Today, we'll be discussing every game in the Batman Arkham Universe and seeing how they stack up against each other from worst to best.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima, Episode 10, "Ocean", now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Final Fantasy 14 Mobile is, as its name suggests, a mobile game adaptation of the hit MMO Final Fantasy 14 Online. It's a bit of an anomaly in Square Enix's portfolio, considering the publisher generally doesn't release iOS/Android versions of its modern AAA console games. There have been mainline Final Fantasy games on mobile phones before, of course, but the majority of them are ports of older entries, like the FF Pixel Remasters. Final Fantasy 14 Mobile, on the other hand, is less like the Pixel Remasters and more like Final Fantasy 15: Pocket Edition. In other words, it's more of a new, standalone game inspired by the console title of the same name, rather than a one-to-one port.

Hello, I'm new to this website I'm a new game devoloper looking for a small team I need someone for scripting, and scripting for my game world also colliders I'm using Flax Game Engine its a 3D engine I'm a visual learner so reading instructions is very difficult for me to understand how things work. I know some things like putting together material on objects very easy to me most of everything like creating a screen changer and camera Main Menu screen is difficult please anyone that knows h

This GFN Thursday wraps up another incredible year for cloud gaming. Take a look back at the top games and new features that made 2024 a standout for GeForce NOW members.Enjoy it all with three new games to close the year.Remember to mark the calendar for the CES opening keynote, to be delivered by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang on Monday, Jan. 6.Thats a WrapIn another ultimate year of high-performance cloud gaming, GeForce NOW introduced new features for cloud gamers and reached a significant milestone by surpassing 2,000 games in its library, thanks to strong collaborations with celebrated publishers.Dont pass up the chance to get all the premium benefits of the cloud for 24 hours.GeForce NOW also launched new data centers in Japan and Poland this year, bringing GeForce RTX 4080-powered servers to gamers in the regions. Day Passes were introduced to offer gamers more flexible ways to access the cloud, with the ability to enjoy premium benefits of Ultimate and Performance memberships for 24 hours at a time.Members who wanted to stream their favorite PC games to Valves Steam Deck were provided a new beta installation method that let them automatically install Google Chrome to the device, along with all the settings needed to log in to GeForce NOW to stream their favorite games. And GeForce NOW brought an upgraded streaming experience for Performance members, providing up to 1440p resolution an increase from the original 1080p limit.Conquering in the cloud never looked so good.The rollout of Xbox automatic sign-in streamlined the gaming experience, enabling members to link their Xbox profile to their GeForce NOW account for seamless access to their game libraries. GeForce NOW also partnered with CurseForge to bring mod for World of Warcraft, enabling Ultimate and Priority members to easily enable and customize over 25 top WoW Addons in the cloud, enhancing their gameplay experience across various devices.Everything is great in the cloud.The highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle made its debut in the cloud, offering players a thrilling globetrotting adventure with stunning ray-traced graphics and NVIDIA DLSS 3 support. Fans could uncover one of historys greatest mysteries as they traveled from the pyramids of Egypt to the sunken temples of Sukhothai, all while enjoying the games immersive action and intriguing puzzles.The cloud is the path of least resistance.Early access for Path of Exile 2 arrived with deep customization options and improved visuals. Dragon Age: The Veilguard captivated players with BioWares rich fantasy world, while Black Myth: Wukong pushed cloud gaming graphics to new heights with its stunning take on Chinese mythology.The long-awaited S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl brought its intense survival horror to the GeForce NOW cloud, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 delivered fast-paced multiplayer action to members on day one.Raining terror on any device.GeForce NOW also welcomed Activision Blizzard games and Battle.net integration. Members gained access to blockbuster titles like Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, Hearthstone and more, adding to the cloud gaming library some of the most popular multiplayer titles.And it doesnt stop there check back in each week to see whats in store for GeForce NOW in the new year.Toast to New AdventuresLook for the following games available to stream in the cloud this week:Headquarters: World War II (Steam)Supermarket Together (Steam)Ys X: Nordics (Steam)What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.Mark your calendars, #CES2025 is fast approaching! Be sure to tune-in on 1/6/25 https://t.co/yC5KAednSw pic.twitter.com/PlrIzPQv5g NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) December 24, 2024

Sure, the exhilarating thrills of 2025 are close to being loaded onto our screens within moments, but theres still time to bask in the glories that 2024 brought. From brilliant Bots and a beautifully blocky LEGO world, to epic fantasy adventures and remastered classics, theres been everything for everyone.A year of expansive RPGsPlay VideoIt was an enchanting 12 months for massive and magical lands full of spell casting heroes, pointed ears and sky dwelling towns. Persona creators Atlas stepped into a brave new world with its fantastical Metaphor ReFantazio, and with it scooped an abundance of well-deserved praise thanks to its thoughtful combat mechanics, slick presentation and that battle theme.Play VideoSimilarly, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth aced the unenviable task of reimagining one of the most influential RPGs of all time and maintaining the momentum of its prior, the massively successful Final Fantasy VII Remake. Sticking with the fantastic, fast-paced action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink delivered some much-welcomed co-op combat to go with its sprawling story, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard rounded out the year with a hugely compelling quest and a suitably stirring soundtrack by composer royalty Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe.Play VideoOn a slightly more grounded level well, relatively speaking Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth provided some punch to any RPG fans who preferred mean streets over spell sheets, via its entertaining combat system and fun expansion of the rich Yakuza universe.A year of classic remastersNot to be outdone by the onslaught of new titles inspiring imaginations, there were an impressive array of classics coming back with more than just a fresh lick of paint. Which was more than appropriate for Disneys Epic Mickey, which saw the iconic mouse return with new abilities to match his beautifully updated visuals.Play VideoSpeaking of icons, Lara Croft fans had a treasure trove of familiar delights to unearth in Tomb Raider IIII Remastered, and she wasnt the only one resurfacing archaeological wonders, either. Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars: Reforged brought back George Stobbart and Nico Collards quest to discover the arcane secrets of the Knights Templar in a 4K enhanced version of the adventure favourite.Play VideoIn galaxies a bit farther afield, Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster and Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition both delivered on sci-fi delights across the FPS and action-adventure genres, respectively with an equally epic turnout in fan-favourite fantasy RPGs via Grandia HD Collection and Persona 3 Reload. Oh, and for the players craving remastered zombie action? Capcom had its finger on the trigger, as Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster lumbered onto our screens with an array of well, brainy improvements. Actually, while were on the subject of horrorA year of horror and retro-inspired scaresPlay VideoWhile many remasters sent hearts aflutter, there were a sprinkling of games returning to give other hearts a real jolt. Silent Hill 2 stepped out of the mists in frightening form with a stunning remake that took us back to nightmarish encounters with Pyramid Head, albeit with a high presentational fidelity that only enhanced the unforgettable story.Play VideoThere was also a creepy cavalcade of new titles that were just as powerful at making the hairs on your controller-holding arms stand up on end. For those who love retro touches, Crow Country perfectly wrapped timeless survival horror gameplay within the familiar 1990s PlayStation visual style. Similarly, Fear the Spotlight played with an old school aesthetic to give its creepy narrative an intense edge, while the 80s also made a comeback via the amusing and disturbing asymmetrical multiplayer thrills of Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, based on the 1988 cult classic movie.Play VideoIf you preferred a more modern scare, Still Wakes the Deep delivered a well written, utterly haunting and claustrophobic psychological and cosmic tinged horror. Although going full cosmic was also terrifyingly easy with the in-your-face frights of VR combat adventure Alien: Rogue Incursion. And in your living room, everyone can hear you screamA year of character platformersPlay VideoMaking a mark on the platform genre isnt easy, but 2024 provided a blueprint that well all be eager for others to follow in the future. Of course, the big flag bearer this year has been the endlessly inventive and charming Astro Bot. Team Asobis fun and feature-packed adventure became an instant classic due to its imaginative level design, wonderful use of the DualSense wireless controller and some unforgettable cameos.Play VideoBut lets not forget a couple of slick sleeper hits, either. Another Crabs Treasure introduced us to the aquatic Soulslike action-adventure world of Kril, an irate hermit crab capable of using the discarded junk around him as weapons and armour. On the slightly breezier side, Pennys Big Breakaway was a bright and colourful callback to an era of kinetic and fast-paced platformers, with the titular hero out to clear her name while being pursued by Emperor Eddies army of madcap penguins. Its exactly as wild as it sounds.A year of creative art designPlay Video2024 also played host to some of the most memorable looking games that not only had a distinct visual identity, but also played well, too. The beautifully crafted stop-motion animation of Harold Halibut contributed to its 10-year development process, with physical dioramas scanned into the game, resulting in a striking aesthetic for the charming graphic adventure.Play VideoThe powerful use of colour and contrast were the visual hallmarks of beautiful puzzle-driven platformer Neva, while slapstick adventure Thank Goodness Youre Here! leaned entirely into its absurdist humour with a bright and bold style reminiscent of classic and equally eccentric British comedy comic books.Play VideoAlso coming in bold, but additionally blocky, was LEGO Horizon Adventures, a playful spin on Horizon Zero Dawn. Its visual inventiveness was highlighted by the revelation that everything you see in the game, including its imposing and impressive machines, can be built using real world LEGO bricks and sets.Play VideoWhich games and their appropriate trends were your favourites for 2024?

Having watched and been profoundly unsettled by Squid Game, I felt some surprise upon seeing the reveal of Squid Game: Unleashed earlier this month. The new video game adaptation from Boss Fight at Netflix Games repurposes the shows brutal games into madcap multiplayer experiences. Theres still gore, but its cartoonish. And dissimilar to the characters of Squid Game, death is not the end for any of these participants. You can keep on trying over and over until you perfect these not-so-deadly virtual versions of the originally-quite-deadly games.From Squid Game: Unleashed to the upcoming Call of Duty crossover with Squid Game, and even the real-life recreation of the concept seen in YouTuber Mr. Beasts Squid Game, every single attempt at gamifying Squid Game arguably misses the point of the show. But this isnt the first time that something like this has happened. Remember the similar brutality and social commentary of the novel Battle Royale (1999), which was adapted into the widespread video game genre phenomenon of the same name (as seen in PUBG and Fortnite). Battle Royale the novel is a raw depiction of a fascist regime that dehumanizes its countries children through a deadly, performative version of military conscription. In the book, getting enlisted in the titular battle royale is the worst thing that could happen to you. All of that original intention has been lost in subsequent recreations like Fortnite, which is fun, and has Snoop Dogg in it.All of that is why it actually shouldnt surprise me to see Squid Game: Unleashed and its ilk. The games director, Bill Jackson, told me in a recent interview that this type of adaptation is exactly what the players asked for as opposed to, say, a Telltale Games-esque narrative game set in Squid Games world that preserves the original TV shows social commentary and intense storytelling style. Nope, people didnt want that. They wanted to compete in the games.We asked the players, the members, if were making games at Netflix, what would you want to see? And the first answer, and it was a huge delta, was Squid Game, Jackson told me. And we asked, You like that? What do you want to do? And their answer was with, again, overwhelmingly, I want to be a contestant and I want to play those games and try to live, and Im fine if that means I fail and I die. And it could be brutal. And that was very clear from the first times we talked to members. So we wanted to make that true. Now, thats still a hard mission, but we did. I really think thats what we tried to deliver here is youre going to be you play the role of a contestant on a stylized version of that show.Squid Game: Unleashed is inherently different from the source material by dint of its medium. As Jackson put it: The main thing is you are a contestant and the penalties are brutal if you dont win. But guess what? Its a video game. If you fail, lets try again. And thats really ultimately the loop of it.At this point in the interview, I actually asked Jackson about Battle Royale and its influences on video games, and he noted how much more prevalent this type of story has become across all mediums. You can go back into the movies Death Race theres all these kind of setups like this. Or Bruce Lee, Enter the Dragon. Its the same. Its like its the same kind of influences. But in video games, yes, it is a profound setup, right? Were going to put you in a competition and the penalty is fairly that youll be knocked out, and others will move on. That pattern is its intrinsic to video games. Its intrinsic to us.As weird as it may seem, people like it. Its not some executive at Netflix demanding that the in-house game designers take all the social commentary out of Squid Game and turn it into something more palatable. Its the players themselves regular people who cant help but crave competing in the games, just to see how theyd do, if it came to it. But of course, these players want to do it in a safe virtual realm, where death doesnt matter, but bragging rights still do.That doesnt mean that people miss what really matters about the story of Squid Game, or that all of these people are just stupid or superficial, or something. I think, like Jackson said, this impulse reflects something else, something intrinsic, about all of us. It may be a bit creepy, but thats the reason why all of these adaptations are popping up in this type of format. We asked for it.

No one wants to end a seven-and-a-half-year run at a major Hollywood studio with an all-timer dud but, unfortunately, Sony Pictures put out Kraven the Hunter just a few short weeks before CEO Tony Vinciquerras last day on the job. The executive spoke frankly about the flop in an illuminating exit interview with the LA Times ahead of his Jan. 2 departure.When asked about the splashy failure of the Spider-Man-adjacent Kraven, which has yet to cross the $20 million mark in the U.S. in its first two weeks, Vinciquerra admits the long-delayed superhero movie was probably the worst launch Sony had during his tenure. But he stands up for the Aaron Taylor-Johnson vehicle, calling it not a bad film.The interviewer hits a bit of a nerve by saying the words Madame Web out loud. Vinciquerra also calls the first of 2024s three Spider-Man-adjacent Sony movies not a bad film. Madame Web played well on Netflix, according to Vinciquerra (a claim corroborated by the movies sustained placement in the Netflix top 10 for a few weeks over the summer), but in the end, the press just crucified it. Critics also had their knives out for Venom, the CEO says, but in the case of that trilogy-starter, the audience loved Venom.Vinciquerra has reason to take victory laps after running Sony Pictures since 2017: as the feature mentions, he has played a major role in growing the companys anime footprint and, by all accounts, has been behind the studios commitment to theatrical distribution and filmmaker support. Sony also acquired the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain over the summer, and sees potential for it as a springboard for Crunchyroll movie exclusives. But more words than expected are committed to defending the Sony Spider-likes, and damning critics for hating on Madame Web.Critics did not care for this years Spidey-less slate, thats true. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Madame Web stands with an 11% positive, Venom: The Last Dance with 41%, and Kraven bottoms out with 15%. Rotten Tomatoes newly added Popcornmeter a judgement issued by verified #fans of #movies tells a slightly different tale: Madame Web got a thumbs up from 55% of fans, The Last Dance earned 81%, and Kraven gets a major boost at 73%.Why would critics be out to sack Sonys Spider-Man villain movies? Vinciquerra doesnt have any theories, but he acknowledges the studio is set to rethink its Marvel strategy. Not because the movies are bad, but because, as Vinciquerra puts it, if the studio released another one the press would destroy it by virtue of being a Sony Spider-Man-adjacent movie.For some reason, the press decided that they didnt want us making these films out ofKravenandMadame Web, Vinciquerra says. These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason.Vinciquerras tenure saw the release of a number of movies that actually involved Spider-Man, including No Way Home (93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (95% critics score). But from the studios perspective, the press really, really did not want a Kraven movie, specifically. Maybe the non-Popcornmeter fans didnt either; shortly after the movie bombed at the box-office, the Marvel Studios subreddit was begging for Sony to sell off the rights to the characters in hopes of a brighter future.Sonys COO Ravi Ahuja will step into the CEO role on Jan. 2. Its unclear which direction Sony will go with its IP, but for now, its full speed ahead on Spider-Man 4. But lets be very clear about something: I speak for all members of the entertainment press when I say I personally had a great time at Madame Web and fully encourage the development and production of Madame Web 2. Her web connects them all.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for games/characters that come up later in the season. Read on only if youre fine knowing those details.]Its very easy to watch Squid Game and think: I could do that. Its perhaps even easier than some of the other reality competition shows. That is, after all, the Faustian bargain of the elite, violent games of Squid Game. Its exactly the same level of thinking that gets the characters killed after all, just how hard would it be to make it through a single round of Red Light, Green Light?Squid Game, as a show, makes clear that its often more luck than skill that gets people through the games. But for the cast and crew, even getting a guaranteed outcome was far from playing a simple childrens game. And with season 2 deviating from the schoolyard games of season 1 for a few trickier competitions, the question had to be asked: Which was the hardest game to actually play?The cast themselves, while not putting their lives on the line, certainly have a dog in that fight. We polled the cast of Squid Games second season to find out what was actually challenging about this years challenges.Jo Yu-ri (Kim Jun-hee)I enjoyed the game of six legs. [] That was the most fun. But at the same time, it was very difficult, because we had to stay with our legs tied together the whole time.Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun)So for me it was Red Light, Green Light because we shot that for four or five days, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs all the time. Im like, Freeze! or Stop! and kind of bossing people around. I would be screaming all the time, and sometimes it makes you a little bit dizzy when you are screaming so much.Thankfully I didnt lose my voice and we could wrap up the scene well. But yeah, that was the most challenging for me.Kang Ae-sim (Jang Geum-ja)It would definitely be the [pentathlon]. It reminded me of pep rallies or these big games that we would have at school back in the day where we were divided into red team and blue team and people would be cheering and everyone would be looking on, and it really had the tension and the emotion of those games.Showrunner Hwang Dong-hyukFor me, it was definitely the pentathlon first of all, because there were just so many people that had to appear on screen and on set. And there was so much sand dust on the ground. So that led to a lot of people coughing constantly; I remember having a lot of trouble breathing as well, and having respiratory cold later on because of that. And also we had [only] so many numbers of shoot days to film the entire sequence. It was almost like a nightmare, I believe at the time because I believe we went through about 15 to 16 shoot days over a course of probably a span of two or three weeks at least. So if I had to do it all over again, I dont think I could.Lee Byung-hun (Front Man)While I truly believe that it was probably director Hwang who had to go through the most amount of trouble (and for whom it was probably the biggest challenge, because he had to think about all of the complexities), as an actor taking part in those scenes I believe that pentathlon was one of the toughest to shoot. Because first of all, the dust the air was filled with sand dust at all times, so it was tough to breathe. And there were so many people there on screen, which you always have to be aware of as an actor.But also in season 2, because my character requires for different facets where I have to be part Front Man, part In-ho, and then part the fake persona Young-il. So at times, I would have to switch on and off from my eyes having to be that of Young-il and then the next glance, having to be that of In-ho, and having to switch that immediately on and off with each fleeting moment. That was both very challenging and intriguing and a fun challenge for me to take on as a performer.Yang Dong-geun (Park Yong-sik)I think for me it was definitely the [merry-go-round] game because I had to show a lot of these deep inner emotions. And I think getting to that point where I could act out these emotions was a difficult process for me.Lee Seo-hwan (Park Jung-bae)For me, it was the [merry-go-round] game. It was actually difficult for me physically, because I have really bad eyesight and the lights will shut down and then they will open up in another second, and sometimes you get blinded by that and you just cant see for a few seconds. The floor was really slippery, too, and there was so many people, so it was physically challenging for me.Yim Si-wan (Lee Myung-gi)Before shooting, I thought the Green Light, Red Light would be relatively easy. But it was not, because standing still without any movement was actually very hard for me.

In recent years, reflecting on the past 12 months has seemed to bring back nothing but woe. Surprisingly, though, 2024 saw a higher number of candidates for good things in tech than bad. In spite of the continued AI onslaught, widespread dissatisfaction and worldwide political conflict, there were some bright spots this year that put smiles on faces and took minds off things. As we get ready to start saying "2025" when making plans, heres hoping that reminiscing about the best things in tech in 2024 can help us remember joyful times.LocalThunkYou likely dont know the name LocalThunk, which is the handle of a Canadian game developer who has yet to share his real identity. You do, however, know his handywork. LocalThunk made a little game called Balatro, which has been the indie success story of the year. The massive cultural footprint of this game instantly put him on the Mount Rushmore of solo developers, alongside Daisuke Amaya (Cave Story), Markus Persson (Minecraft), Lucas Pope (Papers, Please) and Eric Barone (Stardew Valley), among others.Balatro which can justly be described as a wacky full-fledged sequel to poker came out back in February, and has since sold millions of copies across multiple platforms. It has popped up on numerous 2024 best-of lists and even nabbed a nomination for GOTY at The Game Awards. To call it a hit is something of an understatement. Balatro has become so popular that it has crossed over with other gaming franchises and inspired a physical deck of cards.LocalThunk is now, very likely, worth a whole lot of money. Good for him. He created something new that everyone wanted, a venture that took three years. Despite the similarities to poker, the developer is extremely committed to keeping Balatro pure and out of the hands of gambling platforms. He recently revealed that he created a will that stipulated that the IP never be sold or licensed to any gambling company or casino.I highly recommend checking out the game, which is available for both consoles and mobile devices. It will likely burn into your brain, leaving you unable to think or talk about anything else. Actually, wait until you have some time off work before giving it a download. Lawrence Bonk, contributing writerBlueskyAfter several months in an invitation-only beta, Bluesky finally ditched its waitlist and opened to everyone at the start of 2024. At the time, it had just over 3 million users, a handful of employees and a lot of ideas about how to build a better space for public conversations. Since then, the service has grown to more than 25 million users, including a number of celebrities, politicians and other prominent figures who were once active on X.Bluesky is still very much an underdog. Metas Threads has more than 10 times as many total users and far more resources. Even so, Bluesky has notched some significant wins. The open source service nearly tripled in size in the last few months of the year, thanks to a surge in new users following the election. The platform has also had an outsized influence when it comes to features, with Meta already copying unique ideas like starter packs and custom feeds.Bluesky isnt without issues it needs to come up with a better approach to verification for example but its still our best hope for an open, decentralized platform not controlled by a multibillion dollar advertising company. While Meta is reportedly preparing to point its ad machine at Threads and has already throttled the reach of political content, Blueskys leaders have made it clear they want to take a different approach. And while its hard to imagine Blueskys growth eclipsing Threads anytime soon, Bluesky feels more relevant than ever. Karissa Bell, senior reporterSam Rutherford for EngadgetGoogle Pixel 9 Pro FoldWeve seen so many competing designs on foldable phones over the years. Samsung started out with an inward folding hinge on the original Galaxy Fold and stuck with it as the Z Fold line has morphed into the long, skinny baton-like devices we have today. Then there were others like the Huawei Mate X which featured outward folding builds. More recently, companies have teased the first generation of gadgets with tri-folding displays. But after testing out Googles Pixel 9 Pro Fold this year, it feels like keeping things simple was the winning formula all along.Thats because instead of trying to create a foldable with a unique aspect ratio or screen size, Google basically took the exterior display from the standard Pixel 9 and then installed a flexible display almost exactly twice the size on the inside. So when its closed, you have a phone that looks, feels and operates just like a typical glass-brick but when opened can also expand to become a mini tablet. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also has the best cameras on any foldable on sale today while not being much thicker or heavier than its more traditional siblings. But perhaps the biggest victory is just seeing how much of a jump in build quality and usability the Pro Fold offers over its predecessor without making any major sacrifices. I just wish it was a bit more affordable so more people could experience the magic of a big foldable phone. Sam Rutherford, senior reviewerAR GlassesFor years, companies like Meta and Snap have hyped up the promise of augmented reality not just the animated selfie lenses and other effects we can see on our phones, but standalone hardware capable of overlaying information onto the world around us. But despite these promises, actual AR glasses felt just out of reach.This year, that finally started to change. Snap released its second pair of AR Spectacles, and Meta finally showed off its Orion AR glasses prototype. After trying out both, its easy to see why these companies have invested so much time and money on these projects. To be clear, both companies still have a lot of work ahead of them if they want their AR glasses to turn into a product their users will want to actually buy. Right now, the components are still too expensive, and the glasses are way too bulky (this is especially true for Snap, if the social media reactions to my selfies are any indication). But after years of hearing little more than lofty promises and sporadic research updates, we finally saw real progress.Snap has lined up dozens of developers, including Niantic, Lego and Industrial Light and Magic who are already building apps for AR. Meta is, for now, keeping its AR work internal, but its neural wristband which may be coming to a future pair of its RayBan-branded glasses feels like a game-changer for next-gen controllers. So while AR glasses arent ready to replace our phones just yet, its getting a lot easier to imagine a world in which they might. K.B.ASUS Zenbook DuoThe classic clamshell with a screen up top and a physical keyboard down below isnt going away anytime soon. But this year, the Zenbook Duo showed that laptops still have plenty of room for improvement. Thats because after multiple attempts by various manufacturers to refine and streamline dual-screen laptops, ASUS finally put everything together into a single cohesive package with the Zenbook Duo. It packs not one but two 14-inch OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates, solid performance, a surprisingly good selection of ports (including full-size HDMI) and a built-in kickstand. And weighing 3.6 pounds and measuring 0.78 inches at its thickest, it's not much bigger or heftier than more traditional rivals.You also get a physical keyboard, except this one connects wirelessly via Bluetooth and can be either placed on top of the lower screen like a normal laptop or moved practically anywhere you want. This allows the Zenbook Duo to transform into something like a portable all-in-one complete with two stacked displays, which are truly excellent for multitasking. And because the keyboard also charges wirelessly, you never have to worry about keeping it topped off. But the best part is that starting at $1,500, it doesnt cost that much more than a typical premium notebook either, so even when youre traveling you never have to be limited to a single, tiny display. S.R.DJI NeoDJIs tiny $200 Neo drone blew into the content creator market like a tornado. It was relatively cheap and simple to use, allowing beginners to create stunning aerial video at the touch of a button, while taking off and landing on their palms. At the same time, the Neo offered advanced features like manual piloting with a phone or controller, subject tracking and even impressive acrobatics.Weighing just 156 grams and equipped with people-safe propeller guards, DJIs smallest drone can be piloted nearly anywhere with no permit needed. And unlike Snaps Pixy drone, its far more than a toy.. It can fly at speeds up to 36 MPH and perform tricks like flips and slides. It also offers reasonably high-quality 4K 30p video. All of that allows creators to track themselves when walking, biking or vlogging, adding high-quality aerial video that was previously inaccessible for most.There are some negative points. The Neo lacks any obstacle detection sensors, so you need to be careful when flying it to avoid crashes. Video quality isnt quite as good as slightly more expensive drones like the DJI Mini 3. And the propeller noise is pretty offensive if you plan to operate it around a lot of people. Perhaps the biggest problem is that DJIs products might be banned in the US by 2026, even though it escaped that fate this year.For $200, though, it offers excellent value and opens up new creative possibilities for content creators. Much like the companys incredibly popular Osmo Pocket 3, the Neo shows how DJI is innovating in the creator space to a higher level than rivals like Sony or Canon. Steve Dent, contributing writerreMarkable Paper ProreMarkables distraction-free writing slates have always offered an elegant alternative to other tablets. The second generation model is great, but the advent of the Paper Pro has highlighted where that device was lacking. Its certainly one of the best pieces of hardware Ive tested this year and, if I owned one, Id likely make it a key part of my daily workflow. The bigger display, faster internals and the fact it can now render colors elevates it above the competition. Its gone from a useful tool to an essential one, especially if you need to wrench yourself away from the distractions of the internet.Its still far too expensive for what it is, and qualifies as a luxury purchase in these straightened times. It wont stack up in a spec-for-spec comparison to an iPad, even if theyre clearly catering for two very different audiences. But, judging it on its merits as a piece of technology, it does the job it was built to do far better than anything else on the market. What can I say, I just think it's neat. Daniel Cooper, senior reporterNotebookLMMaybe my AI dalliances are far too mundane I spend more time trying to get worthwhile shopping advice from Claude and ChatGPT, for instance, rather than playing around with music generators like Suno or even image creators like Dall-E. But for this podcast fan, its Googles NotebookLM that was the big AI revelation of 2024.The audio offshoot of Googles Project Tailwind, an AI-infused notebook application, NotebookLM synthesizes a full-on podcast that summarizes the documents, videos or links you feed it. Delivered as a dialogue between male and female co-hosts, it feels like a next-gen two-person version of the Duplex software agent that Google unveiled in 2018. The resulting audio stories (just a few minutes in length) wouldnt sound terribly out of place on your local NPR station, right down to copious use of ums, ahs, pauses and co-hosts talking over each other with a relevant detail or two. Yes, it doesnt have any more depth than the chatter on the average TV morning show, occasionally botches pronunciation sometimes spelling out common acronyms letter by letter, for instance and its just as prone to hallucinations as any other current AI model. And I certainly dont think real podcast hosts have anything to fear here (at least, not yet.)But to me, NotebookLM doesnt feel like the rest of the AI slop thats invading the web these days. Its a win on three fronts: The baseline version is free, its dead simple to use (just feed it one or more links, or a blob of text) and it can be downright fun. This was the systems take when I fed it the full text of Moby Dick, for example and thats small potatoes compared to, say, the hosts discovering theyre not human. Thankfully, unlike the plethora of projects that Google summarily kills off, NotebookLM seems to be flourishing. I havent tried the new phone in feature or the paid Plus subscription, but both suggest that well be hearing more from Audio Overviews in 2025. John Falcone, executive editorPC CPU competition heats upFor the past decade, the story around laptop and desktop CPUs has basically been a back and forth between Intel and AMD. At times, AMDs sheer ambition and aggressive pricing would make its chips the PC enthusiast choice, but then Intel would also hit back with innovations like its 12th-gen hybrid processors. When Apple decided to move away from Intels chips in 2020, and proved that its own mobile Arm architecture could dramatically outpace x86 and x64 designs, it was clear that the industry was ready to shift beyond the AMD and Intel rivalry.So it really was only a matter of time until Qualcomm followed in Apples footsteps and released its Snapdragon X Elite chips, which powered the new Surface Pro, Surface Laptop and other Copilot+ PCs. Those mobile chips were faster than ever before, far more efficient than Intel and AMDs best, and they were aided by some timely Windows on Arm improvements. While you may still run into some older Windows apps that dont run on Arm machines, the experience today is dramatically better than it was just a few years ago.And sure, the race to equip CPUs with better neural processing units (NPUs) for AI work is a major reason chipmakers were eager to make a huge splash in 2024. Intels Lunar Lake hardware and AMDs Ryzen AI 300 chips were laser-focused on delivering powerful AI capabilities. But it turns out were still waiting to see what those NPUs can really do. Microsofts Recall AI feature has only just begun rolling out to willing testers, and it still cant effectively filter out credit card and social security numbers. Devindra Hardawar, senior reviewerThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/techs-biggest-winners-in-2024-180015837.html?src=rss