• Google has given the Pixel 8a a slight redesign compared to its predecessor, with more rounded body frames and screen corners. The dimensions are 152.1x72.7x8.9 mm.
• The smartphone boasts a 6.1-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and a maximum brightness of 2000 nits. The pixel density is 430 ppi.
• Powered by a nine-core Tensor G3 processor and 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, the device comes with built-in storage options of 128GB or 256GB, depending on the model.

• With a battery capacity of 4492 mAh, the Pixel 8a supports 18W wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging.
• Equipped with two rear cameras, including a main 64-megapixel camera with image stabilization support and a wide-angle 13-megapixel camera with a 120-degree viewing angle. The front camera resolution is 13 MP.
• One of the device's key features is the pre-installed Google Gemini Nano neural network, which can be activated by holding down the power button. Among other functions, the artificial intelligence supports search functions for highlighted objects in photos and sound emojis. The Pixel 8a also includes AI features such as Magic Editor (video editor) and Circle to Search (search for information using a gesture).

• Google stated that the smartphone will receive Android updates for seven years, similar to "older" models released in October 2023.
• Sales of the device will commence on May 14, with prices ranging from $499 to $559 depending on the storage size.

Specialists at Digital Foundry shared details about the capabilities of the PlayStation 5 Pro and the characteristics of the console's graphics chip, which they obtained from Sony documents intended for developers.

• The PS5 Pro will feature 30 workgroup processors (WGP), compared to the original console's 18 WGP. This will give the device a performance of 33.5 teraflops, a significant increase from the PS5's 10.23 teraflops.
• Despite the substantial difference in teraflops, the real-world performance boost in the PS5 Pro will be 45%, not the 227% that Sony noted in its documents. This discrepancy is attributed to the specifics of the RDNA 3 architecture and how instructions are processed.
• The standard clock speed of the PS5 Pro's GPU will be around 2.18GHz, slightly lower than the PS5's 2.23GHz. However, when overclocked, the new console's GPU can reach 2.35 GHz, theoretically providing a maximum performance of 36.1 teraflops. Digital Foundry noted that the GPU rarely reaches peak power, especially in demanding games.
• The PS5 Pro will feature 56 active processing units, an increase from the original console's 36. Digital Foundry believes this will result in a significant performance boost in existing games, despite the slight reduction in base clock speed.
• Additionally, the PS5 Pro GPU's L1 cache will double from 128KB to 256KB, while the L0 cache will increase from 16KB to 32KB. These changes accommodate the increased number of compute blocks and improve performance in ray tracing tasks.
• The PS5 Pro's video chip will include some features of DirectX 12 Ultimate that were not present in the original console. This includes hardware support for shading optimization technology, additional capabilities for hybrid MSAA anti-aliasing, and full compatibility with mesh shaders.
• Sony will also offer developers an easy way to integrate PSSR image scaling technology into existing games, using the same dataset as FSR 2. This allows developers to add PSSR support to their games at no cost, improving performance.

PS5 Pro sales are expected to begin in late 2024, according to journalist Tom Henderson's sources.

• In a statement, the PlayStation division explained that Sony is still studying the PC gamer audience, and feedback from the Helldivers 2 community has been very valuable.
• The update, which would have made PSN tethering mandatory for PC players, will now not be released.
• PlayStation thanked players for their support and stated it would keep the community informed of future plans. It's unclear whether this support is for the game in general or a revised PSN integration.
• The Helldivers 2 community joked that like all major orders from Super Earth Command, this situation was resolved within 48 hours.

• On the night of May 5, Helldivers 2 sales were halted on Steam in over 170 countries, a development noticed by users online.
• This change occurred amidst a scandal regarding Sony's requirement for mandatory linking to a PSN account to play Helldivers 2 on PC. In certain countries, registering such an account is impossible, leading to the restriction of sales in those regions.
• Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony have yet to comment on the situation. Previously, Johan Pilestedt, the head of the studio developing Helldivers 2, apologized to players for any inconvenience caused.
• On May 3, Sony announced the mandatory tethering of Helldivers 2 on PC to a PlayStation Network account, citing improved security measures and the ability to enforce bans with appeal options for offenders.
• Players widely criticized Sony's decision, resulting in Helldivers 2's Steam reviews dropping to "mixed" overall and "mostly negative" for recent reviews. Arrowhead's community manager clarified that it was Sony, not the developers, who made the decision regarding the PSN link requirement.

Insider V Scooper, renowned for confirmed movie leaks, shared possible details about the next Tomb Raider installment. Insider Gaming also took note of his tweets.

• According to the insider, the next Tomb Raider will boast a fully open world, a departure from the series' previous separate but spacious locations. Set in India, players will explore a vast world, utilizing motorcycles and other transportation options, with Lara Croft even able to skydive.
• If all goes smoothly, the game should launch within a year, although an official release date has yet to be finalized by the developers.
• V Scooper promised further details soon, sourced exclusively from a trusted contact.

Developed by Crystal Dynamics using the Unreal Engine 5, the next installment remains a single-player action-adventure, akin to its predecessors. Beyond this, details are scarce.

Crystal Dynamics previously released artwork of Lara Croft, sparking speculation about her updated appearance. However, the studio clarified that this depiction doesn't necessarily reflect her look in the upcoming game.

• Deadline has compiled a rating of the most failed movies of 2023. The list includes pictures that brought the greatest losses to their creators and movie companies.
• The leader of the anti-top was the movie "The Marvels", whose losses amounted to 237 million dollars. Deadline noted that the picture collected 218 million dollars with a budget of 279 million.
• In second place was "The Flash" with losses of 155 million dollars. The top three ranking closed the tape "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", on which Disney lost 143 million dollars.
• Among the failed tapes were not Apple films. As explained in Deadline, the low fees "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Napoleon" did not take into account - this is only a small part of the costs of the American corporation.
• The most failed movies of 2023 according to Deadline
  • "The Marvels" - loss of 237 million dollars.
  • "The Flash" - a loss of 155 million dollars.
  • "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" - $143 million loss.
  • "Wish" - $131 million loss.
  • "Haunted Mansion" - 117 million dollars.
• In early 2024, the head of Disney blamed the failure of the "The Marvels" movie on studio executives who had no control over the filming process.

Which mini-boss deserves to be promoted to a main boss?

Analyst Stephen Follows reported a nearly 40% decrease in the number of sex scenes in Hollywood movies since 2000. His research, which examined 250 of the highest-grossing films released over 23 years, revealed that the proportion of movies without bed scenes increased from 18% to 46% during this period. The decline in intimate scenes was most pronounced in action movies, dropping by 70%, with thrillers ranking second in terms of decline. Romantic movies were the least affected by this trend. However, the number of scenes featuring profanity, drugs, and violence has remained relatively stable since 2000.

Follows outlined several potential reasons for the decrease in intimate scenes:

• Changes in modern audience preferences.
• Distributors aiming to lower age ratings to reach broader audiences.
• Increased availability of "adult" content.
• Changing cultural norms leading movie producers to exercise caution with sexual content.
• Rejection of stereotypes, such as the necessity of sex scenes in action movies.
• The emergence of the role of intimacy coordinators.
• The growing popularity of streaming services and the resulting increase in overall content.

Follows highlighted that he initially analyzed 250 of the highest-grossing films at the request of The Economist magazine for an upcoming study. However, he expanded his analysis and found that the observed trends remained unchanged.

• On May 3, Sony announced that Helldivers 2 on PC would soon require PSN account tethering by the end of the month. This requirement has actually been in place since the game's release, but technical issues initially made tethering optional. Consequently, many players were unaware of this condition.
• The company's decision faced significant criticism from players, particularly because creating a PSN account is not possible in certain regions, such as Africa, the Baltics, and the Philippines. Although players can create an account by specifying a different region, Sony reserves the right to block accounts for providing false data.
• Some players who have been enjoying Helldivers 2 on PC via Steam may lose access because the PSN system does not support their region. As of May 3, Steam users have already posted over four thousand negative reviews of Helldivers 2, with many threatening to seek refunds if mandatory PSN account linking is implemented.
• Analyst Daniel Ahmad believes that such a requirement should have been imposed immediately or provided with a one-click solution, and he considers the players' reaction to be expected. Neither Arrowhead studio nor Sony has commented on the situation, but players are hopeful that the companies may reconsider the decision or make exceptions for regions where creating a PSN account is technically impossible.