Tech
This is the world’s lightest XC handlebar, claims Gemini
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The Gemini Wässat is the world’s lightest cross-country handlebar, weighing just 99g in a 740mm width, according to the brand.
The bar is handmade in Gemini’s Barcelona workshop and can be manufactured at any custom length between 680mm and 800mm.
Gemini says the claimed 99g weight of the new Wässat cross-country bar is measured to a 2g tolerance.
The brand has incorporated technology and experience obtained from its Pröpus one-piece handlebar into its first non-integrated bar.
The Wässat features no rise, a 5-degree upsweep, a 7-degree back sweep and a 31.8mm diameter.
Gemini says it designed the bar to give riders who prefer a rotation in their setups, which can’t be provided by the Pröpus, an option to use its bars.
An ovalised section on the bar, which Gemini calls the GMN, is claimed to add vertical absorption while contributing horizontal stiffness. This results in fewer fatigue-causing vibrations and more responsive steering, according to the brand.
A bladder is used in the construction process to ensure the carbon fibres compact with the mould to avoid any defects.
The brand says this means the structure of the bar remains the same throughout the lengths.
The Wässat is available in an ‘ultra-lightweight’ layup for riders lighter than 90kg, while the Performance DC bars have a weight limit of 120kg.
Gemini claims this is the world’s lightest XC handlebar.
The Wässat bar is available in either a gloss or matt finish, with Gemini saying this last layer adds 1.9 grams.
Unlike on some lighter bars, Gemini has applied its decals under the lacquer, with the intention of protecting them from the elements.
The handlebar is priced at €219.90 and we’ve asked Gemini when it will be available. We’ll update this article when we know more.
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), the next evolution of Valve’s, long-running, ever-popular, and lucrative tactical first-person shooting game was revealed in mid-March 2023. But beyond several visual improvements and refinements to the high-stakes game, it appears as if the company is taking the opportunity to implement far stricter measures to counteract cheaters, who utilise third-party tools to gain an unfair advantage.
As spotted by Twitter user Aquarius and reported on by PC Gamer, a line in the source code of CS2 has indicated a new feature that will immediately cancel an in-progress match of Counter-Strike 2 if a player is detected using cheating tools.
The code, which appears to outline the conditions for certain notifications to pop up in-game, includes the phrases ‘Cheater Detected’ and ‘This match has been cancelled by VAC Live’.
‘VAC’ in this instance, of course, is an abbreviation for Valve Anti-Cheat, the company’s proprietary cheat monitoring solution. VAC was first introduced with Counter-Strike in 2002.
As PC Gamer astutely notes, this appears to be Valve taking a page out CS2’s closest competitor at the moment, Valorant, developed by Riot Games. Riot’s anti-cheat measures have included match cancellations since the game’s launch.
Counter-Strike has always been a game with high stakes, requiring exceptional levels of player investment and focus to succeed. Having your multiplayer experience ruined by a lopsided, unfair match can be incredibly demoralising, especially if you’re stuck in it for some time before you can move on. If Valve’s new anti-cheat measures do go ahead, it can only be a positive thing.
Don’t cheat in multiplayer games. That’s a loser move.
Counter-Strike 2 will launch on PC sometime in mid-2023.
Microsoft’s long-running introductory offer for its Xbox Game Pass subscription platform, which let users try the service out for $1 for the first month before moving onto more expensive payments, has finally come to a close.
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As The Verge report, the deal—which applied to both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the PC Game Pass—has recently been pulled, with a Microsoft spokesperson saying “We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future”.
What those “different marketing promotions” could be is anyone’s guess, though given the whole point of the $1 deal was get new users on the hook, a natural successor could easily be the Xbox Game Pass Friends and Family scheme, which while still unavailable in the US has been tested in a number of international markets since late 2022.
Anyone signed up for Game Pass will see months from existing subscriptions converted into partial months on the sharing plan. If you’re currently signed up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, every remaining month will turn into 18 days of Game Pass Friends and Family. Those signed up for the piecemeal tiers will see their subscriptions convert into 12 days of Game Pass Friends and Family.
There are some limitations, however. If you’re the account holder, you can only have four additional people on an account at any given time, and can only share with eight unique accounts over the course of a calendar year. And it’s region-locked: The primary account holder can only add members who live in the same country or region.
While that’s not a 1:1 replacement for the $1 offer, which was just a good deal for anyone, it does mean folks recommending Xbox Game Pass to friends or family would have a pretty easy way to get them onboard via their own account.
It sucks to see the $1 deal go away, since I’m sure many/most of you took advantage of it, but if you weren’t ready for the time Xbox decided to start doing stuff like this, you have not been paying enough attention to TV and sports over the last five years.
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