS5 baseline down to $399 for the disk version and $49 for the disk-based SKU to $449. Adding $100 on top of that to account for the PS5 Pro would settle it at around $549.99.

Of course, we won’t for certain until we get a formal reveal from Sony. However, it does give you a rough idea of what to expect to pay for the rumored console.

What are the PlayStation 5 Pro specs?

An area where there are more industry rumors to go on is specs. The ‘Pro’ in PlayStation 5 Pro means we can likely expect some beast mode power to come. It’s reported by industry sources via the YouTube channel RedGamingTech that the PlayStation 5 Pro will feature eight-core Zen 2 CPUs (clocking in at 4GHz), an RDNA 3 GPU at 2.8 GHZ, and 16GB of 18,000 MT/s GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 587 GB/s.

That’s a pretty significant upgrade to the Slim, which boasts a still-respectable eight-core custom AMD Zen 2 at 3.5GHz and AMD RDNA 2 at 2.23 GHz – although the same memory stats. All in all, it would represent a decent boost in performance.

Specifically, image quality is believed to be a major focus for the PlayStation 5 Pro, with gaming insider Tom Henderson writing on Key to Gaming that he had heard the new console would “[target] improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution” and “a new ‘performance mode’ for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing.”

Currently, no games support 8K resolution, but this would mark Sony’s continued futureproofing for when that’s the norm that started with the baseline PS5.

Hypebeast also reports that the PS5 Pro will be kitted out with Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)-style technology developed in-house by Sony. Developed by Nvidia, DLSS refers to a family of real-time, deep-learning image enhancement and upscaling technology that offers another level of visual quality, only available via Nvidia’s RTX line of graphics cards. With the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, it seems that Sony might be coming out with its own proprietary technology to rival that of its competitor.

In practical terms, these tech boots would result in a clearer, faster experience for PS5 Pro gamers. Faster memory and CPU clocking speeds would reduce the slow load times many PS5 critics complain about.  Games could load near-instantly, perhaps offering a chance for the PS5 Pro to copy a feature from the Xbox Series X/S known as ‘Quick Resume.’ The console allows multiple games to be suspended at once, so players can quickly jump from game to game, returning directly to where they left off rather than clicking through the traditional start screen.

Featured image: Sony

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Google has established its very first Asia-Pacific cyberdefense hub in Tokyo, with rising concern about threats from China and others in the region.

On Thursday, the US-based company opened a new facility, which aims to promote research on countering cyberattacks and act as a base for training regional cyberdefense officials. Google plans to work closely with relevant government officials, companies and universities in Japan, reports Nikkei on March 7.

The announcement comes alongside the backdrop of rising concern about cybersecurity in the region, in particular with regard to China but encompassing unauthorized access to government and company networks from anywhere in the world. Japanese authorities have echoed Google’s concerns about the potential for cyberattacks.

Washington has previously openly warned that China represents “the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat” to its government and private sector in an unclassified report shared to the public.

This facility, dubbed the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, will be the first of its kind in the region.

How will Google’s new cyberdefense facility work?

With the core goal of boosting cyberdefenses in the region, Google plans to invite engineers from India, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries to study how to combat cyberattacks. The tech company will reportedly not receive any compensation for the joint research.

The opening of the new facility comes somewhat full circle for the company, seeing as Google founded its first overseas location in Japan all the way back in 2001.

Writing in 2022 when the company announced plans to open its first Japanese data center in 2023, CEO Sundar Pichai spoke at length about Google’s desire to work with and invest in Japan and its innovation possibilities.

“Something that’s always inspired me on my visits to Japan is how people of all ages are using technology to improve their lives and help others,” he wrote. “Our goal is to ensure everyone benefits from the innovation happening in Japan.”

Featured image: Ideogram

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Apple has reversed its plans to restrict access to certain web apps in the EU

A few days after the EU announced it would investigate Apple’s plans to restrict access to certain web apps that circumvent its App Store, the tech company is now reversing that course of action. In an update to a developer support page, as reported by 9to5Mac, Apple says it will “continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU” in iOS 17.4.

Apple maintains that home screen apps will still need to be used by its own Safari engine, WebKit. Any apps downloaded from third-party browsers will likely not appear on the home screen and may not be supported by their own engines. According to Apple, functionality should return when users update to iOS 17.4 in early March.

Apple claimed that the decision to restrict access to web apps (also known as PWAs) was in response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). PWAs allow companies to develop apps accessible as webpages, appearing as an icon on a mobile user’s home screen. Therefore, These can be downloaded without accessing traditional app stores, which Apple reasoned that non-Safari browsers could pose unacceptable security and privacy risks under the DMA.

Apple vs the EU

This isn’t the first time that Apple has gone up against the EU. In the past, the company has resisted regulations such as universal chargers and other digital market regulations.

In this case, Apple has stated that it’s reversing the decision after it “received requests” to continue supporting the feature, reports the Verge. While it’s unclear where these requests came from, Apple’s statement that it would drop web apps drew criticism from developers and users alike. For example, the nonprofit organization Open Web Advocacy wrote an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook in regard to the move.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Spotify is journeying into mystical new areas with an in-app version of a Magic 8 Ball.

Spotify is well-known for its quirky features, whether that’s wrapping up your year in Spotify Wrapped or the rumored increasing use of AI in song recommendations. Spotify’s new feature, Song Psychic, can apparently answer your questions with a simple song response. Users can ask questions, either written themselves or via prompts within the app, and get an answer in song form.

The song itself, the artist, and the album cover appear on your screen, with the option to click through and listen to the song if you choose. If not, you can revert back to the home screen and get the answers to more of your most burning questions.

Spotify users are taking to X to share examples of some of Song Psychic’s answers. Check out a few clips of the new feature in action below, ranging from fairly predictable to pretty downright bizarre.

How to try out Spotify’s Song Psychic

To try the new feature out for yourself — head to this webpage and scan the QR code. This will open Song Psychic in the Spotify app.

You’ll be presented with several categories, ranging from friends & family and love to career and style. Once you’ve picked the right topic for your question, you can either type in a question of your own or pick from one of the app’s many prompts.

After a few seconds of deliberating, where you’re left staring at a psychedelic screen, Song Psychic will return with a song that answers your question. It’s a fun little feature but does seem to be a bit repetitive. We tried out five questions and got Lorde’s Green Light three times. Of course, it’s an easy way to say ‘go ahead’ or ‘yes,’ but we don’t think it’s necessarily based on some sign from the greater powers that be out there.

Featured image: Spotify

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Microsoft Edge has reportedly pulled its latest update, as users experience significant issues with the web browser.

The most recent update to long-term Google Chrome competitor Microsoft Edge (122.0.2365.63) has seemingly broken the browser, with many users reporting that the browser is virtually unusable. Following the update, the bug appeared, meaning Edge couldn’t load websites, producing an error message that ‘this page is having a problem’ or that there is ‘not enough memory to open this page.’

It didn’t just affect webpages but also some “in-Edge” features, including the Settings panel, bookmarks, or even just a new tab. This left the browser almost entirely unusable. For those whose browsers update automatically, it’s left them without access to Edge’s services without any warning.

Some users find a fix for the browser issues

Luckily, some users think they’ve found a fix, as reported by Tech Radar. However, it only really helps those who haven’t experienced the glitch yet, as it involves accessing Settings that are currently inaccessible — thanks to the bug.

If you’re in that lucky group, open Edge’s Settings, go to ‘Privacy, search and services,’ then scroll down to the Security box (nearly at the bottom), find the ‘Enhance your security on the web’ option, then turn it off. This should mean you don’t experience the same issues.

However, some users have stated that this fix didn’t prevent the issue. What’s more, there’s a reason that Edge’s enhanced security is applied as standard – for security. Turning it off leaves browsers potentially vulnerable to malicious actors online.

Bleeping Computer also reports that Microsoft has rolled back the recent update, presumably to patch the bug. That means when the update is re-released, it will be bug-free and revert people’s browsers back to complete working condition. There’s no word from Microsoft when to expect this at the time of writing.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Ukrainian YouTuber Olga Loiek spotted AI clones of herself selling Russian goods on Chinese social media.

In her spare time, 20-year-old Olga Loiek studies cognitive science at the University of Pennsylvania, uploading videos to YouTube about mental health and her views on the world. Not long after her channel began, she started receiving messages from followers saying they had seen her on social media.

To them, she appeared not as Ukrainian Olga but as a Russian woman who spoke Mandarin and was enthused about China, seeking to marry a Chinese man. This Russian version of her goes by several names, including Natasha, Anna, or Grace, depending on what platform you see her on.

However, this avatar has nothing to do with Olga herself. Instead, it’s an AI-generated clone based on her image and used without her consent.

AI clones are used to sell goods

In some of these videos, the clones will seek to sell Russian goods to China, while in others, they promote Russia and China’s national ties. Many of them spent time praising Chinese history and culture or talking about how Russian men want to marry Chinese women and how she herself wants to marry a Chinese man.

“If you marry Russian women, we will wash clothes, cook, and wash dishes for you every day,” one avatar said. “We will also give you foreign babies, as many as you want.”

As a Ukrainian woman and in the current climate where Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2022, Olga has spoken to broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) about how ‘violating’ the experience has been.

“I started translating the videos with Google Translate, and I realized that most of these accounts are talking about things like China and Russia and how good the relationship between China and Russia is,” she said. “This feels very violating.”

“This is probably used to make people in China feel that foreigners feel that their country is superior.”

When Olga and her followers complained to Chinese social media sites, such as HeyGen and Douyin, several videos were taken down. However, this issue doesn’t end there, indicating a broader problem around the lack of provision to prevent people’s images from being used to feed generative AI tools. With a recent study showing that AI faces are more convincing than real ones, the risk of people believing such content is real is high.

Featured image: Olga Loiek

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RPG Honkai Star Rail is known for its distinctive banners, so here’s a look at what’s coming up in the schedule.

The banner system in incredibly profitable Honkai Star Rail involves trading in Star Rail passes for the chance of getting banners featuring the best and brightest of the Honkai Star Rail characters. There’s a wide range of characters that are set to be featured, including:

• Acheron (five-star character – Lightning, Hunt)
• Aventurine (five-star character – Imaginary, Preservation)
• Gallagher (four-star character – Fire, Abundance)
• Screwllum (four-star character – Imaginary, Erudition)
• Firefly (five-star character – Quantum, Harmony)
• Sam (five-star character – Fire, Destruction)
• Yae Sakura (five-star character – Ice, Hunt)
• Phoenix (five-star character – Fire, Erudition)
• Setsugekka (five-star character – Ice, Erudition)
• Fenghuang (five-star character – Fire, Abundance)

Specifically, the next Honkai Star Rail banner is expected to feature the five-star character Acheron (Lightning, Nihility) on her debut banner. She should be partnered with a rerun of Fu Xuan (Quantum, Preservation) on her ‘Forseen, Foreknown, Foretold’ banner. Both banners will comprise the first phase of Honkai Star Rail 2.1 and be available from Wednesday, 27 March.

Also coming up soon is the ‘Brilliant Fixation’ light cone banner, starring Along the Passing Shore, Achero’s signature five-star light cone, and the ‘Bygone Reminiscence’ light cone rerun banner, including an increased drop rate for Fu Xuan, Fu Xuan’s signature five-star light cones.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 banners

Marking a new era of Honkai Star Rail banners, the Honkai Star Rail 2.1 banners will likely feature the five-star characters Acheron (Lightning, Nihility) for the first phase of the update and Aventurine (Imaginary, Preservation) for the second.

PCGames also reports that the four-star character Gallagher (Fire, Abundance) is believed to be about to make his debut in the second banner phase of the 2.1 update.

The exact details of the banner 2.1 update will be confirmed in the Honkai Star Rail 2.1 live stream, including the defined drop rates. However, rest assured that the drop rates will almost certainly be increased for a selection of four-star characters. It’s updates like these that earned Honkai Star Rail as one of the Apple App Store’s top apps of 2023.

Featured image: HoYoverse via IGDB

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Images created by artificial intelligence (AI) are notoriously bad at creating text – but that could be about to change with the release of Ideogram 1.0.

Dubbing itself ‘the most advanced text-to-image model’, Ideogram has raised $80 million in Series A funding, announced as the startup releases it’s first version of its text-to-image generation platform and new subscription model to the public.

With new generative AI tools launching all the time, having something to stand out in the crowded world of AI images is vital. Indeed, DALL-E recently took steps to protect its own work in an ever-bigger market.

One of the main selling points of Ideogram is its ability to generate text within AI-generated images, something other models often struggle with. AI-generated text on images will often appear as incomprehensible symbols or at best nonsense words in random orders.

However, Ideogram appears to be able to generate legible, relevant text within images, something that helps it stand out against its competitors. Ideogram suggests that its text-rendering capabilities could be used to create personalized memes, posters, and designs for any number of slogan products, such as T-shirt designs, birthday cards, logos and more.

Introducing Ideogram 1.0: the most advanced text-to-image model, now available on https://t.co/Xtv2rRbQXI!

This offers state-of-the-art text rendering, unprecedented photorealism, exceptional prompt adherence, and a new feature called Magic Prompt to help with prompting. pic.twitter.com/VOjjulOAJU

— Ideogram (@ideogram_ai) February 28, 2024

Another feature Ideogram is promoting is its Magic Prompt option, which helps users write detailed prompts for their images. It appears to work much like a chat assistant, offering advice on how to fine-tune your prompts.

How does Ideogram work?

Just like DALL-E, Midjourney, and other AI text-to-image generators, users type in prompts to Ideogram and then click ‘generate’. The tool then delivers four images within 30 seconds, each offering a different interpretation of the given prompt. Subscribers can then download and freely use the images, or tweak and generate new image batches until satisfied.

You need an account to use Ideogram, with the free account offering 100 images (the equivalent of 25 prompts) per day. The basic account costs $7 a month, increasing your number of daily images to 400, PNG-quality images and 1600 priority-generation images per month. For $16 a month, you get unlimited daily images and 4000 priority-generation images a month. All three plans have no restrictions on what you can use the images for.

Featured image: Ideogram.ai

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