As 2024 came to a close, we asked you to take a look back and share your favorite screenshots you took while playing in 2024 using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are the Share of the Year highlights:cuterboy296 shares Astro Bot in the God of War themed level tossing the Leviathan Axe.riainwonderland shares a back to back portrait of Aloy and Rost from Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.themarkplumb shares a close up portrait of Abby in newly released skin in The Last of Us Part II Remastered.calisarah1998 shares Kay Vess walking out of a structure in Star Wars Outlaws.domo_vp shares a Navi aiming a bow and arrow with a planet center framed in the background in Avatar: Frontiers of PandoraTakaSanGames shares Eve striking a pose with her weapon in Stellar BladeGib84G shares a group of Space Marines standing in their armor in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.DexM_ds shares the Destined One carrying a bird on his arm in Black Myth: Wukong__Auron__ shares the protagonist nun framed by dramatic lighting in Indika.MBaw96 shares the protagonist and wolf from Neva underneath a larger spirit wolf falling in the sky.Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this weeks theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?THEME: New GameSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 15, 2024Did you unwrap a new game over the holidays? Next week, share moments diving into a game youve never played before using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

The Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass, formally referred to as the Darkhold in-game, offers 10 new skins and a variety of other cosmetic goodies for both free-to-play players and those who pick up the paid luxury battle pass (or its upgrade). But is the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass worth its $10 price tag?In this Marvel Rivals guide, well walk you if the season 1 battle pass is worth it, including detailed breakdowns about what you get as a free-to-play player, what you get from the paid battle pass, and what you get from the paid upgrade for the battle pass.Is the Marvel Rivals season 1 paid battle pass worth it?Put simply, yes, the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass is worth it.Almost all of the luxury-exclusive skins are of similar quality (or better, in the Moon Knight and Namor skins cases) than those of matching rarity found inside the shop. The additional currency offered in the paid battle pass is also enough that youll eventually be able to get every third luxury battle pass for free and a free skin from the shop every few seasons.For a look at which skins you can get, see our guide to the season 1 battle pass skins.Is the Marvel Rivals season 1 paid battle pass upgrade worth it?Unlike the luxury battle pass, the upgraded luxury battle pass value is less obvious. Generally speaking, you dont need the upgraded luxury season 1 battle pass.The upgraded version comes with 2,,800 bonus Chrono Tokens to get you started and gives you a permanent 20% increase to the number of Chrono Tokens you earn for the entire season. That last part is pretty intriguing, as that essentially reduces the number of missions and dailies you need to do by 20% over the season.However, this upgraded version is really only worth the extra 1,110 Lattice ($12) if you dont think youll have too much time to play, or you just really need that Wolverine skin ASAP. As with any battle pass skip in a game like Marvel Rivals, its a convenient boost for those that have more money than time to play.What is the value of the free Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass?The luxury battle pass is a bit of a wild deal, when you look at the math, which is what were going to do below. But first lets look at the value for free-to-play players, which offers about $25 worth of cosmetics and currencies for free.The free version of the battle pass will net you several sprays, nameplates, and even some emotes. Two of the 10 skins offered in the season 1 battle pass are also free: a rare and an epic (for more exact details on all the goodies in the battle pass, check out our guide for all the season 1 battle pass skins in Marvel Rivals). Just for the skins alone, thats about a 2,000-Lattice value (read on to see how we got that number).There are also 400 free Units and 200 free Lattice you can earn. With those Units, you could buy an epic-quality skin (1,400 Units without the bundle) in four seasons, assuming NetEase Games gives you 400 for free each time. You could buy a luxury battle pass every five seasons with the free Lattice, assuming that number remains consistent each season as well.Altogether, free players who fully unlock the battle pass can walk away with 2,600 Lattice (around $25) in free cosmetics and currencies, not including some of the typical bundle goodies like sprays and nameplates, which are more difficult to place an exact value on.What is the value of the paid Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass?Now lets take a look at the value for the paid version of the season 1 battle pass, which offers about $155 worth of cosmetics and currencies for a $9.99 investment.The luxury battle costs 990 Lattice, which is 10 Lattice under the 1,000-Lattice bundle you can get for $9.99.Starting with the currency, youll get an additional 200 Units from the luxury version of the pass, as well as 400 additional Lattice. While this wont change much about how often you can buy an epic skin from the store (every three seasons instead of every four), the luxury battle pass triples the amount of Lattice youll earn each season. This means that youll get enough Lattice to pay for every third luxury battle pass, assuming you save it between seasons.A buy two, get one free situation with the luxury battle pass is a great deal, but the real value comes from the skins.Every character in Marvel Rivals has a rare skin available for you to purchase, but they dont appear in the shop, and you instead need to buy them for 600 Units from their character screen in the menu. Theyre typically just alternate colors for the characters and dont change anything about their body shape or skins. There are two rare skins in the luxury battle pass, although they actually change quite a bit more than the average rare skin, giving the characters additional accents. These two rare skins account for a value of 1,200 Units.Epic skins can be purchased outside of their bundles for 1,400 Units (unless theyre MCU-inspired, then theyre 1,600). The bundles cost 2,200 Units (2,400 for MCU bundles) when they arent on sale. There are four epic skins in the luxury battle pass, and they all have the same kind of cosmetics youd find in their bundles (some of which are part of the free battle pass track). The epic skins in the luxury battle pass represent a value of about 8,800 Units, give or take a few hundred if you want to get picky about some themed bundle items being available for free-to-play players.Legendary skins are typically 3,300 Units for a bundle (3500 for the MCU ones) when theyre not on sale, and most cannot be purchased separately (those that can are 2000 Units). There are two legendary skins that come with the luxury battle pass, which represents about a 6,600 Unit value, depending on if you consider that some legendary bundle periphery items are on the free track, like the All-Butcher spray for Loki.All told, the eight skins in the luxury battle pass add up to 17,200 Units, which is a lot. If you were to exclusively use Lattice to get that number of Units, youd need to spend about $150 buying the 11,680 and 5,680 Lattice bundles from the shop. When you add in the additional 400 Lattice and 200 Units you get from the luxury pass, thats a 17,800 Lattice value, or about $155.That sounds like a lot and it is, the value of the season 1 battle pass is clearly quite high but its worth keeping in mind that every skin bundle in the shop has been on sale and heavily discounted (sometimes by more than 1,000 Units) since the game launched. So while the theoretical value of the pass is $155, you have to factor in that youre not necessarily getting 10 costumes and goodies for heroes that you care about or even play, and that the skins in the shop have never actually cost as much as their base value says.However, even with a lot of math, price -checking, and caveats, the luxury battle pass is clearly a pretty sweet deal if youre even a casual Marvel Rivals enjoyer.When does the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass expire?Battle passes in Marvel Rivals never expire, the way they do in many other live-service games. While a new battle pass will make its way to the game once season 2 hits, youll be able to go back to the season 1 battle pass and continue making progress on it instead if you wish.However, this only applies to those that have purchased the luxury version of the battle pass. If youre a free-to-play player whos on the fence, you need to buy the battle pass during the season or youll lose the ability to buy it at all. As of this writing, once a season ends, there is no way to purchase that seasons paid battle pass.The countdown on the season 1 battle pass suggests an April 11 release date for season 2. This future update will cause the season 1 battle pass to become dormant, but, as previously mentioned, you can reactivate it at any time if you spent the $10 bucks during season 1.For moreMarvel Rivalsguides, heres everything you need to know about the Midnight Features event, a list of all knowncodes,and a look at the gamesroadmap.

There are 10 skins in the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass, most of which fit into a spooky vampire theme. While two of these skins are available for free, the other eight require you to purchase the paid luxury battle pass.Below, well show you all skins in the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass, plus details about what else is in the battle pass and how many Chrono Tokens each item costs.Marvel Rivals season 1 skins list: How many skins are in the battle pass?The season 1 battle pass offers eight unique skins for those willing to purchase the paid luxury version. There are two free skins for all players. There are also a variety of other items in the pass, which consist of things youd find in the skin bundles in the store, like nameplates, sprays, and emotes that go with the various skins.Heres the full list of skins in the season 1 battle pass, and the characters theyre for:Loki: All-ButcherMoon Knight: Blood Moon KnightRocket Racoon: Bounty HunterPeni Parker: Blue Tarantula (free)Magneto: King Magnus Namor: Savage Sub-MarinerIron Man: Blood Edge ArmorAdam Warlock: Blood SoulScarlet Witch: Emporium Matron (free)Wolverine: Blood BerserkerThe luxury battle pass for season 1 will run you 990 Lattice, or about $10. For more insight into what you get in return, see our breakdown on if the season 1 battle pass is worth it.Regardless of if you own the paid battle pass or the free version, youll need to unlock each page in the battle pass by earning Chrono Tokens via in-game missions and objectives. Once youve unlocked a page, you can start spending your Chrono Tokens on the items listed there. However, know that you can only purchase a skin on the page once youve purchased every other item there.Here are all skins in the Marvel Rivals season 1 battle pass.Loki: All-Butcher (page 1)All-Butcher is a Legendary skin for Loki that is instantly unlocked when you purchase the luxury version of the battle pass no Chrono Tokens required.If you want his matching MVP screen and goodies, however, youll need to unlock them on page 1, detailed below.Moon Knight: Blood Moon Knight (page 1)Found on page 1, Blood Moon Knight is a paid battle pass skin for Moon Knight. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.All of these items appear on page 1 alongside the Blood Moon Knight and All-Butcher skins and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare All-Butcher spray Rare Mister Fantastic nameplate Epic Heed My Call emoteEpic All-Butcher nameplate (luxury)Legendary Loki MVP screen: End of Everything (luxury)Rocket Racoon: Bounty Hunter (page 2)Found on page 2, Bounty Hunter is a paid battle pass skin for Rocket Raccoon. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 2 once youve earned 1,200 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 2 alongside the Bounty Hunter skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare Invisible Woman nameplateRare Rocket Racoon Emblem sprayRare Bounty Hunter sprayEpic Rocket Racoon MVP screen: Wanted Raccoon (luxury)Epic Bounty Hunter nameplate (luxury)100 Lattice (luxury)Peni Parker: Blue Tarantula (page 3)Found on page 3, Blue Tarantula is a free battle pass skin for Peni Parker. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 3 once youve earned 2,400 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 3 alongside the Blue Tarantula skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare Moon Knight Emblem sprayRare Loki Emblem sprayRare Peni Parker Emblem spray100 Units (luxury)Rare Human Torch nameplate100 Lattice (luxury)Magneto: King Magnus (page 4)Found on page 4, King Magnus is a paid battle pass skin for Magneto. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 4 once youve earned 3,600 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 4 alongside the King Magnus skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare Scarlet Witch Emblem sprayEpic King Magnus nameplateRare Magneto Emblem sprayEpic Magneto MVP screen: For All Mutants (luxury)Rare Past No More emote (luxury)Rare King Magnus spray (luxury)Namor: Savage Sub-Mariner (page 5)Found on page 5, Savage Sub-Mariner is a paid battle pass skin for Namor. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 5 once youve earned 4,800 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 5 alongside the Savage Sub-Mariner skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:100 LatticeDarkhold collectible100 UnitsRare Namor Emblem sprayRare The Thing nameplate100 Units (luxury)Eternal Night Falls gallery card (page 6)There are no battle pass skins on page 6. The only item on the page, the Eternal Night Falls gallery card, requires you to have earned 6,000 Chrono Tokens during the season to purchase it.Iron Man: Blood Edge Armor (page 7)Found on page 7, Blood Edge Armor is a paid battle pass skin for Iron Man. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 7 once youve earned 7,200 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 7 alongside the Blood Edge Armor skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:100 UnitsRare Iron Man Emblem sprayRare Blood Edge Armor sprayEpic Iron Man MVP screen: Cleansing Edge (luxury)Rare Iron Man emote: Subway Rat Blaster (luxury)Rare Blood Edge Armor nameplate (luxury)Adam Warlock: Blood Soul (page 8)Found on page 8, Blood Soul is a paid battle pass skin for Adam Warlock. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 8 once youve earned 8,400 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 8 alongside the Blood Soul skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare Adam Warlock emote: Innocence RebornRare Blood Soul sprayRare Adam Warlock Emblem sprayEpic Adam Warlock MVP screen: Cut Divine Ties (luxury)100 Lattice (luxury)Rare Blood Soul nameplate (luxury)Scarlet Witch: Emporium Matron (page 9)Found on page 9, Emporium Matron is a free battle pass skin for Scarlet Witch. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 9 once youve earned 9,600 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 9 alongside the Emporium Matron skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:Rare Scarlet Witch emote: Flamenco100 UnitsRare Emporium Matron spray (luxury)Rare Emporium Matron nameplate (luxury)Epic Scarlet Witch MVP screen: Making an Entrance (luxury)100 Lattice (luxury)Wolverine: Blood Berserker (page 10)Found on page 10, Blood Berserker is a paid battle pass skin for Wolverine. You can purchase it for 400 Chrono Tokens once youve purchased all the other items on the page.Youll unlock the ability to purchase items from page 10 once youve earned 10,800 Chrono Tokens during the season.All of these items appear on page 10 alongside the Blood Berserker skin and cost 200 Chrono Tokens each:100 Lattice100 UnitsEpic Wolverine emote: Hone ClawsRare Blood Berserker spray (luxury)Epic Blood Berserker nameplate (luxury)Legendary Wolverine MVP screen: Blood Barrage (luxury)At Your Service gallery card (page 11)There are no battle pass skins on page 11. The only item on page 11, the At Your Service gallery card, requires you to have earned 12,000 Chrono Tokens during the season to purchase it.For moreMarvel Rivalsguides, heres everything you need to know about the Midnight Features event, a list of all knowncodes,and a look at the gamesroadmap.

At the 2025 Action Briefing event, Renegade Games announced updated titles to historical tabletop game line Axis & Allies. The franchise, which puts players in the roles of major military powers during the first and second World Wars, has four major releases coming out this year: a new theater of war, the return of an old classic, a deluxe battlemap, and a fantasy game in their Powered by Axis & Allies line.The biggest announcement of Action Briefing is far and away \the introduction of Axis & Allies Stalingrad, a new game designed by Matt Hyra and Larry Harris that brings one of the deadliest battles of World War II to the table. After Renegade acquired the Axis & Allies license in 2022, the games studio surveyed its audience, asking which historical battlegrounds theyd like to see made. According to a Renegade spokesperson, the Soviet city ranked second on the list just behind A&A: North Africa, which went on sale in 2024.Renegade also revealed on the stream that it will be bringing the classic title A&A: Battle of the Bulge back into print. While not a new game (first published in 2006), the two-player game depicts the battle that led to the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany, with one player manning the Allies and the other the Axis powers. The publisher stated there wouldnt be major updates to the original game.In addition to these two big announcements, Renegade reminded everyone of the other big releases it will be debuting this year. First is Axis & Allies: Battle for the Deep, a fantasy game that brings players into an underwater world that has seen four aquatic factions fighting one another for centuries. Set to be released in February of this year, the four-player game is a continuation of the Powered by Axis & Allies series, which uses the core mechanics of the A&A system in non-historical settings, building on the release of last years G.I. JOE Battle for the Arctic Circle.Renegade will also be releasing a 1914 edition of its supersized Deluxe Map. Like the 1940 Global Deluxe Map, the neoprene map will be more than four feet long, mapping out sections of the world that were major sites of conflict during the war. All of the products mentioned in the announcement will be available for pre-order on the Renegade Games website.

I am good at many things, but managing my money isn't always one of them. My New Year's resolution is to be more financially responsible, but the truth is I've been working on it for a while. One of the most useful strategies I devised is using multiple bank accounts to budget. Here's why (and how) I do it, and why it might work for you, too.Different bank accounts slow me down and help me see where my money is goingIn the same way I use a variety of Google accounts to carry out different kinds of work in dedicated browsers, I use a few different bank accounts to divide my money, though I use "bank account" to describe a few things that might not technically be bank accounts. Two are traditional ones, one through the bank I grew up with in my hometown and another through Chase. The other two are digital, my Venmo and Chime accounts. For all four, I have an app, a debit card, and, crucially, a plan. For my regular paychecks, I elected to have my payouts be disbursed 70/30 between the account with the bank back home and my Chime account, respectively, though portions from both are also automatically earmarked for savings. Money I earn from teaching spin classes goes into Chase, as does money I earn from personal projects or freelancing. Money in Venmo is just regular money in Venmo, acquired when someone pays me back for something or I occasionallybut rarelytransfer some in there. "Serious" expenses, like bills, groceries, and student loans, pull straight from the account I've had back home since I got my first job in tenth grade. I leave that debit card out of my wallet most of the time so I don't even touch it unless it's an emergency. The 30% of my regular paycheck that hits the Chime account is spent on things that are fun, like personal upkeep and daily Dunkin' runs. The spin class money in the Chase account is for boring needs, like transit and laundry. Every two weeks or so, I assess what, if anything, is left over in the less serious ones and, if I feel inclined, move some to Venmo, which is designated only for frivolity, like a night out. If there's not much money in the frivolity account, I don't go (or at least I go with a firm budget in mind). Finally, if there's a big expense I'd like to pay for but don't want to decimate one account or the other for it, I move a little from all the accounts into Venmo. Why this strategy works for me"But Lindsey," you may say, "You have the same amount of money whether it's in four accounts or one. Why bother with all this?" Well, because I'm bad at budgeting, that's why. If I had one single account and opened my app on payday to see all my money in one place, I'd go a little hog wild without remembering to plan ahead for needs at different levels of severity. Opening four accounts, seeing four different amounts, and having a better idea of precisely how much I have available to spend for each category makes me think a little more and puts up a little buffer to stop me from waltzing into Sephora without a care in the world. Some people do this with their savings and checking accounts, which are both linked to the same bank account. That's fine... for those people. I tried that once. It didn't take much convincing from the devil on my shoulder to transfer money right back out of savings into checking with one tap. Transferring it between different institutions is not difficult, per se, but it requires a little more effort than toggling between savings and checking, and that split-second effort is enough to get me to pause and rethink my bad idea. There have really been no downsides to this besides needing a wallet with a substantial number of pockets. All the cards except for the "serious" one are linked up to my Apple Pay, anyway, and the only issue there is I have to be more diligent about not letting myself use them for purposes other than the ones I've assigned to them just because it's convenient. For someone who's good at budgeting and managing their money, this probably isn't entirely necessary, but if you read even a word of this and related to me, consider it. The accounts were all easy to set up, the debit cards were all free with the accounts, and since I implemented this strategy, I have never found myself in a position where I don't have enough money to cover the things I need and the things I want just because I went a momentarily numb in the brain on payday.

It's 2025, which means every tech company needs to have its own AI bot, of course. X is no exception: Since late 2023, the site has offered a chatbot to its Premium subscribers, developed by sibling company xAI. While blue check accounts may enjoy their built-in AI solution, the vast majority of users with even a passing interest in AI will undoubtedly look towards other options, free or not, like ChatGPT or Gemini. Perhaps that will change this year: In December, xAI announced a free version of Grok, specifically the newest Grok-2 model, available to anyone with an X account. Today, if you click on the Grok tab on X, you'll be able to access Grok, much like any other chatbot you've used before. That's fine and well for the curious among us still on X. But those who have fled for greener pastures haven't been able to take advantage of this perk. That is, until now. Grok is on iPhone, no X account requiredAs of this week, Grok is now available as a free app on iOSno strings attached. You don't need an X account to use Grok, nor do you need to sign into any account at all. (Of course, you can connect your X account, or sign in via Apple, Google, or email.) Once you download the app, you can immediately ask Grok whatever it is you'd ask an AI chatbot. If you don't sign in with X Premium, it seems the app is working off similar limitations to the free plan. That's 10 requests every two hours, with three image analysis requests and four image generations per day. Of course, now the question is, will people actually use Grok? It's possible. As I write this, the app is the fourth most popular free app on the iOS App Storeone spot below ChatGPT, and well above Gemini at 49. (X is number 31, by the way.) However, I am a bit skeptical about its staying power. I obviously understand X and Elon Musk fans flocking to Grok, but most people who care about AI, I think, will stick with what they know (i.e., ChatGPT) unless Grok can do something different, better, or both. I'll admit, Grok is fast: I hadn't tried it myself until now, and the speed at which it responds to text-based queries is impressive. That said, I haven't spent too much time with it, so I can't swear by how accurate the results areand as a relative AI-skeptic, I'm not likely to use it much. However, the one area I see Grok having an advantage (and not necessarily in a good way) is its lack of filter. This is an X Corp product, after all, which means Grok doesn't have some of the restrictions and limitations that other services have put into place to prevent abuse. When it comes to image generation, you can make some wild stuff with Grok. When Lifehacker associate tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt tested out the Grok-2 beta in August, she was taken aback by some of the images she was able to get Grok to generate: violent, offensive, and weird. Even in some brief testing, I was able to make Grok infringe on copyrights without even having to trick it: With Google's Imagen 3, for example, I was able to generate images of Mario by prompting the bot with vague workarounds, like "an Italian plumber wearing a red hat with the letter M." Asking it to draw Mario wouldn't work. Grok is the opposite: Try a workaround, and it spits out weird images of men wearing Mario's clothes. Ask it to draw Mario, and it willfor better, or worse. Mario was supposed to shoot the goomba, but I guess Grok had other plans. Credit: Jake Peterson

As wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to spread and force people from their homes, various shelter options have opened to offer free or discounted stays for evacueesincluding Airbnb. Through a partnership with 211 LA, Airbnb.org (the nonprofit arm of the short-term rental platform) is facilitating emergency temporary housing for displaced residents. In addition, those who manage or have plans to stay in Airbnbs in the LA area will get a reprieve from cancellation fees and penalties under the platform's major disruptive events policy: Hosts can cancel bookings without consequences, and guests are eligible for full refunds if their trip hasn't started (or partial refunds for any unused nights if it has). VRBO has activated a similar policy for hosts and guests on its platform. How to set up a free Airbnb stayTo apply for temporary housing support from Airbnb.org, residents in affected areas must fill out an intake form through 211 LA. Those who have lost their homes or been forced to evacuate from the Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Sylmar areas are eligible. In order to request assistance, you must have an Airbnb account or be able to create one. Hosts can also sign up to offer free or discounted stays to hose affected by disasters. If no stays are available or you are seeking alternatives for shelter, many hotels in the area are offering discounted rates for evacuees. Discover Los Angeles has a list of hotel options, while Travel + Leisure has compiled hotels and resorts across California and Nevada that have reduced rates, waived fees, or pet allowances (see both the list and the article comments). For those needing transportation to shelter, Uber is offering free rides up to $40 (code: WILDFIRE25), while Lyft is providing two rides up to $25 each (code: CAFIRERELIEF25). Planet Fitness locations in LA are open for residents and first responders needing showers and wifi access. If you are displaced and have to pay for shelter and food, save receipts to submit to your homeowners insurance, as you may be eligible for reimbursement for those expenses. Finally, Mutual Aid LA has a list of resources for those displaced or in need of support, including animal boarding and community shelters.

Apples AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are on sale for $180 via Amazon. This is the first serious discount of the year and represents a savings of 28 percent. It's not a record-low, but its darn close. The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds have made a real name for themselves since originally launching back in 2022. They easily made our list of the best wireless earbuds, and with good reason. These are a marked improvement over the prior iteration in nearly every way. The sound quality is fantastic and the earbuds now feature active noise cancellation. In our official review, we heaped particular praise on the transparency mode. It sounds so natural, especially when compared to some rival earbuds out there. You can leave the AirPods in during a real-life conversation and likely not even notice youre wearing them. Other features include ultra-fast pairing with Apple devices, hands-free Siri and spatial audio. A recent software update also brought a reduction in wireless audio latency, which should be great for mobile gaming. Another boon for gamers? Voice quality has gotten an uptick, thanks to 16-bit, 48kHz audio during live chats. The major issue with these earbuds is the price, which has been alleviated slightly by todays sale. As a minor gripe, the touch gestures do take a bit of practice to get right, but its not rocket science. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-2-are-on-sale-for-the-first-time-this-year-193537995.html?src=rss

At CES 2025, NVIDIA introduced DLSS 4, the latest version of its real-time image upscaling technology, and announced that it will come to all RTX GPUs. That includes the RTX 20 series that was discontinued back in 2020, but the older models aren't getting all its features.In the new GeForce RTX 50 series models, DLSS 4 will enable Multi Frame Generation. This feature will generate up to three additional frames for every traditionally rendered one, and it can help multiply frame rates by up to eight times more than traditional brute-force rendering. NVIDIA claims 4K 240 FPS fully ray-traced gaming will be possible thanks to Multiple Frame Generation when using its GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, the new $1,999 flagship GPU arriving later this month.In addition, DLSS 4 represents what the company is calling the "biggest upgrade to its AI models" since the release of DLSS 2. DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA will now be powered by the same advanced architecture powering AI models, such as ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The company says that translates to improved temporal stability, less ghosting and higher detail of objects in motion.A total of 75 games and apps will support DLSS 4 from day zero. When the new RTX 50 cards come out, games like Alan Wake and Cyberpunk 2077 will be updated with the ability to take advantage of the technology's Multi Frame Generation feature. More titles will be updated with support for Multi Frame in the future, including Black Myth: Wukong, while upcoming ones like Doom: The Dark Ages and Dune: Awakening will support the feature at launch.The GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs aren't getting Multi Frame Generation, but they are getting DLSS 4's enhanced frame generation, enhanced ray reconstruction, super resolution and deep leaning anti-aliasing capabilities. Meanwhile, GeFore RTX 30 series and RTX 20 series GPUs are getting the last three.NVIDIAThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/nvidia-announced-dlss-4-will-come-to-all-rtx-gpus-044835926.html?src=rss

Registration for the closed network test of Elden Ring Nightreign are open, publisher Bandai Namco announced today. The sign-up period for the co-op Elden Ring spinoff officially started on January 10 at 9AM ET and will run until January 20 at 9AM ET. You can add your name to the list now on Bandai Namco's website.The close network test will be spread across five different sessions on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S, running from February 14 through February 15th. You'll be able to log in on each of those days from 6AM ET to 9AM ET or 10PM ET to 1AM ET the following day to put the game through its paces.Limveld awaits you, Nightfarers.Rise together against the tides of darkness from February 14th to February 17th. Register before January 20 for a chance to join the #ELDENRING #NIGHTREIGN Network Test: https://t.co/DodOCpDczD pic.twitter.com/aqLvLxDZ0T Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) January 10, 2025 Selected players will be able to play "a portion of the game prior to the full game launch," according to Bandai Namco's sign-up page, with the goal of getting a sense of how the company's servers and online systems will handle a mass of fans playing simultaneously. As to what that "portion" will actually contain, Bandai Namco says that players will get "to try the games co-op experience," partnering with two other players to tackle a three day cycle filled with "increasingly challenging enemies and bosses."Nightreign appears to use many of the mechanics, armor, weapons and abilities of Elden Ring, but drops them in a revamped setting, "Limveld," that's design to change every time you play. Per Bandai Namco, you start each cycle of the game in the familiar Roundtable Hold, where you can pick one of eight characters with unique abilities and "Ultimates." The Limveld map you play in will shrink each night, and introduce a new boss that if beaten, lets you progress to the next day. The process continues until the final, third night when you face off against a "Nightlord." And if you fail at any point in the process and have to start a new run (as many will likely do) you'll earn a relic that lets you "customize and upgrade" your character.Elden Ring Nightreign was an unexpectedly announced at The Game Awards in 2024, and was a pretty big surprise, not only because Shadow of the Erdtree came out that same year, but because the game's structure seems remarkably different than anything developer FromSoftware has made before. Anyone lucky enough to be a part of the network test will now be able to see how different it actually feels.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/you-can-now-sign-up-to-test-elden-rings-co-op-spinoff-192012608.html?src=rss