Quicksave Interactive wants to make the web interactive with WebGL technology by launching QSApp, a tool to make the web more accessible.Read More

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn MoreMultidomain attacks are on the verge of becoming a digital epidemic as nation-states and well-funded cybercrime attack groups look to exploit wide gaps in digital estates defenses. Enterprises are having to contend with widening and often unknown gaps between enterprise assets, apps, systems, data, identities and endpoints.The fast-rising pace of attacks is driving a graph database arms race across leading cybersecurity providers. Microsofts Security Exposure Management Platform (MSEM) at Ignite 2024 reflects how quickly the arms race is maturing and why its containment requires more advanced platforms.In addition to Microsofts MSEM, other key players in the graph database arms race for combating multidomain threats include CrowdStrike with its Threat Graph, Ciscos SecureX, SentinelOnes Purple AI, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR and Trend Micros Vision One, alongside providers like Neo4j, TigerGraph and Amazon Neptune who supply foundational graph database technology.Three years ago, we were seeing 567 password-related attacks per second. Today, that number has skyrocketed to 7,000 per second. This represents a massive escalation in the scale, speed and sophistication of modern cyber threats, underscoring the urgency for proactive and unified security strategies, Vasu Sakkal, Microsofts corporate vice president of security, compliance, identity, management and privacy, told VentureBeat during a recent interview.Microsoft goes all-in on their security vision at Ignite 2024With every organization experiencing more multidomain intrusion attempts and suffering from undiscovered breaches, Microsoft is doubling down on security, pivoting its strategy to graph-based defense in MSEM. Sakkal told VentureBeat, The sophistication, scale, and speed of modern attacks require a generational shift in security. Graph databases and generative AI offer defenders the tools to unify fragmented insights into actionable intelligence.Cristian Rodriguez, CrowdStrikes Americas Field CTO, echoed the importance of graph technology in a recent interview with VentureBeat. Graph databases allow us to map adversary behavior across domains, identifying the subtle connections and patterns attackers exploit. By visualizing these relationships, defenders gain the contextual insight needed to anticipate and disrupt complex, cross-domain attack strategies, Rodriguez said.Key announcements from Ignite 2024 include:Microsoft Security Exposure Management Platform (MSEM). At the core of Microsofts strategy, MSEM leverages graph technology to dynamically map relationships across digital estates, including devices, identities and data. MSEM support for graph databases enables security teams to identify high-risk attack paths and prioritize proactive remediation efforts.Zero Day Quest. Microsoft is offering $4M in rewards to uncover vulnerabilities in AI and cloud platforms. This initiative aims to bring together researchers, engineers and AI red teams to address critical risks preemptively.Windows Resiliency Initiative. Focusing on zero trust principles, this initiative looks to enhance system reliability and recovery by securing credentials, implementing Zero Trust DNS protocols and fortifying Windows 11 against emerging threats.Security Copilot Enhancements. Microsoft claims that Security Copilots generative AI capabilities enhance SOC operations by automating threat detection, streamlining incident triage and reducing mean time to resolution by 30%. Integrated with Entra, Intune, Purview and Defender, these updates provide actionable insights, helping security teams address threats with greater efficiency and accuracy.Updates in Microsoft Purview. Purviews advanced Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tools tackle generative AI risks by discovering, protecting and governing sensitive data in real-time. Features include detecting prompt injections, mitigating data misuse and preventing oversharing in AI apps. The tool also strengthens compliance with AI governance standards, aligning enterprise security with evolving regulations.Why now? The role of graph databases in cybersecurityJohn Lambert, corporate vice president for Microsoft Security Research, underscored the critical importance of graph-based thinking in cybersecurity, explaining to VentureBeat, Defenders think in lists, cyberattackers think in graphs. As long as this is true, attackers win.He added that Microsofts approach to exposure management involves creating a comprehensive graph of the digital estate, overlaying vulnerabilities, threat intelligence and attack paths. Its about giving defenders a complete map of their environment, allowing them to prioritize the most critical risks while understanding the potential blast radius of any compromise, Lambert added.Graph databases are gathering momentum as an architectural strategy for cybersecurity platforms. They excel at visualizing and analyzing interconnected data, which is critical for identifying attack paths in real time.Key benefits of graph databases include:Relational Context: Map relationships between assets and vulnerabilities.Fast Querying: Traverse billions of nodes in milliseconds.Threat Detection: Identify high-risk attack paths, reducing false positives.Knowledge Discovery: Use graph AI for insights into interconnected risks.Behavioral Analysis: Graphs detect subtle attack patterns across domains.Scalability: Integrate new data points seamlessly into existing threat models.Multidimensional Analysis:The Gartner heat map underscores how graph databases excel in cybersecurity use cases like anomaly detection, monitoring and decision-making, positioning them as essential tools in modern defense strategies.Emerging Tech: Optimize Threat Detection With Knowledge Graph Databases, May 2024. Source: GartnerWhat makes Microsofts MSEM platform uniqueThe Microsoft Security Exposure Management Platform (MSEM) differentiates itself from other graph database-driven cybersecurity platforms through its real-time visibility and risk management, which helps security operations center teams stay on top of risks, threats, incidents and breaches.Sakkal told VentureBeat, MSEM bridges the gap between detection and action, empowering defenders to anticipate and mitigate threats effectively. The platform exemplifies Microsofts vision of a unified, graph-driven security approach, offering organizations the tools to stay ahead of modern threats with precision and speed.Built on graph-powered insights, MSEM integrates three core capabilities needed to battle back against multi-domain attacks and fragmented security data. They include:Attack Surface Management. MSEM is designed to provide a dynamic view of an organizations digital estate, enabling the identification of assets, interdependencies and vulnerabilities. Features like automated discovery of IoT/OT devices and unprotected endpoints ensure visibility while prioritizing high-risk areas. The device inventory dashboard categorizes assets by criticality, helping security teams focus on the most urgent threats with precision.Source: MicrosoftAttack Path Analysis. MSEM uses graph databases to map attack paths from an adversarys perspective, pinpointing critical routes they might exploit. Enhanced with AI-driven graph modeling, it identifies high-risk pathways across hybrid environments, including on-premises, cloud and IoT systems.Unified Exposure Insights. Microsoft also designed MSEM to translate technical data into actionable intelligence for both security professionals and business leader personas. It supports ransomware protection, SaaS security, and IoT risk management, ensuring targeted, insightful data is provided to security analysts.Microsoft also announced the following MSEM enhancements at Ignite 2024:Third-Party Integrations: MSEM connects with Rapid7, Tenable and Qualys, broadening its visibility and making it a powerful tool for hybrid environments.AI-Powered Graph Modeling: Detects hidden vulnerabilities and performs advanced threat path analysis for proactive risk reduction.Historical Trends and Metrics: This tool tracks shifts in exposure over time, helping teams adapt to evolving threats confidently.Graph databases growing role in cybersecurityGraph databases have proven invaluable in tracking and defeating multi-domain attacks. They excel at visualizing and analyzing interconnected data in real time, enabling faster and more accurate threat detection, attack path analysis and risk prioritization. Its no surprise that graph database technology dominates the roadmaps of leading cybersecurity platform providers.Ciscos SecureX Threat Response is one example. The Cisco platform extends the utility of graph databases into network-centric environments, connecting data across endpoints, IoT devices and hybrid networks. Key strengths include an integrated incident response thats integrated across the Cisco suite of apps and tools and network-centric visibility.What we have to do is make sure that we use AI natively for defenses because you cannot go out and fight those AI weaponization attacks from adversaries at a human scale. You have to do it at machine scale, Jeetu Patel, Ciscos executive vice president and CPO, told VentureBeat in an interview earlier this year.CrowdStrikes Threat Graph was introduced at their annual customer event, Fal.Con in 2022 and is often cited as an example of the power of graph databases in endpoint security. Processing over 2.5 trillion daily events, Threat Graph excels in detecting weak signals and mapping adversary behavior. Rodriguez emphasized to VentureBeat, Our graph capabilities ensure precision by focusing on endpoint telemetry, providing defenders with actionable insights faster than ever. CrowdStrikes key differentiators include endpoint precision in tracking lateral movements and identifying anomalous behaviors. Threat Graph also supports behavioral analysis used on AI to uncover adversary techniques across workloads.Palo Alto Networks (Cortex XDR), SentinelOne (Singularity) and Trend Micro are among the notable players leveraging graph databases to enhance their threat detection and real-time anomaly analysis capabilities. Gartner predicted in the recent research note Emerging Tech: Optimize Threat Detection With Knowledge Graph Databases that their widespread adoption will continue due to their ability to support AI-driven insights and reduce noise in security operations.Graph databases will transform enterprise defenseMicrosofts Lambert encapsulated the industrys trajectory by stating, May the best attack graph win. Graph databases are transforming how defenders think about interconnected risks, underscoring their pivotal role in modern cybersecurity strategies.Multi-domain attacks target the weaknesses between and within complex digital estates. Finding gaps in identity management is an area nation-state attackers concentrate on and mine data to access the core enterprise systems of a company. Microsoft joins Cisco, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, SentinelOne and Trend Micro, enabling and continuing to improve graph database technology to identify and act on threats before a breach happens.VB DailyStay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox dailyBy subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service.Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.An error occured.

Merlin Entertainments to invest over $110m in Minecraft-themed attractionsDeal will see themed rides and stores to open in existing theme parks and city centres in the UK and USImage credit: Mojang/Merlin Entertainments News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Nov. 20, 2024 Microsoft has entered a deal with UK-based theme park operator Merlin Entertainments to open Minecraft-themed attractions, hotel rooms, and stores in the UK and US.As reported by The Guardian, Merlin will invest more than $110 million in the first two attractions, which are expected to open in the UK and US in 2026 and 2027.These attractions will either be in existing theme parks or city centres. Once opened, Microsoft and Merlin plan to expand the partnership globally."We are everywhere digitally, Merlin is everywhere physically," said Microsoft's vice president of franchise development Kayleen Walters. "It's about how do we expand Minecraft beyond the game."Mojang and Microsoft are experts on Minecraft and the brand, Merli are the experts on location-based experiences; it's a shared vision."Merlin Entertainments chief executive Scott O'Neil added: "When we look for partners we look for the right people, scale and community [...] We have partnered with the number one toy brand, Lego, the number one toddler brand, Peppa Pig, and now in Minecraft the biggest video game."Bringing Minecraft to life is going to be one of the greatest joys; this is just the beginning. Our aspirations are very big."Minecraft is not the first game franchise to have attractions in existing theme parks. Nintendo partnered with Universal in 2015, opening Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan in 2021.In 2016, Universal announced that Nintendo-themed areas would be coming to US-based parks. Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023 , with another iteration to open within the new Epic Universal theme park in Orlando next year.

Starfield reaches 15m players | News-in-briefBethesda's space exploration RPG launched on September 6, 2023 News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Nov. 20, 2024 This is a News-in-brief article, our short format linking to an official source for more information. Read more about this story by following the link below:Starfield reaches 15m players

Strava recently informed its users and partners that new terms for its API restrict the data that third-party apps can show, refrain from replicating Stravas look, and place a ban on using data for any model training related to artificial intelligence, machine learning or similar applications. The policy is effective as of November 11th, even though Stravas own post about the change is dated November 15th.Effective November 11, the updated API agreement introduces three key changes that provide Strava users with greater control, security, and a consistent experience:Stronger Privacy Standards: Third-party apps may now only display a users Strava activity data to that specific user. Users will continue to have access to their personal Strava data across apps connected to our platform, though there may be differences in how this data appears.Data Use Limitations: Our terms now explicitly prohibit third parties from using any data obtained via Stravas API in artificial intelligence models or similar applications.Protecting the Strava Experience: Additional terms have been added to protect Stravas unique look and feel and functionality, helping users easily distinguish between Strava and third-party platforms.In a statement sent to The Verge, Strava VP of Communications and Social Impact Brian Bell said, We anticipate that these changes will affect only a small fraction (less than .1 percent) of the applications on the Strava platformthe overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed, including coaching platforms focused on providing feedback to users and tools that help users understand their data and performance. You can read the rest of Stravas updated statement below.Ray Maker, aka DCRainmaker, points out that Strava has widely served as a middleman to get data collected by wearables to other apps and services. According to Maker, every single partner Ive talked to over the last 24 hours has been completely broadsided by this change, with their only notification arriving as an email on Friday giving a 30-day notice to make any adjustments. Now, services like VeloViewer and Final Surge may need to find another way to provide the features Stravas users explicitly ask them to provide, like automatically updated leaderboards, personalized workouts, and year in review recaps, even as Strava is beta testing its AI-generated Athlete Intelligence summaries that Maker says tell me something vaguely positive but usually wrong.TrainerRoad is one app that promises to guide users through Effective, Science-Backed Workouts, based on access to data from Strava, and the team has already commented on the change. In a post on its forum, Nate Pearson writes, This was crazy news to us, too, but noted that Garmin users could use Garmin Connect instead and that the team had already been working on integrating other platforms like Zwift and Wahoo.Brian Bell, Strava VP of Communications and Social Impact:We wanted to provide some additional context around the changes to our API Agreement and the impact for our users and developers. We currently anticipate these changes will impact less than .1% of applications and proactively notified the majority of those affected last week.Enhanced Privacy and User ControlPrivacy and user control are at the forefront of our platform. As a result, we are committed to evolving our API practices as regulatory requirements and user expectations shift. This includesthe decision to limit the ability of a users data to be displayed by third-party apps in ways the user may not expect. Specifically, we want to thoughtfully address situations where users connect to a third-party app and are unaware that their data is being surfaced not just for their own use and visibility, but also to other users (for example, in a public feed or heatmap). The latest API changes address this scenario and provide a more consistent framework for Strava user data.Training AI ModelsWe believe in the potential of AI to transform the athlete experiencewhether its delivering more personalized insights to help you reach your goals, generating route or training recommendations, or countless other possibilities. But innovation in this space must be handled responsibly and with a firm focus on user control. As part of our generative AI features, we are committed to implementing thoughtful solutions that prioritize user control and the ability to opt out.Third-party developers may not take such a deliberate approach to training AI models and as a result, we believe the best decision for the platform and for users is to prohibit the use of data extracted from Strava users in this manner. Our previous terms already disallowed the use of Strava user data in model training and development but weve made this more explicit in light of the increasing activity in this space.No Impact to Most DevelopersWe recognize that our platform thrives because of the creativity and dedication of third-party developers who build tools to complement and extend Stravas capabilities. We are steadfast in our commitment to fostering this ecosystem. We anticipate that these changes will affect only a small fraction (less than .1%) of the applications on the Strava platformthe overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed, including coaching platforms focused on providing feedback to users and tools that help users understand their data and performance.There are plenty of posts on social media complaining about the sudden shift, but one place where dissent wont be tolerated is Stravas own forums. The company says, ...posts requesting or attempting to have Strava revert business decisions will not be permitted.Update, November 19th: Added statement from Strava.

Niantic has announced that its building a new Large Geospatial Model (LGM) that combines millions of scans taken from the smartphones of players of Pokmon Go and other Niantic products. This AI model could allow computers and robots to understand and interact with the world in new ways, the company said in a blog post spotted by Garbage Day.The LGMs spatial intelligence is built on the neural networks developed as part of Niantics Visual Positioning System. The blog post explains that Over the past five years, Niantic has focused on building our Visual Positioning System (VPS), which uses a single image from a phone to determine its position and orientation using a 3D map built from people scanning interesting locations in our games and Scaniverse, and This data is unique because it is taken from a pedestrian perspective and includes places inaccessible to cars.Niantic Chief Scientist Victor Prisacariu was more explicit in a 2022 Q&A, saying, Using the data our users upload when playing games like Ingress and Pokmon Go, we built high-fidelity 3D maps of the world, which include both 3D geometry (or the shape of things) and semantic understanding (what stuff in the map is, such as the ground, sky, trees, etc).As 404 Media points out, nobody who downloaded Pokmon Go in 2016 could have predicted their data would one day fuel this type of AI product.

Large-sample hydrology is a critical field that addresses pressing global challenges, such as climate change, flood prediction, and water resource management. By leveraging vast datasets of hydrological and meteorological information across diverse regions, researchers develop models to predict water-related phenomena. This enables the creation of effective tools to mitigate risks and improve decision-making in real-world scenarios. These advancements are instrumental in safeguarding communities and ecosystems from water-related challenges.A significant problem in hydrological research is the limited availability of datasets that support real-time forecasting and operational benchmarking. Traditional datasets like ERA5-Land, while comprehensive, are restricted to historical data, limiting their application in real-time forecasting. This restriction poses challenges for hydrological model development, as researchers cannot adequately test model performance under live conditions or evaluate how uncertainty in forecasts propagates through hydrological systems. These gaps hinder advancements in predictive accuracy and the reliability of water management systems.Existing hydrological tools, such as CAMELS and ERA5-Land, provide valuable model development and evaluation insights. CAMELS datasets, which cover regions like the United States, Australia, and Europe, standardize data for various catchments and support regional hydrological studies. ERA5-Land, with its global coverage and high-quality surface variables, is widely used in hydrology. However, these datasets rely on historical observations and need more integration with real-time forecast data. This limitation prevents researchers from fully addressing the dynamic nature of water-related phenomena and responding effectively to real-time scenarios.Researchers from Google Research introduced the Caravan MultiMet extension, significantly enhancing the existing Caravan dataset. This extension integrates six new meteorological products, including three nowcastsCPC, IMERG v07 Early, and CHIRPSand three weather forecastsECMWF IFS HRES, GraphCast, and CHIRPS-GEFS. These additions enable comprehensive analyses of hydrological models in real-time contexts. By incorporating weather forecast data, the extension bridges the divide between hindcasting and operational forecasting, establishing Caravan as the first large-sample hydrology dataset to include such diverse forecast data.The Caravan MultiMet extension includes meteorological data aggregated at daily resolutions for over 22,000 gauges across 48 countries. The integration of both nowcast and forecast products ensures compatibility across datasets. For example, ERA5-Land data in the extension was recalculated in UTC zones to align with other products, simplifying comparisons. Forecast data, such as CHIRPS-GEFS, offers daily lead times ranging from one to 16 days, while GraphCast, developed by DeepMind, employs graph neural networks to produce global weather forecasts with a 10-day lead time. The extensions zarr file format enhances usability, allowing researchers to efficiently query specific variables, basins, and periods without processing the entire dataset. Furthermore, including diverse spatial resolutions, such as CHIRPSs high resolution of 0.05, further enhances the datasets robustness for localized studies.Including forecast data in Caravan has significantly improved model performance and evaluation capabilities. Tests revealed that variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind components strongly agreed with ERA5-Land data, achieving R scores as high as 0.99 in certain cases. For example, total precipitation data from GraphCast demonstrated an R of 0.87 when compared to ERA5-Land, highlighting its reliability for hydrological applications. Similarly, ECMWF IFS HRES data showed compatibility with ERA5-Land variables, making it a valuable addition to the dataset. These results underscore the MultiMet extensions effectiveness in enhancing hydrological models accuracy and applicability.By introducing the Caravan MultiMet extension, researchers from Google Research addressed critical limitations in hydrological datasets. Integrating diverse meteorological products facilitates real-time forecasting, robust model benchmarking, and improved prediction accuracy. This advancement represents a significant step forward in hydrological research, enabling better water resource management and hazard mitigation decision-making. The availability of this dataset under open licenses further ensures its accessibility and impact on the global research community.Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Nikhil+ postsNikhil is an intern consultant at Marktechpost. He is pursuing an integrated dual degree in Materials at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Nikhil is an AI/ML enthusiast who is always researching applications in fields like biomaterials and biomedical science. With a strong background in Material Science, he is exploring new advancements and creating opportunities to contribute. LinkedIn event, 'One Platform, Multimodal Possibilities,' where Encord CEO Eric Landau and Head of Product Engineering, Justin Sharps will talk how they are reinventing data development process to help teams build game-changing multimodal AI models, fast

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has confirmed the global release times for its hotly anticipated post-apocalyptic shooter.In a tweet, GSC said the November 20 release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl kicks off at 8am PT / 11am ET, and is consistent across both PC and Xbox Series X and S. It also launches straight into Xbox Game Pass as part of Wave 2 of November 2024s lineup.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl global release times. Image credit: GSC Game World.GSC has also confirmed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2s final PC system requirements. The game provides four graphics presets: low; medium; high; and epic, as well as a target resolution and FPS for each. The high graphics preset is what GSC calls 'recommended,' and provides 60fps gameplay at 1440p. For that high graphics preset youll need a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU and 32GB of RAM. Low and medium require 16GB of RAM and less powerful GPUs. All graphics presets, however, require 160GB of SSD storage, which is a significant footprint worth bearing in mind if youre planning on playing.Meanwhile, GSC confirmed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 features upscaling options for DLSS and FSR. Specifically, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 launches with DLSS 3 and Reflex, which means GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers can activate DLSS 3 with Frame Generation and Super Resolution from day-one, accelerating performance.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl global release times:November 20, 2024Seattle: 8am PSTNew York: 11am ESTSo Paulo: 1pm BRTLondon: 4pm GMTPrague: 5pm CETKyiv: 6pm EETNovember 21, 2024Beijing: 12am CSTTokyo: 1am JSTSydney: 3am AEDTAuckland: 5am NZDTS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has suffered a number of understandable delays, most recently in July when the game was due out in September. Ukrainian studio GSC said at the time that the extra two months would give the developers the chance to fix unexpected anomalies, aka bugs.GSC has also been vocal about the challenges the studio has faced getting S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 up to scratch after a mixed reaction to its debut public showing last year. At gamescom 2023, GSC addressed what some had called a downgrade sparked by S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2s then latest gameplay trailer. At the time, GSC told IGN it was still targeting a visual quality and level of polish suggested by S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2s eye-catching 2021 trailer despite the horrendous conditions suffered by the staff amid the war with Russia.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

2024 has seen a string of unlikely events. Eternally in-fighting Britpop band Oasis reformed and set its sights on a world tour, human-sized Cheeto Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House, and Valve announced that it was finally releasing the Steam Deck into the Australian market, delighting Aussie gamers and likely putting the noses of grey importers firmly out of joint. As of earlier this week those Aussie Steam Decks have started shipping out directly from Valves local warehouse complete with an Aussie power supply and sold at a price point that substantially undercuts the inflated charges of every grey importer we checked at the time of writing. So, if you were planning on getting a Steam Deck then buying one directly from Steam is a no-brainer, but two and a half years after the systems original launch do you want to buy one at all?Lets rewind a little. When the original LCD Steam Deck launched in February, 2022, IGNs reviewer Seth G. Macy said:Steam Deck (LCD) ReviewPlayWhen the Steam Deck is living up to its promises, it's absolutely incredible. Playing GTA 5, God of War, and other modern games on the go is an absolute joy, and the hardware and controls feel good to hold even though its a big chubby boy of a handheld. It seriously impressed me with how nice some demanding modern games look on its 7-inch screen. But those dizzying highs are all too often snapped away by insurmountable compatibility issues with SteamOS, and installing Windows to get around those comes with its own set of problems. Ive lost count of how often Ive been left frustrated and annoyed to have to troubleshoot issues when trying to play a game for the first time. Battery life is another major buzzkill if youre not careful with each games settings you can blow through a full charge faster than a train ride from Boston to Manhattan. Sure, itll last a lot longer if all you want is to play low-power indies, but in that case the Switch is a smoother experience for less money. So while I can certainly recommend the Steam Deck with some major caveats, including a noisy fan and comparably long loading times, Im definitely not as head-over-heels in love with it as I hoped Id be when I first opened the box. Seth G. Macy, February 26, 2022Score: 7Read the full Steam Deck (LCD) review hereIts worth pointing out that a lot has changed in the couple of years since. Valve has rolled out hundreds of system updates to the Deck, improving everything from software compatibility to increasing battery life and even minimising the whine of the internal fan, no hardware mods required. In late 2023 it also introduced a second SKU, the Steam Deck OLED, which introduced a slightly larger and eminently more vibrant screen, as well as a slightly beefier battery among other tweaks to the hardware. Heres what IGNs reviewer Bo Moore said at the time of the Steam Deck OLEDs North American launch:Steam Deck (OLED) ReviewPlayThe Steam Deck OLED is a clear, across-the-board improvement on what was already a fantastic gaming handheld. Steam Deck has matured greatly since it launched, and though there will always be some holes in its catalog that dont work out of the box, the fact that you can easily play 2023 games like Diablo 4, Baldurs Gate 3, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on the go with few compromises make it a fantastic way to clear your backlog when youre away from your main PC. The OLED model brings hardware tweaks beyond the absolutely gorgeous screen. The real star of the show is the improved battery life, which puts the Steam Deck significantly more clearly in the portable category than simply a handheld device that youll need to keep plugged in most of the time. Add in a slew of small but altogether significant improvements, combined with twice as much storage at the same price, and the Steam Deck OLED is a fantastic device thats an obvious choice for anyone looking to get into handheld PC gaming. Heck, if youre constantly running down the battery on your current Steam Deck, it might even be a big enough deal to consider upgrading. Bo Moore, September 12, 2023.Score: 9Read the full Steam Deck (OLED) review hereThe Steam Deck is launching in Australia with three different SKUs: the 256GB LCD model for $649, the 512GB OLED model for $899, and the 1TB OLED model for $1049. The 512GB OLED model would appear to be the sweet spot, since it boasts both the better screen and larger battery capacity, and should 512GB of SSD storage prove to be too restrictive in this era of ever-growing game installation sizes its worth noting that all three Steam Decks can be expanded with increasingly affordable microSD cards. You can also open up your Steam Deck and swap out the SSD if youre tech savvy enough, although Valve doesnt recommend it and doing so may void your warranty even within the comfy embrace of Australias considerable consumer protection laws.The OLED models provide a number of other advantages over the base LCD model too theyre around 50g lighter which translates to a surprisingly more comfortable system to hold, the back paddle buttons feel a little firmer, and the speakers sound a little clearer at higher volumes. But beyond these tweaks (and there are a number of others), the OLED screen is just a substantial step up from LCD, and one worth paying the additional $250 for.PlayWhat About the Competition?A lengthy delay to the Steam Decks local launch has given a headstart to the likes of ASUS and Lenovo to make a play for the commute-based gaming time of Australians. However, despite the fact that the ASUS Rog Ally and Legion Go may promise higher resolution displays and terror-inducing terraflop counts, most of them are hamstrung by their reliance on Windows for their operating system. And to speak plainly, Windows might be okay powering your desktop PC or Xbox, but its presently pretty unwieldy to work with on a gaming handheld. Updates to make its UI better optimised for handheld gaming are supposedly on the way, but at the moment these devices are just too painful to use compared with the more console-like experience of SteamOS on the Deck.SteamOSs UI is snappy and easy to navigate, and to be honest so many of its initial rough edges have been smoothed out by this point that its very difficult to find fault with it. Since receiving a review unit from Valve a couple of weeks ago, the Steam Deck has quickly become a terrific tool for trawling back through my gaming pile of shame. Games that Ive pushed to the side in recent years in favour of making time on the couch for hardware-pushing AAA titles have finally grabbed my attention either in short bursts on the couch while Im waiting for a pot to boil or in lengthier sessions on train rides, and Ive finally been able to make time for the likes of Dave the Diver, Dead Cells, as well as more recent releases like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Steam Deck OLED PhotosAt the same time, Ive also been chipping away at Rockstars recently released Red Dead Redemption PC port, which runs brilliantly on the Deck with visuals that are substantially sharper than those found in the comparatively smudgey Switch version. Surprisingly, despite the fact that only around 10 per cent of games on the Steam store are deemed either playable or verified on the Deck, Im yet to find many games that I want to play that dont work officially verified or not. Even both Silent Hill 2 and Horizon Forbidden West, which are currently listed on Steam as being unsupported, seem to run fairly smoothly on the Steam Deck with a little bit of tweaking to the settings, for example. That said, there are some obvious limitations to the hardware. The screen resolution is only 1280x800, which is certainly sharp enough for the Steam Decks seven-inch screen, and it also means the systems GPU doesnt have to push as many pixels as your desktop PC or gaming console. However, some more graphics intensive games struggle to hit even that relatively low resolution, with the likes of Hogwarts Legacy a little soft in their presentation. Even so, while you cant go into the Steam Deck expecting it to handle absolutely everything you can throw at it, but if youre anything like me you might be surprised at just how capable this sexy lapwarming slab can be in most cases.PlayThere is of course the question of a potential Steam Deck 2. Valve has indicated that its working on a handheld successor, but in an interview with Reviews.org last month, designer Lawrence Yang said that his team wants to wait for a generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life before we ship the real second generation of Steam Deck. Just how long this generational leap will take to arrive is anyones guess, but youd have to assume that the shiny new Steam Deck you pickup in November 2024 is unlikely to be superseded any time within the next couple of years at least. (Or indeed, dull new Steam Deck if you spring for the top of the line 1TB OLED model with the matte finish on its display.) So is the Steam Deck still worth it as of November, 2024? I would argue yes. Though it may lack the power to run some of this years beefiest titles like Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 at a playable framerate, it still supports a staggering number of games enough to fill up thousands of train rides or trips to the toilet and, should you opt for an OLED model, it runs them with enough battery life that youll rarely feel the need to be tethered to a USB power cord. Australians should rightly feel aggrieved that weve had to wait this long to buy a Steam Deck without resorting to eBay sellers or relying on American friends to ship one over to us, but theres an upside here two and a half years of system updates and one hardware refresh means that those of us who waited will be getting our first hands on with the Steam Deck in its most optimal form. Tristan Ogilvie is a senior video editor at IGN's Sydney office. He's increasingly afraid of social media, but on the rare occasion he does tweet you can find him here.

When audiences return to Romes Colosseum for Ridley Scotts Gladiator II they will surely be entertained by the spectacle of warriors fighting for their livesand for the fickle attention spans of Roman emperors and an angry public. Its WWE 200 A.D.. Much like its Oscar-winning predecessor Gladiator, Gladiator II is a story of an unlikely hero from humble beginnings who wants to rain bloody vengeance upon an empires elite. In that regard, Paul Mescals Lucius is not so different from Maximus, the titular gladiator played by Russell Crowe. But what many fans might not know is that Maximus was almost Gladiator IIs main character. despite his death at the end of the first movie.There were indeed several attempts to get a sequel to the 2000 blockbuster made over the years, but one script gained special notoriety for its religious themes, which were characteristic of Scotts other output post-Gladiator. But it took that subject matter to a heightened and supernatural extreme. Yes, there is a completed Gladiator II script that continued Maximus quest for revenge beyond his own death, beyond ancient Rome, and against the most unlikely adversary of all Jesus Christ.And it all began with a phone call between Russell Crowe and fellow Aussie and friend, rock singer Nick Cave.Nick Cave Goes to RomeCave is most known for fronting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, whose biggest hit song is Red Right Hand, a dark, sexy tune familiar to anyone who loves the Scream franchise, The X-Files, or Peaky Blinders. Caves songs were often full of Old Testament fire and brimstone, and his script for The Proposition, a 2005 gory neo-WesternAround that same time, Scott was working on a Gladiator sequel with original screenwriter John Logan that had nothing to do with Maximus or even gladiators. Crowe, however, was eager to present the director with a sequel he could still star in. The Academy Award-winning actor was so taken with Caves writing he enlisted the songwriter to sort out the little matter of Maximus death and come up with a new fight for the resurrected Roman general.Maximus Is the Christ-KillerChrist-Killer, the 2001 screenplays working title, began with Maximus waking up in a dark purgatory on the shores of a black ocean where the dying Roman gods fight one another. It is these petty deities who also tell Maximus that he must kill Hephaestos. While in the Roman-Greco tradition Hephaestos is the God of Fire and Blacksmithing, he has lately been spreading the troublesome gospel of a new monotheistic Christian God. So Hephaestos (and Christianity) must die if Maximus is to be reunited with his wife in the wheatfields of Elysium, where the sun always shines and Lisa Gerrard forever warbles. If that sounds bizarre already, wait until you and Maximus learn that his wife was able to plead with the gods to restore their seven-year-old son back to life!This all sets up Maximus returning to Ancient Rome 20 years after his death in the arena. There he reunites with his best friend Juba (Djimon Hounsou would ideally reprise his role) and his son Marius, now a grown man and Christian convert, at a time when Rome was executing followers of the new religion. Maximus gets embroiled in the war between the persecuted Christians and Roman authorities and faces off against Lucius, now a corrupt leader like his Uncle Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Lucius is especially determined to stamp out Christianity after his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) was stoned to death for her new religious fervor.While Maximus, disappointingly, never actually crosses swords with Jesus, he does double-cross the Greco-Roman gods by training Marius and the Christians as soldiers to rebel against the Roman Empire, and thus the old gods. Because Maximus choice allows the teaching of Jesus to spreadand especially because Maximus trained the Christians to use violence instead of peaceful resistanceMaximus is forbidden to return to Elysium and reunite with his wife. Instead he is gifted immortal life as an eternal warrior that will forever doom humanity by encouraging warfare.This concept is visualized literally with a frenetic montage of Maximus leading an army not only in Ancient Rome, but Persia during the Crusades, among tanks in World War I, and into the jungles of Vietnam. The final scene leaves Maximus sitting at a head of a meeting table in the Pentagon, hunched over a laptop and planning a present-day war.Why It Didnt Get MadeDont like it, mate, Crowe reportedly told Cave, who harbors no regrets.Speaking with Marc Marons WTF podcast, Cave called the rejected story a stone cold masterpiece, made with wild creative abandon because he was so certain that the screenplay would never actually get made. Cave continued to poke fun at his Gladiator experience, culminating in the outlandish music video for Heathen Child from his side project Grinderman, which features Cave and company dressed as gladiators, dancing over explosions.As utterly anti-commercial as Caves script was, one could see how it would fit alongside Scotts work in his post-Gladiator period, which seemed increasingly concerned with confronting faith. The director has described himself as an atheist, but his post-Gladiator output seems to be less against spirituality than against corrupt organized religion as films like Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, and Exodus: Gods and Kings suggest. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant similarly place spiritual faith as equal to scientific knowledge, perhaps even marking it as more important. Those recent Alien movies also depict the divine originating away from human-adjacent creatures, whether its off-world Engineers or the incalculable intelligence of a sentient android.Scott himself recently called the Christ-Killer script bloody silly, but Gladiator II does share some distant DNA with it. Caves script also revisited the Roman Colosseum with a naval battle in the flooded arena, where crocodiles replaced the final movies sharks. Scott also gives a more overt nod to one Cave idea he genuinely enjoyed: the moonlit shores of the river Styx where Lucius dreams of his dead wifes soul. This provides a new, darker vision of the afterlife.Read more As epic as Maximus versus Jesus might have been, for all the bombast and pageantry a Ridley Scott sword and sandals already drama contains, perhaps Scotts depiction of eternity doesnt need its own competing storyline, with a large cast of gods and audience-fave characters like Maximus transformed into pawns for an evil, unwinnable forever war.The emotional core of the Gladiator is a simpler, more universal story of grieving warriors where brief visions of the afterlife exist to remind the hero that he must fight for the concepts that represent the best of humanity: strength and honor, family and love.