News
The reformed Oasis band are currently touring, and singing to Sally about how it's unwise to put your heart in the hands of a rock'n'roll band. Maybe they should write a sequel to warn her of something equally heartbreaking: getting too involved with season one of any streaming show. That's right: yet another promising streaming series has bitten the dust after just one season.
This week's casualty is The Waterfront on Netflix, which was getting decent viewing numbers (it was the most-watched show on Netflix for a week in April, outpacing the number of views that Ransom Canyon saw during its first week) but left many critics cold – although not at The Guardian, who described it as "Dawson's Creek for grown-ups" and "perfect summer nonsense". We thought it had the potential to be a new Virgin River, but just two months after it debuted on Netflix the show has been canned.
Why The Waterfront is getting washed awayAs Variety reports, initial numbers were impressive: "The series spent over a week atop the streamer’s Top 10 before being overtaken after the premiere by the juggernaut Squid Game, which debuted its third season less than two weeks after."
Unfortunately Variety's prediction that the show had "set itself up to be yet another one of [Scream creator Kevin Williamson’s] long-running fan-favorite shows” and Williamson's own plans for a second season proved optimistic.
There's no official explanation for the cancellation but it's going to be the usual culprit: numbers. Not just the number of people streaming the show, but how much they streamed and how quickly they streamed it. It looks like from Netflix's perspective at least, The Waterfront simply didn't deliver.
You may also like- 3 Body Problem season 2 is underway as star reveals first days of filming: ‘The stuff they've got planned out is pretty epic’
- Netflix’s new streaming recommendation tool is about to make my astrology-obsessed friends unbearable
- Emily in Paris season 5: everything we know so far about the hit Netflix show’s return
It feels like the Splinter Cell remake has been on its way for a while now, which isn't helped by the fact it's been over three years since we heard anything official about the game. From what we've seen so far, the team behind the remake appears to be aiming to rebuild the stealth game for an all-new audience without straying too far from the source material. But, as we've said, it's been a while since we've had an update on its progress, so we're hoping 2025 is the year.
Despite this lack of updates, it's still easy to see why the Splinter Cell remake is one of the most anticipated upcoming games on the horizon, given just how groundbreaking the original game was when it was released in 2002. Undoubtably, it paved the way for the third-person stealth games that followed, and we expect the remake to offer up this classic experience but retooled for a more modern experience.
Here's everything we know about the Splinter Cell remake so far, including a look at the initial announcement and any news that has come out since. As more is revealed in the future, this page will be updated.
Splinter Cell remake: cut to the chase- What is it? A remake of 2002's Splinter Cell
- When does it come out? TBC
- What can I play it on? TBC
- Who makes it? Ubisoft
Ubisoft released a video announcing the Splinter Cell remake in December 2021. In addition to the announcement, the video also delves into the history of the Splinter Cell series and how it changed the identity of Ubisoft, taking the Toronto-based studio from working on Rayman, a bright and colorful platformer, and thrusting it into the AAA lifestyle.
Ubisoft hasn't released any more Splinter Cell remake trailers as of yet, but you can find more deep dives into the classic stealth series on Ubisoft's official YouTube channel.
Splinter Cell remake story and setting - will it follow the original?(Image credit: Ubisoft)We know that the Splinter Cell remake will revisit the world and story from the first game released in 2002.
The original plot starts with two undercover US operatives that go missing in Georgia, leading to black ops agent Sam Fisher being sent in to investigate. As Sam searches for the missing agents, he uncovers a larger plot surrounding a corrupt government and nuclear missiles.
It's unclear how much of this plot will remain in the Splinter Cell remake, however, as Ubisoft confirmed in a (now deleted) job listing from September 2022 (via Tech4Gamers) that it is "rewriting and updating the story for a modern-day audience".
"We want to keep the spirit and themes of the original game while exploring our characters and the world to make them more authentic and believable," the listing stated. So, while producer Matt West has previously established Ubisoft wants to ensure the "spirit of the early games remains intact," expect a few updates.
Splinter Cell remake gameplay - here's what's been said so far(Image credit: Ubisoft)In the announcement blog post, producer Matt West revealed that the Splinter Cell remake is being built from the ground up, so players can expect visual and design updates. West also confirmed, contrary to rumor, the remake will be linear and not feature an open world. At present, further details haven't been shared on Splinter Cell remake's gameplay.
However, as this is a remake of the original title, we can expect that the hallmarks that made Splinter Cell so iconic will be present here. Stealth was always the operative goal in this series; using the environment around you, the lighting, and flexible movement was preferable rather than brute forcing your way through obstacles. The first game is very linear, with Chaos Theory being the first to switch things up with a more open structure. It primarily involved tight corridors, extremely dark environments, as well as a finale set in a Presidential Palace.
Splinter Cell remake news(Image credit: Ubisoft)A new Splinter Cell animated series releases in October
Announced at Gamescom 2025, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is a new animated series starring Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher. It arrives October 14, 2025. Watch the trailer here (YouTube).
The Splinter Cell remake is being built on Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine
Ubisoft has confirmed the Splinter Cell remake is being developed on its Snowdrop engine, which was used for Star Wars Outlaws game and for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft Toronto is the main studio working on the Splinter Cell Remake. It previously worked on Watch Dogs Legion, Far Cry 6, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Looks like the project is in safe hands, especially one as focused on stealth as this one.
You Might Also Like...- Best single player games
- Here's the best games to play on Game Pass
- Our picks for the best Xbox controllers
- AMD's Ryzen CPU burnouts have been an issue for some time
- Team Red has now clarified that this is a problem because some motherboards don't run with AMD's recommended values
- Instead they push too hard with power and voltage – and burnouts are still reported on a daily basis
AMD has officially commented on the chip-destroying burnouts that have affected a small number of its Ryzen processors, and has effectively laid the blame at the feet of motherboard makers – to a point, anyway.
Tom's Hardware noticed an interview with AMD execs David McAfee and Travis Kirsch conducted by Quasarzone (a South Korean tech site) in which Team Red was questioned about the burnout issue pertaining to Ryzen chips (3D V-Cache or X3D models, including the Ryzen 9800X3D), and mainly (but not exclusively) affecting ASRock motherboards.
Bearing in mind this is a translated article – so we need to be careful around the interpretation – Quasarzone noted that CPUs in AM5 motherboards have been "experiencing socket burnouts" and that "some users are still reporting these symptoms". The tech site then asked what AMD's position and response was regarding the issue.
AMD replied to say (again, remember this is a translation): "This issue arises because some ODM BIOSes do not adhere to AMD's recommended values."
The term ODM refers to the motherboard maker (original design manufacturer), and what this is essentially saying is that those manufacturers aren't sticking to AMD's stock values (around power, voltage, and more) with their boards. In other words, these companies are pushing harder than they should, which could cause a problem.
It's not a definitive conclusion here, mind, because the execs go on to say: "AMD … offers a wide range of combinations, and also supports PBO [AMD's automated performance boosting feature] and overclocking. This means there are a vast number of possible scenarios. While this is a complex issue, we are working closely with our partners to resolve issues and further evolve the platform."
So, it's a complex problem to unpick, and AMD underlines that it's working with motherboard makers to resolve any problems.
The execs also mention that it's very much recommended that any AM5 motherboard owner updates to the very latest BIOS version, which is sound advice for any motherboard in fairness. (The latest finished release of the BIOS, I should clarify – do not attempt to use new versions that are still in beta testing).
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Analysis: guessing gameSo, this isn't a crystal-clear statement from AMD by any means – and translation complications must be taken into account (yes, I'm banging on about that a bit, because it's an important nuance) – but there is a clear enough pointing of the finger in the direction of motherboard makers pushing too far with their settings.
As mentioned, ASRock motherboards have been particularly in the firing line as the most commonly reported hardware maker to be affected (by a long way) – but other vendors have been hit by incidents of CPU failures too.
While ASRock initially blamed a "memory compatibility issue present in earlier BIOS versions" and pushed out a BIOS update to fix that, this didn't do the trick in curing burnouts. As Tom's Hardware points out, a later BIOS update that arrived in May 2025 tweaked various PBO settings and this (finally) smoothed over most of the issues – if not quite all of them.
Sadly, there are still reports of Ryzen X3D CPU burnouts trickling in via Reddit on a daily basis, so this is a thorny one. Has ASRock still got work to do in terms of honing its BIOS to prevent these incidents? Or might this be a case of chips that have already been pushed too hard, for too long, suffering from the damage caused under the hood and finally giving up the ghost (with the latest BIOS update not being able to save them, as they were too far gone)?
There's still too much of a guessing game going on, frankly, and it's an unfortunate situation for both AMD and especially ASRock. Although it's not like Intel hasn't had worse problems – by which I mean the instability fracas with Team Blue's 13th and 14th-gen processors (that's been quite a saga).
You might also like- Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will support 4K 60FPS on PS5 Pro in both quality and performance mode
- The base PS5 version currently offers quality mode at 4K 30FPS and performance mode at 2K 60FPS, but GSC Game World is aiming to deliver the latter at 4K 60FPS at launch
- Resolution, VFX, lighting, and more graphical features have been enhanced for the PS5 and PS5 Pro
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's technical producer, Yevhenii Kulyk, has revealed that GSC Game World is aiming to launch the game on PS5 at 4K 60 frames per second (fps) in quality mode.
Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom 2025, Kulyk confirmed that the PS5 Pro version will support 4K 60fps when played on both performance and quality modes, though more textures have been added to improve the latter.
On the other hand, the base PS5 version will offer quality mode at 4K 30fps, while performance mode is currently at 2K 60fps, but the studio is aiming for 4K 60fps at launch.
"Right now, we are going 2K in 60 for the base version, but we are aiming to hit that 4K to hit the parity as well," Kulyk said. "So we want to support, on launch, 4K on the base version for quality and performance."
The developer explained that the team has included additional enhancements with the PS5 Pro version by changing scalability settings, which should improve the game's environments.
"You may notice that in the Pro version, it's a better way to experience the atmosphere of the game, because we tweaked the shadow quality. We tweaked some resolution techniques," Kulyk said. "We tweaked VFX, shading quality, and volumetric stuff, like volumetric clouds and volumetric lighting, so it is quite noticeable, but still, PlayStation 5 is an absolutely good way to play with our game and experience it to the full length."
GSC Game World communications director, Zakhar Bocharov, also added that he thinks "the most beautiful version" is the PS5 Pro quality mode, but admitted that he would still prefer to play the game in performance mode with a guaranteed 60fps.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is now available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC, but will arrive on PS5 and PS5 Pro on November 20, 2025.
You might also like...- Here are the three biggest things we learned from the Hollow Knight: Silksong release date trailer
- Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 from the Sekiro anime to the new Ghost of Yotei mode
- Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong has a release date, Team Cherry teases more to come post-launch – 'The most interesting thing now is what can we add to it next'
- The State of Nevada says it suffered "network security incident"
- While not officially described as a cyberattack, it certainly resembles a ransomware attack
- There is no evidence of stolen files yet
Offices, websites, and phone lines of the state government of Nevada were all made unavailable and taken offline following an apparent cyberattack.
The official X account of the Governor Lombardo Press Office posted an announcement saying the State of Nevada “identified a network security incident”.
At the moment this article was written, the website was still offline, displaying a single message, saying “The requested URL was rejected. Please consult with your administrator.”
Was this a ransomware attack?“As the State continues its recovery efforts, the network security incident continues to impact the availability of certain state technology systems on the state network,” the announcement adds. “Some state websites or phone lines may be slow or briefly unavailable during recovery.”
The way the announcement is worded does not suggest this was a cyberattack, however with multiple services offline, an ongoing investigation, and the state looking to restore the services one by one, it all bears the markings of a ransomware attack.
Ransomware attacks also usually include data theft, with criminals exfiltrating sensitive files to be used as leverage in case the victim can restore their services via backups.
In this case, however, Nevada says there is currently no evidence that any personally identifiable information (PII) was compromised.
At press time, no threat actors assumed responsibility for the attack, but ransomware against US state and local governments has historically been carried out by financially motivated criminal groups rather than state-sponsored actors.
Some of the better-known ransomware gangs that have targeted US government entities include LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, Cl0p, Royal, and Vice Society.
According to a Reuters report, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also issued a statement, claiming it was "actively tracking this network security incident and together with our partners, we are collaborating with the State of Nevada to offer our assistance."
You might also like- US becomes ransomware capital of the world as attacks rise by almost 150 percent
- Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
- We've rounded up the best password managers
- Leica M11-V could be the most affordable M series model yet
- New leak claims it will have 64GB of internal storage and 60MP full-frame sensor
- Electronic viewfinder set to replace iconic rangefinder
A new leak may have revealed the interesting features we can expect from the upcoming Leica M11-V – and has also seemingly confirmed that it will be the legendary manufacturer’s first M series model to come without the iconic rangefinder component.
Leica Rumors has posted what appears to be a marketing information page about the rumored camera which, if genuine, supports previous claims that the M11-V would be replacing a rangefinder with an electronic viewfinder.
This is likely to be a controversial decision among Leica aficionados – potentially the camera world’s most vocal, dedicated and opinionated fanbase. After all, the “Messsucher” (the German word for a combined rangefinder and viewfinder) is what gives the M series its name.
I’ve already written an op-ed pre-emptively opining the rangefinder’s loss, but looking at this recent leak has left me much happier about the M11-V launch – because it looks set to be Leica’s most affordable M series model yet.
A view to a cheaper M series?The current Leica M11, part of a legendary series of digital cameras that utilizes a rangefinder for composing shots and manual focusing. (Image credit: Leica)The rangefinder mechanism is the most expensive component on a Leica M camera, so replacing it with an electronic viewfinder will greatly reduce production costs.
Add in the fact that the leak says the camera will offer just 64GB of built-in memory (the existing Leica M11-P, by comparison, has 256GB storage), and it seems that we’re looking at an 'entry-level' Leica M. I put the term in quotation marks because I believe it’ll still be a premium camera, just like any camera with the red dot logo – but I still think it’ll be affordable by Leica M standards.
The leak says the Leica M11-V’s EVF will be 5.7MP in resolution and 0.5-inches in size, with a 0.76x magnification and diopter compensation.
It also mentions a new FN button for viewfinder control (probably to select different frame sizes via digital zoom), a “puristic” design (clean lines, due to the lack of a rangefinder window), the Maestro III image processor and a 60MP full-frame BSI sensor – the same core imaging setup as the one found on the standard Leica M11, then.
The leak also states that the M11-V will be manufactured in Germany, lest fans worry about Leica outsourcing production to the Far East to save money.
The decision to drop the rangefinder on the Leica M11-V won’t be universally popular, but if it puts the M series within the range of more consumers it may ultimately prove to be a wise one.
Of course, many will claim that it isn’t a real M series camera without that rangefinder, but I’m looking forward to finding out for myself how this camera feels to use.
You might also like- AirPods Max 2 not expected until at least 2027
- AirPods Pro 3 predicted again for late 2025
- AirPods Max reportedly don't sell enough to justify investment
If you're hoping for an AirPods Max 2 announcement at the big Apple event on September 9th 2025, prepare to be disappointed: the next generation of Apple's over-ears isn't expected to arrive until at least 2027.
That's an eternity in tech terms: the original AirPods Max launched in 2020. But it seems that Apple is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
According to Bloomberg, the problem is simple: AirPods Max are "too popular for Apple to stop selling them, and not popular enough for the company to invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version" – after all, there's the AirPods Pro 3 to work on instead.
What are Apple's AirPods Max 2 and AirPods Pro 3 plans?As ever with unannounced Apple products we're dealing with leaks, rumors and predictions here. But it looks like AirPods Pro 3 are coming soon and AirPods Max 2 are coming later than hoped.
Bloomberg says that the AirPods Pro 3 are due to launch before the end of 2025 – let's hope we hear about them at the iPhone 17 event – with similar heart rate monitoring to the Powerbeats Pro 2.
As for the current AirPods Max, their most recent update was a damp squib: they got USB-C to comply with EU legislation, and that was as far as new hardware features went – though this did enable lossless wired audio support, and we think it works pretty great, actually.
The hoped-for H2 chip upgrade, which would have put them on a par with AirPods Pro 2, didn't feature. AirPods Max, unlike many premium headphones, still don't do wireless lossless audio, and having an older chip means they're missing many of the features of AirPods Pro 2.
After five years of daily wear, my OG AirPods Max are prime candidates for replacement: the headband's getting baggy, the tight fit – I have a huge head – is mildly annoying now, having to find a Lightning cable or adapter when everything else in my life is USB-C is a pain.
But I'm not interested in paying a premium price for tech that's half a decade old now, especially when the best headphones from other firms are improving significantly with each new release. I wonder how many other AirPods Max owners are likely to switch to rival brands before the second generation arrives…
You might also like