Do you remember when we used to care about data caps? It seems like a long long time ago, right? As someone who used to live with a 1GB Meteor limit, that’s mind blowing that I live without worry of exceeding mobile data limits these days. I stream or download as much as I like. Cool, eh?
Today, Virgin Media has joined the party and confirmed that all of their customers will now have access to unlimited data. So, if you’re in the market for a new network today, who offers proper no limits data access?
The Mystery Of The Fair Usage Policy
Today, if you join one of the holy-trinity networks in Ireland (Eir, Three or Vodafone), you’ll be able to get connected to mobile internet claiming to be unlimited in some shape or form. They managed to all use different terms for it which naturally leads to confusion and suspicion! So if you’re shopping around, just who offers internet you can buy and forget about?
Virgin Media: Unlimited Data Until July
Today, Virgin Mobile announced that all of their mobile customers will no longer have to worry about data caps at all, prompting me to start this little data dig.
All customers who have a data limit on their plan will now become unlimited and all those on unlimited plans will have the 80GB fair usage policy removed. That means you can go wild and download as much as you like. Sure you already have gone wild! Virgin Mobile confirmed that 2020 brought a 47% increase in data usage on their network.
It’s not a complete commitment to a future of unlimited internet access on-the-go. Unlimited mobile internet will remain in place until July 18th 2021.
Unlimited With The Big Three Mobile Networks
Virgin Mobile is an MVNO using Three’s network but I’ll compare them to the value competitors later. First, let’s look at how they weigh up against the big three.
Vodafone: Unlimited Data With Some Speed Limits
If you’re buying an phone with Vodafone, and taking a plan costing at least €60 per month or their €35 SIM only plan, well then it’s all unlimited. Completely and tee-totally. If you take the €40 phone plan or the €25 SIM only option, you don’t have to worry about data caps. Your internet usage is unlimited, in terms of the amount of data you can use. Vodafone does, however, limit speeds on these plans to a maximum of 10Mbps. That’s like the internet in my Mam’s house. It’s grand, but you won’t be enjoying 4K HD video streams on it.
Three: All You Can Eat Data With No Hidden Limits
Three doesn’t use the term “unlimited”. They never have, instead opting for the term “All You Can Eat Data” and avoiding the criticism of having “unlimited plans” alongside a fair usage policy. In response to the pandemic, Three had temporarily removed all fair usage limits from their “All You Can Eat” data plans. In May 2020, they confirmed this step would be permanent. If you’re on the Three network, download all you like once you are on an All You Can Eat Data plan (that’s all bill pay and all but one prepay plans).
Eir: What Is “No Limits” Data?
While Three avoided criticism by using “All You Can Eat”, Eir’s use of “No Limits” Data just made me worried enough to look in the terms and conditions. My fears were well founded. While Eir claim to have “No Limits” mobile internet, their highest mobile plan retains a 120GB fair usage policy. This means that should you go over that data cap, Eir retains the right to limit your access to the internet on your mobile data connection.
I’ve never really had an issue with fair usage policies, but 120GB is a very low fair usage policy to not mention up front. It feels like a dated entry in the terms and conditions that someone simply forgot about!
The Value Networks
The value networks of Ireland are typically, 48, Clear Mobile, Gomo, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Media.
48
48 is up front with their offering. €10.99 per month for 100GB of 4G mobile internet access. They don’t try to sell “unlimited” so let’s move on.
Clear Mobile
On the surface, Vodafone’s new value brand might get you excited with their “Unlimited Data” for just €12.99, but there is a limit. The speed is capped at a fairly upsetting 5Mbps.
Gomo
Gomo promises all calls, texts and data for €12.99 per month. But because it’s run on the Eir network, I was immediately suspicious again. Sorry, but I was right to be too! Like the parent network, there is a 120GB fair usage limit. Again, it’s not that it’s an insignificant amount of data to get through, it just feels a bit sneaky.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile doesn’t mess around either. All of their plans are clear in their data offering, ranging from 5GB to 30GB bill pay data plans. Nothing hidden here, well played Tesco.
Virgin Mobile
And we’re back to where we started.
It’s welcome news that today Virgin Mobile confirmed they would remove fair usage policies and go properly unlimited until July. I’m labouring that date a bit because it’s important you remember to check if they re-introduce data limits again. Their old fair usage was as low as 40GB on some plans, one that would be easy to go sailing past.
Until this year, I had never played Demon’s Souls. I know that many in the gaming community view this as some kind of cardinal sin but there it is. I’m not ashamed to admit it anymore. I guess I missed out on playing it because I was more invested in the Xbox environment at the time, not paying much attention to the PS3 and its exclusives (like the original Demon’s Souls), though the PS3 controller’s terrible design didn’t help. Seriously, that thing is the worst piece of design in modern gaming and I will not be convinced otherwise.
Anyway, once Bluepoint announced that they were remaking Demon’s Souls for the PS5 I was all in; ready to go back to the origin of the Souls series and see where it all began. I was already familiar with Bluepoint from the work they did on the gorgeous Shadow of the Colossus remake on PS4, as well as their ports of the first two God of War games for the PS3 so I knew this remake was in good hands. I even went back to play the original Dark Souls to get myself in the right frame of mind. I decided to go into Demon’s Souls completely fresh, not spoiling myself on the bosses or even some of the game mechanics. So here are my very first impressions of the remake as well as Demon’s Souls itself after all this time.
The World might be mended
The first thing you notice when first playing this game is how it looks. Good lord is it stunning. The character models are rendered beautifully and it’s clear that special attention has been paid to make them as lifelike as possible, the weapons and armour shine as they catch the light, and the environments are a sight to behold. From the dank disgusting depths of the Valley of Defilement to the bright sunshiny exterior of Stonefang Tunnel, the world and everything in it is captured in full 4K for the first time. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this version makes the original look like Lego in comparison.
Adventure awaits!
As I said in my Spider-Man Miles Morales review I’m not normally one to use photo mode in games, but here I just couldn’t resist. Especially when photo mode is so well fleshed out, letting you change your character’s pose, the lighting and composition of the shot and even apply a permanent filter to make your game look like the original while you play. While adventuring through the ruins of Boletaria and taking down some fantastically designed bosses you really get the impression that this is what the developers had in mind when making the original game, now fully realised in as close to photorealism as the medium currently allows.
Greetings from sunny Boletaria
You shall obtain the demon soul, and power beyond human imagination
The way the game feels is something else as well. The PS5’s Haptic Rumble feature massively enhances the gameplay experience. You feel every step the Slayer of Demons (your character) takes, as well as each hit that reverberates off your shield or armour. When facing the largest boss in the game you can even feel his breath when you get close. Similarly, with the speaker in the controller, you hear every time you hit an enemy or wall, and indeed when the enemies hit back. The key to this, much like the Switch’s HD Rumble is that it barely registers on a conscious level. It just makes sense that you’d feel when you hit something or that you’d hear your sword grinding against concrete. It’s so well integrated with the game that it’s a key part of the experience without even trying.
The core gameplay loop is broadly similar to that of any SoulsBorne game. You kill enemies to gather souls that can be traded in to level up your stats. This will help you progress to killing bigger enemies and bosses so you can rid the world of the Scourge du Jour. That’s where the similarities end, however and the differences make this, in my opinion, the easiest game in the franchise. Now bear in mind that this is still a Souls game so it’s absolutely not “easy”, it’s just a bit more beginner friendly than any of its counterparts. Let me explain.
Anyone who has played Dark Souls, Bloodborne or Sekiro will know that you make your way from area to area on a relatively linear path with bonfires or lanterns to serve as checkpoints on your journey. Sometimes you have a hub that you can travel to in order to upgrade your equipment or character. Firelink Shrine or The Hunter’s Dream for example. Demon’s Souls is much stingier with its checkpoints, only offering you one when you beat the boss of a level (yes, I said level, I’ll get back to that in a minute). This means that on their first few tries beginner players will have to adopt a much more cautious play style so as not to lose what can sometimes be hours of progress. One advantage of this, however, is that it divides the game up into chunks of easily recognised difficulty.
Always remember to wear a mask!
What’s all this “level” talk? Well, the 5 main areas of Demon’s Souls are totally unconnected and can be tackled in any order. That’s right, gone are the spaghetti-like pathways of newer games in the franchise in favour of 5 distinct worlds all connected to a central hub, The Nexus. You can now dip in and out of levels as you see fit. For example, if you’re having a difficult time navigating your way along the spires of Upper Latria, you can peace out and head to the Shrine of Storms to see what the skeletons are up to. This empowers the player to cut their teeth on lower-level enemies before taking on the bigger baddies and Arch Demons that await later in the game.
You have a heart of gold. Don’t let them take it from you
Each world also has its own independent “World Tendency” value, a sort of morality system that shifts and changes depending on the player’s actions. Slay a Boss? Your world just got slightly better. If you die or kill a helpful NPC? You’re in for a rougher time of it now, buddy. Some events in the world are locked behind “Pure White” or “Pure Black” world tendency so there are advantages to experimenting throughout your playthrough to see if you can find any secrets!
NPCs are your friends
The typical SoulsBorne multiplayer setup is back as well with a combination of friendly collaborators as well as treacherous invaders poised to help or hinder you along the way. This feature is only accessible when you’re in your Human form though (eg. Haven’t died yet after beating a boss) so you don’t need to worry about the possibility of a high-level player wiping you out just as you’re about to take on a boss or difficult area for the ninth time.
Demon Vanquished
The main set pieces of any SoulsBorne game are the bosses. Everyone remembers their first newbie fight against the Asylum Demon or Father Gascoigne, or their last encounter with Isshin the Sword Saint or Slave Knight Gael. Demon’s Souls offers up some memorable boss fights of its own and, as with everything in this game they’re a little different from what you might expect. Whereas bosses in other games in the franchise can be beaten by grit, determination, and a little bit of luck, most bosses in Demon’s Souls are basically puzzles that can hit you, with nearly all of them having some kind of gimmick or secret that gives you a very satisfying “Eureka” moment before you take them down once and for all. There are a couple of stinkers in there too, unfortunately. Leechmonger and the Dirty Colossus spring to mind. But these are in the minority and, to be fair, fit in beautifully with the theme of their respective levels and neither is as disappointing as the Witches of Hemwick or Pinwheel.
This really is a fantastic game and a wonderful update to an old classic. If you’re a fan of the series you probably don’t need that much convincing, but if you’ve never tried a Souls game and are interested in dipping your toe in the waters this is the perfect game to do that with. I cannot recommend this game enough. From its looks to the minute details of its gameplay it’s a real modern masterpiece. Umbasa.
Well, it’s been a journey hasn’t it. Before Christmas, I looked on in disbelief as Gardaí stepped up their efforts to crack down on the use of electric scooters. These mechanically propelled vehicles were purchased in a grey area and then continued to be used when that was clarified. While Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, stated this would be sorted before Christmas it wasn’t. The worst case scenario continued as I heard of at least one case where someone lost their driving license for using an electric scooter. However, today, the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan has announced the Government’s approval to draft legislation which will allow for the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes in the pending Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
Green’s Electric Scooter Proposal
In a tweet, the party said they had “long called for the regulation of e-scooters to support and encourage people to [make the switch] to low-carbon transport. Today Minister [Eamon Ryan] is proposing key changes to the Road Traffic Bill, including legislating for the use of e-scooters & e-bikes.
The party also confirmed that Ryan proposes the introduction of a new vehicle category; Powered Personal Transporters. Ryan believes that during the pandemic people have shown their willingness to embrace new ways of getting around. Indeed that’s a sentiment I agree with with people seeking public transport alternatives too. The announcement on Twitter also confirmed that “under the new provisions, e-bikes, which are not currently classed as ‘mechanically propelled vehicles’ (MPVs), will be legislated for using EU standards – another important step to accelerate the transition to low-carbon transport options that are better for the planet”.
It’s important to note that until the laws are passed, electric scooters remain illegal to use in public places.
Scooter Share Companies Ready And Waiting
The length of time this has taken to progress means that there’s a huge pent up interest from consumers and businesses is filling the electric scooter market. Charlie Gleeson, CEO and Founder of Zipp Mobility, the Irish micromobility operator headquartered at NovaUCD said, “we welcome the comments by Minister Ryan TD announcing the Government’s approval to draft legislation which will allow for the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes in Ireland. We look forward to seeing more specific details about how e-scooters and e-bikes will be regulated”.
It’s a good point too. Our attention now turns to what speed limits and laws will be introduced. I understand that it will be a 25kmph speed limit (which from personal experience is fair) and that by and large electric scooters and e-bikes will largely be treated like regular bikes. Time will tell.
Testing Autonomous Vehicles
The proposed changes also include reference to testing self-driving vehicles. A study has recently been completed on behalf of the Department, surveying the Road Traffic Acts and identifying areas where amendments might be needed to allow for such testing. Minister Ryan will consider the implications and seek legal advice as necessary, with a view to proposing amendments for Committee stage.
Now that a new month is just around the corner, Netflix have revealed their slate of new movies and TV shows for the weeks ahead.
And, thankfully, there’s plenty to pick from in February.
Whether you’re looking for something emotional or action-packed; a nail-biting thriller or a swoon-worthy love story, there’s something that will suit everyone’s tastes.
Here are some of the highlights that will be coming to Netflix in the coming weeks.
Netflix Original TV
Firefly Lane
February 3, 2021.
Tully and Kate meet as young girls on Firefly Lane and become inseparable best friends through 30 years of ups and downs.
Invisible City
February 5, 2021.
While investigating a mysterious death, a man is drawn into a battle between the human world and a realm inhabited by mythical creatures.
Capitani
February 11, 2021.
Detective Luc Capitani investigates the mysterious death of a teenager after her body is found in the forest near a village in northern Luxembourg.
Behind Her Eyes
February 17, 2021.
Louise (Simona Brown) supports herself and her son with her part-time job in a psychiatrist’s office. But her whole world’s thrown off-balance when she starts an affair with her new boss David (Tom Bateman) — and is later drawn into an unlikely friendship with his wife Adele (Eve Hewson). What starts as an unconventional love triangle soon becomes a situation that none of them ever expected.
Netflix Original Films
Black Beach
February 3, 2021.
A lawyer with a promising future is forced to deep dive into his past when he agrees to negotiate with an old friend turned kidnapper
All My Friends Are Dead
February 3, 2021.
A group of friends at a New Year’s Eve party go through a whirlwind of events that exposes secrets, breaks hearts — and leads to a shocking outcome.
Malcolm & Marie
February 5, 2021.
When filmmaker Malcolm and his girlfriend Marie, return home from a movie premiere and await his film’s critical response, the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationship surface, testing the couple’s love.
News of the World
February 10, 2021.
Five years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna, a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own.
Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will. Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.
Red Dot
February 11, 2021.
On a hiking trip to rekindle their marriage, a couple find themselves fleeing for their lives in the unforgiving wilderness from an unknown shooter.
To All The Boys: Always And Forever
February 12, 2021.
It started with an old love letter — and turned into a new romance. What does the future hold for Lara Jean and Peter?
The Girl on the Train
February 26, 2021.
A bright city, a dull morning and a curious girl on the train. When a voyeuristic divorcee fixates on the lives of a perfect couple from afar, she soon gets embroiled in a murder mystery that unfolds revealing truths about her own life.
Netflix Original Documentaries
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
February 10, 2021.
From director Joe Berlinger (Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Paradise Lost), Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the first season in a new documentary series that deconstructs the mythology and mystery surrounding infamous locations in contemporary crime.
For nearly a century the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles has been linked to some of the city’s most notorious activity, from untimely deaths to housing serial killers. In 2013 college student Elisa Lam was staying at the Cecil when she vanished, igniting a media frenzy and mobilising a global community of internet sleuths eager to solve the case.
Lam’s disappearance, the latest chapter in the hotel’s complex history, offers a chilling and captivating lens into one of LA’s most nefarious settings.
Pelé
February 23, 2021.
This documentary tells the story of world-renowned footballer Pelé, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained.
So, the PS5 is having a bit of a rocky start. 2 months after its release, people around the globe are still struggling to get their hands on the highly anticipated console. This is in spite of the fact that there were more units produced for this launch than there have been for any launch in Sony’s history. The issue seems to be caused by a combination of scalpers buying up the consoles and reselling them at a premium, and an insane demand for the console from regular consumers. But what makes the PS5 so much more desirable than the Xbox Series? Games. The PS5 launched with “Triple-A” first- and third-party exclusives that seem non-existent for Microsoft’s newest outing. Among these new titles there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest for me. Spider-Man Miles Morales.
Anyone who has read my previous article on Spider-Man Remastered will know that I am a huge fan of the wall-crawler and always have been, so you can imagine my joy come launch day when I got a chance to swing across the Manhattan skyline once again. Let me tell you right here and now, this game is every bit as good as its predecessor and, more importantly, feels like a very natural path for the series to take.
Let’s start at the beginning
Depending on how old you are or how big a comic fan you are you may have been introduced to Miles Morales in one of several ways. The character first hit the page in 2011, inspired by a meme of all things. When news broke that the Spider-Man film franchise was being rebooted (for the first time) there was an enormous fan campaign to have Donald Glover (who at the time was a stand-up comic and writer on 30 Rock) secure the role of Peter Parker. A campaign Glover acknowledged in Community by wearing Spider-Man pyjamas. This, in turn, led writer Brian Michael Bendis to write a Spider-Man comic with an African American teenager taking up the mantle after the original Spider-Man died.
What a world we could have lived in…
Some of you may have first seen Miles in the 2018 masterpiece Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a faithful retelling of Miles’ origin. The movie also contains a reference to Miles’ real-life origins, with the Season 2 premier of Community (where Donald Glover wore his pyjamas) playing on Aaron Davis’ TV. Or some of you may have been introduced to him in Spider-Man 2018 where we see him first being bitten by a radioactive spider and learning to handle his new powers and responsibilities. This is obviously the version of Miles that we follow in this game and he is every bit as geeky, quippy and super as Peter Parker is.
Story Time
The game begins roughly one year after the original left off. Miles is training under Peter’s watchful eye as Rhino is transported back to the Raft after wreaking havoc on Manhattan. Predictably things don’t go well. Rhino escapes and leads the dynamic duo on a chase through downtown that ends at a site owned by Roxxon, an energy corporation that’s headed by charismatic Elon Musk wannabe Simon Krieger. This is where Miles discovers his bio-electricity power (called Venom, though not to be confused with Spidey’s anti-hero counterpart) and proves he’s just as capable in a fight as the OG. After the dust settles, Peter and Miles share a sweet scene where the former hands over the Spider-Mantle for a while as he and MJ are going on a working vacation to Symkaria. Peter presents his ward with an early Christmas present that Miles is only too keen to share with his “guy in the chair” Ganke, the only other person who knows his secret identity. This is where Miles really becomes a fully fleshed out character in his own right. Together, he and Ganke set about resolving small scale problems like missing cats, stolen cars, and faulty Subway wiring. They do this using the new Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man app they develop (more on this later) which allows them to connect with normal people and be just that, Harlem’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. However, it’s not long before the Tinkerer and their crew, The Underground, arrive on the scene and start causing trouble for the people of New York thus setting up the main conflict in this game. Roxxon versus the Underground, with Miles caught in the middle. Similar to the three-way conflicts in Spider-Man 2018.
From Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man to saviour of Manhattan in just 10 hours
Through his use of the app and over the course of his fight to keep Harlem in one piece, Spider-Man builds up relationships with a surprising number of characters in a short amount of time, with few if any of them feeling underdeveloped or “tacked on”. One of the many benefits of a smaller story scope. For all it’s much shorter than the original, the story here is fully fleshed out and contains many incredibly satisfying character arcs for Spider-Man as well as a number of villains. A shining example of “Less is more” here.
In typical Marvel fashion, there’s also a post-credits scene where we get a glimpse of the potential villains in the next game with a third big name joining the two Spider-Man mainstays teased at the end of 2018 (again, trying not to spoil anything here!)
Same, same but different
As you’d probably expect, the gameplay here is broadly similar to what we saw in 2018, with Arkham-style combat, challenge missions throughout the city and arguably the best traversal system ever implemented in gaming. That’s where the similarities kind of end, to be honest. I’m delighted to say that a lot of the faults that people found with the original game have been either tweaked or completely resolved. The most welcome change comes in the form of the FNSM app that allows you to not only select side-missions on the fly, but it also allows you to choose when to play or replay those pesky crime missions. Yeah, remember the overwhelming number of those there were in the first game? They’ve been completely reworked and streamlined to make a much more enjoyable experience. No more swinging about aimlessly waiting for a new one to spawn so you can get the Platinum trophy.
The levelling system and passive abilities have also been given a tweak. Now, instead of solely relying on your skill tree for upgrades, there are “Holo-training” challenges that award certain abilities as well as the familiar Activity Tokens. Don’t be put off by the idea of the challenges either, they’re much more manageable than the last game and can be repeated after gaining the reward ability if you want to go for the Ultimate rating. The token system used for unlocking suits and passive buffs has been streamlined as well. Whereas Spider-Man 2018 offered 6 different token types, there are only 2 here, making for a more manageable progression and unlock system!
Two webs are always better than one
The most striking change from the original formula is the combat. As you can imagine, Miles’ Venom powers shake up the formula quite a bit. Whereas Peter Parker relies on his arsenal of precision-engineered gadgets to help him whenever he’s in a jam, Miles uses a more shocking approach. As you progress through the game you get access to a wide variety of Venom abilities that go a long way to helping in a fight. Whether it’s adding a little bit of power to your punches or electrifying your webs, there’s really an ability for every situation. That’s not to say that gadgets are missing, though you do only get access to four through the course of the game. Venom also comes in handy during traversal as you can use a Venom Jump ability to gain a little extra height and speed mid-swing. This is a nice little touch that really shows that the Venom ability was woven throughout the game as a whole and not just a new mechanic for the combat system.
In the PS5 version it should also be mentioned that the adaptive trigger system that was added to Spider-Man 2018 Remastered is back and used to great effect again. When swinging around Manhattan you can feel the strain on Miles’ arms as the trigger gets harder to pull with faster and longer swings. Aiming is similar as the trigger gets harder to pull down when moving quickly to mimic difficulty in focussing on one or two small objects. Again, a small touch that really makes a huge difference in the gameplay experience.
How does it look?
While it may have seemed like a no-brainer to release a follow up to one of the most critically acclaimed superhero games of a generation as a launch title for their new console, Sony honestly couldn’t have picked a better mascot to fly the flag of the PS5. Why it that? Well, name a better environment for showing off your new system’s ray-tracing and performance capabilities than New York City. That’s right, the labyrinth of glass and steel presents the perfect opportunity to showcase the PS5’s cutting edge graphical technology. Nearly every surface you swing past is reflective, from the windows on the skyscrapers to the sheen on some of the statues you can find and yes, even the puddles. Even one of Miles’ super suits has a glass helmet that is constantly reflecting the world around you. I’m not normally one for photo mode in games, but this time around I couldn’t resist taking a quick break to admire the detail and realism of this game.
Let this be an end to #PuddleGate
Something that hasn’t gotten a mention in a lot of promo material is particle effects. Oh boy does this game do them well. Every arc of electricity that Miles shoots from his body is crisp and so clearly defined. The Underground’s weapons shatter into hundreds of gloriously colourful pieces, one after another. The procedurally generated snow that flurries through the streets of Christmas-time Manhattan lands on every character and surface before quickly melting away again. This game is gorgeous from beginning to end.
The game offers three graphics modes as well so you can really tailor your experience to your own tastes. At launch the choice was between a simple performance mode and a fidelity mode. Performance mode dials down some of the fidelity and turned off ray-tracing to offer a locked 60 frames per second. Fidelity mode lets you experience the full brunt of the PS5’s rendering capabilities, with beautiful textures, gorgeous particle effects and the aforementioned ray-tracing as you watch yourself bounce off buildings. All things considered initially my preference was for performance mode, but that’s just me. I’ve long been of the believe that graphics are generally not as important as performance. However, a post-launch update delivered what I consider to be the definitive Miles Morales experience. Performance RT mode makes some small sacrifices to give you the best of both worlds. It scales down the resolution slightly and reduces the population density of Manhattan’s streets, but offers a smooth 60 fps experience with some lovely ray-tracing enabled. If you ask me, they may as well have done away with the other two modes because Performance RT mode is the only way to go!
The not-so-good news
Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and roses this time around. This game is short. Like, really short. All told from the minute I first booted it up to the ping of getting the platinum trophy I only spent 16 hours with the game. This is a full completionism run too. All suits unlocked, all tokens found, and side missions finished. No stone was left unturned. To give a little more context, you need to play through the story twice to unlock all the trophies. This is something that I feel like the game was banking on a little too hard in terms of delivering value. Don’t get me wrong, the story is wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough both times, but the value just isn’t there. This is maybe a €40 experience if I’m being honest, not the €70 it currently retails for. This becomes easier to recommend if you spend the extra tenner to get Spider-Man Remastered but that’s really the only way I can justify recommending this game to most people unfortunately. At least until it drops in price a little or goes on sale in the future.
With great power comes great responsibility
A lot has changed in the real world since Spider-Man 2018 launched two and a half years ago. Most notably for a game centred around a character who initially received a lot of racially motivated backlash, the #BlackLivesMatter protests that began earlier this year rocked the world and continue to do so to this day. The world of Marvel also lost two of its biggest names; Stan Lee, who passed shortly after the original Spider-Man game released and Chadwick Boseman, who became best known as the MCU’s Black Panther, passed away from cancer in August of last year. As you would expect Lee and Boseman are honoured in their own way in the game. Since Stan Lee made an appearance (as always) in the 2018 game, his character was immortalised in-game here, while a heartfelt message is displayed after the main credits for Boseman. Insomniac did not shy away from the larger issue at hand, however. Upon completing all the character side missions in the game Miles gains a new suit and is automatically posed in front of a huge #BlackLivesMatter mural. It’s impossible to miss if you’re playing the game and, in my opinion, is a great way of making sure the message is heard. A message from a company, or a line of text can be easily overlooked, but when a message for social good is communicated using the game itself, it can’t be overlooked.
While it may not be the best value for your money (especially after forking out half a grand for a PS5) it cannot be understated how good this game is or how much it manages to pack into a relatively small package. The combat feels fresh and new, but still reminiscent of our last outing with the web-head, it’s the most breathtakingly beautiful game I’ve ever played by a wide margin, and the short story is overflowing with character development and emotion. If you’re happy to pay a little over the odds, or if you still haven’t played the original this is an absolute must-play for all PS5 owners.
Last November, something weird happened. Bebo started trending on Twitter. There was no real reason for it. I assumed it was just a bit of luv for some nostalgia while being locked up at home. Given that the company had shifted focus towards other endevours, the social focus was gone for good surely? Apparently not. The people behind the name Bebo have realised there’s a gap in the market for the social media platform to be reborn again. Apparently, that time is now.
A Short History Of Bebo
Bebo made an odd comeback in 2014 as some sort of Bitmoji like platform. They also let you download your old pictures. I did and then locked them away somewhere safely. That comeback was short lived and many believed that was it.
However, if you Google Bebo right now, there’s a website saying it’s coming soon.
Click the result and you’ll find the wonderful news. The website states that “Bebo is coming back in February 2021 as a brand new social network”. This makes sense. People are sick of Facebook and many don’t really trust Tiktok. Bebo is a brand that oozes nostalgia, something that is a very big trend right now as we try to escape the gloom of COVID-19 with memories of happier days.
The Bebo website confirms the new platform is already in a private beta, which means a limited number of people are testing the platform before relaunch. I’ve not been invited but my attention has now officially swapped from hunting for a PlayStation 5 to grabbing a Bebo Beta Code.
How To Get A Bebo Beta Code
Unfortunately, getting a Bebo Beta code isn’t as easy as looking online. Beta means the beloved social media platform isn’t built yet. Well, it’s built but it’s buggy. They don’t quite want to open the curtains to the world yet but they do want some people to test drive the new Bebo experience. The people behind Bebo will have invited a select number of people who may be given the chance to invite others.
If you want a Bebo Beta code, I suggest asking around to see if any friends were invited. Otherwise, it’s just about waiting patiently to see if the new platform launches as planned in February.
Already have your Bebo Beta code? Head on over to the Bebo website and get set up.
Bebo Returns: Twitter Reacts
Naturally, Twitter is excited by the return of the much beloved social media platform, Bebo.
So many questions about Bebo coming back!! Who will be my other half?
Who will I share the love with? What will be on my flashbox?!
If Bebo really is coming back I expect written applications from each of my friends as to why they deserve to be in my Top 16. I will be checking references.
One of my favourite movies of all time is The Big Short. It’s all about how the financial sectors greed crashed markets in 2007 leading to a global recession. Good times. It’s the kind of film you hoped would never get a sequel simply because another movie would be more bad news right? Well, right now, it feels like the plot of the second Big Short movie is playing out between a load of people on Reddit and a lot of very angry people on Wall Street, all over GameStop stock.
GameStop Is Still Going?
One of the most surprising things about this story for many might very well be that GameStop is still going. The COVID-19 pandemic spelled the end for a lot of retailers. With new consoles like the a model of the PlayStation 5 launching without disk drives, a future where people don’t shop in-store for games is very near. The result has been GameStop running right along to line of closure. This is where we need to start talking about stock prices.
An Irish GameStop store
Last April, GameStop announced they would be closes loads of their stores. Their share prices plummeted to the point where you could buy shares for just $3.25 a piece. The company was on the way out.
Everyone Can Buy Stocks
“But buying stocks is for people in suits” I hear you say. Not any more. I have stocks. I know lots of people who’ve bought stocks. All because buying stocks has gotten a lot easier these days. You can flip over to some Wolf of Wall Street imagery in your head now, another favourite of mine.
I’m one of the 1.2 million Revolut customers in Ireland and the Revolut app lets you buy stocks. It’s no longer advertised in Ireland because of Brexit, but you can still use it. Apps like MyWallSt help you learn about the stock market and get trading too. There are plenty of apps out there like these and the one making the headlines recently because of GameStop is Robin Hood.
That name is about to get very apt.
What Does Shorting A Stock Mean?
The whole story behind what’s going on with GameStop stock lies behind the idea of shorting stocks. If you’ve seen The Big Short, you might already have an idea what that is. Simply put, “shorting” is when investors bet against stock prices.
This means they invest in the stock’s decline in the future. It works by investors buying stocks in a company. They then sell them with the plan to buy them back at a lower price. With GameStop hanging on by a thread, the vultures gathered and massively shorted GameStop. Actually, they shorted them so much that they bought more stock than existed. Which trigged some alarm bells with WallStreetBets Redditors.
What’s Happening With GameStop Stocks?
We shouldn’t underestimate just how big GameStop is. They’ve been really slow to adapt to the new world, but their brand and reach is massive. That’s why last year there was hope when a new investor bought 13% of the company and started to push for them to make a real challenge to Amazon.
GameStop’s share price started to recover and small private investors, like those using apps such as Revolut and Robin Hood bought shares. While this happened, the suits on Wall Street saw their perfect chance to short. No-one takes on Amazon and wins, right?
Because of the online gathering of people and the viral nature of this whole thing, GameStop’s share price has continued to go through the roof. I’m not even going to write down what it is because it’s changing so quickly. My Revolut account says it’s up by something like 7000%+. Last year I did think about investing low on GameStop but I didn’t. Oh well.
Why Does This All Matter?
This all matters because shorting stocks is what led to a worldwide recession. Greed caused global crisis and cost lives in one way or another. The “suits” have a lot of power and this whole thing with GameStop is now a battle between the regular people and those who bankrupted the world.
Will this last? Will GameStop survive? Will we have new fortunes made by people on Reddit? These are all questions I don’t have the answer to. The stock market is volatile. I recommend you don’t take advice from anyone online, myself included, about buying stocks in these frenzies. It’s far too unpredictable. If you’re going to invest something, invest an amount that if you lose it you won’t bat an eyelid. That’s how I invest. All it takes is one moment for it all to go right or all to go wrong.
One thing is for sure though. Wall Street is very worried right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if some kind of laws or dirty tactics try to stop the public from doing this again. The irony of taking action against the people and not the “suits” after 2007 weighs heavily.
It feels like we’re on the 1,000st day of January — or, at least, of a never-ending winter.
And the temptation to curl up and stream the latest binge-able TV show is very, very real. Especially since it looks like we’re all going to be spending even more time indoors in the coming weeks.
Thankfully, Netflix have a brand new thriller on the way — and it is one everyone is going to be talking about.
Here’s everything that you need to know about Behind Her Eyes.
Behind Her Eyes
The six-episode series is based on the best-selling book by Sarah Pinborough and written by Steve Lightfoot. Oh, and it’s from the producers of The Crown — so you know it’s going to be a good’un.
It follows Louise, who — after her husband walked out — as made her son her world. She supports the two of them with her part time job at a psychiatrist’s office.
But her world’s thrown for a loop when she and her new boss, David Young, start an affair. She also strikes up an unlikely friendship with David’s glamorous wife, Adele.
While it starts off as an unconventional love triangle soon becomes a dark, psychological tale of suspense and twisted revelations. And it isn’t long until Louise finds herself tangled in a dangerous web of secrets, where nobody — or nothing — is quite as they seem…
Given that #WTFthatending began trending pretty quickly after the book was released in 2017, we already know we’re going to be hooked on this.
Behind Her Eyes stars Simona Brown, Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman and Robert Aramayo. It officially lands on the streaming service on February 17. There’s no trailer for the show just yet, but we’ll keep you posted when there is.
From Easter Day’s Zipper T. Bunny to the Harvest Festival’s Franklin, there’s been no shortage of familiar characters arriving in Animal Crossing; New Horizons over the last year. But it looks like it’s time to welcome back one more as Nintendo have confirmed Pavé is on the way in the new update.
He previously appeared in Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
The update — which will be available as of January 28 — will bring the dancing peacock back to your island for the Festivale celebration, which takes place on February 15. To be able to see Pavé’s colourful and festive dances, you just have to collect the different colour feathers.
It’s not clear what — if anything — he’ll give you in exchange. But we’re keeping our fingers crossed the Pavé series will be back.
There will be a new reaction set that players can purchase, too. The Festival Reaction Set can be picked up at Nook’s Cranny, and will feature new reactions Feelin’ It, Let’s Go, Viva, and Confetti.
The Able Sisters’ shop will also be joining in the celebrations, with Festivale clothing available in-store from February 1 (although you’ll have to be quick, because they won’t be around for long).
And there’s going to be plenty of non-Festivale items available. Players will need to keep an eye on Resident Services’ Nook Stop and Nook Shopping if they want to be able to get them, though.
Chocolate hearts and heart-shaped bouquets will be available to buy from February 1 until February 14. There’s going to be plenty of other items available related to Groundhog Day and Big Game Celebration available for certain periods during January and February.
At the end of the announcement video, Nintendo also teased what fans can expect from the March update — and it looks like it’s going to be Super Mario themed (mostly likely to coincide with March 10, aka: Mario Day).
I love reviewing tech. I love reviewing tech mainly because I get to play with lots of toys. From time to time, a new gadget puts me outside my comfort zone and I have to learn on the job. I love these reviews more than any other which is why I was delighted to see a hair straightener land on my desk to review. The Dyson Corrale is typical of what you’d expect from Dyson in every aspect, but is it worth the fairly hefty price tag that comes with it? Let’s see.
What Is The Dyson Corrale?
In simple terms, the Dyson Corrale is a hair straightener. That’s a flat iron if you’re in the United States. It uses heat to make wavy curly hair, straight. But because the Corrale is engineered by Dyson, it does a lot more than that. Dyson is a world leader when it comes to developing products which not only achieve a goal, but also removes many of the issues which arise from compromise. While the company has become famous for creating some of the world’s best and most recognisable vacuum cleaners, they’ve never been shy to take a look at other areas in need of a keen engineering eye.
The Dyson Corrale is the result of Dyson deciding hair straighteners weren’t good enough. But what does the Corrale do that’s so impressive?
The Wireless Hair Straightener
Ok, look. My comfort zone is the tech side of things and I will come to the hair side in a bit, but just let me start. Regardless of my experience using a hair straightener, I know that wires are annoying. At the best of times, they get in the way and with a very hot device like a hair straightener, it can feel like it’s just a matter of time before you melt your way through your cable.
The Dyson Corrale is wireless. This brings with it many benefits but if you’re in Ireland or the UK one benefit is simply huge. You can easily work with your hair using the Corrale in the bathroom. Yes, if you’re in another country reading this let me explain. Building regulations in Ireland and the UK do no permit for a power outlet in the bathroom. Only when you’ve gotten ready to go out in a German bathroom do you realise just how convenient a power outlet beside the big mirror is.
With a 4-cell lithium-ion battery and 40 minutes charging time to reach 90%, the Corrale offers up to 30 minutes of wireless hair straightening. That’s 30 minutes of time you can focus on your hair in the bathroom with all your usual hair accessories and products within reach. No more dragging everything into the bedroom.
Wires Are Optional
While the wireless feature is awesome, it’s also optional. Sometimes that gathering in the bedroom is a bit of a ritual. The Corrale ships with a near charging dock which is nice for when you do your hair near an outlet. You can enjoy the wireless life and keep the battery charging in between pauses or just plug the Corrale in. This is possible because the charging cable that comes with the Corrale can either be connected to the dock or the straightener itself. It’s connected with a strong magnet that remains flexible while charging so it’s not too restrictive either. Importantly, the cable doesn’t just pop out for sport.
The Smarts
I’m almost certain that the conversation in Dyson would have popped up at some stage about whether or not this hair straightener needed an app or not. Well, they reached the conclusion that it didn’t need one. The correct conclusion. And that’s what we get with Dyson. It’s thoughtful design. Nothing is included on the Corrale just because it’s a nice idea. It needs to be functional and helpful and this piece of kit includes just the right amount of smarts to go with that.
Temperatures
The Corrale includes a neat little OLED screen. Plenty bright to get you some important info but not over the top to waste power. When you power on the Corrale, you can choose between three heat settings:
165°C
185°C
210°C
Those temperatures are not estimates either. As you would expect from Dyson, this is all about precision with built in heat control double checking the temperature 100 times per second to ensure accuracy.
Another thing that blew me away was just how quickly the Dyson gets up to temperature. We’re talking like, McClaren F1, 0 to 60 levels of impressive. Once switched on, it takes less than the time of a short Tiktok to be at the first temperature setting and within 40 seconds you can hit 210°C.
Safety
Now there’s one thing, even as a guy who doesn’t need to straighten my hair, I know about flat irons. People live in fear that around the time of the second drink on a night out, the hair straightener may have been left on at home. Not to worry with the Dyson as it knows you’re not using it and turns itself off after ten minutes of inactivity. You’ll get some warning beeps too.
Dyson says you can indeed store away your flat iron in the heat-resistant bag that it comes with straight after using. But they do recommend allowing it to cool first if you can.
Travel With The Dyson Corrale
Travel. Remember that? Well, my better half and I actually did travel over the Christmas, just after this arrived in to review. Considering she would be my guinea pig for all of this, I figured the Christmas break would be the best time to test drive it. I was a bit worried because there’s loads of stuff in the box about flying with this straightener. A slip of paper says it’s “designed to meet ICAO regulations” and you can carry it on board. But then gives advice on what to do before travel, including contacting your airline before traveling.
I did this. Ryanair had no issues with it whatsoever, but did recommend I speak with Dublin Airport to ensure security knew what this was. So I did. Dublin Airport’s security “confirmed there should be no issues travelling with [the Dyson Corrale] in carry on luggage. Indeed that’s how Dyson recommend you storing it for your travels, not in your checked bag.
One critical thing to note here is that the Dyson Corrale has it’s own kind of Airplane Mode. There’s a small tag you pull out which disconnects the power circuit. There’s even a way to store it in the heat resistant bag.
On the way home, I totally forgot to contact Hamburg Airport. As I went through security, I saw my other half being taken to the side by security. Sure enough, they pulled out the Dyson and started asking questions. Turns out this team just hadn’t seen one but at heard of them. They also wanted to make a joke at the expense of a bald colleague so who were we to deprive them.
Is The Dyson Corrale Any Good?
Ok, I’ve been leaning heavily on the tech side of this review up until this point. I guess it’s time I talk about hair. We put the Dyson through some of the standard tests and it delivered. Whether it be straight hair or curls, styling wit the Corrale was relatively simple. This is mainly down to, unsurprisingly for Dyson, design.
Benefits For All Hair Types
The easy set variable temperatures are a great help too but it’s the plates themselves that steal the show. The huge plates gives you a massive surface to work with, allowing you to quickly move through more hair. These manganese copper alloy plates flex too which not only means less heat is needed to achieve results, but you get 50% less breakage. This is a unique selling point of the Corrale. If you shy away from hair tools because of light hair or because you fear damaging your hair, it’s a tick in the column of pros for the Dyson.
Because of lockdown, my hair is actually a little long right now. So in the interest of science I’ve used the Corrale a few times myself. It’s incredibly easy to use but there’s something even more important to note. The first time I used it, someone complimented my hair and that felt good. Never rule out owning one of these.
Designed To Use
I’m going to hammer home this point because this is what Dyson does. They design clever pieces of kit. It’s a really good hair straightener, but it’s not unique there. What makes the Corrale unique is how quickly it gets to heat. It’s how handy it is to use wirelessly, but if you have to how well it works wired. The rounded outer design means you can also achieve great curls, not just straight hair.
Even the charging dock that comes with the Corrale is handy. Despite several indications that this piece of kit is great for travel, it’s ideal use case is still probably sitting on a locker near a power outlet where someone can do their hair daily.
Which does bring me onto some of the negatives about the Corrale.
Dyson Corrale: The Negatives
I’ve been pretty excited while talking about the Dyson until now but myself and herself have jotted down a few annoyances.
It’s Heavy
It’s hardly surprising that the Dyson is heavy. Big plates and built-in batteries will do that to you. But at 561g. For prolonged use, if you’re chasing perfect curls, this could turn into a bit of a workout. Then there’s the fact I got travel vibes off this piece of kit when I unboxed it. I just don’t think it’s ideal for travel.
It’s Not Ideal For Travel
While the battery power might suggest straightening away from home is handy, with just 30 minutes run time, for anything more than one night away, you’ll need to bring the charger. The charger is unwieldy and quite like a laptop charger. Already, you’re losing more and more space in your carry on with plenty of space already being dedicated to the iron itself.
When I opened this box up I saw a slip of paper for travel instructions along with details on flight mode. In practice, getting through security and with all the bits you need, there’s a lot here.
The Corrale is ideal if you are going to a wedding. An overnight event and you want to do your hair the once or maybe freshen it up after dinner. I imagine most would still bring the cable, but you’d get away with out. If you’re going abroad for a few days, the Corrale will take up a bit of your carry-on allowance.
It Gets Hot
I love that I get to include this headline. Some people opt to wear hair straightening gloves to protect their hands. Don’t let the chunky curved design of the Corrale fool you. The outer casing gets quite hot. While it’s good news for curling, it’s not great for your hands if you slip up.
Dyson Corrale: The Verdict – Is It Worth €500
Sorry if you got this far and had no idea what the price was. I should have prepared you for that.
Yes, the Dyson Corrale is just under €500 (€491.87 from Dyson to be exact). There are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who are currently staring open mouthed at their screen and those who just went “of course”.
The Corrale follows the Dyson ethos or uncompromising design. Take the travel scenario out of it and you have the world’s perfect hair straightener. If you ended up reading this review because the wire of your hair straightener ruins your morning every morning, you’ll justify that price in a second. If, however, you do your hair once a month or only on special occasions, it’s hard to see this outlay being justified.
You’ll know yourself if you would pay for Dyson to bring their uncompromising design approach to your hair straightener. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone how much you paid for it.
I couldn’t resist a small test drive myself – for science.
Massive thanks to my other half, Laura, for her help, expertise and insight for this review.
