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IT Skills demand skews towards analytics, cybersecurity, DevOps: Quess skills report

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December 16, 2024

IT Skills demand skews towards analytics, cybersecurity, DevOps: Quess skills report

Trends in IT Skills Demand and its Implications in the Indian IT Industry

As the IT industry in India is growing day by day the IT skills demand is changing very rapidly and new areas are emerging such as analytics, Cyber security and Dev ops. According to the latest Quess Corp report, titled ‘IT Staffing Quarterly Digital Skills Report Q2FY25’ these fields are at the forefront of this hiring boom across sectors, due to increasing demand for technological solutions and better business operations.

Cybersecurity: A Critical Priority

Due to increased internet crimes and enactment of better data privacy laws, the issue of IT hiring has the focus on security. There has been a 58% rise in the IT skills demand for the current quarter in this domain due to growing CASBs, DLP tools, and SIEM systems. Industries such as BFSI, telecom and retail are the leaders here considering the protection of the customer data and meeting the governmental requirements. As companies are investing more and more into their cybersecurity, it can be stated that specialists with knowledge of these new technologies will be in great demand.

DevOps: The concept of Building the Bridge Between Development and Operations

DevOps or the integration of development and operations is gradually emerging as a fundamental practice of IT transformation. Due to the optimization of organizations’ digital transformation initiatives, the need for IT professionals in the DevOps field has increased by 25%. These best practices like CI/CD and IaC are already gaining momentum across sectors including BFSI, due to their need for effective functioning. DevOps are highly relevant for complex and dynamic businesses that need to develop high-quality digital environments quickly.

Analytics and AI/ML: The Data-Driven Future

Big Data, Analytics & AI/ML remains a key driver of IT skills demand in India. The demand for experts in data analysis, machine learning, and artificial intelligence has risen by 30% because companies use these technologies more often to obtain valuable information and improve their performance. Healthcare, fintech, and telecommunication industries are more oriented to AI/ML to improve services that include using AI/ML to predict patient health status in healthcare, streamlining financial operations in fintech. Java is still a popular programming language in this field, and it fosters various AI projects, among which are EHR creation in the healthcare industry.

Refresher and Fresh Skills Enhancement Programs

This changing IT skills demand is being driven by the reskilling and upskilling exercise that is being undertaken by the workforce in India’s IT industry. The Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have been established in recent years and more than fifteen thousand technology professionals have been deployed across India. This emphasis is critical in order to meet the changes in the pace of development of new technologies, such as quantum computing, generative AI, and cloud computing. These steps are helping to narrow the gap between conventional competencies and the emerging expectations of a world in which digital is the new normal.

Regional Hiring Trends

The survey also reveals that Bengaluru remains as the leading location for IT hiring in the country with the demand constituting 43.5 percent. Hyderabad and Pune have also shown an impressive rise in the IT skills demand of professionals, which indicates the localization of the best talent in those cities. Due to the growth in business operations and the building up of information technology platforms, these cities are expected to continue to offer a home to IT professionals.

Looking Ahead: The Future of IT Skills

The change in demand for IT skills demand also shows that analytics, cybersecurity, and DevOps will continue to dominate the hiring market in India. This paper established that professionals who constantly update their knowledge in these domains will be at a vantage point in the ever evolving IT market. More and more innovations are affecting the business world and organizations will have to develop their human capital to meet the changing world market.

Therefore, the IT skills demand gap in India is also evolving wherein specializations like cybersecurity, DevOps and AI/ML are driving the general trend. This way both the professionals and the organizations can work in the direction of making them stand out in the competitive market of IT sector.

source:: msn.com

The Outlook is Uncertain for US AI Regulation as the US Government Pivots to Full Republican Control

Artificial intelligence

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December 16, 2024

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The Outlook is Uncertain for US AI Regulation as the US Government Pivots to Full Republican Control

The Current and Future Role of US AI regulation under Republican Leadership

When the US government has gone fully Republican, this raises questions on the future of the US AI regulation especially when AI is still at a development stage. This seems to be moving away from putting up measures to remove red tape for investors but potentially leaving gaps where important guardrails for AI in things like elections or misinformation could be missing.

In regards to AI, the President-elect Donald Trump promised to undo the executive order signed by President Joe Biden that sought to protect the public interest while promoting innovation. Rather, Trump’s administration is likely to focus on innovation and free speech – the Republican National Committee’s view AI development should focus on “Human Flourishing.”

Artificial Intelligence in Election and Fake News

The application of AI has remained a debatable topic especially in the aspects of elections. People still fear deep fakes and AI-produced fake news, but they did not play as big a role in the 2024 election as was expected. AI was employed in campaigns to deliver niche messages to voters while partisan memes were propagated by AI. Examples of AI in the form of impersonating political leaders including Joe Biden in robocalls raised a question of the act as a tool of manipulation.

Despite some progress made under Biden’s administration to start the process of regulating AI by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Republicans are now in charge. Current GOP opposition to legislation that could potentially limit the use of free speech means that future American US AI regulation may deem the protection against misuse in political situations as less important.

Innovation vs Safety

There is still a constant controversy on the roles and responsibilities of the government in the development of artificial intelligence. Republican member of California, Jay Obernolte, was focused on the innovation that occurs along with the prevention of harm. But, the Republican-controlled Congress appears to have little enthusiasm for matters such as US AI regulation and its application in elections due to First Amendment concerns.

There could be issues such as national security, the protection of individuals from abuse, and from sexual content without consent that might be agreed to by both Democratic and Republican parties. For instance, Democratic Senator Gary Peters recently said he is hopeful about working with Republicans on an AI bill, especially in relation to security use.

Industry and Advocacy Views

Some of the industry leaders and advocates have varying opinions about federal legislation outlooks. A few, such as the Software Alliance, think that national laws could bring the much-needed certainty to help advance the market for AI technologies. Some, including the non-profit organization Public Citizen, explained that revoking Biden’s executive order could impact safety measures that foster innovation for the public good.

While the debate is going on, the question of how the US AI regulation will change under the republican rule will define the future of artificial intelligence both in the States and globally. For now, the focus is on development rather than on the regulation and this makes the future of AI governance unclear.

SOURCE:: goskagit.com

Google Releases New Android Artificial Intelligence-Powered Features for All Android Phones: Here is the Full List

Artificial intelligence

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December 16, 2024

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Google Releases New Android Artificial Intelligence-Powered Features for All Android Phones: Here is the Full List

Recently Google unveiled new AI-powered features in the Android version 15.

Google has released a suite of advanced, AI-based tools for Android 15 devices, bringing its AI to every Android phone. These updates will help improve usability, accessibility, and creativity to make Android artificial intelligence an everyday tool in human’s digital lives. Many features are available across all Android 15 devices, but only Pixel phones get special abilities that make the update even more useful.

New and improved AI capabilities for any Android-based device

Expressive Captions:

Among the latest features of Android artificial intelligence, Google has enhanced Live Caption with emotional context to video subtitles. The captions now mean not just words, but emotions such as “[cheering]” or “[gasp].” It is multi-app and integrated with live streams, video messages feature and has offline capabilities for continuity.

Image Q&A in Lookout:

Lookout is fully supported by Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro software and provides lengthy and intricate descriptions of images. This is particularly helpful for blind users, so that they could upload pictures and get full, verbal descriptions. The possibility of asking further questions raises the level of image analysis and demonstrates the role of AI in the Android interface.

Emoji Kitchen:

This is a humorous Android artificial intelligence driven feature that enables users to mix emojis together in creative ways. For instance, combining two different emotions to create a sticker, such as #❤️🍕 generates a funny sticker. Emoji Kitchen is already available, which has illustrated Android’s dominance in user-centric design compared to Apple’s Genmoji.

QR Codes in Quick Share:

With this feature, file sharing becomes easy. Users are now able to create QR codes for sharing media content for instance in the form of documents, images or even videos. This functionality can save time on adding the contacts or even checking the devices that are involved in transfer of data securely.

Auto Enhancement in Google Drive:

Google Drive employs AI in Android to enhance scanning of physical receipts, ID or any piece of paper. The options enhance contrast, eliminate shadow, and sharpen the image, which will help the users save time and effort and get the best scans possible.

Gemini Extensions Take Android AI Experience To The Next Level

Google’s Gemini AI is now compatible with many other apps and has new extensions for different tasks, for instance, using voice commands to play or pause music in Spotify. These will be followed by additional features which include controlling smart home devices, providing personalized information depending on the user’s location with the help of Google maps which in turn makes Android artificial intelligence an everyday helper.

For Pixel phones, there are certain AIs exclusive to Android.

Pixel device owners get special perks like a new Screenshots app that displays saved images and works with Circle to Search. The call screening feature that leverages AI is also improved to provide more relevant responses for more natural interactions. These privileges complement the Android artificial intelligence usefulness for Pixel customers.

A Wider Rollout on the Horizon

Google is already rolling out these features to Pixel and some Android 15 smartphones and plans to do so for other devices soon. This update makes Android AI an effective tool that enhances human interaction with the technology.

These features range from accessibility to creativity, and all demonstrate the way that Android artificial intelligence makes devices more intelligent companions. The future of artificial intelligence on Android is now, in the form of a smoother, more integrated online experience.

SOURCE:: indiatoday.in

Inside Elon Musk’s Quest to Beat Open Artificial Intelligence at Its Own Game

Artificial intelligence

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December 16, 2024

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Inside Elon Musk’s Quest to Beat Open Artificial Intelligence at Its Own Game

Elon Musk’s xAI: A New Player in the Artificial Intelligence Market

This time around Elon Musk is back in the news with artificial intelligence. With xAI, a relatively new industry player, he quickly enters the market and even competes with Open Artificial Intelligence. As with many startup companies, xAI has big plans and even bigger investment goals to create the best AI systems in the world. Nevertheless, it faces some threats such as it started operation much later and relies on Musk’s companies.

The Origins of xAI

Musk launched xAI in 2023, after being part of Open Artificial Intelligence since 2015 but left in 2018 due to differences in the company. Musk’s new venture will be to build an AI system that is more powerful and capable than other systems. In order to do this, xAI has utilized disparate sources of data such as X (previously a microblogging platform like Twitter) and Tesla. This informational advantage coupled with Musk’s credentials and access to deep pockets and engineering expertise has enabled the startup to lay down a strong base.

Creating Infrastructures at the Speed of Light

Colossus, a data center in Memphis, Tennessee is one of the biggest accomplishments of xAI and was built in only 122 days. Aimed at the core of xAI’s operations, this computing facility is equipped with 100000 Nvidia GPUs. Musk has embarked on an aggressive approach to build infrastructure to support the expansion by using natural-gas generators to quicken the pace of operations to counter rivals such as Open Artificial Intelligence and Google owned by Alphabet.

Opportunities and Threats and Market Segmentation

However, xAI has many challenges even though the field is still evolving at a fast pace. Its first product called Grok that was released in 2023 has not been able to compete with the level of tools like ChatGPT. Additionally, the annual revenues of the startup are estimated to be at $100 million, while OpenAI, its competitor, is expected to make $4 billion for the same duration. Almost all of xAI’s revenue is generated from companies within Musk’s sphere of influence, including SpaceX and Tesla’s Starlink. This reliance on internal collaboration is the key reason for the struggle to establish itself as a separate business venture in a saturated market.

To support this move, xAI is expanding its portfolio. It recently introduced a developer tool in Grok for constructing products and is yet to announce a single consumer application. These actions point to xAI’s plan to position itself in the oversaturated market of AI systems run by Google, Meta, and Open Artificial Intelligence .

Musk’s Competitive Streak

This competition with OpenAI forms part of xAI’s history to this date despite it being relatively short. He has accused the organisation of converting to a business entity and even sued it for violating contracts. This cutthroat thinking can be seen in Musk’s attempts to poach employees from Open Artificial Intelligence and in his choice of venue for a recruiting social: a building that was once home to the rival organization.

The Road Ahead

For the future, xAI will increase the capacity of Colossus two-fold and seek more capital to further advance the platform. Despite the fact that it is relatively young and started a bit later than its competitors, the startup has a fair chance to grow its infrastructure very quickly and gain access to unique data. Trust in xAI competence is based on the model of disruptive innovation of Musk, which will allow it to compete for leadership in the industry.

Elon Musk’s xAI is a grand plan to challenge other titans in the AI industry such as Open Artificial Intelligence. Thus, despite the existence of threats on the way, xAI continues the pace of its development and has the strategic benefits that can be a sign of the emergence of a disruptor. Whether Tesla can fully achieve Musk’s dream of developing the world’s most advanced AI is still unknown, but the fight for the AI market has undoubtedly grown more and more heated.

Source:: msn.com

Businesses face uncertainty with US AI regulation in 2025

Gaming News

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December 16, 2024

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Businesses face uncertainty with US AI regulation in 2025

Towards Understanding Uncertainty in the Regulation of AI in the USA in 2025

With the year 2025 on the horizon, companies are already dealing with a multilayered web of regulation surrounding AI in the United States and still have doubts about the future. This is due to on-going political debates and increasing legal issues associated with use of artificial intelligence (AI) in business sectors. Nonetheless, it seems that firms are expected to go on paying attention to the governance and management of AI to minimize the risk of litigation, brand, and compliance.

The first type of uncertainty is the government’s position on U.S AI regulations to be determined by the incoming administration. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to deregulate and repeal many of the executive orders that President Joe Biden has implemented on AI. But how Trump will tackle the US AI regulation is still ambiguous and this uncertainty is causing some concern among the business people. Even Musk’s ties to Trump only make the situation worse, as his support of state-level US AI Regulation in California indicates that even with the current president, some form of AI regulation may still be on the horizon, albeit with much less stringent rules than before.

Other than the future federal activities, there are increasing numbers of state-level AI laws that are causing compliance issues for businesses. Litan, a Gartner analyst, further notes that the increasing complexity in these state laws might force the Trump administration to think about the need for a standardized framework to address state laws. Nonetheless, because the current administration under President Trump wants to decentralize the federal government and limit its role, such an action is uncertain.

Thus, the number of legal cases related to AI keeps increasing as the regulatory environment does not stabilize yet. Legal cases related to regulation of US AI and patents specifically generative AI are on the rise due to the massive growth in the use of generative AI. Of the surveyed decision-makers of generative AI from Forrester Research, 21% revealed an increased number of legal investigations and lawsuits over the use of generative AI. Lacking specific AI guidelines in the United States, organizations can only resolve such issues through the legal system which is financially and temporally expensive.

Lack of broad US AI regulation results in enterprise AI risk management that independently addresses legal and reputational risks. Alla Valente, Forrester analyst, notes that enterprises are cataloging and screening the AI models they deploy and also increasing the attention on the third-party AI apps. These governance practices are gradually being incorporated into the overall risk management framework as corporations seek to safeguard their brands in addition to compliance with a variety of legal requirements.

But even in this case, as companies are getting ready for the changing US AI regulation under the Trump administration, they can’t lose sight of the global picture. EU’s proposed EU AI Act and other global AI rules will remain relevant to organizations’ plans particularly those with operations across borders. In many organisations, it will be important to monitor these regulations, domestic or international, as a means of addressing risk and compliance.

As a result, governance tools such as the Holistic AI Tracker 2.0 of Holistic AI are becoming increasingly important for businesses that want to remain up to date on the latest AI laws. These tools assist organizations in monitoring the current US AI regulation and state changes and the international legal environment. In particular for legal professionals it constitutes a one-stop-shop that may help them to navigate through the growing amount of regulation of AI in jurisdictions.

Overall, it can be said that the lack of definite US AI Regulation in the United States will not hinder the AI development rate. However, companies will remain rather concentrated on effective governance frameworks as they expect new legal challenges when AI solutions remain more and more entwined with business processes. While the federal AI regulation may shift in the years to come, companies cannot wait for the changes to happen and need to continue to mitigate AI risks, and meet the current and future regulation standards.

source:: techtarget.com

Ten Companies to Watch in AI Drug Discovery

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December 16, 2024

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Ten Companies to Watch in AI Drug Discovery

Leading Companies Advancing the Field of AI Drug Discovery

The incorporation of AI Drug Discovery has brought radical change in the pharmaceutical industry. The use of AI to augment the drug discovery process is not just about doing it faster, but better, cheaper, and accessing opportunities that were once thought unimaginable. In this article, we take a look at ten firms that are currently pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in pharmaceuticals.

1. Anima Biotech

Anima Biotech was established in 2018 and the company has already partnered with some important players in the biotech industry such as Eli Lilly, Takeda and AbbVie. This mRNA Lightning.AI platform focuses on cellular pathways’ analysis in an effort to pinpoint disease relevant perturbations. With 20 preclinical programs in oncology, neuroscience, and immunology, the company is advancing the AI Drug Discovery concept and creating the basis for new therapeutic approaches.

2. Atomwise

Atomwise continued to build its AtomNet, showing that it could effectively replace conventional high-throughput screening. Working with Bayer and Sanofi, Atomwise has proven itself capable of identifying fresh hits for 235 of 318 drug targets. Through contracts of billions of dollars, the company is establishing new records for the use of AI in drug development.

3. BPGbio

BPGbio is using its BPM31510 drug platform in the treatment of diseases such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. One of its recent projects with Oxford University on protein degradation technologies proves its commitment to precision medicine. The capacity that the company has demonstrated to incorporate AI in its drug discovery and therapeutic delivery is the shining example of how applying advanced computing in targeted medical solutions is important.

4. Generate Biomedicines

Generate Biomedicines has a focus on protein based drugs or therapeutics. Using the Generate Platform, the company collaborates with Novartis and Amgen to address different disease domains, including cancer and non-cancer diseases. As a disruptor, Generate is not just driving the AI Drug Discovery forward but is revolutionizing the way one thinks about therapeutics.

5. Insilico Medicine

Among the 31 disclosed drug programs, Insilico Medicine’s ability to leverage its Pharma.AI platform to progress ISM 001-055 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis demonstrates the company’s potential in moving from computational concepts to clinical reality. The move of In Silico to Cambridge, MA has been aimed at its desire to associate with major stakeholders in the biotechnology market.

6. Model Medicines

Model Medicines has been established with the wide pipeline of 192 compounds targeting 26 diseases, and the company has focused on developing the broad-spectrum antiviral drugs through the use of the developed GALILEO platform. Due to its ability to identify cross-target solutions for RNA viruses which are a different set of targets from the typical small molecule targets, it avails itself as a pioneer in the Adaptive AI Drug Discovery technologies.

7. Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus has proved to be effective in oncology and metabolic disorder diseases. The development of the TYK2 inhibitor tofacitinib, currently in Phase II/III trials for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, has been made with the help of Takeda. Nimbus shows how AI Drug Discovery can increase the accuracy and efficiency of drug development.

8. Recursion Pharmaceuticals

Recursion Pharmaceuticals plan to launch more than 100 products within ten years. Their RecursionOS Operating System has already produced REC-3964 for recurrent infection and REC-994 for a symptomatic cerebral cavernous malformation. The current use of AI integration was strong and makes Recursion a model of how to build scalable drug pipelines.

9. Relay Therapeutics

Operating in the precision oncology sphere, Relay Therapeutics is working on the drug RLY-2608 used for treating patients with breast cancer. Its combination therapies and molecular design with the help of AI prove how AI Drug Discovery can increase survival rates for patients.

10. Schrödinger

Schrödinger combines computational models into the preliminary toxicity risk assessment. The company’s Wee1/Myt1 inhibitor has shown synergistic effects in treating tumors and presents a chance for longer-lasting cancer therapies. Schrödinger is laying the foundations for the combination of artificial intelligence and pharma know-how through partnerships with Gilead and Bristol Myers Squibb.

In the future of AI in Pharmaceuticals,

AI is revolutionizing the drug discovery paradigm from the experimental to a data-driven precision strategy. These companies demonstrate how, with strong pipelines and novel platforms AI can move the timelines forward, decrease costs and increase the likelihood of success.

It is important to note that as more players enter the field of AI Drug Discovery, the challenges will move to regulatory approval and actual effectiveness. This evolution will not only be a boon to patients but also set a new standard for the industry making AI a necessity in today’s world of practice.

Source:: genengnews.com

How to find Pale Garden in Minecraft

Gaming News

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December 16, 2024

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How to find and navigate through the new Pale Garden biome in the game Minecraft.

The Minecraft Pale Garden has risen to the popularity of becoming the best attraction in the new Garden Awakens update that comes with an entirely new biome with new resources, mobs, and challenges. For those who are looking for raw experiences and those elusive materials this Pale Garden provides the extraordinary. Here’s how to find and appreciate this creepy but stunning landscape.

What is the Pale Garden?

The new biome in the game is the Pale Garden with new mechanics featured here as the Creaking mob, Pale Wood, and Resin. During the day it shows a beautiful and slightly mysterious place with wonderful flowers but at night the Creaking appear making the biome a dangerous place to be.

Using Minecraft Seeds to Find the Pale Garden

The simplest way to find the Minecraft Pale Garden is using the predetermined seeds. These seeds generate worlds where the biome is guaranteed to appear nearby:

Seed 1: Teleports you right next to the Pale Garden, allowing you to start the exploration of the location immediately. A second instance of the biome lies across a river (coordinates -200, 156).
Seed 2: Starts you right in a huge pale garden biome, which has caves, an island with a base, and many resources.

Seeds of both kinds have been tried on Java Edition to ensure their efficiency.

Dig the World for the Pale Garden

If you’d like to venture out on your own, you can find the Minecraft Pale Garden more naturally as well. Here’s what to look for:

Nearby biomes: Pale Gardens are commonly located near mushroom biomes and spruce forests. These landmarks should be looked out for when on the road.
Updated worlds: Make sure your world is set to the Garden Awakens patch because the Pale Garden biome will not be available without it.

Commands as a way of finding the Minecraft Pale Garden

Players who are okay with using in-game cheats can type in the command /locate biome pale_garden to know the nearest biome to this one. Just before doing this make sure you have activated cheats in your game options.

Mods to Simplify the Search

Other mods such as Nature’s Compass can help make the search for the Minecraft Pale Garden much easier. In addition to searching for biomes, this tool will also allow you to teleport to them. After that, set it to the Pale Garden and do not waste any time on exploring the wonders.

What to Collect In The Minecraft Pale Garden

Creaking Heart: An item that can only be used to either scare or call the Creaking.
Pale Wood: Specifically suitable for creation of black-and-white styled structures.
Resin Blocks: Bring a little colour into your builds.
New Flowers: Ideal for use in decorative projects.

Prepare for the Adventure

Entering the Pale Garden requires some sort of readiness. He is wearing armor trims, has tamed a wolf to protect him and is creating strong tools to prepare for the various risks when night comes.

Using these methods you will be prepared to immerse yourself in the mysterious and exciting Minecraft Pale Garden.

Source:: beebom.com

Xbox Games Pass: What’s Coming and Going in December 2024

Gaming News

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December 16, 2024

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Xbox Games Pass: What’s Coming and Going in December 2024

Xbox Games Pass remains a massive library of games which gives a Netflix subscription model for the players who like to play as many games as possible for 30 dollars per month. The service includes all Xbox generations, including the latest ones, as well as both Xbox Game Studios titles and third-party games, including famous classics like Halo and Gears of War as well as new releases. Whether you are gaming on console, PC or using Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Games Pass provides an ever-changing gaming experience.

New games that have been added to Xbox Game Pass for December 2024

Starting December there are several titles that are coming to Xbox Games Pass for console. Players can look forward to:

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (added December 4th, 2024)
Forza Motorsport (join Game Pass Standard on December 4th, 2024).
Hauntii (that was added on December 4th, 2024).
This is where we come from (added December 4th, 2024).
EA Sports WRC (included in EA Play, Xbox Games Pass Ultimate since December 5th, 2024)
Overthrown (Game Preview) (available as an additional bonus through the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting December 5th, 2024).
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (added December 9th, 2024 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
Wildfrost (available from December 10th, 2024 for Xbox Games Pass Ultimate)

These new games are exciting, and provide Xbox Game Pass members with even more types of games, including racing games and epic adventures. For racing enthusiasts, Forza Motorsport offers high end simulation while for those who love to revisit their childhood, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. Furthermore, it will be suitable for fans of puzzle and the action genre as well as Humanity and Overthrown.

Games that will be removed from Xbox Game Pass in December 2024

As with every month, there are also games that will be removed from Xbox Games Pass in December. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s set to leave on December 15th and December 31st:

Amnesia: The Bunker
Forager
Forza Horizon 4
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Tin Hearts
The Quarry
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (leaving December 31st)
Close to the Sun (releasing on December 31st).
Humanity (Departing December 31st)
Lego 2K Drive (available until December 31st).
McPixel 3 (leaving December 31st)
Party Animals (leaving December 31st)

Users will have to rush to complete any game they are playing lest they lose them with the change of the plan.

Xbox Game Pass Core

Besides the standard Xbox Game Pass service, gamers can also use Xbox Games Pass Core, having replaced Xbox Live Gold. With a $10 monthly subscription or $60 annually, Game Pass Core offers members this list of games as well as member exclusive offers, and online multiplayer. In this Xbox Game Pass Core, some of the most downloaded games include Among Us, Celeste, DOOM Eternal, and Stardew Valley.

Xbox Game Pass: What’s Next?

Looking ahead, Xbox Games Pass has even more exciting releases slated for 2025, including anticipated titles like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and The Elder Scrolls 6. As always, you should look forward to future updates in which more games will be added to the service.

Xbox Game Pass offers a lot of games and with titles coming out fast and others leaving the platform, subscribers are always guaranteed a new game to play. Regardless of whether you like racing, adventures or strategizing, the service offers a game of your choice.

source:: eurogamer.net

GTA Online Drops New Update for November 2024

Gaming News

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December 16, 2024

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GTA Online Drops New Update for November 2024

GTA Online‘s November 2024 Weekly Update: Last Heist Challenge Week and Black Friday Offers

As for the new update of GTA Online for the week November 28 2024, it is filled with heist rewards, special offer discounts, and festive clothing. To keep players interested as they progress through the last stages of the Heist Challenge, Rockstar Games has crammed this update with the events and bonuses.

Last week to try out the Heist Challenge

GTA Online players are currently in the last week of the Heist Challenge, which involves players working together to steal $20 trillion using certain heist endings before December 4, 2024.Completing the challenge earns players special items in the December update, including the Pacific Standard Varsity Jacket, the Police Predator Boat, and the NOOSE outfit.

To help out players, Rockstar has confirmed that diamonds will be available in the Casino Vault for those who complete the Diamond Casino Heist finale. Those who successfully complete the heist this week will get the Diamond Strike Vest outfit, and $100,000 in-game cash.

Double rewards and bonuses during the festive season

The new update also increases the GTA Online money and RP gains in a variety of modes, including: Diamond Adversary Series; Open Wheel Races; Junk Energy Skydives; and Deadline. Fans can get the free Tan and Brown Turkey Outfits during this Thanksgiving season if they play and login this week.

Black Friday Offers on the Properties and Cars

Rockstar’s Black Friday sale offers steep discounts on properties, vehicles, and upgrades:

Properties: Discounts for Hangars, Salvage Yards, and their enhancements are 35%; Arcades and related enhancements are 30%.

Vehicles: Vehicles can be bought such as Pegassi Weaponized Ignus, Ocelot Stromberg and Imponte Deluxo for half the price. Other products in the sale are luxury cars like Buckingham Luxor and Buckingham Swift.

New Podium and Showroom vehicles

The vehicle up for grabs at Diamond Casino podium this week is the Dinka RT3000. At the same time, the Luxury Autos Showroom contains the Ubermacht Niobe and Overflod Pipistrello, Simeon’s Premium Deluxe Motorsport Showroom contains cheaper variants, such as the Dewbauchee Rapid GT Classic and the Vapid Bullet.

Test rides for LS Car Meet are Vulcar Warrener and Canis Seminole Frontier, while the main reward for the top three four days in a row is a Karin Futo GTX.

Exclusive GTA+ Member Perks

There is also GTA+ bonus that includes a free Nagasaki Shinobi motorcycle, 50% off the price of MC Clubhouses and biker clothing, weapons and throwables with specific discounts to GTA+ members.

What’s Next?

With the current month almost coming to an end, Rockstar teases that the December update will be even bigger. In this latest GTA Online update, new features and festive sales mean that players are ready for any challenge or holiday cheer.

source:: gamerant.com

The Finals Gets PS5 Pro Update

Gaming News

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December 16, 2024

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The Finals Gets a PS5 Pro Update: What You Need to Know

The widely-known first-person shooter, The Finals, has become the latest title to receive a PS5 Pro patch, ensuring players of Sony’s latest console update smoother game experience. Although Embark Studios, the game’s developer, has not disclosed specific details, the first reviews help to understand what this improvement means.

Better Controls with the PS5 Pro

The Finals came out in December of 2023 and was praised for its game show-like combat system and destructible environment, getting over 10 million players in two weeks. The new PS5 Pro update intends to take advantage of improved hardware to offer a superior experience, even with small changes to the interface.

Preliminary tests show a more stable 60 FPS, but the game does not support 120 FPS yet, which fans of first-person shooters were expecting. Also, there are no graphical extra toggle options for the users to switch between performance or fidelity modes as it is observed in most of the PS5 Pro update games. This has disappointed some players especially given the ability of the console.

Developer’s Vision & Challenges

The PS5 Pro update was revealed by Embark Studios during the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards in honor of the game’s one-year anniversary. But it seems that they divided their attention, as at the same time the team is working on The Finals for PS4, which is expected to be released on December 12, 2024. This dual focus may be one reason why the improvements observed so far in the PS5 Pro upgrade have been relatively small.

The developers’ approach stands in stark contrast to the PS5 Pro that Sony unveiled for itself with a goal of creating graphics at twice the performance. Games like Ratchet & Clank: Both Rift Apart and Marvel’s Spider-Man have demonstrated these features with 4K and enhanced resolution with an AI upscaler. The hope of The Finals fans is that future patches will bring stronger improvements, like these leading titles.

What the PS5 Pro has to offer

Debuted on November 7, 2024, for $700, the PS5 Pro brings hefty improvements such as an improved GPU and Sony’s exclusive PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution. These enhancements are supposed to remove the fidelity vs performance modes toggle on the base PS5 Pro update .

As its collection of Enhanced games increases with titles such as The Finals, the PS5 Pro aims to revolutionize console gaming with graphics that are nearly on par with PCs. Most of the current games are being offered free of charge to improve the graphics and features of the game to suit the new equipment.

Preview of The Finals

While Embark Studios will continue to update The Finals with new content and cross-platform development, players expect more improvements on the PS5 Pro update. Higher rendering speed, graphic customization features, and the possibility to add 120fps compatibility may turn this game into a standout on the new Sony’s platform.

At the same time, The Finals continues to be a fun PvP game that got only improvements from the side of the initial PS5 Pro update and the resulting stability and less buggy gameplay.

source:: gamerant.com