There is a special Copilot key on some Windows laptops that can be used to launch Microsofts AI assistant and now support for the key is coming to Linux.That support has been added in version 6.14 of Linux, though exactly what it will be used for depends on which Linux-based operating system you are running. Most users are likely to use the key to open any generative AI assistant.Version 6.14 offers several other new features, including expanded support for hand controllers, according to Phoronix.

Apple is continuing to develop non-traditional display technology that can fold out and expand along hinge articulation points, likely for a future foldable iPhone.A render of what the iPhone Fold could look likeEven though Apple has not released a folding iPhone, it continues to file patent applications on the topic and, as with this latest one, to get those patents granted. Some of the now wide-ranging patents detail scroll-like or slidable displays that expand.The newly granted patent is called "Electronic devices having folding expandable displays." In it, Apple continues its foldables research with much more detail about potential hinge structures. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

GSC Game Worlds S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has received its first patch of the year, and while not too hefty, it addresses various core issues. These include fixes for crashes and freezing during shader compilation, Rostok memory leaks, and saves with long playtimes suffering from degraded performance while shooting or even aiming.The developer revealed that the shader compilation bug was among the hardest for all of us and asked those still suffering from it to contact support. Xbox players will be happy to hear that an issue resulting in lost save files should also be fixed. Finally, a crash that could randomly occur due to UI animations has been fixed.As for the future, GSC Game World said its continuing to work on a future update, so stay tuned for more details.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Check out our review here. Alongside free updates with new features (including multiplayer), the sandbox shooter has two paid expansions coming up in the future.Patch 1.1.4Fixed crashes and freeze on shaders compilationFixed memory leak occurred at Rostok locationFixed performance degradation when shooting/aiming on saves with long playtimeImplemented fixes, that should solve the problem causing saves to be lost on XboxFixed a random crash related to UI animations.

After prematurely going live on PS5 yesterday, Larian Studios stress test for Baldurs Gate 3 is out now for the console alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC. You should have received an email on PS5 and PC after pre-registering while Xbox Insider Programme members can access it on Xbox.The stress test focuses on Patch 8, adding long-awaited features like cross-platform play and Photo Mode. Check out the video below on setting up cross-play and creating a lobby. Its worth noting that console players joining a PC lobby with mods should have less than 100 installed and only those supported on their platforms. Failure to do so means not joining the PC players lobby.Another interesting new addition is the splitscreen co-op on Xbox Series S, a feature missing at launch due to performance constraints with the console. Check out the patch notes below for more details.Patch 8 for Baldurs Gate 3 doesnt have a release date for all players, but its out later this year. In addition to all the above features, it adds 12 new subclasses with unique traits.Patch 8 HighlightsWhile some of you will get to try out Patch 8 for yourself, starting today, heres just some of what you can expect with Patch 8 once it is ready for release!HighlightsPhoto mode12 new subclassesCross-playXbox Series S split screenGameplayWhen you succeed a Perception check, the spotted item will now ping on the minimap and be listed in the combat log.Fixed an issue where the special abilities of some of your allies werent properly provided at the end of the dialogue with them at High Hall.Scrolls and potions inside unlocked containers in your party inventory can now be used when rolling in dialogues.Neutral and friendly NPCs will no longer become hostile when, outside of combat, they walk into surfaces created during combat that trigger passives (like electrified surfaces triggering Thunderbolt Strike). Take it easy, lads.Fixed Freecast being reset when any condition is applied.Fixed characters getting stuck when pathfinding via a ladder thats already in use by another companion.Fixed a bug with the moving platform in the Gauntlet of Shar that would sometimes leave you behind, causing you to plummet to your death.CombatFixed an issue causing neutral NPCs to trigger combat for seemingly no reason.Cerys will stop getting involved in combats with Minthara from across the region. An eager beaver no longer.ModdingFixed an issue causing you to get stuck at a 0% loading screen when attempting to join a multiplayer session that uses mods.The Mod Verification window will now trigger regardless of where the request to connect to a multiplayer game is coming from.Replaced the third-party mod warning with clearer messaging.Performance and OptionsFixed the ruleset selector not appearing on the Alter Custom Mode screen when accessing the ruleset settings via the multiplayer lobby.Improved server performance in the Adamantine Forge.Scripting and FlowFixed an issue where you could tell Astarion that Gandrel has been looking for him even if Gandrel refused to tell you the name of his prey.Fixed a savegame issue where you wouldnt get the appropriate amount of Umbral Gems for the Gauntlet of Shar.Reminded Minthara that knocked out does not mean dead, so shell more reliably appear in Moonrise Towers.You can no longer teleport out of Moonrise while controlling Minthara unless you tell her to stay put.Minthara is now willing to talk to you after you tell her to wait in the torture chamber.Minthara no longer gets stuck babysitting Thaniel in Act II.Fixed an issue where you could talk about Art Cullagh as though hes alive even if he isnt.UIDiscovered and available (non-hostile, alive, etc.) traders are now shown on the world map regardless of how far away you are from them.CinematicsShadowheart has agreed to stop repeatedly changing her hair colour during certain intimate moments.Tidied up and improved some cinematic animations for characters of different heights if you kiss during the evil ending.WritingFixed a duplicated dialogue option and the wrong version of another dialogue option appearing in Mintharas main party dialogue.Patch 8 will bring a multitude of fixes for various crashes and blockers, combat bugs, scripting and flow issues, and more. The full patch notes will be shared once Patch 8 goes live!

The tokens are roughly the size of a half-dollar coin and feature markings etched into their surfaces. Karabk UniversityArchaeologists digging in the ancient Roman city of Hadrianopolis, located near Eskipazar in modern-day Turkey, have unearthed two bone tokens dating to the fifth century C.E. that they suspect belong to a strategic board game enjoyed by Roman soldiers.These bone objects are lentil-shaped and disk-shaped, Ersin elikbas, an archaeologist at Karabk University who leads excavations at Hadrianopolis, tells the state-run Anadolu Agencys Orhan Kuzu. One stone has a four-armed symbol, while the other has an eight-armed symbol.The markings on the tokens, which are roughly the size of a half-dollar coin, likely indicated the strategic purpose or worth of each piece during a game, according to a statement from Karabk University. Some 1,600 years ago, perhaps soldiers on the easternmost edge of the empire shuffled the slim bone tokens across a board, attempting to outwit their opponents. The two game tokens might have belonged to a popular Roman game likeLudus Latrunculi.Karabk Universityelikbas suggests that the pieces could have belonged to a popular Roman game like Ludus Latrunculorum. Also known as Ludus Latrunculi, which translates to Game of Mercenaries, the two-player strategy game was the toast of the Roman Empire, as Smithsonian magazines Meilan Solly wrote in 2020. It was ubiquitous in Roman culture, with roots in the ancient Greek game ofPetteia.Ludus Latrunculi was known for its simplicity yet deep strategic layers, Koray Erdogan writes for Trkiye Today. While the exact rules have been lost to history, Ulrich Schdler, an archaeologist at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, suggested in a 1994 essay that players would have attempted to surround a lone piece of their opponents with two of their own until one sides pieces were all captured.Hadrianopolis'te 5. Yzyla Ait Oyun Talar Bulundu: Askeri Stratejiye Dayal Tarihi Bir MirasWatch on The two bone pieces found at Hadrianopolis might also have belonged to Duodecim Scripta, a game comparable to backgammon played on a board with three rows of twelve squares, according to Anadolu Agency.These were games based on military strategy, elikbas tells Anadolu Agency. He likens them to checkers or Battleship and emphasizes that they were popular among Roman soldiers.Aristotle, referencing the Greek precursor to Ludus Latrunculi, wrote that a citizen without a state may be compared to an isolated piece in a game of Petteia. The discovery of the tokens sheds new light on Hadrianopolis' role as a Roman military outpost. Karabk UniversityThe discovery of strategy games in Hadrianopolis further solidifies the presence of a military unit here, as it is known that bone pieces were used to play ancient strategy games, Celikbas says. He views the pieces as evidence that a previously discovered Roman fortress dating to the second century C.E. may have existed at the site into the fifth century C.E., playing a crucial defensive role for centuries.Hadrianopolisnamed for the Roman emperor Hadrian, who expanded the Anatolian settlement during his reign between 117 and 138 C.E.has proven to be a trove of ancient wonders, including baths, churches, tombs, castles, a fountain, villas, archways and monuments, according to Trkiye Today.Earlier this year, elikbas and his team found a pendant from the same era as the game pieces with an image of King Solomon and the inscribed words Our Lord defeated evil in ancient Greek.These finds shed new light on Hadrianopolis status as an important cultural hub and strategic military outpost. Excavations are ongoing, and elikbas thinks that 2025 will bring even more exciting discoveries, per Trkiye Today.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Archaeology, Artifacts, Cool Finds, Discoveries, History, leisure, Roman Empire, Turkey, Warfare

The marble head datesto Egypt's Ptolemaic period (305 to 30 B.C.E.), but it was foundin a seventh-century C.E. house. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesAs a team of French archaeologists excavated a seventh-century C.E. dwelling at Taposiris Magna, an ancient city located around 30 miles west of Alexandria along Egypts northern coast, they found two cold marble eyes staring back up at them from the sandy ruins.Although its nose had been broken off, the statue of a mans head still showed remarkable detail. His forehead bore wrinkles. Crows feet marked the corners of his wide eyes. His veins bulged at the temples. His eyebrows arched up sternly.Led by Joachim le Bomin, an archaeologist at the University of Lyon and the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, the team determined that the marble head dates back to the Egyptian Ptolemaic period, which lasted between 305 and 30 B.C.E., according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Double the sizeof a normal human skull, the ancient marble head was likely part of a larger-than-life statue that loomed over a public space or building. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesThat means the head dates back at least seven centuries earlier than the ruins of the medieval house it was found ina captivating enigma thats left the team puzzled, as La Brjula Verdes Guillermo Carvajal writes.At about 15 inches talldouble the size of a normal human skullthe marble head was likely part of a larger-than-life statue that loomed over a public space or building, rather than a private residence, as Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary-general of Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities, says in the statement. Its body has not been recovered.Mohamed Abdel-Badie, an official at Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities, adds that the statues model may have been a prominent public figure or member of the elite, but he likely wasnt a king, underscoring the importance of Taposiris Magna during the Ptolemaic period.The name Taposiris Magna comes from the Egyptian Per Wsir, which translates to house of Osiris, the Egyptian god of both fertility and death. The city and temple were established by the pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 B.C.E. in honor of the god. Dating to the Ptolemaic period, Taposiris Magna is a rich archaeological site on Egypt's northern coast. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesIn more recent years, the site has also generated suspicions that the ill-fated lovers Mark Antony, a Roman politician and general, andCleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, were entombed nearby after their suicides in 30 B.C.E.Earlier this month, Kathleen Martinez, a criminal lawyer turned archaeologist who has been digging for Cleopatras tomb at the site since 2005, unearthed a small white marble bust that she thinks depicts the last Egyptian queen, infamous for her romantic and strategic relationships with Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Antony, as Smithsonian magazines Julia Binswanger wrote. Archaeologists debate whether this bust found at Taposiris Magna truly depicts Cleopatra. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesBut not all archaeologists agreed with Martinezs claim that the bust depicted Cleopatra.Zahi Hawass, a former Egyptian minister of tourism and antiquities who wasnt involved with the dig, told Live Sciences Owen Jarus that the statue may date to a period after the queens death. I looked at the bust carefully. It is not Cleopatra at all; it is Roman, he said.Although Martinez hasnt found Cleopatra's tomb yet, her other incidental discoveries attest to the richness of the ancient city and temple. In 2022, for instance, Martinez and her team at the University of Santo Domingo discovered a 6.5-foot-tall, 4,300-foot-long tunnel some 40 feet beneath the temple while searching for the tomb.If theres a one percent chance that the last queen of Egypt could be buried there, it is my duty to search for her, she told the blog Heritage Key in 2009.But even if those odds fall to zero, discoveries like the recently unearthed stern marble head show that Taposiris Magna still has many secrets to reveal.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Cool Finds, Egypt, History, Kings, Mysteries, Queens, Religion, Religious History, Statues

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Fast Travel Games cuts 30 jobs as it braces for a "more uncertain year ahead for VR games"Redundancies will impact all areas of its business, including publishing, marketing, admin, and studio staffImage credit: Fast Travel Games News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 28, 2025 Fast Travel Games has cut 30 jobs, primarily in its publishing, marketing, and admin departments, although "the studio will also be impacted as [it] consolidates down to one development team."In a statement posted to LinkedIn, the Stockholm studio attributed the cuts to "lower sales than expected", calling the redundancies an "exceptionally difficult decision" that was necessary to ensure a "stable and sustainable future for the company.""Due to lower sales than expected from our six game launches in 2024, in combination with a more uncertain year ahead for VR games as a whole, we've taken the difficult decision to make 30 employees redundant at FTG."This is an exceptionally difficult decision, but we believe it's necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future for the company."Our focus now is on supporting all Fast Travellers through this challenging time," the statement concluded."We're grateful for the invaluable contributions of those leaving and remain committed to continue launching incredible games for our players.""We shared some sad news with the team today as we've been forced to make redundancies at FTG," explained CEO Oskar Burman."It's extremely heart-breaking having to part ways with so many talented employees, some of the best I've ever worked with, and we'll do everything we can to help impacted staff land on their feet - please reach out to me in a DM if you're actively recruiting and I'll make intros."The swath of job cuts from last year seems to be continuing in 2025. In January alone, we've reported on the closure of Freejam, Splash Damage, Piranha Games, Jar of Sparks, as well as 185 jobs cut by Ubisoft.

Fast Travel Games CEO Oskar Burman announced 30 roles have been eliminated at the VR studio.According to the studio's statement, the reductions primarily affect its publishing, administration, and marketing teams. However, Fast Travel itself will now be consolidated into a single development team.Fast Travel released six games, including Band Space and Mannequin, released throughout 2024 for various VR devices like the Meta Quest and PlayStation VR2. It said all six titles had "lower than expected sales," and acknowledged the layoffs were further spurred by a "more uncertain year" for VR games overall."This is an exceptionally difficult decision," the statement reads, "but we believe it's necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future for the company."This makes for the second set of layoffs this week, preceded by Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs cutting most of its staff and Ubisoft closing a studio in Leamington and cutting roles across other UK teams.A shaky past and uncertain future for VRVR had a tough time in 2024 as hardware failed to gain much traction, or in Meta's case, was discontinued.There's also the matter of less staff on hand to make VR games: Ready at Dawn, makers of the Echo series for the Quest headsets, shut down. Other developers like XR Games laid off employees after restructuring.Earlier in January, FuturLab ended support for Powerwash Simulator's VR port. The studio explained that while it still has interest in the medium, continuing with that particular title was not a fruitful endeavor.Fast Travel Games also publishes VR titles, one of which is set to release later this year: Moonhood's The Midnight Walk.