Month: December 2023

5 new series and movies to watch on the last weekend of the year: perfect for New Year’s Eve and New Year celebration

Despite seeming impossible, this last week of the year has premiered new series and movies. In particular, three platforms have brought something new…

The last weekend of the year is here and we’re not sure what to do: watch a movie? finish a series? watch the classic Christmas movie with the family? For all of you, I give you one more option: start a new TV series or recently released movies.

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Although it may seem impossible, this last week of the year has premiered new series and movies. Specifically, there are three platforms that we bring today with new material ready to be devoured during the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s weekend.

Without further ado, let’s go with the best releases of this end of the year. They are from 2023, but anyone would say that they belong more to the upcoming 2024 that is about to enter. By the way, here are the best movies that were released this year.

Saltburn (Prime Video)

After a surprising success in theaters, Emerald Fennell’s new film, Saltburn, is now available on Prime Video.

This Mr. Ripley-style drama is starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, a student at the University of Oxford whose infatuation with his wealthy classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) leads to a summer of debauchery (we’ll let you discover the details for yourself).

Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan also star in Saltburn, which critics have described as “an unfinished class satire, but also very entertaining”.

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Berlin (Netflix)

Pedro Alonso resumes his role as the carefree, sophisticated, and slightly psychotic Berlin (alias Andrés de Fonollosa) in the latest spin-off series of La Casa de Papel on Netflix, aptly titled Berlin.

This prequel to the 2017 Spanish phenomenon – also created by the original creator Álex Pina – places Berlin in Paris, as he and a masterful band of thieves prepare to steal jewels worth 44 million euros in one night.

Pina himself says that Berlin is “a journey through the golden age of the character, when he stole all over Europe crazy in love”, so it is safe to expect a good amount of tension, romance and humor from this new Netflix series.

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Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (Disney Plus)

Ncuti Gatwa’s solo stage as The Doctor began on Christmas Day, but if you missed the live broadcast, Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is now available on Disney Plus in the United States and on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom.

This special holiday episode brings the Doctor’s new companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), into the fight, and after a typically Whovian introduction, the pair find themselves on a mission to thwart the horde of baby-stealing goblins.

To avoid spoilers, we won’t reveal any more plot details, but Doctor Who fans can rest assured that Gatwa’s first solo episode as the Time Lord starts off strong.

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The Pokémon Custodian (Netflix)

The time has come for Pokémon fans: a new stop-motion animated series, Pokémon Concierge, is now available on Netflix.

Set on a tropical island for Pokémon, this four-episode series focuses on Haru, a new hotel concierge who welcomes and interacts with visiting Pokémon and their owners. But she soon discovers that taking care of Pokémon like Pikachu, Eevee, Magikarp, and Dragonite is not an easy task.

It is enough to say that Pokémon Concierge, a collaboration project between The Pokémon Company and the acclaimed Japanese animation studios Dwarf, seems to be Netflix’s most creative project since Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, so Pokémon fans, new and old, will have a lot to enjoy.

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Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare (Netflix)

The first of the two documentaries on this week’s list is Hell Camp: The Nightmare of Teenagers from Netflix, which delves into the heartbreaking true story of an American “wilderness therapy camp” that promised to reform rebellious teenagers.

The former special forces officer Steve Cartisano created the Challenger Foundation in the Utah desert in the 1980s, charging $15,900 for his 63-day reform program. However, the foundation was closed shortly after due to multiple accusations of child abuse and negligent homicide for the death of a 16-year-old girl.

What really happened in the desert? That’s what Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare promises to reveal – and it looks like it could be one of the best Netflix documentaries in a long time.

Xbox ends the year with controversy: the blame is on AI

Xbox ends the year with controversy, and the culprit of such controversy is none other than the one responsible for most of the controversies of the year: AI and its use.

The point has come where if a company uses AI, they know exactly what they are doing. Generating images with AI when you know what the public thinks about it is bad. When you do it as a big company with more than enough resources to hire a human, it’s even worse. When you are a big tech company where one of its subsidiaries has created at least one AI and you are fully aware of the ethical and legal problems it entails, it’s time to consider things. And yet, Microsoft has done it without thinking twice.

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To celebrate the end of the year and the games we have been playing, the ID@Xbox account decided to ask its followers what their favorite indie game of the year was. A candid and commendable question that has nothing wrong with it. But accompanying it was a corporate image with a more than suspicious style that many users quickly dissected and verified what it really was. It was generated by AI.

How could you know? Children controlling sleds with levers connected to nothing. Children fishing in the snow. A man playing with a laptop whose upper lip is replaced by teeth. Strings going nowhere everywhere. Small details that might make sense if it were a surrealist work, but we don’t believe it was the intention of any commercial illustrator to wish Merry Christmas on behalf of Xbox. Not when we know that those are the kind of things that AI does.

Of course, this has not been well received by the public. The reaction has been extremely negative and can be summarized as, how can they care about indies if they don’t even bother to hire an artist to make their ads?

Of course, Microsoft has already deleted the image of shame. Furthermore, they have done so without responding to the controversy, wanting to let it die in irrelevance. But it is another demonstration of the misuse that can be made and is made of AI. Trying to replace the work of qualified professionals through an automated process without added value. Something that, in the case of Xbox, is particularly problematic as a company that works with technology and artists.

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Uma Musume Pretty Derby will premiere a movie in early 2024

Uma Musume Pretty Derby will premiere a movie in early 2024, placing Jungle Pocket in the lead role in the race of her life.

When a franchise becomes very popular and is based on an original concept, it is possible to create practically infinite content from it. The problem is that due to contracts, partnerships, and other legal aspects, it is difficult to generate all the content that would be desired. Mainly because it is difficult to have more than one animation studio working on the same franchise at the same time, in many cases. That’s why a popular way to diversify content in anime is by making movies. Like in the case of Uma Musume Pretty Derby.

As announced last Thursday, the Uma Musume Pretty Derby franchise is going to have its first movie. With a release scheduled for May 24th in Japan, it will be called Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era. It will star Jungle Pocket with the intention of winning the Triple Crown Classic, a race that can only be participated in once in a lifetime.

Although the name leaves little room for deception, we understand that your Japanese is probably not so fluent. Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a series about a world where there are people who are hybrids between humans and horses, where young girls in particular fight to be the best possible runners to have a chance to succeed as idols. This premise, as crazy as it is eloquent for Japanese taste, comes from the homonymous video game, which is a success in Japan, and which has an anime series with three seasons already, available on Crunchyroll.

Part of the interest of the franchise is that all the girls are based on real horses, from whom they take their name. In fact, the protagonist of the movie, Jungle Pocket, was a purebred Japanese horse with an impressive personal record and was chosen as the Japanese horse of the year in 2001. Something that makes us suspect that if someone has a chance of winning that race, it’s Jungle Pocket.

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Jujutsu Kaisen confirms continuation after the spectacular ending of its second season

Jujutsu Kaisen confirms continuation after the spectacular conclusion of its second season, leaving us with numerous mysteries and a release date.

There is no greater blessing for a successful anime than having enough original content to be able to continue a season immediately after the recently aired one. This is not normal. Normal is having to wait several years to have enough original content to do so. But if the demon works fast, Gege Akutami works even faster, and that’s not a problem that Jujutsu Kaisen is going to have.

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Last Thursday ended the devastating second season of Jujutsu Kaisen, closing with a tone that can only be described as catastrophic. Much darker, harsher, and more virulent, the series has ended at a point where everything is going downhill for its protagonists with no brakes. Many fans may be pulling their hair out after the Shibuya Incident arc, thinking about how long they will have to wait to continue watching its continuation, but we have good news. It won’t be long.

With a video shared on the official anime website, the studio has announced that the third season will adapt the following arc of the manga: Culling Game. And also, we won’t have to wait several years to see it. Because it will arrive at some point in the second half of 2024.

What can we expect from this new arc? Well, if you’re familiar with what happens in the second season, you can already imagine it. Itadori, Fushiguro, and Okkotsu will have to join forces again against Kenjaku, but this time with fewer resources and in a much more brutal and desperate context. And you better be prepared. Because this arc is full of action, powers, and crazy twists like we haven’t seen in the anime so far, if they respect what has happened in the manga up to now.

But while we won’t have to wait long, we’ll still have to wait a little. In the meantime, you can always catch up by watching the first two seasons of the series on Crunchyroll if you haven’t already. And if you have, why not watch them again in preparation for this third season?

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Everyone will be able to play Tekken 8, assures its producer

Todo el mundo va a poder jugar a Tekken 8, asegura su productor, ya que no habrá ningún impedimento para que sea accesible para todo el mundo

Accessibility is a topic that we consider very important in the world of video games. That everyone can play video games as they have been conceived, regardless of their abilities, is a task that should always be welcomed and embraced. That’s why we always try to highlight when studios make this kind of effort. Because it is something that benefits everyone, not just those who need these features.

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The latest game to introduce accessibility options has been Tekken 8. Although the game demo was released on December 21st, it wasn’t until recently that the news broke. The game not only had accessibility options, but they were generously deep and intelligent. With several fully optional Color Support options, the game allows you to change the aesthetics of the game so that people with visual impairments can enjoy it without any issues.

When the topic started to be discussed, one person decided to comment on it in depth: Katsuhiro Harada, producer of Tekken. Since he is someone who usually comments on game development topics, he has decided to provide some more insights into the development of these accessibility options. Because this is not something that emerged for Tekken 8. These options were previously developed for a Tekken 7 trial version that included accessibility options that were not implemented in the game. Something they decided to implement, once polished, in the next installment of the franchise.

The accessibility options of this class have become much more common in the last couple of years than they were when Tekken 7 came out in 2015. This year, its direct competitor, Street Fighter 6, has added a sound-based accessibility option so that players with visual impairments can play without any problem. Therefore, it is expected that we will continue to see more news of this kind during 2024.

Tekken 8 will be released on January 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. Meanwhile, the demo, including Color Support options, is already available on those same platforms.

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This is what we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S24 of 2024

The latest leaks and rumors have revealed a significant portion of the specifications that the Samsung Galaxy S24 will bring.

If everything goes well, the next flagship from Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy S24, will be unveiled to the world on January 17, 2024. Luckily, we won’t have to wait that long to find out what new features it will bring.

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The latest leaks and rumors have revealed much of the specifications that the S24 will bring, which we will show you below. However, remember that none of this data has been officially confirmed by Samsung. With that said, let’s get started:

AI arrives on the Samsung Galaxy S24

The FundéuRAE has determined that the words that define the year 2023 are Artificial Intelligence. The impact that this technology has had is undeniable and it seems that in 2024 it will be the star feature of many phones.

Several leaks suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S24 will have AI-powered photo editing tools. Features such as removing objects from photos, moving them, or enlarging images will be possible thanks to the use of AI. Additionally, we could also perform these same actions on videos.

Even more screen brightness

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S23 already boasted an impressive brightness of 1,750 nits. The S24 wants to surpass its predecessor and reach 2,600 nits. Although it still has a long way to go to surpass the OnePlus 12 (which reaches 4,500 nits), it would still place it among the brightest screens on the market.

A powerful Snapdragon chip

It was expected. With each new generation of Samsung Galaxy, the inclusion of a more powerful chip also arrives. In this case, they would integrate the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the most powerful chip available today for Android phones.

A new design and larger battery

Let’s be realistic: Samsung is not going to reinvent the wheel with the design of the S24. In fact, rumors suggest that it will have a nearly identical appearance to the Samsung Galaxy S23 but with slight aesthetic tweaks. It also seems that we will have seven new colors, different from those already seen with the S23. On the other hand, we will also see a slight increase in its battery. Specifically, it would be an additional 100mAh, so we would have a 4,000mAh battery.

Source: Techradar

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Four simple tricks to optimize your video games on your gaming PC

Modern games are very demanding graphically, and, in addition, they are optimized in the worst possible way. PC programmers don’t know..

When we buy a powerful PC, we are eager to try games, live adventures that were previously impossible for us. Once installed, we set the game to 4K and Ultra graphics quality and… boom. The game doesn’t start.

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Modern games are very graphically demanding and, in addition, they are optimized in the worst possible way. Programmers nowadays only think about developing titles for consoles and not for PC.

This makes computer players have to change computer parts very often. If you don’t have the best hardware, it seems like the gaming sector forgets about you.

For all those who want to play with the best quality without sacrificing a 60 fps frame rate along the way, these four tricks can come in handy for 2024.

Use an FPS counter

We often can’t tell if the computer is running smoothly or if the game is destroying us with its poor optimization. That’s why nothing beats an FPS counter and, if possible, a meter that gives us percentages of RAM, CPU, and GPU usage.

Consider it an extra tip, but I think it’s equally important to ensure proper optimization. I always make sure to activate a frames per second counter in the top right corner of the screen while playing, and I recommend you do the same.

It is not necessary to constantly monitor the frame rate, but using it -at least during the first two hours of gameplay- will help you quickly identify the places and moments in the game that demand more from the graphics card and determine their impact on performance.

In some cases, I even have a detailed summary of performance, but I usually disable both when I know no adjustments need to be made. I think having a dedicated frame rate counter is more reassuring than looking at fps or simply feeling the smoothness with which a game runs.

Nowadays, most games have a frame rate counter, but you can also use the one built into Nvidia GeForce Experience or AMD Adrenaline software.

Use the new scaling technologies: DLSS and FSR

You are likely to find Nvidia’s DLSS scaling technology or AMD’s FSR (or both in some cases) in most modern games, and I cannot recommend them enough.

Yes, it can be argued that visual fidelity is lost when rendering the game at a relatively low resolution and scaling it, but I haven’t had any issues with either.

I say this because I start with the “Quality” mode before making further adjustments, but I usually stick with the “Quality” or “Balanced” modes to get the best results. You can also use features like AMD frame generation or smooth motion frames for a smoother experience.

I have had more luck optimizing and getting better results with Nvidia’s DLSS than with AMD’s FSR, but both provide good performance currently and will help you achieve better performance in games.

Upscaling is often the first setting I tweak to determine if I can achieve the desired results before messing with anything else. It’s a great way to see instant performance improvements without compromising other visual aspects.

Yes, the image quality is slightly affected, but it is usually insignificant and worth it for the increase in performance.

Raytracing yes or Raytracing no

Before moving on to other graphic settings such as volumetrics and post-processing, I recommend that you check the lighting settings. The combination of these settings, such as lighting, shadows, ambient occlusion, etc., is usually one of the most demanding for hardware.

But since these settings also have the most impact on visual quality, I suggest adjusting them before the others to improve performance.

Adjusting the lighting is especially important in games that use ray tracing to add more realism to the scenes. Ray tracing implementations tend to be even more demanding on hardware, so I only recommend using them with a scaling adjustment to achieve the best results.

I find it tempting to enable ray tracing whenever I can, but it’s not always possible, even for me with a decent RTX 3080 in my tower today.

Don’t ignore volumetric adjustments

Don’t make the same mistake I did and ignore volumetric settings, as they can be just as taxing on your hardware. Volumetric settings, in case you’re wondering, include volumetric lighting, fog, and clouds, which can severely impact the game’s frame rate.

These are undoubtedly the first adjustments you should optimize before diving into a game. Both volumetric fog and clouds don’t have as much impact as volumetric lighting, so you can save a lot of performance by lowering them completely without seeing a big impact on the visual effects.

And with all this, we would already have the games ready to be played with good graphic quality, without sacrificing the precious 60 fps that us players love so much.

Google has been lying to us for years about the Incognito Mode

Google closed the final chapter on a class-action lawsuit where they were accused of tracking user data while in Incognito Mode.

After several years, Google finally closed last Thursday a class action lawsuit where they were accused of tracking user data while they were in Incognito Mode.

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Initially, a judge in California scheduled the trial for next year, 2024. However, this agreement has put the trial on hold while all legal details are finalized.

In the original lawsuit, compensation ranging from 100 to 1,000 dollars per user was included, with millions of users involved. For Google, this would have meant paying billions of dollars in the event of losing the case (the amount could reach up to 5 billion dollars).

Incognito Mode under scrutiny

Who hasn’t used Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode at some point? This was (and still is) one of the browser’s functionalities, as it promised to not save information about the web pages you visited. At least, that was the theory. However, several internal emails from the company showed that Google did track its users in Incognito Mode.

At that time, Google tried to dismiss the lawsuit, but the judge in the case rejected it. According to the executive, user consent was not enough for the company to collect so much information about their online activity.

The plaintiffs alleged that Google used tools like Google Analytics and other applications to track users. It was also pointed out that by tracking users in Incognito Mode, the company generated a false sense of control over the data that users believed they were deciding to share.

Unfortunately, Google is not the only tech company accused of violating user privacy. Other giants, such as Amazon or Meta, have faced several lawsuits filed by federal regulators for not complying with various data protection laws.

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Six new features coming to iOS 17 in 2024 that will change it forever

With these six changes, iOS 17 will continue to evolve and will also prepare for the arrival of iOS 18, which will be presented at WWDC24 in June 2024.

As we’re about to enter 2024, there are still several new features of iOS 17 that are yet to arrive. Some are minor changes to functions we’ve already seen in the betas, while others are major changes. All aimed at enriching the iPhone user experience. Let’s go over what they are.

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Small yet significant changes for the operating system of our iPhones

Before we begin with the list, it’s important to clarify that we’re not discussing rumors or assumptions here. We’re talking about updates that have been officially confirmed by Apple. The list is as follows:

  1. RCS support in the Messages app: Apple announced it will support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone, starting “later next year.” This will significantly enhance the messaging experience between iPhone and Android devices, enabling high-resolution photos and videos, audio messages, typing indicators, read receipts, Wi-Fi messaging, and improved group chats.
  1. App Sideloading in the European Union: Following the regulations of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Apple is preparing to allow app sideloading on the iPhone, enabling users to install applications outside the Apple App Store. This change, expected in the first half of 2024, would initially apply only in European Union countries.
  2. Next-Generation CarPlay: At WWDC in June 2022, Apple introduced the next generation of CarPlay, featuring deeper integration with vehicle functions like air conditioning and radio, support for multiple screens throughout the dashboard, enhanced customization, and much more. The first vehicles supporting the next-generation CarPlay experience are expected to launch in 2024.
  3. Collaborative Playlists in Apple Music: This feature will allow us to add, rearrange, and remove songs in a playlist shared with others. Although this feature was expected to launch with iOS 17.2, it was pulled from the update toward the end of beta testing. Apple announced that it will be reintroduced in an iOS 17 update in 2024.
  4. AirPlay on Hotel Room TVs: Another interesting innovation is the AirPlay feature for hotel room TVs. This functionality will enable us to scan a QR code on our hotel TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing wireless streaming of videos, photos, and music. Initially scheduled for release in 2023, we now expect it to launch in 2024 as part of an iOS 17 update.
  5. Satellite Roadside Assistance Outside the U.S.: Starting from iOS 17, all iPhone 14 and 15 models offer satellite-based roadside assistance, allowing users in the U.S. to contact the AAA roadside assistance company when outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. This feature is expected to expand to other countries in 2024.
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With these six changes, iOS 17 will continue evolving and also prepare for the arrival of iOS 18, which will be unveiled at the WWDC24 in June 2024. This progression will continue to push the boundaries of what our devices are capable of achieving.

These are the improvements we expect in the Apple Vision Pro 2

Days before their launch, rumors and leaks have started about what Apple could do for the sequel to its mixed reality glasses.

It is the most anticipated gadget of 2024. One of the revolutions that only a company like Apple could carry out. Tim Cook’s mixed reality (VR and AR) glasses promise to be a paradigm shift in the way we interact with technology.

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Now, days before they are launched, rumors and leaks have started about what Apple could do for the continuation of its mixed reality glasses.

According to market research company Omdia (MacRumors), the Apple Vision Pro 2 will receive brighter and more efficient displays than the current model. It is also said that they will use more advanced micro-OLED technology.

New panels to improve image and efficiency

Apparently, this will be due to the switch to a standard called RGB OLEDoS, which produces light and color directly from its RGB subpixels.

Samsung is expected to be the manufacturer that will produce the necessary panels, and don’t worry about the price, you have time to save: rumors say that the Apple Vision Pro 2 will be launched in 2027.

What do we know about Apple Vision Pro

Although they have not yet been made available to consumers, they were presented in a big way in June. We know that they will have an initial price of $3,499, which is equivalent to about €2,755, although their international price has not yet been confirmed.

They are capable of displaying 3D and 2D videos and other digital elements on virtual screens, and can also be used for video conferences. It could become a powerful tool for both productivity and digital entertainment.

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Since Apple announced the existence of the device, we have seen indications of how it could be sold in stores, and the latest rumors suggest that it will be available for purchase in early February. After that, it should become one of the hottest technological topics of 2024.