Commuterpak is a versatile bag for tablets and other devices

Everyday carry bags stash anything from a tablet to a Nintendo Switch for the commute — but the Atlanta-based Funk Street Outfitters is launching a bag that’s just as versatile in carrying options. The Commuterpak is an urban style bag with three different carry options.

The Commuterpak can be worn as a sling or shoulder bag or using the waist belt. An active strap adds a third option, allowing for a shoulder carry but without it bouncing around. That last option is one of several of the pack’s features designed for cyclists, including a reflective strip and webbing to store a U lock.

Funk Street Outfitters says its new bag is different because the bag doesn’t come with a big-name price tag, yet has a lifetime warranty and is made from top materials. The exterior is constructed from a honeycomb ripstop nylon while the heavy-duty zippers prevent water from getting inside the bag when it’s raining.

The main compartment of the bag is accessible using a magnetic buckle that the company says allows users to open the bag with one hand — and enables automatic closure when you let go of the buckle. That main compartment houses a tablet sleeve lined in microfiber that will stash anything from the Nintendo Switch to the 10.5-inch Apple iPad Pro or 10.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Book. Two smaller compartments at the front store smaller gear, with a cable pass-through. Exterior D-rings allow wearers to add on small items.

The bag measures 11.5 by 9 inches, with a 4.5-inch depth. Despite the durable materials, the Commuterpak still weighs in at under a pound. The strap adjusts from 33.5 inches to 49.5 inches including the length of the bag, allowing for the different carrying options. A shoulder pad and an action strap is also included.

Funk Street Outfitters says the bag design offers a sleek urban aesthetic yet remains inconspicuous enough to blend with a variety of different styles. The bag is expected to launch in black and an olive green color options.

Funk Street Outfitters is looking to launch the Commuterpak on Kickstarter, with a campaign continuing through April 12. The bag has already exceeded the original $12,500 goal several times over. If the campaign is successful, early backers can pick up the bag for pledges starting at $70, a $20 discount from the expected retail price.

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Microsoft updates Code of Conduct to crack down on offensive content

Microsoft recently distributed an email stating that its Code of Conduct terms will be updated to prohibit offensive language and fraudulent activity starting May 1, 2018. The clarification applies to all Microsoft services, and any violation will result in the suspension or ban from said services. That includes eliminating any remaining time you have on an Xbox Live Gold membership, canceling all balances, and forfeiting content licenses.  

In other words, break the rules and Microsoft keeps your credit and digital purchases. That is the big misconception about digital purchases: They’re not yours to keep like physical merchandise. You’re paying for the right to use the content, and any violation of a company’s Terms of Use or Code of Conduct removes that right without any refunds. 

So how do you stay clean? Don’t do anything illegal, Microsoft warns. Don’t ask for money under false pretenses, don’t send spam, don’t impersonate someone else, and don’t do anything that harms children. Even more, don’t violate the privacy of others, don’t send viruses, don’t post threats, and so on. 

“We may stop providing Services to you or we may close your Microsoft account,” the company warns. “We may also block delivery of a communication (like email, file sharing or instant message) to or from the Services in an effort to enforce these Terms or we may remove or refuse to publish Your Content for any reason. When investigating alleged violations of these Terms, Microsoft reserves the right to review Your Content in order to resolve the issue. However, we cannot monitor the entire Services and make no attempt to do so.” 

Even if you don’t do anything illegal, keeping the language clean is still a top priority. The problem with Xbox Live is that you really don’t know who’s behind the gamertag that keeps shooting you in the head during online matches … unless you know the individual personally. That said, the “don’t engage in activity that is harmful” rule comes into play if you’re an adult cursing out the offending gamertag that happens to be a minor. 

But the rules don’t apply to just Xbox-related services. They span across everything provided by Microsoft, including Skype and OneDrive. Microsoft said it “cannot monitor the entire Services,” but customers are now worried that even the slightest joke will ban them from the company’s platforms forever. Based on the language seen in the revised Code of Conduct, customers are worried that they can’t even use Skype for private conversations. 

In this case, here is what Microsoft says you can’t do with its services: 

Don’t publicly display inappropriate content or material.  

Don’t share inappropriate content or material. 

Both rules apply to nudity, bestiality, pornography, offensive language, and similar content and material. Banning customers from displaying this content publicly is understandable, but when sharing with individuals through private channels, someone must be the whistleblower. Thus, your naughty Skype conversations with the boyfriend or girlfriend should be safe until they get mad and report you to Microsoft out of anger.

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Mozilla’s Facebook Firefox tool helps keep your browsing habits more private

The recent Cambridge Analytica scandal brought Facebook’s privacy issues to a head. Concerns over how Facebook manages user data, along with other highly charged issues around political advertising, had been simmering for months and then exploded recently with reports that Facebook was mining user data without receiving permission. There is even a #DeleteFacebook movement that’s received support for notable tech celebrities like Tesla’s Elon Musk.

If you’re concerned about how Facebook is tracking you as you surf the web, then Firefox browser developer Mozilla has the tool for you. In a blog post on Tuesday, March 27, Mozilla introduced a new Firefox Container add-on that “isolates your Facebook identify from the rest of your web activity.” According to Mozilla, once you have installed the add-on, Facebook will find it much more difficult to track your browsing habits outside of the social media site but your use of Facebook itself won’t be directed.

To install the add-on, simply go to the appropriate Firefox add-on page and click the “+ Add to Firefox” button. You will be asked to grant permission and then whenever you visit Facebook, note the blue Facebook label to the right of the URL box. Its presence indicates that your browsing sessions will be protected from Facebook’s prying eyes as you surf away from the site.

Mozilla
Mozilla

The Facebook Container add-in is the result of years of work by Mozilla, resulting in technology that the organization is now making available to users in response to “growing demand for tools that help manage privacy and security.” The add-in’s benefit is that it allows users to continue to use Facebook while avoiding some of the “unexpected side effects.” Mozilla stresses that the Facebook Container would not have stopped the kind of issue highlighted by the Cambridge Analytica incident.

Mozilla points out that Facebook isn’t the only site that’s collecting your information, and recommends that you review each service to understand how it’s gathering and using your data. That is sage advice. For anyone concerned specifically about Facebook and who wants to learn more, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has more information on how to adjust your Facebook settings for improved privacy.

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Doctors can steer this robot through your guts with an Xbox-style controller

A new flexible endoscopy robot, designed to access hard-to-reach places inside the human body, has received official U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance. Called Monarch Platform, the new medical robot has its eyes set on treating a number of diseases and conditions, with the immediate target being lung cancer.

“The use of small cameras and tools to enter the body non-invasively hasn’t changed significantly since it was first introduced in the mid-twentieth century, and is still far from realizing its fullest potential,” Josh DeFonzo, chief strategy officer at manufacturer Auris, told Digital Trends. “While endoscopy is one of the safest ways to enter the body, limitations of current endoscopic tools and techniques translate to substandard patient outcomes. Auris developed the Monarch Platform to overcome these limitations. We believe that the Monarch Platform will transform endoscopy by enhancing physicians’ capabilities and dramatically improving clinical outcomes for patients for a variety of disease states.”

Since being founded by surgical robotics pioneer Dr. Frederic Moll six years ago, Auris has raised more than $500 million in equity capital to develop its technology. While Auris’ dream for medical robots still has a way to go before it becomes a fully fledged mainstream reality, Monarch represents an important step. Doctors will be able to control the flexible robot by way of a video game-style controller. Once inside a patient, the robot can record images and potentially make physical interventions.

“The reason lung cancer is so deadly is that the diagnostic and treatment processes are ineffective,” DeFonzo continued. “The majority of lung cancer patients are diagnosed in late stage, when the cancer has already spread beyond its primary location. With lung cancer, patients often have no symptoms. Nodules are typically small, deep in the lungs and difficult to reach, making early stage diagnosis and treatment difficult. The goal of the Monarch Platform is to allow physicians to accurately access small and hard-to-reach nodules early, without incisions and with fewer complications, for diagnosing and targeting treatment.”

DeFonzo said that Monarch is currently intended for use by interventional pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons. Plans are afoot to expand into other clinical areas, too. A limited launch of the robot will take place across the U.S. later this year. In other words, it’s coming soon to a hospital near you.

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Google loses copyright appeal against Oracle, may owe billions

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Google’s use of application program interfaces (APIs) owned by Oracle is a violation of U.S. copyright laws, Reuters reports. The case was remanded to a lower court to determine damages. The ruling comes two years after a lower court ruled in Google’s favor, stating its use of APIs fell under fair use.

The ruling is the latest in a contentious legal battle that has spanned a better part of a decade. Oracle contends that Google infringed upon its copyrights when the tech giant used 37 unlicensed Java APIs to create Android OS. Google countered its use fell under “fair use” under copyright law.

When Oracle initially filed the suit in 2010, it sought out $2.6 billion in damages for the API use. When the case went in front of a jury in 2016, it recalculated damages based on the growth of the Android platform and upped its number to $9.3 billion, with $8.3 billion representing Google’s profits from Android.

While the court ruled that APIs are not eligible for copyright protection in the Google v. Oracle trial, a separate 2014 case tried in front of the Federal circuit court issued a decision stating APIs are indeed subject to copyright laws; the higher court’s ruling paved the way for Oracle’s most recent appeal.

In response to the ruling, Dorien Daley, Oracle’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, told Digital Trends “the Federal Circuit’s opinion upholds fundamental principles of copyright law and makes clear that Google violated the law. This decision protects creators and consumers from the unlawful abuse of their rights.”

We reached out to Google for its response to the verdict. A spokesperson for the company said,  “We are disappointed the court reversed the jury finding that Java is open and free for everyone. This type of ruling will make apps and online services more expensive for users. We are considering our options.”

It’s unclear exactly what options Google has at this point. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case once already, but it is likely the tech giant will continue the appeals process for as long as possible.

Should the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stand, the implications could be significant for developers. Programmers frequently use APIs to develop both new software and integrate different applications. Additionally, consumers could expect to see higher software prices and fewer options on the market.

Updated March 27, 2018: Added statement from Oracle. 

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Protect your tiny titan with the best Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact cases

When you’re looking for a powerful phone with a small silhouette, Sony’s Xperia Compact range is a name that springs to mind (though we like some other small smartphones, too). The new Xperia XZ2 Compact crams many of the flagship XZ2’s powerful features into a smaller polycarbonate frame. But this tiny titan isn’t the best at taking a blow.

So what’s a thrifty small smartphone lover to do? A protective case is a great way to add a little protection to your phone and amp up its style in one fell swoop. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact cases you can grab to keep your powerful handful safe.

Olixar Ultra-Thin Gel Case ($9)

Always near the top of our shopping list is a good clear gel case. While it won’t give the same amount of protection as some larger cases, a gel case still provides decent enough shock absorption — thanks to the absorbent properties of TPU — and is completely clear, making it the best case to choose if you can’t bear to cover your phone’s stylish body. This offering from Olixar comes with raised edges that keep your phone’s screen from touching surfaces, is super thin, and has been treated with a nonslip coating for extra grip on your phone. Best of all, it’s not going to break the bank.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

Kugi Scratch-Resistant Grip Case ($8)

If you want something that’s a step up in protection and offers a little extra style, then check out this case from Kugi. Fully fashioned from shock-resistant and shock-absorbent TPU, this case provides more protection than your standard gel case, while still being extremely thin. Ridges down the edges of the case assist with grip on your phone, and button covers help to guide your fingers when you’re fumbling around in your pocket. The back panel is also made from TPU, but has been styled to look like leather and provide another grippy surface that looks good. It’s not real leather, but it feels good anyway and keeps costs down.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Anccer Anti-Slip Hard Texture Case ($12)

There’s nothing quite like polycarbonate for providing protective strength while still keeping a case thin and light. This case from Anccer ticks all the right boxes for protective options, giving great strength without compromising on weight. It’s designed to have a rough, sand-like texture that should help you keep a good hold of your phone. It’s not too rough, but it does emulate the feel of OnePlus’s sandstone cases very well. It’s not going to be as good at insulating against blunt forces as TPU, but Anccer claims that its advanced PC should still provide some shock absorption. If you’re looking for a slim, stylish hard case, then you’ll be hard pressed to find one this good for the price.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Official Sony Style Cover Touch Case ($53)

If you want a high-quality case and don’t care about price, why not go straight to the phone’s manufacturer? The Official Sony Style Cover is a flip wallet-style case that offers all-round protection thanks to the screen cover and case that clips onto your phone. Best of all, you don’t even need to take the protection off to use it. Thanks to an NFC connection with your phone, the front cover of the case can be used as a touchscreen, just as if it was the phone’s display. You can buy a color to match your XZ2 Compact’s own color, and since it’s made by Sony, you can be sure it’s a perfect fit. It’s expensive, but with this all-round coverage, it’s one of the best options for pure protection and style rolled into one.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

Fettion Leather-Style Flip Wallet Case ($8)

There’s something nice about a wallet case — they’re simple, but provide good protection and a certain executive style that other cases lack. This case is made from PU (polyurethane) leather, but it’s difficult to tell it apart from the real thing. PU leather is hard-wearing and easy to maintain, so you shouldn’t have many issues with this case down the line, and it should offer good protection. It can fold into a landscape stand for easy video watching, and has space to hold a couple of credit cards and some extra cash. Not bad for just $8.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

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How to overclock your GPU

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Although upgrading to a brand new graphics card is arguably the best way to improve your PC’s 3D rendering ability, you can eke out a little more performance from your existing card with overclocking. Much like a CPU, a graphics card contains chips that with the right tweaks can work harder and faster. That can mean better benchmark results and higher frames per second in your favorite games.

Although still a little intimidating and certainly not friendly to your graphics card’s temperatures, learning how to overclock your GPU is easier today than it’s ever been. You just need the right tools, the right steps, and plenty of patience.

A word of warning

Overclocking anything, be it your CPU, graphics card, or memory, has inherent risks. They are relatively low, but they are important to consider so that you’re well informed before starting. Overclocking anything involves the process of forcing it to perform at a faster rate than it was manufactured to do so. That means you are pushing it harder and by working faster, it will get hotter and it may become less stable. That could result in crashes in the short term and over the long term, could reduce the lifespan of your particular hardware.

There’s a chance that overclocking your hardware may void your warranty too. Many manufacturers allow it, as graphics cards will throttle up and down during general usage anyhow. However, serious tweaks like playing with voltages or flashing your graphics card’s BIOS are more likely to impact any warranty you have. The best bet is to double check with your manufacturer whether what you’re doing affects the warranty before beginning.

Although we will do our best to guide you along the path to a faster, more powerful graphics card, Digital Trends accepts no liability for any problems you run into with your hardware along the way.

Overclocking a graphics card is also only recommended for desktop PC users. Although in some cases you can overclock laptop GPUs — including Intel HD chips — it’s not usually recommended due to temperature concerns.

Step 1: Get ready

Before you can actually get started overclocking your GPU, you need to get everything ready. The first step, if you don’t know already, is figuring out which graphics card you have. To do so, you can take a look at the card itself, or the packaging if you still have it. If that doesn’t work, right-click your desktop and click either the Nvidia or AMD graphics settings link, followed by “My Rig” or “System,” respectively.

If you’d rather use a manufacturer agnostic solution, GPUZ can tell you everything you need to know about your graphics card.

Once you know exactly which graphics card you’re running, you should update to the latest graphics drivers. You can find those on Nvidia and AMD’s websites. Upgrading them will likely require a reboot, so make sure to come back to this guide when you’re done, or read on before continuing.

Before starting the overclocking proper, you’ll also want to download some useful tools to help you along. First, you’ll want to download the overclocking tool we’re going to be using for this guide: MSI Afterburner. Although AMD has its own Wattman alternative and there are several other popular third-party tools, Afterburner works for just about every graphics card and offers a full suite of features.

You’re also going to need a benchmark to test the stability of your new graphics card. A proven, lightweight benchmark is Unigine’s Valley. We also like Furmark for its built in temperature readout, but it’s more of a synthetic test. If you have any games with built in benchmarks you may want to have those installed and to hand, so that you can see what effect your new overclocks have on performance.

If you haven’t cleaned your PC in a long time, this is also a good time to do so, as any extra dust in your system can heavily contribute to GPU temperature spikes during overclocking. It’s not a mandatory step but is certainly advisable before you get started.

Step 2: Establish baselines

The next step in your overclocking journey is establishing baselines. You want to know your system’s standard clock speeds (for both the core and memory), as well as its standard operating temperatures (both idle and load) and its standard performance.

To find out those figures, close down any applications that are already running and startup MSI Afterburner. Although you can customize the look of Afterburner to how you see fit, to make sure we’re all on the same page about the location of different elements, locate the cog “Settings” button and click it. Use the top-tab navigation arrows and select “User Interface.” Then in the “User interface skinning properties” heading, use the drop down to select “Default MSI Afterburner v3 skin,” and click “OK.”

If you need to, use the temperature settings to convert readouts to Celsius or Fahrenheit depending on your preference.

The graphs on the right-hand side will tell you most of what you need to know at this point. The top one is for your graphics card’s core temperature. It can run anywhere up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit without much difficulty, but anything beyond that gets dangerous for your hardware and can result in crashes or even damage, so it’s important to be aware of your GPU’s temperature at all times during overclocking and subsequent testing.

The other figures to be aware of are core clock and memory clock. Those are the figures that we’re going to be tweaking during overclocking. The “Min” numbers on those graphs are the idling speeds, while the “Max,” figures are the ones that your graphics card will typically use when it’s working hard at rendering a game or benchmark. That’s what we want to raise to improve performance.

The final number(s) to find out before we start overclocking for real, is an idea of your graphics card’s performance. Run the Valley benchmark you downloaded earlier using the “Extreme HD” preset, or with everything at maximum quality, fullscreen, and at “System” resolution.

Note: Press “F9” during the demo to begin the benchmark.

If you want to note down some additional performance numbers before beginning, you may also want to run Futuremark’s 3Dmark, or any modern game with its own built-in benchmarking utility, like Shadow of Mordor or Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Step 3: Slow and steady

Overclocking might be easier today than ever before, but that doesn’t mean you should rush into it headfirst. Overclocking is most successful when you take your time and take precautions along the way. Make sure that during your baseline benchmarking that Afterburner’s temperature graph doesn’t show any dangerous peaks. Anything over 176 degrees Fahrenheit would suggest your cooling isn’t strong enough for overclocking.

Also make sure that in the Afterburner window the “Apply overclocking as system startup,” box isn’t ticked. That forces your newly designated clock speeds to startup with Windows and you don’t want that until you have found a stable overclock.

If you have some temperature headroom, start up the Valley stress testing application again, but this time run it in “Windowed” mode. In the Afterburner window, raise the power limit to its maximum percentage — that lets your GPU draw as much power as it needs for the settings you put into it and avoids any automated throttling. It will not affect the voltage put through your chips.

Make sure Valley is running and return to the Afterburner window. Using either the slider or by typing in the number yourself, raise your clock speed by 10MHz. Once that’s done, reopen the Valley window and watch for any visual “artifacts.” These are visual signs that your graphics chip is working too hard and can manifest as tiny blocks of miscolored pixels, or large shard-like bands of color. If you don’t see any of those after a minute or two, return to the Afterburner window and repeat the process.

Repeat that time and again until you see artifacts, or until Valley itself crashes. If you push things too far, you may see a black screen as your graphics driver crashes or your entire system reboots. Don’t fret, you just went too far. Dial things back a couple of steps (20Mhz or so) and run Valley again. This time let it run through a couple of loops. If everything is stable you’ve found a safe maximum for your GPU.

Once you have found the limit for your core, note down that value, reset the clock to its default and perform the same process on the memory clock. This time you’re looking for artifacts that represent as solid blocks or blobs of color. Again, once you’ve reached the limit, roll back a couple of steps and perform a longer stability test. Once you’ve found your limit, note it down and reset everything.

Step 4: Bring it all together

Now that you have your individual maximums for both core and memory clocks, it’s time to combine them. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to use the full maximum overclock for both at the same time, as both put additional stress on your graphics card, but it’s possible. Your best bet is to start at the bottom again though and raise both values together. Know what the maximum is and be ready for artifacts and crashes as you approach it. As before, once you find the limit, roll back a step or two and perform longer stability tests. You can then raise one or the other individually if you like, to see if either, in particular, was the cause of the stability issue.

Once you have your stable dual-maximum overclock for both core and memory, it’s time to perform some real stability testing. Let the Valley test run through several times in a row, play some games for a few hours — and keep a keen eye out for problems. If you encounter any, scale back the clocks a single step and start again.

Although this process can seem arduous, it’s the final big step in making sure your system can run at these clocks all day, everyday. Once you’ve found it, you can — if you like — use Afterburner to trigger these settings every time your PC boots up.

You now have a permanent GPU overclock. To find out how much of an improvement you’ve made, run all of your gaming benchmarks again and see what your new scores are compared to the old ones.

Hopefully, that boost should keep you gaming at your favorite resolution and detail settings for longer. At least until the GPU prices come down.

What about voltage?

One of the ways in which you can increase stability and viability of some core clocks is by increasing the voltage pushed through the chip, otherwise known as Core Voltage and abbreviated in Afterburner as “mV.” Increasing voltages is disabled in Afterburner by default as it has a much greater impact on your system than other settings. Increasing voltages can reduce the lifespan of your graphics card and even damage it irreparably if used irresponsibly. It can also lead to a large increase in the amount of power your graphics card draws, reducing the card — and by extension, your system’s — efficiency.

Although Afterburner has its own limits that are unlikely to allow you to stress your card too much, because every card is different, if you want to try out mV adjustment, do a quick Google search for your particular card to find a safe limit. You can enable voltage adjustments in the Afterburner settings menu.

With that said, use it much the same way you would frequency adjustments. Raise it in small amounts to see if it allows for a more stable overclock — or increased clocks. Watch your temperatures closely and if you encounter any problems, scale it back. Make sure to test for stability as you did with all previous changes.

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Tooth-mounted sensors track your diet and health from inside your mouth

SilkLab, Tufts University
SilkLab, Tufts University

High-tech wearables are everywhere, from our wrists to our pets to our … mouths?

Engineers at Tufts University have created tiny sensors that attach to teeth. It’s not a fashion statement, though it could very well someday become one. Instead, the wireless sensors are designed to monitor health and dietary habits, relaying data about sugar, salt, and alcohol intake to a wearer’s mobile device. It’s like a little nutritionist in your mouth that keeps tabs on every time you cheat on your diet.

If the eyes are windows to the soul, the mouth is a doorway to our health. The food that passes through it has a direct effect on our overall health, and a bunch of biomarkers can be picked up from our spit. With their tooth-mounted biosensor, the Tufts team aims to take measurements from inside the mouth, recording what’s been eaten and how the body has responded.

To do so, they sandwiched biosensors between layers of gold, which act like a little antenna, collecting and relaying physiological data.

“I think the best way to think about it is a little Ziploc bag,” Fiorenzo Omenetto, a Tufts engineer who led the research, told Digital Trends. “Each side of the bag has an antenna and inside the bag there is a “sensitive element.’” These sensitive elements can respond to things like pH and glucose, transmitting measurements either wirelessly, through radio frequencies, or physically, for example by changing color and shape. “Calibrating all of these responses and changing material combinations allows for detection of what is happening in the oral cavity, for example, or on the surface of teeth,” Omenetto said.

In a paper published last week in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers discuss how the tooth-mounted wearable could be used for both medical and lifestyle purposes, helping both patients and people who just want  to live healthier.

“While we are aware about what we ingest, we may indulge or deal with overeating pathologies,” Omenetto said. “On the other hand, sampling and monitoring analytes in the oral cavity could help in a number of ways, from monitoring dental health to monitoring physiological states, such as fatigue, through saliva sampling. Obviously, the latter applications require device refinements in terms of sensitivity and specificity to the analytes of interest.”

The device is less obtrusive than previous in-mouth wearables, but it’s still far from discreet, thanks to gold outer layers that give wearers the look of a cyberpunk pirate. Omenetto admits he and his team didn’t design it to be inconspicuous, but said you could always wear it on a molar.

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‘Far Cry 5’ beginner’s guide: Tips and tricks for taking down a doomsday cult

After numerous entries set in foreign and often exotic lands, Ubisoft’s Far Cry series takes American players closer to home — a fictional Montana county overrun by a doomsday cult called the Project at Eden’s Gate — in its latest entry. Despite the change of setting, if you’ve played a Far Cry game, you probably know what you’re in for in Far Cry 5: Wide open spaces, dastardly evil, a mix of over-the-top action and realism. It’s essentially a hodgepodge of ideas and mechanics from previous entries, with some new stuff thrown in here and there. Still, whether you’re a series veteran or a first time Far Cry player, there are some things you should know and do to restore order in Far Cry 5‘s Hope County.

Definitely complete John’s region first

Hope County is split into three regions, each one controlled by one of Joseph Seed’s underlings — John, Faith, and Jacob. Before your showdown with Joseph, you must liberate each region by completing a wide variety of missions. The game suggests you travel to John’s region early on, but you technically can do whatever you like. That said, we recommend starting with John. Jacob’s region requires the grappling hook, while Faith’s is crawling with not just regular cult members, but also rabid “angels” — cultists who have been drugged into acting like zombies. You’ll want to have purchased a health upgrade perk or two before wading into that bloodbath.

You can bounce around from region to region if you like, but we chose to complete them one by one for the most part.

Stuck on a story mission? Move on

A sizable number of story missions are technically optional. You will be thrust into and have to complete some of them, but many others can be skipped. Story missions accrue the most resistance points (usually 600, but sometimes 900), but you will also gain resistance points from liberating cult outposts, completing side missions, destroying cult property, and saving people from the cult. Do try and complete as many story missions as possible, but if you’re stuck on one, feel free to move on. We spent two frustrating hours trying to steal a cult tanker in John’s region only to accidentally blow it up or lose track of it every time. We eventually reached 13,000 resistance points and took down John without ever bringing that tanker back to Fall’s End.

Important perks to purchase

You’ll probably finish the game without accumulating enough perk points to acquire all 50 perks, but these perks should definitely be on your radar when you have points to spend:

• Health boost 1-4: Increases health to 150, 200, 250, and, finally, 300 percent.
• Grapple: It comes in handy and only costs one measly point.
• Parachute: So you don’t die while walking off a cliff.
• Additional holster: Lets you carry two long guns and a pistol.
• Weapons collector: Lets you carry three long guns and a pistol.
• Leadership: Unlocks a second squad slot.
• Journey pack: Expands medkit storage from three to five.

Take the time to be stealthy at cult outposts

At each cult outpost, there are two or three alarm towers. Each has speakers at the top of the pole and a yellow radio receiver at the bottom. If you run into an outpost guns blazing, one of the cultists will sound the alarm and call for reinforcements. But if you disable the alarms before being spotted, no backup cultists will come to help them. The alarms are always located around the perimeter of the main building. It doesn’t require expert stealth to disable them, but keep an eye on your visibility meter, which fills as you get closer to a cultist’s line of sight. Disabling the alarms means that you only have to deal with a handful of enemies instead of many more, which come successively in waves (often carried by trucks with mounted guns).

Consult your map, mark waypoints, travel fast

The large, mountainous terrain of Hope County can get confusing to navigate. The roads wind in every direction, breaking off from concrete to gravel to dirt. It’s easy to get spun around and not realize that you’re trekking ground you’ve already covered. Be sure to check your map consistently, but also set waypoints — even when you have the flashing cursor on your compass pointing you in the direction of your next mission. When driving with a waypoint on, a stream of arrows point you in the right direction the whole way.

Also, don’t forget to fast travel. You won’t unlock a fast-travel spot every time you complete a mission, but you will unlock quite a few throughout each region. You can save time getting to your next mission by opening your map and fast-traveling to a spot

You can’t save ’em all, but you should save some

Eden’s Gate has inflicted its perverse might all across Hope County. The county is teeming with cultists — on roads, in the trees, in and around almost every building you discover. And when you encounter them, you’ll often find that the cultists have the folks of Hope County prisoner. You’ll frequently come across people on their knees, hands bound behind their back, with an armed cultist or two looming over them. Apart from an early story mission in John Seed’s region that asks you to save 14 civilians from the cult, you don’t technically have to save these random folks. You should save at least some of them, though. Once saved, civilians are a chatty bunch. Sometimes they reveal “Prepper Stash” locations — areas with stockpiles of weapons and cash — and other times they offer up side missions. You also get 50 resistance points for each hostage you free. While certainly not a lot, the points chip away at the 13,000 mark needed to face off with each region’s boss.

Craft before entering mission areas

Nothing is more annoying than entering a building littered with cultists only to realize that you are all out of molotov cocktails to set them ablaze. To craft items, simply open your weapon wheel (L1 on PlayStation 4, LB on Xbox One) and hold the PS4’s triangle (Y on Xbox One) over items that can be crafted. We’re mainly talking explosives — proximity mines, remote detonated explosives, and molotovs. Crafting doesn’t take very long and it can become a quicker process with a perk. When you have feverish cultists and deranged “angels” swarming around you, simply tossing a premade explosive ensures that you can keep your eyes on the action instead of the weapon wheel.

Don’t forget to loot bodies

Each time you down an enemy, you can loot their body by getting close and pressing the PS4’s square (X on Xbox One). You’ll always get ammo, usually some crafting materials, and some spare cash. If you loot consistently, you should always be flush with ammunition and crafting supplies to make explosives.

You shouldn’t need to buy ammunition from shops. The only necessary items we bought were medkits from time to time.

Almost always travel with a squad

Throughout your adventure, you’ll unlock nine specialists who will eagerly stand by your side during missions. You’ll also find civilians willing to work with you for a fee (you can hire up to three at a time). While regular civilians and specialists serve the same purpose, we found no real reason to bring on hired guns rather than the specialists. The basic benefit of having a helper at your side is that it lessens your workload and diverts some attention off of you. We found that when entering story mission areas or cult outposts, it was extremely beneficial to have a human sidekick on foot with us, because when you’re out of health, they can run over and revive you (which they do quickly and efficiently). Your preference of companion may vary based on your play style, though.

Here are the nine specialists:

• Grace Armstrong: Sniper
• Jess Black: Bow attacks
• Sharky Boshaw: Explosive attacks
• Hurk Drubman Jr: Homing rockets that shoot down planes and blow up land vehicles
• Nick Rye: Pilot of plane equipped with bombs
• Adelaide Drubman: Air support via chopper, can also deliver a chopper to you
• Boomer (dog): Tags enemies for you, occasionally fetches weapons from dead cultists
• Peaches (cougar): Silently takes down enemies, remains hidden in grass
• Cheeseburger (bear): Mauls cultists, forces attention on himself

We stuck with Jess Black in the early going since she moves quietly and uses a bow to stealthily dispose of enemies. You can spend six perk points on the Leadership perk, which lets you travel with two allies at a time. We recommend utilizing the second slot for an ally who specializes in taking down enemy aircraft. After you liberate one section of Hope County, lots of activity hoccurs overhead. Planes and choppers circle the air trying to find you. Assign Adelaide, Hurk, or Nick to your second slot to take care of the aerial attacks. We found that Adelaide takes out aircraft quicker than Nick from up above, but Hurk can also heal you when you’re down. So it’s a personal choice, but one that saves you from having to carry around a rocket launcher of your own.

Your squad members are assigned to either left or right on the d-pad. Although fairly capable without being given direction, you can tell them to go to a certain point by pressing their assigned button.

Hunting and fishing aren’t really necessary

Other than for a few missions and when unlocking Cheeseburger, hunting and fishing are not essential. You can sell bear, wolverine, deer, moose, and other animal skins for cash, but unless you are getting attacked by an animal, taking them out isn’t really worth the ammunition. It often takes more bullets to take out an animal than a cultist, and the monetary rewards are modest.

Headshots

This one sounds obvious. Aiming for the head always downs enemies quicker in first-person shooters, but when dealing with a couple types of enemies in particular, headshots really, really help. VIP Cultists (they have red cursors over their heads) withstand more bullets than the average enemy, and spraying a clip into their midsection sometimes isn’t enough to take them down. Several well-placed shots to the head? That’s a different story. Similarly, the angels in Faith’s region act like zombies, and the quickest way to keep them from seemingly rising from the dead is to put a bullet in their noggin.

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‘MLB The Show 18’ batting guide: How to hit like a pro

MLB The Show 18 is the most authentic baseball video game you can play: It has realistic ball physics, true-to-life player models, and deep on-field action that will keep players learning and improving for months to come. It’s also unquestionably a pitcher’s game, with the man on the mound having a clear advantage over batters, even on lower difficulty settings. This might discourage newer players from stepping up to the plate and attempting to drive in some runs, but by following a few basic tips and being patient as you learn the ropes, you will be running up the score in no time. Here is how to master hitting — and scoring — in MLB The Show 18.

The basics of batting

Unlike comparable baseball series such as the now-defunct MLB 2K games, you aren’t going to pick up on pitches as soon as they leave the pitcher’s hand and crush them over the outfield fence in MLB The Show 18. You have to get used to seeing the ball cross the plate, and recognize over time where a curveball will end up compared to a slider or a fastball. Before you even swing the bat, warm up by turning on a quick offline match and letting the pitcher throw several pitches in a row. Just watch carefully and try to guess which of them are strikes before the umpire says so.

Once you have begun to get a feel for discerning balls from strikes, it’s time to use that bat. There are several different control schemes you can choose from in MLB The Show 18, and though your personal preference should ultimately be the deciding factor in your decision, we recommend the “pure analog” option. With this control scheme, you flick the right analog stick forward to initiate a normal swing, and for a more powerful swing, you first pull the right stick back before flicking it forward. You don’t need to worry about swinging at a particular area of the strike zone, as some of the other control options require. It’s also the only option that really replicates the feeling of swinging a bat, which may help you time your swings precisely.

Holding down the triangle button will cause your batter to attempt a bunt. If you do so as the pitcher is going into his windup, this will be a traditional “sacrifice” bunt designed to move runners ahead to second or third base. Should you wait until the ball is leaving his hands, it will be a running bunt, designed to get a hit. Neither are guaranteed to put the ball in play, and releasing the button before the ball crosses the plate will cause you to pull the bunt back.

How to dominate the pitcher

It might seem like the opposing team’s pitcher is unstoppable at times, but you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve that you can use to get the better of them and knock a ball into the outfield. With a little practice, you’ll even go up to the plate expecting to get a hit rather than merely hoping for one.

Don’t swing too early

One of the most common mistakes you will run into in MLB The Show 18 is swinging too early at pitches, particularly changeups and curveballs. These are significantly slower than pitchers’ fastballs, with a difference as great as 15 mph, and if they’re thrown right down the middle of the strike zone, it’s just instinct for your eyes to light up as you take a big hack. However, if you’re positive that the pitch thrown is off-speed, force yourself to wait an extra split-second longer before pulling the trigger. This will result in the ball being hit in fair territory instead of being pulled foul — or missed entirely — and you need to capitalize on these opportunities when you get them.

Force the pitcher to make mistakes

You will have the urge to swing at the first pitch you see in your early at-bats, but this is setting your batters up for failure. Pitchers will attempt to hit the corners of the strike zone with their pitches in early counts, meaning that even if you make contact, you will often hit a ground ball to a fielder in the infield or pop a ball up.

Instead, unless the first pitch you see is right down Main Street, take it. If it’s a strike, you will need to be ready to swing at the next pitch, but if it’s a ball, you now have the advantage. Work the count into a “hitter’s count like 2-0 or 3-1 whenever you have the ability. These counts typically force pitchers to three more hittable pitches so they can avoid a walk, giving you the opportunity to do some real damage.

The power swing is overrated

You will be able to hit plenty of home runs in MLB The Show 18 if you time your swings well and take advantage of poorly located pitches, and you will never have to use the power swing to do it. It’s a great tool to use when you need to hit the ball into the outfield in order to complete a sacrifice fly or you want to avoid hitting into a double-play, but the power swing has a significant disadvantage. Using it will shrink the gold-colored “sweet spot” hitting zone, making it less likely that you will actually make contact with the ball.

If you must use the power swing, make sure you are using it with fewer than two strikes. If you’re down to your last strike, even if you’re at risk of ending the inning with a double-play, you need to focus on making contact with the ball. Ironically, it’s your power hitters who should use the power swing the least — stars like Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge can still absolutely tattoo the ball with the normal swing.

How to score your runners

Getting on base is, of course, only half the battle. You also need to get your runners around the bases and to home plate in order to actually score runs, and this requires just as much practice and care as hitting does in MLB The Show 18. Here are a few tips you can use to get even the slowest baserunners across home plate.

Tag up

With a runner on third base and fewer than two outs, a sacrifice fly can often put another run on the board for your team. If you hit the ball far enough into the outfield, the game will often give you the option of pressing the L1 button in order to automatically make your runners tag up and advance.

Though aggressive baserunning isn’t always the best strategy, it usually makes sense to test the outfielders’ throwing arms and take the extra base. Even if you’re on second base, tagging up and heading to third will put you in position to score on an infield hit or a screaming line-drive that drops right in from of the right fielder.

Keep your attempted steals to a minimum

Even the worst catchers in the MLB are still pretty darn good at their job, and you will find this out quickly if you attempt to swipe a bag in MLB The Show 18. By pressing L1, you can take a small lead off the base with all of your runners, while pressing L1 and the button corresponding to an individual runner’s base will make only that player lead off. The same rules apply for stealing bases, which is done with the L2 button — tapping it will signal to your runners to steal, while holding it and then releasing it will cause them to take off in time with when the trigger is released.

The problem is that catchers tend to have very strong and accurate arms, and pitchers will notice your aggressive leads and will attempt to pick you off at first base. With absolute speedsters like Billy Hamilton, swiping bags on a regular basis makes sense, but it’s not worth the risk with most players.

But utilize the hit-and-run

One baserunning play can be the bane of a pitcher’s existence — the hit-and-run. By sending a runner as if he were stealing but intentionally making contact with the ball at the plate, the runner can advance from first base to third base on a simple single into the outfield. If your team is short on power hitters, this play can help to make up for your lack of extra-base hits.

If you have a slower batter at the plate, the hit-and-run can also be used to avoid a double-play. With this strategy, it isn’t necessary to take a lead off first base — just send your runner when the pitch is thrown and make contact with the ball. Your runner should be at second before a play is made, preventing a double-play and putting them in scoring position.

For more tips on batting in the MLB The Show series, check out our batting guide for last year’s game, as well.

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