Crowdfunding a game you like is a common practice, but be careful with where you send your money. Zarya is an upcoming cozy narrative simulator telling the story of a rural driver in a post-Soviet setting, clearly inspired by Disco Elysium. Developed by SBSR, it needs support like any other game, but the creators don't ask for money online, so if you've seen their game on Indiegogo, be aware that this is a scam.One of the game's developers, Anton Surkov, went to Reddit to warn potential players about this fake page, saying that SBSR didn't create it and never planned to run a crowdfunding campaign. "Someone just stole our game name, visuals, and text, and started collecting money under our name. It’s not just upsetting – it’s terrifying."The worst part is that they might have never learned about it if not for emails offering “advice” and “coaching” to improve crowdfunding results that they started receiving after the page's launch.SBSR has already contacted Indiegogo but hasn't received a reply yet. "We’re just three people working late nights on something we care about. Watching someone try to exploit that… it sucks. But we’re not giving up."If you're interested in Zarya, wishlist it on Steam and find all the relevant information there, not on some crowdfunding site. Here is some information about the game so you can decide if this is something you'd like to play when it gets released.SBSR"Immerse yourself in the life of Vasily, a local driver striving to breathe new life into his village. Assist the villagers, transport packages, tow cars. Do everything within your power! Deliver cargo across endless fields, country roads, and overgrown paths. Upgrade your vehicle, turning it into an indefatigable iron steed."SBSRYou'll get to talk to people living far from civilization and see their views on the world. "Grill kebabs with the guys in the garages, go fishing with Petrovich, take the harvest to the market, tow cars, and try not to end up in a pit, as the last time a tractor was seen in the village was 30 years ago."There are plenty of "authentic post-Soviet clichés" and the warm atmosphere of the good old days.SBSRSign in for a playtest and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

Solo game developer Joyen has shared great news with the community. Loya, an open-world survival crafter with a walking, buildable fortress that they've been working on for the past seven years, has received its first gameplay trailer.Actually, back in 2022, this Unity project had attracted our attention with its procedurally generated bridge and interiors. Fast forward to now, the game has evolved greatly and received a Steam page with a detailed introduction about its gameplay and features. So let's take a closer look. The highlights of Loya include a walking fortress, giant bosses, exploration, defense, and multiplayer. In this game, players must defeat giants to collect their cores. In order to achieve this, you'll need to build and upgrade the walking fortresses and equip them with powerful weapons.  The materials are not easily obtained; there will be fierce battles to get ready for. The vast open world in Loya appears vibrant, allowing you to explore it at your own pace. The walking fortress can not only walk but also fly, allowing you to ascend high into the air and navigate. Also, you can attach towers to it so it can automatically attack the enemies.JoyenIf you're impressed by the gigantic rocky Golem in the trailer, the solo developer has more great news: there will be four such giants, each on a unique biome. Whether you enjoy exploring and battling solo or prefer teaming up with friends, Loya provides the flexibility you need. You can play along with friends or connect to a dedicated server that holds up to 25 players or more. While sharing the new trailer, Joyen also noted that a playtest is underway, allowing testers to experience the complete first biome, which offers approximately 10 to 20 hours of gameplay. Other biomes include a snowy environment and a desert, with the last one to be revealed later. If Loya looks interesting to you, don't hesitate to add the game to your Steam wishlist and follow Joyen on X/Twitter to check out more in-game footage and receive future updates. Join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

Sangral Powered by Friendship™ Member Feb 17, 2022 8,649 From one of the biggest and most dedicated HDR analysis channels out there. Thought that's a big enough topic on its own, because of the analysis, for a separate thread. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N637VB4FYxg 450 nits maximum peak brightness (personal comparison, Switch OLED without any HDR has 340 nits, an LG C2 TV in HDR has 800 nits, Steam Deck OLED screen has 1000 nits, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 2600 nits.) Games like Zelda Breath of the Wild have raised blacks even in Docked HDR gameplay with a raised black level floor and the game looking washed out HDR docked can be good if games are optimized for it like Cyberpunk, which he refers to being exactly like on PS5 and PC, HDR wise or Fast Fusion as one of the rare games that actually have a good black level floor in HDR   Last edited: 39 minutes ago blueredandgold Member Oct 25, 2017 8,739 Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please?   gabdeg Member Oct 26, 2017 7,420 🐝 Sadly what I expected since the moment we learned it was edge-lit LCD. Would've at least expected nigher peak nits though.   Kouriozan Member Oct 25, 2017 25,072 A shame, because Switch 2 is like the first time I'll see HDR, as my old TV isn't compatible :/   Paper Cheese Member Oct 9, 2019 558 I've got to assume this is the sort of thing that most of us hi-fi tech illiterate lot won't notice until they bring out a better screen model in a few years.   Fortinbras Member Oct 27, 2017 2,073 Well that sucks but it's Nintendo...did anyone expect anything different? I'm only going to use it docked so hopefully they can fix the HDR via update.  Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 2,482 Not surprised, but not a big issue for me personally.   Antony Member Oct 25, 2017 4,054 Ahhh the obligatory Nintendo Crap Display (Before You Buy a Whole New Model to Get a Decent One) it's positively tradition at this point   Friendly Bear Member Jan 11, 2019 4,162 I Don’t Care Where (Just Far) Even with an edge lit LCD, I was expecting brighter highlights. A lot of the preview event coverage made it sound like the screen was insanely bright, and that's clearly not the case.   NoSpin Member Nov 1, 2017 83 As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :)   Mivey Member Oct 25, 2017 20,753 Paper Cheese said: I've got to assume this is the sort of thing that most of us hi-fi tech illiterate lot won't notice until they bring out a better screen model in a few years. Click to expand... Click to shrink... the raised blacks on dark content is pretty clear if you play in any kind of darker environment, if you have any kind of OLED screen to compare. Case in point, if you own a Switch 1 OLED, you'll notice the stark differences for certain kinds of content right away. OTOH, if you have been using a launch Switch 1 and never had any issues with how it looks, you'll be fine. Just make sure to stay away from OLED screen, lest you gain the ability to see the differences.   Decarb Member Oct 27, 2017 9,280 HDR on edge-lit LCD is kind of a scam anyway. Kouriozan said: A shame, because Switch 2 is like the first time I'll see HDR, as my old TV isn't compatible :/ Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you have a phone made in last couple of years you've probably seen HDR.   horkrux Member Oct 27, 2017 6,531 Well, kinda expected, so I'm not too bothered by it. Not like you can change it.   Maximo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,041 Nintendo saving that sweet sweet OLED for a refresh.   Buddy Member Oct 25, 2017 1,773 Germany I have mine in my hands right now.... don't know about HDR stuff too much but Mario Kart looks gorgeous on it.   DieH@rd Member Oct 26, 2017 12,083 Decarb said: HDR on edge-lit LCD is kind of a scam anyway. Click to expand... Click to shrink... ^ this.   cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Most of this stuff was clear from the Preview Events, at least DF talked about it. Didn't seem to bother a majority of people playing though. Was pretty much set when it wasn't going to be OLED.  John Frost Member Oct 27, 2017 9,658 Canada Well, that's disappointing..   Milk Prophet of Truth Avenger Oct 25, 2017 4,301 NoSpin said: As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :) Click to expand... Click to shrink... It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers.   345 Member Oct 30, 2017 10,410 it's about as good as i was expecting. HDR on an LCD basically means "we're actually going to tune content for the screen's color gamut", and it does the job on that level. mario kart does look punchier and more vibrant than it would in SDR while obviously not offering the same contrast as an OLED. dunno who this guy is but if he's really "very disappointed" i'm not sure he knows very much about screens. i'm sure it's just ragebait  JimNastics Member Jan 11, 2018 1,607 345 said: 'm sure it's just ragebait Click to expand... Click to shrink... No way!! :D You could tell just from the thumbnail.  Aleh Member Oct 27, 2017 20,238 "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is.   cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Milk said: It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Seems to be on par what you would get with an LCD. The OG Switch 1 has a bad LCD Screen, the OG Steam Deck has an even worse.....this video is making it seem like Switch 2 Screen is as bad as these screens or even worse. When it seems to be quite solid for an LCD, but in certain areas it can compete with an OLED.  Alex840 Member Oct 31, 2017 5,373 And yet most of the games media doing previews have been like "oh I can barely tell the difference compared to the OLED". Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them?  Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 2,482 SDR low brightness in a dark room then   Dranakin Member Oct 27, 2017 2,999 Ooof. Although, I will admit, I probably can't tell between good and bad sceens. I mean, I have the Ayaneo Pocket DMG and everyone says it's an amazing screen. It looks normal to me? Alex840 said: Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them? Click to expand... Click to shrink... An OLED 120hz? The Odin 2 Portal has one (smaller size and without VRR), but I don't have a sense of the component cost.  Kabuki Waq Member Oct 26, 2017 6,034 The screen is a pretty big downgrade from oled but a huge upgrade from the OG. I really miss the perfect blacks. MKW is gorgeous but would have looked so much better on an oled screen  Harmen Member Aug 30, 2023 1,462 The HDR and lifted black should not come as a surprise. But the video doesn't really analyze why it would be below average for an LCD screen? Colours? Pixel response time? For example the original Switch 1 LCD look reaaally bad to me these days, but my Steam Deck LCD screen (similar resolution) looks good to me outside of raised blacks in dark scenes (which I do get used to).   nogoodnamesleft Member Oct 25, 2017 8,605 Yep. I fucking knew it. Knew it was going to be trash. LCD is trash as a standard (yes miniled included with its trash ass pixel response time) Will wait for oled version.  cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Focus of the whole channel is HDR. Dude is likely just used to comparing HDR content on very expensive OLED Screens. So HDR bad = everything trash for him. Something that won't be the case for 99% of users out there. Its the single voter issue again, disregarding everything else because of one focus point and expecting every one to feel the same way about it.  Serif Member Oct 31, 2024 410 Alex840 said: Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them? Click to expand... Click to shrink... An OLED 1080p HDR VRR 120 Hz screen does not sound like it would be cost-effective. It makes sense to establish baseline specs like 120 Hz support for developers to target and upgrade to OLED in the future instead of trying to add 120 Hz support later on.  fourfourfun Member Oct 27, 2017 9,149 England Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you're an enthusiast display platform, you're going to be benchmarking against the absolute best. So comparatively it could not be as good. Obviously it doesn't take into account what the entire platform delivers as a whole and the price it was trying to hit. It's a rather zoomed in look at just one thing.  RailWays One Winged Slayer Avenger Oct 25, 2017 18,449 Still sounds like an upgrade from the launch Switch LCD, though those nits are pretty low   Koklusz Member Oct 27, 2017 3,971 blueredandgold said: Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please? Click to expand... Click to shrink... The screen is bad, and the native HDR implementation in the games he tested is shoddy.   NoSpin Member Nov 1, 2017 83 Milk said: It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games.  Wasp Member Oct 29, 2017 351 It's a shame they couldn't release an OLED SKU at launch. I would have happily paid an extra $100 for an OLED model and I'm sure many are the same. I know I'll be keeping my box in pristine condition to get maximum value when I trade the console in for a Switch 2 OLED in hopefully a few years.  Last edited: 51 minutes ago pswii60 Member Oct 27, 2017 28,932 The Milky Way This means that for handheld purposes, Switch 2 is actually a downgrade on Switch 1 OLED, for any games that aren't taking advantage of the additional power/resolution. So basically, you might want to hold on to your Switch 1 OLED for all your pixel art indies, and any games not getting a patch/upgrade.  Shadow One Winged Slayer Member Oct 28, 2017 4,837 Kinda what I expected. Being LCD with HDR especially on portable device at that is never a good combo. I'll just play on my OLED TV when I want to get the full experience, which again, is what I expected. I hope it's a bit usable outside at least. I was hoping closer to 600 nits for that alone, as the Deck OLED is JUST usable on a sunny day. But you can't have everything I guess.  UnderJollyRoger Member Jun 16, 2023 648 Germany The screen is also my biggest concern of the unit. The og switch has an absolutely atrocious screen and LCDs just dont cut it anymore for me. The low nits will make it again pretty difficult to properly play outside. I am commuting a lot and sitting on a train with a bit of sun outside was already too much for the og switch. Here is hoping that an OLED variant will come earlier this time.  Milk Prophet of Truth Avenger Oct 25, 2017 4,301 NoSpin said: I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You're implying being critical means you're not also enjoying the video games. I'm critical of tons of my favorite games. I'm still having a fun time with the games 🤷  HandsomeCharles Member Oct 26, 2017 4,717 Disappointing to hear, but as someone who thinks his OG switch's screen is fine, I'm sure it won't really bother me.   OP OP Sangral Powered by Friendship™ Member Feb 17, 2022 8,649 blueredandgold said: Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please? Click to expand... Click to shrink... I'm trying to add some bullet points to the OT.  Ghost Slayer Member Oct 30, 2017 1,433 is it like PS Portal LCD screen? Because I think the Portal LCD screen is really good   Decarb Member Oct 27, 2017 9,280 pswii60 said: This means that for handheld purposes, Switch 2 is actually a downgrade on Switch 1 OLED, for any games that aren't taking advantage of the additional power/resolution. So basically, you might want to hold on to your Switch 1 OLED for all your pixel art indies, and any games not getting a patch/upgrade. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh I don't think there's any doubt from pure IQ perspective its a downgrade from Switch 1 OLED. Even without HDR support at max brightness that screen pops like nothing else.   Maximo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,041 NoSpin said: I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... This is a silly comparison since he's not reviewing a screen from 1996 when it first came out, screen technology has exploded since the first iPhone, seems like a needless jab.  Melhadf Member Dec 25, 2017 2,528 My understanding is that 400nits is the minimum for HDR. So it's technically HDR, but usually dismissed by purists as not "real HDR" such as this vid with his HDR10 testing (1000nits standard). So it's a definite improvement over SDR content, but Nintendo then used an LCD instead of OLED so it most likely looks worse than the OLED switch. Feels like Nintendo is using minimum HDR as a crutch to cheap out on the screen and people are saying it's not "TRUE HDR" even though it's completely within spec.  vegtro Member Oct 25, 2017 808 Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... When I first booted the Switch 2, I wanted to believe the screen will be ok from the news. Nope, the screen pretty much is pretty bad compared to OLED.   Alvis Saw the truth behind the copied door Member Oct 25, 2017 12,148 EU A bit of a shame, meh NoSpin said: As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :) Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yes indeed, this dude is set on a mission to personally ruin your experience, and he's now crying in a corner knowing that he failed.   fourfourfun Member Oct 27, 2017 9,149 England Shadow said: But you can't have everything I guess. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think that's the thing, they went for resolution and VRR as a priority. I'm sure I also read on here a while ago that it also centres around the availability of appropriate screens. OLED only became viable after a certain point.  Pargon Member Oct 27, 2017 14,110 I thought I had appropriately-low expectations, but I was thinking it would be a 600 nit 1800:1 panel. Not 450 nits and 900:1. The only thing "HDR" about it is probably that content will be authored to make use of a wider color gamut. 

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Solen Feyissa Connectors on ChatGPT is not available in European Union countries, China, and the UK Highlights With Record Mode, ChatGPT can transcribe and summarise meetings ChatGPT’s Connector feature works only with Deep Research It is available to all the paid subscribers of ChatGPT Advertisement OpenAI released two new utility features for ChatGPT users on Wednesday. The artificial intelligence (AI) app on MacOS now has a Record Mode that can capture meetings, brainstorming sessions, and voice notes, and transcribe and summarise the main discussion points. This feature is currently only available to the ChatGPT Team subscribers. Additionally, the San Francisco-based AI firm is also introducing Connectors, which is a tool that lets the chatbot connect to the user's internal cloud-based data sources such as Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive, and more.ChatGPT Can Now Record Your MeetingsIn a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of OpenAI announced the new ChatGPT features. The company also hosted a live stream on YouTube to provide a demonstration of these business-focused features. Both of these features are exclusive to the company's paid subscribers, however, the Record Mode is only aimed at the Team users. Additionally, Record Mode is not available in the European Economic Area (EEA), China, and the UK.Record Mode is a new capability available on ChatGPT's macOS desktop app. Team users can now tap the new Record button at the bottom of any chat. Once the user has given permission for microphone, the chatbot will begin capturing the meeting. It can also record voice notes. Once the session has ended, it can provide an editable summary of the conversation as well as its recording.OpenAI says users will be able to search for past meetings, references to them during conversations, and bring relevant context. The transcripts of the meetings also get saved as a canvas in the user's chat history. This transcript can also be rewritten as an email, project plans, or code scaffold. Notably, the tool can record up to 120 minutes per session.Separately, the AI firm also released Connectors. The tool allows ChatGPT to connect to third-party internal data sources and retrieve information in real-time. The feature works with Outlook, Teams, Google Drive, Gmail, Linear, and more. The Team, Enterprise, and Edu subscribers can also connect to SharePoint, DropBox, and Box. Connectors will only work when using Deep Research. OpenAI is also letting workspace admins build custom Deep Research Connectors using Model Context Protocol (MCP) in beta. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: OpenAI, ChatGPT, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Apps Akash Dutta Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More Related Stories

Tecno Pova Curve 5G is now available for purchase in India. The 5G smartphone with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultimate SoC was announced in the country last week. It has a dual rear camera unit comprising a 64-megapixel primary sensor. The phone packs a 5,500mAh battery with 45W charging support. The Tecno Pova Curve 5G has a 7.45mm-thick design and an IP64-rated build for dust and water resistance.Tecno Pova Curve 5G Price in IndiaThe Tecno Pova Curve 5G is currently up for sale in India through Flipkart. It is priced at Rs. 15,999 for the base 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model and Rs. 16,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The base variant will be exclusively available through Flipkart, while the top-end version is confirmed to go on sale via offline channels as well. It is released in Geek Black, Magic Silver, and Neon Cyan shades.Flipkart has listed the Tecno Pova Curve 5G with no-cost EMI offers and up to Rs. 13,850 exchange discount. It is offering 5 percent cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank cards. Offline buyers can avail of no-cost EMI for up to 10 months.Tecno Pova Curve 5G SpecificationsThe Tecno Pova Curve 5G has a starship-inspired design and sports a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,436 pixels) curved AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate. The screen has Gorilla Glass 5 coating and is touted to deliver 1,300 nits peak brightness. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultimate SoC, along with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It offers up to 16GB of virtual RAM.For optics, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G carries an AI-backed dual camera unit comprising a 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 sensor. There is a 13-megapixel camera on the front. It has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The handset features an IP64-rated build.The Tecno Pova Curve 5G comes with the company's AI assistant, Ella. The device has AI-based features like AI Voiceprint Suppression and AI Call Assistant. It offers an Intelligent Signal Hub System for ensuring connectivity in low signal locations.Tecno Pova Curve 5G houses a 5,500mAh battery alongside 45W charging support. It measures 7.45mm in thickness.Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details. KEY SPECSNEWSDisplay 6.78-inchFront Camera 13-megapixelRear Camera 64-megapixelRAM 6GB, 8GBStorage 128GBBattery Capacity 5500mAhOS Android 15Resolution 1080x2436 pixels For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Tecno Pova Curve 5G, Tecno Pova Curve 5G Price in India, Tecno Pova Curve 5G Specifications, Tecno Nithya P Nair Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More Related Stories

Few companies in the history of capitalism have amassed as much wealth and influence as Meta.A global superpower in the information space, Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads — has a market cap of $1.68 trillion at the time of writing, which for a rough sense of scale is more than the gross domestic product of Spain.In spite of its immense influence, none of its internal algorithms can be scrutinized by public watchdogs. Its host country, the United States, has largely turned a blind eye to its dealings in exchange for free use of Meta's vast surveillance capabilities.That lack of oversight coupled with Meta's near-omnipresence as a social utility has had devastating consequences throughout the world, manifesting in crises like the genocide of Muslims in Myanmar, or the systemic suppression of Palestinian rights organizations.How do you uncover the harms caused by one of the most powerful companies on earth? In the case of public violence, the evidence isn't hard to trace. However, Meta's unprecedented corporate dynasty also creates less obvious harms, which scores of scholars, researchers, and journalists are devoting entire careers to uncovering.One prominent group of said investigators is GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which recently released its annual report on social media safety, privacy, and expression for LGBTQ people.The report notes that Meta has undergone a "particularly extreme" ideological shift over the past year, adding harmful exceptions to its content moderation policies while disproportionately suppressing LGBTQ users and their content. The tech giant has also failed to give LGBTQ users sovereignty over their own personal data, which it collects, analyzes, and wields to generate huge profits.While Meta collects all of our data — from which it draws over 95 percent of its revenue — the practice is particularly harmful to LGBTQ users, who then have to contend with algorithmic biases, non-consensual outing, harassment, and in some countries state oppression."It's a dangerous time, certainly for trans people, who as a minority have been so ridiculously maligned, but also a dangerous time for gay people, openly bi[sexual] people, people who are different in any way," says Sarah Roberts, a UCLA professor and Director of the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry.To address these shortcomings and the dangers they introduce, GLAAD made a number of recommendations. One key suggestion was to improve moderation "by providing training for all content moderators focused on LGBTQ safety, privacy and expression." The media advocacy group doesn't mince words, adding that "AI systems should be used to flag for human review, not for automated removals."However, it doesn't look like Meta got the message.Weeks after GLAAD issued its findings, internal Meta documents leaked to NPR revealed the company's plan to hand 90 percent of its privacy and integrity reviews over to "artificial intelligence."This will impact nearly every new feature introduced to its platforms, where human moderators would typically evaluate new features for risks to privacy and safety, and the wellbeing of user groups like minors, immigrants, and LGBTQ people.Meta's internal risk assessment is an already opaque process, and Roberts notes that government attempts at risk oversight, like the EU's Digital Services Act, are likewise a labyrinth of filings which are largely dictated by the social media companies themselves. AI, chock full of biases and prone to errors — as admitted by Meta's own AI chief — is certain to make the situation even worse.Earlier this week, meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal revealed Meta's plans to fully automate advertising via the company's generative AI software, which will allow advertisers to "fully create and target ads" directly, with no human in the loop.This includes hyper-personalized ads, writes the WSJ, "so that users see different versions of the same ad in real time, based on factors such as geolocation."Data hoarders like Meta — which track you even when you're not using its platforms — have long been able to profile LGBTQ users based on gender identify and sexual orientation, including those who aren't publicly out.Removing any human from these already sinister practices serves to streamline operations and distance Meta from its own actions — "we didn't out gay users living under an oppressive government," the company can say, "even if our AI did." It's no coincidence that Meta had already disbanded its "Responsible AI" team as early as 2023.At the root of these decisions — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's right wing turn notwithstanding — is the calculated drive to maximize revenue."If there's no reason to rigorously moderate harmful content, then why pay so many content moderators? Why engage researchers to look into the circulation of this kind of content?" observes Roberts. "There ends up being a real cost savings there.""One of the things I've always said is that content moderation of social media is not primarily about protecting people, it's about brand management," she told Futurism. "It's about the platform managing its brand in order to make the most hospitable environment for advertisers."Sometimes these corporate priorities line up with progressive causes, like LGBTQ user safety or voter registration. But when they don't, Roberts notes, "dollars are dollars.""We are looking at multibillion-dollar companies, the most capitalized companies in the world, who have operated with impunity for many, many years," she said. "How do you convince them that they should care, when other powerful sectors are telling them the opposite?"Share This Article

Brooklinen is one of our favorite brands for quality bedding designed to last. Making it in our lists for pillows, duvets, and even robes, the best Brooklinen sheets are also staples in many of our editors’ bedrooms for this very reason. Founded in 2014 by a pair of millennials with a passion for high-end textiles on a tight budget , this retailer made a splash on the market by offering direct-to-consumer bedding that merged thoughtfully designed linens at affordable price points—complete with 200-plus thread counts for ultimate durability and Oeko-Tex-certified backing to ensure the fabrics are free of harsh chemicals. While they also became well-known for the ubiquity of their subway ads, they caught our eye at AD Shopping for delivering breathability and sturdy sheets in modern colorways that made a bedroom feel anything but stuffy.That being said: the brand’s catalog is big, so if you know you want Brooklinen sheets but don’t know where to start, we’ve assembled a list of our tried-and-true favorites. Available in sizes ranging from twin XL to California king, we note our go-to percale, sateen, and linen sets in this lineup.Brooklinen Luxe Sateen Core Sheet SetBrooklinen’s Luxe Core Sheet Set is beloved by multiple AD staffers—commerce director Rachel Fletcher says this sateen set is “super classic, smooth, and has a crisp feel,” and contributor Erika Owen loves “the deep design of the fitted sheet pocket” and how easy it is to get it over her mattress and mattress topper. Owen also says it has great temperature regulation. As a self-proclaimed hot sleeper, she says the fabric maintains an even sleep temperature, including during a New York City heat wave. This set of sheets also comes in 21 colorways to bring your inspo pics to life, but move fast, these sell out quickly. Machine wash these on cold, tumble dry low, and you’ll see no signs of fading or wear, but an increase in softness, according to Fletcher.Brooklinen Washed Linen Core Sheet SetAs for Brooklinen’s linen sheets, their original core set recently got an upgrade. Our team members have tested their first iteration for years, including contributor Madeleine Luckel. While she confessed in our best sheets roundup that they felt a “bit thin,” she said the bedding lived up to her expectations. Plus, she would recommend them to other shoppers, so long as you weren’t “picturing a superdense weave.” After debuting the washed European linen sheets this spring, our team got our hands on them and found them to be soft and lightweight. Ranking in our best-of-linen sheets story, the washed material European linen brings a softer but stronger fabric to the beloved set, meaning it wears less with wash and continues to get softer with routine care Perhaps the best part of this sheet set—aesthetically, anyway—is its many colorways: the recent collaboration with Brooklyn-based textile artist Caroline Z Hurley offers warm, neutral stripe options, a white-and-blue stripe lends itself to a nautical-inspired coastal bedding set, and chambray and moss give the linen a particularly welcoming wash, appearing earthy and grounded for year-round use. Contributor Yelena Moroz Alpert says, “There is natural texture because of slubs (teeny bumps) in the weave, but I think this adds to the softness.” “Think of your favorite linen shirt, but in the form of a sheet.” They’re extremely light, “If you hold it up, you can see through it,” Alpert adds. Our editors recommend machine washing these on cold without any other items on the first cycle to help prevent color bleeding. These should get softer and look a bit more worn with each wash, which gives linen its coveted slouchy, worn look.Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set“The texture of these is unreal,” says contributor Yelena Alpert, who recently tested this. “It feels buttery soft like a sateen, but still crisp as percale cotton should be.” Brooklinen promises these classic percale sheets feel like sleeping in your worn-in button-down shirt—sans buttons, of course. And after thorough testing, we agree. Besides the silky-soft feel, Alpert loves these sheets for lingering at an accessible price point for high-quality cooling sheets. While this set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, the hard-core sheet bundle includes a duvet cover and two more pillowcases to completely flesh out your new bedding set. Percale only improves with wash, as a few turns in the washing machine help loosen its fibers to create a softer texture. Alpert adds that this percale is also durable and pilling-resistant, though you can expect a bit more of a wrinkle if you’re not on top of the dry cycle.Like the linen sheets noted above, the percale sets are available in designs by Caroline Z Hurley. Commerce writer Julia Harrison attests these are not only cooling, comfortable, and soft, but they are also “so damn cute.” In a gray-beige, blue, and coral floral print, they bring a welcome dose of whimsy to your bedding without becoming twee about it.Between their designs and fabrics, and with a focus on temperature regulation and non-toxic materials, Brooklinen hits the sweet spot for budget-friendly, sturdy sheets that’ll last for the long haul. Few AD staffers haven’t tried a pair of sheets from them and loved their new drops, colorways, and ever-improving textures. Brooklinen offers free shipping with no minimum, as well as a 365-day warranty in case you’d like to return the items. However, we stand behind them for some of the best sheets out there. “It’s sort of a no-brainer,” Harrison says. “They’re the first brand I recommend when people ask me where to start for bedding, because they’re luxurious, affordable, and come in every pattern and colorway a person could want.”

RuneScape developer Jagex has laid off an undisclosed number of staff from 'non-game development roles, which was confirmed today by the studio.Reported by PCGamer, the layoffs first came to light on the RuneScape subreddit, with users noticing moderators missing all of a sudden. A mod that goes by Hooli replied to the thread mentioning the job cuts. They added that the majority of the layoffs were "from non-game dev and non-player facing areas," adding that the roadmap for RuneSpace: Dragonwilds, which launched into Steam early access two months ago, “won’t change because of these job reductions.”“We’ll continue the great path we've been on with our content,” Hooli added."Changes to operational structure" at JagexAccording to the studio (via a statement sent to PCGamer), the layoffs, presented as “changes to our operational structure,” were part of a strategy to build “the best experiences for players and grow the RuneScape community.” The goals are to “reduce complexity, increase agility, and ensure we are fully focused on the areas that matter most-our games, our players, and our future.”While Jagex declined to disclose the exact number of employees affected, it says the vast majority are within the operations and administrative support teams.Related:“We recognize that any change of this nature is difficult, and we are committed to supporting all impacted employees throughout the transition,” the company addded, although it didn’t share specifics about how it plans to provide support.Jagex reported profit growth for the seventh year in a row at the end of 2022, four years after shutting down RuneScape Classic, ending a 17-year-old run. The studio was then acquired by private equity firms CVC Capital and Haveli Investments in February 2024. A month later, CEO Phil Mansell departed the studio after eight years. CVC Capital advisor and Jagex board member Jon Bellami then took helm of the studio.

Vivid Storm Interactive, developers of the Combat Extended mod for RimWorld, have been working on a colony sim game called Ascent of Ashes for a while now. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia where you take on the role of leader of a team of survivors, busy with various tasks. "Build and defend your base. Manage your survivors. Engage raiders, aliens, Remnant soldiers and other factions in real-time-with-pause combat. Or use stealth to outwit them. Explore the massive world. Survive at all costs," reads the game description. Unlike other games in the genre, in Ascent of Ashes, you are capable of restoring and driving vehicles, which are helpful tools to help you move faster and explore more efficiently in the expansive, procedurally generated world, filled with rich biomes and points of interest. The enemies in the game, powered by dynamic AI, will have different levels of intelligence. "Taking on a disorganized band of raiders will play very differently from fighting a squad of well-trained Remnant soldiers." Your role not only tests your ability to win in deep tactical combats, but also to properly find and recruit survivors who can strengthen your team to deal with challenges, and remember to keep everyone happy, secure, and motivated along the way. As a team that "has its roots in mod-making," they've created the game with an engine that’s highly extendable and mod-friendly to provide the support that modders need. "Ascent of Ashes is a game developed by modders, for modders."The developers have been synchronizing development progress through monthly updated dev logs on Steam, so if you're curious about what's going on in the game and what to expect next, don't hesitate to check it out.Ascent of Ashes will be released in Early Access on July 21. To learn more about the game and watch more gameplay footage, check it out on Steam and the official account on X/Twitter. Join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

Replicube A game by Walaber Entertainment LLCDev snapshot: Godot 4.5 dev 5By: Thaddeus Crews2 June 2025Pre-releaseBrrr… Do you feel that? That’s the cold front of the feature freeze just around the corner. It’s not upon us just yet, but this is likely to be our final development snapshot of the 4.5 release cycle. As we enter the home stretch of new features, bugs are naturally going to follow suit, meaning bug reports and feedback will be especially important for a smooth beta timeframe.Jump to the Downloads section, and give it a spin right now, or continue reading to learn more about improvements in this release. You can also try the Web editor or the Android editor for this release. If you are interested in the latter, please request to join our testing group to get access to pre-release builds.The cover illustration is from Replicube, a programming puzzle game where you write code to recreate voxelized objects. It is developed by Walaber Entertainment LLC (Bluesky, Twitter). You can get the game on Steam.HighlightsIn case you missed them, see the 4.5 dev 1, 4.5 dev 2, 4.5 dev 3, and 4.5 dev 4 release notes for an overview of some key features which were already in those snapshots, and are therefore still available for testing in dev 5.Native visionOS supportNormally, our featured highlights in these development blogs come from long-time contributors. This makes sense of course, as it’s generally those users that have the familiarity necessary for major changes or additions that are commonly used for these highlights. That’s why it might surprise you to hear that visionOS support comes to us from Ricardo Sanchez-Saez, whose pull request GH-105628 is his very first contribution to the engine! It might not surprise you to hear that Ricardo is part of the visionOS engineering team at Apple, which certainly helps get his foot in the door, but that still makes visionOS the first officially-supported platform integration in about a decade.For those unfamiliar, visionOS is Apple’s XR environment. We’re no strangers to XR as a concept (see our recent XR blogpost highlighting the latest Godot XR Game Jam), but XR platforms are as distinct from one another as traditional platforms. visionOS users have expressed a strong interest in integrating with our ever-growing XR community, and now we can make that happen. See you all in the next XR Game Jam!GDScript: Abstract classesWhile the Godot Engine utilizes abstract classes—a class that cannot be directly instantiated—frequently, this was only ever supported internally. Thanks to the efforts of Aaron Franke, this paradigm is now available to GDScript users (GH-67777). Now if a user wants to introduce their own abstract class, they merely need to declare it via the new abstract keyword:abstract class_name MyAbstract extends Node The purpose of an abstract class is to create a baseline for other classes to derive from:class_name ExtendsMyAbstract extends MyAbstract Shader bakerFrom the technical gurus behind implementing ubershaders, Darío Samo and Pedro J. Estébanez bring us another miracle of rendering via GH-102552: shader baker exporting. This is an optional feature that can be enabled at export time to speed up shader compilation massively. This feature works with ubershaders automatically without any work from the user. Using shader baking is strongly recommended when targeting Apple devices or D3D12 since it makes the biggest difference there (over 20× decrease in load times in the TPS demo)!Before:After:However, it comes with tradeoffs:Export time will be much longer.Build size will be much larger since the baked shaders can take up a lot of space.We have removed several MoltenVK bug workarounds from the Forward+ shader, therefore we no longer guarantee support for the Forward+ renderer on Intel Macs. If you are targeting Intel Macs, you should use the Mobile or Compatibility renderers.Baking for Vulkan can be done from any device, but baking for D3D12 needs to be done from a Windows device and baking for Apple .metallib requires a Metal compiler (macOS with Xcode / Command Line Tools installed).Web: WebAssembly SIMD supportAs you might recall, Godot 4.0 initially released under the assumption that multi-threaded web support would become the standard, and only supported that format for web builds. This assumption unfortunately proved to be wishful thinking, and was reverted in 4.3 by allowing for single-threaded builds once more. However, this doesn’t mean that these single-threaded environments are inherently incapable of parallel processing; it just requires alternative implementations. One such implementation, SIMD, is a perfect candidate thanks to its support across all major browsers. To that end, web-wiz Adam Scott has taken to integrating this implementation for our web builds by default (GH-106319).Inline color pickersWhile it’s always been possible to see what kind of variable is assigned to an exported color in the inspector, some users have expressed a keen interest in allowing for this functionality within the script editor itself. This is because it would mean seeing what kind of color is represented by a variable without it needing to be exposed, as well as making it more intuitive at a glance as to what color a name or code corresponds to. Koliur Rahman has blessed us with this quality-of-life goodness, which adds an inline color picker GH-105724. Now no matter where the color is declared, users will be able to immediately and intuitively know what is actually represented in a non-intrusive manner.Rendering goodiesThe renderer got a fair amount of love this snapshot; not from any one PR, but rather a multitude of community members bringing some long-awaited features to light. Raymond DiDonato helped SMAA 1x make its transition from addon to fully-fledged engine feature (GH-102330). Capry brings bent normal maps to further enhance specular occlusion and indirect lighting (GH-89988). Our very own Clay John converted our Compatibility backend to use a fragment shader copy instead of a blit copy, working around common sample rate issues on mobile devices (GH-106267). More technical information on these rendering changes can be found in their associated PRs.SMAA comparison:OffOnBent normal map comparison:BeforeAfterAnd more!There are too many exciting changes to list them all here, but here’s a curated selection:Animation: Add alphabetical sorting to Animation Player (GH-103584).Animation: Add animation filtering to animation editor (GH-103130).Audio: Implement seek operation for Theora video files, improve multi-channel audio resampling (GH-102360).Core: Add --scene command line argument (GH-105302).Core: Overhaul resource duplication (GH-100673).Core: Use Grisu2 algorithm in String::num_scientific to fix serializing (GH-98750).Editor: Add “Quick Load” button to EditorResourcePicker (GH-104490).Editor: Add PROPERTY_HINT_INPUT_NAME for use with @export_custom to allow using input actions (GH-96611).Editor: Add named EditorScripts to the command palette (GH-99318).GUI: Add file sort to FileDialog (GH-105723).I18n: Add translation preview in editor (GH-96921).Import: Add Channel Remap settings to ResourceImporterTexture (GH-99676).Physics: Improve performance with non-monitoring areas when using Jolt Physics (GH-106490).Porting: Android: Add export option for custom theme attributes (GH-106724).Porting: Android: Add support for 16 KB page sizes, update to NDK r28b (GH-106358).Porting: Android: Remove the gradle_build/compress_native_libraries export option (GH-106359).Porting: Web: Use actual PThread pool size for get_default_thread_pool_size() (GH-104458).Porting: Windows/macOS/Linux: Use SSE 4.2 as a baseline when compiling Godot (GH-59595).Rendering: Add new StandardMaterial properties to allow users to control FPS-style objects (hands, weapons, tools close to the camera) (GH-93142).Rendering: FTI - Optimize SceneTree traversal (GH-106244).Changelog109 contributors submitted 252 fixes for this release. See our interactive changelog for the complete list of changes since the previous 4.5-dev4 snapshot.This release is built from commit 64b09905c.DownloadsGodot is downloading...Godot exists thanks to donations from people like you. Help us continue our work:Make a DonationStandard build includes support for GDScript and GDExtension..NET build (marked as mono) includes support for C#, as well as GDScript and GDExtension.While engine maintainers try their best to ensure that each preview snapshot and release candidate is stable, this is by definition a pre-release piece of software. Be sure to make frequent backups, or use a version control system such as Git, to preserve your projects in case of corruption or data loss.Known issuesWindows executables (both the editor and export templates) have been signed with an expired certificate. You may see warnings from Windows Defender’s SmartScreen when running this version, or outright be prevented from running the executables with a double-click (GH-106373). Running Godot from the command line can circumvent this. We will soon have a renewed certificate which will be used for future builds.With every release, we accept that there are going to be various issues, which have already been reported but haven’t been fixed yet. See the GitHub issue tracker for a complete list of known bugs.Bug reportsAs a tester, we encourage you to open bug reports if you experience issues with this release. Please check the existing issues on GitHub first, using the search function with relevant keywords, to ensure that the bug you experience is not already known.In particular, any change that would cause a regression in your projects is very important to report (e.g. if something that worked fine in previous 4.x releases, but no longer works in this snapshot).SupportGodot is a non-profit, open source game engine developed by hundreds of contributors on their free time, as well as a handful of part and full-time developers hired thanks to generous donations from the Godot community. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed their time or their financial support to the project!If you’d like to support the project financially and help us secure our future hires, you can do so using the Godot Development Fund.Donate now