Its a day fans of the Grid have been awaiting for years. The first trailer for Tron: Ares is here, a film that has been in the works for over 15 years. Thats even before the release of 2010s Tron: Legacy, a cult classic in the making that set up a sequel which never happened, and does not appear to be this. In the first trailer for Ares, it doesnt look like the new film picks up those Legacy threads at all. Instead, were introduced to a new, red grid and, somehow, creations from that plane of existence crossing over into the real world. Heres your first glimpse at Tron: Ares. With the film out in October, this is a fairly early look. Were not surprised the trailer doesnt give away too much. But you can certainly tell that director Joachim Rnning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) is aiming to bring fans of the franchise not just something new, but something theyve been dreaming about for decades: a full-on invasion of the Grid into the real world. Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, and, of course, Jeff Bridges. It opens October 10. Disney 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.

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterHopefully, youll never have a PC problem to troubleshoot, but if and when you do run into problems with a Windows computer, Safe Mode will be one of the most useful tools in your toolkit. Its like a safety net built right into Microsofts desktop operating system, and it can help with all kinds of Windows woes.Safe Mode is part of a wider suite of repair utilities included with Windows, ready to assist you when your PC wont boot normally, when youre experiencing regular crashes and restarts, and when Windows is behaving in a strange and buggy way. You can even use it when you see the infamous blue screen of death.How Windows Safe Mode worksSafe Mode is one of several troubleshooting tools in Windows. Screenshot: Microsoft Safe Mode essentially attempts to start Windows in a stripped-down, basic state. The exact details vary from system to system, but most third-party software and drivers are disabled, so you only get the fundamentals in terms of graphics, networking, and the other core functions of your computer.Microsoft describes it as a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers. In theory,you can use it to narrow down the cause of your PC problems, because theyre more likely related to software or settings added on top of Windows, rather than something built into the operating system itself.In that case, Safe Mode gives you enough computing power to uninstall or reset a problematic program or two, or run other troubleshooting tools (such as a virus scanner) that you otherwise wouldnt have access to if your PC isnt starting up.However, Safe Mode isnt a one-click, instant fix for your problems: Its still mostly down to you when it comes to diagnosing and fixing whatever is going wrong. You will, of course,have access to utilities like the Windows Update Troubleshooter, which can help you figure out what went wrong.Its also worth remembering that Safe Mode doesnt work every time. Sometimes there will be a fundamental issue with your system (a broken hard drive, for example), which means Safe Mode cant run either. In that case youll have to try other troubleshooting methods or get some expert help.How to use Windows Safe ModeYouve got three different Safe Modes to choose from. Screenshot: Microsoft To get to Safe Mode, you need to boot Windows into its Recovery Environment. Its a simple blue screen with a Choose an option heading;it may pop up automatically if your PC is repeatedly failing to start up normally. If you can get into Windows, you can reboot into the Recovery Environment by choosing System and Recovery from Settings, then selecting Restart now next to Advanced startup.If youre unable to get into the Windows interface and the Recovery Environment isnt loading automatically, on most PCs you can press a specific key as your system starts up that will switch to the alternative boot menu. Its often something like F8 or Delete, but it varies depending on the system. Its often displayed in an on-screen message while the computer boots, but if not you might be able to figure out what the key for your PC is with a quick web search or by checking the bundled documentation.When you get to the Choose an option screen, pick Troubleshoot. There are several useful tools here, including System Restore and a Startup Repair utilitywe cant cover them all here, but Microsoft offers an official guide that explains what each one does.For Safe Mode, you need to pick Startup Settings: You can then load standard Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking (handy for looking up problems on the web), or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. That last option gives you a text-based interface to access your PC, which lets you do some low-level troubleshooting if youre unable to load up the full Windows interface.You should then find yourself in Safe Mode, but be prepared for it to run slower than Windows normally does. Where you go from there is up to you: You can try running virus scanners and diagnostic tools, uninstalling programs you think might be causing issues, resetting app configurations, or stopping certain pieces of software from starting up with Windows, depending on the nature of your PC problems.

A spiral galaxy known as NGC 4945 exhibits powerful winds of material blowing from the supermassive black hole located at its core in a new photo taken by the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

AI is coming for FinanceSimone DaneseFollow6 min readJust now--Salutations,Artificial Intelligence has been all the rage for the past couple of years, but there seem to be significant disagreements in terms of its prospects and its potential impact on economic output.Critics argue that productivity has so far been minimally affected, and legal or economic bottlenecks will significantly slow down adoption even if the economic value were clear. Others complain about soaring capital expenditures even in the absence of a so-called killer application that could produce sufficient revenue streams to justify the continuous investment.The purpose of this article is not to directly debate these claims or support a hypothetical first killer application (which many now believe will be software engineering). Instead, Ill try to make the case that one of the most powerful upcoming points of application for AI will be the financial sector.Note that for the sake of being concise, Ill assume that you are already familiar with Large Language Models, how they work, as well as their current capabilities and limitations. There are plenty of freely available resources that will help you understand these topics with higher accuracy and precision than I ever could. (If you struggle to find something specific, write in the comments, and Ill link some relevant material.)With that being said, let me focus on the reasons why I believe the financial sector is strongly placed to absorb and benefit from AI capabilities.#1 Finance is almost entirely digitalFinance is fundamentally about gathering information, analysing it and making decisions about capital allocation.All of this is done almost entirely on digital infrastructure: the vast majority of information is on computers, analysis happens on computers and even the infrastructure to exchange resources (e.g. payment systems) has been almost entirely digitalized. In other words, the work of a modern finance worker is (almost) fully done in front of a monitor.Accordingly, once AI agents achieve a good level of performance on general computer use, there is no physical barrier preventing their deployment in the financial sector. There is no need for robotic arms, sensors, or any other form of physical embodiment.This might seem like a minor and obvious consideration, but it is actually very relevant: there is no reasonable argument for real economy bottlenecks in the use of AI in finance.#2 Finance can handle a rapid scale-upLets say you believe, as I do, that we can shortly achieve a satisfactory level of agentic performance. Then, a team of AI agents might realistically perform most of the tasks of a junior financial analyst.Whats the difference?AI agents can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekAI agents are much faster at processing dataAI agents can process much more data at onceYou can relatively seamlessly increase the number of AI agents in your team (aka hiring AI agents is much easier than hiring humans)This can lead to an explosion in the scale of analytical work performed.The financial sector is particularly well-suited to a fast scale-up:Its a rich industry with lots of liquidity to invest.Returns to capital invested are much faster than in other industries (precisely because many assets are uniquely liquid). In other words, the cycle from initial investment to profitability to reinvestment is much shorter than in other sectors, promoting rapid scaling. This would be further enhanced by a boom in market liquidity, reasonably driven by an increase in analytical capabilities.Financial decision-making can be considered a general-purpose technology, applicable across all sectors of the economy. Accordingly, an upgrade to this technology can be easily deployed on a very large scale. (As opposed to AI golf clubs, for which there is a bottleneck on market demand).#3 Finance is VerifiableWithin the realm of what is currently considered financial performance aka monetary risk-adjusted real returns performance in finance is easily verifiable.In other words, there is a clear and objective right answer to a financial problem. This is incredibly valuable for AI because it allows for iterative self-improvement via Reinforcement Learning without the need for human feedback. This, in turn, can dramatically speed up performance improvements.Now, there is the important caveat that financial performance is dependent on a number of factors that themselves are not easily verifiable (e.g., consumer taste). Nevertheless, the fact that there is a top-line performance metric that is verifiable means that the model is still able to learn on its own and discriminate which underlying factors to focus on.#4 Humans are not good at FinanceBelieve it or not, financial decision-making by which I mean mathematically-optimised rational unbiased decision-making on intertemporal capital allocation is something humans are not that good at. Were just not built for it.Were built for hunting, gathering, and socialising. Were built for arts and politics, not for analyzing endless spreadsheets. Our ability for future thinking and precise measurement of value is strongly constrained by our biological hardware and riddled with heuristics and biases.Finance is one of those fields where emotions only make things worse, and our brains are awfully adapted to make rational decisions by looking at a screen full of numbers when the stakes are so high.But guess what? Thats not the case for AI.AI agents dont get tired. They dont get emotional. They dont get distracted. Humans are constrained by physical, social and emotional needs that AIs are not.They arguably dont suffer from confirmation bias, scope insensitivity, or overconfidence. They can be rational in all circumstances. Similarly, they could be able to cooperate much more efficiently than a team of humans would, devoid of personal agendas, jealousies, conflicts, or miscommunication.Im saying arguably and could because currently there is little understanding of the inner workings of these models. Interpretability research is awfully underfunded and lagging compared to performance research (to the despair of AI safety experts). It is indeed unreasonable to assume that these models dont have their own biases (they probably do).But at the same time, we know that they dont think like humans, therefore, it seems safe to assume that they wouldnt be subject to the exact same cognitive biases and limitations as humans. More importantly, we can structurally modify and improve an artificial mind to correct biases when we find them. This, as far as I know, its impossible for humans.LimitationsFor all my evident optimism and confidence in the potential for AI to revolutionise finance, it must be noted that current applications dont quite meet the bar required for high-stakes financial decision-making.Models hallucinate (make stuff up), AI agents are still unreliable, and fine-tuning a model for a specific domain is still very data-inefficient and prone to errors. There are still considerable privacy, security, and legal liability concerns that have not been fully addressed by either the private or public sector.But finance is all about the future, and it would be unwise not to consider the trajectory that the AI industry seems to be on.The progress of this technology has been nothing but astounding in the past few years, and industry leaders have repeatedly expressed their confidence that this progress will continue (and possibly accelerate).I personally believe the industry is at a point of no return in terms of the scale of investment and public attention it has received. With hundreds of billions of dollars in investment and thousands of the smartest minds working on these problems, the sector has unprecedented resources and incentives to keep making progress at a tremendous speed.I wouldnt bet against them.The Dream of FinanceFinally, a word on what the consequences could be for the wider economy.To begin with, I think the value created will be potentially enormous.We are used to considering technology as the primary driver of economic growth (see Solow Growth Model), but we often forget that technology in economics does not mean gadgets but production processes. Namely, your ability to transform inputs into more valuable outputs.Technology then defines the upper bound of what is possible (production-possibility frontier), but in the real economy, most production processes are not on the efficient frontier (mostly because of asymmetric information and capital misallocation).An improved financial system will be able to better identify the best companies and allocate capital to them. This, in turn, leads to a higher economic surplus, which can be re-invested and start a virtuous cycle of faster progress and economic development.This is the dream of finance, this is why I love finance and why I dont like how it has come to be viewed as a leech on the real economy (and domain of finance bros).In fact, as financial savviness and rationality become pervasive via AI agents on both the demand and the supply side, we can (hopefully) expect the financial sector to cut the bulls**t: less questionable accounting decisions, less needlessly complex financial products, less creative revenue projections and for the love of dogs less trading gurus.Or at least I hope so.Cheers, Simone out

IDontBeatGamesThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twiceMemberOct 29, 201720,423New YorkView: https://www.threads.net/@wario64/post/DIEcxHzATS9?xmt=AQGzvMpPOCTM6VnPB-hFkWDg5WzVrHRkaEDVx2hqrwpf1QAccording to a Nintendo UK Support Rep, Switch 2 Editions of physical games like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 contain a download code for the upgrade pack along with a Switch 1 version cart of the gameClick to expand...Click to shrink... JawmuncherCrisis DinoModeratorOct 25, 201744,018Ibis IslandThere was some uncertainty about this due to the wordage on the box arts (especially in the case of Metroid Prime 4).Definitely sounds like for most people, getting switch 1 versions and buying the upgrade yourself will be a far cheaper option for anyone that wants an upgrade. Unless you really need the red switch 2 box.Napalm_FrankAvengerOct 27, 20175,929FinlandSo basically you'd have to buy the upgrade separately if you buy one of these from used market, huh. NeatOP OPIDontBeatGamesThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twiceMemberOct 29, 201720,423New YorkJawmuncher said:There was some uncertainty about this due to the wordage on the box arts (especially in the case of Metroid Prime 4).Definitely sounds like for most people, getting switch 1 versions and buying the upgrade yourself will be a far cheaper option for anyone that wants an upgrade. Unless you really need the red switch 2 box.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Thanks for fixing the title, I tried different versions but I didn't know how to simplify it lolWollanMostly PositiveMemberOct 25, 20179,751Norway but living in FranceI might just go digital in that case. And they're ruining the boxart anyhow with all that explanatory text.edit: And yeah, there's practically no resale value here if this is indeed an one-time code.DanbyOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 7, 20203,133Probably still getting switch 2 version of metroid, but I'm good on everything else.NukeRunnerMemberFeb 8, 20242,535I'm kind of surprised this was in question, the wording on the packaging is very clear to me. It's the same exact thing you'd get with the Switch 1 version, just a new (uglier) box and an inclusion of the pass.My conflict now as a collector, is do I buy these new Switch 2 versions despite them really not being distinct outside of a box and maybe a slip? I'm trying to tell myself it's idiotic to buy them again, because it is.And yet..NaxHero of BowerstoneMemberOct 10, 20187,154Sounds like they cheaped out. Worse products for a higher price. IdioticDelaneyMemberOct 25, 20173,775So in 5 years time if you want to buy these 10 year old games you still pay 80 for them, and if you somehow buy them used on top of what you pay, you still give Nintendo 20 for them anyways.JawmuncherCrisis DinoModeratorOct 25, 201744,018Ibis IslandWollan said:I might just go digital in that case. And they're ruining the boxart anyhow with all that explanatory text.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Yeah, that alone killed my interest in buying Prime 4. Would rather the nicer case without all the text. XwingThis guy are sick of the unshakeable slayerMemberNov 11, 201711,491I had not read the fine print on the boxes, but yeah, if it's not on a Switch 2 cartridge, no point in buying them versus the Switch 1 version and buying the upgrade seperately.LotusOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 25, 2017122,033The fine print on the bottom of the box of stuff like Metroid and BOTW already made that pretty clear imo, but glad to get further confirmationFor the older games I don't mind since it's much cheaper to find old copies (although a proper Switch 2 cartridge would've been easier to justify paying $80 for), but it sucks that Metroid and ZA won't have the upgrades on the actual cartridge.Also... silver lining, I can just go for the Switch 1 box art instead, far less ugly and doesn't have all that text on it.Bambi Is My DadMemberNov 13, 2017594So trading those physical copies in is pointless if it's a code. That means if you're buying them from CEX, you're just gonna get the Switch version and have to fork out for an upgrade.Hammer of HatsuhoMemberOct 1, 2024245PalestineI can understand them doing $80 for Jamboree and Tears of the Kingdom given those only dropped recently, but trying to sell Forgotten Land and Breath of the Wild, a three and eight year old game respectively, as if they were $60? That just honestly feels disrespectful lol. -Especially- now that we know that these upgrade packs will still be codes, like you can just buy a copy of Forgotten Land and Breath of the Wild now off some second hand marketplace for $20-40.Kamiya-mehaMemberFeb 25, 2022130Shame but saves me money from upgrading physically. Nintendo will do their thing.AngieBest Avatar Thread Ever!MemberNov 20, 201748,593Kingdom of CoronaThat kinda kills the used gamessuper moustiqueMemberOct 31, 20179,678... I'm speechless.xylaMemberOct 27, 20179,393GermanyI wonder if in the case of for example Metroid 4 the game downloads the complete game for Switch 2 anyways - it looks like some assets are higher quality and the read speeds are a lot slower from Switch 1 cartridges.mrmickfranThe FallenOct 27, 201732,599GongagaThis is... bizarreGunmanMemberAug 19, 20202,136So you're just getting an uglier box ? Yasumi"You bought a PS Vita"MemberOct 25, 20174,809I feel like this was super obvious going by the verbiage of an "Upgrade pack". Not like they would be able to have a whole different version of a game smushed onto a Switch 1 cart.Jake2byFourMemberOct 28, 20175,123I guess that's confirmation but the direct did state that physical and digital editions of Nintendo switch2 games would be available and nothing about a code for upgrade.MoxManiacMemberNov 17, 2017615NukeRunner said:I'm kind of surprised this was in question, the wording on the packaging is very clear to me. It's the same exact thing you'd get with the Switch 1 version, just a new (uglier) box and an inclusion of the pass.My conflict now as a collector, is do I buy these new Switch 2 versions despite them really not being distinct outside of a box and maybe a slip? I'm trying to tell myself it's idiotic to buy them again, because it is.And yet..Click to expand...Click to shrink...I guess they might be worth it if the version of the game on the cart is newer then what's currently on the market.Kazer"This guy are sick"MemberOct 27, 20173,003Gunman said:So you're just getting an uglier box ?Click to expand...Click to shrink...Sounds like it. May as well get S1 copy + pay for digital upgrade.MusubiUnshakable Resolve - Prophet of TruthMemberOct 25, 201726,915What an absolute waste of both retail shelf space and plastic.FiremindMemberOct 25, 201716,436I hope they're going to include them in a later version, because lol good luck selling these to physical buyers.NukeRunnerMemberFeb 8, 20242,535MoxManiac said:I guess they might be worth it if the version of the game on the cart is newer then what's currently on the market.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Stop, I'm trying to save for more responsible things.IceBearMemberNov 20, 20171,257Why tho......they had everything on cart for MK8D + Booster Course Pass, hell they even reprinted the carts to include the later DLCs, why can't they do the same for these Switch 2 edition games.diabloggMemberOct 31, 20174,791What in the living shit is the point of the new plastic then lolMandosMemberNov 27, 201738,038Weird that the case doesn't say download required then.Definitely making me consider grabbing MP4 and XCX with a voucher with discounted Eshop cards then tho AudibleeMemberMar 14, 2025371Now you can lend your games to Americans who can no longer afford a Switch 2.tiebreaker"This guy are sick"MemberOct 25, 201714,238Told you. There is no point is saying that upgrade is available separately otherwise.fairwxfriendMemberJan 31, 20211,011I mean this makes sense but the proper way to have done this was for them to release these editions on a Switch 2 cart with added content so they could treat them as proper releases instead of whatever this marketing stretegy is.Last edited: Today at 12:01 PMFootMemberMar 10, 201912,832FROWN.LegendofLexMemberNov 20, 20176,224Genuinely no other way to do it if they wanted to give Switch 2 Edition buyers at retail the same thing you get as a Switch 1 owner. It had to be the Switch 1 copy in the box as it's the only copy that could have worked on both platforms. (Switch 1 can't read Switch 2 cards and Switch 2 games depend on them.)I still think it sucks that the Switch 2 Editions don't just match the current Switch prices (with a corresponding drop for the Switch 1 versions).NukeRunnerMemberFeb 8, 20242,535diablogg said:What in the living shit is the point of the new plastic then lolClick to expand...Click to shrink...I would guess the primary point is to illustrate to Switch 2 users that these are native Switch 2 versions with upgrades, while also being able to still backtrack the cart on the prior system and use it there. I see the logic, but personally I'd rather them just be native all on the cart versions without the ugly text.Maybe down the line they will make actual red cart, fully on the cart versions of these games that only play on Switch 2, if so I would consider them.TeppicMemberOct 25, 2017757No point for these to exsist then.BrickArts295GOTY Tracking Thread MasterMemberOct 26, 201715,399lol I said this but some posters were like "surely not".Why else would they not call it a "Switch 2 Game" in the banner description. Heck why even say that it comes with an upgrade pack if it supposed to be a Switch 2 Game Card with the Switch 2 Edition, it should already been upgraded no?It's like if you were to buy a disc version of Elden Ring on PS5, but you get a PS4 disc instead with a big banner saying it's comes with a PS5 upgrade like bruh why isn't already upgraded it's the PS5 version but thanks for the PS4 disc I guess lolLordRuynMemberOct 29, 20174,253JFC, Nintendo couldn't have handled all this worse if they'd tried...jacketMemberOct 25, 201710,602i wonder if years from now, if nintendo will "reprint" these switch upgrades all onto one carta man can wish, i guess ApplepiemanMemberNov 5, 2017172The fact that the "upgrade" isn't on the cart just is a not cool.Owning it phsyically on Switch 2 is moot, 20 years from now when this system is Retro kills longevity on collecting for it.Sigh...Kazer"This guy are sick"MemberOct 27, 20173,003jacket said:wonder if years from now, if nintendo will "reprint" these switch upgrades all onto one carta man can wish, i guessClick to expand...Click to shrink...I could see it for physical collectors to double dip.tiebreaker"This guy are sick"MemberOct 25, 201714,238LegendofLex said:Genuinely no other way to do it if they wanted to give Switch 2 Edition buyers at retail the same thing you get as a Switch 1 owner. It had to be the Switch 1 copy in the box as it's the only copy that could have worked on both platforms. (Switch 1 can't read Switch 2 cards and Switch 2 games depend on them.)Click to expand...Click to shrink...But why though? I don't expect to be able to play PS5 games on a PS4 console.LotusOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 25, 2017122,033jacket said:i wonder if years from now, if nintendo will "reprint" these switch upgrades all onto one carta man can wish, i guessClick to expand...Click to shrink...Honestly, it's not impossible given Mario Kart and PokemonMinionsMemberOct 25, 2017554They're charging $80 for this thing retail right? Why are they cheaping out on something they're already gouging you on?jacketMemberOct 25, 201710,602Kazer said:I could see it for physical collectors to double dip.Click to expand...Click to shrink...yea, i could see it tooin my case, i would be doing a "single dip" but i would have to wait yearsSeikMemberJan 5, 20233,510Qubec CityFuuuuck why can't they do this right...FiremindMemberOct 25, 201716,436LegendofLex said:Genuinely no other way to do it if they wanted to give Switch 2 Edition buyers at retail the same thing you get as a Switch 1 owner. It had to be the Switch 1 copy in the box as it's the only copy that could have worked on both platforms. (Switch 1 can't read Switch 2 cards and Switch 2 games depend on them.)Click to expand...Click to shrink...If you have a Switch 1 only, why would you buy the enhanced edition?plastic love Legend MemberSep 19, 20191,841I've got to remind myself this is not for me, but for consumers like parents and less chronically online people.People buy Switch 2, people want Switch 2 games, see Switch 2 branding, people buy.I'll probably stick with buying S1 boxes because they're less cluttered and prettier to look at, unless for some reason I can get the S1 and S2 version for the same price or the difference is cheaper than paying for the upgrade pack. UK retailers can sell physically quite affordably so I'll keep my eyes openedEdit: what I DO hope these boxes have is a big warning to say to redeem the upgrade pack, otherwise people will be running S1 software on the S2 and wondering if runs poorly and/or looks bad lolstoffMemberOct 27, 2017227Do they work in an og Switch then?

At a glance, House Houses 2019 honking sensation Untitled Goose Game may not seem like the most obvious choice to write a book about. The game essentially a stealth game where your job is to cause trouble was a viral hit, but isnt filled with extensive lore or complex mechanics that beg to be broken down over the course of hundreds of pages. So when Boss Fight Books announced a Goose Game book, I was curious to see what approach it would take. As it turned out, not only there was a fascinating behind-the-scenes story, but the game ended up being a perfect entry point to talk about developer House House and the broader Australian game development community which has struggled to make a name for itself over the years.As part of an effort to spotlight game-related books and documentaries, Polygon is running an email interview series with the people behind them. Check out the full list to read up on a Sky: Children of the Light book, a Street Fighter 2 documentary, and others. Below, Untitled Goose Game book author James OConnor discusses the Australian game development scene, the power of coincidence, and page 171.Polygon: On the surface, Untitled Goose Game is a relatively simple game. What inspired you to write a book about it?James OConnor: The initial spark was, more than anything, a want to write about the Australian game development scene. Id long been a fan of Boss Fight Books, and the more books they released, the more it felt to me like an opportunity was being missed if they didnt publish any books about Australian game development a topic I knew fairly well from my time working as a games journalist down here.For decades, the countrys studios were best-known for their work with ports, handheld translations and licensed titles Australian studios were cheap and had a reputation for getting good work done fast. Following the global financial crisis in the 00s, a lot of the foreign investment that was fueling that work dried up, and studios began to shutter. What we ended up with was a wealth of experienced game developers who knew how to work efficiently, who had never been able to work on their own original ideas and then along came the iPhone and the App Store. I get into this in more detail in the book!Image: Boss Fight BooksI pitched a book on Untitled Goose Game for fairly practical reasons I wanted to write about the shifts and changes across the local industry from 2010 to 2019, and Untitled Goose Game capped off that decade perfectly with a huge, strange, funny hit, one that had struck a huge cultural nerve. Its just kind of a perfect object a singular idea, realised brilliantly, a game that everyone immediately recognized the moment it was announced. I figured that digging down into how a game like this came to be would be interesting and fun. Luckily, I was right! What did you learn about Australias development community when working on the book?Ive been in and around Australias game development community for a long time as a journalist, and then eventually as a developer myself but the thing that surprised me most was how many folks from across the local community intersect with the story of Untitled Goose Games development. Working on this book felt a bit like how I imagine Stephen King feels when he writes a story and finds the characters from his other books suddenly walking across the page, except that most of it is set in Melbourne rather than Maine. Oh, heres the guy I interviewed for a magazine ten years ago; Ah, I didnt know the person who used to run this festival was friends with the team; Huh, this story has weird parallels to this other story I heard. That sort of thing.I have long benefited from the generosity and support that flows through the local game development community across Australia, so its been nice being able to share some of that with readers. What was the wildest anecdote or behind the scenes story you came across when reporting the book?I will say that this isnt necessarily a huge wild anecdote book, in that the stories that are really wild in here are more about how well everything went than how poorly. There isnt a scene where a goose gets loose in the office and causes havoc, or where the publisher comes over for dinner and the four lads at House House have to try and disguise their ruined roast. The wild anecdotes are more along the lines of the perfect person to help them with the next part of the development process just sort of showed up one day.Perhaps the anecdote that has stuck with me the most since writing this book is the one I lead with the story of the day the four members of House House really cemented themselves as a team. Like many good stories, it starts with a misunderstanding, continues with a coincidence, and ends with them playing Sportsfriends. Its this weird Sliding Doors moment I honestly believe Untitled Goose Game would not have happened if things had gone even slightly differently on the day I describe in the introduction. There are a few such instances throughout the story, and its interesting to think about. Whats the best page in the book?Page 171. Partly because its right near the end, so once someone gets there, theyve enjoyed the book enough to make it all the way through (hopefully). But that page also does something a little fun that I wont spoil. I know Ive just singled out the start of the book and the end of the book, but I recommend that people read all the other pages in between, too. Honk!!See More:

The 12-pin power cables keep melting due to their design flaw and, in this particular case, both sides of the cable were affected.Another Case Of Melted 12-Pin Connector Emerges: Connectors On Both RTX 5090 And PSU MeltedIt appears that the melting 12-pin connector issues won't stop appearing any time soon. This is something that apparently cannot be solved unless the very flaw in the 12-pin connector design is fixed. Unfortunately, the issue is mostly prevalent on higher-end RTX 50 cards, particularly the RTX 5090, which can consume nearly 600W at peak load.One such case emerged recently where the user saw the melting of the 12-pin connectors on both the PSU and GPU. It's mostly seen on the PSU side but isn't limited to it. This time it affected both the GPU and power supply, permanently damaging the components. The Reddit user u/Roachard posted pics of the melted connectors on his cable and PSU.Image Credit: reddit.comAs per the user, the overclocking wasn't enabled and the cable used was 12VHPWR, which came with the power supply. It was the Corsair SF1000L, a premium SFX power supply that was used to power the MSI RTX 5090 Gaming TRIO OC. As usual, there were a few wires that resulted in the melting of the connectors. If you take a close look, you will see around four pins on the connector that were affected notably, even though other pins were affected as well, but not to a great extent.Image Credit: reddit.comOne pin shows a bulge due to plastic melting and the pins on the other end were melted horrifically. In some previous cases, we saw similar occurring where one or two wires of the cable were carrying the entire load. This is something that happens when the connector isn't properly connected and the entire load shifts to the pins that make full contact.In some cases, the temperature exceeds 150 degrees Celcius, which is enough to melt the wires and the connector. As far as this case goes, the user spent nearly $2900 on the RTX 5090 card, which is something most users wouldn't be able to spend on a GPU. Even though the card or PSU could be replaced through RMA, the issue will likely be replicated.Surely, there are fewer chances of such incidents happening with the latest 12V-2x6 connector, but what it essentially does is allow you to ensure proper contact, but it doesn't eliminate the design flaw that lets the cable carry the entire power through a few wires.News Source: RedditDeal of the Day

Shin Megami Tensei - The Roleplaying Game: Tokyo Conception is finally available to purchase again at Amazon for a 10% discount after being sold out for months. The English translation of the SMT tabletop RPG has suffered multiple delays due to supply chain issues, though Amazon's listing now notes that the book released on April 1. It was previously scheduled to launch in September 2024 before quietly being delayed indefinitely. Get deal at Amazon Shin Megami Tensei - The Roleplaying Game: Tokyo Conception $45 (was $50) At the moment, Amazon is "temporarily out of stock," but you can still place an order for $45 (was $50). Walmart sold out at the $50 price point and remains out of stock as of April 4.The tabletop RPG originally released in Japan in 1993 and has seen numerous editions and revisions in the years since, but this marks the first English localization. As mentioned, the 320-page Shin Megami Tensei RPG rulebook has already sold out multiple times since it first popped up on Amazon. We don't expect this to remain available to purchase for long. See at Amazon Continue Reading at GameSpot

With Patch 8 on the horizon, many Baldurs Gate 3 players are considering how to revisit the game with another playthrough. Coming up with a different playthrough to explore the over one-hundred hours ofBaldurs Gate 3 is a daunting task that hinges on critical decisions. From pivotal narrative choices to deciding who to romance, it almost seems like no two Baldurs Gate 3 playthroughs are the same. However, one decision stands at the forefront of them all: choosing a Tav or Durges backstory, class, and, eventually, subclass. Class choice in Baldurs Gate 3 can make or break a characters effectiveness, shaping their strengths in combat, exploration, and roleplay. While many subclasses complement their base class perfectly, some struggle to stand out, overshadowed by options that offer better synergy or more powerful abilities. In rare cases, a subclass might even feel like it belongs to a different class altogether, one that executes its core fantasy far more effectively.

Ive had an itch in my brain for a very specific game, for quite a long time. And no one will make it! So, fine. Ill just do it myself.Im somewhat experienced in coding in various languages, I have done a lot of digital art, and Im a published author as well. I think its time I point my skills at big boy game development and see how it goes.Ive locked down the story and concept for the game I want to make, as well poking at some engines. I think I