History will likely remember Predator: Badlands as a small handful of live-action Hollywood films with no human characters in it, and fans will not have it any other way.

After six feature length films in which the alien Yautja – technologically superior extraterrestrial species – visit Earth to hunt human prey for the thrill of the chase, director Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the last two outings, 2022’s Prey and 2025’s animated Predator: Killer of Killers, turns the narrative to focus on a young Predator attempting to earn his honour, by hunting and killing the one thing that even his father fears – the unkillable Kalisk.

In doing so, he pops open the lore of the franchise by introducing elements that fans have long speculated upon, some which were touched on via the wider Predator expanded universe that covers comic books, novels, and video games, though some fans might find issues with what he’s exposing.

But if you’re a fan of the Yautja, and have grown tired of humans, young, old or female taking on and defeating these alien alpha hunters, then this movie is for you. In an effort to track down the Kalisk to restore his honour and seek revenge for his older brother, young Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Red, White & Brass) finds himself stranded on the treacherous planet Genna, where just about anyone, or anything, can kill you. Considered to be the runt of his family, his skills, which weren’t even enough to defeat his brother in combat, are tested as flora and fauna, each deadlier than the one before, attempt to have him as their next meal.

Marooned without his shoulder cannon, helmet and other familiar weapons, Dek only has his formidable plasma sword and one other tool at his disposable – the badly damaged synthetic or synth life form, Thia (Elle Fanning, Maleficent, Mary Shelley), herself a victim of the deadly Kalisk.

And therein lies the first surprise – just as Prey occurred in the distant past, circa 1719, Predator; Badlands takes places in the far flung future because Thia is not just any android – she’s an advanced Weyland-Yutani creation. Yes, that’s the same unscrupulous megacorporation from the other popular Alien franchise, both of which are now properties of Disney. Built with a capacity for emotions and empathy, to better understand the deadly creatures of Genna, she wants the same thing as Dex, except that her instructions are to bring a Kalisk back to Earth, because as established in the Alien series, the 24th century Weyland-Yutani corporation is constantly on the hunt to study and exploit deadly alien creatures.

Except this is not intended to be a crossover film. It’s a little bit of fan service to fans of both mega franchises, but is in no way a recognition of both earlier Alien vs. Predator films, which are considered by fans to be separate entries from both main franchises. Here however, Weyland-Yutani’s inclusion is rather natural and while androids that behave and react more efficiently and effectively than humans are nothing new in popular sci-fi, those who love the Alien series already know what the synths are capable of. The nature of the film also somewhat links to Predator: Killer of Killers, setting up future sequels that could tie things back to the earlier films, and both franchises.

And in giving the Yautja a full language, designed especially for this film, the film gives us slightly more than what we should know about the species – honorable creatures who hunt and kill with pride, and who won’t blink and eyelid with honour killings when faced with the stench of shame. Aside from a group of regular synths, who speak with an artificial approximation of human behaviour, as well as Thia’s ‘sister’, Tessa, also played by Fanning, the film features no humans in supporting or background roles at all.

But we also don’t need humans because this is Trachtenberg’s chance to let loose, and not present humans with loopholes and weaknesses to exploit, to show how a man can possibly defeat a Predator. In fact, the first alien on Genna that tries to kill Dek can probably take down Dutch (from the original 1987 film, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) before he takes his first step towards running for his chopper.

To his credit, Trachtenberg does away with most of Dek’s advanced weapons, leaving the young Yautja and his survival instincts to take over as he attempts to survive. Where the film slightly gets too clumsy is that every foe or danger that Dek encounters and defeats becomes his weapon against the synths. How can a planet so fraught with dangerous elements survive its very own existence?

The other thing that fits this film, but not the franchise, is the use of humour, mainly by Thia. Yes, she’s not human and might be programmed to liven the moment with her emotions, but there are plenty of jokes in this film, spilling more guts with laughter than with mindless maiming. Most of the one liners and jokes land, even if they do seem somewhat indulgent, to the point where even Dek makes one. Damn it Dutch, see what you did with your catchy one liners that set such expectations all those years ago? The Predator is supposed to be one ugly motherf***ker, not a funny one.

Given that there are no humans in this film, it could have used a bit more decapitations, ripping of (artificial) skull and spine from a synth’s body, and some alien creature’s chest bursting wide open, all while synthetic fluid and guts spill all over the place. Instead, we have a film about  a reject from a hunter species on an alien planet with an android, protecting an alien child – that certainly reminds us of another Disney property, The Mandalorian.

Even as the Alien franchise seems to have gone through a successful revival in recent years, it’s great to see Predator do the same, under the guidance of Trachtenberg. While the lore isn’t as deep when compared, he’s clearly taking things in a new direction that honours the past, and opens up the future and in this third outing, he’s definitely killing it.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Predator: Badlands – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

The long-running Japanese Super Sentai action series, which served as the source material for the equally popular Power Rangers series in the United States, is rumoured to end with the current No.1 Sentai Gozyuger show after 50 years.

A leading force in the tokusatsu sci-fi fantasy genre, following a colourful team of super characters and colourful special effects, the iconic franchise, which started with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger in 1975, is reportedly ending due to the show’s high cost of production, which exceeds the earnings brought in from merchandising, events and films.

Japanese media outlet Sankei Shimbun, quoting sources from the show’s broadcaster TV Asahi familiar with the matter, is reporting the show’s end when the current series concludes, although series owner Toei and TV Asahi have not provided official comments on the reports.

The end of Super Sentai comes on the heels of the recent conclusion of the Power Rangers TV series in the U.S, which originally used footage from the Japanese TV show spliced with Western actors in new recorded scenes. 

It was reported earlier this year that streaming service Disney+ is looking to revive the Power Rangers with a new live-action series, with Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz serving as writers, producers, and showrunners.

Meanwhile, Super Sentai fans are speculating that the franchise itself is not ending as it is too popular, but instead, Toei wants to drop the Super Sentai name to distance itself from the Power Rangers licensing that it co-owns with Hasbro, thereby allowing Toei to market the original series outside of Japan and in Western markets. 

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Japan’s Super Sentai, Inspiration Behind Power Rangers, To End After 50 Years appeared first on Geek Culture.

Almost two years after its release, the Apple Vision Pro continues to turn heads in the house. The children lean in, trying to listen in on what I’m watching or listening to via the Audio Pods mini speakers, be it the latest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+, or if the third track from Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” continues to be on repeat on Apple Music. Meanwhile, my wife would stare into my digital eyes via the external display of the mixed reality headset, and tell me that my eyes now look more like me than before, but still not exactly me. 

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, the children are trying to stay caught up with the latest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things on the living room TV, as I’m navigating the latest Word document on my MacBook Pro 16 connected to the new Apple Vision Pro (via Mac Virtual Display) running on the latest M5 processor, perched at the dining room table. On my virtual left, James Gunn’s Superman plays in another window through the headset via HBO Max, and, with the virtual background turned off, I notice Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) talking to her brother’s grave stone at the cemetery from the corner of my eye.

“Vecna is coming,” I warn the children and they turn towards me, noticing that while I am facing the general direction of the TV, my head is tilting left and right, as I shift my eyes back and forth between David Corenswet and the open Word document on the virtual screen, undecided on which would be a less frustrating task to focus on.

As Max floats in the air, the kids scream and hide behind the couch cushions as the grotesque Vecna shows up, and I smile and type the next sentence in my draft proposal. Just when you thought that the Apple Vision Pro couldn’t get any more impressive, the tech giant has done what it does best – refining an already remarkable device into something even more capable. 

Updated from the M2 chip on the original, Apple’s spatial computer, now powered by its latest M5 processor, is a better-performing device, even as the external design remains virtually untouched. After skipping the M3 and M4 chip, the Vision Pro represents the company’s confidence in its silicon roadmap, even as it struggles to convince the general public why they need to pick up a S$4,999 device.

It’s an entertainment device, yet it still lacks a dedicated Netflix or YouTube app, two of the most frequently used content platforms globally. You can play games, but you need a separate game controller, and while you can type with an external keyboard, it’s hardly a laptop replacement since certain key apps, such as Telegram or WhatsApp, are not supported, and for a generation sold on connectivity, the Vision Pro continues to offer a use proposition, but takes some away as well.

The first major difference out of the box is the new Dual Knit Band that replaces the original Solo Knit Band that loops around the back of your neck. Think of the Dual Knit Band as a mashup of the Solo Knit Band, which has a single, thicker strap, and the Dual Loop Band, which comes with two thinner straps, as you now get a second strap that wraps around the top of your head. This better distributes the weight of the Vision Pro across your head, and you won’t feel the weight of the unit apply pressure on the bridge of your nose and face with extended use.

While the new headband looks like the Solo Knit Band, it’s made with a slightly different material and design, making it more breathable. There is a knob on the right side that can be rotated to tighten the strap that goes around the back of your head, and when you extend this knob, you can now rotate it to tighten or loosen the strap across the top of your head. 

Make no mistake – while the new band securely places the unit on your face, you’re still wearing a 750g computer on your face, just that it doesn’t slide down as much, and long sessions of viewing things through the headset, or long FaceTime calls, no longer feel like a strained chore.

But to address the elephant in the room: Does the improvement in the chip change the headset by much, since it remains almost identical in design and functions as the original? Using my existing face cushion and optical inserts from the first-generation unit, the setup experience remains the same, except that facial or retina recognition is now considerably faster and more precise, and provides an almost instantaneous response. There is also less movement of the unit on my face, thereby reducing the number of pop-ups that tell me to look up, or lift the unit on my face. But the M5 chip isn’t about making Safari load faster or streaming apps to run smoother, but about unlocking capabilities. 

It’s the software’s ability to record a more detailed Persona, with greater details of the skin and hair texture. In a four-way FaceTime call, where each caller is represented by their Persona, you can see head turns and mouth movements with so much clarity, it’s as if the conference call is taking place with everyone in the same room. Anyone can share their screen, and even a 3D model that can be manipulated with gesture control, and this definitely beats dialling into a conference call where you’re simply staring at someone’s flat presentation and wondering if everyone can hear you. These Apple Vision Pro FaceTime calls are so trailblazing that you can actually notice when someone naturally lifts their hand, looks at you or shifts their head, to recognise that they want to say something. 

Much of this is on the M5 chip, which actually makes the display better, but not because of any physical hardware changes to the micro-OLED panels in the unit. Instead, the chip can render pixels by 10 per cent more, and its computational prowess is immediate, offering crispier textures and visuals. That said, the change, like faster retina recognition, is subtle and akin to looking out of your home through clean, not dusty windows.

On paper, the M5 chip delivers a 15 per cent increase in multithreaded CPU performance over the M4, and when combined with the 10-core GPU, which has a dedicated Neural Accelerator in each core, it means a far superior performance over the original Vision Pro.

Aiding this visual enhancement is the new 120Hz refresh rate, up from the previous 100Hz. If you are viewing your surroundings through passthrough mode, the text on your iPhone 17 Pro Max looks sharper, and there is reduced motion blur as you turn your head, especially in the evenings with your LED light illuminating the bedroom.

For those who primarily use Mac Virtual Display on the unit, the larger display on the Vision Pro runs smoother and without the occasional shudder that follows when you move the window or run your cursor across the screen to trigger actions. Now, if only Apple could find a way to open more than one Virtual Display screen for any connected Mac, instead of making users open multiple windows within that single Virtual Display, even if they actually have multiple monitors connected to their Macs.

What gets a slight improvement is battery life, as the new model clocks up to two and a half hours of general use, and up to three hours for watching videos, an increase of roughly 30 minutes from the original. In reality, it’s not that much of an upgrade, as the portable battery means you can wear it around the home, offering temporary convenience when used on the move, but don’t count on it for extended use. 

Ultimately, the latest Vision Pro is a taskmaster that comes with convenience but at a price. Even the best use for the device, for consuming entertainment, comes with limits, as it’s a single-user machine. The immersive nature is growing, though, with more content now designed for that all-around view as third-party developers are slowly embracing the platform’s potential – from the Audi F1 Project providing exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Formula 1 racing and the Red Bull app that throws in front row seats, to extreme sporting activities. From being able to increase the size of the display to seeing yourself ‘float’ above buildings in an immersive video, this is your personal IMAX at your fingertips. 

For sports enthusiasts, there’s the NBA app that offers game highlights for general users, or you can catch the full game as a subscriber, and also get game statistics while watching. Amazon Prime Video recently introduced live NBA games, and the Vision Pro offers the best viewing experience with virtual courtside seats. Sadly, you won’t be able to catch live WWE matches, since Netflix still isn’t supporting the Vision Pro at this time.

If you already own the original Vision Pro with M2, this upgrade is unnecessary. But if you’ve felt the desire to power your workflow with mixed reality hardware, the M5 model is your best bet. You will need to accept that this hardware is slightly ahead of its time, and the single-user perspective means it’s a solo experience that can rarely be shared, and is still in need of more killer applications before it becomes indispensable.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple Vision Pro (M5, 2025) – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Five years in, and Apple’s silicon endeavour continues to astound with continued improvements that leave its competitors in the dust. When the American tech giant first debuted its M1 chip in 2020, it fundamentally rewrote the rules of what a laptop could be, and suddenly, its MacBooks and iMacs – long catering to a niche audience more concerned with design work and performance – weren’t just elegant machines, but also performance powerhouses that could easily outlast and outperform its PC competition. 

In its fifth iteration, the latest M5 chip now powers the MacBook Pro 14, and for the first time, it didn’t release the chip on a series of Mac machines, as the 14-inch base is the only way laptop consumers can reap the benefits of the latest chip, even as Apple establishes a new baseline for what users should expect from a professional, everyday laptop.

Like with the tech industry’s proclivity for introducing annual hardware improvements, the question isn’t whether the M5 is faster than last year’s M4 – Apple made sure it is. The real consideration is whether this generation of processor represents the inflexion point where upgrading makes sense, especially if you’re still holding onto an M1 or M2 Mac. When Apple redesigned its silicon chip, it did something that few companies do – by making the chip so good that even the M1 chip continues to perform admirably under current conditions, and even if it has been faithfully serving you for the past few years, this is the moment to change.

On-paper specifications only tell part of the story, but when Apple claims the M5 delivers up to 3.5 times faster AI performance compared to the M4, you take notice. In Geekbench 6 testing, the M5 chip achieved a staggering single-core score of 4,231, the highest ever recorded for a Mac, and among the highest when compared to a PC processor. It also recorded a multi-core score of 17,782, marking a solid 20 per cent improvement over its predecessor.

But let’s move beyond benchmarks, because nobody edits high-quality videos or compiles code in Geekbench. Using Handbrake, we converted a 10-minute 4K, 60fps video in RAW format to 4K HVEC, and the M5 MacBook Pro 14 completed the render in 6 minutes and 57 seconds. Comparatively, it took 7 minutes and 30 Seconds on the M2 Ultra, and 6 minutes and 29 seconds on the M4 Max.

To serve as a background, Apple has historically released the base chip, and then a more powerful Pro version, followed by a Max version that is more powerful than the Pro, and finally, an Ultra version that comprises two Max chips into one. By pitching and (almost) matching the performance of the M5 to the M4 Max (there was never an M4 Ultra), Apple has shown a performance leap that translates to real-world time savings.

The same task on an M1 machine would likely take considerably longer, and let’s not waste time on an Intel-based Windows laptop – technology is meant to help, not make excuses. The M5 features a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, paired with a next-generation 10-core GPU that includes a Neural Accelerator in each core. For anyone still using an M1 or M2 MacBook Pro or iMac, the M5 represents a compelling upgrade opportunity. Yes, those older machines remain capable, but the M5 delivers up to six times faster AI performance compared to the M1, along with substantial gains in CPU and GPU capabilities. 

The current M2 MacBook Pro we’re using already handles professional workflows with the kind of casual ease. If you’re on the upgrade track, the company is making it easy by releasing only one 14-inch model, which means that if you want something slimmer like the MacBook Air, or something bigger like the 16-inch, or even an iMac, then this isn’t for you. Otherwise, the choice is easy to make, since this machine is also purpose-built for AI, or rather, Apple Intelligence. 

These days, artificial intelligence or AI is the buzzword on every brand’s lips, with tech companies racing to integrate AI features into their products. Apple’s approach with Apple Intelligence differs from the competition in one crucial way, however – it works on-device, meaning your data stays on your machine, and you don’t need an internet connection to tap into its capabilities.

Granted, not having the support of the cloud to process the information means there are some functions, like real-time searches and having access to updated information, that Apple systems cannot perform, but the M5’s enhanced Neural Engine, combined with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, means tasks like text-to-image generation in Image Playground are dramatically faster. Whether you’re a student transcribing lecture notes with AI, a content creator storyboarding concepts, or running local AI models for your business, the M5 MacBook Pro 14 handles these workflows without requiring cloud connectivity or raising privacy concerns.

And since the Writing Tools feature is built into the hardware, it means you can generate email content or have AI clean up your drafts and proposals, without opening another app that can do the work. It’s the kind of productivity enhancement that you don’t realise you need, until you try it and wonder how you ever managed without it.

It’s the same with the storage situation, with Apple claiming the new SSD is now twice as fast compared to the previous generation. For those working with large files – whether importing RAW photos or exporting 4K video – this speed boost translates into greater efficiency. And while the base model still starts with 512GB of storage, you can now configure it up to 4TB if your needs demand it, compared to the maximum of 2TB on the previous M4 model. Of course, that’s a price change from S$2,199 to S$3,999, but for those who need the capacity, you now have the performance to match it. With the base configuration of a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage, the M5 MacBook Pro 14 sits in that sweet spot between the more affordable MacBook Air and the higher-end M4 Pro and M4 Max models, offering users professional-grade performance in a compact, portable package.

That unified memory bandwidth has also seen a significant jump, from 120GB/s on the M4 to 153GB/s on the M5 – a nearly 30 per cent increase that keeps the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine churning with data, preventing pauses when running demanding creative applications or AI models.

But that’s also about the extent of any changes, as Apple continues in its desire to make everything look and feel consistent. The M5 MacBook Pro 14 maintains the same aluminium unibody design that has defined the line-up since 2021, and honestly, there’s no reason to change a look so iconic and instantly recognisable. Measuring 31.26cm by 22.12cm by 1.55cm, and weighing a mere 1.55kg, it remains one of the most portable professional laptops available. Its 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display continues to impress with a 3,024 x 1,964 resolution at 254 pixels per inch, offering stunning clarity for everything from photo editing to content consumption. With 1,000 nits of sustained brightness for regular content, and up to 1,600 nits peak for HDR, the screen handles any lighting condition with ease. Yes, there’s still that notch at the top of the display housing the camera, but you will stop noticing it after the first few hours of use.

As for the Mac’s much lauded battery life, Apple continues to set the gold standard, and while the company claims up to 24 hours of use on a single charge, that also depends on your workload and settings, such as connectivity and display brightness. But suffice to say, it’s still one of the few machines that continues to push on, and one you can safely bring out of the home and office for use for a few hours, even when it’s on half charge. Even more impressive is how quickly the machine charges when you plug it in, whether it’s from the MagSafe charging or using a regular USB-C cable.

Herein lies the important question: Should you invest in this if you’re on an M3 or M4 machine? Given that Apple hasn’t laid down all its cards with the anticipated M5 Max or M5 Pro models, you’re probably fine holding out for them, unless you specifically need the AI performance boost or have workflows that would benefit from the faster storage and increased memory bandwidth. Apple’s silicon chips have proven remarkably long-lived, and there’s no shame in waiting another few months, or even another generation.

But whether you consider the new MacBook Pro 14 to be revolutionary or evolutionary, there’s no denying that the company has refined its marketing and launch formula to the point where these machines simply work, while delivering consistent and more powerful performance wrapped in an elegant package. Students and professionals looking for something more capable than a MacBook Air but don’t want the heft of the 16-inch model now have a perfect machine that offers desktop-class performance in a premium, portable form factor that resets the benchmark by which all other laptops should be measured. 

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) — Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

When Apple skipped releasing new iPad models in 2023, few consumers took notice, as the 2022 models were still performing well, and it seemed more like a strategic pause, to show there wasn’t always a need for iterative product launches just to fit an annual calendar. The return of the M4-powered iPad Pro in May 2024 was then heavily anticipated, because if there is something consumers dislike more than planned annual upgrades, it’s the denial of one. But here we are, a little over a year later, and Apple has done it again, this time with the M5 chip powering the iPad Pro, and the question is whether this is the upgrade that finally makes sense for existing iPad owners.

Since its debut in 2010, the tablet has long straddled a curious market position where it offers features far superior to a smartphone, but is also somewhat less productive than a laptop, even if it’s capable of outperforming it in terms of size, portability and performance. The debut of the premium Apple iPad Pro in 2015 positioned the high-end model as a statement piece, securing the category as one that could stand toe-to-toe with laptops as creative and productivity powerhouses. And with the M5 chip debut across this year’s 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models, that statement has grown considerably bolder.

Apple’s decision in placing the M5 chip in just three product categories this year, on the MacBook Pro 14, Apple Vision Pro and iPad Pro, without the need to launch an M5 Pro or M5 Max version of the new chip, which is an indicator of where it wants to position the iPad Pro, as being more powerful alternatives to the current MacBook Air and its laptop contemporaries. Along with the third-generation 3-nanometer technology the chip is built on, Apple is touting this as the next big leap in artificial intelligence (AI) performance and it’s not hard to see why – other companies are pushing AI on regular computers and desktops, but here is a tablet offering the same capabilities, and now backed by a hardware chip in a product category that no one else seems to be focusing much on. 

If you read the news on the new M5 and iPad Pro, one of the things you might have missed out on is that the iPad Pro models offer two versions of the M5, as it did with the M4. Models with 256GB and 512GB capacity, armed with 12GB of RAM, are also packaged with an M5 with a 9-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Those with 1TB and 2TB of storage come with the same M5 chip found on the MBP 14 and Vision Pro, and 16GB of RAM. This differentiation allows the company to target different groups of consumers with performance and value, but what’s key here is that the GPU architecture remains the same, as the M5 features a Neural Accelerator in each of its 10 GPU cores. This translates into 4 times the peak computation performance for AI workloads compared to the M4, and 5.6 times that of the M1 iPad Pro from 2021.

AI use, while increasing, is still not prevalent, especially when it comes to native support that doesn’t require a service to a third-party AI model, but with the iPad Pro, Apple is sending a clear signal that its AI deployment is not hardware category specific, and if you’re accustomed to using a tablet, and want AI, don’t feel pressured to settle for a traditional computer or a phone – there are other options to suit your needs.

If you’re comfortable with video editing on the go with a tablet and not a workstation, then AI on an iPad Pro running apps such as DaVinci Resolve will feel no different. Musicians creating songs and making music on Logic Pro on the iPad can easily tap on AI as part of their workflow without moving to a laptop, as your existing iPad productivity doesn’t need to change. The faster 16-core Neural Engine, combined with the GPU Neural Accelerators, means AI and Apple Intelligence operate with greater fluidity, making the whole AI integration feel more like an essential tool you seamlessly weave in.

On top of that, the unified memory bandwidth has now jumped to 153GB/s, making it an almost 30 per cent improvement over the M4, and more than double that on the M1, which means you can do more across more apps like Procreate and DaVinci Resolve, without feeling a strain.

Running the new 13-inch iPad Pro review unit through GeekBench 6, the M5 generated a single-core score of 4,117 and a multi-core score of 16,369 on the 1TB model with its 10-core CPU configuration. For comparison, we clocked a single-core score of 3,420 and a multi-core score of 14,274 on last year’s M4 iPad Pro equivalent, which translates to an impressive 20 per cent single-core improvement, and a 14 per cent multi-core performance gain. 

With Geekbench AI, the M5 model produced a single-core result of 5,286 for CPU and a GPU result of 12,650, and a Neural Engine benchmark of 5,302, compared to 4,931, 10,031 and 4,935, respectively, on the M4 model. 

Otherwise, Apple, as always, chose not to mess with its design offering here, as the stunning Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display from last year makes a return, offering the same 1600 nits of peak brightness with HDR content, and 1000 nits of full-screen brightness. The 13-inch model maintains its 2,752 x 2,064 pixel resolution at 264 ppi, while the 11-inch offers a 2,420 x 1,668 pixel resolution, also at 264 ppi.

For those using the device to watch videos, edit photos or produce video content, the display continues to be the gold standard, producing a level of detail and highlights that cannot be found on other devices. Whether you’re watching the new Superman film or the superior Man of Steel, you know that the differences in visual accuracy and style between both films have nothing to do with the impressive screen on this device. 

The inclusion of the N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 support to the iPad Pro for the first time, though you’ll need the appropriate router to take advantage of it, and thanks to the Deco BE22000 mesh router, we could download Netflix videos for offline viewing or stream high-resolution content with ease. For those of you who use your iPad Pro for work calls, there is just something different about tapping on the device’s 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, which is ideal for Zoom, Teams or FaceTime calls. 

As part of Geek Culture’s battery of gaming tests, we also fired up the device running a series of demanding titles, such as Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact and Delta Force, and the M5 iPad Pro did not disappoint. Each game ran with no issues on maximum settings, with plenty of performance room to spare, so the combination of a powerful GPU and a stunning display makes this the best mobile gaming device available, assuming you can get past the fact that you’re gaming on a tablet.

But as always, the question is never if you should upgrade, but when. Owners of last year’s M4 iPad Pro shouldn’t be upgrading to the M5, unless you are deep into AI or productivity workflows that require that additional boost the chip provides. But if you’re holding on to an M1 or M2 iPad Pro, this should be the realisation that the performance gains here warrant a relook at how you can use the device. 

At S$1,499 and S$1,799 for the base 11-inch Wi-Fi and Cellular model, and S$1,999 and S$2,299 for the base 13-inch Wi-Fi and Cellular model, and up to S$3,649 for the 2TB 13-inch Wi-Fi model with nano-textured glass, this is a heavy investment that doesn’t come with accessories such as the Magic Keyboard (S$529) and Apple Pencil Pro (S$199), which means your total investment can easily climb to close to S$2,500, which is in the MacBook Pro. Funnily enough, the base MBP 14 is priced from S$2,199, though with the iPad Pro, you get a touchscreen, Apple Pencil and cellular connectivity, along with a form factor that fits unique use cases. 

The iPad Pro continues to exist in a category of one because there’s simply nothing else like it, and with the M5, Apple is ensuring that nothing else comes close. 

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple iPad Pro M5 (2025) – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

When Singaporean comic book artist Elvin Ching was contacted by Marvel Comics earlier this year, he could barely believe it. The famed publisher behind the X-Men and Avengers comic books was considering him for their prestigious Art Atelier artist training program – an invitation that could change the trajectory of his career. But what came next was something the self-professed sci-fi and creature feature fanatic couldn’t have anticipated – a chance to take on “one ugly motherf***er”.

“With so many Marvel characters and titles, I did not expect my first Marvel job to be a Predator movie tie-in book,” Ching laughs, recounting the moment he was offered the project to draw the prequel comic for the upcoming Predator: Badlands film.

“It worked out because I am a Predator fan too and when I think about it now, it was actually an ideal choice as a first project for me.”

After being contacted in early 2025 about the Marvel Art Atelier program, where he was one of five artists from around the world flown to Paris Disneyland for the intensive workshop in June, Ching, who created his The Woodsman comic in 2021, wasn’t sure what was next for him, since there was no guarantee of work after completing the program.

But it was right after that Marvel Comics invited him to submit sample pages for critique and by late July, an offer for Predator: Badlands was put in front of him.

“I wasn’t given other options, but the fact that the one choice on the table was Predator was more than enough,” Ching says. In hindsight, he’s grateful he didn’t have to agonize over multiple projects. “This specific book being handed to me decisively helped me be hyper-focused on how I could do the best for it.”

And four months later, the Predator: Badlands one-shot, set for release on 12 November, is set to become Ching’s debut Marvel Comics project, working alongside editors Martin Biro and Austin Hatch, writer Ethan Hunt, inker Oren Junior, and colorist Juancho Velez – creatives who were equally passionate about delivering exceptional work.

“They are incredible in their roles, but they also elevated my work,” he emphasizes, pointing to the collaborative nature of making a comic book.

But even though Ching is a fan of the franchise that has produced six main movies and a slew of video games, the upcoming film, by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, 2022) and starring Elle Fanning (Maleficent, 2014) doesn’t feature a conventional Predator that travels to Earth to hunt. Instead, the young Yautja aka the name of the species features a visual departure, with a much younger hunter not wearing the iconic Predator helmet, Instead, the film takes place the Predators’ home-world and focuses a lot more on their culture, giving Ching a chance to put his own stamp on an iconic race.

“I was given access to movie materials for reference when I started work on the book, which was around early August. And as much as I do love the conventional Predators, I also love that I was tackling this new Predator! It was definitely challenging drawing this version as it felt more advanced with more detailed gear and outfits,” explains the 48-year-old.

“Even after drawing him over 20 to 30 times, I still had to constantly look at the reference to get his gear and unique facial features right,” he admits but he embraced the challenge. 

The creative approach came down to understanding the character’s physicality. This Predator is smaller than most, so Ching depicted him as more agile – compensating for size with speed and precision. 

“I settled on “Wolverine” as a good example to play on – fast and tough. The other thing that stands out for this predator is in the way he wields his sword, so at some point it was fun to switch him from hunter mode to swordsman.”

What Ching didn’t realize until he started was how perfectly the project aligned with his background. Years of drawing his own fighting comic, The Woodsman, and choreographing fights during his storyboarding days suddenly became invaluable such that a friend who saw early drafts called it the perfect “monster book” for him.

“All the action played into my previous comic and storyboarding experiences,” Ching reflects. “I hope in that way, I managed to give it a new edge while keeping it true for fans.”

And as a fan himself, Ching did what was expected and slipped in a couple of Easter eggs for the eagle-eyed fans, though neither are Predator related. And while there’s an X-Men nod and a Star Wars reference, both are so subtle, he’s not even sure they counts.

What Comes Next?

For now, Ching doesn’t have his next book lined up, but he’s keeping busy. The coming months will be spent promoting Predator: Badlands, catching up on overdue commissions, and finally creating some fan art for his Instagram (@elvching), which he admits has been “starved” while working on the Predator project.

As for dream projects? Ching would lose his mind over an Aliens vs Predator series, given that Predator: Badlands has revealed a link to the massively popular Alien franchise as well. All he wants is a chance to capture the horror aspect of the Xenomorphs, and to depict the savage fights that would inevitably follow. 

“All Hell would break loose and I am HERE for that,” he says with genuine enthusiasm.

And what about adding Terminators to the mix, especially since the film includes artificial lifeforms, though Ching clearly thinks the synthetics from Alien are nowhere near the killer machines in the Terminator series.

“That would be insane and I love it,” he says, but is also quick to note that “Terminators are a lot tougher with their endoskeletons, while the androids seem to keep getting split apart. Also, any three-way crossover of the film giants, which were a staple in comic books, would need a cohesive, engaging story – not just cool fan service.

Character-wise, his Marvel wishlist includes the X-Men (particularly Archangel, Iceman, and Longshot), Cloak & Dagger, and Doctor Strange, but is also open to the unexpected – after all, Predator: Badlands was proof that sometimes an editor sees something in your work that you didn’t see yourself.

“Just the opportunity of drawing for Marvel keeps me happy and excited,” Ching says. “Maybe someone else sees something in my work that I didn’t see before, and that challenges me to broaden my perspective.”

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post New Chapter For ‘Predator: Badlands’ Starts With A Prequel Comic From Singaporean Artist Elvin Ching appeared first on Geek Culture.

If director Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Collateral, Miami Vice) lines things up neatly in his crosshairs, he could be filming his next movie in sunny Singapore with potential leading man Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street, Titanic).

Heat 2, the long-awaited sequel to his 1995 crime drama epic starring acting legends Al Pacino as police detective Vincent Hanna and Robert De Niro as professional thief Neil McCauley, is primed to be the Academy and BAFTA Award-winning director’s next project. While no cast has been linked, Mann has spoken about the long-planned project, including potential filming locations.

“Heat 2 is… an expensive movie to make, but I believe it should be made at the proper size and scale,” he told those present at a press conference on Saturday at the Lumière Festival in Lyon, where he is being presented with its honorary Lumière Award this year.

“It’s going to shoot in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay, and possibly some parts in Singapore,” he continued, though he did not elaborate more.

The original film was based on the true story of Neil McCauley, a criminal and ex-Alcatraz inmate tracked down by Detective Chuck Adamson in 1964. In 2022, Mann, alongside co-writer Meg Gardiner, released the novel Heat 2, which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to his 1995 heist film, as it tracks the early years of homicide detective Hanna, and criminals McCauley and Chris Shiherlis, played by Val Kilmer in the 1995 film. 

The sequel novel, which will serve as the premise for the upcoming film, starts with a prologue set immediately after the film’s ending, before jumping to events in 1988, 1995 to 96 and in 2000 and takes place across many locations in North and South America, and in Southeast Asia, which could explain the planned filming in Singapore.

Recently, production for the film was reportedly moved from Warner Bros. Discovery studio, where the original was made, due to disagreements over the proposed budgets. It was reportedly shopped around, including at Apple Studios, before landing at United Artists, a division of Amazon MGM Studios. Plans have also been made to ensure it secures a theatrical release. 

“I could have made it anywhere. But it’s complex. I can’t get into all the politics of it, but we moved from Warner Brothers to Amazon and United Artists,” explained Mann.

Aside from DiCaprio, who is reportedly eyed for the role of Shiherlis, Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), and even Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) are also reportedly circling the project and up for the same roles, should anyone pass on the project.

In the same interview, Mann also acknowledged that he was exploring the use of AI or artificial intelligence in Heat 2 to support the ageing and de-ageing process of the sequel’s three key characters. 

“I don’t experiment with technology gratuitously. [If] I have a dramatic need or aesthetic need for it then I go deep into what I need,” he told Deadline. “For example, ageing and de-ageing will be very important in the film (Heat 2),” he said.

However, it should be noted that his statements do not indicate that he will be using the technology to bring back Pacino and De Niro to reprise their roles from the original and use AI to create younger versions of the actors, as Martin Scorsese did in The Irishman (2019). 

As the novel progressively jumps across three distinct time periods, his statements likely mean that he will use de-ageing on the actors cast as his three leads. 

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Michael Mann Eyes Singapore As Filming Location In ‘Heat 2’, With Leonardo DiCaprio Circling Role appeared first on Geek Culture.

Two years is a long time in the world of fitness wearables, and after skipping 2024, Apple has returned to the premium health tracker market with the Watch Ultra 3, the latest in its family of devices that promises to take the adventure-focused smartwatch from more than capable to being indispensable. But few could anticipate that after such a long wait, Apple has also done the unthinkable – release an impressive Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch SE3 – two other fitness wearables that also offer just about enough to make you question if there is enough to justify a premium upgrade from the original, the Ultra 2, or devices from the previous Apple Watch family.

On the surface, not much has changed as the familiar titanium chassis remains, as does the distinctive orange Action button on the left side, and the crown and second button on the right. Available in Natural aka silver, and Black Titanium, the Ultra 3 maintains that rugged, premium aesthetic that made its predecessors stand out. In fact, anyone would be hard-pressed to easily identify this year’s model from two years ago, but dig deeper, and there are meaningful improvements that make this more than just an incremental update.

Out of the box, the display has received the most welcome upgrade, as at 422 x 514 pixels, it is now the largest display ever on an Apple Watch, and achieved without increasing the chassis, but by trimming down the bezels. The new LTPO3 OLED display matches what we saw on last year’s Series 10, offering a faster refresh rate while in always-on mode, for those who prefer to see watch faces with movements. New is the wide-angle OLED technology that provides up to 40 per cent more brightness when viewed off-axis, making it easier to glance at your wrist during incoming notifications or activities, without needing to lift it directly to your face.

For those who’ve been watching their blood pressure with concern, or those with a family history of hypertension, the Ultra 3 introduces blood pressure detection and tracking. Much like last year’s sleep apnea detection, this is not a medical feature, and unlike traditional blood pressure devices, it won’t give you exact systolic and diastolic readings. Instead, it tracks trends over time and will alert you if it detects signs of chronic high blood pressure. Together with sleep apnea, the Apple Watch family of devices now serves as a preventive health tool rather than a diagnostic one, and as a user who was alerted to a sleep apnea condition through the Apple Watch Ultra 2, such offerings are appreciated, as they can inform and even save the lives of those not specifically on the lookout for such health concerns.

For those of you who dislike charging your wearables every single day, due to the small device packing an even smaller battery, Apple now claims up to 42 hours of normal use, up from 36 hours on the Watch 2, though both still offer 72 hours of use in Low Power Mode. In our testing with daily workouts, sleep tracking, and moderate usage, we consistently hit two full days before needing a charge early in the morning, which is an improvement over the Ultra 2’s real-world performance. It also comes with faster charging, and a 30-minute charge gets you from 10 per cent to about 80 per cent, which is remarkably convenient when you take a shower in the morning. For divers planning multi-day trips, this is welcome news, though it still falls short of what some dedicated dive computers from Garmin offer.

The new S10 chip brings the expected performance improvements, making the wrist device perform snappier. The four-core neural engine supports new watchOS 26 features, including the intriguing Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence. This feature uses AI to provide real-time coaching during workouts, automatically selecting music from Apple Music that matches your pace and intensity and offering audio prompts to spur you to run faster to hit your stride. It’s an early glimpse of what Apple Intelligence can do on the wrist, though it requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby, and preferably a pair of AirPods Pro to function.

For those looking to track their health, another feature that deserves mention is Sleep Score, which is now available across multiple Watch models via watchOS 26. Instead of just tracking sleep duration, the Watch now provides a comprehensive score based on sleep quality, helping users understand not just how long they slept, but how well and when paired with the blood pressure monitoring, it creates a more holistic picture of overall health.

For divers, the GPS performance has also been enhanced, and Apple claims it’s now the most accurate GPS in a sports watch. Along with this is also the latest headline feature – satellite connectivity. Originally introduced on the iPhone 14, the feature now comes to the Watch Ultra family and allows the device to connect to a satellite, to send out emergency SOS messages, send messages via the Messages app, or send your Location in Find My. For hikers, divers, and anyone who ventures beyond cellular coverage, this is game-changing. For those living in Singapore, where there is connectivity covering the entire island, it’s not necessarily a feature that would be the most useful, but if you are travelling overseas and out of urban areas, you can now text emergency services, message friends and family, and share your location, all while completely off the grid. 

So, should you upgrade? If you’re coming from the original Watch Ultra or the normal Watch series, the combination of satellite connectivity, better display, improved battery life, and health monitoring features makes a compelling case. Specifically for Ultra 2 owners, though, it’s a tougher decision, as aside from the satellite connectivity, which is genuinely useful only if you spend a significant amount of time in remote areas, and a better battery, the new improvements are more evolutionary than revolutionary.

What’s clear is that Apple has taken the feedback from the past two years and addressed many of the concerns that early adopters had. The Watch Ultra 3 is more capable, more connected, and more focused on being a genuine companion for adventurers who need reliability when it matters most. It’s not perfect, especially since most of the features here are also available on the new Watch 11 series, with the key ones also on the entry-level Watch SE 3, and the S$1,299 is steep – but for those who need what it offers, there’s no better option.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple Watch Ultra 3 – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Along with the MacBook Pro 14 powered by Apple’s latest and powerful M5 chip, the company also announced a new iPad Pro and Vision Pro models running on its latest processor.

The new chip comes with the next-generation Apple GPU with “a Neural Accelerator in each core”, which delivers a boost in performance for iPad Pro users. Powering Apple Intelligence, it delivers up to 3.5 times the AI (artificial intelligence) performance than the M4 powered iPad Pro, and up to 5.6 times faster performance that the original M1-powered iPad Pro.

Available on both the 11 and 13-inch iPad Pro models, prices start from S$1,499 for the 11-inch Wi-Fi model, and S$1,799 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Prices for the 13-inch iPad Pro starts at S$1,999 for the Wi-Fi model, and S$2,299 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Pre-orders have started, with availability beginning on Wednesday, 22 October for the 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage devices.

While all are powered by M5, there are different versions of the chip. The 256GB or 512GB storage ones come with a 9-core CPU, with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, and a  10-core GPU, while the larger storage on the 1TB or 2TB storage options come with a 10-core CPU, with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, and a 10-core GPU.

The 10-core GPU promises next-level graphics performance, for both visual design work and gaming. The M5 chip incorporates a third-generation ray-tracing engine that produces sharper,  more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows, which are key to visually intensive software applications and for gaming on the move. The new iPad Pro provides up to 1.5 times faster 3D rendering with ray tracing compared to the previous model, and an incredible 6.7 times faster rendering performance compared to the original M1-powered iPad Pro.

The M5 chip also offers over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, marking a close to 30 per cent increase compared to the previous iPad Pro, aiding users with faster AI processing models and more intensive multitasking features across more apps.

Cellular models can also benefit from the Apple designed C1X cellular modem that promises up to 50 per cent faster cellular data performance, with a corresponding 30 per cent lower power consumption than the iPad Pro with M4.

And contrary to rumours that Apple has halted production of its Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, the company set the record straight with a Vision Pro headset upgraded with an M5 chip, compared to the M2 that powers the original release. It’s also offering a new Dual Knit Band with a single-piece upper and lower 3D-knitted straps that provides better cushioning, which the company says will offer an even more comfortable fit.

The jump to M5 powers the Vision Pro with an advanced 10-core CPU capable of delivering boosted multithreaded performance and faster system-wide experiences such as smoother web browsing, and quicker app and widget load times. Meanwhile, the 10-core GPU brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, allowing developers to introduce enhanced lighting, shadows, and reflections with stunning realism.

Along with a faster chip also comes improved battery performance, with the Apple Vision Pro now supporting up to 2.5 hours of general use, and up to 3 hours of video playback on a single charge, compared to 2 and 2.5 hours respectively before.

Since its release in February 2024, there are now 1 million apps available for the device, including more than 3,000 built for the device’s visionOS software. The price for the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip and Dual Knit Band starts at S$4,999, which is lower than the original launch price, which started from S$5,299. It is available with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage models and pre-orders for Singapore start on Friday, 17 October.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple M5 Chip Powers New 11 & 13-inch iPad Pro And (Cheaper) Vision Pro appeared first on Geek Culture.

Apple’s latest M5 chip, the newest addition to its Silicon family that powers MacBooks and iPads, has finally made its long-awaited debut – exclusive to the 14‑inch MacBook Pro for its laptop range.

The new entry-level MacBook Pro with M5 features a next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core that delivers up to 3.5 times the AI (artificial intelligence) performance, with up to 1.6 times faster graphics than the M4. With claimed battery performance of up to 24 hours and a faster SSD drive, the base model, which comes with a 10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 16GB of Unified Memory and 512GB of SSD storage is priced at S$2,199 with pre-orders starting from Friday, 17 October.

Available in Space Black and Silver, the top-of-the-line model, which comes with 32GB of Unified Memory and 4TB storage is priced at S$4,599, or slight more than double the price of the base model.

Aside from the CPU, almost everything else remains the same compared to the version before, the M4 MacBook Pro 14. Both come with a Liquid Retina XDR display with 3,024 x 1,964 pixel display, XDR brightness at 1,000 nits and 1,600 nits peak with HDR content, along with the same 12MP Center Stage camera, a six-speaker audio system, Thunderbolt 4 ports (x3) and Apple Intelligence capabilities.

Aside from the MacBook Pro 15, Apple also announced the new M5 powered iPad Pro line-up for the 11 and 13-inch models, as well as the Apple Vision Pro with M5. While previous years saw Apple also launch the Pro and Max versions of its latest chips at the start, it seems that the company is saving the best it has for a later date, likely in 2026.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple Debuts M5 Powered 14-inch MacBook Pro With Faster Performance appeared first on Geek Culture.

A household’s love for a robot vacuum cleaner has grown in the last few years, with cleaning, self-cleaning and even mopping capabilities added to the mix of autonomous machines that clean your whole house at the tap of an app, or through a simple voice command.

Brands from the original iRobot from the US, UK’s Dyson to China’s Xiaomi, Dreame, Ecovacs, Roborock and more, have been building and improving on the modernised vacuum cleaner to make home cleaning a chore no more, and the results have varied over the years. From advanced artificial intelligence that detects the amount and type of dirt, to the various models that can map out your home layout, traverse thresholds, operate over carpets, automatically increase cleaning intensity, and even drying capabilities to blow dry a vacuum’s cleaning head to prevent the need to disassemble the brushes after each use, to dry out the parts, brands are going all out to outperform the others.

And some are taking different approaches to cleaning.

Now unlike how Dyson has focused its core business on wireless vacuum cleaners and merely experimented with robotic ones, Ecovacs has done the opposite by launching a wave of robot vacuums with different capabilities, while putting less emphasis on wireless handheld cleaning machines. The Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone is the latest flagship self-guiding cleaner that is easy to set up, deploys different cleaning modes and intensity, and can be configured to deal with pets, continuous cleaning, and offering the ultimate deploy-and-forget cleansing.

Like most robotic cleaners, it comes with a massive base station that is actually lightweight to carry around. The bottom area is the docking bay that connects to the round robot cleaner, while the upper region of the station comprises two compartments. On the front left is a latch that can be removed, to house two plastic containers that contain cleaning solutions. The smaller one with a black lid is used to contain a strong cleaning solution, while the larger one with the blue lid is used to store regular floor cleaning solution. In the middle is a removable round chamber that deposits the dirt from the vacuum, making it easier to clean out the dust deposits.

At the top are two larger containers of equal sizes – the one on the left is used to hold clean water, while the one on the right is for the used water that the cleaning machine generates and disposes of. There is an opening at the top, and reaching in will reveal a handle to pull each container up and out. These containers have built-in latches in place, so you know if they are inserted correctly, to prevent any leaks since they all handle some form of liquid. There are also markings on the containers to avoid overfilling.

The underside of the robot unit comprises several sections and balanced on each side are two wheels, flanked by a smaller 360 degree wheel at the front, and the large mop head meant for mopping at the rear. While this mop head stays within the circumference of the unit, it can extend when deployed to mop the edge of walls, which Ecovacs refers to as edge-to-edge, streak-free mopping. And in the middle is the high-density nylon brush roller for vacuuming. 

The top of the unit is the three-prong element that has the Power button in the middle, and you can actually remove the plastic plate, to access the Wi-Fi access button to pair the unit to your phone. Lifting it will also reveal the removable container that keeps the dirt sucked up by the machine, before it’s extracted to the main chamber on the base station.

The first time you turn on the machine, you will be asked to install the Ecovacs app which will pair the machine to your phone, and allow you to connect it to your home Wi-Fi network (via the Wi-Fi button located under the plastic plate, and next comes the fun part – mapping your home. The unit, which showed around 65 per cent battery capacity out of the box, will traverse your home and map it via the app. This isn’t a cleaning mode as yet, as it will merely detect objects and travel around the edges of furniture, cupboards, walls and other big items, such as chairs, coat’s rack and more around your home, so if you have objects that are not a permanent part of your home layout, including bags, boxes, or even office chairs on rollers, do remove or move them for the machine to correctly map your home.

It took around an hour to map my 1,200 sq ft apartment, and there were a few things apparent during this time. You need to remove any regular-sized floor mats on the floor, as the rollers will get caught on the lightweight pieces of cloth and interfere with cleaning operations. Note that this mapping is done without any of the unit’s rollers or brushes deployed, so you can already imagine how much more of an impact such items will have, in preventing the machine from performing.

The catch is that there is a 3.2 cm high threshold between the dining room and kitchen, and while the machine easily rolled into the kitchen, it was unable to traverse out of it. Most toilets also have a similar threshold and while the machine is supposed to be able to maneuver across them, it depends on the depth of each one, if your intent is for the machine to clean your toilets as well. Otherwise, you can use the app to block out the kitchen and toilets, which I did, to stop it from cleaning those areas.

The sensors on the unit are able to detect the walls in the home and are able to differentiate between the outline of a bed in the middle of a room and a wall, though it also misidentified the small area outside the entrances of two bedrooms and the toilet, as a separate bedroom – perhaps identifying the small distance between two opposing walls as a doorway instead.

Regardless, after the home is mapped out, you can re-orientate the map and rename the rooms, and that’s when the cleaning fun starts. You can configure the automated cleaning to clean the whole house, and be done with it. The app allows you to alter the cleaning conditions as you see fit, such as choosing a vacuum mode, vacuum and moping mode, or a vacuum followed by mopping mode. And the vacuum suction is strong, as the machine has high airflow and strong suction, with 38 CFM (cubic feet per minute) airflow and 19,500Pa (Pascal) suction. While there is no numerical value to provide as an average, pure suction or airflow is not enough to determine how good a vacuum is, while a strong combination works better. 

There are also four suction modes to toggle with, and when it comes to mop, you can even set the amount of water used for mopping. There are also three speed modes – standard, deep cleaning and quick, for when you want a quick run around the home to prepare for guests. Lastly, you can also set the device to do one or two passes around the home.

And since you have mapped the layout, you can decide how the machine cleans each room in the home. If you note that the kitchen is dirtier due to cooking, and want a more thorough wet session following a vacuum, you can. If that spare room is not used, you can set the machine to simply vacuum, but not mop that room. And maybe you want the machine to focus on cleaning your children’s bedroom with greater intensity as well. 

What’s amazing, and while somewhat pointless, is that once you have the home mapped out, you can reorient the map to become a 3D map, and once you position furniture, like the dining table, beds, wardrobes, desk and kitchen counter tops, you effectively have mini digital dollhouse on your finger tips, to better track the movement and route of the machine.

It takes a while, but after 76 minutes, the house was spick and span. What the machine did was clean one room and a half, and then went back to the docking station to swap out the water, before moving to finish another room, then back to the dock to replenish, before spending a large amount of time on the living and dining room. The bulk of the dirt was under the couch and dining table, and you can just see the systematic way the device rolls across the open space in straight lines, through live tracking via the app, ensuring that every open area receives a good clean.

The return to the docking station is not just to clean the unit, as the vacuum comes with PowerBoost charging that also charges it quickly, effectively allowing it to run continuously in larger homes and areas. You cannot comprehend the frustration in the past, to come home only to find a powered down robot vacuum in the middle of the bedroom, simply because it ran out of juice to complete its job.

Another amazing feature is that the machine comes equipped with a video camera, and you can view the machine’s journey around the home in real time. It can be therapeutic to watch the machine move around the home, travel under the couch and in between the legs of the dining table, to clean the house. And if the machine is stuck, you can immediately tell what is in the way, be it an item left on the ground, or perhaps it’s your pet at home messing with the robot trying to clean up its mess.

What was surprising was that there wasn’t a mess of hair, normally caused by three long-haired ladies in the home, trapped in the roller after the machine did its round around the home. Like the Dreame H14 Ultra Wet Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner, the cleaning head on the unit uses an anti-hair tangle approach so that long hair doesn’t get twisted and trapped in the gears of the rotating brush. The suction brush head was relatively clean and if the mop is deployed, the machine has a self-cleaning function that uses hot air to wet clean and then blow dry the cleaning velvet material on the mop head. 

For any machine that offers wet cleaning, this drying with high heat is a must as it effectively eliminates any foul odour that can remain on the cloth material through normal drying. The end result was a used water container filled slightly less than half with cloudy water, and a dust chamber filled with dirt twists.

And post-cleaning, you can also view the path the device took on the app, to see which area it travelled and cleaned. And if you see a spot that was missed, you can visit the actual area to see what was obstructing the cleaning process. In the event that a room door is closed, the app will also reflect that the room wasn’t clean and you can choose to only clean that room in the next run. On a second round a few days later, bedroom slippers were left in the path that prevented the machine from going around, and the system identified an obstruction, as did the cleaning record on the app, showing clearly which area wasn’t clean.

In the four weeks of use, the machine cleaned the home extremely well, leaving the marble floors feeling polished and without that powdered feel upon the feet. When the machine was made to run two rounds across the home on regular mode, cleaning took close to two hours. The one thing that was not followed was the manual’s instructions to use only cleaning solutions made by Ecovacs. Instead, normal, suds-free cleaning solution was used in the regular cleaning solutions container, and the cleaned home emitted a soft lavender fragrance, courtesy of the cleaning solution. 

There’s also an automatic mode where the machine will detect the type of cleaning needed for the home, and room by room. Called Agent Hosting, it uses AI to determine the type of cleaning needed and one run of that took 138 minutes. One recommendation is to ensure mats and other items are removed from the floor, and to let it run when no one is home. This ensures that upon your return, all your feet are stepping back on clean floors that you produced, at the tap of an app.

At S$1,699, it’s certainly a hefty investment, but it’s a small price to pay for coming home to clean, shiny floors.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone Bagless Robot Vacuum & Mop – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

The return of the largest cinema screen in Singapore will be marked by the return of the biggest movie of this decade, as James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water returns for a special one-week screening in IMAX 3D at the newly refurbished Shaw Lido in Singapore’s Orchard Road.

Shaw Theatres’ Lido gave local audiences its first IMAX movie screen in 2011, and while there have been several smaller improvements made over the years, including the upgrade to IMAX Laser in 2022, 2025 will mark the location’s biggest overhaul, which adds new screens for all halls including IMAX, upgrade from Xenon projection to Laser for the other movie halls and a new lobby in the first phase. The remaining halls are also being renovated as part of Phase 2 of the upgrade, as one of the region’s biggest names in cinemas continues to challenge the recent downsizing of the industry as competitors including Cathay and Filmgarde shutter.

The return of The Way of the Water, the long-awaited 2022 sequel to 2009’s hit, Avatar, will also serve as a refresher for the upcoming sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, directed by Cameron, with returning leads Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. The original film currently sits at the top of the global box-office as the highest grossing movie of all time, at US$2.9 billion, while the sequel, at $2.3 billion, sits at number three on the all-time list, and is currently the highest grossing film of the decade. 

To celebrate this cinematic milestone of a new IMAX screen and the upcoming Avatar sequel, Geek Culture will be giving away 30 exclusive pairs of tickets to this 3D event, and the only time fans can catch The Way of Water, in a brand new IMAX hall and still Singapore’s largest cinematic screen.

Avatar: The Way of Water (IMAX 3D Re-Release)
Date: 7 October, Tuesday
Time: 8 pm
Venue: Shaw Theatres, Lido
Format: IMAX 3D

Be among the first in the region to catch one of the biggest films of the decade on an all-new IMAX screen at Shaw Theatres Lido, and return to the magical world of Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water in IMAX 3D. The special IMAX 3D limited re-release will be available for one week only, from 2 to 8 October at Shaw Theatres Waterway Point, Paya Lebar Quarter and Jewel, as well as Shaw Theatres Lido IMAX on 6 to 8 October. Avatar: Fire and Ash premieres on 18 December 2025.

ENTER NOW TO WIN

For a chance to win a pair of tickets (out of 30 pairs) to the fan screening, simply complete these steps: 

1. SHARE THIS POST and TAG a friend or more** you would like to watch the movie with.
2. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM and/or TELEGRAM**.
3. Fill in the form below.

Give us a LIKE below if you haven’t done so yet, so you won’t miss out on future similar giveaways!

The giveaway is open to all residents of Singapore. The giveaway closes on 4 October 2025 @23:59hrs (GMT+8). 30 lucky winners will be picked at random and contacted via email by 5 October 2025. Good luck!

**These steps are entirely optional, but we greatly appreciate it if you choose to show some support to Geek Culture by sharing and tagging the post so that we may be able to bring more giveaways to you all in the future!

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Geek Giveaway: Shaw Lido Re-Opens With Special ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ In IMAX 3D appeared first on Geek Culture.

First time Singapore-based game developer, TrueWorld Studios, is set to launch its upcoming title, Unyielder, on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on September 29th, throwing players into a post-apocalyptic wasteland in its roguelite high-speed boss rush FPS.

In this game, every fight is a 1v1 boss battle as players dash and smash their way across Antarctica with a changing arsenal of weapons, skills, and abilities scavenged from defeated foes. Blending looter-shooter action, fast-paced movement, and character-driven combat, every victory grants Data Drives that power the games “BYOBoss” system that lets players craft their own final bosses.

It will be published by Shueisha Games, the gaming division of global renowned manga publisher, Shueisha, known for publishing the popular Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. 

In the latest trailer, audiences can catch more than the game’s intense boss battles against over 40 unique foes, each imbued with distinct attack patterns and combat styles. It also reveals the game’s five playable characters, each with their own unique movement, style, and special skills.

Players start with one character and unlock the remaining four progressively, which means the first choice matters as gameplay will differ depending on strategic approaches based on character selection.

The Pretender: Gatling is the well-rounded mid-range fighter, while the Pretender: Thumper is a tank with high HP, shield strength and aerial mobility. Then there is Skinner, a melee fighter who gains buffs from successful dodges, Rali, a charge-based powerhouse who deals massive burst damage, and finally, Rain, a close-combat guardian who parries and counters with precision timing.

And fighting them are the four boss classes. Minor Bosses are the ones players will face off against early in the game, while Major Bosses offer a greater challenge, since they drop Data Drives for crafting. Special Bosses are secret bosses that emerge only when specific conditions are met, while Legendary Bosses custom bosses based on player decisions.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Singapore’s TrueWorld Studios Triggers Launch Of Debut PC Game, ‘Unyielder’, On 29 Sept appeared first on Geek Culture.

Despite the apparent oversaturation of content from and around the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there are some stories that bear revisiting, and the recent What If…? animated anthology series, based on the comics of the same name, offered an interesting premise of events that deviate from the main MCU. Taken in short, bite-sized chunks, it takes the familiar and allows audiences to consider the potential possibilities.

And across three seasons, the one that audiences have hungered for more, is the fifth episode from the first season, What If… Zombies?!, which is also loosely based on a highly successful comic book series that turns superheroes and villains into zombies, adding a horror element to the superhero genre. In this reality where an infection turns everyone into mindless, hungry creatures, the majority of heroes are no more, and instead, attention is placed on a group of lesser known characters.

The same goes for this upcoming four-episode sequel that deals with further repercussions of a zombified Earth, where the survivors believe there is still hope for some sort of rescue from the Nova Corps. Oh, and it’s safe to say that knowledge of the original episode is key to understanding where some of the zombie characters end up, and their motivations. Yes, in this realm, there is a ring leader, so it’s not as if the survivors are fighting mindless creatures. Originally conceived as an animated movie, each episode is now a mini-story that effectively focuses on the current generation of MCU heroes, meaning not so much on the OG Iron Man, Captain America, or the Hulk, but more on the Riri Williams aka Iron Heart, Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, Yelena Belova aka Black Widow, Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian, Shang-Chi and even F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Yet, not all of the original actors have returned to voice their characters, as while Dominique Thorne, Hailee Steinfeld, Iman Vellani, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Simu Liu and even Kerry Condon are part of the voice cast, Hudson Thames, who has voiced Peter Parker aka Spider-Man in several animated MCU projects, continues as the web crawler, while Kari Wahlgren is the voice of Melina Vostokoff, and Todd Williams voices Eric Brooks aka Blade Knight.

Since Mahershala Ali (The Green Book) has been cast but has yet to appear as Blade in the MCU, Marvel Zombies takes some creative liberties by having Blade be the new avatar of Khonshu, Moon Knight, so we don’t get to see what Blade actually looks like in the MCU, since he’s currently dressed as Moon Knight. And since this is an alternate reality story, not all characters appear as who they are in the main MCU, so it took a while to realise that it was Wyatt Russell voicing John Walker, but not really as US Agent. 

Because this is not the main MCU, there are surprising deaths across the four episodes. The appeal of the comics was to see how the heroes would handle a zombie infestation, and in that series, senseless deaths permeated the short run, and here, the deaths are displayed in glorious blood and gore, making this the first M-rated release from Marvel Studios, unsuitable for those under the age of 17. But if this is the only chance we get to see Spider-Man decapitating multiple zombies with his webs, we’ll take it.

As shown in the trailer, well-known characters get decapitated, gutted, sliced in half and torn apart, and while there is some twisted satisfaction in watching these futile sacrifices and deaths on TV, the short story across the mini-series doesn’t live up to the visuals. The deaths of certain heroes because of sacrifices on their part to lead a team to inform the Nova Corps of what has transpired on Earth in the last five years, for example, does elicit sadness, but by the third episode, the shock value is lost, making it seem like the writers just wanted some of newly-introduced characters to bite the dust just because they deemed it so.

As for the final wrap, it seems the bleak nature of the Marvel Zombie universe will continue, because [mild-spoilers ahead] the ending doesn’t seem to make sense. The Scarlet Witch, via a returning Elizabeth Olsen, who controls the zombies, wants to harness reality-altering power from the grasp of Ms Marvel, but all she ends up doing is making Kamala believe the young girl has succeeded. 

In a separate interview, Marvel Zombies series creator and director Bryan Andrews shared that the team has a handful of other ideas in the vault that are “ready to go [and] continue”, if there ever is a sequel, so a continuation of some sort may be in the cards. But given Disney’s recent mandate to have a lower quantity and focus more on quality, it’s unclear if there will be one. Until then, there’s only much more that the series can do to entertain, and it’s unfortunate that we’ve come so far only for more ancillary content to be taken from us.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Marvel Zombies (Disney+) – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Individually, the new upgrades and updates to the iPhone 17 Pro Max – rear cameras, front camera, unibody chassis, updated processor, colourway, and more – represent the incremental upgrades that the smartphone industry has been pushing as the norm for years, but as a collective, the latest flagship from Apple represents an amazing package rolled into one.

From the rollback to the aluminium unibody frame away from the titanium in the previous iteration, introduction of a larger rear module that houses three 48MP camera lenses and then some, next-generation wireless networking chip, to the smooth execution of an 18MP Center Stage front camera, Apple’s latest checks the boxes for all the required improvements, while offering refinements that fundamentally change the way you use your phone.

In terms of design, the iPhone 17 Pro Max shares almost the same dimensions, look, and feel as its predecessor. There’s the 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion at refresh rates of up to 120Hz, and the 2,868 x 1,320 resolution at 460 ppi (pixels per inch), with the biggest change being that it now offers 3,000 nits of peak brightness outdoors, compared to 2,000 before.

Its height and width have grown by a mere 0.4mm, now at 163.3mm and 78mm respectively, while the depth measures 8.75mm instead of 8.25mm. The weight has gone up to 231g from 227g previously, but given the larger rear module, it feels much lighter than anticipated.

For the last few generations, Apple has housed its three-camera lens system on the Pro models within a rear camera module that protrudes from the top left of the phone, and while we have grown accustomed to a left-inclined lens placement, it has provided a somewhat unbalanced device that doesn’t sit flat on the table. 

Replacing that camera module is a larger one that extends across the length of its rear body, though it’s less of a module and referred to as the camera plateau. Housed within are three 48MP camera lenses, which are still positioned on the left edge. There’s a 48MP telephoto that substitutes the previous 16MP, with support for 4x zoom or a 100mm focal length equivalent for 48MP images, or an 8x zoom or 200mm focal length but capped at 12MP images.

The mostly unchanged 48MP main camera offers wide-angle photography, allowing users to choose between 24MP or 48MP images at 24mm focal lengths, or 12MP images at 48mm focal length.

The final camera is the 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, boasting a 13mm focal length and a 120-degree field of view, alongside support for 4K Dolby Vision recording at up to 120 frames per second. New to video is the ProRes RAW recording option, and 4K 120 fps ProRes recording is available with an external storage connected to the phone.

And the quality is amazing. Using the Pro Max models of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16, we took shots of the Singapore Flyer from a distance, and on the 48MP photo with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, we were able to zoom in all the way, to see the spokes and center structure of the flyer with greater details, compared to the muddy look on last year’s model. Herein lies the challenge for consumers to be aware that megapixel count is just one part of the equation – 
Apple can easily bump up the megapixel count, maintain the same sensor size as before, win at the marketing game, and consumers would be none the wiser, but don’t be distracted by the megapixel count. The sensor size also plays a significant role, and by increasing the sensor size on the rear telephoto lens by 56 per cent, image performance has improved significantly.

So do we still call the larger design a camera module? It’s actually not, as this new, larger block houses more than just the cameras. 
Apple has indicated that to maintain the device’s slim build here, some of the components have been moved to this camera plateau to accommodate a larger battery. Whatever has been included, this plateau, as part of the new aluminium unibody chassis, helps balance the top of the device, so it rests more firmly on a flat surface. With the aluminium body, the rest of the rear is now made of Ceramic Shield, the same material used to coat the front display on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the front is now coated with Ceramic Shield 2 for three times improved scratch resistance.

Appearing in a lighter shade of orange on our Cosmic Orange review unit, the ceramic panel looks almost like a touchpad on a MacBook Air. While we do miss the titanium frame that lined last year’s Pro Max model, the use of ceramic on the rear, combined with aluminium, is a great alternative and replacement that makes for a unique identification mark. It remains to be seen how the ceramic will withstand repeated drops, but in a surprise move for Apple, the Cupertino giant has released video footage for drop, scratch and bend tests for the first time, showcasing how the series performs in reliability and durability tests.

For those wondering where the phone’s antenna sits, especially around all that shiny aluminium, it’s actually placed around the curved edge of the plateau. Otherwise, all the other buttons remain the same, with the Action and Volume buttons on the left edge, and the side or power and Camera Control buttons on the right. 

Alongside the camera upgrades is a revised user interface for camera and video controls, though a significant portion of this can also be attributed to the latest iOS 26 software update that brings about a new series of interfaces to match the incremental camera improvements throughout the years. This includes a refined one that moves Live Photo and Styles mode to a secondary menu, and in this mode, you only see Video and Photo mode as options, but if you know your Apple interface, sliding left or right will reveal the other classics, such as Cinematic or Portrait mode – these option just don’t clutter the interface as well. 

Aside from the rear camera though, the other big change is the square sensor powering the 18MP Center Stage front camera. For as long as we can remember, it’s second nature to rotate our phones to take a group or landscape wefie, to fit a larger group of people into a shot. Not only does Center Stage automatically keep you in the centre of the frame, but additional subjects in the same space will also be detected, with the camera orientation reframed from vertical to landscape, and pulling back as needed. The magic hails from a new square sensor on the front camera, allowing horizontal framing to still sit within the sensor, such that users no longer have to rotate the camera to take a group wefie. And you no longer have to tell your friends where the camera is with the phone rotated, because we’re all used to the top display placement of a front camera.

Is this a revolutionary upgrade? Hardware-wise, it’s not, but by catering to a common use scenario and changing the hardware and software to fit human behaviour, it’s clear that Apple has a better understanding of how its hardware is being used. If that’s not enough, there’s also a new Dual Capture mode that should be extremely popular with the younger, content-creating crowd, as they can now record video using both front and rear cameras simultaneously.

It’s not new to the market, as this feature is already available on several Android phones, allowing rear cameras to record the main subject, say, food or a sporting event, and the front camera to record your reaction to what’s being shot. Since it’s native to the iPhone 17 series, users will no longer require a dual camera setup, and can move the placement of the smaller, front camera window on the screen, in case it’s blocking some of the action taking place. The result is a single video file available in 1080p or 4K that you can then edit for use across content platforms.

As for processor performance, the new A19 Pro chip, also used on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, continues Apple’s legacy in providing a chip that outperforms last year’s. On the Geekbench 6 benchmark, the new CPU produced a single-core score of 3,547 and a multi-core score of 8,953, compared to 3,460 and 8,730 on last year’s model. With the GPU, performance hit 45,521 compared to 32,171. And on Antutu, the phone clocked a rating of 2,431,666 compared to 1,995,725 on its predecessor.

So what does the larger battery life deliver? Apple still continues its practice of providing hours of video playback, rather than capacity, and this year’s model adds four hours of use compared to last year, at 37 hours worth of video playback on the device and 33 hours streamed, compared to 29 hours before. After one year with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, there hasn’t been a time when the phone went dead due to the battery, so you can expect the same extended use scenario with this new model. 

Together with a more integrated Apple Intelligence, a faster networking chip that (finally) brings Wi-Fi 7 to the iPhone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max adds new features that matter, adapting to the expectations of a bigger demographic. Yes, the S$1,899 price point will be the largest stumbling block for most looking for a high-end device that adds built-in content creation functions, a more powerful camera system and a larger display, but that’s the price to pay for improvements that matter.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max — Review appeared first on Geek Culture.