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Crypto Trends

Bitcoin ETFs Shed $645M This Week as Wall Street Retreats Ahead of Powell Speech

by admin August 20, 2025



In brief

  • Bitcoin ETFs recorded $645 million in outflows across two days, with Fidelity’s FBTC leading redemptions Tuesday at $246.9 million.
  • Analysts attributed the outflows to investors de-risking ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech.
  • The selloff reverses a $4.7 billion inflow streak from mid-July to early August, though analysts characterize the movement as tactical positioning rather than institutional capitulation.

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds bled $645 million over two trading sessions as institutional investors pulled capital from crypto markets, a major reversal since the digital asset’s summer rally began stalling.

Bitcoin ETFs saw $121.7 million in outflows on Monday and $523.3 million on Tuesday according to Farside Investors data, while Ethereum funds mirrored the weakness with $196.6 million and $422.2 million withdrawn on the same days.

Fidelity’s FBTC led the exodus with $246.9 million in redemptions, while Grayscale’s GBTC shed $115.5 million and Bitwise’s BITB lost $86.8 million across the two-day period.

Investors derisking ahead of Powell speech

Illia Otychenko, lead analyst at CEX.IO, told Decrypt that spot Bitcoin ETFs are seeing outflows as investors “scale back risk ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting and Jerome Powell’s speech on Friday.”

The latest withdrawals break momentum from mid-July through early August, when Bitcoin ETFs saw $4.7 billion in inflows at roughly $135 million a day.



Otychenko attributed the selling to weak job growth combined with mixed inflation data that “left the Fed in a difficult spot, leaving the markets more uncertain about the path of future rate cuts.”

Net Taker Volume, which tracks whether buyers or sellers dominate exchange activity, plummeted to its “lowest point since December 2021,” indicating widespread selling pressure, he said.

The analyst noted that Bitcoin’s rallies since March have followed a weakening pattern, with “each breakout weaker, with smaller price moves and lighter trading volume.”

Dean Chen, analyst at Bitunix, shared similar sentiment, telling Decrypt the outflows stem from two main drivers: macro de-risking as “U.S. PPI came in hotter than expected” and issuer-level profit taking ahead of Powell’s Jackson Hole speech.

He noted that BlackRock’s IBIT recorded zero flow, which “tells us this is more tactical de-risking than broad institutional exit.”

Konstantin Anissimov, global CEO of Currency.com, also remarked to Decrypt the outflows represent “a broad de-risking move rather than a problem with any single ETF.”

He pointed out that redemptions shifted from BlackRock and ARK on Monday to Fidelity, Grayscale, and Bitwise the following day, showing “investors across the board are taking some chips off the table.”

Despite the substantial ETF outflows, Bitcoin’s price is down just 1.5% on the day according to CoinGecko data, which Anissimov attributed to buyers using “$32 billion in stablecoin cash sitting on exchanges” to absorb the selling.

He characterized institutional sentiment as “cautious right now, but not panicked,” calling the movement “short-term profit-taking” rather than a fundamental shift.

Markets now enter a critical waiting period as Powell’s address approaches, with institutional flows likely to remain volatile until monetary policy clarity emerges.

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August 20, 2025 0 comments
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Gaming Gear

Can AI help enterprises transition to a 4-day week?

by admin August 20, 2025



Earlier this year, the 4 Day Week Foundation announced that 200 UK companies signed up for a permanent four-day working week with employees on full pay. With three new pilot programs planned in 2025 to further explore the benefits and challenges of a reduced working week, there is growing momentum behind the concept. However, whilst adoption can be observed across various sectors and regions, large enterprises have notably remained cautious.

It’s important to consider what’s holding back Britain’s biggest businesses from embracing this shift to more flexible work. At the heart of their hesitation are concerns about alignment, productivity, and the fear that fewer working days could mean reduced momentum. However, businesses cannot tackle this on their own and AI powered tools can help alleviate many of these concerns and obstacles.

Sanj Bhayro

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GM international and SMB at Asana.

AI’s potential to cut out mundane work

A modern approach to work doesn’t necessarily mean working less, it means working smarter. A central component to this is using AI tools to streamline activities, boost productivity and take on the heavy lifting of repetitive tasks that drain time and focus. The Asana Work Innovation Lab found that 67% of UK workers use AI at least weekly for their individual work, with 37% using it daily.


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Embracing flexible working arrangements doesn’t have to mean sacrificing efficiency. AI can substantially alleviate these concerns by automating repetitive, mundane tasks such as data entry, preliminary research and report generation. Instead, AI frees up employees to focus on high-value activities offsetting the perceived loss of a working day.

Moreover, AI can help ensure continuity in projects and operations by providing instant access to consolidated, real-time data and predictive analytics. With these tools, businesses can remain agile and aligned, regardless of a shortened week.

To achieve this impact, AI must be embedded where work happens, within business-critical workflows. Only then can AI function alongside humans as an autonomous team member, meaningfully reducing overwhelm and increasing productivity.

What’s holding back larger companies

Continuity becomes especially critical for large enterprises where operational consistency is non-negotiable. These organization’s leaders, often grappling with teams operating from different locations, complex workflows, and deeply entrenched cultures, worry that flexible working might create more gaps than bridges.

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Against this backdrop, the hesitance from leaders towards the four-day week is understandable. Leaders at large companies are tasked with maintaining continuous operations, consistency across departments, and productivity levels. Losing a traditional workday can appear disruptive, potentially causing alignment issues or slowing critical projects. This is why, rather than being a “nice to have,” AI should be seen as a “must have” in alleviating these concerns.

In large companies, senior leaders often understand the strategic value of AI, but may underestimate the practical challenges employees face in using new technologies. Without adequate training, support, and a clearly articulated vision of how AI can improve their work experience, employees struggle to integrate these tools effectively.

In contrast, when employees can clearly see the benefits AI brings to their daily tasks, adoption rates increase, leading to wider organizational efficiency and smoother workflows. This “showing, not telling” approach is a key way for senior leaders to enable their teams to move forward.

Scaling AI use across teams

Once AI is effectively deployed alongside comprehensive, accessible training programs, the next challenge is scaling this effectively across the entire organization to truly unlock flexibility without compromising productivity.

This is important because companies that have broadly integrated AI across their operations are seeing much greater returns on investment compared to those still experimenting with it in isolated teams or limited use cases. Our research found that AI ‘Scalers’ are 43% more likely to report revenue gains and 40% more likely to report boosted productivity.

Despite these evident advantages, there remains a striking lack of AI use beyond simple individual experimentation. Research shows nearly half of AI workflows are built for individual use, driving only 6% of AI adoption by colleagues and peers. Furthermore, data suggests that AI adoption is trapped in a ‘leadership bubble’, with senior leaders being 66% more likely to be early AI adopters than their employees. The net result is as many as 67% of companies fail to scale AI tools effectively across their organizations.

Before companies can truly scale AI within their organization, they must first examine how teamwork happens. If teams are operating in silos, workers are more likely to continue using AI for solo use rather than unlock AI use within teams – and crucially, across different team functions, where we are seeing the strongest impact.

The majority of AI workflows being designed for individual use needs to change if AI is to achieve widespread adoption and add tangible value. Companies that achieve this transition will be best positioned to offer initiatives like the four-day week without sacrificing alignment across teams.

The desire for flexible working is clear, with our research showing that currently only 16% of British workers stick to the traditional 9-5 schedule. The next stage is overseeing how a four-day week can be unlocked – and the answer may just lie in AI tools.

Companies that successfully integrate AI and automation into their operations won’t just sustain productivity levels, they’ll boost them. Employees, freed from the burden of routine tasks, can contribute more meaningfully to their organizations.

The path toward adopting the four-day week isn’t simply about cutting hours, it’s about enhancing efficiency through smarter work practices enabled by AI.

We’ve listed the best employee management software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro



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August 20, 2025 0 comments
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The Best Presales and Meme Coins for Explosive Growth Next Week
NFT Gaming

The Best Presales and Meme Coins for Explosive Growth Next Week

by admin August 17, 2025


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

Recent pro-crypto policy shifts, bullish technical breakouts, and fresh corporate crypto buys – combined with the growing likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September – have all but guaranteed a market boom in the weeks ahead.

But let’s be honest: loading up on mainstream giants like Bitcoin and Ethereum won’t deliver the kind of explosive returns you could see from the best presales and meme coins.

Each of these low-cap, high-upside tokens brings something fresh to the table, whether it’s innovative utility or pure degen fun the market has been craving.

That makes them prime candidates to attract heavy investor bids and rocket to the moon, potentially delivering three- or even four-figure gains in a short span.

So which tokens are set to shine? Keep reading to find out. In this article, we’ve rounded up four of the very best.

1. Snorter Token ($SNORT) – Top New Utility-Driven Altcoin Powering a Telegram Trading Bot

Snorter Token ($SNORT) is the native cryptocurrency of the Snorter bot, a smart Telegram trading bot built for retail investors.

Until now, large institutional players dominated the meme coin trading market, courtesy of advanced tools and algorithms.

But the Snorter bot levels the playing field by allowing small investors to place buy/sell stop and limit orders directly through a simple Telegram interface.

As soon as liquidity flows into a meme coin, orders are executed instantly, putting you on equal footing with whales.

The best part? You can even copy the trades of seasoned professionals and pocket some juicy profits. Great for newbies still learning the art of trading.

All of this happens under tight security, with the bot shielding you from sandwich attacks, rug pulls, and honeypots.

Holding $SNORT unlocks even more perks. Token holders enjoy a lower trading fee of 0.85% compared to the standard 1.5%, no daily sniping limits, plus access to advanced analytics and staking rewards (currently yielding 139%).

Right now, $SNORT is in presale at just $0.1015 apiece, with the project having already pulled in over $3.1M in early funding.

With a price increase just around the corner, this is potentially the lowest entry point you’ll ever get. Here’s how to buy Snorter Token.

And based on our $SNORT price prediction, the token could surge to $0.94 by year-end, delivering gains of nearly 800%.

Visit Snorter Token’s official website for more information.

2. SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) – AI-Run Crypto Subscription Platform Changing the Online Content Industry

The SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) powers an innovative platform aiming to revolutionize the $85B content creation industry.

Until now, creators have struggled to manage their earnings, with more than 70% of revenues drained by platform fees.

On top of that, they spend so much time producing content that little remains for genuine fan interaction.

Enter SUBBD, a creator-first platform that puts control back in the hands of creators. It charges only a fraction of revenue as fees, leaving creators with a far larger share of their hard-earned income.

Plus, creators gain access to advanced AI tools for audio, video, and text generation, making content production faster and more seamless. This frees up more time for meaningful engagement with their communities.

For users, holding $SUBBD unlocks premium content, exclusive discounts, early access to new features, and even governance rights on platform decisions like creator onboarding and feature rollouts.

Unlike many new meme coins in presale offering dynamic staking rewards, $SUBBD delivers a flat 20% return in the first year, making it a strong choice for those seeking safe passive income.

The $SUBBD presale ($1M+ raised) is currently live, with each token available at just $0.0562.

According to our SUBBD Token price prediction, this crypto could surge up to 400% by the end of 2025, potentially reaching $0.301.

Want in? Here’s our complete guide on how to buy $SUBBD.

For more information, check out SUBBD Token’s official website.

3. nubcat ($NUBCAT) – Cute Cat-Based Meme Coin with Great Upside Potential

Inspired by Leon Karssen’s quirky and imaginative cat character, Nubcat ($NUB) is a meme coin built on the Solana blockchain.

Unlike the other two tokens above, $NUB is a pure meme. It doesn’t have any utility or intrinsic value, which is exactly what makes it stand out.

In just the past 7 days, $NUB has rallied over 30%, now trading at $0.05288. The best part? This isn’t a one-week pump.

Over the last seven weeks, the token has exploded by more than 1,270%, fueled by strong liquidity inflows and an ever-growing community.

A key driver of this growth is its deep liquidity pool. 75% of the total 1B token supply has been allocated to liquidity management, making $NUB more trustworthy (it helps avoid foul-play accusations) than typical meme coins.

On top of that, it offers a 0% transaction tax, which is a major draw for active traders. Technically, $NUB is now testing a key resistance level ($0.056104).

A clean breakout from here could see it reclaim its previous all-time high of $0.219982 – a 300% upside from current levels.

4. Kekius Maximus ($KEKIUS) – Viral Meme Coin Riding Hype to New Highs

Kekius Maximus ($KEKIUS) is a degen meme coin born from a wild fusion of Pepe the Frog and the legendary warrior Maximus Decimus Meridius from ‘Gladiator.’

By merging meme culture with the aura of a fearless fighter, $KEKIUS delivers a coin that’s instantly shareable and carries a larger-than-life presence in the meme coin arena.

The project first caught fire when Elon Musk briefly changed his X username to ‘Kekius Maximus.’

Soon after, he posted a clip from Path of Exile where his in-game character carried the same name. Following this event, $KEKIUS spiked 10% overnight.

And the rally hasn’t slowed down. Over the past week, $KEKIUS has gained 37%, with a 50% surge in the last 14 days. It’s currently trading at $0.032042.

On the charts, the token has just broken out of a descending triangle pattern – a breakout that could send it soaring toward $0.064756, marking a potential 100% upside from current levels.

Bottom Line

With an altcoin boom just around the corner, both market chatter and technical analysis point to $SNORT, $SUBBD, $NUB, and $KEKIUS as the standout tokens.

Each combines strong narratives, community hype, and breakout potential, putting them in prime position to deliver explosive returns in the weeks ahead.

However, kindly remember that crypto investments are highly risky, and none of the above constitutes financial advice. Always do your own research before investing.

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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August 17, 2025 0 comments
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Dying Light 1 gets free audio and visual "enhancements" this week, but they won't be coming to Switch
Game Reviews

Dying Light 1 gets free audio and visual “enhancements” this week, but they won’t be coming to Switch

by admin June 25, 2025



It’s a big year for Dying Light; the open-world zombie series is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and developer Techland is marking the occasion with a variety of projects. That includes a newly detailed audio and visual refresh for the series’ debut instalment, which arrives in a free update – titled Dying Light: Retouched – this Thursday, 26th June.


“One of the best things about working with your own engine is that the people building it are just next door,” Techland explains on its blog. “Over the past couple of years, we’ve added a lot, customised a lot, and learned how to squeeze more from the tech we already have. One day, someone just started applying those learnings to some old assets – and it just clicked that we could do that across the whole game.”


As such, players can expect increased texture resolution and quality, as well as improved lighting and physics-based rendering. Techland also promises a new 8K Ultra shadow quality (“a lot of surfaces that previously looked rather flat now really pop out and get depth!”, it writes), and there’s an increased maximum level-of-detail option for those with hardware to support it, meaning Dying Light’s most detailed assets can now be seen much further away.

Dying Light 2 standalone expansion The Beast arrives in August.Watch on YouTube


As far as audio goes, original composer Paweł Blaszczak has remastered Dying Light’s soundtrack for the update, while new tracks and ambient sounds have been “woven in” throughout. That’s alongside “seriously juiced up… hit reaction audio in combat”, which is said to sound “more satisfying [and] more impactful.”


Techland does, however, take great pains to stress that Dying Light’s Retouched update is all about “enhancements” and is “not a complete overhaul or remaster.” Additionally, the “level of changes” players can expect will “vary by platform”.


Dying Light: Retouched launches Thursday, 26th June for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Notably absent from that list is the original Switch, which received an impressive port of Dying Light back in 2021, and Techland has confirmed to IGN the update is “not coming” to Nintendo’s platform. Don’t expect a version of Dying Light for Switch 2 either, as Techland says it has “no plans [to release one] at this moment.”


Instead, it’s apparently all-hands-on-deck for the studio’s upcoming 18-hour standalone adventure, Dying Light: The Beast, which launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 22nd August. And there’s more planned for the series beyond that; Techland previously revealed it’s working on “multiple unannounced projects” that “go beyond video games”, including board games, a webcomic series, merchandise, and “more”.



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June 25, 2025 0 comments
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When one of your Alters is a fashionista, you head to Paris Fashion Week
Esports

When one of your Alters is a fashionista, you head to Paris Fashion Week

by admin June 25, 2025


Paris it is. The Alters is a hit, and it’s dressing up for a party. This one being Paris Fashion Week. It’s an odd place for the game to be, until you see they’ll be selling Jan’s iconic tracksuit. We love seeing video games coming to the masses, so check out the details below and grab your own tracksuit via this link.

The Alters review — No man is an island, entire of himself

How much are we as people the product of our decisions? Choosing to play in a band and bailing out on college might give you a completely different life experience than knuckling down and grinding out a career as a research scientist. Sure, you’re the same person, but these

Warsaw, Poland – June 25th, 2025 — In a reality shaped by choice and consequence, even the smallest expression can define who we are—just like inside the mobile base of The Alters—where a single life splits into many. Today, 11 bit studios and ZA/UM Atelier are proud to unveil The Alters collection: a fashion brand born from the DNA of the recently released and critically acclaimed sci-fi game, which explores the personal dimension of survival.

A result of the collaboration is a limited collection that translates the spirit of The Alters into high-quality, tailored apparel, which ZA/UM Atelier is known for. Each piece reflects the game’s themes of identity, utility, and choice—crafted with the same attention to detail that defines both studios.

With today’s announcement, three pieces from the collection are available for pre-order: the Jan Dolski Mission Jacket, the Mission Utility Pants, and the Dolly Baa-Baag—a fashionable nod to Molly the sheep, the silent sidekick whose gentle “baa” left an echo in many players’ hearts.

“The Alters is a game about who we are, and who we might’ve been. The way we present ourselves to the world – through clothing, expression, or even the smallest personal details – is deeply tied to the lives we live and the choices we make,” said Tomasz Kisilewicz, The Alters Game Director at 11 bit studios.

“This collaboration with ZA/UM Atelier felt like a natural extension of that philosophy – an embodiment of identity through design. We can’t wait to see how our community responds to this fusion.”

“Each member of our collective has deep admiration for the creative work of 11 bit studios,” stated Kristiina Ago, Head of ZA/UM Atelier. “The Alters’ deep and sometimes painful journey of ‘self’ seemingly implored us to dive into the texture, technique, utility, and storytelling that define Jan Dolski’s style. Our Paris Fashion Week exhibition is the culmination of two years of design exploration. We are extremely honoured to have been entrusted with extending The Alters’ experience, ZA/UM Atelier’s first studio collaboration, into the world of fashion.”

While three products are now available for official pre-order, a complete collection inspired by The Alters has been crafted. Born from a shared creative spirit between game and fashion design, the collection embodies values both companies hold dear: uniqueness, quality, and innovation.

The apparel premieres at Paris Fashion Week on June 25th, with the The Alters x ZA/UM Atelier Capsule rolling through the city on a curated mobile route:

The Alters Capsule Tour Stops – June 25th, Paris

-Start – 11:00 am CEST at: 7 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière (Premium Events office)
-Stop 1
– 11.30 am CEST at: 2 rue Beaurepaire (Place de la République) – 1h30 stop
-Stop 2 – 1:00 pm CEST at: 47 rue des Francs Bourgeois (Le Marais) – 1h stop
-Stop 3 – 4:00 pm CEST at: 34 rue de la Chaussée d’Antin (Opéra) – 1h stop
-Stop 4 – 5.30 pm CEST at: 3 place des Pyramides (Louvre) – 30 min stop
-Wrap up – 6:00 pm CEST at: 7 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière (Premium Events office)

View the first part of The Alters x ZA/UM Atelier collection and follow @atelierzaum and @zaumstudio for updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and details on how to make the Track Suit and Dolly Baa-Baag part of your own evolving identity.

Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more The Alters news and info!


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June 25, 2025 0 comments
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Microsoft says it's working on next-gen Xbox "consoles" you'll play "in your living room and in your hands"
Game Reviews

Xbox reportedly set for “major” job cuts from next week

by admin June 25, 2025


“Major job cuts” are set for Xbox as part of a company-wide reorganisation.

That’s according to a Bloomberg report, which states these cuts will begin next week. While Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier said it is currently unclear how many people will be affected by the alleged job cuts, “it’s expected to be big”.

According to the report, sources familiar with the company’s plans said managers within Xbox are expecting “substantial cuts across the entire group”.

This would not be the first time Microsoft and Xbox have made headlines for layoffs in the last 18 months. Back in January 2024, 1900 people from across Microsoft’s video game teams were laid off. A further 650 staff were then let go that September.

Breaking: Microsoft is planning major job cuts at Xbox that will begin next week, sources tell Bloomberg News. Not yet clear how many people, but it’s expected to be big. This will be the fourth mass layoff at Xbox in the last 18 months. www.bloomberg.com/news/article…

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— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) June 24, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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Microsoft additionally laid off a “small” number of employees back in January of this year, while in May it was reported the company was laying off three percent of its workforce across the business.

Bloomberg states Xbox has been facing pressure from Microsoft execs “to boost profit margins” since its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft sealed the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard all the way back in 2023 for $68.7bn, making history as the biggest company buyout in the video games industry to date.

Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft for further comment on today’s reported layoffs and will update as and when we know more.



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June 25, 2025 0 comments
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The 42 Best Movies on Hulu This Week (July 2025)
Gaming Gear

The 42 Best Movies on Hulu This Week (July 2025)

by admin June 25, 2025


In 2017, Hulu made television history by becoming the first streaming network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the phenomenon that was The Handmaid’s Tale (which returned in April for its sixth and final season).

While Netflix has largely cornered the streaming market on original movies—and even managed to persuade A-listers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Martin Scorsese to come aboard—Hulu is starting to find its footing in features too, securing the exclusive rights to a large number of Oscar-nominated movies like A Real Pain and Anora. Below are some of our top picks for the best movies (original and otherwise) streaming on Hulu right now.

Still looking for more great titles to add to your queue? Check out WIRED’s guides to the best TV shows on Hulu, best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Disney+, and the best movies on Amazon Prime. Don’t like our picks, or want to offer suggestions of your own? Head to the comments below.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

28 Weeks Later

Five years after Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic triumph with 28 Days Later, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took the reins to continue telling the saga of the Rage Virus that has overtaken London. In this case, the US military has taken control of the island of Great Britain in an attempt to restore order and keep the survivors safe. The story focuses on a family—parents Don (Robert Carlyle) and Alice (Catherine McCormack) and kids Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton)—who might hold the key to a cure. It makes a perfect preshow to a screening of Doyle and Garland’s new 28 Years Later.

Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything

Just over two years after her death, documentarian Jackie Jesko delves into the life of Barbara Walters, the trailblazing journalist who knew exactly which questions to ask someone to elicit an emotional response—and how to get under her interview subjects’ skin, too. Many of the people Walters both inspired and occasionally annoyed (see: Katie Couric and Oprah Winfrey) offer their insights into Walters and the important role she played in breaking down barriers for the female journalists who came after her.

Idiocracy

Like Office Space before it, Mike Judge’s Idiocracy wasn’t an immediate hit upon its release in 2006. But it has gained a much wider and more devoted following since then. A totally average man (Luke Wilson) and woman (Maya Rudolph) agree to take part in a top-secret experiment that will see them sleep for a year then reemerge into a new world. But the duo are forgotten about when the military base where they’re hibernating shuts down. When they’re eventually rediscovered in 2505, the world has degraded in such a way that Wilson’s Joe is now the smartest man in the world—a problem for Joe, and the world at large.

Mission: Impossible—Fallout

Tom Cruise recently returned to theaters as Ethan Hunt for what is presumably his last go-round as the secret agent the government turns to for its most unenviable missions. While Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning was breaking box office records, Hulu went back to the beginning—and then some—by bringing the first six (of eight total) M:I movies into their library. If you want to watch them in order, you’ll kick it off with Brian De Palma’s 1996 original. If you’d rather go straight to the series’ best entry, choose 2018’s Fallout, which marks Christopher McQuarrie’s sophomore outing as director of the franchise. (He has directed all of the films since 2015’s Rogue Nation, including The Final Reckoning.) The sixth film is the first to feature a returning director, who opted to pair the action with more emotion than previous entries had seen. Between that and an extended cast that includes Henry Cavill and Vanessa Kirby—plus the return of Michelle Monaghan—it marks a different kind of Mission for Hunt.

The Order

We previously included The Order in our list of “The 10 Best Movies You Missed in 2024,” and we stand by that claim. Fortunately, the time has come for Hulu subscribers to right that wrong. Justin Kurzel directs this gritty tale of corruption and extremism from the Pacific Northwest to Middle America. Terry Husk (Jude Law) is an FBI agent who believes that a series of daylight robberies he’s investigating are linked to a local white supremacist group that is attempting to fund a war on America. The investigation eventually leads him to Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), the unlikely leader of The Order, a neo-Nazi group. That the film is based on a true story makes it all the more heartbreaking.

Small Things Like These

Eight months after winning the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy delivered just as powerful a performance in this adaptation of Claire Keegan’s 2021 novella. It brings Murphy back to the kind of films he’s best known for—quiet, character-driven indies about working class people. Here, he plays Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, husband, and father of five daughters who witnesses a disturbing scene with a young girl at the local convent and school for girls. When he feels compelled to investigate further, and question the young girl’s treatment, Bill puts a target on his own back—and that of his family—when the convent’s Mother Superior (Emily Watson) believes Bill is asking too many questions. Ultimately, despite veiled threats from the sister, his compassion overwhelms his fear of retribution.

Longlegs

Between It Follows, The Guest, and Watcher, Maika Monroe has become this generation’s scream queen. She adds to that genre resume in this offbeat thriller from Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins) playing Lee Harker, an FBI agent who has a sixth sense when it comes to murder investigations. But something feels eerily familiar when she’s asked to investigate a string of murder-suicides that some of her colleagues believe is the work of a possible serial killer. Monroe delivers yet another great performance as Lee, but it’s Nicolas Cage who delivers the most unhinged (to the point of being unintentionally comical) performance here.

Alien: Romulus

Alien: Romulus—which is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)—is about a scenario you’ve probably heard before: a group of people journeying around space find an abandoned space station, which they decide to investigate. This, of course, leads them right into the arms/faces of the Alien franchise’s regular cast of extraterrestrial baddies (see: facehuggers, chestbursters, and Xenomorphs). Writer-director Fede Álvarez, who helmed the 2013 Evil Dead reimagining, manages to bring new life to a decades-old franchise with this sequel.

A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet shines in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, which earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Chalamet. The film follows Dylan’s early career, beginning in January 1961—when he hitchhiked from Minnesota to New York City to meet and perform for his musical idol, Woody Guthrie. That’s also where the then-19-year-old met folk musician Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton, who snagged a Best Supporting Actor nod), who became one of Dylan’s earliest champions. Seeger was also instrumental in Dylan’s game-changing performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, which is where the movie culminates. Whether you know everything or nothing about Dylan, it’s a fascinating story.

Anora

If you missed Anora in theaters, you can now watch it on Hulu—even if it did mess with your Oscar pool ballot. Anora, who prefers to be called Ani (Best Actress winner Mikey Madison), is an exotic dancer whose services are called upon when Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, comes to the club where she works, asking for a dancer who speaks Russian. Their VIP room evening turns into a (paid) sexual encounter outside the club … then another, then another. During a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas, the two get married, with Ani believing she has found her happily-ever-after. Vanya’s parents are less optimistic and make it clear that Vanya has two choices: his marriage or their money. Director Sean Baker, the critically acclaimed filmmaker behind The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021), has yet again made a powerful dramedy that highlights the plight of marginalized characters.

Sexy Beast

Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) is a former criminal who, after serving out a prison sentence, has retired to Spain where he lives out his days lounging by the pool and adored by a wife (Amanda Redman) he loves. But his bliss is interrupted by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), a former associate and Gal’s nemesis, who has been sent from London to recruit Gal for a complicated heist. Despite Gal’s insistence that he’s retired, Don isn’t willing to take no for an answer—which leads to a confrontation that could destroy the peaceful existence Gal has created for himself. Winstone and Kingsley offer a masterclass in acting as archenemies each doing their best to get what they want. Though Kingsley earned an Oscar nomination for the role, the movie itself has been largely—and unfortunately—forgotten.

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

“If you’re Sly Stone, there’s no blueprint for what comes next.” That’s the basic idea behind Sly Lives!, Questlove’s brilliant follow-up to the equally compelling Summer of Soul—the rockumentary that won the Roots’ drummer an Academy Award in 2022. He could well be headed for Oscar recognition once again with this deep dive into the rise and fall of the groundbreaking band Sly & The Family Stone, and the higher standards to which Black artists have traditionally been held. Questlove knows what he’s talking about, and so he serves as a perfect guide into this side of the music industry. The film was hauntingly timed, too. Stone passed away on June 9.

Alien

Though it arrived in theaters in 1979, Alien has lost none of its potency in the intervening years—which isn’t something most fortysomethings can say. By now you probably know the story by heart: The crew aboard the spacecraft Nostromo, including warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), put a presumably slight pause on their trip back to Earth in order to respond to a distress call from a nearby planetoid. But what they discover is a bizarre alien life-form that seems to delight in knocking off crew members in new—and frequently terrifying—ways. Can you say Facehugger? Or Chestburster? Alien is also noteworthy for being the film that kicked off a bona fide, and legendary, sci-fi/horror franchise—and introduced the world to Ridley Scott, who changed the genre game yet again with his next feature, Blade Runner.

Prometheus

Though the fifth film in the Alien franchise was met with mixed reviews upon its initial release in 2012, it’s one of those movies that has grown better with age and each successive viewing. Ridley Scott directs a script cowritten by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, which follows a team of scientists (led by Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green) who are traveling the galaxy in the hopes of unlocking the mysteries of how humankind came to be. But not every creature they encounter is as interested in finding the answers to life’s big mysteries. The (kinda) prequel marks Michael Fassbender’s first appearance in the franchise, playing a jack-of-all-trades android (a role he reprised in 2017’s Alien: Covenant). Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, and Ben Foster round out the stellar cast.

A Real Pain

Kieran Culkin continues his run as Hollywood’s most lovable scene-stealer in this buddy-ish road trip comedy written, directed, produced by, and costarring Jesse Eisenberg (who earned an Oscar nod for the screenplay). David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) travel to Poland in honor of their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Despite going down two very different paths in life and their opposing personalities, the two find a way to reconnect and prove that blood is thicker than water. Culkin nabbed his first-ever Oscar for the role, while Eisenberg was gifted Polish citizenship.

Arcadian

Nicolas Cage does what Nicolas Cage does best (read: chew quite a bit of scenery) in this postapocalyptic thriller in which a father, Paul (Cage), and his twin sons Thomas (Jaeden Martell) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins) are three of the only people remaining on earth. Making this scenario even more challenging is the fact that they are terrorized at night by homicidal creatures dead-set on ridding the planet of all humans. When Thomas goes missing, Paul must venture out into the night to find him—an ill-advised adventure that ultimately leaves Paul wounded, fighting for his life, and relying on his sons to keep them all alive.

Nightbitch

Marielle Heller writes and directs this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s 2018 novel—a bitingly dark horror-comedy about the challenges of motherhood. Amy Adams reveals a ferocity rarely seen in the six-time Oscar nominee’s previous performances. Here, she’s a stay-at-home mom simply known as Mother who begins to resent her husband (Scoot McNairy) and even her young son for stripping her of her previous identity as an artist. And at the same time, she begins to think that maybe she’s turning into a dog. Which all makes a lot more sense in the context of the movie.

Thelma

June Squibb is the action hero you didn’t know you needed. In the decade since her Oscar-nominated turn in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, the 95-year-old actress has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors. Here, she plays the eponymous grandma who is swindled out of $10,000 by a phone scammer targeting elderly citizens. When the authorities seem reluctant to take any real action, Thelma grabs a gun and her motorized scooter and takes the law into her own hands. Best of all? This vigilante comedy is based on writer-director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother.

Ad Astra

At an unspecified date in the near future, US Space Command Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) learns that mysterious power surges originating from an old space station are posing a threat to Earth. When he finds out that the activity can be traced back to the Lima Project—a search for extraterrestrial life led by his father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been lost in space for 30 years—Roy journeys into the unknown. When cowriter/director James Gray announced the project, he very boldly stated that he was hoping to create “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.” Did he succeed? Watch and make your own determination.

Late Night With the Devil

In the 1970s, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late-night talk show host who is constantly chasing Johnny Carson’s ratings but simply cannot compete. He scores the highest ratings of his career when he sits down for an interview with his beloved wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), who is dying of cancer. When she passes away shortly afterward, Jack halts production on his show entirely. When he’s eventually ready to come back to work he’s even more determined to compete with Carson, so he decides to throw an occult-themed Halloween show for the ages, complete with a psychic (Fayssal Bazzi), a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon), and a possessed teen (Ingrid Torelli) who seems to know more about Jack and Madeleine’s relationship than he bargained for. Many critics have deemed Late Night With the Devil the best horror movie of 2024—and with good reason.

Babes

Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut does for motherhood what Bridesmaids did for marriage. New Yorkers Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) are lifelong best friends with decades of history and traditions but now find themselves facing very different chapters in their lives. Dawn, who is struggling with postpartum depression, is trying hard to balance the demands of being a working mom and partner to her husband, while Eden has never been burdened by such demands. But when she discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night stand and determines that she is ready to be a single mom, their friendship begins to fracture in ways they never would have imagined. Glazer and Buteau’s chemistry as BFFs is undeniable in this brash comedy that isn’t always pretty, in part because of its brutal honesty.

Kinds of Kindness

Just three months after Poor Things scored four Oscar wins in 2024, Yorgos Lanthimos got much of the gang back together—including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley—for Kinds of Kindness, which debuted at Cannes. Unlike his previous works, this one is an anthology film, or what came to be marketed as a “triptych fable.” Just like the writer-director’s other movies, it is born from a place of absurdist comedy and over-the-top performances from its stars. Sex cults, reanimation, sandwiches, murder-happy bosses, and John McEnroe’s smashed tennis racket all play a part in the wildly fun festivities.

Little Women

Greta Gerwig is far (far) from the first writer-director to adapt Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women for the big screen. And she’s certainly not the first person to do an admirable job of it. (Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale is still a much beloved interpretation.) Yet Gerwig made the 19th century tale seem practically modern-day, and different from all the rest, with seemingly small decisions like playing with the novel’s timelines. It also doesn’t hurt that it just happens to star some of the most impressive actors working today, including Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, James Norton, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, Meryl Streep, and Bob Odenkirk.

Immaculate

Sydney Sweeney produced this religious horror flick and also stars as Cecilia, a young nun (yep, you read that right) whose traumatic brush with death has convinced her that God saved her for a higher purpose. When she is invited to join a convent in the remote Italian countryside that assists older nuns at the end of their life, she happily accepts—then quickly comes to realize that all may not be what it seems.

Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) is a man who should have it all: the one-time race car driver and founder of the Ferrari car company oozes charm, wealth, and excitement. But behind the scenes, the walls are closing in on him. Set during the summer of 1957, Michael Mann’s biopic finds Ferrari (the man) on the verge of bankruptcy, mourning the death of his son, and desperately trying to hide his past indiscretions from his estranged wife—who helped build the car company and who holds the key to his financial future. Though the film earned mixed reviews, it does a solid job of telling the complex story of a complicated man. But its biggest selling point is Penélope Cruz’s bravura performance.

Perfect Days

Nearly 60 years into his career as a filmmaker, Wim Wenders managed to make one of his best films yet with Perfect Days—which is saying a lot when you consider that this is the same director who made Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) is a toilet cleaner in Tokyo who is blissfully content with the simplicity of his life, as it allows him the time to indulge his more personal passions: music (he’s an avid collector of cassette tapes and allows his favorite music to set the soundtrack to his life), books, and nature. The movie is not punctuated by any overly dramatic storylines; just the quiet interactions that Hirayama has with those around him—family, coworkers, total strangers—and the way those interludes impact him. It’s that poetic simplicity, and Yakusho’s wonderful performance, that gives the film its heart.

Origin

Writer-director Ava DuVernay finds a way to yet again change the language of cinema with what is both a biopic and a historical document. The movie is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism for her work at The New York Times. It follows Wilkerson’s journey to write her 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents—a project that took her from the US to Germany to India to research the troubling history of each country’s caste system and the parallels that exist between them.

The Contestant

On January 11, 1998, 22-year-old comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu entered an apartment in Japan where he lived, nude and with no human contact, for 15 months as part of an understandably controversial game show titled Susunu! Denpa Shōnen. Hamatsu had no idea his life was being broadcast. This riveting documentary delves into not just how anyone ever allowed this experiment to happen, but the real-world effects—cultural, psychological, and beyond—it had on both Hamatsu and the tens of millions of viewers who were somehow drawn into witnessing his on-camera abuse.

Anatomy of a Fall

Between her starring roles in The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, German actress Sandra Hüller made it clear that when it comes to scripts, she knows how to pick ’em. In this compelling courtroom drama, Hüller plays a successful writer turned murder suspect when her husband (Samuel Theis) is found dead outside their home on a snowy day. Ultimately, it might be her son (Milo Machado-Graner) and/or his guide dog (Messi, the movie’s real star) who ultimately seal Sandra’s fate. It’s a smart, twisty, and well-acted mystery that will keep you guessing.

BlackBerry

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton is practically unrecognizable in this immensely entertaining recounting of the rise and fall of BlackBerry—the must-have cell phone that had the world entranced before the iPhone came along. Howerton costars as Jim Balsillie, the very real negotiator who, alongside Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), gave the world its first smartphone. Which is a lot more dramatic (and darkly humorous) than it sounds.

The Royal Hotel

Ozark star Julia Garner reunites with director Kitty Green (The Assistant) for this taut psychological thriller in which BFFs Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) decide to backpack their way through the Australian outback. When they’re offered the chance to live and work at a remote hotel in order to replenish their dwindling bank accounts, they jump at the chance—despite Hanna feeling that something isn’t quite right with their place of employment or its clientele. She’s on to something. Garner has played one badass character after the next, and The Royal Hotel is no exception.

Self Reliance

New Girl’s Jake Johnson makes his feature directorial debut with this wonderfully weird and occasionally dark meta comedy, which he also wrote and stars in. Tommy Walcott (Johnson) is living a pretty ordinary existence until he’s approached by Andy Samberg (as Andy Samberg), who offers him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to win $1 million as part of a massive reality competition. The only thing Tommy needs to do is not get murdered for 30 days, despite being hunted by dozens of contract killers whose job is to ensure that no contestant walks away with the big prize. The catch? Contestants can only be killed when they’re entirely alone. So Tommy takes it upon himself to partner up with another contestant, which is where Maddy (Anna Kendrick) comes in. Since they both have a cool mil to gain and a lot to lose (aka their lives) if they don’t triumph, they make a pact to spend every waking moment of the next 30 days together. Just when you think you know where Self Reliance is headed, it goes ahead and surprises—and in the best ways possible.

No One Will Save You

Home invasion thrillers are never in short supply, but the really effective ones are hard to come by. Kaitlyn Dever shines—and proves yet again that she can shoulder the weight of an entire film—as Brynn Adams, a seamstress living a solitary existence in her childhood home and mourning the loss of her mother and closest friend. When she wakes up one night to discover that someone is in her house, that someone turns out to be something. A home invasion thriller with extraterrestrials might not have been on your must-watch Bingo card, but No One Will Save You is 93 minutes well spent.

Miguel Wants to Fight

Miguel (Tyler Dean Flores) is 17 years old and has never been in a fight. So when he learns that he’ll be moving away from the place and people he has known all his life, he enlists his pals to help him get into his first fistfight. It’s probably not the first coming-of-age ritual to spring to mind, but it’s certainly among them. A talented cast of young actors make this comedy—cowritten by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion—immensely watchable.

Sanctuary

Hal Porterfield (Christopher Abbott) has just been handed the keys to the castle following the death of his hotel magnate father. Rebecca Marin (Margaret Qualley) is a dominatrix who believes she deserves some of the credit—and half the cash—that comes with Hal’s new CEO position. Sexual politics have rarely played out as twisted, or darkly funny, as they do in this mesmerizing, and often claustrophobic, thriller from Zachary Wigon.

Corsage

Vicky Krieps delivers yet another top-notch performance as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who—following her 40th birthday—longs to recapture the freedom of her youth. Marie Kreutzer writes and directs this fictional biopic (Empress Elisabeth is real, though the story told within takes plenty of creative liberties), which sees the royal rebelling against her lack of power to affect any real change, despite her title. Even more so, it’s about a woman who is desperate to hold on to the power that youth and beauty entitle her to—regardless of the consequences.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Environmentalism meets heist movie in director Daniel Goldhaber’s thriller about a group of young people who try to—as the title implies—expose the fragility of the oil industry. It’s not often that a movie examining the fight against the climate crisis is also an edge-of-your-seat adventure, but here those elements come together beautifully. (You can give cinematographer Tehillah de Castro a bit of credit for that.) Smart, prescient, and nearly unprecedented, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is more than worth the stream.

Rye Lane

Raine Allen-Miller’s directorial debut offers a playful twist on the typical rom-com. Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson) are both twentysomethings reeling from recent break-ups. After a chance—and rather awkward—first meeting, the pair spend a day wandering around South London, bonding over their shared experience, finding cheeky ways to get over the mourning of their previous relationships, and maybe discovering that romance is not dead after all.

Triangle of Sadness

Think of it like Gilligan’s Island, but with more class commentary and vomit. When a bunch of rich people head out to sea on a luxury yacht, their plans are thwarted when a terrible storm leaves many of them stranded on a beach where none of their money or power can help them survive. That already gives away too much, but suffice to say, if you like The Menu-esque critiques of the excesses of wealth with just as many dark-comedy twists, this Oscar-nominated film is right for you.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

OK, so this might be the movie that turned the idea of “lesbian period drama” into a trope, but it’s also one of the best modern queer romance films around, alongside Moonlight and Carol. Set on an isolated French coast in the late-1700s, writer-director Céline Sciamma’s film centers on a young aristocrat woman, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is betrothed to a wealthy Milanese man. When Héloïse’s mother hires Marianne (Noémie Merlant) to paint a portrait of her daughter, the two women fall in love and have the kind of heartbreaking affair that made lesbian period dramas so undeniable in the first place. You’ll be transfixed.

Fresh

Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a single woman who is on the lookout for a partner but tired of the online dating scene. When she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan), a quirky, handsome stranger, she decides to give him her number. The two hit it off on the first date and eventually find themselves making plans to spend a weekend away—which is when Noa realizes that Steve has been hiding a few disturbing details about himself. Ultimately, Fresh stands as a lesson in the horrors of dating in the digital age (both real and imagined).

Palm Springs

Given the existence of Harold Ramis’ near-perfect Groundhog Day, it takes a whole lot of chutzpah for a filmmaker to add another picture to the infinite-time-loop rom-com canon. But writer-director Max Barbakow did it anyway with Palm Springs, and audiences are thankful he did. Building upon the rules originally established in Groundhog Day, Palm Springs offers its own unique twist on the story. Instead of showing one person (Bill Murray’s Phil Conners) slowly being pushed to the brink of insanity because he’s the only one who seems to be experiencing the phenomenon, Palm Springs has three wedding guests—Nyles (Andy Samberg), Sarah (Cristin Milioti), and Roy (J. K. Simmons)—living the same day again and again and working together to find a way out of it.



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June 25, 2025 0 comments
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Death Stranding 2
Product Reviews

It’s been so long since I played a 30 fps console game, it took me a week to realize Death Stranding 2 was literally giving me headaches

by admin June 25, 2025



Just over a week ago, after devoting half my Sunday to delivering packages across the continent of Australia in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, I went to bed with a dull ache behind my temples. I wrote it off as a likely symptom of the usual suspects: maybe I hadn’t drunk enough water, or by snacking my way through the afternoon instead of having a proper meal, by the time I had dinner the headache was already settling in as a side effect of hunger. Maybe lack of caffeine? It’s not like I’d spent all day glued to the TV, which can sometimes leave my brain buzzing and desperate for a break.

But by Tuesday I had a new suspect: Death Stranding 2.

I didn’t start to blame the new PlayStation 5 game, which I’ve been playing for the past week and a half, until last Tuesday, when I went to bed with a pounding headache. It was the kind you wake up from in the middle of the night and immediately notice the absence of, relieved of a tiny subconscious irrational fear that your brain could just be like that now. Tuesday had otherwise been normal: I’d worked most of the day and felt fine, then played about two hours of Death Stranding in the evening. That was all it took for the ache to start burrowing in.


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Nothing in the game seemed like an obvious trigger. Wearing a VR headset for long enough is guaranteed to give me a light headache or nausea, but Death Stranding 2’s standard third-person camera is basically videogame comfort food, easily digested. And the game doesn’t suffer from dramatic framerate drops or the kind of zoomed-in first-person FOV that can often cause nausea.

The only thing it suffers from, as a console game, is running at 30 frames per second. But after years of primarily gaming on PC, apparently that’s all it takes to mess my brain up good.

Like most big budget, high fidelity games on the PS5, Death Stranding defaults to a “quality mode” when you launch it, prioritizing resolution, but it doesn’t advertise that fact. You wouldn’t know there’s a performance mode unless you go into the options menu’s graphics settings tab, which has only two entries: screen brightness and graphics mode, which can be flicked over to “prioritize performance” to lock the framerate at 60 fps instead of 30.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach – PS5/PS5 Pro – Digital Foundry Tech Review – 4K HDR – YouTube

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In a PC game that tab would be my first port of call, but for the first few days I was playing Death Stranding 2 I didn’t even bother checking it, because I knew I wouldn’t find the granular settings for things like texture quality and draw distance and anti-aliasing I’m used to on PC.

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

Besides, the game looked great! So I just started playing it. And also started getting headaches.

I grew up playing loads of console games at 30 fps or worse (ahh, Nintendo 64) without issue, but over the last decade or so it’s become more and more of a rarity for me. I’m used to locking games to at least 60 fps on my 144Hz monitor. On my Steam Deck, the types of games I tend to play at 30 fps don’t involve much rapid action: Dorfromantik is as chill as they come.

So either my brain’s somehow grown more vulnerable to strain from lower framerate games altogether, or there’s something about Death Stranding 2 that I found especially nauseating. (Screen size could also be a factor, since the Steam Deck doesn’t dominate my view the way my 60″ TV does).

When I sat down to play the game on Wednesday, I opened the meager graphics menu for the first time and switched it to performance mode. It immediately felt like breaking free from the tar pits that pockmark Death Stranding’s world. Everything was moving so fast. The animations and protagonist Sam’s responsiveness to my button presses were suddenly so snappy I couldn’t believe what I’d been tolerating for the last few days.

Flipping back and forth between the two graphics modes now, I think the most likely culprit for my headaches is the camera—spinning it around at 30 fps makes me a little queasy. Perhaps stronger motion blur would help cover up the choppiness of the refresh rate, but I’m not sure that would be an outright cure.

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

I think the bigger issue is responsiveness. I’ve gotten so used to a game leaping to enact my inputs within every 16.67 millisecond window—the time it takes to generate a frame at 60Hz—that waiting double that time for each button press or analog stick flick, plus 20 milliseconds of input lag from my TV and a few more from the wireless controller, is now just too jarring. Like when I’m playing a VR game and the refresh rate of the screen is a smidge too low to perfectly match every little motion of my head, there’s a disconnect between what my brain’s seeing and what it thinks it should be seeing.

I’m thankful Death Stranding 2 has a performance mode on consoles, and for players who are happy with 30 fps, the game runs extremely steadily in that mode. I’m now happily headache free despite playing 20-something hours of the game in the last few days. But it also renewed my appreciation for the fact that even the most barebones PC port today will likely still offer enough graphical options to hit 60 fps on years-old hardware.

Yeah, we’re still struggling with unoptimized games like Monster Hunter Wilds and the stutter epidemic. But between standard graphics settings, upscaling tech like DLSS and FSR, frame generation, and community-made tools like Special K that help smooth out performance, these days 60 fps is a lot closer to the floor for PC gaming frame rates than it is the ceiling. And judging by the quality of the first game’s excellent PC port, when Death Stranding 2 does finally arrive on PC it’ll be an even better version of an already stunning game.



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Decrypt logo
Crypto Trends

Til Death Do Us Part: The Weirdest Meme Coin Livestreams We’ve Seen Just This Week

by admin June 24, 2025



In brief

  • Solana token launchpad Pump.fun is playing host to a thriving livestream community.
  • A couple is set to marry on-stream this week, while another streamer is saying “Pumpfun” a million times.
  • Several influencers are living together in a house and competing to have the most valuable meme coin.

Solana launchpad Pump.fun has matured into a next-generation livestreaming service, looking to rival titans of the industry like Twitch, Kick, and YouTube. Now, the platform is sponsoring streamers, paying viewers to post viral clips on social media—and the meme coin makers are getting creative.

Pump.fun users can launch their own Solana meme coin, open up a livestream, and hope their actions pump the value of the crypto token. Recent streams have been big and bold, while remaining safe—following a stream of controversial streams on the platform last year. 

Last week, one meme coin creator raced across all 50 U.S. states in record time while livestreaming the whole adventure. Before that, pseudonymous social media personality Gainzy livestreamed from a bomb shelter in Israel as war broke out in the Middle East.

This week, it appears the madness is ramping up again. Here are three prominent streams that may be worth tuning in for.

You may now kiss the dev

Glen, a purported 60-year-old man, claims to be getting married to his partner of 34 years, Karen, on a Pump.fun livestream on Saturday. 

“We still to this day can’t afford a real wedding. The family, the community on Pump.fun, and the good people out there have offered to marry us on livestream on Pump.fun,” Glen said to his 20 viewers. “From the heart, thank you Pump.fun for making this possible.”



The meme coin dev said that he will be wearing a tuxedo, with his soon-to-be wife wearing a dress, and he will have a real ring to tie it all together. Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen told Decrypt that Glen is paying for all of this via the creator revenue fees accumulated since his token’s launch earlier this month.

His token, Pumps Gone Crazy (PGC), peaked at a $1.15 million market cap on Friday, but has since fallen to $518,000 despite a 67% spike following the announcement of his wedding.

Pumpfunpumpfunpumpfun

A man in Kyiv, Ukraine is attempting to say Pump.fun one million times on-stream. Why? Simply, he believes in the future of Pump.fun… and thought it was just a funny idea.

Ricken, who did not give Decrypt his full name, claims he has been sitting in front of the camera for 14 to 16 hours every day, actively saying Pump.fun for approximately 12 hours each stream since Friday. He said that he is a freelance video editor who made enough money to take a week off to commit to the challenge.

At the time of writing, he has just surpassed 300,000 times saying “pumpfun.” Ricken claims he is saying the launchpad’s name at an average of 67,777 times a day. At this pace, he is likely to hit his target by the morning of Friday, July 4.

“It’s starting to feel like a weird cultural moment for Pump streams in general,” Ricken told Decrypt. “It started as ‘would be funny if someone actually went through with it,’ but became way more than that.”

Ricken claims to have locked all of his tokens until July 1st, and is only profiting via the creator revenue sharing model Pump.fun recently added. His token 1MIL peaked at a $1.43 million market cap on Saturday but has since fallen to $330,000.

Bros being bros

Pseudonymous crypto influencer SolJakey is hosting a house of up-and-coming influencers all with meme coins attached, in a wacky crypto-infused reality show.

Basedd House currently has five influencers at the crib, after Donnie was eliminated two weeks ago due to his meme coin being at the lowest market cap. Others are able to apply to enter the house, with the requirement of launching a token to climb the leaderboard and join the fray.

The frat-bro, “Jackass”-inspired content house has produced tons of viral clips in the three weeks since its inception. The gang have taken on goofy challenges, recorded public skits, and even adopted a chicken. Fan-favorite Iseem literally pooped his pants on livestream on Monday.

“I think Basedd House shows the evolution of not only Pump.fun, but the idea of creator capital markets, and provides a direct incentive on why a creator that is not crypto-native can utilize crypto to their benefit,” SolJakey told Decrypt.

He explained that influencers are able to monetize their tokens through the creator revenue sharing feature, and thus no longer have to dump tokens on their fans to make a profit.

Jakey believes that Basedd House is a proof-of-concept that influencers can create tokens that pump based on how viral and enjoyable their content is. Plus, it gives fans a more direct way of interacting with their favorite content creators by investing in them, rather than simply donating.

Iseem, who has the largest token at the Basedd House, has made $1,330 from creator revenue rewards over the two weeks since it launched, according to Pump.fun. The token currently sits at a $227,000 market cap.

Jakey told Decrypt that Basedd House is sponsored by Pump.fun, which provided the team with a budget to fund the entire concept. 

Over the coming week, Jakey said, the Basedd House will introduce a new member, do its first livestream for the Basedd House token, and roll out a website dedicated to new creators and tokens in the creator capital markets sphere.

Pump.fun livestreams are heating up and getting more professional too, with multiple streamers thanking the creator revenue feature for enabling their plans—and in some cases, it appears, the launchpad is supporting the project directly.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

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Report says Microsoft is planning a "major" round of Xbox layoffs next week
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Report says Microsoft is planning a “major” round of Xbox layoffs next week

by admin June 24, 2025


Microsoft is reportedly planning a “major” round of layoffs at Xbox next week.

That comes from Bloomberg, which says managers within Xbox are anticipating substantial cuts. Microsoft did not comment. The move will be part of a company-wide reorganisation, according to the report.

This would follow a recent round of Microsoft layoffs in May 2025, where 3% of the company’s headcount was targeted. A smaller round of layoffs came before that in January 2025.

Back in January 2024, the gaming division specifically axed 1,900 roles. In September 2024, it then cut another 650 staff from games.

In May 2024, it was revealed that four studios under subsidiary Bethesda were to be closed, with some staff “realigned” to other teams. One of those studios – Tango Gameworks – was acquired by Krafton and ultimately spared closure.

During its recent Q3 2025 results, Microsoft shared that its gaming segment increased revenue 5% year-on-year.

GamesIndustry.biz has also reached out to Xbox for comment on the claims in the report, and we’ll update this story if any clarification is shared by the company.



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June 24, 2025 0 comments
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