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Marathon still lives, as Bungie announces new closed technical test ahead of public update

by admin October 8, 2025

Bungie has announced a closed technical test for its forthcoming shooter Marathon, which will take place later this month.

The limited, invite-only test will be in North America and Europe across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam, with players able to sign-up now. The test itself will take place from 22nd – 27th October.

Marathon was fully revealed back in April, but in June Bungie indefinitely delayed the extraction shooter due to “passionate” fan feedback that was heavily critical.

Marathon | Gameplay Overview TrailerWatch on YouTube

Since then, Bungie has run several closed tests to gather further feedback. Now, it’s opening the playtests further.

“This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more,” said Bungie. “That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what’s planned for Marathon’s full release, focused on the early player experience.”

A public update on Marathon’s development is due “in the coming months”, following this playtest.

The test is also under NDA, meaning feedback won’t be made public.

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Development of Marathon feels like a critical time for Bungie. Following its acquisition by Sony back in 2022, Bungie has failed to release a hit game, Destiny 2 player counts have dropped, and the company has been rocked by accusations of toxicity right up until this year.

Bungie admitted after Marathon’s reveal the game used an external artist’s work without permission and morale was reportedly in “free fall” as it dealt with the response to the game.

CEO Pete Parsons has since left the company after years of criticism and layoffs.

As for Sony, it’s keen not to repeat mistakes made in the release of the ill-fated live-service shooter Concord, which Marathon has already been compared to. Back in August, chief financial officer Lin Tao admitted the company’s live-service strategy is “not entirely going smoothly”.

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October 8, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Solana’s Q3 Revenue Sharp Growth Puts It Ahead Of All Major Crypto Networks

by admin October 3, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

With major digital assets like Solana experiencing notable upside action once again, the broader cryptocurrency market appears to have flipped into a highly bullish state. Solana’s ongoing upward trend in price has coincided with a remarkable surge in the blockchain’s on-chain activity and adoption.

Q3 Blockchain Revenue Race Heats Up, And Solana Is Leading

Following a recent rally in the price of SOL, there has been a strong uptick in on-chain activity and engagement. Specifically, the Solana blockchain is experiencing substantial inflows, as revenue increases sharply.

The report from Solana’s official page on the social media platform X reveals that the blockchain is witnessing one of the fastest revenue growth rates in history. A surge in user activity, active DeFi participation, and a surge in demand for on-chain applications likely drive this sharp growth in revenue.

Furthermore, the development highlights the blockchain’s competitive advantage and durability in a dense market. While competitors have found it difficult to keep up, Solana’s effectiveness and scalability keep drawing in developers and funding, putting it at the vanguard of blockchain ecosystem expansion and profitability.

According to the data, Solana has cemented its position as a top-performing blockchain in the third quarter of this year in terms of overall revenue generated in the quarter. With over $222 million in revenue recorded in Q3, the blockchain has surpassed all major crypto networks in the sector.

SOL network revenue explodes | Source: Chart from Solana on X

It is worth noting that after dominating Q3 of 2025, Solana has now led all major crypto networks for 4 consecutive quarters as number 1. SOL’s persistent dominance in revenue for the past four quarters is obviously sending a strong message about SOL’s place in the future of decentralized finance and scalable blockchain infrastructure.

Over the last year, the platform highlighted that users on the SOL blockchain have paid the network more than $2.1 billion for blockspace. Interestingly, data shows that over 46% of the entire fees were paid in cryptocurrency.

SOL Blockchain Is Becoming The Hub For Stablecoins

The Solana blockchain’s adoption and interest are evidenced by the large number of stablecoin flows on the chain. In another X post from the official Solana page, stablecoin adoption on SOL is surging at an unprecedented pace when compared to other chains.

In terms of stablecoin inflows, the SOL blockchain is at the top, outpacing all layer 1 and layer 2 chains over a period of 24 hours. This development implies that SOL is becoming the go-to settlement layer for stablecoin transfers due to its lightning-fast transaction speeds and incredibly cheap costs, which encourage record inflows and on-chain activity.

With this dramatic increase in stablecoin inflows, SOL’s role in global crypto payments and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is clearly growing. In addition, it solidifies the network’s standing as the leading hub for dollar-pegged assets in the dynamic blockchain market.

SOL trading at $231 on the 1D chart | Source: SOLUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

World of Warcraft is getting player housing in December, ahead of Midnight expansion launch

by admin October 3, 2025

Blizzard has announced that player housing will be coming to World of Warcraft starting 2nd December, ahead of the Midnight expansion launch.

This initial rollout for housing will not be feature-complete, with the full suite of mechanics arriving when it enters the game proper at Midnight’s launch sometime in 2026. With the housing release in December, players will be able to buy a plot of land, establish a neighbourhood with other players, and begin designing your home with a selection of decor items.

Future updates to housing will include hundreds of decorations, including some furnishings that come from older achievements and content from prior expansions such as World of Warcraft: Legion Order Hall completion.

Here’s the full developer Q&A for World of Warcraft: Midnight, that came out alongside the alpha.Watch on YouTube

In addition, players will be able to level up their houses over time, which provides increased interior and exterior decor placement budget, fixture budget, and room placement budget. Neighbourhoods can be both private and public, allowing those from the same guild to build up an estate of sorts together within a variety of biomes.

Not only that, but neighbourhoods will be able to participate in endeavors. These are monthly neighbourhood events that provide exclusive decor to use on participants’ homes. As such, some level of community collaboration is intended for the housing system.

World of Warcraft: Midnight is the second part of a three-part trilogy, which started with The War Within last year. It’ll take players back to Silvermoon city, where the Blood Elves are having a rough time fending off void ne’er-do-wells. In addition players will be able to play as the Haranir as an allied race, a faction of note throughout The War Within’s narrative.

When Blizzard first announced housing it did so with a subtle jab at Final Fantasy 14, another popular MMO with its own housing system and housing-related problems. It’s worth noting that unlike Final Fantasy 14, housing isn’t limited in World of Warcraft, so players won’t be unable to get a house come December, which is good!

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October 3, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Amazon Echo Show 8 Slashed to Year’s Lowest Price, Even Lower With Extra Trade-In Savings Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days

by admin October 2, 2025

We’re inching closer to the second Prime Day of the year, and it’s a great time to invest in smart home devices. Amazon has started the celebration early, and we’ve just spotted the newest Amazon Echo Show 8 going for $100 on it.

It’s a straightforward $50 discount – no coupon codes required. Even better, if you already own an Echo device, you can trade it in for an extra 20% off on top of the discount. The offer is available on both black and white color options, but it ends soon, so you might want to act fast to grab it.

See at Amazon

Improved Screen, Better Sound

Echo Shows have always been more than just great displays. This one packs a stunning 8-inch HD touchscreen that pushes vibrant, true-to-life visuals. The screen is paired with room-filling spatial audio, so there’s no need for external speakers to enjoy great sound, whether you’re watching a video or just vibing to your favorite song. There’s support for Netflix, Prime Video, Fire TV Channels, and more, so entertainment options are also plenty.

The solid 13 MP front camera with auto-framing keeps you centered during video calls, while built-in noise reduction makes sure you’re heard clearly on the other end. Of course, smart home compatibility is top-notch. Those with devices that support Zigbee, Matter, or Thread can pair and control them directly using just their voice. Need to dim the lights, but five steps to the switch feel like two miles? Just ask Echo Show to handle it. Doorbell just rang, and you want to see who’s there without getting up? Say the word.

And when not in use, Echo Show 8 smartly doubles as a digital picture frame, so you can keep your favorite moments close! You also have the option to invite your family and friends to share photos on the device – a great way to stay connected.

Setting up the whole thing and getting started is fairly simple. It sits well pretty much anywhere, but if you want better angles or prefer it at eye level, you might want to invest in a dedicated stand (sold separately). All in all, the Echo Show 8 brings a lot of convenience to your day-to-day tasks, especially if you’re looking to manage all your smart home devices in one place. This version brings better video and sound quality, and can now be yours for just $100. Be sure to grab it before it’s too late.

See at Amazon

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

HBAR price holds support at $0.21 as funding rates remains bullish

NFT Gaming

Hedera price Elliot wave points to a surge ahead of HBAR ETF decision

by admin October 2, 2025

Hedera price drifted upward on Wednesday, Oct. 1, as the crypto market rebounded and as traders waited for the upcoming crypto ETF season.

Summary

Hedera price has moved to the second phase of the Elliot Wave pattern.
It also formed a double-bottom pattern on the daily chart.
The coin will likely bounce back ahead of the spot HBAR ETF approval.

Hedera (HBAR) token rose slightly to $0.2200 from the September low of $0.2050. It remains 27% below the highest level this year.

Hedera price technical analysis signals to a rebound

The daily timeframe chart shows that the HBAR price formed a double-bottom pattern at $0.2050, its lowest level on Sept. 5 and 26. This pattern had a neckline at $0.2552.

Most importantly, the coin has formed a falling wedge pattern, which often leads to a strong bullish breakout. The lowest point of this wedge is between the 50% and 61.8% Fibonacci retracement levels. This wedge is also part of the second phase of the Elliott Wave pattern. The first wave happened between June 24 and July 26, when the token jumped by 140%.

Therefore, the coin will likely move to the third phase, which is usually the longest and the most bullish.

The first target will be the year-to-date high of $0.3065, which is about 40% above the current level. A move above that level will point to more upside, potentially to last November’s highest point at $0.4000.

The bullish HBAR price forecast will become invalid if the coin drops below the double-bottom point at $0.2050.

HBAR price chart | Source: crypto.news

HBAR to benefit from the crypto ETF season

Eric Balchunas, the senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, believes that the crypto ETF season is starting as the Securities and Exchange Commission prepares to approve or deny more than 70 applications.

The agency has already provided listing standards for these ETFs, raising the possibility that many of them will be approved soon.

Hedera is one of the cryptocurrencies that will benefit from the ETF season, as the SEC has been reviewing the Grayscale Hedera ETF since 2024, and the final deadline will be in November.

Chances are that the approval will happen earlier than that, especially if it approves other ETFs whose deadline is coming up soon. HBAR will likely continue rising ahead of the ETF approval as investors anticipate more demand from American investors.

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

The second-gen Apple Watch SE drops to a record-low price ahead of Prime Day

by admin October 1, 2025

If, like me, you’re wondering how it could possibly be October already, perhaps you need a watch. Probably one with a calendar function. Strangely enough, there are some solid deals on several Apple Watch models right now ahead of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event. The second-gen Apple Watch SE with LTE connectivity has dropped to $189, which is a discount of $110 or 37 percent.

That’s a new record low price for this 40mm variant with a small/medium band. The discount applies to versions with an ink sport loop and denim sport band.

Apple

The Apple Watch SE from 2022 has dropped to $189 on Amazon ahead of the Prime Big Deal Days event.

$189 at Amazon

It’s worth bearing in mind that this deal is for the previous-gen model, which Apple released in 2022. The company started shipping the latest Apple Watch SE in September. That starts at $240 for a GPS and Wi-Fi model without LTE connectivity. The third-gen SE 3 is now our pick for the best budget Apple Watch. However, if you’re looking for a cheaper option for fitness tracking, at-a-glance notifications and, perhaps, quick access to a calendar, the second-gen SE is worth considering.

Several variants of the Apple Watch Series 10 are on sale on Amazon as well. This is last year’s version of the smartwatch, but it’s still plenty capable and it supports some of the same new features as the Series 11, such as sleep apnea detection and sleep scoring. You can pick one up for as little as $329.

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October 1, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Pi Network price on edge ahead of a 139m unlock

by admin September 30, 2025

Pi Network price has crashed for four consecutive months and hit a record low in September as investors remained on the sidelines.

Summary

Pi Network price has crashed in the last four consecutive months.
It will unlock 139 million Pi tokens in October this year.
Technicals point to a drop, but a rebound cannot be ruled out.

Pi Coin (PI) fell to a record low around $0.186, down 95% from its all-time high. This crash brought its market capitalization to $2.1 billion, down from nearly $20 billion in February. One reason the Pi Network price has slumped since mainnet launch is that it has become one of the most inflationary cryptocurrencies in the industry.

Pi has a supply limit of 100 billion tokens and a circulating supply of 8.2 billion. This means over 91 billion tokens will be unlocked or mined over time.

According to PiScan, Pi Network will unlock 138 million coins, currently valued at over $35 million in October. It will then unlock 103 million tokens in November and 171 million in the following month.

Token unlocks are typically bearish for a cryptocurrency because they increase the amount of tokens in circulation. An increase in supply when demand is limited tends to pressure an asset’s price.

Pi Network has also plunged for other reasons. For example, it has not achieved its goal of creating an active ecosystem where Pi Coin acts as the currency. While there are dApps in the ecosystem, none have gone mainstream.

Still, there is hope that the coin will rebound in the fourth quarter. The main reason for this is that one whale has accumulated millions of tokens in the past few weeks. While the identity is not known, there is speculation that this is an insider who knows that something like an exchange listing or a token burn announcement.

Pi Network price technical analysis

Pi Coin price chart | Source: crypto.news

The eight-hour chart shows that the Pi Coin price has been in a freefall in the past few months. It crashed to a low of $0.1856 in September as the crypto market plunged.

Pi has moved below the lower line of the descending triangle pattern (shown in orange). It remains below the triangle and all moving averages.

Therefore, the coin will likely stay under pressure in October amid the token unlocks. However, there is a possibility of a short squeeze, particularly if a major announcement, such as an exchange listing, hits the tape.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet Hits Lowest Price Yet Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, Hundreds Cheaper Than an iPad

by admin September 30, 2025

We’d be telling you that this limited-time deal on the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is hot, or that it’s fire, or that it’s a scorcher, but honestly, would you still respect us in the morning? So we’ll dispense with the terrible puns and cut straight to the deal, because it’s one of the better ones we’ve seen in a while on this great, affordable tablet. It’s 32% off for a limited time, turning a very good $280 price into a great one at just $190.

To put things in perspective, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is an 11-inch tablet with an octa-core processor, 14-hour battery life, expandable storage of up to 1TB via microSD card, and 2.4 million pixel resolution. As an Amazon product it blends seamlessly with the rest of the Amazon ecosystem, including Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, and Luna, along with your smart home devices via either Alexa or the Device Dashboard. And here’s the kicker — at this sale price it’s over $700 less than the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, and $375 less than the 11-inch M3 iPad Air.

See at Amazon

Premium Features, Not Price

There are probably metrics and benchmark tests that put those pricier iPads ahead of the Fire Max 11, but not nearly enough to quantify the price difference. The octa-core processor at the heard of the Fire Max 11 is certainly no slouch when it comes to streaming, multitasking, and gaming on Luna. The 128GB of storage is small, but so easily and inexpensively expandable thanks to the microSD card slot that the Apple tablets lack.

Wi-Fi 6 speeds, a robust 14-hour battery life, 8MP camera, and options to expand into a more laptop-like experience with the sold-separately Fire Max 11 Keyboard Case — which also happens to be way more affordable than Apple’s Magic Keyboard — all make the Fire Max 11 highly competitive even before you do a price comparison. Once you check out those numbers, this isn’t even a fair contest.

Beautifully Basic

When you look at the Fire Max 11 — and this is the latest, most updated iteration of the Fire Max — in the context of being a fully integrated part of the massive Amazon ecosystem, it’s a brilliant tablet, especially for just $190. It’s not going to compete with a laptop as a productivity machine, although this deal does come with a free 3-month Microsoft 365 trial, but as an e-reader, streaming device, smart-home control panel, and light gaming device, it’s an exceptional tablet.

This model of the Amazon Fire Max currently on sale for just $190 has the max 128GB storage and also comes with lockscreen ads deactivated. The $90 savings on this deal are great, and even greater when you tack them onto the hundreds you save by avoiding the super-bougie competitor tablets.

See at Amazon

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

21Shares Updates Solana ETF Filing Ahead of SEC October Decisions

by admin September 29, 2025

21Shares, an ETF issuer, has filed an updated S-1 for its proposed Solana (SOL) ETF, providing fresh details on staking and in-kind redemptions

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reviewing the filing, with decisions expected in October. The amendment explains how the fund would handle redemptions in kind and clarifies staking procedures.

Other issuers, including Franklin, Fidelity, CoinShares, Bitwise, Grayscale, VanEck, and Canary, have also submitted similar revisions in recent days as they actively respond to SEC feedback. Currently, about nine applications for Solana ETFs are pending with the SEC.

SEC Decisions in October Could Shake The Markets

Meanwhile, October is gaining significance as a month for the crypto sector.The Several applications, including ETFs related to Solana, XRP, Litecoin, as well as Cardano, are expected to be decided upon by the SEC. Deadlines for these filings are spread throughout the month, and the SEC recently removed all delay notices, leaving the door open for approvals.

Earlier this month, the SEC approved updated listing standards for crypto ETFs, which may have streamlined the approval process.

Under the new rules, a crypto ETF must be listed on a heavily monitored market, have a futures contract overseen by the CFTC for six months, or be linked to an existing ETF holding at least 40% of the cryptocurrency.

Also Read: Polkadot’s Community Supports Plans For a DOT-Backed Stablecoin

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

SEC Chairman Marks Crypto as ‘Top Priority’, Big XRP News Ahead?

by admin September 29, 2025

What’s coming for XRP?
Is $10 XRP realistic?

On Monday, September 29, Paul Atkins, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), publicly named crypto as a top priority for the agency during a brief interview with renowned American journalist Eleanor Terrett.

Paul’s statement has sparked fresh excitement across the crypto community as it aligns with growing speculation that the broader crypto market, with XRP at the center of attention, may be gearing up for major developments in the coming month.

What’s coming for XRP?

Atkins’ remarks came just hours after Eleanor Terrett broke the news that the SEC had asked issuers of XRP, Solana, Cardano, and Dogecoin ETFs to withdraw their pending 19b-4 filings.

While some commentators initially viewed the move as a setback for the crypto community, Terrett clarified that the opposite is true — the request is meant to speed up the approval process for these ETFs.

The withdrawal requests are consistent with the SEC’s recent approval of generic listing standards for all crypto ETFs. These new standards eliminate the need for issuers to submit individual 19b-4 forms. Instead, only an S-1 filing will be required, streamlining the process and paving the way for faster approvals.

With more than a dozen investment funds already filing for an XRP ETF and deadlines starting this week, the XRP community is increasingly optimistic that the altcoin could see a major breakout as early as October.

Is $10 XRP realistic?

Although XRP has struggled repeatedly to break through the $3.60 resistance level, market watchers remain confident that October could be the month when the token finally clears that barrier.

Source: CoinMarketCap

With the first XRP ETF expected to launch in October, community sentiment has shifted toward the possibility that XRP may soon reach price levels once thought “unrealistic.”

Industry experts predict that demand from institutional funds, combined with Ripple’s ongoing partnerships, could push XRP toward the $5–$7 range in the short term, while setting the stage for a long-term surge toward $10.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments