Latest news with #Kairos
Geek Culture
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Borderlands 4' Ramps Up The Mayhem Fans Love With Enhanced Mobility And More Complex Guns
Billions of weapons Yes, you read that right, with a 'B' to start, and an 'S' at the end. That's exactly what developer Gearbox Software is promising with the next iteration of its beloved looter shooter, Borderlands 4 . After a brief stint in the fantasy genre with the Dungeons & Dragons -esque Tiny Tina's Wonderlands , the franchise is returning to its roots for its sequel, which looks to build upon everything fans have come to expect from the series while ramping up the carnage to a whole new level. And if our exclusive and almost four-hour-long hands-on session with an early preview build of the game was any indication, the sequel is a shining example of the word 'more'. Not just more Borderlands and more guns, but also more build flexibility, more weapon complexity, and a more engaging experience throughout. Spanning a sizable chunk of the game's Fadefields region, the preview let us loose to explore the sights and sounds of Kairos, a brand new planet discovered following the events of 2019's Borderlands 3 . According to Gearbox, the change in scenery also brings about a shake-up in its storytelling as a whole, featuring a non-linear main quest design allowing players to choose the order to which they handle the plotlines, alongside a host of dynamic world activities and the largest number of side quests ever seen in a Borderlands game, although the preview's curated nature prevented us from experiencing the true scope of the title. For the preview, only two of the four total playable Vault Hunters (the game's treasure-hunting protagonists) were made available – Siren Vex and the Exo-Soldier Rafa. As with all Borderlands games, gameplay progression lives and dies by the build of each character, and Borderlands 4 has taken things up a notch in this respect. As with its predecessor, each class has access to three different skill trees, each with its associated Action Skill, powerful attacks that can turn the tide of battle, which operate on a cool-down system. The difference here lies in just how expansive each skill tree is, with each individual tree possessing almost as many skill nodes as an entire character's roster in Borderlands 3. In addition to various passive stat-boosting skills, each tree also has nodes that augment a character's abilities and moves, alongside a Vault Hunter trait unique to each character. Take Vex, for example, who possesses the Phase Covenant trait, which attunes her melee damage and Action Skills to the element type of her current gun. On the topic of Action Skills, Vex's three Siren abilities mark a dramatic shift from franchise norm, making the class more of a summoner character, similar to Borderlands 3's FL4K. Aside from one skill that gives her wings and the ability to send forth a powerful Eldritch Blast, her two remaining skills focus on spawning minions to dominate the battlefield with numbers. The first summons Trouble, a cat-like creature that permanently stays by her side to attack enemies and respawns when killed. Vex can then use her action skill to cause Trouble to deal damage in an area, transforming into a Badass version, Big Trouble, for a limited time. Her final action skill operates similarly, this time summoning up to three phase ghosts of herself temporarily, with a choice to mix and match between a mobile scythe-wielding variant or a stationary sniper. Rafa, on the other hand, possesses skills related to his high-tech Exo-Suit, which includes one that summons a turret on his shoulder to automatically target nearby enemies, the ability to dual-weld a plasma cannon alongside his currently equipped firearm, or summon armblades to slice through enemies in third-person. As the bread and butter of the Borderlands series, gunplay and core combat feel largely unchanged from previous iterations, possessing the same core gameplay loop of mowing down fodder and dealing with the occasional Badass variant, while looting and swapping between guns along the way. Instead of shaking up the already well-established combat loop, Gearbox has chosen to make minor but impactful changes to the formula. Gone is the need to keep heavy weapons like rocket launchers and grenade launchers in one of the four available weapon slots, as the throwables slot from previous games has been revamped to encompass both grenades and heavy weapons like the aforementioned launchers, miniguns or large energy cannons. This change also means that players no longer need to scavenge for precious heavy weapon ammo, with the tradeoff being that the weapons now operate on a cool-down system. This minor change does wonders for combat, opening up all four weapon slots to be used according to a player's style, opening up the potential to have more weapon classes to swap on the fly, and improving combat effectiveness at all ranges. Recovering health has also been made more streamlined, as apart from collecting health pick-ups in the world and from defeated enemies, players now have access to Repkits, instant-use health items that gradually refill after use. Perhaps the biggest change to combat's flow lies in the game's enhanced traversal mechanics, with players now having access to a grappling hook which can not only propel them at specific points, but can also be used to snag objects like explosive barrels from afar, which then can be thrown at enemies. This feature, combined with the new mid-air glide and quick-dash mechanics, makes movement much snappier during combat, with the easiest way to describe it being like Borderlands meets DOOM: Eternal . But what would Borderlands be without its absurd guns? Absolutely nothing, and that's why firearms have seen their biggest overhaul yet. The franchise's icon gun manufacturer system, which gives weapons of a specific make a unique trait, returns with a bang by introducing three new manufacturers: Daedalus, Order and Ripper. Daedalus guns all possess the ability to switch ammo modes, with an SMG, for example, able to swap modes to fire sniper rounds instead, increasing damage but eating through precious rounds as a tradeoff. Order and Ripper guns both operate on a charging-up system, with the former's guns firing off multiple rounds at once when charged, while the latter's require a spool-up time before firing in rapid succession like a minigun. On the flipside, series staples Dahl and Hyperion have been removed, leaving Borderlands 4's final gun manufacturer count at eight: Jakobs, Vladof, Torgue, Maliwan, Tediore, Order, Ripper and Daedalus. Gun manufacturer changes are not limited to just new ones, though, as each gun can now be made from up to three different manufacturers at once, which ramps up combat to a whole new level. In theory, this means that a weapon has the chance to possess three unique skills at once. For example, a gun can hit hard and with extra headshot damage (Jakobs), while simultaneously being able to swap modes to fire rockets (Torgue) and also be thrown like a grenade when reloaded to deal additional damage (Tediore). The possibilities then are almost endless, harkening back to the studio's promised 'billions' of weapon variations. It seems that they are going all in on gun manufacturers this time, as even the artefact slot, which used to give additional stat bonuses in past games, has now been tweaked to specifically provide bonuses to gun manufacturers, enabling players to further optimise their build to suit their favourite kinds of guns. All that being said, how well does everything come together? In short, combat can be described as chaotic, in the best way, with players zipping all over the place with the new grappling hook, while hovering and shooting mid-air. Some enemies, such as those from the new Order faction, possess unique combat skills of their own, enhancing the chaos unfolding on screen. Badasses, specifically, offer a real threat this time around and are usually much tougher to take down compared to what players might be used to, which does help to encourage tactical use of weapons and abilities. The preview session culminated in a high-level boss encounter, with players similarly receiving pre-determined high-level guns and gear. This was easily the most intense part of all, as despite the more powerful equipment, the boss was still tough as nails, operating in phases that required the use of all the skills learnt so far, such as juggling, grappling, hovering and shooting at exposed weakspots. It was refreshingly engaging, and a far cry from the series' usual boss-fight pattern of shoot, avoid, rinse and repeat, and hopefully, this won't be a one-time affair either, and the game will introduce increasingly more complex encounters along the way. While just an early look at a minuscule portion of the game, Borderlands 4 is already shaping up to be the franchise's biggest and most innovative iteration yet. What remains to be seen is how well the game would handle its open world design and activities to balance quantity with quality, and how its story (which thankfully Gearbox promises would be far more grounded than recent entries) will fare. Borderlands 4 releases on 12 September 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and will also release on the Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2025. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. 2K Games Borderlands Borderlands 4 Gearbox Software Geek Preview
Digital Trends
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Borderlands 4 pushes the series forward while addressing past mistakes
Multiplayer shooters have evolved quite a bit since the first Borderlands was released in 2009, but I can appreciate that Gearbox Entertainment's series has stayed mostly the same over that time. Booting up a Borderlands game, I always know I can expect vibrant comic-book style visuals, solid solo or co-op shooter gameplay, charmingly grating humor, and a whole lot of loot. All of these things still ring true and louder than ever in Borderlands 4, but the latest Borderlands game is also shaping up to be the most experimental one yet. Last month, I visited 2K's headquarters in Novato, California, and played a couple of hours of Borderlands 4. The more traditionally designed, Destiny-like open world structure stood out, but all of the new movement options available during combat were also a real game-changer. The over-the-top humor and the number of legendary drop have both been drastically reduced, which gives Borderlands 4 a slightly different feel than Borderlands 3. All of this makes Borderlands 4 feel different than what has come before, but ultimately just as appealing. Gliding around Kairos Borderlands 4 completely leaves Pandora behind and takes place on a new planet called Kairos, which was ruled by a tyrant called The Timekeeper. His reign was disrupted when Lilith teleported the Pandora moon of Elpis near it at the end of Borderlands 3. Borderlands 4 picks up later as a new batch of vault hunters explore Kairos, fight The Timekeeper, and eventually save Lilith. This new setting allows Borderlands 4 to take on a more open-world structure with dynamic events and an emphasis on exploration. That seems to be working to the game's benefit so far. Recommended Videos Borderlands 4's comic book art style is as vibrant as ever, and the Fadefields area of Kairos feels more colorful than any area I've visited in a Borderlands game before. According to Art Director Adam May, the Fadefields area was intentionally designed to be quite vibrant, although players will explore more darkly colored areas as the adventure progresses. 'It is the most expansive Borderlands we've ever made, so we start you off early in some place that looks bright and beautiful so that you can dive into those darker, creepier spaces as you progress through the world,' May tells Digital Trends. While I don't think Borderlands 4 will revolutionize open-world game design, its new structure gives it a feel that's more similar to Destiny 2, especially now that players have a vehicle they can spawn at almost any time. The more impactful benefit that comes from this shift in design is that players now have significantly more traversal options at their disposal. I constantly found myself using the new double jump and jet pack to float in mid-air and get an edge in a firefight. Those systems, plus a grappling hook, allow Borderlands 4 to embrace verticality in a way the games have never been able to before. This was on full display during a boss fight in a vault I fought through, as the fight at the end of it required me to damage the boss from above and constantly grapple up to higher platforms. May admits this did come with some art design challenges, but also allowed Gearbox to play into the vast scale of Kairos. 'The glide especially is super troublesome if I'm trying to set up big, cool vistas where you want the player to go look out and witness everything,' May says. 'The problem is, if you can glide all the way across that area, you have to push everything back. So we did, and I had to focus on bigger, outside the gameplay space where vistas are big and massive, implying there is even more world because Kairos is a place we want to be able to explore further.' Making More Vault Hunters I think it'll be hard for me to go back and play previous Borderlands games once Borderlands 4 comes out, specifically because combat now has such a smooth, movement-focused flow to it. I also really like all the Vault Hunters introduced this time around. May walked me through the design process for Vault Hunters, explaining that each one is designed to offer some sort of fantasy fulfillment and appeal to a different kind of person. The art team went as far as to bring character concept designs around the offices at Gearbox to ask which ones people like the most. 'I feel like we've done a good job if we go through it and, depending on the group of people that I'm talking to, I get a different answer every time,' May says. There's still some unpredictability when it comes to Vault Hunter popularity, with May claiming that characters marketing and production think are least likely to be popular, like Zer0, often end up becoming fan favorites. At launch, Borderlands 4 will offer four new Vault Hunters to choose from. I got to play as two of them: the Siren Vex and the Exo-Soldier Rafa. I ended up preferring Rafa's more offensive abilities, which allows players to slash through enemies with blades or shoot them with even more bullets from shoulder-mounted turrets. Vex is no slouch, though, as her ability to spawn a powerful cat named Trouble or decoys of herself is incredibly useful during a firefight and doesn't quite feel like the play styles of any of the Borderlands sirens who have come before. May hyped up Amon, a beefy Forge Knight that I was not able to play during my time with Borderlands 4. 'I always like the big skull crusher guys, so artistically, a giant Viking-like character, I was super stoked about. He's kind of like a mix between a space biker and a Viking,' May says. 'This is the most interestingly diverse group of people we've ever had in our Vault Hunter lineup, so I'm interested to see when it comes out which one is actually people's favorite.' Showing some restraint These new Vault Hunters, gameplay tweaks, and locations Gearbox is introducing in Borderlands 4 are paying off so far. But just as it's showing innovation, Gearbox is also showing restraint in some key areas. For example, Legendary loot drops much less frequently than it did in Borderlands 3. I didn't obtain a single legendary item during my entire time playing the game. This made the more valuable drops I did find feel even more special, as I then eagerly equipped the new gun to see what parts of its abilities set it apart. Considering that Gearbox has increased the number of weapon manufacturers and now lets weapons feature parts from several different manufacturers, there's bound to be a lot more depth and variety on the weapons front that's not undercut by overly frequent Legendary gear drops. One area where I have more mixed feelings is in Gearbox's approach to humor in Borderlands 4. Retrospectively, Borderlands 3's humor and villains are widely considered annoying even by Borderlands standards. May tells me that Gearbox drastically wants to dial things back in Borderlands 4 in order to make this a more serious adventure. 'A lot of the feedback we've gotten on Borderlands 3, we had that feedback internally. Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees, and as we were developing, things started to shift and change. By the time we got to the end of development, there were things that got a little bit off track tonally. A lot of the dark, black humor we wanted to bring back. In general, we want our games to be classic and enjoyable regardless of when we play them, so we didn't want to have too many things linked to memes or real-world events and instead focus it on the world of Borderlands.' I am worried Gearbox overcorrected a little too hard on the comedy front. During my time with Borderlands 4, I didn't find one joke very funny. Sometimes, comedic bits were non-existent; other times, jokes like a militia leader being overly wholesome to the point of annoying his cohorts, just didn't land that well. Those who prefer a lack of jokes to cringeworthy humor may appreciate this shift, but I have a feeling I'll be playing Borderlands 4 because of its silky-smooth gameplay rather than its storytelling, characters, or jokes. I don't need Borderlands to show comedic restraint; the abrasiveness is part of the charm for me. Even if I'm not completely embracing Borderlands 4's shift in humor, I can appreciate that Gearbox is taking a risk and changing a core part of the series like that. While I'm sure that players would've been happy with Borderlands 4 just offering more linear areas to loot and shoot in alongside some new hunters, Gearbox is making big strides in its approach to world design, character movement, and more in a way that feels ambitious. Borderlands 4 still feels like Borderlands, but there's a good chance this will be the best version of that formula. Borderlands 4 launches on September 12 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google inks deal to develop 1.8 GW of advanced nuclear power
Google and nuclear site developer Elementl Power announced this week that they will work together on three sites for advanced nuclear reactors. The tech company has been rushing to lock up energy sources as its AI ambitions drive growing power demands at its data centers. This year alone, Google plans to spend $75 billion building data center capacity. With the new deal, Google is promising to add at least 600 megawatts of generating capacity at each of the three sites. Elementl said the reactors will be connected to the grid 'with the option for commercial off-take,' meaning that Google can buy power directly. Elementl has been operating stealthily until this announcement. The team has experience in the nuclear industry, though it hasn't developed any power plants yet. The company was started by Breakwater North and is backed by Energy Impact Partners. Elementl is taking a 'technology agnostic' approach, meaning that it hasn't decided on which small modular reactor (SMR) company it will work with to develop the projects. There are a number of possibilities, though Kairos Power is a likely frontrunner given its existing deal with Google. Kairos says its demo plant will generate 50 megawatts of electricity, with an eventual commercial plant producing 150 megawatts split between two reactors. There's no universally accepted definition, but SMRs tend to top out at 300 megawatts or so. By comparison, the most recently completed nuclear power plant in the U.S., Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia, generates over 1.1 gigawatts of electricity, nearly four times the size of a large SMR. Silicon Valley has been smitten by SMRs. Startups have been rushing into the space, promising to slash reactor costs through mass manufacturing enabled by SMRs' smaller size. That, coupled with the promise of 24/7 power that could be sited close to data centers, has pushed them to sign a number of deals with SMR startups, including Oklo, X-Energy, and the aforementioned Kairos. Yet no SMR has been built outside of China. One startup, NuScale, has gotten close to building one, but it suffered a setback in 2023 when its utility partner canceled its contract after the estimated cost of the project more than doubled — even as the plans were downsized in an effort to contain costs. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google inks deal to develop 1.8 GW of advanced nuclear power
Google and nuclear site developer Elementl Power announced this week that they will work together on three sites for advanced nuclear reactors. The tech company has been rushing to lock up energy sources as its AI ambitions drive growing power demands at its data centers. This year alone, Google plans to spend $75 billion building data center capacity. With the new deal, Google is promising to add at least 600 megawatts of generating capacity at each of the three sites. Elementl said the reactors will be connected to the grid 'with the option for commercial off-take,' meaning that Google can buy power directly. Elementl has been operating stealthily until this announcement. The team has experience in the nuclear industry, though it hasn't developed any power plants yet. The company was started by Breakwater North and is backed by Energy Impact Partners. Elementl is taking a 'technology agnostic' approach, meaning that it hasn't decided on which small modular reactor (SMR) company it will work with to develop the projects. There are a number of possibilities, though Kairos Power is a likely frontrunner given its existing deal with Google. Kairos says its demo plant will generate 50 megawatts of electricity, with an eventual commercial plant producing 150 megawatts split between two reactors. There's no universally accepted definition, but SMRs tend to top out at 300 megawatts or so. By comparison, the most recently completed nuclear power plant in the U.S., Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia, generates over 1.1 gigawatts of electricity, nearly four times the size of a large SMR. Silicon Valley has been smitten by SMRs. Startups have been rushing into the space, promising to slash reactor costs through mass manufacturing enabled by SMRs' smaller size. That, coupled with the promise of 24/7 power that could be sited close to data centers, has pushed them to sign a number of deals with SMR startups, including Oklo, X-Energy, and the aforementioned Kairos. Yet no SMR has been built outside of China. One startup, NuScale, has gotten close to building one, but it suffered a setback in 2023 when its utility partner canceled its contract after the estimated cost of the project more than doubled — even as the plans were downsized in an effort to contain costs.
The National
04-05-2025
- Health
- The National
Parents turn to app-blocking phones to fight social media addiction
A Dubai mum who turned to a special smartphone that locks out the most addictive social media apps says no-frills handsets can cut screen time and improve quality of life. Constructive hobbies and more time spent with her family are just two of the benefits enjoyed by Samantha Bohnacker, 44, since switching to a specially modified device which promises to reduce dopamine spikes through reduced phone use. She said with the new software, which can only make calls, take photos and access closed platforms like Google Maps or ride-hailing and banking apps, her daily screen time plummeted from seven hours to three. Ms Bohnacker, who is British and has two children aged 11 and 13, and her two business partners have now linked up with developers of the Balance Phone to bring the product to the UAE. Through their company, Kairos, they hope it can help other parents deal with concerns over children being exposed to harmful online content and limit their screen time. 'Instagram was my issue and I could get sucked in,' Ms Bohnacker told The National. She founded Kairos with two other mums facing similar challenges, Australian Natalie Pieteobon, 46, and Briton Amelia Haughey, 43. 'Now my phone is just a tool to use when I need it.' Ms Bohnacker has since taken up puzzles and knitting, and reads more in her free time. 'I think we've all got slightly nervous about being bored, but there's nothing wrong with being bored,' she said. In 2023, US think tank the Pew Research Centre polled 1,453 teenagers aged 13-17 about their screen habits. Researchers found 72 per cent found peace when not using their smartphones, while 44 per cent said devices made them anxious. Meanwhile, almost half of parents and teenagers said they regularly argued about screen time, and 46 per cent of teenagers said their parents were distracted by phones when they tried to talk to them. Video-focused platforms TikTok and YouTube were the most popular apps. Dr Jamil El-Imad, a fellow at Imperial College in London at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, said smartphones are neurologically engineered to capture and retain attention. 'They use the brain's reward system since colourful objects and distinct notification sounds act as digital dopamine triggers,' he said. 'When we see a notification or hear a ping, it creates a sense of anticipation and uncertainty. This intermittent reinforcement is highly addictive: it teaches the brain that checking the phone might lead to a social reward, releasing dopamine.' The Balance Phone's operating system currently only runs on Samsung devices. It is designed to be distraction-free with no colours or noises, removing the visual and audio tricks used by software developers to boost engagement time and drive advertising revenue. 'I realised when my daughter started secondary school, there needed to be a better option than an old Nokia-style phone,' said Ms Bohnacker. 'I stumbled across the Balance Phone through my research, and it looked like everything we would want it to be.' The Balance Phone was developed in Barcelona by two friends, Albert Beltran Feliu and Carlos Fontclara Bargallo. Since its launch in December, they have sold 750 phones and are looking to deliver more devices around Europe. The UAE is the first country outside of the continent to begin selling the modified Samsung handsets, which start at Dh1,160. 'We basically sell two solutions,' Mr Feliu told The National. 'The first is just the software, so we can turn any Samsung into a Balance Phone. The other solution is handsets for parents that want to buy a first phone for their child.' The phone remains compatible with all apps that have an endpoint. For instance, mobile banking apps that enable a person to log on, finalise a transaction and then put their phone away afterwards are enabled. The only apps blocked are those that don't have such an endpoint. For instance, Instagram or Snapchat, which encourage a person to remain online and scroll for an unspecified purpose, for an unspecified period of time, are blocked. The idea is that the Balance Phone enables you to have all the perks of a smartphone and the apps that ease quality of life in the modern world, but without some of the more addictive scrolling apps that can prove a distraction. 'We wanted to create this sweet spot between these two categories, to create a phone that had the best of both worlds,' Mr Feliu said. In February, government officials signed the UAE Children's Digital Wellbeing Pact during the World Government Summit in Dubai. It looked to address serious risks to children's online safety and well-being, and suggested that more than two hours of screen time per day increased the likelihood of higher blood pressure and type 2 diabetes in children. Child protection was a central tenet of the pact, with 33 per cent of children in the UAE reporting being bullied online in a 2019 survey. The UAE's first digital detox clinic for children opened in Abu Dhabi in March, offering a programme to address the growing problem of screen addiction in young people. The clinic, which is based inside the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre, Yas Clinic, offers a six-step system to help children and their families regain control over screen time. It begins with an attention span assessment, followed by a physical evaluation, physiotherapy sessions, psychometric therapy, eye tests, and finally long-term monitoring. The WeProtect Global Alliance is a global campaign group advocating for improved strategies for children to enjoy the benefits of the digital world, free from risks of sexual abuse and exploitation. Its executive director, Iain Drennan, said modified devices offering limited web access should form part of a broader approach to keeping children safe online. 'The Balance Phone is a tool that can be used to help achieve this aim, but should be considered as just one element of a multi-pronged approach to prevent online harm,' he said. 'Our approach is to bring together experts from government, the private sector and civil society to collaborate to build effective solutions to the problem.' Mr Drennan added that education is a 'key element' to preventing online harms and 'needs to be considered alongside technological tools' to equip parents, caregivers and children with the 'knowledge and the means to engage safely and confidently in digital spaces'.
