Following its initial launch in May 2024, XDefiant secured over 11 million players within a few months. However, it appears that its free-to-play monetization model made their finance more sensible. Ubisoft has now announced that its development is ending and sunsetting. Though the planned Season 3 content will still launch, the servers will remain active until June 3, 2025. Those who have purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack, VC, and DLC since November 3rd, 2024, will get refunds.
Ubisoft is shutting down XDefiant and issuing refunds
Study uncovered earliest evidence transport technology used by ancient settlers
Researchers from Bournemouth University discovered early evidence of transport technology used by settlers in the USA over 20,000 years ago at White Sands National Park, New Mexico. They found drag marks from makeshift vehicles called “travois,” made from wooden poles, alongside ancient human footprints. The tracks included single lines, likely from dragging two poles joined at one end, and parallel lines, from poles crossed in the middle.
The quantum processor that redefines computing speed
Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) have created a superconducting quantum computing prototype called Zuchongzhi-3. This prototype operates with 105 qubits and 182 couplers, making it 1015 times faster than the fastest supercomputer and one million times faster than Google's latest results. This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in quantum computing performance.
MIT Researchers develop improved validation method for more accurate spatial predictions
Researchers at MIT have tackled a perplexing issue in spatial prediction validation, which is critical for fields like weather forecasting and environmental health. Traditional validation methods often fail because they don’t account for the unique characteristics of spatial data, leading to inaccurate forecasts. The research will be presented at the International Artificial Intelligence and Statistics Conference.
Breakthrough algorithm lets you do speech recognition offline
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new algorithm that eliminates the need for an internet connection to use speech recognition. This algorithm is proficient at decoding speech without requiring substantial memory allocation. It forgets what it doesn't need in real-time by employing a clever strategy.