HP is launching a thinner and lighter version of its Omen 16 gaming laptop. The Omen 16 Slim is 16 percent thinner than the standard model, ranging from 0.78 to 0.89 inches (19.9 to 22.7 mm) thick when closed. It weighs 5.35 lbs.The HP Omen 16 Slim includes up to NVIDIA RTX 5070 graphics (no word yet on the cheaper configurations). It uses Intel Arrow Lake processors, ranging from the entry-level Core Ultra 5 225H to the Core Ultra 9 285H. You can fit it with 16GB, 24GB or 32GB of RAM and choose between 512GB and 1TB storage tiers.As its name suggests, it has a 16-inch display with up to 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. (Cheaper configs are limited to 1,920 x 1,200.) The machine includes a 10Gbps USB-C port, along with a 10Gbps Type-A, two 5Gbps Type-A ports, an RJ-45 ethernet connector, a 3.5mm headphone / mic combo jack and a single HDMI 2.1 port.There's no official word yet on pricing or a release date, but The Verge reports that HP is targeting a May launch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/hp-has-a-thinner-and-lighter-version-of-the-omen-16-gaming-laptop-190717824.html?src=rss

HyperX just introduced a new wireless headset that can keep rocking for up to 200 hours on a single charge. Thats over a week of constant music. The Cloud III S is a followup to 2023s original wireless headset, but brings Bluetooth audio into the mix. The robust battery allows for the aforementioned 200 hours of listening when using Bluetooth.That metric drops to around 120 hours when streaming audio via a 2.4GHz wireless connection. Just like the original, the headphones ship with a USB dongle for 2.4GHz. However, it can connect without a dongle when using certain newer HP Omen gaming laptops.HyperX A long-lasting battery isnt the only innovation the Cloud III S brings to the table. Its also fully customizable, via magnetic ear plates. These are 3D-printed on demand, which is something HyperX has been experimenting with for a while. Users can create and buy these customized 3D-printed ear plates directly from HyperX, but only in select countries.Theres also a removable boom mic for traveling, but that wont impede the ability to take calls or trash talk other gamers. The headphones feature a backup omni-directional mic, which is a nice touch.The HyperX Cloud III S is expected to hit store shelves in May, but pricing hasnt been solidified yet. For reference, the original Cloud III launched for $170. The new headset will be available in an all-back or black and red.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hyperxs-new-cloud-iii-s-wireless-headset-streams-bluetooth-audio-for-200-hours-on-a-single-charge-184838572.html?src=rss

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Outpost VFX played a key role in bringing The Acolyte to life, designing the Palwick prison ship, crafting the icy landscapes of planet Carlac, and creating creatures like the Dybbuk. Their work also involved enhancing practical effects, such as augmenting the Warden droid and refining an alien characters tentacle movements.Led by VFX Supervisor Oliver Winwood, in collaboration with Production VFX Supervisor Julian Foddy, the team meticulously blended CG elements with live-action footage, ensuring seamless integration. Their expertise in environment design, creature creation, and digital enhancements helped elevate the visual storytelling of the series.From vast frozen terrains to detailed character augmentations, Outpost VFX contributed to making The Acolyte a visually stunning experience, pushing the boundaries of cinematic world-building in the Star Wars universe.The post The Acolyte VFX Breakdown appeared first on Vfxexpress.

In hindsight, NATO was an unnecessarily confusing acronym for a trade organization representing movie theater owners. For 60 years, theNational Association of Theatre Ownershas promoted interests of movie theaters, from the biggest chains to the one-screen mom and pop shops. Theyve also regularly gotten mail and phone calls intended forthe other NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.But the theater owners organization is looking to the future, with a new name and a refocused mission. The group will now be known as Cinema United, president and CEO Michael OLeary told The Associated Press Tuesday.It can be a little complicated having the same name as a multinational military alliance, OLeary said. We felt that it was time to look at our name and do a rebrand.They wanted the new name to reflect the passion and energy of the people that run theaters, OLeary said, and to put the focus back on the exhibitors and movie theaters. Cinema United represents more than 32,000 movie screens in the U.S. and more than 30,000 screens in 88 countries. Their job, OLeary explained, is to promote and support theatrical exhibition. Moviegoing, the new tagline reads, is their mission.Weve had a challenging four or five years. But with each passing day, we put those challenges in the rearview mirror a little bit more. Our focus right now is on the future, OLeary said. I think that we stand on the precipice of the next great era of cinema.An Oscars rallying cry for moviegoingJust a few weeks ago, Anora filmmaker Sean Bakermade his own case for theaterson the national stage. In accepting his best directorOscar, he used his time at the podium to make a battle cry for the theatrical experience for filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screen and for studios to keep releasing them there.People were ecstatic about it, OLeary said. He has earned the unyielding allegiance of theater owners all around the world for his strong support over the years, and certainly at the Oscars.Movie theaters big and small were hit hard by the pandemic many closed and never re-opened. Last year, they also faced a depleted release calendar due to the Hollywood strikes. Its all resulted in a depleted domestic box office that has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, the industry finished just over $8.7 billion, down 3.3% from 2023 and 23.5% from 2019.A fuller release schedule is expected this year, but currently the box-office total is down about 5% from where the industry was last year at this time.Its really important that we not put too much emphasis on a single year like 2025. We need to constantly be building and growing and moving forward, OLeary said.Despite challenges, it remains an all-ages and affordable entertainment pasttime. A recent study from the National Research Group said 76% of the American population ages 12 to 74 attended at least one movie in 2024.Highlighting movie theater upgradesAnd though theater closures often make headlines, like the E Street Cinema in Washington D.C., where Cinema United is headquartered, theres also been a spate of investment and refurbishment in theaters around the country, some spearheaded by famous filmmakers and actors.Jason Reitman along with more than 30 directors including Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan and Bradley Cooper last February acquiredWestwoods Village Theater in Los Angeles, which dates back to 1931. Patrick Wilson also purchased and helped restore an historic theater in New Canaan, CT, joining big screen disciples like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino who have all invested in movie theaters.Last fall, the eight biggest theater chains in the U.S. and Canada announced that they planned to invest more than $2.2 billion to modernize 21,000 movie theater screens over the next three years. This includes anything from projectors, lighting and sound to features in the concessions area. But upgrades in theaters are nothing new, OLeary said, theyre just helping to draw attention to it.The entire membership reinvests in their theaters on a regular basis, OLeary said. Part of the reason we made that announcement was because I dont think its obvious to people that theater owners are constantly in the process of reinventing themselves and reinvesting.Gearing up for 2025s summer movie seasonThe announcement comes just over a week before some 6,000 movie theater employees from around the world convene in Las Vegas for the annualCinemaCon conference, which Cinema United hosts.All the major Hollywood studios, including The Walt Disney Studios,Warner Bros. Pictures,Universal Picturesand even Amazon/MGM will be making big, starry presentations on the main stage at Caesars Palace where executives and stars will show off new footage and trailers to make the case that they have the goods to get audiences in the theaters.Showcasing that many theaters are small businessesNATO was coined in 1965, a merger of the nations largest movie theater trade organizations: The Theater Owners of America, itself a product of a merger dating back to 1948, and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors, which goes back to the 1920s.Those at Cinema United like to say that were not a Hollywood industry. Were a Main Street industry.At the end of the day, the vast majority of our members are small businesses, so they feel the same pushes and pulls that other small businesses feel throughout the United States and around the world, OLeary said. The headquarters of our biggest members are not in Los Angeles or New York. Theyre in Knoxville, Dallas and Kansas.Lindsey Bahr, AP film writer

The pothole outside Timothy Taylors home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house.The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his cars suspension to the tune of $1,000.Hearing that awful sound of your car bottoming out its horrible, he said.Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adoptelectric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure.States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon face a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nations largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.We now find ourselves right now in a position where we want to address fuel use and drive down reliance on gases and internal combustion engines. But we need the funds to operate our roads that EVs need to use as well, said Carra Sahler, director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School.Gas tax revenue is set to fallMotor fuel taxes are the largest source of transportation revenue for states, according to the National Association of State Budget Officersmost recent report on state expenditures. But the money they bring in has fallen: Gas taxes raised 41% of transportation revenue in fiscal year 2016, compared with roughly 36% in fiscal year 2024, the group found.In California, where zero-emission vehicles accounted for abouta quarter of car saleslast year,legislative analysts predictgas tax collections will decrease by $5 billion or 64% by 2035, in a scenario where the state successfully meets its climate goals. California and Oregon are among the multiple states that will require all new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.The downward revenue trend is already playing out in Pennsylvania, where gas tax revenues dropped an estimated $250 million last year compared with 2019, according to the statesindependent fiscal office.Inflation has also driven up the cost of transportation materials, exacerbating budget concerns.What is going on in Oregon?The Oregon Department of Transportation citing inflation, projections of declining gas tax revenues and certain spending limitations has estimated a shortfall topping $350 million for the next budget cycle.That could mean cuts to winter snow plowing and the striping and paving of roads, as well as layoffs of as many as 1,000 transportation employees.Republican lawmakers say the gas tax revenue issue has been compounded by the department mismanaging its money.An auditreleased in January found the department overestimated its revenue for the current budget cycle by over $1 billion and failed to properly track certain funds.It really is about making sure that the existing dollars that are being spent by the department are being spent efficiently and effectively, said state Sen. Bruce Starr, GOP co-vice chair of the joint transportation committee.How states are boosting transportation fundingTo make up for lost revenue, 34 states have raised their gas tax since 2013, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California has the highest gas tax at over 69 cents a gallon when including other taxes and fees, while Alaska has the lowest at 9 cents a gallon, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Oregon which in 1919 became the first state to implement a gas tax it is 40 cents a gallon.The federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which isnt adjusted for inflation, hasnt been raised in over three decades.In Oregon, where there is no sales tax andtolling has met fierce opposition, lawmakers are debating next steps.Other states have taken such steps as indexing their gas tax to inflation, raising registration fees for EVs and taxing EV charging stations.To bolster transportation dollars, some have reorganized their budgets. In Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was first elected using the sloganFix the Damn Roads,some revenues from marijuana taxes and personal income taxes now go toward transportation. In Connecticut, the sales tax now brings in more money for its special transportation fund than gas tax revenues,a 2024 fiscal report shows.Another concept that could provide a long-term solution is what are often known as aroad user charge. Under such a system, drivers pay a fee based on the distance they travel.In 2023, Hawaii established aroad usage charge programfor EV drivers that will phase in starting this July. In 2028, all EV drivers will be automatically enrolled, with odometers read at annual vehicle inspections.Three other states Oregon, Utah and Virginia have voluntary road usage fee programs. Drivers can opt to use GPS tools to track and report their mileage.Claire Rush, Associated PressThe name of the National Association of State Budget Officers has been corrected to include the word State.

Internet providers could be throttling your connection if you're gaming or streaming too much. Here's how a VPN for Mac can help prevent ISP traffic management from infringing on your fun.Browsing the Internet can be affected by ISP throttling schemesOver the years, Internet service providers (ISPs) have offered increasing amounts of bandwidth to customers, promising fast Internet connections for downloads and streaming. However, the reality for some users can be one that's full of unseen restraints.Though an ISP could genuinely provide a fat Internet pipe for a monthly fee, it may not necessarily leave it as an unrestricted connection. Depending on what you're doing online, you may find that the connection you experience is far below what is advertised. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

World of Goo 2launched last August, delivering an unexpected yet much welcome follow-up to a beloved indie classic more than a decade and a half after its release. Since launch, developed 2D Boys acclaimed sequel has been an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC, though that is going to change soon.2D Boy and publisher Tomorrow Corporation have announced thatWorld of Goo 2is coming to Steam sometime this Spring, though a specific release date is currently unknown. The puzzle platformer can be wishlisted on the platform starting now.Like its predecessor,World of Goo 2sees players taking control of balls of shape-changing goo, which you are then tasked with using to solve environmental puzzles and platforming challenges. Check out the trailer below, which announces its Steam release and showcases a handful of gameplay glimpses.World of Goo 2is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Capcoms iOSResident Evilports these last couple of years have all failed miserably from a commercial perspective, but the company is nothing if not insistent (likely because of agreements it has to fulfil).2020sResident Evil 3remake has launched for all iPhone 15, iPhone 16, iPad, and Mac devices with an M1 chip or later. It also features an Auto Fire option, which automatically fires your weapon after aiming at a foe for a short period. Check out its launch trailer below.Resident Evil 3follows in the footsteps of fellow remakes in Resident Evil 2andResident Evil 4,as well asResident Evil 7andVillage, in launching for Apples platforms. Those four titles, meanwhile, are currently available at a 75 percent discounted price.Resident Evil 3is also available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It has sold over 9.6 million units worldwide. Read our review of the game through here.