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Tag: Analysis

  • The Walking Dead is building to something — but it’s not clear what

    The Walking Dead is building to something — but it’s not clear what

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    For a little while, it seemed like The Walking Dead was eager to use its popularity as a platform to create an entire universe of zombified television. First, there was the spinoff/prequel Fear the Walking Dead, followed by The Walking Dead: World Beyond and then the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead. Each one intermingled with the original show, but for the most part, they were intent on telling their own stories. Fast-forward to 2024, and the former two series have ended, while Tales got an order for another season last year with no further news.

    This leaves us with the question: What do we want out of The Walking Dead now? Because it seems like whatever plans AMC had for a sprawling empire have been whittled back down to focusing on what the central characters of the main show have been up to. Dead City looks at Negan and Maggie, Daryl Dixon is concerned with the titular badass, and The Ones Who Live reunites Rick and Michonne, the franchise’s power couple who previously departed The Walking Dead, leaving it to end in a rudderless, underwhelming fashion. Is the future of The Walking Dead… The Walking Dead divided into three shows?

    If it’s a ploy to regain a dwindling audience, it makes sense. At its height, The Walking Dead was a ratings behemoth. Its peers in the “prestige TV” boom of the 2010s might have eaten its lunch in terms of sustained critical appraisal, but at its height, the fifth-season premiere scored 17.29 million viewers. To put that in perspective, the finale of Breaking Bad had 10.28 million.

    Going back to the “glory days” with a handful of the characters most associated with them seems to be a good idea in perhaps luring back the viewers that absconded from the show due to its exhausting length or unpopular creative decisions. The debut of The Ones Who Live nabbed 3 million viewers, a far cry from the massive numbers it once landed a decade ago, even considering TV viewership being down in general. However, it’s a marked improvement from the relatively measly audience of the final season. And AMC is happy with the show’s performance on its streaming service, AMC Plus.

    As a way to reignite its narrative potency, it’s a more questionable direction. Dead City, in particular, suffers from a “been there, done that” feeling — didn’t Maggie already sort of forgive Negan for whacking her beloved Glenn with a baseball bat back in the original? Do we really need another series where they have to play an apocalyptic odd couple and go through the same emotional arc again?

    Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC

    Maggie (Lauren Cohan) holding a knife to Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) throat

    Photo: Peter Kramer/AMC

    Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) standing and looking at some zombies in the woods in a still from The Ones Who Live

    Image: AMC

    Daryl Dixon thrives on Norman Reedus’ bottomless well of likability and an engaging atmosphere. And with best pal Carol co-headlining the upcoming season 2 of his spinoff, we’re likely to get something at least somewhat watchable. However, with franchise overseer Scott Gimple seemingly set on one day reuniting the gang, will it eventually feel like Daryl ’n’ Carol are just spinning their (motorcycle) wheels until we can get the Avengers of Walking Dead side projects? And aren’t all of these Walking Dead spinoff leads coming together just… The Walking Dead?

    And considering that The Walking Dead ended with a look toward the future, what wider meaning is there for them to reunite aside from a nostalgic group hug? The zombies have become a bit of an afterthought as the world moves toward rebuilding itself, and they mostly serve as a fleshy obstacle course in 2024. There is always some terrific gruesomeness to be mined from The Walking Dead’s consistently stellar makeup and practical effects, but piecing the cast back together for the sole purpose of seeing them beside one another, squaring off against undead hordes, feels a little empty. The Walking Dead managed to shock us in its early years thanks to its commitment to going the distance in showing that no one is safe from the zombies, but a reunion tour of all the people that were clearly safe misunderstands the “glory years” that the creators want to return to.

    Luckily, The Ones Who Live is tapping into some much-needed emotional territory and making it seem like the event that it wants to be (even if the zombie horror aspect has long since rotted). Rick Grimes, now an established soldier of the paramilitary group CRM, must reconcile with his guilt and survival instincts when Michonne, his sword-wielding partner and the mother of his youngest child, comes back into his life to corral him and bring him home. It’s something that Grimes wrestles with, as heading off might put him and the people he loves in the line of fire from the CRM, who has some serious dirt on him and the community he left behind.

    “What We,” the fourth episode of the new show, might be one of the best in the franchise’s history that doesn’t focus on undead bloodshed. A good chunk of it is devoted to Rick and Michonne arguing and finally getting to reflect upon the world-weariness that an experience like this would instill. In particular, Rick finds it hard to return to his family because of what happened with his late son Carl, and The Ones Who Live gives him a chance to properly grieve for the ones who don’t. He doesn’t want anyone to have to go through that kind of pain again, nor does he believe that he’d be able to. They’d all be much safer if he bore the weight of their tragedy alone. It is misguided patriarchal martyrdom, but it makes sense for Rick.

    Michonne (Danai Gurira) standing above Rick (Andrew Lincoln) holding his chin in her hand

    Photo: Gene Page/AMC

    Of course, Michonne is able to convince him of the fact that he’s Rick Grimes, that he shouldn’t give up, that there’s more out there for the pair, etc. But Rick Grimes being reduced to an anxious, melancholy shell of a man and giving him an ultimate redemption makes The Ones Who Live feel like a fitting narrative follow-up to The Walking Dead and the closest thing the show has gotten to a proper epilogue. It could have very easily been a hollow attempt to draw in the unconvinced crowd with “Hey, it’s that sheriff guy that you liked!” Instead, it competently grapples with Rick as a character that’s been through so much trauma rather than Rick as a returning action hero.

    On a wider level, The Ones Who Live can also serve as a fitting cap to the escalating threats of the show. The “We are the Walking Dead” mindset, where the physical menace of the zombie (amid a pop culture saturation of zombie media at the time) was no match for the terrifying specter of your fellow man, produced bad guys like the unstable Governor, the brutal Negan, and a host of other antagonists that ranged from wannabe cults to cannibals. The CRM, an army equipped with massive firepower that is willing to adjust the world to its specific definition of law by force, is the logical “final boss” of The Walking Dead. By fighting back against them, Rick and Michonne aren’t just taking on a rival group but helping decide the order of the future.

    Where this leaves the end goal of The Walking Dead remains to be seen. It could all be pointing toward some eventual grand reunion, given that the original show concluded with Michonne and Daryl both running off to find Rick. But the first seasons of both Dead City and Daryl Dixon end with the shows spiraling off further into their own specific plots, so it will be a while before the gang gets back together again.

    Until then, The Walking Dead franchise is in, essentially, its DLC era. What you want out of The Walking Dead depends on how attached you are to certain characters, and luckily, there’s now DLC side quests available for a few of them. It remains to be seen if these threads will ever interconnect again (now that every actor is on their own show, AMC would also have to deal with a truckload of contractual issues if it wanted to then push them back into the same series), so until then, The Walking Dead survives entirely on audience interest in the solo exploits of characters it worked to build together. With 11 seasons of the main show, AMC did plenty of asking for you to wait for plots to be resolved and character arcs to be fulfilled. And now, with the hint of bigger things to come and a host of orbiting spinoffs, it’s asking you to wait just a little while longer. For what? We’ll just have to see.

    The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is now streaming on AMC Plus.

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    Daniel Dockery

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  • Rockies Journal: Dorothy adores baseball but these Rox are testing her love

    Rockies Journal: Dorothy adores baseball but these Rox are testing her love

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    PHOENIX — Dorothy Star grew up outside Boston, so she’s a baseball fanatic. She knows about the Curse of the Bambino, Fenway Park, Carl Yastrzemski, Bucky Dent, Billy Buckner and the 1986 World Series.

    “I think I understand baseball passion,” she said.

    Dorothy and her husband, Vic, have been married for 43 years. They moved to Colorado 40 years ago, and when the Rockies were born in 1993, Dorothy immediately adopted the team as her own.

    She loved the Blake Street Bombers, reveled in Rocktober, and marveled at Nolan Arenado.

    “It used to be so much fun to go to Coors Field,” she said.

    Though she lives in Frisco, Dorothy estimates she’s attended about half of the Rockies’ home games.

    “I’ve never left a game early,” she said.

    When the team unveiled Rockies.TV, its new streaming service, she signed up immediately.

    “I wanted to be able to watch some spring training games,” she said. “I wanted to see some of the young players.”

    Dorothy wants to continue attending games, but that won’t be easy. She is 76, has lived with leukemia for 17 years, and has other health issues. She and Vic are contemplating moving to Denver for better health care access.

    Dorothy tries to keep her life in perspective.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Broncos mock draft: What happens if Denver trades back in the first round?

    Broncos mock draft: What happens if Denver trades back in the first round?

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    In the last two mock drafts, we addressed how this April’s draft might play out if the Broncos turned to the trenches in the first round by taking a defensive tackle or offensive lineman.

    This time, after the Broncos failed to land a veteran quarterback in the first wave of free agency, we look at what happens if the franchise opts to address the most important position in football.

    Although head coach Sean Payton still hopes to add another experienced signal caller to the room, there appears to be more pressure to find a quarterback through the draft. We’ve already explored what the Broncos would have to send away in order to trade up for one of the draft’s coveted QBs. But in this exercise, will look at what happens if Denver trades down in the first round to land its quarterback of the future while also adding another playmaker on offense.

    First Round (No. 19 via Rams)

    Denver trades: No. 12 and No. 136

    Denver receives: No. 19 and No. 52

    QB Bo Nix, Oregon 

    With Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy likely getting picked inside the Top 10, the Broncos turn to the next best thing, and that’s Nix. The 24-year-old put up impressive numbers during his time with the Ducks, throwing for 8,101 yards, 74 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. More importantly, Nix has the tools that Payton looks for in a quarterback, such as efficiency, processing and ability to extend plays. The Heisman Trophy finalist will also provide experience, having played 61 career games in college. A quarterback battle with Jarrett Stidham awaits in training camp.

    Second Round (No. 52 via Rams)

    TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

    Tight end is one of the biggest needs for Denver. In New Orleans, Payton had players like Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook and Jeremy Shockey as vertical threats at the position. Greg Dulcich fits that mold, but his injury history makes it difficult to rely on him. Sanders has the potential to improve Denver’s tight ends room, which combined to catch 39 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. Sanders is ranked first all-time among Texas tight ends in career receptions (99), second in receiving yards (1,295) and sixth in receiving touchdowns (seven). Last season, He totaled a career-best 682 receiving yards on 45 catches while averaging 15.2 yards per reception.

    Third Round (No. 76)

    CB Renardo Green, Florida State 

    After Denver used its first two picks to improve the offense, the team addresses the defense. Green, who spent five seasons at Florida State, is a physical corner who plays well in man coverage. He collected 43 tackles and 13 passes defended last season, earning himself second-team All-ACC honors. In the season opener against LSU, Green held Malik Nabers — one of the top wide receivers in the draft — to two catches for 20 yards on five targets, according to Pro Football Focus.

    Fourth Round (No. 121 via Dolphins)

    EDGE Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State 

    Kamara is one of the best pass rushers in Rams history, ranking second all-time in career sacks (30.5) and third in career tackles for loss (45.5). He and UCLA edge Laiatu Latu were tied for fourth in the country with 13 sacks in 2023. Kamara has violent hands and plays with a ton of power. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is high on Kamara. “He gives you everything you want on every snap in terms of effort,” Kiper said in a conference call with reporters last week. “I love everything about this kid.”

    Fifth Round (No. 145 via Jets)

    OT Matt Goncalves, Pittsburgh 

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    Ryan McFadden

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  • False Dosage Labels on 96% of Tested Amazon Hemp Products, Many With No Hemp or CBD

    False Dosage Labels on 96% of Tested Amazon Hemp Products, Many With No Hemp or CBD

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    In the midst of blossoming cannabis and CBD reform throughout the West, hemp-derived cannabinoid products are increasingly taking center stage as legislators continue to raise red flags surrounding the lack of regulation and intoxicating potential of these products.

    Just in the past several months, a number of states have moved to introduce new policies to limit or ban the sale of psychoactive hemp-derived cannabinoid products, like delta-8 THC. Similarly, many are calling out some of the issues surrounding the regulatory gaps surrounding hemp-derived products in the market.

    Among them is CBD Oracle, a consumer research company aiming to improve safety and transparency surrounding cannabis products. 

    Most recently, it turned its attention to CBD gummies and other hemp products available for purchase on Amazon.com. While the company notes that Amazon will “tell you confidently” that they do not allow CBD gummies on the platform, CBD Oracle’s new independent analysis on such products begs to differ.

    A Look at Amazon’s Approach to Hemp and CBD Products

    While Amazon doesn’t technically allow CBD products, CBD Oracle suggests that sellers on the site largely get around this obstacle by avoiding the term “CBD” and instead using “hemp” on packaging and in product descriptions. 

    Neurogan CEO Jan Brandup said that Amazon’s “hemp products” are not related to actual hemp and rather use the term as a sales tactic.

    “It’s alarming how easily consumers are deceived into trusting these products, just because they are sold on a reputable platform like Amazon,” Brandup said. “The best case is they may drain your wallet.”

    Sunday Scaries CEO Mike Sill agreed, adding that many of the products on Amazon automatically lack credibility and ultimately quality due to the nature of the platform’s regulations.

    “When you search for ‘CBD gummies’ on the platform, no reputable brands populate in your search results,” Sill said. “The reason for this is that credible brands like Sunday Scaries, Charlotte’s Web and cbdMD are not allowed to sell on Amazon without being banned.”

    Rather, Sill said these companies engage in “brand burning,” meaning that once they are banned from Amazon, they essentially rebrand with a new name and packaging only to reupload the same products to the site and continue sales.

    “Their business model doesn’t include a focus on building a reputable brand and providing the highest quality and safest products to consumers; they are just looking for a quick sale and will do whatever is necessary to stay ‘live’ on Amazon,” Sill said.

    So what exactly do Amazon “hemp” products contain?

    Investigating the Contents of Amazon’s ‘Hemp’ Products

    In an effort to analyze the specific contents of CBD products on Amazon, the company purchased 56 of the most popular hemp products on the site and tested them through InfiniteCAL Labs. Most of the products (80%) were gummies, with eight tinctures, two topical creams and one pack of mints. A majority (89%) also made specific numerical claims regarding dosage.

    Around 30% (17 of 56) of the products tested contained CBD, averaging 547 mg per package. However, there was a large variance in CBD quantity between products, with a minimum of 28 mg of CBD and a maximum of 1,582 mg. While CBD Oracle notes that this at least shows Amazon isn’t being totally dishonest about some of these products containing hemp and hemp compounds, it still violates Amazon’s policies and may not be legally compliant.

    THC is also banned from Amazon sales, though six (11%) of the tested products contained the cannabinoid with the three containing the most comprised primarily of delta-8 THC. While all of the products were under the THC threshold set by the 2018 Farm Bill, the three delta-8 products “had very high quantities of THC” with 641, 2,507 and 3,028 mg per pack. The product with the highest amount of THC had 76 mg per gummy.

    The majority of tested products (35 of 56 products, or 62.5%) contained no cannabinoids at all with more than a third (24 of 56 products, or 43%) containing no hemp.

    InfiniteCAL Lab Manager Dr. Erik Paulson explains that hemp is typically infused into consumable products through hemp seeds, which contain no cannabinoids, or through extractable material pulled out of leaves, stems or buds — generally to create cannabinoid-infused products.

    “Simply put, if you buy ‘hemp’ from Amazon it is likely that you will actually be buying an expensive jar of gummy bears. Gelatin and sugar, priced at a premium,” CBD Oracle notes in the report.

    The report also confirmed that a whopping 96% of tested products did not advertise an accurate dosage.

    “If we assume the dosage listing refers to cannabinoids (and not just the total mass of hempseed oil), just two products were confirmed by lab testing to have a dosage within 10% of that listed on their labels,” the report states. “They contained an average of just 25% of the advertised dosage. In most cases, this was less than advertised, but one product primarily containing delta-8 THC had twice the promised dosage.”

    In addition, 52% of the products appeared to make an unapproved medical claim, and almost 95% of products did not provide Certificates of Analysis (COA), typically considered an essential for reputable companies selling hemp products.

    A Growing Issue and Potential Solutions

    While the report focused on Amazon products, CBD Oracle notes the prevalence of this trend, as other companies like eBay, Walmart and Alibaba carry similar products — sometimes the exact same options.

    Authors note the potential ramifications of selling these products, beyond safety and health concerns, in that it could undermine the broader hemp and cannabis industries and the reform progress so many are actively pushing for.

    “Amazon has demonstrated that they don’t understand the difference between hemp seed oil and hemp extract that contains cannabinoids,” said Forge Hemp’s Kelly Lombard. “As long as sellers are vague about a product’s contents, Amazon doesn’t seem to care. This is problematic because U.S. consumers need more information about hemp and CBD, not less. Amazon’s convenience and return policy may entice more consumers to try hemp products, but if their experience is negative, that hurts the industry.”

    CBD Oracle also lists some potential solutions to remedy these issues, though they largely fall on Amazon to either adhere to more strict verification and COA guidelines, if not completely remove any products making false claims. They note that customers tend to have limited impact and that individual efforts to combat or report these products may ultimately result in frustration and wasted time. 

    Authors also cite that the current model, a blanket ban on CBD encouraging companies to be dishonest and actively work around it, may not be the answer.

    “Even establishing a bare minimum requirement for hemp sellers — showing an up-to-date lab report — would be enough to send the snake oil sellers running for the hills,” the report concludes. “Will you be able to pretend that CBD isn’t available on your platform? No. But customers who are buying CBD on your platform — who already exist, like it or not — would be much, much more likely to get safe products that offer what they say on the label.”

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    Keegan Williams

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  • Rockies Journal: Questions to ponder as regular season nears, including cable TV situation that remains unresolved

    Rockies Journal: Questions to ponder as regular season nears, including cable TV situation that remains unresolved

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Questions to ponder as the Rockies near Thursday’s season-opener against the Diamondbacks:

    Will fans be able to watch games via traditional cable?: The Rockies continue to say that negotiations are ongoing to find a way for fans to watch games on systems like Comcast, Dish Network or DirectTV. I was originally told that a deal would hopefully be worked out before the regular season begins. However, there are no guarantees that’s going to happen, leaving some fans in limbo.

    Will fans pay to stream games via Rockies.TV?: That’s the multi-million-dollar question facing owner Dick Monfort. The club launched its online streaming service last month. Rockies.TV will show all Rockies games this season, with Major League Baseball producing and distributing the games.

    MLB will also remove blackouts for fans, meaning that for the first time, fans in the Rockies’ traditional TV territory can live stream all of the club’s games. To stream Rockies games only, the cost will be $19.99 per month or $99.99 for the season.

    Streaming all sports, not just baseball, is the wave of the future. But several disgruntled fans have told me they won’t pay $19.99 monthly to watch a team that lost 103 games last season. I’m not sure I believe many of them. Baseball is part of the fabric of summer, and I think fans would miss tuning in to the local team more than they realize.

    Still, it’s going to be a hard sell. Two years ago, the Rockies drew an average of just 15,000 household viewers per game via traditional TV, according to Forbes and Nielsen Media. Only the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics had worse ratings.

    Will attendance tumble at Coors Field?: A little bit, but I don’t see a giant slide. Last season, the Rockies averaged 32,196 fans per game at Coors Field, down only slightly from the 32,467 average from 2022. Even if the Rockies stumble early — a distinct possibility — they have the Red Sox coming into town for three games after the All-Star Game and they end the season with the Cardinals and Dodgers coming to LoDo for what could be meaningful games for the visitors.

    Which Rockies will make the All-Star Game?: We know every team sends at least one player to the Midsummer Classic, but I’ll give you three Rockies who could end up at Globe Life Field on July 16 in Arlington, Texas.

    Topping my list is left fielder Nolan Jones, a terrific athlete who has a chance to be an impactful power hitter. On deck is second baseman Brendan Rodgers. He’s had an excellent spring, and his confidence is sky-high.

    My wild-card choice is veteran lefty Kyle Freeland. Manager Bud Black said recently that he’s never seen Freeland pitch better. That’s saying something, considering that Freeland went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA over 33 starts in 2018.

    Will the “real” Kris Bryant finally show up?: I want to say yes because he’s very well-liked by his teammates and he’s a class act. He’s got a beautiful swing and is a graceful athlete. But I don’t know what KB has left at age 32 following two years of injuries that limited him to 122 games in a Rockies uniform.

    If he stays healthy and plays 145-150 games, I could envision him hitting .280 with 20 homers and 80 RBIs. But he’s never going to hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs as he did in 2016 when he was named National League MVP and helped lead the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • ‘Survivor’ Season 46 Cast Analysis With Gordon Holmes!

    ‘Survivor’ Season 46 Cast Analysis With Gordon Holmes!

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    Tyson and Riley are back with the last offseason episode to prepare us for the upcoming season of Survivor! They are joined by Survivor journalist Gordon Holmes to analyze the new cast of Season 46. They give their first impressions of the cast, highlight the cast members that stood out, and give their predictions for the season.

    ‌Hosts: Tyson Apostol and Riley McAtee
    Guest: Gordon Holmes
    Producer: Ashleigh Smith
    Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

    Subscribe: Spotify

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    Tyson Apostol

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  • Nikola Jokic on NBA’s 65-game rule after Joel Embiid injury: “It forces players to play, even if they’re injured”

    Nikola Jokic on NBA’s 65-game rule after Joel Embiid injury: “It forces players to play, even if they’re injured”

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    INDIANAPOLIS — No matter how many All-Stars the NBA filed into a packed room Saturday to talk over one another in simultaneous news conferences, a silence reverberated loudest. Loud enough to be heard in at least a few of the questions.

    The most significant absence in Indianapolis this weekend is the one that’s shaking up the 2023-24 MVP race.

    Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid was the presumptive favorite until early February when he underwent surgery to repair his lateral meniscus. The left knee injury has rendered him ineligible to repeat as league MVP under new NBA policy, which requires players to appear in a minimum of 65 games to be considered for end-of-year awards such as MVP and All-NBA.

    The procedure will sideline Embiid long enough that he almost definitively wouldn’t have won MVP even without the new rule. However, his situation has still sparked debate in league circles about whether or not the 65-game minimum should have been instituted in the first place. Why? Because there was wide speculation Embiid felt pressured to play through a pre-existing knee injury in order to maintain awards eligibility, especially after getting ridiculed for missing his fourth consecutive road game against the Nuggets — and MVP adversary Nikola Jokic — in late January.

    Two games later, Embiid was back in the lineup when Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg and caused the injury that required surgery.

    Jokic is perversely positioned to benefit from Embiid’s unfortunate situation. The Nuggets center is the new betting favorite to win his third MVP in the last four years. But he takes no joy in that. He was asked about the 65-game rule Saturday during his media session at All-Star weekend.

    “Definitely forcing players to play, even when they’re injured or whatever,” Jokic said. “But we saw what happened with Joel. … I don’t know. I just don’t like it, how it forces players to play even if they’re injured, if they want to achieve something.”

    Arguments against the rule largely depend on the arbitrary nature of the league’s chosen number. No data-driven evidence was provided to explain why 65 makes more sense as a games-played minimum than, say, 67 — one more than the number of games Embiid played last year when he won MVP. In 2022-23, Jokic finished second in voting with 69 games played. Giannis Antetokounmpo was third with 63.

    With the door wide open now, Jokic’s biggest challenger for the 2023-24 crown is his All-Star teammate, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

    The Thunder guard, who ranks second in the league in scoring (31.1 points) and first in steals (2.2), wasn’t as quick to condemn the rule as Jokic was.

    “I’m not too sure. I think no matter what, there’s like a fine line,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Like, when it comes down to it, there’s always a fine line in games played and availability. And I think the league has the right intention in trying to make that line a little bit bolder and easier to make a decision. Now, I try to be as available as I can every night, not only for that but just for the love of the game. But as far as how the rule goes, I don’t really have an opinion. I’m gonna try to be available for my team to win basketball games every night, and if I can’t be available, then I just can’t, and it is what it is.”

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    Bennett Durando

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  • XRP: Analyst Predicts Bullish Scenarios In The Coming Days

    XRP: Analyst Predicts Bullish Scenarios In The Coming Days

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    Crypto analyst EGRAG crypto recently posted an analysis of the various scenarios for the price trajectory of XRP in the near future. XRP, like most top cryptocurrencies, has received many price predictions in the past few months, as the entire crypto market witnessed a consistent increase in activity throughout the fourth quarter of 2023.

    However, predicting the future outlook of cryptocurrencies can be a very tricky endeavor, but this crypto analyst, known for his bullish stance on XRP, outlined different trajectories for XRP in the coming months, with some of them being more bullish than others. 

    Fundamentals And Technicals Point To A Bullish XRP

    XRP has been on a roller coaster ride this year. The crypto went through the first half of the year still carrying on the burden surrounding Ripple’s lawsuit with the SEC since 2020. By the second half of 2023, XRP became the first cryptocurrency with legal clarity in the US. This caused its price to skyrocket from $0.46 in less than 24 hours to $0.82, the highest point in 15 months. 

    Despite the crypto still being up by 80.45% this year, the price has since corrected, and XRP is now trading at $0.6225. According to crypto analyst EGRAG’s analysis, the crypto is still in a bullish mindset that would send it over $1 in the coming months, a price level it hasn’t seen since November 2021.

    XRP Price Scenarios and Potential Trends

    Under the first scenario presented by EGRAG, XRP will reach $1.10 by February 2024. However, the crypto could revisit another swing low at $0.55 to $0.58 before making this bullish run. If this happens, it would make it much easier for the crypto to to achieve multiplier factors over 10X and 20X.

    In the second possible outcome, XRP will surge to $1.4 in the first quarter of 2024. EGRAG noted that the eventual approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US could turn out to be a sell-the-news event, which could see XRP crashing back down to $0.75 to $0.80 between July and September 2024. If this scenario were to play out, the $0.80 to $0.85 price level would become a strong “MACRO Resistance” for future price action.

    XRP market cap is currently at $33.7 billion. Chart: TradingView.com

    In the third and most bullish scenario, XRP and the entire crypto market will surge alongside Bitcoin after the approval of spot ETFs in the US. As a result, XRP could easily surpass its current all-time high by March 2024 and might peak between $2.2 to $2.8.

    It’s important to note that the crypto industry will become open to traditional investors by this point, including big Wall Street investors. EGRAG warned of potential manipulation of retail investors by the “big boys,” adding that “they are ruthless and only few will survive and emerge victorious.”

    Featured image from Pexels

    Disclaimer: The article is provided for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

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    Scott Matherson

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  • Netflix teen shows are trying to let ace characters come out and explain themselves

    Netflix teen shows are trying to let ace characters come out and explain themselves

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    Until my early 20s, I believed I was a “normal” sex-haver. I assumed any guilt or repulsion I felt after intimacy was a universal experience. It wasn’t until a year ago that, after hearing me mention that I had repeatedly dissociated after kissing various Tinder dates, my friend said: “You know what asexuality is, right?” I stuttered, offended; of course I knew what it meant, but only in that “jock calling the nerd asexual because he won’t ever get laid” way. She called my bluff and showed me a video from an asexual YouTuber who echoed many of my secret opinions about dating and intimacy. This set me on the path to find as many video essays about asexuality as possible, which explained that I wasn’t broken or in need of the “right person”; my love would just come from somewhere besides sex. Any blueprints for where I might find it or what that love might be instead were a mystery, as I quickly found that asexual representation in media is an absolute travesty.

    There’s no easy way to show an identity based around the lack of something rather than its presence, but when you start throwing out SpongeBob as my LGBTQIA+ rep, I know it’s not a serious conversation. Good asexual (aka ace) characters do exist — Bojack Horseman’s resident goofball Todd Chavez is beloved by many for his swagless slacker schemes — but most rely on negative stereotypes that perpetuate the myth of inhumanity among those who don’t build their love lives around sex.

    Asexual people in media are represented as dispassionate outcasts who avoid close relationships; they are cold and calculating celibates (like Sherlock Holmes), or they force sex upon themselves to fix their perceived inadequacies (like Olivia from whatever the hell The Olivia Experiment was trying to be). Asexual representation isn’t nearly as prevalent in media as gay, lesbian, or bisexual rep, but three of Netflix’s biggest teenage shows of 2023 — Sex Education, Heartstopper, and Everything Now — featured aces as core characters with storylines dedicated to understanding their identities. Much like their queer antecedents who introduced the general public to non-cis, non-hetero ways of life, these ace characters have to come out and explain themselves. Despite good intentions, it’s hard for each character to not read as a first attempt.

    Sex is everywhere in our society, especially during high school, when hormones rage, emotions deepen, and the world cracks open like a spoiled fruit. Putting those primal feelings into words is hard, but that hasn’t stopped Sex Education from highlighting as many sexual identities as possible, including a brief storyline in season 2 in which theater kid Florence (Mirren Mack) recognizes her own asexuality. In a conversation with sex therapist Jean (Gillian Anderson), Florence voices her discontent with social pressures to date and hook up, poignantly stating that she’s “surrounded by a feast” but isn’t hungry. As soon as Florence accepts her ace identity, the series moves on from her; Florence’s sexlessness was a problem to be voiced but not an orientation to be explored.

    Photo: Samuel Taylor/Netflix

    It wasn’t until the final season this year that the show’s creators went all in on asexuality with Sarah “O” Owen (Thaddea Graham), a woman of color and sex therapist at Cavendish. O acts as a rival and antagonist to series protagonist Otis (Asa Butterfield); so much of the season revolves around Otis’ attempts to reclaim his place as the sole sex therapist on campus. During their bizarre election where students vote for who they most trust to therapize their sexual dilemmas, Otis tries to prove that O is untrustworthy and unreliable by revealing that she ghosted several former partners. To save her reputation, O comes out as asexual and says she ghosted partners because she didn’t know how to talk about it yet — although given all the scheming and scratching she had pulled over the course of the season, you’d be forgiven for thinking her coming out might be a ploy for sympathy. I did.

    This misunderstanding became a prevalent enough internet discourse that Yasmin Benoit — an ace activist and woman of color who served as a script consultant for the season — took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal multiple scenes and lines were changed or cut that addressed both the racial bias and acephobia that O faces throughout the season. Without this additional context, I found it difficult to be as offended as I should have been when Otis accused her of using asexuality as a way to tarnish his image. The show instead portrays O spending most of the season trying to maintain her pristine image, all the way down to her slick influencer branding. This emphasis on her insincerity sometimes obscures how terrible it is that Otis attempts to claim her space and ruin her life.

    It isn’t until episode 7 that her backstory dump — which delves into how her schoolmates singled her out for her race and Northern Irish accent, how she felt abnormal because she didn’t have crushes or intimate fantasies, how she felt safe in her sex clinic but felt if she ever told the truth no one would trust her because “who wants to have sex advice from someone who doesn’t have sex?” — finally brings her closer to the character Benoit seemingly set out to create. For me, the damage was already done: O remains a messy, calculating, and isolated asexual, rather than being the thoughtful representation the ace community deserves.

    The final season of Sex Education is a mixed bag, but it tries to create a three-dimensional ace character; Heartstopper felt content to stop at character. The show’s second season does a lot to darken its light and fluffy image: It tackles biphobia, abusive parents, and disordered eating. But it never quite knows what to do with Isaac (Tobie Donovan). The laconic bookworm finds himself courted by James (Bradley Riches), and their awkward flirtations are drawn out for most of the season until they finally kiss in a Parisian hotel’s hallway. Isaac seems repelled by the intimacy and is sent into a spiral — though we don’t see it. Isaac’s explanation to James in the following episode is familiar to asexuals: He has never had a crush on someone and hoped that maybe James would be different. But he wasn’t.

    Charlie (Joe Locke) riding on Isaac’s (Tobie Donovan) shoulders as they both smile

    Photo: Samuel Dore/Netflix

    When his friends cajole him for details about the kiss, Isaac snaps, yelling that he knows they don’t find his life interesting with its lack of romantic drama. It’s a sentiment shared by series creator Alice Oseman herself, who identifies as aromantic and asexual (aroace) and in an interview with The Guardian stated, “The world is obsessed with sex and romance. And if you don’t have that, you feel like you haven’t achieved something that’s really important.” In her novel Loveless, she tries to explore narratives where romance and sex aren’t the main focus with aroace protagonist Georgia. But where Georgia has 400-plus pages to grow and change, Isaac’s character can only come out in bits and spurts around the central romance between Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke). We never get to know his personality or desires, so Isaac’s frustration with his friends seemingly comes from nowhere.

    Literally two minutes after his outburst, Isaac meets an artist exhibiting a piece about their aroace identity, and everything they say resonates with him: the loneliness of existing in a world that prizes romance and sex when you don’t feel those attractions, the confusion that comes with feeling different without the words to describe it, the freedom of letting go of those external expectations and existing as yourself. Isaac immediately accepts himself as aroace. It’s a beautiful sentiment hamstrung by the fact that Isaac was just given the answers to his identity problems, no introspection necessary.

    Will (Noah Thomas) sits and smiles in close over

    Image: Netflix

    By contrast, Everything Now is a show without easy answers; its depiction of disordered eating, substance abuse, sexual intimacy, and mental health struggles are important if not always easy to watch. While much of the series focuses on recovering anorexic Mia’s (Sophie Wilde) return to high school after a brief hospitalization, it was her friend Will (Noah Thomas) who captured my heart. Will is boisterous, confident, and fashionable, traits that he claims won the lusty affection of the cheesemonger at his workplace. Except the cheesemonger doesn’t know his name, and when “Cheese Guy” eventually does try to hook up with him, Will runs away. Will is embarrassed about his virginity and chooses to lean into the stereotype of the promiscuous gay man, as if cultivating the image of a sex-haver will absolve him from engaging in something that repulses him.

    After a drunk Mia reveals his lie to a party full of their classmates, Will hides in the bathroom. He’s uncharacteristically quiet and embarrassed, compressing himself as tightly as possible into the bathtub. His sulking is interrupted by Theo (Robert Akodoto), a nice and popular schoolmate. Despite Will’s protestations, Theo stays and comforts him. Will echoes O and Isaac here: He feels broken for not wanting sex, and that something must be wrong with him. Theo suggests that maybe Will needs a connection to engage in romantic or sexual intimacy, and the next day the two kiss passionately and start dating. Although it’s never stated outright, Will’s requirement for emotional connection to precede intimacy is a sign that he’s demisexual, an even smaller sliver of the asexual pie that often goes unrepresented. Being in a relationship isn’t an easy adjustment for Will; he worries that Theo will eventually want sex or something more that he isn’t willing to give. The anxiety overwhelms Will and, despite Theo’s willingness to take things slow, he refuses to discuss his fear of intimacy and ultimately ends the relationship.

    These Asexuality 101-esque narratives feel reminiscent of the early aughts, when queer characters were defined by their otherness in an effort to educate rather than represent. They’re the type of stories that I needed to hear growing up, stories that gently told me that I wasn’t broken while placing me on a path toward self-acceptance. After a year of research and introspection, however, their lack of nuance feels half-baked, especially in comparison to the three-dimensional queer characters who surround them. Asexuality is a complicated identity where multiple conflicting truths can coexist. Aces might feel little to no sexual attraction, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t date, fall in love, or even have sex if we so desire; seeking fulfillment through solely platonic relationships is equally valid, and, too often, narratively unexplored. O, Isaac, and Will hint at a future where we might see asexuality with all its complexity on our screens. Maybe by then, the universal feeling won’t be that we are broken. Maybe it will be that we are just a little different.

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    Mik Deitz

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  • Grand Theft Auto 6’s hype has been defined by leaks

    Grand Theft Auto 6’s hype has been defined by leaks

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    With just over 24 hours left before Rockstar Games was set to debut its first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer, a grainy video started circulating online: The GTA 6 trailer, but marked with a massive bitcoin watermark. About 30 minutes later Rockstar did the corporate equivalent of saying “Fuck it,” uploading the trailer and pointing to it in a terse post on X: “Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube.”

    It’s unusual for a company like Rockstar to disregard its original, announced schedule and just post the thing, but it’s not the first time it’s happened. When The Last of Us Part 2’s PlayStation 5 remaster was leaked early on the PlayStation Store by data miners looking for new information, hours later, an official trailer popped up on YouTube, with several prominent Naughty Dog developers declaring that “leaks really suck.” (In Naughty Dog’s case, however, timing for The Last of Us Part 2’s remaster wasn’t announced, and it’s possible the YouTube release was its planned time.)

    Typically, in the event of a leak, a company starts issuing takedown requests as quickly as possible — which Rockstar did, of course — and waits it out until the planned debut. (We’ve seen this plenty of times when Pokémon games leak early; Nintendo and The Pokémon Company try to take things down, but don’t acknowledge leaks head-on.) In the case of GTA 6, the early launch of the trailer hasn’t diluted the hype, with the GTA 6 trailer reaching more than 85 million views by Tuesday morning. It’s quickly gaining on Rockstar’s debut Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer, which was published on Nov. 2, 2011, and has more than 99 million views.

    Image: Rockstar Studios/Rockstar Games

    Several Rockstar employees have expressed their upset feelings about the leak: “This fucking sucks,” one developer posted to X. (The post, and the developer’s X account, have since been deleted.) The GTA 6 trailer wasn’t the first video game trailer to be leaked, and it definitely won’t be the last in an internet landscape where everyone from fans to brands is always fighting for eyeballs.

    For better or worse, leaks have already become a part of GTA 6’s journey to its release — something that’s relatively on theme, as Rockstar’s upcoming game seemingly takes on the struggle for internet fame.

    Grand Theft Auto is one of the video game industry’s most successful properties, which makes it a hot target for hackers and potential leaks. GTA 5 was released 10 years ago, and people have been salivating ever since at the prospect of the sixth entry in the series. Rockstar has been quiet about GTA 6 for most of the past 10 years; the studio didn’t acknowledge the game was in development until February 2022. Later that year, GTA 6 made history as Rockstar’s developers were subject to one of the largest leaks in modern video game history.

    On Sept. 18, 2022, a hacker published more than 90 videos — roughly an hour’s worth of footage — from the in-development game. The leak was, and still is, unprecedented because of its sheer scope, the level of anticipation for the game in question, and because of how rare it is for fans to see huge parts of a AAA video game in a visibly unfinished state. The leaked footage depicted a GTA 6 that was clearly in development, with debug tools, blocked-out environments, and all.

    The sun sets behind a sign reading “Vice” in a screenshot from Grand Theft Auto 6

    Image: Rockstar Studios/Rockstar Games

    The hacker claimed to have accessed Rockstar’s internal Slack, which is an application workplaces use to communicate and share files. A United Kingdom court found that a U.K.-based 18-year-old, Arion Kurtaj, was largely responsible for the hack. Kurtaj had been previously arrested for other hacking incidents performed in association with notorious group Lapsus$, and he was out on bail when he went after Rockstar, Uber, and Revolut. Kurtaj’s hack of Rockstar was the last one he managed before he was caught again in a Travelodge hotel that he had been put up in following concerns for his safety (he was previously doxxed by “rival hackers,” according to the BBC). Kurtaj and a second 17-year-old hacker were found guilty in August. The BBC reported that the prosecution’s lead barrister on the case, Kevin Barry, said the hackers were motivated by “notoriety,” “financial gain,” and “amusement.”

    The damage had been done; many fans couldn’t resist the peek behind the curtain before the real show began. The hourlong clips in the leak gave eager GTA 6 fans a lot of material to work through, and by September of this year, the community had put together a 60-page document outlining every single detail from the leak.

    Rockstar announced in November that it would post a trailer in December, news that was first reported by Bloomberg and quickly confirmed by Rockstar. Last week, Rockstar finally announced a date for the trailer: Dec. 5. In the lead-up to the trailer drop date, several quick videos were uploaded to TikTok purporting to show parts of the GTA 6 Vice City map; the video clips, which quickly spread, appeared to be recordings of a computer screen. The source and credibility of these uploads remains unconfirmed, but they do seem to match the cityscapes we’ve now seen in the legitimate trailer. Somewhere along the way, rumors started circulating that the leak came from a Rockstar employee’s son, but Polygon is unable to verify those claims. It’s impossible to tell, of course, whether the TikTok leaks came from the same source as Dec. 4’s trailer leak.

    GTA 6’s legacy of leaks not only has an impact on how the community sees the game, but it’s something that affects developers, too. Rockstar is famously secretive — or perhaps notoriously so — and leaks are sometimes considered a rare look behind the curtain for fans, or even a triumph for transparency. Unfortunately, though, leaks can often have the opposite effect. Speaking to Wired in 2022, a AAA developer said leaking can tighten things up even more, making the industry more opaque — even within studios themselves. Sometimes, a “trust vacuum” forms between departments as studios investigate leaks internally, Wired reported. The player experience will rarely, if ever, be significantly altered by a leaked trailer or gameplay video, but the same can’t be said for the people making a leaked game.

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    Nicole Carpenter

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  • Rumble In The Fox Den: Sean Hannity’s Newsom Vs. DeSantis Debate Proves A Wasted Opportunity

    Rumble In The Fox Den: Sean Hannity’s Newsom Vs. DeSantis Debate Proves A Wasted Opportunity

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    If there were winners out of Fox News’ debate between California’s Gavin Newsom and Florida’s Ron DeSantis tonight, it was Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the Walt Disney Company. If there were losers, it looks to be the Sunshine State Governor himself, civility and Sean Hannity.

    Live from Alpharetta, Georgia, the crowd free Great Red Vs Blue State Debate saw the incumbent POTUS get big props and support over and over from his ambitious adoptive political son. On the other side fo the aisle, the Hannity moderated event left the former Celebrity Apprentice host actually looking like a heavyweight compared to the shrill DeSantis.

    Far from the chumminess of Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman’s VP debate in 2000 as well as the verbal and philosophical sabers of the dramatic Town Meeting of the World between then California Gov. Ronald Reagan and Senator Robert F Kennedy via satellite in 1967, this insult match was reminiscent in all the wrong ways of Biden and Trump’s first debate in 2020.

    Getty Images

    Of course, the difference is Ron DeSantis is running for the 2024 GOP nomination for President and Gavin Newsom, who quoted from the Great Communicator tonight in whacking down Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, isn’t running for anything in 2024 – as he pledged tonight under pressure from Hannity and his fellow governor.

    Which means in the short term, Newsom had nothing to lose by playing in the Fox den.

    Quipping “Ron, relax” and labeling DeSantis as “nothing but a bully,” Newsom had the best two lines of night.  On the flip side, DeSantis often called his foe a liar as Newsom deamed the Florida governor’s record on Covid as one of flip flopping, at times parroting some of the same points made by Trump.

    “I had Disney open during Covid and we made them a fortune and we saved a lot of jobs,” DeSantis bellowed after the West Coast Democrat took the first of several digs at him over recent jurisdictional and legal battles with the Bob Iger-led House of Mouse. “You had Disney closed inexplicably for over a year. You were a lockdown Governor, you did a lot of damage to your people,” DeSantis added, literally stomping over his own attempt to resurrect the tension in 2020 between Newsom and the then Bob Chapek-run company over Disneyland closures.   

    Trolling each other for months and throwing mud at the other’s state, leadership and Oval Office dreams, Newsom and DeSantis’ long-awaited dogfight was ultimately a wasted opportunity.

    Even more so that the participants themselves, the debate floundered because it didn’t live up to its own fair and balanced hype. From the start, this proved to be an extension of Hannity’s opinion show, with many of the questions tailored to put Newsom on defense. With a squint and a redirection of ambition, FNC’s Hannpalooza could be seen as a backhanded audition for The Daily Show co-hosting gigs for the ultimately termed out Governors if Newsom hadn’t been so dominate.

    The debate certainly wasn’t the planned crowning achievement for its moderator, who seemed out of his comfort zone for most of the 90-minute debate.

    The Great Red Vs Blue State Debate kicked off with Hannity declaring “I will be moderating this debate, I will not be part of the debate.” Unfortunately for Hannity, that proved to be very true within minutes as the Fox host lost control of the proceedings. The two governors went at each other with little regard for time limits or rules of engagement.

    Put it this way: You know you have a problem when you have to declare in the first half hour as Hannity did that “I want this debate to breath …I don’t want to be a hall monitor.” A plea he had to make twice. Even before that, the moderator’s Switzerland stance dissipated pretty quick with the first trio of questions being standard Fox News-host digs at the Golden State.

    Hannity insisted towards the end of the debate that he was “not a potted plant,” but the candidates continued to talk over one another.

    Getty Images

    Having said that, the issues aside, the lack of an audience was one distinct upside this debate provided. The contenders on stage may have not had a lot to say to each other, but the lack of the constant interruptions and partisan crowd applause and groans was a welcome relief and a blueprint for the future.

    Slamming Newsom as slick and willing to tell “a blizzard of lies,” DeSantis came out swinging while a comfortable Newsom played it cool circa Clinton 1992 with a bit of Obama flare and slipped the shiv to the Florida governor. Newsom’s accusation of DeSantis taking “America in reverse” and trying to “out Trump Trump” by sending migrants from non-border Florida to Martha’s Vineyard and Sacramento left political blood on the red carpeted set.

    “By the way, how’s that going for you Ron?” Newsom then mocked DeSantis. “You’re down 41 points in your own home state,” he added in what was a Trump campaign ad waiting to be made.

    “As he continues to talk over me, I’ll talk to the American people,” Newsom said earlier, adding “as you smile and smirk over there” to an often-wide-eyed DeSantis. Claiming West Coast Democrats are on an “ideological joyride” when it comes to crime and trying to shame Newsom over his pandemic French Laundry scandal, DeSantis smartly pivoted again and again to Fox viewers.

    Newsom was willing to attack DeSantis from the right, or to borrow from Trump, as he did quoted the former president’s “Red Ron” pro-China kick at the Florida Governor.

    The well-publicized debate was locked down ages ago when DeSantis looked like likely GOP alternative to Trump. DeSantis’ decline in the polls, though, didn’t appear to diminish interest in the matchup with Newsom. The event was heavily promoted and hyped on Fox hype throughout the day on Thursday. The Five kicked off with Dana Perino calling it “the Red vs. Blue showdown we’ve all been waiting for.”

    While the stakes for DeSantis were clear, Jesse Watters made the case that it also was a risk for Newsom as well. He noted that “Newsom has to be good, but he can’t be too good.” “What I mean is Newson has to be good so he has to establish himself as the heir apparent as the alternative in case something happens to Joe…. But if he’s too good … then you’re going see donors and pundits start drafting him and telling Joe Biden to clip the campaign, and that’s going to create a war. And I don’t think the Democratic Party wants that.”

    The night’s dust-up between the two governors did offer a rare chance for an unnuanced live and direct clash of visions for the nation and the world. Some of that came through, but much time was spent trying to discern what the candidates were even saying to the other, something that Hannity tried to remind the both of them.

    There are other dates on the calendar that will give DeSantis the opportunity to command media attention for his record in Florida. Next Wednesday is another Republican debate, this time hosted by NewsNation, the upstart news network that has had a fraction of the Fox audience. In two weeks, a federal court will hear arguments in his motion to dismiss Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, in which the company alleges retaliation after it came out against the governor’s parental rights law, dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill. The real big date on the calendar is January 15, the day of the Iowa caucuses.

    Newsom repeatedly reminded DeSantis that he was trailing in the polls, he suggested that he drop out to boost Nikki Haley and he predicted that neither one of them would be a nominee in 2024. As much as Hannity tried to steer the debate into questions of policy, often noting California’s downsides vs. Florida’s upsides, the evening often was one of jostling and jabs. And when it comes to who will be facing off against each other in 2024, Newsom may very well be right.

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    Dominic Patten

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  • What the Altered TCG means for Magic, Lorcana, & independent retailers

    What the Altered TCG means for Magic, Lorcana, & independent retailers

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    Altered, a novel new trading card game from startup Equinox Studio, will compete with Disney Lorcana, Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon Trading Card Game when it launches on Aug. 26, 2024. Distributor Asmodee, which was purchased by Embracer Group in 2021 for $3.1 billion, announced Thursday that it will fund the game via a Kickstarter campaign. And while an early demo shown to Polygon at this year’s Gen Con proved that the mechanics are engaging, the unique technology layer and business model could change the entire TCG industry.

    Anyone who has tried to pick up booster packs for Disney Lorcana lately is well aware that cards are extremely hard to come by, with unopened boxes selling for more than twice the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. But that scarcity is only partially organic. It has also been artificially inflated by speculators, who snatch up large quantities of product to flip for a profit, or to cellar in the hopes that they’ll rise in price over time. Entire websites, subreddits, and YouTube channels are dedicated to the hobby of profiting from, not playing with, these cards, and it’s clear to see how TCG trading has evolved from a side hustle into an elaborate get-rich-quick scheme — much the same way that day trading and, later, cryptocurrency have done the same.

    Intelligence on the price of these trading cards, as well as the marketplace through which to trade these unique goods, has become so valuable that eBay acquired industry leader TCGPlayer in 2022 for nearly $300 million. (Its employees have since organized, and their union is negotiating its first contract.) eBay even offers a secure, environmentally-controlled warehouse to store the cards in. Like gold speculators, now Magic card traders need never take possession of the items that they own.

    Meanwhile, my 13-year-old would just like to get that fourth Tinker Bell card to complete her Steel decks, thanks.

    But what if a card game could box out marketplaces like eBay’s TCGPlayer entirely?

    What Equinox is proposing with its design for Altered is that every card pulled from a pack is, in reality, a kind of proxy for the digital token which actually represents the value of the card. While developers assured Polygon in August that its technology does not involve blockchain tech, a kind of token is created and locked to a player’s digital account using a QR-style code. The value to consumers, Equinox says on its website, is that if they lose that card they can order a new one to be printed on demand and mailed to them anywhere in the world, even in a different language. But the unstated value for Equinox and Asmodee is absolute visibility, and control, of the marketplace for their cards.

    From its website:

    Download our app and scan an entire booster in seconds. Your cards are secure, and now you can enjoy a host of features that will enhance your Altered experience. Explore the story behind each card and delve into a deeply positive, inspiring, and inclusive universe. […]

    Trade, sell, or buy from collectors worldwide using your smartphone. At any time, select cards from your collection and have them printed and delivered to your doorstep, brand new and in your preferred language. Print decks for yourself and your friends. Stolen or lost cards, proxies — the possibilities are endless.

    The value to Asmodee of this partnership with Equinox is that by creating its own centralized, digital marketplace for its “cards” it is therefore able to profit from secondary and tertiary sales of those same cards. They will be able to achieve a profit both at the initial point of sale — when consumers purchase that blind pack off the store shelf — and also in perpetuity, each time the card moves from player to player.

    As an example: Rapper Post Malone recently purchased The One Ring — a singular card created for Magic: The Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth — for $2 million. The owner of that card walked away with all of that money, less a hefty sum paid in taxes. Publisher Wizards of the Coast earned nothing. If it had been a card for Altered, publisher Equinox would have been able to profit from that transaction as well.

    If Equinox is successful, it’s possible that other TCG publishers would be compelled to follow suit with similar digital platforms. How this will play out in independently owned gaming shops around the world, however, which depend on the sale of individual cards as a profit center, is currently unclear.

    A Kickstarter campaign for the game will begin on Jan. 30, 2024. Equinox currently offers six full decks on its website to print and play at home for free.

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    Charlie Hall

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  • Apecoin Soars By 30% In 48 Hours, Signaling A Potential Bull Run

    Apecoin Soars By 30% In 48 Hours, Signaling A Potential Bull Run

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    In a month marked by heightened volatility, Apecoin (APE) has been a battleground for bulls striving to prevent a dip below the crucial $1 mark.

    This tug-of-war between bulls and potential downward pressure underscores the intense market dynamics surrounding Apecoin, leaving investors on the edge as they monitor the crypto’s price movements in this volatile November landscape.

    The latest data from the spot market reveals a resolute stance from bullish traders, as orders for more than 11 million APE tokens have beern strategically placed around the current price.

    APE has increased by 30% to surpass $1.70 following a decline to a weekly low of $1.30 on November 21. On-chain data projects long-term Apecoin investors’ resilience might reenergize APE price possibilities.

    APE Total Order Books. Source:  IntoTheBlock

    Apecoin Price Rebounds From All-Time Low

    On October 9, the price of Apecoin plunged to an all-time low and narrowly avoided breaking below the $1 support level. However, the APE token has now increased by 40%, and as of November 24, the meme coin was trading at about $1.45.

    The market situation that APE is now operating in is difficult. The recent price increases of the token are at risk due to bearish on-chain indicators.

    Over the last few months, the amount of APE coins available on exchanges has almost doubled to a little over 50 million, which may signal an increase in buyer demand.

    The combination of a decrease in active addresses and an increase in supply on exchanges indicates a pessimistic deviation, which may indicate an impending decline in the price of the meme currency.

    Two notable corrections have occurred in APE during its current surge. The 61.8% Fibonacci level marked the first retracement, and 50% marked the second corrective.

    Total crypto market cap is currently at $1.4 trillion. Chart: TradingView.com

    These retracements are getting thinner, which is a bullish indication of increasing momentum and more buyer conviction.

    Taking this into consideration, investors may use the 38.2% and 50% Fibonacci levels as a helpful guide when placing stop-loss orders, acting as a buffer against any market volatility.

    Apecoin’s price is now bouncing between $1.063 and $1.506, indicating that it is in a volatile market. There are some indications of stability from the 10-Days Moving Average at $1.410 and the 100-Days Moving Average at $1.303.

    Nonetheless, it’s important to keep an eye on the resistance levels at $1.695 and $2.139 and the support levels at $0.365 and $0.808. These levels will be crucial in influencing the short-term price movements of APE.

    APE addresses by time held. Source: IntoTheBlock

    Shift In Address Dynamics

    Meanwhile, as reported by IntoTheBlock, a positive trend divergence is evident between the long-term and short-term holder addresses for APE. Illustrated in the Addresses by Time Held chart, the count of long-term addresses has surged by 6,060 wallets since the beginning of November.

    Concurrently, the Apecoin network has experienced a decrease of 3,800 in the number of trader/short-term wallets over the same period, highlighting a noteworthy shift in address dynamics.

    The forthcoming week holds significant importance for investors in APE, as it will serve as a crucial assessment of the durability of this meme coin and its prospects for more upward movements.

    (This site’s content should not be construed as investment advice. Investing involves risk. When you invest, your capital is subject to risk).

    Featured image from Pexels

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    Christian Encila

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  • More vampires need to play with their food

    More vampires need to play with their food

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    Even vampires deserve treats. One of the many sacrifices that people make in exchange for eternal life in vampire lore is flavor. They can only eat one thing for the rest of their elongated lives, and it’s a metallic, salty, sinister thing. We all know this. We accept this. But vampires shouldn’t have to give up texture, too. So, in 2013, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch was brave enough to create a vampire with the vision to turn that blood into something good to eat: Eve and her blood Popsicles in Only Lovers Left Alive.

    As a millennial woman, I have consumed more than my fair share of vampire stories. I grew up entranced by Interview with the Vampire. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series of books and films fell into my lap right on the heels of another fantasy series that, er, need not be named. Then there was True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, binge-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the then-new app Hulu. But just once has drinking blood ever looked appetizing to me. Once have I ever vanted to suck blood, and that’s thanks to Eve.

    Jarmusch’s moody hangout comedy stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampires named Adam and Eve (don’t worry about it) who’ve been on-again-off-again spouses for centuries and reunite when Adam is in a particular state of ennui. He’s got a hookup at a local blood bank, so he doesn’t need to do any killing. But Eve gets experimental. In an effort to surprise and cheer Adam up, she freezes some O negative. Very refreshing, especially when you’re in “a hot spot,” she says. Now, Hiddleston enjoying “blood on a stick” is a finger-licking image by itself, but this is not that kind of thirst blog. Hand to Lilith, this is the first and only time I have felt represented on screen by a fictional vampire. This is exactly the type of thing I would do if I were undead. I love to eat Popsicles. I love to make Popsicles.

    Have you ever been in a situation where you had limited ingredients in your house — because of money, college, a thunderstorm, or a pandemic, for example — and had to get creative in order to avoid eating the same thing every day? Imagine that plus immortality. Shouldn’t vampires be messing around in the kitchen in an attempt to spice up their lives, like, all the time? The titular cannibal on Hannibal enjoyed sanguinaccio dolce, an Italian pudding, with human blood instead of the traditional pig’s blood. You can’t tell me Lestat wouldn’t be into that.

    Vampires are inventive, prolific even, in many ways. Across literature, film, and television, their fighting styles vary. They choose to spend their daytime hours in different ways. You can always count on a fictional vampire to experiment with fashion. But not food. Whether the story is romantic or horrifying or a bit of both, we usually see vampires feeding on fresh human blood by sucking directly from their victim’s neck, wrist if they’re polite, or femoral artery if they’re nasty. It can be scary or erotic, but never exactly tasty. If a vampire doesn’t want to kill, and we have plenty of sullen and brooding faces in popular culture, they’ll find more palatable methods. The immortal teenagers on The Vampire Diaries drink blood-filled IV bags like Capri-Suns. Baz in Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On series, Interview with the Vampire’s Louis de Pointe du Lac, and the “vegetarian” Cullen family in the Twilight series hunt animals. Still, they’re drinking from the source. There’s no sense of fun. There’s no flair.

    I can think of some notable exceptions. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the vampire Spike alludes to enhancing his blood with burba weed for flavor and crushed-up Weetabix for texture. At least once in season 6 we see him doing it, so we know it wasn’t a dry joke (hard to tell with those Whedon types). What We Do in the Shadows has a little fun, too. The vampires can get high off the blood of people who are on drugs. They can mix blood with Bud Light and get drunk. Still, that’s not very elegant or inventive. I expect more from them.

    Others just merit an honorable mention. The glamorous antagonist known only as the Countess in the 1985 sex comedy Once Bitten drinks a glass of blood with a celery stalk. Occasionally you’ll see vampires drink their blood from a red wine glass or a flask. Presentation is important, so I appreciate that. Amy Heckerling’s romantic comedy Vamps mixes it up by having Krysten Ritter stick a straw into the rat she’s draining. That’s (a) gross and (b) boring! And True Blood, of course, is built around a synthetic blood that vampires can buy bottled and drink “out” in society. However, many of the vampires on True Blood prefer the real thing and tend to drink it in the usual way. Russell will stick his hand into a human’s chest cavity and pull out their heart, but he apparently can’t be bothered to prepare his food.

    Come on! Where are the foodie vampires? I know that Hollywood’s best and brightest can do better. What about blood foam? Blood soup is already a dish in many cuisines. There are lots of foods cooked with blood, like black pudding or coq au vin. Where’s the whipping, frying, curdling, and coagulating? Show me a vampire starting the day with a steaming cup of hot blood. I don’t see why you couldn’t make freeze-dried astronaut blood for an afternoon snack. If Popsicles are possible, why not a bloody shaved ice, slushie, or sorbet?

    I don’t even think I’ve ever seen a vampire lick a rare steak. Let’s face it: Being a vampire looks fun! Except for drinking blood, of course. That can change. If vampire fiction is here to stay, we owe it to them to give them something good-looking to eat instead of just someone good-looking to eat.

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    Leah Marilla Thomas

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  • New All-Time Highs For Bitcoin In 2023? Analyst Shares Prediction

    New All-Time Highs For Bitcoin In 2023? Analyst Shares Prediction

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    The flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is up by over 100% year-to-date (YTD). Despite these impressive gains, there is still reason to believe that the crypto token’s resurgence isn’t done, as there could still be new highs before the year runs out based on analysis from prominent figures in the community. 

    Bitcoin To Hit $69,000 This Year?

    In a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) platform, prominent crypto analyst Dave the Wave suggested that Bitcoin could surge to its previous highs this last quarter of the year. Although he didn’t state what highs exactly, the accompanying chart he shared in the post showed that he was hinting at Bitcoin’s all-time high of about $69,000. 

    This isn’t the first time the crypto analyst has shared his belief that Bitcoin could hit $69,000 this year. In an earlier X post, he shared a similar chart, which put up a price target of $70,000 based on the speculation of “another mini-parabola frontrunning the halving.” 

    It is not unusual for the market to pump significantly, as historical data suggests. Bitcoin’s price has increased significantly before and after every halving event. Before the most recent halving event, which took place in 2020, BTC rose by over 17% in the weeks leading up to it and saw a further 559% increase after the event. 

    Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at $37.072. Chart: TradingView.com

    However, many might argue that an all-time high (ATH) before the halving event, which takes place in April 2024, seems like a far reach, especially if the analyst is projecting that the new high will occur before this year runs out. 

    Bitcoin To Hit New All-Time High Before April?

    While a new all-time high before the year runs out seems like a big task, some prominent figures have, however, backed the crypto token to hit a new ATH before April. One of them happens to be Bitcoin OG and founder of Blockstream, Adam Back. Interestingly, Back predicted (back in August) that BTC will hit or even surpass $100,000 before March 31st, 2024. 

    To show how confident he was of his assertion, the crypto founder went as far as placing a bet with another X user who disagreed with his position. They both agreed to wager a bet of 1 million satoshis, with the winner (depending on Bitcoin’s price by March 31, 2024) taking all. 

    The CEO of Jan3 and a fellow Bitcoiner, Samson Mow, had also agreed with Back in some way, as he believes that Bitcoin will also hit a new ATH pre-halving and not post. However, unlike Back, he didn’t mention any price target.

    Featured image from Shutterstock

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    Scott Matherson

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  • World of Warcraft Classic is becoming its own game — is Fortnite OG next?

    World of Warcraft Classic is becoming its own game — is Fortnite OG next?

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    A couple of significant things happened in the world of online gaming over the first weekend of November. At its BlizzCon convention in California, Blizzard devoted quite a lot of time to World of Warcraft Classic — the nostalgic, retro version of its 19-year-old massively multiplayer game — and revealed surprisingly ambitious plans for Classic’s future. At the same time, Fortnite’s servers were melting under the load of its biggest day ever, which was all down to the launch of Fortnite OG, a special season bringing back the game’s original map and 2018 gameplay.

    All of a sudden, in the proudly impermanent world of online gaming — where change is always good, and if it’s not, never mind, because here comes more change — winding back the clock is big business. It’s a kind of paradox: Because online games are always evolving, a sense of scarcity and intense nostalgia forms around the way they used to be. If you can find a way to bring that feeling back, especially for an audience that’s getting jaded, then you’re on to something.

    Blizzard initially seemed reluctant to get on board with a growing movement in WoW’s community that wanted to go back to the way things were in 2004-2005. It squashed unofficial “vanilla” servers and prevaricated over creating an official alternative for years. In a way, it’s understandable: If you have spent many years of effort on (in your eyes) modernizing and improving your game, why would you want to indulge this rose-tinted exercise? Isn’t World of Warcraft just better now?

    Of course, that’s a value judgment — but what’s undeniable is that WoW is now extremely different from how it used to be. And that’s exactly what makes Classic a viable and interesting, if slightly old-fashioned, alternative. After Classic arrived in 2019, included in a standard WoW subscription, it became a roaring success, partly because of the strong contrast between it and the two unloved expansions (Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands) it launched between.

    But what’s really fascinating about Classic is where Blizzard is taking it next — because Classic is an online game, and no online game can stand still, even a throwback. It began as a relatively faithful version of the original MMO with smart tweaks: It moved through content patches at an accelerated rate, while locking to a single iteration of game design and balance. Then it bifurcated, with some servers moving forward through classic expansions, while others stayed in the “vanilla” era. This year, it acquired a third track, something completely new that WoW had never had before: a permadeath Hardcore mode, which turned out to be a game-reviving innovation that was quite brilliant in its simplicity.

    From its showing at BlizzCon, Blizzard is doubling down on morphing WoW Classic into its own game. The expansion servers are moving on to Cataclysm, which is probably the point at which “classic” becomes a misnomer: Whatever your feelings about this divisive expansion, its sweeping rewrite of the “old world” questing experience is the point at which original WoW died, and is still represented in the game today. Blizzard is going even further than it has before in tweaking and fixing this expansion for Classic, accelerating leveling, adding quality-of-life features, and throwing in new dungeon difficulties and loot.

    World of Wacraft Classic’s Season of Discovery seeds the well-explored world of Azeroth with secrets.
    Image: Blizzard Entertainment

    But that isn’t even the headline. Blizzard — drawing inspiration from sister series Diablo, as it did for the Hardcore mode — is also introducing a fourth track to the WoW Classic servers that seasonally remixes the original “vanilla” game. Season of Discovery, which launches on Nov. 30, seeds entirely new content across the original world of Azeroth in the form of Discoveries, which producer Josh Greenfield said at BlizzCon were a way to disrupt the “solved nature” of original WoW and restore a “feeling of adventure and exploration.” It also offers a Rune Engraving system that endows classes with entirely new abilities, even allowing them to switch archetypes (you’ll be able to create a tank Warlock or a healer Mage, to name a couple).

    The game is furthermore being broken up into level-banded phases — the initial level cap will be only 25 — and interpolated with all-new endgames, one for each phase. The first of these reworks the classic leveling dungeon Blackfathom Deeps as a 10-player raid, but Blizzard is also teasing adding unfinished or cut content, and even all-new dungeons, to Season of Discovery. It’s not just a new way to think about classic WoW — it’s a new approach to structuring MMOs, borrowing liberally from across the online gaming landscape. It’s pretty exciting.

    That Blizzard is going to all this effort shows that WoW Classic is working both for the business and for the WoW community. It also demonstrates that for an online gaming nostalgia mode to succeed in the long term, it needs to evolve away from being an emulation or restoration of a bygone experience, and become a (sort of) fresh game in its own right. (Or, in Classic’s case, four games.)

    The sleepy town plaza of Tilted Towers in Fortnite, with no players

    Tilted Towers has returned in Fortnite OG.
    Image: Epic Games

    Currently, Epic has no plans to keep Fortnite OG going past its current monthlong season, which sprints through six seasons of the game’s Chapter 1 in a matter of weeks instead of months. The branding clearly allows for OG to return and revisit later chapters, but given the enormous surge in interest, Epic would be foolish not to be considering ways to keep some of these new or returning players in the fold permanently.

    It’s true that WoW and Fortnite are very different games with, crucially, different business models. Splitting the game’s audience might be more of a worry for Epic than it is for Blizzard, which is presumably happy as long as all those players stay within the one subscription-paying bucket. But WoW has proven that a big online game — especially one with a history — can support a family of sub-communities enjoying different flavors of the same game. Indeed, that might be the healthiest way forward for a game of that sort, certainly one approaching its 20th anniversary.

    More importantly, perhaps, what WoW Classic and Fortnite OG demonstrate is that the history of online games doesn’t have to be consigned to the scrapheap of memory. There’s a genuine hunger from players to turn back the clock, which, when met by an inventive studio that understands what was special about what it created but is willing to take some risks with it, can create something vibrant and sustainable in the long term — a kind of multiverse of paths not taken for your favorite old multiplayer games. What’s next, Vault of Glass in modern Destiny 2? Sign me up.

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    Oli Welsh

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  • Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs

    Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs

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    How effectively can you explain yourself to others? Learn to embrace the healthy challenge of describing your beliefs to sharpen your thinking and worldview.


    This content is for Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime members only.
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    The post Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs appeared first on The Emotion Machine.

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    Steven Handel

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  • All the ways Insomniac Games is teasing the next Spider-Man game in Spider-Man 2

    All the ways Insomniac Games is teasing the next Spider-Man game in Spider-Man 2

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    Marvel comics, TV shows, and especially movies seem to have a requirement to emphasize the “what’s next” of it all, where the end of everything is also a tease for something else. Well, folks, Insomniac Games took that assignment, ran with it, and took a few extra laps just for good measure.

    Spider-Man 2, the triumphant sequel of one of the best games of 2018, is packed with teases and Easter eggs, all of which could be spun off into new games, half-sequels, or the ultimate finale of Spider-Man 3. We’ve got evil brothers hidden in plain sight, a mysterious bartender rendered in PlayStation 1-style graphics, and more symbiote threats than we initially thought. Let’s tuck into it.

    [Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. If you haven’t beaten the campaign of the PlayStation 5 game and cleared every side mission, you will probably be spoiled by something in here.]

    Spider-Man 2 sequel teases

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    There are a lot of teases for the future of Insomniac’s Marvel games, and several of them come at the very end of side missions or are a bit obscure if you’re not a comics reader.

    Otto’s plan for the final chapter

    Doc Ock looks at his manifesto in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via ScereBro PSNU/YouTube

    In one of the post-credits scenes for Spider-Man 2, Norman Osborn visits his old frenemy Otto Octavius. Otto is, of course, imprisoned in the Raft penitentiary because of all those crimes he committed as Doctor Octopus back in the first game.

    Norman wants Otto to tell him the identity of the Spider-Mans so that he can seek revenge against them for putting Harry in a coma. Otto, who used to be lab partners with Norman but now hates his guts, revels in Osborn’s suffering and refuses to help, and he just keeps working on his manifesto. When Norman asks what Octavius is writing, he simply responds, “The final chapter,” as he limps toward the camera.

    The tease here is really just that Otto is clearly going to be back in some capacity in a potential Spider-Man 3. Although with his physical condition worsening (it’s established in Marvel’s Spider-Man that Otto has some kind of degenerative brain disorder that’s causing him to lose his fine motor skills), it’s unclear whether he’ll be fighting on the front lines or playing the role of master tactician.

    Miles, meet Cindy and Albert Moon

    Miles Morales meets Cindy Moon in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Dan Allen Gaming/YouTube

    After Miles’ mom, Rio, spends the entire game asking him to meet her new boyfriend, Miles finally opens the door to meet Albert in one of the post-credits scenes. But Albert isn’t really the tease here, as it’s quickly revealed that Albert has brought his daughter Cindy with him to the family dinner.

    Cindy Moon is better known as Silk, yet another Spider-person who fights baddies and protects New York. In some versions she has a rather traumatic upbringing and isn’t particularly close with her father. Insomniac is clearly looking to twist this origin, although we’re not quite sure how just yet.

    Norman wants the ‘G-Serum’

    Norman shouts about needing G-Serum in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Dan Allen Gaming/YouTube

    After the Spider-Mans and MJ defeat him, Venom reverts back to Harry, who, as we said earlier, is in a coma. In a fit of rage over his son’s condition, Norman calls someone to ask for the G-Serum.

    Now, it’s never explicitly stated, but this is about as on the nose as you can get for a Green Goblin tease. In the moment, it seems like Norman wants the G-Serum for Harry, but we have no doubt it’ll end up in the disgraced former mayor eventually.

    Wait, isn’t that Knull’s symbol?

    A symbiote meteor hangs from symbiote tendrils in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Zanar Aesthetics/YouTube

    During the campaign, it’s revealed that the symbiote came to Earth via a meteor, and that meteor has a big, red spiral on the front of it, which is most often associated with Knull, aka the King in Black, the tyrant god of symbiotes.

    Interestingly, the game never mentions Knull by name, or even really alludes to an additional cosmic presence outside of the meteor itself, which Miles, Pete, and MJ destroy at the end of the story. This could be just a nod to comics fans, but it could also be a seed that might blossom into a full symbiote invasion led by the king himself.

    Cletus Kasady is in possession of a symbiote

    Cletus Kasady holds up a symbiote in a glass vial in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via HD Playground/YouTube

    Peter works to take down a cult called The Flame over the course of Spider-Man 2, And in the final quest, Insomniac reveals the cult’s leader to be none other than Cletus Kasady, everyone’s favorite serial murderer.

    Cletus is the symbiote host for Carnage, the red-tinged symbiote villain who has given both Venom and Peter a lot of trouble over the years. With Kasady uncaptured at the end of Spider-Man 2 and in possession of a healthy symbiote, the rise of Carnage is all but assured.

    The Chameleon is thriving in NYC

    Chameleon holds up a martini glass in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via GameClips/YouTube

    After chasing down all of Kraven’s drones, the two Spider-Mans eventually stumble upon a beautiful penthouse apartment with a secret basement. Turns out this place belongs to Chameleon, a master of disguise. (Fun fact: He was the first villain Spider-Man ever faced in the original comics.) Oh, and the Chameleon is also Kraven’s brother.

    As the Spider-Mans swing away from the apartment, we see a man in disguise looking toward the rooftops, indicating that the Chameleon was watching as the heroes ransacked his apartment. Chameleon has clearly been set up in the city for a while, and this tease seems to indicate that he’ll appear in a Spider-Man sequel.

    Miguel O’Hara and the Bar with No Name

    Delilah tends bar in the Bar With No Name in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via PerfectParadox/YouTube

    Once you’ve collected all the Spider-Bots in the game, you’ll get a signal that leads you to an alleyway. When you get there, a portal opens, and you see a bartender named Delilah standing behind a bar. Delilah is the operator of the Bar With No Name, a secret bar for villains in the Marvel universe. After a cryptic chat, she opens a box and steals all the Spider-Bots you spent so long collecting. She then name-drops Miguel (O’Hara) before shutting the portal.

    This is a weird little Easter egg that doesn’t exactly have a clear tease. But with the nature of the Spider-Bots all being based on Spider-Man characters and villains from other universes, and Delilah’s style being that of a PlayStation 1 game, this seems to be teasing a multiversal story or some kind of crossover. It’s very unclear what this could be leading to or what it has to do with Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099.

    Spider-Man no more?

    Miles encourages Peter in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via DVESF/YouTube

    Pete hangs up his tights at the end of Spider-Man 2, letting Miles handle the city while the original Spider-Man gets a well-earned break. But this seems more like a Spidey-hiatus than full-on Spidey-retirement. We’d wager we’ll see a decent time skip between Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, and that Pete will be married and potentially a father before he dons the suit again.

    Are we getting another half-sequel?

    Spider-Man shocking an enemy lying on the ground in Spider-Man: Miles Morales

    Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)
    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

    Spider-Man: Miles Morales was a big hit with fans, and took the massive, sprawling Marvel’s Spider-Man and condensed it down to just a handful of hours. It told a great little tale, introduced us more completely to Miles as a hero, and, crucially, did a lot of legwork to set up Spider-Man 2.

    Based on the reception of Miles Morales, it seems extremely unlikely that we won’t see another half-sequel that bridges the gap between Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. The real question, then, is who that half-sequel will be about. We have a handful of ideas on that.

    Venom

    Venom is the clear candidate for a spinoff game. Not only is he briefly playable in Spider-Man 2 already (we’re not game designers, but we have to imagine at least some of that hard dev work will transfer over to a new game), but it seems like Insomniac’s developers have at least thought about it.

    In a recent interview, Spider-Man 2’s narrative director, Jon Paquette, told Insider that the team is waiting to see how fans react and what they want before committing to any spinoffs. This was in direct response to a question about a Venom game, so most people (ourselves included) are taking this as at least soft confirmation that Insomniac is toying with a Venom spinoff, and that the answer basically amounts to “we’re not not making a Venom game (*wink*).”

    But you may be asking yourself, “Wait, isn’t Harry in a coma, and wasn’t the Venom symbiote destroyed?” The answer to both of those questions is technically yes, but there’s a Venom-sized “but” that follows. Spider-Man 2 very clearly establishes that symbiotes remain inactive inside the host even after they’ve separated themselves from the original parasite.

    Just like how Mister Negative was able to harness Pete’s latent symbiote to turn him into Anti-Venom, it seems very easy to explain how someone with a very powerful connection to their symbiote (like Harry) could have their alter ego reawaken despite the host symbiote being “dead.” This could be especially fun with Harry’s current predicament, as it means we could spend the first bit of a Venom game piloting around a comatose Harry, wreaking havoc and getting into scrapes with Miles.

    Silk

    Silk is another strong possibility for a spinoff, as it’s essentially the same setup that led from Spider-Man into Miles Morales. However, Miles plays a major role in the first Spider-Man before getting any powers. All we see of Cindy is the back of her head, and we learn nothing about her character in Spider-Man 2.

    With Silk just being a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tease, it seems much more likely that she’ll feature heavily in whatever half-sequel we end up getting before being playable in Spider-Man 3.

    Miles Morales 2

    Our final guess for a half-sequel is just a straight-up sequel to Miles Morales. This makes some sense, but is also just boring in comparison to the other two options — no offense to Miles, but we already have two full games where we can play as him whenever we want!

    Still, a Miles sequel would allow Insomniac to explore a New York where Miles is the only Spider-Man, and even bring Cindy in as his trainee. This would be a poetic handoff after the tutelage Miles received from Peter in Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2, and a great setup for a third game. I mean, who doesn’t want to hear Pete refer to himself as Silk’s “Spider-Grandpa”?

    But a Miles Morales sequel in that fashion is still retread ground, and Insomniac seems hell-bent on delivering new experiences each time it puts out a Spidey product.

    So where does that leave Spider-Man 3?

    Spider-Man and Wraith make plans to take down Cletus Kasady in Spider-Man 2

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    Insomniac Games has clearly left itself a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the future of its Spider-Man. Will Carnage show up in Spider-Man 3, or will he take center stage in a Venom game? Is that Miguel teaser an offhand tease of another spinoff we don’t know about, or just another side activity in a sequel that’s probably five years off? We don’t know the answers to either of those questions, and it’s entirely possible that Insomniac doesn’t have them 100% pinned down yet, either.

    So what do we know for sure about the next game? Well, Norman’s Green Goblin will be a pretty big deal. That’s a very safe bet — the free space on all your Spider-Man 3 bingo cards at home. We also know that Otto will play some kind of role as well, likely as a third party warring against both Green Goblin and Spider-Man.

    And we know we’ll have no shortage of heroes for us to embody, with Miles, Cindy, Peter, and (probably) Harry all on the bench and ready to take on whatever Insomniac has in store for New York.

    We’re still at least two or three years (and a whole-ass Wolverine game) away from learning what’s next for Insomniac’s New York. But the studio has certainly given us plenty to ponder in our time away from the web-head and his crew of friends and enemies.

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    Ryan Gilliam

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  • Twitch is bleeding talent — is the new simulcasting policy the answer?

    Twitch is bleeding talent — is the new simulcasting policy the answer?

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    Twitch is further broadening its simulcast rules, the livestream platform announced on Friday. As shared during TwitchCon in Las Vegas, streamers can now live broadcast streams onto even more platforms — YouTube and Kick, for example. That said, streamers with an “agreement with Twitch that requires exclusivity” won’t be able to do so.

    “We truly believe that Twitch is the best service to be a live, interactive creator, and we want to give streamers more freedom in just how they want to build their communities,” said Twitch VP of community product Jeremy Forrester during an interview with Polygon at TwitchCon.

    This news comes on the heels of Twitch bleeding big-name talent. On Oct. 19, Kick signed massively popular streamer and co-owner of FaZe Clan Nickmercs in a one-year contract worth roughly $10 million, according to a Forbes report. This summer, the upstart company also signed Amouranth, Twitch’s most popular female streamer, and former pro-Overwatch player xQc (the latter of whom, Kick offered a $100 million deal). This is not to mention talent that moved to YouTube: In the last three years, YouTube signed Valkyrae, Ludwig, Sykkuno, LilyPichu, and more. Some of these streamers left in the wake of Twitch changing its revenue share split from 70/30 (in favor of streamers) to 50/50.

    Forrester said this talent departure was not the motivator for the expanded simulcast policy, instead calling it “community driven” and saying that it was an example for Twitch developers to demonstrate that they “listen” to creator’s “concerns, and react to them when we can.”

    The most interesting part of the new guidelines might just be all the way at the bottom of the FAQ. Streamers who left Twitch now have a chance to become Twitch Partners again. Per the guidelines, Twitch Partners whose previous agreements were “terminated” because they left for another service — and they notified Twitch beforehand, thus not violating the agreement — will be “eligible to reinstate their Partnership status.”

    Twitch also seems to finally be acknowledging the value of cross-platform discovery. In August, Twitch updated its simulcast guidelines to include TikTok and Instagram. During TwitchCon, streamers told Polygon that TikTok had become a vital way to draw in new fans — TikTok’s short video format basically functions like a highlight reel for Twitch streamers to post their funniest moments. “Being able to curate the highlights from your stream and feeding that into the TikTok algorithm is your chance for an entirely new audience to see you,” streamer Alex Labat told Polygon in anticipation of TwitchCon. And earlier this month, Twitch introduced its own short video feature, “stories.”

    Even as simulcasting options broaden, there are still rules to follow that more or less ensure streamers won’t use Twitch to direct traffic to their other platforms, or attempt to interact with their fan communities on various platforms at the same time. Streamers must “ensure” the quality of a Twitch users’ experience is “no less than the experience on other platform services” — and this includes engaging with the Twitch community via chat. Nor can streamers use a third-party app to for “merging chat features,” for example. Streamers also can’t provide links during a Twitch stream, encouraging followers to leave Twitch for a simulcast on another platform.

    “We believe that creators will do it with the intent to help bring people to Twitch,” Forrester said, optimistically.

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    Nicole Clark

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  • Spider-Man 2 is now the PS5’s definitive technical showpiece

    Spider-Man 2 is now the PS5’s definitive technical showpiece

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    Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is finally here, and on the cusp of the PlayStation 5’s third birthday, assumes the throne as the console’s most technically impressive game to date.

    I said effectively the same thing last fall about God of War Ragnarök, but in this line of work, there’s always something on the horizon that has the potential to make you look foolish in retrospect. (And hey, I did say that Ragnarök could be the PS5’s most technically impressive game yet — back then. A lot can change in 11 months!)

    Insomniac Games has brought to bear all of its experience developing for the PS5 — this is the studio’s fourth project for the platform, following 2021’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — in delivering an open-world superhero adventure that makes the most of the console’s hardware. It’s the first entry in the franchise built specifically for this system. The two previous games were 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, which debuted on PlayStation 4, and 2020’s PS5 launch title Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which was a cross-generation game, so it had to be designed in a way that would allow it to run on PS4 as well as PS5.

    In Rift Apart, which debuted exclusively on PS5, Insomniac showed what it could do when it didn’t have to worry about supporting older hardware: dimension-hopping action that relied on the PS5’s speedy SSD. The studio has built upon that work with Spider-Man 2, making even better use of the SSD to allow for instantaneous fast travel and other remarkable transitions. And the Spider-Mans’ hometown of New York City — three boroughs of which are now available, with Queens and Brooklyn lying across the East River from Manhattan — looks as amazing as our two heroes, rendered with real-time ray tracing in every graphics mode.

    You may be wondering about those modes, and about which one is the best option. There’s a lot on offer, but the long and short of it is that you’ll get a great experience at all times.

    Spider-Man 2’s graphics modes, explained

    Insomniac’s terrific hair strand system is rendered in a somewhat fuzzy way in Spider-Man 2’s Performance mode, as you can see in this screenshot featuring Black Cat. The strands would be clearer and more finely detailed in the Fidelity mode.
    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    There are two ways to play Spider-Man 2: Fidelity mode and Performance mode. You’ll find them under the “Graphics” area of the settings menu’s Visual section, and unlike in many other games, you’ll also find detailed descriptions of each mode and the associated options.

    As you’d expect, the image quality and resolution are at their highest in Fidelity mode, which has a frame rate target of 30 frames per second (and is the default setting). The Performance mode makes trade-offs in resolution and other areas to target 60 fps. Both options use dynamic resolution scaling, adjusting the amount of pixels being rendered in order to hit the frame rate in question.

    Neither mode can quite maintain a flawless locked frame rate. Playing the game’s intro sequence in Performance mode, for instance, I noticed some minor hitching during Sandman’s attack in Lower Manhattan as the screen filled up with billowing dust clouds. But across 15 or so hours with the game thus far, I’ve only run into a few instances of this issue, lasting for a couple of seconds at most.

    The Fidelity mode operates in a resolution range from 2160p — i.e., native 4K — down to 1440p, and scales the output to 4K using Insomniac’s temporal injection technique for anti-aliasing, according to the studio. That lower end, 1440p, is where the Performance mode tops out; the average resolution there fluctuates between 1080p and 1440p.

    a golden hour scene from Spider-Man 2 of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man perched atop a building looking across the East River at Manhattan, with the sun above the game’s version of the Freedom Tower

    Spider-Man 2’s ray-traced reflections do a beautiful job of accurately representing the choppy surface of the East River. (Captured in Fidelity mode.)
    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    Either way, ray-traced lighting — in the form of reflections (including on water surfaces) and window interiors — is always on in Spider-Man 2. It’s just that in Performance mode, ray-tracing effects are “simplified for some use cases,” according to the game. This is a major development, ensuring a cohesive look no matter how you decide to play; combined with the increased level of detail in the game world, there’s an unmistakable upgrade over the visuals in the previous Spider-Man titles.

    Spider-Man 2 also supports 120 Hz output — a feature that Insomniac added to Rift Apart in a post-launch patch — so you’ll have more visual options if your PS5 is hooked up to a 120 Hz panel. Enabling this setting allows the Fidelity mode to run at a target of 40 fps instead of 30 fps, and the improvement in fluidity and input latency is palpable. It’s a great middle ground between the Performance mode and the standard Fidelity mode, delivering the image quality and clarity of the latter setting at a frame rate that feels more responsive. It’s the way to go if you’re lucky enough to be playing on a 120 Hz display like my LG C1 television. The only drawback is that at 40 fps, the resolution (understandably) can drop a bit further, with the average ending up somewhere between 1296p and 4K, according to Insomniac.

    The third setting for the visuals in Spider-Man 2 is for variable refresh rate (VRR), which can be used with both graphics modes. It further complicates the picture with two options: “smoothed” and “uncapped.” The former setting keeps the frame rate cap in place (30 fps or 60 fps, depending on the chosen mode) and helps maintain it by smoothing out any drops below the target. The latter setting is for people who want the most responsive possible experience: It unlocks the frame rate, allowing the game to run from 40-60 fps in Fidelity mode and 60-90 fps in Performance mode. (With frame rate prioritized over resolution here, the pixel count can fall as low as 1152p in Fidelity mode and 1008p in Performance mode, but no instances of resolution drops stood out as offensive to my eyes.)

    Which Spider-Man 2 graphics mode is better, Fidelity or Performance?

    In this scene of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man looking down toward the streets of Midtown Manhattan at dusk, note the increased level of detail in the Fidelity mode (left). There’s more traffic on the roads. Lampposts are visible from this high vantage point, but they’re missing in the Performance mode (right) — as are minor elements such as air conditioning vents on rooftops. But the ray-traced reflections in the windows of the building that Peter is perched on? They look pretty much identical across both graphics modes.
    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon and Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    I’ve played Spider-Man 2 in both graphics modes over multiple hours, and I don’t believe there’s an obvious winner here. Granted, I’ve spent the vast majority of my time in Fidelity mode playing with the 120 Hz option enabled. It still feels great at 30 fps, but the ability to get an additional 10 fps — or more, if using VRR with an uncapped frame rate — while keeping all the visual bells and whistles is a meaningful benefit.

    If you aren’t playing on a 120 Hz panel, I would lean toward Performance mode. The visual compromises — both in terms of clarity (due to the reduced resolution) and in terms of the game world’s level of detail and density — are notable, but they aren’t severe enough to make a gigantic difference in image quality.

    Sure, there are fewer cars and pedestrians on the streets of New York, and the strands of hair on the characters’ heads are less detailed. But this is where the steadfast presence of ray tracing across both graphics modes makes all the difference: Even with its lower-quality ray-tracing effects, the Performance mode upholds the game’s overall visual presentation. And anyway, how much will you really notice the shortcomings when Miles or Peter is flying high above the city at something like 100 mph? I’m already at the point where the combat encounters are getting difficult, and I appreciate Performance mode’s increased responsiveness in those sequences.

    a Spider-Man 2 screenshot of Miles Morales’ Spider-Man standing on top of a building across the street from the Guggenheim Museum

    Image: Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

    It’s worth noting that you do kind of have to make a choice and stick with it during a session. While I often swapped between the two options in Horizon Forbidden West, exploring the environment in quality mode and switching into performance mode for combat sequences, Spider-Man 2 forces you to restart from a checkpoint when changing the graphics mode. (I imagine the developers have a good reason for this, but it’s a strange hang-up, since the game appears to switch seamlessly into Fidelity mode as soon as you enter the photo mode.)

    Spider-Man 2’s array of graphics options can be confusing, even overwhelming. The great thing is that if you don’t want to worry about the various modes, you can just leave the defaults in place and be secure in the knowledge that you’ll have a terrific-looking and smooth-playing experience regardless of the settings. Insomniac Games has utilized the PS5’s hardware to its fullest extent — that is, until its upcoming Wolverine game, when the studio will surely find ways to top itself again.

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    Samit Sarkar

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