Cybersecurity researchers from X41 and GitLab has discovered three high-severity vulnerabilities in the Git distributed version control system.
The flaws could have allowed threat actors to run arbitrary code on target endpoints by exploiting heap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities, the researchers said. Of the three flaws, two already have patches lined up, while a workaround is available for the third one.
The two vulnerabilities that were patched are tracked as CVE-2022-41903 and CVE-2022-23521. Developers (opens in new tab) looking to protect their devices should update Git to version 2.30.7. The third one is tracked as CVE-2022-41953, with the workaround being not using the Git GUI software to clone repositories. Another way to stay safe, according to BleepingComputer, is to avoid cloning from untrusted sources altogether.
Patches and workarounds
“The most severe issue discovered allows an attacker to trigger a heap-based memory corruption during clone or pull operations, which might result in code execution. Another critical issue allows code execution during an archive operation, which is commonly performed by Git forges,” the researchers said (opens in new tab) in their explanation of the incident.
“Additionally, a huge number of integer related issues was identified which may lead to denial-of-service situations, out-of-bound reads or simply badly handled corner cases on large input.”
Git has since released a couple of additional versions, so to be on the safe side, make sure you’re running the latest version of Git – 2.39.1.
BleepingComputer notes that those that cannot apply the patch immediately should disable “git archive” in untrusted repositories, or avoid running the command on untrusted repositories. Furthermore, if “git archive” is exposed via “git daemon”, users should disable it when working with untrusted depositories. This can be done through the “git config –global daemon.upladArch false” command, it said.
“We strongly recommend that all installations running a version affected by the issues [..] are upgraded to the latest version as soon as possible,” GitLab warned (opens in new tab).
To celebrate February’s Black History Month, Apple is rolling out this year’s Black Unity Collection featuring a special edition Sport Loop for select Apple Watch models plus new curated collections and content for multiple iOS platforms.
2023’s Black Unity Sport Loop (opens in new tab) is made from intricately woven yarn spelling out the word “Unity” using the same red, green, and black colors to reflect the Pan-African flag; similar to last year’s offering. The strap comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, which can fit the “Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, and [the] Apple Watch Ultra (45mm band only).” Apple Watch and iPhone owners can also download a matching Pan-African watch face and phone wallpaper sometime next week. However, both designs require their respective devices to run watchOS 9.3 and iOS 16.3; both of which haven’t been officially released yet at the time of this writing. They’re currently both in beta.
Considering the software requirement, Apple is possibly hinting that both iOS 16.3 and watchOS 9.3 are launching sooner than expected. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (opens in new tab), the update is supposed to release between February and March. We asked Apple if both watchOS 9.3 and iOS 16.3 are launching next week to coincide with the Black Unity Collection. This story will be updated if we hear back.
The Sport Loop, on the other hand, is currently available on Apple’s online store (opens in new tab) for $49. Or if you prefer an in-person purchase, you can buy the strap at “select Apple Store locations beginning January 2
New content
Regarding the new content, Apple teamed up with the Smithsonian to create a series of Guides for Apple Maps highlighting key moments in the civil rights movement from the past century or so. Each Guide covers a specific time period and the events that occurred. For example, the 1960-1978 portion (opens in new tab) talks about Martin Luther King Jr., whereas the 1980-2020 guide (opens in new tab) touches more contemporary history like Black Lives Matter.
Apple Fitness Plus subscribers will get new episodes of Time to Walk and Time to Run on January 30. For the former, the episode will feature famed R&B singer Patti LaBelle who will offer some insight into her life and family. Time to Run’s content is a run-through of the music and artists from South Los Angeles that “helped put West Coast hip-hop on the map.”
Most of the curated collections are just that; a collection of content centered on Black artists. Apple Books, for example, will further push its Read More Black Authors collection with the aim to connect readers (and audiobook listeners) to books “across different genres.” Apple Music has updated its For Us, By Us playlist (opens in new tab) to house more songs based on “resilience and resistance.”
Apple Podcasts will highlight shows that talk about how Black media in general has greatly influenced the world; however, you’ll have to wait a bit before you can listen. This collection launches on February 1.
Going back to iOS 16.3, which we mentioned earlier, there is an important fix arriving in that update. It addresses random green and yellow lines flashing across an iPhone’s screen when booting up. Apparently, it’s caused by the Home app. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of that rather annoying problem.
Having only just released a new version of its Apple TV streaming box late last year, it looks like Apple is already laying out plans for a quick-fire successor to the best streaming device around.
The new model is set to retain the same design of the Apple TV 4K (2022). That saw the introduction of a slightly smaller fan-less form factor, as well as USB-C charging for its remote, and up to 128GB of storage, with the device powered by Apple’s recent A15 Bionic chip.
Aside from the faster chip, the update doesn’t appear to be a significant one, with Gurman stating that the new model won’t support 8K streaming as some had predicted for the next iteration of the device.
The report also doesn’t confirm whether the new Apple TV will sport a full-bandwidth 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 port – it unclear whether the port on the current model will ever be capable of this, even though it supports the eARC feature of HDMI 2.1.
The report also claims Apple is planning to launch a new device which combines Apple TV functionality with TV-optimized HomePod speakers and a built-in camera, with work on the new product line said to be behind schedule. At least the new HomePod 2 will keep people going for now.
(Image credit: Apple)
Analysis: What’s being added here?
With a new, more powerful Apple TV having just landed before Christmas, Apple’s reported plan of following up with a fresh model early next year – all without a killer new feature, at least according to Gurman – seems somewhat unnecessary.
The extra processing power of a new CPU may give games a minor boost, but in terms of its core use, we’re unlikely to see any improvement on the existing model, which already provides the slickest performance and best image quality of any of the current streaming boxes out there.
While the move to release a blink-and-you’ll-miss-the-updates new model appears questionable, in many ways it presents good news for existing Apple TV owners. The decision confirms Apple’s support for the platform (not something that’s always felt apparent thanks to the recent lack of significant updates to tvOS), while it also means older Apple TV models won’t appear outdated in comparison.
If you’re in the market for the current model, you can check out our list of the best Apple TV deals.
Get ready for blisteringly fast internet, folks. But don’t rush; you’ve got plenty of time to prepare for it. A team of researchers in Europe has developed a new way to transmit data (opens in new tab) at speeds that dwarf the fastest internet connections in the world – and they’ve done so using just a simple chip and light beam.
The team – comprised of researchers from the Technical University of Denmark and the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden – designed a system that uses a photonic chip to split a beam of light into more than 8,000 different color frequencies, with each color isolated and used as a separate medium for carrying data.
The technology, which the researchers call a ‘frequency comb’, achieved a staggering speed of 1.8 petabits per second in testing. A petabit is equal to one million gigabits, or 125,000 gigabytes in real-world terms. In other words, the experiment reached an effective data transfer speed of 1,800,000,000Mbps.
To put that into perspective, the average internet speed in Monaco (which has the fastest internet in the world as of 2023) is 262Mbps. That’s just 0.0000146% of the speeds achieved by the Danish-Swedish team; the global average is even less, only 69.14Mbps.
If you’re lucky enough to work for NASA, you could take advantage of the space agency’s private shadow network ‘ESnet’, which can reportedly reach speeds up to 91,000Mbps – still a minute fraction of the speed the frequency comb can achieve via less than a single square millimeter of optic cabling.
Look, this diagram doesn’t mean much to us. If you have a scientific background, perhaps you can make sense of it. (Image credit: Technical University of Denmark, Chalmers University of Technology)
Analysis: This is seriously impressive, but don’t get too excited
Now, petabit internet speeds have been achieved in the past; as reported by NewScientist (opens in new tab), the previous record for optical data transmission was actually 10.66 petabits per second, but this required a ton of bulky equipment. This new solution is far more compact, but more importantly, it’s scalable.
What that means is that the technology could be feasibly shrunk down to the size of a matchbox, and should theoretically be able to achieve massively faster speeds once the hardware is perfected.
Asbjørn Arvad Jørgensen, one of the researchers, claimed that ‘Our calculations show that—with the single chip made by Chalmers University of Technology, and a single laser—we will be able to transmit up to 100 Pbit/s’. Let that sink in for a minute.
If Google can’t sort out widespread fiber internet, what hope does this gaggle of Danes and Swedes have? (Image credit: Google)
Faster than speed
100 petabits per second is an absolutely ludicrous internet speed. We mean ludicrous; we did some math on this one to prove it. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most popular games on Steam right now, and it’s also one of the biggest, packing a hefty 120GB file size.
With a 100Pbit/s internet connection, you could download the entire game in about 9600 nanoseconds; less than a millisecond, just 0.0000096 seconds. That is wild – this writer lives in a fairly remote rural area with no fiber-optic coverage, where it’ll take most of an afternoon to download a game like RDR2. Just picturing those kinds of internet speeds sends us into spasms of ecstasy.
Of course, we’re not really going to have 1000Pbit/s internet any time soon. Apart from anything else, your practical internet speed – i.e., how fast you can actually download stuff – will always be limited to the speed of your computer’s drive; if you’re still rocking a crusty old HDD, you can’t expect transfer speeds in excess of 200MB/s. Even the fastest drives right now (PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs) cap out at around 13,000MB/s.
That’s an obstacle that will take a long time to surpass, but it’s not even the only issue. Although Jørgensen and his team claim that the tech is scalable and implementable, it would also require a degree of infrastructure development on a massive scale that simply isn’t happening fast enough. If it was, we’d all have NASA’s internet by now.
The Linux Foundation has announced plans to build an open-source metaverse which it says could be “as impactful as the World Wide Web”, so long as companies, developers, and founders come together to meet shared goals.
The aptly named Open Metaverse Foundation (opens in new tab) (OMF) has been divided into a series of groups, that it calls Foundational Interest Groups, designed to focus on different topics. They include transactions, virtual worlds and simulations, networking, security and privacy, and legal and policy, among others.
A large number of organizations and open-source communities have come together to form the foundation, including ChainHub Foundation, OpenSDV, and Veriken, each bringing its own wealth of knowledge.
“We’re still in the early days of the vision for an open Metaverse, and we recognize that many open source communities and foundations are working on vital pieces of this iterative puzzle,” OMF executive director Royal O’Brien said in an announcement (opens in new tab).
As preparation gets underway for the groundwork of an open-source metaverse, it’s clear that collaboration and cooperation is what we need to ensure security and stability in an online world that, to this day, remains largely uncharted. O’Brien continues in a blog post (opens in new tab):
“Through the Foundation, we’ll work together to discuss, pinpoint and create the building blocks to transform the emerging concept of the Metaverse into a reality—spanning digital assets, simulations, transactions, artificial intelligence, networking, security, privacy, and legal considerations.”
Moreover, the Linux Foundation is designed to be a neutral environment for developers to share code and collaborate on innovative ideas, and has an extensive catalog of projects designed to harmonize technology, including the recently announced OpenWallet Foundation designed to challenge the (lack of) interoperability between digital wallets.
Instagram has announced a bunch of improvements that will help users not be disturbed as they scroll through their feed, alongside better control of their Explore content and a way for a parent to view their teen’s Instagram account.
Detailed in a blog post (opens in new tab), these features are slowly rolling out to users on iOS and Android from today (January 19), with Quiet Mode headlining these improvements. Similar to ‘Do Not Disturb’ on iOS and Android, it will let your followers know that you don’t want to be disturbed for a certain amount of time.
It’s a useful feature for those who mainly use Instagram above other social platforms, alongside the ability to group up a bunch of photos and videos in the Explore tab you’re not interested in – something that I’ve found to be doing more.
However, there’s one aspect of Instagram that I’d love to see some improvements in next.
Let’s see some effort in fixing the spam now
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Recently, when I post a Story on my Instagram account, I will get a barrage of notifications from spam accounts that have 0 followers, with website links to adult content. The above is a small example of that, and it’s baffling.
While it’s good to see improved parental controls, every user on the platform will be vulnerable to spam like I’ve been regardless, so it should be a high priority for Meta.
The same has also applied when I’m posting photos on my dog’s Instagram account (opens in new tab). Suddenly, I’ll be sent notifications to share the post on another account with two followers, or get message requests to do a ‘collab’ for merch, which leads to empty links and web pages that are on completely different topics.
Spam seems to be getting worse lately, so let’s see a renewed effort on clamping down on this. Every user is at risk of talking to a spam account that could potentially steal their account, and with a greater focus on parental controls, the timing seems perfect to look into the issue and find a solution.
We’ve been hearing rumors of a Google Pixel Fold for years now, and it finally seems like the phone might be landing soon.
At the moment there are only a few companies really making foldable phones, and Samsung is dominating the market with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. But it might soon have some serious competition.
Leaks suggest this might either be called the Pixel Fold or the Pixel Notepad, but the name isn’t set in stone so for now we’re mostly referring to it as the Google Pixel Fold.
We have heard some details of the possible design, screen, camera and other specs too, all of which you’ll find below. We’ve also included information on a possible release date, which most rumors suggest could be in early to mid-2023, as well as leaks about the price.
As soon as we hear anything else about the Google Pixel Fold, we’ll add it to this article, so make sure to check back regularly if you want to stay up to date.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Google’s first foldable phone
When is it out? Possibly May 2023
How much will it cost? Possibly $1,799 (around £1,520 / AU$2,660)
Google Pixel Fold release date and price
Early leaks suggested that the Pixel Fold would land in late 2022. That’s something we’ve heard multiple times, but with no sign of the phone at the Pixel 7‘s unveiling, that’s also now looking unlikely.
Indeed, a more recent leak (from a different source) suggests that while a late 2022 launch was apparently planned, the Pixel Fold now won’t land before 2023. Another release date rumor backs that up, saying the phone could land in Q1 (meaning between January and March) of 2023.
That said, the most recent release date rumor points to May 2023, so we might still be waiting a little while.
We’ve also previously heard that the Pixel Fold has been canceled, so there’s a chance it won’t arrive at all. But that claim comes from Ross Young, who more recently has come back with one of the leaks above, saying that it’s now scheduled for Q1 2023 – so presumably either he was wrong before or Google has put it back on the table.
Indeed, the term “isPixel2022Foldable” has been spotted in Google code, suggesting that the phone is landing soon.
We’d also take all of these leaks with a pinch of salt, especially as some previous release date rumors have been wrong. For example, a report claimed that Google (among other companies) had purchased foldable phone screens from Samsung Display, and it went on to say that smartphones using these screens would launch in 2021.
The same site has more recently said the same thing again, and another leak regarding phones coming with screens from Samsung Display listed the Pixel Fold as launching in Q4 2021.
That of course didn’t happen, but it could simply be that the Pixel Fold has slipped all the way to 2023 as now seems to be the case.
As for what it might cost, one leak suggests a price of around $1,400 (roughly £1,040 / AU$1,960). That would make it a lot cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, but still expensive.
In fact though its price might be identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, with a more recent leak putting it at $1,799 (around £1,520 / AU$2,660).
Design and display
The main information about the Google Pixel Fold comes from a big leak, which included unofficial renders, some of which you can see below. While unofficial, these are apparently based on images and information supplied by a reliable source.
As you can see, the design here looks a lot like the Pixel 7 line when it’s folded shut, but with an overall form factor that’s like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold line.
The Pixel Fold is apparently clad in metal and glass, and is said to come just in white and black shades. It’s also apparently very heavy, and you can see there are large bezels above and below the main screen.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: FrontPageTech)
(Image credit: FrontPageTech)
There’s also now been a hands-on with a dummy unit of the Pixel Fold, of the kind used by accessory makers.
Images from this can be seen below, and it revealed things like large bezels (which could be present to keep the price down), a 5.7mm thickness at the thinnest point, an 8.7mm thickness including the camera block, a less narrow form factor than Samsung’s phones, and a likely less visible crease too.
A more recent report – from @OnLeaks in collaboration with HowToiSolve (opens in new tab) – points to a 7.69-inch foldable screen and a 5.79-inch cover display.
They also claim the dimensions are 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm (rising to 8.3mm including the rear camera bump) when unfolded, and included renders that look a lot like those above, one of which you can see below.
(Image credit: @Onleaks / @HowToiSolve)
Another leak suggests that the display will have a resolution of 2208 x 1840 pixels, and that it will offer up to 1,200 nits of brightness and a refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz as well. The same source points to overall dimensions of 123 x 148mm.
The SIM insertion process for the alleged Google Pixel Fold. (Image credit: 9to5Google)
You can see this animation above, and while it’s possible that this is just a generic animation, there’s also a chance that it shows the Pixel Fold.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Google / USPO)
(Image credit: Google / USPO)
Elsewhere, we’ve heard that the Pixel Fold’s cover display (its outer, non-foldable screen) might be 5.8 inches.
Beyond these leaks, we’ve also seen a Google patent which shows a screen that opens out to a tablet size, but then can additionally be stretched a little further, like the rollable phone concepts we’ve seen. This however looks ambitious for Google’s first foldable phone, so we’re not convinced it will have this design.
Patently Mobile (opens in new tab) has also spotted two additional Google Pixel foldable phone patents, one of which shows a fairly conventional clamshell design, while the other has two hinges, allowing it to form a Z-shape as it unfolds, and go from smartphone size to full tablet size.
So Google seems to be experimenting with a lot of different foldable designs, but it’s likely that the company has gone with a Galaxy Z Fold-like design, detailed above.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Google / Patently Mobile)
(Image credit: Google / Patently Mobile)
Specs and features
A benchmark suggests the Pixel Fold will have the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7 Pro, unsurprisingly, along with 12GB of RAM.
That said, the older original Tensor chipset has also been spotted on a benchmark for the Pixel Fold, which additionally mentions 12GB of RAM and Android 12, and we’ve elsewhere heard the Tensor chipset rumored too. These are older leaks though, so we’d think it’s likely that Google has upgraded it to the G2 by now.
Given that this chipset seems designed to make the most of the cameras on the Pixel 7 range, that could additionally mean the same cameras will be used too, but we’re not at all certain of that. If it does have those cameras, then you can expect either a dual-lens or triple-lens setup, with main, ultra-wide and possibly also telephoto (5x optical zoom) snappers.
However, another leak has pointed to different snappers, with the 12.2MP main camera from the Pixel 5, paired with the 12MP ultra-wide from the Pixel 6, and two 8MP selfie cameras (one on each screen). This is something we’ve now heard multiple times.
According to one source, we’re looking at a 64MP+12.2MP+10MP rear camera – so not all of the leaks and rumors are agreeing at the moment when it comes to the camera on the back of the Google Pixel Fold. As for the selfie cameras, they’re both apparently 9.5MP, while leaked renders (above) show a triple-lens rear camera.
There’s also a chance that the phone will have under-display cameras, as a Google patent for the tech has been found. That said, leaked images don’t suggest this.
Beyond that we don’t know anything about the specs of the Google Pixel foldable phone, but we can speculate a little. For one thing, it will probably run Android 13, but will certainly run whatever the latest Android version is at the time of its launch.
Going by the standard Pixel range, it will probably also have decent cameras, but perhaps fewer lenses than rival phones. We’d also expect the company’s foldable will support 5G.
Just hours after Apple revealed its familiar-looking HomePod 2, the rumor mill is now predicting that the company is planning to launch a cheap iPad-style controller as part of a renewed smart home push.
Bloomberg (opens in new tab) says that an upcoming range of Apple smart displays will start with “a low-end iPad” that’ll mount to your wall or other surfaces via magnets. It’ll apparently be a basic smart home controller and FaceTime device – which are arguably the least interesting parts of an iPad for most people.
Quite how Apple intends to separate this rival to the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub from its traditional iPads isn’t yet clear. But if it’s to achieve that low-end price and avoid cannibalizing affordable tablets like the iPad 10.2 (2021), it may have to run some alternative software to a full-blown iPadOS.
Bloomberg claims the device will be “more of a home gadget than a regular iPad”, suggesting that it will be part of a separate line. Google has developed a completely new operating system called Fuchsia for its Nest Hub displays, so it’ll be interesting to see if Apple follows suit for its smart display with a fork of iPadOS.
Either way, the key part of Apple’s new push to control your smart home is its support for the Matter standard, which promises to bring a new level of interoperability between rival products. Its new smart display would certainly be Matter-compatible, and there will apparently be more than one model in the series.
Bloomberg claims that “Apple has also discussed the idea of building larger smart-home displays”, but these could arrive later. While Meta had to discontinue its Portal range, it seems smart displays are going to have another big year – with Apple battling Amazon and Google for that place on your kitchen counter.
Analysis: Apple moves back into the smart home
The upcoming Google Pixel Tablet will have a companion speaker dock accessory (above). (Image credit: Google)
On the surface, this rumored smart display sounds like a classic Apple move – wait for a tech product to mature, then arrive late with a polished version that’s designed for iOS fans. But Apple’s previous smart home efforts, including a confusing Home app, have been haphazard at best. And the arrival of Matter means it’d be competing with the best smart displays, like the upcoming Google Pixel Tablet, on an open playing field.
There’s also the danger that a new smart home display could be seen as a less fun (and less capable) version of the iPad. Most iPad owners use their tablet for watching movies, playing games and, with the help of an Apple Pencil, creative pursuits like digital art and photo editing.
Smart home controls are arguably a secondary use case for tablets, particularly as voice controls are now a hands-free option on our phones, iPads and smart speakers. So unless Apple’s smart display arrives with a sub $100 / £100 price, or a genuinely compelling new feature, it might well lose out to rivals and current (or second-hand) iPads.
An alternative that would support Apple’s push for sustainability (the company aims to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030) would be to give existing owners of old iPads a way to reinvent their tablets with new smart home software. According to Bloomberg, “Apple has also discussed creating a home stand for its current iPads”, which would effectively act as a docking accessory.
An option for existing iPads seems possible, then, particularly as Google recently showed off a speaker dock for its Pixel Tablet, which is due to launch sometime in 2023. But whether we ultimately get a dock for current iPads alongside a new Apple smart display remains to be seen.
Sophos is the latest company reported to be laying off a significant number of its workers amid global economic uncertainty.
“Sophos today announced an internal restructuring which has resulted in job losses and the start of consultation periods that potentially will affect 10% of our global employee base,” the antivirus company told TechRadar Pro in a statement.
Sophos is reported to have cited an “optimal balance of growth and profitability” as the core reason for the redundancy of many of its staff as it looks to shift its attention to the managed detection and response part of its business, an area that it says is currently growing 50% per year.
Sophos layoffs
While an estimated 450 employees may not sound as drastic as Amazon’s plans to cut 18,000 jobs, the figure represents 10% of the company’s global workforce, which is on the higher end of the scale whereby many tech firms have chosen to lay off between 5% and 10% of their headcounts.
Sophos isn’t alone in facing the pressures of a tough macro environment: Salesforce has already confirmed that at least 10% of its workforce will go, with some speculating that the company’s CEO, Marc Benioff, may consider further cutbacks.
This is a continuation of a similar story that took place throughout 2022, however some reports indicate that it’s not all bad news.
ZipRecruiter found that many tech workers were finding re-employment fairly quickly, while other opportunities have opened up for career changes as different businesses seek highly desirable skills.
TechRadar Pro asked Sophos for further comment on the news. A company spokesperson told us:
“We are especially sorry to those who will be leaving, and we are committed to providing financial support, wellbeing assistance and appropriate career transitional services, where possible, to all departing employees.”
PowerWash simulator is no stranger to exotic locations, but this latest addition takes the cake. In a free, upcoming DLC, PowerWash enthusiasts will now be able to clean Croft Manor – a fondly remembered location from the classic Tomb Raider series.
Square Enix Collective and FuturLab have teamed up in an unexpected move to bring the Tomb Raider Special Pack to PowerWash Simulator. Releasing January 31, the DLC is free and will allow you to return to a version of Croft Manor reminiscent of the PS1 days. The DLC lands the same day that PowerWash Simulator is set to release on PS5 and PS4 and is a celebration of the game’s debut on Sony’s consoles.
As you might imagine, the old manse has received quite a face-lift since the early Tomb Raider games. FuturLab has rendered the estate with modern graphics, so say goodbye to those old blocky polygons of Tomb Raider’s past. However, Croft Manor has become absolutely filthy over the past few years. That’s where you come in, armed with your blue suit and powerwasher at the ready.
Cleaning house
Croft Manor isn’t just any building; it has a special place in Tomb Raider’s history. As early as Tomb Raider 2, the manor became a fully explorable location full of easter eggs and environmental storytelling.
Whether you played Tomb Raider 2 on a PS1 or a school PC, you could explore the treasure trove in the basement, the manor ballroom, the training grounds, the kitchen, and Lara’s bedroom. It was early days, but the immersive 3D environment did a great deal to flesh out and contextualize Lara’s story and her place within the wider narrative.
Croft Manor is also famously full of easter eggs, many of which involve Lara’s long-suffering butler, Winston. In Tomb Raider 2, players could trick him into venturing into the basement freezer, before locking him in. In Tomb Raider 3, the poor soul volunteered to be target practice in Lara’s gun range. Though we don’t know if Winston will feature in the DLC, FuturLab has promised in a blog post (opens in new tab) that there will be plenty of “secrets hidden in the dirt” for fans to find on their cleaning adventures.
(Image credit: Square Enix)
It’s a treat to return to this classic locale, albeit in a very different way. This unexpected but not unwelcome DLC got me thinking about all the other ways in which new perspectives might be able to breathe life into classic video game locations.
What if Peach’s castle from Mario 64 was featured in a skating game? Imagine all the sick tricks you could pull with the help of the hub world’s ingenious verticality. What if the underground base from XCOM was turned from an anti-alien base into a rave room for a dance game? Think of all the cool, futuristic lighting.
A DLC where you can clean Croft Manor with a powerwasher is pretty left-of-field, but it reminds me of how cool it can be to enjoy a beloved setpiece in an entirely different way. It allows for an experience that, in addition to offering balmy nostalgia, also offers something genuinely new and exciting for players
