You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereNetEase Games new superhero PvP game Marvel Rivals is another free-to-play multiplayer game out of China. Its a great game, at least once its pay-to-win issues are solved, but it does feature the same hilarious censor work as other games from the region.Similar to most other games coming out of China, Marvel Rivals bans the phrase Winnie the Pooh or even just Pooh for certain political reasons.Marvel Rivals bans Winnie the PoohSpotted by numerous players within the new Marvel game, writing Winnie the Pooh within game chat will result in the message being censored and flagged as inappropriate content.Despite both Marvel and Winnie the Pooh being iconic Disney properties, references to the iconic yellow bear have to be censored by developer NetEase in Marvel Rivals.For the unaware, references to the bear have been censored within Chinese games since 2017 after memes compared President XI Jingping with the adorable mascot. Famously, Taiwanese horror game Devotion was removed from sale for featuring an Easter Egg comparing the two.The ban has affected more than just video games. While books, toys and even theme park rides of Pooh-bear are still allowed in China, some movies have been banned in the region presumably due to their inclusion of the childrens mascot.As expected, Marvel Rivals is just one game that doesnt allow players to speak about Winnie the Pooh in its chat. At this point, its unsurprising, but its still silly. After all, how is being compared to the icon of millions of peoples childhood a bad thing?The Winnie the Pooh controversy isnt the only issue plaguing Marvel Rivals right now. Since release, many players have complained about the feeling of progression within the game, and others have become frustrated by the games rampant inclusion of bots in multiplayer.For more news on the popular multiplayer game, check out some leaked characters making their way to the game. On the other hand, you can also look at our current tier list for the title. Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereMarvel Rivals ended 2024 with a bang by quickly becoming the most popular hero shooter on the market, and now the game is poised to have a stellar 2025. It all starts with the arrival of Season 1 very soon, and there is a lot for players to anticipate. New content and features are always exciting, but the developer has also just announced upcoming fixes for several Marvel Rivals heroes severely nerfed by FPS issues. There is a lot to be excited about for Marvel Rivals this year. We have outlined the 2025 roadmap starting with Season 1, and there are a lot of leaks floating about online that should have fans pumped for the future. These leaks include two more new characters said to be joining the games star-studded roster, and they also include new game modes. Obviously, new characters, modes, maps, and more are the most exciting stuff to anticipate, but its paramount that NetEase continue to refine and improve the experience from a technical perspective. Fans have discovered heroes nerfed by performance issues, and the good news is that a fix is on the way for Season 1. NetEase announces fix for Marvel Rivals heroes nerfed by FPS issues On Reddit, OP nyin_ showed gameplay footage and comparisons of five Marvel Rivals heroes nerfed by low FPS. The footage showed the differences between movement and damage when playing on 30FPS compared to 160FPS. The nerfed heroes are Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Venom, Star Lord, and Magik. Its possible there are more, but these are the characters backed up with gameplay evidence. This footage resulted in a lot of controversy as some fans blasted the game as pay-to-win because of players with better and more expensive hardware being rewarded with more damage and better movement. Fortunately, NetEase have now acknowledged the fault, and fixes are on the way. On the Marvel Rivals Discord, community manager, James, said the team has noticed the recent discussions about hero movement and damage issues related to frame rate [and] are planning upcoming fixes to address these concerns. Below are the planned fixes: Hero Movement and Frame Rate Issues:Some heroes are currently experiencing movement problems related to frame rates. This is something were aware of, and our upcoming S1 version will address and fix these issues.Hero Damage and Frame Rate Issues:A small number of heroes do have damage-related issues related to frame rates as well. After using Feral Leap (Shift), Wolverines Savage Claw (left-click) is notably affected by frame rate issuesespecially in tests against stationary targets. However, in actual gameplay, the difference might not be very noticeable.The underlying cause of these issues is tied to the client-side prediction mechanism, which is crucial for maintaining a smooth gameplay experience. Were actively working on finding a comprehensive solution that fixes these issues without compromising the smoothness of the game. This will take some time, but rest assured, we are committed to addressing it, and you can expect a fix in a future patch.Image credit: Marvel Rivals DiscordThe good news is that the movement fix is arriving in Season 1, hopefully at the very beginning. NetEase are also fixing the difference in DMG, but its simply stated for a future patch. In addition to these fixes, NetEase are fixing mouse acceleration issues at the start of Season 1, too. For more Marvel Rivals, check out our guides to thebest Duelists and DPScharacters, along with thebest Vanguards and Tanks. Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

What just happened? Sandvik, a Swedish manufacturer of mining equipment, has announced the deployment of two fully automated electric loaders at Canada's New Afton gold and copper mine. These heavy-duty machines, weighing an impressive 18 tons each, have been operational in a designated test area since November. The Sandvik LH518iB measures 12 meters in length, 3.1 meters in width, and 2.3 meters in height. It's powered by a high-performance 540 kW electric drivetrain, capable of delivering 6,000 Nm of torque for rapid acceleration and efficient bucket filling. The loader features a massive battery, and when it runs low, it can autonomously swap out for a fully charged replacement.The New Afton deployment marks just the beginning. Operators are preparing to transition the loaders from the test area to the mine's "C-Zone" early next year, a section rich in valuable mineral reserves.Once in the C-Zone, the machines will streamline operations and significantly enhance cycle times at Canada's only block cave mine.Block caving is an underground mining technique in which ore is deliberately weakened, allowing it to collapse under its own weight into a funnel-shaped chamber for efficient extraction. Efficiency is paramount in this process, and these loaders are designed to enhance it significantly.Sandvik highlights that adopting electric and autonomous loaders at New Afton will reduce ventilation needs, heat, noise, and greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional diesel-powered loaders operated by humans. Additionally, the autonomous functionality addresses the ongoing challenge of a labor shortage in the mining industry. // Related StoriesOf course, this raises an important question: what about jobs? Are these autonomous loaders simply high-tech replacements poised to displace human workers? The answer isn't clear yet, but it's reasonable to anticipate that if New Afton's deployment proves successful, other mines may follow suit with their own fleets of autonomous electric machinery.This shift comes as demand for the minerals required to build electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure continues to soar. The International Energy Agency projects that mineral demand from EVs alone will grow 30-fold between 2020 and 2040, with the need for lithium and nickel spiking by 40x. Meeting these demands will require cutting-edge extraction technologies and innovative mining practices.

Eclectic?One of last year's worst games, and one of the best games of the last five years are your PlayStation Plus games for JanuarySony is kicking off the new year with something of a bang, having just revealed the line-up of games PlayStation Plus members will be getting this month.Image credit: Warner Bros. Games News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Jan. 2, 2025 Welcome to January, 2025, folks. As the new year begins, so too do the monthly updates from Sony about the line-up of games coming to PlayStation Plus various tiers. Weve got the first one of those in 2025, with three core games that are (mostly) quite good.All games will be available starting Tuesday, January 7 for Premium, Extra, and Essential. You have until January 6 to claim Decembers lot.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The January PS Plus line-up consists of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered. Suicide Squad is the highest-profile of the lot, of course, having now ended up on the service less than one month after its release.Paying Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in February to kick off last year was, by most accounts, a terrible way to begin 2024. Its a little puzzling why Sony believes doing so to kick off 2025 is a good idea, but there you have it. As a current-gen-only release, Suicide Squad is only available on PS5.Things could only get better from there, and boy do they. The excellent, narratively brilliant adventure The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is yours to play on PS4 and/or PS5. Ultra Deluxe is part sequel, part remake, part exercise in creative frustration. It was one of 2022s best games, and is certainly the best one in this line-up.Finally, for something a little more casual and a lot less intellectually stimulating, we have the PS4 version of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (also playable on PS5) to chill out with after surviving the emotional roller coaster the two other games provide. This is a remaster of the 2010 Criterion Games Hot Pursuit, not the 1998 classic. Its a Criterion racing game, so you can count on satisfying arcady car handling, an immense sense of speed, varied activities to get stuck in, and a killer soundtrack.

Cyrodiil You SoonSkyblivion, the huge Oblivion remake mod in Skyrim's engine, is now in its release year and its devs only have one region of Cyrodiil left to completeBy Azura, things currently still look on track to let you hop into the massive mod's Imperial province by the end of 2025.Image credit: The Skyblivion Team News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 2, 2025 Skyblivion, the massive modding project thats remaking The Elder Scrolls IV in Skyrims engine, is now in its currently scheduled release year - 2025.Nice one, right? The modders behind the projecty certainly think so, having released a fresh progress update/roadmap video right as the calendar flipped into the new year.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. In this video, the team confirms that as of right now, the mod's still on track to meet the 2025 release target it's had for a good while now. There's still no month or exact date penned in as of yet, but given the fun massive mod Fallout: London had releasing last year (with multiple delays that weren't strictly the fault of its devs), you can understand the Skyblivion lot not wanting to fully commit to a specific date at this juncture. So, where are things at with the project. Well, when it comes to the mod's "largest undertaking", there's only one bit left to finish. "We're finalising the world map, with only the Nibenay region on Cyrodiil's Eastern border to left to complete", says the video's narrator, adding: "Despite Oblivion's map being nearly 1/3 larger than Skyrim's, we've worked to make sure the entire map is bespoke, with handmade details thoughout."Watch on YouTubeWhile eight of the nine regions of the mod's map have been fully landscaped, the team is still working on the likes of navmeshing for these areas, with the video going through the progress on each and outlining some spots the devs have put work in to make extra special, such as exampanding Cloud Ruler Temple.Skyblivion's devs are also still busy with plenty of interiors, and is "prioritising quest locations which require more time and concepting compared to generic interiors" at the moment. They've also completed three realms of Oblivion you'll be able to visit, with the video stating "if time permits, we will add more, to diversify the list of random realms the player may enter when closing an Oblivion gate."I don't know about you, but that sounds like something with plenty of potential for fun hijinks. Finally, there are only six quests the team has yet to start work on, so that bit's coming together nicely too. Plus, the team also alluded to adding DLCs - such as the Shivering isles - stating that it'll look into how this might be handled once the main mod is out.As ever, Skyblivion's modders are still looking for fresh volunteers with relevant skills to help out with the project, and you can head here if interested.How do you think Skyblivion looks in this latest update? Let us know below and make sure to check out our coverage of previous Skyblivion showcases!

Switch UpNintendo patent hints towards a brilliant Switch 2 feature that should make games look, and perform, betterThe wonderful world of legal patents may be pointing to a cool Switch 2 feature.Image credit: VG247/Nintendo News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Jan. 2, 2025 A US legal patent, filed by Nintendo in July 2023 and made public on December 31 2024, has revealed an interesting new feature that may be used in the Switch 2. The console, which has yet to be officially revealed while remaining a major mystery within the video game industry, could be able to play games at both a higher visual quality and with better performance if the patented tech is implemented.The patent is for "systems and methods for machine learned image conversions", which you may recognise as sounding similar in function to Nvidia's DLSS tech, and the likes of PlayStation's PSSR upscaling tech. This machine learning method allows hardware, in layman's terms, to fill the gaps in video game graphics. It can generate the visuals you see at higher resolutions, without necessarily needing the hardware such visuals would usually demand.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. This increase in visual quality also comes without the sacrifices in performance you'd usually expect. So, all in all, it's a handy bit of tech. Especially for the Switch 2 - which is widely believed to not be as powerful as modern competitor consoles from Microsoft and PlayStation - and could benefit greatly from being able to squeeze more out of the processing power it does have.The patent itself, which you can read here, is quite technical in its descriptions and illustrative diagrams. However, if you take the time to go through it, there are interesting tidbits sprinkled throughout. As accessibility consultant Laura Kate Dale points out on Bluesky, the patent states this tech could reduce the size of games, to better fit on "smaller capacity physical media". Laura correctly makes the connection to Switch carts, which currently have a max capacity of 32GB. machine learning image conversions may allow for "bigger" games to fit natively on smaller capacity physical hardware.This is not the first handy feature we know Nintendo is working with either, as it has previously confirmed that backwards compatability is coming to the console, which makes sense given the Switch's vast library of exclusive titles.All that's really left to do is an official reveal of the Switch 2 at some point. What else are you hoping the Switch 2 comes packed with? Any dream features? Let us know!

Chips ahoy.Well folks, part of us had hoped that 2025 would mark the end of leaks and rumours regarding the upcoming 'Switch 2', but apparently not. Ahead of Nintendo's expected announcement before the end of March, new images have appeared online that seem to reveal the successor's motherboard.Posted on Reddit by MHN1994 (who has since stated that they are not the original leaker and had actually found the images on Facebook), the post's legitimacy is certainly up for debate (though many have rightly pointed out the comparisons to a previous leak showcasing alleged prototype components of the Switch 2), but the internet has gone wild with speculation on what this means for the upcoming console regardless.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Hey all,I was working on this arcane style explosion and would love some feedback on it. Was just making this to test a specific niagara feature. But I think I might be able to clean this up and use it as a portfolio piece. 2 posts - 1 participant Read full topic

Arts/Industry artist-in-residence Shae Bishop in the Kohler Co. pottery. All photos courtesy of Kohler Co.Apply for the 2026 Arts/Industry Residency at the John Michael Kohler Arts CenterJanuary 2, 2025SponsorJohn Michael Kohler Arts CenterThe John Michael Kohler Arts Centers renowned Arts/Industry is accepting applications through February 28, 2025, for 12 residency openings in 2026.For 50 years, this prestigious program has hosted hundreds of artists from 25 countries. Arts/Industry provides the unique opportunity to explore new ideas, processes, and perspectives while creating work using the resources, technology, and materials of the Kohler Co. factory in Kohler, Wisconsin.Arts/Industry artists are given the time and space to pursue their creative process in studios located in Kohler Co.s industrial foundry and pottery. Artists-in-residence receive 24-hour access to studio space, industrial materials, use of equipment, technical assistance, photographic services, housing, round-trip transportation, and a modest weekly stipend.Experience working in metal or clay is not required. Arts/Industry welcomes artists from all disciplines who are curious about how industrial processes and environments can shape their work. Artists-in-residence have access to cutting-edge facilities and technologies that can expand the boundaries of their practice.Four artists are in residence at a time, two in the Kohler Co. pottery and two in the foundry. Residents are expected to commit to a full three-month residency period. The emphasis of the residency is on artists using new materials and processes in a hands-on way while building relationships with the skilled craftspeople who work for Kohler Co.Learn more about the program and watch alumni videos.To apply, visit jmkac.org/applications.Arts/Industry is a unique collaboration between the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Kohler Co. This residency program is administered by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and generously hosted and funded by Kohler Co.Next article

AlienCat - stock.adobe.comNewsGovernment boosts Horizon R&D campaignAs part of its Plan for Change, Labour is ramping up efforts to get more UK businesses to apply for Horizon fundingByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 02 Jan 2025 11:15 The government has started the new year by ramping up its support for Horizon, the European-wide research initiative.Horizon, which involves collaboration with European, Canadian and South Korean researchers, is aligned with Labours Plan for Change. The programme enables researchers and innovators from the UK to access grants to fund projects such as those to support healthcare and green energy, as well as boost productivity with artificial intelligence (AI).Everyone knew what a big job we had on our hands to restore the UKs place as the natural R&D partner to our neighbours, when we associated to Horizon a year ago, said science and technology secretary Peter Kyle. But the brilliance of our scientists and businesses was never in doubt, and the green shoots of recovery are breaking through.In 2025, it really is now or never to truly reap the benefits of Horizon association, he said. This year, we will pull every lever at our disposal to help Britains innovators seize the opportunities for funding and collaboration that are open to them.Only by backing our brightest minds to get their ideas out of the lab and into the economy will we be able to fulfil our mission of national renewal as part of our Plan for Change.The government plans to run Horizon Europe roadshows, which provide a platform for researchers and innovative businesses to present their ideas through the process of bidding for Horizon funding, gain support for their applications, and connect with likeminded innovators.There will also be Horizon Europe Brokerage events, where Innovate UK takes delegations of British businesspeople and researchers to Italy, Germany and Spain to network with potential R&D partners in those countries, and work on how to build the best possible bids for Horizon funding together.Read more about UK R&D initiativesGovernment renews hunt for UKRI CEO: Two senior innovation roles are up for grabs as government looks for a CEO to lead UK Research and Innovation, as well as a new executive chair of Innovate UK.Semiconductor market scaleups to benefit from multimillion-pound investment from Innovate UK: National innovation agency Innovate UK is offering 16 semiconductor scaleups access to millions of pounds of funding to support their continued growth.Along with the events, the government is ramping up marketing activity to encourage UK R&D-focused businesses to apply to the Horizon funding programme.Innovate UK will offer grants of up to 700 for UK innovators to help cover the cost of attending R&D events across Europe aimed at networking with potential Horizon research partners.Among the businesses that have already received funding is Recycleye, which has developed AI-powered robotics to lower the cost of waste-sorting. The company received a grant of 385,000, which is being used to hire more engineers.Horizon funding catalysed the refinement of our machines to meet the unpredictable industrial environment of recycling facilities, helping us as a British business be at the forefront of European waste management innovations, said Victor Dewulf, CEO of Recycleye.Potential applicants can find Horizon Europe funding opportunities, which are open to UK-based applicants using the European Commissions funding and tender opportunities portal. They can apply for Horizon Europe funding through the European Commissions funding and tenders portal.In The Current Issue:What do the home secretarys policing reforms mean for the future of the Police Digital Service?What are the security risks of bring your own AI?Download Current IssueMicrosoft Copilot: A Year of Learning Write side up - by Freeform DynamicsPrint Industry Trends, 2025 Quocirca InsightsView All Blogs