Month: February 2023

Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra, Citadel is Amazon’s attempts to build a James Bond-style TV spy universe.

There was a time when Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) was everyone’s fan-favorite choice to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond.

That boat might have sailed by now, but Madden is set to portray a 007-style agent in Citadel, a forthcoming Prime Video TV show that plans on becoming the next Bond or Bourne-like cinematic franchise.

Set to arrive exclusively on Amazon’s streaming platform in late April, Citadel is billed as a high-stakes, action espionage thriller that has big ambitions of reinventing the spy genre. How so? By being the first series in a Marvel-style TV universe that’ll tell intersecting stories across multiple nations and continents.

Madden is joined by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The Matrix Resurrections), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), and Lesley Manville (The Crown) in the gripping spy series, which is being helmed by David Weil (Hunters, Invasion) and is the latest project from the Russo brothers’ AGBO production company.

Citadel could be the start of a new big franchise for Prime Video. (Image credit: Prime Video)

In a press release, Amazon released a lengthy plot synopsis to help audiences become accustomed to Citadel‘s overarching narrative.

“Eight years ago, Citadel fell,” the synopsis read. “The independent global spy agency – tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people – was destroyed by operatives of Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. 

“With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They’ve remained hidden ever since, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. 

“Mason seeks out his former partner, Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore, all while contending with a relationship built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yet-undying love.”

Citadel is set to debut on Prime Video on Friday, April 28 with a two-episode premiere. New episodes follow every Friday after that date until the season finale on May 26.

The teaser before the actual teaser

Fans can get a brief taste of Citadel’s action via a secret video. (Image credit: Prime Video)

First-look images are all well and good, but what about some actual footage? Well, an official teaser trailer is due to be released tomorrow (March 1) – but there is a way to get a brief exclusive look at the show in action ahead of the trailer’s reveal.

Interested? Read on to find out how to access it.

First, you’ll need to scan the QR code in the image above. You’ll find it in the top left of the screen, above and to the left of Nadia Sinh’s name. Click on the link that appears on your smartphone screen, which takes you to Citadel‘s Instagram page.

From there, tap the message that’s displayed to ‘connect to the mainframe’ of the fictional Citadel network. It’ll take a moment for the account to authenticate you. Once it does, you’ll be asked to type in a password. The passcode is located in the image above, too, next to the QR Code. To save you from trying to see what it is, though, we’ll help you out: it’s TIER1.

Enter that and you’ll unlock a 13-second teaser, which includes a brief voiceover from Stanley Tucci’s Bernard and some snippets of footage. It’s a good start, but here’s hoping tomorrow’s trailer shows us even more spy-based action and tension-fuelled drama. If it does, expect Citadel to work its way onto our best Prime Video shows list once it airs.

For more Prime Video and spy-based coverage, read up on the best Prime Video movies to stream right now. Additionally, see how we ranked every Daniel Craig Bond movie, or find out how to watch the James Bond movies in order.

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Google has announced that it’s finally rolling out ‘fall detection’ for the Pixel Watch – but it’s just tumbleweed for Fitbit fans.

The Google Pixel Watch has finally rolled out a potentially life-saving ‘fall detection’ mode that’s good news for owners of the smartwatch, but less so for Fitbit users.

The feature, which is rolling out from today (February 28), uses a combination of motion sensors and machine learning to tell when you’ve taken a hard fall. If you don’t move or respond within a certain timeframe, your Google Pixel Watch will then call the emergency services.

Before that happens, you’ll get a chance to steer it away from making a call. If the Pixel Watch detects that you haven’t been moving for about 30 seconds, Google says it’ll vibrate, sound an alarm and display an on-screen notification for you to tap. If you don’t need help, you can just tap ‘I’m OK’ – or if you’re at the bottom of a ravine, you can tap ‘I fell and need help’ to get connected to emergency services.

Fall detection isn’t a new idea, with most of the best smartwatches already boasting the feature. If you own an Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch Series 4 (or later), you can turn the feature on or off in your iPhone’s Watch app, and can even decide to only have fall detection turned on when you’re working out.

Most recent Galaxy Watch models, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, also have a ‘detect falls’ feature, which is an optional mode in the Galaxy Wearable app on Android phones. The Pixel Watch, then, is very much playing catch-up on this front, with Google having promised that the feature was coming back in October.

But it’s also another slight slap in the face for the Google-owned Fitbit and owners of smartwatches like the Fitbit Sense 2, who’ve recently seen Community features like Fitbit Challenges and Groups removed from their fitness trackers. In fact, we’ve even gone as far as to argue that Fitbit as we know it is already dead, thanks to Google’s antics – and seeing features like fall detection added to the Pixel Watch only rubs salt into the wound for Fitbit fans.

Analysis: a life-saver with large asterisks

(Image credit: Apple)

Fall detection has now become a standard feature on smartwatches, but the different implementations all work slightly differently – and their digital safety net has some potentially large holes in it.

Google says the Pixel Watch’s fall detection is “dependent upon network connectivity and other factors”. So if you’re planning a trip to the wilderness, you may want to also pack a satellite-connected sidekick like Motorola’s new Defy Satellite Link.

Google is also keen to point out that “fall detection may not detect all falls” and that “your watch may not be reliable for emergency communications”. In other words, it’s very much a bonus extra for some additional peace of mind, rather than a superhero in smartwatch form.

Still, this is unfortunately more than Fitbit owners are likely to get, as even the best Fitbits lack fall detection or emergency SOS features. With Google actively removing features like offline music access and community extras like Challenges, let alone failing to add new features, it seems that Fitbit fans will need to move to the Pixel Watch to access the latest smartwatch tricks, or make the leap to one of the best Garmin watches instead.

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Metal Gear Solid 6 hasn’t been officially confirmed but we’ve still gathered up the latest rumors and news.

Will there ever be a Metal Gear Solid 6? Though it’s been a long time since Metal Gear Solid 5 graced our screens, the Metal Gear series is sufficiently iconic and rooted in gaming history that we think it unlikely for Konami to abandon the series entirely. 

The Metal Gear games are a series of third-person stealth action games which follow a sprawling decades-long saga. The games deal with themes of family, free will, and nuclear proliferation, often using over-the-top melodrama and cinematic flair to explore nuanced and difficult topics.

The stealth action elements of Metal Gear have always placed an emphasis on resourcefulness and lateral thinking, famously rewarding players for out-of-the-box strategies which, ironically, sometimes involve hiding in boxes. The most recent entry in the franchise, 2018’s Metal Gear: Survive, was Konami’s first attempt at a new  Metal Gear since the departure of the series’ creator, Hideo Kojima. It attempted to add co-op survival elements to the stealth formula but was widely regarded as a failure. Hopefully, a sequel will give Konami a chance to learn from its mistakes.

Spoilers ahead for the Metal Gear series.   

Metal Gear Solid 6: cut to the chase

What is it? The unconfirmed sixth game in the Metal Gear Solid series

When’s it out? TBC

What can I play it on? TBC

Metal Gear Solid 6 release date and platforms

(Image credit: Konami)

Metal Gear is in a weird sort of limbo right now. Hideo Kojima, now working at his own studio, has long since severed ties with Konami. However, Konami still owns the rights to the series. So far, Konami has only released one Kojima-free Metal Gear title: Metal Gear Survive. Released in 2018, this co-op zombie survival game was poorly received.

Alas, though there was a trailer for Death Stranding 2 at The Video Game Awards 2022, there was no sign of any Metal Gear announcements from Konami. 

What it has confirmed on the game’s 35th anniversary is that it’s working on putting Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 back on sale after they were delisted in late 2021. Good news, though not what we were hoping for. 

We imagine if Metal Gear Solid 6, or some new series entry, is on the way, then it will arrive on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC at the very least.

Metal Gear Solid 6 news

(Image credit: Konami)

Not the anniversary announcement we expected

Metal Gear Solid’s 35th anniversary took place on July 13, 2022 and while it would have been the perfect time to announce any kind of new project in the works, Konami didn’t do so. It was, however, confirmed by the Metal Gear official account that the publisher is working on bringing back Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, which were delisted towards the end of 2021. 

At the moment, there’s no exact date for when they will be back.

Metal Gear Solid 6: what we want to see

(Image credit: Konami)

Metal Gear Solid 6 may not have been confirmed by Konami, but here’s what we would want to see in a new Metal Gear Solid game.

Return to the sandbox
Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain saw a marked shift in the Metal Gear Solid format. In a similar way to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the games took the essential elements of the Metal Gear series and spun them anew within a sandbox environment. 

A game known for enclosed environments where you had to identify and navigate enemy patrols, became an open space for you to assert control over. The change in philosophy rejuvenated the series and any sequel should continue that, better tying together the wealth of changes Metal Gear Solid 5 introduced.

More sci-fi nonsense

As much as I enjoyed Metal Gear Solid 5, I did find the trappings of the 1980s somewhat limiting, especially compared with the over-the-top bombast of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. As much as I love the more understated and historical side of Metal Gear, I know I’m not alone in missing the awesome giant mech fights of Metal Gear Solid 4. Metal Gear has always been eerily prescient when it’s looked toward the future, and I’d love to see more.

(Image credit: Konami)

Story
Metal Gear Solid 5 ended with the revelation that you hadn’t been playing as Big Boss, but as a man who had been brainwashed and surgically altered to think and look like he was Big Boss. It was a leftfield twist but one that explains how Snake kills Big Boss twice in the Metal Gear games. 

In the first Metal Gear, Snake kills the doppelganger (aka ‘Venom’ Snake) and in Metal Gear 2 he kills the real Big Boss. 

There are many places where Metal Gear Solid 6 could pick up the story but a likely candidate would be right after the events of 5, either as Big Boss establishing Outer Heaven, his renegade state, and developing the Metal Gear walking battle tank – which would give fans a chance to re-meet characters like Grey Fox and Dr Pettrovich, though from a new perspective; or, Konami could take a leaf out of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance‘s book and focus on the future of Metal Gear and the long-term consequences of its characters’ actions. 

Unanswered questions
While Konami disputes it, many people feel Metal Gear Solid 5 is unfinished. The game’s final mission, Episode 51, was literally cut from the game, so there is little resolution with Eli, Big Boss’ clone. At one point he steals a mech from your base and disappears and you just never give chase. While The Phantom Pain’s collector’s edition revealed what would have happened in the cut mission, it would be great to actually be able to play that final part, and to see Eli, the boy soldier become Liquid Snake, your nemesis throughout Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 4.

Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami doesn’t have to spell the end for Metal Gear Solid. However, if the publisher is going to continue its most famous series then it’s got a lot to live up to.

These are the upcoming games we’ve got our eye on

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Intel has dropped a new Bluetooth update that’ll greatly improve user experience.

Intel has released a new Bluetooth driver for Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it’s an update many of us have been clamouring for. These days, where almost every device has Bluetooth compatibility, a good connection is key, so the new drivers are definitely welcomed with open arms if they can actually solve one of Windows’ biggest problems.

For anyone using a Bluetooth device with a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, you may have been frustrated by an unreliable connection that drops out at awkward times, if it connects at all, and there have been instances where connecting a Bluetooth games controller to a PC can cause frame rate drops in games. 

It’s all very annoying, especially for people with desktop PCs, as Bluetooth connectivity can be more of a pain.

So, what’s new?

According to the official release notes, the new Intel Bluetooth driver 22.200.0 has improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth co-existence when using Wi-Fi, better reliability for connecting your smartphone to your PC via a Bluetooth connection, and general functional updates. 

Basically, better quality-of-life improvements that should hopefully take a lot of the pain out of connecting a Bluetooth device to Windows. If you’re as hyped as we are and itching to get updated, you’ll have to head on to the Intel official website and download the version that’s right for your PC. 

If you’re unsure whether or not you need a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Bluetooth driver 22.200.0 the website has a link you can click that’ll help you figure out what’s best for your machine. 

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Chrome may be the dominant browser by far, but Microsoft is determined to find ways to help Edge catch up.

Microsoft Edge is going to make an effort to help you improve the browser with a new system of badges for add-ons.

Add-ons (also referred to as extensions) are little extras that can be bolted onto the browser to deliver all kinds of functionality, but clearly the trick to making Edge better with them is choosing good add-ons, and not bloat or poor-quality efforts (or even malicious ones in a worst-case scenario).

As MS Power User reports, what the new system delivers is a badge – a visual icon, present on the product description page and elsewhere – to show that any given browser extension is of a high enough quality to deserve that label. So in short, you know you’re getting something you can trust, and that will work well.

Microsoft says that it’ll soon start to experiment with testing extension badges in the Edge Addons Store (EAS). The company notes: “Edge is starting with a small-scale experiment and will begin to engage with the developer community to talk through the criterion and help them get acquainted with the badging process on EAS.”

Analysis: Another step in the right direction

Badges will also act as a carrot for devs to make better extensions, too. As Microsoft explains, developers will be encouraged to follow best practice guidelines when putting together their add-ons in order to try to qualify for a badge that’ll ensure their products are more likely to be used by Edge fans. So, it’s more likely that the extensions being made will be of a higher quality, broadly speaking, or at least that’s the hope.

There are quite a number of add-ons in the library available to Edge users at this point, so helping to sort the wheat from the chaff is definitely a good idea. According to Microsoft, there are almost 11,000 extensions for Edge at this point, and that’ll keep on growing, naturally.

It’s good to see the software giant taking more positive steps to try and improve Edge as a product. We’ve also glimpsed another innovative step in recent times, namely the integrated free VPN that’s been in testing (and has supposedly just reached release, at least for some Edge users).

All this is refreshing, primarily because advancing Edge with extra capabilities and fresh features is what we want to see, not experimenting with how more adverts can be jammed into Windows 11 to push Edge (let’s stop with that already, Microsoft, please).

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Developers say they still need to unlock all Apple M1 Silicon features before they can release an operational Linux OS.

Despite upstream support for Apple’s M1 family of chips in Linux 6.2, leading developers have said that users still won’t be able to install a Linux distro onto an Apple Silicon Mac anytime soon.

While Linux founder Linus Torvalds has been publicly passionate about getting Linux-based operating systems to work on Apple hardware, the open source project presents many hurdles and stages to development, and everybody needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet before it becomes a reality.

This was emphasized in a recent tweet by Asahi Linux , which reads: “You will not be able to run Ubuntu nor any other standard distro with 6.2 on any M1 Mac. Please don’t get your hopes up.”

Linux on M1 Macs

The thread continues: “We are continuously upstreaming kernel features, and 6.2 notably adds device trees and basic boot support for M1 Pro/Max/Ultra machines.”

While the SoC processors gave recently gained support, other Apple components have not. This includes keyboard and trackpad usage. 

A support document details some of the many problems that Linux developers have encountered as they’ve been forced to reverse-engineer everything to support Apple’s M-series chips. 

Some current across-the-board blocks include USB, Thunderbolt, Video Encoder, and GPU. There are also a number of device-specific blocks, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Ethernet, microphones, the webcam, Touch ID, and the Touch Bar.

Put simply, Asahi Linux says: “Our goal is to upstream everything, but that doesn’t mean distros instantly get Apple Silicon support.”

Despite the challenges, the project hopes to deliver official Apple Silicon support for a mainstream Linux distro “in the near future”, but the recent 6.2 announcement is not it.

Here’s our roundup of the best workstations

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