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 hereIn Marvel Rivals, players have been diving into the gameplay, while choosing from an extensive roster of heroes, which is divided into three unique categories: Duelists, Vanguards, and Strategists. Throughout Season 0 and into Season 1, players demonstrated obvious preferences, with certain characters emerging as fan favorites owing to their unique skills and gameplay mechanics.The Duelists, known for their attacking talents, have seen a diverse range of heroes emerge, but one character, previously deemed underrated, has made an unexpected rise to the top. Storm, the X-Mens weather-controlling mutant, has proven to be a game-changer in Season 1s competitive matchups. Despite her initial poor selection rates in Season 0, a succession of buffs have changed her into the seasons highest victory rate hero.This meta-shift caught many players off guard, as Storms ability to control the battlefield with wind, rain, and lightning has proven to be quite powerful.Storm emerges as Duelist with highest win rate in Marvel Rivals Season 1 competitive modeAccording to stats gathered by the popular X page Rivals Assembled, Storm currently has the highest win rate in Marvel Rivals Season 1 across all ranks in competitive mode. Her win rate of 56.22% makes her a top choice for players and the only duelist to climb that status so rapidly while just weeks into the new season.Storm win stats in Marvel Rivals Season 1. Image credit Rivals Assembled.But her OP stats dont just stop there. Shes also the second-highest banned hero in competitive lobbies with a 45.66% ban rate, only behind Hulk which means clearly the competitive teams do not want her in any of their matches which can easily turn the tide for a team.However, her pick rate is clearly in the 17th position among all heroes with 14.01% proves shes not a popular choice when it comes to other Duelists such as Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, or even Scarlet Witch.Some players have offered some suggestions to tackle the Storm problem in competitive lobbies where one wrote, Letting her move that fast and freely during the ult was a mistake. Make it stationary and give it the ability to pull enemies to the center of the thunderstorm for massive damage.While players are tackling balancing issues with the latest nerfs and buffs in Marvel Rivals, fans on the other side are having a hard time trusting leaked heroes after rumors of fake characters being planted by devs have gone viral.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Larry Ellison says AI will enable a vast surveillance system that can monitor citizens.Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of Oracle, shared his thoughts on AI during a recent meeting.Oracle, a software company, is aggressively pursuing AI projects.Walking down a suburban neighborhood street already feels like a Ring doorbell panopticon.But this is only the start of our surveillance dystopia, according to Larry Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of Oracle. He said AI will usher in a new era of surveillance that he gleefully said will ensure "citizens will be on their best behavior."Ellison made the comments as he spoke to investors earlier this week during an Oracle financial analysts meeting, where he shared his thoughts on the future of AI-powered surveillance tools.Ellison said AI would be used in the future to constantly watch and analyze vast surveillance systems, like security cameras, police body cameras, doorbell cameras, and vehicle dashboard cameras."We're going to have supervision," Ellison said. "Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there's a problem, AI will report that problem and report it to the appropriate person. Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that's going on."Ellison also expects AI drones to replace police cars in high-speed chases. "You just have a drone follow the car," Ellison said. "It's very simple in the age of autonomous drones." He did not say if those drones would broadcast the chases on network news.Ellison's company, Oracle, like almost every company these days, is aggressively pursuing opportunities in the AI industry. It already has several projects in the works, including one in partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX.Ellison is the world's sixth-richest man with a net worth of $157 billion, according to Bloomberg. Ellison's children have made names for themselves in the film industry. His daughter Megan Ellison founded her production company Annapurna Pictures in 2011, and his son David Ellison is set to become CEO of Paramount after it completes its merger with Skydance Media.

Welcome back to Week in Review. This week were diving into OpenAIs newly released AI agent, called Operator. We also look at where TikTok stands after being resuscitated, whether its time to go back to Tumblr, and more! Lets get into it.OpenAI launched a research preview of Operator, a general-purpose AI agent that can independently perform certain actions like book travel accommodations, make restaurant reservations, and shop online. When users activate Operator, a small window will pop up showing a dedicated web browser that the agent uses to complete tasks, along with text explaining what the agent is doing. The feature will first roll out to U.S. users on ChatGPTs $200 per month Pro subscription plan.Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting on X about Stargate. The enormous infrastructure project would funnel as much as $500 billion from investors like SoftBank and Middle East AI fund MGX into data centers that support OpenAIs AI workloads. But Musk claims that Stargate doesnt have the money it says it does. Its important to note, though, that he is not a neutral party and happens to be embroiled in a lawsuit with OpenAI.Hackers found a way to remotely unlock, start, and track millions of Subarus, according to a report from Wired. Two security researchers discovered vulnerabilities in a Subaru web portal that allowed them to hijack car controls and track driver location data. Subaru has since fixed the vulnerabilities after the researchers reported their findings to the Japanese automaker.This is TechCrunchs Week in Review, where we recap the weeks biggest news. Want this delivered as a newsletter to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.NewsImage Credits:MrBeast/YouTubeUnpacking Samsung Unpacked: Samsungs annual Unpacked event was this week, featuring the reveal of its Galaxy S25 line, new features for Gemini Live, advancements in smart home technology, and more. We put together a handy recap of every reveal you might have missed. Read morePerplexity launches an AI agent: The AI-powered search engine startup launched Perplexity Assistant, which the company says uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks. The assistant is available for Android devices and can take multi-app actions. Read moreWill MrBeast buy TikTok? YouTube celebrity MrBeast is in talks to join a number of bids for TikToks U.S. operations, though he hasnt chosen one exclusively yet. While MrBeast is certainly wealthy, it is his celebrity that has attracted multiple bidders. Read moreFitbit gets burned: Fitbit settled with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission over a long-standing defect that caused some wearers to sustain burns. Fitbit will pay a $12.25 million penalty for the issues surrounding the Ionic smartwatch. Read moreTime to dust off your Tumblr blog: Tumblr has finally launched Tumblr TV, a GIF discovery feature a decade in the making that has since evolved to also host short-form videos to compete with TikTok. I wonder if the fandom GIFs I made in 2012 are still there Read moreNow, thats what I call smol : A team at AI dev platform Hugging Face has released SmolVLM-256M and SmolVLM-500M, which theyre claiming to be the smallest AI models that can analyze images, short videos, and text. Read moreThats one way to get a charge: Carnegie Mellon researchers debuted Power-Over-Skin, whose technology allows for electrical currents to travel through human skin to power things like blood sugar monitors, pacemakers, and even consumer wearables. Read moreStripe axes 300 employees: The fintech giant is laying off 300 people, according to a leaked memo reported by Business Insider. However, Stripe plans to continue hiring in 2025 to grow its total headcount by 17%. Read moreMeta copycats CapCut: Meta announced a new video editing app called Edits shortly after ByteDances video editing app CapCut was removed from Apples App Store and the Google Play Store as part of the U.S. TikTok ban. Read moreJust in case TikTok goes dark for real: While TikTok is back online in the U.S., its future remains uncertain. Bookmarking backup service Dewey has a solution that saves your favorite TikToks and allows you to access them at any time even if TikTok disappears again. Read more

In BriefPosted:9:18 AM PST January 25, 2025Image Credits:Dimitrios Kambouris/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Getty ImagesPaul McCartney calls on UK government to protect artists from AILegendary musician Paul McCartney is warning against proposed changes to UK copyright law that would allow tech companies to freely train their models on online content unless the copyright holders actively opt out.In excerpts of an interview with the BBC, McCartney said the government needs to do more to protect musicians and other artists.Were the people, youre the government! he said. Youre supposed to protect us. Thats your job. So if youre putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or youre not going to have them.McCartney isnt necessarily opposed to the use of AI in creating music indeed, he took advantage of the technology last year to clean up an old John Lennon demo and create what McCartney called the last Beatles record. However, he suggested that AI (or at least AI with a loose approach to copyright) poses an economic threat to artists.You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they dont own it, and they dont have anything to do with it, and anyone who wants can just rip it off, McCartney said.Adding that the moneys going somewhere, he said the financial rewards for creating a hit song should go to the artist, not just some tech giant somewhere.Topics

Hi !Im trying to find ressources, tutorial, or explanation that touch the subject of stencil mask/buffer, , im planning to make a portal/rift with depth like something else is behind it, and after looking around i got told this was a technique that could work great, i sadly really cant understand the principle behind it or find a good tutorial that explain the principal?how to build that shader/effect ?I understand that a Plane i acting ask a transparent mask that then show only in that plane the thing masked to the rest of the scene, but aside that i really cant warp my head around how to actually make the whole system happen/function.Any help or good tutorial welcomed ! Sorry if that has been asked before !

Established by Congress in 1913, the Federal Reserve System is the nations quasi-public central bank. Its primary functions are to set monetary policy, supervise and regulate banking institutions, maintain a stable financial system, and provide financial services to the U.S. government, the public, and domestic and international financial institutions. Organized in 1914, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is one of 12 district banks across the country and serves the six New England states. Construction for the Boston Reserves Renaissance revival bank was begun in 1920 and finished in 1922, but was outgrown in the second half of the 20th century. The original building would be landmarked and is now known as the Langham, a luxury hotel. Planning began on a newer office and a site was acquired on waterfront land cleared from Urban Renewal in the late 1960s. The current building was constructed between 1972 and1974, and occupied by the bank in 1977. Designed by the firm Hugh Stubbins & Associates, the complex occupies a full city block, with the 32-story tower and a 4-story section serving as the bulk of the mass. A 600-ton major steel structure called a truss marks the beginning of the towers offices above the breezeway. The exterior is natural anodized aluminum, which acts as a curtain wall and weatherproof facing. The aluminum spandrels or eye-brows shade the building interior from the sun in the summertime and allow more sunlight in the winter months. Love it or hate it, this building is extremely significant architecturally for its Modern design and materiality, and for its engineering. It has become a visual landmark and anchor into Bostons dense Downtown.

The Night Agent. Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in episode 201 of The Night Agent. Cr. Siviroon ... [+] Srisuwan/Netflix 2024SIVIROON SRISUWAN/NETFLIXUpdated 01.25.25 See updates below.After a nearly two-year wait one of the best shows on Netflix just dropped its second season, and its great. If you enjoy high-octane action, nefarious terrorist plots and plenty of tense espionage, youre in for a treat.The Night Agent is a no-frills, unpretentious spy thriller that should please anyone who enjoys the genre. It combines a competent plot with a likeable cast of heroes and villains. The second season is out now on Netflix, but if you missed the first you should definitely start there.Season 1 of The Night Agent introduces us to the secretive Night Action program, a top-secret federal team of spies that investigate corruption within the United States government, finding moles and double-agents in the CIA and even the upper echelons of power.The story follows Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) who is given a job answering a telephone in a secret room in the White House. Hes basically the dispatcher for Night Action, but soon he finds himself caught up in a plot that stretches all the way to the Oval Office. He meets Rose (Luciane Buchanan) after he receives a distress call, and from here things go from bad to worse. The duo is faced with double-crosses, intense chases and plenty more as they try to stay alive and figure out whos pulling the strings.MORE FOR YOUSeason 2 adds a few new layers of complexity to the mix, juggling several subplots filled with intrigue, international espionage and even more dire stakes. Just like the first season, this is a series that isnt trying to be super sexy or super smart, but carries out its spycraft with workmanlike efficiency. Yes, its over-the-top a lot of the time, but its leads are down to earth and relatable and its entertaining from the get-go.If youre looking for a binge this weekend, and especially if youre a fan of shows like Slow Horses, Reacher, Killing Eve and Jack Ryan, do yourself a favor and give The Night Agent a shot.Update 1.25.25While The Night Agent is a fun spy show, its not the only one you should check out if youre a fan of the genre. Here are a few other spy thrillers that are must-see TV and should help scratch that particular itch.Slow Horses (Apple TV)Slow Horses is the only show on Apple TV that gives Severance a run for its money. This is the sharpest, most tightly-paced and written spy shows currently airing. Its also hilarious. Gary Oldman leads a tremendous cast as Jackson Lamb, the curmudgeonly, slovenly boss of Slough House, where MI5 sends its rejects. Every season so far has been absolutely brilliant, edge-of-your-seat television.The Night Manager (Hulu)This BBC limited series is based off the 1993 novel by John le Carr. It stars Tom Hiddleston as the night manager of a Cairo hotel who gets mixed up in a dangerous plot. Hugh Laurie plays a ruthless arms dealer. The cast is rounded out by Elizabeth Debicki, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander and David Harewood. Like all le Carr espionage, this is a slow burn that builds up to a crackling finale.Homeland (Paramount+)One of the best spy thrillers of all time, Homeland is a must-watch entry in the genre, and with eight seasons this should give you plenty to watch. The first season is still one of the best seasons of TV Ive ever seen. Claire Danes plays bipolar CIA operative Carrie Mathison. She suspects that a recently released POW, Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has been turned into a double-agent by his terrorist captors. Mandy Patinkin plays Carries boss, Saul Berenson. While the series has its low points, its still solid from start to finish.The Spy (Netflix)Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is best known as Borat and it is a bit shocking to see him play such a serious role in The Spy, but he does a terrific job as Eli Cohen, a real-life Israeli Mossad spy who infiltrates the Syrian government in the lead-up to the Six Day War. Based on real events, this is a genuinely compelling spy drama and Cohen is terrific. Not necessarily the most thrilling of these spy thrillers, but still worth a watch.Patriot (Prime Video)Patriot is both wildly underrated and very, very quirky and weird. Michael Dorman plays a depressed spy / musician named John Tavner on a mission to stop Iran from going nuclear. Terry OQuinn plays Tavners father, also an intelligence officer, and Michael Chernus (who youll recognize as Ricken from Severance) plays his bumbling brother. The show is . . . genuinely very off-kilter. Its nothing at all like what I was expecting. Give it a shot.The Americans (Hulu)One of my favorite spy thrillers of all time, The Americans follows the dangerous lives of Phillip and Elizabeth Jenningsplayed by Matthew Rhys and Keri Russelltwo Soviet spies who live in America and pretend to be Americans. They have perfect accents. They have a family, and their kids dont even know the truth. As they lead their normal, suburban lives, they also carry out crazy espionage missions for the KGB. Its not only an incredibly tense series, its also a morally complex one, where you really struggle with your feelings about these characters. Noah Emmerich also stars as the Jennings neighbor who, it turns out, is an FBI officer working in counter-intelligence. Another series that starts off strong and gets all the way to the finish line intact.

Business execs doubling down on their AI investmentsgettyA majority of senior executives across multiple industries expect artificial intelligence (AI) to fundamentally reshape their businesses in the next 12 to 24 months, according to KPMGs latest AI Quarterly Pulse Survey. The report found that 56% of leaders anticipate significant transformation within the next year alone, jumping to 67% within two yearsunderscoring the swift pace at which AI is evolving from a strategic discussion into an operational transformation imperative.Skyrocketing Investments and Shifts in StrategyAccording to the survey, 68% of executives plan to invest between $50 million and $250 million into generative AI (GenAI) over the next 12 months, marking a substantial increase from 45% in Q1 of 2024. Business leaders seem to be moving from pilot programs to major budget allocations, with half of them already scaling their GenAI initiatives, up from just 10% half a year ago. This surge in investment signals a recognition amongst business leaders that AI is no longer a niche, technical concept but a near-term requirement for staying competitive.With responses from 100 U.S.-based C-suite leaders at companies earning $1 billion or more in annual revenue, the KPMGs Quarterly Pulse Survey findings closely mirror other market research reports emphasizing the rapid enterprise adoption of AI. For example, Deloittes State of AI in the Enterprise survey also underscores how C-level enthusiasm has led to notable AI budgets, even amid economic uncertainties.Similarly, a recent survey of executives from the Boston Consulting Group and insights from researchers at Stanfords Human-Centered AI (HAI) have both produced results highlighting the increased acceleration and investment in AI-powered business transformation. These studies and surveys highlight the growing expectation that AI will soon become indispensable across multiple business functions.Top Challenges: Data Quality and Economic VolatilityWhile organizations are bullish about AIs potential, 88% cite macroeconomic pressures as a key factor influencing their AI strategies, both now and for the foreseeable future. Another significant hurdle is the integrity of organizational data itself, with 85% of respondents naming data quality as the biggest challenge on the horizon, followed by data privacy, cybersecurity, and employee adoption. This concern underscores how AI success hinges not only on sophisticated algorithms but also on high-quality, well-governed data.MORE FOR YOUAI Agents on the Rise, But Adoption LagsOne of the most eye-catching insights revolves around AI agents. More than half of surveyed organizations (51%) are exploring the use of these agents, while 37% are piloting them. However, only 12% of surveyed respondents have actually deployed AI agents for real-world use. This difference between interest and deployment could reflect both the complexity of AI agent technology and the regulatory, ethical, and workforce readiness issues that inevitably arise when introducing these tools into core business operations.Our latest pulse survey confirms what were seeing with clients: organizations are doubling down on AI investments, said Steve Chase, Vice Chair of AI & Digital Innovation at KPMG. The data also shows growing momentum around AI agents, with over half of organizations exploring their use. Leaders are putting real dollars behind agents, but with mounting pressure to demonstrate ROI, getting the value story right is critical.A Leadership-Driven Trend, With Training GapsIn a counterintuitive twist, the C-suite (71%) and executive management (58%) appear to be using GenAI tools more actively than middle managers (26%) and entry-level employees (15%). Although more than 80% of companies plan to incorporate GenAI training into formal performance development tracks, only 24% of employees currently leverage AI in their existing workflows on a weekly basis. This suggests that while leaders are sold on the technologys benefits, rank-and-file adoption could stall if not accompanied by robust training and simplified AI integration into daily tasks.Whether its AI agents or executive training, one thing is clear: AIs transformative power is no longer a hypothetical. Its here, and its accelerating.

What just happened? AMD has confirmed a security vulnerability in some of its processors, which was inadvertently revealed through a beta BIOS update from Asus. The flaw, described as a "microcode signature verification vulnerability," came to light before AMD could officially disclose it, sparking concerns in the cybersecurity community. The vulnerability was first noticed by Tavis Ormandy, a security researcher at Google's Project Zero. Ormandy spotted a reference to the flaw in the release notes of an Asus beta BIOS update for one of its gaming motherboards. "It looks like an OEM leaked the patch for a major upcoming CPU vulnerability," Ormandy wrote in a public mailing list post.AMD has since acknowledged the issue. The company has not yet specified which of its products are affected but has indicated that mitigations are being developed and deployed.The vulnerability appears to be related to the microcode and seems to circumvent the process that ensures only official, AMD-signed microcode can be loaded into the processor. Exploiting this vulnerability requires not only local administrator access to the targeted system but also the capability to develop and execute malicious microcode, according to AMD. This high bar for exploitation suggests that while the vulnerability is serious, it's not something that could be easily weaponized by casual attackers.While the full extent of the vulnerability's impact is not yet known, security experts have begun speculating about its potential consequences. Demi Marie Obenour, a software developer for Invisible Things, suggested that if an attacker could load arbitrary microcode, they might be able to compromise critical security features such as System Management Mode (SMM), Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Secure Nested Paging (SEV-SNP), and Dynamic Root of Trust for Measurement (DRTM).The recent discovery of a microcode signature verification vulnerability is not an isolated incident. Over the years, AMD has faced several security challenges across its product lines. // Related StoriesIn March 2018, researchers from CTS Labs uncovered a series of vulnerabilities affecting AMD's Ryzen and Epyc processors. These flaws, collectively known as RYZENFALL, MASTERKEY, CHIMERA, and FALLOUT, posed security risks to both consumer and enterprise-grade processors. Exploiting the vulnerabilities required administrative access, according to AMD.In August 2024, a more widespread vulnerability named "Sinkclose" was disclosed. This flaw in the System Management Mode potentially exposed hundreds of millions of devices to security risks. In this case, exploiting the vulnerability required kernel-level access, making it a threat primarily to "seriously breached systems," AMD said at the time.

Forward-looking: Outdated laptops often necessitate complete replacements since they typically only allow users to upgrade memory or storage. Intel aims to address this issue by urging manufacturers to embrace new modular design standards. Like Framework and MNT PCs, these standards would allow users to upgrade motherboards and other components without purchasing a new laptop. Intel recently outlined its ideas for allowing users to upgrade and replace individual laptop components. If widely adopted, the new standards could reduce costs and e-waste.The company's proposal describes standardized measurements for future laptop motherboards and I/O modules. Following a clear set of parameters might speed up the design process for new components.Additionally, users could upgrade and replace boards, USB-C ports, Thunderbolt ports, and other parts without completely replacing the laptop. An affordable tier for mainstream laptops would accommodate 14- and 16-inch devices, enabling single- or dual-fan upgrades to improve cooling.Intel also envisions strengthening modularity and standardization for mini-PCs. The company's diagram (below) depicts a 5L chassis with slide rails to facilitate easy swapping of the CPU, memory, GPU, and storage. The I/O ports and other parts would also enable easy repairs.Framework and MNT have provided modular laptops for years, but their initiatives remain niche. Framework's products allow customers to swap mainboards, ports, screens, keyboards, and many other components. The company also aims to provide upgradeable dedicated graphics for its 16-inch laptop, but the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the only available option so far. // Related StoriesMeanwhile, MNT recently unveiled the successor to its Arm-based Reform laptop. Owners of the prior model can upgrade to a new SoC, swap other components, and 3D print a new chassis.The primary downside of Framework and MNT devices is that upgrades require users to remain within each company's hardware ecosystem. In contrast, Intel's proposal could potentially create an environment resembling desktop DIY PCs, allowing users to choose between parts from numerous vendors. However, whether the industry would agree upon a single modular laptop standard remains uncertain.Wide adoption wouldn't just lower upgrade costs and reduce e-waste; it would also deliver right-to-repair advocates a major victory. The increasingly popular movement aims to resist manufacturers' efforts to block repairs and maintenance by users or third-party hardware vendors. Right-to-repair advocacy usually centers on machines like smartphones and tractors, but laptop users have also begun complaining about recent models that no longer allow RAM and SSD upgrades.