We all know the frustration that can set in while endlessly scrolling through Netflix (or whichever streaming services you happen to be subscribed to) in search of a new movie to watch. It can be particularly annoying when you're in the mood to watch a specific kind of movie but are unable to settle on anything.
Horror, in particular, is one of the more difficult film genres to pin down, as there are so many additional sub-genres to wade through in search of the perfect scare. Are you after a gory slasher, or something a little more cerebral?
Luckily, we're here to help. We've taken the liberty of hand-picking the top four horror movies arriving on Australian streaming services arriving in February 2022. These four fright flicks should provide Aussie horror fans with all the blood-curdling screams they can handle.
Playing a lot like the excellent first film, only dumber, A Quiet Place: Part II still manages to generate a fair amount of stomach-twisting tension in its stretches of absolute silence. After an impressive opening flashback sequence, A Quiet Place: Part II picks up directly where its predecessor left off. With their previous home now compromised, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her three children set off to find a new sanctuary. Along the way, they team up with Emmett (Cillian Murphy), whose family was killed during initial alien attack on their town. What follows is a series of events and decisions which defy all Earthly logic, but it seems we've come to expect that kind of thing from horror sequels.
Horror-centric streaming service Shudder has a pair of original horror movies landing this month, starting with They Live in the Grey, a supernatural fright flick which sees young social worker Claire (Michelle Krusiec) investigate a child abuse case only to discover that the family is actually being terrorised by a malevolent entity. Now, Claire must use her latent clairvoyance abilities (Get it? Her name is Claire!) to save this child and her family before it's too late. Written and directed by The Vang Brothers (Bedevilled), They Live in the Grey promises to be a dark and atmospheric film with more than a few jump scares.
It's well known among horror fans that trying to find any sort of chronology within the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise's numerous entries is indeed an act of futility. Arriving next month as a Netflix Original movie is the latest entry in the Leatherface saga to consider itself a direct sequel to the 1974 original film (joining 1986's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and 2013's Texas Chainsaw 3D), simply dubbed Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This time, Leatherface will return after nearly 50 years of hiding to terrorise a new group of kids, and original final girl Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré, taking over for the late Marilyn Burns) will also be along for the ride. Produced by Fede Alvarez, director of Don't Breathe and the Evil Dead remake, Texas Chainsaw Massacre has at least some chance of lifting this hit-or-miss franchise's batting average. For now, we remain hopeful that 'Old Man Leatherface' will deliver some decent scares.
Next up from Shudder is Hellbender, the sixth feature film from the Adams family (not to be confused with The Addams Family), a prolific group that writes, directs and stars in their own films. Hellbender sees a 16-year-old girl named Izzy (Zelda Adams) discover her family's ties to witchcraft after wandering away from her isolated mountaintop home, which she shares with her spooky mother (Toby Poser, who co-writes and co-directs alongside Zelda and her father, John Adams, who also stars). Having already debuted at a number of festivals, word-of-mouth buzz has been strong around this scary family effort.
When we heard that Samsung was planning on making smaller MicroLED TVs for 2022, we hoped that maybe the cutting-edge display technology would start to approach a more reasonable price.
Nope. Not going to happen.
According to a new report from South Korean tech site The Elec, Samsung’s smallest 89-inch MicroLED model is expected to retail for $80,000 (around £59,500 or AU$113,500) while the larger 114-inch model will come in at a cool $100,000 (approximately £74,5000, AU$142,000).
Samsung has yet to confirm those prices to US tech publications, however, (that's something that usually happens around March or April before the TVs come out). So, there could be some wiggle room there. Still, even if the South Korean tech site is off by a couple grand, the MicroLED TVs are still going to be 30-to-40 times more expensive than the company’s flagship QLED, the Samsung QN900B 8K Neo QLED TV. So yeah, we’ll be sticking with mini-LED for now.
Analysis: Why are MicroLED TVs so much more expensive?
Despite having similar-sounding names, there is a substantial difference between mini-LED TVs and MicroLED TVs.
Mini-LED TVs use LEDs that are about one-fifth the size of those found in a normal LED TV and can pack their screens with hundreds of contrast control zones to independently turn on and off certain sections of the TV.
MicroLED TVs? They’re about one-one hundredth of the size of a traditional LED and they’re self-emissive like OLED. Each of those millions of LEDs can be controlled individually - allowing you to get the best levels of contrast and brightness.
While that technology currently costs the moon, given the size of these screens and the technology driving them, we’re hoping to get a taste of it with the new QD-OLED TVs that were announced back at CES 2022. These screens, like the Sony A95K QD-OLED, combine the self-emissive organic light-emitting diodes that give OLED its perfect black levels with the color saturation of quantum dots.
The result is a screen that has 200% of the color saturation of a traditional LED-LCD screen, with higher peak brightness and wider viewing angles than an OLED.
Unfortunately even QD-OLED won’t have the peak brightness or color saturation of MicroLED - but at a fraction of the price, they’re our best bet for improved picture quality without mortgaging our homes.
In a future release of Google's web browser on Android, you'll be able to avoid the mistake of closing all your tabs at once, thanks to an additional message box to confirm if you want to go ahead with it.
Google Chrome is the most widely-used web browser app on Android, mainly due to it being pre-installed on the majority of Android smartphones. But there may be an occasion when you've got multiple tabs open at once.
Some could be related to shopping, birthday ideas, or brainstorms for holidays in the summer for example. You may want to close all of these at once when you're finished.
In Chrome Canary, the test version of Google's web browser, you can enable a flag that will display a message box to confirm if you want to close all your tabs at once. This will help prevent occasions where you accidently close all the browser tabs when you didn't mean to.
Switching this on will make the message box appear when you're about to close all your tabs.
This can be useful if you've found yourself having mistakenly closed all your open tabs, and having to go through your history to open the links again.
This may sound like a very obvious feature, but if you mainly use Google Chrome on your phone as you're sharing links on social media and messaging apps, having all your tabs closed can be a huge annoyance.
Sometimes the little things like this can make a big difference, so it's encouraging that Google has this ready to go in its development releases for now.
The macOS Monterey 12.2 update was released on January 26, and some users are already reporting issues, with reports that BlueTooth accessories connected to the device are seemingly causing it to wake from sleep mode, draining battery life that would have otherwise been preserved.
As reported by MacRumors, it's unclear how widespread the issue currently is, but there have been several posts across social media sites like Twitter and Reddit during the last few days that would indicate this isn't an isolated incident.
Here's what the #macOS #Monterey 12.2 #bluetooth sleep/wake battery-murdering glitch looks like, personified by my keyboard's capslock light. off=sleep, on=darkwake. Leave ur laptop unplugged & sleeping overnight, 👋🏼buh-bye to its battery! #goodtimes pic.twitter.com/O45y7MYLtlJanuary 31, 2022
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While no official statement has been made from Apple, those affected have claimed that their Mac's battery life drops from 100% to 0% while left in sleep mode overnight, something that wasn't occurring prior to updating to macOS 12.2.
After some investigation, users like @Jpavao found that Bluetooth accessories are apparently causing the Macs to repeatedly wake from sleep mode, which drains the battery over the course of several hours. All fingers point to the latest update being responsible as both older Intel-based Macs and newer M1-powered devices appear to be affected.
Disabling the Bluetooth on the device or disconnecting all accessories connected via Bluetooth prior to placing the Mac into sleep mode seems to work as a quick fix, though this obviously isn't ideal if you have to set up your mouse, keyboard and headset every morning, especially if you use the MacBook for work.
Apple also made the beta version of Monterey 12.3 available to developers last week, though no mentions were made that refer to a fix within the notes, so it's unclear if the issue will be resolved when this update is pushed live for all macOS users or if another solution is in the works. We've reached out to Apple for clarification.
Analysis: keep calm and carry on
It's understandable that you might feel wary regarding upgrades when you see stories like this circulating, but we would always recommend that you keep your device up to date with the latest patches to help with security and app compatibility. Any problems that arise after an update, regardless of a system being Windows or macOS, are usually swiftly corrected.
It's important to remember though, that updates are likely never going to be a universal 'fix-all' for every user. In fact, the patch to fix this Bluetooth issue could just as likely cause problems for a handful of users who were not previously experiencing any. The risks of using an outdated operating system also far outweigh the risks that come with updating to the latest version though, so it isn't worth avoiding the upgrade to Monterey 12.2 if you've been putting it off.
It's not unusual for software updates and patches to cause additional issues that require additional work down the line. It's certainly a nuisance for those affected by the problem, but there are several workarounds that will help tide things over, such as leaving your MacBook charging overnight or disconnecting any Bluetooth accessories, until Apple can officially patch out the battery drain.
Make sure you check out our macOS Monterey problems guide for more advice on fixing issues with Apple's latest operating system.
Jason Momoa is reportedly in “final negotiations” to join Vin Diesel and his gearhead familia in Fast and Furious 10.
According to a recent THR report, the Aquaman actor is poised to play the villain in the upcoming instalment – slated for release on May 19, 2023 – although Universal hasn’t yet commented on his role or casting.
We heard last year that plans were in place to begin shooting Fast and Furious 10 at the beginning of 2022. With filming now having wrapped on Aquaman 2, Momoa’s current schedule would presumably allow for his involvement in the project.
Indeed, if the actor does end up facing off against Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, don’t bet against an allegiance switcheroo by the end of the movie (as seems the customary move of most bad guys in the franchise). They're family, after all, as Toretto likes to remind us.
Speaking of which, it’s been all-but-confirmed that one-time antagonist Dwayne Johnson won’t be reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in Fast and Furious 10. A recent report suggested Diesel had hoped his co-star would return to the franchise, despite the well-publicized spat between the pair – but Johnson has since claimed there’s “no chance” of that happening.
Still, there is plenty that we do know about Fast and Furious 10. For instance, it’ll be split into two parts (à la Avengers: Infinity War / Endgame), so it seems likely that this upcoming instalment could actually be titled Fast and Furious 10: Part One (or a variation of).
We know that franchise alumni Justin Lin – who previously helmed Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast 6 and F9: The Fast Saga – will be returning to the director’s chair, too.
As for the movie’s cast, Fast and Furious 10 will see Diesel reprise his role as Toretto, alongside fellow returnees Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Sung Kang. Charlize Theron will also feature once again as Cipher (with, we presume, a brand new hair-do).
Does the Fast franchise still have fuel to burn?
With every new (and undeniably similar) instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise, questions are asked of the franchise’s enduring appeal. The same will be true of this upcoming tenth entry, especially as it’s being cut into two separate releases.
That being said, it’s hard to argue against the consistency of Fast and Furious’ box office numbers. Even in 2021 – a turbulent year for global cinema – F9 raked in an almighty $726.2 million, despite being the least acclaimed entry in the franchise since 2009 (scoring just 59% on Rotten Tomatoes).
It’s clear, then, that audiences still maintain an appetite for the series’ vehicular carnage and over-the-top action sequences (though topping F9’s space-based scenes will be a tall order). With Jason Momoa in tow, too, Fast and Furious 10 isn’t likely to buck that trend.
Australia’s consumer watchdog wants internet providers to openly advertise the typical upload speeds of their broadband plans, as it says upload speeds have “become more important to consumers” in recent years.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says clear-cut information around broadband upload speeds started to decline in 2020, just as upload speed became more meaningful with the switch to working and learning from home.
“At the same time, upload speeds information has become more important to consumers who rely on upload speeds to undertake activities at home that were previously done in the workplace and place of education,” read the ACCC’s consultation paper.
While internet providers are required to clearly state the typical download speed of each plan, the ACCC has found that most do not expressly state the upload speeds for their broadband offerings.
Some providers will state each plan’s upload speed in its critical information summary, but a link to this page is typically small and hard to find, and sometimes still does not include explicit details.
Further muddying the waters are 100Mbps plans. There was originally a single NBN 100 tier which came with 20Mbps upload speed, until NBN Co introduced a new NBN 100 tier in May 2020 that came with 40Mbps upload.
The two plans are sometimes identified by the providers are NBN 100/20 and NBN 100/40, although this is not consistent, and it can be difficult for consumers to know what they’re actually paying for.
As the ACCC looks to update its guidance to providers on broadband speed claims, it’s also looking to determine when the busy period is for upload speeds.
Internet providers consider the busy period for downloads to be 7pm-11pm, and while the ACCC suggests this timeframe seems to be the same for uploads (based on current information), it wants providers to test it for themselves to fairly assess their typical upload speeds. Given the prevalence of working and schooling from home, it may well land much earlier in the day.
Why is internet upload speed important?
Upload speed is an important factor in online gaming, but since countless Australians have moved to working or learning from home, the ACCC believe it’s playing a larger part for the everyday internet user than it once did.
A better upload speed can improve video calling (a regular occurrence for most Aussies now), and it’s also helpful for uploading and sending large files over the internet, whether that’s a school assignment, or audio and video files for work.
If you’re not sure what upload speed you currently have, contact your provider, or search their website. Alternatively, you can do an NBN speed test to see just how fast your download and upload speed really is.
The wait is over – Paramount Plus has dropped the first official trailer for its highly anticipated Halo TV series, delivering what appears to be an epic and (mostly) visually faithful adaptation of the beloved video game franchise.
The trailer also brings with it a release date: the Halo TV show will premiere on the Paramount Plus streaming service on March 24, 2022.
The Halo TV series tells the story of the Human-Covenant War in the 26th Century, in which Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and his AI partner Cortana (Jen Taylor) attempt to stop the alien threat known as The Covenant and its genocidal campaign against humanity.
While the upcoming TV adaptation seems to be sticking pretty close to Halo's basic fundamentals, it also appears to be taking a wildly different path in terms of its story. Before we go any further, you can check out the official trailer for the Halo TV series below.
Analysis: a different Halo to what we're used to
As previously explained by Frank O'Connor, Halo's Franchise Development Director, the TV show exists on its own 'Silver Timeline', allowing its showrunners to pick and choose elements from existing "Halo lore, history, canon, and characters wherever they make sense for a linear narrative" without invalidating Halo's "core canon."
Based on the trailer above, we're already seeing a number of ways in which the Halo TV series diverges from existing Halo canon.
For starters, the show's Master Chief is seen operating alongside other Spartan soldiers in multiple scenes. As you'll remember, Master Chief was the sole Spartan warrior on the UNSC Pillar of Autumn in the first Halo game.
It also seems that (at least initially) this Master Chief doesn't exhibit any free will –as explained by Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) in the trailer, the Master Chief has been designed with the sole purpose of fighting The Covenant, stating that "he is lethal, upgradeable, and most importantly, controllable."
That last part appears to change, however, when Master Chief comes into contact with a mysterious object that was being excavated by The Covenant, awakening something in him which sets him on his own path.
Another big change to Halo lore comes in the form of Makee (Charlie Murphy), a new (and seemingly human) character created specifically for the series who leads (or at least speaks for) The Covenant.
The idea of a human Covenant member is a huge departure for the franchise, though we have to wonder whether the decision was made to cut down on the inherent VFX costs that would come with a fully CG animated alien villain.
Which brings us to what might be the Halo TV show's most controversial choice – Cortana's appearance. Though the character appears to be computer-generated in the show (or at least CG-enhanced), Halo's showrunners have opted to ditch the character's blue-ish hologram look in favour of a more physical human semblance. Quite frankly, the change seems baffling and unnecessary to us, though we'll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Changes aside, we love how most everything else in the trailer looks, from the Spartan armor, weapons and vehicles, to the appearance of the Elites (and their Energy Swords), the Jackals and other visually faithful pieces of Halo iconography. We look forward to seeing more when Halo arrives on March 24.
We're scouring the web for today's best Super Bowl TV deals, and we've just spotted a massive discount on LG's stunning C1 OLED display. Amazon has the 65-inch OLED TV from LG on sale for $1,796.99 (was $2,499.99). That's a whopping $700 discount and the lowest price we've seen for the OLED display.
Ranked as one of TechRadar's best TVs of 2022, the LG C1 OLED features a stunning OLED display within an Alpha a9 Gen. 4 processor, providing a cinema-like viewing experience with crisp images that come to life - perfect for watching the big game. The LG OLED TV also features virtual surround sound audio, four separate HDMI 2.1 ports, and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, enabling you to control your TV and compatible smart home devices completely hands-free.
As we've mentioned above, this is the best deal we've seen for the LG's OLED TV and a fantastic price for a gorgeous big-screen display. If you're looking for a premium set, this is one of the best Super Bowl TV deals we've spotted so far, and we don't know how long Amazon will have the LG TV at this record-low price.
LG C1 OLED (65-inch):$2,499.99$1,796.99 at Amazon Save $703 - Amazon has LG's stunning C1 OLED TV on sale for $1,796.99. That's a massive $703 discount and the lowest price we've seen for the 65-inch display. Perfect for watching the Super Bowl - the LG C1 is one of the best TVs you can buy, thanks to the stunning OLED display, Alpha a9 Gen. 4 processor, and virtual surround sound audio.
Finding a white TV can feel a bit like hunting the White Whale in Moby Dick - you know they’re out there, somewhere, but finding them has proven to be a lifelong task.
In our quest to track them down for readers, we only came across two models available in 2022: the 32-inch LG 32LM620BPUA and Samsung’s The Frame, which only qualifies because you’re able to swap out the bezels on the TV for an all-white trim.
Both are fine TVs for their intended purposes: the 32-inch LG TV is only a 720p model that works better in a kitchen or a kid’s room, while Samsung’s The Frame is a designer screen that’s meant to blend in rather than stand out. That said, while each has its niche, neither really fulfill the role of a true living room home cinema screen.
So why, out of the dozens of new TVs unveiled every year, are there just two white TVs? We had to get to the bottom of it, so we went straight to the source and asked our contacts at LG, Sony and Samsung to explain why there aren’t more options available.
The real reason you don’t see many white TVs
The answer of why there’s not more of these albino bezel screens is actually pretty straightforward: it goes against everything these companies work toward year after year.
“White has been popular in certain applications, for example, smaller TVs targeted for kitchen use. We currently offer a white TV in a 32" FHD screen size,” says Tim Alessi, Senior Manager of New Products at LG Electronics. “However, for larger screens used in living rooms or home theater applications, white is not desirable for a couple of reasons.”
"A great deal of effort is made to minimize the visible bezel so the viewer sees ‘all picture’ for the most immersive viewing experience. Using white would negate these efforts by making whatever bezel is visible too prominent."
Tim Alessi, LG Electronics
“First of all, a great deal of effort is made to minimize the visible bezel so the viewer sees ‘all picture’ for the most immersive viewing experience. Using white would negate these efforts by making whatever bezel is visible too prominent. The other reason is that darker, or metallic finishes have a more premium look which most people prefer on a large-screen TV.”
That last bit is obviously subjective - as some of our readers have asked outright for white TVs - however, you can’t argue the fact that a white bezel would make it stand out more when you’re watching a TV show or a movie.
When we asked Sony about it, we got a similar response.
“White generally contrasts with on-screen content, leading to a less immersive experience,” a Sony representative told us over email. “Also, from a design standpoint, we feel that black provides a more premium look and feel.”
Long story short? TVs with white frames really aren’t conducive to the home cinema experience.
(Image credit: Samsung)
Samsung has a white TV... if you're willing to pay more for it
The only TV that might fill the role of a proper living room screen is Samsung’s The Frame.
Released a few years ago to appease the more aesthetic-focused crowd, The Frame is part of Samsung’s Designer Series of TVs that also includes The Serif and The Sero.
By default, The Frame comes with a black bezel - but its secret weapon is that the bezel can be swapped out for a different one, including an all-white trim. Each of the available trims are available to buy separately for $99 / £99 (around AU$140) while the base 50-inch model of the TV sells for $1,199 / £999 / AU$1,699.
This is a lot pricier than other 50-inch 4K HDR QLED TVs, but it’s a price most folks have been willing to pay.
“The breadth of Samsung’s TV lineup shows that we listen to our customers, innovating our products to fit their needs and passions,” a Samsung representative told TechRadar over email. “That can mean designing TVs to include our Gaming Hub for gamers, a better Home Screen for streamers, or in this case, TVs that maximize design & décor versatility. It’s this level of personalization that have made The Frame and The Serif such a hit with consumers.”
In some ways, it might feel unfair that you have to pay more for the white trim on a TV - but, for now, Samsung is the only manufacturer fulfilling consumers’ desires for a white TV and therefore can charge a bit of a premium for it.
Pictured: Samsung's QN900A Neo QLED TV that is 99% screen.(Image credit: TechRadar)
Don't worry, soon bezels will be a thing of the past
Like the word ‘fetch’, white TVs aren’t going to happen - at least not anytime soon. But that might not be a bad thing as most manufacturers are in the process of making nearly bezel-less TVs. Each of the three manufacturers above has TVs with supremely thin bezels in their lineups. Samsung has the bezel-free Q950TS 8K QLED TV that made its debut in 2020 and the Samsung QN900A that debuted in 2021, while LG has recently shaved the bezel on its new OLED TVs from 6mm down to 4mm.
Reducing bezels or outright removing them entirely are huge areas of interest for manufacturers - outside of picture quality and performance, it's probably where they spend the most time in the design process.
What that tells us, essentially, is that we won’t have to worry much longer about the color of the bezels for much longer. Yes, these TVs will still come with stands that are either metallic or black, but folks who wall-mount them will have a seamless look without worrying if the TV will match the décor of the rest of the room.
So, to all the interior designers out there: don’t worry, your deliverance is coming.
Looking for the TV with the best picture performance? Check out our guide to the best TVs
Cryptocurrency is a field that’s only grown since its inception, and Opera wants in. The company is making headway by developing another variant of its web browser: the Crypto Browser Project.
This app enables users to store their crypto wallets within the new browser. Users can also follow and manage different types of electronic coin, as well as the controversial NFT content that’s being offered by various companies. These capabilities are all grouped into what’s called Web3, a collection of activities that some predict will be heavily used across the web in the coming years.
Opera is breaking into new frontiers, creating specialized browsers like the gaming-focused GX. The Crypto Browser Project is Opera’s attempt to target users that have a crypto wallet.
TechRadar spoke with Jan Standal, VP of Product Marketing at Opera, to understand the need for a cryptocurrency-focused web browser.
The crypto-elephant in the room
If you’ve used an Opera product before, the Crypto browser will feel familiar to you. The layout is similar, but with a blue and green color scheme.
We asked Standal what Opera’s browser could offer to the crypto market:
“Browsers have always provided a trusted gateway through which consumers experience and engage with the internet - and all the new digital trends and technologies on it,” Standal explains. “With the Crypto Browser Project, we set out to build the first truly custom experience for people who want to experience blockchain and Web3 technologies, channeling almost three decades of experience we have in creating user-friendly browsers.
“Our Crypto Browser lowers the barriers to entry to the Web3 world by providing our users with easy access to blockchain news and tutorials, seamless browsing of Web3 Services and apps, and our trusted non-custodial wallet built directly into the browser.”
Why go all-in with a browser, rather than a plugin?
We wondered why the aim was a browser from Opera focusing on cryptocurrency, rather than a browser extension.
“By controlling the browser, we are able to solve experiences that can’t be solved with just extensions. Take, for example, the secure clipboard feature in the Crypto Browser beta: it protects your wallet address from being manipulated by other apps. Solving such cases makes Opera the most secure option for cryptocurrency and Web3 enthusiasts - something that wouldn't be possible to do with traditional browsers.
“While the shift to Web3 is underway, most of the apps are being created by small software companies, and we hope they can benefit from our technologies, experience, and user base.”
Since cryptocurrency is still in its infancy, we asked Standal how the browser could cater to different types of crypto.
“Partnerships are a priority for Opera - we are pursuing an inclusive multi-chain strategy. By creating a solution respectful of all ecosystems, and encouraging the development of common standards and practices amongst developer communities, we hope to help this incredible and diverse new field of creators achieve the fullest potential for their technologies.”
(Image credit: Future)
We pressed Standal on Opera’s decision to create a separate browser that focuses on cryptocurrency rather than incorporating crypto features into Opera or Opera GX.
“With the Crypto Browser Project, we are trying an all-in approach, providing people with a specific experience they need in order to interact with Web3,” Standal explains. “As the technologies of Web3 become more advanced, we will see a strong divergence in the way the browser will interact with the world - and it was important that we prepared for that.
“We believe that if you’re interested in cryptocurrencies, blockchain technologies, even funny coins, you should have a dedicated space for that. If you’re starting and simply want to understand the space better, the Crypto Browser Project will be the perfect starting point.”
Standal continued: “With Opera GX, we learned the power of community, and how we could craft a browser built just for the needs of our awesome gaming users. With the Crypto Browser project, we are showing the same care and attention to the crypto community focused on safe, easy, and intuitive access to crypto services and tools in a way even a novice can understand.”
Feeling safe with crypto
There’s still the ongoing issue of security and authenticity when it comes to bitcoins. There’s also this persistent idea that crypto goes hand in hand with gambling, especially considering Bitcoin’s rise and fall in value is always making news. We asked Standal what steps Opera has taken with this browser to keep users safe.
“While it's true that crypto is not for everyone yet, we see that millions of our browser users are already onboarding to crypto and Web3 is happening. We strongly believe that it's better for serious companies to participate in the space, help the users and shape the industry rather than avoid it,” Standal explains. “Helping our users avoid scams is a natural part of this. The Crypto Browser provides you with the Crypto Corner, which is a source of tutorials, access to influential publications, and key information about the space. There’s also a whole set of security and privacy features such as the built-in VPN, ad blocker, the secure clipboard, and others.”
NFT
Another side to cryptocurrency is the NFT, or Non-fungible Token. These are digital assets, like images or videos, that are allegedly uniquely yours. Opera’s crypto browser will allow you to use your wallet to purchase these. We wanted to know where the company stood on this process.
“Those steps are outlined on NFT platforms,” Standal clarifies. “From our side, we make sure no one meddles with your wallet address by providing you with a built-in wallet and a secure clipboard to copy and paste your wallet address and other sensitive data.”
(Image credit: Opera)
The company also announced in a blog post that the crypto browser is in development for Apple devices, and will be submitted to the App Store. But with features allowing users to manage their crypto wallet within a web browser, we asked Standal if Apple’s most likely response will be to reject the app, especially if there's explicit ways to buy and sell crypto.
“The Opera browser for iOS already comes with an array of crypto features. The Crypto Browser Project isn’t that different in terms of features; rather [it] builds them into a unified experience,” Standal continues. “It’s your entry point into Web3, with its apps and other solutions - as well as providing information about blockchain technologies. And [it’s] a safe and trusted source for where to explore next.”
Analysis: is this web browser a sign of things to come?
It was surprising to see Opera announce a web browser solely focused on cryptocurrency. Considering some of the negative connotations of the field, it’s currently a slippery slope for any company to include any features that involve crypto and NFT content.
But Opera has gone all-in with this venture by presenting an entirely new browser, as opposed to a feature or a browser extension. While Standal maintains that the Opera Crypto Browser can guide users in crypto wallet management, while helping them to keep track of any other trend within the world of electronic currencies, users might do well to use dedicated apps instead.
Companies like Coinbase offer apps that give you a direct overview of your wallet, and only your wallet. Having a web browser that lets you watch YouTube videos, while allowing you to keep track of Bitcoin, may be too much for most users.
Time will tell if other browsers, such as Firefox and Microsoft Edge among others, will introduce features focused on cryptocurrency. We’d be surprised if any other company went the extra mile and created a whole crypto-browser, in the same way that Opera has.
Crypto could still be a fad that ends, a story that’s remembered at the end of the decade in some Netflix documentary. But then again, if companies don’t push some boundaries, we’ll know how far technology can go - or how convenient new ideas might be for us.
As soon as Rue relapsed at the end of Euphoria's first season we knew it could only be a downward spiral from there. Now equipped with a suitcase of narcotics from Laurie, keep reading as we explain where to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 online where you are.
Titled 'You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can', episode 4 alludes to the season's ever-growing, messy web of lies, secrets, and affairs.
Rue attempts to keep separate her relationship with Jules from her endeavor to get her next hit, while Nate leaves Cassie pining at home to seemingly rekindle his relationship with Maddy.
There's also the ongoing, chaotic game of truth or dare - a high-schooler's favorite pastime - between Rue, Jules, and Elliot, which looks to get even more out of hand this week.
With love and heartache at its core, there's plenty more fallout to come as we reach the halfway point. Make sure you know where to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 online wherever you are.
Where to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 online in the US
Episode 4 of Euphoria's second season, titled 'You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can', airs on Sunday, January 30 at 9pm ET/PT on HBO, which is included in most cable packages.
Cord-cutters will be able to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 on streaming service HBO Max.
If you're not already a HBO Max subscriber and you're curious about the service, the first thing to know is there are two HBO Max price points.
Pay $9.99 a month for its With-Ads plan, or upgrade to $14.99 a month for its commercial-free plan, which also offers offline streaming and the ability to watch in 4K HDR. Alternatively, you can save and pay for a year upfront for $99.99/$149.99 a year.
The 7-day HBO Max free trial has long since been discontinued. But, if you're a current HBO Now subscriber or pay for HBO through your cable provider, you might actually be entitled to HBO Max at no extra cost.
Devices compatible with HBO Max include iPhone and Android devices, Apple and Samsung TVs, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, Chromecast and Chromebooks, and laptops and PCS. HBO Max on Roku and Amazon Fire Stick is also available.
Where to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 online in the UK
In the UK, episode 4 of Euphoria season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic on January 31 at 2am GMT on Monday morning, and will air again at the more reasonable time of 9pm GMT in the evening.
Subscribers can also stream Euphoria season 2 episode 4 via Sky Go.
However, if you're not already a Sky customer, there are plenty of Sky TV deals and packages that might just take your fancy.
Alternatively, your other option is to grab a Now Entertainment membership, which costs £9.99 a month and comes with a 7-day free trial.
Where to watch Euphoria season 2 FREE in Canada
You can watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 on Crave. The new episode, titled 'You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can', landing on the streaming service on Sunday, January 30.
You’ll need to choose between Crave Total for $19.99 a month, or sacrifice less simultaneous streams and offline viewing for Crave Mobile for $9.99 a month. First, though, you can enjoy Crave's 7-day FREE trial, available to new subscribers only.
Crave offers classic HBO series, on-demand movies, Crave originals and Showtime content, including addictive TV shows like The Gloaming, Dexter, and 30 Rock, in addition to the latest HBO Max releases, such as Euphoria and the Sex and the City follow-up, And Just Like That.
Where to watch Euphoria season 2 episode 4 online FREE in Australia
The next instalment of Euphoria season 2 arrives in Australia at the same time it airs in the US. That means episode 4 drops onto Binge at 12pm AEDT on Monday, January 31.
Starting at just AU$10 a month, Binge is very temptingly priced, and what's more, new customers are entitled to a generous 14-day FREE trial, meaning you can try before you buy.
The Basic plan provides a single stream in SD quality, and you can upgrade to Standard and Premium plans if you want additional streams and better video quality.
You also have the option of Foxtel and its streaming service Foxtel Now, which offers more of a full package, cable-like experience. Boasting 70+ channels and a 10-day free trial, get the Foxtel Now Essentials Base pack and pay just $25 a month to watch Euphoria.
Once subscribed, you’ll get access to 10,000 hours of content: reality shows, dramas, comedies and documentaries including Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Big Little Lies, Modern Family, Mayans, and Gossip Girl. It also offers more than 800 movies, and content from HBO, FX, and Warner Bros.
If you're looking to snag a cheap Super Bowl TV deal this weekend, then you're in luck. Amazon is discounting a range of smart Fire TVs with prices starting at just $119.99, and we've rounded up the best deals for you below.
Amazon's cheap Super Bowl TV deals include the Fire TV experience, which allows you to stream movies and TV shows from apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and more. The Fire TVs also feature a handy voice remote with Amazon Alexa so you can use your voice to launch apps, search for titles, play music, and control compatible smart home devices.
See today's best Super Bowl TV deals from Amazon below with a range of prices and sizes from brands like Toshiba and Insignia. Amazon's offers include record-low prices, so if you see a deal you like, we recommend taking advantage now before it's too late.
Insignia 24-inch Smart HD Fire TV:$169.99$119.99 at Amazon
Save $50 - If you're looking for a smaller budget set, Amazon has this Insignia 24-inch HD TV on sale for just $119.99. While this isn't the lowest price we've seen (just $20 more than the record-low), it's the best deal you can find right now and not a bad price for an HD TV with the Fire OS and a handy Alexa voice remote.
Amazon Fire TV 50-inch 4-Series 4K UHD Smart TV:$469.99$329.99 at Amazon Save $140 - This mid-size Super Bowl TV deal from Amazon is slashing $140 off the price of the 2021 50-inch 4K TV. That brings the price down to a record-low price of $329.99. A fantastic value, the 50-inch set includes 4K HD resolution, the Fire TV OS, and an Alexa voice remote.
Amazon Fire TV 55-inch 4-Series 4K UHD Smart TV:$519.99$379.99 at Amazon Save $140 - You can grab Amazon's all-new 55-inch 4K Fire TV on sale for just $379.99. That's a massive $140 discount and the lowest price we've seen. The 55-inch 4K TV is packed with premium features such as 4K Ultra HD, HDR 10, and Dolby Digital Plus and has the Fire operating system built right in for easy streaming.
Insignia 50-inch F50 Series Smart 4K QLED Fire TV (2021):$599.99$429.99 at Amazon
Save $170 - Amazon's Super Bowl TV deals include the all-new Insignia 50-inch QLED TV that's on sale for just $429.99. Not only will you get a 4K image with Quantum Dot technology, but the Insignia set also includes smart capabilities with Amazon Alexa built-in for hands-free control. This is the best deal you can find right now and an incredible price for a QLED TV.
All-New Toshiba 55-inch 4K UHD Smart Fire TV (2021):$799.99$529.99 at Amazon
Save $270 - Amazon is offering a massive $270 discount on the all-new Toshiba 55-inch 4K Fire TV. Packed with premium features, the 2021 set includes Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10, DTS Virtual: X, and the Fire operating system for seamless streaming.
Insignia 65-inch 4K UHD Smart Fire TV (2020):$569.99$539.99 at Amazon
Save $30 - This Insignia 65-inch 4K smart TV is on sale for $539.99 at Amazon's Super Bowl TV sale. The 65-inch display features an Alexa voice remote and the Fire TV OS so you can seamlessly stream from apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more.
Are macOS and iPadOS becoming one? Not exactly, but the arrival of Universal Control on iPad OS 15.4 Beta and macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta pierces the thinning barrier between the two.
The update, which may take weeks to arrive for general download, connects a Mac and iPad and creates an open road for your cursor to travel from one interface to the other without breaking a sweat.
There are some small hoops to jump through, like signing in to all the devices with the same Apple ID and verifying that you want to connect these systems, but you only do that once. After that, Universal Control gives you a double-wide desktop, albeit one with some significant limitations.
Both systems, the iPad and MacBook appear in the display settings.(Image credit: Future)
Universal Control might remind some of Apple’s Sidecar for macOS, which Apple introduced a few years ago. It’s similar but less of a two-way street than Universal Control. It extended the Mac desktop onto the iPad, which more or less put the iPadOS to sleep in the background. It was a bit more than that, though, in that you could use your finger on the iPad like a mouse and, if you had an Apple Pencil, use it to draw on some macOS apps much in the same way you would on an iPad.
After I installed the latest development betas and set up my iPad Pro 12.9 and MacBook Air M1 with the Universal Control, I found I could instantly move my cursor on the Mac to the left, see a little control bar appear along the edge of my iPad display (it appears only upon the initial connection), and slip right through the ether to the iPad screen. After that, the door is more a less open for dual-platform operations. I can even grab, say, an image and drag it from the Photo app on the Mac into Procreate running on the iPad. I could not, however, drag and drop images from my Mac desktop into a Mail window open on the iPad. They would drag to the screen, but then disappear instead of appearing in the message.
There’s still the ability to extend or mirror your Mac display onto the iPad, though it’s hidden under Advanced settings. This offers the added benefit of being able to drag over complete application windows from one screen to the other. When I use Universal Control to move my mouse between platforms, it puts the iPad to the left of my Mac. Switching to screen extension expands the Mac display on the opposite side.
Some of the settings to control how much dual screen interaction you get through Universal Control.(Image credit: Future)
Screen extension also turned off the iPad’s Magic Keyboard trackpad but, like Sidecar, it still lets me use the Apple Pencil. I can even enable the Pencil’s double tap in the settings.
In Universal Control’s “Linked Keyboard and Mouse Mode” I can also use the keyboard on the Mac to take notes on Note on the iPad, while also using the same keyboard to take notes in another instance of Notes on the Mac. That’s an instant doubling of my productivity power. I can do it in reverse, as well, using the iPad's Magic Keyboard to type on either screen.
Universal Control in action(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The ability to connect the two disparate OSes and use one keyboard and mouse to control all of it is, as some have noted, magical. It’s also still limited. Until I can drag complete windows and Mac or iPad Apps from one screen to the other, this universe will still feel relatively small.
It’s early days, of course. The beta’s not done, and Apple may refine and add some features before it arrives as a fully baked set of updates.
Ever since Apple started positioning the iPad as a productivity tool and not simply a content consumption device, it’s been transforming iPadOS – like adding mouse and trackpad support – to better support that notion.
Universal Control is another exciting, big step in a long-term effort to make the marriage between iPad OS and macOS seamless.
Will they ever become one platform? I think it’s still too soon to tell.
The announcement of Microsoft agreeing to buy Activision-Blizzard in a $68 billion dollar deal shook the gaming industry, with many wondering what’s going to happen once the deal closes.
This means that brands such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and True Crime: Streets of LA are about to be the property of Microsoft, alongside other brands such as DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Halo, and more.
But this brings up the aspect of where Sony stands in this. With a rumored service called Project Spartacus offering titles from its back catalog of almost 30 years, there are going to be franchises, such as Crash Bandicoot, which will need more discussion for them to be allowed on the service.
However, this is also representative of how far behind Sony looks in the light of Microsoft’s big news, and what it could mean for future generations of consoles and gaming as a whole.
A Sony and Microsoft agreement?
When the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack service was announced in October, Nintendo surprised many by confirming that Microsoft-owned Banjo Kazooie was about to arrive on the service, now available to play on the Switch.
In retrospect, it wasn’t a surprise, mainly due to the starring titular characters Banjo and Kazooie appearing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as paid DLC, back in 2019.
Also, to see the first game in the series, on the Nintendo Online Service with a ‘by Xbox Game Studios’, will cause anyone older than 20 years old to do a double-take. Especially with the Rare logo appearing once you start up the game. But it shows how far some brands have come since their first outing on other systems.
(Image credit: Rare)
Yet Sony is already on the backfoot. It didn’t help matters when the CEO, Jim Ryan, publicly called out its older catalog as ‘dated’ and questioned why anyone would play them, a comment Ryan has seemingly backed away from since.
To dismiss over 25 years of gaming wouldn’t put anyone in a good light, especially the CEO of Sony. But Project Spartacus looks to reverse some of that ill-will, rumored to include games from the PS1 and PS2 era.
While I’m not expecting Onimusha 2 or Rosco McQueen to appear on the service, at least to start with, seeing games such as Ridge Racer and Tomb Raider 2, ready to play on a PlayStation 5 is immensely appealing.
But we’ve been here before already. Back in 2015, Sony enabled PS2 Classics to run on the PlayStation 4, where you could play Ape Escape 2, Resident Evil 4, and almost the entire library of Rockstar Games’ PS2 releases.
Users were hopeful that this would mean the games that you could play on PS3, PSP and PS Vita would eventually work on PlayStation 4, but this wasn’t to be. The program fizzled out after 18 months, and while you can play these on your PlayStation 5, it nowhere near scratches the demand that’s out there.
But it also goes back to who holds the rights. Sony may have another battle soon, to offer the original Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon games, now that they’re about to be the property of Microsoft. These were once tentpole Sony exclusives, at least in the heyday of their original releases. We may see something similar to the agreement that Microsoft and Nintendo had for Banjo to appear on the Switch Online service.
But time will tell. Nostalgia is a powerful asset in gaming, now more than ever. It brings back memories and good feelings of a time when you enjoyed a game for what it was when it was released, not what it could be, either through DLC content or multiplayer season packs.
After so many years of Sony flat-out refusing to honor the past that so many still hold in a great light, Project Spartacus needs to impress on day one, and not repeat the same tropes that its PS2 Classics series on PS4 brought.
Meta-owned Messenger has announced the launch of end-to-end (E2E) encryption across its platform, meaning chats and calls should be safe from snooping.
Users can now choose whether to have their messages, group chats and calls fully encrypted when logged into the service. One option is to use vanish mode, which can be activated by swiping up on an existing chat to activate a new option where messages automatically disappear when the chat window is closed.
There's also the Secret Conversations feature, first introduced back in 2016, which also offers fully-secured chats and can be toggled on by swiping on the lock icon when starting a new chat.
E2E encryption on Messenger
The launch is a slight surprise, given that Meta said in November 2021 that it would delay the roll out of E2E encryption by default on Messenger and Instagram until 2023 as it examined the effect such a move would have on users.
"We know that people expect their messaging apps to be secure, private and provide them a space to be expressive," Timothy Buck, Product Manager, Messenger wrote in a company blog post.
"Building secure and fun interactive features takes time and requires our engineers to innovate and solve technical challenges, so this is part of a series of product updates as we keep improving our services. With cybercrime and hacking on the rise, it’s more important than ever to find great ways to connect with friends and family through private and secure communications."
"We know the importance of safety and privacy when it comes to communicating with the people who matter most to you. End-to-end encryption protects you and your data from hackers, criminals and other prying eyes."
The news comes shortly after the UK government hired a top ad agency to help it launch a campaign against Meta's plans to introduce E2E for Messenger. The Home Office apparently believes the move will allegedly help criminals, and has pointed to Meta's WhatsApp platform, which also features E2E encryption as an example of unregulated technology leading to crime.
Windows 11 has a new preview out in the Dev Channel which comes with some smart tweaks for the interface, and some better, more natural, voices for Narrator.
Narrator – the built-in tool which reads out the contents of the screen for you, such as a web page, for example – now has two new natural voices in English US (female), which are called ‘Jenny’ and ‘Aria’. Users can select whichever they prefer, and once the voices are downloaded and installed, they work without an internet connection.
Microsoft has also introduced some new keyboard shortcuts for Narrator in order to more easily facilitate switching between different voices (and more besides).
The new preview build 22543 further applies some small, but nifty, tweaks to the desktop interface, including for resizing snapped windows. When you’re doing this, the snapped windows (aside from the main one) are blurred out and overlaid with their relevant app icon. It’s a pretty cool effect that makes it slightly easier to see exactly how much space you’re granting these snapped windows.
Furthermore, the media control fly-out panel on the lock screen has now been changed to match the controls in Quick Settings. This particular tweak is only rolling out to a limited number of testers at the moment, and feedback will be evaluated before a wider rollout commences. In other words, don’t be surprised if you aren’t getting this yet.
As ever, there are a bunch of fixes for Windows 11 delivered in this preview, and that includes the solution to a crashing issue with File Explorer that happens when dragging a file out of a ZIP. All the work done is summed up in Microsoft’s blog post on the new build (along with the inevitable known issues with an early preview – expect some unknown ones, too).
Analysis: Pacey progress with accessibility features
Continued progress on the accessibility front is good to see, in terms of the more natural-sounding voices for Narrator, which have already been welcomed by testers who use the feature. Presumably we will see more options for different voices rolling out before long.
Accessibility is something Microsoft has rightly been prioritizing in Windows, with the most recent major move being the introduction of full voice control capabilities (built using Nuance’s Dragon speech recognition tech), and a virtual keyboard you can type with using your voice. Work on accessibility has been going on for years, of course, and bringing in very useful features like eye tracking which debuted almost five years ago with Windows 10.
Since being announced at WWDC 2021 alongside Apple’s software updates, users have been waiting for Universal Control to arrive on Mac and iPad, and it’s finally arrived.
Available to try out on the beta versions of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, the feature allows you to control a mouse on both a Mac and iPad at the same time. In this mode, you can drag and drop files between devices without having to send files or use a cloud service to do this.
Universal Control was set to arrive in October with the launch of iPadOS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey, but it saw delays, most likely to how the complications could be with sharing files between two different devices.
But so far in testing, it works great, and for anyone with both devices, makes it much easier to manage your content side by side.
Analysis: it works, and it’s fantastic
Setting up the feature is an easy process, by going to System Preferences > Display on your Mac, and check that your iPad is showing.
If it is, you can configure it to make sure if the tablet should be placed to the left or right of the Mac, and that’s it.
Users are already showcasing the feature on Twitter, with the mouse switching over to multiple devices as if they were all connected to one another.
Holy wow Universal Control is incredible.This is me moving between a MacBook Pro, an iPad mini, and an iPad Pro using just the MacBook trackpad and keyboard. It's aware of position, lets you drag files, and supports iPadOS gestures.The hype was real and it all just works 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PWUTLYZtkWJanuary 27, 2022
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iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 don’t just bring Universal Control, as there’s also a keyboard brightness setting for your iPad, making it much easier to manage in Control Center instead. There’s also a FaceID option for masks, giving you the option for your iPhone and iPad to scan your face while wearing a mask, without using an Apple Watch to authenticate as before.
If this was in the era of iOS 9, we’d most likely have seen these features at WWDC with iOS 16, focused as a big tentpole announcement. But in recent years, we’ve seen features arrive across the year, such as trackpad support arriving on iPadOS 13.4 in March 2020.
With Universal Control looking likely to arrive for everyone in the next couple of months, it makes us wonder what could be coming to macOS 13. But regardless, we’re seeing bigger features arrive across the year instead, and for users, that’s a big win.
Asked if he thought Peacemaker season 2 would be greenlit, Gunn replied: “There’s a really good chance of that. We’re the biggest show in the world right now. The show is doing extraordinarily well, and we’re excited, we all like doing it, we just need to cross some Ts and dot some Is, which is basically me.”
"A really good chance" is putting it mildly. According to data sent to TechRadar by global audience demand firm Parrot Analytics, Peacemaker was the most in-demand TV show on all streaming platforms as of January 22.
Per the firm's latest figures, Peacemaker was 69.5 times more in-demand than the average TV show, overtaking the likes of The Witcher on Netflix and The Book of Boba Fett on Disney Plus. For context, The Witcher season was 67.7 times more in-demand compared to the average TV series, while Boba Fett's small screen adventure was 66 times more popular than the average show.
It's unclear when Peacemaker season 2 would begin filming if WarnerMedia and AT&T renew the show for another outing. For now, though, there are three more Peacemaker episodes yet to be released, including the season 1 finale on February 17. So fans of Cena's Christopher Smith will have more content to consume in the meantime.
Analysis: Launching a superhero show at the right time
(Image credit: HBO Max)
It's unsurprising that Peacemaker has performed really well on HBO Max.
For one, John Cena's charismatic, humorous and emotionally resonant anti-hero is hugely relatable. Yes, he's a cocky, brash individual on the surface – subtextually, though, he's a complicated character with his own issues and pent-up trauma. That means viewers will empathise with him, regardless of his sometimes abrasive and 'act first, think later' persona. The show's sparkling supporting cast, too, have been another major positive as to why Peacemaker season 1 has been well received by audiences.
But the DCEU series' early 2022 release date has been its biggest plus point. Releasing The Suicide Squad spin-off on January 13 has proven to be a masterstroke, with little in the way of competition from other streaming shows, superhero-centric or otherwise.
Sure, there hasn't been a complete dearth of great shows to watch. Netflix continues to pump out excellent content including Ozark Season 4 and Archive 81. Meanwhile, Prime Video subscribers have had As We See It to enjoy, with other eagerly anticipated TV series like The Legend of Vox Machina releasing before the month ends.
But some of those shows, including Vox Machina, will have pretty niche audiences. Others, like Archive 81, have also become popular by word of mouth.
By contrast, Peacemaker was already established as a character, with Cena having starred in The Suicide Squad in summer 2021. Add in the fact that Gunn – whose Guardians movies have been a breath of fresh air in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – is the show's head writer and primary director, and Peacemaker already had a leg up on the competition.
Speaking of Marvel, Peacemaker will have benefitted hugely from a lack of new MCU content this early in the year, too. By the time Moon Knight lands on Disney Plus, there'll have been a three-month gap between Marvel Studios' last production and its next one. With no MCU movies or TV shows to compete with, then, Peacemaker has had free rein in the wildly popular and money-spinning superhero market.
In short, releasing Peacemaker so early in the year was the right move – for HBO Max, for Gunn and Cena, and for the show's future. So expect to see more adventures starring Peacemaker and the A.R.G.U.S squad in the future.
