The Legend of Zelda live-action movie is in active development at Nintendo and Sony Pictures for a March 2027 release. Its early days yet for the hotly anticipated feature film adaptation of the blockbuster video game franchise which, after years of rumors, was officially announced in November 2023 so heres what we know for sure about the movie so far.Who Is Making The Legend of Zelda Movie?The film is being produced by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad, chairman of Arad Productions and former founder and CEO of Marvel Studios. Sony Pictures Entertainment will handle theatrical distribution in addition to co-financing the movie with Nintendo. Jurassic Worlds Derek Connolly is writing the screenplay.Wes Ball, who made the Maze Runner movies and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is directing Zelda. As if he was fated to land the job, Ball actually tweeted about wanting to make a Zelda movie way back in 2010. At that time, Ball said he envisioned his Zelda as being another mo-cap endeavor like James Camerons Avatar. More recently, the filmmaker said he wants his Legend of Zelda to be this awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isnt like Lord of the Rings, its its own thing. I've always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that."PlayIn a later interview, Ball backed off of his 2010 notion of making it a mo-cap movie. In May 2024, Ball said making an all mo-cap Zelda movie probably isn't his choice since he was just coming off of the CG-heavy KIngdom of the Planet of the Apes. Balls aim is to make Legend of Zelda feel "grounded" and "real." He added, We're working hard, and we're gonna make something great."Ball has also said: "I want to fulfil people's greatest desires. I know it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people, and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape. [The film has] "to feel like something real. Something serious and cool but fun and whimsical."A die hard Zelda fan who said he grew up on the franchise, Ball unintentionally stirred up other fans when he refused to tell IGN last year what his favorite Zelda game was.Who Will Star in The Legend of Zelda?No one has been cast yet but The Sixth Senses Haley Joel Osment expressed his desire to land a role in the Zelda movie when he appeared on IGN Arcade. Euphorias Hunter Schafer has expressed interest in playing Princess Zelda.What Do Fans Think of Zelda Being a Live-Action Movie?Fan reaction when the movie was officially announced back in November 2023 was swift and opinionated. Some took umbrage at Avi Arad the former boss of Marvel Studios who also produced Ghost in the Shell and the early Spider-Man movies being involved (Can't believe they were able to get the producer of the hit film Morbius!!). Others werent thrilled by the selection of Wes Ball to direct.The decision to make the Legend of Zelda a live-action movie was met with trepidation: People can say Zelda plot doesn't work in live action but action films have hardly ever relied on deep, complex plots to engage people. Animated would have been the way to go if you ask me.IGN editors also expressed their thoughts about why Zelda should be an animated movie instead of live-action. And while hand-drawn art may be the best fit for a Zelda movie in my opinion, there are plenty of animation styles that would serve as a better vehicle for Zelda than live-action, IGNs Logan Plant wrote at the time the movie was announced. Think about all the gorgeous animated projects weve seen in the last several years: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Dragon Quest: Your Story, the Castlevania anime, or even a claymation look come to mind as visual styles that would perfectly suit the wonderful world of Hyrule. I can visualize what all these versions of Hyrule would look like, but I cant say the same thing about live-action.There are so many oddities in Zelda that come across as charming when animated, but could easily be seen as off-putting when done in live-action. This is a franchise where a literal enormous pig is the main villain, after all. But Zelda is also full of surprising horrors, from zombies that wrap their entire bodies around Link to try and kill him, to disembodied giant hands that swoop down from the ceiling. I have a hard time seeing a lot of Zelda enemies make it into a live-action movie without seriously frightening the little ones.The 10 Best Legend of Zelda GamesIGNs Matt Kim also opined at the time that it would be a trap if Nintendo and Ball tried to adapt Breath of the Wild for the silver screen: If youre going to make a Zelda movie, Id adapt one of the games where the story is a bit more center-stage, whether its the pirate adventures of Wind Waker, the classic sword and sorcery of A Link to the Past, or arguably the most cinematic Zelda game of all-time, Twilight Princess.Game devs have marveled at the power of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdoms engineering, calling the way its systems interact with each other near-magic. Its not just showing audiences Links cool abilities but playing within an entire world, with its own laws of nature that just simply cannot be conveyed by looking at a screen alone. While there are plenty of fun moments a Breath of the Wild movie could include as fun easter eggs like Link discovering he gets a stat bonus when he cooks during the blood moon for example the games sense of discovery can never truly be captured on camera. Breath of the Wild turns players into theoretical physicists, experimenting with how the interlocking rules of the game play off one another which, unless the director plans on making a movie similar to Oppenheimer, would make for not a lousy Zelda movie.For their part, the filmmakers acknowledge the risk inherent in making a live-action Zelda movie. "Regarding the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, I know we face an extremely high hurdle in producing a film that will not disappoint the global fan base," Shigeru Miyamoto told Nintendo investors during a Q&A in November 2023. Miyamoto added that he had been developing the Zelda movie with Arad for ten years prior to the official announcement.When Will the Legend of Zelda Be Released?Sony Pictures will release The Legend of Zelda in theaters on March 26, 2027. In order to make that date, fans should expect filming to commence in 2026 or maybe even late this year to allow for enough post-production time to pull of the films visual effects.Where Can I Watch the Legend of Zelda Movie Trailer?There isnt one as nothing has been filmed yet. However, IGN pranked the Internet on April Fools Day 2008 when we released a faux live-action Zelda movie trailer (which can be viewed below). Until theres a real movie trailer to watch, ours will have to do:PlayWho do you think should play Link, Zelda and other key characters in the upcoming movie? Let us know in the comments.

ScreenshotAs someone who has used their iPad Pro as their main computer for about seven years, I know how magical the accessory experience can be. When Apple introduced its Magic Keyboard for the iPad, I was in awe of its design and function, which transformed the iPad into a full-on computer experience. However, at $350, it is more expensive than a new iPad 11th-gen. So, Im always looking for cheaper alternatives and finally found a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil alternative that has exceeded my expectations. Lets talk about them.Before we begin, be sure to check out our most recent video about building the ultimate budget iPad Air experience. In it, I go hands-on with both the ESR rebound keyboard case and their geo-pencil.Before we continue, for those wondering how to get the wallpapers we use, be sure to become a channel member here to get 100s of wallpapers with new ones coming every month!Rebound Magnetic Keyboard CaseI have been testing Magic Keyboard alternatives for years, some good, some really not so good. However, the one tough sticking point to replicate is the trackpad experience. Third-party companies have to rely on Bluetooth ias opposed to the iPad pin connectors to give the customer a passable experience. So, the trackpad experience is always hit or miss. But the new ESR Rebound Case is the closest I have personally experienced compared to the real thing! The gesture controls and actions are always the toughest and ESR nailed it with this one! Here are some of the specs:Floating cantilever design: Adjustable angles and attaches magneticallyFunction keys: Includes media, volume, and brightness controls.Backlit Keys: Three brightness levels and 7 backlight colorsMulti-Touch Trackpad: Full iPadOS gesture support.Bluetooth connectivity: Pair once to iPad, and it will auto pair from then onLightweight: 610g in weightApple Pencil protection: Magnetic flap to help keep Apple Pencil in placeBattery: Charges via USB-C, 3 month of use with no backlight, 2 weeks of use with backlightMy experienceAfter a few days of writing, editing, and navigating iPadOS, I barely missed my Magic Keyboard. The keys feel responsive, the trackpad is accurate, and the adjustable viewing angles make it feel like a true laptop replacement. So, for only $79, if you dont care to have the USB-C port on the hinge to charge your iPad and you dont mind needing to charge your keyboard every month or so, this is an insane value. It is over $200 cheaper than what Apple offers!Geo Digital PencilThe Apple Pencil is another one of those Apple accessories that are fantastic but are heavily overpriced. Apple currently charges $130 for the Apple Pencil Pro and $80 for the Apple Pencil USB-C. But the good news is that the third-party Apple pencil market has matured nicely, and you can get some insane value from other brands. The Geo Pencil brings a lot for just $25! Here are some of the best features:Find My support: Integrated tracking via Apples Find My app.Tilt sensitivity: Natural sketching and handwriting.Palm rejection: Works flawlessly in note and art apps.Magnetic: Snaps to iPad side (Does not charge, though)USB-C charging: Charges via USB-C Shortcuts: Mapable shortcuts to open and close apps on Geo Pencil eraser endMy experienceI am someone who uses their Appel Pencil for note taking, very rough sketching, signing documents, and as an extension of my finger, the Geo Pencil is perfect. I am not an artist; I never use the squeeze functions, or hover or anything that would require something like that. The only time I would recommend the Pencil Pro is if, in fact, you are a pro who needs those niche features. Otherwise, Geo Pencil will get you 95% of the experience for a fifth of the cost! Also, the Find My support is a nice touch!Pricing & AvailabilityBoth the keyboard and the pencil are available today on Amazon and ESRs store. They have keyboard versions for all the different iPad models and sizes. The Geo Pencil works with all modern iPads as well! ESR Rebound Magnetic Keyboard Case is $79 and the Geo Pencil is only $25I would recommend these products to most iPad users because they give you 98% of the Apple iPad experience at a fraction of the cost. For example, you can get a new iPad Air M3 for $549, an ESR keyboard for $79, and a Geo Pencil for $25, totaling roughly $650. Or you can go through Apple and spend $599 for the same iPad, $269 on the new iPad Air magic keyboard, and $129 on the Pencil Pro, totaling almost $1000! So unless you need hover support or want the squeeze gesture from the pencil pro, I say save your hard earned money. 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

Sharks have long been believed to be silent, stalking their prey and wolfing them down without comment. They're ruthless and efficient.But a team of marine biologists in New Zealand are challenging that assumption. In a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers report that they've recorded the first ever instance of a shark actively producing a sound, in the form of sharp, abrupt clicks.The sharks that produced the noise were rig sharks, a species which are common to the coastal waters of New Zealand. Locals often refer to the relatively small sharks, which grow up to five feet long, as "lemon fish" (not to be confused with much more formidable lemon sharks) or simply "rigs."Lead author Carolin Nieder said that she made the discovery while handling the rig sharks during her research into their hearing capabilities."At first we had no idea what it was because sharks were not supposed to make any sounds," Nieder, who works at the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Scientific American. "I remember coming home and just thinking more and more about how weird those sounds were."To confirm it wasn't a fluke, Nieder and her colleagues gathered ten juvenile rig sharks, separately placing them into tanks equipped with microphones. As the sharks were either being gently held or transferred between tanks, all of them emitted the high frequency, sub-second clicks, the researchers found.The clicks occurred underwater, and almost always as the sharks were moving their body in some way. Brief as the clicks were, they reached anappreciable volume of 156 decibels.Some species of fish use their swim bladders to generate noise by vibrating them. Marine mammals like whales use vocal cords. But sharks don't possess a specific organ for making sounds. In the rigs' case, it appears that they're making the noise by snapping together their dense rows of flattened teeth, which are specialized to chomp through shells.Notably, the sharks didn't produce the clicks while swimming or feeding. Their high frequency also puts the sounds outside the rig shark's limited hearing range, making it unlikely that they use the noises to communicate."I think it's more likely that they would make those noises when they get attacked," Nieder told the New York Times. Other fish snap their teeth or jaws in an attempt to ward off predators, she added.To be sure, the circumstances that the recordings were made in raise questions about whether these are sounds that the sharks would produce in the wild. But the fact that they were made at all warrants further investigation."This study opens up the possibility of these smaller sharks 'sounding the alarm,'" Neil Hammerschlag, president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions and executive director of the not-for-profit Shark Research Foundation, ."While we really don't know if the sound produced by the rig sharks was simply a byproduct of being handled... it does open up some new questions, possibilities and avenues for future research."More on marine life: Behold Rare Footage of What Narwhals Actually Use Their Tusks ForShare This Article

Image by Getty / FuturismOn both sides of the East River, well-heeled New Yorkers have for a few years been shelling out for the tranquility promised by Bathhouse, a high-concept spa company that boasts thermal pools heated by Bitcoin mining.As Curbed reports, however, visitors and former employees at both of the spa's two locations claim to have experienced everything from mold and vermin on pipes and floors to unidentifiable "black particles" in pools and post-bath urinary tract infections.The latest fracas regarding the "evil crypto baths," as local outletHell Gate called Bathhouse last year, began earlier this month when a Reddit user claimed that they got a UTI after going into two "kinda dirty and gross"-looking tubs at the company's location in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood."I thought it would be fine," the user wrote, "but then I ended up with a UTI."Days prior, the poster claimed, another friend went to Bathhouse's other location in Manhattan and "also ended up with a UTI." In response, another, since-deleted user claimed that they too had gotten the same infection within 48 hours of their last time at the Williamsburg location which, it bears noting, has been the subject of 17 calls to New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since 2022."I'm sure that it came from [B]athhouse," the responder wrote. "The water just felt ick to me, especially that lukewarm pool. Maybe they aren't using enough chlorine or something?"After that, the Bathhouse floodgates opened in kind. From complaints about hair floating in pools and fellow visitors' "horrible" hygiene exacerbated, no doubt, by many of them not showering to a secondhand claim about a friend who got ringworm after going to the Williamsburg spa, it seemed that the only thing dirtier than Bathhouse was the rumor mill surrounding it.As these things tend to go, the gossip made its way to TikTok, where Justine Smith, a woman who claims to be a former "body scrubber" at the Williamsburg location, had mold problems and had photos to back up her accusations. In an interview withCurbed, Smith said that the issue was so bad, she and her coworkers would try to cover the smell with essential oils. It didn't always work, the woman said, and sometimes she'd catch customers making sour faces "because there's a stench in the room."Another former employee, whose name was not shared, showedCurbed videos of wormy-looking insects crawling around the brick walls and floor tiles. Those videos, the employee claimed, were shot in one of the rooms that houses the spa's steam baths.NYC's health department toldCurbed that it's investigating the recent claims six of those 311 calls were, notably, made in the last week and has, per records the website viewed, sent Bathhouse a letter about a mold complaint.As for Bathhouse itself, it says these many allegations of grossness at its facilities are little more than gossip."The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority and always has been," the company told Curbed in a statement. "These rumors are blatant and defamatory lies which seem intended to harm our business."Share This Article

The Thailand vacation is almost over, but you can stream the season's first six episodes on Max right now.

Here are the most important things to know about mortgage rates during an economic downturn.

Overwatch fans think Season 16 leak "suggests Overwatch 2 name may be retired"It ain't over 'til it's Overwatch.Image credit: Blizzard News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on March 29, 2025 Blizzard is reportedly considering dropping the "2" from its squad-based first-person shooter sequel, Overwatch 2.A leak purporting to share details of the shooter's 16th season not only gives us an early peek at what's coming in the new season - as well as a Gundam collaboration - but also claims Overwatch 2 skins will be renamed "Valorous", and Overwatch 1 skins as "Classic", leading some players to believe Blizzard may be about to retire the sequel's name.Xbox currently has more first-party games coming to PlayStation 5 this year than Sony.Watch on YouTube To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Twitter user SkaVorah, who shared the leaked images, said: "Skin names changed. Overwatch 1 -> Classic. Overwatch 2 -> Valorous."Say goodbye to 'Overwatch 2', I guess. Looks like they are dropping the '2'. This suggests that the overwatch 2 name may be retired."The leak is accompanied by a handful of images that purportedly depict Overwatch 2's S16 main screen, Juno Mythic, new Mythic aspects, and reveal an upcoming collab with Gundam.As with most leaks, for now, all we can do is chalk this up to a rumour until Activision Blizzard confirms one way or the other. Either way, though, it's once again got players talking about whether or not live-service games like Overwatch or Destiny should simply keep evolving rather than develop stand-alone "sequels".We've reached out to Activision for comment and will update as/when we hear back.Last month we learned that Blizzard is reimplementing loot boxes into Overwatch 2 a little over two years after the team removed them from Overwatch.Blizzard detailed its plans for what the studio calls "one of Overwatch's most significant years so far", including a brief look at Overwatch 2 season 15, which is set to debut later this month, on 18th February. It is this season that will see those aforementioned loot boxes make their return to the hero shooter.

Digital Foundry confirmed: PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro have prevalent VRR stuttering problemsSony and third-party games affected, Xbox works fine. Feature by Oliver Mackenzie Contributor Additional contributions byRichard LeadbetterPublished on March 29, 2025 We've received a continuous stream of reports over the last few months suggesting there's a problem with PlayStation 5: VRR support has an issue where game performance can be interrupted by a continuous, obvious stutter that manifests every eight seconds. Various theories have been shared and discussed online, covering a range of displays and firmwares but after spending some time investigating the problem, we can confirm it is a real problem, impacting both PS5 and Pro consoles - and based on our tests, it will impact any VRR-compatible display.To fully understand the issue, it's important to explain how VRR - variable refresh rate - works in general and more specifically on PlayStation consoles. Until VRR arrived, the most stable performance in console games was to see frame-rate locked to 60fps or 30fps. An even delivery of frames is sent to the display, synchronising with the refresh rate of the panel. At 60fps, a new frame is displayed with each new refresh of the screen. At 30fps, a new frame persists for two refreshes. As the name suggests, VRR operates with a variable refresh rate. Instead of the console needing to synchronise with the display update, the console itself is in charge of when the refresh happens - typically whenever a new frame is ready to be presented.With VRR, a game doesn't need to run locked to 60fps or 30fps to present to gamers in a consistent manner - as long as frame-rates remain broadly similar, gameplay still looks smooth, even if a game is operating in, for example, a variable 50-60fps or 100-120fps 'window'. It's a boon to players and can even be considered a 'fix' of sorts to variable frame-rates, reducing stutter considerably and removing screen-tearing completely in titles that exhibit it.So, what's the problem with PlayStation? The most obvious example of the stuttering issue presenting itself occurs in titles that support 120Hz VRR with unlocked frame-rates - games like The Last of Us Part 1 and 2, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Diablo 4, for example. What happens is that gameplay works just fine for around 20 minutes, but at some point soon after that, a noticeable stutter manifests every eight seconds, give or take a few frames. The point of VRR is to bring consistency to variable frame-rates and the 'magic' is lost when the game stutters so noticeably in so regular a cadence.Oliver Mackenzie and Alex Battaglia share their impressions on the much-discussed PS5 VRR issue. In this video, you'll see how the problem manifests and our methodology in isolating the issue.Watch on YouTubeIf you have a VRR-compatible panel, you may have access to a refresh rate monitor. Disregarding more complex elements of VRR not relevant to the discussion (low frame-rate compensation, etc), these read-outs tell you how often the console is driving the display to update itself with a new frame. It's the closest you'll get to a console equivalent to a PC-style frame-rate meter. Thanks to the inclusion of these meters, we've noted that the stuttering causes the refresh rate counter to momentarily spike up to 120Hz in the most obviously affected titles. So, in a game like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on PS5 Pro, for example, we can see frame-rates in the 60-70fps range thanks to the onscreen display - and when a stutter kicks in, there's that telltale, momentary jump to 120Hz.Since refresh rate monitors are so common across so many different TVs and monitors - with the same 120Hz 'tell' occurring on all tested screens, we are able to discount some of the reasons suggested for PS5/Pro VRR stutter. There's been the suggestion that the problem is limited to LG OLED TVs, or TVs based on LG OLED panels. Others believe the problem only kicked in after a non-specified LG OLED firmware update. However, we've tested a Samsung mini-LED display, an LG OLED TV, an LG OLED PC monitor with HDMI 2.1 VRR support and even an Eve Spectrum monitor. All have refresh rate meters, all exhibit stutter and all show momentary spikes to 120Hz when a stutter kicks in. At this point, all evidence indicates that it is not the display that is the source of the problem, but rather PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro consoles. The spike to 120Hz does suggest that the console is dropping out of VRR 'in the moment' and returning to a fixed refresh rate, causing the stutter.At this point we should stress that this is a Sony-specific issue only. Xbox VRR remains robust and in multi-platform games that exhibit the problem on PlayStation, the Microsoft console works just fine.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Quite why this is happening is unclear. We've tested a total of 19 games now, finding that many games have the problem, while others seemingly do not. The evidence suggests that if the output frame-rate of the console does not vary so much, the stutter is less likely to happen. We can see the impact of the problem easily in Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered for example, but it's far more difficult to see if it's a problem in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, running on the same engine and likely using the same Sony libraries.While developers have to actively support VRR, especially to support 120Hz VRR, Sony offers a back-up solution for existing games with no support. This support is at the system level, activated within the PlayStation's front-end. It is limited to 60Hz and only allows VRR to work within a 48Hz to 60Hz 'window'. Reports that Elden Ring has a similar 20 minutes of smooth play followed by a stutter every eight seconds are confirmed. So, the evidence points away from this being a problem introduced by game developers and points more towards an issue with how PS5 and PS5 Pro output a VRR signal.Of the 19 games we tested, this table shows games where we can categorically confirm there is a problem and conversely, titles where VRR works just as it should. Our general test methodology was to load a game, go away and do other things, then return 30 to 60 minutes later to check for stutter. Of course, it may well be the case that titles that are unaffected may simply require more time before the issue kicks in - but the point is that we can confirm there is a problem that Sony needs to fix.Confirmed Affected GamesConfirmed Unaffected Games*Diablo 4Dragon's Dogma 2Elden RingImmortals of AveumHogwarts LegacyGod of War RagnarokThe Last of Us Part 1Gran Turismo 7The Last of Us Part 2Kingdom Come Deliverance 2Marvel's Spider-Man RemasteredMetaphor RefantazioRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart* Unaffected within the scope of our testing - other factors may cause the issue to manifestLooking at the table, it's difficult to find any common link between games that exhibit the issue and those that don't. It's not a third-party developer problem as Sony games can be impacted. It's not an engine problem as games running on the same underlying technology can sit in either category - Resident Evil 4 and Dragon's Dogma 2 both use the RE Engine, for example. However, the inclusion of Elden Ring would suggest that it's more likely a system-level issue: FromSoftware released that game before VRR was even supported, meaning that the PS5's system software is handling all aspects of that game's VRR presentation.The only other common factors we have are that many games that support completely unlocked - and therefore more variable - frame-rates have the problem when VRR is active. In game modes where there is less variability, the problem is less likely to present. Titles that run consistently well at 120fps, 60fps, 30fps or even 40fps with VRR enabled seem to work fine.That said, where the issue does obviously manifest, clearly this is a big issue - the whole point of VRR is to 'smooth out' games where frame-rate is variable, so in that respect, the stuttering is clearly a problem. First of all, you can simply disable VRR in the system software menu and play with a standard fixed refresh rate. Thankfully, that's not exactly a major problem on most of the affected games we've found. The only other workable solution is to restart the game every so often when the issue emerges. Obviously, this is not ideal. We've informed Sony of all of our findings and would hope to see this addressed. We'll report back on this in due course.

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Elon Musks AI startup, xAI, has acquired his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in an all-stock deal, he announced in a post on X Friday.xAI has acquired X in an all-stock transaction, Musk said. The combination values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt).Musk went on to describe the two companies futures as intertwined. He added, Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent.The acquisition places X the highly influential social media platform Musk purchased in 2022 under its former name, Twitter firmly under the umbrella of Musks AI startup, which he founded in 2023 to compete with OpenAI. While xAIs products, including its AI chatbot Grok, were tightly integrated into the X platform before this deal, Fridays acquisition further combines two of Musks most high-profile companies.According to publications including The Wall Street Journal, shares of X and xAI will be exchanged for shares of a new holding company called xAI Holdings Corp. The WSJ also reports that executives at both companies believed that it would be easier to raise money for a combined entity.Musk who also leads Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink notes in his post that this deal values X at $33 billion (lowered from an enterprise value of $45 billion due to the companys $12 billion in debt). Musk originally purchased X for $44 billion in October 2022 and took it private. However, the valuation has swung dramatically in recent years. At one point, Fidelity valued X at less than $10 billion.In the months since the inauguration of President Donald Trump for whom Musk aggressively campaigned and for whom Musk now serves under as a special adviser leading DOGE Xs valuation has risen, largely because investors believe the platform more influential now. Musk said in his post on Friday that X has more than 600 million active users.Musk launched xAI in 2023 and has since beefed up the startup with industry-leading AI researchers from Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and OpenAI, and built out the massive AI data centers needed to catch up with other frontier AI developers. To fuel these efforts, Musk has gone on a historic fundraising campaign, including a $6 billion funding round in December that valued the startup at $45 billion. According to Musk, xAIs valuation is now even higher, at $80 billion.xAI has largely been successful in its mad dash to catch up with OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. In February, the startup released Grok 3, a frontier AI model thats competitive with the industrys leading AI models on benchmarks measuring math, science, and coding.But xAIs successes have not stopped Musk from meddling with OpenAI, a startup he co-founded with Sam Altman. Musk is currently trying to thwart OpenAIs for-profit transition which it needs to complete to secure future funding in more ways than one. The billionaire owner of xAI has made OpenAIs for-profit transition the centerpiece of his lawsuit against OpenAI. Musk also submitted a $97 billion takeover bid for Altmans startup in February. OpenAIs board promptly rejected the idea, but it already may have driven up the market price for OpenAIs assets.One of the major advantages that xAI has over OpenAI and other startups is its access to X. The large body of posts that X has accumulated over the years gives xAI a significant advantage in the race for AI training data. Further, X gives Musks AI startup a huge consumer app to reach users in.Musk has a history of blurring the lines between his many companies, which has landed him in legal trouble before. With xAIs acquisition of X, the two are now effectively one and the move suggests that Xs true value may lie in advancing Musks broader AI ambitions.This story has been updated with additional details about the structure of the deal.