Technology

• The Blood of Dawnwalker director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says the game was made by a team that "love" RPGs
• He suggests artists need to set "ambitious goals" to create something unique in the saturated genre
• Tomaszkiewicz praises Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for doing something new in the genre

The Blood of Dawnwalker is an ambitious open-world game made by a team that loves role-playing games (RPGs), according to director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz; however, he suggests developers need to push the envelope to create unique experiences in the saturated genre.

Speaking to TechRadar Gaming about creating an ambitious game for Rebel Wolves' debut title, Tomaszkiewicz said that he "loves RPGs so much in my heart" that if someone told him to create a racing game or a shooter, he couldn't do it.

"This is what I want to do, and so I’ve gathered a team who share this love for RPG games," he said.

"I think that we, as artists, need to set quite ambitious goals to create better things, to create a piece of art which is full of emotions. Without those goals, we are bored, and we stop creating."

Tomaszkiewicz explained that there are many RPGs in the genre that give players different experiences and "different emotions," and Rebel Wolves isn't the first to try to create something unique or reinvent the wheel.

He remarked on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive's first game that went on to make history by taking home nine awards at The Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, and how that game was also able to "take a genre and do it in a different and interesting way."

The director also touched on Dispatch, AdHoc Studio's superhero comedy that reopened the door to the episodic, choice-based narrative genre, calling it "something totally fresh", as well as the first two Fallout games, which impressed the masses with their narrative sandbox structure.

"The most important thing is to deliver something really unique and prove ourselves," Tomaszkiewicz added.

"It's really difficult and we iterate a lot. But, to be honest, the most important thing is to plan the story events to be close to each other, but on the other hand, to be far enough from each other so you have a fresh breadth between the activities you are doing.

"This is difficult, to be honest, really difficult, because only the first Fallout and the second Fallout have done something like this, with this narrative sandbox."

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and PC.

Game intros are hard to get right. Many are boring and over-tutorialized. Most fail to get you invested in what you’re about to play. Some are random sections of action just to get something flashy in front of you. The Blood of Dawnwalker’s may not be perfect, but it does set out a very compelling snapshot of what Rebel Wolves has as a goal for its upcoming open-world RPG.

The opening hours I’ve played in the game’s prologue are an impressive mission statement for the studio’s debut game, distilled into a smaller and more approachable environment.

It’s clear that we’re in for a story-first and choice-driven adventure, and while some elements of the game feel a little rough, I’m more than willing to accept a few missteps for the sake of ambition and personality.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Unsurprisingly, given a large chunk of the talent involved in the game’s creation, the structure and pacing of The Blood of Dawnwalker’s first few hours are very reminiscent, in a way, of the introductory White Orchard segment in The Witcher 3.

It introduces Coen and his family, who are living in a small town as part of a kingdom that’s under the grip of a vampire lord named Brencis. His rule demands that the populace pay a regular blood tax at night, allowing him to feed from them, while they also take on his blood so they remain free of any sickness or disease.

Understandably, not everyone is too pleased with this forced arrangement, so there’s growing discontent among some of the townsfolk and a plan is hatched to strike back after this latest feeding to reclaim independence.

Try not to get distracted

However, my first task towards that goal is a much simpler one: collect some medicine for Coen’s mother so she can attend mass. Seems easy enough, but we’ve got The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 veterans working on this, so the small path through the town is littered with potential side quests and distractions — and the kicker this time is that I couldn't do them all.

Yes, The Blood of Dawnwalker has an ever-present timer, where certain actions and quest progress will progress time forward by a specific amount. So, when there’s only a set amount of time available, I have to decide where to focus my attention and what to ignore — and face the consequences of those choices.

Is it a nightmare for completionists? Maybe. But it did get me to think more about the choices I made, which quests I wanted to tackle, and how I spent my time in those opening hours.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Helping Coen’s family catch some fish for a nice family bonding moment and finding a stolen banner to prevent an innocent person from being murdered by Brencis and his lackeys? Yeah, those feel like good ways to spend my time. Hunting a lost pig and chasing down a local who’s going around calling people rude names? Maybe less so.

That was my view, though. And what I liked was that the game didn’t break down all these options as right or wrong, as good or bad, or as benevolent or evil. I just chose what I wanted to do with my limited time.

But there will be consequences. Speaking with a few others who played out this same section, it was interesting to hear what different outcomes were possible in the nighttime mass that serves as a pivotal moment in the prologue, with events unfolding differently and characters living or dying depending on earlier choices.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Naturally, at this early stage, you’re still being funnelled towards the same kick-off point for the main story, but it’s good to see that the quests you complete and the decisions you make are reflected right from the very start.

The challenge Rebel Wolves faces is carrying this choice system into a much larger and wider sandbox where events aren’t quite so focused.

And while I did get a chance to see what awaits beyond the game’s introduction, it was only a very small glimpse. What it promises right from the word go, though, is more choice.

Cut the head off the serpent

Somewhat similar to Shadow of Mordor’s excellent Nemesis system, Brencis and his lieutenants assert their control over different areas of the kingdom. It’s up to you to undertake various quests or participate in several different events to reduce their influence over a region and make rescuing your family easier — be that disrupting supplies, reducing their forces, and so on.

Obviously, they won’t stand idly by as you destabilize their rule. As you start to become more of a disruptive menace, they’ll enact edicts that will make it harder for you to continue your fight back, with more defenses or tougher enemies to stand in your way. But you’ll be gaining more power all of the time, too.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Another major part of The Blood of Dawnwalker is that Coen has two forms. During the day, he’s your fairly average RPG protagonist with some sword skills and a bit of hex magic. At night, he goes half-vampire mode, gaining clawed hands, surprising agility and a taste for blood.

While the game’s directional combat is the one throughline, it does feel different to fight or impact how you choose to tackle certain situations depending on whether it’s day or night.

In the darkness, I might choose to scale a wall in secret and try to take out guards from the shadows. During the day, conversation might be the better approach to explore an area and avoid combat.

Fighting fang and claw

When you do have to draw swords or claws, though, I found the game’s combat to be a competent but not flashy experience. The main gimmick is that small indicators on opponents tell you which direction they will attack from, so you can block, or when you need to dodge more powerful attacks.

Simple enough at first and not unlike many similar systems I’ve seen before, but with a few early upgrades, you elevate it a little beyond basic swordplay. There are perfect parries that reduce the stamina cost if you block right before an attack lands, which can also allow for powerful counterattacks when you swing in specific directions.

Mix in a few spells and some brutal vampiric powers and you have a combat system that’s fun enough to play but not something I found to be the main draw of The Blood of Dawnwalker. Maybe once there’s time to dive into the skill trees, find some good equipment, and get into more testing battles, it’ll open up more. In any case, it certainly hasn’t done anything to dramatically put me off the game.

I came away from these opening hours exactly how you want to feel after an introduction to a brand new game. I’m drawn into its choice-heavy storytelling, intrigued by how the constant timer will affect how events unfold and suitably teased by some of the exciting possibilities that await in the game’s open world.

Hopefully, the full game can raise the stakes even further and deliver on this promising start.

Gemini Gems are Google's answer to the annoyance of constantly having to repeat yourself to an AI chatbot. Like ChatGPT's custom GPTs, Gemini Gems are customized, reusable variations of Gemini that remember a specific role, history, and personality, so you don't have to keep explaining yourself every time you start a new chat.

Rather than beginning every conversation with housekeeping, you immediately start solving the problem you actually opened Gemini to tackle. You build a collection of specialists that already know their jobs. Open your travel planner when you're booking a holiday, your guitar coach when it's time to practice, or your meal planner when the refrigerator looks uninspiring, and each one picks up exactly where you left off.

I've made plenty of Gems, some more enduring than others. They're easy enough to make, but tweaking them to be just right can be tricky. If you want to see some of the more appealing (and sometimes just fun) possibilities of Gems, here are five of my favorites. I've written out the instructions I composed for the Gem at the end of each. Gemini can also edit and expand on even the simplest of descriptions, but more detail can help ensure the Gem does what you want.

Creating a Gem

The process of creating a Gem is easy, just click/tap on Gems in the left hand menu in the web browser version or the app version of Gemini, then New Gem. You can use the custom instructions from each of my five Gems if you'd like to recreate them yourself.

1. Family Adventure

(Image credit: Writer)

Planning family outings has become its own part-time hobby. My wife and I have a two-year-old and an eight-month-old, so every trip has to thread a surprisingly small needle. It needs to be close enough that nobody spends half the day in the car, interesting enough to entertain everyone, stroller-friendly, and ideally open when we actually want to visit. That made Family Adventure Planner the first Gem to showcase.

Setting it up only took a few minutes. After creating the Gem, I conversed with Gemini through it and gave it some basic details about locations, interests, and the kinds of places we've enjoyed in the past. Once the Gem had all that information, I threw some different scenarios at it.

I asked it to plan a family outing for the coming Saturday within about an hour's drive. The Deep Research feature pushed the Gem to check what would actually be open that weekend, look for seasonal events taking place, verify opening hours, and even factor in temporary exhibits and admission prices before putting together a suggested itinerary.

The recommendation felt surprisingly complete. It suggested a nearby sculpture park with stroller-friendly paths, followed by lunch at a family-friendly café and an ice cream stop on the drive home. It also pointed out that arriving before mid morning would make parking easier, exactly the kind of practical advice that is easy to overlook until you're trying to unload two young children from the car.

I asked it to imagine that rain was forecast all day and that we still wanted to get out of the house. Instead of simply swapping a park for a museum, it built an entirely different plan around an interactive children's museum, suggested a nearby indoor play space if our oldest still had energy afterward.

The Gem also adapted quickly as I added more context. After mentioning that long waits at restaurants rarely end well with a hungry toddler and an eight-month-old, future itineraries naturally favored casual cafés, picnic spots, and places where food was readily available. It quietly learned from each conversation instead of making me repeat those preferences every time.

If your weekends usually begin with twenty minutes of searching before anyone leaves the house, this is probably the first Gem worth creating.

Family Adventure Planner instructions

You are an enthusiastic, creative, family-focused activity planner. Learn my family's ages, interests, travel preferences, and other details. Whenever I ask for ideas, recommend activities that are realistic, seasonal, and varied while avoiding suggestions I have recently tried unless I specifically ask for favorites. Include all relevant logistics details like times, costs, and packing suggestions.

2. Hobby Coach

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Some hobbies are easy to put down for a while. Others seem to expect you to remember exactly where you stopped. That made Hobby Coach one of the first Gems I wanted to build.

I set it up with two of my biggest hobbies: learning guitar and backyard astronomy. I told it I was still a beginner guitarist working toward playing complete songs and that my astronomy interests revolved around learning the night sky with a modest telescope instead of serious astrophotography. Once that information was saved, I never had to explain it again.

To see how useful it would be, I spent an afternoon asking it to map out future practice sessions instead of simply answering questions. For guitar, it created a progression that built from my current skill level, suggesting chord exercises, songs that gradually increased in difficulty, and realistic milestones to aim for over the next several weeks. Everything fit into a longer learning plan.

Astronomy worked just as well. I asked it to plan a series of upcoming observing nights, and it suggested different targets depending on the season, moon phase, and what I wanted to learn. One evening focused on easy constellations, another introduced brighter deep sky objects, while another became a relaxed tour of the Moon and planets.

The Gem also uses Guided Learning as its default tool, which structures lessons into connected learning paths instead of isolated answers. It builds on previous lessons, introduces new skills at the right pace, and creates the feeling that you're working with a patient teacher who already understands your goals.

Hobby Coach instructions

You are an encouraging, knowledgeable, and patient personal coach for my hobbies. Learn my current experience level, equipment, goals, schedule, and preferred learning style for each hobby I share with you. Remember my progress over time and build each lesson naturally on previous conversations instead of starting from the beginning. Break complex skills into manageable practice sessions, celebrate improvements, and recommend realistic projects that keep me motivated without becoming overwhelming.

3. Movie and TV Curator.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Choosing something to watch should be one of the easiest parts of the evening, yet it often turns into an extended scrolling session. I knew that AI chatbots can be useful here, but a specific Gem for the endeavor felt like a good fit.

I gave my new Movie and TV Curator Gem everything it needed to know about our tastes. I told it which streaming services we subscribe to, the kinds of films my wife and I enjoy after the children are asleep, the comedies and mysteries we've already watched, and perhaps most importantly, that we have a two-year-old who is just beginning to sit through longer family movies.

That final detail completely shaped its recommendations. Instead of suggesting whatever happened to be popular, it focused on gentle, engaging films that would make good introductions to family movie nights without overwhelming a young child. It also remembered which movies we'd already seen so future recommendations wouldn't feel repetitive.

I asked it to build a month's worth of family movie nights, along with separate recommendations for date nights after the children were asleep. Within minutes, I had a calendar filled with classic animated films, newer family favorites, and several older movies that I had completely forgotten about but couldn't wait to introduce to my son.

It also understood the different kinds of evenings we have. A Friday after a busy week called for something light and funny, while a quiet Sunday evening was a better fit for a slower family film. I soon had a collection of family movie nights and grown-up viewing plans waiting whenever we needed them. Like the other Gems, it turned a repetitive decision into something I only had to think about once.

Movie and TV Curator instructions

You are a knowledgeable, conversational entertainment expert with excellent taste and a great memory. Learn my favorite genres, actors, directors, streaming services, viewing habits, and the movies and television shows I've already watched. Recommend films and series based on my mood, available time, and who will be watching, while avoiding unnecessary spoilers and repeating recent suggestions unless I ask. Explain why each recommendation suits my tastes, maintain a warm and enthusiastic personality, and regularly introduce overlooked classics alongside newer releases.

4. Outfit Planner

(Image credit: Google Gemini Gems)

At first glance, Outfit Try On Planner sounded like a Gem I'd probably use once and then forget about. I enjoy looking reasonably presentable, but I wouldn't describe myself as someone who spends much time thinking about fashion. After setting it up, though, I realized it was less about keeping up with trends and more about making decisions before I actually needed to make them.

I started by teaching the Gem my style. I told it the kinds of clothes I usually wear, the colors I naturally gravitate toward, and the occasions I dress for most often. I also uploaded a few photos of myself so it could create realistic visualizations rather than relying on generic fashion models.

I asked it to put together outfit ideas for a fancy date, weekend trip, and a few other occasions. Seeing complete outfits instead of reading descriptions made decisions much easier. The most entertaining experiment had nothing to do with everyday clothes. I'd been thinking of dressing up for the Renaissance fair this year, so I asked the Gem to imagine me in a variety of Renaissance costumes before I bought or rented anything. You can see me as a hooded archer, an elaborately dressed nobleman, and a cheerful wandering bard carrying a lute.

Because the Gem remembers your appearance and preferences, it can help visualize costumes, themed party outfits, Halloween ideas, vacation wardrobes, or almost anything else you might wear before you spend money assembling it.

Outfit Try On Planner instructions

You are a friendly, fashion-savvy personal stylist with an eye for color, fit, and practicality. Help me create outfits using clothes I already own, visualize new pieces before I buy them, and suggest combinations that suit the occasion, weather, and my personal style. Ask questions before making recommendations. When I upload photos of clothing, accessories, or myself, use them to generate realistic outfit visualizations and styling ideas.

5. Personal Theme Song

The final Gem was the one I expected to be the silliest, yet it ended up being one of my favorites. Google recently added a Music tool to Gemini that can generate original songs from simple prompts, so I decided to build a Gem called Personal Theme Song Composer, dedicated entirely to turning everyday moments into music.

Setting it up only took a few minutes. I told it about the musical styles I enjoy, asked it to learn how I like songs to feel, and instructed it to ask questions about the people, pets, places, or memories behind each request before using Gemini's Music service to compose something original. Once those instructions were saved, I could jump straight into ideas instead of explaining the same preferences every time.

One of the first finished songs involved my dogs. Every dog owner eventually invents a ridiculous tune while clipping on the leads for a walk, so I asked the Gem to write something jaunty about my two excitable Chihuahuas that sounded like the opening theme to a cheerful television comedy. The result perfectly captured the determined little strut they adopt every time they head out the front door, and the melody stayed in my head for the rest of the day.

It perfectly summed up what makes Gemini Gems so useful. They are more than saved prompts. They are specialists that remember their role, making new capabilities like Gemini's Music tool feel less like an occasional novelty and more like a creative partner that's always ready when inspiration strikes.

Personal Theme Song Composer instructions

You are an imaginative, enthusiastic, and collaborative songwriter and music producer. Your goal is to help me create original songs that celebrate and vibe with whatever topic you're given. Before writing a song, ask enough questions to understand the story I want to tell, the mood, the musical genre, whether I want vocals or an instrumental, the intended audience, and any specific lyrics, phrases, or themes I want included. Suggest genres, tempos, instrumentation, and vocal styles that fit the idea. If I provide photos or other context, use them as inspiration for the music's tone and storytelling.

What makes Gems feel different from saving a handful of good prompts in a notes app is continuity of purpose. A prompt tells Gemini what to do once. A Gem remembers who it is supposed to be every time you come back. It remembers you, your favorite way of working, and the tools that help it do its job best, creating an experience that feels much more personal over time.

The five Gems here are really just a starting point. Once you get comfortable creating them, it becomes surprisingly easy to imagine building one for meal planning, another for packing for trips, or any other gems you want to fill your treasure chest with.

After an unfortunate leak, the film is set to hit TV screens.

AI data centers are running into a network bottleneck as GPU clusters expand. For infrastructure teams, fabric design, congestion control, and interoperability now matter as much as power, cooling, and accelerator supply.

The post AI Data Centers Face a Networking Bottleneck as GPU Clusters Grow appeared first on TechRepublic.

Summer Game Fest 2026 has come and gone, and it treated us to an absolute deluge of reveals and announcements in its live show. But how many of the big hitters do you actually remember from the biggest show of last month?

I've put together this swanky Summer Game Fest 2026 quiz to put your memory cells to the test and find out.

Each question will show a screenshot of a game taken from the stream and requires you to input its title correctly. Every right answer is worth one point.

I've tried to broadly organize the questions in what I think is in order of ascending difficulty, so they should gradually get harder the further you go.

Of course, you could always just look up a list of the announcements or rewatch parts of the stream to cheat—but where's the fun in that? Just think of how upset Geoff Keighley would be if he knew that you were cheating...

I will say that at least one of the games present in the quiz won one of our prestigious Best of Summer Game Fest 2026 Awards, so you can read our winners list if you're craving a hint.

Once you're done, you'll see your overall score and a description of how you did. Feel free to brag in the comments!

• Amid backlash surrounding plans to end physical game disc production, Sony is trying to advertise its new PlayStation fight stick
• The company has remained quiet amid fan pushback since announcing its plans
• Fans appear outraged by Sony's lack of response

PlayStation has just posted online for the first time since announcing its plans to end physical game disc production, but instead of addressing the elephant in the room, the company is trying to advertise its new fight stick.

From January 2028 onwards physical PlayStation discs will no longer be produced, and let's just say the reaction to the announcement has sparked overwhelming backlash.

While fans continue to urge the company to backtrack on its decision online, including creating a petition that has amassed over 170,000 signatures, PlayStation has remained noticeably quiet on the issue. But finally, after six days of silence, it looks like it's finally shared a new social media post.

Is it a statement addressing the issue? A response explaining its stance further? No. It's an advertisement for its new FlexStrike wireless fight stick.

As of writing, the post has been up for one hour, has over 4.5million views, and has received massive pushback, with fans flooding the replies to accuse PlayStation of ignoring them.

"Sony is completely ignoring the huge backlash for the killing physical media and ownership," one fan said. "Don't let them get away with it. Voice your disgust under every post they put out until they change course."

Sony there's something you should address... pic.twitter.com/AtBQIaCoPJJuly 7, 2026

pic.twitter.com/WmAm1ooc0KJuly 7, 2026

Another wrote, "No way THIS is the first tweet PlayStation puts out after 6 days," as another joked, "I don’t understand. This a physical product? How do I download it?"

The thread is also full of fans showing how much they care about physical media, with some proudly showing off their collections, others declaring they won't buy another console again, and of course, plenty of memes about the situation.

We'll have to wait and see if PlayStation eventually caves to the pressure, but for now, Sony's plan to stop manufacturing physical media is still going ahead.

• Valve has posted a fix for the 'red line of death' problem
• A small number of bug reports have surfaced online
• Leaving the PC unplugged overnight seems to help

There's good news if your newly purchased Steam Machine has been hit by the 'red line of death' — where the PC displays a solid red indicator light and refuses to boot up (reminiscent of the old Xbox 'red ring of death').

A couple of reports about this problem have appeared in recent days, although it's not clear exactly how widespread this issue is. If you have been hit by the frustrating bug though, Valve now has some official advice for you.

In detailed troubleshooting instructions posted to Reddit, the official Steam hardware feedback account advises affected users to work through a series of steps that include unplugging the Steam Machine and forcing a full reboot.

It's worth saying that the Redditor who originally reported the issue was able to get their Steam Machine up and running again by leaving it unplugged overnight — so an effective fix might not require all of the official instructions.

Here's what to doWell, the Steam Machine was pretty cool for the 20 minutes that it worked from r/steammachine

If you do find the 'red line of death' appearing on your Steam Machine, these are the troubleshooting steps to follow, as per Valve:

• Unplug the Machine, then press the power button a few times. This ensures any stored energy in the PSU gets discharged. You may see the power indicator LED blip a moment.
• Plug the Machine back in. Note if your power LED glows (breathing pattern) white or not. If yes, please submit a Steam Support ticket and tag me, or send me a chat request with the ID.
• Hold the power button down for ~6s. You should see the power indicator LED (dot) flash momentarily. Release the power button when you do.
• The power indicator LED will start to cycle some color codes. These are designed to allow you to select various options for recovery/troubleshooting purposes. When the LED turns green, short-press the power button. This should perform a full 'CMOS reset'.
• On the next boot, you should see the RGB bar as blue - it may take a bit longer to boot due to a memory re-training.

So there you have it — if your Steam Machine works again, the Steam support account requests that you tag it on Reddit. If not, the next step is to create a support ticket so the issue can be investigated further.

It might be that a number of users have already experienced this problem and resolved it without turning to Reddit or social media, but it's not something you want to see after paying a top price for the gaming PC.

• Air frying, steam cooking and steam frying in one device
• 9.5L in the MegaBasket or 3L + 6L in separate baskets
• It's on sale for £258.99 (about $350 / AU$500)

If like me you cook for the family, you'll know that air fryers tend to involve a compromise: when it comes to capacity and flexibility, you can have one but not both – so for example my Ninja Foodi Max has two baskets delivering a combined 9.5L of cooking capacity and multiple modes, but neither basket is big enough for me to roast a really big chicken. Philips' solution is what it calls the MegaBasket.

The MegaBasket is making its debut in the Philips Airfryer 5000 Series MegaBasket, which gives you a choice: you can use the single MegaBasket to get 9.5L of cooking capacity, or use split baskets of 3L and 6L respectively.

The 5000 Series also addresses another air fryer irritation: cleaning. Because this cooker has a steam function, you can get it to steam clean itself.

(Image credit: Philips)Philips MegaBasket air fryer: key features and price

The Airfryer 500 Series MegaBasket has three kinds of cooking: air frying, steam cooking, and what Philips calls SteamFry. That combines air frying and steam cooking to keep your food nice and juicy in the middle while the air fryer crisps the outside. It's particularly handy for food such as chicken breasts, which can get awfully dry in a normal air fryer if you don't marinade them for a good while first. It also helps vegetables retain their nutrients.

Steam offers another important benefit: it's brilliant for reheating last night's Chinese takeway, Indian curry or deep-fried pizza (I'm in Scotland) without drying it out. As someone who tends to over-order from the chippy and have leftovers the following day, that's enough to sell the Philips to me, and to differentiate it from the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer, which has slightly larger capacity but lacks the steam function.

This isn't the biggest air fryer you can buy — the aforementioned Ninja has 2 x 5.2l or 1 x 10.4l capacity – but the combination of air frying, capacity, steam and a small footprint – the Philips is just 49.6 x 32.9 x 35.5cm — makes this look awfully attractive for family meals and entertaining alike.

The Philips Airfryer 5000 Series MegaBasket with Steam has a price of £258.99 (about $350 / AU$500) and it's available from Amazon UK now.

As office furniture editor, I'm always on the look out for office chairs and standing desks that are actually worth your money. And for my money, the best budget combo around right now is the Sihoo B100 and the FlexiSpot one-piece standing desk.

In the US, the Sihoo B100 office chair is now $160 (was $220), and the FlexiSpot standing desk is $105 (was $140).

In the UK, Sihoo's B100 office chair is now £140 (was £190), with the FlexiSpot standing desk at £111 (was £130).

If you're upgrading your home office, or prepping for the back-to-school season, these are my two recommendations. The combination of a cheap office chair with adaptive lumbar support and a wobble-free standing desk with a single-piece desktop is largely unheard of at this price.

For my money, the B100 is one of the best budget office chairs you can get right now. The adaptive lumbar support is the standout feature, offering consistent support even when you move in your seat, reducing pressure on your lower back and helping your posture.

In the UK: now £140 (was £190)View Deal

We've had great experiences testing FlexiSpot's office furniture range, so I don't hesitate to recommend this budget pick. This electric sit-stand desk features a solid one-piece desktop that feels sturdier than cheap splice-board models

In the UK: now £111 (was £130)View Deal

My team and I have reviewed plenty of FlexiSpot and Sihoo office furniture, and they always perform well in our tests. So, while I don't have hands-on experience with the B100 or the EN1, the brands have performed so strongly that I don't hesitate in recommending both of my budget picks.

First up, the Sihoo B100. This mesh office chair has all the core features I'd expect to see on a seat this price. It tilts, reclines, has flip-up armrests and adjustable headrest, and a widened seat cushion to spread your weight more evenly.

But the star feature for me is the adaptive lumbar support. As I say, you don't typically get this on a cheap office chair - the cheapest alternative I can think of is the FlexiSpot C7. Usually, they have either fixed or adjustable lower back support. Adaptive lumbar support is something entirely different.

Rather than forcing you into a rigid position, this type provides continued support even while you move in your seat. if you spend long hours at your desk, it's a genuinely game-changing feature.

Second, FlexiSpot's standing desk. This is another budget bit of kit that really stands out to me. Right from the start, it has all the core features I want to see from any sit-stand desk, including an LED programmable control panel and four memory presets, and anti-collision detection.

Height range via the single-motor operation is 28.9in to 46.5in, which is suitable for most people - although I recommend anyone over six foot checking out desks with a height range up to 50in to prevent any slouching.

Here, the star feature is the single-piece desktop. That makes it a lot more stable than cheaper splice-board desks you usually see at that price, since there's no join in the surface. This desk comes in a range of sizes and styles to suit your workspace.

If you're kitting out a workspace with new office furniture, this is the affordable desk and chair I'd choose every time. You may see somme desks and chairs cheaper than this, but when it comes to features, I haven't seen anything to beat either at this price.

• US: See all home office furniture at Amazon
• UK: See all home office furniture at Amazon.co.uk

• Hostinger launches a new tool for selling online without a website
• The tool offers the ability to sell across multiple channels and platforms
• It will soon be compatible with AI agents

Web hosting giant Hostinger claims that selling online is no longer about centralized ecommerce websites, but about tapping into multiple selling channels and platforms – and its new tool can help.

Hostinger Ecommerce starts with the business itself, collecting information on products, inventory, orders, shipping, payments, and customer data. It then allows sellers to connect their ecommerce business to websites, social networks, messaging apps, and, soon, AI agents, all from one central dashboard.

The concept is simple. Upload once, sell almost everywhere.

A new channel doesn’t mean starting from scratch; it’s just opening another door. Everything is managed from one space. So, sell the last product of a range on TikTok shop, and it goes ‘out of stock’ everywhere else.

The future of ecommerce

Hostinger claims that users can go from product image to ready to sell in just a few minutes, thanks to its Quick Links feature. Sellers start by uploading a product photo, then the platform’s AI creates a full product page including descriptions, key details, and even a suggested price.

Then you simply connect a payment method and share the link wherever you want to sell.

Hostinger Ecommerce has been built with beginners and non-technical professionals in mind. Set up is guided by Kodee, Hostinger’s AI support agent, taking users through the journey, asking practical questions such as what and where they sell, their business details, and which sales channels they want to connect to.

According to Auksė Žirgulė, Head of Hostinger Website Builder and Ecommerce, “For small sellers, the opportunity is huge, but only if their business can move as fast as their customers do. They should not have to guess which channel will matter next. They should be able to focus on growing their business, while providers like Hostinger Ecommerce build the future-ready infrastructure around them.”

Hostinger also shared that it is actively developing the ability to connect products with AI agents, helping users to connect and sell to potential customers using AI.

Right now, Hostinger Ecommerce is free to use for Hostinger customers on the Business or higher rate plans. New customers can access the platform starting at $2.99/month.

The biggest threat to your phone isn't malware, it's how you conduct yourself online.

Google Search uploads may be used to train AI unless users opt out, raising privacy and data governance concerns for businesses.

The post Google Search Uploads Can Train AI Unless You Opt Out appeared first on TechRepublic.

• Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand has been revealed
• It's a standalone roguelike survival game based on Company of Heroes 3
• It will feature four playable factions and multiple progression systems

As a bit of a lapsed strategy game lover, I've been meaning to try out Company of Heroes 3 for years but just haven't yet managed to find the time to dive into its lengthy campaign and get to grips with the beefy online multiplayer.

Under the Radar

Under the Radar is our way of highlighting great games that might have passed you by. Through a regular mix of news stories and features, we'll cover great experiences that we feel haven't found the audience they deserve. Read the full series here.

The more condensed action of the upcoming Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand might be just the thing to get me on board. This newly revealed entry in the beloved strategy franchise sounds like one of those old standalone expansions (like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon or Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City), offering reimagined version of Company of Heroes 3 that doesn't require the base game to play.

It's all about wave-based survival, challenging you with highly replayable levels that have you holding out against escalating waves of enemy forces. There are 36 boss challenging units to break up the waves of grunts and a roguelike progression system that has you choosing persistent upgrades every life to make each run feel more unique.

There are four playable factions to master (the allied US and British, and the German Wehrmacht and Afrikakorps) each with their own progression trees to work through and unlockable premium cosmetic skin packs.

Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand will support online co-op so you can hold out with friends, as well as eight difficulty levels designed for everyone all the way from total series newcomers to experts.

It launches later this month on July 29, 2026, for PC and is available to wishlist on Steam now.

• Sony has announced that it's ending physical PlayStation game disc production in 2028
• Fans are protesting the decision and have created a petition to urge Sony to change its mind
• It now has over 170,000 signatures

PlayStation fans have created a petition in a bid to urge Sony to reverse its decision to end physical game disc production from January 2028, and it's already reached over 170,000 signatures.

"On July 1, 2026, Sony announced it will end production of physical discs for all new PlayStation games starting January 2028," the 'Don't Kill the Disc' Change.org petition reads. "New games will be sold digitally, or as a box containing only a download code, with no disc inside."

The petition, created by the CEO of Canadian retailer PNP Games, also points out that days earlier, it was confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 physical editions will launch with no disc, but a digital download code instead, which many fans are disappointed with.

"When the market leader ends the disc, the rest of the industry follows," the statement continues. A disc is a real game you own. You can lend it, trade it, resell it, gift it, collect it, or pass it down to your kids. A box with only a download code is not the same thing. It is a digital license in plastic packaging. You do not own it. You are renting access that can be revoked, and people have already had purchased movies deleted from their libraries and games pulled from sale weeks after launch."

With a lack of physical games to sell in in-store retailers, there's also the risk of job losses and a weaker local economy, the creator added, and stressed that they're not against digital, but against digital being the only option.

As of writing, the petition has 172,204 signatures, and number which is growing by the minute, and many fans are being vocal about their disdain for Sony's decision.

"Physical media is what makes consoles the best place to play modern AAA games," one petitioner said. "It's the only decentralized local DRM solution that is both acceptable for publishers and provides sufficient ownership and user control to satisfy both sides. It is crucial for physical media to survive until digital ownership is sufficiently solved. My 30-year streak of supporting PlayStation depends on this decision. Don't betray your most loyal long-time customers Sony.

Another comment reads: "I've been a gamer on the PlayStation platform since the PS1 days, and many of my favorite games have been on PlayStation systems, whether as exclusives or simply a preferred platform. However, I'm a physical media gamer, and I refuse to support any gaming company that tells me I don't have the option to own physical media. I hope Sony will reverse this decision, but if not, then they will cease to get business from me after January 2028."

There are plenty more comments to cycle through, but while fans are voicing their concerns, Sony is notably quiet on the matter.

After posting the announcement, the company hasn't yet shared a statement in response to the outcry, so it remains to be seen if the PlayStation maker will cave under pressure.

• International Aerial Photographer of the Year 2026 winners announced
• Azim Khan Ronnie and Vitaly Golovatyuk scoop the top 'Photographer' and 'Photograph' prizes
• Both winners shoot aerial images with a DJI Mavic 4 Pro

If you love jaw-dropping aerial images, the International Aerial Photographer of the Year contest is well worth checking out — and the contest's 2026 winners have just been announced.

A total of 101 images were shortlisted by the contest's three judges, and Azim Khan Ronnie scooped the top prize with his portfolio of scenes from around the world, including vibrant images of chili pepper harvesters in his home country of Bangladesh.

Ronnie said: “From above, everyday scenes reveal patterns, geometry, textures and relationships that are often invisible from the ground. Aerial photography allows me to tell stories about people, nature and the environment from a perspective that inspires curiosity and offers a deeper understanding of the world."

A minimum of four images are required to be considered for the top 'Photographer' prize won by Ronnie. Vitaly Golovatyuk of the Russian Federation took 1st place for the International Aerial Photograph of the Year, with their individual image of a bird standing in a perfectly still lake in Elk Park, outside Dongtai City in the Zhejiang Province of China.

You can take a look at Azim Khan Ronnie's portfolio below, with the variety of scenes including migratory seagulls in Yamuna Ghat, Delhi, India and a perfectly synchronized rowing team gliding over the mist-covered surface of Lake Zurich in Switzerland.

For a few months of the year, a large number of Siberian seagulls migrate to various parts of India. One of them is Yamuna Ghat in Delhi. The birds start coming in here in November and move out in mid-March. The activity continues all morning.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearThousands of bright red chilli peppers are harvested in the hot sun before being sorted ready to be delivered to spice companies in the Sariakandi, Bogura, Bangladesh. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chilli farms in Bogura.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearAn aerial view of a rowing team gliding through the pristine waters of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. The team is perfectly synchronized, with oars cutting cleanly into the turquoise, misty surface, leaving subtle ripples in their wake.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearHindu devotees gather in Dhaka for Rakher Upobash, fasting and praying with incense and oil lamps to honour Baba Lokenath. Thousands seek blessings for health and protection, recalling the 18th century saint’s life of asceticism and spiritual devotion.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year'Unique and extraordinary'

I reached out to Azim Khan Ronnie, who described his images as "unique and extraordinary", and the result of much hard work, repeat visits and early starts.

I was particularly drawn to his series of chili pepper harvesters in Bogura, Bangladesh, where more than 2,000 people work on approximately 100 chili farms — you can see more of his images from this particular series at his Instagram page, linked below.

The vibrant colors grabbed my attention first, then the abstract patterns and astute composition kept me engaged.

A post shared by Azim Khan Ronnie (@azimronnie)

A photo posted by on

I also enjoyed his use of manual exposure and a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of the migratory seagulls, in contrast to the still (and sharp) boat they're surrounding, in his image from Yamuna Ghat, Delhi, India.

In the International Aerial Photographer of the Year press release, learn that Ronnie takes his aerial images with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone — a professional triple-camera drone which scored a maximum 5-star rating in our in-depth review.

Ronnie says, “For aerial photography, I use the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3 Classic, allowing me to create images that reveal scale, patterns and perspectives impossible to capture from the ground. I always shoot exclusively in raw to capture the maximum amount of image data, giving me greater flexibility during post-processing while preserving image quality."

Birdie is sitting on the water of a tiny, crystal clear lake with reflection of the sky and surrounded by red grass, somewhere in Dongtai. Vitaly Golovatyuk, DJI Mavic 4 Pro (Image credit: Vitaly Golovatyuk / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year)

Vitaly Golovatyuk also used a Mavic 4 Pro for his winning individual image (above), taken in China, where the still lake appears like an eye, with the bird framed in the center among the reflected clouds and the surrounding rich red landscape.

The winners from the 101 shortlisted entries can be found at The International Aerial Photographer of the Year website, whose founders are on a mission 'to encourage and share the wonders of aerial photography'.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page linked above, there's a flip book containing all of the shortlisted entries — trust me, it's well worth a look.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) continues to dominate business conversations, widespread adoption is still some way off.

In fact, just one-third of professionals said that AI programs are being scaled across their organizations.

Many companies remain hesitant to move beyond pilot projects, with a lack of trust a major barrier.

Concerns over reliability, data protection, IT security, impartiality and the potential for misuse also continue to slow adoption.

To close that gap, businesses need to understand what is behind it, how to close it and how to ensure these processes scale across the whole enterprise.

What’s behind the trust gap?

Lack of trust in AI systems continues to hold organizations back. Only 57% of AI and data teams fully trust the outputs of AI systems, and among product managers and software developers, this figure drops to just one-third. This points to a wider lack of confidence as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day operations.

Developers’ fears are based on a variety of factors. Hallucinations, when AI models generate information that appears credible but is in fact false, mean workers are concerned about its reliability in high-stakes or sensitive use cases.

Likewise, cybersecurity, including the security of data entered into AI systems, the risk of leakage to third parties, the potential for attackers to compromise AI environments, compliance with ethical standards, and whether bias in systems could shift over time as they continue learning during live operation are all contributing to workers’ distrust of AI models.

Building trust in AI

As organizations look to build confidence in AI, quality management is becoming a bigger priority. In fact, 79% of workplace decision-makers see a direct link between trust in AI and active quality assurance measures such as regular testing, monitoring and oversight.

Trust can only be built when both AI systems and the data behind them are subject to comprehensive quality controls that are applied continuously, not just as a one-off check before deployment.

A strong foundation starts with data quality. Organizations need confidence that the information feeding AI systems is complete, up to date, and accurate. AI outputs are only as reliable as the inputs they depend on, so flawed or incomplete information will inevitably lead to poor results. Robust data governance is therefore essential to ensure AI-driven decisions to hold up in real-world use.

Quality management must also cover security, compliance and access controls. Organizations need safeguards to ensure that data does not leak from internal systems to third parties and that AI complies with regulatory requirements such as the EU AI Act and GDPR.

Clear accountability for protecting sensitive business is equally important. For example, organizations must ensure that HR records can only be accessed by authorized HR staff, with controls in place to monitor and manage how that data is used within AI environments.

At the same time, trust is not solely about reducing risk. Organizations want to ensure AI investments deliver measurable value, with more than half of companies citing improving return on investment (ROI) from Ai deployments as a key priority. This demonstrates that reliability and performance are just as important as security and governance.

Why quality management still struggles to scale

For many businesses, the challenge is no longer deciding whether to use AI, but how to manage it reliably at scale. That is proving difficult because quality management processes are still heavily reliant on manual oversight.

Quality management needs to extend across the entire AI lifecycle, from model design and training through to testing and ongoing monitoring in production.

Yet among companies that conduct regular testing, just 15% to 29% have implemented automated quality assurance processes at any AI development stage. This means that quality controls are often conducted entirely or partially manually, making them time-consuming, costly and prone to human errors.

Ultimately, this limits widespread AI adoption. Large-scale deployment is difficult to achieve when quality assurance relies heavily on manual effort, as scaling would require a significant increase in personnel.

Many organizations are also trying to manage AI adoption without clear governance, with half still lacking an enterprise-wide AI governance strategy. This is often compounded by a lack of expertise and limited understanding of how AI systems arrive at their results. At the same time, pressure to deploy AI quickly can divert resources away from testing, monitoring and oversight.

The consequences of inadequate quality management are quickly felt, particularly when AI systems interact directly with customers. Beyond the risk of regulatory fines, organizations often face dissatisfied customers, missed business opportunities, and reduced productivity when AI-generated results create more work than efficiency gains.

A stronger focus on quality pays off

As long as concerns around reliability, security and governance remain unresolved, businesses will struggle with the successful, large-scale deployment of AI. In line with this, three-quarters of decision-makers believe that more effective AI quality assurance would see their organizations experience a significant or transformative impact on user trust.

Companies must elevate AI to a new level of trust through a combination of suitable toolsets, robust governance frameworks, process expertise and technical know-how. Only by embedding these foundations can organizations deploy AI profitably and sustainably over the long term, while building the confidence necessary to scale its adoption responsibly.

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I'm not sure if Sally Wainwright fans have a name, but if they don't, it should be 'Wainwrighters'. I've been once since I was 17 and watching Last Tango in Halifax for the first time, and I've been in love with her writing, which includes Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, ever since.

As of 2025, that took the form of Riot Women, which you can stream on BBC iPlayer. Set against a classic Wainwright Yorkshire backdrop, the show follows five menopausal women from Hebden Bridge who form a makeshift punk-rock band to enter a local talent contest.

However, it's not all fun and games like singing about menstrual cycles might seem. Though they're all from a different walk of life, each of our five women comes armed with their own drama and trauma, which soon starts to affect the others.

After ending on the tense cliffhanger of Kitty (Rosalie Craig) getting a call from her dad in prison, it's just as well that the BBC renewed Riot Women season 2 shortly after.

One year on, Wainwright and star Tamsin Grieg, who plays retired police officer Holly, tell me that they're not quite ready to start filming just yet... but that might be a blessing in disguise.

'I've now got to be two years better'

"No, no, no, no," is Grieg's immediate answer when I ask if she's feeling more confident about playing bass guitar in the band during Riot Women season 2.

"I mean an opera at the moment... so I can do anything(!). I feel a bit nervous going into the second series, because Sally has started it two years on from when the first series ended. So that is in real time, because it is two years since we stopped."

While actual plot details haven't been revealed yet, this is our first bit of insight into what to expect from the second season. After Kitty's cliffhanger, it was expected that the drama would resume from the moment her phone call ended — so who knows how many disasters have happened in the interim.

"I should have been doing my lessons for the past two years... and I haven't... so I've got a bit of catch-up," Grieg continues during our chat at the Italian Global Series. "I've got to be two years better. than I actually am. I've really got my work cut out. I've got six months to do some speed learning.

"Sally wrote to Holly as being a bit sh*t at it, so thank you. But she's not now two years on, though, is she...?" Grieg asks Wainwright, who responds, "No, she's really good now."

"F**ing hell," Grieg adds. "The annoying thing about Sally is that not only does she write all this stuff, but she goes away and learns guitar, drums, all of that. So she is doing it, and is really good at it. I think we'll just cut to your hands."

Wainwright simply replies, "It's good research," which I think tells you everything you need to know about how modest she is as a creator.

If anything, I'm hoping that the back-and-forth chaos between the two of them during our interview is indicative of what's to come when Riot Women season 2 does start filming — which, judging by Grieg's speed-learning schedule, takes us to late 2026.