Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Apple : This robot vacuum is 50% off at Amazon and ships in time for Christmas

Apple : This robot vacuum is 50% off at Amazon and ships in time for Christmas

This robot vacuum is 50% off at Amazon and ships in time for Christmas

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 02:04 PM PST

If you're looking for a last-minute deal on a robot vacuum, then you've come to the right place. Right now, Amazon has the Ecovacs Deebot robot vacuum cleaner on sale for $135. That's a massive $145 discount and the lowest price we've found for the self-charging vacuum.

The Ecovacs Deebot robot vacuum cleaner features a compatible app so you can schedule cleanings from anywhere and works with Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control. The Deebot 500 can transition from carpets to hard floors and features a max cleaning mode for particularly troublesome messes. The vacuum also automatically docks and recharges when the battery is low, so it's always ready to go.

A robot vacuum would make an excellent gift for anyone on your list, and lucky for you this particular deal will arrive before Christmas day. Sunday is the last day for free delivery to ensure your items get there by Christmas Eve, so you should take advantage now before it's too late.

See more of the best cheap robot vacuum sales and deals that are happening now.

You can also shop more deals with our roundup of the best Christmas sales of 2019.

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What is private cloud?

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 01:04 PM PST

Cloud computing gets divided into three types: public, private, and hybrid; the last being a mix between the first two types. 

While a public cloud connects to multiple users through the internet, a private cloud is restricted to only select users, such as a university, or a company. 

The private cloud can be located directly on premise directly on the internal network, or at an off premises company owned and managed data center. Private cloud also gets known by the names corporate cloud, and internal cloud.

Virtual private cloud

A variation of the private cloud is the virtual private cloud (VPC). The difference is that a private cloud is hosted over the organization’s internal infrastructure, while the VPC uses a third-party’s cloud provider infrastructure. However, unlike a public cloud that serves multiple organizations, the VPC remains dedicated to a single organization.

An example of a VPC is the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud, a service of Amazon Web Services, which allows a Hardware Virtual Private Network connection from the AWS data center to the organization’s corporate data center for a high level of security. Such a solution can be a good intermediate step offering the features of a private cloud, while letting a vendor handle the heavy lifting of deployment and maintenance. 

While a private cloud setup can most certainly exist on its own, these days, it frequently gets connected to a vendor’s public cloud server, in a hybrid cloud setup. This provides advantages of redundancy, and scalability to provide additional resources at times of peak demand, in what gets called ‘cloud bursting.’ In some setups for times of peak demand, less sensitive applications may be get shifted to the public cloud, so that additional hardware resources in the private cloud can be devoted to those applications that need to be run locally. 

Advantages of private cloud

Let’s look at the advantages of a private cloud setup:

  • Security - With a private cloud setup dedicated to a single client, security is inherently higher than in a public cloud situation that has multiple users.
  • Control - The organization gains total control over the access to the server, and the data stored on it.
  • Performance - With a private cloud, with the hardware on-premise, and therefore behind the firewall, latency will be lower, and therefore network speed is faster. 
  • Customization - With control over the hardware and infrastructure, components can be upgraded as needed, such as RAM and hard drives to optimize performance, and more resource intensive apps can be specified to run on the newer gear.
  • Management - With a public cloud, the cloud provider is the top manager, but in a private cloud environment the IT administrator for the organization retains this.

Disadvantages of private cloud

There are also some disadvantages to the private cloud environment. One is that the startup costs for hardware acquisition are quite a bit higher than a public cloud. It can also be hard to budget for, as it is not always simple to plan out hardware failures.

The costs for maintenance, and that it is done cost effectively, also fall on the IT department, causing them to turn to public cloud solutions with their more predictable monthly costs that are simpler to budget for.

However, for the organization’s mission critical applications, the investment in a private cloud setup can be justified, as uptime can be more highly optimized with redundant hardware.

With a private cloud solution it can be a challenge to plan out the capacity. If it is overbuilt, it will be underutilized, and therefore money is wasted on resources that are not necessary. If the private cloud is underpowered, than it will not be up to the task, and not able to meet times of higher demand, although this has prompted some organizations to enable cloud bursting, as detailed above.

A final downside is that as the private cloud is located on the corporate LAN, there can be difficulties accessing it from outside the network, while maintaining a high level of security.

With the downsides of acquiring, deploying, and maintaining, a private cloud solution, it has come under criticism as public clouds offer economies of scale from companies that offer their expertise in this increasingly complex area. After all, public cloud offers resources on demand, at affordable prices. However, not all applications, often due to security and compliance with regulations, are amenable to a public cloud approach, necessitating a private cloud environment as the organization needs to maintain control over their sensitive data.

Private cloud software

To build out a private cloud requires software. There are plenty of choices from vendors, such as Microsoft Azure, VMWare vCloud, and the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud, each offering an array of services, including private clouds, virtual private clouds, and the ability to connect to a public cloud provider to implement a hybrid cloud solution.   

Another popular solution is the Eucalyptus cloud platform, which stands for the Elastic Utility Computing Architecture for Linking Your Programs To Useful Systems and is open-source software that provides solutions for IaaS methodology. This grew out of a research project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which then transitioned to the business Eucalyptus Systems in 2009.

Subsequently they decided to work with Amazon Web Services in 2012, to allow users to join their Eucalyptus private cloud to the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for implementation of a hybrid cloud setup. Eucalyptus was subsequently acquired by HP in 2014, and integrated into their Helion portfolio. 

Explaining the wide adoption of Eucalyptus has been their wide support across both Windows and Linux virtual machines, accounting reports for administrators, the ability to virtualize multiple clusters into a single cloud, secure internal communication via WS-Security between internal resources, and compatibility with popular hypervisors, including VMWare and KVM.

It continues to be a robust software platform, with an advanced feature set such as CloudWatch that can collect and study metrics to spot trends, and even provide alerts, Auto Scaling that can increase the resources as needed to match the workload, and scale them back when not needed, and granular reporting that can report the cloud utilization down to the cloud application by each user.

While private cloud only environments are giving way to hybrid cloud architecture, incorporating the innate advantages that the public cloud offers, they continue to be an important component to include for organizations seeking the most robust cloud architecture.

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CES 2020: Here's what you can expect to see at the world’s biggest tech event

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:39 PM PST

Mark your calendars: CES 2020 is just around the corner and once we see everything revealed at the show, the tech world will never be the same.

While it no longer goes by its Consumer Electronics Show moniker, CES remains the best place to see the latest and greatest new products and concepts that tech companies have to offer. We're expecting everything from 5G phones to transparent Ultra-HD TVs to personal drones that can fly you around, but there's always something completely unexpected - like, say, a robot dog.

What's in store for CES 2020? The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the folks who run the entire event, tell us that this year's show will have a greater focus on travel and tourism, data analytics and improving customer experiences. Of course, there will still be the usual slew of TVs, speakers, headphones, laptops and phones - many of which will be optimized for the 5G/8K revolution.

After facing blowback last year for its exclusion and revocation of an award from a sex toy company, CES 2020 will broaden the scope of its Health and Wellness sector to include sex toys 'on a one-year trial basis' and will be partnering with the Female Quotient to ensure that more diverse voices are heard at the show.

Beyond the cavalcade of products, we're expecting to see a lot of conversations at the show about digital health and the commodification of personal data, two big problem areas for the industry. 

Whatever kind of tech you're into, however, CES will offer something new and interesting for everyone, whether you’re deep into enterprise, obsessed with future trends or just keen to see what comes next. Here's what you can expect.

CES 2020 leaks and rumors

CES hasn't officially started, but we've already heard about a few products that will make their glorious debuts at the show.

Chinese phonemaker OnePlus stated that it will unveil a new mystery device at its own event during CES, which the company is dubbing 'OnePlus Concept One.' Given the phone-shaped silhouette in a photo promoting the reveal, we're expecting a handset - but all the fuss has us wondering if OnePlus is going to enter the foldable phone rodeo. 

Of course, as a concept, it may never hit retail shelves. But given the other rumor about OnePlus potentially releasing true wireless headphones to rival the AirPods, we might see a lot more OnePlus at the show than ever before.

Another rumor suggests new Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones are on the way, a follow-up to the wildly successful WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling cans released in October 2018. While the rumor doesn't link the launch to CES, the timing could be ripe for a January 2020 launch - which makes CES the logical stage to unleash them.

When is CES 2020?  

If you’re going by the official dates, CES 2020 runs from Tuesday, January 7 through Friday, January 10, 2020. 

That said, however, journalists will pour into the city a few days before that to cover the news conferences that kick off on Sunday, January 5 at 12 pm PST and continue through Monday and Tuesday. It’s during that time we’ll hear from Sony, Samsung, LG and several other electronics makers as they introduce us to new products at their on-stage keynotes. 

Traditionally, the biggest of these keynotes happen on Monday as that’s when LG, Samsung and Sony all hold their events, but some CES-related announcements will arrive starting on Sunday night as news begins to trickle out of the conference.

How do you get tickets for CES 2020? 

Registration for CES 2020 is available now on the CES 2020 website, and are free for qualifying members of the media. For non-media folk, Early Bird tickets are available for just $100 if you just want access to the show floor from January 7 - 10 and the keynotes, though that price will shoot up to $300 starting on December 18, 2019. 

If you want a bit more than the basic pass, you can buy the CES 2020 Starter Conference Pass that includes a curated list of events around the show’s biggest trends for $700 or the Deluxe Conference Pass that includes 14+ partner sessions for $1,400.

CES 2020 Keynotes

Toward the end of November, the CTA released the full schedule of announced CES keynotes and conferences, listed below for your convenience: 

Sunday, January 5 2020

Monday, January 6 2020

How big is CES and where does it take place? 

CES is massive and takes over the vast majority of the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding streets. In fact, in terms of square footage, there’s 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space between the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Sands, Mandalay Bay and The Venetian, nearly all of which plays host to the convention and its exhibitors.  

Fun fact: There are around 160,000 hotel rooms in Vegas and around 180,000 attendees each year. As you’d expect given those numbers, hotels fill up fast and the roads leading to the convention center get pretty crowded that week. Thankfully, the CTA (the company that puts on the show) offers free shuttles to almost all of the major hotels on the strip from the Convention Center, and has buses running to and from the Sands between 9 and 6 pm. 

All that said, be prepared to walk. The convention center itself is massive and so is The Sands. Walking either can easily take between one and two hours, and you’ll easily rack up three to four miles on your pedometer along the way.

Which companies are attending CES 2020? 

Pretty much every major tech company will be there, minus Apple. (You can find a complete list on the CES 2020 website.) 

Confirmed exhibitors include Amazon, Canon, Facebook, Intel, LG, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, Nikon, Samsung, Sony and many, many more. 

Now, admittedly, not everyone is there to show off new products. A fair majority of companies are there for business, while others are there to collect feedback and have a presence, rather than debut something new. That said, there will still be hundreds of new products making their debut this year in nearly every category. 

CES 2020 Trends and Predictions

In a meeting with TechRadar, the CTA outlined a number of trends that would take center stage at this year’s show. The list included transportation and tourism (Delta Airlines have a keynote this year for the first time in the show’s history), data analytics and privacy, digital health, the global race for 5G, the consumerization of AI and, of course, 8K displays.

These are rather dense, multifaceted topics and will surely be the topic of many presentations during the show. If you want hard product news, that will come from many of the same suspects as last year, all of whom are listed below. 

AMD at CES 2020

Keynote time: Monday, January 6, at 2:00 pm PST
Location: Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, 2nd Floor, Mandalay G

We're fully expecting AMD to come out with a line of high-end GPUs next year - maybe even as early as CES 2020. In past years, AMD has taken to the stage on Monday to deliver a keynote, and could potentially do the same this year. Last year AMD showed off its first ever 7-nanometer GPU, the Radeon VII, at CES 2019, so expect big things this year.

LG at CES 2020

Keynote time: Monday, January 6, at 8:00 am PST
Location: Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, 3rd Floor, South Seas A/B/E

Like Samsung, LG’s plans are easy to predict - it’s probably going to show off a new series of OLED TVs, plus give an updated release date for last year’s rollable OLED.  Speaking of far-flung TVs we can't afford, CES 2020 will probably be the place LG officially debuts its transparent OLED prototype that it was showing behind closed doors at last year's show... though it will likely only be for businesses at first.

LG also uses CES to debut its new line of appliances including smart washers and dryers and nifty household gadgets like air purifiers and robot vacuums. Last year we saw a home brewing system and a smart cupboard that steams your clothes. Featuring a mirrored door with integrated display, automatically moving hangers, and a smart steaming system, it was a wildly different product than we were expecting to see at a tech trade show. 

CES is also the time LG debuts its mid-range mobile phones. Last year we saw the LG V40 ThinQ, while back in 2017 LG brought the Stylus 3. Don't expect any flagship phones at this year's event,but it's Android phone fans should expect something.

Intel at CES 2020

Keynote time: Monday, January 6, at 4:00 pm PST
Location: Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, 2nd Floor, Ballrooms E & F

Last year was a big show for the chip maker. The company came out guns blazing at its CES 2019 keynote, announcing the first 10nm Ice Lake processors based on its Sunny Cove architecture – and even showing the chip powering a running laptop.

The new chips aim to bolster modern PC performance, while Intel's new Project Athena initiative hopes to push mobile computing to the next era with thinner and lighter hardware across industry partners like Huawei, Asus, and Lenovo.

Intel also announced six more 9th-gen processors, ranging from Core i3 to Core i9, making it one of the biggest launches yet for the company.

This year could be the year that company debuts its long-rumored discrete GPU which we saw a mockup of at GDC 2019 earlier this year, or Intel could use the congregation of journalists to announce new 10nm desktop CPUs now that 10nm mobile chips are out on the market.

Nvidia at CES 2020

Now that it's been unveiled to the public, the new Nvidia Shield is all but guaranteed to make an appearance at CES this year. 

Last year Nvidia revealed its GeForce RTX Mobility graphics cards at CES 2019, alongside the RTX 2080 and other cards for gaming laptops. Will CES 2020 bring more of the same? We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Samsung at CES 2020

CES is always a big show for Samsung. It’s the place the company picks to roll out its latest QLED TVs, concept screens and monstrous custom-installs. Last year, the company debuted a new 219-inch TV called The Wall and gave us an updated look at its Tizen operating system that included Apple TV. This year, our money is on new QLED TVs with zero bezel - a rumor that has recently been corroborated by a patent filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. 

On the computing side of things, Samsung debuted the Notebook Flash and Notebook 9 Pro, and could offer updates on those this year. 

Samsung has also been doing a lot more with its monitors and solid-state drive categories, so be sure to keep an eye out for those at the show, too.

Sony at CES 2020

Keynote time: Monday, January 6, at 5:00 pm PST
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall, Booth 17300

Sony didn’t have a ton of new products to show off last year, but did bring its new Master Series Z9G TV to the show and debuted its new 360 Reality Audio format. We’ll likely see more of the latter this year as well as a few new TVs in the 950, 850, Z- and A-Series lineups plus some new 2.1 soundbars with Dolby Atmos. 

Outside of the AV space, Sony will probably tease some PS5 news ahead of its official debut and talk up its gaming peripherals like the PlayStation VR. A full debut of the new console seems unlikely, especially considering the rough history Sony consoles have with CES, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it at least gets a mention during Sony’s Monday evening keynote. 

  • Here's a complete recap of everything that happened at CES 2019

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This Nintendo Switch deal is back at Amazon with a free $30 gift card

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:32 PM PST

If you're looking for a last-minute Nintendo Switch deal - then you've come to the right place. For a limited time, Amazon is offering a $30 promotional credit when you purchase a Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Con. Just apply code D3E2CDJ6GB6S at checkout, and you'll receive a free $30 Amazon credit within seven days after the console is shipped. 

The Nintendo Switch is a console that allows you to use it as a portable gaming device or as a home console. You can play the Nintendo Switch anywhere, and the dual Joy-Con controllers let you team up and enjoy multiplayer games. The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, but this particular device is a newer model, which means it has a longer battery life than the original. The box includes the Nintendo Switch console, the Nintendo Switch dock in black, and the Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Con controllers. 

Discounts on the Nintendo Switch are extremely rare, and this is the best discount we've seen right now on the console. This deal is sure to go fast, so you should take advantage now before it's too late.

If you're interested in more Switch deals we have the cheapest Nintendo Switch bundles and deal prices that are currently available. Or if you want something a little cheaper then there's a handheld-only version of the console to consider over on our Nintendo Switch Lite prices and bundles guide.

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The Last of Us 2 release date, price, trailers, news and rumors

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:30 PM PST

You read that right: The Last of Us 2 is nearing the end of development and will be in our hands in 2020.

As endings go, The Last of Us's was pretty conclusive. But as it turns out, that hasn't stopped The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog from cranking out a sequel in the form of The Last of Us 2 – or, The Last of Us: Part 2 if we're using its proper name. 

Given the first game was hailed by players and critics alike as a masterpiece with excellent, emotional storytelling and engaging, realistic characters, we have to admit that the decision to release a follow-up isn't particularly shocking. We'd probably have been more surprised if there wasn't one. And yet, when The Last of Us 2 was first announced, we'd be lying if we said our hearts didn't skip a beat. 

The Last of Us 2 was first announced by Naughty Dog at PlayStation Experience in 2016 alongside a teaser trailer but it wasn't until September 2019 that we were finally told the game's release date during a State of Play livestream. Now we know for sure that we'll be joining Ellie on her next adventure in February 2020. 

UPDATE: Neil Druckmann has teased that there are some parallels between The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2. Read on to find out more!

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The sequel to the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us
  • When can I play it? May 29, 2020
  • What can I play it on? PlayStation 4

The Last of Us 2 trailers 

The most recent trailer for The Last of Us 2 is also its release date announcement trailer. Shown during the September 2019 State of Play stream, it confirms the game will be coming on February 21 2020 and shows Ellie in action as well as a glimpse at Joel. 

The Last of Us 2 was shown during E3 2018. This trailer finally gives us a look at Ellie in an intimate scene before cutting away to some of the brutal but stealth-based combat we can expect to see in the game when it's launched.

The gameplay sequence gives us a look at Ellie fighting for her life in the wild. Success in a fight appears to require the right balance between stealth and all out attack as damage seems to have a more realistic impact. Ellie can move quietly between areas, taking weapons from bodies and crafting, before bursting out and taking down her enemies. It's a different creature in many ways to the original The Last of Us but it looks like something to look forward to, with more advanced enemies to challenge us and more complex gameplay to thrill us. 

See the gameplay for yourself below.

The Last of Us Part 2 had another trailer drop during PSX 2017. During a panel it was confirmed that the game will be set in the city of Seattle and the darker themes we know are coming were touched upon. You can watch the panel for yourself below:

Another trailer for the game was shown at Sony's press conference during the 2017 Paris Games Week. This trailer is around 5 minutes long, focusing on conflicts between the human factions in the game. It shows part 2 is going to have a dark story, perhaps even darker than the first, and the trailer is fairly harrowing to watch. 

Visually impressive though it is, do note that it's gory before you watch it for yourself below. 

The first look at The Last of Us 2 came with its announcement at PlayStation Experience in 2016. Despite the fact that the game was early in development, the trailer showed a full (non-gameplay) scene that features both Ellie and Joel. You can watch it below:

The Last of Us 2 release date

After hoping, praying and speculating we finally got confirmation during the September 2019 State of Play that The Last of Us 2 will be released on February 21 2020. 

However, that changed when game director Neil Druckmann published an open letter to fans about a planned delay, saying the new launch date would be May 29 2020 instead.

What we know so far

Pointing out Parallels

Fans have been noticing some neat visual parallels between The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2. And Creative Director Neil Druckmann has been noticing this noticing. Picking up on a recent tweet comparing the beginning and end scenes from both games, Druckmann pointed out that these won't be the only parallels. 

It's a teasing comment that's left many fans asking for more information and some are theorising that there could be narrative and visual parallels between the games. Regardless, those who enjoyed the original game are likely going to be happy to see any nod of acknowledgement which will tie the titles together in a more meaningful way. 

New job listings

Naughty Dog has posted a mysterious job listing recently for an online systems programmer for a new online experience. While the listing doesn't detail which game the person will be working on, there are naturally some rumors milling around that it could be for an online experience related to The Last of Us 2, though there's an argument to be made for another Uncharted instalment. 

A few months ago, Naughty Dog confirmed that The Last of Us 2 won't launch with an online mode due to a wish to completely focus on the game's substantial single-player story. However, it was added that something would be coming eventually and separately from the main game. We won't know for certain what game this online project is related to but it's exciting to see that something is in the works. 

Halley Gross Interview

Narrative Lead and Co-Writer of The Last of Us 2, Halley Gross, has been talking to Official PlayStation Magazine (via Wccftech) about working at Naughty Dog and writing the character of Ellie. 

In the interview, Gross praised her colleagues at Naughty Dog as "wizards" and said that they're working together to "make the most complex, nuanced character in a videogame". This character is undoubtedly Ellie who Gross touches on later in the interview. 

Ellie, Gross explains, is a traumatised character on a "mission for justice" who is, overall, "driven by love" for other characters like Joel and Dina. 

According to Gross, the narrative is about seeing who Ellie "can become when she grows up in such a hostile environment." This, unfortunately, means putting Ellie in difficult situations which will test her values and her drive: "while we love Ellie, and we’re really excited to see her grow up, we’re certainly not going to coddle her".

Neil Druckmann Interview

In an interview with the official PlayStation Blog, Neil Druckmann has been casting some light on what we can expect from The Last of Us Part 2 when it’s released in 2020. 

Rather than throw in new enemies just because they can, Druckmann says that the studio has carefully considered new Infected additions like the Shamblers. These new enemies emit clouds of burning acid and will force players to consider how they approach combat in a different way, especially when they’re appearing alongside the fast Runners and powerful Clickers.

Human enemies are also more dynamic. According to Druckmann, every human enemy in the game will have a unique name so that when they die their comrades might scream out their name in grief. Human enemies can become emotional and unpredictable, making combat more dynamic and realistic. 

Fans of visuals will also be happy to know that The Last of Us 2 will be making the most of the power of the PS4 like The Last of Us did with the PS3 before it. This means, according to Druckmann, that the game is “able to have much wider environments, sequences with a horde of infected, several squads of enemies looking for you in big spaces.”

Similarly, this has made it possible to give Ellie and all of the other characters a new animation system called motion mapping making their movements more responsive and more realistic:

“The fidelity we can get in the faces and the motion capture — we can better translate what the actors are doing on stage into the game, and get these nuances so we can rely more on the way someone blinks or the way they squint instead of lines of dialogue. It allows the writing to be much more nuanced than it’s been before.”

Two Discs

The Last of Us 2 is going to be an ambitious game. So ambitious that the adventure will be split across two discs. Following Sony’s State of Play livestream where the game’s release date was confirmed, it was confirmed in retail listings that Ellie’s adventure will be sold in two discs. At the very least you’ll be getting them together and not years apart. 

Allies

There are few things more frustrating than a completely incompetent ally in a combat scenario when you're playing a game and, fortunately, it seems that won't be a concern with The Last of Us 2. In an interview with GameSpot, the game's co-director Anthony Newman said that the team took criticisms with regards to allies in the first game on board and are looking to rectify them in the sequel. 

“In the past in almost all of our games, the allies have done kind of fake damage, where you see them shoot enemies and it's a little bit theatrical—like their bullets are clearly doing way less damage than yours,” Newman said. 

For The Last of Us 2, however, ally bullet “do exactly as much damage as yours do" so players can count on the AI to help them. 

September PlayStation Events and Multiplayer

The Last of Us fans finally got confirmation that The Last of Us 2 will launch on February 21 2020 during the September State of Play alongside a brand new trailer that features plenty of action and a look at Ellie and Joel.  

Over the course of the event, it was also confirmed that The Last of Us 2 will not launch with a multiplayer element. In a tweet, Naughty Dog stated that its main focus for the game's launch is its single player which is "far and away the most ambitious project Naughty Dog has ever undertaken". 

That doesn't mean, however, there will never be any online element to The Last of Us 2. The tweet goes on to clarify that at some point in the future an online element for the game will be launched when it's ready. 

Any online element will be worth the wait, however, according to series co-creator Bruce Straley who left the studio in 2018. Taking to Twitter, Straley noted that the online multiplayer is "extremely ambitious" and that any delay is for "good reasons" and that fans are "in good hands". 

GameStop Conference

Some brand new The Last of Us 2 footage was apparently shown behind closed doors during the recent GameStop managers conference in Nashville. The footage, which will be available to the wider world "soon", was short and showcased some of the game's stealth aspects, including how clickers can be used to your advantage. 

When this "soon" that the footage will be released is isn't yet known but one opportunity for Sony and Naughty Dog to show some new footage would be during Paris Games Week in October if it doesn't drop even sooner.

More from Troy Baker

The teasing for The Last of Us 2 continues at Manchester Comic-Con. Troy Baker, voice of Joel, has once again been talking about the game and this time he’s said:

“There is nothing about this game, nor the reveals, that hasn’t been 100% carefully crafted and methodically curated. All I can tell you is that as much as you’re clamoring for it, you’re not ready.”

If that’s true then the careful curation possibly extends to Baker’s excellent hyping here. What that tells us is that we’re not going to hear anything about this game’s release date until Sony and Naughty Dog want us to and it could be a little while longer before we do. 

Troy Baker shedding some light

Things have been a little quiet around The Last of Us Part II lately so Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, has caused some excitement merely by mentioning the game. During Manchester Comic-Con, Baker was asked what can be expected from the sequel and wasn't able to give away much. What he did say, however, was that "it's hands down the most ambitious game that Naughty Dog has ever done for sure. It's far larger than I thought was going to be possible." That's a pretty big statement to make and one guaranteed to leave fans salivating. 

When it came to the release date, though, Baker wasn't able to make any announcements. Not because he didn't want to (though obviously and understandably he didn't) but because he and his fellow cast members don't know the release date just yet. "Last time we announced, we slipped," he explained, "And they don't want to do that again." 

(Via PlayStationLifestyle)

The Last of Us 2

Rumors of a delay

There was much excitement on May 29 as a result of PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding finally getting its release date confirmed as November 8 2019. This has, however, had a ripple effect which is concerning fans of The Last of Us 2.

With Death Stranding now slotted in as PlayStation's big exclusive release for the holiday season of 2019, it's been rumored (by Kotaku's Jason Schreier among others) that The Last of Us 2, also originally said to be looking at a late 2019 release, will now be pushed into early 2020.

This has not been confirmed by Naughty Dog or PlayStation so it remains nothing more than rumor at the moment. It's also worth pointing out that The Last of Us 2 has never had a set-in-stone release date anyway. 

However, an early 2020 release date for The Last of Us 2 does not seem impossible at this point as PlayStation having two such huge releases close together at the end of 2019 would be a surprise indeed.

A recent interview with Ellie actress, Ashley Johnson, has also added to those early 2020 rumors as, when asked by the interviewer when the game will release, she appears to begin to say February. However, nothing has been confirmed by Naughty Dog just yet so everything stands as rumor only at the the moment.

Into the final stages

News around The Last of Us 2 has been hotting up recently as the game inches closer towards completion. Naughty Dog has now confirmed that the final scene for the game has been shot and the game’s co-director, Anthony Newman, has tweeted out a recruitment call as the studio begins to “close out” the game’s development. 

As promising as these announcements are, they don't reveal anything about whether or not we can expect to see The Last of Us 2 this year or next. Regardless, development has reached a critical stage and though Sony won’t be attending E3 2019, that doesn’t mean it can’t make some announcements around the time of the show. In fact, recent rumors have suggested that we will see some kind of news around this time. Hopefully we’ll see a confirmed release date in the coming months. 

Mocap is underway

Things have been quiet on the official news front for The Last of Us 2 but we've been glad to see some studio insiders and actors from the game posting images on social media which show that the game's motion capture is well underway. Actors Ashley Johnson and Shannon Woodward have both posted images of themselves wearing mocap suits. They didn't give much away but the fact that Naughty Dog is this far into the motion capture process suggests we might at least be closer to hearing about a possible release date. 

Troy Baker is impressed

The Last of Us 2 is still in the works, but we now know that one of its lead voice actors, Troy Baker, has had an in-depth look and he thinks the game is 'awesome'. It's not clear whether Baker just saw some gameplay or had the chance to go hands-on himself but according to GameRant he said during MCM Comic Con at Birmingham “It’s a fantastic story. It’s a fantastic game. We just finished a playtest. It’s looking awesome. I can’t for it to be on shelves.” Though we can't be sure where exactly in the development process it is (during PSX, it was said that Naughty Dog had reached around the 50 to 60% mark) this playtest is an encouraging sign. 

Directors

With Neil Druckmann having been promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog, The Last of Us 2 now has two confirmed directors. Druckmann will, of course, still be heavily involved in the creation of the game but it's now being headed up by Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead designers on Uncharted 4. 

Story

Although it was no slouch in the gameplay department, it was the story told by The Last of Us that stuck with us for months afterwards. Naturally Naughty Dog had to give us some kind of hint about where the sequel would go. 

At the moment we know The Last of Us 2 will take place in the city of Seattle, five years after the end of the original game, with a 19 year old Ellie taking the starring playable role. Joel will still appear in the game but if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, he could be a much more passive presence. 

This time around, Ellie is extremely angry about...something. From what we saw from the teaser trailer she wants revenge, which to her appears to be a dish best served deadly. 

She does, after all, promise to “kill every last one of them.” It’s not clear who “them” is but it could signal that the Fireflies, the first game's well-meaning but morally grey antagonists, will make a return. Anger, hate and revenge are going to be key themes this time around so expect to be in for an emotionally heavy ride. 

The Last of Us 2

In the trailer for the game shown at Paris Games Week in 2017, we got a look at how dark the game is likely to be. The trailer focuses on the opposing relationships between human characters in the game and features some seriously cringe-inducing violence. 

It doesn't tell us much about any new characters of how they'll relate to one another but it does confirm that we're going into a dark game world in The Last of Us part 2. 

In a recent panel at PSX both Druckmann and Gross said that though the game's story will indeed be dark and there'll be a focus on the theme of hate, "there is hope" and there will be "lighthearted moments." 

We can't pretend we're not relieved to hear this after the game's controversial Paris Games Week trailer which, Druckmann said, was intended to highlight the game's exploration of the pursuit of justice.

Ellie is one of the most real and refreshing characters we’ve seen in gaming so it’s exciting that Naughty Dog are going to take her story further and put her in center stage. 

The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann has said that the story will be about Ellie and Joel’s relationship and that though the story would be complementary to the story of the first game, it would be much larger. 

The Last of Us 2

When asked at a PSX panel whether or not Joel or Ellie may die, Druckmann responded that "no one is safe" highlighting that the game's story really could go anywhere. 

Hopes are particularly high for this larger story as it’s been revealed that one of the writers of Westworld, Halley Gross, will be co-writing the game’s story. Having someone who’s written scripts for such an incredibly popular and successful show should be a boon for the game's story. 

Gameplay

E3 2018 brought us our first proper look at the gameplay in The Last of Us Part 2. Given Ellie is now the leading playable character, it was expected that things would be a little different from the first game and the presentation at the show made this fairly clear. 

Ellie will have some moves similar to Joel but there are some things she'll be able to do that are completely different. For one thing she can jump - the new jump button should make the world of The Last of Us Part 2 more complex and more enjoyable to traverse. It also has the potential to make combat more interesting. Speaking of combat, Ellie doesn't really throw punches as her first form of attack, she has a stealthy knife. Melee combat generally appears to offer a little more than the original game, with evasions and an environment that can help as well as hinder your fighting.

Not only has Ellie matured as a character, the enemies she faces have developed and they're more realistic than ever. The Infected in The Last of Us Part 2 are smarter and more reactive than their predecessors, making them a tougher foe to face. AI has improved, allowing enemies to communicate with one another and to look for Ellie when she's hiding. Expect some tense moments to arise from this. 

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Best Pokémon games: ranking from Gold to Let's Go

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:17 PM PST

Like that one person in your office that is always bouncing around energetically, Pokémon has been around for more than 20 years – since 1996 to be exact.

This evergreen franchise currently goes across eight generations, each of which stands on its own, but also improves on the last. 

The best Pokémon games will bring in new Pokémon, stories, villains, heroes and exciting new lands for players to explore and immerse themselves in. Now, 23 years after the series showed up on the Game Boy, there are around 30 mainline titles in the series, the most recent being Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch.

In order to help keep everyone up to date with where the series is, has been, and is potentially headed, we here on the TechRadar editorial staff have compiled this list of the best Pokémon games that you can buy in 2019. We’ve also taken the liberty of ranking them from best to worst. That’s right, we make the calls here.

This is certainly going to be at least a little divisive, but we want to make ourselves clear: we really don’t think there’s a single bad Pokémon game. (It’s kind of hard to make a bad game when you basically stick to one proven formula)

But, unfortunately, we can’t avoid that some of the new regions and new Pokémon additions stand out more than others, and it's a given that some of the generations saw more significant and rewarding changes than others, and that’s really what we’re going to explore here.

Generation I may have been what introduced us to the wondrous world of Pokémon, but it’s in Generation II where Game Freak really got into a rhythm and brought the world to life.

In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal we saw the implementation of a day-to-night cycle, days of the week and breeding. These features brought an exciting new depth to catching and battling Pokémon, and made it worth exploring at all times of day, especially as certain Pokémon could only be encountered at night. Increasing the number of Pokémon to 251 was a good move too, especially as one of them was Cyndaquil. No bias here.

Apart from these interesting and game-changing new additions, Generation II allowed you to explore the new region of Johto as well as Kanto from Generation I, which was not just a great gift to fans of Red and Blue, but made the game feel like it had a really big world. 

Gold and Silver released at the same time, as is tradition with Pokemon games, between 1999 and 2001, depending on which region you lived in. Later, though, Crystal released and managed to improve on Gold and Silver in major ways by adding a new subplot, the ability to choose your gender, and the Battle Tower which allowed players to try and fight as many battles as they could before taking a loss. 

HeartGold and SoulSilver were enhanced remakes of Gold and Silver released in 2010 that also included all of the the changes made in Crystal. If you ever get the chance to pick up these versions you definitely should, because even though they’re essentially remakes they are better than the originals, making it possible for Pokémon to visibly follow your character as Pikachu does in Pokémon Yellow. 

There are many other improvements introduced in HeartGold and SoulSilver which, combined with the power of nostalgia, make these two of the most exciting games in the series.

Nintendo also released ports of Gold and Silver on the 3DS virtual console on September 22, 2017, as part of their 20th anniversary celebration. 

Game Freak was hustling across Generations II and III of the Pokémon series, as Generation III saw the introduction of more interesting and necessitated changes. Continuing from Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Ruby and Sapphire gave us better animations, double battles, contests, secret bases and (to the relief of everyone) the ability to run.

At the time, a decent amount of these changes were divisive, and Ruby and Sapphire aren’t really the most beloved Pokémon games. Still, many of the new features, including secret bases and individual Pokémon natures, had a very positive influence on the direction that future games would take. Contests also added a new competitive dynamic that wasn’t entirely focused on battling. 

The music in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald was amazing, and the Hoenn region felt like a really dramatic change for the series, bringing in a lot more water to the map. 

There were quite a few problems with these games, though, including the confusing change to the day and night cycle after it had worked so well in Gold and Silver, not to mention the frequently odd new Pokémon designs.

One of the biggest reasons that Generation III is so high on this list, is the release of the remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire back in 2014. These remakes were great, not because they drastically changed the story, but because they added some new features and quality of life improvements that were successful in X and Y. Plus, seeing the Hoenn region in 3D was inspiring. 

When you play these remakes, you get a better sense of why Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald were such indispensable additions to the series.

Generation VII is the latest addition to the Pokémon series and it encompasses Sun and Moon as well as Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. These games have changed up the series more than any other generation has in a very long time. 

Sun and Moon and their Ultra follow ups are the most graphically intense games in the series, and you can really tell they're pushing the 3DS console to its limits in their successful efforts to bring the Pokémon world more to life.  

Sun and Moon introduce the region of Alola, a region which is incredibly different to any other region not only in terms of visuals but also in gameplay structure. Gone are gyms – now there are island trials, and Totem Pokémon and themed challenges surrounding them. Even HMs have disappeared. 

Sun and Moon take Generation V’s attempt to craft a more involving story and Generation VI’s attempt to be more of a traditional RPG, and bring them together in a way that almost hits the mark. There is the drawback however, in that there are more un-skippable cut-scenes than ever before, and unfortunately they’re not always interesting, but you can tell Game Freak is working towards something good here.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon continue what Sun and Moon started, but rather than simply rehashing the same story in the kind of director's cut, they're more of an attempt to recreate the sequel structure we first saw with Black and White 2 in generation V. There's a brand new story involving dimensional wormholes, brand new legendary Pokemon and an attempt to continue the tale of Sun and Moons rather than re-tell it. 

Intriguingly, Game Freak took its foot off the pedal when it came to introducing new Pokémon in this generation, which is probably a good idea. With so much changing in Sun and Moon, it’s kind of nice not to have to contend with a frankly excessive number of new creatures. Instead, Game Freak focused on introducing Alolan variations of the original 151 Pokémon, which is an excellent compromise and something we wish had been done for previous regions.

Sun and Moon are the most unique Pokémon games in years, and breathe some much-needed new life into a series that was slowly beginning to stagnate.

Pokémon Sword and Shield are the first mainline Pokémon games to be released on the Nintendo Switch and expectations were high from the initial announcement. They certainly had the most tumultuous pre-launch period of any of the Pokémon games when it emerged that Game Freak would not be including every single Pokémon across the eight generations' National Pokédex and would instead limit the number to around 400 in a Regional Dex. 

Despite the furore, the eighth generation seems to have weathered the storm and both titles have gone on to have great critical and commercial success. They introduce the personality-filled Galar region which is charmingly inspired by the United Kingdom and many of the best Pokémon designs in years make their debut in these games, making up for some of the lacklustre designs in generation VII and helping to establish this generation as one of the more memorable ones. 

There are a few important issues that keep Sword and Shield from being the very best (we delve into those in our full review) but these games are undeniably fun and make many convenient gameplay changes that we've been crying out for. Unlimited Escape Rope use; an open world area; autosave for crying out loud! 

For this reason, Sword and Shield are pretty hard to place. They lack the depth that's been so important in making our more favourite Pokémon adventures as great as they are and we're honestly not taken by the whole new Dynamaxing thing. But the Sword and Shield gameplay is extremely enjoyable. And then there's the charm. The charm people! We certainly can't say they're the best ever but we're more than happy to say they sit somewhere in the middle of the mainline releases.  

Pokemon Let's Go is hard to classify. It's not quite Generation I as it incorporates game mechanics from Sun and Moon, a pair of games that wouldn't debut until 20 years after Red and Blue hit American shores, and it's also somewhere in between a main entry and spin-off, a hybrid that blends the best of the franchise's hit mobile game, Pokemon Go, with the nostalgia factor of the Kanto region.

The resulting mix elicits different responses from different gamers. Some are put off by the lack of competitiveness of the entry - without the ability to breed Pokemon, there's no way to pass on moves or modify stats and there's no battling wild monsters at all - while others enjoy the simpleness of the new direction. 

The idea behind the games is to streamline everything and reduce the parts of the game that frustrated audiences. Personally, we hated using a valuable move slot for a worthless HM like Cut or Flash. In Pokemon Let's Go, HMs no longer exist. 

We hated walking through caves just to be bombarded by Zubats. Again, that's just not a problem in Pokemon Let's Go now that random encounters are gone and you can see where the Pokemon are in the map. Sure, that takes away some of the joy of running into a rare Pokemon like Pinsir out in the Safari Zone, but it also means less of the tedious grinding that wasted precious hours of our lives in the '90s.

So, where does the Let's Go franchise fit in the pantheon of Pokemon games? Ultimately somewhere in the middle. It's not the perfected version of the formula, but it's also not the aberration that people are making it out to be. For us, it's a small twist on the franchise that makes the games less grind-y, more fun and a bit less competitive. 

Now can we get a Pokemon Let's Go Togepi? 

Generation V was the first Pokémon generation to have, instead of an expansion, a direct sequel, and it was also the generation that most notably dabbled in a different kind of storytelling.

The Pokémon games aren’t exactly known for their storytelling, but Black and White and their sequels did actually do a fairly good job of creating something that felt different and engaging, particularly after the fairly stagnant Generation IV.

In this generation, we went well over 600 Pokémon, and as a result some of the new additions here are pretty perplexing in terms of design. These games also made the controversial change of making it possible to use TMs more than once. This was a change that, while not unwelcome, did start to create the feeling that the Pokémon games were pandering slightly and becoming less challenging. 

The particularly great thing that Black and White 2 managed was that, although they were direct sequels, they still managed to hold their own as individual games. 

It was therefore easy to play Black and White 2 even if you hadn’t played the originals – or any other Pokémon game for that matter. Managing a level of depth that’s engaging while maintaining accessibility is a commendable achievement for Generation V. 

Pokémon X and Y were a visual revolution for the Pokémon franchise, being the first games to be released on the 3DS console with truly 3D graphics.

Graphics in this entry were more gorgeous than they’d ever been, and we think we’ll always remember our first-ever time in Lumiose City. Additionally, we got a new type (fairy type), Mega Evolution, Pokémon-Amie and new character customization settings to go along with them.

Let’s not get too far, though, as X and Y do have the problem of trying to feel more like traditional RPG games without the compelling narrative to back them up.

You certainly get the sense the series is heading in a new directions with X and Y but the game still doesn’t quite know how much of the past games it should maintain. What you get, despite this, is a generation that’s a perfect gateway into the Pokémon series for those coming to it through Nintendo’s smaller mobile console. 

Now, while it may be near the bottom of this list of generations, that certainly doesn’t mean generation IV is bad in any way. Diamond, Platinum and Pearl came at a precarious time for the Pokémon series. It almost felt like the series was beginning to grow stale, and Game Freak was using these titles as something of a transition point before generation V’s changes. 

As a result, they’re games that play very well and offer a lot to enjoy, but they also don’t particularly stand out in memory for any particular reason. The Sinnoh region wasn’t really fresh or exciting, and the story and its legendary Pokémon aren’t exactly series high points. 

That said, Platinum did improve a lot for this generation, not just by adding numerous new Pokémon and improving the story, but also by refurbishing some of the cities and locations to make them a little more visually exciting. We’d definitely recommend picking up Platinum if you want to experience this generation. 

Generation IV is, however, at this point probably the most difficult to find, and you'll have more luck finding these titles pre-owned. 

They may have been the originals, it’s difficult to call the Generation I games the best. They’re the first Pokémon games we played, and they serve as a great introduction to the series. When they were first released they were consolidated into the anime, movies and merchandise very well. Now, however, it’s hard to deny that they’ve aged. 

Don’t get us wrong – they’re still completely wonderful, a gold mine of nostalgia and frankly essential to play, but we’re trying to tear off our rose-colored glasses here. They’ll always hold the title of being the originals, but next to later generations they appear kind of dull. It’s hard to imagine that someone new to Pokémon in this day and age could be convinced to continue playing by Generation I alone. 

For those of us who love them for the nostalgia, though, we’re glad to say Nintendo has made Red, Blue and Yellow available on the virtual console. 

Generation I will take you back to basics with a limited color palette, the original 151 Pokemon and the comfortable region of Kanto. These can be good or bad things. 

Though the overall Pokémon story and gameplay haven’t actually changed too much over the years, there have been many quality-of-life features added since that you may not even have noticed dramatically improved gameplay.

There’s also the fact that though the original 151 are great Pokémon, there really are some great additions in the later generations, and going back, 151 can actually feel a little limiting. They're not all great, either. Ekans is a snake, and its name is snake backwards; let's not fool ourselves into saying the Pokémon series was at its creative peak here. 

FireRed and LeafGreen are now likely the best way to experience this generation in terms of adding new features and improving visuals, but they’re not the easiest games to get your hands on for a decent price. 

This release on 3DS is far from the usual Pokemon fare. Like other spin-offs in the Pokemon franchise Detective Pikachu doesn't follow the route of asking you to catch 'em all and it completely stands on its own. It's also one of the most unique spin-offs we've seen from the series in years.

Here you'll play a young boy called Tim who joins up with the eponymous Detective Pikachu (no direct relation to Ash's Pikachu as far as we know) to solve a wide array of cases a'la the Ace Attorney series and unravel an overarching mystery around Tim's father. A word of warning here: Pikachu speaks in this game but his voice is so gruff and his attitude so snarky that it's completely welcome. 

Detective Pikachu isn't a challenging game by any means but its character relationships and completely fresh take on the Pokemon universe make it well worth playing. 

It’s not all colors and gemstones in the Pokémon game world. Outside of the mainline handheld titles, there are myriad side games released on both home and handheld consoles. 

Unlike the core games developed by Game Freak, these titles cross a variety of genres and come from a range of developers…

We're being gently nudged with our nostalgia with this choice, but we will say that we replayed Pokémon Snap on Nintendo 64 and were shocked by  how well it held up. 

Pokémon Snap was an amazing spin-off because though the premise is weird on paper, in practice it just clicks. Pokémon Snap let you enjoy the Pokémon world and the creatures that fill it in a way that didn’t focus on battling, and its pace was very soothing

The goal of the game was to be guided around a variety of highly thematically specific locations on Pokémon Island, and take photos of the Pokémon that inhabit said areas for Professor Oak’s latest research project.

Though the game was simple on the surface, for those willing to dig deeper it had a noticeable degree of depth and replay value. To this day it’s one of the most interesting and memorable Pokémon games, spin-off or not.

Pokémon Conquest is another Pokémon spin-off that stands out thanks to its unique approach and a knack to make a strange concept work against all odds. 

Made for Nintendo DS, Pokémon Conquest is essentially a game where the core Pokémon games meets the Japanese series Nobunaga’s Ambition. What you get from this meeting is a turn-based strategy title set in a Pokémon-populated feudal Japan.

In Pokémon Conquest combat still involves the tactical element of Pokémon types being strong and weak against one another. 

However, it demands another layer of planning, as rather than trainer-versus-trainer battles you’ll find battlefields that can have up to six Pokémon on each side. Each Pokémon is matched to its own warrior trainer, and it’s up to you to build the best team here to make victory more likely.

It’s not just battling in Conquest, either – there’s a story, and it’s a good one. In fact, Conquest offers some of the best writing and world-building across any of the Pokémon games, mainline titles included. 

Pokémon Ranger is a different take on the core series’ RPG gameplay for Nintendo DS in that it allows you to explore a different way people in the Pokémon world live and work with Pokémon. 

In this collection of games you play a ranger who temporarily captures and tames wild Pokémon, both to help them and to use their unique abilities to complete objectives and explore. Rather than training to be the very best, you’re solving ecological problems and defeating criminals; really, you’re much more of an obvious force for good in these games. 

The Ranger series makes good use of the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen in the capture process, which doesn’t involve any of those restrictive PokéBalls, and the graphics and environments are always bright and generally delightful. 

This is a series for altruistic Pokémon players, and it only grows in scope with each release.

Mystery Dungeon is an interesting spin-off in that it has you play as an actual Pokémon rather than any kind of human character. If you love taking Hogwarts house quizzes you’ll love the start of these games, as you're asked to take a short personality quiz in order to determine which Pokémon you should play.

When you start playing as your designated Pokémon you form a small team with other Pokémon, and take on missions across Mystery Dungeons. Your team is largely autonomous, but you can guide them slightly for strategic purposes.

Gameplay is turn-based, as is the Pokémon way, but battles and exploration aren’t as distinct here, so whether you’re taking a step, attacking, or using an item it counts as one turn. Though the games are repetitive, they’re still fun, and it’s refreshing to be able to have adventures as a Pokémon with other Pokémon in the way that a small number of anime episodes showed. 

Pokken Tournament is another Pokémon spin-off that puts players in the shoes of a Pokémon rather than a trainer, but here the focus is almost entirely on Pokémon battles alone. 

Essentially, Pokken Tournament is like if you took Pokémon and Tekken and combined them into one game. The combat mechanics will be very recognizable to anybody who's played games like Tekken or Street Fighter, but naturally, if you’re a Pokémon fan, there’s the added bonus that you could be fighting as your favorite pocket monster. 

But, unfortunately, there’s a catch: the number of Pokémon you get to choose from is kind of limited, but this does mean that each character feels distinct as a fighter, which makes forming a strategy much easier. 

It’d be pretty difficult to put the 800 Pokémon we now have in a game like this without making choosing one an exercise in torture (not to mention the balancing), but you can’t help but feel disappointed when you can't play as your favorite. 

For players who are interested in the more competitive side of gaming, Pokken Tournament certainly seems to be finding its feet in the area of eSports, which makes it an interesting game to watch as well as play. 

Before Pokémon Stadium launched way back in 1998, there were innumerable calls to bring Pokémon to Nintendo 64 in thrilling 3D. When it eventually happened, it wasn’t entirely what everyone expected or even wanted, but at least we still got a great game.

Pokémon Stadium strips away the RPG and story elements of the main series to focusing on battling, and becoming the very best Pokémon trainer there ever was. It’s Pokken before Pokken, and it was extremely successful. Though Stadium mostly focused on battling and rising through the ranks, there were also enjoyable mini-games to play. 

It was legitimately exciting to see your favorite Pokémon from Red and Blue battling in 3D on the big screen – and things only improved when the sequel added Generation 2 creatures a few years later.

It would be easy to assume that Colosseum was just going to be an ill-disguised update to Pokémon Stadium for Gamecube, but it actually ended up being more than that. Naturally it had something similar to Stadium’s arena battles, but it also included some of the RPG elements that Stadium opted to leave out. 

Rather than capturing Pokémon through random encounters, players were able to ‘snag’ corrupted shadow versions of other trainers’ Pokemon. The player could then save these corrupted Pokémon by purifying them through continued battling. It was as dark as it sounds.

This was definitely a different way to capture Pokémon, and it didn’t appeal to everyone. That said, Colosseum was otherwise a pretty solid offering with great graphics. Battling had never looked better, and there were several modes to be enjoyed in single and multiplayer.

A follow-up titled XD also focused on shadow Pokémon, but it added the ability to capture wild Pokémon in the way we were used to. This was, however, only possible in a small number of designated spots in the game world, which kind of took some of the randomness out of the idea of random encounters. XD also re-used a lot of content from the original Colosseum, which drags the games down in our estimation.

Hey You, Pikachu! is like Pokémon meets Nintendogs. It was developed for Nintendo 64, and used the console’s relatively under-utilized voice recognition unit to allow players to interact with their pet Pikachu.

Throughout the game you tag along with Pikachu, taking part in a variety of mini-games that range from fishing to picnicking, building your friendship as you go. It was simple (perhaps overly so) but it was fun, and we still think the game should be re-made for the Nintendo 3DS. Give us the choice between a Pikachu and a dachshund and we're not even going to hesitate, Nintendo. 

Pokémon Go is a more recent spin-off, and it’s also probably the most recognizable to those who aren’t already Pokémon fans. After all, it would’ve been hard to get through the summer of 2016 without seeing someone with their eyes glued to their phone playing this game. 

Pokémon Go is a great game because it’s so accessible, and it takes you out into the real world to catch Pokémon in a way we dreamed of throughout our childhoods. It’s not without its problems, and interest has definitely waned, but it’s being constantly updated by Niantic, and we can see it continuing to improve over the years. It’s definitely more than a Flash in Dark Cave. 

Trozei is pretty much Tetris for Nintendo DS that’s been modified to include Pokémon. Instead of colored blocks you have small Pokémon icons falling from the sky, and using the console’s touchscreen you order the characters to clear the space against the clock. It’s not groundbreaking, but Trozei is a fun puzzle game, and it made nice use of the different Pokémon types to introduce bonuses and combos.

The first Pokémon Pinball was the earliest Pokémon spin-off, coming out not long after Red and Blue, and it’s still one of the best. We all played the pinball game that came on the old Windows systems, we're sure, and we all loved it (we're also sure), so meshing this kind of gameplay with Pokémon was always going to work – especially since the ball was a PokéBall.

Colorful, fast-paced and fun, Pokémon Pinball is a spin-off classic.

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Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 11:49 AM PST

Pokémon Go: the world's first augmented reality app to become a household name. Niantic's mobile AR game is still going strong two years after it first released, with a constant drip of events and updates keeping budding trainers glued to their phones and pounding the streets.

And while it hasn't managed to top the peak of its popularity in 2016, it's still going strong and finding plenty of new ways to improve its player experience.

So what's the latest news for Pokémon Go? As you'd expect, brand new features are being added all the time and community events are still going strong. Plus we have some more themed events and brand new Gen 5 Pokémon to catch!

But without further ado, here's our guide to all the latest Pokémon Go news and updates.

Pokémon Go news and Pokémon Go updates

  • What's new? Niantic has announced a brand new Buddy Adventure feature is scheduled for before 2020.

Niantic Wayfarer

Niantic has announced that its Wayfarer tool is now accessible to Pokémon Go players level 40 and above. This tool allows players to submit nominations for Gyms and Pokéstops, giving them a say in new places to play. All players are now able to review nominations.

Extra storage

Sick of running out of space for all your Pokémon? Good news: Niantic has upped Pokémon Go's in-game storage space. Now, players can store up to 3000 Pokémon and 2500 items. Unfortunately the extra capacity isn't free—an extra 50 spaces for items or Pokémon will cost 200 PokéCoins.

Pokémon are appearing in more places

Niantic has confirmed that Pokémon are now more evenly distributed around the world. In areas that have had dense Pokémon population, players are likely to find them more spread out, while in areas where the population of Pokémon was sparse or even non-existant creatures will now appear more.

What's the next Pokémon Go Event?

Holiday Event

Pokémon Go is celebrating the festive season with its chilly Holidays 2019 event which will run from December 24 until January 1 2020. During the event, Pikachu, Raichu and Pichu will appear in special costumes while more ice-type Pokémon will appear in the wild. The adorable ice-type bear Cubchoo will even make its Go debut along with Cryogonal, which you'll have a chance of meeting when you use a Glacial Lure Module. 

Alolan versions of Sandshrew and Vulpix as well as festively dressed Stantler and Pichu will hatch from 7km eggs while costumed Stantler and Raichu will appear in two-star Raids. As ever there'll be event-themed Field Research Tasks which will give you the chance of encountering themed Pikachu and you can expect to see new Shadow Pokémon to save. 

Across the full event there will also be bonuses to enjoy which include the ability to open and carry twice as many gifts each day and one free single-use incubator for each day so that you can hatch more eggs. Each day will bring an additional bonus and you can check up on these here. 

December Event

In the midst of the Holiday Event is a special December event on December 28 from 11am to 7pm local time. 

During this event Glacial Lure Modules will last two hours, drawing in Pokémon like Lapras, Delibird, and Cubchoo. You can also use the Glacial Lure Module to evolve Eevee during the event to get a Glaceon that knows the Charged Attack Last Resort.

Regice the Iceberg Pokémon will return to Raids and there will be two additional Raid Passes released when spinning a Photo Disc at a Gym to give you a better chance of catching it.

When's the next Pokémon Go Community Day?

  • What date is the next Community Day? December 14 and 15
  • Who's the starring Pokémon? There are several! 

Niantic is celebrating the end of 2019 with a long Community Weekend in December. Taking place over December 14 and 15, from 9am to 9pm, the event will see an abundance of exciting encounters and Raids. It's also worth noting that Community Day exclusive moves from 2018 and 2019 will be available again across the weekend. 

December 14

On this day, players will be more likely to encounter Totodile, Swinub, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Ralts, Slakoth, Trapinch, Bagon, Turtwig, and Chimchar in the wild. In Raids, on the other hand, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Eevee, Dratini, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Mareep, Larvitar, and Beldum will be more common. 

When it comes to matching eggs you'll be more likely to see Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, Dratini, Totodile, Mareep, Swinub, Larvitar, Treecko, Torchic, Slakoth, and Bagon. 

Although the above takes place between 9am and 9pm, between 11am and 2pm players will be able to enjoy additional bonuses such as double Catch Stardust, double Catch XP, and half the Hatch Distance for Eggs.

December 15

On December 15 the Pokémon appearing more commonly in Raids and in the Wild remain the same but when it comes to Eggs, things are slightly different. Players will be more likely to hatch Squirtle, Eevee, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Mudkip, Ralts, Trapinch, Beldum, Turtwig, and Chimchar.

The 11am to 2pm bonuses are just the same too. 

Pokémon Go update: what's next?

Pokémon Go Buddy Adventure

Niantic has confirmed that a new Buddy Adventure feature is coming by 2020. This new feature will improve the bond between players and their Pokémon, allowing them to feed, play with, battle with and explore with them through the in-game map as well as AR+ mode. 

There will be four tiers of Buddy friendship: Good, Great, Ultra and Best. Each will bring benefits to players, from seeing their Pokémon follow them around in the game to having their Pokémon bring them items and helping them in encounters with Wild Pokémon. 

Becoming better friends with your Buddy Pokémon is simply a matter of building affection which you can do by spending time with them and completing their daily activities. 

It'll also be possible to see your friends' Buddy Pokémon in the Shared AR Experience mode. With this mode, you'll be able to sync up with up to two other players and take a photo of you and all your Pokémon together. 

GO Battle League

Niantic has announced that a new feature called GO Battle League will be coming to the game in early 2020. It will build on the current trainer battles system and will encourage players to get out and explore. According to Niantic, players will walk to earn entry into the Battle League. Once they're in they'll be able to battle players from around the world through an online matching system. Win and lose, they'll rise and fall in the ranks of the worldwide league. We'll keep updating with more information on Battle League as it's announced. 

Pokémon Go Plus deals

Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable? Check some of today's best deals down below.

(Image credits: Niantic/Pokémon Company)

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LogMeIn finalizes billion-dollar takeover

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 11:39 AM PST

LogMeIn has announced that it will be acquired by affiliates of Francisco Partners and the private equity affiliate of Elliott Management Corporation, Evergreen Coast Capital Corporation for $4.3bn.

The all-cash deal will see the company purchased for $86.05 per share. LogMeIn had a 52-week high of $98.67 per share and a low of $62.02 though the purchase represents a 25 percent premium on the closing share price on September 18th when it was first reported that the company was up for sale.

In a statement announcing the takeover, president and CEO of LogMeIn, Bill Wagner explained that the deal will be beneficial for both its shareholders and the company's future growth, saying:

“This transaction acknowledges the significant value of LogMeIn and provides our stockholders with a meaningful and certain cash offer at a compelling premium. Together, Francisco Partners and Evergreen are committed to addressing the unique needs of both our core and growth assets. We believe our partnership with Francisco Partners and Evergreen will help put us in a position to deliver the operational benefits needed to achieve sustained growth over the long term.”

LogMeIn acquisition

Francisco Partners and Evergreen are getting a wide portfolio of products including unified communications and collaboration (UCC) software as part of the deal.

Back in 2018, LogMeIn bought Jive Communications for $357m to help it expand into the unified communications market. However, the company's most well known product is GoToMeeting which it acquired from Citrix in 2016 for $1.8bn.

The deal is expected to close in mid 2020 following regulatory approval but LogMeIn also has a 45-day go-shop provision which allows it to find a buyer that will offer a better price than Francisco Partners and Evergreen.

Via TechCrunch

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Show your WoW Shadowlands faction pride with these super limited PC cases

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 11:01 AM PST

If you're dying to enter the Shadowlands in World of Warcraft, but need a new PC to get you there, you might want to go with a case that will let you represent. NZXT has just released a limited series in its CRFT lineup of licensed cases with both the Horde and the Alliance represented.

The new cases are selling for $199 (about £150, AU$290), with pre-orders available now and shipping expected in January. You can see the Horde case here and the Alliance case here.


Both cases come skinned in World of Warcraft style, with some maps of Azeroth as well as a backlit faction logo on the front of the case.

This is already a serious case for gaming, with two pre-installed fans. But these custom built chassis' let you show you're serious about your World of Warcraft faction as well. 

If you really want to show off your Alliance or Horde pride, you'll have to be quick if you want to get one, as NZXT is only making 1,000 of each faction case. All we're wondering is who will win this Alliance vs Horde battle. 



What's inside

These cases are custom versions of the NZXT H510 case, which is already one hell of a case. They have a steel build and a tempered glass side panel. That will let you show off not only your faction allegiance but also your sick PC build.

The case supports Mini-ITX, MicroATX, and standard ATX motherboards, so you can build the computer you want or transfer your current hardware into the new case. It has three 2.5-inch drive bays that are perfect for SSDs and three 3.5-inch drive bays that can house hard drives.

The front panel offers up a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, a jack for your headset, and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port.

The case is also designed to be kept clean. That starts with the built-in cable channels and straps, helping you keep your power and SATA cables tucked out of the way. There are also dust filters in the front panel and at the power supply intake, both of which are removable to clean off the dust they've kept out of your PC.

So basically, at the end of the day, this is everything you'd expect out of one of the best PC cases, but with the added bonus of being able to represent your WoW faction. 

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Barcelona vs Real Madrid live stream: how to watch today's El Clásico online from anywhere

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 10:57 AM PST

It's been some time in coming, but the first El Clásico of this season's La Liga campaign is finally here! And while it's fair to say neither of Barcelona or Real Madrid have so far been at their best this season, they nevertheless find themselves once again at the top of La Liga with little to separate between the two rivals. It's a match with a huge bearing on this year's title race - make sure that you don't miss a moment of the action by reading on to discover how to get a Barcelona vs Real Madrid live stream.

Barcelona come into the match having had their seven-match winning streak in all competitions brought to a halt on Saturday by Real Sociedad who held them to a 2-2 draw. Zinedine Zidane's Madrid couldn't capitalise on Barca's slip up however, after only managing a 1-1 draw in Valencia to keep them level on points on 35 but in second spot on account of goal difference.

Ousmane Dembélé and Brazilian midfielder Arthur are both ruled out for Barca through injury with Ivan Rakitic set to retain his place in the starting line up.

Real are set to welcome back Mendy after suspension but Marcelo remains on the wounded list and will miss out. 

Barcelona go into the game as favourites with the bookies, perhaps thanks to home advantage and having had an additional day of rest to prepare, but El Clásico matches are anything but predictable and Real will go into the match fancying their chances.

Watch all the drama unfold as it happens with our Barcelona vs Real Madrid live stream guide below. To find out how to watch the rest of the season's games, check out our guide on how to live stream the 19/20 La Liga football season.

Use a VPN to watch El Clásico from outside your country

Further down this page, you'll discover how to watch El Clásico football in the likes of the UK, US, Canada and Australia. It's even free in some places. You can generally tune in on TV or online.

But if you go to watch La Liga online from overseas, you'll quickly discover an obstacle - geo-blocking. That means you won't be able to watch the stream unless either you i) find some dodgy feed from Reddit (which we strongly don't advise), or ii) use a VPN (which we do, and it's really easy as well). 

How to stream Barcelona vs Real Madrid live in the UK

How to watch El Clásico: US live stream

How to live stream Barcelona vs Real Madrid in Canada

How to live stream El Clásico in Australia

How to watch La Liga football in New Zealand

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Adidas and Nike shoes are more expensive because of ‘sneaker bots’

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 10:42 AM PST

Buying sneakers is an expensive enough business as it is, but automated ‘sneaker bots’ getting in lightning-quick upon the launch of a hot new pair of kicks, and buying up stock – in order to resell for a massive profit later, when the entire inventory is sold out at retailers – is an increasingly aggravating issue for genuine buyers.

Not just purchasers, either, but said retailers are also suffering a great deal under the sheer weight of bots, which can suck up all their bandwidth – maybe even taking the site down – forcing them to take preventative countermeasures, while trying not to harm (or annoy) genuine buyers with those defenses (such as CAPTCHA tools, as an obvious example). Not to mention making the sneaker brands look even more expensive.

Security firm PerimeterX has penned an extensive blog post on just how active these sneaker bots remain, and how easily they are used.

Looking at two new pairs of popular shoes which hit shelves on November 2, and breaking down sales from a number of prominent shoe retailer websites, PerimeterX found that at launch time between 55% to 68% of all traffic was due to sneaker bots.

These were the Adidas soft version of Yeezy 500’s, and Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG ‘Fearless’, so in other words, when these shoes were released and the mad rush to buy them started, over half – spiking up to more than two-thirds – of all purchasers were automated bots.

So people who actually want to buy sneakers to wear them are seemingly in the minority, outmuscled by the folks looking to snatch as many pairs as they can, in order to resell them on third-party marketplaces or auction sites – inevitably at massively inflated prices.

It’s a situation gig goers will be very familiar with: tickets are released, and you click-click-click on the buy button the second they go on sale, only to be informed you’ve lucked out. Then you immediately check the third-party sites to see an absolute ton of tickets which profit-spinners are already trying to flog in their droves.

Botpocalypse now

So what’s to be done? Well, it’s a tricky problem to address in the world of sneakers. While in the US, the Bots Act of 2016 combats the usage of bots with regard to concert tickets, there is no such protection for shoes. There isn’t anything illegal about using bots to buy sneakers.

So there is no legal barrier, and also no skills barrier either, because all-in-one (AIO) bot software does everything for you, including evading detection.

As PerimeterX observes: “The Tesla of sneaker bots is a tool called CyberAIO by Cybersole. Designed with a beautiful User Interface, CyberAIO is also a technically sophisticated product.”

The firm adds: “CyberAIO users simply pick the sneakers they want to buy from a menu of upcoming drops, set a budget, and then sit back. CyberAIO covers over 170 sites, including not only sneaker retailers but also brand sites and streetwear companies like Supreme – another company that uses limited release items to drive awareness and brand perception.”

Further note that CyberAIO has just been released as Android and iOS apps.

The low-risk, high-reward world of sneaker reselling is becoming more and more popular then, and indeed even the apps like CyberAIO are very expensive as a result.

Despite retailers making all manner of resourceful moves in the past to try to defeat the sneaker bots – including tricking one into spending $10,000 (about £7,600) of its user’s money on a placeholder product – going by PerimeterX’s latest analysis, this still remains a big, thorny problem.

The security firm suggests that its bot mitigation service can help, naturally enough – or indeed any specialized bot mitigation solution, and doubtless some retailers may already be investigating this sort of tech.

For now, though, PerimeterX suggests that we can prepare for “winter sneaker drops [which] could cause a botpocalypse for unprepared retailers and brands”.

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Microsoft Office apps hit with more cyberattacks than ever

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 10:31 AM PST

New reports have claimed Microsoft Office was the most commonly exploited application worldwide as of the the third quarter of this year.

Research from PreciseSecurity.com found that Microsoft Office solutions and applications were the target of exactly 72.85 percent of cyber exploits this year according to the firm's research.

However, cybercriminals also targeted web browsers with 13.47 percent of the total number of exploits, Android (9.09 percent), Java (2.36 percent), and Adobe Flash (1.57 percent).

Web-based attacks

The report also collected data on which countries are the sources of web-based attacks to reveal that 79.16 percent of attacks originate from the United States.

The other top five countries include the Netherlands with 15.58 percent, Germany with 2.35 percent, France with 1.85 percent and Russia with 1.05 percent.

Of the vulnerabilities observed in Microsoft Office, the most common related to stack overflow errors in the Equation Editor application. Another important vulnerability that affected Microsoft's software was a zero-day issue referred to as CVE-2019-1367 which produced memory corruption and allowed for remote code execution on the target system.

Cybercriminals are constantly searching for new vulnerabilities to exploit which is why Microsoft and many other large tech companies have invested heavily into their bug bounty programs this year. By finding vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, businesses are able to remove one of the most potent weapons in a hacker's arsenal.

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This ludicrously good Apple AirPods deal drops the price to just £125

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:55 AM PST

Right now, we're seeing Apple AirPod deals in the UK for Christmas that are even better than their Black Friday prices. You can grab the standard 2019 AirPods for £125, which is about £4 less than we saw them for during the last sales rush. Amazon has this labelled as a 'Last-Minute Deal', and with Christmas around the corner, you'll want to act fast to grab this deal if you want it delivered in time for December 25. 

During Black Friday, we saw AirPods sell out at their discounted rate across the board, so these could sell out fast. Likewise, the more expensive wireless charging version of the 2019 AirPods are back down to £158.99, which is pretty much the sale price we saw previously. 

With these truly wireless earbuds, you can enjoy up to 20 hours of battery life and three hours of talk time with a single charge. Its H1 Chip allows for quicker pairing and connectivity with no issues, plus you can ask Siri questions as you go. It's unclear if this deal will be beaten in the run-up to Christmas, but given the demand for AirPods over the last month, you'll want to act fast to take advantage of this. 

UK Apple AirPod deals

If you'd rather wait in the event of a Boxing Day price cut, keep an eye on our Apple AirPods deals hub for updated prices on the earbuds. Need AirPods deals where you are? No problem. Our price comparison chart below can help.

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Best beginner mirrorless camera 2019: 10 budget options for new photographers

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:53 AM PST

If you're casual about your photography, then smartphones and compact cameras more than do the job. But they're also usually limited by small sensors and fixed lenses that don't offer the kind of next-level control that you need when taking your photography that little bit further.

This is where interchangeable lens cameras come in. In this guide, we've picked out the best entry-level mirrorless cameras that should fit your budget, aren't too bulky and hopefully won't be too perplexing as you learn how to use them.

Many of the mirrorless cameras in this group have APS-C sensors, but some of our favorites have slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds sensors. Both offer such a big improvement over smartphones and compacts that really there’s little to choose between them. To find out more about sensor sizes, take a look at our sensor guide.

Mirrorless cameras also offer interchangeable lenses. They will often come with a general-purpose 3x ‘kit’ zoom lens which are great to get you started with. Once you get a little bit more into it, you might find it worth investing in telephotos, macro lenses, super-wide-angles and more. It’s worth checking the lens ranges on offer, particularly if you might want to upgrade to a better camera in the range later on.

If you need more advice on exactly what to consider when buying a beginner mirrorless camera, head to the bottom of this page – for now, though, here are our favorite budget options for new photographers.

Best entry-level mirrorless cameras 2019 at a glance

  1. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III
  2. Fujifilm X-T100
  3. Panasonic GX9
  4. Sony Alpha A6100
  5. Canon EOS M50
  6. Fujifilm X-A7
  7. Sony Alpha A5100
  8. Canon EOS M200
  9. Olympus PEN E-PL9

Best mirrorless cameras for beginners in 2019

The retro-tastic E-M10 Mark III is styled like a DSLR, with a viewfinder mounted on the top, but this camera is so small it scarcely takes up more space than mirrorless cameras with no viewfinder at all. It has a Micro Four Thirds sensor a little smaller than the APS-C sensors used by rival makers, and 16 megapixels rather than the usual 24, but the smaller sensor means smaller, faster-focusing lenses, and you’re not likely to notice the difference in megapixels in real-world shooting. What you will notice is this camera’s great build quality and finish, its responsiveness, its excellent built in Art Filters and the rather clever shooting options in its Advanced Photo mode. Olympus offers a good range of lenses, too – as it shares the Micro Four Thirds mount with Panasonic, you can also swap lenses between manufacturers. 

Lovely to look at and use, the X-T100 is a great choice if you're looking for your first mirrorless camera. While the absence of an X-Trans sensor (Fujifilm's premium chip) might appear to be a little disappointing, the reality is that this has allowed Fujifilm to price the camera a little more aggressively. It's also fair to say that for most photographers the difference will be negligible, with the X-T100 delivering some of the best results you'll see from an entry-level mirrorless camera. 4K video capture capped at 15fps is also a bit of a let down for those who do a lot of video recording, though, while focusing speeds can be a little bit slow on occasion. Otherwise, Fujifilm's entry-level mirrorless camera is a very solid choice.

The Lumix GX9 from Panasonic represents excellent value for money. Its small size and weight not only make it ideal for those new to an interchangeable lens camera, but it's also well-suited for travel photography, too. The great feature set includes a built-in viewfinder, plus 5-axis dual image stabilization. One of our favorite features of all Panasonic cameras is the 4K Video and 4K Photo Modes. You can use the latter to extract stills from a movie to in order to freeze the perfect moment. As standard, the GX9 comes with a 12-32mm lens, which is a good optic to get you started with. Further good news is that there are dozens of different lenses available in the Micro Four Thirds mount, so this is a camera you can truly grow with.

Sony's A6000 was one of the most popular mirrorless models of the past few years, and while you can still buy it, the brand has refreshed it in the shape of the A6100. That brings a whole set of new features to Sony's entry-level offering, including improved video features which now include 4K. You also now get a touch-sensitive screen and advanced autofocus options which include the very well-performing Eye AF (for both humans and animals). An extensive range of different lenses are available for Sony's mount, so it's also a system you can be confident when investing in. As it stands, the A6100 is one of the most expensive models on this list – but the good news is that if you're happy with older tech, the A6000 is still very much available, and right now is a veritable bargain.

This great little all-rounder is the only budget-friendly EOS M series camera with an integrated viewfinder. Otherwise, you're doing your composing via the screen - not such a big deal if you're coming up from a smartphone, but viewfinders are great when bright light makes the screen a bit awkward to use. Plus there's the fact that shooting through a viewfinder just feels a bit more "authentic". Other tempting features include 4K video (just note that it's cropped), great autofocusing and an easy-to-use interface. 


Olympus is not the only company to make Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. They’re also made by Panasonic and, in fact, the lenses are interchangeable. Where Olympus cameras are all about style and creativity, Panasonic cameras are at least as technically capable but a little more down to earth. And they don’t come much more down to earth than the Lumix GX800 (known as the GX850 in the US), which combines small size with powerful features and exceptional value. You don’t get a viewfinder, but you do get 4K video and Panasonic’s 4K Photo modes, a 180-degree selfie screen, touch control and a terrific little 12-32mm retracting kit lens.

We've long been big fans of Fujifilm's beginner-friendly X-A cameras, which are the cheaper, simpler alternatives to its X-mount mirrorless cameras. And the X-A7 is its best one yet, with a revamped rear screen and improved autofocus performance. That large touchscreen LCD in particular makes it a great choice for those upgrading from their smartphones, while the new 24.5MP sensor produces crisp, sharp photos and now supports 4K / 30p video capture. Its autofocus is a big selling point too, with strong face- and eye-tracking that makes it particularly suitable for shooting people, if not action and sports. If you can get past the slightly awkward ergonomics, which are still a step up from a smartphone, then it'll make a great choice as your first camera.  

Launched in the same year as the A6000, the A5100 is also a highly competent camera whose price has dropped to bargain basement prices thanks to its age. Of course there's always a trade-off to be made for saving cash. Here the compromises are the lack of an electronic viewfinder, while the external controls are a lot more basic. Sony has done a great job to make a camera this small but it does leave it feeling slightly dwarfed by the 16-50mm kit lens. On the plus side, the A5100 does, however, have a 180-degree selfie screen. Now that we've seen some new APS-C mirrorless models – and lenses – from the company, we can also feel pretty confident that Sony is keen to keep investing in this format, too.

The Olympus PEN series is aimed squarely at beginners and smartphone upgraders, catering specifically for fashion-conscious bloggers and Instagramers. It does this with a blend of style, responsiveness and image quality that’s instantly endearing. Olympus’s ‘EZ’ pancake lens is a must-have companion for this camera, offering a 3x zoom range in a super-slim retracting design that means the PEN takes up little space in your bag. The latest of these is the E-PL9, which brings 4K video and better image stabilisation over the older model. That said, the E-PL8 is almost as good and that bit cheaper than the newer camera, this is still worth consideration as well. We think the older design looks better too!

Despite being succeeded by the newer Canon EOS M200, this model remains our budget pick of the EOS M range thanks to its competitive pricing. The EOS M100 offers an easy introduction to interchangeable lens cameras for smartphone or compact camera upgraders. But to make it ‘simple’, Canon has taken away a lot of the external controls, which means you spend more time in the menus and touchscreen interface. The plain rectangular body is also a little awkward to hold and shoot with. It doesn’t always capture sharp shots in low light, either, when rival cameras manage this perfectly well. The EOS M100 is small, simple and affordable nonetheless.

A word on value for money

Just because something is "cheap", that doesn't necessarily mean it represents value for money. If you find you quickly outgrow it and need to upgrade very soon, then you'll end up spending even more money. Some of the cameras here might seem expensive to somebody buying their first camera, but we will have recommended them as something that should last you for many years to come.

If you view your photography hobby as an investment, it will pay huge dividends if you can invest as much as you possibly can when you first get started. Inexpensive cameras can still do a good job, but when cutting back on price inevitably means that features and controls are missing – so ask yourself if the saving is worth missing out on something you think you'll need.

For example, the cheapest mirrorless cameras don’t usually have viewfinders, but these can be invaluable for shooting in bright light, when the screen on the back can easily suffer from glare and reflections, so we’d always recommend stretching to a camera with a viewfinder if you can.

Check out the specs of the rear screens, too. The size and resolution are not so important since they’re all quite similar these days, but a touchscreen display will make the camera feel more like a phone, making the transition to using a "proper" camera a little easier since you'll already be used to tapping, swiping and so on.

Finally, if you like to shoot video, you might want a camera that can shoot 4K, and not all of them can. Although it's becoming more common, it's still a somewhat new area for entry-level mirrorless cameras, and they don’t all do it (though they do all offer regular 1920 x 1080 Full HD).

All the mirrorless cameras we’ve chosen for this list are well suited to beginners because of their price, size, ease of use, features or all of those things. You can also take a look at our other buying guides below if you're still undecided. Otherwise, read on to see the 10 best entry-level mirrorless cameras you can buy right now. 

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Sort your internet plan out this Christmas with these 5 leading broadband deals

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:45 AM PST

You've got time off from work, you're with your family and the Christmas cheer is in the air! So what is the best way to celebrate this most wonderful time of the year? Sorting your internet plan of course!

Yes, many will grimace at the idea of hiding away in a corner with their egg nog hunting down broadband deals while Fairy Tale in New York blares in the background. But Christmas is looking like a great time to land yourself a leading broadband offer.

And luckily, to save you the time, stress and let you get back to sneak-eating mince pies, we've tracked down the five broadband deals most worth your consideration right now.

Everything from super fast fibre broadband deals to the UK's cheapest plan and all the way back round to a broadband and TV deal for the whole family. You can find our top picks below.

1. Where fibre speeds and affordable bills meet

2. The UK's cheapest broadband only deal

3. The best broadband deal from BT

4. Get it all with this NowTV broadband and TV deal

5. Faster Fibre at a bargain price

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Over a thousand schools hit by ransomware in 2019

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:17 AM PST

A new report from the security solutions provider Armor has revealed that 1,039 schools across the US have fallen victim to a ransomware attack in 2019.

Since January, 72 school districts have publicly reported falling victim to ransomware and 11 of these school districts had their systems affected by ransomware since the end of October, with 226 schools being directly affected as a result.

Armor's report shed further light on whether or not these school districts ended up paying the cybercriminals behind the attacks, saying:

"Of the 11 school districts hit in this last attack wave, only 1 has reported having paid the ransom, but did not disclose the sum (Port Neches-Groves), 3 reported having refused to pay (Wood County, Penn-Harris-Madison, Claremont) and 7 have not revealed whether they have paid the ransom or not."

Easy targets

Back in September, Armor reported that over 500 US schools were hit by ransomware since the beginning of the year. However, the number of affected schools more than doubled in under three months according to Armor's research.

Ransomware attacks can be devastating to schools according to Armor’s Head of the Threat Resistance Unit (TRU) research team, Chris Hinkley who explained why cybercriminals have begun to actively target the education sector, saying:

“The attackers know that the services these organizations provide are critical to their communities, and they also know that schools and municipalities are typically more vulnerable to security attacks because of their limited budgets and lack of IT staff. This combination can give the threat actors a tremendous advantage over their victims because they know these entities cannot afford to shut down and are often more likely to pay the ransom.” 

Across all industry sectors, Armor identified public ransomware attack reports from 269 organizations in the US since the beginning of the year. Municipalities were the biggest victim of ransomware attacks and they submitted 82 reports but the education sector wasn't far behind with 72 reports.

Via BleepingComputer

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What is Baby Yoda?

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:09 AM PST

The Star Wars faithful were getting excited about The Mandalorian as soon as it was announced for Disney Plus, but no one could've guessed that Baby Yoda was going to be the real star. The first live-action TV series to come out of the Star Wars universe features a guy who dresses a lot like Boba Fett, but the little green alien has stolen the show.

Since making his debut in The Mandalorian in November, Baby Yoda has been a sensation. A cuter, younger version of the ancient Jedi master, he’s one of the most endearing creatures ever seen on screen, and has since become the talk of the internet – a walking merchandising opportunity, and the source of wholesome memes.

But what is Baby Yoda? How does he fit into the Star Wars universe? And why is he such a big deal? We unleash the Bothan spies to find out.

What do we know about Baby Yoda?

The creature who’s become known as Baby Yoda is the surprise break-out star of The Mandalorian. Wisely kept hidden from all the pre-release marketing for the most anticipated show on the newly launched Disney Plus, he made his debut at the end of the show’s first episode. This was where we discovered that the lucrative target the eponymous Mandalorian bounty hunter was pursuing was actually a green alien infant with large ears – who looked a lot like a certain diminutive Jedi Master… 

He’s clearly of massive importance to the mythology of The Mandalorian – and Star Wars as a whole. The mysterious Client (played by legendary movie director/actor Werner Herzog) hired numerous bounty hunters (including assassin droid IG-11) to bring back “The Child” – as he’s officially known in the show – with the successful hunter being handsomely rewarded. 

The Client – who, going on his choice of Stormtrooper bodyguards and Imperial insignia around his neck – is probably connected to the now-defunct Empire, apparently wants something from the child. “I order you to extract the necessary material and be done with it,” he tells underling scientist Dr Pershing, but we have no idea what that material might be. 

We’d be very surprised, however, if it didn’t have something to do with the Force – and rebuilding the Empire into what will become the First Order in Episodes 7, 8 and 9. Maybe they’re planning on removing the Midi-chlorians (Force-carrying particles) from his blood – that would explain why they were so keen on capturing Baby Yoda alive. 

 Is Baby Yoda a clone? 

The Baby Yoda clone theory suggests that Dr Pershing is actually a cloning scientist, based on the symbols on his uniform. That hints that the little alien was created on Kamino at the same facility where the Clone troopers were made, and that there's a strong connection between Baby Yoda's origins and that part of the Star Wars universe. 

Cloning is a big part of the Star Wars universe – indeed, clones fought an entire war – so the theory went that Baby Yoda could be a young copy of the original model. However, in Chapter 7 of the show, Kuiil (Nick Nolte) comments that the character doesn't look like he's been engineered, based on his experience on gene farms. So many mysteries still remain around Baby Yoda.

This being Star Wars, however, there are plenty of other theories flying around the internet. One suggests he’s the child of Yoda and Yaddle, and in terms of timelines, that’s not preposterous. If Baby Yoda is 50 years old, he’d have been born about 10 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, and presumably both Yoda and Yaddle would have been on the Jedi Council at that point. It’s also unlikely, however, because Jedi have strict rules preventing romantic relationships – and Yoda’s never given us any indication he’d be the kind of guy to break them. 

Some say he could be a reincarnation of the Jedi master. That would be new territory for Star Wars, but the post-Disney buyout Star Wars universe has frequently played around with the rules of the Force, so it’s not impossible. That said, the fact that Yoda died only five years earlier makes it too late for him to have been reborn as a kid who’s now 50, so this is probably one to file in the “pinch of salt” column.

Intriguingly, the date of Baby Yoda’s birth is very close to Anakin Skywalker’s – within a year, in fact. The Phantom Menace hints very strongly that the future Darth Vader had no father and was conceived by the Midi-chlorians. Perhaps the similarly Force-sensitive Baby Yoda came into existence at the same time in the same way, as part of the Midi-chlorians’ efforts to bring balance to the force.

Finally comes the option that he’s simply some random member of Yoda’s species, with no connection to him beyond that. But hey, this is Star Wars where everyone’s destiny is interlinked, so does anyone really believe that?

Is Baby Yoda in The Rise of Skywalker?

Sorry, but Baby Yoda does not appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He remains The Mandalorian's special little guy. Director JJ Abrams has confirmed that he's not in Episode 9.

What is the name of Yoda's species?

Nobody knows – which is odd in itself. 

The Star Wars franchise has a long history of creating names for almost every character, species or planet that’s ever appeared in a movie, TV show or book – even if they’ve had mere seconds of screentime. For example, the Death Star trash compactor monster in Star Wars: A New Hope was subsequently designated a dianoga, while the space slug that tries to eat the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back is an exogorth. 

Yoda is a special case, however. Before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, the Star Wars creator had a strict rule that specific information about Yoda and his past was out of bounds for writers. That means we have no idea where he originated or what species he belongs to. The closest Lucas came to giving anything away was describing Yoda as “the illegitimate child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy”, though we suspect that’s not official Star Wars canon… 

It’ll be interesting to see if, now Disney is in charge, they continue to follow Lucas’s directive to keep all things Yoda classified, or use Baby Yoda as an excuse tell us more about Yoda Sr’s mysterious past.

We do know, however, that Yoda’s species is naturally strong with the Force – and not just because Yoda himself had an incredibly successful career as a Jedi master. Even as an infant, Baby Yoda has the power to levitate a giant (and angry) Mudhorn, while the only other member of the species to feature on screen, as mentioned earlier, was Yaddle, a female member of the Jedi Council. She briefly appears in The Phantom Menace. 

Why is Baby Yoda such a big deal? 

Begun, the merchandising has. 

Basically, the internet loves him – forget Porgs, this kid is arguably the cutest thing ever to come out of that galaxy far, far away. As soon as he made his debut in The Mandalorian’s first chapter, Baby Yoda became a meme generator of awe-inspiring power, and the most talked about thing in the show. Everything he does is guaranteed to make you go “Aww”, whether he’s sleeping, drinking soup, or even eating a frog creature alive – Baby Yoda can get away with pretty much anything.

Baby Yoda toys are real, and coming in 2020

It’s unlikely the merchandising bosses at Disney were complaining when the production team introduced Baby Yoda to the The Mandalorian’s story. Indeed, characters as cute as him are a dream come true for anyone who wants to sell lots of toys and clothing – unsurprisingly, there’s already some merch available (including the inevitable Funko Pop! Vinyl figure), with more to follow in 2020. 

Here's a short list of the highlights, if you need any of them in your life:

Still, while you might find Baby Yoda a bit cynical, the fact that showrunner Jon Favreau and Chapter One director Dave Filoni were able to hold the character reveal until the show aired – keeping Baby Yoda’s existence a secret until The Mandalorian made its debut – suggests that in this case, keeping the storytelling sacred was the priority. After all, keeping Baby Yoda a secret arguably denied The Mandalorian and Disney Plus the biggest pre-launch marketing opportunity their hot new show was ever going to get.

Baby Yoda memes: there are so many

Cementing his status as 2019's icon, Baby Yoda memes are all over the internet right now. Instead of listing them all here, we've embedded one of the highlights above, and clicking on this link will unleash more than one person can ever reasonably happen. Good luck. 

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Grab six months of Game Pass Ultimate for less with this wallet-saving deal

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 09:07 AM PST

Buy three months of Xbox's all in one subscription service and you'll get three months free with this fantastic Game Pass Ultimate deal. Walmart are giving away memberships to Microsoft's online play and game subscription service this week - just purchase a standard $44.99 three month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate and Walmart will double your months for free! At $7.49 a month, you're getting a half-price deal on Xbox's most expensive (but oh so alluring) membership to date. 

Game Pass Ultimate works to combine the online Live Gold service with the wildly popular game subscription library, Game Pass. You're getting access to exclusive discounts, a massive library of amazing free games (to which Microsoft will now be adding their first-party titles on day one), and the ability to play online with one easy to manage subscription. 

If you've never used Game Pass Ultimate before, however, there's an easy way to save even more cash and pick up more months in the process. Keep reading below to find out more: 


The best Game Pass Ultimate deal

If you've never used Ultimate before, stop what you're doing. You can get an even better Game Pass Ultimate deal by picking up an Xbox Live Gold subscription from Walmart. The same deal applies here, so you can pick up three months and get another three for absolutely nothing. The kicker here is that Live Gold is considerably cheaper than Game Pass Ultimate - just $24.99. That, and this nifty little Xbox hack, means you can get a much better Game Pass Ultimate deal if you're new. This can only be done by those new to Ultimate, so unfortunately if you're just looking to top up your months, you won't be able to take advantage.

But how?

Xbox is currently running a promotion in which first-time users can try Game Pass Ultimate for just $1 - the punch line is that when this is activated on an account that has Xbox Live Gold months already stored up, those months are automatically converted to the premium service. Make sure you've activated your Live Gold months before you sign up for the $1 trial and once you do, you'll watch all those cheap months you paid for magically turn into a glorious Game Pass Ultimate subscription. This way, you're essentially picking up six months of Game Pass Ultimate for $24.99 - just $4 a month.

The trick is fully endorsed by Xbox, who are encouraging their punters to take advantage of the deal for as long as possible, though you'll only be able to stack 36 months at a time. 

Looking for more? We've got all the best Xbox Live Gold prices around, and a collection of great Xbox Game Pass subscription sales from across the web. 

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These amazing last-minute Surface Pro deals are back down to Black Friday prices

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 08:57 AM PST

Looking for a new computing experience in 2020? These last-minute Surface pro deals can save you hundreds in the run up to Christmas. Microsoft have cut plenty of their Surface Pro 6 deals back down to their Black Friday price tags as we turn the corner to the holidays, with fantastic savings across i5 and i7 specs with plenty of SSD storage to boot. Even better, many of the Surface Pro deals available in the US also contain the Signature Type Cover keyboard included in the price tag - a rare saving on the pricy accessory. 

The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is a lightweight two-in-one laptop with a multi-touch display and powerful quad-core processing under the hood. The 2018 model boasts an impressive 13-hour battery life and 770g - 784g slimline weight - perfect for on the go productivity with a gorgeous design to be proud of. It's a perfect coffee shop companion, and whether you're simply using the device for everyday browsing and work or more hardcore media editing, there are configurations and price points for all scenarios. 

While the Pro 7 and Pro X are now widely available, with the Pro 7 even seeing its own discounts in the US and in the UK this week, these Surface Pro 6 deals save you far more cash on a machine that matches up to its younger siblings in design and performance. These Microsoft Surface Pro deals offer far more value for your money than the price tag on the latest model offers, leaving more room for you to pick up some excellent accessories while you're there. 

If you're not finding the configuration for you in this selection of deals, we've got plenty of Surface Pro prices to choose from. If you're curious about what Apple have to bring to the tablet, check out our best iPad deals right here. We're also tracking all the latest laptop deals in case you decide to go down a more conventional laptop route. 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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