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Significant

VanEck on ‘Significant’ Implications of December’s Fusaka Upgrade

by admin October 4, 2025

Ethereum’s next major network upgrade, Fusaka, could reshape how users experience the blockchain by lowering costs and boosting efficiency, according to asset manager VanEck.

In its September crypto market recap, VanEck’s research team said Fusaka, expected to go live in December, is designed to tackle one of Ethereum’s biggest hurdles: data availability for rollups, the scaling solutions that bundle many transactions together before settling them on Ethereum.

Why Fusaka matters

The centerpiece of the upgrade is a technique called Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS). Instead of requiring every Ethereum validator to download all transaction data, PeerDAS allows them to verify blocks by sampling smaller pieces.

VanEck explained that this reduces bandwidth and storage demands, making it possible to safely raise Ethereum’s “blob” capacity — the data slots used by rollups — without putting strain on the network.

This matters because Ethereum developers have already doubled blob limits once this year, and demand continues to rise.

Coinbase’s Base and Worldcoin’s World Chain now account for about 60% of all rollup data submitted, VanEck noted, showing how central L2s have become to the network’s growth. By expanding capacity further, Fusaka is expected to cut costs for rollups, which should translate into cheaper transactions for end users.

Implications for ETH

VanEck argued that the upgrade underscores Ethereum’s shift away from being driven by base layer fees.

As more activity moves to rollups, mainnet fee revenue has declined, but the firm stressed this does not diminish ETH’s importance. Instead, Ethereum’s security role in settling rollup transactions increases, reinforcing ETH’s position as a monetary asset rather than just a fee-yielding one.

VanEck analysts also warned that unstaked ETH holders face dilution risk as institutional actors — from exchange-traded products to crypto treasury firms — continue accumulating ETH positions to stake for yield.

In that context, they believe, Fusaka strengthens Ethereum’s appeal by lowering L2 costs and reinforcing its centrality in a scaling ecosystem that is expected to attract more institutional adoption.

VanEck concluded that while technical challenges remain, Fusaka marks a pivotal step in Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap, with “significant implications” for both users and long-term holders.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Can the government shutdown have a significant effect on the crypto space?

by admin October 1, 2025

The U.S. government is facing a shutdown due to the inability of Republicans and Democrats to agree on the budget. Various sources evaluate the probability of a shutdown as high. If it happens, a shutdown may have multiple repercussions. Among other implications, it could bring more uncertainty to the crypto market and slow the pace of crypto regulation.

Summary

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance warn about a highly probable shutdown starting on Oct. 1.
In the event of a shutdown, the government stops publishing employment and inflation data, making it harder for traders to time the market. Experts predict market volatility.
The Clarity Act passage will be delayed, while the SEC will halt working on rulemaking for the crypto sector and won’t be able to review applications for spot crypto ETFs.

Probability of shutdown

Uncompromising disagreement on healthcare spending between the GOP and Democrats delayed budget finalization. On Sept. 29, Vice President JD Vance said that the government is “headed for a shutdown.” Earlier, President Donald Trump warned that Americans would likely “end up with a closed country for a period of time.” JD Vance accused Democrats, saying:

“You don’t put a gun to the American people’s head and say, unless you do exactly what Senate and House Democrats want you to do, we are going to shut down your government. I think we are headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.”

The Democratic Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, is mirroring Vance’s claims, stating that “it’s up to Republicans whether they want to shut down or not.”

Government funding expires in hours and where are House Republicans?

They canceled votes and went on vacation.

Republicans own this shutdown.

— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) September 30, 2025

This rigidness of both parties left little space for possible agreement. As of Sep. 30, 89% of voters on Polymarket believed the U.S. government would go through a shutdown before the year-end.

Government funding expires in hours and where are House Republicans?

They canceled votes and went on vacation.

Republicans own this shutdown.

— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) September 30, 2025

Possible implications for the economy

Shutdowns furlough public workers, put government contractors at risk, and block state agencies from doing their jobs. Given that the U.S. is already going through a shaky period, a shutdown may bring more harm than usual.

The harm level depends on the economy’s health at the time of the shutdown and the shutdown’s length. The latest shutdown, which took place during Trump’s first presidential tenure in December 2018 and January 2019, was the longest one. It lasted 35 days and saw the biggest consumer sentiment decline.

The drop in consumer sentiment indicates that people are not comfortable spending their money on nonessential goods, which generally undermines economic growth and hinders business conditions.

What’s at stake for the crypto community?

Government shutdowns don’t usually affect the markets that much. However, it has an indirect impact, and the crypto space may take a soft hit. TV personality and author Jim Cramer said to CNBC, addressing the possible market impact of a shutdown:

“I’m not worried about most of this stuff. My biggest fear is that a shutdown will delay important pieces of economic data, making life more difficult for the Federal Reserve and potentially postponing their plans to cut interest rates.”

There are several ways the looming shutdown may impact the crypto space:

It will hinder data collection for investors.
It will stop the government from passing the much-anticipated CLARITY Act.
It will block the SEC’s work on rulemaking in the crypto space and approval of spot crypto ETFs.

Traders will not have key metrics from the Federal Reserve, such as inflation and unemployment rates, available. They will have to trade without factoring this data in.

Government funding expires in hours and where are House Republicans?

They canceled votes and went on vacation.

Republicans own this shutdown.

— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) September 30, 2025

The CLARITY Act, the market structure bill aimed at setting clear rules for various types of cryptocurrencies, was set to be signed into law before Thanksgiving. The possibility of a shutdown brings uncertainty about whether the act will be passed that soon or even this year.

Finally, a shutdown will hinder the work of the Securities and Exchange Commission, slowing the realization of Project Crypto. Recently, SEC Chair Paul Atkins outlined the main directions of the agency aimed at regulating the crypto space and facilitating innovation in the U.S.

He talked about the upcoming innovation exemption that will let crypto businesses launch freely without being “torpedoed” by bureaucratic burdens. On top of that, Atkins said the SEC is going to do a lot of work related to rulemaking in the crypto space. Evidently, if a shutdown takes place, this work gets delayed. The same goes for reviewing and approving crypto spot ETFs, which usually galvanize trading when they get approved.

The latest shutdown implications

The latest shutdown took place in 2018-2019 due to disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over funding for the wall on the southern border. It was the longest and one of the most destructive. It affected 800,000 public workers. Half of them were furloughed, while others continued to work without pay. The 2018-2019 shutdown saw consumer sentiment declining by 7 points.

As for crypto, Bitcoin’s price was crumbling ahead of the shutdown in November, going from $6,400 to $3,200 in a single month. However, when the shutdown started, the price rebounded to more than $4,000. When the shutdown ended, Bitcoin’s price was above $3,500.

In general, it is safe to say that the biggest decline took place weeks before the shutdown itself. This September, the last two weeks were harsh for the crypto market. Soon, we will learn if this was a repetition of the past shutdown’s price action.

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October 1, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

A significant update to Apple’s best earbuds

by admin September 19, 2025

If you’re not already wearing a pair of AirPods all day, Apple’s latest suite of features may convince you to do so. The company’s latest model, the AirPods Pro 3 ($249), is Apple’s most comprehensive update to its best set of earbuds. Flashy new features like Live Translation and heart-rate sensing will garner the bulk of the attention, but upgrades to active noise cancellation (ANC) and a significant boost in sound quality shouldn’t be overlooked. And with a notable improvement in battery life, the company now provides enough power for you to use these AirPods for an entire work day. Importantly, Apple managed to do all this without raising the price.

The AirPods Pro 3 also carry many of the same features that made the AirPods Pro 2 such a compelling option for iPhone users. Those include the robust hearing health tools, hands-free access to Siri, gesture-based notification interactions, audio sharing with another set of AirPods, simplified setup and more.

Since I’ve gone over all of these at length before, and because there’s a long list of updates on the AirPods Pro 3, I’ve chosen to focus primarily on the new tools in this review. But you shouldn’t overlook the exhaustive set of features that the AirPods Pro have amassed over the years, especially when you consider how Apple continues to find new ways to deploy its H2 chip.

Editor’s note (on September 19 at 9:10AM ET): The AirPods Pro 3 are now officially available in retail outlets, and those who have pre-ordered their devices will be receiving them starting today. As you make your decisions on whether or which of these you should buy, make sure to check out our reviews of the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the Apple Watch Series 11. We also published a closer look at the Apple Watch Ultra 3’s satellite connectivity feature, which has some impressions of what it’s like to use in real life. In addition, Billy Steele has published stories on what it was like to tour the audio lab at Apple Park and an article with insight on how Apple used ANC to build its best AirPods features‘.

Apple/Engadget

The most significant update to the AirPods lineup delivers a host of ANC-powered improvements, including Live Translation. Plus, the arrival of heart-rate tracking makes the AirPods Pro 3 a more capable workout partner.

Pros

Impressive ANC updates
Improved sound quality
Live Translation finally arrives
Extended battery life on a single charge

Cons

New fit takes some getting used to
Total battery life is actually less than before
Live Translation languages are limited at launch

$249 at Amazon

Design changes on the AirPods Pro 3

With a cursory glance, you likely won’t notice the design changes on the AirPods Pro 3. The company altered the shape of these smaller earbuds to align with the geometry of the ear canal for a more comfortable and secure fit. Of course, you’ll also notice the newly installed heart-rate sensor upon closer inspection, covering a previously blank surface of the AirPods Pro 2. Once you remove the new foam-infused ear tips from the latest model though, you’ll see the most obvious variation between the second- and third-generation versions.

On the AirPods Pro 2, the grille protecting the driver sat flush with the surface of the main housing. Now, it’s extended out from the rest of the earbud, with a nozzle-like component similar to what much of the competition uses. Apple also revised the angle of the drivers, so sound beams more directly into your ears rather than bouncing as much off of the sides. As such, a side-by-side comparison of the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2 will show you that the ear tips are pointing in slightly different directions.

There are also some visual differences on the AirPods Pro 3’s charging case. Like it did for the AirPods 4 last year, Apple has removed the Bluetooth pairing button entirely. You’ll now double tap on the front of the case near the LED to activate that function while the AirPods Pro are in their case. Additionally, just like AirPods 4, the LED is now hidden, so you don’t see the dot when it’s not illuminated. It’s a small thing, but as I noticed on last year’s models, it makes the surface of the case look cleaner.

A quick word about fit

Billy Steele for Engadget

Thanks to the AirPods Pro 3’s revised curves and foam-filled ear tips, Apple is calling this model the “best-fitting AirPods ever.” While I do think that’s true, I also believe that the new fit will take some getting used to — especially if you’ve worn the AirPods Pro 2 before.

First, the new tips feel very different and seal off your ear canal in a more complete way than the Pro 2’s silicone-only tips. If you’ve used foam ear tips before, you know they provide better passive noise isolation than their silicone counterparts, and that remains true here. In fact, you may need to go down a size to find the most comfortable fit with the AirPods Pro 3. For example, I typically wear medium ear tips, but those felt too tight here. After swapping them out for the small ones, I began to understand why Apple won’t stop bragging about the updated fit.

Upgraded ANC and its impact on other features

Across the first two generations of the AirPods Pro, Apple had already made big strides in active noise cancellation. But with the AirPods Pro 3, the company ramped up its efforts several notches. Ultra-low-noise microphones combine with advanced computational audio to silence even more background noise. The new foam-infused ear tips play a major role here too, since they offer increased passive noise isolation. This trio of improvements allowed Apple to cover more of the noise spectrum, including higher frequencies like human voices.

In the last week, there have been several times when I had the AirPods Pro 3 in and I couldn’t hear someone talking right next to me. In fact, Apple says the latest model cancels twice as much noise as the AirPods Pro 2 and four times more than the original AirPods Pro. Obviously, I don’t have a way to quantify that, but I can tell you the ANC performance on this new model was noticeably stronger than before.

The improved seal the AirPods Pro 3’s ear tips offer helps make Apple’s ANC setup more precise. This allows the active noise cancellation system to be the foundation for several of the company’s other features like the Hearing Test, Live Translation and more. For the Hearing Test, you can now be in slightly louder environments without Siri asking you to relocate to a quieter place. And with Live Translation, ANC will lower the voice of the person you’re speaking to so you can focus on Siri playing the role of interpreter.

Live Translation on the AirPods Pro 3

Billy Steele for Engadget

At WWDC, Apple announced that Live Translation would be coming to Phone, FaceTime and Messages in iOS 26. There was no mention then that it would come to AirPods. Skip ahead to the iPhone 17 event and Live Translation was easily one of the most exciting new features announced for the AirPods Pro 3, because it will allow the wearer to translate in-person conversations with Apple’s earbuds.

Google has been offering real-time translation on Pixel Buds for years, so Apple is very late to the game here. However, the AirPods Pro 3 uses its H2 chip in different ways, and now combines Voice Isolation, ANC and the beamforming mics to enable Live Translation. What’s more, you can activate it on the earbuds themselves (press and hold on both stems), ask Siri to start it or set the iPhone’s Action Button to carry out the task.

When Live Translation begins, ANC kicks in to muffle environmental noise and to reduce the volume of the person you’re speaking to. Both are done so you can clearly hear Siri’s translation through your AirPods. Siri will warn you when ambient sound levels are too high, asking you to move to a quieter spot so that it can hear the speaker better.

Live Translation worked well, at least for my Spanish-to-English and French-to-English tests. Plus, a real-time transcription is visible in the Translate app so you can show it to the person you’re chatting with — an element that’ll be useful for international travel. Just know that if you’re looking at your phone too, you’ll see the translation there before the audio comes through your AirPods. This isn’t surprising since the processing is being done by the connected iPhone, but seeing the English version right before I heard it was slightly confusing.

You will need to enable Apple Intelligence on a compatible iPhone for Live Translation to work. The tool leverages Apple’s AI to translate the meanings of phrases so that sentences have the proper context. The feature will also be available on any AirPods that have the H2 chip inside, which includes the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC. You’ll have to download the different language models before you get started, too. Apple explains that the downloads would be required for offline use, but Siri prompted me to do so to use Live Translation even when I was was connected. Lastly, only five languages are supported at launch: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Apple says Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified) are coming later this year.

Heart-rate tracking finally arrives

Billy Steele for Engadget

After initially debuting heart-rate sensing capabilities on the Powerbeats Pro 2, Apple is now bringing it to the AirPods Pro 3. Like with the Powerbeats model, heart rate data from the AirPods can be accessed by Apple’s own Fitness app in addition to other workout apps like Nike Run Club, Runna, Ladder and Peloton. Basically, if an app works with the Powerbeats Pro 2, it should work with the AirPods Pro 3, and it should do so by the time those earbuds ship. As always, I expect even more integrations will be announced in the future, so don’t panic if your go-to app has worked with Apple gear in the past but doesn’t yet support the AirPods Pro 3.

I exclusively tested the new heart-rate sensing tech on the AirPods Pro 3 with Apple’s Fitness app. I’m an Apple Watch owner and that’s where the bulk of my stats already reside. Speaking of the Watch, you don’t have to worry about conflicting streams of heart rate info if you’re using it as well as the AirPods Pro 3 during a workout. Apple explained that its devices will work together to provide multiple streams of data for better coverage of your activity. What’s more, if you don’t wear your Apple Watch during a session, the Fitness app will use data gathered from the AirPods Pro 3 to still log your stats for your Move, Exercise and Stand rings.

During this review, I used the AirPods Pro 3 to monitor my heart rate primarily during outdoor walks. The earbuds actually support 50 different workouts in the Fitness app though, with HIIT, yoga and paddling among the available options. You can even track a session at the archery range.

You’ll see live heart rate metrics on the workout screen alongside stats like time and distance, and your average heart rate will be displayed in the workout summary when you’re done. Heart rate info is also displayed with Live Activities on the lock screen and is a tap away on the icon in the Dynamic Island. So far, I haven’t encountered any issues leaving my Watch at home and relying solely on the AirPods Pro 3. The earbuds provided a constant stream of data to the Fitness app.

The AirPods Pro 3’s sound quality

The AirPods Pro 3 (left) vs. the AirPods Pro 2 (right).

(Billy Steele for Engadget)

The improvement to sound quality on the AirPods Pro 3 isn’t exclusively due to its new drivers/transducers. Although those components were revised this generation, Apple’s biggest strides in the audio department are also thanks to increased air flow inside the earbuds. The company developed a new multiport acoustic architecture for better control of the air that delivers sounds into the ear. This allowed Apple to significantly improve bass response while providing a wider soundstage and increased vocal clarity.

With all of that air to move around, Apple had to tweak its drivers for the task, but also make sure its tuning covered all the needed frequencies adequately. But those transducers remain the same size as the AirPods Pro 2. As I mentioned, Apple also reconfigured their angle so they now beam sound more directly into the ear canal. You might recall that an angular adjustment was also part of the company’s strategy for improving audio quality on the AirPods 4.

The improvement you hear first will depend on the style of music you choose. Pick something with big, bombastic drums like Deftones’ “my mind is a mountain” and you’ll immediately notice the warmer, boomier bass. Opt for a track like Hayley Williams’ “True Believer” and your initial impression will likely be the enhanced vocal quality. And if you go for a song like Sleep Token’s “Dangerous” that’s more atmospheric, you’ll get a great sense of the expanded soundstage.

Oftentimes audio companies make claims about sound quality improvements that don’t translate to what I actually hear. With the AirPods Pro 3, all of Apple’s proclamations not only hold true but are obvious, observable improvements.

Call quality and voice performance

Apple’s best-in-class transparency mode has been one of my favorite things about AirPods for years. No other company manages to handle ambient sound in a way that’s so clear it’s almost as if you aren’t wearing earbuds at all. With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple says it took things even further, making your voice and the voices of those around you sound “more natural and vibrant.” The company points specifically to Hearing Aid and Live Translation as areas where this fine-tuned transparency mode will help, but it will also be a boost to voice and video calls, too.

Since Apple does such a good job of feeding your voice back through the AirPods Pro 3 and other transparency-enabled AirPods models, you never feel the need to talk louder to hear yourself on calls. It lets you relax and speak normally, and makes a day’s worth of Zoom calls much less exhausting.

The AirPods Pro 3 support Apple’s newly introduced studio-quality voice recording as well. Arriving with iOS 26, the feature allows you to capture higher-quality vocal clips in apps like Camera, Voice Memos, Messages, FaceTime and any CallKit-enabled software. And when you’re recording video with an iPhone, you can now quickly select AirPods as the main audio source. The earbuds can act as a lavalier microphone with voice pickup that’s closer to your mouth.

The AirPods Pro 3’s battery life

Billy Steele for Engadget

Even with all of the new features, Apple still managed to extend the AirPods Pro’s battery life. With ANC enabled, you can now expect up to eight hours of use on a charge — two hours longer than the AirPods Pro 2. This means you could be able to wear the new model for a full day of work without having to charge them. Additionally, Apple says that if you’re using transparency mode with the Hearing Aid feature, AirPods Pro 3 will last up to 10 hours.

So far, I have no reason to think Apple has overstated battery life on the AirPods Pro 3. I haven’t conducted a straight battery rundown test yet as I’ve been focused on trying all of the new features at various times over the last few days. I will update this review later this week with the results of my battery test though.

If you find the promised eight hours still isn’t enough, a five-minute rest in the case will be enough to give you an hour of use. That’s long enough to get you through a quick workout or a call when you need to keep things hands-free. There is an important caveat with the case though. Despite the extended use time on the earbuds themselves, the total battery life including the case is reduced to 24 hours from the previous 30. There’s also a new ultra wideband chip (U2) in the charging case that Apple says has increased the distance for Precision Find My by one and a half times compared to the previous version.

The competition

Since the “regular” AirPods now offer ANC, Apple’s primary competition for the AirPods Pro 3 comes from within its own product lineup. The AirPods 4 with ANC offer an open-type fit even though they have impressive noise-blocking abilities, so they may be more comfortable for those who don’t like buds sticking into their ear canals. You’ll get Live Translation there too, but you won’t be able to access heart-rate tracking and Apple’s suite of hearing health tools. That might not matter to those who want to save some money though, as the AirPods 4 with ANC are $179 versus $249 for the AirPods Pro 3.

All AirPods are really a conduit for Apple’s ecosystem, so if you don’t mind missing some iPhone integrations and special features, there are worthwhile alternatives. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 remains a jack of all trades, offering a set of features that perhaps only Apple can rival. The difference being that Sony’s tools will work with both iOS and Android, of course. The second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are your best bet for pure noise-canceling abilities, and if you demand pristine sound, consider Noble Audio’s FoKus Rex5.

Wrap-up

The AirPods Pro 3 is the biggest update to Apple’s earbuds lineup in years. The sum of the company’s upgrades here are more significant than the choice to finally bring ANC to the “regular” AirPods last year. The combination of more precise ANC, improved sound quality, heart-rate tracking, Live Translation and longer battery life is a lot to explore. And that’s not even counting the redesign and new ear tips that offer a more secure fit, two items that directly address one of the main criticisms of previous AirPods models.

If recent history is any indication, the company will continue to add new features to this third-generation version. I highly doubt that Apple is finished exploiting the power of the H2 chip, so it’s just getting started with what the AirPods Pro 3 can do.

1 / 14

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review

The LED light on the front of the case only appears when it’s illuminated.

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September 19, 2025 0 comments

Esports

QA firm Testronic secures “significant” new investment as it restructures worldwide operations

by admin September 11, 2025

QA company Testronic has secured “significant” new investment, which it says will be used to “accelerate growth and future-proof its worldwide operations.” It will also use the funding to “strengthen” its leadership team.

Though the company didn’t expand on the specifics of that investment from TDC, a capital partner of global investment firm KKR, it did disclose a restructure that has seen its Madrid and Belgrade offices closed, and the Catalis Group name retired.

While the company also didn’t disclose how many people have been impacted by the closures, a spokesperson told Game Developer that the redundancies equated to 4.8% of its global headcount.

Testronic also stated it had doubled the number of its testers in Manila, and is “sharpening its focus on its Centre of Excellence” in the U.S., Europe, and South East Asia.

There have also been a number of senior hires, including former Meta director Samantha Williams as chief revenue officer, former senior QA exec Lewis Read as VP global partnerships, and former Keywords marketing director Linda Quinn, who joins as global head of marketing.

“This is a pivotal moment for our company. Making changes that affect people is never easy, but these decisions are about strengthening our business for the future,” said CEO Sharon Baylay-Bell. “We are in a very strong financial position, and this refocus allows us to invest more deeply in our Centres of Excellence in the US, Europe and South East Asia. We are recruiting across all three regions, and remain committed to innovation and state-of-the-art technology.

“We can now focus on delivering the services at which we excel – QA Testing and Localization via Testronic, and award-winning 3D and VFX Art via Secret 6. The sale of Curve Games has allowed us to do just that. It has also enabled us to streamline the business to eliminate what had been something of a complicated corporate structure.

“This is a significant stage in our company’s journey. By leveraging our core capabilities and driving innovation, we are well-positioned to create stronger, deeper client partnerships that are player-focused, client-first, and outcomes-led.”

Testronic opened a new “state-of-the-art testing facility” in Manila, Philippines, back in April. Situated in the Mega Tower in Mandaluyong City, Testronic said “the world-class location is designed to ensure the delivery of QA services of the highest quality to clients around the world” and is “fully supported by leading-edge security.”

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September 11, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Battlefield 6 dev says “a significant number” of users played the game below the minimum recommended specs, as EA points to the importance of weaker hardware

by admin August 30, 2025

A “substantial number” of Battlefield 6 open beta players were playing on or around the minimum recommended specs, according to technical director Christian Buhl.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Bulh broke down some user data for the initial wave of PC players who hopped into the game earlier this month, stating that of the “millions of players” who were jumping in, a sizable portion of them were doing so on lower-end hardware.

Speaking about some of the lengths Battlefield Studios and EA went to to ensure the game was playable by those on older setups, Buhl stated: “We built maps, and had to go to our artists and tech artists to adjust these maps so they were more performant. We’ve put in a lot of effort across the board to make sure these performance targets were set, and whether you’re on min spec or ultra spec you’re going to get the experience we’re targeting.”

Here’s the Battlefield 6 PC trailer.Watch on YouTube

When asked how important it is to serve minimum spec players at a time when PC hardware is getting more expensive, due to bloated prices or general economic challenges right now, Buhl responded by saying: “Min spec is certainly one of our most important specs […] it’s super important from both a commercial and business perspective – we want as many people as possible playing the game.”

Buhl continued with an anecdote from earlier in the game’s development: “We did a lot of analysis, we did tests on the game on a wide range of hardware above and below our minimum and recommended specs. We figured out what we can hit, what we need to hit from a business perspective, and that was to capture a wide audience on PC. It’s been super critical.”

When asked what percentage of players were playing at or around that min spec, Buhl could not recall the exact number, dubbing it a “meaningful percentage”. He also noted a number of players below the minimum spec, emphasizing the existence of this group.

In a follow up email after the interview, EA PR would not provide the exact number, pointing to Buhl’s prior statement that it was a “substantial number” of players

The current state of affordable computing in the USA, Battlefield 6’s primary market, is one of turmoil. Not only has a cost-of-living crisis made the price tag on high end hardware unpalatable for a sizable number of gaming enthusiasts, ongoing political policy has had a drastic impact on international trade.

Buhl also spoke to Eurogamer about the anti-cheat used in Battlefield 6, it’s ability to curb a sizable portion of cheaters during the betas, and the reality that some players weren’t able to play due to Secure Boot requirements. Nonetheless, this beta proved exceptionally popular, taking the title as most popular Battlefield beta of all time.

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

A Significant NBA 2K26 Change Could End A Years-Long Debate

by admin August 25, 2025

NBA 2K26 is just a week out from launch for those who preorder or purchase the early-launch editions. When it gets here, players should expect to find that what was once the community’s biggest complaint has been scrubbed out of the game, according to its gameplay lead. Earlier this week, gameplay director Mike Wang told me in a chat from NBA 2K Community Day in San Francisco that 2K26 was designed from “day one” to eliminate what players most often found had plagued the game: “RNG”–short for random number generation–or what often felt like randomized outcomes.

The community, Wang told me, “felt like they didn’t have control over the outcomes of the shot or whatever it was on the court. That’s the biggest thing we addressed. Like, from day one, one of the points of emphasis was to make sure that [for] everything in the game, there’s a skill aspect to it, or it’s completely driven by skill, so that the gamer had the ability to dictate whether they did something right or wrong.

SGA follows his nearly perfect season by being on the cover of NBA 2K26.

“That’s probably most felt in shooting. Shooting is such a touchy subject. We’re doing green-or-miss [mechanics] again,” he explained, describing the way a perfectly timed shot will always go in, while a shot that misses the on-screen green timing window never will. This mechanic frustrated some players in 2K24, leading to the team creating different difficulty, or “shot timing” profiles for players to choose at will in last year’s game, but this created its own set of issues by pitting players with different profiles against one another.

“So, the scary thing about that, obviously, is that people who are really, really good at timing a button can be unstoppable like Steph Curry. So we’re trying to balance that with a stronger contest system, and it’s in a good spot now […] There are people who mastered this frame of this jump shot” but savvy defenders can now better “hold them in check if you play your defense and just play basketball.”

He added that the team learned a lot from past mistakes and explained how this year’s game aims to conclude a three-year debate over shooting gameplay by applying last year’s shot-timing profiles to specific modes and difficulties, evening the playing field on the basis of mode and difficulty level. “And [the idea in 2K25 was], ‘Okay, if you’re not into the timing [element], you can set this profile to be this lower-skilled one.’ So we’ve taken that concept, and basically, that’s what Rookie and Semi-Pro and Pro [difficulties and their related modes] feel like. It’s like, you could be a little sloppy with your timing, but still play the game and have fun. Then, when you move up in the difficulty to the higher ones, those feel more like, ‘Okay, if I don’t really master my shots or learn my players, then I’m gonna miss shots.'”

In addition to the game’s WNBA mode, women will now be playable in MyTeam, too.

The debate over NBA 2K shot mechanics and green timing windows has raged for years now, and from the outside looking in, the process seems dizzying. I asked Wang what it’s like trying to appease every corner of the game’s massive audience, with differing and sometimes mutually exclusive ideas on how shooting ought to behave.

With a (perhaps only half-joking) fatigued exhale, he told me, “It’s really hard.” Like in recent years, the debate over shooting mechanics will come down to the data. Those are really only visible once millions of people are playing it at once and the series’ analytics-obsessed community starts to pick it apart. That process begins next week, when NBA 2K26 launches for early-edition players on August 29.

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August 25, 2025 0 comments