Marvel Rivals director promises a "Marvel-inspired approach" to game balance as new heroes arrive"No role queue will lead to a richer gaming experience."Image credit: NetEase / Marvel News by Ed Nightingale Deputy News Editor Published on Jan. 15, 2025 NetEase has confirmed Marvel Rivals will receive a new hero every month and a half, but won't be adding enforced roles.Speaking to Metro, game director Guangyun Chen was asked about the cadence of heroes joining the game."Every season we'll be rolling out fresh seasonal stories, new maps, and new heroes," said Chen. "We'll actually be breaking down each season into two halves. The length of one season is three months. And for each half of the season, we will introduce a new hero. We just eventually want to continue to enhance the experience, and, you know, keep everyone excited in our community."Season 1: Eternal Night Falls Official Trailer | Marvel RivalsWatch on YouTubeChen also discussed why the team has not included enforced role lock - setting a limit on what class types can be in a team, for a balanced spread of healers, tanks, attackers - which is something the community wishes to change.It appears the team won't be altering this, but will instead provide new possibilities with the team-up mechanic."At its core, it's really about the game balance," said Chen. "So, what we want to offer is more line-up or more team comp possibilities through our hero design and our team-up mechanic. So, we'll be taking a little bit more of a Marvel-inspired approach."It's all about giving the players the freedom to experiment and find their unique strategies, as we've seen in many games and streams. Post-launch, people have been exploring an indefinite amount of team compositions, and we're excited about what's coming, we believe no role queue will lead to a richer gaming experience for everyone."Game balance will also continue to be scrutinised. Season One has brought a number of balance changes to nerf some of the most popular characters, as NetEase has released a Hero Hot List to show the most frequently chosen heroes."After the launch, we've been keeping a close eye on the game's environment and balance," said Chen. "Moving forward, we will be looking at hero pick rates and win rates in different scenarios. Once we have some more detailed analysis and through thoughtful consideration, we'll definitely make necessary balances and adjustments."It's all about creating a good experience for our players. It hasn't been that long since our launch, so we're going to continue to monitor everything and make sure everything feels right."The hero shooter's first season also briefly put an end to mods on PC, to prevent custom skins, FPS boosts and potential cheats. However, modders quickly found a way to use them once again.

People who unwittingly follow the instructions in certain malicious text messages end up bypassing Apple's phishing protection.

NAILSWORTH, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Kevin Long of Birmingham City celebrates with teammate Krystian ... [+] Bielik after scoring the team's second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Forest Green Rovers and Birmingham City at The New Lawn on January 17, 2023 in Nailsworth, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe worlds original league soccer competition, the English Football League, has redeveloped its Green Clubs environmental sustainability scheme. Bi-seasonal assessments will be rolled out and clubs now have the ability to achieve bronze, silver and gold status.What Is Green Clubs?EFL Green Clubs is a league-wide voluntary scheme that supports soccer clubs in England to improve their environmental practices and operations. It offers training and support for clubs as they develop green practices in areas such as purchasing, staff engagement and measuring their carbon footprint. The scheme is delivered in partnership with GreenCode, an environmental accreditation organisation owned by environmentalist and soccer club chairman, Dale Vince OBE.Of the 72 member clubs in the EFL, 38 are signed up to Green Clubs, which initially launched in 2021. The new inclusion of bronze, silver and gold status will require clubs to reach a minimum number of points for each level, and have certain specific measures in place. Examples include a published environmental policy, a baseline carbon footprint, setting targets and having a director or board member responsible for environmental sustainability.Wycombe Wanderers soccer player David Wheeler believes the beautiful game can can play a big part in creating positive action around climate change, saying Clubs are hugely influential within their local communities which is why it is fantastic to see the EFL develop and expand its Green Clubs Scheme.A clear roadmap for EFL clubs and more opportunity to celebrate the work being done to reduce their environmental impact is what director of equality, diversity and inclusion, David McArdle, hopes the improved scheme will achieve. By championing the achievements of this seasons participating clubs, we want to encourage further environmental action across the League. he said.MORE FOR YOUWhy Does Soccer Need Environmental Standards?Over the next 30 years, climate hazards such as flooding, storms and heatwaves pose an increasing threat to soccer grounds in England, according to climate modelling. In September 2024, EFL League Two side AFC Wimbledon saw 100,000 litres of water collapse their pitch and flood their concourses, when a nearby river broke its banks from a months worth of rain that fell in a number of hours.LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 24: An aerial view shows a sinkhole that has appeared on the AFC ... [+] Wimbledon football pitch after heavy rain on September 24, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. There was widespread travel disruption and damage to properties after Monday's heavy rains and flash flooding in parts of the country. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)Getty ImagesSoccer players have previous spoken out about the impact of climate change on playing conditions during their careers and the need for the soccer industry to reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.Green Clubs is voluntary but shows an evolution towards increased ambition and transparency through training and accreditation. Other soccer leagues in Europe have rolled out voluntary and mandatory environmental sustainability criteria for their clubs in recent years.In 2021, Germanys DFL Deutsche Fuball Liga were the first soccer league globally to incorporate mandatory environmental sustainability criteria into licensing for Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. Premier League clubs agreed to a minimum mandatory standard of environmental commitment in 2024. In Spain, La Ligas Environmental Fair Play project has created a knowledge platform and hosts challenges to develop innovative solutions.

keepin' it real Up close and personal with the stag beetle in A Real Bugs Life S2 It's just one of the many fascinating insect species featured in the second season of this NatGeo docuseries. Jennifer Ouellette Jan 14, 2025 1:43 pm | 7 A female giant stag beetle Credit: National Geographic/Darlyne A. Murawski A female giant stag beetle Credit: National Geographic/Darlyne A. Murawski Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA plucky male American stag beetle thinks he's found a mate on a rotting old tree stumpand then realizes there's another male eager to make the same conquest. The two beetles face off in battle, until the first manages to get enough leverage to toss his romantic rival off the stump in a deft display of insect jujitsu. It's the first time this mating behavior has been captured on film, and the stag beetle is just one of the many fascinating insects featured in the second season of A Real Bug's Life, a National Geographic docuseries narrated by Awkwafina.The genesis for the docuseries lies in a past rumored sequel to Pixar's 1998 animated film A Bug's Life, which celebrated its 25th anniversary two years ago. That inspired producer Bill Markham, among others, to pitch a documentary series on a real bug's life to National Geographic. "It was the quickest commission ever," Markham told Ars last year. "It was such a good idea, to film bugs in an entertaining family way with Pixar sensibilities." And thanks to the advent of new technologiesphotogrammetry, probe and microscope lenses, racing drones, ultra-high-speed cameraplus a handful of skilled "bug wranglers," the team was able to capture the bug's-eye view of the world beautifully.As with the Pixar film, the bugs (and adjacent creatures) are the main characters here, from cockroaches, monarch butterflies, and praying mantises to bees, spiders, and even hermit crabs. The 10 episodes, across two seasons, tell their stories as they struggle to survive in their respective habitats, capturing entire ecosystems in the process: city streets, a farm, the rainforest, a Texas backyard, and the African savannah, for example. Highlights from S1 included the first footage of cockroach egg casings hatching; wrangling army ants on location in a Costa Rica rainforest; and the harrowing adventures of a tiny jumping spider navigating the mean streets of New York City.Looking for love A luna moth perched on a twig. National Geographic/Nathan Small A luna moth perched on a twig. National Geographic/Nathan Small Common eastern fireflies light the forest at twilight. National Geographic/Stephen Alvarez Common eastern fireflies light the forest at twilight. National Geographic/Stephen Alvarez A glowing firefly flying through the forest at night. National Geographic A glowing firefly flying through the forest at night. National Geographic Common eastern fireflies light the forest at twilight. National Geographic/Stephen Alvarez A glowing firefly flying through the forest at night. National Geographic A luna moth stands on a stag beetle's horn. National Geographic A luna moth escapes from a mouse. National Geographic A periodical cicada on a tree. National Geographic/Mark Payne-Gill S2 takes viewers to Malaysia's tropical beaches, the wetlands of Derbyshire in England, and the forests of Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. Among the footage highlights: Malaysian tiger beetles, who can run so fast they temporarily are unable to see; a young female hermit crab's hunt for a bigger shell; and tiny peacock spiders hatching Down Under. There is also a special behind-the-scenes look for those viewers keen to learn more about how the episodes were filmed, involving 130 different species across six continents. Per the official synopsis:A Real Bug's Life is back for a thrilling second season thats bolder than ever. Now, thanks to new cutting-edge filming technology, we are able to follow the incredible stories of the tiny heroes living in this hidden world, from the fast-legged tiger beetle escaping the heat of Borneos beaches to the magical metamorphosis of a damselfly on a British pond to the Smoky Mountain luna moth whose quest is to grow wings, find love and pass on his genes all in one short night. Join our witty guide, Awkwafina, on new bug journeys full of more mind-blowing behaviors and larger-than-life characters.Entomologist Michael Carr, an environmental compliance officer for Santa Fe County in New Mexico, served as a field consultant for the "Love in the Forest" episode, which focuses on the hunt for mates by a luna moth, a firefly, and an American stag beetle. The latter species is Carr's specialty, ever since he worked at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History and realized the beetles flourished near where he grew up in Virginia. Since stag beetles are something of a niche species, NatGeo naturally tapped Carr as its field expert to help them find and film the insects in the Smoky Mountains. To do so, Carr set up a mercury vapor lamp on a tripod"old style warehouse lights that take a little time to charge up," which just happen to emit frequencies of light that attract different insect species.Behind the scenes Beetle expert Michael Carr and shooting researcher Katherine Hannaford film a stag beetle at night. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Beetle expert Michael Carr and shooting researcher Katherine Hannaford film a stag beetle at night. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Assistant producer Euan McDonald Smith works out film logistics. National Geographic/Ben Cherry Assistant producer Euan McDonald Smith works out film logistics. National Geographic/Ben Cherry Animal wrangler Janice Smith works with a luna moth. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Animal wrangler Janice Smith works with a luna moth. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Assistant producer Euan McDonald Smith works out film logistics. National Geographic/Ben Cherry Animal wrangler Janice Smith works with a luna moth. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge McDonald Smith holds a slug on set. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Shooting researcher Oliver Halsey and McDonald Smith look at a screen during a studio shoot. National Geographic/Tom Oldridge Stag beetles are saprocylic insects, according to Carr, so they seek out decaying wood and fungal communities. Males can fly as high as 30 feet to reach tree canopies, while the females can dig down to between 1 and 3 meters to lay their eggs in wood. Much of the stag beetle's lifecycle is spent underground as a white grub molting into larger and larger forms before hatching in two to three years during the summer. Once their exoskeletons harden, they fly off to find mates and reproduce as quickly as possible. And if another male happens to get in their way, they're quite prepared to do battle to win at love.Stag beetles might be his specialty, but Carr found the fireflies also featured in that episode to be a particular highlight. "I grew up in rural Virginia," Carr told Ars. "There was always fireflies, but I'd never seen anything like that until I was there on site. I did not realize, even though I'd grown up in the woods surrounded by fireflies, that, 'Oh, the ones that are twinkling at the top, that's one species. The ones in the middle that are doing a soft glow, that's a different species.'"And Carr was as surprised and fascinated as any newbie to learn about the "femme fatale" firefly: a species in which the female mimics the blinking patterns of other species of firefly, luring unsuspecting males to their deaths. The footage captured by the NatGeo crew includes a hair-raising segment where this femme fatale opts not to wait for her prey to come to her. A tasty male firefly has been caught in a spider's web, and our daring, hungry lady flies right into the web to steal the prey: A femme fatale firefly steals prey from a rival spider's web. Many people have a natural aversion to insects; Carr hopes that inventive docuseries like A Real Bug's Life can help counter those negative perceptions by featuring some lesser-loved insects in anthropomorphized narrativeslike the cockroaches and fire ants featured in S1. "[The series] did an amazing job of showing how something at that scale lives its life, and how that's almost got a parallel to how we can live our life," he said. "When you can get your mindset down to such a small scale and not just see them as moving dots on the ground and you see their eyes and you see how they move and how they behave and how they interact with each other, you get a little bit more appreciation for ants as a living organism.""By showcasing some of the bigger interesting insects like the femme fatale firefly or the big chivalrous stag beetle fighting over each other, or the dung beetle getting stomped by an elephantthose are some pretty amazing just examples of the biodiversity and breadth of insect life," said Carr. "People don't need to love insects. If they can, just, have some new modicum of respect, that's good enough to change perspectives."The second season of A Real Bug's Life premieres on January 15, 2025, on Disney+.Jennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 7 Comments

Will Elon Musk post more than 400 tweets this week? More than 800? Estimate correctly and you could wind up with a nice chunk of cash if you were to back your opinion by buying shares on Polymarket.The sometimes controversial Polymarket is one of the internets prediction markets. Thats a fancy and fairly sophisticated way to put your money where your mouth is when you feel the urge to state an opinion on the internet. Even if your opinion is Ill bet Musk tweets more than 400 times this week.Indeed, the Musk tweeting market on the site is so active that its been given a top-level site link and repeats weekly. This weeks market, which ends on January 17, has already done over $1.9 million in trading volume and it routinely hits more than $1 million. Thats not to say youd win that much money. Your payout would depend on how many shares you bought should your tweet-volume guess prove true. (Polymarket did not respond to our request for comment on how much money this market has paid out.)Polymarkets Elon tweet prediction market.Image Credits:PolymarketSite records show its been a weekly market since at least June. And theres a second one where users can bet on the number of tweets ranging between 300 and 550+ in 25-tweet increments.The discussions on the market get serious, too, sounding somewhat like horse track gamblers talking about their pick of ponies. For instance, on Tuesday, user Rogu analyzed: Current tweets per day is at 50, on pace to hit 350. To get to 400+ hed need to average more than 65 per day for the remaining time. While that is a fair bit more, its not *that* much. With the upcoming Starship test flight he might be tweeting a bit more than these past few days.Rogu is referring to SpaceXs Starship Flight 7 launch, which is scheduled for January 15.The Polymarket Elon Musk tweets market volume in a given week.Image Credits:PolymarketPolymarkets main competitor, Kalshi, also has an Elon Musk top-level link, but it links to all sorts of wanna-bet type opinions on Musk, ranging from what his roles might be in the new administration to guesses about his future net worth. (People can no doubt bet or buy shares on those things on Polymarket, too.)But how much time Musk will spend on his favorite, personally owned social media site has been an ongoing favorite. And it has to be one of the silliest yet entertaining ways people spend their money on the internet.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 03: UFC president Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 272 press ... [+] conference on March 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCUFC 312 has taken a hit.The flyweight fight between Rei Tsuruya and Stewart Nicoll that was scheduled to take place on the prelims is off, and per Marcel Dorff of Tapology, there wont be any replacements added to fill the spot.Nicoll was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury.LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 29: Rei Tsuruya of Japan reacts after his victory against Carlos Hernandez ... [+] in a flyweight fight during the UFC 303 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesThe fight was set to give fans an opportunity to see Tsuruya, a 22-year-old Japanese prospect, in action on a large stage. He holds a perfect 10-0 record as a professional and is 1-0 since earning a contract with the UFC.UFC President Dana White and Co. are probably being careful and intentional about Tsuruyas matchups early in his career. The UFC wants to establish a footprint in Japan and they know they will need stars from the region to help make that happen.Nicoll, a local product from Redcliffe, Queensland, lost his UFC debut to Jesus Aguilar in August 2024 at UFC 305.PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 15: Stewart Nicoll poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on ... [+] August 15, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesMORE FOR YOUNicolls opportunity to bounce back will have to happen at a later date.The two title fights scheduled for UFC 312 are still happening. Dricus du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a rematch.In the co-main event, UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang will defend her title against Tatiana Suarez.Here is an updated look at the card scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 8, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.(c) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland UFC Middleweight Championship(c) Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez UFC Womens StrawweightQuinn Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli LightweightTallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa HeavyweightTom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev LightweightJack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos FeatherweightCody Haddon vs. Aleksandre Topuria BantamweightCong Wang vs. Bruna Brasil FlyweightJimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato Light HeavyweightKody Steele vs. Rongzhu LightweightKevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef WelterweightJake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado WelterweightHyun Sung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel FlyweightWhats Next For the UFC?LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Opponents Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia and Merab Dvalishvili ... [+] of Georgia face off during the UFC 311 press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 06, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCBefore the UFC makes its way Down Under, the promotion will stop in Inglewood, California, for UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18.Like UFC 312, the event at the Intuit Dome will feature two world championship bouts. Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight championship against Arman Tsarukyan.In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.Here is a look at the complete card and viewing information.UFC 311 Main Card (10PM ET and ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)Lightweight Title Bout: Islam Makhachev (Champion) vs. (1) Arman TsarukyanBantamweight Title Bout: Merab Dvalishvili (Champion) vs. (2) Umar NurmagomedovLightweight Bout: (9) Beneil Dariush vs. (10) Renato MoicanoLight Heavyweight Bout: (2) Ji Prochzka vs. (3) Jamahal HillMiddleweight Bout: Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de RidderUFC 311 Preliminary Card (8PM ET on ESPNEWS & ESPN+)Light Heavyweight Bout: (13) Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy ElekanaBantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott vs. Raoni BarcelosHeavyweight Bout: (6) Jailton Almeida vs. (7) Serghei SpivacMiddleweight Bout: Zach Reese vs. Azamat BekoevUFC 311 Early Preliminary Card (6PM ET on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+)Lightweight Bout: Grant Dawson vs. Diego FerreiraWomens Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs. Ailn PrezBantamweight Bout: Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin GafurovBantamweight Bout: Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo SopajFlyweight Bout: (11) Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: His Excellence Turki Alalshikh during the Ring Magazine Awards event ... [+] with Canelo Alvarez and Oleksandr Usyk on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe network of boxers working with Turki Alalshikh is expanding at a steady pace.On Tuesday, January 14, Ring Magazine, owned by Alalshikh, reported that the Saudi Arabian boxing powerbroker was in advanced talks and finalizing fight deals with 16 of the biggest names in boxingincluding Canelo Alvarez.Here is a look at the names:Canelo AlvarezAnthony JoshuaTerence CrawfordNaoya InoueRyan GarciaDevin HaneyShakur StevensonTeofimo LopezJai OpetaiaChris Eubank JrConor BennIsaac "Pitbull" CruzWilliam ZepedaMartin BakoleAnthony YardeAdam AzimThe upcoming fight deals and cards will kick off a collaboration with the SNK fighting video game Fatal Fury: City of Wolves.While specific matchups werent identified for all 16, Alalshikh took to social media shortly after the report to confirm that the long-awaited grudge match between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. is finally set for April in London.MORE FOR YOUThere is also rising speculation that a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is already set for September. Canelo is expected to face William Scull in May. If Canelo wins as expected, he would then face Crawford in a massive pay-per-view fight.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Canelo Alvarez at the Ring Magazine Awards event at the Old Royal ... [+] Naval College on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)Getty ImagesIts unclear if Crawford will have a tune-up fight before making the jump up two weight classes to face Canelo.Additionally, Devin Haney has dropped the lawsuit against Ryan Garcia to help facilitate a big-money rematch. Anthony Joshua has expressed his desire to fight Tyson Fury in 2025, but Fury announced his retirement.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Devin Haney arrives prior to the RING Magazine Awards at Old Royal ... [+] Naval College on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Getty ImagesCould Joshuas next fight be against Martin Bakole, the power-punching Congolese heavyweight who upset Jared Anderson in 2024?Naoya Inoue is set to fight Ye Joon Kim later this month, suggesting his inclusion on this list pertains to his next bout. The only remotely practical opponent on this list for him would be Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz, but Cruz would need to drop to at least 130 pounds to make it a super featherweight clash.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Jai Opetaia arrives prior to the RING Magazine Awards at Old Royal ... [+] Naval College on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Getty ImagesCruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has expressed interest in moving up to heavyweight to challenge Oleksandr Usyk, but Anthony Yarde seems to be the only realistic opponent for him on this list. Yarde is a light heavyweight.Many would prefer to see Opetaia take on Gilberto Ramirez in a unification bout.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Teofimo Lopez at the Ring Magazine Awards event at the Old Royal Naval ... [+] College on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTeofimo Lopez vs. Adam Azim seemingly makes sense, though Azim has a fight scheduled for February 1 against Sergey Lipinets. Lastly, the potential clash between Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda has been discussed for nearly a year.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Shakur Stevenson arrives prior to the RING Magazine Awards at Old ... [+] Royal Naval College on January 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Getty ImagesStevenson will fight Floyd Schofield on February 22, but if he wins as expected, a meeting with Zepeda is logical for the third or fourth quarter of 2025.Some of these speculative matchups will happen, and some wont. In any case, its great to see so many fighters seemingly on track to participate in intriguing fights.

Have you bought a virtual reality or augmented reality headset?If so, you're part of a small group of consumers despite repeated predictions that the market will boom.Meta alone has lost $60 billion on this tech over five years. It's going to keep spending, says Mark Zuckerberg.Mark Zuckerberg has spent tens of billions of dollars chasing it. Some of the biggest names in tech, including Apple, Microsoft, Google and Sony, have poured in billions more. For years.But so far, no one has nailed it.Maybe one day wearing computers on our heads will be something many of us do all the time, instead of a novelty we try a few times and then forget. We're not there yet.It doesn't matter whether you're talking about super high-end devices like the Apple Vision Pro or low-priced novelties, like early editions of Snap's Spectacles. Or whether you're discussing virtual reality devices that create an entirely new world around the user or augmented reality headsets that let you see the outside world as well as digital images. All of these devices have yet to take off. Consumer demand isn't budging.That hasn't stopped the tech industry from trying. Or deterred people around the tech world from predicting that one day, this will be a huge market.You can see this spelled out in a new chart from analyst and investor Matthew Ball, as part of a new report he's released on the problems in the video gaming business. This one tracks the gap between projected headset sales, as estimated by International Data Corp., and actual sales. Industry sales of AR and VR devices have remained quite flat despite continual predictions that they would boom. Matthew Ball/Epyllion As you can see, while IDC has been continually bullish about VR and AR headsets, consumer interest has lagged far behind. No matter what's on offer, at whatever price, these devices seem mired in the 10 million units a year or less range.That's not to suggest that Zuckerberg who has racked up more than $60 billion in losses on this tech over the past five years, filings show is chasing after the market because of an IDC estimate. It just shows you that for close to a decade, the industry has been excited about this stuff, while many consumers remain unimpressed.I talked to Jitesh Ubrani, the IDC researcher who works on this stuff, about the gap between his company's projections which, to be fair, are projections and reality.He said his shop has become less optimistic over time about the market, which you can see reflected on the right side of the chart. "Everyone is a bit more realistic about these expectations," he said, noting that the market for the tech has been "notably volatile" over the past few years, as big players like Microsoft and Google temper their interest in headsets. Meta PR declined to comment.In his public comments, Zuckerberg has been telling investors that he'll continue chasing virtual and augmented reality tech, and that they should expect to see more losses in the future.For him, the stakes seem quite clear: He wants people to use a new computing platform instead of, or in addition to, phones. And he wants to be able to interact with them on that platform without Google or Apple getting involved, as they do with their mobile platforms. And if all of that happens meaning that Zuckerberg essentially creates the next iPhone then burning tens of billions on R&D will seem like a good bet.Meanwhile, Meta does seem to be making progress. The Orion glasses Zuckerberg showed off last fall but isn't selling yet are super-impressive. I've tried them, and I could definitely imagine using some version of them if they were way cheaper, and worked as advertised.But those are big ifs, and it's possible Meta never figures out how to make these things at scale, and in a way that will sell hundreds of millions of units per year like Apple does with its phones. But someone, somewhere, will keep insisting that the headset of the future is just around the corner.

In the nearly 50 years since Carrie first hit theaters, Hollywood has yet to tire of making Stephen King adaptations, in large part because audiences are still so eager to watch them. Its a good thing, then, that the author is as prolific as ever after five decades of best-sellersalthough as this list of our eight most-anticipated upcoming King projects proves, Hollywood is also fond of re-adapting King tales, for better and sometimes worse. A note: this is not a complete list of all the King adaptations in the works; rather, these are the titles were most excited for, as well as the ones that either have a release date, are in production currently (or are about to be), or have had reasonably recent updates to suggest they will actually come to pass. The Monkey Neon Osgood Perkins has a lot of eyeballs on him after the blockbuster success of last years Longlegs, and this adaptation of a King short story (first published in 1980, but most folks know it from the 1985 collection Skeleton Crew) looks similarly audacious. Yes, its about a haunted toy, but its teaser poster also carried the following promise as its tag line: Everybody dies. And thats fucked up. James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw, Insidious) produces, adding to those horror bona fides. The Monkey hits theaters February 21. The Running Man When the world learned a new adaptation of The Running Man was coming, only one thing mattered: would it arrive in time to be released in the barely conceivable, far-flung year of 2025 in which the story takes place? Unless sabotage happens between now and November, the answer is yes, and even if we werent fans of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger take on the King (written as Richard Bachman) tale, wed be very excited for this new version.Edgar Wrights directing and he co-wrote the screenplay, said to hew closer to the novel than the Schwarzenegger film. The cast is headed up by Glen Powell as an everyman who joins a killer game show, with an almost ludicrously good ensemble filled with Katy OBrian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, and others. The Running Man hits theaters November 7.The Long Walk Director Francis Lawrence has lately been tied up making Hunger Games prequels, but hes also been linked to a different Richard Bachman thrilleran adaptation of Kings 1979 novel about a group of teen boys who embark on an organized death march meant to end with one winner (shades of The Running Man, Squid Game, and, well, Hunger Games). News of Lawrence joining the Lionsgate project broke in November 2023, months before Suzanne Collins announced her next Hunger Games book Sunrise on the Reaping (coming March 2025), and Lionsgate said itd be handling its big-screen version with a 2026 target release date. So we may be waiting a bit longer for The Long Walk if Lawrence plans to add another Hunger Games flick to his resumeor if he decides hes had it with bleak dystopias, and hands the reins to someone else. Either way, this ones very much in the wings.It: Welcome to Derry Brooke Palmer/HBO Unlike other entries on this list, It: Welcome to Derry isnt a traditional adaptation of Kings work. Like the late, great Hulu series Castle Rock, it expands on the universe created not just by King in his 1986 doorstop of a novel, but also the cinematic world of Andy Muschiettis recent pair of It films. Muschietti will direct five of the nine episodes, so his vision will very much carry over, and the cast includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgrd. Theres no exact release date yet, but its confirmed to be coming to HBO in 2025.Fairy Tale A rare fantasy story from the master of horror, Fairy Tale was originally slated to be a feature film, but we learned in October that Kings 2022 best-seller would instead become a 10-episode series. There are some big names attached: studio A24, director Paul Greengrass (whose involvement carries over from its cinematic origins), and showrunner J.H. Wyman(Fringe, Almost Human). Its about a teenager who befriends an elderly neighbor who then diesleaving the kid instructions on how to access a portal that leads into another world. So far theres no streaming service or outlet attached to this one, but with that very recent update and the talent behind it, including the fact that its based on a recent and popular King release, you have to assume itll be full speed ahead soon.The Life of Chuck and Carrie Serial Stephen King adapter Mike Flanagan returns, first with The Life of Chuck. This Tom Hiddleston-starring tale is not a horror storyits based on the 2020 King novella and does have sci-fi elements, but is described as being more in the vein of the Shawshank Redemption or Stand By Me (or perhaps even more upbeat than those; reviews from TIFF called it life-affirming and joyous). Its hitting theaters May 30. Flanagans other active King project (apparently no Dark Tower for now, alas) is an eight-episode take on the oft-adapted Carrie, which will see him shift his much-lauded horror series format from Netflix (The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher) to his new home at Prime Video. No release date yet, but the news dropped just before Halloween 2024, so its coming.The Institute Scribner If you cast Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker in anything, were already intrigued, especially if Parker gets to play a villain. So our radar is fully tracking this eight-episode series based on Kings 2019 novel about a mysterious facility hiding kidnapped kids with psychic and telekinetic powers. Its coming from MGM+a streaming service that, admittedly, not everyone has on their radarbut in December Variety revealed that King himself is aboard as an executive producer, which bodes well. The trade also got a first look at the younger cast, which is aged up from the book (instead of tweens, theyre teens) and is led by Joe Freeman, son of Sherlock and Marvel actor Martin Freeman. Theres no release date yet but The Institute should be rolling out this year. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

From the Tar Pits of Los Angeles to the Forests of Finland, Discover 8 Conceptual Museum Designs from the ArchDaily CommunitySave this picture!FieldSpace Museum of History and the Future. Image OF.StudioMuseums and cultural centers hold a unique position in society as spaces for learning, community, and connection. They serve as platforms for preserving history and engaging the public with new ideas and perspectives. Architecture plays a key role in shaping these experiences, providing the physical and emotional framework that enhances how people interact with art, culture, and each other. From monumental structures to more intimate designs, these cultural buildings have the potential to reflect local identities, champion sustainability, and inspire visitors while creating lasting cultural landmarks.From Los Angeles to Turku and Vinh Long, this collection of conceptual museum and cultural center designs submitted by the ArchDaily community highlights the diversity and creativity of unbuilt projects. Each month, ArchDaily's editors select a collection of conceptual projects centered around a specific theme or program, submitted by architects from across the globe. In this collection, proposals range from a children's museum expansion in the United States to a sustainable agricultural museum in Vietnam, all showcasing how architecture can respond to distinct local contexts while fostering universal themes of education, play, and discovery. Whether celebrating archaeological heritage in Cyprus or reimagining public spaces in Finland, these projects explore how museums can serve as cultural hubs that engage and uplift their communities.Read on to explore 8 unbuilt museum and cultural center concepts, with descriptions provided by the architects. Related Article Zaha Hadid Architects and Bureau Cube Partners Transform Historic Industrial Paper Mill into a Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia Fieldspace Museum of History and the Future / OF.Studio Turku, FinlandSave this picture!The FieldSpace Museum of History and the Future, designed by OF. Studio, is a dynamic architectural project in Turku, Finland. It merges past and future through contemporary geometries, local industries, and sustainable principles. The building harmoniously blends with its surroundings, reflecting the essence of wild forests and the tranquillity of the pier. Three enclosed volumes, linked by a semi-enclosed area, offer a flexible and vibrant public space, fostering connections between art, culture, and nature while maintaining a sustainable, energy-efficient design for all seasons.Portland Museum Expansion: Ahoy Children's Museum / Wolfgang & Hite Louisville, USASave this picture!The Portland Museum in Louisville, KY commissioned Wolfgang & Hite to design an expansion that would transform the 50-year-old neighborhood history museum into a multi-generational community space and children's museum called AHOY, the"Adventure House ofYou". The expansion will connect the historic roots of the museum's neighborhood of Portland and its deep relationship with the Ohio River to a nautically-themed immersive experience for kids."Museum of Uncertainty" / X.C Studio Los Angeles, USASave this picture!The Museum of Uncertainty is an ambitious vision situated in the historic La Brea Tar Pits of Los Angeles. This innovative museum blends architecture, history, and science to explore the themes of excavation, discovery, and preservation. It creates an immersive space where visitors can delve into the mysteries concealed beneath the tar, drawing attention to the rich and enigmatic history of the area. The museum is composed of three distinct structures, each designed to offer a unique experiential journey. Visitors begin their adventure at Wilshire Boulevard, where they are symbolically submerged into the tar, a gesture that sets the tone for an experience of exploration and discovery. As they move through the museum, they encounter a captivating exhibit featuring fossils and artifacts, displayed both from storage and along hallways, providing a sense of being amid an ongoing excavation.Cyprus Archaeological Museum / GilBartolomeNicosia, CyprusSave this picture!Located in Nicosia, Cyprus, our design proposal for the competition for the New Museum of Archaeology aims to establish a dynamic cultural landmark that reflects Cyprus' unique archaeological heritage with a building that would present to the visitor a taste of the marvels that await in its interior. To embody this vision, we developed an architectural language rooted in a pointillist composition of terracotta elements on the building's exterior and a pointillist interplay of light within. Mekong Delta Agricultural Museum / PES ArchitectsVinh Long, VietnamSave this picture!PES-Architects, in collaboration with NDV & Partners, was awarded in the Mekong Delta AgriculturalMuseum competition in Vinh Long, Vietnam. Inspired by the Mekong Delta's agricultural landscapes and vernacular architecture, the museum is arranged in village-like pavilions, connecting seamlessly with its surroundings through courtyards, fields, canals, paths, and glass walls. Emphasizing sustainability, it employs passive cooling, local materials, and community-maintained landscapes. The museum aims to celebrate local culture and history while fostering the theme of "harmony with nature." Razavi Shrine Museum / MARZ design and architecture Mashhad, IranSave this picture!The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, Iran, spans nearly one million square meters. To unify the scattered museums, a design competition was held. Our third-place proposal introduces a central covered courtyard, echoing the shrine's traditional layout. The design includes an elevated floor supported by five funnel-shaped mega columns around the courtyard. The main volume is buried 36 meters underground, creating a coherent spatial organization that integrates seamlessly with the existing Razavi typology.Turku Smile / KOSY Save this picture!The Turku Smile, a Museum of History and the Future, reflects on Finland's core values.It seeks to connect the public through an egalitarian experience by reinforcing the democratic, inclusive space for all to enjoy. Designed to endure the test of time by creating meaningful interactions, Turku Smile will be established as the keystone of Linnanniemi's new art district while respecting the historic Turku Castle.The Turku Smile symbolizes a future where public architecture fosters a deep human connection between individuals and with the environment. Inspired by Finland's "Jokaisenoikeus" or freedom to roam, it seamlessly extends the public realm through the lobby, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior, as well as elevating the park experience with lush rooftop gardens. Recognizing the importance of publics paces, the smile has been designed to be inviting, inclusive, and egalitarian as iti nvites the community and visitors to interact, explore, and feel welcomed.PLAYSCAPE: The New Museum of Architecture and Design / MOREMORE + M ArchitectureHelsinki, FinlandSave this picture!The New Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki draws on the powerful symbolism of play, rooted deeply in Finnish culture, to create an immersive experience that celebrates curiosity, community, and creativity. Inspired by the circus a timeless symbol of joy and spectacle in our collective memory the museum space captures the sense of wonder and freedom associated with these playful spaces. Here, visitors are welcomed to experience architecture as a place of imagination and experimentation, much like stepping into a big top tent where surprises await at every corner. This concept of "play" is central, resonating with Nordic traditions that see play not as mere recreation but as a tool for social connection and learning. From the post-war "Junk Playgrounds" to today's emphasis on controlled-risk environments, the play has always encouraged people to test boundaries, interact openly, and push creative limits.HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECTWe highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorNour FakharanyAuthor