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Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is finally out in the west and off to a strong start on Steam, but was the MMORPG worth the wait?
Game Reviews

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is finally out in the west and off to a strong start on Steam, but was the MMORPG worth the wait?

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MMORPG Blue Protocol: Star Resonance was finally released in the west yesterday, and is already off to a strong start on Steam.

It’s already peaked at almost 95k concurrent players, meaning it has more players at the time of writing than Hollow Knight: Silksong, Marvel Rivals, and EA Sports FC 26.

The anime MMO from Bandai Namco was previously released in Japan and was set to receive a western release by Amazon Games. However, in August 2024 the Japanese servers were shut down and the western release cancelled.

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance | Official Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube

Since then, the Tencent-funded developer Bokura picked up the project, added Star Resonance to the name, and has now released it as a free-to-play game across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) and mobile (iOS, Google) in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania.

But after all that, was it worth the wait?

Steam reviews from players so far would suggest not. Blue Protocol currently has a Mixed rating, with criticisms of its lack of content, generic gameplay, and gacha mechanics.

“Just once I would love to get an anime MMO without 1000 currencies, gacha, 5000 ‘presents’ with no real value and overloaded UI,” wrote one Steam user. Wrote another: “This absolute slop represents the culmination of the cancer that has killed the MMO genre.”

Other players, meanwhile, are more positive, claiming it has “great art and visuals” and that for a free-to-play game it’s worth a go.

At the time of its Japanese cancellation, the developers stated the “difficult decision” to end service was made as “it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you”.

I went hands-on with Blue Protocol ahead of its release way back in 2023, and while it was enjoyable I questioned if it could do enough to differentiate itself from its HoYoVerse competition. Once the game was released in Japan, it didn’t receive a particularly positive reception, which ultimately led to its cancellation.

Blue Protocol’s Star Resonance revival will certainly give it a second lease of life, but whether it was worth it remains questionable.

If you are looking to dip into the game, check out our guide on how to redeem codes in Blue Protocol.



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Best Smart Glasses in 2025: Get Meta's Latest or Wait?
Gaming Gear

Best Smart Glasses in 2025: Get Meta’s Latest or Wait?

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There’s one big question looming over anyone who considers smart glasses tech right now: Do you want to wear something with tech on your face? And, for how long? The decision when it comes to display-enabled tethered glasses and wireless glasses is pretty different.

Display glasses vs. camera and audio glasses

Tethered glasses are really more like eye headphones that you’re perching on your face over your eyes. Although they have somewhat see-through lenses, they’re not made for all-day wear. You’ll put them on for movies, playing games or doing work, and then take them off. The commitment level might be a couple of hours a day at most.

Meanwhile, wireless smart glasses aim to be true everyday glasses. They’ll likely replace your existing glasses, become an additional pair or maybe act as smart sunglasses. But if you’re doing that, keep in mind you’ll need to outfit them with your prescription… or, get used to the limited battery life of wireless glasses. Meta Ray-Bans last several hours on a charge, depending on how they’re used. After that, they need to be recharged in their case, so you’ll need to wear another pair of glasses or just accept wearing a pair with a dead battery.

Live AI, Meta’s newest Ray-Bans feature, can keep a constant camera feed on the world. I tested it out.

Scott Stein/CNET

AI and its limits

You’ll also want to consider what you’ll use the glasses for, and what devices or AI services you use. Wireless audio and video glasses like Ray-Bans need a phone app to pair and use with, but they can also act as basic Bluetooth headphones with any audio source. However, Meta Ray-Bans are limited to Meta AI as the functioning onboard AI service, with a few hook-ins to apps like Apple Music, Spotify, Calm and Facebook’s core platforms. You’re living in Meta’s world.

Meta is opening up its smart glasses to app developers, although to what degree is still unknown. Meta’s newest Ray-Ban Display glasses, meanwhile, add more apps but mainly for Facebook app-connected functions. Meta’s also beginning to support connected fitness devices, but only with Garmin and its upcoming Oakley Vanguard sports visor for now.

Google’s next wave of devices should be more flexible, tapping into Gemini AI and more Google apps and services. But we still don’t know the limits of those glasses and headsets, either.

AI-enabled glasses can often use AI and the onboard camera for a number of assistive purposes like live translation or describing an environment in detail. For those with vision loss or assistive needs, AI glasses are starting to become an exciting and helpful type of device, but companies like Meta — and Google next year — need to keep introducing new features to help. Meta’s AI functions on glasses aren’t as flexible as the AI apps on phones and computers — you can’t necessarily add documents and personal information into it in the same way you can with other services. At least, not yet.

Display glasses have limits, too

Display-enabled tethered glasses use USB-C to connect to gadgets that can output video via USB-C, like phones, laptops, tablets and even handheld game consoles. But they don’t all work the same. Phones can sometimes have app incompatibilities, preventing copyrighted videos from playing in rare instances (like Disney+ on iPhones). Steam Decks and Windows game handhelds work with tethered display glasses, but the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 don’t, and need proprietary and bulky battery pack “mini docks” sold separately to send a signal through. Some glasses-makers like Xreal are building more custom chipsets in-glasses to pin displays in space or customize display size, while others lean on extra software only available on laptops or certain devices to perform extra tricks.

Lexy Savvides

A good time for new Meta glasses, but more on the horizon

If this all sounds like a bit of a Wild West landscape, that’s because it is. Glasses right now remind me of the wrist wearable scene before the Apple Watch and Android watches arrived: It was experimental, inconsistent, sometimes brilliant and sometimes frustrating. Expect glasses to evolve quickly over the next few years, meaning your choice to buy in now is not guaranteed to be a perfect solution down the road.

While Meta has just announced a wave of new glasses, and the new Ray-Ban and Oakley models have excellent improved battery life, it’s likely that glasses coming next year will be even more evolved. The $800 Ray-Ban Display glasses show signs of where other glasses are going to head. You could be an early adopter of those more expensive glasses now, but I’d suggest you get less-expensive Ray-Ban glasses instead, or wait out the changes.

There are other options coming that are likely worth waiting for. Luma’s high-end Beast glasses coming this fall should offer excellent wide viewing areas and improved, anti-reflective prism lenses that will compete with the Xreal One Pro. Google is expected to release its own line of AI glasses with Warby Parker and other brands next year, offering a true competitor to Meta’s glasses line.



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Ruark MR1 Mk3 powered speakers either side of a laptop, on a white surface
Product Reviews

Ruark MR1 Mk3 powered speaker review: an eight-year update that’s more than worth the wait

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Ruark MR1 Mk3: Two minute review

From February 2017 to September 2025 is a fair while for an audio product to stay on the market – so it just goes to show how right Ruark got the predecessor to its new Ruark MR1 Mk3 and what a tough act it has to follow.

Happily, it’s more than up to the task. Slightly larger than the product it replaces and significantly better specified (the MR1 Mk3 can handle everything from aptX HD Bluetooth and vinyl records to 24bit/192kHz hi-res digital audio), this new Ruark is the perfect desktop system. It’s also got great credentials when it comes to TV audio (it’s so much better looking than your average soundbar and can connect via digital optical), and will happily support a fairly extensive system in a small- to medium-sized room.

The Ruark MR1 Mk3 sounds far larger than it looks, and has impressive low-frequency presence that’s complemented by great detail retrieval and an undeniable facility for entertainment. The Ruark can do ‘analysis’ for you as well as any desktop system around, but it doesn’t lose sight of the fact that music is to be enjoyed every bit as much as it is to be admired. Soundstaging is good, dynamic headroom is appreciable, and the frequency response from top to bottom is smoothly even. The MR1 Mk3 sounds admirably consistent no matter which of its inputs you’re using, too.

In short, the Ruark MR1 Mk3 has been worth the wait, and sits firmly in the best stereo speakers on the market. Which is not the same as saying I’d be happy to wait until 2033 or something for the Mk4…

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Price and release date

  • Released June 2025
  • $579 / £399 / AU$899

The Ruark MR1 Mk3 is on sale now, and in the United States it’s yours for $579. It goes for £399 in the United Kingdom and AU$899 in Australia.

To be fair to Ruark, that compares quite favourably to the $499 / £349 / AU$749 the MR1 Mk2 launched at back in early 2107, and it means the MR1 Mk3 is, all things considered, even more competitively priced than the model it replaces.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Features

  • 25 watts per channel of Class D power
  • Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD
  • Moving magnet phono stage

Ruark has ditched the Class A/B amplification of the MR1 Mk3’s predecessor in favour of a Class D alternative derived from its very well-received R410 integrated music system. Power is up from 20 watts per channel to 25, and the driver array (a 20mm silk dome tweeter and 85mm ‘NS+’ treated natural fibre mid/bass driver in each speaker, bolstered by downward-facing bass reflex ports) is good for a claimed frequency response of 50Hz to 22khz.

Input options have undergone an upgrade, too. The MR1 Mk3 uses Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless connectivity, and is compatible with the aptX HD codec. There’s a 3.5mm socket that’s a hybrid optical/analogue input – in digital mode it’s capable of dealing with file resolutions of up to 24bit/192kHz. A USB-C input can handle anything up to 24bit/96kHz. And there’s a moving magnet phono stage behind a pair of stereo RCA sockets, so a record player can easily be integrated into the Ruark system. A pre-out for a subwoofer completes a very agreeable line-up.

Features score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Sound quality

  • Impressive low-frequency presence
  • Detailed and dynamic
  • Great sonic consistency across every input

There’s a definite sensation of ‘the Ruark sound’ to the MR1 Mk3, which is great but hardly unexpected. What’s equally impressive, and perhaps less predictable, is just how consistent the Mk3 sounds no matter which of its inputs you’re using.

Obviously there’s an appreciable difference between the sound of Sad and Lonely by Secret Machines being streamed as a 320kbps file via Bluetooth to the same song delivered via the integrated phono stage. But the fundamental Ruark character never wavers: in every circumstance, the sound is bold and punchy, spacious and properly defined, and is loaded with detail both broad and fine. Everyone hopes their tunes will sound ‘musical’ and ‘entertaining’, but the MR1 Mk3 understands and delivers on this better than any price-comparable alternative.

There’s a touch of warmth to the system’s tonality, but this just allows the weighty and nicely varied low frequencies to swing even more naturalistically. Bass sounds are properly controlled, which means rhythmic expression is sure footed – the Ruark is capable of quite startling extension and low-end attack. The midrange is open and revealing, with plenty of detail concerning tone and timbre, especially of voices, revealed. At the top end, the Ruark gives substance to treble sounds just as readily as it gives shine – and here, just as with the rest of the frequency range, detail levels are impressively high.

There’s more than enough dynamic headroom available for the MR1 Mk3 to make the fluctuations in volume and intensity during a listen to Music Has the Right to Children by Boards of Canada obvious. And there’s just as much attention paid to the dynamic variations apparent in a voice or solo instrument, too.

Thanks to the downward-facing reflex ports, the Mk3 always has a fixed boundary the perfect distance away – so it’s not quite as uptight about positioning as some alternative designs. And when you get the positioning just right, stereo focus is enjoyable and the soundstage the system creates is large and confidently defined. There’s plenty of space between individual elements of a recording, but at the same time the Ruark is able to make sure they all relate to each other and all contribute to the singularity of ‘performance’.

Sound quality score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Design

  • 185 x 135 x 155mm (HxWxD)
  • Choice of two finishes
  • 2.2kg

Ruark is no stranger to a tidy and attractive bit of cabinet work, and for the MR1 Mk3 it’s done that thing it does, just on a slightly larger scale.

Each Mk3 cabinet is 185 x 135 x 155mm (HxWxD), which is up from the Mk2’s 175 x 130 x 140mm in every direction. It also means internal volume is increased to a useful two liters while the system is still a realistic desktop proposition.

The standard of build and finish is impeccable. Each cabinet is handcrafted, and is almost as appealing on a tactile level as it is on a visual. My review sample is in a real walnut veneer, but a charcoal lacquer alternative is available – both are supplied with fixed slate-grey cloth grilles.

Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Usability and setup

  • Operation via remote control or RotoDial
  • 3m braided connecting cable
  • Independent gain control for some inputs

There’s not a lot to get your head around when it comes to setting up the MR1 Mk3. The primary speaker – the one with all the inputs and amplification on board – needs to be plugged into the mains. It then needs to be connected to the secondary speaker using the 3m length of braided cable supplied in the box. And that’s about your lot: make any physical connections you might require, and you’re in business.

Control is available via a small and unremarkable remote control – it covers power on/off, volume up/down, and input selection. These functions are duplicated by the classic Ruark RotoDial that’s integrated into the top of the primary speaker and is just as pleasant to use here as it is in any of the company’s other products. And it makes the primary speaker, in fact, 202mm high.

Usability and setup score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Value

It’s difficult in the extreme to suggest the Ruark MR1 Mk3 doesn’t represent very decent value for money.

It’s compact enough to be a desktop system, it’s got sufficient sonic scale and presence to work as an alternative to a soundbar via its digital optical or Bluetooth inputs, and it’s ideal as a system for a smaller room. The standard of build and finish is hard to criticize. It looks, as well as sounds, good.

What more, really, are you expecting?

Value score: 5/5

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Should you buy it?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: Also consider

Some Bluetooth speakers can form stereo pairs, so something like a couple of JBL Charge 6 could do a job on your desktop, and you’d have a pair of portable speakers for when you’re out and about. The battery-only power scenario might not work for you, though, and there’s only USB-C as an input beyond Bluetooth.

Maybe the Q Acoustics M20 would be a better bet? It’s certainly a great-sounding system, and has sufficient physical, as well as wireless, inputs to be a complete system. It’s large when compared to the Ruark, though – certainly too big for anything but the very largest desktop – and is a little less impressive when it comes to the standard of finish too.

Ruark MR1 Mk3 review: How I tested

  • Connected to various devices
  • Using every available input
  • Lots of music and TV over a fair amount of time

I mostly listened to the MR1 Mk3 on my desktop, where I used an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S as wireless sources along with an Apple MacBook Pro connected via USB-C.

I also used it on the end of my main system, where I was able to test out its phono stage using my Clearaudio Concept turntable. And I connected it to my Philips OLED using the TV’s optical output, where it functioned as a replacement for my Bose Smart Ultra soundbar.

I listened to plenty of music and quite a bit of TV content, and made sure to check out the Ruark’s hi-res audio credentials as well as its ability to amplify a turntable and handle a wireless stream.

Ruark MR1 Mk3: Price Comparison



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GoPro Max 2 360 camera
Product Reviews

GoPro Max 2 review: worth the wait

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

GoPro Max 2: two-minute review

The GoPro Max 2 is GoPro’s long-awaited return to the 360 camera arena, and it arrives with the rugged build quality and intuitive design philosophy that has made the brand synonymous with action cameras for over a decade.

It’s a compact, square-bodied camera that takes clear design inspiration from its predecessor while incorporating lessons learned from rivals like the Insta360 X5 and DJI Osmo 360. The Max 2 is built tough – waterproof to 5m without additional housing and ready to handle the kind of punishment that extreme sports can dish out. What sets it apart from the competition is GoPro’s decision to make the lenses fully user-replaceable without tools, a smart move given how vulnerable 360 camera lenses are to damage.

At $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849.95, the Max 2 is priced between the DJI Osmo 360 and the premium Insta360 X5, offering a middle-ground option that should appeal to GoPro loyalists and newcomers alike.

The standout feature here is what GoPro calls “true 8K” recording; the Max 2 delivers genuine 8K capture with at least 3840 active pixels on each axis, and the results are undeniably sharp and vibrant in good lighting conditions.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Design-wise, there’s plenty to appreciate too: a bright 1.82-inch touchscreen, GoPro’s famously simple two-button control scheme, built-in GPS, and compatibility with three separate mounting systems: the classic GoPro fingers, standard tripod threads, and the newer magnetic latch system. The camera feels reassuringly solid and well-balanced, whether in your hand or mounted on some other part of your body.

Video tops out at 8K 30fps in 360 mode, with 5.6K 60fps and 4K 100fps options for slow-motion work. The Max 2 also captures 29MP 360-degree stills and supports 10-bit color recording plus GP-Log flat profile for post-production color grading.

Performance is strong in daylight, delivering the punchy, colorful footage GoPro is known for, with minimal distortion, effective automatic stitching and selfie stick removal. However, the camera struggles more noticeably in low-light conditions compared to rivals that offer dedicated night modes, and thermal management can be an issue during extended recording sessions.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The Max 2 pairs with GoPro’s established Quik mobile app for quick editing and sharing, plus the updated GoPro Player desktop software for more comprehensive post-production work. Both offer solid 360 video editing tools, though at present neither quite matches the sophistication of Insta360’s software suite.

Ultimately, while the Max 2 doesn’t revolutionize the 360 camera market, it delivers exactly what I’d expect from GoPro. This is a well-built, user-friendly camera that produces excellent results in the right conditions, and it’s backed up by an ecosystem of accessories and editing tools that make the whole experience relatively painless. GoPro is well truly back in the 360 camera game.

  • Look out for my in-depth GoPro Max 2 vs Insta360 X5 comparison, based on real tests, coming soon

GoPro Max 2 specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyDJI Osmo 360 specs

Type:

360 camera

Waterproof depth:

5m / 16ft

Screen:

1.82-inch touchscreen

Storage:

microSD

Connectivity:

USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth

Dimensions:

64 x 69.7 x 48.7mm / 2.4 x 1.4 x 3.2 inches

Weight:

195g / 6.88oz

The Max 2 mounted on GoPro’s selfie stick (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Today’s best GoPro Max 2 deals

GoPro Max 2: Price and availability

  • Launched worldwide on 23 September 2025
  • Pre-orders shipping 30 September 2025
  • Priced at $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849.95

GoPro officially launched the Max 2 on September 23 2025, and it’s available to pre-order right away, with orders shipping from September 30.

It’s priced at $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$849.95 in a bundle that includes the camera and a single battery. At the time of writing I’ve not been informed of any bundles including accessories such as selfie sticks, microSD cards or extra batteries, but this section will be updated if that becomes the case.

This list price, which sits between the pricier Insta360 X5 and more affordable DJI Osmo 360, feels just about right to me. The Max 2 is a quality product and while being any cheaper would be a surprise, it’s clearly priced to compete with its closest rivals.

The GoPro Max 2 in the midst of its two main rivals, the DJI Osmo 360 and Insta360 X5 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

GoPro Max 2: Design

  • Waterproof to 5m / 16ft plus replaceable lenses
  • Mountable via tripod, magnetic latch or mounting fingers
  • 1.82-inch rear touchscreen

The GoPro Max 2 looks similar to the original Max, favoring a squat, square design over the narrower candybar shape used by some 360 cameras. Constructed from tough plastic, it’s pretty discreet and unassuming, with the bright blue flashes of the GoPro logo and “Max 2” the only deviation from all-business dark grey. It’s slightly smaller than its closest recent rivals, the Insta360 X5 and DJI Osmo 360, but not to what I’d consider a significant degree.

As you’d expect from a GoPro camera, the Max 2 feels rugged and ready for adventure. While there’s no specific IP rating, GoPro says it’s waterproof to a depth of 5m and able to operate in cold temperatures. While the waterproof depth isn’t quite as impressive as on some rival cameras, GoPro told me a dive housing accessory offering more robust underwater protection is currently in development.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Crucially, GoPro has also made its lenses fully user-replaceable – and without the need for a tool, either, in a move that beats even the Insta360 X5’s lens replacement system. With 360 cameras’ lenses protruding so far out of the body, they’re highly vulnerable to damage, so making them simple (and relatively cheap) to swap out if something goes wrong is a great move from GoPro.

That being said, I did notice some condensation inside the lens when I went from indoors to outdoors, and it affected image quality (you can see it in the cycling sections of the videos embedded below). This could be fixed by removing the lens and wiping it with a microfiber cloth, then replacing it, but I found it an annoying issue to deal with. It’s not something I’ve encountered on other 360 cameras, and I suspect it might be due to the removeable lens design.

The pop-out mounting fingers make attaching the Max 2 to hundreds of existing mounts very simple (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The Max 2 is small and lightweight enough for easy mounting on everything from helmets to bikes to selfie sticks, and GoPro has thoughtfully made it compatible with three mounting options. You have classic GoPro mounting fingers, a rock-solid way to fix the camera to a huge range of first- and third-party mounts, as well a standard tripod thread and the newer GoPro magnetic latch mount.

Controls are beautifully simple. There are two large rubber buttons – one for power and switching shooting modes, another for image capture – and a bright and sharp 1.82-inch touchscreen for everything else. The Max 2’s UI is extremely simple and easy to get to grips with, even for someone (like me) who doesn’t shoot on GoPro cameras particularly often, and I doubt anyone even slightly familiar with action camera menu screens will struggle to master it quickly.

GoPro Max 2: Performance and features

  • Editing via Quik and GoPro Player apps
  • Built-in GPS
  • 1,960mAh battery offers around an hour of 8K 30fps capture

With no built-in storage, footage and photos captured on the Max 2 are stored on microSD card, and can be quickly transferred wirelessly to a mobile device running the Quik app for editing and sharing.

I think Quik’s 360 video editor is pretty good, and I was able to swiftly reframe clips using manual keyframes or AI-assisted object tracking, plus tweak the image settings to achieve the look I wanted. Finished videos and photos can be saved to a phone’s camera roll, directly shared to social media or exported to other devices.

It’s also possible to edit on desktop, of course, and the updated GoPro Player app supports keyframe reframing but not, interestingly, AI-assisted tracking or image tweaking. GoPro says it’s getting a new denoise setting too, but this was greyed out and unavailable when I tested the app due to my M2-powered MacBook Air being not quite up to the task.

GoPro has informed me that both Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve will be getting plug-ins allowing users to directly import the Max 2’s 360 files. Premiere support is due to be live by the end of 2025, with Resolve to follow later on.

One thing the Max 2 has that its DJI and Insta360 rivals don’t is built-in GPS, enabling users to embed location data in their footage and photos. Most other cameras either require an optional module or tethering to a smartphone for geotagging, so the Max 2, like the original Max, offers an edge there.

The battery, microSD slot and USB-C port are all located inside a single well-sealed compartment (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Despite the large vent on one side, the Max 2 does get warm during use. When I left it recording video, it turned itself off to avoid overheating with both 8K 30fps and 5.6K 30fps recording. With the 8K footage, it recorded just under 30 minutes of footage before shutting down; it lasted almost 58 minutes when recording 5.6K footage. This was indoors at room temperature, and I did find that setting it up outdoors on a chilly autumn day allowed it to record for longer, as would actual outdoor pursuits scenarios.

GoPro doesn’t specify battery life from the 1,960mAh battery, but I managed to get just over an hour of 8K 30fps footage recorded when leaving the camera running outdoors. I think this performance is quite good given the bit rate and resolution of the videos being recorded, but those planning a long day of 360 shooting might want to invest in one or two extra batteries.

The camera features six built-in microphones – more than either of its main rivals (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The Max 2, like the original Max, features six separate built-in mics, but here they offer directional audio capture. Neither the DJI Osmo 360 or Insta360 X5 offer six mics, but despite this I wouldn’t necessarily say the Max 2 outright beats its rivals here: audio sounds absolutely fine in good conditions, but when the wind picks up the built-in wind reduction tech can’t do much to suppress the noise.

GoPro says the Max 2 can be used with Apple AirPods and other Bluetooth earbuds for wireless mic input, and this may help avoid the wind issue, but bringing out a dedicated DJI Mic-style wireless mic may be the best solution the company could offer further down the line.

GoPro Max 2: Image quality

  • Captures 10-bit 8K 30fps / 5.6K 60fps / 4K 100fps video
  • 29MP 360 photos and 12MP single-lens photos
  • Up to 300Mbps video bit rate with GoPro Labs

GoPro has been keen to point out that the Max 2 is the only 360 camera that records what it calls “true 8K” resolution 360 video. The company claims rivals like Insta360 and DJI are essentially fudging the numbers in order to claim 8K capture – either by counting unused or overlapped pixels, or by upscaling output to 8K from lower resolution sources – whereas the Max 2’s 360 output is truly 8K with at least 3840 active pixels on each axis for both sensors.

Video can be shot at up to 10-bit quality and in either a standard color profile or the flat GP-Log mode for post-shoot grading, and the maximum video bit rate is 120Mbps, or 300Mbps for users of GoPro Labs. For the purposes of this review, I stuck with 120Mbps. I did try out GP-Log, but GoPro has yet to release a LUT at the time of writing and I found grading the footage more of a slog than I’d like. Once the LUT is out things should get a lot easier there.

Video quality is generally very strong, whether recording in 8K (which is capped at 30fps) or 5.6K (which can go up to 60fps, offering users the potential to use 2x slow-motion; a 4K 100fps option is also available for those who want even more slow-motion potential). GoPro has established itself as delivering colors that look good straight out of the camera, as well as minimal distortion and flare.

Mostly that’s the case here, although I found that some of my 360 videos looked a touch overexposed and washed out in bright skies – likely as a result of having to set exposure for a full 360º view rather than in a single direction. User intervention, by setting the exposure manually, could improve things here, but in general the results are strong.

Still photos are similarly good-looking, and while I tweaked the below example slightly using the Quik app, it’s basically fresh out of the camera.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

At night, the Max 2 isn’t as impressive. Both the DJI Osmo 360 and Insta360 X5 have dedicated low light modes for 360 video, but with the Max 2 you’re left with the standard mode, and it’s noisy and smeary after dark. It’s possible that using GP-Log and some clever settings before editing in post could yield better results; I didn’t have time to delve into this, so I can’t say for sure – but what I can say is that both the Osmo 360 and X5 make capturing usable low light footage very easy, while the Max 2 doesn’t.

So, if low light footage is a priority for you, the Max 2 may not be the ideal 360 camera. If, however, you’re capturing footage in daylight and want the very cleanest, sharpest 8K around, I think it’s the best at doing it.

The camera includes a wide range of capture modes besides standard 360 videos and photos: time lapse modes, dedicated single-lens shooting modes and more. I’ve included a quick clip I captured using the Night Lapse mode in the sample video above.

GoPro Max 2: testing scorecard

Swipe to scroll horizontallyGoPro Max 2

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Cheaper than the Insta360 X5, slightly pricier than the DJI Osmo 360.

4/5

Design

Great mounting options, rugged build and easily replaced lenses. Just watch for the condensation.

5/5

Performance

Good apps and battery life, but can overheat.

4/5

Image quality

Beats the X5 and Osmo 360 in broad daylight, but can’t match either in challenging after-dark conditions.

5/5

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Should I buy the GoPro Max 2?

Buy it if…

You’re invested in the GoPro ecosystem
Got boxes of GoPro mounts and a subscription? The Max 2 slots right into the GoPro range, so if you’re already a fan you’ll be at home immediately.

You’re a risk-taker
The Max 2 is small and rugged, making it ideal for extreme sports. Its lenses are also very easy to replace in the field – no tool required.

You like things simple
The Max 2’s minimal controls, simple app and great out-of-the-camera image quality make it one of the easiest 360 cameras to use.

Don’t buy it if…

You shoot after dark or indoors
While it shines in broad daylight, the low light performance of the Max 2 just can’t match that of its DJI and Insta360 rivals.

You want built-in storage
A small thing, but the Osmo 360’s built-in storage means you don’t need to fumble for microSD cards – with the Max 2, you do.

Also consider

The X5’s rugged build, replaceable lenses, low-light performance, ease of use and battery life have made it our top pick ahead of the Max 2’s arrival. Its weight and profile aren’t as wearable as the Max 2, however, and I think the Max 2’s daylight image quality is slightly better.

Read our full Insta360 X5 review

A cheap and cheerful alternative to the GoPro Max 2, Akaso’s first 360 camera is surprisingly capable. Like the Max 2, it’s designed with outdoor daytime use in mind, but its overall image quality level is several notches below.

Read our full Akaso 360 review

How I tested the DJI Osmo 360

  • Tested camera running v01.09.71 firmware for four days
  • Camera mounted on invisible selfie stick, helmet, bike and chest harness
  • Recorded videos day and night on foot and cycling

GoPro sent me a review sample of the Max 2 a week ahead of the launch date, and it was updated to run v01.09.71 firmware. This meant full launch features, as far as I’m aware, enabling me to test all the shooting modes and image quality – which I did by taking the camera out in the field mounted to various things (bike, head, helmet, chest, selfie stick).

I tested it in various lighting and weather conditions, editing the resulting videos and photos using both GoPro apps: the Quik mobile app and the GoPro Player desktop app (the latter on my M2 MacBook Air, which sadly wasn’t powerful enough to make use of the app’s Denoise feature).

  • First reviewed September 2025

GoPro Max 2: Price Comparison



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The Thrustmaster T98 on a living room setup.
Gaming Gear

This racing wheel took me back to my childhood, and I can’t wait to grow up

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Thrustmaster T98: One-minute review

The Thrustmaster T98 is about as budget as a budget racing wheel and pedals can get, but that’s by design. This entry-level bundle includes everything a young racer needs to get started with a wheel, pedals, and mounting clamp, but does away with plenty of standard features in order to keep costs down.

Feeling more like a racing toy than a piece of sim racing gear, the T98 is made entirely of plastic but still carries an impressive overall build quality. The wheel itself has all the usual buttons and inputs, but the attached wheelbase offers no force feedback or even simple vibration. Instead, the T98’s wheel has a light, linear resistance from what Thrustmaster calls ‘bungee cord technology’ and will always spin back to centre when let go

The pedals are equally simple, just an accelerator and brake with a short travel distance and no real pushback. Remarkably, though, Thrustmaster has managed to include Hall effect sensors here, which almost feels out of place with the rest of the unit but is certainly a welcome addition.

I’ve hit the track in a few different games, and while racing with the Thrustmaster T98 is more fun than with the stock Xbox Wireless Controller, it’s a very superficial experience. The wheel feels floaty and disconnected from your digital car, making it surprisingly hard to achieve any real control, even with three sensitivity profiles to choose from.

It may be targeted at kids and the entry-level market, and I can see such an audience initially enjoying it, but I’d imagine most will quickly outgrow the T98 and soon be wanting a wheel that offers a little more.

(Image credit: Future)

  • Thrustmaster T98 (Black) at Amazon for $119.99

Thrustmaster T98: Price and availability

  • List price: $109.99 / £89.99 / AU$199.99
  • Available direct from Thrustmaster
  • Great value for money for an entry level wheel

You’re not going to find many full racing bundles much cheaper than the Thrustmaster T98, and that’s worthy of applause in itself.

It’s a refreshing change to see a genuine, modern, entry-level option around that $100 mark. Perhaps more importantly, it’s nice to see brands starting to fill in options at both ends of the market. Beyond the similarly priced Hori Racing Wheel Apex for PlayStation, the numbers quickly increase until you reach the genre staple Logitech G923 racing wheel.

What’s particularly pleasing is that the T98 is a complete set; there are no asterisks or sold separately disclaimers here. There’s even a desk clamp included, too; one box really is all you need to go from nothing to racing.

This makes shopping easy for parents, just make sure you get the right version, as there are separate Xbox and PlayStation variants with just a single letter differentiating the model names – GTS for Xbox and GTB for PlayStation.

Thrustmaster T98: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Dimensions

10 x 9.6 x 9.8in / 255 x 245 x 250 mm

Weight

2.9 lbs / 1.3kg

Rotation

240 degrees

Force Feedback

No

Platform Compatibility

Xbox/PC or PlayStation/PC

Box Contents

T98 Ferrari 296, clamping system, T2PM pedal set, instruction manual, and warranty information

Thrustmaster T98: Design and features

  • Complete set with wheel, pedals, and table clamp
  • Three on-board driving profiles
  • H.E.A.R.T. Hall effect sensors in pedals

At this price point, it’s really no surprise that every part of the Thrustmaster T98 bundle is entirely made of plastic. Usually, I’d be critical of this; it’s not exactly the most premium material, but this isn’t a premium bit of kit, so it’s understandable. As far as plastic goes, it’s not bad, though.

Pulling it out of the box, I was immediately struck by just how solid the wheel and wheelbase both feel. There’s no flex or creakiness to either of them; they feel reassuringly sturdy. Thrustmaster’s experience in the genre really shows here, even if this is the closest thing to a toy it’s ever made.

The Thrustmaster T98’s 10” wheel is inspired by the one you’ll find in the Ferrari 296 GTS, and it’s not a bad recreation. The overall shape is sporty, and it’s comfortable enough to hold. There’s a little grip texturing embossed into the plastic on either side, which is a welcome addition, and a few faux carbon fibre accents to break things up.

The standard range of controller buttons is neatly spread across the face of the wheel, with a pair of clicky paddle shifters behind. I could easily reach all of them without adjusting my grip on the wheel, and it’s something I not only appreciated but have regularly not been able to do with more expensive options.

Admittedly, I have reasonably large hands, but they all felt close enough that I imagine smaller users would be able to reach them just as easily.

(Image credit: Future)

The Thrustmaster T98’s wheelbase is simple but stylish enough. It’s a compact little unit that takes its design cues from more ‘grown-up’ options, albeit with considerably less going on inside. The included desk clamp took a little fiddling to correctly line up, but eventually held things firmly in place.

With no force feedback and no vibration or rumble motor, it’s left to essentially a rubber band to impose any sort of resistance. It’s not uncommon for wheels to forego force feedback. Logitech’s Heavy Equipment Bundle will set you back nearly three times as much and offers the same experience, but that doesn’t make me miss it any less.

The pedals are the most basic part of the Thrustmaster T98 bundle, though funnily enough feature the most advanced technology. Both the accelerator and brake feel similar underfoot without much travel distance and an equally small amount of resistance. These are definitely designed with junior racers in mind. If you’re pressing it, you might as well floor it; there’s no real in-between.

That makes the inclusion of Thrustmaster’s H.E.A.R.T. Hall effect sensors in each pedal a little unusual. I’m not complaining, it’s great to see this kind of technology in a budget device, I’m just not sure anyone is going to see the benefit beyond some extra lifespan and no chance of stick – I mean, pedal – drift.

Speaking of which, there’s a good chance you’ll find the whole unit drifting across your floor because while there’s a generously sized heel plate with some texturing on top, the bottom of the pedal box is pretty slick.

There’s no spikey carpet gripper bar to keep things still, and while there are four tiny rubber pads, these didn’t achieve a lot when I tested on my laminate floor.

Thrustmaster T98: Performance

  • Impressive plug-and-play game compatibility
  • No force feedback or rumble
  • Bungee cord resistance has quirks and a learning curve

“It’s not aimed at sim racers, it’s aimed at kids, for first-time steering wheel users”. That’s what Thrustmaster product marketing manager Xavier Pieuchot told us when we got our first look at the T98 at Gamescom in August.

Well, I’m none of those things. I do quite a lot of sim racing, and my usual setup is worth north of $2,000. I know what the top end of the market is like, so I channeled my inner child when I played with the Thrustmaster T98.

Setup was a breeze, and actually an area the T98 performed better than a vast majority of considerably more expensive wheels I’ve tested in recent times.

I plugged in the single, pre-attached cable from the pedals to the wheelbase, and then the USB-C cable from the wheelbase to my Xbox Series X. That’s it. Done. Ready to race. The list of officially compatible games on the Thrustmaster website is surprisingly modest, but pretend-8-year-old Alex doesn’t read product listings, so my first stop was a game not on the list, Forza Motorsport.

Who needs compatibility lists anyway? The Thrustmaster T98 worked perfectly from the moment the game launched. Every button was pre-bound to what I’d have expected it to be, including the pedals, and without even considering an options menu, I was straight out on track and racing.

I can’t overstate how refreshing this was and how many times this hasn’t been the case with ‘premium’ options. It was the same story in almost any other game I tried; Forza Horizon 5, EA Sports WRC, Farming Simulator 25, and even older titles like Wreckfest, everything was fully button-mapped, and the wheel and pedals worked exactly how I’d hoped they would.

(Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, the actual experience behind the wheel wasn’t quite as positive for either my experienced sim racing side or my childhood alter ego. I can overlook the lack of force feedback; that’s a nice-to-have feature, albeit a basic one, and I remind myself this is a $110 wheel after all. The problem is that while the Thrustmaster T98 was more of a giggle to play with than a controller, even the adult me found the learning curve and overall difficulty much harder than it should have been.

Thrustmaster calls the bungee resistance linear, though I experienced quite a wide physical deadzone before the cord grabbed. For hard corners and aggressive moves, this wasn’t a problem. The 240° max rotation can be a little limiting on some tracks, but I still had a good amount of fun. Across titles, though, it was the gentle, sweeping turns, small adjustments, and overtaking manoeuvres that proved surprisingly difficult.

I’d constantly need to turn the wheel further than I’d like to get the car to respond, and then quickly correct it back the other way when it inevitably went too far. More often than not, this caused me to lose control completely and end up against a wall, even down straights. It was a frustrating experience for me as a 33-year-old; I can’t imagine how much patience a 10-year-old might have before giving up and labelling it dumb and annoying.

There are three ‘driving support profiles’ built into the Thrustmaster T98 that adjust the sensitivity of the wheel. I did notice a clear difference between each setting, and it’s a nice idea to be able to dial down the sensitivity and, in theory, make things easier, though none of them managed to overcome the problem I mentioned before.

It’s also worth noting that these don’t change any physical characteristics of the wheel’s behavior, just how your movements are translated into the game.

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Thrustmaster T98?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

Not sure if the Thrustmaster T98 is your best option? There are plenty of other sim racing wheels available, though not too many at quite such a low price point.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRow 0 – Cell 0

Thrustmaster T98

Hori Racing Wheel Apex

Logitech G920

Price

$109.99 / £89.99

$119.99 / £99.99

$299.99 / £349.99

Dimensions

10 x 9.6 x 9.8in / 255 x 245 x 250 mm

11 x 10.8 x 11.3in / 280 x 275 x 286mm

10.6 x 10.2 x 10.9in / 270 x 260 x 278mm

Weight

2.9lbs / 1.3kg

3.09lbs / 1.4kg

4.96lbs / 2.25kg

Rotation

240 degrees

270 degrees

900 degrees

Force Feedback

No

No

Dual-motor

(Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Thrustmaster T98

  • I used the T98 on my Xbox Series X for a few days
  • Tested across a range of titles
  • Approached as a complete beginner

I swapped out some of the best Xbox racing wheels and used the Thrustmaster T98 as my primary racing wheel on Xbox Series X for a week. At this time, I reset my expectations, approaching this as a complete novice and casting my mind back to how I’d have felt about this as a child.

I tried a range of different games, including options both on and absent from the official compatibility list.

I jumped into each title blind, avoiding any configuration or settings menus. I aimed for the most plug-and-play experience possible, seeing how the T98 felt in each game out of the box. The only change I made was testing the three on-board driving profiles in each game, often switching multiple times during a single lap to feel the impact this had.

Throughout testing, I had the Thrustmaster T98 clamped to a coffee table with the pedals resting on the floor. Primarily, this was carpeted, though I also moved my setup into the hallway to test movement and feel on a hard, laminate floor.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2025

Thrustmaster T98: Price Comparison



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You wait all year for a quirky trolley game, then both The Trolley Solution and Troleu rock up in quick succession
Game Updates

You wait all year for a quirky trolley game, then both The Trolley Solution and Troleu rock up in quick succession

by admin


By the great transport gods, trolleymageddon is upon us! It’s the end of the line as we know it, and I feel fine. All of that is to say that two wacky trolley-related games are releasing within days of each other, no doubt driving fans of the budding genre off the rails or road.

The Trolley Solution, a game about a famous philosophical quandary and also at least one tale of a girl falling deeply in love with a tram, pulled up at this stop on September 12th. Boarding costs £5.20/$6.49/€6.33 right now, or £5.40 if you want the deluxe edition the comes with a mysterious and possibly satirical DLC dubbed ‘the V.I.P. lever’. If you hurry, you can probably still catch it! Troleu, a game that tasks you with checking tickets and occasionally kicking the bottoms of troublemakers as a trolleybus conductor, is due to pull up on the opposite side of the stop later today, September 15th. Make sure you’ve got your ticket ready!

If you opt to get on The Trolley Solution’s tram, which is named Trolley-San, you’re in for a series of amusing scenarios/puzzles based around Phillipa Foot’s famous trolley problem. You know, the one with the unstoppable train speeding towards a point at which some tracks separate, with some unfortunate folks strapped to the rails of both forks, and a lever presenting the chance to save one group at the expense of the other.

As I discovered when I gave its demo a go back in June, The Trolley Solution takes that scenario in a whole bunch of wacky directions, including one which politely requests permission to tweet something highly controversial about footwear from your Twitter account. That’s probably less of a threat if you’re solely on BlueSky or have smartly given up the socials. Also, this happens:

Tameko falls, to a degree of your choosing, in love with a tram. He goes by Trolley-San and keep pulling up and saying “Ding Ding” in what I can only assume by Tameko’s reactions to be an incredibly suave and seductive fashion. This and all the rest of the game – and I can’t emphasise this enough – are a right hoot, a great laugh, and a throaty chuckle.

Given the updated Steam page images feature the likes of a person pushing a tram up an incline like Sisyphus, I can only assume the full version’s even wackier.

Image credit: andrground

Troleu, meanwhile, is a bus conductor sim with attitude. Lest you accuse me of falsifying its trolleyness, the Steam description insists on a couple of occasions that this is a “trolleybus”. I’ve no idea what the difference between the two is, but our Nic liked the demo when he gave it a go back in June. That said, while he enjoyed lobbing folks with fake passes out of the doors “at which point they fly off down the street like a crisp packet in a gale”, he was neutral about the child kicking you can do if you wish. Here’s his conclusion:

To keep you on your toes, there’s both a passenger annoyance meter and your own boss, the ticket inspector, to contend with, who makes sure you haven’t been letting on fare dodgers. I am as yet not fully convinced there is more than 15 minutes of fun here but it is a very good 15 minutes.

Right, now pick your transport and get on. Or, divide yourself in two somehow and board both. Or board neither and stay home to play something else. The choice, as when dealing with tram quandaries and ornery passengers, is yours.



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Photo by Markus Spiske/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk
NFT Gaming

In the AI Economy, Universal Basic Income Can’t Wait

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The rise of artificial intelligence and robotics is forcing us to face something we’ve all sensed coming: millions of jobs are going to soon vanish. From factory floors to law offices, from truck driving to financial analysis, AI is learning to do our work faster, cheaper, and often better. This isn’t a future problem — it’s happening now. The real question is what we’re going to do about it, because the old idea of tying survival to a paycheck is going to break.

A lot of public personalities are offering big ideas. My own favorite solution is Universal Basic Income (UBI), which I have promoted for over a decade. It’s where everyone gets a guaranteed monthly cash payment from the government, no strings attached, enough to cover the basics. UC Berkeley Professor of Finance Emeritus, Mark Garman has suggested Universal Basic Capital, giving everyone income-producing assets and dividends via a superfund. XPrize founder Peter Diamandis on X recently promoted Universal Basic Ownership, where we all own a stake in the companies driving the AI revolution. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman talks about Universal Extreme Wealth, where AI’s productivity is so massive that everyone lives in abundance and luxury.

These all have merit, and I like them all. But putting actual cash in people’s pockets through UBI is still the most practical, immediate way to keep society stable as AI takes over more of the economy.

UBI is simple. Everyone gets a monthly check — no hoops or bureaucracy. If desired, I’d also support payments in crypto and using the blockchain. Regardless, if machines are doing most of the work and generating the wealth, we should cut people in directly to the money earned. And this way, no one falls through the cracks because they didn’t fill out the right form or meet some arbitrary requirement, as often happens in the welfare system. Ultimately, it’s not just about survival —it’s about freedom. With basic financial security, people could spend more time creating, learning, caring for loved ones, or simply living without the constant grind.

Critics of UBI raise cost, inflation, or the fear that people will stop working. But real-world trials — from Alaska’s oil dividend to pilot programs around the world — tell a different story. People don’t suddenly become lazy. Most keep working, start businesses, or invest in skills. What changes is that they’re less stressed, healthier, and more willing to take productive risks.

Alternatives to UBI

Mark Garman’s Universal Basic Capital has appeal. Giving people a stake in a superfund derived from assets in automation-dependent businesses could build long-term wealth and make everyone a participant in market gains. It’s a way to fix the imbalance between those living off capital gains and those living off wages. But markets crash. Dividends dry up. And setting up accounts, teaching financial literacy, and managing assets adds complexity that UBI avoids.

Peter Diamandis’s promotion of Universal Basic Ownership is attractive too: let’s all directly own part of the AI-driven companies and automated industries of the future. That aligns the public’s interests with technological progress and could turn the whole country into shareholders. But convincing existing companies to give away significant equity is a steep climb. And even if they did, ownership stakes don’t reliably pay the rent without selling them.

Sam Altman’s Universal Extreme Wealth is the boldest vision — a future so abundant that everyone lives like today’s multi-millionaires. AI drives the cost of goods and services close to zero, and money becomes less important because everything is nearly free. It’s inspiring, but far off. We can’t bet the next 10 or 20 years on a perfect utopia showing up exactly when we need it —though I support the long term idea.

Spreading the wealth

All these ideas share the same moral core: if AI is going to create unimaginable wealth, it can’t just pile up in a few corporate bank accounts. It has to be spread broadly or society will fracture when the jobless pick up pitchforks and revolt. But UBI is the one that can work now, to keep people worry free.

First, it’s about liquidity. People who lose their jobs to automation don’t need a stock portfolio —they need money for groceries and rent this month. Second, it’s simple. You can send cash to people today without building new systems from scratch. Third, it respects individual choice. People can decide for themselves whether to pay off debt, take a class, help their family, or start a side hustle.

The beauty of UBI is that it doesn’t block us from trying other models later. We can start with cash security, then layer in investment capital, shared ownership, crypto projects, or new distribution systems. It’s the safety net that makes everything else possible.

I’m not against a future of universal ownership or extreme wealth. I’d love to see it. But while we wait for that future — and hope it works out the way we think — UBI can make sure no one is left behind. It can keep the economy stable and buy time to build whatever comes next.

This isn’t about “free money” in the pejorative sense. It’s about recognizing that in a world where machines can produce nearly everything, our sense of human worth has to be separated from having a job. Direct cash is the fastest, cleanest, and fairest way to make sure AI’s benefits reach everyone, not just the handful of people who own the machines.

If we get this right — if we make the AI revolution work for all of us —then maybe the abundance Sam Altman talks about won’t just be a dream. It could be the natural next step.



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XRP
NFT Gaming

Analyst Warns XRP Investors Not To FOMO In, Wait For This To Happen First

by admin


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

There’s already a turn in the tide for XRP, and this has naturally triggered more interest in the digital asset from investors. While there is still selling pressure from bears at this time, the XRP price continues to show bullish tendencies with the possibilities of more returns from here. However, a crypto analyst has warned XRP investors to refrain from jumping into the cryptocurrency due to FOMO. Instead, they advise investors should wait for confirmation before making their moves.

What To Watch For Before Entering XRP

In a TradingView post, pseudonymous crypto analyst Neotrader_CFT outlined what must happen before getting into XRP is a good idea for investors. After the slowdown of the rally, there is now the problem of resistance against continuing its rally, and that lies at the $3 region.

As the post explains, waiting for the XRP price to break above $3 with momentum is the decisive move to take here. If the daily candle is able to successfully maintain and close above this level, then it signals to the market that the buyers are still heavily dominating the altcoin.

Given this, the crypto analyst advises investors to wait for a break and a retest of $3. This simply means that the price crosses the $3 region, and then a slight retrace brings it back down. However, if the XRP price is able to maintain above $3, then it would mean that this level is now support, making it a good time to get in. From here, the next major target lies at $3.10-$3.20.

Source: TradingView

The Bear Scenario If It Breaks Down

Now, with the $3 region being the main level to break for bulls, it means that bears will have to keep the price below this level to maintain the bearish momentum. The scenario here is simply the inverse of the bullish case that was explained above.

Firstly, the XRP price will need to stay below $3, and even in the event of a test, it will be rejected back down from here. This will show that sellers are dominating the market and exerting control over the price. Other things the crypto analyst tells investors to look at are things like long wicks and bearish engulfing. Once this happens, it would signal a decline and a good time for a short.

This bearish scenario will be validated if the price were to fall back below $2.90. As the correction deepens, the analyst explains that the XRP price could go as low as $2.75 before the decline is over. “A clear rejection will give you a safer entry instead of guessing,” the analyst said.

Price takes hold of $3 as support | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.



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The 15 Wildest, Coolest Films We Can’t Wait to See at Fantastic Fest 2025
Product Reviews

The 15 Wildest, Coolest Films We Can’t Wait to See at Fantastic Fest 2025

by admin


The most fantastic time of year is here again. io9 is about to head down to Austin, Texas, for a week of fun, fucked-up films at Fantastic Fest, one of the coolest, most unique genre film festivals in the entire world. It’s a festival that focuses on only showing the weirdest, most out-there, totally badass films, and we’re excited to jump right in as always.

What makes attending Fantastic Fest difficult, though, is that every single movie sounds awesome. It was curated that way. So how do you choose what to see? Well, this year, as always, a few movies have names you’ve heard of—stuff like the horror sequel Black Phone 2 or the streaming anthology V/H/S/Halloween. But beyond that, you just have to go with your gut.

I’ve been attending Fantastic Fest for about 15 years and, over that time, I’ve come up with my own unique system to pick out which films I want to see most. First, I go through the entire list of feature films and read about every single one. I then rank them based on a) what I think the readers of io9 will be interested in, and b) what I want to watch. Then, I start at the top of the nearly 100-film list and attempt to work my way down it.

What follows are the 15 films currently at the top of that list, which also happen to be a great example of just how weird and wonderful Fantastic Fest can be. The festival runs from September 18 to 25 in Austin, Texas. Click here for more. And stay tuned to io9 for our coverage from the festival.

Ben Wheatley’s new movie, Bulk. – Fantastic Fest

Bulk

Director Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Meg 2) is back with a bonkers-sounding movie about a man who is sent to find someone in a house but realizes that every door in the house opens to a new dimension. As a huge fan of alternate realities, multiple timelines, and all that kind of Primer/Back to the Future Part II stuff, this sounds like that fused with House of Leaves. Sign me up.

Vicious

Dakota Fanning stars in this film that is actually being released by Paramount, but I wasn’t quite aware of it yet. Fanning plays a girl who is presented with a box. Inside the box, she is to put three things: something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. And, apparently, all hell breaks loose.

Bad Haircut

Getting a haircut can be one of the most relaxing, invigorating things ever. That is, unless it’s a bad one. And in Bad Haircut, not only does someone get a bad haircut, they get it from a barber they slowly realize is completely psychotic and maybe supernatural, and, well, we are in.

Disforia

Teasing shades of Funny Games and Hostel, Disforia is set in a dystopian future where a family is targeted by a group that pays to watch humans torture other humans. Yeah, like I said, Fantastic Fest can be messed up.

Whistle

Director Corin Hardy (The Nun) is at the helm of this simple, scary-sounding movie about a group of students who find a whistle. A whistle that, when you blow it, your death immediately starts coming for you.

Don’t Leave the Kids Alone, good title and rule to live by. – Fantastic Fest

Don’t Leave the Kids Alone

Imagine you’re a kid. Your parents just bought a new house and scheduled a babysitter so they can go out. The babysitter cancels. So, your parents leave you home alone for a few hours. What could go wrong? Well, then you find out your new house is haunted, and it’s just you at home? A lot. This is nightmare fuel at its finest.

Appofeniacs

Sean Gunn and Jermaine Fowler lead an ensemble cast in the story of a hacker who causes violent havoc by creating and releasing deepfake videos all over the world.

The Curse

Inspired by films like The Ring and The Grudge, The Curse is about a woman who investigates her friend’s death, only to realize the truth may lie in some sort of social media-driven evil.

A Useful Ghost

All ghosts don’t have to be bad, right? Case in point, this film is about a man who loses his wife, only to discover that she is reincarnated as their vacuum cleaner. The Fantastic Fest site tagged this one with the phrase “vacuum sex.” What else needs to be said?

The Plague

Joel Edgerton co-stars in this film about a group of tight-knit, upper-middle-class kids, many of whom have a mysterious skin disease that infects you if you touch it.

Obsession is playing at Fantastic Fest 2025. – Fantastic Fest

Obsession

A man with a crush on a co-worker buys something that allows him to make one wish. He wishes for the co-worker to like him, which unleashes an otherworldly force neither of them is ready to deal with.

Dolly

Seann William Scott and Ethan Suplee co-star in the film about a couple who are abducted and subsequently put through hell by a murderous psychopath wearing a giant doll mask.

Beast of War

Think of the USS Indianapolis speech from Jaws, but as its own movie. That’s the vibe we get from Beast of War, which follows a group of downed soldiers during World War II who have to deal with a killer shark.

Decorado

Imagine an animated version of The Truman Show with a mouse. That’s what Decorado sounds like, as an animated mouse must try to escape a world he believes to be false.

The Ice Tower

Marion Cotillard stars in a reimagining of The Ice Princess set in the 1970s French film industry. She’s an actress making a version of the story who is befriended by a runaway orphan. What does that even mean? I can’t wait to find out.

And that’s just a few of the movies we’re interested in seeing. Fantastic Fest runs from September 18 to 25, so keep checking io9 for more reactions, reviews, and more.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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Now that the wait for Silksong is over, gamers can get back to their true calling: asking for Half-Life 3 in the chat

by admin



Even gaming’s strongest warriors lose their way once in a while.

As skilled as we are at following checklists of things to collect and arrows that point us to our precise destination, sometimes a shiny object in the distance catches our eye and lures us away from our destiny as the one true savior of the realm. Sometimes, instead of staying devoted to our highest purpose as videogame enthusiasts—typing the words “Half-Life 3?” into the Twitch or YouTube chat box during any and every livestreamed event—we get distracted.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was very distracting. Announced, then vanished, then resurfaced and re-vanished in such a way as to inspire waves of hope, despair and development hell conspiracy theories. Half-Life 3 had to earn its place as the mystical ur-announcement, the unlikeliest of hoped-for “One last thing” bombshells to trot out at the end of a Game Awards or E3 keynote, by not existing for decades. Silksong took a mere five years to run the same cycle. And the whole time it was a real game!


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That realness made the possibility of Silksong popping up in every single Nintendo Direct, Gamescom Opening Night Live, or Sony State of Play seem so tantalizingly possible. How could anyone under those conditions not type “Silksong?” into the chat of any and every Twitch stream?

How could that infection of the mind not spread into ever-more-desperate permutations?

Silksong when?

Silksong where?

📢SKONG📢

Silksong??? 🤡

🤡

🤡🤡🤡

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG

Deep down, everyone who’s typed Silksong into chat over the last five years has known that they’d diverged from the critical path. They were on a sidequest, and it was taking a lot longer than they expected it to.

Of course that fosters a nervous, even manic energy. We are masters of efficiency! We live to complete objectives! The sooner we could stop typing Silksong into chat, the sooner we could get back to our one true duty of typing “Half-Life 3?” and knowing we are answering our true calling.

Team Cherry has done gamers the world over a great service by releasing Silksong. That it is seemingly a pretty dang good game is ultimately superfluous. We’re all now free to, undistracted, focus on what we can’t and will probably never have, which is far more important than enjoying what we’re fortunate enough to possess.

I know you may be rusty after half a decade, but it’s time to get your mojo back. It’s only a few months until The Game Awards, so you’re going to have to start practicing now, so that the letters and that tricky hyphen flow out of you as instinctively as a Mario hop.

Go ahead and open a random Twitch chat. Refamiliarize yourself with the endless rush of messages. Don’t let all those emotes and colored names distract you. Just start typing: Maybe a tentative “HL3?” to test that Silksong is fully out of your system. That you have the focus for the full name.

Keep typing it! Over and over again. I’m sure the streamer won’t mind! They’ll love it, actually. So will the other chatters, because even without a distraction as powerful as Silksong, there’s always something else to momentarily snare our attention away. A rupee. A bad hair day. A streamer not knowing how to pronounce “Lichdragon Fortissax.”

Once everyone sees your absolute commitment in typing it again and again I’m sure they’ll thank you for your vision. Soon everyone will be typing it too, snapped back to the path of destiny by your guiding hand:

Half-Life 3?

Is this Half-Life 3?

Half-Life 3 when?

Half-Life 3 when?



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