Monthly Archives: March 2025

Elements Divided Is An Avatar-Like Multiplayer Action Game For Quest & PC VR

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Elements Divided is a new VR multiplayer action game inspired by Avatar, coming to Quest and Steam soon.

Developed by Loco Motion and published by Fast Travel Games (Mannequin, Ghost Signal), Elements Divided sees you harness the power of water, earth, fire, and air as an Elementalist. Featuring solo modes with AI opponents, online combat against other players, and co-op in ‘Horde-style’ survival modes, you’re tasked with competing across tournaments and challenges across different arenas. Here’s the announcement trailer.

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After choosing an individual element for each match, your elemental abilities are summoned using gesture-driven controls “that allow you to guide the flow of water, summon stone barriers, hurl yourself across arenas and more.” The experience system also lets you level up to unlock new powers, abilities, and cosmetics.

Elements Divided launches on April 23 for $10 for the Meta Quest platform and Steam. Two free beta weekends will go live on April 11 – 13 and April 17 – 19, which Loco Motion states you can sign up for via its official Discord server.

The Sonos Arc Soundbar Is $250 Off Right Now

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

I love soundbars. I’m still traumatized by having to rig speakers all over my living room to get decent audio back in the day—not to mention finding a place for a damn subwoofer—so enjoying high quality audio from an easy-to-set-up, compact soundbar like the Sonos Arc is a great relief. It’s on sale now for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale for $649.00, 28% off the list price.

The Arc is a slick-looking piece of kit—a 45-inch oval cylinder that’s only 4.3 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall and is available in black or white—but more importantly, the Arc’s sound quality is top-notch, whether you’re watching movies or listening to music.

The Sonos Arc is powered by Dolby’s Atmos system that creates a three-dimensional “sound globe” that lets you hear anything from any direction—jets sounds like they’re overhead and whispers sound like they’re right in your ear. There’s even a dialogue enhancer so you don’t miss any lines. As for music, just put on Hawkwind’s “Master of the Universe” and tell me it doesn’t change your life.

Our pals over at PC Mag put a Sonos Arc through its paces and were impressed enough to give it four stars and name it an Editor’s Choice.

Shopping for tech? Lifehacker can help you make the right decision. Browse our tech reviews and head-to-head comparisons for everything from laptops and smartwatches to e-bikes and home gyms. Subscribe to our deals newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox, or browse our best-of lists directly on Amazon, including:

Firm wins Space Force funding to provide an “aircraft carrier” in orbit

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In recent years the US military has made much of a concept known as tactically responsive launch. This essentially means that if there is some rapidly developing threat in space—say an adversary takes out a key national defense satellite—the military would like the capability to rapidly fuel a satellite on Earth, mate it to a rocket, and launch it into space.

The US Space Force first demonstrated this tactically responsive capability with a launch on Firefly’s Alpha rocket in 2023. As part of this “Victus Nox” test flight, a satellite was encapsulated into a payload fairing and mated to the rocket and completed all final launch preparations within 27 hours.

But what if there were an even faster way to respond? That’s the vision behind a new, $60 million federal award to a new space company named Gravitics for a concept called an orbital carrier.

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Amazon has a new AI-powered tool for shopping

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A day without a company announcing some new way AI can supposedly make our lives better is rare. Today it’s Amazon, which has announced a new AI-powered feature called “Interests.” It lets you enter personalized shopping prompts based on your, well, interests and price limits — and it arrives just in time for Amazon’s Spring Sale. 

Interests can handle prompts with everyday language, like “Brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers” or “Natural makeup products for summer glow from top brands.” The AI-powered feature will then look through Amazon’s store to see current offerings and send you notifications about any deals, new products or restocks that are relevant to your prompt. Shopping on Amazon can sometimes feel like a never-ending pit of decent enough options, so hopefully this feature provides a more tailored selection. 

Amazon has only released Interests to a small group of customers in the US and only through the app or mobile website. You can check if it’s available to you by looking under the “Me” tab in the Amazon shopping app. Otherwise, Amazon plans to roll out Interests to all of its US users in the coming months. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-has-a-new-ai-powered-tool-for-shopping-125314016.html?src=rss

Skydance’s Behemoth Adds New Game Plus Mode In Third Major Update

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VR action RPG Skydance’s Behemoth introduced a New Game+ mode in today’s major update.

Live across all platforms, Skydance’s Behemoth now lets you choose ‘New Game+’ from the main menu after completing the campaign with its latest major update. This carries over all of your previously unlocked abilities, hero weapons, collectibles, and health/stamina improvements into a new playthrough.

“New Game Plus has been one of the most requested features from the community, and we’re super happy that we can finally release it to you,” stated the studio in a prepared statement.

Continuing on, Skydance Games advised this update adds further visual adjustments. That includes improvements to the fidelity and reactivity for the game’s severing system, refinements to the strength activation visuals, improved hand grip accuracy, and more. You can find the PC VR patch notes here, while Quest and wider fixes are also listed on the official Discord server.

This marks the third major update since Skydance’s Behemoth launched back in December. Further enhancements have also been promised in future updates and while the specifics weren’t confirmed, it’s worth noting the game’s Arena Mode is still currently in beta.

Both prior patches had largely focused on extensive bug fixes. Patch 1 arrived a week after launch with over 1000 Quest-specific fixes and changes to the stamina system, while Patch 2 built upon this further by addressing environmental visuals alongside improvements to grabbing and climbing.

Skydance’s Behemoth is out now on the Meta Quest platform, PlayStation VR2, Steam and Rift.

Skydance’s Behemoth Review: Great Boss Fights Deliver Decent VR Action
Skydance’s Behemoth is at its best when facing the titular creatures, though it’s not a completely clean sweep through the Forsaken Lands.
UploadVRHenry Stockdale

[$] The state of the page in 2025

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The folio transition is one of the most
fundamental kernel changes ever made; it can be thought of as being similar
to replacing the foundation of a building while it remains open for
business. So it is not surprising that, for some years, the annual Linux
Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit has included a
session on the state of this transition. The 2025 Summit was no exception,
with Matthew Wilcox updating the group on what has been accomplished, what
remains to be done, and where some of the significant problems are.

The best language learning apps for 2025

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There’s a good chance learning a new language is one of your New Year’s resolutions, unless you’re hoping Google Translate will be enough for your next international adventure. Either way, you’ll need a reliable method to guide you through speaking and understanding the foreign language of your choosing. Fortunately, we’re no longer confined to flashcards and textbooks as you can learn using your phone from the comfort of your couch.

Many of the best language learning apps today offer a multi-tier approach, with AI-powered conversations, extensive vocab libraries and even podcasts you can listen to to help you master your target language. Whether you’re just starting because you’re just trying to understand what Bad Bunny means when he says “un verano en Nueva Yol,” or you want to brush up on your Korean before that planned vacation, there’s a language learning app to suit your needs.

Best language learning apps for 2025

Others language learning apps we tested

Memrise

Memrise has a library of more than 200 languages to learn. From Spanish to isiXhosa, Memrise can teach you all the basics and dive into more regional differences. As a Spanish learner, I could choose to learn from Spain or Mexico and I enjoyed that Memrise didn’t just teach me a more generalized version of the language. While Memrise could be great for polyglots, its hefty $60 monthly fee was too steep and prevented it from gleaning one of our top slots.

Pimsleur

Dr. Pimsleur believed speaking and listening were key to learning a new language. This app allows you to take its audio lessons offline, even going as far as integrating into Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As a commuter, I appreciated having a lesson or two stored away for my journey to the office. However, I wanted more ways to practice reading and writing. With other apps offering podcasts for listening along and other forms of teaching, Pimsleur didn’t offer enough to make our list.

Rosetta Stone

Gone are the large, yellow disc sets of yesteryear; now Rosetta Stone lives squarely in the digital age with its app. Using the same visual learning tools as the old-school Rosetta Stone, the app shows you pictures and terms to get you to understand what things mean. Users can repeat after voice recordings and match phrases to the images to learn slowly. Rosetta Stone could be great for beginners, but in order to get access to all 25 languages and a lifetime subscription, you’d have to dish out $400. There are cheaper apps on this list that provide comparable experiences.

HelloTalk

Similar to Discord, HelloTalk provides voice and chat rooms to talk to folks from different countries. Its users can learn regional terms and talk about cultural differences. With a paid subscription, you can practice with a tutor or their AI chatbot. If you’re looking to learn a new language outside of your inner circle, HelloTalk can be a great fit. I enjoyed connecting with others on the app, but, as always when meeting strangers online, beware — some users treat it like a dating app. Fortunately, there are apps on this list that offer a similar AI learning approach without that added concern.

How we test language learning apps

As an intermediate Spanish learner, I was looking for an app that best catered to my needs, but I know everyone learns differently. So for each app, I assessed based on several factors. Can beginners use this to gain confidence? Will advanced speakers feel challenged? Are there enough opportunities to test reading and writing skills? How many ways can you learn vocabulary words? For those who want to have more conversations, what opportunities did each app provide to speak in that language? Bonus points if an app helped you learn a bit of the culture surrounding that language.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/best-language-learning-app-120001600.html?src=rss

“After Party” ZRacing April Series Details

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Zwift’s “ZRacing” is the platform’s most popular ongoing race series, and it continues to evolve as we head into April 2025. Here are the changes Zwift is rolling out this month:

  • Advanced Event Schedule Expansion: advanced races now happen every other hour, to increase availability.
  • Advanced Event Minimum Score Requirement: to avoid riders joining these events in order to tank their scores, Advanced events are now “category enforced” at 650+, meaning you must have a racing score of 650+ to join.
  • Advanced Event HRM Requirement: this isn’t really a new requirement, but lower-category events no longer require a heart rate in order to join. Zwift says requiring HRM “will bring the events into line with the minimum criteria to feature on ZwiftPower and is the first of a number of additional fairness measures we hope to add to Advanced events over the coming year.”
  • Range 2 modification: these events now top out at 725 (up from 700). Zwift says “We hope this will provide racers with scores of 650-725 with a softer ‘Advanced’ transition.”
  • Zwift.com-Based GC Leaderboards: an upgraded version of the Zwift Games leaderboards will be used for tracking the monthly ZRacing GC. More on this below…

For April, the series takes on “after party” routes which feature a climb in the final kilometers. Also, there’s a yet-to-be-revealed new route (on new roads!) for us to race in stage 5, April 28-May 4! Watch this space for more news on this front.

Read on for details about this month’s race routes and more!

April’s Routes

Here are the routes we’ll be racing in April:

See upcoming Range 1 “After Party” events >
See upcoming Range 2 “After Party” events >
See upcoming Advanced “After Party” events >
See ALL upcoming “After Party” events >

New GC Leaderboards

Zwift debuted new web-based leaderboards at zwift.com for tracking the Zwift Games 2025 GC, and an upgraded version of those leaderboards will now be put to work for use in the monthly ZRacing series!

Access April’s leaderboard at zwift.com/racing/leagues/zracingapr2025 >

Your GC ranking is based on your best finishing time for each stage, and you can race each stage multiple times if you’d like.

Choose Your Category

Zwift now schedules three different flavors of ZRacing events in order to encourage “Fairer, more competitive racing for everyone.” They each use different racing score ranges for categorization and are titled Advanced, Range 1, and Range 2. Click banners below to see upcoming events for each.

Get the Badge

Each month’s ZRacing series has a unique achievement badge, which you can unlock by finishing every stage for the month. There are no makeup events, so if you miss a stage, you miss out on the badge and competing in the GC.

One and Done

Zwift has planned these events to deliver a solid 1-hour workout, so each race should only take around 1 hour to complete, including your warmup and cooldown.

Questions or Comments?

Post below! 

Tadej Pogačar spotted on possible new Colnago V5RS

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Men’s road world champion Tadej Pogačar has been spotted on what appears to be a new Colnago V5RS. But while a geometric wrap hides any changes to the frame, one photo can tell us a few crucial details.

Spotted by Lukas Ronald Lukacs on X, the notable aspect of the frame is how similar it seems when compared to the current Colnago V4RS.

During the recent launch of Colnago’s Y1RS aero bike, the V4RS was shown, by Colnago’s own data, to be rather slow.

Colnago Y1RS
There are no jaunty angles to be seen like on the Y1RS. Liam Cahill / Our Media

The Y1RS was claimed to be a whopping 20 watts faster than the V4RS at 50kph and 0º yaw.

As a result of this gulf in aero performance, we would expect a new V5RS to come with claims of significant aero improvements.

However, given the angular camo wrap covering Pogačar’s bike, it’s difficult to tell whether the V5RS takes any frame-design cues from the Y1RS.

There is also a possibility that the UAE Team Emirates riders asked Colnago for similar aero credentials to the V4RS, but at a lighter weight. Outside Magazine reported Pogačar’s Giro d’Italia-winning V4RS, with ENVE 4.5 wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, weighed 7.4kg.

Given a number of Pogačar’s competitors boast lightweight climbing bikes that get close to the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight limit, there could have been a focus on lowering the weight.

The CC.Y1 cockpit requires a very specific head tube design. Liam Cahill / Our Media

What we can see clearly is the Y1RS’ CC.Y1 cockpit is not being used. Pogačar’s current ENVE one-piece cockpit is visible and, given the design of the head tube, we suspect there’s no new bar design in the works.

Carlos Verona’s Trek Madone SLR for the 2024 Tour de France. Simon Von Bromley / Our Media

The new bike also appears to be set up with standard bottles and cages. Other brands, such as Trek with its latest Madone, have looked to reduce drag through specially designed water bottles, but Colnago told BikeRadar this idea was rejected by the team during development of the Y1RS.

While we don’t know when we’ll get full details of the new bike, we’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for it being used in the pro peloton in the coming weeks.

EU OS: A Bold Step Toward Digital Sovereignty for Europe

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A new initiative, called “EU OS,” has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU’s unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem.

This Spotlight Camera Three-Pack Is Half Off During Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is back—and while it’s no Prime Day, it still brings a solid lineup of discounts for anyone looking to snag big-ticket items for less. Running from March 25 through March 31, this seven-day sale is only in its second year but already feels like a decent excuse to shop. You don’t need to be a Prime member to grab deals, though Amazon claims members get “more and better” prices. If you don’t want to commit, the 30-day free trial might be worth it just for the week. Just set a reminder to cancel if you’re not planning on keeping it.

One of the more eye-catching markdowns right now is on the Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight Camera (3-Pack)—it’s down to $217.78 from $449.99, which, according to price-trackers, is the lowest it’s ever been. This three-camera bundle is designed for people who want decent home security without a complicated install. Each camera is completely wire-free and captures 2K resolution video. That means the footage is sharp enough to see license plates or faces from a distance, and you can digitally zoom in without everything turning into a blur. They have built-in spotlights and color night vision, which kicks in when motion is detected, giving you a better view at night.

That said, these cameras don’t come with local storage unless you already own the Arlo Smart Hub ($99, down from $110), which lets you record to a USB drive. If you don’t, you’ll need an Arlo Secure plan—$7.99/month for a single camera or $17.99/month for unlimited ones. That subscription unlocks cloud recording, activity zones, advanced object detection, and smart alerts. You can also step up to a $24.99/month plan that adds 24/7 emergency response. On the plus side, the Pro 5S 2K works with Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, SmartThings (and Apple HomeKit if paired with a hub)—so it’s flexible if you’re already using smart home gear, according to this PCMag review.

Shopping for tech? Lifehacker can help you make the right decision. Browse our tech reviews and head-to-head comparisons for everything from laptops and smartwatches to e-bikes and home gyms. Subscribe to our deals newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox, or browse our best-of lists directly on Amazon, including:

Panaracer’s new gravel tyres come in two vivid colours – and I’m warming to the Cranberry option

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Ever thought there weren’t enough colour choices for your bike tyres? Well, Panaracer now has you covered.

Panaracer has released its Gravel King tyre in two new vivid colours, Honey Butter and Cranberry, with the option of black or brown sidewalls.

I can’t say I’ve ever thought I needed more vividness from my tyre choice, but I’m warming to the Cranberry and tanwall option, which might be a good fit for my Cannondale Topstone.

Why Honey Butter and Cranberry?

Panaracer Gravelking limited editions
The limited-edition Gravel Kings certainly stand out. Panaracer

Panaracer has released a range of brightly coloured gravel tyres in the past, including purple, orange and green options.

The company has provided rationales for its 2025 colours, which reference their food-y roots.

“Honey Butter brings warmth and charm to any ride. Inspired by the golden richness of churned butter with a touch of honey and the soft glow of afternoon light. This creamy hue adds a timeless, refined look that stands out and brings a unique blend of comfort and sophistication,” Panaracer says.

It says the Cranberry option “draws inspiration from the rich, deep hue of freshly picked berries. Evoking a sense of adventure from the vividness of the natural world”.

“Cranberry is perfect for riders who want their bike to stand out on city streets or rugged trails,” Panaracer adds.

Tread options

Panaracer Gravelking limited editions
The limited-edition colours can be had with tan or black sidewalls. Panaracer

The Honey Butter and Cranberry tyres are available in four tread patterns: Gravel King Slick; Gravel King SS; Gravel King SK; and Panaracer’s latest Gravel King X1 tread.

Panaracer says the X1 is the fastest-ever GravelKing tyre and that it’s an homage to the tyre’s 10th anniversary, featuring “cutting-edge technology”.

“This next-generation tyre aims to surpass its predecessors by delivering unparalleled performance, boasting low rolling resistance, puncture resistance, and a supremely smooth riding experience,” Panaracer says.

The tyres will be available in 700x40c or 700x45c and cost £54.99 / $64.99.

KDE Developers Begin Working On A New Login Manager

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KDE developer David Edmundson has published a lengthy blog post today outlining the long-standing challenges they have with the SDDM display manager, unimplemented features they want out of a log-in manager, and acknowledging GNOME’s GDM as a “gold standard” for display managers. While not yet an official project, they have begun working on a new KDE Login Manager for improving the situation…

VR Martial Arts Thriller Path Of Fury Now Supports bHaptics

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VR martial arts thriller Path of Fury now fully supports bHaptics on Quest.

Launched earlier this month, Path of Fury: Episode I – Tetsuo’s Tower is a “frantic arcade VR thriller” inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s films and The Raid Redemption, where you fight through a fortress with your fists. Created by Leonard Menchiari, this new update introduces “full bHaptics support for their Vest, Arms and Visor devices” for more tactile feedback.

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bHaptics trailer

Alongside today’s update, two new competitive challenges have also been launched outside the game that are running until April 20 and April 27 respectively. The first one is based on getting the highest kill count in any of the arena endless stages, while the second is in partnership with video sharing platform Rival.

We overall enjoyed Path of Fury’s first episode in our recent impressions, noting how its rhythm-driven combat “makes for a familiar greeting” while still delivering its fantasy “with grace.”

Saying that Path of Fury doesn’t offer anything novel would be a disservice. When you’re in the swing of things, its blood-pumping fantasy excels, but it’s also not wrong to see it as yet another iteration on existing ideas. It’s a game that demands confidence in your skills to succeed, even if you can feel a sense of hesitation in pushing beyond the current norm of VR gaming in the walls of every room of the skyscraper.

Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower is available now for $10 on the Meta Quest platform.

Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower Grapples With Rhythm Game Influences
Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower is an engrossing brawler, but it feels overly familiar. Here’s our impressions.
UploadVRDiego Nicolás Argüello

IBM Says Goodbye To Cell Blade Servers With Linux 6.15

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The Linux 6.15 kernel is set to remove support for IBM Cell Blade servers for those server platforms from around two decades ago that used the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture processors. IBM Cell Blades at the time powered a few supercomputers but these IBM QS20 / QS21 / QS22 platforms are no longer relevant and the IBM Linux kernel maintainers no longer even have these platforms available/running. With no apparent users remaining, it’s time to say goodbye to the IBM Cell Blades from the mainline kernel…