In his book
Crushing It, Gary Vaynerchuk likens the future of social media to floating spheres capturing everything you do, privacy be damned. It sets the tone for a haunting
Black Mirror episode and tying this idea to one of
Cyberpunk 2077’s eerie gizmos makes matters all the more alarming.
Touted as an experience that lets you explore a virtual reality with all your senses,
Cyberpunk 2077’s braindances (BDs) are equal parts chilling and enchanting. They work on the same principle of electroencephalograms (EEGs), that of monitoring minute electrical signals in the brain.
But while most of today’s tech focuses on detecting and understanding electrical impulses, BDs seek to alter them. The result is an artform on steroids, a limitless medium that doesn’t take its sweet time to immerse you. Like a tub of ice, it cuts to the bone. All that’s left is a slave to the rhythm.
Source: Image created by the author on Canva.
Appleâs aptly named Spring Loaded event on 4/20 revealed a couple of neat products with the usual cinematography that an Apple keynote revels in. Its 23.5 iMacs are its best yet, with Appleâs custom M1 silicon no longer restricted to MacBooks and the Mac mini. 85% faster CPU performance and up to 50% better GPU performance are claims that are no longer within the realm of fiction. The new Macâs seven vibrant hues remind me of the original candy-colored iMacs that pushed Appleâs fortunes forward.
Equipped with a 4.5K Retina Display with 11.3 million pixels, Apple managed to cram a productive workhorse with a tidy screen into a 11.5 mm thick system. P3 1B color support and True Tone tech in addition to a beast of an audio system (six speakers and two pairs of force-canceling woofers) round out the impressive yet svelte package. And yes, thereâs an ever-important 1080p webcam sitting above that gorgeous display. B
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a difficult platformer. The romp through all sorts of locales and vistas makes for some frustrating moments that need to be timed just right. And that makes loading times all the more important. Fortunately, Sony and Microsoft have you covered. The blazing-fast SSDs in the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S bite out a significant chunk from the game’s load times. Press Start reports that it takes less than ten seconds for the PS5 to load into a level.
Compare that to 40 seconds on the PS4 Pro and you can see how the new consoles revive your protagonist near-instantly. No more bathroom breaks or social media check-ins during loading. But that isn’t the only thing these consoles get right. Crash Bandicoot 4 weighs in at about 20 GB on the PS5, coupled with a host of visual and technical improvements. And on the PS4 Pro, you ask? A whopping 45 GB.