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Great performance and pricing make the Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 portable SSD an attractive choice

The Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 is easily transportableThe new SSD offers 2x transfer speeds on previous modelsInitial testing shows OWC’s Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 boasts top performance

The first reviews of OWC’s new external SSD with built-in Thunderbolt 5 connectivity show promising capabilities for users.

The Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 portable SSD, which comes in 2TB and 4TB formats, offers ultra-fast transfer speeds of up to 6,000MB/s, marking a significant improvement on previous iterations.

All told, the new portable SSD offers transfer speeds up to two-times faster than Thunderbolt 4, the company revealed.

Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD: What you need to know

In a statement at launch, OWC founder and CEO Larry O’Connor said Thunderbolt 5 technology “sets a new standard for performance and simple connectivity” and will provide huge performance benefits for enterprise users and professionals.

Boasting a Thunderbolt 5 interface, the new SSD from OWC offers bidirectional bandwidth of up to 80Gbps, equivalent to 10,000MB/s, at the high end of the scale.

The SSD can also support dual 8K monitors alongside 240W charging options.

Versatility is a key talking point for the new SSD, according to OWC, as it works with Macs, PCs, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, and Surface devices. Similarly, the SSD is dustproof, waterproof, and shockproof, meaning users can transport it easily while reducing the potential risk for damage.

On that front, it’s also a sleek, lightweight SSD, measuring in at 71 x 198 x 20 mm and weighing around 327 grams.

Pricing for the new Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD starts at $399 and $599 for the 2TB and 4TB models respectively.

Testing by PC Watch highlighted the performance capabilities of the new SSD from OWC. Using a Razer Blade 18 gaming laptop equipped with Thunderbolt 5, testing recorded sequential read speeding of 6,056.81MB/s, outperforming the basic advertised speeds.

Sequential write speed was also notable, coming in at 4,213.83MB/s.

Users also needn’t worry about potential overheating on this model, with maximum temperatures recorded during use standing at 42°C/107.6°F.

Testers also noted the SSD was “only slightly warm to the touch”, and despite being a fanless device boasted remarkable heat dissipation.

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Google debuts AI education tool Learn About.

AI chatbots can be useful tools for learning about the world, but they aren’t usually designed as educators and often are full of caveats regarding where their data comes from. Google has debuted a new AI tutor called Learn About to solve those issues. It’s a personal tutor capable of adapting its teaching style in real time. Learn About isn’t just a conversational AI chatbot; it combines visual aids and the ability to expand and simplify subjects as needed, like an interactive and intelligent textbook.

Learn About doesn’t rely on the Gemini AI models employed by Google in most of its AI services. Instead, it uses the LearnLM model introduced at Google I/O this year. LearnLM has been trained specifically on educational and research-oriented data and is supposed to encourage users to think for themselves. That means the AI doesn’t just give a quick answer but tries to impart the facts and the knowledge behind the straightforward answer, including diagrams and annotated text, along with suggested topics related to your initial query.

LearnLM also makes sure the common hallucinations and wrong information regurgitated by AI chatbots are less of an issue. You can ask a question, suggest a topic, or even upload images and let the AI run with whatever it can find about what’s in the images. Learn About is currently available to a limited number of U.S. users, but expansion is likely coming soon.

Robotic education

(Image credit: Future)

As an experiment, I asked about building a humanoid robot. Learn About didn’t just cite an encyclopedia on what that would entail. Instead, I got a whole list of necessary elements broken down with images, context boxes, and further reading. The ‘get images’ button at the bottom did exactly what it said it would, while the double-check with Google just seemed to confirm the information was accurate. The ‘go deeper’ button quickly led me down a path of technical details for machining an arm joint. Two paragraphs in, I was lost.

I had much more fun with the ‘simplify’ button because each time I tapped it, the AI would get more creative in being simple. First, it talked about building a robot like a toy, then it tried to explain how to build a robot like a gingerbread man, then a puppet show, and then a magic Lego man. After that, the AI apparently decided I didn’t understand analogies and used very small words to explain robots without any window dressing. Still, the analogies and accompanying images and diagrams were like a window into textbooks for ever-younger children.

People don’t always want a personal tutor. Sometimes, the trivia expert version of AI is preferable. But Gemini and LearnLM point out that Google wants people to continue thinking of it as the source of all knowledge, whether that’s a simple yes or no answer about where a famous landmark is located or a full lecture on its history and place in local culture. Learn About helps Google set itself up as an information resource and a digital learning companion. And I have to give credit to Learn About for inspiring my upcoming gingerbread puppet show about robots.

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The mobile network is experiencing an outage.

If you’re on T-Mobile – or a MvNO like Mint Mobile that uses its network – and have been experiencing no service, dropped calls, or no connectivity, you’re not alone.

Just a few weeks after a major Verizon outage, T-Mobile is experiencing a similarly significant outage across the United States. Via Down Detector—an online tool used to track service outages from user reports—T-Mobile has shot up to over 19,500 reported outages, with frustrated customers leaving comments on the site.

Similarly, impacted customers are taking to X (formerly Twitter) and Threads to express frustration and seek answers from T-Mobile. Ahead, we’re breaking down everything we know and live-blogging the ongoing outage. We’ve also reached out to T-Mobile to see what is going on.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Judging by social posts from impacted T-Mobile customers, this network outage is pretty widespread but also has some hotspots. More than a few folks have posted to Threads and X (formerly Twitter), calling out service issues in Utah, specifically Salt Lake City.

From Down Detector’s interactive map, we can see that service disruptions are being reported in Utah as well as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and New York City.

Along with T-Mobile’s core customers, this outage is impacting MvNOs – aka mobile virtual network operators – like Mint Mobile. These carriers use T-Mobile’s network – or another major carrier like Verizon or AT&T – to provide service.

TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff noted this in a post to X (formerly Twitter) and Threads. At the same time, we’re seeing Mint Mobile customers flag network issues.

While less than the surge of over 19,000 reported outages for T-Mobile, Down Detector is currently showing over 1,000 reported issues for Mint Mobile. In the comments on the site, many are reporting no or minimal service in Utah.

Along with various reports on social media and Down Detector reporting T-Mobile issues in Utah as a whole, CBS affiliate KUTV in St. George, Utah, reports that a ‘major event’ is impacting service for the carrier and CenturyLink customers.

T-Mobile reportedly confirmed the service outage, and KUTV wrote that “the event impacted four cell towers,” but additional details are not yet available. There is also no estimate for service restoration, but judging from previous outages for AT&T and Verizon, it can take several hours to return to normal.

While T-Mobile has yet to comment publicly on the ongoing network issues, customers are attempting to get support on X via the @TMobileHelp account. It’s currently being flooded with many messages and mostly canned, scripted responses asking the customers to “direct message” them.

Many of these are about issues in Utah, specifically Salt Lake City, with @TMobileHelp even trying to figure out why one customer is on WiFi calling versus cellular. That’s a good thing in the event of a cellular outage, as with the feature enabled, you’ll still be able to make calls on WiFi.

While reports on Down Detector did surge to over 19,000 for T-Mobile, reported outages for the wireless carrier are beginning to slow down. As of 3:23 PM ET, there were above 5,600 reported outages—a smaller sum, but still indicating a larger pool of issues than to be expected on a normal day.

The site’s comments still point to service disruptions in South Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Ogden, and Sandy City Utah. Signaling that this state, along with the earlier report of four cell towers being impacted, is the main affected area.

(Image credit: Future)

Even with many reported outages and folks commenting on social media about issues with T-Mobile, others note that it is business as usual.

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Transforming PDF management with Foxit’s latest tools leveraging Snapdragon technology to deliver faster processing and intelligent automation features for enhanced productivity.

Foxit PDF reader will now work natively on Snapdragon devicesWorkers can enjoy AI tool integration to boost productivitySchools and workplaces can benefit from enhanced Snapdragon performance

Foxit has unveils upgrades to help improve productivity for its users by introducing native support for PCs running on Snapdragon processors.

The move eliminates the need for emulation which can slow down performance and drain battery life, and allows Foxit’s PDF Editor and Editor Pro with AI Assistant to run more efficiently.

The combination of Foxit’s PDF and eSignature software with Snapdragon hardware should also help boost performance and streamline the way users manage and interact with PDF documents.

Foxit and Snapdragon

Foxit’s latest offerings also integrate AI tools, particularly ChatGPT, bringing a range of intelligent automation capabilities to users. Through AI-driven natural language processing, users can perform advanced tasks like document redaction, form filling, and annotation more intuitively and with less manual effort, simplifying repetitive tasks and improving accuracy.

In addition, Foxit also optimized its latest PDF tools to run natively on Snapdragon-powered devices, allowing them to deliver the same quality and performance as desktop computers.

Furthermore, the integration with Snapdragon opens up opportunities for users in sectors like education, where mobile-first workflows are becoming more common. Students and educators alike can benefit from a tool that is not only optimized for performance but also capable of handling complex document management tasks without draining device resources.

“Foxit’s commitment to native support on the Snapdragon platform enables us to deliver significant improvements, including faster rendering and processing of content, leading to greatly enhanced productivity and an unrivalled user experience,” said Andrew Travis, Executive Vice President of Sales, at Foxit.

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Top officials confirm the US plans to vote in favour of the controversial cybercrime convention.

The latest draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention faces key voteThe US is set to support the treatyHuman rights advocates say the convention will make it easier for authoritarian regimes to expand surveillance

A new draft of the UN Cybercrime Convention is set to face a key vote, and the Biden administration is reportedly set to support the treaty, despite criticism from digital rights organizations and human rights campaigners.

The convention is the first piece of legally binding legislation from the UN regarding cybersecurity, and its supporters hope to use it to establish a global framework for states to use to investigate and prevent cybercrime.

However, not only does Cisco think the treaty falls short of sufficiently protecting basic human rights, but some campaigners have said this convention will actually make it easier for authoritarian regimes to abuse their power and expand policing and surveillance.

Extensive deliberation

US officials confirmed there had been consultations with allied states and reviewed hundreds of written submissions from non-government organizations, and ultimately ‘decided to remain with consensus’.

A contributing factor to the support from the US was the need to influence later amendments and updates to the treaty, which would be made easier by support from the early stages.

A group of Democratic senators recently wrote the treaty could “legitimize efforts by authoritarian countries” to censor and surveil internet users and political activists.

“While the executive branch’s efforts to steer this treaty in a less-harmful direction are commendable, more must be done to keep the convention from being used to justify such actions,” the senators said in a joint letter to the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and others.

A primary concern for digital rights groups is that the treaty doesn’t focus on crimes committed against computer systems, such as ransomware. Instead, the legislation focuses on digital communication systems, and could be used as an extension of police surveillance powers rather than protecting internet users and companies from cybercrime.

Via Politico

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Subwoofer-like mini PC hides eight SSDs, a 16-core Ryzen CPU and a Geforce RTX 4060 GPU

High-performance mini PC with AMD Ryzen 9 and RTX graphicsSupports up to 64TB storage with lightning-fast 10,000 MB/s speedsFeatures triple monitor support, Wi-Fi 7, and dual 10Gb Ethernet

The Falco Prime A2 is a high-performance, budget-friendly mini PC currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.

Designed for content creators, media enthusiasts and gamers, this compact powerhouse is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX processor, optional NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070 mobile graphics, up to 64GB DDR5 RAM, and dual NVMe SSDs for the operating system.

The main selling point of the Falco Prime A2 is the 8x M.2 SSD bay that supports up to 64TB storage with read speeds up to 10,000 MB/s, allowing users to handle massive media libraries and high-speed data access. It also supports up to three monitors for a customizable multi-screen setup suited for different tasks, and network support comes in the form of Wi-Fi 7 and dual 10Gb Ethernet.

RAID

The mini PC offers two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (one front, one back), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports (one front, one back), and four USB 4 ports in the back for high-speed data transfer, along with a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and SD card and microSD slots for additional storage flexibility.

Users can configure RAID setups and choose between performance-boosting or redundancy options for the dual OS drives. The DDR5 RAM enhances data transfer rates and power efficiency, while a convection cooling system keeps the system running quietly and efficiently.

Early supporters on Kickstarter can secure the Super Early Bird price of $799 (a $500 discount from the $1,299 retail price), which includes the Ryzen 9 processor, RTX 4060M graphics, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD with the 8-slot SSD bay. Additional SSDs can be added to expand storage capacity further.

At the time of writing, the project has received $133,928 in pledges from 125 backers, well over the $5,000 goal, with 19 days to go. As with any crowdfunding project, backers should be aware that delays or changes to the final product can occur, and there’s always a risk that the project may face challenges in production or fulfillment, so be warned.

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Throttled VPNs returned working as usual by Sunday night, but Pakistan’s plan to regulate VPN usage is just started. Here’s all you need to know.

In what would appear to be the beginning of the implementation of VPN-restricting legislation in Pakistan, many residents have reported issues accessing their VPN services. On Sunday, November 9, 2024, people in Pakistan lamented issues using the best VPN apps. After the initial silence, authorities later confirmed to local publications that this wave of restrictions was due to a “brief technical glitch” – VPNs returned working as usual by the end of the day – while reiterating the need for VPN providers to register their services in the country to avoid further disruptions.

The Pakistan Tele­communication Authority (PTA) announced plans to regulate the use of VPNs in August. The new legislation would aim to curb VPN misuse and security risks. Authorities deemed unregistered VPNs a “security risk” for Pakistan as they can be used to access “sensitive data.”

Data from Proton VPN shows a huge spike in usage of the VPN service after other providers began experiencing issues. (Image credit: Proton)

Proton VPN has since confirmed to TechRadar a spike in usage of over 350% above normal traffic following the reported VPN outages and connectivity issues (see graph above).

Virtual private network (VPN) services have become a crucial resource for day-to-day activities for many Pakistanis in 2024 thanks to their IP-spoofing capabilities which grant them access to otherwise geo-restricted content.

Authorities have enforced a strict grip on the internet throughout the year. Most notably, people in Pakistan haven’t been able to access X (formerly known as Twitter) without a VPN since February, with VPN usage being often a target. Experts also believe that such an increase in censorship is the main cause of the decline of the country’s internet.

Are VPNs illegal in Pakistan?

While Pakistan is regulating the use of VPNs, these services are not illegal or completely banned.

As Dawn reported, VPN usage is permitted in Pakistan for legitimate purposes across various sectors, such as banking, foreign missions, corporate enterprises, universities, IT companies, call centers, and freelance professionals.

Authorities are urging companies operating in the aforementioned sectors to complete the VPN registration with PTA as soon as possible. Failing to do that could mean further service interruptions in the future. At the time of writing, over 20,000 VPN IP addresses have been already registered in Pakistan since 2020, according to authorities.

(Image credit: Future)

While the VPNs affected by Sunday throttling returned to work as normal by the end of the day, there’s a bitter irony in considering that this “technical glitch” occurred just a few days after Pakistan’s Prime Minister shared a post on X – a platform that has had disrupted access in the country since February – to congratulate US President-elected Donald Trump.

If you are based in Pakistan, or planning to visit the country soon, I recommend checking out our best free VPN page to download as many of the most secure freebies out there. Having more than a VPN app could be beneficial in these instances as you can hop between services in case one gets blocked.

Tor browser is another valid alternative. Completely free to use, Tor is supposed to be even more secure than VPNs as it encrypts your connection in at least three layers of protection. Beware that this extra encryption might slow down your performance a little.

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I’m pausing my Max subscription this month for Prime Video’s movie magic in November 2024.

It’s been a busy month for the best streaming services: this time of year is when we start to stay in and stream more, and to cater for that there are tons of new things to watch on all the major streamers. Prime Video and Max have added loads of new stuff this month – but if like us you’re saving your pennies for Black Friday deals and the holidays, subscribing to all the streamers isn’t really an option. So, which service should go this month?

Amazon’s streaming service has been particularly busy on the movies front, with over 200 new titles coming to Prime Video this month. Max has been busy too, but Max’s November 2024 schedule is much more focused on TV shows: it’s got just over two dozen new movies to Prime Video’s 200. There are some crackers in there – Goodfellas, Elf, Unforgiven and three Jurassic Parks, for example – but Prime Video clearly has the movie magic this month.

Here are five Prime Video movies that more than justify this month’s subscription.

Carrie (streaming now)

Carrie is one of the best horror movies ever made. One of Stephen King’s best books, one of Brian DePalma’s best movies and one of Sissy Spacek’s best performances combined in the original 1976 movie, a stone cold horror classic about a tormented girl and her terrible revenge. The 2013 remake is available to stream on Prime Video too, but the original is much better: the sequel barely cracked 51% on the Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer, whereas the original has a well deserved 94%.

As The New Yorker’s legendary critic Pauline Kael put it, the film is “a terrifyingly lyrical thriller… Brian DePalma has mastered a teasing style – a perverse mixture of comedy and horror and tension, like that of Hitchcock or Polanski, but with a lulling sensuousness. He builds our apprehensions languorously, softening us for the kill.”

Good Will Hunting (streaming now)

Good Will Hunting stars Matt Damon as a young, headstrong kid and Robin Williams as the professor who takes him under his wing. So far so predictable. But the performances here are something special, with Williams in particular bringing a depth and a darkness that isn’t always there in his other twinkly-eyed roles (and if you want to see an even darker side of him, his performance alongside Ed Norton in Death to Smoochy, is incredible too. That’s a rental right now).

This film is beloved for good reasons: as RogerEbert.com put it, it’s “lyrically directed, efficiently written, side-splittingly funny, quietly devastating.” I love Vice’s review, which says that “It’s a movie that captures (in a way that perhaps an older screenwriter could not convey) the limitless possibilities of youth, a movie in which a character can tell another, without cynicism, ‘You could do anything you want. You are bound by nothing.'”

Jacob’s Ladder (streaming now)

I’ve seen many terrifying things on my TV. Slasher movies. Gratuitous gore. Paw Patrol. But nothing has given me nightmares like Jacob’s Ladder. Forget the remake: Prime Video has the 1990 original, where Tim Robbins delivers an incredibly unsettling performance as a veteran experiencing horrors at home. Amazon’s three-word summary – “cerebral / emotional / frightening” – doesn’t do it justice; this is a film that had me variously sobbing and hiding behind the sofa, and it’s no less powerful today.

Here’s the Seattle Times: “For hours and days after you’ve seen it, you’ll still be putting it together in your head. While all of it is gripping, it doesn’t come together until the final scene, which is jolting, transcendent, unexpected yet inevitable.” There’s a speech by one of the characters, Louis (Danny Aiello), that’ll stay in your head for years.

The LEGO Movie (streaming now)

As a parent, I’m used to enduring cynical cash-ins spun off from big-selling toy brands. But long before Barbie, The LEGO Movie showed just what you can do with a big heart as well as a big brand. In The LEGO Movie, everything really is awesome.

Writing on io9, Charlie Jane Anders explains: “The Lego Movie is both a perfect satire of noisy toy-driven summer action movies, and also an absolutely perfect summer movie in its own right.” Alternative Lens called it “an instant animated classic”. And as Katey Rich of Vanity Fair wrote in a pre-Barbie age, “It’s one of the few movies based on a toy with no explicit story behind it. And it is, so far, the only one that’s really good.”

Coraline (streaming from 24 November)

Writer Neil Gaiman has been credibly accused of abusive behavior, which has tarnished the work he’s been involved in – even though that work has typically been the product of talented teams, not just Gaiman. Henry Selick’s adaptation of his book is an absolutely beautiful and sometimes utterly terrifying classic, and it’s one of the greatest stop-motion movies of all time. If you didn’t catch the 15th anniversary re-release in theaters this year then this will be an absolute treat: it’s visually breathtaking, utterly thrilling and surprisingly scary for what’s officially a kids’ movie.

As Empire says, it’s a true horror movie: “Terrifying and beautiful, believable and fantastical, this is one of the best children’s films in years and Selick’s finest — better even than The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

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Some businesses were surprised to see an unwanted upgrade to Windows Server 2025.

Some firms had their Windows Server unexpectedly upgraded to new 2025 versionMicrosoft blames third-party tools after widespread issues reportedSome are claiming there was a bug on Microsoft’s side

Microsoft’s recent launch of Windows Server 2025 appears to still be causing aftershocks after many companies said they were automatically upgraded to the new software.

Multiple Windows Server 2019 and 2022 systems were reportedly unexpectedly upgraded to Windows Server 2025 overnight, and Microsoft and third-party patch management service providers are now shifting blame amongst themselves.

The bug now finally appears to be fixed, but Microsoft is yet to explain to its customers how the upgrade can be rolled back.

Procedural error

“Some devices upgraded automatically to Windows Server 2025 (KB5044284). This was observed in environments that use third-party products to manage the update of clients and servers,” Microsoft explained. “Please verify whether third-party update software in your environment is configured not to deploy feature updates. This scenario has been mitigated.”

In other words, it’s not Microsoft – it’s you. The company also added the update had the “DeploymentAction=OptionalInstallation” tag, which patch management tools should read as being an optional, rather than recommended update.

Upgrading to a brand new operating system comes with many questions and risks, and in this case, some companies didn’t even have the necessary license.

Microsoft didn’t name any names, but BleepingComputer found many of Heimdal’s clients were affected by the issue. The company blamed the bug on a “procedural error on Microsoft’s side, both with the speed of release and the classification.” In total, 7% of its customers received the unwanted upgrade. At press time, there were no details on how to roll the update back.

KB5044284 is a cumulative update, part of Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday effort, and Windows Server 2025 was supposed to be an optional update.

This optional update is, in fact, the latest release in Microsoft’s Windows Server lineup, introducing several advanced features designed to improve security, performance, and hybrid cloud capabilities. Notable features include hotpatching, enhanced storage and GPU support, and stronger AI and machine learning capabilities.

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Arcane’s post-launch show Afterglow has made its YouTube debut, and it’s a must-watch for fans of the hugely popular Netflix series.

Netflix and Riot Games have finally released the first episode of Arcane season 2’s official after showAfterglow will reveal key insights into the hit animated series’ second and final seasonEpisode 1, which is out now on YouTube, covers the show’s first three chapters

Full spoilers follow for Arcane season 2 act 1.

Are you desperate to fill the week-long gap between the multi-episodic releases of Arcane season 2? I can’t imagine you’ve answered anything but an emphatic “yes” to that question.

Well, as the excruciating wait for the next batch of episodes to drop on Netflix goes on, the streaming titan has delivered some new Arcane content for you to consume. An official after show, titled Afterglow, has just debuted on YouTube – indeed, episode 1 is available to stream today (November 12) on YouTube and it provides a peak behind the curtain on some of this season’s most important and emotionally stunning moments, as well as season 2 act 1’s explosive ending.

Clocking in at just over 12 minutes, the behind-the-scenes look at one of the best Netflix shows‘ second season is hosted by Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, who Arcane fans will recognize as sisters Vi and Jinx, aka the series’ deuteragonists. For anyone unfamiliar with the actors or the characters they play – why would you be reading this if you weren’t? – you can learn more in my Arcane season 2 cast and character guide.

But I digress. Episode 1 sees the stars joined by co-creator Christian Linke in a real-world recreation of The Last Drop, the famous drinking establishment that sits in the center of the undercity known of Zaun. As part of Afterglow‘s premiere, the trio run through some of episode 1 through 3’s biggest moments, including discussions surrounding Jinx and Sevika’s burgeoning friendship, the breakdown of Jayce and Viktor’s partnership, Ambessa’s motivations, and that huge season 2 scene involving Caitlyn and Vi – a scenario Link exclusively told TechRadar that the creative team “couldn’t have done” in season 1.

“The fans have been waiting for this,” Steinfeld said of Caitlyn and Vi’s long overdue kiss. “More importantly, [we knew] that Vi and Caitlyn were going to get this moment. We know that they see and understand each other, and they want that intimacy. But, it’s very difficult for them to have, given the circumstances they’re in.

“The dialog before that [kiss] says it all,” Steinfeld continued. “Vi’s in a place where she’s lost everything she’s ever been seen by, or been close to. The only way she has any of it left is through Caitlyn, and she’s now asking a lot of her [Caitlyn] and to not change, given what she [Caitlyn] is now going through. I think it unlocks this newfound vulnerability [in Vi]… there’s such a pay off of ‘we are in that moment’. It’s not just another kiss. It’s a really beautiful scene that means a lot.”

“So many people around her have changed,” Linke added. “She’s also seen Caitlyn, like, suddenly become this dogged leader, so I think Vi is really scared to commit because she’s lost people so often. Is Caitlyn going to be another one for her [to lose]? So, it’s a really fragile moment for Vi, because she’s such a powerhouse.”

Alongside other intriguing conversational points, Afterglow episode 1 also gives fans a glimpse at what’s to come in season 2’s next three episodes. Having seen episodes 4 through 6 – read my Arcane season 2 review for more teases about what’s on the way – let me say that nobody is prepared for how epic and emotionally devastating season 2 act 2 will be. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy, everyone, because they made me cry more than once (yeah, I’m not afraid to admit it!).

With two more parts comprising three entries apiece, there’ll be more Afterglow episodes coming soon, too. Another behind-the-scenes look at the League of Legends TV adaptation will be released on Tuesday, November 19, and it’ll cover chapters 4 to 6. Afterglow episode 3 will debut a week later on November 26, with that installment examining what happens in the series’ final three episodes.

In the meantime, read more of my coverage on Arcane season 2 below – and check back in with TechRadar this weekend (November 16 and 17) for even more from my exclusive chat with Linke and co-showrunner Alex Yee.

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