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Hornet holds a hand up to her mask to help shade her eyes from a sunbeam in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
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I just found out I’ve been using Silksong’s powerful Thread Storm ability wrong this entire time

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I’m making my way slowly to the end of Act One in Silksong, and one of my mainstays has been Thread Storm, a powerful AOE multihit ability that can be acquired fairly early on. But I’ve been a fool: despite using the attack in multiple boss fights, I actually haven’t been getting as much damage out of it as I could’ve. Thanks to a PSA video from Jason Mondal on YouTube, I only just learned how to use Thread Storm to its full potential.

Instead of pressing or holding right bumper on a controller once to activate the ability, you can rapidly mash the button to extend its duration without using more silk, giving you more damage per cast. The only downside is that this leaves you vulnerable to a counterattack for longer, but that’s kind of the basic tradeoff of Thread Storm already.

Hidden DAMAGE Buff with Thread Storm (Hollow Knight Silksong) – YouTube

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My preferred deployment is at a diagonal, up and slightly to the side of a boss to get them in the AOE while having a good chance of avoiding any attacks. Against enemies who can be staggered by Thread Storm, though, there’s practically no disadvantage to using its max duration⁠—this ability can be a huge help during any of those tricky wave fights.


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Where to find Thread Storm in Hollow Knight: Silksong

You can grab Thread Storm in the second half of Act One, in the Greymoor area. Instead of traveling west on the critical path to Bellhart, go east, past where Shakra is selling the map for the area, until the path dead ends at a building you can enter.

Inside, you’ll find a tough wave fight that, frustratingly, Thread Storm would be a great help for. Beating this encounter causes ladders of balloons to spawn outside: You can perform a downward attack in the air to pogo off of them, climbing to the top of the room and the entrance to a new area. The shrine with Thread Storm is at the end of a platforming section in this final room.

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(Image credit: Team Cherry)(Image credit: Team Cherry)(Image credit: Team Cherry)(Image credit: Team Cherry)



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Crypto Market Prediction: Ripple's RLUSD's $200 Million Surge, Dogecoin's Big $0.24 Surprise, Ethereum's Calm Before $5,000 Storm
GameFi Guides

Crypto Market Prediction: Ripple’s RLUSD’s $200 Million Surge, Dogecoin’s Big $0.24 Surprise, Ethereum’s Calm Before $5,000 Storm

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The cryptocurrency market recovered quite well on Sept. 11, pushing new boundaries of the bearish market further and potentially making even more progress than anticipated. The surge in RLUSD volume could suggest more careful positioning, though. In our most recent market prediction, we broke down how bulls started coming back.

RLUSDT volume spike

Around $200 million have moved through Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD, in the past day, marking a huge spike in trading volume. This spike is garnering attention throughout the cryptocurrency market, for a token that normally keeps a low-key, stable profile as a USD-pegged stablecoin.

There could be a number of causes for this kind of movement. In order to protect themselves from the volatility of more risky assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum, institutional players may be moving their money into RLUSD. Stablecoins are probably being used as a safe haven by some traders due to recent volatility in altcoins and significant inflows into exchanges.

Source: Coinmarketcap

  • The volume might indicate early activity from payment corridors opening up behind the scenes, given Ripple’s continuous push for adoption in cross-border payments and settlements. The main lesson learned from the spike is that RLUSD remains steady, bolstering trust in its peg mechanism.

  • If the volume rise continues, it may signal the start of a larger uptake of Ripple’s stablecoin on payment and trading platforms. Investors should monitor whether the higher demand results in deeper liquidity across exchanges in the near future, as this would make the RLUSD a more dependable trading pair.

In general, speculation is less important than the overall positioning of the cryptocurrency market when it comes to RLUSD’s $200 million volume surge. In a way, it draws attention to the rising need for stability on an unpredictable market and suggests that Ripple’s stablecoin might become more significant in future global liquidity flows.

How good can DOGE be?

Dogecoin has performed surprisingly well, breaking through the $0.24 mark, which few had predicted given its slow performance in recent months. DOGE — which was once thought to be a meme-driven asset vulnerable to hype cycles — is now exhibiting resilience, defying general market uncertainty and proving its capacity to surprise both ardent supporters and doubters. 

The 100-day and 200-day EMAs of Dogecoin have been a solid base for buyers, and the cryptocurrency has continuously respected important support zones in the $0.21-$0.22 range in recent weeks. With bulls intervening at pivotal points, the recovery from these levels and the break above short-term moving averages suggest that momentum is improving. 

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Additionally, there has been a slight increase in trading volume, which could indicate that fresh market interest is emerging. The RSI, which is close to 59, indicates that bullish pressure is increasing without being overbought. This allows for more upside before reaching harsh circumstances.

If DOGE stays above $0.24, the next logical resistance is located between $0.27 and $0.28, where earlier rallies this summer were capped. A run toward $0.30, which would represent a major psychological milestone, might be possible if that zone is successfully broken. The fact that this rally coincides with a decline in the enthusiasm surrounding meme coins is what makes it so intriguing. 

It appears that technical strength and accumulation rather than speculative mania were the driving forces behind DOGE’s move. Dogecoin may start to establish a reputation as a reliable mid-cap cryptocurrency with steady investor support if this trend keeps up. In summary, Dogecoin has resurfaced as a contender in the current market cycle after its unexpected breakout above $0.24 has dispelled bearish expectations.

Ethereum too quiet

With price action settling in the $4,300 range and volatility at all-time lows, Ethereum is exhibiting an unusual calm. The second-largest cryptocurrency believes that this quiet time is misleading and could be a risky prelude to a storm.

With tight candles and little volume, ETH has been trading sideways on the charts for more than a week. The market seems to be losing liquidity, which suggests that traders are holding off until something clear happens. In the past, these periods of inaction frequently came before violent outbursts.

Ethereum is holding at high levels without either buyers or sellers controlling the market, which is more concerning than just the lack of movement. This implies that it might release a surge strong enough to destroy everything in its path when momentum eventually returns.

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The thesis is supported by technical indicators. There is still plenty of opportunity for growth as the RSI is neutral but balanced at 51. Ethereum, meanwhile, is still trading above its 50-day EMA, indicating that the bullish structure is still in place even in the absence of any immediate action.

Failure to hold current levels could result in a retest of $4,100 or even $3,800, while a clean breakout above $4,500 could pave the way to the eagerly anticipated $5,000 mark. Because there is less liquidity, there is a greater chance that a sudden surge in buying pressure will lead to a series of short liquidations, which would send ETH skyrocketing.

On the other hand, if bears take advantage of the situation, the same lack of liquidity may accelerate a sharp decline. Although Ethereum’s silence is unsettling, it also prepares the market for the next pivotal action.

The storm has the potential to propel ETH to new heights with $5,000 as the main target if bulls make a strong comeback. The calm should be interpreted as a warning rather than a sign of safety until that time.

The general state of the market is cautiously positive. With the comeback of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other grands, smaller assets are gaining more traction and might show us long-awaited recoveries. Unfortunately, if stablecoin volumes keep on growing, it would be a sign of a bearish shift.



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Calm Ahead of Fed Rate Cut, Storm Later
GameFi Guides

Calm Ahead of Fed Rate Cut, Storm Later

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Risk assets may face stormier conditions if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, as expected, on Sept. 17. That’s the message from futures tied to the VIX index, a measure of expectations of volatility in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days.

The index, also called Wall Street’s fear gauge, is calculated in real time from prices of options on the S&P 500, and reflects how much investors expect the market to swing, with higher values indicating greater levels of uncertainty.

The spread between the October VIX futures contract (the next-month contract) and the September contract (the front-month contract), has widened to 2.2%, an extreme level by historical standards, according to data source TradingView. The September contract expires the same day as the Fed meeting.

Meanwhile, the front-month contract trades only at a slight premium to the cash index.

“Cash is fair compared to Sept. … but Sept. is extremely low compared to October futures,” Greg Magadini, director of derivatives at crypto derivatives data analytics firm Amberdata, wrote in the weekly newsletter.

In other words, traders are discounting risk ahead of the Fed meeting, wagering that the rate-cut expectation will keep markets steady as they approach the decision.

The U.S. central bank is expected to lower its target rate by at least 25 basis points when it meets next week, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool. Some market participants are even positioned for a 50 bps reduction.

The October futures, however, tell a different story, suggesting that investors are anticipating increased turbulence once the Fed’s decision is out of the way and rate cuts are priced in.

“The VIX futures for September have priced away risk while October could be ugly … A theme to keep in mind for risk assets in my opinion,” Magadini wrote.

October VIX futures trade at a significant premium to September futures. (TradingView)

Historically, the VIX has exhibited a strong negative correlation with stock prices, typically rising during bear markets and periods of market stress, while declining when stock prices advance. It means that the potential volatility boom after the Fed decision could be marked by a downswing in equities.

Bitcoin BTC$111,883.20 is known to closely track the mood on Wall Street, which means that a potential volatility explosion in stocks could quickly spill over into the cryptocurrency market. And like stocks, the turbulent period could be marked by bearish price action.

Since November last year, the correlation between bitcoin’s spot price and its 30-day implied volatility indices has turned negative. Additionally, Bitcoin’s volatility indices — BVIV and DVOL — have recently reached record high correlation levels with the VIX, highlighting bitcoin’s growing alignment with broader market volatility trends.



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Microsoft hosts emergency press conference after protesters ‘storm a building’
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Microsoft hosts emergency press conference after protesters ‘storm a building’

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Microsoft president Brad Smith hosted an impromptu press conference on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after protesters gained access to a building at the company’s headquarters and held a sit-in demonstration inside his office.

Seated on the edge of his desk, in the office that had been occupied by protesters earlier that day, Smith addressed a group of reporters and viewers on a live stream. “Obviously, this was an unusual day,” he said, the camera shaking as he spoke.

The protesters were part of the No Azure for Apartheid group, which on several occasions this year interrupted Microsoft’s public presentations to demand that the company terminate all contracts with the Israeli government and military.

Smith said that Microsoft is “committed to ensuring its human rights principles and contractual terms of service are upheld in the Middle East.” He said the company launched an investigation earlier this month after the Guardian reported that Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was being used for surveillance of Palestinians. Smith said that Microsoft disagreed with some of the report’s findings, but that others warranted investigation.

“We are working every day to get to the bottom of what’s going on, and we will,” Smith said.

An organizer for No Azure for Apartheid, Abdo Mohamed, earlier today told The Verge that Microsoft employees Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle were part of the protest. They were joined by former Microsoft employees Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr, and Joe Lopez.

Smith said that seven people in total were involved with today’s protests, with two of them being Microsoft employees. The people were removed by Redmond police, he said.

“When seven folks do as they did today, storm a building, occupy an office, lock other people out of the office, plant listening devices — even in crude form, in the form of telephones, cellphones hidden under couches and behind books — that’s not ok,” Smith said. “When they’re asked to leave and they refused, that’s not ok.”



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Google's AI Weather Model Nailed Its First Major Storm Forecast
Gaming Gear

Google’s AI Weather Model Nailed Its First Major Storm Forecast

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While generative AI tools that primarily amount to slop generators grab most of the attention in the artificial intelligence space, there are occasionally some actually useful applications of the technology, like Google DeepMind’s use of AI weather models to predict cyclones. The experimental tool, launched earlier this year, successfully managed to provide accurate modeling of Hurricane Erin as it started gaining steam in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.

As Ars Technica first reported, Hurricane Erin—which reached Category 5 status and caused some damage to the island of Bermuda, parts of the Caribbean, and the East Coast of the United States—provided Google DeepMind’s Weather Lab with the first real test of its capabilities.

According to James Franklin, former chief of the hurricane specialist unit at the National Hurricane Center, it did quite well, outperforming the National Hurricane Center’s official model and topping several other physics-based models during the first 72 hours of modeling. It did ultimately fall off a bit the longer the prediction effort ran, but it still topped the consensus model through the five-day forecast.

While Google’s model was impressively accurate in the first days of modeling, it’s the latter ones that are most important to experts, per Ars Technica, as days three through five of the model are the ones that officials count on to make decisions on calls for evacuation and other preparatory efforts. Still, it seems like there may be some promise in the possibility of AI-powered weather modeling—though the sample size here is pretty small.

Most of the current gold standard modeling techniques used for storm prediction use physics-based prediction engines, which essentially try to recreate the conditions of the atmosphere by factoring in things like humidity, air pressure, and temperature changes to simulate how a storm might behave. Google’s model instead pulls from a massive amount of data that it was trained on, including a “reanalysis dataset that reconstructs past weather over the entire Earth from millions of observations, and a specialized database containing key information about the track, intensity, size and wind radii of nearly 5,000 observed cyclones from the past 45 years.”

According to Google, it tested its model on storms from 2023 and 2024, and found that its five-day prediction managed to predict the path of a storm with more accuracy than most other models, coming about 140km or 90 miles closer to the ultimate location of the cyclone than the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ ensemble model, which is considered the most accurate model available. Now it can point to a storm that it tracked in real-time as proof of concept, though there is no reason to think AI tools like this will completely displace the other approaches at this stage.



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Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm Faces 5 Years for a Crime DOJ Now Says It Won’t Prosecute

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In brief

  • The DOJ announced it will no longer charge decentralized software developers under the same law used to convict Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm earlier this month.
  • DOJ official Matthew Galeotti clarified that prosecutors will avoid such charges when software is truly decentralized and non-custodial, though other charges could still apply if criminal intent is alleged.
  • The policy shift was celebrated by many crypto industry leaders as a major win, but some advocates questioned its timing and impact given Storm’s recent conviction and the DOJ’s ongoing discretion in related cases.

A top Department of Justice official told an audience of crypto industry leaders Thursday that the U.S. government will no longer charge decentralized software developers with a particular crime—the same crime federal prosecutors successfully convicted Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm of earlier this month. 

The charge, U.S. code 1960(b)(1)(C), prohibits operators of unlicensed money transmitting businesses from dealing in funds known to have been derived from a crime, or intended to be used to support unlawful activity. Just weeks ago, a Manhattan jury found Storm guilty of violating the law, a crime which carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison. The jury failed to reach a verdict on all other counts. 

Today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Matthew Galeotti—the acting head of the DOJ’s criminal division—told a group of crypto lobbyists and industry leaders gathered for a policy summit that federal prosecutors will no longer pursue 1960(b)(1)(C) charges against developers of decentralized software.



“Where the evidence shows that software is truly decentralized and solely automates peer-to-peer transactions, and where a third party does not have custody and control over user assets, new 1960(b)(1)(C) charges against a third party will not be approved,” he said.

The official added that if criminal intent is present in such instances, though, “other charges may be appropriate.”

Galeotti made a point of noting that the new policy will be implemented by the DOJ “going forward,” in a potential nod to Storm’s conviction on the very same charge earlier this month. 

Storm was arrested and charged with several crimes in 2023, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and sanctions violations, for his role in operating Tornado Cash—a coin mixing service that allows crypto users to make private on-chain transactions. 

When the Trump administration took over Storm’s case earlier this year, it did drop a single charge related to operating an unregistered money transmitting business—but kept the charge accusing the developer of operating Tornado Cash while knowing some of its users were processing funds linked to criminal activity. 

That shift was consistent with a DOJ memo circulated in April that instructed federal prosecutors to back off most crypto-related cases—but not necessarily all. 

Crypto lobbyists and industry leaders gathered today for Galeotti’s announcement hailed it, cheering him enthusiastically as soon as his speech finished. They were gathered in Wyoming for the inaugural summit of the American Innovation Project, a new pro-crypto nonprofit backed by some of the industry’s most powerful policy players.

Amanda Tuminelli, executive director of the DeFi Education Fund, a crypto lobbying group, was one industry attendee present for Galeotti’s speech today. In a statement shared with Decrypt, she celebrated the DOJ policy change and thanked the Trump department for “hearing our concerns about Section 1960.”

“The fact the DOJ acknowledged that software developers should not be held responsible for third party’s misuse of their code affirms what we have been advocating for years,” she said. 

Others, though, were less optimistic. Coin Center Executive Director Peter Van Valkenburg similarly expressed gratitude for Galeotti’s statements in a post on X but lamented the fact that it’s seemingly “a little late” in Roman Storm’s case.

“I’m especially interested if the DOJ keeps fighting when Roman appeals his unlicensed money transmission verdict. If so, what is this speech all about?” Van Valkenburg posted. The Coin Center executive, who oversees the non-profit advocacy group, also expressed concern over Galeotti’s “criminal intent” caveat and noted that the DOJ official’s statements are in no way binding.

In recent months, DeFi and privacy advocates have walked a tightrope, praising the Trump administration for its pro-crypto policy shifts in most instances, but also expressing existential concern about the implications of Storm’s prosecution and conviction by the president’s DOJ. 

After Galeotti’s speech this afternoon, the DOJ official participated in an off-the-record Q&A with crypto industry leaders in the room. A source present at the event told Decrypt Galeotti received no questions about the Roman Storm case.

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I need Wave Race: Blue Storm and its cheesy cool to return to the Switch 2's GameCube Classics collection
Game Reviews

I need Wave Race: Blue Storm and its cheesy cool to return to the Switch 2’s GameCube Classics collection

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It’s been 22 years since the last home console F-Zero game (not counting the handheld spin-offs and 2023’s F-Zero 99), but with the launch of Nintendo’s Switch 2 we finally got a chance to revisit the GameCube’s outstanding F-Zero GX. Despite some wonky controls, it’s a game that still stands up today. No wonder Nintendo hasn’t attempted to better it.

But there’s another Nintendo racing series that’s been on hiatus for even longer. Wave Race: Blue Storm was released back in 2001 as a launch window game for the GameCube, only the third in the series behind Wave Race 64 and, before that, the Game Boy original Wave Race. Since then? Nothing.

Pitches were made for a Wii entry, including holding the Wiimote sideways and using the Wii Balance Board, but these never came to fruition. I think it’s high time for Wave Race to make a splash on Switch 2, and that begins with the return of Blue Storm.

Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics – Nintendo Direct | Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

I know it’s a bit of an ongoing joke among gaming enthusiasts, but I still often find myself judging a game’s visuals by its water graphics: the shimmering translucency, the physics of rolling waves, its splashy wetness. Thing is, Wave Race: Blue Storm nailed it 23 years ago. That’s what made it so brilliant.

It’s a jet-ski racing game, you see, and with it being on water rather than a ground-based track, the course is always shifting. You don’t simply drive a car round a corner; you have to account for the height and power of each wave as you weave in and out of each buoy (or boo-ey as the announcer infuriatingly pronounces it, sorry Americans). There’s a high level of skill required, but with practice you can skim over cresting waves or dive beneath them to utilise shortcuts. This sort of water physics was incredibly impressive back in 2001, even if Wave Race 64 managed similarly on the previous hardware generation.

But then those water physics are taken a step further with each course. Perhaps you’re racing on the glass-like serene surface of a lake, or the choppy waters of a city harbour. On coastal courses the tide sweeps in and out, revealing hidden routes over multiple laps. One level has a collapsing glacier sending turbulent shockwaves in your wake. There’s a sense of dynamism to Blue Storm’s races that’s rarely seen in more traditional racing games.

Then there are the weather effects, ranging from pleasant sunny days to a raging tempest that sends violent waves crashing towards your jet-skiier. No race in Wave Race is ever the same and your skills are constantly being tested as you adapt to the water beneath you, subtly squeezing those adaptive triggers on the controller to angle around obstacles.

I also love how the water sports theme permeates the whole game. Sure, you can flip a jet-ski and perform hand stands to increase your speed boost. But the loading screens have a little bubble you can manoeuvre to watch ripples cascade across the screen; menus overlay a glistening aquatic backdrop; and sound effects are all splishes and splashes and droplets. Everything just looks so…wet. It’s enough to make you pee.

Perhaps what I remember most fondly about Blue Storm is its surf rock soundtrack, all electric guitars smothered in chorus and flange. What’s more, the music changes based on the weather, matching its calm undulations and stormy chaos. Along with the bright visuals, eccentric announcer, and goofy characters, it all lends Blue Storm a sense of cheesy cool that will forever take me back to the early 00s and that GameCube launch period. The skies were blue, the waters clear, and the games were all short and manageable. It was a better time.

This is why Wave Race: Blue Storm deserves to make a return on Switch 2. Yes, Nintendo will obviously bring back the likes of Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Smash Bros. – all excellent games – but it’s the lesser known games I’m keen to see shine on the console’s GameCube service. If we can get Chibi Robo this week, there’s space for Blue Storm.

Better yet, perhaps the return of F-Zero GX and Wave Race: Blue Storm will convince Nintendo there are other racing series besides Mario Kart that deserve new outings on Switch 2. It’s been long enough now and the steering wheel and jet-ski handlebars don’t need to be reinvented. Just let me play Wave Race handheld with HD graphics in the bath for a proper 4D experience.

Which GameCube games do you most want to see return on Switch 2? Sound off in the comments!



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