Gaming in North Korea. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Kritika: Zero is an upcoming action MMO released through Valofe. It is the latest in the Kritika series, following the most recent, Kritika Global . The new action MMO will feature five supported languages and upgraded graphics when it arrives on January 25th.

Rumors have swirled for a while that NCSoft and Sony were working on an MMO together set within Guerilla Games' Horizon: Zero Dawn universe. New job listings by an NCSoft employee may have accidentally confirmed it, with a code-named logo with Horizon's art style.

Guild Wars publisher NCSoft's long-rumoured Horizon: Zero Dawn spin-off is a full-blown MMORPG codenamed Project Skyline, will run on Unreal Engine 5, and is coming to PC and mobile with a PS5 release still TBC, according to a brace of job listings and CVs fished from the post-apocalyptic robo-wilds of yonder internet. Also according to the said listings, it won’t be out for a while.

Samsung is set to revolutionize communication with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 series, scheduled for release in a couple of weeks - likely, January 17 or January 18. It is set to pack a groundbreaking feature that will enable real-time AI call translations, making it a game-changer for users worldwide. The good news is that this AI call translation feature is not exclusive to Samsung devices, it extends its benefits to users conversing with non-Samsung Galaxy phones too. Whether you're using an Apple iPhone, Oppo handset, or any other Amdroid brand, you can still experience the convenience of real-time translations when communicating with a Samsung Galaxy device. Samsung's commitment to inclusivity is evident as they break down language barriers without limiting functionality to their own devices, and this innovative translation capability will seamlessly bridge language gaps.

The much-awaited Korean dating show aired a brand-new episode 9 on Tuesday, January 2, 2023, at 5 p.m. KST on Netflix. The series features a new set of eligible singles, both men and women, looking for love and a potential partner. All of them gather at the Inferno, where they spend time with each other and participate in a variety of challenges. The winners get to choose their partner to take to Paradise, where they get to know each other better.

Popular Korean reality dating show aired a new episode 8 on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. KST on Netflix. The series features a set of eligible singles, both men and women, looking for love and a potential partner on an isolated island called Inferno. Throughout the season, they participate in a variety of challenges and tasks. The winners get to pick their choice of partner and spend some quality time in Paradise.

Samsung is retaining its strategy of attracting customers to its latest and greatest Galaxy S24 series by offering several pre-order bonuses. Early adopters will not just be entitled to receive twice the storage without any extra change, but they will also get the opportunity to purchase additional Galaxy-branded products at a discount.

Samsung has likely laid out its plans for 2024, with its paramount focus being to regain lost global market share to various rivals, including Apple. The Korean giant is expected to initiate its New Year resolution with the Galaxy S24 launch, which is rumored to be held on January 17. However, before the official announcements take place, the company will send out official invites to various media outlets and YouTube personnel to be a part of Galaxy Unpacked 2024, with one rumor claiming that those invites will be sent out on January 2.

Manhwa initially originated in South Korea but shares stark similarities with manga. However, that doesn’t imply that Manhwa doesn’t have its charm. With engaging narrative and immersive characters, it captivates audiences with its stellar visuals and constantly growing fanbase.

Remember Stellar Blade? Announced in 2021 as Project Eve and re-revealed in 2022 with its new name, Korean developer Shift Up’s upcoming hack-and-slash title was slated for launch in 2023. If it weren’t obvious enough that it wasn’t going to launch this year, Sony has officially confirmed a delay to 2024.

Lies of P is one of 2023's most pleasant surprises. It's a twisted take on the classic tale of Pinnochio, incorporating elements made famous by FromSoftware's Dark Souls series. Korean newcomer Neowiz Games knocked it out of the park with its debut, delivering some competent competition and the closest thing to a Bloodborne successor we've seen to date.

If you were anticipating an action-packed weekend of Stellar Blade action, then you probably should have known better to be honest. Despite being scheduled to release in 2023, it was pretty clear earlier this year that Korean developer Shift Up’s console debut would take a little longer to launch on PS5. It’s now been included in a list of PS Blog highlights, with a 2024 release window attached.

Samsung will be livid that just weeks before its first ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ event of 2024 kicked off, the Galaxy S24 Plus was mistakenly listed on the online retailer Walmart, revealing a ton of information surrounding the flagship. One area that caught our eye was the number of features Samsung intends to bring to this version, and they are plentiful, as you will soon find out.

It’s been a great year in movies. So great, in fact, that it was hard to limit our year-end list to just the 50 best new movies. Similarly, TV had a stellar year, and the 50 best new shows only scratches the surface of the year in episodic storytelling.

Samsung is heavily invested in AI, and you can tell this by the fact that the company announced the Galaxy AI along with its Gauss AI model. We do know that the upcoming Galaxy S24 series will ship with a suite of AI features, including a feature that would use AI to translate a phone call in real-time, which I think is a feature that would become useful for a lot of people.

Two members of the Galaxy S24 lineup could sell in even higher volume than the Galaxy S23 series, according to one tipster, as he bases the latest rumor on Samsung’s recent activity of having ordered additional quantities of the Galaxy S24 Plus and its top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Korean giant may also introduce a price cut to get more eyeballs on its products, and since it is announcing the three new models earlier, it might take away some market share from the iPhone 15 family.

NVIDIA has spent big money on HBM3E memory as it tries to secure enough stock for its next-gen Hopper H200 & Blackwell B100 AI GPUs.

5 most anticipated wearables coming in 2024: The world of wearable technology is on the brink of a groundbreaking transformation in 2024, as tech giants gear up to introduce innovative products and upgrades. Among the frontrunners is Samsung, stepping into the smart ring arena with the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Ring, set to debut alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones in January 2024. Unlike the somewhat underwhelming wearables of 2023, the coming year promises a wave of exciting devices that are sure to capture enthusiasts' attention.

The US Government is reportedly planning to expand restrictions on the Chinese DRAM industry, with a possibility of an adverse effect on local manufacturers.

Samsung’s rumored cost-cutting measures have been mentioned in the latest rumor, where the company is said to use slower UFS 3.1 storage for its Galaxy S24 series. Thankfully, only one model is said to be treated to the inferior onboard memory; the 128GB storage variant. It was previously reported that Samsung intends to launch the Galaxy S24 series at the same pricing structure as the Galaxy S23 lineup, but to achieve this goal, the company is likely making compromises like the one highlighted above.

There are a lot of ways to judge a great performance. In 2023, as in every year, some of the year’s best movies were quirky, colorful, boundary-pushing challenges to the cinematic status quo, and some were low-key, emotionally intense stories, either tracking the lives of famous historical figures or just trying to evoke the pains of real life. Our list of the best performances of the year honors both extremes: outsized performances that tickled and surprised us, and realistic ones that made us forget we were watching a performance. Here are our favorites among the many great performances we saw in movies in 2023.

The International Criminal Police Organisation better-known as Interpol has announced the arrest of 3,500 alleged cybercriminals and scammers, alongside the seizure of $300 million in cash and digital assets across 34 nations. The arrests marked the conclusion of what Interpol calls Operation HAECHI IV, a six-month investigation funded by South Korea.

The  have been revealed. The episode is set to premiere on Netflix and SBS TV. It is a South Korean romantic drama that revolves around Jeong Gu-won, a supernatural being who unexpectedly loses his powers, and Do Do-hee, a wealthy heiress. They come together under unexpected circumstances, leading to a unique and intriguing storyline.

Hackers claimed to have leaked over 1.3 million files from Sony Corp. division Insomniac Games, maker of the Marvel's Spider-Man series.

Before the holidays, Larian Studios released a new hotfix for Baldur’s Gate 3. It addresses the usual assortment of progression blockers, crashes and bugs, including an issue that, as the developer calls it, turned characters’ faces into “stretched eldritch horrors with pits of flesh in place of eyes.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 players rejoice — you no longer need to worry about your favorite characters’ faces becoming distorted and stretched during cinematics to the point that their eyes are transformed into harrowing “pits of flesh.” Hotfix 15 is live now and addresses a whole bunch of issues.

Developer hinyari9 has announced Marfusha: Sentinel Girls sequel and shooter Snezhinka: Sentinel Girls 2 for PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024.

Tencent has closed one of their own studios, and alongside it, a AAA game that didn’t make it to a public announcement.

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

Covenant Child, an upcoming blockchain MMORPG with a play-to-earn model, has begun a global open beta. 

Starting on December 20, viewers can start streaming the first two episodes of the first season of the highly anticipated fantasy series,. The first season of the series will be based on Rick Riordan’s first book of the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and see Percy Jackson and his friends Grover and Annabeth Chase go on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt and catch the real thief after Percy is falsely accused by Zeus for stealing the lightning bolt. Walker Scobell of The Adam Project will essay the role of Percy.

Intel's Gaudi 3 AI accelerator reportedly employs the TSMC 5nm process and is expected to compete with NVIDIA H100 & AMD MI300X.

It seems that adventurers are not done exploring The Land of the Morning Light, as Black Desert announced a new region for the area, as well as a new class and more during this weekend's Calpheon Ball.

The Switch version of Touhou Project restaurant simulator Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya will launch on May 2, 2024 for $24.99, publisher Phoenixx and developer Dichroic Purpilion announced. It will support English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.

The   have finally been revealed. The upcoming episode is scheduled to premiere on both Netflix and SBS TV. My Demon is a captivating Korean romantic drama that revolves around the journey of Jeong Gu-won and Do Do-hee. Jeong, a supernatural being with extraordinary abilities, undergoes an unexpected twist of fate as he loses his superhuman powers.

Originally due in November, trendy K-hip hop combat game Tiger Blade will now purr to PSVR2 from 20th December, just in time for the holidays. The rhythm slasher, which sees you tasked with stealing a previously believed extinct cat from a rival clan, is set in an alternate version of Korea – and you can read more about the developer’s influences in our interview.

The version 1.6 update for Honkai: Star Rail, dubbed “Crown of the Mundane and Divine,” will launch on December 27, developer miHoYo announced.

Exciting news awaits fans as the long-anticipated release details for   have finally been revealed. The upcoming episode is scheduled to premiere on both Netflix and SBS TV. My Demon is an enthralling Korean romantic drama that centers on the journey of Jeong Gu-won and Do Do-hee. Jeong, a supernatural entity possessing extraordinary abilities, experiences an unforeseen turn of events as he loses his superhuman powers.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is Apple’s first flagship to feature a 5x tetraprism telephoto lens. The company will eventually expand upon the maximum supported lossless zoom, with a rumor claiming that the technology giant will eventually switch to a 10x tetraprism lens. However, in doing so, the company is said to have excluded LG Innotek as one of its suppliers and replaced it with one Chinese firm.

Publisher Rainy Frog and developer Score Studios have announced Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons for Switch and PC (Steam). It will launch on February 27, 2024 with English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language support.

The much-awaited Korean reality series returned with its Season 3 on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 5 p.m. KST on Netflix. The dating show features eligible singles, who are ready to mingle with fellow potential suitors. The contestants look for love on a deserted island called the Inferno. They participate in a variety of challenges, and the winners get an opportunity to spend time with their chosen partner in Paradise.

Fntastic, the developer behind controversial Steam Early Access launch The Day Before, has shut down with immediate effect.

A report from the South Korean website InsightKorea reveals that Crimson Desert may have been internally moved from Q2 2024 to Q2 2025 by developer Pearl Abyss (known as the maker of Black Desert Online and owner of CCP Games).

Zombie MMO The Day Before has seemingly lost three-quarters of its player base since it release to overwhelmingly bad reviews just two days ago.

NVIDIA's Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has once again teased a potential partnership with Intel Foundry Services for next-gen chip production.

The  have been revealed. The episode is set to premiere on Netflix and SBS TV. It is a South Korean romantic drama featuring Jeong Gu-won, a supernatural being who loses his powers, and Do Do-hee, a wealthy heiress. They join forces in unexpected circumstances.

Netflix’s new Korean horror series Gyeongseong Creature will premiere just in time for Christmas. A trailer released on Thursday reveals the show’s creepy-World War II setting and even gives us a glimpse at the monster at its center.

Zombie MMO The Day Before is now out in early access, but is receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam.

The version 4.3 update for Genshin Impact, dubbed “Roses and Muskets,” will launch on December 20, developer miHoYo announced.

Free-to-play urban fantasy action RPG Zenless Zone Zero will launch for console, PC, iOS, and Android in 2024, developer miHoYo announced.

Seasun Games has announced multiplayer mech action game Mecha BREAK for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.

Samsung will slowly shift away from producing lithium-ion batteries as its sub-division called Samsung SDI is reportedly developing solid-state batteries with an aim to launch the new technology a few years from now. A new team has also been formed to help the Korean giant reach its intended production goal.

Throne and Liberty , NCSoft’s latest epic MMORPG  has officially launched in Korea. There’s a brand new cinematic story trailer to whet your appetite for the large-scale battles, environmental challenges, and quests for power ahead.

Twitch will officially be closing down services in South Korea at the beginning of next year due to high operating costs. 

Around six months ago, Korean media reported that Sony was sniffing around the region’s local talent in order to shore up content from emerging studios. In the past few weeks, it’s signed deals with Stellar Blade developer Shift Up and MMO maker NCSOFT – both of which were predicted by business outlets like MTN.

By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.

Twitch will be ceasing operations in South Korea due to the “prohibitively expensive” operational cost of running the streaming platform in the country, CEO Dan Clancy said Tuesday. According to the blog post, Twitch will stop service in Korea on Feb. 27, exiting a country known for being a global center of gaming and esports.

Twitch has announced it's pulling its service from South Korea in less than three months, citing high operation costs as the reason why.

Squid Game: The Challenge is coming back for another season.

Pronty developer 18Light Game has announced boss rush action game NanoApostle for PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024 with English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese language support.

Generative AI is attracting a significant level of investment, including in the gaming space. Titan AI, a new mobile games studio, raised over $500,000 in pre-seed funding led by Berkeley SkyDeck. Titan AI joins several other generative AI gaming startups that aim to reduce the cost and speed of creating 2D and 3D content for games. Depending on the complexity, mobile games can cost upwards of $250,000 to make.

Twitch has made the surprise announcement that they are pulling their business out of Korea.

Twitch has announced that it will end its service in South Korea in February.

Twitch has revealed that it will be shutting down completely in Korea in 2024, claiming that the business has been operating in the country at a significant loss.

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Rainbow Six Siege fans did a collective double take last week when Activision shared the next slate of operators coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. Meet Dokkaebi: a «skilled spy and robotics engineer» available in the Season 1 battle pass. Call of Duty's Dokkaebi immediately drew comparisons to popular Siege operator Dokkaebi: a skilled hacker who disrupts and steals enemy intel.

Samsung has reportedly ordered a significant amount of 2.5D packaging equipment, hinting that the Korean giant might see huge demand from industry giants such as NVIDIA.

The first GTA 6 trailer is breaking records, and if it can earn another 40 million views, it'll dethrone a record set by Korean music sensation BTS in 2021.

NCSoft is pushing ahead with more peeks at Throne and Liberty , including two new official music track videos, each featuring themes and footage from the game, and a new tips video for playing one of the game’s classes.

Is there any better activity for the long, cold winter months than marathoning a K-drama? No, there is not. In the last few years, Netflix has become one of the go-to platforms for South Korean dramas, investing in the country’s television industry at the production level. This winter, Netflix has a diverse offering of beloved returning and exciting new K-dramas to show for it, offering a horror-tinged end to the 2023 TV season and plenty of romance to start out 2024. Here are the six upcoming Korean dramas you should be watching this winter on Netflix.

Samsung’s smartphone chipset expenditure is slowly creeping upwards to a point where the Korean behemoth is now being forced to compromise on the features that ship with its overall Galaxy range. Due to an extreme reliance on external companies such as Qualcomm and its Snapdragon chipsets, Samsung’s costs have risen to almost $7 billion alone this year, which is more than a 200 percent increase compared to the $2.3 billion it paid back in 2019.

Publishers WSS playground and PLAYISM, and developer Bukiri Clock have delayed the first episode of episodic science-fiction horror adventure game Boyhood’s End from its previously planned fall 2023 release window to spring.

Exciting news awaits fans as the long-anticipated release details for Season 1 Episode 4 have finally been revealed. The upcoming episode is scheduled to premiere on both Netflix and SBS TV. My Demon is a captivating Korean romantic drama. The narrative revolves around the adventures of Jeong Gu-won and Do Do-hee. Jeong, a supernatural being with extraordinary powers, encounters an unexpected twist as he loses his inhuman abilities.

In gearing up for the early release of its flagship devices, Samsung's upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 line has recently secured FCC certification, marking a significant stride by the Korean tech giant. The much-anticipated Unpacked event scheduled for January 17 is poised to reveal not only the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus but also the premium-tier flagship Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, set to officially debut in January 2024. While CAD renders have already showcased the Ultra's design, the FCC certification has now disclosed crucial details about its accompanying Samsung S Pen.

Artificial frame generation technology. Even typing those words feels vaguely science-fiction, but ever since the release of Nvidia's DLSS 3 Frame Generation (and much later, AMD's Fluid Motion Frames), it's become a concept that's gone beyond the theoretical into the everyday. However, Korean technology website QuasarZone (via Videocardz) has taken things to a new extreme by managing to run both methods at the same time via an impressive bit of GPU wrangling, and the performance gains are, on the surface at least, rather impressive.

Thehave been revealed. The episode is set to premiere on Netflix and SBS TV. My Demon, a romantic Korean drama series, follows the adventures of Jeong Gu-won and Do Do-hee. Jeong, a supernatural being with extraordinary powers, encounters an unexpected twist when he loses his inhuman abilities. Faced with this challenge, Jeong is compelled to join forces with Do Do-hee, the heiress of a prosperous family business.

Baldur's Gate 3 has received a major new update, Patch 5, which adds a fresh epilogue plus additional game modes.

is an entertaining Korean series that revolves around the stories of Green Home Mansion tenants, who are forced to survive together after a mysterious disease torments the whole apartment.

Samsung has reportedly lost out on a grand opportunity to partner with Qualcomm to mass produce its next flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, to TSMC. The Taiwanese semiconductor giant will utilize its 3nm ‘N3E’ technology next year, with other companies such as MediaTek also expected to take advantage of this manufacturing process.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken an exciting leap forward with the recent unleashing of a 30 GB Patch. It’s a gargantuan update stuffed with meaningful content and silly little nods that I’m surprised it’s not DLC. It certainly weighs the part.