On her first visit to orbit, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers has just introduced herself to three robots stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS).We hit the ground running (or floating??) here on the space station, Ayers, who arrived at the ISS just over a week ago, wrote in a post on X. In addition to data collection for one of the studies, I got to help load some software onto the Astrobees. This is Bumble!Recommended VideosWe hit the ground running (or floating??) here on @Space_Station! In addition to data collection for one of the studies, I got to help load some software onto the Astrobees. This is Bumble! These robots are a technology demonstration meant to help astronauts with routine pic.twitter.com/RBTQPkphyx Nichole Vapor Ayers (@Astro_Ayers) March 24, 2025Please enable Javascript to view this contentAs Ayers said in her post, the Astrobee robots are a technology demonstration and are designed to assist the ISS astronauts with routine duties that include taking inventory, documenting experiments, or moving cargo, freeing up the astronauts to take care of tasks that require a human touch.The compact, cube-shaped flying robots were developed and built at NASAs Ames Research Center in Californias Silicon Valley, and were sent to the orbital outpost in 2019.NASA astronaut Anne McClain unpacked the first Astrobee robot Bumble on the ISS in 2019. NASAThe floating bots include various cameras and sensors for navigation, and also come with a touchscreen, speaker, and microphone. They even have a mechanical arm to which various tools can be attached.Instead of floating freely, the Astrobee robots use a fan-based propulsion system to move in a specific direction, with power for the fans and the rest of the robot provided via an onboard battery. When power runs low, the robot automatically navigates to a nearby dock to recharge.Robots will play a significant part in the agencys mission to return to the moon as well as other deep space missions, NASA says on its website. Robots such as Astrobee have the capacity to become caretakers for future spacecraft, working to monitor and keep systems operating smoothly while crew are away.One of the space stations best known robotic devices is the Canadarm2, a 17.6-meter-long robotic arm thats been attached to the exterior of the ISS since 2001, performing tasks such as moving supplies and equipment, and assisting with spacewalks. Earlier this year, NASA shared video footage of astronaut Suni Williams taking a ride on the Canadarm2 during a spacewalk 250 miles over London, England.Editors Recommendations

Sonos is one of the best wireless audio brands on the market. For years, the company has produced top-notch powered speakers with web-connected capabilities, and it just so happens that most Sonos hardware is on sale this week. You know what that means: significant discounts on popular AV devices. Were always thrilled to come across Sonos deals, and heres one that stood out from the rest:For a limited time, when you purchase the Sonos Era 100 Wireless Speaker at Amazon, Best Buy, Crutchfield, and a handful of other retailers, youll only pay $200. The full MSRP on this product is $250.We tested the Era 100 back in March 2023, and reviewer Simon Cohen said, Once again, Sonos extracts magical amounts of sound from a tiny speaker. Whether you plan on using the Era 100 as a dedicated music-listening speaker or youve got plans to invest in a pair for a wireless surround sound configuration, the Era 100 is capable of wearing whatever hats you deem necessary.RelatedIn our testing, the Era 100 delivered a full-bodied sound with terrific midrange articulation. iOS users can use TruePlay to calibrate the Era 100 to best align with your room acoustics, but youll also find manual bass and treble adjustments in the Sonos S2 app. Other noteworthy features include a built-in Alexa voice assistant, optional Bluetooth connectivity, and AirPlay 2 support for iOS devices.Its hard to say how long this sale is going to last, but were willing to bet this week of Sonos savings will be wrapped up by the end of the week. That being said, today might actually be the last day to save $50 on the Sonos Era 100.It may also be worth it to look through our collections of the best Bluetooth speaker deals and best soundbar deals for more suggestions on top audio devices.Editors Recommendations

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that its co-Chief Executive Han Jong-hee has died of cardiac arrest. He was 63.

The DNA-testing companys site was slow in responding to some deletion requests, leading customers to be uncertain about the process.

no cash for you! After borking my Pixel 4a battery, Google borks me, too The devil is in the details. Nate Anderson Mar 24, 2025 5:01 pm | 88 The Pixel 4a. It's finally here! Credit: Google The Pixel 4a. It's finally here! Credit: Google Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt is an immutable law of nature that when you receive a corporate email with a subject line like "Changes coming to your Pixel 4a," the changes won't be the sort you like. Indeed, a more honest subject line would usually be: "You're about to get hosed."So I wasn't surprised, as I read further into this January missive from Google, that an "upcoming software update for your Pixel 4a" would "affect the overall performance and stability of its battery."How would my battery be affected? Negatively, of course. "This update will reduce your batterys runtime and charging performance," the email said. "To address this, were providing some options to consider. "Our benevolent Google overlords were about to nerf my phone batterypresumably in the interests of "not having it erupt in flames," though this was never actually made clearbut they recognized the problem, and they were about to provide compensation. This is exactly how these kinds of situations should be handled.Google offered three options: $50 cash money, a $100 credit to Google's online store, or a free battery replacement. It seemed fair enough. Yes, not having my phone for a week or two while I shipped it roundtrip to Google could be annoying, but at least the company was directly mitigating the harm it was about to inflict. Indeed, users might actually end up in better shape than before, given the brand-new battery.So I was feeling relatively sunny toward the giant monopolist when I decided to spring for the 50 simoleons. My thinking was that 1) I didn't want to lose my phone for a couple of weeks, 2) the update might not be that bad, in which case I'd be ahead by 50 bucks, and 3) I could always put the money towards a battery replacement if assumption No. 2 turned out to be mistaken.The navet of youth!I selected my $50 "appeasement" through an online form, and two days later, I received an email from Bharath on the Google Support Team.Bharath wanted me to know that I was eligible for the money and it would soon be in my hands... once I performed a small, almost trivial task: giving some company I had never heard of my name, address, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, and bank account details.About that $50...Google was not, in fact, just "sending" me $50. I had expected, since the problem involved their phones and their update, that the solution would require little or nothing from me. A check or prepaid credit card would arrive in the mail, perhaps, or a drone might deliver a crisp new bill from the sky. I didn't know and didn't care, so long as it wasn't my problem.But it was my problem. To get the cash, I had to create an account with something called "Payoneer." This is apparently a reputable payments company, but I had never heard of it, and much about its operations is unclear. For instance, I was given three different ways to sign up depending on whether I 1) "already have a Payoneer account from Google," 2) "don't have an account," or 3) "do have a Payoneer account that was not provided nor activated through Google."Say what now?And though Google promised "no transaction fees," Payoneer appears to charge an "annual account fee" of $29.95... but only to accounts that receive less than $2,000 through Payoneer in any consecutive 12-month period.Does this fee apply to me if I sign up through the Google offer? I was directed to Payoneer support with any questions, but the company's FAQ on the annual account fee doesn't say.If the fee does apply to me, do I need to sign up for a Payoneer account, give them all of my most personal financial information, wait the "10 to 18 business days" that Google says it will take to get my money, and then return to Payoneer so that I can cancel my account before racking up some $30 charge a year from now? And I'm supposed to do all this just to get.... fifty bucks? One time?It was far simpler for me to get a recent hundred-dollar rebate on a washing machine... and they didn't need my SSN or bank account information.(Reddit users also report that, if you use the wrong web browser to cancel your Payoneer account, you're hit with an error that says: "This end point requires that the body of all requests be formatted as JSON.")Like Lando Calrissian, I realized that this deal was getting worse all the time.I planned to write Bharath back to switch my "appeasement," but then I noticed the fine print: No changes are possible after making a selection.Sono money for me. On the scale of life's crises, losing $50 is a minor one, and I resolved to move on, facing the world with a cheerful heart and a clear mind, undistracted by the many small annoyances our high-tech overlords continually strew upon the path.Then the software update arrived.A decimation situationWhen Google said that the new Pixel 4a update would "reduce your batterys runtime and charging performance," it was not kidding. Indeed, the update basically destroyed the battery.Though my phone was three years old, until January of this year, the battery still held up for all-day usage. The screen was nice, the (smallish) phone size was good, and the device remained plenty fast at all the basic tasks: texting, emails, web browsing, snapping photos. I'm trying to reduce both my consumerism and my e-waste, so I was planning to keep the device for at least another year. And even then, it would make a decent hand-me-down device for my younger kids.After the update, however, the phone burned through a full battery charge in less than two hours. I could pull up a simple podcast app, start playing an episode, and watch the battery percentage decrement every 45 seconds or so. Using the phone was nearly impossible unless one was near a charging cable at all times.To recap: My phone was shot, I had to jump through several hoops to get my money, and I couldn't change my "appeasement" once I realized that it wouldn't work for me.Within the space of three days, I went from 1) being mildly annoyed at the prospect of having my phone messed with remotely to 2) accepting that Google was (probably) doing it for my own safety and was committed to making things right to 3) berating Google for ruining my device and then using a hostile, data collecting "appeasement" program to act like it cared. This was probably not the impression Google hoped to leave in people's minds when issuing the Pixel 4a update. Removing the Pixel 4a's battery can be painful, but not as painful as catching fire. Credit: iFixit Cheap can be quite expensiveThe update itself does not appear to be part of some plan to spy on us or to extract revenue but rather to keep people safe. The company tried to remedy the pain with options that, on the surface, felt reasonable, especially given the fact that batteries are well-known as consumable objects that degrade over time. And I've had three solid years of service with the 4a, which wasn't especially expensive to begin with.That said, I do blame Google in general for the situation. The inflexibility of the approach, the options that aren't tailored for ease of use in specific countries, the outsourced tech supportthese are all hallmarks of today's global tech behemoths.It is more efficient, from an algorithmic, employ-as-few-humans-as-possible perspective, to operate "at scale" by choosing global technical solutions over better local options, by choosing outsourced email support, by trying to avoid fraud (and employee time) through preventing program changes, by asking the users to jump through your hoops, by gobbling up ultra-sensitive information because it makes things easier on your end.While this makes a certain kind of sense, it's not fun to receive this kind of "efficiency." When everything goes smoothly, it's finebut whenever there's a problem, or questions arise, these kinds of "efficient, scalable" approaches usually just mean "you're about to get screwed."In the end, Google is willing to pay me $50, but that money comes with its own cost. I'm not willing to pay with my time nor with the risk of my financial information, and I will increasingly turn to companies that offer a better experience, that care more about data privacy, that build with higher-quality components, and that take good care of customers.No company is perfect, of course, and this approach costs a bit more, which butts up against my powerful urge to get a great deal on everything. I have to keep relearning the old lesson as I am once again with this Pixel 4a fiascothat cheap gear is not always the best value in the long run.Nate AndersonDeputy EditorNate AndersonDeputy Editor Nate is the deputy editor at Ars Technica. His most recent book is In Emergency, Break Glass: What Nietzsche Can Teach Us About Joyful Living in a Tech-Saturated World, which is much funnier than it sounds. 88 Comments

You've got mail Trump administration accidentally texted secret bombing plans to a reporter "Shocking recklessness" in leak of detailed Yemen bombing plan in Signal chat. Jon Brodkin Mar 24, 2025 4:43 pm | 78 Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) speaks to reporters after a presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump at the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: Getty Images | Andrew Harnik Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) speaks to reporters after a presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump at the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: Getty Images | Andrew Harnik Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA prominent journalist knew the US military would start bombing Houthi targets in Yemen two hours before it happened on March 15 because top Trump administration officials accidentally included the reporter on a Signal text chain in which they discussed the war plan.Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, described the surprising leak of sensitive military information in an article today. The National Security Council confirmed that the messages were real and said it is investigating how Goldberg was added to a thread in which the war information was discussed."The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen," Goldberg wrote. "I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing."Goldberg's article quotes numerous messages that appeared to come from Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, and other Trump administration officials. Goldberg was first added to the text chain on March 11 by Michael Waltz, Trump's national security adviser.Goldberg initially "didn't find it particularly strange that he might be reaching out to me," though he considered that "someone could be masquerading as Waltz in order to somehow entrap me." But over the next few days, Goldberg became increasingly convinced that the messages were authentic.Vance: I just hate bailing Europe out againThe text chat was labeled "Houthi PC small group," and a message from Waltz indicated that he was convening a principals committee for top officials to discuss plans."I had very strong doubts that this text group was real, because I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans," Goldberg wrote. "I also could not believe that the national security adviser to the president would be so reckless as to include the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in such discussions with senior US officials, up to and including the vice president."Using Signal in this way may have violated US law, Goldberg wrote. "Conceivably, Waltz, by coordinating a national-security-related action over Signal, may have violated several provisions of the Espionage Act, which governs the handling of 'national defense' information, according to several national-security lawyers interviewed by my colleague Shane Harris for this story," he wrote.Signal is not an authorized venue for sharing such information, and Waltz's use of a feature that makes messages disappear after a set period of time "raises questions about whether the officials may have violated federal records law," the article said. Adding a reporter to the thread "created new security and legal issues" by transmitting information to someone who wasn't authorized to see it, "the classic definition of a leak, even if it was unintentional," Goldberg wrote.The account labeled "JD Vance" questioned the war plan in a Signal message on March 14. "I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now," the message said. "There's a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc."The Vance account also stated, "3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does," and "I just hate bailing Europe out again." The Hegseth account responded that "I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC," but added that "we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this."An account apparently belonging to Trump advisor Stephen Miller wrote, "As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn't remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return."Shocking recklessnessGoldberg was mostly convinced that the text chain was real before the detailed war plans were sent. "After reading this chain, I recognized that this conversation possessed a high degree of verisimilitude," Goldberg wrote. "The texts, in their word choice and arguments, sounded as if they were written by the people who purportedly sent them, or by a particularly adept AI text generator. I was still concerned that this could be a disinformation operation, or a simulation of some sort. And I remained mystified that no one in the group seemed to have noticed my presence. But if it was a hoax, the quality of mimicry and the level of foreign-policy insight were impressive."Goldberg declined to directly quote from the Hesgeth message containing war plans. "The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command's area of responsibility," Goldberg wrote. "What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing."The Vance account responded, "I will say a prayer for victory," and two other users posted prayer emoji, according to Goldberg. Shortly after the bombings, Waltz posted in the Signal chat that the operation was a success, and several members of the group responded positively."The Signal chat group, I concluded, was almost certainly real," Goldberg wrote. He removed himself from the group and contacted administration officials about the information leak.NSC reviewing how inadvertent number was addedArs contacted the White House today, and we quickly received a response containing two statements about the Goldberg incident. The statements are the same as those included in The Atlantic article."This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain," said a statement attributed to a National Security Council spokesperson. "The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security."The other statement came from a spokesperson for Vance. "The Vice President's first priority is always making sure that the President's advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations," the statement said. "Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration's foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement."According to Goldberg, The Atlantic spoke with several former US officials who said they used Signal to share unclassified information, but "they knew never to share classified or sensitive information on the app, because their phones could have been hacked by a foreign intelligence service.""I have never seen a breach quite like this," Goldberg wrote. "It is not uncommon for national-security officials to communicate on Signal. But the app is used primarily for meeting planning and other logistical mattersnot for detailed and highly confidential discussions of a pending military action. And, of course, I've never heard of an instance in which a journalist has been invited to such a discussion."Jon BrodkinSenior IT ReporterJon BrodkinSenior IT Reporter Jon is a Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica. He covers the telecom industry, Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, broadband consumer affairs, court cases, and government regulation of the tech industry. 78 Comments

Business Insider's senior defense reporter Jake Epstein met up with an air defense unit on the outskirts of Kyiv to see how it defends against Russian drones.Read the original article on Business Insider

Our eyes are yet to open, to a remaster (Sony Interactive Entertainment)The Tuesday letters page doesnt think the God Of War series has many stories left to tell, as one reader wonders when Final Fantasy 17 will be announced.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPraise the old bloodJust to highlight a non trivial birthday, but it was the 10th anniversary of Bloodborne on Monday. Thats right, its been 10 years since the best PlayStation exclusive, which Sony has completely ignored ever since and barely seems to want to acknowledge exists.I did hold out a smidgen of hope that they might say something today but its 6pm and theres been nothing. Tweets about Indiana Jones and God Of War and a bunch of others but not a word about FromSoftwares greatest achievement.What is it with this game, that Sony wants to pretend it never happened? I know no-one here has the answer but its just baffling and I wish it would stop because I want the PlayStation 5 patch, I want a remaster, and eventually I want a remake.Although to be honest it doesnt really need a remake. Its still amazing to playthrough today and I highly recommend it to everyone. Welcome home, good hunter.LimptonGC: Happy birthday Bloodborne, we miss you.Made for Switch 2Thinking about what third party games might be announced during the Switch 2 Direct I wondered whether it was too early to hear about Final Fantasy 17 yet. Im sure the launch is a long way off, but it strikes me as the sort of thing Nintendo would be keen to promote as coming back to their consoles.Theyll probably just stick with ports of the Final Fantasy 7 remakes, but I wonder if the next mainline sequel will also be on Switch 2. We know Square Enix want things to be multiformat from now on, so Im sure itll be on PC and Xbox Series X/S, but will it be able to run on the Switch 2?If the Switch 2 cant run it, because its not powerful enough, would Square Enix simplify the game for all formats, in order to fit it on? If the Switch 2 is a runaway hit, and they have enough advance warning of that, its got to be possibility and one that a lot of fans wont like.PascalHors doeuvre DirectI find it hard to believe that Nintendo is going to have another Direct this week, just a week before one of the biggest events in their history. Surely theyd be worried that less clued-up people would assume this weeks was the big one and leave very confused, assuming its only about minor Switch 1 games.I can easily believe theyre going to port some old 3DS Kirby game but I find it harder to imagine that theyve got some fan service sequel to a forgotten series on the boil, much as Id love that to be true. I heard one person suggest it could be that Fire Emblem remake theyve apparently had ready to go for ages. That is believable too, but Fire Emblem is hardly a forgotten franchise. Maybe some wires got crossed and they just meant lower profile than Mario and Zelda.I dont really mind, as long as the Switch 2 reveal doesnt disappoint. Im hoping for a lot from next week.OnibeeEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukKart it offSpeaking of games that do or dont get cloned a lot, I agree it is interesting the seemingly random way publishers choose what to copy and what not to. Theres never any Animal Crossing or Zelda clones, and barely any Mario ones nowadays, but for a while there you couldnt move for Mario Kart clones.I know in theory they must be easier to make but only in theory. Apart from Crash Bandicoot and, to a degree, Sonic, which were made by proper developers, I cant think of any Mario Kart clones that were successful, simply because they never play as well as the real thing.Id say Im curious to know who Warner Bros. wouldve put in their cancelled one but Im going to guess it was the cast of MultiVersus. So Batman vs. Bugs Bunny vs. Arya Stark. Yeah, I can live without that.TrepsilsPhysically absentExcited to play Indiana Jones And The Great Circle on PlayStation 5 and very glad to hear that therell be a physical edition until you read about the internet connection stuff and it basically sounds like an empty disc, which is becoming sadly common nowadays.I know digital won out over physical long ago but were fooling ourselves if we think were buying physical copies for anything other than the box. The game is not on the disc, either literally its empty or it just wont work without additional downloads. If you want to buy a physical edition because you like to see it sitting on your shelf thats fine, I get that, but I think we have to accept that copies today are not preserving anything.ChekovSkip, grind, and completeJust wrapped up my playthrough of Starfield on PC and Ill be honest, I actually enjoyed the main story far more than if I actually explored every barren planet. Thats the secret to an enjoyable playthrough. Focus on the positive aspects of the game, such as the main story and the few worthwhile side quests; never waste a second on the procedurally generated planets. Theyre the worst part of the game and we all know it.Another negative was the companions. Sarah Morgan was my favourite character and I used her from the beginning to the very end and Ill also mention the mods helped me out a lot. From skipping the temple puzzles to the cheat room. It allowed me to skip any grind and complete the story in 28 hours. Ill say that I also very much loved the time I spent on Neon. You travel with Walter Stroud from Constellation and that stands out to me as a highlight.The loading screens are insidiously excessive but it stood as a factor for me to skip dogfights in space. I detest that element of the game, so it was a welcome addition for myself. But the greatest quest in my opinion, and what was truly a marvel, was Entangled. Taking a few cues from Stranger Things, phasing seamlessly between parallel universes and having to navigate between, a lab, and a nightmarish infested underbelly was a welcome surprise.Even Morrowind or Oblivion have never utilised such a complex and interesting narrative, intertwined with a shifting landscape. A memorable romp and infinitely better use of time than exploring a wasteland teeming with a few creatures and an outpost opportunity.Ill say that I played this title the right way. I never joined the United Colonies, the Crimson Fleet or the Freestar Rangers, because it may have soured my experience and the story pulled me in that way. So, in conclusion, I enjoyed my time with Starfield and though theres an opportunity to experience a parallel universe after the credits Ive shifted my interest to what Bethesda will serve us with The Elder Scrolls 6. A new engine is sorely needed and some fresh ideas, the first one is the use of Unreal Engine 5. Innovate Bethesda.Shahzaib SadiqThe Outlaws strikes backNow that Assassins Creed Shadows has been confirmed a hit, and will hopefully stabilise Ubisoft for a while, I really hope that they will consider making a Star Wars Outlaws 2. I know the game really underperformed but I have no idea why. I got it (admittedly at quite a bargain) and Ive loved it. Its the best open world Ive played in a long time, and you can see it is making an effort to avoid a lot of the tropes and flaws of earlier Ubisoft games.I really like the way skills are learnt and the graphics are great, with a good variety of different locations and enemies. The problems are that the combat and story are just fine, but they dont really bring it down. Kay is a bit of a nothing character as well, which is maybe why a lot of people didnt connect with it, but I really think its a great game even with the flaws.Sir SteveGodless worldWell have to see, if and when its announced, but Im not sure what is to be gained from another God Of War prequel set in Greece, unless its to retcon everything, including Kratos personality. I would actually kind of expect that at this point, but it seems a bad idea to me.On the other hand, going to Egypt, or wherever, and beating up on another pantheon of gods might start seem a bit redundant, but I dont feel the series has ever really address the idea of people not needing gods anymore and Kratos helping getting rid of them. I feel thats the underlying theme of whats going on, but nobody ever comes out and says it.Thats probably because, as many people have pointed out, there are no ordinary people in the Norse games. Which is strange because there are plenty in the Greek ones. If theres ever been an explanation for this Ive never heard it, but I think we need at least one game where a reformed Kratos helps ordinary mortals and sets out what he thinks should be the order of things.Beyond that though Im not really sure the character has anywhere else to go. The series has just had two great games, the last one left plenty of plot threads for a new game, and yet the franchise feels like it really hasnt got much left to say, beyond what Ive just written.A prequel always seems like a sign of a series running out of steam and I have trouble imagining this will be any different, especially after Ascension turned out so meh. Maybe Ill be wrong, but Im glad to hear that Santa Monica Studio is working on a new IP at the moment, as I think thats the best decision for them right now.ClampsInbox also-ransJust putting this out there but if the surprise final Switch 1 game is F-Zero then I am pre-ordering a Switch 2 the second its available. Do you hear me Nintendo?!MoistAtomfall was sounding pretty good up until I saw the price. Theres no way Im paying full price for what looks and sounds like an Xbox 360. At 30 to 40 it wouldve been fine, but Im sure itll reach that price pretty quick.TacleMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

That little getaway in the woods sure would have been much less eventful if Ash Williams and his pals hadnt decided to read passages out of that creepy old book someone left behind. But were so glad they didthereby awakening the forces of darkness, sparking the events of The Evil Dead and its sequels, launching Bruce Campbell into the goofy action hero pantheon, and giving horror fans endless delights over the past 40-plus years. And now, you can own the actual prop that started it all! Well, that is, if you have $25,000 (to start), with an estimated final price of $50,000-$100,000, according to Propstore. The auction houses latest entertainment-centric memorabilia sale, which also includes Luke Skywalkers Medal of Yavin, is offering a screen-matched Naturom Demonto, aka Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, aka Book of the Dead, complete with hand-illustrated pages by special effects artist Tom Sullivan. He created the prop and is selling it from his own collection, so you know its authentic. (That said, it also comes with a letter of authenticity.) Whats not certain is whether or not the words contained within will do any actual Kandarian Demon conjuringbut whoever puts in the top bid can decide the fate of the world on their own time. Heres a look at the interior pages: Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore Propstore According to Propstore, The Book of the Dead was featured in all three films of the original Evil Dead trilogy. It was referred to as the Naturom Demonto in The Evil Dead, but later as the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. [Director Sam] Raimi changed the books name after Sullivan told him about the Necronomicon that famously appeared in horror and science-fictions writer H.P. Lovecrafts works, starting with the 1924 short story The Hound. This Naturom Demonto is the only Book of the Dead from the very first Evil Dead film known to survive today, and the only hero book ever created. In total you get the cover (cardboard, not actually human skin), with 38 pages of hand-illustrated pages. Propstore notes [Sullivans] main inspiration for the imagery [was] Leonardo Da Vincis notebooks on anatomy. For the ancient symbols, Sullivan devised his own alphabet that he humorously called Bullscrit.'Bidding for this very cool and genuinely spooky piece of horror history ends Wednesday, March 28; you can visit Propstore to find out how to get in on the auction. Klaatu barada necktie! Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

The time has come to learn how to create realistic embroidery patterns in Substance 3D Designer: artist Kai Kizzle Mergener has released a free video tutorial explaining what you need to do to achieve beautiful results.In 50 minutes, you will learn techniques for making stitch designs, layering complex stitch details, and maintaining stitch density, thread tension, and scale.Whether youre just starting out or want to expand your skills with advanced embroidery methods, this tutorial will guide you through the process of creating professional-grade patterns for machine embroidery.Mergener is a master of material creation: weve seen his stunning obsidian, Reinforcement Wall made for Nodevember, and custom Splatter node.There are more projects waiting for you on ArtStation and YouTube.Watch the embroidery tutorial here and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Create Realistic Embroidery Generator in Substance 3D Designer with This Free Tutorial appeared first on CG SHARES.