SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " probable " 84 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Sixers Mount Historic Comeback, LeBron James Wins Home Debut
The Philadelphia 76ers made history on Thursday night in LeBron James’ home debut at Wells Fargo Center.Fueled by an electric 32-point performance by Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers erased a 29-point deficit to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in their home opener.The 29-point comeback is the Sixers’ biggest comeback victory in the play-by-play era. The improbable […] The post Sixers Mount Historic Comeback, LeBron James Wins Home Debut appeared first on HEAVY.
Rhamondre Stevenson scores improbable touchdown in Week 7
Rhamondre Stevenson led the team with 93 yards receiving, which included a 48-yard TD against the Chicago Bears in Week 7.
Klobuchar, Demuth tangle over what they’ve done in politics, what they would do as governor
A probable final debate in Minnesota’s race for governor had Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Lisa Demuth scrutinizing the records and plans of the other.
Minnesota finds discrimination in businesses’ rejection of tribal IDs
Minnesota investigators found probable cause of discrimination after a credit union and Minneapolis bar rejected Native customers’ tribal identification cards.
Kings Have One of NBA’s 10 Craziest Games in History
Relive the historic night Sacramento erased a massive 35-point deficit against Chicago, cementing a legendary comeback that remains one of the most improbable statistical anomalies in basketball history.
‘In the Grey’: An engaging guilty pleasure
Droll British humor fuels this improbable crime thriller
Florida could be without top receiver against Missouri
Vernell Brown III is doubtful, Bailey Stockton is probable, and Missouri will be without several players on Saturday against Florida.
Good science requires much more than evidence
Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.
Starship Attempts Its First Launch To Orbit Today Carrying Big Dreams You Can Watch Take Flight
If the launch is successful, plans for humanity’s return to the Moon may look a touch less improbable.
Probable Italy vs. Belgium line-ups and latest injury news
Italy tested Moise Kean and Francesco Pio Esposito together for the Nations League clash, while Belgium are without injured Leandro Trossard, but could start Napoli’s Kevin De Bruyne.It kicks off at...
Vikings-Bucs First Injury Report
The Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers released their first injury reports in advance of their Sunday afternoon matchup in Tampa. Here they are. Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injury Report Terms and Glossary Injury designation definitions: Probable = the league defines a Probable injury designation as a 75% or greater chance of playing. Historically, […]
Patriots Super Bowl Legend Sets Guinness World Record
Adam Vinatieri made a career out of converting kicks few others would want.More than two decades after one of those kicks helped launch the New England Patriots dynasty, he found another improbable setting to add to his belt.The Pro Football Hall of Famer established a Guinness World Records title on Sept. 22 by making a […] The post Patriots Super Bowl Legend Sets Guinness World Record appeared first on HEAVY.
How Darren Waller Went From Retirement to Panthers
Darren Waller found the end zone on Sunday. It’s Sept. 20, 2026, and the tight end who once seemed to be retired instead is making plays for the Carolina Panthers. He’s a player whose peak was improbable to begin with, but his career did indeed seem over. He officially retired. Then he came back, and […] The post How Darren Waller Went From Retirement to Panthers appeared first on HEAVY.
New York Jets Flight Connections 09/19/26
Happy Sunday, Gang Green Nation! The Jets look to improve to an improbable 2-0 today if they can upset the Green Bay Packers in their home opener. A win wouldn’t just give the Jets a hot start. It would provide some breathing room with a difficult two game road trip coming up. The Jets could […]
Vanderbilt stuns N.C. State with fumble recovery, improbable 35-31 win
N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey was trying to run out the clock in the end zone and fumbled as he was tackled.
Detroit Tigers Must Win Out to Keep Playoff Dreams Alive
With elimination looming, Detroit must sweep their final eight games and bank on outside help to complete an improbable late-season surge toward the American League playoffs.
Vikings-Bears Second Injury Report
The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears released their second injury reports this week in advance of their Sunday afternoon matchup at Soldier Field. Here they are. Minnesota Vikings Chicago Bears Injury Report Terms and Glossary Injury designation definitions: Probable = the league defines a Probable injury designation as a 75% or greater chance of playing. […]
Andy
Some nights are so improbable that they become possible. Inter began their 2003 Champions League campaign away to Arsenal. In other words: an impossible mission. Especially against that version of Ars...
Ohio State-Texas sets Week 2 ratings record with 14 million viewers, but down from last year
Week 2 of the 2026 college football season featured two high-profile SEC-Big Ten matchups, with Ohio State-Texas setting records for ESPN. On Saturday, Texas’s improbable comeback win over Ohio State averaged 14.0 million viewers on ABC, peaking at 16.4 million, according to ESPN PR. That is the most-watched regular-season college football game on ESPN networks…
Rockies vs. Padres: Probable Starters, Game Times/TV, Etc.
The Colorado Rockies come home for their final homestand this season, looking to grab a win or two against the San Diego Padres.
Boston Red Sox Announce Probable Starters Against Kansas City Royals
Just when it looked like the Boston Red Sox were closing the gap on the New York Yankees in the race for the first American League wild-card spot, a bump in the road hit. New York took three out of four from Boston two weekends ago in the Bronx to go four games clear for […] The post Boston Red Sox Announce Probable Starters Against Kansas City Royals appeared first on HEAVY.
Slime Molds and a double Ig Nobel Prize winner and a big, great science adventure
” ‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence — Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’…
Orioles-Guardians series preview: The probable nail in the coffin
What once looked like a battle for a postseason spot is instead shaping up to be a death knell for the Orioles.
Francisco Cerundolo Stuns Taylor Fritz in US Open Comeback
In one of the more improbable results of the US Open so far, Francisco Cerundolo has taken down Taylor Fritz in a five-set match, coming back from two sets down to ultimately win 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4. The Argentine, playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the very first time, put in an inspired second-half …
Probable Formation: Roma vs Atalanta
Gasperini should have Dybala and Ndicka ready to go after some minor ailments. Meanwhile, Mora could return to the XI.
Georgia Tech field goal blocked in late loss to Colorado
Colorado freshman quarterback Julian Lewis hit tight end Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with 42 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, lifting the Buffaloes to a last-minute, 14-13 win against Georgia Tech on Thursday night in the season opener. Georgia Tech looked like it could pull off the improbable when quarterback Alberto Mendoza found receiver Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain, putting the Yellow Jackets in field goal range.
Rockies vs. Cardinals: Probable Pitchers, Game Times/TV, Etc.
Can the Colorado Rockies make some headway toward not losing 100 games with a winning series against the St. Louis Cardinals?
gamescom 2026’s Steam wishlist winners
gamescom wrapped up last weekend, and it was bloody fantastic. It really felt like the industry had a spring in its step again. The show itself was BUZZING, with 368K attendees (+3% over last year), maxed-out exhibit space, and Opening Night Live pulling over 78M online views (+7.5%). Let’s have a look at the games at the event that brought in the most new Steam wishlists between August 23 and 30. One quick thing before we start, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but wishlists are NOT a barometer for launch sales (they’re bookmarks, not baskets is what we always say over here at Alinea). With that aside, wishlists are a nice gauge of hype, so let’s dive in. Witche(r)s and Warlocks take the top two spots The biggest game of the event (by new wishlists, anyways) wasn’t a game at all. It was an expansion. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, nabbed 451K Steam wishlists by the end of the weekend. It’s a big example of something we bang on about constantly: proven IP with built-in fandom is the most powerful force in this market. But said IP can also ripple into other external success stories (more on that later!). Anyway, Songs of the Past debuted at Opening Night Live, and it’s the first Witcher 3 expansion in over a decade, landing next year after a full Witcher 3 remaster (free for existing owners!) arrives next month. The Witcher 3 has sold around 66M copies, and I’ll be one of those owners jumping back in to refresh myself on the core game (like there isn’t enough to play!), then play the expansion next year. This is all part of CDPR’s plan. The studio is clearly whetting everyone’s appetite for The Witcher 4 in 2028 via a classic bridge strategy. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Releasing a free 4K remaster next month – followed by a proper expansion in 2027 – keeps IP top-of-mind across a huge gap between content (games-wise, anyway). It kind of echoes Capcom’s evergreen catalogue strategy. And outsourcing co-development to Fool’s Theory (a studio led by trusted Witcher 3 veterans) keeps CDPR’s internal headcount focused on The Witcher 4. #2 by wishlists between Aug 23 and 30 went to another giant IP: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast and developed by Invoke Studios (a team of ex-Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell devs). It’s due to launch in 2027, and it looks brilliant so far. It’s a dark-fantasy open world with third-person spell-slinging. It’s a very Witcher-ish aesthetic. As you might expect, 48% of Warlock’s Steam wishlisters have played Baldur’s Gate 3, and 46% have played The Witcher 3. One to watch. For sure! Mash-ups: Anime GTA (!?) and a city-builder for kids (and adults) Ananta took #3 with 302K new wishlists. It’s an open-world game that looks like GTA and Persona had a baby. It was published by NetEase, developed by Naked Rain, and got a trailer at Opening Night Live. I got hands-on at the show, and it wears its influences openly; there’s literal web-slinging (very Spider-Man) and a LOAD of mini-games (Like a Dragon). It’s free-to-play and out in January. For Ananta, Naked Rain is taking the free-to-play, cosmetics-only route. That’s certainly a choice for a single-player open-world game. Without gacha mechanics driving high ARPU, Ananta is betting purely on top-of-funnel reach and long-term retention. This puts pressure on skin appeal when there’s no multiplayer lobby to flex in (although, co-op is reportedly coming later). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Then there’s Lego Skylines (273K wishlists between Aug 23 and 30), which does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a cosy Lego twist on the city-builder genre, as shallow or as deep as you fancy (five min quick sesh or ten-hour no-lifer session; latter for me). There’s some family-friendly stuff in there like couch co-op, which is only really viable on console. Iceflake Studios, which Paradox acquired back in 2020 is developing this one. So Paradox is probably looking for a family-friendly onramp to its rad Cities: Skylines games. The overlap there is plain, with 33% of Lego Skylines wishlisters having played Cities: Skylines and 16% Skylines II. There’s no doubt plenty of parents here (and uncles, ahem) planning to indoctrinate the next gen of city-builders. I’ll definitely be playing with my youngest nephew. This one could be big and educational. I’m very curious to see more. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Mature IP, new and old, rounds out the list As for the rest of the list of gamescom games by new wishlists between Aug 23 and 30: Heroes of Might & Magic III Remake got 189K new wishlists. It remakes the iconic 1999 turn-based-strategy classic in full 3D and 4K. It follows this year’s Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (~1.8M copies sold, as per our estimates), and around a quarter of the III Remake wishlisters have played Olden Era, including 7% of them this month. Wardogs – a $40 PvP shooter – added another 146K to an already massive pile (nearly 1.6M total). It’s published by Team17 and made by Bulkhead. It plays somewhere between the tactical squad stuff of … Squad and the all-out-chaos battlefield of … Battlefield. It’s up to 100 players, and it’s out in about 10 days. It’s already pre-sold over 500K copies on Steam ($16.6M), boosted by a pre-order-only beta. It sold another 70K copies during gamescom, too. Afterworld managed 121K new wishlists. It’s a Paradox-made post-apocalyptic grand-strategy game, and it was announced at the show. It’s a departure from Paradox’s usual historical stuff, and the studio’s first new setting in over a decade. The Paradox purists are into it, with over half its wishlisters having played Hearts of Iron IV (19% this month) and 41% Crusader Kings III (17% this month). Metro 2039 got 110K during the show, tunnelling its total past 1.3M. Nearly 40% of wishlisters have played 2020’s Metro Exodus, the previous mainline title in the series. The Metro novels are Russian, dev 4A Games is Ukrainian, and it’s set in Moscow, so it’s unsurprising that – after the US (17.3% of wishlisters) – the next two countries are Russia (12.7%) and Ukraine (10.0%). The Blood of the Dawnwalker drew in (the blood of) 108K new wishlisters, now totalling an impressive 1.7M (at a $70 price point, though). It’s an open-world dark-fantasy action-RPG set in 14th-century Europe (with vampires!), made by some former Witcher devs at Rebel Wolves. Again, it shows. Over half of Blood of the Dawnwalker’s wishlisters have played The Witcher 3, and its #2 market is Poland, home of Rebel Wolves. That’s that hometown-hero effect we keep banging on about again! And Blood of the Dawnwalker plays very well, by the way. While it looks like a Witcher clone on the surface, it actually brings a lot to the table mechanics-wise. I love the whole time-as-a-currency spin on RPG gameplay. It gives the game a different, refreshing pace. Essentially, you start Blood of the Dawnwalker with a pool of 480 action points spread across 30 days and 30 nights. As for how the game performs, we’ll be posting some numbers next week, so hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready. Subscribe The Witcher’s legacy ripples Make no mistake: on a high level, this was The Witcher‘s gamescom. The #1 game by wishlisters was a Witcher 3 DLC. Warlock is clearly Witcher-inspired – as is Blood of the Dawnwalker, which was made by ex-Witcher devs. There was a lot of other cool stuff on the floor that we’ll no doubt be covering in subsequent newsletters, though! As always, wishlists went through the roof for sequels, remakes, DLC, and licensed IP. As always, though, these wishlists will likely convert to about 5% to 10% of launch-day buyers, with the probable exception of The Witcher DLC – the exception that proves the rule. Either way, we’ve got a nice, diverse list here – one that is very Witcher-y, Paradox-y, and – if you’re a fan of great games on Steam – a bloody good list. We even got a bunch of new IP to get excited for. Great gamescom! Even if we are still processing that unfathomable number of mini Kölsch beers! One more thing: GTA 6 broke the internet (again) Move aside, Spider-Man and The Odyssey (I love you both, really). But the decade’s defining entertainment zeitgeist is round the corner. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Rockstar dropped an extended look at GTA 6 last week. It was INSANE, the most impressed I’ve ever been by a showcase like this. You can see the budget seeping through every second of the extended look, and this level of game is unobtainable for any other publisher. Everyone’s going nuts, and rightly so. GTA 6 is out in holiday 2026, and it’ll be the biggest entertainment release ever, full stop. For those without a PS5 or Xbox Series console, a $500-$900 console is a big ask in this economy, but GTA will pull a lot of last-generation-console fence sitters over the current-gen fence either way: The autumn timing puts GTA 6 on (digital) shelves for the holidays, meaning a PS5 or Xbox (let’s be honest, mostly the former) will be on many a Christmas and Hanukkah list. Demand will outweigh the struggling supply, though, and PS5 Pros are already sold out and being sold at a markup via scalpers. Every console that isn’t on a shelf is a sale deferred or lost, and worse, it hands scalpers the margin. GTA has cultural clout that reaches everyone. It’s been a mainstream fixture since 2001’s GTA III and its clout has only grown exponentially since then. There’s a touchpoint for every generation alive. The FOMO-word-of-mouth double punch does the rest. Loading... It’ll reactivate the lockdown cohort, the millions who picked up gaming in 2020-21 and churned. GTA 6 will bring them back. Remember when College Football 25 brought a bunch of US gamers to current-gen consoles? GTA will do that globally. Once they’re back (or upgraded), and all GTA’d out, the fresh current-gen-console folks will check out the rest of the current-gen catalogue they missed. GTA Online, if not free to play, will also lead to a boost for PS+ and Xbox Game Pass, another boost for the ecosystem players. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Even some of the smug PCMR 60FPS crew won’t be able to resist their FOMO and will bite the bullet on a console to play this one early (then double dip). The consoles cost the same as a decent stick of RAM these days anyway lmao… Don’t get me wrong, though. GTA 6 is no silver bullet for the mature console market, but it does prime the current gen for a couple of strong swan-song years. And it’ll also give the consoles more users from which to maximise ARPU. ‘’We are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of [the PS5],’’ said Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki in a Wall Street Journal interview. ‘’That means we do not need to aggressively sell the console today; rather than that, we are focusing on the current revenue from the current user base.’’ The biggest, best premium games always arrive late in a console cycle, so getting more players aboard now, ahead of that content storm (the new current-gen-only Call of Duty included), is a clear win for the platforms. On the Netflix thing, though: let’s all chill out a bit, like. Half my LinkedIn feed was going bonkers treating the reveal debuting on Netflix like it’s the future of entertainment. It wasn’t. It was a six-hour head start, and Netflix left that detail out of the “first-of-its-kind partnership” press release. The extended look hit Netflix at 3pm ET on 27 August, then went up on YouTube and Rockstar’s site for everyone six hours later. And it was all over social immediately, anyways. This reveal was going to reach an untold number of people whether it debuted on Netflix, YouTube, a Times Square screen, or a group chat. The last trailer did nearly half a billion views in a day with no gatekeeper at all. Netflix just stood next to that audience for six hours, borrowing it. It’s was a tidy deal for Netflix, sure. But every outlet on earth was breaking the thing down frame by frame by the evening anyway. Anyway. I’m hype. And we’ll be covering some GTA numbers on the newsletter soon. So hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready! Subscribe The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
New York Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for Series Against Astros
The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros 8-3 on Sunday afternoon to take two of three games in the series and improve to 74-56 overall.They’ll have Monday off before the Astros come to the Bronx for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.Ahead of the series, both the Astros and Yankees have announced their probable starting […] The post New York Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for Series Against Astros appeared first on HEAVY.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Starting Pitchers for Series Against Yankees
The Toronto Blue Jays secured a series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday with a 5-1 win.They’ll have a quick turnaround, though, as they begin a weekend series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx on Friday and have already announced their probable starting pitchers via MLB.com.Blue Jays Announce Probable StartersFriday’s game […] The post Toronto Blue Jays Announce Starting Pitchers for Series Against Yankees appeared first on HEAVY.
Mission Improbable: A onetime Republican is trying to prove Democrats can win in Florida
David Jolly, a former Republican now running for Florida governor as a Democrat, is trying to revive the state’s political battleground status
Mission Improbable: A onetime Republican is trying to prove Democrats can win in Florida
David Jolly, a former Republican now running for Florida governor as a Democrat, is trying to revive the state's political battleground status.
Oklahoma Health Department reports 506 cyclosporiasis cases statewide
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has updated the cyclosporiasis numbers in Oklahoma, with 496 confirmed cases and 10 probable cases as of Tuesday, Aug. 1
What is ‘rabbit fever?’ Health officials report 3 probable cases in New York
What is “rabbit fever?” Health officials report several probable causes of the rare but serious disease.
What is ‘rabbit fever?’ Health officials report 3 probable cases in New York
What is “rabbit fever?” Health officials report several probable causes of the rare but serious disease.
Phillies host the Yankees on home losing streak
New York Yankees (59-45, second in the AL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (56-49, second in the NL East) Philadelphia; Sunday, 7:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: Will Warren (7-4, 4.00 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 97 strikeouts); Phillies: Cristopher Sanchez (12-4, 2.65 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 151 strikeouts) LINE: Phillies -175, Yankees +143; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies aim to end their four-game home losing streak with a victory over the New York Yankees. Philadelphia has a 27-27 record at home and a 56-49 record overall.
Reds try to prolong win streak, play the Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds (48-54, fifth in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (52-51, fourth in the NL Central) St. Louis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Hunter Greene (2-1, 6.06 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Cardinals: Andre Pallante (10-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 75 strikeouts) LINE: Cardinals -150, Reds +122; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds are looking to keep their three-game win streak alive when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has a 26-28 record in home games and a 52-51 record overall.
Dodgers vs. Yankees Probable Pitchers Announced
Roki Sasaki battles Gerrit Cole as the Los Angeles Dodgers open the second half against the New York Yankees, culminating in a high-stakes Sunday showdown between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cam Schlittler.
Miguel Vargas is the Turnaround
Once the face of the South Side’s darkest days, he has become the symbol of its improbable revival
WEC finds probable cause that Elon Musk broke state election bribery law
After voting 5-1 in a closed session on July 9, WEC referred the two complaints to the Brown County District Attorney David Lasee.
Lindsey Graham’s improbable life from the back room of a bar to the center of American power
Before Lindsey Graham became a national political force, he was a boy growing up behind his parents’ bar in SC. These are the losses, loyalties and contradictions that shaped his improbable life.
Lionel Messi's Late-Game Heroics Are Hard To Believe; Not For Zlatan and Henry
The inevitable Lionel Messi delivered again, leading Argentina to an improbable comeback, keeping its World Cup title defense alive.
Analyzing Argentina's Historic Comeback vs. Egypt From A Betting Perspective
How does Argentina's improbable comeback compare to other miraculous comebacks in sports from a live betting perspective?
Mets play the Braves looking to end road slide
New York Mets (36-53, fifth in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (52-35, first in the NL East) Atlanta; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Nolan McLean (5-5, 3.78 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 113 strikeouts); Braves: Martin Perez (6-5, 3.27 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 61 strikeouts) LINE: Braves -198, Mets +161; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets will attempt to end their three-game road slide in a matchup with the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta has a 27-16 record in home games and a 52-35 record overall.
Sony will cease production of discs for new PlayStation games in 2028
New games sold for PlayStation consoles will only be available digitally and won’t be sold on discs effective January 2028, Sony has announced. The move applies to all PlayStation games released from that point on, including those made by Sony and those released by third parties. The PlayStation group calls the change “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” according to a PlayStation blog post reviewed by Game File in advance of its publication. As movies, TV and music have shifted from physical media to an age of downloads and streaming, Sony’s move could speed the demise of physical media in a gaming. The industry has offered consumers games via cartridges, cassettes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays across a 50-year stretch. Sony has been reporting to investors in recent years that PlayStation games have been increasingly purchased as downloads, not as discs. The most recent figures show nearly four in five purchases of full games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were purchased digitally in the past year. Stats like that may cause today’s news to carry an air of the inevitable. But Sony’s declaration for 2028 is still likely to produce a shock, as the biggest gaming platform on the planet that uses game discs leaves them behind. Discs going away, but the fate of game boxes is unknown Sony is committing to still selling games in physical retailers even after they drop discs in 2028. Just how those games will be sold—in boxes with codes inside, as cards marked with digital redemption codes—is unclear. Digital games will also continue to be sold in the online PlayStation Store. New games released for PlayStation consoles prior to January 2028 will be unaffected by the policy change, Sony says. That means the PS5 games of 2027, be they a new Madden, a new God of War, a new Call of Duty, a new Sly Cooper (one can dream?), would still potentially be offered on disc. PlayStation 6 implications Sony’s timeline for a transition to a no-disc era will also spin up more speculation about the timing and configuration of Sony’s next-generation console, the probable PlayStation 6. “This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest,” Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis tells Game File. Harding-Rolls also concludes from today’s news that “the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive,” as Sony looks to keep costs down on the device. Sony itself is saying nothing about the PS6 today: not its timing, nor how it might or might not support internal or external disc drives in order to run disc-based PS4 and PS5 games, should the console be backwards compatible. The many signs this was coming Industry support for games being released on physical media has been waning. As has consumer interest in them. PC games effectively went all-digital years ago, thanks to the popularity of playing games through Steam and other digital storefronts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that kept much of the global population home helped shift shopping patterns toward downloads. Sony’s own data shows PlayStation game downloads being an uncommon consumer choice a decade ago and now becoming the norm. On consoles, physical media has been in such decline that Sony and Microsoft both launched their current gen Xbox Series and PS5 consoles in 2020 with cheaper versions that lacked disc drives. In early 2024, Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, told me that ““[w]e ship games physically and digitally, and we’re really just following what the customers are doing.” He added that the game industry had become an outlier in still supporting disc-based entertainment, even as movies and TV have bailed on discs in favor of downloads and steaming: “Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive. And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console—and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers—the cost of the drive does have an impact.” Last year, the Nintendo’s Switch 2, which uses cartridges rather than discs, introduced the concept of game-key cards, which are physical media that contain no game, just a prompt for a download. Even disc-based games aren’t what they once were, now frequently containing just stubs of games rather than the whole thing. The website Does It Play has tested over 3000 games and found that, for example, that the disc version of this year’s hit 007: First Light, only contained the game’s first mission, with the rest needing to be downloaded. Beyond all that, last week brought the news that Grand Theft Auto VI, likely the biggest game launch this decade, will debut for PS5 and Xbox Series without a disc-based version. Today’s big news comes to you for free. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and ensure more of my work is possible, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Discs helped define PlayStation However the trends in entertainment may be going, it is still remarkable to see PlayStation ditch discs given their importance in PlayStation history: In the late 1990s, the first PlayStation’s support for games on relatively cheap CD-ROMs instead of traditional game cartridges allowed the upstart console to outmaneuver cartridge-based systems from Nintendo and Sega, as it drove down game prices down in the process. (The cheaper disc format even prompted Final Fantasy VII maker Square to taunt Nintendo in a magazine ad, saying that if the game was “available on cartridge, it’d retail for around $1200.”) PlayStation devices often doubled as machines for watching movies and TV on the latest disc-based formats. In the late 2000s, for example, Sony’s pricy PS3 gained traction as a go-to device for playing then-novel Blu-Ray discs. In 2013, Sony effectively roasted the digital game-sharing restrictions proposed by rival Microsoft for its upcoming Xbox One console by showing how games could be shared for the then-upcoming PS4. In a 21-second clip that has over 20 million views on YouTube, one PlayStation executive simply handed a game box—presumably with disc inside—to another, who said “thanks.” Sony’s possible motivations The PlayStation announcement today cites “consumer preferences” and a shift away from discs among “the broader entertainment industry,” but does not delve into the decision-making process that brought Sony to this point. Sony is not discussing the economics of this move (I asked!), but there are a number of potential factors: Abandoning discs will spare Sony the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, which analysts and industry veterans I spoke to said could account for $1 or so of a game’s retail price. For first-party games, that’s direct savings for Sony, though the amount is limited by the winnowing percentage of people who were even buying the disc-based versions. For third-party games, Sony could pass the savings on to partners or just retain the better profit margin for themselves. As the 2024 comments from Phil Spencer alluded to, leaving discs behind could mean leaving disc-drives behind, allowing Sony to produce consoles more cheaply. Switching to digital-only for games could diminish the risks of copies of new games leaking. It would also seemingly make second-hand sales of used games impossible, pushing more people to buy their own copies of games. These economic benefits for Sony could be boons for the games industry overall, Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls tells Game File. Among other things, it could free publishers and retailers from having to worry about securing an inventory of game discs when trying to sell games, he noted. “If there is a way to streamline the business of games retail, I generally think it’s a good thing for the industry as it removes unnecessary costs,” Harding-Rolls said. “This will help offset pressure on margins from other directions – development and staffing costs for example.” Should the industry shift from game boxes that contain discs to smaller, cheaper game cards, Harding-Rolls said, that reduces pressure on publishers and retailers. “The advantage of everything going digital for the industry is that sales can be tracked much more easily and there is less commercial risk for publishers wanting to continue selling via retail,” he said. The shift to no discs will also likely impact game development timelines, as developers will no longer face the same urgency to have a build ready to submit to PlayStation for the production of a disc, as industry experts noted around GTA VI’s no-disc news last week. Instead, projects may gain weeks of development time, in the event delivery deadlines for platform approval move closer to release date. Preservationists’ likely worries While millions of gamers have shifted to digital, there are still people who associate game discs—and only game discs—with actual ownership of PlayStation games. That portion of the gaming community spoke up last week about wanting to buy a version of GTA VI that they could hold in their hands, could lend to a friend and could potentially pop into a well-preserved PS5 console three decades from now and still see it run. Such gamers didn’t want to worry that they’d merely purchased a digital copy that could lose access to the game if, say, the company behind the game someday turns of the servers that transmit downloadable copies. Digital copies of games are inherently less long-lasting, because consumers aren’t actually buying a game (on a disc), just buying access to the game. The fine print in online gaming shops notes this, as does a recent law that went on the books in California in 2025. That lasw requires game publishers doing business in the state to refrain from words like “sell” when offering digital copies of games, unless they explicitly tell consumers that what’s being sold isn’t the game itself but a potentially revocable license to access it. A Sony spokesperson noted to Game File that “[w]ith all digital content, including games, movies, and music, players are purchasing a personal license for non-commercial use.” Regarding the fears of PlayStation games being lost to time in an all-digital era, the rep also noted that Sony remains “committed to delivering experiences from past generations to the new platforms our players are using.” They noted that PlayStation has used emulation and remasters to keep offering its classic games to modern gamers. It’s true that many consumers have become accustomed to not having physical copies of new music albums or movies, but the relative precariousness of digital copies of games is in fact being highlighted today by…. Sony’s other big announcement: the upcoming closure of the PS3 and PS Vita online stores Sony said today that it will be closing the online marketplaces for its PlayStation 3 console and PS Vita handheld in most countries in July 2027 (sooner elsewhere: August 2026 for the PS3 store Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua; late 2026 for PS3 in other Latin American countries and the Middle East). “We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming,” Sony said in its announcement, saying the move “was not an easy decision for us to make.” Sony said that PS3 and Vita marketplaces “are no longer able” to support modern commerce systems, prompting a “need” to close the shops and focus on more modern PlayStation platform stores. The news may spark some deja vu. Sony announced back in March 2021 that it planned to take the PS3, Vita and PlayStation Portable marketplaces offline that summer. The move would have caused some 2,000 digital-only games to become unavailable for new purchasers, according to a VGC analysis at the time. Fans complained loudly. By April 2021, Sony walked back the PS3 and Vita shop closures, with then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying “it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.” This time around, Sony is giving a longer notice period in most regions. The closure of those stores is still likely to cut off access to new purchases of digital-only PS3 and Vita games. The current PlayStation 5 marketplace sells PS5 and PS4 games, as well as a selection of PS1 and PS2 games. It does not sell PS3 games, because games for that platform can’t run on the system (some are offered via a PlayStation Plus streaming option). Vita games also aren’t sold via PS5. Sony says digitally purchased PS3 and Vita games will be downloadable after the stores’ shutdowns “for the foreseeable future.” Sony’s move contrasts with Microsoft’s Xbox platform, which continues to sell and support games from all four Xbox console generations. But it puts it in line with Nintendo, which disabled purchases in the marketplace for its Wii console (a contemporary of the PS3) in 2019. Nintendo discontinued purchases in the online shop for its 3DS portable (a contemporary of the Vita) in 2023. The big questions about Sony’s 2028 post-disc era Will Microsoft follow suit, ending support for new disc-based games on Xbox platforms and therefore all game consoles, too? Whether Microsoft does or not, will third-parties that can no longer release games on discs for PlayStation, simply ditch the disc options across the board? Given the GTA VI no-disc experiment launching this November, will more game publishers decide to forgo disc-based offerings even in 2027? How will no-disc PS5/6 games be packaged and sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores? What becomes of game sharing in an all-digital era? Will Sony modify its current set-up, which currently allows some sharing of digital games across a pair of consoles, to allow more casual lending? (See for example, Nintendo’s year-old system of letting players lend a digital game to another player in a “family group” for up to 14 days.) Will there be a version of a PS6 with a disc drive? Or will a drive be offered as an add-on? And how will gamers who want to retain access to PS4/PS5 disc-based games react to whichever configurations Sony chooses to offer? What will the final disc-based PlayStation game be?
Efzimfotase alfa demonstrated improvements in bone health in treatment-naïve pediatric patients with hypophosphatasia achieving median difference of 1.67 vs placebo in RGI-C Score at week 25 in MULBERRY Phase III trial
Positive results from the MULBERRY Phase III trial showed that efzimfotase alfa (ALXN1850), an investigational enzyme replacement therapy, demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in bone health in children (2 to
The war for Burnham’s ear: politicians and wonks fight for influence over a PM
There is high emotion, a deluge of policy papers and an ‘excruciating’ jostle for jobs as Labour’s probable next leader settles back into Westminster life
The Knicks’ hedonistic NBA finals run has been a relief from the exhaustion of US politics
Immersed in the daily churn of Washington DC, I found an unexpected source of hope in the Knicks’ improbable season
Braves look to stop slide in game against the Mets
Atlanta Braves (45-24, first in the NL East) vs. New York Mets (31-38, fifth in the NL East) New York; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Martin Perez (4-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 47 strikeouts); Mets: Sean Manaea (1-1, 5.02 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 45 strikeouts) LINE: Mets -113, Braves -106; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves head into the matchup with the New York Mets as losers of three straight games. New York has gone 17-17 in home games and 31-38 overall.
The rise and fall of 'The Hills' star Spencer Pratt's improbable campaign for Los Angeles mayor
Pratt, a reality television personality, was not able to pull off his latest venture — an improbable bid to become mayor of Los Angeles.
Orioles host the Mariners to begin 4-game series
Seattle Mariners (34-32, first in the AL West) vs. Baltimore Orioles (31-35, fourth in the AL East) Baltimore; Monday, 6:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Emerson Hancock (4-2, 2.80 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 70 strikeouts); Orioles: Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.27 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 37 strikeouts) LINE: Mariners -131, Orioles +110; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Baltimore Orioles host the Seattle Mariners on Monday to begin a four-game series. Baltimore is 31-35 overall and 19-15 in home games.
Dodgers host the Angels, look to extend home win streak
Los Angeles Angels (24-41, fifth in the AL West) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (42-23, first in the NL West) Los Angeles; Sunday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Angels: Jose Soriano (6-4, 2.72 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 85 strikeouts); Dodgers: Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 4.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 62 strikeouts) LINE: Dodgers -365, Angels +285; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Los Angeles Angels. Los Angeles has a 22-11 record in home games and a 42-23 record overall.
Schmitt leads Giants against the Cubs after 4-hit game
San Francisco Giants (26-38, fourth in the NL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (33-31, fourth in the NL Central) Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Landen Roupp (5-6, 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 72 strikeouts); Cubs: Ben Brown (2-2, 1.92 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 53 strikeouts) LINE: Cubs -146, Giants +122; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants take on the Chicago Cubs after Casey Schmitt had four hits on Friday in an 18-3 win over the Cubs. Chicago is 19-14 in home games and 33-31 overall.
Top-seeded UCLA eliminated from NCAA baseball tournament
Makoa Sniffen's run-scoring single in the 10th inning gave the Saint Mary's Gaels an improbable 6-5 victory over UCLA on Sunday in Los Angeles, eliminating the top-seeded Bruins, who were 51-6 headed into the weekend, from the NCAA baseball tournament.
Could the unlikely savior of US college sports be … Donald Trump?
As universities prepare to spend millions paying athletes directly, fears mount that Olympic and women’s sports will pay the price. An improbable figure could well stop it
Aaron Rodgers could become rare QB to beat every NFL team, but there's only one improbable way it can happen
If Rodgers pulls this off, it would go down as the most memorable final game for any player in NFL history
Vikings Could Still Target 3 Positions This Summer for Upgrades
Either via free agency — the most probable route — or from trades, the Minnesota Vikings may not be finished […]
Brewers Reveal Probable Starting Pitchers vs. Dodgers
Milwaukee gears up for a high-stakes NLCS rematch as Logan Henderson leads rotation against star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.
Royals look to end slide in matchup with the Cardinals
Kansas City Royals (19-26, fifth in the AL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (26-18, third in the NL Central) St. Louis; Saturday, 2:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.55 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 32 strikeouts); Cardinals: Kyle Leahy (4-3, 4.31 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 32 strikeouts) LINE: Royals -112, Cardinals -106; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals aim to end a five-game slide with a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has an 11-10 record in home games and a 26-18 record overall.
Colorado ethics panel finds probable cause in complaint against Democrat caucus leader
The colleagues of a Democrat unanimously concluded they have probable cause to believe she committed an ethical violation by mismanaging her party caucus’s funds as its co-chair. The House Ethics Committee was charged with examining a complaint from Rep. Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, alleging that Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, mishandled and improperly used caucus funds for […]
Brewers host the Yankees to start 3-game series
New York Yankees (26-12, first in the AL East) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (19-16, fourth in the NL Central) Milwaukee; Friday, 7:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: Max Fried (4-1, 2.39 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 43 strikeouts); Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 59 strikeouts) LINE: Yankees -139, Brewers +117; over/under is 7 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the New York Yankees on Friday to open a three-game series. Milwaukee has a 19-16 record overall and a 10-8 record at home.
Astros visit the Reds to start 3-game series
Houston Astros (15-23, fifth in the AL West) vs. Cincinnati Reds (20-18, fifth in the NL Central) Cincinnati; Friday, 6:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Mike Burrows (1-4, 5.97 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 36 strikeouts); Reds: Nick Lodolo (0-0) LINE: Reds -136, Astros +114; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds host the Houston Astros on Friday to open a three-game series. Cincinnati is 20-18 overall and 10-8 in home games.
Cardinals start 3-game series with the Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers (18-15, fourth in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (20-14, third in the NL Central) St. Louis; Monday, 7:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Chad Patrick (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 16 strikeouts); Cardinals: Kyle Leahy (3-3, 5.52 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 22 strikeouts) LINE: Brewers -115, Cardinals -105; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals host the Milwaukee Brewers to start a three-game series. St. Louis is 20-14 overall and 9-9 at home.
One critical question the 2026 election has already answered
Whether Democrats triumph in November’s elections or Republicans benefit from another improbable Trumpian comeback, they’ll be remembered for a new narrowing of a critical aspect of American democracy.
Glocester petting zoo ordered to quarantine animals after reported infections
Health officials are investigating three confirmed and three probable cases of cryptosporidiosis reported after visits to Rusty Buckle Farm.
Nebraska baseball caps improbable comeback over USC with walk-off in 10th
Nebraska baseball’s Friday night matchup with No. 12 USC was a night that had all the makings of a pitcher’s duel. In a star-studded matchup between Mason Edwards and Cooper Katskee, the series opener shaped up to be a game dominated by two high-profile arms.
Jackson Merrill robs home run, then delivers walk-off hit during Padres' improbable ninth-inning comeback
TMZ Gets Political
The tabloid TMZ is ripping elected officials with a searing scrutiny beyond even what it usually reserves for celebrities, becoming an improbable fount of accountability.
Google's 'Performance Advisor' Steph Curry teases probable new wearable
The video promises "A new relationship with your health" is "coming soon."
2026 women's March Madness sleeper teams: No. 11 Fairfield can bust your bracket
March Madness wouldn't be complete without a Cinderella story. Which program can etch their name in the history books with an improbable run?
Legoland opens the new Lego Galaxy and its most thrilling coaster yet
Galacticoaster is a race to save a Lego-infused galaxy from an “asteroid of probable destruction.” And at 40 mph, it's the park’s fastest ride.
DOJ Over-Seized Hannah Natanson's Garmin Device and Other Reporting Materials
DOJ claims it is adhering to the Privacy Protection Act, even though they didn't mention it in the affidavit to search Hannah Natanson's devices. But their search seized far more reporting materials than covered by the probable cause tied to Aurelio Perez-Lugones.
This Picture Of A Nissan CrossCab Repaired With Spray Foam Insulation Is A Terrifying Warning
As I’m sure you’re aware, we here at the Autopian have a company car: our ridiculous Nissan Murano CrossCab, which we’ve half-wrapped in Xpel protective film and then done all sorts of dumb stuff with. It’s been a hell of a lot of fun, perversely, and people seem to really enjoy seeing this strangely improbable […]
Indiana's CFP National Championship: A Historic Run By the Numbers
Here are the numbers behind Indiana's improbable run to claiming the 2025 CFP national championship.
4 Takeaways From Indiana's CFP National Championship Game Win Over Miami
Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a win over Miami that closed out an undefeated season and brought an improbable national championship to Indiana.
CAN 2025 – final | Senegal vs Morocco: probable lineups
CAN 2025 – final: probable lineups for Senegal vs MoroccoCAN 2025 – final | Senegal vs Morocco: probable lineupsThe long-awaited moment has arrived. This Sunday from 8 p.m., the 2025 Africa Cup of...
UCLA 71, Penn State 60: More Frustration
Stop if you’ve heard this one before. Penn State, playing at home, battled tooth and nail with a probable NCAA tournament team before finally faltering in the final minutes. Well, it happened again on Wednesday night at the BJC with UCLA leaving town with a 71-60 win that still has the Nittany Lions (9-8, 0-6 […]
Inside Bears' locker room after stunning comeback win vs. Packers
Take a look inside an electric Bears locker room following their improbable comeback win over the Packers in the wild card playoffs.
Call this 49ers’ stunning, surprising season what it is, ‘Mission: Improbable’
After a dozen San Francisco 49ers wins, with Sunday’s see-saw victory over the Bears perhaps their most memorable yet, the Niners could earn a flight-free playoffs on Saturday. Whodathunkit?
Logan Lednicky caps dream with volleyball title at Texas A&M
The fourth-generation Aggie helped Texas A&M win the school's first volleyball national championship in a most improbable fashion.
Lakers' LeBron James: Upgraded to probable
Lakers' LeBron James: Upgraded to probable
76ers' Paul George: Probable to face LAL
76ers' Paul George: Probable to face LAL
Nets' Michael Porter Jr. (back tightness) probable Monday vs. Hornets
Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is probable for Monday's game against the Charlotte Hornets due to his low back tightness.