Minnesota Tech Industry Thrives with Booming Job Market and University Support, Notes U of M Faculty Director
Indian advertising, marketing sector sees a steady 9 pc hiring intent: Report NEW DELHI: The marketing and advertising sector in India is expected to see a steady 9 per cent hiring intent, according to a report. The report by TeamLease EdTech showed that the growth is driven by the surge in digital advertising, content marketing expansion, and data-driven marketing strategies. The rise of e-commerce and digital platforms demanding targeted advertising is leading to a significant transformation of the sector. The digital revolution has particularly impacted key sectors including FMCG, e-commerce, automotive, consumer durables, real estate, and tourism, which now command the largest share of advertising spend. Across these sectors, companies are focusing on brand engagement through meaningful content. They are also leveraging analytics for personalised consumer experiences. The companies are also substantially increasing their digital marketing budgets to make use of the superior targeting capabilities of cost-effective digital platforms. “We are living in a digital-first world where students aggressively investing in emerging marketing skills will unlock unprecedented career opportunities,” said Jaideep Kewalramani, COO and Head of Employability Business, TeamLease EdTech. “With digital platforms reshaping consumer interactions, freshers equipped with marketing analytics, content creation, and technological insights are becoming the new catalysts of brand success,” he added. Further, the report showed that high-demand roles include SEO executives who manage web visibility strategies; market research assistants responsible for gathering consumer data and analysing market trends; and social media specialists tasked with creating engaging content and managing brand interactions. Mumbai and Bangalore emerged as key hiring hubs, with Gurugram and Pune also showing moderate growth in hiring intent. Freshers looking to enter the sector must develop a comprehensive skill set. Technical skills such as SEO, social media management, and content creation are crucial, complemented by core competencies in marketing analytics, keyword research, and trend analysis. Equally important are soft skills including creativity, adaptability, communication, and collaboration, the report said. AgenciesCHICAGO — Newly unsealed court records now link embattled Chicago rapper Lil Durk — already facing murder-for-hire charges in Los Angeles — to the fatal 2022 shooting of an alleged gang leader outside a community center on Chicago’s Far South Side. The warrant application was filed in April 2023 but was not unsealed until Wednesday, in advance of a scheduled Thursday detention hearing in Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire case. Lil Durk — born Devontay Durk Banks — was charged last month with funding a cross-country murder-for-hire plan to exact revenge for the 2020 killing of fellow Chicago rapper King Von in Atlanta. The newly unsealed filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges Banks was behind the Jan. 27, 2022 killing of Stephon Mack , 24, who was shot to death shortly after he exited the Youth Peace Center of Roseland on West 111th Street. At the time of his death, according to the FBI, Mack was the leader of the Smashville faction of the Gangster Disciples. Banks’ brother, Dontay Banks, was shot to death outside a nightclub in south suburban Harvey in 2021. According to the warrant application, another Gangster Disciples faction with ties to Smashville carried out the murder. “Lil Durk was and still is offering money for people to kill those responsible for his brother’s murder, and more specifically, offering to pay money for any Gangster Disciple that is killed,” a federal agent wrote in April 2023. Banks has not been charged in the Chicago investigation, which law enforcement sources told the Tribune is still open and active. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors in Chicago charged two men, Anthony Montgomery-Wilson and Preston Powell, with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in Mack’s killing. Banks, though, is not charged in Mack’s death. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are expected to point to the shooting as reason to keep Banks in police custody before trial. In probing Mack’s death, federal investigators analyzed jail phone calls, social media postings, firearms purchases, as well as lyrics from Lil Durk’s song “Ahhh Ha,” released about a month after the shooting. The warrant application goes on to say Montgomery-Wilson and Powell “may have exchanged text messages concerning payment for Mack’s murder.” Montgomery-Wilson was arrested on an unrelated charge a few weeks after Mack’s death. A detective with the New Lenox police department then applied for and was granted a warrant to search the contents of his cellphone. Investigators then discovered a two-person text message conversation that mentioned “OTF” — the rap consortium founded by Lil Durk that prosecutors have linked to the alleged murder-for-hire plot in Los Angeles. On Feb. 10, 2022, one of the people in the text conversation asked, “Wassup with otf,” to which the other person responded, “Nothing.” Eight days later, in the same conversation, another text message read, “Did durk gave (sic) u that money.” In a statement last week, Banks’ attorneys blasted the prosecution’s focus on Lil Durk’s music and noted his yearslong record of philanthropy in Chicago. “When you see an artist’s rap lyrics quoted as ‘evidence’ against them, it is a glaring indication that there is no real evidence against that person,” Banks’ attorneys said in a statement to the Tribune. “The real truth is that Durk Banks is a Grammy Award-winning artist, a dedicated father and a loving husband,” Banks’ attorneys added. “Mr. Banks has been intensely committed to giving back to the Chicago community he loves through his Neighborhood Heroes Foundation and has put on more than a dozen charitable events over the last few years. He is looking forward to fighting against these false allegations in court.” In mid-October, federal authorities charged five others in a plot to kill rapper Quando Rondo — born Tyquian Terrel Bowman — in retaliation for the November 2020 shooting death of King Von. Banks is accused of bankrolling the effort to kill Bowman.. Bowman, his sister and his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, 24, were riding in Bowman’s black Cadillac Escalade near a gas station in West Hollywood in August 2022 when gunmen opened fire, according to the federal charges. Bowman and his sister were not injured, but Robinson was struck multiple times and killed. ©2024 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. The company that has described itself as North America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses says on its website in a "notice of closure" dated Friday that the platform is "no longer accessible." The statement acknowledges that the closure is "abrupt and may cause disruption" and says the firm is committed to helping customers "navigate through the transition." Bench has previously said it had more than 600 employees and had received investor funding of $113 million US. Bench Accounting employed hundreds of people in downtown Vancouver. Its office is seen on Dec. 27, 2024. (Akshay Kulkarni/CBC) It said it moved to Vancouver and changed its name to Bench in 2013, having started out in 2012 as 10sheet Inc. in the U.S. Calls to Bench's Vancouver office went to voice mail and did not immediately receive a response. But the company's former CEO and co-founder Ian Crosby released a statement on social media on Friday, saying he was "very sad" about the closure. Crosby, who said he was ousted by the company's board about three years ago, said there was a lesson in the fate of the company. "I hope the story of Bench goes on to become a warning for VCs (venture capitalists) that think they can 'upgrade' a company by replacing the founder. It never works," he said. 5/8 Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted just to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves. I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight. Because on the off-chance that... — @ianwcrosby The University of British Columbia Sauder Business School alumnus said he had been avoiding speaking publicly about Bench since his exit, but wanted to make a statement in light of the company's demise. He said that in 2021 he had been battling with some board members over their strategy for a "new direction" that he thought was a "very bad idea." Analysis Tech layoffs mount — but skilled workers are still hard to find " Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves," he said. "I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight." Other bookkeeping companies were quick to reach out to Bench's former clients, with rivals such as Acuity and Better Bookkeeping making reference to Bench's closure in social media pitches. A spokesperson for B.C.'s Jobs Ministry said they were looking into a request for comment.
( MENAFN - PR Newswire) New 1-Pack and 2-in-1 Sets Redefines culinary Convenience LAS VEGAS, Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- COSPRO , a provider of innovative and high-quality kitchen tools, today announced it will debut its 1-Pack and 2-in-1 Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder Sets at CES 2025. COSPRO will showcase its innovative 1-Pack, 2-in1, 3-in-1, and 5-in-1 lines at Booth #41850 / 41950 in the LVCC, South Hall 3 from January 6-9, 2025. "We're thrilled to bring our cutting-edge electric salt and pepper sets to CES, showcasing how innovation can elevate everyday kitchen tools," said Feng Wang, CEO, COSPRO. "CES provides the perfect platform to connect with a global audience and demonstrate how COSPRO blends technology, design and functionality." The 1-pack and 2-in-1'sfeatures include: COSPRO will also demonstrate their Qi-certified QIC-201SPG and QIC-201SPGH products that can charge devices like earpieces and smartphones when placed on a Qi charging pad. The 1-Pack (QIC-101SPL) retails for $46.95 and the 2-in-1 (QIC-201SPL) retails for $85.95. Both products will begin shipping on 1/1/25. COSPRO's product lines are available on Amazon and COSPRO . To purchase COSPRO products, visit . About COSPRO COSPRO is revolutionizing the kitchen experience with stylish, easy-to-use, innovative wireless charging technology and durable high-performance tools. The company aims to set the standard for innovation, design, functionality, and user experience, empowering chefs and home cooks to achieve excellence in every dish. This release was issued through WebWire®. For more information, visit . Noe Sacoco Jr PR Consultant Sacoco PR 408-340-8130 [email protected] SOURCE COSPRO MENAFN17122024003732001241ID1109004900 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts is still in the NFL's concussion protocol, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles to play against Dallas without their star quarterback. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against Washington. Hurts was injured early at Washington after his head slammed against the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles would lean on the medical staff on a daily basis to know where Hurts — who threw two touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores in the first meeting against Dallas in November — was in his recovery from the head injury. The 26-year-old Hurts did not practice this week, leaving Pickett — who suffered a rib injury in relief action against the Commanders — in line for his first start as an Eagle. Pickett was 14 of 24 for 143 yards against the Commanders, throwing a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown and an interception. Pickett is from New Jersey and said when he was acquired from Pittsburgh that he had “great memories” of going to games at Lincoln Financial Field with his dad and grandfather since he was 5. The chance to run out of the home team tunnel — which he could get Sunday if he’s the starting QB — left him absolutely delighted. “It's a big opportunity,” Pickett said this week. “I've been working hard to stay ready. I felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation. Now, having a week to practice, I'll feel even better going into the stadium.” Pickett, a first-round pick out of Pitt in 2022, went 14-10 as a starter for the Steelers. The Eagles will bump third-stringer Tanner McKee to the backup spot. The Eagles also signed QB Ian Book this week to the practice squad. There has been recent precedent for quarterbacks to play a week after entering the league’s concussion protocol. Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence sustained a head injury while scrambling up the middle on the team’s final drive in Week 15 loss to Baltimore last season. Lawrence misfired on seven of his final eight passes after the hit, a stretch that raised concerns on the sideline about his health. Lawrence reported symptoms after the game. He entered the protocol but was cleared in time to start the next game at Tampa Bay. The Eagles (12-3) could decide to play it safe and rest Hurts with the team needing a win against Dallas or the New York Giants to clinch the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Hurts shook off a sluggish start over the first four games and has thrown 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions to turn the Eagles into Super Bowl contenders. Thanks in large part to the tush push, Hurts has 14 rushing touchdowns this season. The Eagles won the Super Bowl for the 2017 season behind backup QB Nick Foles when starter Carson Wentz went down with a late-season injury. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump’s choice for solicitor general. The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table. He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew. Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He said earlier this year that he still believed there were national security risks with TikTok, but that he opposed banning it. The filings Friday come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law was was signed by President Joe Biden in April after it passed Congress with broad bipartisan support. TikTok and ByteDance filed a legal challenge afterwards. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” In their brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, attorneys for TikTok and its parent company ByteDance argued the federal appeals court erred in its ruling and based its decision on “alleged ‘risks’ that China could exercise control” over TikTok’s U.S. platform by pressuring its foreign affiliates. The Biden administration has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread or suppress information. But the government “concedes that it has no evidence China has ever attempted to do so,” TikTok’s legal filing said, adding that the U.S. fears are predicated on future risks. In its filing Friday, the Biden administration said because TikTok “is integrated with ByteDance and relies on its propriety engine developed and maintained in China,” its corporate structure carries with it risk.
WASHINGTON — A White House official said Friday the U.S. identified a ninth telecommunications company impacted by a wide-ranging Chinese espionage effort and that further steps are planned to curb cyberattacks from Beijing. As the Biden administration learns about the scope and scale of the so-called Salt Typhoon breach that it attributed to China, officials are laying the blame on companies that were slow to identify the attack. “The reality is that China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States. Those are private sector companies, and we still see companies not doing the basics,” Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday. “That’s why we’re looking forward and saying ‘Let’s lock down this infrastructure,’” she added. “And frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this.” The Commerce Department this month moved ahead with a ban of China Telecom and, according to Neuberger, similar actions will be released in the next month. Salt Typhoon is the name given to the hacking group behind the attacks. Microsoft Corp. assigns cyberthreat actors different names, to better identify and reference incidents, with the moniker “typhoon” used for activity originating from or attributed to China. Neuberger said one of the nine telecoms breached involved an administrator account that had access to over 100,000 routers. “So when the Chinese compromised that account, they gained that kind of broad access across the network. That’s not meaningful cybersecurity to defend against the nation-state actors,” Neuberger added. The U.S. still doesn’t have an exact assessment of how many Americans were targeted, Neuberger said. A large number of individuals were affected by geolocating around the Washington, D.C., and Virginia area — but fewer than 100 individuals’ phone calls and texts were hacked, she said. The Federal Communications Commission is voting on a rule in mid-January that would help protect America’s critical infrastructure, Neuberger said. She said the General Services Administration is reviewing government contracts to require better cybersecurity practices. Neuberger also cited an alarming increase in the number of health-related hacks that exposed Americans’ health care information and left them vulnerable to blackmail and said that the Department of Health and Human Services will propose new rules to protect medical data. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Debate About Whether Men Have Been Left Behind Is Decades OldHENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 14 Duke defeated No. 10 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Blue Devils (6-1) overcame an early 11-point deficit behind Jackon’s shooting hand to advance to Wednesday’s championship game against the winner of the game between No. 9 Oklahoma and DePaul. Jackson, who has scored in double figures in all six of Duke’s games, shot 12 of 19 (63.1%) from the floor, including 6 of 9 (66.7%) from 3-point range. Reigan Richardson added 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kansas State (5-1) was led by Ayoka Lee, who had 16 points. Serena Sundell scored 15 and Kennedy Taylor came off the bench to add 11 for the Wildcats. Kansas State: With her 16-point performance, Lee needs 48 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05) for the Kansas State career scoring record. Wecker scored 2,333 points. Lee, the 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is averaging 15.3 points. Duke: Jackson hit her season average of 13.3 points by the 3:54 mark of the second quarter when her pull-up jumper gave her 14. The junior guard was 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and had 20 points by halftime. With the Blue Devils trailing by six midway through the second quarter, Jackson triggered a 15-0 run with 13 of the team’s points to help Duke take a lead they’d never relinquish. Duke will face the winner of No. 9 Oklahoma-DePaul on Wednesday in the championship game, while Kansas State will face the loser in the consolation game. Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballA child was tasered, and four police officers were injured after a wild vehicle pursuit from Sydney's west to Wollongong. or signup to continue reading Four teenagers, two aged 14 and two aged 13, are accused of leading police on a chase in a stolen Audi overnight on Sunday, November 24. Officers first spotted the Audi in Granville about 9.30pm, and when they put on their warning lights, the car allegedly sped away and a pursuit was initiated. "Police will allege the car continued onto the Hume Highway and Henry Lawson Drive, Georges Hall before the pursuit was terminated due to safety concerns," a NSW Police spokeswoman said. "POLAir assisted in monitoring the car before road spikes were deployed on the Princes Motorway, Mount Ousley." With a deflated tyre, the car allegedly left the M1 Princes Motorway and turned onto Mount Pleasant Road in Mount Pleasant. The vehicle eventually stopped on Hopewood Crescent, Fairy Meadow. "A 14-year-old male driver and 14-year-old male passenger allegedly fled on foot down Hopewood Crescent, before being arrested nearby on Garratt Avenue, Fairy Meadow, about 10.10pm," police said. Officers tasered one of the teenage boys who allegedly resisted arrest. "The other two male passengers, both aged 13, locked themselves in the vehicle," the police spokeswoman said. "Police forced entry into the car before arresting the two males." Officers seized hammers and knives from the vehicle, which they allege were stolen. The teens were taken to Wollongong Police Station, where the 14-year-old driver was charged with police pursuit - not stop - drive dangerously; drive conveyance taken without consent of owner; and hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty. The other three males were charged with being carried in conveyance and resisting arrest. Four police officers sustained minor injuries during the arrest and did not require hospitalisation. Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. 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Check out more of the year's best tech in our PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024 coverage. Alan Wake 2 appeared so late last year that you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was a 2024 launch. You'd also be forgiven for believing that its outstanding visual design and use of ray tracing would be a standard consistently achieved this year. Alas, for everything that I've seen and analysed these past 12 months, Remedy's masterpiece is still the bar that others have failed to reach. That isn't to say that there haven't been some fantastic technical achievements this year. Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March but despite being a great game, its excessive hardware requirements, inconsistent performance, and last-gen graphics didn't exactly kick things off with a bang. Fortunately, that disappointment in that game was countered by Nixxes Software's port of Horizon Forbidden West . As the original game never used ray tracing, the developers sensibly chose to not make any attempt to integrate it in the conversion. Instead, it focused on improving the fundamental assets, as well as implementing upscaling and frame generation to boost performance, rather than offset any heavy-handed rendering technology. The game might not be to everyone's taste and it's not as good as the first Horizon Zero Dawn, but in terms of technical achievement, Nixxes knocked it out of the park. The same was true of another PlayStation port, Ghost of Tsushima in May, which—surprise, surprise—was another Nixxes project. No ray tracing, just good ol' traditional rendering done well. Admittedly, when it comes to surface reflections, once you've seen what ray tracing can do in this aspect, going back to screen space reflections just feels yuck. By June, I was beginning to wish that Nixxes was responsible for every console-to-PC port because we were 'treated' to Shadow of the Erdtree , Elden Ring's first expansion. Having only briefly played the first game I'd completely forgotten what a mess it was on the PC and had even assumed that the new content would include an update to the engine. That wasn't the case and once again, stutters and an ever-present lag would be there for PC gamers to enjoy. The first 2024 games to heavily feature ray tracing took a while to make an appearance, but in August, Black Myth: Wukong and Star Wars Outlaws were the first big releases to be ray-traced only . Not the first games ever, mind, but you get what I mean. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Wukong uses Unreal Engine 5, whereas Outlaws runs on the same engine as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora , but both exhibited the most common traits of the year: Variable performance, traversal stutter, interminable shader compilation, and an almost necessary use of upscaling to achieve any semblance of a decent frame rate. At least one could say that on maximum settings with Full Ray Tracing (aka path tracing) enabled, Wukong's visuals justified the performance. That's not something that could be said for Outlaws, though it does run a lot better now after several patches. While it is simpler for developers to just focus on one rendering pipeline, I feel that we're still at least one generation of GPUs away from ray tracing being the acceptable norm for games to use exclusively. Not everything this year has been a janky mess. In September, PC gamers could enjoy an incredible port of God of War Ragnarök (and by the original developers, no less) and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 ran very well for a game with hundreds of enemies to battle against. Neither were a tour-de-force in terms of graphics but they were good enough. 'Good enough' is probably the phrase that the developers of the Silent Hill 2 remake sarcastically said after finishing its PC version because while that's been one of my favourite games of 2024, it's a shocking mess on the humble PC. For example, I had to copy one file from a folder in the game's installation and paste it into the main folder just so it would start. Then I had to deal with so many visual glitches and frame rate jank that I genuinely thought I was playing a beta release. It's a superb remake and worthy of all its acclaim, but I have little praise for the PC conversion. The technical terrors continued as the weeks rolled on: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 refused to work for over a week after launch and Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl looked great, and played great, but ran like it had a chronic case of hiccups (Unreal Engine 5 strikes again). Cue patches, more patches, and even more patches. In the case of Stalker 2, you're looking at over half a terabyte's worth of downloads, just in the form of patches. Maybe I should be writing about the Best Patch of 2024. Anyway, to be fair, both games aren't too bad on a high-end gaming PC but anything sporting hardware at the bottom end of the system requirements is going to require every ounce of upscaling and frame generation to run smoothly. Given all that had transpired, I had few hopes for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , especially when I learned that it would always be using ray tracing, as well as having a path tracing mode. Sorry, Full Ray Tracing. Well, glaze me in honey and call me Susan, how wrong I was. Well, mostly wrong. Great Circle runs pretty well, even on low-end hardware (though the GPU must have ray tracing hardware), and if you can get the Full Path Tracing mode to run nicely, then it's almost as impressive as Alan Wake 2. And it's packed with lots of nice touches, such as the way the game loads a previous save as the main menu. Sadly, it is pretty glitchy and it's taken a few patches to make frame generation work as intended. At least it wasn't another Unreal Engine 5 game but anyone expecting Doom Eternal levels of performance just because it uses the ID Tech 7 engine is in for a shock. The game itself is a huge amount of fun, at least, and looks pretty darn nice. Homeworld 3 | Ghost of Tsushima | Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree | Dragon's Dogma 2 | Black Myth: Wukong | Star Wars Outlaws | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 | Starfield: Shattered Space | Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Looking ahead to the first half of 2025, we've got some big games incoming that are going to sport cutting-edge graphics: Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Civilization 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, The Last of Us Part 2, to mention but a few. If any of them are going to do really well on PC, I hope the developers have looked carefully at what's gone right and what's gone poorly with this year's releases. Always-on ray tracing isn't necessarily a bad thing but shoehorning in an all-singing path tracing mode just seems to be a recipe for disaster at the moment, as so few GPUs can really handle it. But even with traditional rendering techniques, it's still possible to end up with a stuttery, unplayable mess and relying on upscaling and frame generation to mask such issues isn't acceptable. Alan Wake 2 gave me such hope for 2024 that I feel somewhat cheated by what I actually got this year, but a few gems did show up. And if those developers could do it, I'm sure others can too. Here's to 2025 and let's hope it's a good one.