Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s expansive open-world game set in the galaxy far, far away, was briefly known to be eyeing a ‘late 2024′ release window, as per a recent Disney Parks blog. That has since been corrected to reflect a general timespan this year, with the publisher confirming to Kotaku that the timing was incorrectly displayed. First revealed during an Xbox Showcase last year, the title is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi movies, and introduces Kay Vess, a space scoundrel with a bounty on her head after botching up a job. Joining her on the crusade is the adorable axolotl-like alien Nix, performing certain actions at your command — akin to the BD-1 droid from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

“This is a character who is just trying to get by—stealing, outwitting and conning folks,” Narrative Director Navid Khavari told Kotaku in an interview. “I would love for folks playing the game to really get a sense of what it might feel like to step into the underworld.” It’s a time when the oppressive Empire is ruling the galaxy tightly and warding off the Rebellion, forming a ‘power vacuum’ that allows the underworld to make the best of the opportunity — with Kay and Nix taking on risky contracts and interacting with crime syndicates to build up their reputation. This is reportedly Star Wars Outlaws’ faction system, opening ways to new questlines and changing relationship status based on prior interactions. For now, it’s unclear whether players will be able to join as many factions as they want in a single playthrough, but Jabba the Hut is confirmed to be one of the quest-givers.

Developer Massive Entertainment unveiled the gameplay footage for Star Wars Outlaws last year, revealing that the protagonist Kay doesn’t have any Jedi powers, forcing her to rely on her trusty blasters or pick up any weapons lying around to make quick work of enemies. Meanwhile, traversal is largely dependent on a hovering motorcycle that’s equipped with a nitrous booster for a quick push and the ability to slow down time and target enemies with bullets, similar to the Dead Eye skill from Red Dead Redemption 2.

As for interplanetary exploration, Ubisoft claims that players will be able to freely travel around in their ‘Trailblazer’ ship and ping-pong between planets. I desperately hope this isn’t similar to Starfield, where exploration largely revolved around fast travels and staring at a loading screen. Players might often bump into dogfights and just like most RPGs, going off the beaten path will yield special rewards. Activities will be divided smoothly across three gameplay experiences — dense cities littered with NPCs, shops, and cantinas; massive open-world environments like the deserts of Tatooine; and the vast outer space.

Star Wars Outlaws is still slated to release sometime in 2024, across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

OnePlus Pad 2 was launched in India in July this year. It comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, a 9,510mAh battery with 67W SuperVOOC fast charging, and a 12.1-inch 3K LCD screen. The tablet is offered in a Nimbus Gray colourway and is available in 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB options. The tablet can be paired with the OnePlus Stylo 2 stylus and the OnePlus Smart Keyboard (sold separately). For a limited time, the company is offering the tablet at a discounted price.

OnePlus Pad 2 Price in India, Discounts and Offers

The OnePlus Pad 2 price in India launched at Rs. 39,999 for the 8GB + 128GB option. Meanwhile, the 12GB + 256GB variant was priced at Rs. 42,999. During the ongoing limited-time discount, which ends at midnight on November 6, buyers can get the OnePlus Pad 2 at Rs. 37,999 and Rs. 40,999, respectively. Customers can get the deal via Amazon as well as the OnePlus India website.

There are additional benefits that users can avail of during the offer period. Customers with ICICI, RBL, and Kotak Mahindra Bank credit cards can get up to Rs. 3,000 off over the discounted price. They can get no-cost EMI options for nine months starting at Rs. 4,555 per month. Buyers can avail of up to Rs. 5,000 exchange bonus as well.

OnePlus Pad 2 Specifications, Features

The OnePlus Pad 2 sports a 12.1-inch 3K (2,120 x 3,000 pixels) LCD display with up to 144Hz refresh rate, 303ppi pixel density, 900nits of peak brightness level, and Dolby Vision support. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS3.1 onboard storage. It ships with Android 14-based OxygenOS 14.

For optics, the OnePlus 2 carries a 13-megapixel main rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera sensor. It supports Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, dual-band Wi-Fi, and USB Type-C connectivity. The tablet is backed by a 9,510mAh battery with 67W SuperVOOC fast charging support. It comes with a Hi-Res certified six-speaker system and a facial recognition feature. It measures 268.66 x 195.06 x 6.49mm in size and weighs 584g. 

Lenovo Legion Go was launched in India by the company on Thursday as its first handheld gaming console that runs on Windows. The device is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, paired with 16GB of RAM. It sports an 8.8-inch IPS touchscreen display with a 144Hz refresh rate and packs a 49.2Wh battery with Super Rapid Charge support. The Legion Go features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and is equipped with up to 1TB of SSD storage and a MicroSD card reader.

Lenovo Legion Go price in India, availability

Lenovo Legion Go price in India is set at Rs. 89,990 and the device will be available for purchase in a single Shadow Black colourway via Flipkart, the Lenovo website, and select Lenovo exclusive stores starting on July 1.

The company has also announced that the handheld gaming console comes with a one-year accidental damage protection plan and customers will also receive a screen protector for the Legion Go at no additional cost.

Lenovo Legion Go specifications

The newly announced Lenovo Legion Go features an 8.8-inch WQXGA (2,560×1,600 pixels) IPS touchscreen display with 500nits peak brightness and a 144Hz refresh rate. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Lenovo has equipped the Legion Go with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with AMD Radeon graphics and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The device is also equipped with 1TB SSD storage.

Gamers will have access to a standard gaming controller layout, with hall effect joysticks. The left and right controllers can also be detached from the handheld console and used separately.

The right controller can also be used as an ergonomic mouse for FPS and shooter titles that are designed to be played with a mouse. The device also has a buttonless touchpad that measures 28.5×28.5mm on the right controller.

The Lenovo Legion Go offers Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. It is equipped with two USB 4 Type-C ports, two Pogo pin connectors, a headphone jack, and a MicroSD card reader.

According to the company, the Lenovo Legion Go features a 49.2Wh battery with Super Rapid Charge support, and can be charged from zero to 100 percent in 80 minutes. Besides, it measures 298.83 x 131 x 40.7 mm and weighs 854g. 

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable 2,000-year-old Roman knife handle in Northumberland, England. The discovery, made in the River Tyne near Corbridge Roman Town, features a detailed depiction of a gladiator. This unique find sheds light on the influence and popularity of gladiators across the Roman Empire, including its farthest reaches in Britain.

As per a report by English Heritage, the handle, crafted from copper alloy, portrays a secutor gladiator, identifiable by his heavy armour and helmet. Secutors, named after the Latin term for “chaser,” were known for engaging in close combat against their agile counterparts, the retiarii. Notably, the figurine represents a left-handed fighter, a rarity in Roman culture, where left-handedness was often considered inauspicious. Researchers from English Heritage have suggested that this specific detail may indicate the handle was modelled after an actual gladiator, rather than serving as a general representation.

Gladiator Culture in the Roman Empire

Gladiatorial games were a significant feature of Roman public entertainment, drawing large crowds to amphitheatres across the empire. While these fighters were typically enslaved individuals or criminals, some gained celebrity status, despite their marginalised social standing. The events, often hosted by elite Roman citizens or emperors, aimed to display power and wealth.

Frances McIntosh, Collections Curator for Hadrian’s Wall and the North East at English Heritage, stated that gladiators’ popularity extended far beyond Rome, a fact underscored by the discovery of this artefact. Although memorabilia such as pottery and figurines have been documented, similar finds in Britain are considered rare.

Plans for Public Display

Corbridge Roman Town, originally established as a supply base in 79 AD, served as a key site during the Roman occupation of Britain until around 400 AD. English Heritage plans to exhibit the knife handle, along with other artefacts recovered from the river, at the Corbridge site next year.

This discovery continues to emphasise the enduring fascination with gladiators, both in ancient times and modern culture.

Microsoft is adding a button to the Windows keyboard to activate its AI Copilot service, with the first devices to sport the new key available this month.

The Copilot key, which will sit to the right of the space bar, is the first change to the Windows keyboard layout since Microsoft added the Windows/Start key in 1994, underscoring the company’s commitment to artificial intelligence. Microsoft’s hardware partners will show off Windows 11 computers with the Copilot button over the coming days at the CES technology conference and, over time, it will become a required feature.

The shortcut will help users create images, write emails and summarize text with the help of AI.

“AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” Microsoft’s consumer chief marketing officer, Yusuf Mehdi, said in a blog announcing the change.

The Redmond, Washington-based company sees 2024 as “the year of the AI PC,” according to Mehdi, mirroring the budding trend among smartphone makers to tout their latest models as “AI phones.” Those labels don’t carry much weight by themselves, but Microsoft has spent the past year retooling its biggest products around AI tech that can generate new content from massive datasets. That list now includes Windows, Office, Bing search, security software and customer and finance products. The work heavily leverages the GPT-4 technology from OpenAI, in which Microsoft has invested $13 billion (roughly Rs. 1,08,201 crore).

For device makers, Microsoft’s push into AI services has not yet translated into a boost for sales, as the novel Copilot features are being rolled out to new and existing devices alike. Mehdi’s promise of weaving AI into hardware and silicon may signal more pressure on consumers to upgrade as Microsoft evolves and improves its AI proposition.

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