GOG is tackling PC games preservation with new program
GOG is tackling PC games preservation with new program
Capcom
GOG has always been at the heart of retro PC gaming. It has a vast storefront with newer games, but GOG is where you can find DRM-free copies of Beyond Good & Evil or Silent Hill 4: The Room (that’s just some of what’s in my GOG library, but you get the idea). There are a lot of games you could play through GOG that would be difficult to get anywhere else.
GOG, owned by CD Projekt Red, is capitalizing on that brand with the GOG Preservation Program, which was announced on Wednesday. Games in this program are called “Good Old Games” now on the storefront, and will be supported by GOG in as close to their original state as possible for modern PCs.
“If a game is part of the Preservation Program, it means that we commit our own resources to maintaining its compatibility with modern and future systems,” the blog post announcement reads. So while games currently work on Windows 10 and 11 (no Mac or Linux just yet), the promise means they’ll even work on future PCs.
Currently, there are 100 games in the program, including popular titles like System Shock 2, Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, and the original Diablo, with more set to be added. A lot of these games have been on the store for a while, but the program acts as GOG’s guarantee that they’ll receive updates from GOG itself, even if the original developer has moved on, and meet certain standards for the player. They’re also DRM-free, so you don’t have to worry about the license being revoked with a delisting or not being able to play it without an internet connection.
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For example, GOG published the Resident Evil Bundle earlier this year, which featured the first three original Resident Evil titles for $25. GOG only added some quality-of-life improvements, like new rendering options, more localization, and controller support, and ensured it would run on modern PCs. Basically, it’s as close to the original experience as you can get beyond an emulator or an older physical copy.
Games preservation has been in a bad place for a while, with companies shutting down older stores that often featured digital-only titles. While Sony eventually reversed its decision to close the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita storefronts after backlash, Nintendo removed its Wii U and 3DS eShops for good in 2023. While platforms have made improvements in this area, with both Nintendo and PlayStation publishing retro titles on their subscription services and Xbox supporting backward compatibility on its modern consoles, PC hasn’t fared as well. Remakes are great, but they often can’t replicate the feeling of the original release.
“Unfortunately, the classic PC games market is in a sorry state. It’s too tiny for leading platforms to give it any attention. Classic releases often get the sell-it-and-forget-it treatment, and as time goes on and technology evolves, compatibility issues arise and remain unaddressed,” the GOG blog post read.
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PS5 vs. PC: Which is the better buy for gaming in 2024?
PS5 vs. PC: Which is the better buy for gaming in 2024?
The PlayStation 5 has been around for several years now, and it’s easier to find in stock than ever before. It’s also built up an incredible roster of games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Horizon Forbidden West, **** of War: Ragnarök, and hundreds of cross-platform games. Toss in the fact that it’s backward compatible with PS4 titles, and you’ll have access to thousands of hours of gaming goodness on the new-gen console.
The same could also be said of PC, which is home to thousands of games and can easily be upgraded by installing new hardware instead of buying a whole new console. But if you’re interested in gaming, should you buy a PS5 or PC in 2024? We already compared the PS5 to the Xbox Series X, so now we need to see how PC fits into the mix.
There are several factors to consider, including price, performance, game library, accessories, and online services. It’s hard to go wrong with either option, but the two platforms are radically different from each other and come with their own sets of ***** and *****. Here’s a closer look at PS5 and PC gaming to help you decide which is best for your needs. We’re just talking about the base PS5 unit here, not the PS5 Pro.
Price
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Sony sells two versions of the PS5, one with a disc drive and one without a disc drive. The disc drive version costs $500 and the discless version costs $450. Although $50 may seem like a steep price for just a disc drive, the full PS5 includes a 4K Blu-Ray reader, which costs about $100 on its own. It’s worth noting that Sony is now selling a new version of the PS5 (known as the Slim model), that is slightly smaller than the original, but offers the same features and price points — though it does offer a bit more built-in storage space.
As for building a PC, around $500 is about the minimum you’ll pay for a current-gen graphics card, and that doesn’t factor in the cost of all of your other components.
Premium options like the HP Omen 45L are much more expensive than a PS5. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
In the world of prebuilt gaming PCs, you’ll need to spend about $1,000 to get similar performance to the PS5. Bump that up to $1,200 to $1,300, and you can get a PC that exceeds the PS5.
There’s a lot of variation here, so it really comes down to what you can find and at what price. A modestly configured Lenovo Legion Tower 5i will only run about $1,100, which is considerably more expensive than a PS5. But when you factor in the ability to slowly upgrade components over time instead of dropping $500 when a new console releases in a few years, PC could pose a better value — especially if you also use it for work or school.
Performance
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
It’s tough to compare PC and the PS5 when it comes to performance. You can configure a PC however you want, so you could end up with a system that performs much better than a PS5, or much worse. However, the PS5 uses an architecture that’s available on off-the-shelf PC parts, so we can make some comparisons.
For specs, the PS5 comes with an eight-core Zen 2 CPU with an RDNA 2-based GPU that has 36 compute units (CUs). A pool of 16GB of memory is shared between the CPU and GPU as well. Although still a custom design — you can’t build a PC that exactly matches the PS5 — the console is roughly equivalent to a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and RX 5700.
That’s respectable. Those specs make up a midrange PC from the previous generation. The major difference is that developers can optimize their games for the PS5’s hardware. That pushes performance up, as developers are able to take advantage of the closed system to better optimize games.
You mainly see that on first-party titles like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon: Forbidden West, which run at consistently high frame rates or resolutions. Third-party titles may struggle, though.
This is how the PS5 looks under the hood. Image used with permission by copyright holder
There’s always a problem comparing a console to a PC when it comes to performance. A console is closed, and a PC is open. No matter how powerful a console is, the hardware inside will eventually age, and you have no option to replace or upgrade that hardware unless the designer releases a revision or a new console generation.
With PC, you always have the option of higher performance if you’re willing to spend the money. Upscaling solutions like AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) also offer a way to boost your performance for free that isn’t available in PS5 games.
In addition, PC games have multiple graphics options while PS5 games generally come with a small number of performance modes (high resolution or high frame rate in most cases). There’s a lot more opportunity in PC games to tune them to achieve the performance you want, and you can’t do that tuning on the PS5.
So, which is better for performance? It’s tough to say because it comes down to the PC’s configuration. At the very least, a PC offers more bandwidth to achieve the performance you want, and it allows you to upgrade if you like. That’s not present on PS5, but it still offers a great gaming experience in 2024.
Game library
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
The PS5 has quickly amassed a great library of games. Blockbuster hits like Returnal, ******’s Souls, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart are all available on PS5, and the console is home to tons of exclusive adventures that can’t be played anywhere else.
That’s not to say PC is lacking when it comes to quality. Short of first-party exclusives, the vast majority of AAA games get a release on PC that lines up with the console launch. In the previous year, we’ve seen Helldivers 2, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Star Wars: Outlaws — to name a few. For the most part, PC gets the same big releases that PS5 does.
Some first-party Sony games are making it to PC, too. Horizon Zero Dawn and **** of War are available now, as is Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves. Still, Sony continues to release its newest games on its hardware first. If you want to play the latest and greatest from Sony’s first-party studios — such as Horizon: Forbidden West or **** of War: Ragnarok — you need a PS5.
On the flip side, PC isn’t subject to console war exclusivity. Deathloop is one recent example of that. It’s a console exclusive for the PS5, so you had to wait several months before it arrived on Xbox Series X. However, it released on the same date on PC. Similarly, ******’s Door is a console exclusive for Xbox that also released simultaneously on PC.
Epic Games
PC has a far ******* game library overall, and you’ll be able to play most games on the day they release. You don’t have access to big first-party exclusives from Sony, at least at launch. However, PC has a large library of experiences — such as grand strategy and MMO games — that aren’t possible with PS5.
Backward compatibility
GOG offers a large library of decades-old PC games. Image used with permission by copyright holder
In terms of backward compatibility, there’s no contest between PS5 and PC. You can play games from the last few decades on PC without too many issues, while the PS5 is limited to PS5 and PS4 games, plus a selection of PS1, PSP, PS2, and PS3 classics through PlayStation Plus Premium. If you want to play older games, PC is always the best option.
You can find a wide selection of older games on Steam and GOG, with some dating back to the 1980s when PlayStation was but a thought in Sony’s mind. We don’t want to advocate for piracy, but there are also several ways to legally dump and play retro games through emulators on PC.
You also don’t have to worry about backward compatibility with PC moving forward. Although Sony has taken steps to preserve PS4 games on PS5, it’s always possible that the next generation of consoles will drop support. Short of a few exceptions, PC games will continue to work across Windows versions and new hardware.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) and older storefronts can also pose an issue on PS5. Platforms like GOG offer games free of DRM, and developers are free to remove DRM on Steam as well. On PC, there are options to own digital copies of games so you can continue playing them even when the publisher pulls the plug. With a console like the PS5, it’s more hit-and-miss.
Controllers
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The PS5 supports many controllers, such as the DualSense controller that comes with the console, the DualShock 4 that worked on the PS4, and the DualSense Edge. Support is a little messy, though. For PS4 games on PS5, you can use either controller. But for PS5 games, you can only use the DualSense because of its additional features.
Those additional features include adaptive triggers that simulate resistance as you press them down and better haptic feedback. Sony says this restriction is in place so players can “take advantage of the new capabilities and features” on the PS5.
There are dozens of examples of the DualSense offering a unique experience over the DualShock 4. Astro **** provides resistance on the adaptive triggers and a full range of haptics. Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 simulates the resistance of a **** trigger, while Kena: Bridge of Spirits lets you feel the tug of a bow.
The DualSense offers a better experience, but the lack of DualShock 4 support in PS5 titles is a concern — especially if you have a DualShock 4 you enjoy using from the previous generation.
Jacob ******/Digital Trends
On PC, you can use any controller with enough work. For basics, any controller that uses XInput will automatically work. This is the layout that Xbox controllers use, and Windows supports it. You can connect everything from an Xbox 360 to Xbox Series X controller and it will work on PC, as well as a long list of third-party controllers. The 8BitDo SN30 Pro+, for example, looks and feels like a Super Nintendo controller, but it supports XInput and will automatically work on PC.
A step below that, you have Steam controller configurations. Controllers like the DualShock 4 and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller will work on PC, but their buttons need to be remapped so Windows will recognize them properly. Steam has a few profiles built-in — DualShock 4 and Pro Controller among them — that will handle this process automatically when you connect one of these controllers.
The main issue with this is non-Steam games, which is where controller support on PC gets messy. You have to use a third-party program like reWASD, which works with everything from the DualSense to the Google Stadia controller.
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
Of course, keyboard and mouse is an option, too. The PS5 supports keyboard and mouse, but only in a select few games. These are mostly online titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, Final Fantasy XIV, and The Elder Scrolls Online. You won’t be able to access any software features on these devices with the PS5, either.
Similar to a lot of areas in this PS5-versus-PC matchup, PC runs away thanks to much broader support. Any unique features, like the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, eventually make their way to PC (reWASD supports them, for example). However, the PS5 provides a smoother experience where you don’t need to resort to wikis and third-party software to get everything working.
Online services
Multiplayer is essential for the lion’s share of games, and Sony charges for multiplayer on PS5. In order to play most games online, you need a PlayStation Plus membership. It’ll run you $80 per year for the lowest tier, and $135 for Extra and $160 for Premium. You only need Essential to play online, but the other tiers come with additional perks.
There are some exceptions with PS Plus, though. Most free-to-play games, including Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, don’t require a PS Plus subscription. Similarly, MMOs that have their own subscription model, like Final Fantasy XIV, don’t require a membership, either.
A recent example of free games on PlayStation Plus. Image used with permission by copyright holder
Online play is just one perk of PS Plus. A membership also entitles you to three games for free every month (two on PS4 and one on PS5), cloud saves, and exclusive discounts. There are also tiers that grant you access to a free catalog of games, making it a great way to test out dozens of games without dropping tons of cash. A PS Plus membership more than pays for itself, but the issue is that it’s required.
On PC, online play is free and platforms like Steam support cloud saves by default. You can also set up private servers for many multiplayer games. You can also set up your own private Terraria server, for example.
The important distinction between PC and PS5 is that you have to pay with PS5 while you can pay with PC. Core functionality like online play is free on PC, and you can get free games through subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and Humble Choice. PC is the winner here, but that’s hardly a surprise.
PS5 vs. PC: The verdict
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With a PS5, you’re purchasing a viable gaming machine that will hold up for at least five years. As time goes on, your performance will likely slip. There are already examples of that, like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which will drop into lower frame rates even in its performance mode.
With a PC, you’re getting a gaming machine you can upgrade at any time. Want to play Dying Light 2 with all of the visual bells and whistles? PC doesn’t make you choose as long you have powerful enough hardware. That hardware is expensive, but the option is there.
In 2024, we’d recommend most people seek out a PS5. It’ll save you a lot of money, and you’ll get an excellent gaming experience for years to come. If you don’t mind spending more upfront, though, PC is a much more flexible platform that allows you to upgrade over time.
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Berkshire bites into Domino’s Pizza, dips into Pool amid stock retreat
Berkshire bites into Domino’s Pizza, dips into Pool amid stock retreat
By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said on Thursday it made new investments in Domino’s Pizza and Pool Corp in the third quarter, even as it retrenched from stocks such as Apple and Bank of America.
Berkshire owned 1.28 million Domino’s shares worth about $549 million as of Sept. 30. It also owned 404,000 shares of Pool, a distributor of swimming pool supplies, worth about $152 million as of that date.
The investments were disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing detailing Berkshire’s U.S.-listed investments as of Sept. 30.
Domino’s shares rose 6.9% and Pool shares rose 5.7% after market hours following Berkshire’s disclosures.
Shares often rise after Berkshire reveals new investments, reflecting investors’ belief that Buffett may be providing a seal of approval.
Thursday’s filing does not say whether Buffett or his portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler are responsible for individual investments.
Neither Domino’s nor Pool immediately responded to requests for comment.
Like chains such as McDonald’s, Domino’s has been conducting more promotions to attract value-oriented diners, including those shunning higher-priced sit-down chains in favor of upscale fast food or home delivery.
Pool, meanwhile, last month said demand for non-discretionary repair and maintenance services for existing pools partially offset “soft” demand for new pool construction.
Berkshire made the investments even as Buffett amasses cash.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate has in 2024 nearly doubled its stake in cash and equivalents to $325.2 billion as of Sept. 30, and even halted repurchases of its own stock for the first time since 2018.
Berkshire sold $36.1 billion of stocks and bought just $1.5 billion in the quarter ended Sept. 30. For the year, Berkshire has sold $133.2 billion of stocks — primarily Apple, followed by Bank of America — and bought just $5.8 billion.
Buffett hasn’t said definitively why Berkshire is cutting back, though taxes may be a factor. Investors have said he may believe valuations have grown too high.
The cash also gives Berkshire, whose market value is about $1.01 trillion, room to still make a needle-moving acquisition while Buffett, 94, ******** in charge.
During the quarter, Berkshire also added to its holdings in aircraft parts maker Heico.
It sold its entire stake in flooring retailer Floor & Decor and some shares of Capital One, Charter Communications, Brazilian digital bank operator Nu Holdings and cosmetics chain Ulta Beauty.
Story Continues
The ***** of more than 96% of its Ulta shares marked a quick turnaround for Berkshire, which first disclosed investing in Ulta in August. Ulta shares fell 3.8% after hours.
Berkshire also owns dozens of companies including Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad and a variety of consumer, energy, industrial and retail businesses.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
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The new Xbox ad campaign is confused about what an Xbox is
The new Xbox ad campaign is confused about what an Xbox is
These times are very trying and it’s understandable if someone goes a little off the deep end once in a while. Just like Norman Bates said in Psycho, “We all go a little **** sometimes.” However, a new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.
Microsoft launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox consoles and cloud gaming service called “This is an Xbox.” It features posters and commercials with a bunch of different objects like a laptop, a smartphone and a Meta Quest 3 that are all “an Xbox.”
We confirmed with a thorough fact check that all of those objects are not an Xbox. That may sound like overkill but when you live in a world where there’s a real chance that the goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in FernGully might become Secretary of the Interior, we’re not taking any chances.
The commercial is even trippier. It zips between objects like a flat screen TV, an ROG Ally and a laptop while ****** Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours” blasts in the background. This time though, it displays the simple sentence “This is an Xbox” with a secondary clause or imperative statement behind it. Is there some kind of malware virus in the AI software that runs our universe or something?
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Microsoft, we know this is an ad campaign and that you don’t really believe these non-Xbox items are “an Xbox.” Of course, you want to talk up your cloud gaming service, which is available across all of the devices in the ads. But last I checked, I didn’t need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.
Also this is the internet, a gathering place for *********** weavers, liars and ne’er-do-wells. Reality is hard enough right now without having to debate the merit of what things are. This feels like the kind of stuff that Jobu would pull when she finished decorating the bagel in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Microsoft
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DMDE review: How good is this free data recovery software?
DMDE review: How good is this free data recovery software?
DMDE Data Recovery
MSRP $20.00
“DMDE offers an excellent free data recovery app with a low-cost upgrade to unlock more features, making this a great choice for tech-savvy users to restore lost files.”
*****
Excellent recovery of HDD files
Restored files from a damaged thumb drive
Quick file previews even with a slow drive
One-time purchase option with no subscription
Great free version
*****
Not as user-friendly as competitors
Support is via email
DMDE offers free data recovery software with few limitations and inexpensive subscriptions that unlock more features. If you’ve lost important photos, videos, or documents, you want effective and affordable file restoration.
The best data recovery software can be expensive and has no guarantees of success. Before you pay a high fee, it makes sense to try a free app to see if it solves the problem.
I tested DMDE to find out how well it works with hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), and removable media. I also researched its pricing, customer support, privacy, and security to ensure it had good enough value if you do decide to subscribe.
Specs
DMDE
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Devices
1 (Express, Standard), plus 5 monthly (Professional)
Support
Email
Free version?
Yes
Tiers and pricing
DMDE has a powerful free app and affordable pricing for more advanced features. DMDE
DMDE is quite generous with the free version of its app. You can recover up to 4,000 files at a time and can run an unlimited number of scans. However, your folder structure won’t be restored. In many cases, organization is important and for apps, it’s essential.
Fortunately, an annual subscription for DMDE Express costs just $20 to recover files and folders on one Windows, DOS, macOS, or Linux computer. That’s less expensive than Recuva, which is known for its budget file restoration.
While the $20 Express subscription sounds like a great deal, a Standard lifetime license with ongoing updates costs just $48. The Standard version is equivalent to 2.4 years of Express, so it’s a good bargain.
If you’re the “tech expert” in the family, you should consider the $95 Professional license that matches Standard’s lifetime subscription. It includes a portable key you can use five times monthly to help others restore files. You can also use this commercially.
Professional Multi-OS is exactly what it sounds like. For $133, you get a Professional license that can recover files on Windows, DOS, macOS, or Linux computers. Otherwise, a single operating system is supported.
Design
DMDE has a modern design with resizable windows and a clean layout. Digital Trends
DMDE installation was simple. Within a minute, I was ready to scan for lost files. The app has a modern design with resizable windows and fonts, along with a clean, minimalist layout.
It got right to business, starting with a drive selection window so I could begin recovery immediately. I partition most of my drives, so the logical disk option caught my eye. I could also choose from physical disks and disk images.
The same window has an option to copy sectors from a damaged drive to a good one so no more data is lost. I can even construct a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) with DMDE.
DMDE also has a disk editor. This is a powerful and potentially dangerous tool to use if you aren’t completely sure how it works. Changing the wrong piece of data can make a file or folder unreadable. This tool starts in preview mode so it’s OK to have a look. In edit mode, you can easily alter any byte on the selected drive.
DMDE includes a disk editor, a powerful, but dangerous feature. Digital Trends
I quickly found my way around DMDE and liked the depth of its features. However, it could seem overwhelming and complicated if you aren’t familiar with disk utilities and technical terms for storage. For example, Disk Drill is easier to use, but costs more.
Features
DMDE Free quickly found deleted HDD files and showed accurate previews. Digital Trends
I started my DMDE testing with HDD file restoration after deleting several files and folders from an external USB drive. I partitioned the drive to create a 2 GB logical drive so the scan wouldn’t take too long.
A full DMDE scan found all the files, and I could see the images in the preview window. Since I used the free version initially, I saw an option to upgrade. I continued with the free app.
DMDE’s raw scan assigned random filenames and restored 162 of 165 files. Digital Trends
DMDE Free restored all 55 top-level files with filenames, but skipped all subfolders. DMDE’s raw file mode assigned random filenames, but restored 162 of 165 files, missing three MP3 audio files, but having no trouble with images. Since this is the free version, all images went into one folder. The app didn’t save my original organization.
DMDE Professional successfully recovered my folders and my MP3 audio and image files. Digital Trends
I upgraded to Professional and tried again. This time, DMDE recovered every file and folder intact except for the first letter of the folder names. I only have a few folders in my test, so it was easy to figure out that “_opy1” should be “Copy1.” That could be a ******* issue with dozens of nested folders.
I could open the image files, play the MP3 files, and find each file in the original folder structure. HDD performance was as good as the leading data recovery software, but at a budget price.
DMDE’s preview showed zeroes for my SSD file and recovery was unsuccessful. Digital Trends
Next up, I gave DMDE a more difficult challenge — recovering deleted SSD files. While the app found all my media files and showed their names, nothing was recoverable. I moved on to the second SSD test.
After deep formatting the SSD partition, I loaded it with files again and did a quick format. DMDE couldn’t find any files on my SSD, which isn’t a surprise.
It’s unlikely for any data recovery app to succeed with this test since the best and fastest SSD drives clean up immediately to optimize speed and reliability.
During the DMDE thumb drive scan, I paused to check the preview. Digital Trends
As a final test, I plugged in a thumb drive that Windows said needed repair. A full scan of my older USB flash drive took a long time, so I used DMDE’s thoughtful pause button to temporarily stop the scan to preview the files found thus far. I could restore the partial scan or continue it to get everything possible.
Support
DMDE customer support is via email, which is fine for such a low-cost app. Digital Trends
DMDE customer service is via email and there’s a simple support form on the website. To test the service, I sent a message in the afternoon asking why SSD recovery is *******. The reply took more than a day, but was friendly and helpful.
For faster answers, I could browse the support center, which has a limited number of topics, or check the online manual. For free and low-cost software, it isn’t fair to expect the 24/7 live chat you get from more expensive data recovery apps like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro.
Privacy and security
DMDE doesn’t upload files for processing, so there’s no risk of exposing personal data. I was able to install and use the free version with total anonymity.
If you purchase a subscription or a lifetime license, you must share your name and payment details, so it was worth checking DMDE’s security record. The privacy policy is good and I couldn’t find any record of a data breach.
I feel comfortable sharing the small amount of information DMDE requires for purchase.
Is DMDE right for you?
I liked DMDE and feel it’s among the best data recovery software available. However, it will appeal most to technical users who demand advanced features and fine-tuning options, even when that adds complexity. For example, DMDE can edit individual bytes on a disk, a tool that’s almost too powerful.
I reviewed the Windows version of DMDE, but the company also develops apps to restore lost files on macOS and Linux computers. With a Professional Multi-OS license, you can run DMDE on all three.
The free version of DMDE can restore an unlimited amount of data in batches of up to 4,000 files, making it a great choice if your budget is tight. For just $20 annually, you can also recover folders, keeping your organization intact.
I recommend DMDE for anyone comfortable with technology. The free app lets you test DMDE to check that it works for your needs. A lifetime Standard or Professional license is the best deal if you decide to purchase.
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Trump might cede climate leadership to China
Trump might cede climate leadership to China
President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.
Kevin Lemarque | Reuters
After a campaign featuring promises to slash landmark climate legislation, and a first term record that included pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, President-elect Donald Trump’s win casts a shadow of doubt over the world of global climate policy.
The Paris Agreement, which Trump vowed to withdraw from once again in his second term as president, is a landmark pledge by 195 countries and the ********* Union to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Now that Republicans have secured full control of Congress, the incoming Trump administration could announce U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in early 2025 and complete the process by the beginning of 2026.
Trump might even pull out of the entire ******* Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process which the Paris Agreement is a part of, BMO Capital Markets analysts wrote in a note last week.
As an isolationist, Trump-led ********* foreign policy cedes global leadership on the issue, an increasingly willing China can assume the spot instead.
Ceding global climate leadership to China “would be a mistake”
China is looking to “play a more proactive role internationally on climate change,” said Joanna Lewis, an associate professor at Georgetown University and expert in international climate policy.
But “it would be a mistake for the ******* States to completely cede not just [its] leadership role on climate change. But the development of low carbon technologies, that’s really the area that has been particularly competitive between China and the ******* States,” said Lewis.
“The rest of the world needs these technologies, and so is going to be increasingly reliant on China, unless you see other players like the ******* States building up their own involvement in these industries.”
President Joe Biden aimed to address the ******** competition with his landmark climate and jobs act the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump has also vowed to axe.
The aim of the IRA is to “directly compete with China” in key clean energy industries, “not just for use in the ******* States, but potentially for export to the rest of the world,” Lewis said.
The law also aims to help “build clean energy supply chains around the world so that China is not responsible for the vast majority of clean energy manufacturing in key sectors,” she added.
“So if the ******* States sort of cedes the leadership role in clean energy technology manufacturing to China, then that gives China even more ability to dominate the markets in the rest of the emerging and developing world as well.”
US President Donald Trump (C) looks on with Governor of California Jerry Brown (R) and Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, as they view damage from wildfires in Paradise, California on November 17, 2018.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
But it’s not all ***** and gloom, Lewis says, as “there are ways the U.S. can continue to be involved, even in the absence of Trump leadership on this issue.”
When Trump first pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement in 2017, there was an increase in subnational engagement at international climate negotiations, Lewis said. This included governors and senators taking action to demonstrate ********* initiative in climate policy and engage in diplomacy.
“If Trump cedes leadership in the international realm, the states and other subnational actors will happily fill that void,” Lewis said.
Former California Gov. Brown was particularly active in climate diplomacy during the first Trump administration. He helmed the California-China Climate Institute which organized high-level climate diplomacy meetings between U.S. and China, including for his successor, current California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The Inflation Reduction Act has “staying power”
Trump has had nothing but negative things to say about Biden’s IRA. Solar stocks tanked the day after the Nov. 5 election, on fears that Trump would repeal the massive climate bill, which includes tax credits to expand solar energy.
But the IRA might prove tough to dismantle for the incoming Trump administration.
“Support for clean energy has become bipartisan in the ******* States,” U.S. special envoy for climate John Podesta said this week at the ******* Nations sponsored COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Fifty-seven percent of the new clean energy jobs created since the Inflation Reduction Act passed are located in Congressional districts represented by Republicans.”
Eighteen House Republicans, many of whom faced difficult re-election bids in the November election, wrote to *********** House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to keep some of the tax credits and deductions in the IRA, writing that, “a full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return.”
In Baku, Podesta said, “it’s precisely because the IRA has staying power that I am confident that the ******* States will continue to reduce emissions – benefitting our own country and benefitting the world.”
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Pelican News
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Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubles down on Nike
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubles down on Nike
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubled down on Nike and Brookfield in his concentrated portfolio last quarter. The high-profile investor boosted his investment in Nike drastically in the third quarter, making the bet worth $1.4 billion, according to a regulatory filing. The bet was only worth about $220 million at the end of June. Nike is in the midst of a broader restructuring after it shifted its strategy to sell directly to consumers. The sneaker giant has been gearing up for company veteran Elliott Hill to come out of retirement to take the helm. Just last month, Nike withdrew is full-year guidance and fell short on quarterly revenue as it works to fix its product assortment and rework its approach to innovation. Shares of Nike have plunged more than 30% this year. Pershing Square also boosted its bet on Brookfield last quarter to a stake worth $1.74 billion, making it the second biggest holding behind Alphabet. Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a deal with the company’s majority-owned Brookfield Asset Management to invest more than $10 billion to develop renewable energy capacity to power the growing demand for artificial intelligence and data centers. Brookfield’s portfolio also includes data center operators. Other than these big movers, the hedge fund manager tweaked slightly holdings of Hilton Worldwide Hotels , Restaurant Brands and ********* Pacific Kansas City , and kept Alphabet , Chipotle and Howard Hughes unchanged.
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Pelican News
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********** of Dane Vikings Ordered in St. Brice’s Day Massacre, Nov 13, 1002
********** of Dane Vikings Ordered in St. Brice’s Day Massacre, Nov 13, 1002
After a couple of hundred years of Viking raids, payments of tens of thousands of pounds of silver in protection money, and conquests over the Anglo-Saxons, by the year 1002 it seems King Aethelred II of Wessex in Southern England was nearing the end of his tether. But what apparently really led him to send out his *****-all order were rumors that the Danes were plotting his and his council’s ******.
In response to this supposed threat, Aethelred ordered his people to ***** every Danish man on English soil. It is unclear how many Danish Vikings perished in the massacre, which was carried out on Nov. 13, 1002, St. Brice’s feast day.
Archaeologists have recently been studying two mass graves of young men who ***** by ********* and have speculated that they may have been slain in the St. Brice’s Day Massacre.
Painting of Æthelred the Unready, circa 968-1016. (Public Domain)
Vikings Establish Hegemony over Much of Northern England
The Danish Vikings carried out their first raid on England in Northumbria in 793. They looted the Lindisfarne priory, a religious institution, showing that they feared no one, including ****. They stole gold and silver artifacts and sold some of the captives into slavery in Asia and Europe.
In 865, the Great Heathen Horde of Vikings came ashore in East Anglia. Within six years, the Vikings took Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia, defeating their armies and ******** the kings.
Wessex was the only kingdom over which the Anglo-Saxons still held sway. In 878, King Alfred of Wessex defeated the Viking Guthrum and his army at Edington, Wiltshire.
Alfred made a deal with the Viking Danes to bring peace, ceding the lands in the north and east of England, an area dubbed ‘Danelaw’. Alfred ruled over the wealthy, powerful realm of Wessex in the west and south.
Viking Influence on the Areas they Controlled
The Viking economy was not just raiding and pillaging. It included farming, crafting and trading. Many of the Danes who settled in England were warriors who had success in war and got land grants. Some of them brought their families to England and settled in.
The Vikings intermarried with the Anglo Saxons and engaged in trading. The Danes influenced place names and the language, and their presence is still attested to in some surnames. The Vikings accepted some of the local beliefs and traditions, but there may have been resentment between the two peoples.
Æthelred Comes into Power and Conflict with the Danes
Aethelred the Unready, as he was known, came into power in 978 and ruled until 1013. He ruled again from 1014 until 1016. After the 991 battle of Maldon, he paid tribute known as Danegeld to the Vikings.
The tribute paid to Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard was galling to the Anglo-Saxons. Also, there was a constant threat of Viking raids and conquests.
Things came to a head in 1002, when rumors about ******** Aethelred and conquering Wessex began. He responded with the St. Brice’s Day massacre. Recently, historians have stated that only Danish migrants and elites in lands outside the Danelaw were *******, says an article at Archaeology Magazine, discussing a mass grave found on the grounds of St. John’s College at the University of Oxford in 2008.
Map showing the Danelaw and Anglo-Saxon lands. (Public Domain)
Some historical sources say Danish King Sweyn was furious that the Anglo-Saxons ******* his sister, her husband and their children. The article says the family and some other Danes requested sanctuary at a ******* in Oxford, but were ******* anyway.
In a royal charter, Aethelred said:
“When all the people in pursuit strove, forced by necessity, to drive them out, and could not, they set ***** to the planks and burnt, as it seems, this ******* with its ornaments and its books.”
Some tried to escape but were ******* as they fled.
When Sweyn invaded and became king of England in 1013, Aethelred fled to Normandy, but after Sweyn *****, he returned a short while later to rule again. Aethelred ***** two years later. He was succeeded by his son Edmund Ironside, who ***** within a few months. Then Sweyn’s son Cnut ruled England.
Excavating Mass Graves Linked to the St. Brice’s Day Massacre
In 2008, archaeologists unearthed a mass grave of more than three dozen young men ******* in a frenzy on what became the grounds of the University of Oxford. They were tall and strong, and all were ******* by *********. One was decapitated, and beheading was attempted on five others. Twenty-seven of the victims had broken skulls, and others were stabbed. Some of the skeletons were burned, leading the archaeologists to speculate they were ******* in the St. Brice’s Day massacre.
In 2009, another mass grave, of 54 young, tall, fit men was discovered in Weymouth, Dorset in Southern England. They had all been beheaded, and their skulls were ******* nearby. They did not have defensive wounds, so researchers speculated that they were ********* rather than ******* in combat.
Analysis of the bones and teeth of the two groups led archaeologists to tentatively conclude they were Vikings, though some evidence refuted that. Radiocarbon dating of the ******** from the two groups showed they ***** between 960 and 1030, within the time range of the St. Brice’s Day massacre. The teeth of one of the men from the Dorset mass grave had incisions, which indicate his group might have been raiders instead of settlers. This may indicate they were not ******* on St. Brice’s Day.
Top image: A burial pit of apparent Viking victims in Dorset. These men were ritually *********. Source: Oxford Archaeology
By Mark Miller
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Pelican News
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Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade Review – The Best And Most Versatile Home Arcade Machine
Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade Review – The Best And Most Versatile Home Arcade Machine
The dream of having an arcade inside your home is considerably more realistic these days thanks to the proliferation of consumer-grade cabinets, led by Arcade1Up. But unless you have a plethora of open space and the disposable cash to buy a bunch of cabinets, bringing the arcade home means maybe one or two machines. And unlike arcades, you’re usually locked into a specific lineup of games; you can’t take your quarters elsewhere when you have the urge to switch things up. Multiple cabinet manufacturers have tried to solve the space and boredom concerns by becoming arcade platforms. It hasn’t really worked yet, but that could change with the arrival of one of the best pieces of gaming hardware in years: the Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade.
Officially licensed by Capcom and created by Blaze Entertainment, the Alpha offers an authentic arcade experience with full-size controls in a compact form factor for $250–a $20 discount is available if you complete your purchase before the Alpha’s November 28 release. Two models, each with six preloaded games, will be available at launch: Mega Man: The Power Battle and Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. But what makes these superbly realized bartop cabinets so exciting is support for the 535 (and counting) games in the Evercade library.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Evercade is a line of cartridge-based hardware that debuted as a handheld in 2020. Today, there are multiple iterations of the handheld as well as a home console. All Evercade devices share the same game library, which means the Alpha is launching with a massive catalog of over 60 cartridge collections featuring arcade, home console, and handheld classics.
We’ll ***** more into the overarching Evercade platform later in this review, as it’s important to understand not just what’s in the box, but the wide-ranging hardware and software options available to purchase separately. While the Alpha will inevitably elicit comparisons to Arcade1Up, including from me, it’s more comparable to traditional consoles like the Switch and PS5. Sure, the Alpha is themed around Street Fighter/Mega Man–and some people will get it purely for those franchises–but it’s not a countertop version of Arcade1Up’s Street Fighter II: Champion Edition standing cabinet; the Alpha is a home arcade platform that happens to come with a half-dozen games to get you started.
Mega Man Edition Game List:
Street Fighter Edition Game List:
Mega Man: The Power Battle
Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition
Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Strider
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams
Final ******
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Knights
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Carrier Air Wing
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
Build quality: The alpha of compact arcade machines
Evercade hardware has always punched above its price, but the Alpha’s sturdy build quality, presentation, and overall feel still surprised me. Four rubber feet keep it firmly in place on solid surfaces, and at just 13 pounds, I comfortably played for hours on the couch with the cabinet on my lap. If you’re familiar with Arcade1Up’s countercades, the Alpha has a similar size profile. It’s 16.1 inches tall (410mm), 9.6 inches wide (244mm), and 12.4 inches deep.
Despite its relatively small form factor, the Alpha is an eye-catching piece of tech. I tested the Mega Man edition, while my colleague Tamoor Hussain checked out the Street Fighter model. Both models feature artwork inspired by their original full-size counterparts. For Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, that means the granite-like pattern on the front, character panels along the bezel, and the logo on each side. And while it maintains the minimalist aesthetic, the new solid blue finish complements the speckled gray control deck nicely. The Mega Man cabinet has a more colorful and playful look, with a character collage matching the cover art for Rockman Power Battle Fighters for PS2 set against a space-themed background. The control deck and bezel are brushed with a streaky mix of blue and white. Taking cues from the Street Fighter model, you’ll also find lovely little character panels flanking the screen.
Each model has a light-up marquee featuring the same artwork from the original release. The panel covering the art is so well integrated into the build that I wouldn’t have thought the artwork could be replaced if no one told me. This added bit of customization is a nice touch, but sadly three-packs of official marquee art are sold out at Funstock. It probably won’t take too long for Evercade enthusiasts to start printing their own designs.
Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade
Gallery
Countertop arcade machines are sometimes rightfully seen as gimmicks because, even if they look cool, they are less than ideal to actually play due to the small screen and/or controls. But that’s not the case here, and it starts with the really impressive eight-inch HD IPS display. The 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for many retro arcade titles and the vast majority of classic console and handheld games. The IPS technology is integral here, as it helps this small screen provide superb ****** accuracy, consistently smooth performance, and wide viewing angles. Evercade’s handhelds have always had better screens than you might expect for the price, and the Alpha continues this trend. The picture is considerably more vibrant and rich than the Arcade1Up countercades I’ve used.
The cabinet comes pre-assembled and carefully cradled by form-fitting foam inserts to protect the wood. Protective film needs to be removed from the screen and marquee before playing for the first time. If your experience is anything like ours, the “pull here” tabs might instantly rip, and you need to be careful near the edges, corners, and screws. I had to loosen the screws to safely remove some of the film. While somewhat of an annoying introduction to the Alpha, the end result is all that really matters. Once I removed all of the film, the screen, just like the rest of the build, was in pristine condition. This should be the expectation with a piece of new tech like this, but I have purchased multiple arcade cabinets with protective film that were already scratched upon arrival.
Even more impressive than the beautiful display is the premium control deck. Both machines have identical layouts, just with different button colors and labels. Blaze smartly opted for the bat-top stick, which allows you to use a more relaxed grip than ball-top sticks. From a technical perspective, marketing the Alpha with “competition-grade arcade controls” doesn’t really mean much. What’s strange is the Funstock-exclusive Deluxe Edition has high-end Sanwa controls, so these regular versions are supposed to be a step down. But if I didn’t know that beforehand, I would’ve guessed these were made by Sanwa. The stick and buttons feel better than any other home arcade cabinets I own. It’s not uncommon for a budget-priced arcade cabinet or even a ****** stick to have a “loose” joystick. Not only does that make it feel cheaply made, but that looseness can cause inaccurate inputs. The Alpha’s stick is fast and tight, with a satisfying click marking each input. I haven’t had any issues with false diagonals or latency. I’d be curious to compare it to the Deluxe version with Sanwa components, because the “competition-grade arcade controls” are better than what’s found on the cabinets in retail stores.
Mega Man | Street Fighter
Gallery
The Alpha has six convex face buttons split into two rows of three. Fast and clicky without being too loud or loose, the buttons have the same premium-but-not-Sanwa quality to them as the stick. Above the face buttons are three smaller buttons: start, select or insert coin, and menu. One really interesting design choice is the slightly textured, matte finish on the control deck. Most home arcade cabinets have a glossy, laminate-type finish, but the Alpha’s control deck surface provides a bit of additional grip and stability I didn’t even know I wanted until I tried it.
For context on these comparisons, I have multiple Arcade1Up standing cabinets, an Arcade1Up countercade, the iiRcade (discontinued), AtGames Legends Ultimate, and two Quarter Arcades (with very tiny controls).
Specifications
Evercade Alpha Bartop Arcade
Included Games:
6 built-in Capcom arcade games
Add-on Games
Dual cartridge slots for 60+ cartridges / 500+ games
Display:
8-inch HD IPS with 4:3 aspect ratio
Controls:
Bat-top arcade stick and 8 buttons
Multiplayer:
Supports two players with USB controllers
Processor:
RK3326 1.5GHz
Memory:
512MB DRAM
Sound:
Dual Stereo Speakers / 3.5mm headphones
Ports:
USB-A (x2) for controllers, USB-C AC adapter
Wi-Fi:
Firmware updates only
Dimensions:
16.5 x 9.6 x 12.4 inches
Weight:
~13 pounds
Third-party controller support adds versatility
Because multiplayer is such an integral part of the arcade experience, most full-size cabinets have at least two sets of controls. Arcade1Up has included multiple sets of controls on a few of its countercades, including NBA Jam, but it’s a cramped experience. Even standing home arcade cabinets can feel like a squeeze for multiplayer on the same control deck.
The Alpha takes a different, more versatile approach to multiplayer. Two USB ports flank the volume rocker, right below the cartridge slots. Though it’s still listed as in beta, USB controllers can be enabled and fully remapped to your liking in the settings. In addition to Evercade-branded controllers, a wide variety of third-party controllers are compatible via a wired connection, including DualSense, DualShock 4, official Xbox controllers (Series X|S, Xbox One, and 360), Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller, and many, many 8BitDo controllers. With certain Bluetooth receivers, you can establish a wireless connection.
I’d highly recommend grabbing 8BitDo’s Wireless USB Adapter for $20. This versatile little dongle works for numerous platforms, letting you sync Bluetooth controllers to normally unsupported devices. It’s what I used to play Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch with my Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller. All of 8BitDo’s Bluetooth controllers will work wirelessly on Alpha with this dongle, including the best ones for retro gaming: the SNES-inspired SN30 Pro and the 8BitDo Pro 2. 8BitDo’s flagship Ultimate Bluetooth Controller will also work, but keep in mind that the dongle that comes with it for 2.4GHz wireless will not work; you need the separate adapter that’s designed for Bluetooth connections.
You can sync Bluetooth controllers with 8BitDo’s Wireless USB Adapter.
Third-party controller support also extends to ****** pads and arcade sticks. 8BitDo’s Arcade Stick for Switch/PC works with the aforementioned adapter; if you want a wireless stick, this offers the best combination of price and performance. But heads up: The Xbox version of 8BitDo’s Arcade Stick will only work in wired mode, as it doesn’t support Bluetooth. As for even cheaper, wired options, Hori’s $50 Fighting Stick Mini worked well for me. There’s also the Mayflash F101 for $45 or F300 for $60.
Multiplayer is where the IPS display’s wider viewing angles offer the most practical benefit. Two people can’t sit directly in front of an eight-inch screen, and without IPS technology, the picture wouldn’t be as crisp when looking at it from an angle. Including two USB ports was a good move. When I played multiplayer with my kids, whoever was using the onboard controls sometimes blocked the bottom of the screen. That problem was solved when we switched to USB fighting sticks and controllers.
Controller support is a huge boon for the Alpha beyond multiplayer, too. The Evercade library has hundreds of console and handheld games, and while many of them play great with stick controls, the option to use the Alpha as a miniature home console with a built-in display is an awesome perk.
User-friendly interface
Speaking of miniature consoles, the Alpha’s menu systems and user interface are just as clean and straightforward as the mini consoles from ***** and Nintendo. All Evercade devices run on the same operating system with largely identical navigation systems, so if you already own an Evercade device, almost all of this will sound familiar.
From the moment you press the power button–which glows red and charmingly resembles the coin-return button on an arcade cabinet–it takes just under 40 seconds to fully boot. The home screen is a vertical carousel of the six preloaded games, represented by cover art and a screenshot, against a custom background themed around Mega Man or Street Fighter. You can switch the background to one of six other themes: dark, light, blue and gold, neon, radon, and neo (****** with checkered boxes). Clicking on a game opens a menu with a blurb and pertinent details such as how many players it supports and the default controls (which you can remap). Each game can be loaded from scratch, or, if you’ve played it before and created a save state, you can load directly to that spot. It’s a handy feature that exemplifies Evercade’s pick-up-and-play mentality.
Cartridge games populate in a separate menu. If you insert a cartridge containing 12 games, 12 individual tiles will appear within a few seconds. Games can be sorted in alphabetical order or by release year, and when two cartridges are loaded, you can choose to separate the tiles or let them mingle as one big group. Below the cartridge menu you’ll find Evercade’s Game of the Month, which you can download and play for free with each monthly update. Firmware updates and occasional cartridge patches are the only features that utilize Wi-Fi; Evercade devices do not have online multiplayer or leaderboards. The Game of the Month is directly above a collection of nine hidden games. These are unlocked through various methods such as entering secret codes and inputting specific button combinations.
Namco Museum Collection
Evercade was born from a place of love for playing and preserving physical media, and its library system is something I’d really like to see adopted by other hardware manufacturers. The library logs how many cartridges and the total number of games you own, not including preloaded, as well as upcoming releases.
By default, the Alpha displays games in their original aspect ratios, which fills the screen on the preloaded games. If you buy cartridges featuring games in genres such as vertically scrolling shooters with 3:4 aspect ratios, ****** borders will cover part of the screen. Alternate borders such as the game’s cover art can replace the ****** bars. You can alter the display mode to Pixel Perfect to spruce up dull or muddied pixels. Some people like this, others, like me, don’t really care for it. You can also force full-screen mode if you don’t mind stretched pixels. If you love scanlines, you can add subtle or strong lines to mimic a CRT TV.
Sound customization is limited to master volume in games, but you can adjust BGM and SFX for the home screen. For such a small cabinet, the Alpha’s stereo speakers are plenty loud enough–too loud, if you turn it all the way up. Speakers are typically located on the front of arcade machines, but the Alpha’s speakers are on the sides. This could have become a design flaw, but the speakers efficiently disperse crisp, clear audio. The only downside to speaker location is that you won’t want to place the cabinet directly next to anything that could muffle the sound. As usual, headphones can provide an even better audio experience. Sadly, the Alpha doesn’t have Bluetooth, so you’ll need to plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack below the left cartridge slot.
Built-in Capcom Games
Evercade Alpha – Mega Man: The Power Battle
Gallery
Though the Alpha isn’t the first Evercade device with preloaded games, the overt Capcom themes will probably make it hard for some to not see these as Street Fighter and Mega Man cabinets. Ironically, these have fewer Capcom games combined compared to the Evercade EXP, which came with 18 preloaded games and a plain white design. But arcade cabinets typically aren’t viewed as platforms, and unless you’ve used a Neo Geo MVS, you’ve probably never played an arcade machine that takes cartridges. So, yeah, we’re in largely uncharted waters here, but the Evercade Alpha is akin to a themed special-edition console. Some people buy those because they are splashed with art celebrating their favorite game franchise, but most want access to the platform.
As a longtime Evercade user with dozens of cartridges, the six preloaded games were merely a bonus. Those who are new to the platform may view the preloaded games as the deciding factor.
I think tying a purchasing decision to the built-in games would be a mistake, but let’s say that’s you: If the cartridge slots were removed from the Alpha, I’d probably only recommend this machine to big Mega Man fans. Emphasis on big because Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters–the only two entries in the series developed for Capcom’s CP System arcade boards–are fun but ultimately forgettable experiences that are about as niche as it gets for a major franchise like Mega Man. These are truncated boss-rush games that play similarly to the mainline series, just without the platforming stages leading into the bosses. One cool thing is that they support co-op, which I had more fun with than solo runs.
Since there are only two Mega Man arcade games, the rest of the list is occupied by a random assortment of Capcom games. The best games on the Mega Man edition are Final ****** and Strider, both of which were originally released in 1989 for the then-nascent CP System. Final ****** is a classic beat-’em-up that still holds up well today, while Strider is one of the pioneers of the hack-and-slash genre. Both games were ported to practically every home console under the sun in the years following their release, but these are the originals.
Each Alpha comes with six built-in games
Only including Capcom’s arcade games makes sense thematically, but it also means some of the games feel like stripped-down versions of home-console games from the same era. Mega Man: The Power Battle is a prime example of this, as I was left wanting to play a full side-scrolling stage rather than just boss battles that typically end each stage.
While I didn’t personally test the Street Fighter cabinet, my colleague Tamoor Hussain expressed a similar sentiment: Playing the arcade versions with fewer features and modes made him want to play the complete experience.
If you were to buy one of these cabinets purely to play the included games, the Street Fighter edition is probably the better choice. It features a cohesive selection of Street Fighter games and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, a stellar tile-matching game similar to Puyo Puyo. Plus, there’s a reason why Street Fighter 2 has been the focal point of numerous home arcade cabinets. No offense to the Blue Bomber, but the same can’t be said for Mega Man: The Power Battle. But the novelty of its existence might be precisely why longtime Mega Man fans pick it up.
All of the built-in games look and play great–the emulation is really solid–so if you love these classic Capcom arcade games, the Alpha offers an authentic arcade experience in a compact form factor. And maybe that’s all you want out of this. Surely there’s someone out there whose favorite Mega Man games are the lone two arcade releases from nearly 30 years ago. And if that’s you, this is your moment.
With that said, if you own an Evercade device and only play preloaded games, you are missing out on a lot.
The bottom line: Evercade Alpha hardware
From a hardware standpoint, the Evercade Alpha is exceedingly impressive. The control stick is the best not-Sanwa stick I’ve used, the buttons feel great, and the eight-inch HD IPS display offers a vibrant picture with wide enough viewing angles to make playing multiplayer games a pleasant experience for both players. Robust third-party controller support not only makes multiplayer possible, but also effectively turns the Alpha into a compact game console with a built-in display and a user-friendly OS reminiscent of Nintendo and ***** mini consoles. The Alpha takes up about as much surface space as a modern game console, but it’s still an eye-catching device with a premium finish that’s complemented by vibrant artwork, a customizable light-up marquee, and charming flourishes like the coin-return-inspired power button.
The Evercade Alpha carries a $250 MSRP, but an early-bird discount of $20 is available for those who preorder either model ahead of the Alpha’s November 28 release. For comparison, it costs $100 more than the most recent Arcade1Up countercades with three preloaded games. The Alpha has six preloaded games and supports over 500 overall. Beyond the superb build quality, expandability is the Alpha’s biggest strength. It also means $250 is the starting cost–unless you really do just want a compact arcade machine for a handful of Capcom classics.
The Evercade Alpha is the best bartop arcade machine I’ve used by a wide margin. Thanks to the evolving cartridge-based library, it’s quickly become one of my favorite gaming devices, *******, which isn’t something I could say for other home arcade cabinets.
Evercade Alpha logo during boot process
The Evercade library
Each Evercade cartridge retails for $20-$25. The number of games on each cart varies; some have over a dozen, while others only have a few. Based on current totals, the average is eight. All cartridges come in chunky, retro-style boxes with instruction booklets. The library is split into three series, each of which has its own case ******: console/handheld carts are red, arcade carts are purple, and home-computer carts are blue. Initially, the catalog consisted mainly of publisher-themed carts such as Atari, Namco Museum, Data East, and Interplay. Before long, we saw modern retro games such as the combo pack featuring the 2019 shooter Xeno Crisis and 2018 puzzle-platformer Tanglewood, both of which were developed for ***** Genesis. The contemporary throwbacks have become a compelling fixture. Last year, the brand-new GBA game Goodboy Galaxy and popular NES puzzle-platformer Witch N’ Wiz released as another combo pack.
Evercade even managed to secure exclusive remasters of the first two Duke Nukem games, and they are pretty ***** good. A second collection of Duke Nukem games moved Evercade into the world of 32-bit games for the first time. Just in the past few months, the Tomb Raider Collection and Legacy of Kain PS1 duology added to the burgeoning subset of 32-bit games. The Piko Interactive Collection 4 announced the arrival of 64-bit games with the Nintendo 64 platformer Glover, which was rebuilt from the ground up for Evercade.
On the arcade side, the library is filled with classics from Irem, Gaelco, Jaleco, Data East, Toaplan, Atari, and Piko Interactive. I tried both of the new Data East and Toaplan carts that are releasing alongside the Alpha. Like previous Toaplan carts, if you like retro shooters, it doesn’t disappoint. The vertically scrolling shmups Truxton II and Vimana are awesome. I’ve also enjoyed my time with the vertically scrolling run-and-**** games Out Zone and its spiritual successor FixEight. I had never played these games, which to me is part of the joy of Evercade carts. You may be drawn in by one specific game you have fond memories playing, but then you get to explore other games from the same developer for the first time.
Toaplan Arcade 3 and Data East Arcade 2 release alongside the Evercade Alpha
Evercade Arcade Series Cartridge Collections:
A decent chunk of Evercade games aren’t available on other contemporary devices. That’s part of the charm: the revival of games that have largely been lost to history. Of course, with 500-plus games in the catalog, there are some real clunkers, but out of the 40-plus carts I’ve tried, I’ve yet to encounter a compilation I didn’t enjoy or appreciate for one reason or another.
At this time, the Evercade library is heavily weighted toward console, handheld, and modern retro games. The arcade series will eclipse 100 games with the release of the fourth Toaplan compilation, and 13th arcade cart overall, next month. For comparison, the console series will have 42 carts next month, with the latest double pack featuring modern Genesis games Life on Mars and Metal Dragon. These figures are somewhat deceiving, as some of the console series carts include games predominantly thought of as arcade games. For instance, the two Namco Museum collections that were part of the original Evercade’s launch lineup in 2020 contain some of the most iconic arcade games of all time: Galaga, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and many others. Technically, these are the NES versions, but they are virtually identical to the original arcade releases.
Some classics from the console series may seem more natural with a conventional controller, but I tried a bunch of games never intended for arcades that play great with the Alpha’s stick, including classic platformers like Mr. Gimmick, Aero the Acro-Bat, and Earthworm Jim, as well as impressive modern indies like the cinematic platformer Full Void and metroidvania Alwa’s Awakening. Did I ever expect to play and reach the credits of Duke Nukem Advance, an actual FPS for GBA, on an arcade machine? No, and neither did you, but it held up better than I expected.
Evercade is one big platform
The Evercade Alpha benefits immensely from the large library of existing cartridges released over the last four years for other hardware. All Evercade devices share the same library of games and run on the same easy-to-use operating system. If you like the Evercade Alpha but also want to play your carts on a travel-friendly handheld device or on your TV, multiple handhelds and a home console are available. Other Evercade hardware costs substantially less than the Alpha, so if you like the idea of cartridge-based retro gaming, but want a more budget-friendly introduction to the platform, you have multiple options.
Likely anticipating increased interest in the other Evercade hardware after the Alpha’s launch, Blaze released the Evercade VS-R home console in August, and the Evercade EXP-R handheld releases November 29–one day after the Alpha. Both devices are refreshes of older hardware, now in ****** instead of white, and cost $100 each. As an added bonus, they come bundled with Tomb Raider Collection, which is $25 on its own.
Evercade EXP-R
The Evercade VS home console is otherwise identical to the original white model released in 2021. The VS has been hard to find in the US for well over a year at this point. Like the Alpha, it has two cartridge slots. It connects to your TV or monitor via HDMI and displays in 1080p. While it only comes with one wired controller, just like the Alpha, you can connect third-party wired controllers and Bluetooth controllers with the 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter.
The original EXP retailed for $150 at launch, so the price has dropped $50 with the EXP-R. The change takes two notable omissions into account: The mini-HDMI port has been removed, so the EXP-R won’t have the ability to play in 720p on a monitor or TV. The aforementioned 18 Capcom freebies found on the EXP are also gone. The EXP-R does, however, sport a new textured grip that could improve the already impressive ergonomics of the EXP. The Tomb Raider Collection is also probably more appealing than the IREM Arcade Collection that was included with the EXP.
I haven’t tested the EXP-R, but the EXP is a lovely portable device with a sublime D-pad and spacious 4.3-inch IPS display with 800 x 480 resolution. It’s also one of the best handhelds I’ve used for arcade games thanks to TATE mode: an optional play style where you turn the device on its side for games with vertically oriented aspect ratios, just as originally intended. To improve the ergonomics of this play style, Evercade is releasing the TATE Grip alongside the EXP-R.
Blaze also has a spin-off brand called HyperMegaTech for its Super Pocket series of handhelds that debuted last year with Capcom and Taito Editions. These $60 handhelds with Game Boy Pocket-esque form factors still support Evercade carts, but they also include preloaded software: 12 Capcom or 17 Taito games. The Super Pocket line expanded last month with Atari (50 games) and Technos models (15 games). These legitimately pocketable handhelds have 2.8-inch IPS displays and more colorful themes. The D-pad and buttons are stiffer than the EXP, and the build is more toy-like and plasticky, but they offer tremendous value for the price–even if you do only buy them for the preloaded games.
Every cartridge in the Evercade library is compatible with the Alpha, EXP, and Super Pocket. The Evercade VS supports every cartridge except for the two Namco Museum collections. Some cartridges are no longer in print, so prices can creep a bit higher than MSRP on the reseller market, but many Evercade carts can be found on Amazon.
Disclosure: Blaze Entertainment provided GameSpot with review samples of both Evercade Alpha models to test for this review.
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Microsoft revives this feature in the new version of Outlook
Microsoft revives this feature in the new version of Outlook
Microsoft
Microsoft soft-launched a redesigned version of its Outlook app this year, and it hasn’t received the best reception. Not only will the new version of Outlook replace the old one, but it’ll also replace the default Windows Mail & Calendar app.
In attempts to slightly rectify the situation, however, Microsoft has posted a Windows 11 update that will include a change made to the new version of Outlook. While many of the larger design ideas haven’t been undone, Microsoft has added back a missing feature that was available in Outlook classic.
The feature, Narrator, will now once again auto-read the contents of an email. The change likely won’t win over any haters who are upset about the new version of Outlook, but it at least shows that Microsoft is paying attention to some of the missing features in the new version of Outlook.
In addition to bringing Narrator back to Outlook, Microsoft has also announced a new shortcut for Narrator. The keyboard shortcut Narrator key + control + x will copy the last thing Narrator spoke right into your clipboard.
The Windows 11 update also includes fixes to File Explorer. Microsoft says it “fixed an issue which was causing the items in the navigation pane to become very spread out (with unexpected padding between each item) for some people” and that it “fixed an underlying issue, which was causing RAW images taken in portrait mode to unexpectedly display in landscape mode thumbnails.”
These updates are part of the Windows 11 Build 27749 that came this week to Insiders in the Canary Channel.
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Bitfinex hacker gets five years in prison for bitcoin money laundering scheme
Bitfinex hacker gets five years in prison for bitcoin money laundering scheme
Booking photos for Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein.
Courtesy: Alexandria ****** Detention Center.
A man whose 2016 hack of Bitfinex drained nearly 120,000 bitcoin from that cryptocurrency exchange was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for a money laundering scheme that he and his wife pulled off to hide the swiped crypto.
The value of that bitcoin at the time of the Bitfinex cyberattack was just $70 million when it was stolen by Ilya Lichtenstein.
That crypto now is worth $10.5 billion due to the rise in the price of bitcoin since 2016.
Lichtenstein, 35, and his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, pleaded guilty to money laundering *********** in federal court in Washington, D.C., in August 2023, about 18 months after their arrest.
It was at that plea hearing that Lichtenstein first publicly admitted that he had been the hacker of Bitfinex.
Lichtenstein had faced a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Washington.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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Amazon’s Tomb Raider Series Might Feature Game of Thrones Star as Lara Croft
Amazon’s Tomb Raider Series Might Feature Game of Thrones Star as Lara Croft
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November 14, 2024
According to a report by Deadline, Amazon’s Tomb Raider series could potentially cast Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.
The report states that the parties are negotiating to get Sophie Turner to play Lara Croft in Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series. Their report from last month stated that Turner was auditioning for the part along with Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton. Sophie Turner is currently working on two shows, Joan and Haven.
Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the writer and executive producer for Amazon’s Tomb Raider series. During the announcement, Waller-Bridge expressed her love for the franchise and how honoured she feels to be a part of the series. She stated, “I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all.” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, also called the upcoming series “epic” and “globetrotting” during the reveal.
The series does not have a release window at the moment, and no plot details have been revealed. If the reports are accurate, securing Lara Craft for the upcoming live-action Tomb Raider series will be the first significant development for the show.
In other news, the Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Collection will be released in February 2025. Also, here’s how to play Tomb Raider games in order. What are your thoughts on Sophie Turner playing Lara Croft in Amazon’s Tomb Raider series? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum!
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Windows 11 takes a break on updates until 2025
Windows 11 takes a break on updates until 2025
Microsoft has confirmed that it is going on holiday break for Windows 11 updates, indicating that any major software features won’t be released until January 2025.
The company rolled out its latest software update, OS Build 26100.2314 on November 12, and it largely addressed security issues. It also detailed that there won’t be any preview updates released in December 2024, outside of monthly security releases.
“Because of minimal operations during the Western holidays and the upcoming new year, there won’t be a non-security preview release for the month of December 2024. There will be a monthly security release for December 2024. Normal monthly servicing for both security and non-security preview releases will resume in January 2025,” Microsoft said on its support website.
Typically, Microsoft releases a Preview Build OS version of Windows 11 monthly to its Windows Insiders users in the Dev (developers) and Beta channels. The builds include unique features that may have the potential to release to public versions of Windows software, but don’t always get to see final builds. Microsoft is halting the progress of this program during the holiday season, as many staff members will be on break.
Recently, a Windows Insider user found a universal share button feature ******* within the code of a Preview Build. The feature was disabled by default, but once enabled, it allows for a Share button throughout the Windows 11 operating system. Users will be able to send files, links, or text conveniently from their desktops, including in the taskbar and Start menu. Another Preview Build feature is Rewrite for the Notepad app, which allows you to generate alternative text to fit your specific needs, including modifying text to be longer, shorter, or to be written in a certain tone or format.
However, it is vital that Microsoft’s security software updates continue as usual. In its recent security update, Microsoft addressed 91 vulnerabilities in Windows 11. The update includes four zero-day vulnerabilities, that remain actively exploited by hackers: CVE-2024-43451, CVE-2024-49039, CVE-2024-49040, and CVE-2024-49019.
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Third Point slashes key megacap tech holdings, but buys this Magnificent 7 name
Third Point slashes key megacap tech holdings, but buys this Magnificent 7 name
Third Point slashed and dissolved its stakes in some key megacap technology holdings, while opening a fresh position in Tesla during the third quarter. Regulatory filings released Thursday revealed that the Dan Loeb-run hedge fund opened a stake worth roughly $105 million in the electric vehicle behemoth during the *******. Tesla shares rallied more than 32% during the *******, and they have surged more than 24% in November as investors bet that the company will benefit from CEO Elon Musk’s close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump . Shares jumped 29% last week amid Trump’s election victory, propelling the company above the $1 trillion market cap threshold . The stock has been on a volatile ride this year as Tesla grapples with growing China competition and dwindling demand at home that has led to price cuts. Shares are currently up 25% on a year-to-date basis. TSLA 1M mountain Tesla shares over the last month Third Point vacated a nearly $333-million position in Alphabet , and the firm slashed its stakes in Microsoft and Meta Platforms by 45% and about 51%, respectively. The firm trimmed its Amazon position by nearly 28% and cut its Apple shares by more than 52%. The hedge fund placed a $411 million bet on the iPhone maker during the previous quarter. Amazon, Microsoft and Meta Platforms remained among the firm’s top ten holdings despite the reductions. Microsoft has lagged its megacap peers this year, with shares up just 13.5%. MSFT YTD mountain Apple shares this year Beyond these key Magnificent Seven players, Loeb liquidated positions in both Verizon Communications and ridesharing giant Uber Technologies . Along with Tesla, Loeb revealed a new position in Brookfield Corp worth about $251 million and fresh stakes in Flutter Entertainment and CVS Health . Loeb hiked his Live Nation Entertainment position by 71% to about $256 million, making it the firm’s tenth largest holding. Loeb more than doubled his stake in Intercontinental Exchange .
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Bitfinex hacker gets five years in prison for bitcoin money laundering scheme
Bitfinex hacker gets five years in prison for bitcoin money laundering scheme
Booking photos for Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein.
Courtesy: Alexandria ****** Detention Center.
A man whose 2016 hack of Bitfinex drained nearly 120,000 bitcoin from that cryptocurrency exchange was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for a money laundering scheme that he and his wife pulled off to hide the swiped crypto.
The value of that bitcoin at the time of the Bitfinex cyberattack was just $70 million when it was stolen by Ilya Lichtenstein.
That crypto now is worth $10.5 billion due to the rise in the price of bitcoin since 2016.
Lichtenstein, 35, and his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, pleaded guilty to money laundering *********** in federal court in Washington, D.C., in August 2023, about 18 months after their arrest.
It was at that plea hearing that Lichtenstein first publicly admitted that he had been the hacker of Bitfinex.
Lichtenstein had faced a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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Grand Slam of Darts 2024 results: Luke Littler into quarter-finals with thrilling fightback against Mike de Decker
Grand Slam of Darts 2024 results: Luke Littler into quarter-finals with thrilling fightback against Mike de Decker
Luke Littler produced a stunning fightback to beat Mike de Decker 10-9 and reach the Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals.
The 17-year-old was 9-7 down and on the brink of exiting the tournament, but won three consecutive legs to secure a meeting with Jermaine Wattimena.
Littler had taken a 2-0 lead but De Decker got on level terms, then seemed to have the momentum as the match wore on.
The Belgian built an 8-4 cushion but Littler rallied with an 11-dart leg.
De Decker had a chance to win with a checkout of 170, but missed the bullseye before Littler squared the match at 9-9.
In the deciding leg Littler held his nerve and nailed treble 18, double 16, to seal victory and a place in the last eight.
“I don’t know if I enjoyed that. I’ve got to feel for Mike. I didn’t think I was in the game, but I know I can always switch that gear,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“Early on I was at my normal pace but towards the end I was taking an extra second, and that helped me. I might have to throw like that from now on.
“I didn’t think I could overturn the deficit [in the final session]. I just can’t believe it.”
Also in Wolverhampton, Wattimena progressed by winning a 10-9 thriller of his own against Dimitri van den Bergh.
Gian van Veen cruised to a 10-2 win over Ryan Joyce while Gary Anderson clinched a 10-6 victory over Stephen Bunting.
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Albatroz Review – Thumb Culture
Albatroz Review – Thumb Culture
“The Rotterdam-based (the Netherlands) indie games publisher/developer Soedesco and São Paulo-based (Brazil) indie games developer Among Giants, are today super thrilled and happy to announce that their backpacking adventure RPG “Albatroz“, is now available for PC (via Steam) and consoles (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch) via digital stores.” – Jonas Ek, TGG.
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The AI rocketship may be running on fumes
The AI rocketship may be running on fumes
Moments after OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic drop a major upgrade to their AI models, you’ll see people already speculating on the next update’s date and features. And there have been fairly regular updates to feed those rumors. However, those days may be over, according to a Bloomberg report. All three major AI developers are reportedly struggling to make their next-gen models match their ambitions for improvement over the current crop.
The report claims that OpenAI’s work on the Orion model isn’t going as well as the company expected. The model doesn’t perform at the level the company is aiming for, especially when it comes to coding. Orion may not offer a seismic change from GPT-4 compared to how GPT-4 blew GPT-3.5 out of the water. That may be one reason OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly pushed back on rumors about the release date for the Orion model and an upgrade to ChatGPT.
Delays and lower expectations are also plaguing Google and Anthropic. Google’s Gemini development is slower than hoped, according to Bloomberg. Anthropic has already pushed back releasing its Claude 3.5 Opus model for similar reasons despite teasing it earlier this year.
All of the AI developers are running into the same ceilings in growing their model’s abilities. The biggest is likely training data. The companies have leveraged enormous datasets to train their AI models, but even the internet is not infinite, and that goes even more when discussing high-quality data useful for training AI. Finding previously unused, accessible information is becoming tricky. That’s partly because of growing awareness and consideration for ethical and legal rights to use some data, but that’s only part of the explanation. At some point, there aren’t enough human examples for the AI models to absorb and improve upon. Even if the companies find enough raw data, processing it and incorporating it into an AI model is expensive in terms of money and computing power. If the data cannot make more than slight improvements, then upgrading the AI model might not be worth the price.
Fuel or fumes?
The report describes how OpenAI and its rivals are looking to other ways of upgrading their models, like post-training Orion with human feedback. That’s a slow way to improve an AI model and raises questions about whether AI has reached the limits of rapid scaling in size and functions. Brute computing power and avalanches of data may not be enough to make the dreams of AI developers real anymore. They’ll need to get more creative in how they iterate on their models without throwing the entire internet at it.
For us, we should expect somewhat slower releases of new and improved AI features. That might not be terrible if it gives everyone a chance to catch their breath and really dig into the best ways to use all the AI tools released in the last few years. There’s plenty to explore with ChatGPT-o1. And, who knows, maybe this will give OpenAI the space to work on releasing the Sora AI video creator, which has been kept highly restricted despite OpenAI teasing it with a steady drip of demos.
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Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubles down on Nike
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubles down on Nike
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square doubled down on Nike and Brookfield in his concentrated portfolio last quarter. The high-profile investor boosted his investment in Nike drastically in the third quarter, making the bet worth $1.4 billion, according to a regulatory filing. The bet was only worth about $220 million at the end of June. Nike is in the midst of a broader restructuring after it shifted its strategy to sell directly to consumers. The sneaker giant has been gearing up for company veteran Elliott Hill to come out of retirement to take the helm. Just last month, Nike withdrew is full-year guidance and fell short on quarterly revenue as it works to fix its product assortment and rework its approach to innovation. Shares of Nike have plunged more than 30% this year. Pershing Square also boosted its bet on Brookfield last quarter to a stake worth $1.74 billion, making it the second biggest holding behind Alphabet. Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a deal with the company’s majority-owned Brookfield Asset Management to invest more than $10 billion to develop renewable energy capacity to power the growing demand for artificial intelligence and data centers. Brookfield’s portfolio also includes data center operators. Other than these big movers, the hedge fund manager tweaked slightly holdings of Hilton Worldwide Hotels , Restaurant Brands and ********* Pacific Kansas City , and kept Alphabet , Chipotle and Howard Hughes unchanged.
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No joke: Satire site The Onion buys Alex Jones Infowars
No joke: Satire site The Onion buys Alex Jones Infowars
No joke: US *********** theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars has been purchased by satirical news publication The Onion.
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The EU publishes the first draft of regulatory guidance for general purpose AI models
The EU publishes the first draft of regulatory guidance for general purpose AI models
On Thursday, the ********* Union published its first draft of a Code of Practice for general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The document, which won’t be finalized until May, lays out guidelines for managing risks — and giving companies a blueprint to comply and avoid hefty penalties. The EU’s AI Act came into force on August 1, but it left room to nail down the specifics of GPAI regulations down the road. This draft (via TechCrunch) is the first attempt to clarify what’s expected of those more advanced models, giving stakeholders time to submit feedback and refine them before they kick in.
GPAIs are those trained with a total computing power of over 10²⁵ FLOPs. Companies expected to fall under the EU’s guidelines include OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic and Mistral. But that list could grow.
The document addresses several core areas for GPAI makers: transparency, copyright compliance, risk assessment and technical / governance risk mitigation. This 36-page draft covers a lot of ground (and will likely balloon much more before it’s finalized), but several highlights stand out.
The code emphasizes transparency in AI development and requires AI companies to provide information about the web crawlers they used to train their models — a key concern for copyright holders and creators. The risk assessment section aims to prevent cyber offenses, widespread discrimination and loss of control over AI (the “it’s gone rogue” sentient moment in a million bad sci-fi movies).
AI makers are expected to adopt a Safety and Security Framework (SSF) to break down their risk management policies and mitigate them proportionately to their systemic risks. The rules also cover technical areas like protecting model data, providing failsafe access controls and continually reassessing their effectiveness. Finally, the governance section strives for accountability within the companies themselves, requiring ongoing risk assessment and bringing in outside experts where needed.
Like the EU’s other tech-related regulations, companies that run afoul of the AI Act can expect steep penalties. They can be fined up to €35 million (currently $36.8 million) or up to seven percent of their global annual profits, whichever is higher.
Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback through the dedicated Futurium platform by November 28 to help refine the next draft. The rules are expected to be finalized by May 1, 2025.
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David Tepper’s Appaloosa loaded up on Temu-parent PDD Holdings during the third quarter
David Tepper’s Appaloosa loaded up on Temu-parent PDD Holdings during the third quarter
Hedge fund billionaire David Tepper’s bet on China involved increasing his exposure to the leading e-commerce companies in the world’s second-largest economy, according to the latest securities filing. Tepper’s Appaloosa Management more than doubled its position in Temu-parent PDD Holdings in the third quarter, according to the hedge fund’s quarterly filing. Between Alibaba , PDD and JD.com , Appaloosa held roughly $2 billion of ******** e-commerce stocks at the end of September. Tepper told CNBC in September that he had bought ” everything ” related to China after stepped-up domestic stimulus measures there, plus the Federal Reserve’s half-point rate cut. The 13F filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Appaloosa added exposure to the region through PDD and other China-related plays like Wynn Resorts , though it did slightly reduce positions in Alibaba and the iShares FTSE China ETF (FXI) . Other notable purchases for Tepper included new positions in Vistra Corp. and NRG Energy , and windeing his holding in Lyft . Appaloosa also had several significant sales in the quarter. The hedge fund reduced its stake in several U.S.-based tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft , and exited positions in UPS and Boeing . The quarterly hedge fund filing released Thursday showed only positions in U.S.-traded equities, including ********* depositary receipts, and some derivatives. The full extent of Appaloosa’s portfolio is unclear. It is also not known when Appaloosa made the transactions reflected in the portfolio, or if the fund has changed those positions since the end of September. Stocks linked to China have been particularly volatile in recent months, as investors consider the effectiveness of the new stimulus program there, as well as the potential impact of Donald Trump’s election win in the ******* States. PDD Holdings, for example, was trading below $90 per share in late August, shot up above $150 per share by early October, and had settled back to about $112 by Thursday. PDD 6M mountain ******** stocks like PDD Holdings have been volatile in recent months. Tepper, who founded Appaloosa in 1993, is also the owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
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North Korea leader Kim orders mass production of ******** drones, KCNA says
North Korea leader Kim orders mass production of ******** drones, KCNA says
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided a test of ******** drones and ordered a mass production of the aerial *******, saying the introduction of such drones around the world requires an urgent update of military theory, state media said on Friday.
Kim had previously supervised the test of ******** drones, earlier in the year amid a rapidly developing military cooperation with Russia, raising questions as to whether he was receiving technical help from Moscow to develop them.
Also known as loitering munitions, such weapons have been widely used in the war in Ukraine as well as in the Middle East.
“(Kim) underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production,” state news agency KCNA said.
Kim said the competition for using drones for military purposes is accelerating around the world, with military authorities likely recognizing their success in conflicts of various scale.
“Such objective change urgently calls for updating many parts of military theory, practice and education,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
North Korea has sent drones across the border to the South flying for hours in key areas including the capital, Seoul, and over the no-fly zone surrounding the South Korean presidential office.
That has prompted South Korea to deploy weapons to ****** down North Korean drones.
North Korea and Russia have recently ratified a comprehensive strategic partnership that their leaders signed in June, which includes a mutual defence pact.
North Korea has deployed its troops to Russia’s western frontlines in the war with Ukraine, and South Korean and U.S. officials have said North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat against Ukraine alongside Russian forces.
(Reporting by Jack KimEditing by Sandra Maler)
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