Month: June 2024

Do you remember the Rabbids? They’re back! But not as you imagined…

Talking about the world of video games, lately, means talking about impossible crossovers over and over again, as if the fun of playing a game was playing fifty different ones with the corresponding skins, weapons, and season passes. The latest one to jump on the bandwagon is ‘XDefiant,’ Ubisoft’s free FPS whose plans have already been leaked. And yes, indeed: everyone will be able to join in.

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Whoaaa!

Have you ever dreamed of a Ubisoft Shared Universe? No? Well, tough luck, because that’s exactly what the company is proposing with the future of ‘XDefiant’: new factions and maps based on its franchises like ‘FarCry,’ ‘The Crew,’ ‘Assassin’s Creed,’ and for some reason, ‘Rabbids.’

And it seems that, believe it or not, since 2006 there has only been one year without a corresponding ‘Rabbids’ video game (2015, if you want to know). The biggest shame is that along the way they have been neglecting ‘Rayman,’ which we miss a lot. How could they not be in the mega-crossover in shovel-style ‘Call of Duty’ that only a few requested?

In the next year, ‘XDefiant’ will introduce four new factions for the shooter in question. Assassins from ‘Assassin’s Creed,’ operators from ‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint,’ members of the GSG9 from ‘Rainbow Six Siege,’ and the bandits from ‘FarCry: New Dawn.’ Additionally, there will be new game modes, new weapons, animations, and more.

Because in these times we live in, a video game is never completely finished if you can squeeze the player a little more with new icons, skins, game modes, and animations. And whether you like it or not, you kind of miss the time when the game was all there was and you didn’t end up shooting at Peter Griffin while Freddy Krueger waits for you around the corner. And apparently, the Rabbids too. It is what it is.

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Instagram could have made one of its biggest mistakes to date

Instagram has started testing a new type of ad called ‘Ad Breaks‘: basically, unskippable ads that interrupt users’ browsing sessions, forcing them to watch an ad for at least 3-5 seconds before being able to continue scrolling through their feeds. The introduction of this new type of ad has generated a lot of frustration among users, especially because Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has not officially communicated the inclusion of these ad breaks.

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Social media has been filled with complaints from users criticizing the new “feature.” On Reddit, u/sus_pineapple_appt, expressed their dismay in a thread, saying: “I thought I’ve been taking crazy pills for two days because this is currently happening to me… and goodbye IG. I don’t need that.” Another user, u/the-s-is-for-sucks, described the feature as a “terrible business decision” that could drive users away. Similarly, u/HTM pointed out that the new feature interrupts users’ scrolling and could reduce engagement.

On Twitter, @RobMoses expressed his intention to switch to TikTok due to the advertising breaks, while @ithastobeyeye criticized the forced waiting time for ads, suggesting that it could reduce the time users spend on the platform.

Screenshot of the new type of ad on Instagram – u/notthatogwiththename (Reddit)

For now, the Ad Breaks feature seems to be limited to a small group of users, suggesting that Meta is conducting tests to evaluate the reaction and measure the impact on advertising revenue. The company will have to decide whether to extend this feature to all users or make adjustments based on the feedback received.

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To prevent hackers from infecting your phone, follow these NSA recommendations

In a world where hackers constantly find new ways to compromise smartphone security, the United States National Security Agency (NSA) has published a guide of best practices that highlights the importance of regularly restarting devices to defend against certain types of attacks. This simple practice adds to other cybersecurity measures that we already know, such as avoiding installing apps from unknown sources and using a VPN service when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.

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Despite the advances made by companies like Apple and Google, mobile devices remain vulnerable to sophisticated hacking techniques. For instance, “zero-click exploits” allow attackers to infiltrate a device without any user interaction, taking advantage of zero-day vulnerabilities that have not been patched by the manufacturers.

A notable example of this type of exploit is the spyware software Pegasus from the Israeli company NSO, which has exploited vulnerabilities in both iOS and Android to spy on renowned figures such as the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. The cybersecurity company CheckPoint emphasizes in a blog post that zero-click exploits can infect a phone simply by sending a specially designed message or image, without the user even opening them.

Recomendaciones de la NSA para proteger tu teléfono móvil

In light of these eventualities, the NSA recommends restarting your phone at least once a week. According to the U.S. agency, this practice can prevent attacks using zero-click exploits and similar methods, although it is not a foolproof solution. The use of antivirus apps is also recommended, as they may include additional features such as VPNs and password managers. Additionally, on Android devices, Google Play Protect offers an extra layer of security by scanning apps for malware.

For iPhone users, the situation is a bit more complicated due to Apple’s restrictions. Nevertheless, Mac antivirus software such as Intego Mac Internet Security X9 can be used to scan iOS devices by connecting them to a Mac via a USB cable.

Since smartphones store a large amount of personal and financial information, they have become a prime target for hackers. Being proactive by installing the latest updates and taking other preventive measures can help protect both iPhones and Android phones from cyber threats.

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The new AI feature for Windows 11 puts your data on a silver platter for hackers

On May 20th, Microsoft introduced Recall, an exclusive feature of Copilot+ for PC. This promising tool gives the computer a “photographic memory,” allowing it to revisit any previously accessed application or file. However, despite Microsoft’s efforts to explain its functionality and privacy measures, some prominent voices in the industry are not convinced of its security.

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Kevin Beaumont, a cybersecurity expert, has published an article on Medium where he analyzes Recall in-depth and states that this feature makes stealing everything you have seen or written on your computer alarmingly easy. Although Beaumont finds the idea behind Recall interesting, he warns that the feature lacks “incredibly careful communication, cybersecurity, engineering, and implementation.”

The system works by taking screenshots of everything that happens on the computer every few seconds, processing them with OCR (optical character recognition), and storing them in a plain text (unformatted) database in the user’s folder. This means that, although the data is encrypted on the device, it is not immune to attacks if hackers obtain the user’s credentials. Beaumont emphasizes that “they have tried a lot of things, but none of them work correctly in the real world due to loopholes that a plane can pass through.”

In addition, Beaumont created a website able to process the Recall database and instantly search for anything in it, although he has decided to postpone the project until Microsoft improves the security of the feature. Beaumont points out that “the cyber community, in general, will have a lot of fun with this when it is widely available.”

One of the biggest issues with Recall is that it stores every user interaction, including text from applications, visited websites, and more, with some minor exceptions like Microsoft Edge’s InPrivate mode. Conventional data deletion does not remove them from Recall, as they remain in the database until manually overwritten.

Microsoft Defender, although effective in detecting malware, may not be enough to protect the Recall database before it was compromised. Beaumont recommends that Microsoft temporarily remove Recall and review its implementation. Currently, Recall is available in the Windows Insider program’s preview release channel, and its release is expected alongside the first PC Copilot+, such as the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.

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AMD just unveiled its new Ryzen processors at Computex 2024

AMD has unveiled its latest range of processors at Computex 2024, with the AMD Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors leading the way.

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The AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors are the continuation of the AMD 7000 series processors launched in 2022 and, according to AMD, they offer a 15% higher performance than their predecessors.

The 9000 series uses the next-generation AMD Zen 5 architecture, a major step up from the Zen 4 cores used in the Ryzen 7000 series compared to the Zen 4 cores used in the Ryzen 7000 series.

According to AMD, the Ryzen 9000 series will double the instruction bandwidth, the L2 to L1 data bandwidth, and the L1 to FP data bandwidth, and will also improve AI performance thanks to AI and AVX512 performance.

Zen 5 will be 16% better in IPC than the current Ryzen 7000

In various applications, from games to creative content, the new Zen 5 chips should improve IPC by 16% compared to Zen 4, which directly translates into faster performance and increased responsiveness on the PC.

The Ryzen 9000 series lineup will include the following chips with general specifications per chip:

The absence of 3D V-Cache variants and a Ryzen 9800X is notable, although it is planned for these chips to be available later this year or early next year. According to AMD, the Ryzen 9000 series processors will be available starting in July 2024, although their price is currently unknown.

It is also worth mentioning that the Ryzen 9 9900X has an approximately 50 W lower TDP than the Ryzen 9 7900X, so there have also been some efficiency improvements, which is always an advantage.

While the new Zen 5 cores may be equipped with new hardware and features, the Ryzen 9000 series does not seem to have a dedicated NPU, so any AI work on these chips will have to be done the old-fashioned way—with the graphics card.

AMD gains ground against Intel Arrow Lake

These new AMD Ryzen chips have managed to surpass Intel in the market with their next-generation desktop processors, which undoubtedly should help give AMD a boost for a few months while we all wait for the Arrow Lake launch towards the end of the year.

Taking into account that Intel has not yet announced Lunar Lake, it could be a while before Intel can reach the market with its latest desktop silicon, giving AMD quite a wide field to run on its own for a while.

This is undoubtedly because the Ryzen 9000 series processors will be compatible with any AM5 motherboard, so if you have the latest generation Ryzen chip and want to upgrade it, you won’t have to buy any additional equipment to do so.

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All Ryzen 9000 chips will support (only) DDR5, and there will be dedicated support for PCIe 5.0 for graphics cards and NVMe SSDs at the same time, so you won’t have to sacrifice the speed of PCIe 5.0 SSDs when PCIe 5.0 graphics cards are finally introduced.

Will GTA 6 be released on PC? This is what Take-Two says.

Amidst the growing anticipation for the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA VI), scheduled for fall of next year, fans are starting to have serious doubts about the availability of the new Rockstar title. Although it has already been confirmed that the game will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, there has been no mention of a PC version so far, which has generated quite a bit of concern among the gaming community.

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Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar, addressed this concern in a somewhat ambiguous way in a recent interview with Video Games Chronicle: “Well, the lack of news is not something set in stone, from what I’ve seen, because the only thing that happens after the lack of news is an announcement, I suppose, or a continued lack of news. I suppose that could also happen. It doesn’t seem to me that either of those things is set in stone.” These statements suggest that a future PC version cannot be ruled out, even if there is no date announced.

Zelnick also highlighted Rockstar’s strategic approach to launch platforms: “Rockstar has a platform approach that we’ve seen before, and they will make more announcements in due course. I believe the right strategy for our business is to be where the consumer is, and historically what this company has done is target consumers wherever they are, on any platform that makes sense, over time“. This statement reaffirms Rockstar’s intention to adapt to market demands, though without committing to specific dates.

GTA 6 Twitter record

GTA fans, especially those who play on PC, are not so much wondering if the game will be released on their preferred platform, but when it will be released. And the fact is, based on Rockstar’s history with previous titles, it’s most likely that GTA 6 will come to PC, but the uncertainty lies in the time it will take to happen. Mike York, former Rockstar animator, explained last year that the company does not initially prioritize PC releases, which could indicate a delay of one or two years after the console release, or possibly an even longer delay.

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WWDC 2024 will not have hardware, nor this highly anticipated device

The annual Apple Developers Conference, WWDC 2024, is just around the corner. According to Mark Gurman, there will be no announcements of new hardware during the opening event on June 10. In his weekly newsletter, Gurman states that no new devices are expected to be presented unless Apple surprises us with an unexpected preview, something he does not believe is likely.

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A lot of software to present and little time to do it

After the presentation of the new iPad Pro and iPad Air, the new MacBook Air, and other small novelties, there is little hardware left pending before autumn, only the iPhone 16 and the rest of the devices. One of the candidates is the highly anticipated new Apple TV.

Despite previous reports suggesting a launch in the first half of 2024, which coincides with WWDC, Gurman now claims that a new Apple TV is “not imminent.” The latest model of Apple TV was introduced in October 2022, and rumors indicated that the next one would feature a faster processor than the current A15 Bionic, and an even lower price.

The truth is that traditionally, WWDC has focused on software. However, there have been several occasions when we have seen some types of hardware focused precisely on development and developers. This time, especially considering that we expect iOS 18 to be one of the biggest updates for the iPhone, it doesn’t seem like this hardware will have a place.

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Apple’s artificial intelligence, the launch of beta programs, changes in the home screen design or the redesign of the Control Center, and obviously, all the other novelties that Apple has prepared will be more than enough to fill not only the initial presentation, but the entire week, with news.

China has just reached the dark side of the Moon

The Chinese spacecraft Chang’e-6 has successfully landed on the far side of the Moon, where, for the first time in history, it will use its robotic arm and drill to collect rock and lunar soil samples from this unexplored region.

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The CNSA had no words to describe the historic landing and issued this brief press release: “The combination of the Chang’e-6 landing module and elevator landed smoothly on Sunday on the mysterious far side of the Moon. It is another crucial milestone for the mission, the first of its kind.”

The probe was launched on May 3rd and entered lunar orbit on May 8th. The landing went smoothly, “as planned,” and the onboard cameras captured the moment of contact with the lunar surface.

Everything we know about the Chinese space mission

With the help of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, Chang’e-6 landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on Sunday morning, Beijing time (3:23 p.m. PST on Saturday), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

According to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Apollo Basin was chosen for the landing because it offered a rare flat area to land on the rugged face of the Moon.

For several days, the probe will collect 2 kg of material from the surroundings of the landing site, using a robotic arm to take surface samples and drill for subsurface soils. Then, it will rendezvous with another spacecraft in lunar orbit to return to Earth, with a planned landing in the Inner Mongolia region around June 25th.

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This is China’s second trip to the Moon, following a mission in 2019 in which Chang’e-5 landed on the visible side, which has been more explored.

ASUS wants to replace the Steam Deck with its portable console ROG Ally X.

ASUS ha presentado oficialmente su consola portátil de juegos ROG Ally X, que incorpora tantas mejoras que casi parece la ROG Ally 2. ¡Vamos a verla!

ASUS has officially unveiled its new portable gaming console, the ROG Ally X, which brings a series of improvements to the original design of the ROG Ally, considered one of the best on the market right now with Windows 11, which may be the big issue with these consoles.

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Starting with the specifications, the ASUS ROG Ally X utilizes the same AMD Ryzen Z1 APU that offers great performance and efficiency with its 8 cores, based on the Zen architecture of 4 cores and 16 threads.

The chip features 24 MB of L3 cache and clock speeds of up to 5.1 GHz. It also comes with an integrated RDNA 3 iGPU with 12 compute units at 2800 MHz. That’s the only thing that hasn’t changed.

Specifications of the new ASUS console

Regarding memory, the ASUS ROG Ally X stands apart with up to 24 GB of LPDDR5X memory that reaches speeds of 7500 MT/s in dual-channel mode. In addition, the ROG Ally X comes with a full M.2 slot in the 2280 form factor, allowing capacities of up to 1 TB, twice as much as the original variant.

The ASUS ROG Ally X comes with two Type-C ports, one of which is USB4 (Thunderbolt 4). This allows users who want to use the device with an eGPU to do so, and for those who don’t use eGPUs, they have an additional USB port at their disposal.

Regarding design, ASUS has made some notable changes that allow for a much larger battery capacity of 80 Wh, double that of the original model (40 Wh). There are also updates to the zero-gravity internal thermal solution that comes with new fan designs that are 23% smaller, but have 50% more fan blades that allow for a 10% greater airflow.

The new tunnel design is also made to quickly dissipate heat outside the chassis, and for that, there’s an additional third grille to expel hot air. The new design allows for up to 24% more airflow and a temperature up to 10º F lower on the panel.

But ASUS didn’t stop there. They also made modifications to the look and feel of the new ROG Ally X controller, which now comes with a precision D-Pad, a joystick that can support up to 5 million cycles, and an improved range for the D-Pad and joysticks.

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It measures 280.2 x 114 x 36.9 mm. The screen is an FHD panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and touch design. The new updates will be rolled out in July 2024. Is it the feared rival of the Steam Deck?

How to join the Apple beta program and test iOS 18 before anyone else

If we ever wanted to take a look at the new versions of Apple’s operating systems before anyone else, it would certainly be now as WWDC 2024 approaches, with Apple AI and the presentation of iOS 18. With Apple’s beta program, both as developers and through the public beta, we can test all the new systems before they’re released to the public.

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What is the Apple Software Beta Program?

As its name suggests, this program allows us to install Apple software that is still in development. It is completely free, giving us the option to sign up to participate in beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Software for HomePod (iOS).

It’s important to remember, however, that we will always be testing software that is not yet finished. Therefore, we should always make a backup of all our data and install the software on a device that we don’t depend on in our daily lives. This is especially true if we are testing the earliest versions, since the later versions, thanks to the evolution of their development, are more stable and have fewer errors. This brings us to the two beta versions that Apple offers: the beta for developers and the beta for the public.

Developer’s Beta or Public Beta

Apple offers two programs for testing software. The beta for developers is intended for developers who need their applications to work on the new operating system. The first beta for developers is available immediately after the keynote. You must be members of Apple’s developer program to install developer betas, but you don’t have to pay the annual $99 fee.

The public beta generally is released a few steps after the developer’s beta, which essentially means that the public beta will be a bit more stable. There’s a slightly longer wait until the first version of the public beta arrives, usually around a month, but once both programs are up and running, there are usually only a few days between the release of the developer’s beta and the public version.

When will the betas be released?

The first betas for developers will be available right after the WWDC keynote event, around noon PT on June 10. The first public betas should arrive by the end of June or early July.

How to get a free developer account and access the developer’s beta

  1. On an iPhone, download the Apple Developer application from the App Store.
  2. Open the app and tap on Account.
  3. Select Sign In.
  4. Sign in using your regular Apple ID.
  5. Once you have signed in to the Developer application, go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac, and you’ll see the beta updates as an option. Then, just select the ones you want to install.

How to access the public beta

To sign up for public betas, you will need to go to the Apple Beta Software Program website. Once there, click on Sign Up, log in with your Apple ID, and follow the process. As before, once you’ve completed the sign-up, you’ll go to the Settings app on your Apple device > General > Software Update, and you’ll see the beta updates as an option. Then, you can select the ones you want to install.

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As you can see, joining the beta program is very easy. Depending on whether you want to try the first betas or wait for more stable ones, you will opt to access the beta program for developers or the public betas. In either case, you’ll have the new versions of the operating systems before their official release.