Pelican Press

1 Year Later, I’m Yet to Enjoy the Advantage Todd Howard Claimed Starfield Has Over Skyrim and Fallout 1 Year Later, I’m Yet to Enjoy the Advantage Todd Howard Claimed Starfield Has Over Skyrim and Fallout After years of anticipation, Bethesda’s Starfield debuted in 2024. The gigantic-space RPG was the company’s first new intellectual property in 25 years, and a lot is going behind it to be something special. Upon its release, the game was met with a positive reception, but that reaction didn’t last long as players felt the game lacked a soul. Starfield was supposed to be Bethesda’s redemption game. (Image via Microsoft) Todd Howard and his team didn’t give up on the space RPG, though. In the last year, the team has brought various updates and even a full-fledged DLC for the game. However, amidst all that, I would like to ask where Starfield‘s “handcrafted planets” were supposed to give it an edge over Fallout and Skyrim. Todd Howard Didn’t Deliver on Yet Another Thing With Starfield Ahead of Starfield‘s release, many gamers were concerned about how Bethesda would use procedural generation technology. People felt that most of the game’s planets would be procedurally generated and wouldn’t feature the handcrafted content of the company’s other popular RPGs, such as Fallout and Elder Scrolls. However, Todd Howard came out and confirmed that won’t be the case. It was stated that with more than 1000 planets for gamers to explore across the Milky Way galaxy, Starfield brings out the largest interactive spaces in the company’s catalog. Howard stated that even though they’re procedurally generated, Bethesda has developed and handcrafted a lot of them and put in more work compared to the studio’s previous titles. We’ve done more of it than we’ve ever done However, I’d like to disagree on this one. Going into the game, I was lured by Howard’s promises and expected to see a truckload of awesome locations, enemies, and quests, especially those in high-level areas, but that wasn’t the case. When I explored Starfield‘s various star systems, I came across just a handful of “unique” handcrafted locations. Even these didn’t feel like they had much work put into them and simply didn’t compare to what we had seen with Skyrim or Fallout. It genuinely feels like you’re walking into a procedurally generated simulator; you wouldn’t want to see these areas time and time again. It’s clear that Howard and his team opted for the quantity over quality approach. Whether that’s positive or negative depends on the individual player. But I feel like if Bethesda had focused on diverting its resources on ten-hand-designed planets, the game would’ve felt alive and stood out among its competitors. It’s disappointing how Howard handled this title, considering it was his childhood dream. Starfield Doesn’t Deserve a Sequel or Further Development Recently, an ex-Bethesda developer stated that Starfield is now part of the company’s big three, right alongside the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises. Even Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed that he wants the IP to have the same longevity as Skyrim, a game that’s still enjoyed to this day. With these things in mind, it’s quite clear that top executives want Starfield to continue with another entry, and while the details are still scarce, I don’t think the game deserves such a treatment. It’s not just me; even the Steam reviews prove my point. Starfield doesn’t offer engaging characters or fun mechanics. All this game really brings to the table are boring planets and temples, disappointing space travel, and a ******* storyline. I genuinely don’t think this game justifies the massive investment Bethesda has put behind it, and it’s a sinking ship the longer it goes on. What doesn’t make sense to me is why Starfield is preparing for the sequel treatment while Microsoft continues to ******* other studios. The tech giant murdered smaller studios like Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin to focus on high-budget Bethesda games. Disappointing triple AAA titles such as Starfield continue to dominate the industry unfairly and consume resources that could’ve gone towards supporting smaller and more innovative studios. Despite making massive hits, games from such small studios don’t get sequels because of financial risks. Meanwhile, mediocre titles from Bethesda continued to get funded because of its brand, whatever is left of it. It’s a really big issue in the gaming industry. Independent developers continue to suffer, and companies just want maximum profit maximization, ruining gaming for us. With that said, do you think Starfield is Bethesda’s biggest ********? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Year #Enjoy #Advantage #Todd #Howard #Claimed #Starfield #Skyrim #Fallout Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA Complains That Its Spacesuits Are a Decrepit Mess NASA Complains That Its Spacesuits Are a Decrepit Mess Hand Me Downs NASA’s spacesuits, which its astronauts use to venture outside the International Space Station, are really starting to show their age. In June, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson was alarmed to discover water squirting from her spacesuit and covering her visor with ice, forcing the agency to call off the planned spacewalk. In the same month, NASA called off yet another spacewalk due to a “spacesuit discomfort” issue plaguing NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. The space agency’s extravehicular mobility unit (EMU), essentially a self-sufficient spacecraft in the shape of a bulky spacesuit, dates back to the early 1980s and hasn’t seen any major updates since the late 1990s. The latest design, which was first flown in 1998, was meant to last 15 years, meaning that the suits currently being used are far beyond their intended shelf life. “None of our spacesuits are spring chickens, as we would say, and so we will expect to see some hardware issues with repeated use,” Dominick, who returned to Earth last month after spending more than half a year on board the ISS, told reporters last week, as quoted by Space.com. Following Suit After what Dyson called getting “an arctic blast all over my visor,” NASA officials said the issue had been corrected. Dominick, who was meant to accompany Dyson during the fateful spacewalk, reiterated that during any spacewalk, the stakes are incredibly high. “It’s one of those things that we are always at every second — or every point in a process — ready to stop, or ready to turn in another direction, or work a contingency procedure,” Dominick told reporters last week. “And that is exactly what we did.” Meanwhile, the pressure on NASA to introduce a new and updated spacesuit is growing. The space agency chose two private space companies to develop new spacesuits in 2022, which would not only allow astronauts to perform spacewalks outside of the ISS but also walk on the Moon. One of those companies, Collins Aerospace, backed out of the deal this past summer. But the other one, Axiom Space, appears to be making steady progress. Last month, the firm showed off a suit designed to protect astronauts during NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, the first planned lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, which is tentatively scheduled for 2026. But even Axiom Space is facing some serious financial trouble. As Forbes reported in September, the startup has been struggling to pay the bills and ***** off at least a hundred employees. Even the space station itself is looking worse for wear. Cracks and leaks affecting the Russian segment of the aging International Space Station were deemed a “top safety risk” by NASA’s inspector general earlier this year. Officials have warned of the “possibility of a catastrophic ********” — a worrying sign that the station’s days could soon be numbered years, even before it’s scheduled to be deorbited. More on space suits: The Company NASA’s Hired to Build the Next Space Station Seems to Be in Big Trouble, ******* 100 Employees and Unable to Pay Bills Source link #NASA #Complains #Spacesuits #Decrepit #Mess Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Valve Lead Writer Openly Declaring Half Life 3 Won’t Happen is a Good Thing Valve Lead Writer Openly Declaring Half Life 3 Won’t Happen is a Good Thing It’s quite hard to believe, but Half Life 2: Episode 2 debuted almost 17 years ago, and that’s a long time for fans to wait for a Half-Life 3 title in this legendary series. Even though Half-Life: Alyx was an incredible return to the series’ world, the fact that it was limited to VR led to a split within the community. Valve doesn’t have any plans of bringing Half Life 3. (Image via Valve) So, for the most, it’s been nearly two decades without the once-most-hyped sequel of all time. At this point, players would be better off moving to another series as Valve itself doesn’t have any intentions of crafting a third entry in the franchise, which could prove to be a positive thing in the long run when you think about it. Valve Doesn’t Want to Make Half Life 3 and That’s Good If you’re a fan of the Half Life franchise, you probably know about the series’ co-creator writer Marc Laidlaw. He’s the one responsible for bringing the first two entries into the franchise. However, he quietly retired from his position at Valve back in 2016. The chaos of the gaming industry was too much for him, and he wanted to work on more self-directed writing projects. In an interview with Arcade *******, Laidlaw opened up about the glory days of the franchise and his thoughts on the future of Half Life. When asked whether or not the long-awaited Half Life 3 would ever hit the shelves, the series writer stated that he doesn’t know and wouldn’t return to the studio either to work on the game. No idea. And I have no interest in going back. I had ideas for Episode 3. They were all supposed to take the series to a point where I could step away from it and leave it to the next generation. Laidlaw explains that he had multiple ideas for a third entry in the franchise, and they were going to take it to a point where he could leave it to the next generation. However, it seems like his ideas never came to fruition as Valve hasn’t bothered touching the IP in years, and that’s arguably for a good reason. We all love the Half Life franchise because it brought something new to the table and left a mark on the gaming culture. If Valve tries to tie up the loose ends at this point, it could prove to be a disaster as the game simply wouldn’t be able to match the astronomical player expectations set by its previous entries. Going back to the franchise after such a long silence could end up harming it, especially if Valve can’t innovate or produce something similar again. Valve itself has a weak track record in the last couple of years. Counter-Strike 2 still lacks the major update it needs, and the studio has outright abandoned Team Fortress 2. Who knows if Valve can really even make a quality Half Life 3 anymore? Just like some classic books and films that are remembered for knowing when to conclude, the Half Life franchise might be better off by remaining a masterpiece than a disaster. Laidlaw Regrets Publishing Half Life Episode 3 Story Laidlaw shares his biggest regret with the Half Life franchise. (Image via Valve) If you’re out of the loop, back in 2017, Laidlaw decided to put the “Epistle 3” story on his own website. The unofficial tale came right around Episode 2’s anniversary and was told by someone called “Gertie Freemont” with casual references to “Alex Vaunt,” which were alleged references to Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance. In an interview, Laidlaw stated that he shouldn’t have hit the publish button for this story ever. Even after the writer opened up about his passion and regrets over the Half Life series, he believes that the decision might have caused trouble for his colleagues over at Valve. I was living on an island, totally cut off from my friends and creative community of the last couple decades, I was completely out of touch and had nobody to talk me out of it. It just seemed like a fun thing to do, until I did it. In the end, Half Life continued in some form with 2020 release of Half Life Alyx, though it wasn’t the Episode 3 or another full-fledged entry that players were chasing. With that said, do you think Valve needs to make Half Life 3? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Valve #Lead #Writer #Openly #Declaring #Life #Wont #Happen #Good Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Top Senators call for federal probe into Musk’s contact with ****** Top Senators call for federal probe into Musk’s contact with ****** Two top Senate Democrats have called for a federal investigation into Elon Musk’s reported contacts with Russian President Vladimir ****** and his top aides. The senators have urged the Pentagon and the Justice Department to determine whether the conversations, which the Kremlin has denied, should force a review of the federal government’s contracts with Musk’s company, SpaceX. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the world’s richest person has had “multiple, high level conversations” with ****** since 2022 while also sustaining contact with other top Russian officials. Musk wrote on his X platform on Friday that he’s “going to find out who’s making these accusations and ***** them”. In another post, he slammed the two Democrats – Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Democrat on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees – as “puppets” and “knuckleheads”. The pair of Democrats sent a letter on Friday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Defence Department Inspector General Robert Storch raising “serious questions regarding Mr Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and a [security] clearance holder”. The Donald Trump ally currently benefits from billions of dollars in US defence and intelligence contracts, and also claims to hold a top secret level security clearance. “Russia’s ambitions in the space domain pose a direct threat to US national security,” Reed and Shaheen write, pointing to reports earlier this year that the US adversary has deployed a counter-space ******* that may be capable of attacking other satellites in low-earth orbit. The senators note that, unlike others with high-level security clearance, Musk does not report his contacts with foreign government officials. They add that the billionaire’s communications with ******’s deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, comes amid a Justice Department finding that Kiriyenko and other top officials were involved in an effort to seed Kremlin *********** on social media, including on the Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) platform. “For these reasons, we urge an immediate review to ascertain whether Mr Musk’s relationship with multiple high-level Russian officials warrant an investigation and a determination by the Department of Defense’s senior debarment official whether SpaceX should exclude Mr Musk’s involvement in current or future US Government contracts,” Reed and Shaheen write. Musk, who backed Trump’s successful 2024 re-election bid with campaign appearances and millions of dollars in donations, was picked by the president-elect earlier this week to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency”. But he has also participated in the incoming president’s diplomatic efforts. Musk joined phone calls over the past week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The BBC’s US partner, CBS News, reported on Friday that he also recently visited the residence of Iran’s ******* Nations ambassador in New York. Washington does not have diplomatic relations with Tehran. Source link #Top #Senators #call #federal #probe #Musks #contact #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

1 Hated ****** Ops 6 Skin is Becoming the Sole Reason Everyone Wants to Skewer Activision 1 Hated ****** Ops 6 Skin is Becoming the Sole Reason Everyone Wants to Skewer Activision Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 launched to widespread acclaim, a rare achievement for a franchise that often finds itself in the crosshairs of criticism. For a moment, it seemed like Activision had finally cracked the code, delivering a game that balanced nostalgia with innovation. Sike, we’re back at it again. | Image Credit: Activision But as Season 1 rolls out, a familiar controversy has emerged. The game’s carefully crafted atmosphere, which earned praise for its return to the gritty, clandestine roots of the ****** Ops series, is being challenged by something that has players questioning whether they’re still playing the same game. And this time, it’s not just the usual suspects complaining—even the game’s staunchest defenders are raising their eyebrows at what many are calling a betrayal of the series’ identity. ****** Ops 6 Season 1: A Dragon in Soldier’s Clothing The arrival of Season 1 in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 and Warzone has brought with it a cosmetic that’s causing more than just a visual disturbance. The Dragon Knight skin, complete with particle effects and glowing green flames, has become the poster child for everything players ***** their beloved military shooter is becoming: Comment byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion inpcgaming The criticism isn’t just about aesthetics. Players complain that the skin’s elaborate effects are actually impacting gameplay, with some even reporting frame rate drops and visibility issues. It’s a problem that becomes particularly acute in the game’s more competitive modes. What’s particularly frustrating for many players is that this comes just weeks after ****** Ops 6 was praised for its authentic military aesthetics and attention to detail. The campaign’s portrayal of covert operations and the multiplayer’s initial focus on tactical gameplay had given fans hope that the series was finally moving away from its carnival-like cosmetic choices. And while some might argue that Warzone has always had its share of outlandish cosmetics, there’s something about this particular skin that feels like a step too far—to kick off the first season with: Comment byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion inpcgaming Even fans of other games known for their creative cosmetics are pointing out the fundamental difference in approach: Comment byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion inpcgaming The community’s reaction has been swift and decisive, with many veteran players threatening to abandon the game until something changes. It’s a situation that perfectly illustrates the growing disconnect between player expectations and corporate strategy. The Solution Nobody Will Get As if all the ranting is actually going to change something. | Image Credit: Activision The community has proposed what seems like a reasonable compromise, though anyone familiar with the industry can probably guess how this story ends: Comment byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion inpcgaming But as that reply suggests, the likelihood of Activision implementing such a feature is about as high as finding a friendly player in a hot drop. The reality is that these cosmetics represent a significant revenue stream for the company. The irony isn’t lost on players that ****** Ops 6, a game that launched with marketing focused on “The Truth *****” and a return to form, has so quickly embraced the very elements that many felt were diluting the series’ identity. For now, it seems players will have to accept that their military simulator might occasionally feel more like a fantasy RPG. At least until the next controversy comes along to make us nostalgic for the days when a glowing dragon was our biggest concern. What’s your take on the Dragon Knight skin? Do you think Call of Duty has gone too far with its cosmetics, or is this just the natural evolution of modern gaming? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Hated #****** #Ops #Skin #Sole #Reason #Skewer #Activision Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

England 49-49 Jamaica: Hosts draw series opener after late drama England 49-49 Jamaica: Hosts draw series opener after late drama England had to settle for a tie in their opening Horizon series match against Jamaica in Manchester after a dramatic last-second goal denied them victory. Sunshine ****** shooter Shanice Beckford scored in the final second to clinch a 49-49 draw after England had led for three quarters. The Roses had stretched a six-goal lead at half-time, but the visitors rallied in the final ******* to capitalise on mistakes from their hosts. The second match in the inaugural four-match series is on Sunday at 14:00 GMT and will be available to watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. The return matches will take place in the Jamaican capital Kingston on 25 and 26 November. Jamaica had not played a full international test match since the 2023 World Cup, where they finished third, but disrupted the Roses’ flow in the opening quarter and were level at 13-13 after 15 minutes. England were more controlled in the second quarter and Helen Housby sunk a last-second long shot to the delight of the home crowd and open up a six-goal lead at half-time. Imogen Allison and Funmi Fadoju were effective in defence but often struggled to prevent the ball coming in to 6ft 4in shooter Romelda Aiken-George. Head coach Jess Thirlby made changes throughout the third quarter but the visitors tightened up in defence and closed the gap to just three to set up a tense final *******. Jamaica then took the lead halfway through the final quarter, before a vital interception from captain Fran Williams allowed England to move ahead. But, in a frenetic final few minutes, both sides struggled to take the ball to goal with defensive brilliance on display at both ends. Fadoju made two decisive interceptions in the final two minutes, before Shamera Sterling stepped in to **** the ball away from England’s Lois Pearson with seconds on the clock. Aiken-George missed the resulting two shots, though, before Beckford gathered the rebound and scored to tie the match. England, who moved up to second in the world following the series win over New Zealand in October, are without shooter Eleanor Cardwell through injury while Natalie Metcalf is also missing after announcing her pregnancy earlier this month. Source link #England #Jamaica #Hosts #draw #series #opener #late #drama Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rate of Human Development First Slowed Down 1.77 million Years Ago Rate of Human Development First Slowed Down 1.77 million Years Ago The pace of human physical development is slower than that of other primates, meaning that it takes us longer to move from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Scientists have long believed that this is related somehow to the complex nature and large size of the human brain, which takes more time to mature in harmony with the human body. There are questions about how early the ancestors of modern humans (***** sapiens) started physically maturing at a delayed rate, in comparison to their primate cousins. In a new study just published in the journal Nature, a team of ********* scientists presents evidence that suggests delayed growth in the human evolutionary line first appeared in approximately two million BC, or at least 500,000 years earlier than previously believed. “We show that the first evolutionary steps towards an extended growth phase occurred in the genus ***** at least 1.77 million years ago, before any substantial increase in brain size,” the study authors wrote in their Nature article. The intriguing new discovery is significant, because it does not support the idea that human physical growth slowed in conjunction with increased development in the brain, at least not in the earliest stage of the process. Signs of Delayed Childhood at Dmanisi The scientists involved in the newly published study studied ancient skeletal ******** recovered in eastern Europe, specifically in central Georgia at a prehistoric archaeological site near the city of Dmanisi. In this case it was the fossilized teeth of an ancient hominin child that produced the evidence of delayed growth in archaic humans, which the scientists obtained using sophisticated x-ray imaging technology to count growth lines on the 1.77-million-year-old specimen’s molars. The Dmanisi specimen was found in 2001, and its ******** included a skull and jaw with several teeth still in place. Paleoanthropologists Christoph Zollikofer and Marcia Ponce de León from the University of Zürich and paleontologist Paul Tafforeau from the ********* Synchrotron Radiation Facility used synchrotron power to secure the high-resolution x-ray images of the dental growth lines, which showed the child had ***** between the ages of 11 and 12. Dentition of Dmanisi skull D2700/D2735. a–c, Computed tomography (CT)-based visualization of the skull and associated teeth showing right lateral (a), frontal (b) and left lateral (c) radiographic projections. d,f, Occlusal views of reconstructed mandibular (d) and maxillary (f) dentition (green, highresolution PPC-SRµCT of isolated teeth used for microstructural analyses; orange, medium-resolution PPC-SRµCT of teeth in place, not included in microstructural analyses; red, low-resolution scans (medical CT, not included in analyses); light blue, missing teeth mirrored from preserved antimeres; dark blue, missing mandibular first incisors, reconstructed from second incisors). e, Frontal view of the skull. Scale bar, 5 cm ((Vincent Beyrand and Paul Tafforeau, ********* Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France/Nature) The researchers analyzed stress lines on the ancient teeth, caused by illness or a lack of food, to see how the various teeth in the child’s mouth grew in relation to each other. By doing this they were able to determine that the Dmanisi child kept its baby teeth longer than most primates during the first five years of its life, which is the same pattern observed in modern humans. But the child then experienced more rapid growth in the molars between ages six and 11, this time matching the growth patterns of a modern chimpanzee. What happened during the first five years was most significant, because it represents the oldest example of a slowdown in the rate of hominin maturation ever found in the fossil record. Notably, this particular hominin species possessed a brain that was similar in size to that of a chimpanzee. While the brain’s developmental pace may have been accelerating by this time, its size and complexity were still far from that of modern humans. “One of the main questions in paleoanthropology is to understand when this pattern of slow development evolves in [our genus] *****,” explained Alessia Nava, a bioarchaeologist from Sapienza University in Rome who was not involved in the new study, in an interview with Science. “Now, we have an important hint.” Researchers first became aware in the 1930s that humans mature more slowly than other apes. A common theory has been that our ancestors experienced a change in the rate at which their children reached maturity because of the nature of their brains. Slower physical growth would have been more naturally in synch with the construction of a more complex brain, since children who matured physically before their brains could catch up would have been mentally unprepared to survive on their own. On the other hand, an extended childhood would have allowed them to stay in a safe and protected environment for a longer ******* of time, giving their brains time to grow and develop and adapt to the challenges of an independent ****** existence. To uncover the truth about human evolutionary development in this regard, scientists frequently perform studies on fossilized hominin teeth, which tend to preserve better than bones. Permanent molars in particular are useful, since they produce growth rings just like trees, which can be correlated with the passage of time and the development of the body as a whole. What such studies have revealed is fascinating. For example, it seems that the teeth of one Australopithecus afarensis toddler, who came from a distant human ancestor that lived 2.4 million years ago in Ethiopia, grew teeth as rapidly as a modern chimpanzee. But by 1.2 million years ago another human ancestor species, ***** antecessor, was producing children whose teeth grew much more slowly (meaning their kids were taking longer to reach adolescence and adulthood). The Dmanisi youth whose dental ******** were examined in this new study has provided fresh and revealing information about what was going on in the ******* between 2.4 and 1.2 million years ago, suggesting that key developments were taking place over an extended ******* of time. Creating a Support Structure for a Longer Childhood According to the researchers, the Dmanisi child would have depended on adults for food and other types of care for many years after weaning. Excavations at Dmanisi have shown that the archaic hominin adults who lived there used stone tools, butchered meat, and cared for the elderly, despite having brains that were only a bit larger than those of chimpanzees. This was likely linked to the slowing of childhood development, the researchers suspect, since tool use, meat eating, and the development of a social structure that cared for the vulnerable would have made a longer childhood more viable in the Dminisi society. This wouldn’t have directly caused childhood development to slow down (evolution doesn’t work that way), but it would have enabled such a thing to happen naturally over time. A group of ***** erectus sharing food with an old and toothless individual who lived several years without teeth, an altruistic behavior associated with the early humans discovered at Dmanisi. (Mauricio Antón / Nature) But regardless of the reasons, what this new discovery shows is that an increase in brain size and complexity was not the reason why childhood in human ancestors first started getting longer. This may have been a factor later on, but at least 1.77 million years ago the extension of childhood in human ancestors was apparently disconnected from brain development. Top image: X-ray views of the skull and dentition of a young individual of early ***** from Dmanisi, Georgia. Source: Vincent Beyrand and Paul Tafforeau, ********* Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France/Nature By Nathan Falde Source link #Rate #Human #Development #Slowed #million #Years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nintendo’s Switch 2 Could Be Doomed Even Before Release As Possible Tariffs Could Hike Prices Massively Nintendo’s Switch 2 Could Be Doomed Even Before Release As Possible Tariffs Could Hike Prices Massively As Nintendo reportedly gets ready for the release of its Switch 2 console, the import tariffs proposed by U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump earlier this year during his campaign trail could have major repercussions. The Nintendo Switch 2 is knocking at the door. | Credit: Nintendo. Although the exact release date of Nintendo’s Switch replacement is still unknown, indications suggest that it will happen in 2025, and Trump’s proposed tariff policies may result in significant price increases for the product in the US market. Trump’s Policies May Raise the Cost of Switch 2 Donald Trump’s new policies might pose a problem for the Switch 2. | Credit: Gage Skidmore/Licensed Under CC-BY-SA-2.0/Wikimedia Commons Nintendo stated in early May that the Switch 2 console would be unveiled by March 2025 at the latest. Although Nintendo has not yet confirmed the rumors, several industry insiders had already conjectured that the console would be released in March 2025 before that announcement. With that deadline approaching, some in the industry are worried about the price of the Switch 2 due to Trump’s proposed tariff policies during his campaign, which include a 20 percent tariff on all imported goods and tariffs rising to 60 percent for products coming from China. Regarding the tariffs, industry insider Jeff Grubb has voiced concerns about the possible price of the Switch 2 release in the event that the proposed tariffs are implemented. “There’s a lot of ins and outs, but mostly just think of it this way: everything is going to be taxed as it comes into the country, and that cost will get passed onto consumers,” he stated in a recent video. Tariffs are levied by the government against businesses that import goods from other countries. They can be used to both increase government revenue and discourage businesses from using goods made abroad. Nonetheless, there is growing concern that importers will raise the price of the goods they sell to offset the fees they are required to pay, making them more costly for consumers. What Is the Future of the Switch 2? Nintendo Switch 2’s price is going to soar. | Credit: Nintendo. At this stage, concerns regarding the Switch 2’s launch price are purely hypothetical. Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20, which is over a month ahead of the Switch 2’s earliest possible release date. A few votes from the opposing party could thwart any of Trump’s future plans for the nation, even though his *********** Party is predicted to maintain slim leads in both chambers of Congress. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to impose tariffs, but the legislature has a history of giving the president the authority, so it’s unclear if Trump would be able to do so without the legislature’s consent. How the Switch 2 will be categorized is another issue. The nation from which goods are imported could have a significant impact on the rate at which tariffs are applied, according to Trump’s earlier remarks. Despite being a ********* company, Nintendo’s campaign trail claims are ambiguous and do not clarify whether a particular chip or other component of a product could have an impact on the overall tariff percentage of the product. A 60% tariff passed directly to consumers could push the price of the Switch 2 closer to the $800 range, according to an industry analysis conducted by Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda prior to the election. Source link #Nintendos #Switch #Doomed #Release #Tariffs #Hike #Prices #Massively Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

After the blaze: A year on from devastating Wanneroo bushfire we’re yet to learn preparedness lesson After the blaze: A year on from devastating Wanneroo bushfire we’re yet to learn preparedness lesson Standing at the end of his driveway, Rod Chapman could see he’d lost everything. The ***** was still blazing around him as he sneaked back to his property against advice because he “couldn’t wait a second longer” to see if he could salvage anything from the wreck of the house that had been his family’s home for 29 years. His home in Mariginiup , about 35km north-east of the CBD, was one of 18 lost in the devastating bushfire that hit Perth’s northern suburbs last November. It’s a day neither he — nor those who fought the blaze — will ever forget. “I was at work when we got the call,“ he said of the *****’s genesis. “I was monitoring it on the computer with my daughter — who was still at home — and watching it. And although it hadn’t turned red on the screen, you could quickly see that the orange was getting *******. “So we locked up the business and left to go.” But by the time the Chapmans reached their suburb it was already too late for them to get on to their property, and within minutes their daughter had been forced to leave, carrying with her nothing but her **** bird and cat and a few small personal items. Her parents had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Camera IconRod Chapman. Credit: Laura Newell Of the items lost in the blaze, it is the videos and photos of their daughter Lauren, who ***** in a horseriding accident on the property when she was just nine, that Rod and his wife Di mourn the most. “We lost everything that we had associated with our daughter,” Rod said. “Unfortunately, most of the photos and videos we had were not digital. So pretty much, from the point of view of memorabilia, we lost everything. And I think that was probably the hardest thing for us to get through.” First reported about 1pm on November 22, the ***** was later found to have been sparked by a lightning strike which ignited underground peat — partially decayed vegetation. It would go on to ***** through 1900ha within four days with a perimeter of more than 64km — destroying 15 commercial properties and 18 homes, and damaging 75 structures on 46 properties as it went. It took more than three months to fully extinguish. But it all started out as a column of smoke, as Department of ***** and Emergency Services district officer Shaun Champ, one of the first on the scene, remembers well. “We got a report of a ***** just after one o’clock . . . myself and the Wanneroo chief bush ***** control officer happened to just be finishing a meeting and noticed a large column of smoke,” he said. Camera IconThe ******** of the Chapman family’s Mariginiup home, as of October 24, 2024. Credit: Laura Newell/Laura Newell “The conditions of that day were not ideal. They were quite extreme. It was close to 40 degrees with easterly winds — we get our worst ***** behaviour from generally the east.” The fierce winds — gusting at up to 70km/h — and an unusually hot and dry start to summer saw that column of smoke from the Gnangara pine plantation rapidly turn into a ******, with walls of flames up to 30m high. Spot fires were breaking out up to 1km ahead of the front, until by dusk it was bearing directly down on thousands of suburban homes in Tapping and Banksia Grove. DFES superintendent Metro North Coastal Clint Kuchel was the incident controller for the blaze. Even he was surprised by the speed with which it travelled. “The weather conditions were terrible,” he told The Sunday Times. “And not only that, that was exacerbated by the lack of rainfall through the preceding winter and the hot summer before that — it hadn’t rained . . . which really dried the soil, dried the fuels, and made the conditions really ripe for a spark or an ignition source of some type, and then those hot easterly winds to whip up the ignition and push the ***** at a rate of knots. Camera IconDa Vinci Park after the ***** swept through. Credit: Daniel and Laura Newell/The Sunday Times “For me, having many years in the industry and seen a lot of fires, this one was different — the speed of movement through the wind and the dry fuels. It was a high, high rate of spread. “(But while) the ***** was moving very quickly, it was also moving through land use that would normally have an impact in slowing it down. “So coming out of the remnant State forest, the remnant pine trees . . . moving through horse paddocks with grasses that would normally slow it down. It didn’t slow it down. Moving into market gardens, which you would expect are green and irrigated, we were expecting that to slow it down. It didn’t slow down. “The radiant heat, the flame and the spotting meant that the ***** had generated its own momentum . . . was moving much quicker and moving through all of those areas very quickly that we would expect might slow it down or change its behaviour in some way.” It’s gut-wrenching to go back and see what’s left of the place. But there was an unusual saviour on the horizon — Pinjar Road lay between the ***** and more densely packed city suburbs. “That was a significant break for us,” Mr Kuchel said. “It’s a double lane, with a median strip and then it goes to built-up areas. “As the fuel profile changes from bush to built up, so do our strategies, and so some opportunity does come with that because that discontinuous fuels means there’s less immediate fuel to *****, and it gives us an opportunity to put some control around it.” While firefighters were focused on bringing the monster under control, thousands of residents were heeding DFES’ call and rapidly evacuating the area, with the red “emergency warning” zone covering Mariginiup, half of the suburbs of Banksia Grove, Tapping and Ashby, and vast swathes of Sinagra, Carramar, Melaleuca and Wanneroo. Camera IconThe Mariginiup/Wanneroo bushfire in November 2023. Credit: DFES/DFES And the end was far from sight, with twists and turns to follow over the next five days which kept residents as far away as Hocking on their toes. The ***** was, Mr Kuchel said, an incident “up there” with some of the worst he had fought — including the Yarloop-Waroona blaze of 2016. “The bushfire behaviour through here was extreme,” Mr Kuchel said. “Twenty to 30-metre flame heights. It had already progressed nearly 10km in about six hours by the time it got to (Pinjar Road). “It’s something you can’t (understand) until you’ve experienced it: the wall of flame, the speed of movement. Our crews were in it, living it, trying to do the best they could to protect the community. “This was (also) unusual in that it moved in and really came up hard against that built-up area in Tapping around Pinjar Road, which, again, as I mentioned before, changed the ***** behaviour. “There’s an opportunity that comes with that, but there’s also risk . . . And as incident controllers and as firefighters, we need to understand what that means for us to to get ahead of the operational tempo.” True to Mr Kuchel’s word, they worked to get ahead of it, with an estimated 1500 career fireys, volunteers, community organisations and government agencies all coming together to aid the efforts. “Some of the night shifts alone, early on, there were over 250 people on the fireground,” Mr Kuchel said. “It’s an incredible thing to think that 1500 people can come together in two to three days, with a common purpose. it’s an incredible commitment by community members, by volunteers and by the people we serve, together, to make sure that the best outcome for the community in what were extreme and trying conditions.” He was joined in his praise of the community response by city of Wanneroo mayor Linda Aitken. “Clint (Kuchel) said he has never known a community in a situation like this to be so respectful and work together,” she said. “Normally, they get very ****** and because they feel threatened. “But the whole time, my focus was on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is a safe place to put your head and food for your tummy, and then we will look after the rest. Camera IconThe Mariginiup/Wanneroo bushfire in November 2023. Credit: DFES/DFES “And then, as the community was secure in that they will have a safe place to sleep and for their families to sleep, and that their animals would be looked after, and they would have food . . . they were better resourced to be able to deal with the trauma or the response to what they’ve been through from being evacuated.” Ms Aitken said it was obvious how tough the conditions were for firefighters, who came to support the Wanneroo crews from all parts of WA, when they would come into the evacuation centre for meal breaks. “It was big for them. It was huge,” she said. “But I suppose the biggest thing is there’s none of this bravo stuff. They’re the silent, strong achievers. They come in filthy, they sat down and got their meals. “They were from Gnowangerup, they were from the hills, they were from down south, they were from up north, country areas, regional firefighters — and they all came to Wanneroo to help us in our situation. It was really, really amazing.” By November 25, the wind had eased in what Ms Aitken called “a miracle”, and the picture of the devastation left behind by the blaze became clearer. She was invited to take to the skies in a DFES chopper to assess the damage. “That was quite shocking to see what had been burnt . . . it was quite hard. Horrific to see what had been lost around the lakes, and it was just ******,” she said. Camera IconClint Kuchel in Marginiup in October 2024. Credit: Laura Newell She also felt the loss more personally, watching as friends were told they, too, had lost their home. “I’ve got some personal friends of mine that we’ve known for about 30 years, and they have four children, the youngest graduated Year 12, just after the fires — and they lost everything, absolutely everything,” Ms Aitken said. “When you hear the story and you grieve for them and you empathise with what’s happened, and then you support them, and you just watch as people walk through this and they grow from it.” A year on, the Chapmans are also looking to the future. But it won’t be back at their Mariginiup property, which Mrs Chapman still can’t bring herself to visit. “It was an amazing place to live,” Mr Chapman said. “You are only 30 minutes from the heart of the city, and yet you could have been anywhere, you know, and wake up every morning, walk outside, see the birds. Listen to the birds chirping. “This time of the year that’s coming up in the warmer weather, you see the reptiles slithering around the place and . . . you felt that you were in your own little paradise. “(Now) every time you go there, you just feel your guts drop, you know. It’s gut-wrenching to go back and see what’s left of the place. “I’m fortunate in the sense that I had a level of insurance that wasn’t as high as it should have been, but was certainly enough for us to be able to move forward with our life. “We had really, really great years out there, but, you know, the fires sort of brought us back to the situation where we’ve got to be positive and look at what lays ahead as a new beginning. “I have another little property up the coast so we’re going to actually start our next stage up there. Although we think it may never happen, I assure you, it can. “I feel for those that didn’t have enough insurance, and I know that there are a number of them, but we’re very lucky that we did have enough, that we’ve been able to get ourselves organised and move forward.” So what have the lessons been from this blaze? Have we learnt to take the risk of bushfire in our inner suburbs more seriously? And what are we expecting this year? According to the Bureau of Meteorology, our weather conditions remain extremely dry, so the threat of ***** in our suburbs is still very high, yet many are still lagging behind on preparedness. Camera IconThe Mariginiup/Wanneroo bushfire in November 2023. Credit: DFES/DFES “People think bushfire only occurs in the hills,” Mr Kuchel said. “But last year, our first lot of bushfires for the high-threat ******* happened in Bold Park, in Kings Park. We then had fires in Star Swamp, The Spectacles. “So just because you’re not in a perceived bushfire-prone area doesn’t mean you’re not exposed to bushfire in WA. “I think those that experienced the (Wanneroo) ***** have a greater appreciation of what it’s like to have lived through an experience like that. Unfortunately, from a broader community point of view, I’m not sure it shifted the dial. “Our research has identified that very few people have actually done the work and spent that 15 minutes to build that bushfire plan. That’s unfortunate, but because we know we’re in a bushfire-prone area. “I don’t think we can be complacent. I think we need to understand the alerts. I think we need to understand what it means to actually be prepared, not to wait until the ***** is on your doorstep. “That’s not the time to start thinking about what you might do.” He’s joined in that message by Mr Chapman, who speaks from bitter experience. “Don’t underestimate the likelihood that a ***** could impact you,” he said. “Be very conscious of the environment that you’re in and how much native vegetation there is around you, and be sure to take the necessary precautions to protect your property. “Because although we think it may never happen, I assure you, it can.” Source link #blaze #year #devastating #Wanneroo #bushfire #learn #preparedness #lesson Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Season 1 Battle Pass Was Just Revealed and ****** Ops 6 Players Are Disappointed Season 1 Battle Pass Was Just Revealed and ****** Ops 6 Players Are Disappointed Many ****** Ops 6 players had nothing but bad words upon seeing the Season 1 Battle Pass. Do you agree with them? Source link #Season #Battle #Pass #Revealed #****** #Ops #Players #Disappointed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Matt Gaetz ‘Pull Out’ Remark Derails MSNBC: ‘I Just Threw Up’ Matt Gaetz ‘Pull Out’ Remark Derails MSNBC: ‘I Just Threw Up’ MSNBC’s The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle. Stephanie Ruhle was saved by an ad break when a segment about Matt Gaetz’s attorney general nomination went off the rails in fits of laughter. President-elect Donald Trump announced Gaetz as his attorney general pick on Wednesday, despite an investigation into Gaetz’s alleged *****-use and **** scandal with an underaged girl. In light of the allegations, a comment about “pulling out” quickly derailed Friday’s 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle. The MSNBC panel debated how likely Gaetz would be confirmed for the role, with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate expected to take umbrage with his nomination. “One game plan was to put somebody out there that even Republicans would resist to make it easier for some of the other appointments that are less than illustrious to get through,” explained MSNBC creator Tom Rogers. “That may be a good strategy here.” He added, “I’m not sure they’ll stop any of them. If they do stop any of them, they’ll stop Gaetz. And I think it makes it more likely others will be approved.” The rest of the panel offered their own theories, with some suggesting Trump offered Gaetz the role in order to have a loyal yes-man in the Department of Justice—a department he’s had plenty of difficulty with in the past. Former New York Rep. Max Rose said he thinks that Gaetz has no chance of being attorney general, but would instead step back from the role and use his anti-establishment image as fuel to run for governor in Florida. “I do agree. He will probably have to pull out.. excuse me, that’s a bad choice of words,” said Rogers, before being interrupted by a cry of laughter. Ruhle covered her face as she laughed, with the rest of the panel cackling on while Rogers attempted to move the convo forward. “He will have to pull out before there’s a hearing, I think. I think this is not going to be something that goes over well,” Rogers reiterated over giggling from the panelists. Ruhle put a stop to the disorder–potentially and threw the show to commercial. “I just threw up in my mouth, so we have to go to commercial,” she said as the panel was overcome with laughter again. Source link #Matt #Gaetz #Pull #Remark #Derails #MSNBC #Threw Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Half-Life TV Series: 10 years Ago, Bryan Cranston Would’ve Been the Perfect Gordon Freeman Half-Life TV Series: 10 years Ago, Bryan Cranston Would’ve Been the Perfect Gordon Freeman Video games have proven to be a great medium for telling complex and intricate narratives. One of the best examples is the Half-Life series, the sci-fi series from Valve that follows the story of Gordon Freeman, a scientist whose ******* experiment unleashed a deadly alien invasion on the planet. With the recent surge in live-action video game adaptations, Half-Life should be one of the top candidates as well. Andrew Garfield could be the perfect fit for the iconic role of Gordon Freeman. | Image Credit: Valve However, the real challenge with any adaptation is casting the right actor for the various characters, especially the main protagonist. While Bryan Cranston would have perfectly fit the bill as Freeman, he’s now too old for the role (68 years old). With him out, there is another promising candidate, MCU star Andrew Garfield, who can bring the emotional depth and physicality needed for the role. Andrew Garfield Would be the Perfect Choice for Half-Life’s Gordon Freeman In various movies, Andrew Garfield has showcased his ability to capture emotional depth while maintaining a compelling physical presence. This quality alone makes him an excellent choice for the role of Gordon Freeman. But his role as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise showcased his ability to convey emotional vulnerability, intelligence, and a lot of inner strength. These qualities are essential for playing the character of Freeman. Just like Peter Parker, Freeman is an intelligent person who often ******** silent and operates in the background. However, due to an unexpected turn of events, both characters are forced to witness and be part of extraordinary things. Unlike the web-slinging superhero who is trying to keep the streets of New York ******-free, Freeman faces an intense internal battle as he navigates the wreckage of ****** Mesa and the alien-infested world around him. The character’s journey is filled with complexity, resilience, and the ability to survive, all the traits Garfield can portray. Beyond Spider-Man, Garfield has demonstrated his range in films like Hacksaw Ridge, where he portrayed a determined yet vulnerable hero, and Tick, Tick… *****!, where he showcased his ability to convey a wide range of emotional states. These performances highlight his ability to portray the complex role of Gordon Freeman, a character defined by quiet resilience and inner turmoil. Half-Life Has A Legacy Worth Honoring Live-action adaption of a complex narrative presents various significant challenges. | Image Credit: Valve Half Life is more than just a video game, it has become a cultural phenomenon. Gordon Freeman is one of the most beloved characters in gaming history, and any adaptation, especially live-action, would need to honor both the narrative and the character himself. While live-action adaptations such as The Witcher, The Last of Us, and others have proven that they can be successful, it’s still a delicate balancing act. The biggest challenge with any adaptation is staying true to the source material while making it appealing to a broader, often non-gaming audience. Another significant challenge is the casting. However, with Andrew Garfield as Gordon Freeman, he has the emotional depth and range to handle the complexity of the character. It is clear that adapting a beloved video game series like Half-Life into a live-action series comes with its hurdles, but if done right, it can create an immersive experience for both longtime fans and new audiences alike. While fans continue to hope for Half-Life 3, a TV series based on the iconic game could be just as satisfying. With Garfield as Freeman, the series has the potential to honor the original game while bringing the character to life in a new way. Do you think Andrew Garfield is the perfect choice? Or is there another actor you’d like to see in the role? Tell us in the comment section below. Source link #HalfLife #Series #years #Bryan #Cranston #Wouldve #Perfect #Gordon #Freeman Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Last-second Jamaica goal seals thrilling tie with England Last-second Jamaica goal seals thrilling tie with England England settle for a tie in their opening Horizon series match after Jamaica score a dramatic last-second goal at the AO Arena in Manchester. Source link #Lastsecond #Jamaica #goal #seals #thrilling #tie #England Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The next-gen anime shooter “Strinova” is coming to PC on November 22nd, 2024 The next-gen anime shooter “Strinova” is coming to PC on November 22nd, 2024 “Game developer and publisher iDreamSky is proud to unveil their upcoming 5v5 anime-inspired tactical shooter “Strinova”, which features an original mechanic called Stringification that lets players freely swap between 3D and 2D forms. You won’t have to wait long to try it as its Official PC Launch goes live on 22nd November at 12am GMT. You can pre-download the game from 19th November at 12am GMT, on the official Strinova website or add it to your wishlist on Steam.” – iDreamSky . Source link #nextgen #anime #shooter #Strinova #coming #November #22nd Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

England great Kane says he's in the form of his life England great Kane says he's in the form of his life England captain Harry Kane is adamant he’s not worried about his long-term future as the team’s main man, declaring he is in the best form of his career. Source link #England #great #Kane #he039s #form #life Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The ‘Wokeness’ Criticism That Plagues Space Marine 2 is a Hilariously Made-up *********** Piece That’d Make Ben Shapiro Flinch The ‘Wokeness’ Criticism That Plagues Space Marine 2 is a Hilariously Made-up *********** Piece That’d Make Ben Shapiro Flinch There’s no doubt that Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 has been one of the year’s biggest hit games for PC, PS5, and Xbox. This is quite an incredible feat, considering it launched right around hype games such as Star Wars Outlaws and Silent Hill 2. Space Marine 2 is one of the biggest success stories of the year. (Image via Focus Entertainment) While it’s an incredible game, it isn’t free from criticism. However, one particular criticism regarding the game’s “wokeness” is outright a *********** piece that’ll make you wonder how few in the community come up with such things. Space Marine 2 is not a Woke *********** Like Many Believe Multiple popular online forums, including Space Marine 2‘s official subreddit, have lately been flooded with criticism about the game being “woke.” Some of the posters contributing to this wave of complaints seem to have taken issue with the game’s cast featuring ****** and ****** Ultramarines. It’s outrageous how, in today’s day and age, some are calling out game characters for belonging to different ethnicities. Labeling the game as “woke,” just because of this is simply horrible. Anyone who’s familiar with the Warhammer 40k franchise would instantly know that including various ethnicities or genders isn’t something new. Portraying Space Marines with different races is purely cosmetic. Their race doesn’t change the overall direction of the game or the behavior of the Space Marines themselves. They’re still humanity’s greatest hope and masculine figures who’ll ****** off anything that stands in their way. Saber Interactive has done an incredible job of crafting the campaign in a way that stays faithful to the Warhammer 40k universe, balancing modern values with the world we’ve all grown to love over the years. The inclusion of various races isn’t a “woke” agenda or ruining the game in any way or shape. Space Marine 2 Players Hate the New Volkite ******* Space Marine 2‘s latest ******* isn’t as powerful as Saber stated. (Image via Focus Entertainment) While the “woke” controversy doesn’t make any sense, what does make sense is the criticism surrounding the brand-new Neo-Volkite *******. As part of the game’s season two, players got a bunch of new additions, including this brand-new **** that ********, Bulwark, and Vanguard Operations could use. Saber made everyone believe that the ******* would be the right solution for those Zoanthropes who had caused a headache for Space Marines. However, players believe its beam is not as effective as it should’ve been, and it’s ineffective at taking down opponents. Many in the community have aired their frustrations on Reddit, stating that the ******* is completely useless even when leveled up. It looks like even if you have leveled-up Neo-Volkite and aim it at any Extremis-level ******; it takes too long to bring it down. Saber might have to adjust this ******* in Space Marine 2 with the upcoming updates. It’s one of the first ones we’ve received in the game, and its reception hasn’t proved to be the best. In the very same update, Saber also buffed a number of weapons such as Bolt Carbine, Bolt *******, Auto Bolt Rifle, Plasma Incinerator, and Oculus Bolt. With that said, do you think Space Marine 2‘s “woke” allegations are justified? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Wokeness #Criticism #Plagues #Space #Marine #Hilariously #Madeup #*********** #Piece #Thatd #Ben #Shapiro #Flinch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

World’s second-largest GPU maker flees China on cusp of RTX 5090 launch to avoid US sanctions — Zotac, Inno3D, and Manli bail amidst looming US GPU export controls World’s second-largest GPU maker flees China on cusp of RTX 5090 launch to avoid US sanctions — Zotac, Inno3D, and Manli bail amidst looming US GPU export controls HKEPC reports that the Hong Kong-based PC partner will relocate the company and HQ to Singapore, creating PC Partner Singapore PTE Ltd. The company is also reportedly shifting its production facilities to Indonesia. The recent PC Partner Group Limited (PCT) listing on the Singapore SGX stock exchange provides evidence of the former claim. However, HKEPC could only say that the China-to-Indonesia production shift was a rumor. Apparently, the company shifted its base and production in time for the launch of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, swerving any expected high-tech export controls imposed on China by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The PC Partner name might not be very familiar to youngsters as components featuring the eponymous brand, founded in 1997, aren’t widespread in the West in the 2020s. However, some of us remember the firm’s accessibly priced motherboards from a few decades ago. PC Partner also previously produced Radeon reference graphics cards for AMD, so the company isn’t a lightweight by any means. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: SGX Group) (Image credit: SGX Securities) In 2024, PC Partner is probably an even more important player in the PC components business, managing sub-brands such as Zotac, Inno3D, and Manli. These are all important PC graphics card players, although some aren’t very popular in the U.S. market. According to HKEPC, combining all of its brands makes PC Partner “the world’s second-largest graphics card manufacturer.” The U.S. sanctions on powerful GPUs will have already hit PC Partner during the RTX 40-series era, and the firm seems to have decided it is a worthwhile use of time, effort, and money to uproot its operations ahead of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series (Blackwell) onslaught completely. Based in and operating from un-sanctioned territories, we will see plenty of Zotac-branded RTX 5090 graphics cards marketed here in the West and other friendly territories. With the performance uplifts expected across the RTX 50 family, it may even be the case that RTX 5080 products will be too advanced or powerful to swerve sanctions. Remember, the sanction specifications move, too. All this uncertainty should be eliminated for PC Partner’s business going forward. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Worlds #secondlargest #GPU #maker #flees #China #cusp #RTX #launch #avoid #sanctions #Zotac #Inno3D #Manli #bail #looming #GPU #export #controls Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How AI-powered brain chips could become a $400B industry How AI-powered brain chips could become a $400B industry A recent Morgan Stanley report stated that the brain-computer interface (BCI) industry could reach $400B in the US. These AI-fueled chips allow users to control computers with their brain activity and are primarily meant to help people with paralysis and severe neurological disorders. While no product is actively being used in the market today, many companies are investing in the space, including big players like Meta (META) and Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s Neuralink, and Precision Neuroscience. Precision Neuroscience co-founder and CEO Michael Mager joined Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Yasmin Khorram at the Yahoo Finance Invest conference to explain how he expects the industry to expand in the coming years. Mager says there are about 400,000 people in the US who are severely paralyzed and primary candidates for the technology. “That creates a $2.5 to $3 billion initial market in the next few years,” according to Mager. In the future, the CEO expects a portion of the roughly five million people in the US with less severe motor disabilities to use BCIs as well. Click here for the full conversation. To see every interview from Yahoo Finance Invest, click here. This post was written by Luke Brooks Source link #AIpowered #brain #chips #400B #industry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why nostalgia is this years most popular game mode Why nostalgia is this years most popular game mode TSA’s Dom looks at how nostalgia has been used in the last year. Source link #nostalgia #years #popular #game #mode Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Eight ***** after stabbing at Wuxi school in eastern China Eight ***** after stabbing at Wuxi school in eastern China Getty Images The stabbing incident happened on Saturday in the city of Wuxi in eastern China Eight people have ***** and 17 others have been injured following a stabbing incident outside a school in eastern China. A 21-year-old man was arrested at Wuxi Yixing Arts and Crafts Vocational and Technical College in the city of Wuxi at about 18:30 local time (10:30 GMT), according to a statement from local police. The statement said he graduated from the school in 2024 and carried out the ******* after “failing to obtain his diploma due to poor exam results” and that he was unhappy with his internship pay. He confessed to his ****** “without hesitation”, police said. They added that an investigation was under way and efforts were being made to “manage the aftermath”. The ******* follows an incident on Monday where at least 35 people were ******* when a driver ploughed a car into crowds at a stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai. Police said the driver was unhappy with a divorce settlement, but the incident sparked questions about a recent spate of public ********* in the country. On social media, there have been discussions about the social phenomenon of “taking revenge on society”, where individuals act on personal grievances by attacking strangers. The incident happened in the eastern city of Wuxi Source link #***** #stabbing #Wuxi #school #eastern #China Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Weak Legacy 2 codes (November 2024) Weak Legacy 2 codes (November 2024) Updated November 14, 2024: Checked for new codes! The battle between good and evil rages on the horizon. Do you want to ****** on the side of humanity, or have you developed a taste for human flesh? One thing is certain—no matter where your destiny leads you, Weak Legacy 2 codes will be by your side. All Weak Legacy 2 codes list Active Weak Legacy 2 codes 25SPINS5KFOLLOWERS — 25 Spins (New) 50SPINSUPDATE1.5 — 50 Spins (New) 45KLIKESRESETBREATHINGORART — Breathing Art Reset (New) 50SPINSUPDATE1.5 — 50 Spins UPDATE1.5RESETRACE — Race Reset Expired Weak Legacy 2 codes UPDATE1.5RESETBREATHINGORART 40KLIKESRESETBREATHINGORART 10KLIKESRESETRACE 5KLIKESRESETBREATHINGORART 35KFAVORITESRESETRACE 35KLIKES25SPINS 5KLIKESRESETBREATHINGORART 1MVISITS50SPINS FIXES15SPINS RELEASERESETBREATHINGORART 3KRESETRACE RELEASERESETRACE 20KLIKES25SPINS RELEASE50SPINS 2KLIKES20SPINS Related: Slayers Unleashed codes and Project Slayers codes How to redeem codes in Weak Legacy 2 If you’re not sure where to redeem Weak Legacy 2 codes, follow the instructions below: Image by PC Invasion Open Weak Legacy 2 on Roblox. Press M on your keyboard to open the menu. Insert a code into the Enter Your Code text box. Hit Enter on your keyboard to receive your rewards. If you want to become the strongest and unleash your full potential, bookmark this article and visit it from time to time to get all the upcoming Weak Legacy 2 codes. PC Invasion is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy Source link #Weak #Legacy #codes #November Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Half-Life 2 gets a major 20th Anniversary Update and bundles Lost Coast with episodes —the game is now free on Steam until November 18 Half-Life 2 gets a major 20th Anniversary Update and bundles Lost Coast with episodes —the game is now free on Steam until November 18 Yesterday, Half-Life 2 received a 20th Anniversary Update on Steam, bundling content from the graphics demo expansion Lost Coast, as well as Episodes One and Two. This content was made free to claim until November 18. For other contents of The Orange Box bundle, which still includes all these titles standalone for certain mods, as well as Portal and Team Fortress 2, the entire bundle can be bought for just $1.99 until November 22. Most Half-Life 2 mod support will now be rolled directly into the main game alongside the Episode One and Two expansions, including all the Achievements once included with those formerly standalone titles. While The Orange Box bundle still consists of the standalone for Half-Life 2 expansions, these store pages are now delisted in search results, and the standalone executables are now moved to the “Tools” section of Steam games. This Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update does more than streamline expansion support, though— Half-Life 2 has been fully overhauled within the constraints of its original engine, seeing all Half-Life 2 content updated to the level of Lost Coast’s fidelity or better and even getting deeper integration with modern Steam features including Game Recording event markers. The new Half-Life 2 main menu also supports navigation to story-unconnected expansions, like Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and the Steam Workshop. (Image credit: Future) Besides the updates to and past Lost Coast’s fidelity level, including the addition of a Source engine HDR pass to every map, the biggest signs that this is a 20th Anniversary update are the addition of a new High Quality mode that renders all models at full-quality LODs regardless of distance and bicubic filtering, which enables smooth shadows when Very High shader detail is enabled. For those unfamiliar, “HDR” in the context of the Source Engine doesn’t refer to modern-day DisplayHDR (though you can still experience that when playing this update if you’re playing on a display and version of Windows that supports Auto HDR) but instead, an engine feature that essentially pre-bakes some Global Illumination into lighting, reflection, and refraction calculations. While it’s not Real-Time Ray Tracing, it dramatically amplifies the fidelity of lighting realism and water effects in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and has now been retroactively applied to all prior Half-Life 2 games. This is in addition to several common map design elements, including fences getting updated to cast shadows, among several other realism-oriented map design changes throughout Half-Life 2 and its expansion Episodes to present an ideal vision of Half-Life 2 and its era of the Source engine. Other changes and improvements to the Half-Life 2 package are mainly related to UI quality, implementation with modern controllers and input methods via Steam Input, and Steam Big Picture/Steam Deck support. Three and a half hours of developer commentary has also been added to Half-Life 2. For a complete list of changes and links to related behind-the-scenes content, check out the official Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary page. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #HalfLife #major #20th #Anniversary #Update #bundles #Lost #Coast #episodes #game #free #Steam #November Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Newscast: Trump the Peacemaker? Newscast: Trump the Peacemaker? Zelensky says Trump could end the Ukraine war Source link #Newscast #Trump #Peacemaker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Helldivers 2 YouTuber Suggests an Awesome Solo Loadout for Wrecking Bugs on the Highest Difficulty A Helldivers 2 YouTuber Suggests an Awesome Solo Loadout for Wrecking Bugs on the Highest Difficulty Picking a loadout for a solo mission in Helldivers 2 is no easy feat. So, a YouTuber suggested one that works like a charm. Source link #Helldivers #YouTuber #Suggests #Awesome #Solo #Loadout #Wrecking #Bugs #Highest #Difficulty Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Canada Post strike: What’s at stake for the ********* economy? – National Canada Post strike: What’s at stake for the ********* economy? – National The Canada Post strike is set to have the sharpest impact on small businesses and customers of the postal service, particularly those living in remote and rural communities, according to experts who spoke to Global News. A lengthy labour disruption could have disastrous implications for the future of the national postal service itself, some warn. Saturday marks the second day in a nationwide strike of Canada Post workers represented by the ********* Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), with no indication yet that the two parties are getting closer to a deal. No new parcels or letters are being accepted by the carrier and mail already in the Canada Post system is stuck in limbo as the gears of the national postage system grind to a halt. Retail analyst Bruce Winder tells Global News that Canadians are going to notice the impacts of the strike “right away.” Story continues below advertisement “This is going to be clunky, this is going to be a little messy for a while,” he says. 2:51 How the Canada Post strike could impact supply chains Customers ordering from ********* small businesses will notice the disruption as merchants are forced to pivot away from Canada Post for parcel delivery, Winder says. Instead, he says businesses will have to rely on couriers and other private options, “which are more expensive, so it’s going to hit their bottom line.” “Small businesses who use Canada Post to deliver packages to customers, that’s going to be a massive hit to them,” Winder says. The impact of the Canada Post strike is compounded by the lingering effects of shutdowns at ports in British Columbia and Quebec. Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon stepped in this week to order binding arbitration on the parties involved to get maritime trade flowing again through ********* ports. Workers in B.C. went back to work on Thursday, while peers at the Port of Montreal resumed work Saturday. Story continues below advertisement But Winder says the ********* supply chain can’t bounce back so quickly from a series of concurrent disruptions like this. Get weekly money news Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday. With manufacturers relying on “just in time” deliveries to keep their assembly lines flowing, Winder says shutdowns at the ports followed by a Canada Post strike create a “ripple effect” that throws the rest of the supply chain off balance. “If you miss a few days of shipping, it could take days or weeks to catch up. This has been a really perfect storm unfortunately for the ********* supply chain industry, affecting manufacturers, retailers, consumers, you name it,” he says. More on Canada More videos While competitors such as FedEx and UPS can accommodate some of the increased traffic from a shuttered Canada Post, Winder says there’s only so much capacity these private options can take on. “There’s a little bit of wiggle room there, but not too much. Otherwise they’d have too many overhead costs,” he says. Winder says the federal government has to consider declaring the postal service an essential service to prevent these kinds of disruptions from piling up and weighing on the economy. “I know labour groups won’t like that. But it’s just so important to make sure business runs smooth. The whole economy depends on it,” he says. The federal government’s intervention in the ports disruptions this week marked the second time this year Ottawa has used binding arbitration to end a work stoppage that threatened the ********* economy, last deploying such powers in the rail shutdown this past August. Story continues below advertisement MacKinnon said Friday that he is “not looking at any other solution other than negotiation.” 2:04 Canada Post strike: Ottawa not looking at forced end, labour minister says Trending Now Canada Post strike explained: What you need to know about your mail Canada Post strike: Purolator workers won’t handle packages, union says “Right now, every day is a new day in collective bargaining and we are going to continue to support the parties in any way we can and make sure they are able to try and get a negotiated agreement,” he told reporters in Montreal. Ian Lee, a Carleton University business professor who has studied the Canada Post model throughout his career, agrees that small businesses are most likely to be impacted by the disruption. He adds that because Canada Post is the only service in the country reaching every address coast to coast to coast, Canadians living in rural and remote communities will also bear the brunt of the strike. But Lee adds that for the ********* economy, a Canada Post strike in 2024 is very different from the disruptions of the 20th century. In the past, a Canada Post shutdown would make a tangible impact on the ********* ****** domestic product, because of how much of the national payment system relied on invoices and cheques arriving through the mail. Story continues below advertisement In the modern digital landscape, Canada Post does not have such an outsized role in the ********* economy, he argues. “That reality no longer exists for Canada Post because they don’t shut down the economy and the payment system,” Lee says. “I’m not trivializing a postal strike to those people who are affected. It’s going to be very real for them. I’m just saying it’s not going to be national and catastrophic.” Both Winder and Lee argue that as the strike stretches on and businesses pivot to private options to fill the gap, Canada Post risks worsening its already dire financial circumstances. “Whenever someone goes on strike like that, whenever a system shuts down, if people get used to using a different service provider and maybe they find that provider is better in some ways, there’s a risk they won’t go back to the original service provider,” Winder says. Lee says private competitors are more “resilient” and “dynamic” than Canada Post. If they see an opportunity to exploit a lengthy shutdown from the national postage service, they will “move heaven and earth” to do so, he says. That puts the future of both Canada Post and the workers the union is representing at risk, Lee argues. “Canada Post and CUPW are ********* themselves in the foot,” he says. Story continues below advertisement — with files from Global News’ Anne Gaviola 2:02 Canada Post strike concerns small businesses in Halifax &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Canada #Post #strike #Whats #stake #********* #economy #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]