Build a Rocket Boy, led by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, has confirmed that its first title, MindsEye, launches on June 10th. A new story trailer is available, and pre-orders are open (with a free Deluxe Edition upgrade offered).The latest trailer focuses on Redrock City and the antagonistic figures, including Silva Industries founder Marco Silva and Mayor Vega, who seeks more control over the citizenry. How this will affect protagonist Jacob remains to be seen.MindsEye retails for $59.99 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The Deluxe Edition Upgrade includes the Premium Pass and the Future Pack, which contains skins for Jacobs vest, Silver Sedan and the DC Companion Drone, and the Thorn and Kepler Yellowjacket Weapon.It also contains the Exotic Pack, containing Exotic skins for the Silva Sedan, DC2 and Vest, alongside a horde mission (seemingly created with the developers ARCADIA tool) and additional seasonal content. Stay tuned for more gameplay of MindsEye en route to its launch.

AI Limit is the new $35 soulslike from Sense Games, and it kinda rocks. The game punches above its price tag in the areas that matter most, providing a deep and satisfying combat system within a soulslike structure that entertains through its 30 hour duration. But while this title certainly supplies ample value, its limited budget shows in several less crucial areas.But first, does the game control well? It absolutely does. I dont know if it ranks among my favorite controlling soulslikes, but its certainly up there among the most elastic and intuitive ones to play regarding movement. The turning radius of Arrisas movement is very tight and snappy and shes a quick runner with lightning-fast attacks. Theres hardly any clunk at all to speak of here. The camera is very well behaved during fights, though it does require manual adjustments here and there.There are a lot of things to discuss about AI Limit, but one particular element of combat deserves frontloaded attention. That system is the Sync bar, which effectively replaces the stamina found in other titles. Unlike any other Soulslikes that Ive encountered, AI Limit doesnt actually have any stamina. Instead of patiently waiting for a green meter to fill back up again before sprinting, you can just sprint eternally without a care."AI Limit doesnt actually have any stamina. Instead of patiently waiting for a green meter to fill back up again before sprinting, you can just sprint eternally without a care."You can also attack and dodge without a single thought paid to stamina. This is because AI Limit doesnt burden basic actions behind any energy requirements; instead, advanced actions like magic and special attacks consume stamina I mean Sync energy. I cannot emphasize enough how freeing it is just running around swinging without a single thought paid to stamina, but lets continue.The Sync bar itself is rather ingenious. Its divided into tiered sections which affect your combat prowess based on what tier the bar is at. The game has nuanced terms for all these mechanics, but in general, sync rate is how fast or slow the sync energy accumulates or depletes when fighting. This kind of system encourages either type of approach: an aggressive offensive approach where youre continually boosting sync rate akin, or a defensive one that stabilizes sync rate by avoiding hits.Theres more packed into AI Limits combat that well get into shortly, but lets take a breath of fresh air and explore the multi-layered world of Havenswell. First off, no, AI Limit is not open world in any way. Its not strictly on-rails either. The game map is structured based on district zones containing a dozen or so levels.Each level has a handful of shortcuts that loop back to the starting Branch (your typical bonfire in souls parlance). The map design manages to guide the player from branch to branch with a urgency while allowing some exploration with the branching paths and optional dead end areas. The level pacing hits a nice sweet spot. And those optional diversions are worthwhile most of the time, containing hidden items or quests occasionally.Overall, the map structure is somewhat similar to Dark Souls 2, except with no dedicated hub area. Instead of a hub, the game has multiple vendors and NPCs scattered about the different districts. Thankfully, fast travel between Branches is available as soon as you reach your second Branch. Load times between warps arent long either, so if you find yourself returning to a grind spot to sell materials to a trader halfway across Havenswell, the process isnt too bothersome.The branch system is more forgiving than other soulslikes due to your currency not being lost upon death. Not all of it anyway. Only a marginal number of Crystals (your currency and experience) is lost upon death, and that amount can be adjusted based on equipment. Theres also no retrieving of lost Crystals, so that cuts down on all the backtracking to our last death that so many similar games have, and Im thankful for that.On the graphical front, AI Limit isnt overtly impressive. The graphics are clearly budgeted, which shows when viewing far distant areas or objects up close the draw distance and texture detail just arent that great here. Theres also not a ton of environmental props or ornamental stuff to examine, but its serviceable and more than makes up for it in its level design. The modest graphics dont really translate into amazing performance either. Framerate can dip when many enemies are on screen. Turning vsync off can help with stutter and occasional input lag, but results in consistent screen tearing. Its not a very well optimized game, but I found it perfectly manageable, but maybe thats because I gleefully went through Blighttown on the Xbox 360 and thought that was acceptable."AI Limit has its fair share of bugs."My bigger problems had to do with some of the glitches and bugs throughout the experience. The most persistent bug I encountered made enemies invisible except the weapon they were holding. Desperately running through a street filled with floating guns to reach the next Branch wasnt exactly a highlight of the game for me, but my bug woes dont end there. Elements of clothing or body parts would disappear from enemies, to the point where Rayman-like heads and legs with no torso star swinging at me as if from a low budget horror game. This wasnt game-breaking for me, but the invisible enemies did make it difficult and annoying to trudge through, despite the games excellent controls and combat.Despite the lower graphical detail of AI Limit, what is graphically presented is varied. Each level is distinct, looking and feeling different from the last. The districts within Havenswell have their own challenges, giving the world an interconnection that feels lived-in.The plot itself will be hit or miss, and it certainly isnt cinematic in the slightest. Oh yeah, and NPCs have their own set arcs and quests. These inhabitants show up in different locations throughout your adventure and the voice acting behind most of them is surprisingly impressive. Whats more, how you interact with these characters, along with certain key decisions you make, determine one of a couple different endings.Now lets return to the bread and butter of AI Limit: combat. Each weapon type has a unique normal attack pattern, light Special Attack, Heavy Special Attack, and Weapon Skill. That kind of toolkit is nothing to sneeze at and it allows for some nice build variety and experimentation. But theres something especially satisfying about the Special Attacks in particular. Special Attacks are performed with the shoulder buttons with the heavy ones requiring a windup hold. Ive never felt as swift and ninja-like in a Soulslike quite like I do with the Dashing Slash Special Attack on the Blader Swords here. Dashing Slash performs a breezy pop-in/pop-out stab which positions your character just perfectly out of range of the enemys close attacks. Spamming this special attack with carefree aggression is just something you cant do in other games, thanks to the unlimited stamina.Theres also a ton of really cool weapon items in AI Limit. Weapon items consume a portion of the Sync Bar, dealing significant damage, occasionally with flames or poison applied. Further opening up your combat arsenal are spells. Spells really diversify the offensive toolkit with everything from a railgun projectile to homing missiles and more. But what about your defensive options? Well, defensive tactics are open to you within the Frame Abilities. Frame Abilities determine whether you want to emphasize blocking, parrying, a risk/reward berserker mode, and more. Switching between Frame modes is rather intuitive with its hotkey activation and it even shows visually with Arrisas arm activating.Seals add even more tools to your arsenal with Sync bar customization. Want an all or nothing approach to Sync Rate? Well, theres Seals that allow that. And then theres other ones that chop up the Sync Bar into many small energy levels to create a far more fluid and linear sync rate. Weapons and Seals can be enhanced to further their output, so its entirely possible to beat the game with the first seal and weapon you obtain.The enemies you use your weapons on are no less impressive than the toolkit afforded to you. Enemies are spaced out and paced in a satisfying way. You never feel too overwhelmed by large mobs and yet always have enough stuff to fight around every corner. Early on, I got the impression that enemy variety would be lacking. I mean, how many varieties of the ghoul-like enemies can the game have? Turns out a decent amount. The games different factions have good variety and youll even stumble upon them fighting each other. Some of these faction battles allowed me to run past them on my way to the next Branch. Youll fight poisoned flying bugs and robot drones, among many other abominations throughout the duration of the game."Each boss has unique attack patterns and AI behavior, as expected, but some encounters feel like a genuine test of the games systems."Oh, and the boss fights. I didnt think I would get impressed by more soulslike boss fights, but the game even managed to surprise me there. Each boss has unique attack patterns and AI behavior, as expected, but some encounters feel like a genuine test of the games systems. I wont spoil it, but a certain encounter finally made me cave in and explore a side area in hopes of obtaining better gear. After exploring multiple zones and defeating a side boss, I returned and found myself in lock-step with this tank of a robot with a giant grin on my face with tons of confidence. AI Limits bosses are up to the genres lofty standards, and Im looking forward to fighting them with all the weapons I ignored on my first playthrough.So is AI Limit a traditional soulslike? Yes. Its got your post-apocalyptic setting and of course, the bonfire system is an almost 1-to-1 adaptation here. If there was any debate if this was really a soulslike, theres even the same exact run jump from Dark Souls 1 (with no dedicated jump button, or course). But theres a special ingredient here that makes it feel so much more fluid and freeing than all the other soulslikes, and thats the unrestricted stamina. Having basic actions not being burdened by an energy resource is wonderful, and the games difficulty curve isnt too badly affected by it, all things considered. Whether youre a soulslike action newcomer looking for something with less friction, or are a longtime fan seeking out the next great challenge, AI Limit comes highly recommended despite its modest budget.This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

For the first time, the "Mission MushVroom" experiment on SpaceX's Fram2 mission will attempt to grow mushrooms in space. Left: Zinnmann via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0. Right: Norman Kuring, NASA / GSFC / Suomi NPPWith NASA aiming to send humans to Mars as soon as the 2030s and SpaceXs Elon Musk aiming for as early as 2029, we are the closest weve ever been to achieving interplanetary crewed spaceflight. In addition to the technological advances required to put a human on Mars, however, is the very practical necessity of developing sustainable food sources in space.Who can eat thermostabilized, dehydrated food for five years? space nutritionist Flvia Fayet-Moore says to Sky News.Fayet-Moore is the founder and chief executive of FOODiQ Global, an Australian company aiming to be the first to grow mushrooms in microgravity. And the firm is about to get its chance: When SpaceXs Fram2 mission launches four private astronauts to space no sooner than March 31, FOODiQs Mission MushVroom experiment will also be on board.Fram2 will be the first crewed mission to orbit over Earths polar regionsand Mission MushVroom will be the first study to grow mushrooms in space, reads a Fram2 statement from Monday. Oyster mushrooms are the perfect space crop, helping astronauts meet their nutritional needs on long-duration space missions like those to Mars, while closing the loop in plant agriculture and helping to minimize inputs and waste. The four private astronauts of the SpaceX Fram2 mission crew pose for a photo. From the left:Eric Philips (Australia), Chun Wang (Malta), Rabea Rogge (Germany) and Jannicke Mikkelsen (Norway). SpaceXThe experiment consists of a small box of substrate (the equivalent of plant soil for growing mushrooms) and mycelium (the root-like structure of the fungus), which scientists hope will fruit into oyster mushrooms while traveling hundreds of miles above Earths surface. The crew member responsible for checking on the experiment is the Australian polar explorer Eric Philips.I will monitor how the fruiting bodies grow, documenting development rate, signs of contamination and various other properties, Philips explains to Jano Gibson of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). This is an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries and play a role in creating sustainable food solutions for spacesomething I never imagined I would explore.Over their three- to five-day mission, the Fram2 crew will carry out 22 science experiments. Another research project, called SpaceXray, intends to take the first X-ray image of a human in space. This achievement will open the door to a vast array of clinical, research and engineering applications, according to the statement.Once back on Earth, any successful mushroom growth will be analyzed in a lab. The team will compare those fungi to control mushroom kits that have been stored in Florida.The researchers consider mushrooms the perfect space crop, because they grow fast, dont need a lot of water and are nutritionalcontaining vitamin D, potassium, selenium and copper, as Fayet-Moore tells the Guardians Donna Lu. Oyster mushrooms can also be eaten raw, which is an important feature. In space, NASA is only prioritizing crops that you can literally pick and eat, because we dont have the capabilities to process food in microgravity yet, Fayet-Moore adds to the ABC.The potential applications of mushrooms in space, however, could transcend the kitchenfor example, NASA is researching the use of mushrooms as architectural material to grow human habitats in space. So, if the MushVroom experiment is successful, it might open the door to making mushrooms something like a Swiss Army knife of multiplanetary existence.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Astronauts, Food, Food Science, Fungus, Mars, New Research, Outer Space, Polar Exploration, Space Travel, SpaceX, Transportation

Researchers from Singapore Management University developed a new domain-specific language for agents to remain reliable.Read More

The researchers compared two versions of OLMo-1b: one pre-trained on 2.3 trillion tokens and another on 3 trillion tokens.Read More

A court took action on Friday to keep the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from shutting down a consumer watchdog agency while its court case plays out.Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted a preliminary injunction to save the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from being further gutted while she decides whether the Trump administration has the legal authority to dismantle it in the first place. Absent an injunction freezing the status quo preserving the agencys data, its operational capacity, and its workforce there is a substantial risk that the defendants will complete the destruction of the agency completely in violation of law well before the Court can rule on the merits, and it will be impossible to rebuild, Jackson writes.The ruling is a significant win for the federal workers union and groups that rely on the CFPBs work that filed the complaint, alleging that the Trump administration is violating the separation of powers under the Constitution by trying to eliminate an agency established by Congress. Theyve warned that the efforts to wind down the agency have already left many consumers without sufficient recourse for their complaints about financial services. In recent years, the CFPB has increasingly become a check on the technology industry as tech companies grew into the financial services space. (For example, Elon Musks X purports to eventually become a payments service.) But as DOGE got involved at the agency, according to reporting and testimony presented before the judge, the CFPB terminated technologists who would, obviously, be necessary staff when regulating tech companies and placed much of its workforce on administrative leave. After CFPB Acting Director Russell Vought told agency staff on February 10th to stand down from performing any work task, workers testified they followed that order literally. Allegedly, this surprised the administration, with one official later clarifying that statutorily mandated work should still get done. The judge says she was left with little confidence that the defense can be trusted to tell the truth about anything, saying that the governments arguments that CFPB workers were back to work have been shown to be unreliable and inconsistent with the agencys own contemporaneous records. She also condemned an eleventh hour attempt to suggest immediately before the hearing that the stop work order was not really a stop work order at all.Jackson opens her opinion with quotes from Musk (the public face of DOGE), Vought, and President Donald Trump about their alleged intentions to eliminate the agency. For instance, Musk tweeted CFPB RIP on February 7th. The CFPB has been a woke and weaponized agency against disfavored industries and individuals for a long time. This must end, Vought said the following day. A couple days later, Trump added, That was a very important thing to get rid of.Essentially, the CFPB can for now get back to workJackson came to the conclusion that unless she takes action, the RIF [reduction-in-force] notices that have already been prepared will go out before the ink is dry on the Courts signature, the employees will be back on administrative leave for just thirty days before they are gone, and the defendants will pull the plug on the CFPB. While this isnt a final ruling, as part of issuing the injunction, Jackson says the workers union is likely to ultimately succeed in court on its claims.The judge orders the Trump administration to reinstate all probationary and term employees terminated since February 10th, carry out no further terminations without cause or issue any RIF notice, lift the administrative leave requirements and stop-work order, and let employees either return to an office or work remotely. She also requires that the government maintain CFPB data and records, and rescind contract termination notices sent since February 11th. Essentially, the CFPB can for now get back to work.Workers are cautiously celebrating. While we are thrilled and relieved at todays outcome, union members are under no illusion that this is the end of Trumps lawless attacks, CFPB Union President Cat Farman says in a statement. Vought has already violated previous court orders by deleting data and failing to reinstate illegally fired workers. We cant rely on judges alone to keep wannabe dictators in check. We need everyone to join the fight to save our services, unionize our workplaces, and create more good middle class jobs doing vital work that benefits working people instead of billionaires and Wall Street.See More:

Microsoft is no longer playing around when it comes to requiring every Windows 11 device be set up with an internet-connected account. In its latest Windows 11 Insider Preview, the company says it will take out a well-known bypass script that let end users skip the requirement of connecting to the internet and logging in with a Microsoft account to get through the initialization process of a new PC.As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft already requires users to connect to the internet, but theres a way to bypass it: the bypassnro command. For those setting up computers for businesses or secondary users, or simply, on principle refuse to link their computer to a Microsoft account, the command is super simple to activate during the Windows setup process.Microsoft cites security as one reason its making this change:Were removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.Since the bypassnro command is disabled in the latest beta build, it will likely be pushed to production versions within weeks. All hope is not yet lost, as of right now the script can be reactivated with a registry edit by opening a command prompt during the initial setup (Press Shift + F10) and running the command:reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f shutdown /r /t 0However, theres no guarantee Microsoft will allow this additional workaround for long. There are other workarounds as well, such as using the unattended.xml automation that lets you skip the initial setup out-of-box experience. Its not straightforward, though, but it makes more sense for IT departments setting up multiple computers.As of late, Microsoft has been making it harder for people to upgrade to Windows 11 while also nudging them to move on from Windows 10, which will lose support in October. The company is cracking down on the ability to install Windows 11 on older PCs that dont support TPM 2.0, and hounding you with full-screen ads to buy a new PC. Microsoft even removed the ability to install Windows 11 with old product keys.See More:

At the beginning of The Woman in the Yard, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is grieving. Dealing with the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy, shes frozen in bed, unwilling to get out from under the covers. Horror stories can often function this way, stifled by meditations on grief that can get stuck in a repetitive rut of sadness. But rather than becoming weighed down by that sorrow, The Woman in the Yard uses it as a guide. A compact 88-minute runtime, the single setting of an isolated farm in rural northern Georgia, and the choice to tell the story over the course of a single day and night all make up the foundation for an effective horror movie that thrives on constricting both its characters and its audience.The car accident that led to the death of her husband has also left Ramona with a severe leg injury and a slipping grasp on the needs of her teenage son Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and young daughter Annie (Estella Kahiha). So when an imposing figure draped in a black mourning veil suddenly appears within view of Ramonas front door and wont leave, its not so much a question of if the strangers appearance is related to the recent tragedy, but how. The Womans arrival is the latest in a growing list of problems that create a growing feeling of helplessness for Ramona: the wilting condolence flowers in the front room, the houses conspicuous lack of power, and the dead batteries in both the cell phone and the remaining working car. PlayTo its credit, The Woman in the Yard never strays too far from the gravitational pull of The Woman herself. This new looming visitor, whose sparse and cryptic threats are delivered from a chair plopped right in the grass near the homes winding driveway, is all it takes to sow uncertainty indoors. Ramona and Taylor butt heads over whether to handle this disturbance with a confrontation or hope that it simply goes away. Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the vacant seat at the dinner table even have Annie wondering how things would be better if only her dad could come back somehow. This is a tighter, more unforgiving horror story.There are some intriguing bits of visual trickery in the opening scenes, which is not exactly a surprise when it begins with a character saying I had the most amazing dream. But, somewhat atypically for a film set on a countryside farm, this is not a movie filled with lingering views of rolling landscapes or indulgent, sweeping looks at the past. The Woman herself is obscured not just by the veil over her head but the flares of sunlight that keep both Ramona and us from getting a good look at her. During this early stretch, this is a tighter, more unforgiving horror story that gets more unsettling the more thats withheld inside and around the edges of the frame.That focused approach delivers a back-to-basics success story for director Jaume Collet-Serra. Staying within a simple story of one womans struggle to protect whats left of her family allows him to reconnect with the strongest ideas and spirit of his early-career horror films (there are more than a few similarities here to 2009s Orphan) rather than his more recent and less acclaimed work, such as last years Netflix airport thriller Carry-On or 2022s Black Adam. After working in genres that often ask storytellers to stick to expectations, here he takes what could easily be a familiar tale of loss and uses those expectations to his own advantage.Sam Stefanaks script is an effective pairing to this simpler direction, revealing the details behind Ramonas recent tragedy without much unnecessary detail. Every element of her growing tension with her children everyday household disputes over who gets to drive the car or the quality of homework are all introduced in a way that theres little doubt what will become relevant in the final reckoning. Even if all those lines of dialogue prove to be more functional than they are about insight into these characters, the pace at which they arrive allows for some tender moments between mother and children that make it clear what this grieving family still stands to lose.Few actresses working today are better at holding the screen with silence and stillness.Much as this premise seems tailor-made for its directors instincts, it also has the ideal star to anchor the deeper emotional streaks. Few actresses working today are better at holding the screen with the silence and stillness that are some of Deadwylers greatest strengths as a performer. Many times only through her eyes, she shows Ramona perceiving the world through regret, anger, and an overwhelming need for normalcy. As Ramonas resolve begins to crumble, Deadwyler does the vital work of making sure that whether shes snapping at her kids, comforting them after an intense scare, or demanding that an intruder leave her property, this is all recognizably the same person. The Woman herself mostly hovers over the first half, but its not as if the story is waiting around until the mystery of her identity is solved. The Woman in the Yard works far better when its concerned with the familys reaction to whats happening outside rather than trying to get any specific answers. Its impressive how quickly and clearly it charts the way the Womans presence turns the family house into a cage. And without a working phone, the remote farm becomes a purely isolated zone, like something from the pre-industrial past. Collet-Serra makes effective use of subtle techniques, like a strategically placed mirror or a glimpse through a window. Sound is also a weapon here, with every movement of a knife, shutting of a drawer, or poke at a healing wound all delivered with an added layer of menace. The Woman in the Yard GalleryAs efficiently as Collet-Serra handles the setup, letting things exist in an unexplained gray area isnt exactly a strength (or even an interest) in his work. His sensibilities as a storyteller are too methodical and too meticulous for him to let ambiguity reign here. As it becomes clearer that the story is shifting from living in the unease of Ramona and her family toward a more physical confrontation, The Woman in the Yard does lose a little bit of the power of imagination. Despite some playful visual trickery as she breaks through the familys defenses, The Woman works better as a threat across a front yard than one thats within arms reach.Thats partly due to the fact that so many potential ideas for what The Woman might represent are floated that a reveal cant possibly live up to them all. Is she the manifestation of grief, as is so often the case with movies of this kind? (Parts of The Woman in the Yard play out like a decade-delayed answer to The Babadook.) Does she represent a kind of historical threat, more connected to the land this fixer-upper dream house sits on? Is she a stand-in for the financial and logistical problems that come from navigating the healthcare system after a tragic accident like Ramonas? The Woman in the Yard does work better when there is still hope that the answer wont come at the end of an explanatory monologue. The closer we get to a clear idea of who she truly is, the guardrails that give her power begin to fade away. At its best, though, The Woman in the Yard feels like the strongest installment of a modern anthology series, benefiting from the lived-in feel of a single place and a family struggling with the sorrow radiating from their surroundings. There is a clarity and urgency that leads to its tensest sequences, especially one in the family garage that helps set the last third in motion. While its less successful when it goes beyond this family and tries to tap into a more universal struggle, theres something admirable in what The Woman in the Yard is able to do within its own constraints. There will always be power in a story about people trying to make sense of the inexplicable happening right in front of them.

Pokemon TCG Pocket's recent expansion, Shining Revelry, just dropped this week. And while fans are enjoying the new line-up of shiny Pokemon cards in all the colors of the rainbow, there's one that's causing some division: a shiny Mewtwo ex card that's only available to players who pay $23 in real money.Here's what's going on: Mewtwo ex is a card that already exists in the game in several forms. It was added in the very first set, Genetic Apex, which has a "regular" version, an "immersive rare" version with Mewtwo bursting out of containment, and a "gold crown" version of Mewtwo against a gold background. All three versions have the exact same moves and power levels, so in a match, it doesn't matter which one you use. But they're all varying degrees of rare, so for those who want to "catch 'em all" so to speak, it's critical to track down all three.The Mewtwo ex in question here is another version of that same card, with the same effects. The difference is a cosmetic one: this Mewtwo ex is a "shiny", so it's green instead of pinkish, and has a different background. However, it also takes up a separate slot in your card collection in the new Shining Revelry expansion, meaning collectors need it if they want to 100% complete their collection.Here he is, in all his shiny glory:A screenshot of Pokemon TCG Pocket's new Mewtwo ex card.Unfortunately, the card is only available through one method: by paying $22.99 in real money for a shop bundle containing Poke Gold, a bunch of other Mewtwo-themed cosmetic items (like a coin, a playmat, etc), and the card itself. There's no other way to get it, not through packs or Wonder Pick or anything else.Some players are not reacting well to the news.Their frustration is understandable. Pokemon TCG Pocket has been out for several months now and has gone through four different expansions of varying sizes, as well as multiple events. While players who pay real money have up til now had certain advantages in terms of how fast they can grow their collections and other cosmetic rewards, this is the first time a card has been locked behind a gold bundle paywall. What's more, it's a bundle that's worth far more than the card by itself presumably would be, as it includes other items like currency.That said, some fans are rolling their eyes a bit at the controversy. Several have pointed out that the card is purely cosmetic - it doesn't do anything different from the other Mewtwo exes you can obtain, and if you don't toggle on a certain option in your settings, you can't even see it's missing from your collection. Others are pointing out that in the past, certain other promo cards have been locked behind having a Premium membership, which is itself a monthly paid subscription (albeit $12/mo, with other benefits).Probably the biggest concern from players, though, is the slippery slope of it all. If Pokemon TCG Pocket is willing to gate a Mewtwo ex this way, will it gate other cards? What if the game eventually starts locking brand new cards with new effects behind paywalls, effectively requiring players to pay money if they want that specific effect in their decks? Even though there's no sign of that happening just yet, some are still concerned that, with time, it may.IGN reached out to The Pokemon Company for comment on this change, the criticism, and the possibility of future cards being behind paywalls.Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

If youve been holding out hope that Apple might soon release a new mini version of the iPhone, its time to move on. Bloombergs Mark Gurman reports that Apple has no plans to release another iPhone mini device. During a Q&A with Bloomberg subscribers this week, Gurman was asked about the possibility of Apple releasing something similar to the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini. He responded: You know, well see what the market tells Apple. Right now theyre not working on anything. Theyre not working on a smaller iPhone right now. Theyve really shifted away. Theyre trying to make that, you know, roughly 6-inch display that is the base size, and theyre just trying to go bigger and bigger and bigger. And the bigger you go, the smaller the 6-inch phones feel.This doesnt come as a surprise. There were no previous indications that Apple was working on a new iPhone mini form factor. Nonetheless, theres a vocal (and I mean vocal) minority of iPhone users out there who want that size-class to return, so this report will crush some dreams. Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch screen in 2020 and followed it up with the iPhone 13 mini the following year. With the iPhone 14 lineup in 2022, however, Apple abandoned the mini form factor and replaced it with the iPhone 14 Plus. The iPhone 13 mini remained a product in Apples lineup as a lower-cost option until 2023 when it was discontinued once and for all.This year, the iPhone 16 Plus is expected to be replaced by the all-new, ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It seems apparent that neither the mini nor Plus strategies panned out like Apple had hoped. Do you think Apple should make another iPhone mini device? Let us know in the comments. My favorite iPhone accessories: Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel