Now that you've turned your sketches into highly detailed drawings,customized your iPhone's home screen,added sizzle to your text messagesand tried out all the newApple Intelligencefeatures, what's next to discover in iOS 18.2?There's so much. Plenty of new settings aren't publicized, so they stay under the radar, but that doesn't mean they're not important.We've chosen our favorite hidden iOS 18.2 features you should know about.For more, here are eight iOS 18 settings you want to change right away, how to back up your iPhone the correct way and how to fix these three annoying iOS 18 settings. 11 Essential Accessories Your iPhone Wants for the Holidays See all photos Restart your iPhone from the new control centerYou don't have to press any physical buttons to restart your iPhone if you're running iOS 18. The redesigned control center features all the classic controls you're used to, like brightness, volume, orientation, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but there are several new controls, including one to restart your iPhone.All you need to do is swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone and press and hold down on the new power button in the top-right of the control center. You can't just tap it; you have to hold it down for a second or so, and then the slider to power off your iPhone will appear.To turn your iPhone back on, you'll still need to press and hold the physical side button. On iOS 17 and earlier, the only way to restart your iPhone is to press and hold either volume button and the side button. Nelson Aguilar/CNETUse a QR code to share your Wi-Fi passwordThere are a few ways you can share a Wi-Fi network and password with people via your iPhone, and there's a new way to do it on iOS 18. Using a QR code fills in a few gaps for ways to quickly share your Wi-Fi information:Share with several people at once. Instead of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you can have everyone scan the QR code from your phone.Share with someone not saved as your contact. Nearby share for Wi-Fi doesn't work unless that person is in your contacts.Share with someone who has Android. Nearby share and AirDrop don't work with Android devices. Watch this: 11 Hidden Features in iOS 18 06:44 So if you meet any of those scenarios and you don't want to text the Wi-Fi password to them, you can use the QR code. Go to the new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi section, tap on the network you want to share and then hit Show Network QR Code. If the other person scans the QR code with their camera, they'll be connected to the Wi-Fi network. This only works for Wi-Fi passwords, not regular passwords. Nelson Aguilar/CNETAdjust the beam width of your flashlightThe flashlight on the iPhone is getting a big upgrade. You've long been able to change the intensity of the flashlight, but on iOS 18 you can now also adjust the beam width of the light, as long as you have a compatible model. You can go wide, to cover more area with less light, or go narrow, to use more intense light over less area, and everywhere in between. It's a fun feature to play around with for lighting people for photos.To use the new feature, turn on your flashlight (use the lock screen or control center), and a new user interface will appear on the dynamic island. You can change the light intensity by swiping up and down, but to change the beam width, you'll need to swipe left and right. If you tap anywhere in the dynamic island, you can turn the flashlight off and on. A wide flashlight beam (left) and a narrow beam. Nelson Aguilar/CNETNote: This feature only works on iPhone models with the dynamic island, including the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 series and iPhone 16 series.Share your AirTag with other peopleAn AirTag allows you to easily track your luggage when you're traveling or your keys when they're lost, but sometimes you might want other people to also be able to track your AirTag, especially if you're on a family vacation or weekend getaway with your partner. With iOS 18, you can now share any AirTag you have with up to six people.Don't miss: 5 Clever Hiding Spots for Your Apple AirTagsTo do this, go into the Find My app and find the AirTag you want to share. Go into the AirTag, hit Add Person under Share AirTag and choose a contact, or several. Finally tap Sharein the top-right and that person will then have to accept your invitation. Once they do, they'll be able to track your AirTag from their Apple device. Anyone that is tracking the AirTag won't be notified when it's near them. Nelson Aguilar/CNETTranscribe Voice Memos and make them searchableThe Voice Memos app is incredibly convenient for capturing ideas or song snippets, but they've always been obfuscated. You can give them a descriptive title, but that doesn't help when you want to find that one memo you recorded that contains the word "porcupine." In iOS 18, the app can create transcriptions of your voice memos and search for words that were previously available only as audio waveforms.In the Voice Memos app, tap one of your memos to reveal its controls and then tap theEdit Recordingbutton, which looks like a waveform. Or, tap the three-dots button to the right of a memo and chooseEdit Recording.Next, tap theTranscribebutton to create the transcription (or view the text if it's already been transcribed). TapDone. Take an existing voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (right). Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETNow, when you use the Search field, the app looks through the transcripts in addition to the titles for results. The text is also available throughout iOS. When you perform a search from the home screen, you'll see Voice Memos as a category with the memos that include the search term (you may need to tapShow More Resultsto reveal it). With transcripts made, voice memos are more easily searchable. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETHide app labels for a cleaner home screenIs your home screen feeling a little too cluttered? If so, this new feature could help. Now with iOS 18, you can get rid of app labels or the names of the apps that you see underneath each app icon on your home screen. If you can recognize an app from just the icon, who needs the label?On your home screen, press and hold down on any blank space, until you enter jiggle mode, and then hit Edit > Customize. A menu will appear at the bottom of the screen; choose the Large option, which will make your app icons slightly larger and remove the app labels. This will also remove the app labels from the folders in the App Library. Nelson Aguilar/CNETChange an app to a widget without leaving the home screenNot every iOS app has a widget for your home screen, but if it does, you don't need to dig through the widget edit page to find it. If you're running iOS 18, and there's an app that you want to turn into a widget, you can do so very quickly right from your home screen.On a supported app, press and hold down on the icon on your home screen to bring up the quick actions menu. If the app has a widget, you'll see an app icon next to a variety of widget icons (up to three). Tap on any of the widget icons to change the app to a widget. If you want to go back from the widget to the app, go to the quick action menu and hit the app icon on the left. This only works for apps that have widgets on iOS. Nelson Aguilar/CNETSecretly identify songs using the Action ButtonNo lie, it's satisfying when someone asks, "What song is this?" to be able to activate Music Recognition on the iPhone and get an answer quickly. To get the answer means very noticeably asking Siri to run Shazam oractivate Music Recognition in the control center. Wouldn't it be fun to let your friends think you've been blessed with an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music?In iOS 18, you can come close using the Action Button. Go toSettings > Action Buttonand swipe through the options untilRecognize Musicis selected. Assign the Recognize Music feature to the Action Button and then identify songs by just holding the button. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETTo make it work, just press and hold the Action Button for a couple of seconds. Shazam appears on the dynamic island to listen to what's playing and identify the song. If you're sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your phone, no one needs to know you got some help from a supercomputer in the cloud.Find images with handwriting and illustrations in the Photos appA lot is changing in the Photos app in iOS 18, from the way things are organized to the ability to usegenerative AI to remove objectsin images. Apple has also tucked a few surprises into the app to help you sort through your library.Scroll down past the main library itself to view categories such asPeople and PetsandMemoriesuntil you reachUtilities. Tap it to view the full list -- but note that a new feature of this interface is the ability to swipe left to view additional panels. Prior to iOS 18, Utilities included options to view hidden, recently deleted and duplicate photos.Now, it includes many more options. TapHandwritingto view images with handwriting in them. Looking for images that are illustrations and not photographs? TapIllustrations(although in our testing this seems to grab a lot of screenshots too). View images that contain handwriting in your Photos library in iOS 18. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETShare a specific section of a podcastDid the hosts of your favorite podcast say something especially funny or thoughtful that you want to share with someone? In the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you can send an episode to a friend with the playback advanced to that moment -- but the capability isn't easy to find.Tap theNow Playing barin the app at the bottom of the screen to view the playback controls and pause the episode. Use the progress bar to go back to the start of the section you want to share.Next, tap theMore() button and chooseShare Episode. In the sharing options that appear, tapFrom Startbelow the episode title, and then selectFrom [the current time]. TapDone. Start by sharing the episode itself. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNETLastly, choose the method of sharing, such as via Messages or Mail. When the recipient receives the shared episode and opens it in the Podcasts app, they'll see the option toPlay from [the time]. Specify that the shared episode begins at the time you chose. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

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Confusion remains over Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox delay, as developer blames console memoryDespite Microsoft insisting "platform limitations" weren't an issue.Image credit: Game Science News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 2, 2025 Black Myth: Wukong's director has appeared to contradict Microsoft, stating the game's Xbox delay is due to the Series S's memory limitations. This is something that the Xbox maker has previously denied.Writing on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Black Myth: Wukong producer and Game Science CEO Feng Ji said the Xbox Series S's memory is the reason behind the game's delay on Microsoft's consoles. Lamenting Black Myth: Wukong's absence on Xbox in an otherwise good year for the studio (it recently scooped up a number of awards at the Steam Awards), the director wrote:"But that 10G shared memory, I can't really get it without a few years of optimisation experience" (translated on ResetEra).Black Myth: Wukong. Watch on YouTubeIn September of last year however, Microsoft said the delay to the game's Xbox release of Black Myth: Wukong was not due to "platform limitations". At this time, there was also chatter that the Black Myth: Wukong team had entered into an undisclosed exclusivity deal with PlayStation."As we have said before, we're excited for the launch of Black Myth Wukong on Xbox Series X/S and are working with Game Science to bring the game to our platforms," Microsoft said at the time. "We'd prefer not to comment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders but we can confirm that the delay is not due to Xbox platform limitations that have been raised to us."Eurogamer has reached out to both Xbox and Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science for clarification on the game's Xbox delay. Image credit: Eurogamer/Game ScienceBlack Myth: Wukong broke records on its debut by becoming the most popular single-player game by peak concurrent users in Steam history and establishing itself as the most-viewed game on Chinese live-streaming platforms on its first day of release.It went on to be nominated for Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards, however it ultimately lost out to PlayStation platformer Astro Bot. Following this, Game Science's CEO posted a lengthy statement regarding the action game's apparent snub, stating he felt like he "came all the way here for nothing!"

Nintendo upscaling patent spotted, as more Switch 2 component photos appear to leakTechnology will help next-gen games fit on cartridges.Image credit: Nintendo News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 2, 2025 New year, new Switch 2 leaks. While Nintendo's plans for its Switch successor remain officially under wraps, a patent from the company has surfaced detailing plans to use upscaling technology to cram games with up to 4K textures onto physical game cartridges. The patent describes technology similar to Nvidia's DLSS, or PlayStation 5 Pro's baked in PSSR, to upscale images using AI. A key advantage listed here is to decrease the size of games that would otherwise include hefty 4K-native assets. This helps keep download sizes small, and also allow for these games to fit onto moderately-sized physical media.Nintendo's patent dates from July 2023, but was only published publicly this week. As highlighted by industry consultant Laura Kate Dale, the patent suggests "a game with native 4K textures might need a 60GB download, but a 1080-native version might only need 20GB (which would allow it to fit on a 32GB Switch cart, the current max size)".The news comes as a fresh leak shows our best look yet at what appears to be the Switch 2's internal components. The images tally with what we know about the size and internal makeup of the device already from past leaks - including an earlier glimpse at the Switch 2's motherboard, and the suggestion the console will have a second USB port at the top of the device.Switch 2 motherboard byu/MHN1994 inNintendoSwitch2To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Nintendo has previously said it will announce Switch 2 before the end of its current financial year, on 31st March. But much of the console's design can now be assumed - all signs point to it being a slightly larger version of the current Switch, with magnetic Joy-Con and a mysterious new "C" button on the right Joy-Con."Nintendo will not have much time in January, so a potential announcement early in the month could make sense," industry analyst Serkan Toto told Eurogamer last month. "You can bet that Nintendo is aware of all the leaks and not happy about them, even if some of them will turn out to be made up. It is actually getting so bad with those leaks that they might cause Nintendo to release information earlier than planned."

Here are your PlayStation Plus games for JanuarySuicide Squad! Stanley Parable! Need for Speed!Image credit: Rocksteady News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 2, 2025 Happy New Year to you all! Here we are, in 2025, and Sony is kicking things off with its first batch of PlayStation Plus monthly games for the year.The following three games will be available for all PlayStation Plus subscribers, across the service's Premium, Extra and Essential tiers:Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | PS5Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered | PS4The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe | PS4, PS5Those interested in playing any of the above will be able to get their hands on them from 7th January. They will be available to claim up until 3rd February.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Big Eurogamer Quiz of the Year. Watch on YouTubeSo, what of those games? Well, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is a re-imagining of 2013's award winning indie game The Stanley Parable, and is well worth checking out if you are yet to do so. As stated by developer Crows Crows Crows itself, "The Stanley Parable is a game that plays you"."When a simple-minded individual named Stanley discovers that the co-workers in his office have mysteriously vanished, he sets off to find answers," reads the synopsis. "You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will make a choice, and you will have your choices taken from you. The game will end, the game will never end. Contradiction follows contradiction, the rules of how games should work are broken, then broken again. You are not here to win." Image credit: Stellar Entertainment LimitedThen we have Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (pictured above), a "heart-pumping, socially competitive racing experience".Last up, we have Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. This game is, alas, most known for being a bit of a flop for Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Back in February of last year, Warner Bros. Discovery's chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said Rocksteady's release had "fallen short" of its expectations. Warner Bros. went on to attribute a $200m revenue loss to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.Last month, Rocksteady confirmed the live-service game's fourth post-launch season was officially its last, with no more content on the way. Image credit: PlayStationAs with every month, the arrival of these games means this is your last chance to get your hands on last month's PS Plus offerings. Subscribers have until 6th January to add It Takes Two, Aliens: Dark Descent and Temtem to their libraries.For a full list of games available on Sony's subscription service, be sure to check out our guide to PlayStation Plus here.

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 here Contents hide Wuthering Waves became one of the best gacha game experiences following its launch last year, and the game has immediately started the new year even bigger and better by officially joining PlayStation consoles in conjunction with the release of 2.0. In addition to these significant events, here you will find the Wuthering Waves January 2025 codes and free rewards for you to get before they expire. Kuro Games Genshin Impact rival is now available on PS5 consoles. The only unfortunate news about WuWa on PS5 is that it hasnt joined PS4 as originally planned. Still, the game is now on Sonys system, and its fantastic as a free-to-play gacha. Version 2.0 has also added the essential new feature of being able to change gender at any time, and it has also introduced a new flight mechanic that is sadly restricted to Rinascita. Whether youre a newcomer on PS5 or someone continuing to play via PC and mobile, make sure to get all of the Wuthering Waves January 2025 codes and rewards on offer. Wuthering Waves January 2025 free rewards There are a host of free rewards available to get in Wuthering Waves during January 2025. By simply logging in after the 2.0 update, you will be rewarded with 10 Radiant Tide and 10 Crystal Solvent. Below are all of the other January 2025 free rewards and how to get: 1,600 Astrite Jan 29th Feb 13thWill be sent in multiple emailsSanhuas Signature Outfit Jan 23rd Feb 13thReach union level 14, complete the Dances for Springs Return: Companion Invitation Login event taskRadiant Tide x5, Lustrous Tide x5 Jan 2ndLog in daily and complete 7-day login task 3,000 Astrites Jan 2ndComplete various 2.0 featured events Lustrous Tide x30 For new rovers 5-star Resanator of your choice Jianxin, Calcharo, Verina, Lingyang or EncoreFor new roversImage credit: Kuro GamesIn addition to the above, there are also the following rewards available through Twitch Drops: Shell credit Medium Resonance Potion Advanced Energy Core Advanced Energy Bag Astrite Image credit: Wuthering_Waves on XWuthering Waves January 2025 codesThere is only one code currently available for Wuthering Waves in January 2025: WUTHERINGGIFT50x Astrite2x Premium Resonance Potion2x Medium Revival Enhaler2x Medium Energy Bag10,000x Shell CreditThis is available to anyone who hasnt used the code before so its perfect for newcomers on PS5. How to redeem codes To redeem codes in Wuthering Waves, you need to have completed Chapter 1, Act 1, and have reached Union Level 2. Provided you have done all this, you will have access to the in-game mail system.Assuming you are eligible to redeem codes, simply follow the below steps:Open the main menuSelect SettingsOpen Other SettingsClick Redeem for redemption codeEnter your codeClaim rewards from your mailboxFor more Wuthering Waves, we have a guide to all of thevoice actorsin the game, and we also have a guide explaininghow to add friends.Wuthering WavesPlatform(s):UnknownGenre(s):UnknownSubscribe 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 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.