New year resolutions. Reminiscing about the trials and tribulations the previous year threw my way. Figuring out what to do with the cards I’ve been dealt. I do none of those things on Jan 1. Instead, I do it in mid-June. Why, you ask?

Some say that a gaming mouse is pointless. Others say that keyboard shortcuts are the name of the game. But I beg to differ. A well-built gaming mouse can help you in more than just games.

This might sound like a marketing pitch but that isn’t why you’re here. You want to know why you should step up from a low-quality mouse. While a $30+ device can feel more like an extension of yourself and not a tool, the Logitech G402 has tangible benefits.

With enhanced ergonomics, customizable buttons, and a rock-solid build, a gaming mouse can serve you well…

The iPod Touch 5 from 2012 was a thing of beauty. The little fella packed quite a punch, offering me a taste of the Apple premium at a relatively reasonable cost. At 88g and a svelte 6.1 mm, the aluminum-clad device felt like the future. It lets me access iTunes and the App Store, little portals to the world’s best libraries of entertainment. Little did I know that the world would lose everything that made the iPod Touch so special: metal bodies, headphone jacks, and the Home button.

The next two iPod Touch iterations only improved things under the hood…

Horizon Forbidden West impressed me. Its first gameplay reveal featured nuanced mechanics that built on an already potent action-adventure formula. I, also, absolutely dig the robo-saur setting. Developer Guerilla is already demonstrating that they are making the most of the PS5’s power to make character models and environments hit a remarkable level of realism. This is where it gets messy.

That gaming consoles are sold at a loss is the industry’s worst-kept secret. Hitting strategic price points have always cost console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft. The lion’s share of PlayStation and Xbox revenue has always come from game sales and add-on content. And with former PlayStation exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn’s incredible reception on PC, Sony seems to have learned the same lesson as Microsoft: more players equals more money.

Last year, Microsoft expanded its partnership with OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research firm based in San Francisco. Here’s the kicker: Microsoft now has access to an exclusive license to the GPT-3 language model. If you’ve seen AI-written articles or the text-based adventure game that flexes its AI chops, you know that this merits a second look.

And now the Redmond giant has developed yet another use case for the model: transforming natural language into code. The new tool can only develop formulas in Microsoft Power Fx (a language based on Microsoft Excel queries). But it’s a start. …

20 years later, the ill-tempered ogre has lost none of his swagger. Like a swamp converted into a national wildlife reserve, Shrek has yet to cease exciting and entertaining viewers of all ages. The green ogre self-isolated long before it was deemed necessary. He remains an all-star, doused in fame eternal. Shrek was crude. And it was glorious.

A recent rewatch of the Shrek films helped me discover themes and trope-breakers ranging from animated anarchy to systemic racism. They weaved a touching narrative amidst issues like self-love and identity. The first film more than earned its happily-ever-after. …

“While most of today’s brain tech focuses on detecting and understanding electrical impulses, Cyberpunk 2077’s braindances seek to alter them. The result is an artform on steroids, a limitless medium that doesn’t take its sweet time to immerse you.”

If 2020 was any indication, we’re heading for a connected future that leaves a second-rate reality behind. In this Kotaku AU piece, I explore brain-computer interfaces, their social media implications, and how they tie into Cyberpunk 2077’s exotic braindances.

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