Japanese banking subsidiary SMBC Consumer Finance’s annual survey of financial awareness in the country’s 20- to 29-year-olds revealed some troubling findings about the demographic’s gaming habits, Automaton reports. For example, 18.8% of the 1,000 respondents admitted to have spending so much on in-game purchases that it affected their ability to cover living expenses. Men (22.8%) were more likely to prioritize investing in gacha rolls over, say, food and rent than women (14.8%). While almost one-quarter of those surveyed regretted spending money in video games, the amount of people who purchased microtransactions increased by almost 6% from 2024’s survey. Positive responses to the statements “I’m willing to pay to have an advantage in-game” and “I can’t enjoy the game if I don’t make in-game purchases” grew several percentage points among both men and women compared to last year, even if average monthly purchases fell slightly and the majority of folks in their twenties continue to avoid such purchases altogether. Video games with in-app purchases, especially mobile apps and those with gacha mechanics, continue to bring in big money worldwide. In March 2025, combined spending through Apple’s App Store and Google Play reached $6.79 billion, with Japan alone responsible for 14.3% of that revenue. Some of the biggest game include PUBG Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, and Pokémon Go, but for every well-known game bringing in a profit, there are two or three massively outperforming them with little to no coverage on sites like Polygon. Like it or not, these games are only growing more and more successful over time, even if folks like those surveyed in Japan are spending money begrudgingly.

Well, the used GPU markets have turned out to be the next place of opportunity for scammers, and this time an incident has emerged involving NVIDIA's RTX 4090. NVIDIA's RTX 4090 Returned To The Seller, But It Had Components Missing; Likely Ending Up Somewhere In China Given the massive demand in the market for current-gen GPUs, consumers have resorted to the second-hand market on platforms like eBay and Craigslist, but with that, new scams have emerged online. According to a post by the Redditor piscian19, he sold off an NVIDIA RTX 4090 to what seemed like a "big" business in California with 30K feedback, and that made him wonder why the buyer would pay the retail price for his RTX 4090. So, just for safety, the seller took a "ton of pictures" of the GPU before selling it off and also took out insurance with the order. Interestingly, this might be one of the best decisions he made. So, as soon as the NVIDIA RTX 4090 was sold, the buyer initiated a return process on the same day with a "no video" note, which was indeed shady, given that the seller sent off the unit in "pristine" condition. Interestingly, when we received the GPU back, not only did it have damage marks all over the chassis, but the mounting bracket was bent out, which meant that the buyer opened up the GPU as soon as he received it. So, he reported the problem to eBay and credited it to his insurance, and he did get a refund. Image Credits: Reddit Out of curiosity, the seller opened up the GPU and realized that it had no VRAM chips or GPU silicon since the buyer had apparently stripped them out. This made the situation a whole lot more complicated, especially since the buyer had over 30K feedback and seemed like a legit party. Redditors in the comment section claimed that the eBay account might have been hacked, but we are still not aware of why this actually happened. As to what we assume, these components would likely end up in China, where they'll be repackaged either into an OEM model or maybe those variants that come with higher VRAM capacities for AI workloads. This incident tells us how "scammy" the second-hand GPU markets have become, and with this, consumers must proceed with caution to ensure that they don't become a victim. Deal of the Day

حماس تدعو لحراك عالمي لمحاكمة الاحتلال والإفراج عن الأسرىحماس أكدت أن قضية تحرير الأسرى من سجون الاحتلال ستبقى على رأس أولوياتها (الجزيرة)16/4/2025قالت حركة المقاومة الإسلامية (حماس) اليوم الأربعاء إن تحرير الأسرى الفلسطينيين من سجون الاحتلال على رأس أولويات صفقة طوفان الأحرار، داعية إلى حراك عالمي "انتصارا لعدالة قضيتهم". جاء ذلك في بيان للحركة على صفحتها على منصة تليغرام بمناسبة يوم الأسير الفلسطيني الذي يحل يوم 17 أبريل/نيسان من كل عام، وقالت إن يوم الأسير الفلسطيني يحل "في الوقت الذي يصعّد فيه الاحتلال عدوانه وحرب الإبادة الجماعية المتواصلة ضد أرضنا ومقدساتنا وشعبنا في قطاع غزة والضفة والقدس المحتلة". وتابعت الحركة أنه "في ظل الواقع المأساوي الذي يعيشه نحو 14 ألف أسير -بينهم أطفال ونساء- ونحو ألفي معتقل/مختطف من قطاع غزة ممن اعترف العدو بوجودهم في سجونه منذ 7 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2023 يتعرضون لأبشع أنواع التعذيب النفسي والجسدي، ويحرمون من أبسط الحقوق الإنسانية، حيث ارتقى منهم 63 أسيرا ومعتقلا". وأكدت حماس على أن قضية تحرير الأسرى من "سجون الاحتلال الصهيوني" ستبقى على "رأس أولوياتها في صفقة طوفان الأحرار وفاء لتضحياتهم وصمودهم"، و"أن جرائم الاحتلال ضد أسرانا وأسيراتنا لن تفلح في كسر عزيمتهم وإرادتهم، ولن يفلت مرتكبوها من العقاب، ولن تسقط بالتقادم مهما طال الزمن". إعلان صمت دولي وحمّلت الحركة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي المسؤولية الكاملة عن حياة وسلامة آلاف المختطفين من قطاع غزة منذ 7 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2023 وجميع الأسرى في سجون الاحتلال، واستهجنت الصمت الدولي أمام استمرار جرائم الإعدام والقتل المتعمد الذي يتعرضون له. وتابعت حماس أن العالم شاهد "كيف حرصت الحركة على حياة أسرى العدو، وتعاملت معهم بكل إنسانية وقيم حضارية، في حين تمارس حكومة الاحتلال الفاشية أبشع صنوف التعذيب والقتل المتعمد والإجرام بحق أسرانا وأسيراتنا، في انتهاك صارخ للقانون الدولي الإنساني وكل الأعراف والمواثيق الدولية". ودعت الحركة "المؤسسات الحقوقية والإنسانية إلى فضح جرائم الاحتلال ضد الأسرى الفلسطينيين في عموم الضفة والقدس والمختطفين من قطاع غزة، والعمل على ملاحقة مرتكبيها في المحاكم الدولية، والتحرك الفاعل للضغط من أجل الإفراج الفوري عن جميع الأسرى". وجاء في البيان "ندعو جماهير شعبنا إلى مواصلة دعمهم ونصرتهم للأسرى، كما ندعو القوى والفصائل الفلسطينية كافة إلى توحيد الجهود والتكاتف لحماية الأسرى والدفاع عنهم وتحريرهم بالوسائل كافة، كما ندعو إلى إيلاء عوائل الأسرى وأبنائهم الاهتمام الذين يليق بمكانة الأسرى لدى شعبنا". المصدر : الجزيرة + الأناضول

التقى سموّ الشيخ مكتوم بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، النائب الأول لحاكم دبي، نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير المالية، في مكتب سموّه، إريك أنزياني، الرئيس والرئيس التنفيذي للعمليات في شركة "كريبتو دوت كوم" العالمية المتخصصة في خدمات الأصول الرقمية والتقنيات المالية. تناول اللقاء سُبل تعزيز التعاون في مجالات الاقتصاد الرقمي وتكنولوجيا البلوك تشين وتداول الأصول المشفّرة، في ضوء الدور المتنامي لإمارة دبي مركزا عالميا رائدا للابتكار المالي والتحوّل الرقمي، وفي إطار رؤية دبي لتكون عاصمة عالمية للاقتصاد الرقمي وفق مستهدفات أجندتها الاقتصادية. وأكد سموّ الشيخ مكتوم بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم أن دبي تواصل تعزيز مكانتها مركزا عالميا للاقتصاد الرقمي، من خلال تطوير بيئة تنظيمية متقدمة تدعم الابتكار في قطاع الأصول الرقمية وتقنيات البلوك تشين، بما يضمن نمو مشاريع الأعمال في هذا المجال. كما أكد سموّه حرص دبي على تسريع التحوّل الرقمي وتبنّي أحدث التقنيات المالية، بما يتماشى مع مستهدفات أجندة دبي الاقتصادية D33، الرامية إلى توليد قيمة اقتصادية جديدة بمتوسط 100 مليار درهم سنوياً من التحول الرقمي نحو الاقتصاد الجديد. من جانبه، أعرب إريك أنزياني عن سعادته بلقاء سموّ الشيخ مكتوم بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، مشيداً بالخطوات الطموحة التي تتخذها دبي لتطوير البنية التحتية الرقمية ووضع أطر تنظيمية متقدمة تُحفّز على الابتكار في قطاع الأصول الرقمية، مؤكداً التزام "كريبتو دوت كوم" بتوسيع أعمالها وتعزيز شراكاتها في دولة الإمارات والمنطقة. تُعد شركة "كريبتو دوت كوم"، من أبرز شركات تداول الأصول الرقمية في العالم، وتقدم خدمات متنوعة تشمل تداول العملات المشفّرة، والمحافظ الرقمية، وبطاقات الدفع المدعومة بالأصول الرقمية، وتخدم أكثر من 80 مليون مستخدم حول العالم وتتمتع بحضور نشط في دبي، وتعمل ضمن الأطر التنظيمية لسلطة دبي لتنظيم الأصول الافتراضية. حضر اللقاء، المهندس سلطان بن سعيد المنصوري، رئيس مجلس إدارة غرف دبي، وعبدالله البسطي، الأمين العام للمجلس التنفيذي لإمارة دبي، وهلال سعيد المرّي، مدير عام دائرة الاقتصاد والسياحة في دبي.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds offers you a few different choices for the type of weapon you can use against enemies. You can go with a melee, ranged, or magic weapon, similar to how the MMO version of RuneScape operates. Right off the bat in Dragonwilds, you're given a melee weapon to use, as it's the most generic weapon type out of the three. However, the game doesn't offer you much in the way of explaining how to acquire the other two weapon types. Most notably, players are curious how they get a bow and arrow to shoot at enemies from range in RuneScape: Dragonwilds.Below, we'll go over how to craft a bow and how to craft arrows so you have some weapon choices during combat.Table of Contents [hide]How to craft a bow in RuneScape: DragonwildsHow to craft a bow in RuneScape: DragonwildsFirst and foremost, you need a bow in Dragonwilds, as it's required to complete an early main story quests that needs you to harvest deer antlers.Continue Reading at GameSpot

A talented Pokemon fan artist has recently devised a new regional variant for Snorlax, reimagining the popular critter with a fairly distinct design. Originally introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, the regional variants were an interesting addition to the Pokemonfranchise, and have been inspiring fans to design new takes on well-known creatures since then.

Fixed, the R-rated adult animated comedy from Samurai Jack and Primal creator Genndy Tartakovsky, will hit Netflix on August 13. The movie, made with Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures, was abandoned by Warner Bros. Discovery. But the film has been rescued by another studio, much like Coyote vs. Acme and The Day the Earth Blew Up. The movie follows a mutt named Bull (voiced by Adam Devine) who learns that he’s going to be neutered. He enlists the help of friends for one last wild romp while his balls are still intact. And, if he can confess his love for Honey, the beautiful show dog next door? Well, that’d just be a nice note to end his unfixed life on. The first look images show off a cartoony dog world, including Honey draping her big fluffy tail across Bull’s face. It’s all a little over-the-top in the best way, true to the Tartakovsky vision. “I love caricatured and exaggerated animation, so I knew the sensibility that I like to do and it was a matter of dialing the amount of exaggeration,” Tartakovsky explained to Netflix’s Tudum. “I think it started out as a rated-R Lady and the Tramp, then as we got into it it naturally became more cartoony and specific to itself. I would say it began to really take shape as we were fortunate to hire some of the best animators working in 2D from around the world.” Kathryn Hahn voices Honey, with Idris Elba as a boxer named Rocco, Bobby Moynihan as a dog named Lucky, and Fred Armisen as aspiring influencer dachshund Fetch. Fixed hits Netflix on Aug. 13. Check out the first look images here.

Google has been experimenting with smartphone design for years now, most notably with the signature camera bar that has defined recent Pixel phones. But with the new mid-range Google Pixel 9a, the company is taking a refreshing turn – reviving a design element that many have missed: a near-flush rear camera. For the past several years, camera bumps have grown increasingly prominent across all smartphones. It’s understandable – larger sensors and improved optics demand more space. While companies like Apple have managed to refine these bulky modules into something stylish, it’s still a compromise in design. Thankfully, Google has managed to shrink the camera bump on the Pixel 9a to the point that it’s barely noticeable. It’s not completely flush – technically, it’s raised by a fraction of a millimeter – but it’s low-profile enough that the phone sits almost flat on a surface without wobbling during use. To be clear, the Pixel 9a’s camera doesn’t match the quality of its higher-end Pixel 9 siblings. But thanks to Google’s advanced image processing, it still delivers bright, detailed photos in most scenarios. It’s a reminder that great software can often make up for mid-tier hardware. So, does this mean we’ll see more near-flush cameras in future smartphones? That’s uncertain. The Pixel 9a lacks a telephoto lens, which has historically been absent from mid-range devices due to cost constraints. But newer competitors – like the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro – have begun including telephoto cameras even at similar price points. If that trend continues, and phones continue to add more complex camera systems, flush designs may remain the exception rather than the norm. Beyond the camera, the Pixel 9a offers a clean, premium aesthetic. It shares the solid build quality of the more expensive Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, with a minimalist rear design that’s interrupted only by a subtle Google logo. The matte frame gives it a high-end feel and offers a comfortable grip. Internally, the Pixel 9a is no slouch. It sports a bright, sharp display and runs on Google’s Tensor G4 chip, offering quick performance for most tasks. Battery life is strong, and it supports wireless charging – though it lacks magnetic wireless charging, which would’ve been a nice bonus. That said, competition is fierce in the sub-$500 segment. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro stands out with its bold circular camera design and the inclusion of a telephoto lens, though it can’t quite match the Pixel 9a in overall performance or photo quality – except when zooming in. If you’re interested in the Google Pixel 9a for yourself, it’s available from the Google website and other retailers. Photography courtesy of Google.

As someone whose job involves testing and writing about Mac apps, a crowded menu bar is an occupational hazard. Until its ownership change last year, my go-to recommendation for tidying up your menu bar was Bartender. But once it became clear that we don't really know who owns Bartender now, I tried a few alternatives, and none of them had all the features I was looking for. So, I abandoned menu bar managers until recently, when the apps in my menu bar began extending more than halfway into my screen and I was finding it hard to even locate which app I was looking for. That's when I discovered Barbee, a powerful menu bar manager for Mac. It can do everything from hiding unnecessary menu bar icons to customizing the shape of your menu bar and even the look of the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen.The app is a free download and comes with a three-day free trial for you to try all its features. Note that you won't even get charged automatically at the end of the trial. You'll simply lose access to the app's features, and you can then either pay $7 for a one-time unlock or choose the annual subscription fee of $3. This allows you to try Barbee with no pressure to see if it works for you.Barbee requires accessibility and screen recording permissions to allow you to use all its features. These permissions allow the app to show different menu bar layouts and let you set up and run automations, which is an invaluable feature for me. However, if you're worried, know that the app is sandboxed, so it is limited in how much of its data it can access through those permissions.Changing menu bar layouts in Barbee Credit: Pranay Parab The Menu Bar Layout settings page is your best to place to get started in Barbee, since that's where you'll actually arrange which of your menu bar icons are hidden. Here, you can pick which apps you'd like to always see, such as calendar or performance monitoring apps, while moving the rest to the hidden section. There's also an "Always Hidden" section, which is great for apps that can't run if they're not in the menu bar. In my case, one of these is Unclack, which mutes the Mac's mic when I'm typing. I need to run this app all the time but I never actually want to see its menu bar icon. The difference? You can temporarily reveal hidden icons when needed, but not Always Hidden ones.This app also has a lot of tweaks available in its settings menu, and I highly recommend going through them all to make the most of it. Under Barbee Settings > General > Mode, for instance, you can choose between Normal Mode and Enhanced Mode. In normal mode, when you reveal hidden icons, the app displays them within the menu bar, right next to the visible icons. But enhanced mode displays them in a small floating menu instead. For those who have a lot of menu bar icons (pretty much the entire target audience for this kind of an app), that is a great feature.You can also customize the menu bar's look and feel in the Menu Bar Appearance section. This lets you change the shape of the menu bar, and you can choose if you want it to have rounded corners, a different tint, and even if you want to use a separated layout where app menus appear in a separate menu bar on the left. I prefer a more unified look, so that's not for me, but I couldn't resist changing the Apple logo to the classic rainbow variant, which is maybe one of my favorite Barbee features.Automation and other options Credit: Pranay Parab Barbee also has an automation section that allows you to show or hide certain menu bar icons based on triggers. The simplest example is the battery widget, which I only really want to see when the battery is low. So, I went to Barbee Settings > Automation and quickly added a new automation to make that happen. You can set up similar triggers with pretty much every menu bar icon, so feel free to set it up according to your needs. I also added a custom keyboard shortcut to see hidden menu items, which speeds up my workflow quite a bit. You can do this by going to the Shortcuts section in the app's settings. The General settings page has many other useful options, too. Be sure to enable Launch at login to make the app fire up each time you use your Mac, and also the Extend battery life option to ensure that Barbee doesn't consume an inordinate amount of power. There are also niche, but useful features on this page, such as the ability to show all menu bar icons when you're using an external display. This is nice to have, because my MacBook Air's screen has limited real estate, but when I plug it in to my ultrawide monitor, I don't need to hide any menu bar icons.

Subaru has unveiled its second-ever EV, the 2026 Trailseeker, at the New York International Auto Show. It's a slightly larger version of the company's first electric vehicle, the Solterra, and is likely based on the same platform — also used by Toyota with its BZ4X electric SUV. You can see a few images we grabbed of the new vehicle at the Auto Show this morning right here. The Trailseeker is taller than the Solterra and has more cargo area, but otherwise resembles that model, with similar body creases along the doors and rear fender. It also has the same type of plastic panels around the fenders, which was something of a polarizing feature on the Solterra.  Range isn't the Trailseeker's strong point as it's equipped with a smallish 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery and tops out at just 260 miles. Charging won't be blazingly fast either as it's limited to 150kW. However, the electric SUV will be able to handle fast charging in cold or warm conditions thanks to a battery preconditioning system, and you'll be able to pull up to any Supercharger thanks to the NACS port and Subaru's arrangement with Tesla.  Subaru The Trailseeker does seem to have the goods when it comes to performance and offroading, though. It uses a symmetrical all-wheel drive system with dual motors putting out a combined 375 HP that propel it from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds. It also comes standard with 8.3 inches of ground clearance and the company's X-Mode system with settings for snow/dirt, deep snow/mud, grip control and downhill assist control.   It's also loaded with driver assist tech powered by the company's EyeSight system. That includes pre-collision braking, front cross traffic alert, blind spot monitors, lane departure alert, a panoramic view monitor, emergency stop assist, traffic jam assist, lane change assist and adaptive cruise control. Subaru The interior looks fairly plain but it does feature a 14-inch touchscreen, the largest on any Subaru to date. In a nod to its techie market, the EV also offers a wide center console that "provides a centralized hub for devices and personal items for easy storage," the company said. That includes two 15W chargers, two fast USB-C chargers for rear passengers, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.  Pricing will be announced in "early 2026," according to Subaru. However, it's likely to be more expensive than the company's Solterra, which currently starts at $38,495 before any tax credits, and ahead of any future tariffs levied on Japanese imports. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-2026-subaru-trailseeker-ev-has-solid-4x4-bonafides-but-mediocre-range-132516217.html?src=rss