Technology
Sega is reportedly working on big-budget reboots of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio
Sega has actually supposedly begun deal with big-budget reboots of 2 cult titles: Crazy Taxi and also Moneyed Class Radio. According to a record from Bloomberg pointing out “individuals accustomed to its strategies,” the Japanese video game titan wishes to develop brand-new video games that can end up being international hits like Fortnite and also supply repeating income.
Fortnite, certainly, has actually constructed its success on a variety of characteristics. It’s cross-platform, free-to-play, and also produces cash for author Impressive Gamings with making use of aesthetic micro-transactions. Bloomberg doesn’t state that Sega is following this mold and mildew specifically, however it’s difficult to understand exactly how you’d develop a Fornite-like hit without … duplicating Fornite’s crucial attributes.
Unclear tips of Sega’s strategies in this division have actually been standing for a while currently. In the firm’s yearly profits record for the year finishing March 2021, it called Moneyed Class Radio and also Crazy Taxi as “instances of previous IP” it wished to make use of with reboots, remasters, and also remakes. (Various other video games called consisted of Rez, Panzer Dragoon, and also Streets of Craze.) This very same record went over an inner “Super Video game” campaign, which Sony director Shuji Utsumi later on clarified would certainly indicate structure multi-platform AAA titles with international launches. (He additionally pointed slightly to NFTs, however truthfully I assume execs simply claim this as a response today.)
Previously this month, Utsumi claimed that numerous Super Video game jobs were presently underway, and also Bloomberg is currently claiming these consist of Crazy Taxi and also Moneyed Class Radio. The brand-new Crazy Taxi video game has actually remained in growth for a year, claims Bloomberg, with a targeted launch of 2024 to 2025. No such duration for Moneyed Class Radio is pointed out, and also the magazine emphasizes that “both brand-new video games remain in the onset of development and also might still be terminated.”
Points are still quite in growth, after that, however it’s enticing to picture what Sega may make with these residential or commercial properties. Both titles showed up on Sega’s Dreamcast in 2000 (Crazy Taxi showed up in games the previous year) and also got cult followings for their fashionable graphics and also soundtracks. Crazy Taxi charged gamers with supplying prices around an imaginary San Francisco as rapidly as feasible, while Tokyo-based Moneyed Class Radio supplied a variety of video game settings concentrated on inline skating and also graffiti tagging.
Both titles are far more concentrated on gameplay than tale, however Moneyed Class Radio’s use intrigues and also competitors appears especially well fit to the kind of mass-participation multiplayer that has actually assisted make Fortnite so prominent. As well as that recognizes, maybe a reboot of Crazy Taxi will indicate a brand-new signature tune from The Children? That would absolutely obtain the focus of any person that played these titles on launch.
Technology
DJI now makes a very powerful car charger for its big ass batteries
DJI has quietly introduced a powerful new car charger for its giant portable batteries. The $299 / €269 Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the company’s expanding lineup of power stations at up to 1000W from your car’s alternator when the engine is running.
This new class of (nearly) do-it-yourself alternator chargers are having a moment now that the most popular makers of solar generators and power stations have embraced DC-to-DC chargers. I wouldn’t have survived without one when remote working from my van last summer.
Once the Power 1kW is mounted inside your vehicle and connected to the car’s battery via the included 5m (16 feet 5 inches) fused cable, it then connects to the proprietary SDC port of the dongle-happy DJI Power 1000 power station I recently reviewed. It’ll also charge DJI’s 2048Wh Power 2000 Expansion Batteries when daisy-chained together with SDC cables for up to 11kWh of stackable storage capacity. The Power 1kW can also be configured to reverse-charge your car’s battery to prevent battery drain.
At full power the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the Power 1000’s 1024Wh battery in just over an hour’s drive. However, out of the box the Power 1kW is pegged to 500W of charging output. To reach 1000W you have to purchase yet another dongle — the $25 DJI Power Dongle — and then adjust the setting to 1000W in the app. Fortunately, DJI is bundling that dongle as a “free gift” with new purchases of the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger, at least in the US.
DJI’s announcement follows the arrival of the 800W EcoFlow Alternator Charger I reviewed last summer and the new 560W Bluetti AC500 announced in the fall (review is coming). EcoFlow’s charger, like DJI’s, uses a proprietary connector making it best suited to charge its own giant batteries, whereas the Bluetti AC500 can charge solar generators and power stations from nearly every manufacturer, but at half the rate of the DJI. Of course, all this assumes that your vehicle is fitted with a high-capacity alternator that can spare the amps.
Technology
How to restore deleted text messages on Android
We’ve all been here before. All of us have, at one point or another, accidentally deleted an important text. Gloria, from Chepachet, Rhode Island, reached out to us with this question:
“I accidentally deleted a text message; how can I get it back on my Android phone?”
We’re sorry to hear that you’ve accidentally deleted a text message. The ability to recover it depends on several factors, including your phone model, whether a backup was made and the specific messaging app you’re using. Here are some general methods you can try. (iPhone users, follow these tips.)
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Check if the message was archived (Google Messages)
If you have an Android-based phone or a Google account, you may use Google Messages as your primary platform for text messages. Here’s how to check if your message was archived within Google Messages.
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open the Google Messages app
- Tap your profile icon beside the search icon
- Select Archived
- Long press the messages you want to retrieve
- Tap the unarchive button in the upper-right corner
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Check the Recycle Bin (Samsung Messages)
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
If you are using a Samsung-based smartphone, your text messages can be stored in the Samsung OS’s Recycle Bin for up to 30 days. If you are using a Samsung smartphone, here’s how to check the built-in recycling bin app to see if your messages are in there:
- Open the Messages app
- Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner
- Choose the Recycle bin
- Choose the deleted text messages you want to retrieve
- Tap Restore to get them back to your messages list
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Use a third-party recovery app
If you don’t have a backup and your messages are permanently deleted, you might still have a chance to recover them using a third-party Android data recovery app. You can find Kurt’s picks for data recovery software here. Different apps will have different features, so be sure to pay close attention to which third-party recovery solution is the right one for your needs.
Restore from a backup
If you’ve backed up your phone to Google Drive, you may be able to restore your backup to recover the deleted text messages. Please note that restoring a backup might overwrite the existing data on your phone. Here’s how to check and see if you have a Google Drive backup for your smartphone:
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open Google Drive on your smartphone or visit drive.google.com.
- On Google Drive, select the storage option from the bottom left corner.
- Tap on backups to view any Android backups attached to your Google Drive.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Gloria, hopefully, we were able to help you restore the missing Android message. Regularly backing up your data to prevent future data loss is always a good idea. If you have an Android smartphone, I strongly recommend using Google Drive to back up your phone; that way, you can always access the backup within your Google account. If you can’t find your deleted messages in your phone’s trash bin or recycling bin, don’t panic. You can still most likely get any deleted data back with a third-party program, but check any program’s features before paying.
Have you ever experienced significant data loss? What lessons did you learn from that experience? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Technology
LG’s 2025 gaming monitor lineup includes a bendable 5K2K OLED
LG isn’t waiting until CES begins to reveal its new collection of gaming monitors. The 2025 lineup is led by the UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor, which LG claims is the “world’s first 5K2K-resolution bendable OLED display.” That strikes me as extremely specific, but hey, it’s always worth bragging when you’re first, I suppose. The 45-inch monitor has an expansive resolution of 5120×2160, so you’re getting the same vertical pixel count as a typical 4K screen but a much wider canvas to game on.
And with a 21:9 aspect ratio, LG believes it provides “a more immersive gaming experience than standard 16:9 displays, while maintaining better content compatibility than 32:9 monitors.” This format also makes the display a great fit for productivity work when you’re not immersed in gameplay.
The UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor (model 45GX990A) can transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature, and the latest version of LG’s Dual-Mode feature “allows users to switch effortlessly between resolution and refresh rate presets, and customize the aspect ratio and picture size.” It’s certified for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, but the press materials don’t specify a maximum refresh rate. I’ve asked for more details there.
LG is also releasing a non-bendable model with a permanent 800R curve. Otherwise, it’s the same 45-inch size, same aspect ratio, and same 5K2K resolution. LG’s press release says you can expect “sharp, lifelike images with the stunning colors and exceptional contrast LG OLED products are known for.” Shared specs between both monitors include a 0.03ms (GtG) response time and support for DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C with 90W power delivery. The 45GX950A uses a RGWB subpixel layout to improve readability of text on the screen and make the aforementioned productivity work easier on your eyes.
Along with these two monitors, LG is also introducing the curved UltraGear 39GX90SA, a webOS-powered “home entertainment hub” with easy access to streaming services — just like LG’s TVs. It seems like the company has taken some cues from Samsung’s smart monitors here. At 39 inches, this one’s a bit smaller than the other GX9 displays, but it retains the 21:9 aspect ratio and 800R curve. “Equipped with USB Type-C ports, it offers convenient connectivity, and incorporates LG’s ergonomic and space-saving L-shaped stand for a clutter-free desk setup,” LG said in tonight’s press release.
As per usual with CES news, pricing and a specific release date are still to come later in 2025. But we’ll be getting our first in-person look at the UltraGear GX9 series in Las Vegas, so stay tuned for impressions early next month — along with an avalanche of stunning screens from many other companies, too.
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