Solos launched its $79 Privacy Kit for AirGo V2 smart glasses, replacing digital toggles with physical camera barriers and clear frame temples.
The ClearView Temple is a non-powered, transparent frame arm available in four patterns (Ocean Arrow, Amber Net, Mint Check, Teal Web) that visually proves no electronics are inside.
The Clip-On Bundle includes a full-cover shield to physically block the camera, plus a polarized sun lens available in Dark Green, Dark Grey, or Gradient Brown.
Solos is providing AirGo V2 owners with a more obvious way to tell when their smart glasses are not using their cameras. The company’s new Privacy Kit is now available online, combining a transparent replacement temple with clip-on accessories designed to physically block the glasses’ cameras.
Typically, smart eyewear relies on tiny LED lights or software toggles to signal when you are recording, but those methods rarely ease public paranoia. Solos, a company spun out of Kopin Corporation by engineers trained at MIT, is taking the low-tech, no-nonsense approach. Co-founder Kenneth Fan calls this “privacy by design,” replacing pinky-promise policies with real barriers.
Solos first announced the kit in July during the global launch of AirGo V2. The kit is now shipping via the company’s website.
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The Privacy Kit is $79 for three pieces. ClearView Temple is a non-powered, transparent replacement temple that shows you that there are no electronics or camera components inside it. It comes in Ocean Arrow, Amber Net, Mint Check, and Teal Web.
Then there’s the Clip-On Privacy Shield, a full-cover front accessory that physically blocks the camera from view and use. The same package also includes a polarized sun lens, providing UV protection and glare reduction when privacy isn’t a concern. The lens comes in Dark Green, Dark Grey, and Gradient Brown.
There’s also an unexpectedly tangible cost to switching between those modes: The $79 kit is about 26% of the AirGo V2’s $299 starting price. Solos sells the ClearView Temple separately for $39 and the Clip-On Bundle for $49.
For AirGo V2 owners, the kit adds a decidedly physical layer of privacy to smart glasses. Instead of having a second setting hidden in an app, users can trade or add on hardware if they want a more visible privacy mode.
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The retro aesthetic audio brand Nothing released its first pair of over-ear headphones just over a year ago, and already, they’re back with improvements.
The Headphone (1) Pro, though, show some serious potential. Though I’ve only spent a few days with the headphones so far, I have some initial thoughts, alongside everything else to know about Nothing’s newest release.
Nothing Headphone (1) Pro: Price and specs
The Nothing Headphone (1) Pro cost $399, putting them $100 over the asking price of the Headphone (1) upon launch. The specs are as follows:
Drivers: Bass dynamic driver, precision dynamic driver, and xMEMS driver
Active noise cancellation: Adaptive, powered by 10 microphones
Battery life: 30 hours with ANC on, 68 hours with ANC off
Quick charge: Two hours of listening from a five-minute charge
Spatial audio: Yes, five modes of dynamic spatial audio (standard, Studio B by Metropolis Studios, live house, club, concert hall)
IP rating: IP52
Multipoint: Yes
Connection: Bluetooth 6.1, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair
Colors: Black and white
Nothing Headphone (1) Pro vs. Nothing Headphone (1)
While the Nothing Headphone (1) Pro retain the same distinctive retro-rectangular look of the Headphone (1), the brand brought some updates that separate the newer model as the premium one. For instance, the transparent part of the ear cup is made of shatter- and scratch-resistant glass, while a combination of titanium and aluminum provides for a lighter overall product.
Last year’s Nothing Headphone (1) are similar in appearances, but the brand made key changes for the update model. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Nothing also claims to have upped the noise cancellation power by 40 percent, thanks to the 10-microphone system with more optimally placed mics. Unlike the older headphones, all the microphones are placed inward on the ear cup, meaning less interference from wind and airflow.
The headline with these headphones, however, likely lies with the broad listening experience. The triple driver architecture isn’t one too common on headphones, but it’s designed to provide the most robust listening experience. In the companion app, you have the option in the equalizer to tune the main drivers or the precision driver specifically.
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In addition to the drivers, Nothing included five different modes of dynamic spatial audio, optimized for different genres of music.
If you’re into audio editing, music mixing, or any aspect of audio production, Nothing also included a Flat EQ mode, which is designed to provide the most faithful reproduction of the original audio as possible. The headphones also feature an on-ear switch for this mode on the interior of the left ear cup.
Speaking of on-ear switches, it’s worth noting that something that hasn’t really changed between the two headphones is the excellent on-ear controls.
Nothing Headphone (1) Pro: First impressions
The improved comfort on this design is a huge plus. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Though I haven’t had much time with these headphones so far, immediately I could tell they were more comfortable than the Headphone (1), which I could not wear comfortably for more than an hour. Nothing claims the Pro headphones have 50 percent softer ear cushions and an overall lighter frame, both of which feel accurate and make the experience of using these headphones significantly more pleasant.
I’ve yet to put them through the wringer on the ANC front, but claims of improvements there also feel accurate so far — even the standard sounds of my apartment, like my own typing and the AC running, are basically impossible to hear when I’m streaming audio with the ANC on.
What I’m really looking forward to testing extensively is the robust sound profile. These headphones offer an impressive amount of customization, from the custom equalizer, presets, spatial audio options, and flat EQ mode. As a freelance podcast producer and editor, I’m particularly interested in trying out that last mode against my usual editing headphones.
Ultimately, I’m struggling to come up with critiques in my first days of testing, which I didn’t experience with the Headphone (1) — we’ll see how that develops over the rest of my testing period.
I’m modding GTA 5 every day in a quest to either transform it into a PC version of GTA 6 or break it entirely. Come back tomorrow to find out what new horrible thing I’ve done to Rockstar’s baby, or check out what I got up to earlier.
There is an anxiety to my movements now. The stench of death lingers about Grand Theft Auto 5 like petrichor after hard, hot rain, and I am nervous that any addition will finally nudge it over the edge.
As we’ve previously established, the game now only launches properly in windowed mode, and once it churns through all the modifications I have burdened it with, it deposits me in an empty void where Franklin Clinton’s house used to be, sending him tumbling through the abyss. Every time I load GTA 5, Franklin screams.
Anyway, I added a new mod. It’s called Fortnite Floss Dance [OIV] and it adds “Smooth looping Floss dance, same speed as Fortnite.” Convenience is its philosophy: whenever you begin flossing, music will play automatically, so you don’t look weird. Don’t like the music? Its volume is controlled by a slider. Also, the entire UI is in Arabic, which I did not expect when I downloaded it but which adds something indefinable that I like a lot.
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What to say? Franklin flosses now. He flosses indiscriminately, indefatigably. Nothing can deter him. The ongoing chaos of a semi-deleted Los Santos does not faze him. His endlessly perishing and replenishing bodyguards do not concern him. Smash him with a car and he will only right himself and keep going. There is only him, the music, and a command in a language I do not speak but which I must assume reads ‘Begin flossing’.
(Image credit: Rockstar)
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The way RPGs handle religion is something of a meme. Are bad things happening? Might want to see what the local bishop is getting up to. An evil organization is oppressing the masses? It’s probably the church. You should go kill god while you’re saving the world, just to be on the safe side. Bandai Namco’s Tales series, Breath of Fire, sometimes Falcom’s Trails series — these and a whole lot more use religion as an easy caricature for villainy, liberally borrowing iconography and concepts from real-world doctrine to lend a sense of legitimacy to their stories.
The connection between religion and JRPGs is a bit of a trope by now, and not a great one. So I was surprised to see how seriously Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave tackled religious topics — and how effectively it implemented real-world ideas to make a strong narrative point.
[Ed note: This piece contains mild spoilers for parts of Dietrich’s path and tones of Part 3 in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.]
Developer Intelligent Systems has toyed with religious and mythological symbols in Fire Emblem over the years, mostly the latter and typically just when something needed a cool-sounding name. Three Houses‘ Church of Seiros was an exception, a hierarchical religion that relied on ritual, liturgy, and faith — and abused its position — to maintain order. It’s not a bad setup, and Seiros is a wonderfully complex villain. But you could swap her and her church for any oppressive institution and get the same outcome: an oppressive institution that Edelgard wants dead and buried.
I realized Fortune’s Weave was doing something much different toward the end of Dietrich’s route (which you really should play if you haven’t yet). The incident is brief and happens when Fabio, a key ally of Dietrich, explains the origin and workings of Crest Stones. Those are the items from Fire Emblem: Three Houses that conferred supernatural powers on whoever had them, power that eventually drove the bearer to madness and turned them into monsters.
Maybe it was remiss of me, but I never felt the need to know how Crest Stones worked. It’s a magic dragon rock. That’s kind of an explanation in itself, and video game logic operates on rules similar to those espoused by philosophers in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books: Things just happen; what the hell.
Well, Intelligent Systems decided this thing needed a proper explanation and went all out.
Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon
“The very structure of the Crest Stones is truly shocking,” Fabio says. “They contain a conduit to hyperspace.”
This is a lot to take in. The magic dragon god rocks are actually scientific space rocks, a slightly niche reference to a small note from Three Houses about Sothis having descended on the world from outer space. But there’s more, which is where things get interesting.
“A conduit for the transfer of matter making up a dragon’s body and the energy to animate it,” Fabio adds.
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In other words, the Crest Stone takes divine energy from outer space and transforms it into something that elevates the humans it touches into something beyond their base natural condition. Maybe it’s just me, but that sounds a whole lot like the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. It’s a belief that priests conducting mass have the power to transform bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, melding the divine and the human in an act of communion.
It’s not a 1:1 parallel, of course. My dad’s parents are devout Roman Catholics, and they’ve yet to turn into magical monsters just from taking Mass, the way Crest Stones eventually corrupt humans. Tempting as it may be to view Fabio’s comment as another, slightly more specific, off-the-cuff reference to real-world things, Intelligent Systems is being very intentional with its references.
Look at the situation with the People of the White Egg, how Dagda brutally murdered thousands of them out of fear, and how it loosely resembles Rome’s brutal conflicts with the Carthaginians in the second and third centuries BCE. Historians then and now regard those unnecessarily punitive as a turning point in the history of Rome’s collective moral character. In Fortune’s Weave, the Dagdan pantheon regards the genocide against the People of the White Egg as a turning point toward paranoia and cruelty in Dagda the Great’s rule over the country of Dagsion. If you doubt the connection there, there’s a Grand Megalith, one of those high-tech underground you visit in Dietrich’s route named Hannibal, who rides an elephant. In real life, the Carthaginian general Hannibal was famous for leading an army of elephant riders over the Alps to attack Rome. These aren’t just cool-sounding names and neat ideas. Intelligent Systems has a purpose for them.
Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon
This draconic version of transubstantiation mirrors the real-world belief in a way that supports Fabio’s faith the same as communion supports Catholic faith. Granted, Fabio’s version of it would be blasphemy in real life, but still He despises the gods like a good Agarthan, but he’s not too happy with his own people, either. Humans wanted the power of the gods to better themselves. Agarthans gave them the power of the gods as an act of vengeance. Neither path sits right with Fabio anymore.
He and, as you eventually learn, the less psychotic members of the Dagdan pantheon, want a world where people aren’t dependent on gods, where they don’t define themselves based on their relationship with the divine. It’s the same conclusion the wandering drunk monk Yang Jie arrived at after years of devotion and doubt, which makes him joining Dietrich’s crew as the automatic recruit a nice little touch. For them and even the gods, faith and heresy aren’t the defining factors of a future worth fighting for. Such a future leaves no room for those concepts, or the past will just keep repeating (as we see it does in Three Houses).
Self-sufficiency is hardly an original message. The thematic unity and the thoughtful use of religion to underscore a point is highly unexpected, though, particularly in a medium too scared to acknowledge religion or too shallow to do anything worthwhile with it. It’s a rare and welcome step forward — for the series, and for the genre.
Upgrading your home office can feel like going down a rabbit hole. A simple search for a basic new desk can quickly turn into hours down the drain and leave endless tabs open on your computer, with every option blurring together. Uplift has a loyal following for its highly customizable desks, smart (and creative—under-desk hammock, anyone?) accessories, and solid build quality that makes long workdays more manageable.
We’ve explored the perks of a standing desk, and the takeaway is clear: even if it won’t magically fix everything, the right standing desk setup can make all the difference in how you work. If you’re ready to make the leap into the standing desk space, starting with an Uplift coupon code is a smart move.
Like many other brands, Uplift rewards its loyal customers. When you sign up for Uplift emails, which include product drops and restock alerts, you can save $20 on your order over $199. Not only will you get exclusive discounts, but you’ll also get email-only deals, early sale access, and special promotions with this Uplift newsletter sign-up. Plus, you’ll get $20 off your next purchase.
Score Free Shipping on all Orders This Month
Who can say no to free shipping, especially for a major furniture item like a standing desk? Right now, Uplift is offering free, fast shipping on all orders, with no Uplift desk coupon code required. And timing can work in your favor: most orders placed before 3 pm CST ship the same business day, so you’re not stuck refreshing the tracking page for a week. Whether you’re in the middle of an office refresh (or just impatient with deliveries), this is a major perk.
Claim up to 5 Free Accessories With Your Standing Desk Purchase
A built-in bonus when you buy an Uplift standing desk is that you get up to five free accessories included with the purchase. You can choose from a catalog of over 400 add-ons to go with the desk (honestly, I was overwhelmed at first). Options range from practical to fun, including cable management kits and desk organizer sets, as well as a desk-mounted cup holder and an under-desk hammock. There are even some branded extras, like a stainless steel tumbler and a T-shirt, depending on your vibe.
Photograph: Nicole Kinning
Use Your FSA Dollars to Get the Most Out of Your Desk
Uplift desks may qualify for reimbursement through your HSA or FSA, allowing you to pay for part of your desk setup with pre-tax dollars. That can add up to significant savings, especially when combined with an Uplift promo code.
The process is simple: Place your order as usual—there’s no need to use your HSA/FSA card upfront—then complete a brief health survey through Uplift’s partner program. You’ll find it on your confirmation screen or in your email receipt. If you qualify, a licensed provider will issue a Letter of Medical Necessity, which you can submit for reimbursement. It takes a few extra steps, but the savings may be worthwhile, especially if you’re considering a larger purchase.
Share the Joy With an Uplift Gift Card
Not sure what to get for the new grad heading to college or for your loved one who works from home? An Uplift desk gift card is a great way to help with these big purchases without making the weighty decision on someone else’s behalf. Uplift gift cards are valid for five years from the purchase date and are available in increments from $50 to $5,000.
Unlock Uplift for Your Business
Uplift standing desks aren’t just for individuals; they’re also a great way to get the whole office healthier this year. Uplift Desk offers a wide variety of office furniture that’s great for commercial offices, along with free 3D space planning so you can fully transform your team office. This means you’ll get the previously mentioned expert consultation and space planning to define your needs and get the assistance you need for your business. You’ll also receive fast shipping, with same-day shipping on qualifying orders and 1 to 4 business days transit across the USA. Plus, you can opt for white glove delivery with on-site installation.
CD Projekt have released the full list of PC system requirements for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered, a free upgrade for the base edition of the grizzled and cantankerous fantasy action-RPG. This covers both the previously announced minimum PC specs and the recommended, ultra, ray-tracing minimum, ray-tracing recommended, and path tracing configurations.
The Remastered edition itself launches tomorrow, Tuesday 29th September, so if you’re reading this on a Casio desktop organiser from the 90s, there’s just enough time to rush out and spring for a $2000+ mega-PC so that you can subject Geralt’s pitifully scarred mug to a bombardment of faithfully modelled pseudo-photons. Here’s a table with all the settings dissected in full.
Image credit: CD Projekt
The table comes from this blog post, in which CD Projekt go into slightly more detail about how they benchmarked the thing. “The expected FPS targets in the table above are based on our QA tests,” they caution. “Occasional frame rate fluctuations may occur depending on the scene and gameplay.”
The devs also talk a bit about the new SSD requirement and the ending of support for Windows 10. “That doesn’t mean that the game will stop running on Windows 10 with the next game update,” they note. “However, we no longer develop or test on this system, so we cannot guarantee compatibility or performance going forward. Additionally, we only support components that continue to receive official updates from their manufacturers.”
James was reasonably impressed by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered when he saw both it and the forthcoming Songs of the Past expansion at Gamescom, calling attention to some slicker combat animations and camerawork. You can read more about the visual flourishes, together with various tweaks for the enemy AI, ledge climbing, the Photo mode and more besides, in CD Projekt’s latest changelog.
All that notwithstanding, I’ve read some mixed reactions among returning players to side-by-side visual comparisons. The more obvious reason to take issue is that you can’t afford a hardware upgrade. If you’re among those who’d rather steer clear, it may cool your jets to read that “depending on your platform, it is possible to revert to an earlier version of the game (1.32, listed as Classic),” as CD Projekt explain. “Upon the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered, it will be also possible to revert to the 4.04 version.” For context, the 4.04 version is the previous “next gen” remaster update, initially released in 2022.
Spider-Man is about to pull an Avengers. Fresh off the wildly successful re-release of Avengers: Endgame, word is that Sony is preparing to do a similar re-release of its record-breaking film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. And, like Endgame, the re-release will include new footage to entice fans back to the theater, such as, potentially, Rosario Dawson’s deleted scenes as Claire Temple.
The news comes from Deadline, and though there is no release date yet for the film, there is plenty of precedent. For example, back in 2022, Sony re-released Spider-Man: No Way Home as the “More Fun Stuff Edition,” which added 11 minutes to the film. That hit theaters about eight months after No Way Home first came out, so we’d imagine the wait for the new version of Brand New Day could be similar. And, if so, that would put the re-release directly between this December’s release of Avengers: Doomsday and next December’s release of Avengers: Secret Wars. Could Tom Holland, maybe, film a little extra tease for fans? Could Sony grab some footage from the Russo brothers?
There’s also the box office angle. Spider-Man: Brand New Day recently became the highest-grossing film in domestic history, passing the previous record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Even the Endgame re-release probably won’t challenge that, but it could. Plus, as of publication, Brand New Day is only about $50 million from becoming the first film in history to ever gross $1 billion in the U.S. alone. A re-release would go a long way toward that.
Deadline’s piece only mentions the Dawson scenes (which she detailed in recent interviews) as likely additions, though there could be “more surprises as well.” If the film does come out between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, that sure seems like a thread they could pull at. Maybe Spider-Man gets “collected” by Doctor Doom, or we see the other Peters?
We’ll let you know when there’s more information available on this, but for now, feel free to speculate wildly about what you’d like to see added below.
Paul Roetzer, Founder and CEO of SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute, will kick off MAICON 2026 with a keynote titled “The Architect, The Orchestrator and The Apprentice: Rethinking Work in the Age of AI and Agents.”Continue reading “Rethinking Work in the Age of AI and Agents”
Why is it worth hiring marine engineering companies and design services for consulting and development in the US: Marine structures are what keeps the maritime world running, and no, they didn’t just magically appear in one snap. It took several stages and thorough planning before it’s brought to life by commendable experts. These structures are carefully tested, designed, and created by marine engineers ensuring that it runs safely and smoothly. In the U.S., there are a lot of companies that specialize in these services, which makes sure that every maritime vision is carefully designed and constructed.
In this article, top 43 marine engineering companies and design services are being highlighted, giving ideas and information to everyone who is looking for the right firm to help them in mapping the way to achieve their project goal. And platforms like Cad Crowd helps you in finding these right experts so that you would get to work with the ones that will truly guide you in making the wave out to your desired project result.
Gibbs & Cox is known in the U.S. as a trusted naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy that mainly focuses in creating design for military, government, and commercial sectors. The company provides safe, high-performing, and efficient ships through services like systems engineering, full-service ship design, and technical consulting, which all aim to support projects right from the very beginning until its delivery. They are best known for being able to solve complicated engineering problems by applying solutions that are made from innovation and strong attention to detail. They have been operating for decades and still continue in delivering quality performance that helps clients to meet their operational needs and adhere to the structured industry standards.
Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. is a company that specializes in providing a full-service naval architecture design services and marine engineering solutions, ensuring to deliver an efficient and reliable results. The company handles various stages of kinship design, hull and systems engineering, vessel stability studies, stability calculations, and also engineering consulting for recreational, commercial, and even for special purpose vessels. The firm mainly focuses on providing innovative, practical, and code-compliant solutions through working collaboratively with clients. Bristol Harbor Group also considers helping in building vessels that are optimized and functional in the real environment inside the maritime world. The company’s expertise really provides hands-on guidance right from the very beginning of concept development up until to the construction process and even throughout its operational life-cycle.
Elliott Bay Design Group is a company that is really expert in designing ferries and specialized workboats, most especially for complex operating areas. They really put emphasis on creating vessels that are not just efficient, but ensures that it is practical in the real-world application, just like when transporting cargo, equipment, and most especially passengers safely. The company offers services that really guide clients right from the very early stages of designing until to the construction process. What really sets them apart from other companies is that they are capable of combining both innovative design with in-depth understanding of its operation, making sure that every vessel is reliable in everyday use.
Glosten is really known for being a company that solves marine projects that are not typical, complex and unconventional. The firm focuses on vessel designing and structures that don’t typically follow the required standard designs, such as offshore structures, research ships, and specialized workboats. The company specialize in yacht and marine design and is highly valued in their capability of providing solutions to projects that are very challenging, especially when it needs custom action. They provide a lot of services that really give emphasis right from the very beginning of concept designing as they ensure that every project they do is something that needs to be made reliably. They stand out in combining real-world functionality with their innovation. That is why they become a very trusted partner for most companies that want to have quality marine projects.
Swift Ships is a company which is known for creating fast and reliable small vessels. These are particularly used for patrol, military, and commercial use. The firm technically specializes in building fast and durable boats which are designed to perform well, most especially in high-risk marine areas. Swift Ships really focus on making vessels that are efficient, strong, and high-speed so that they would be suitable for defense and possible mission-critical marine operations.
Moffat and Nicole is a company that doesn’t only focus on building ships, but literally builds everything around it. They are highly known in creating coastal infrastructure like ports, piers, marinas, and also waterfront developments. They do not just focus on creating vessels since they also specialize in improving the structures that support the activities around the maritime environment. This firm really handles complex infrastructure projects and even large-scale ones while ensuring that it is safe and durable throughout its life cycle.
DLBA Naval Architects is highly recognized for being an expert in designing high-speed vessels and custom marine solutions. They are a part of Gibbs and Cox division, focusing on creating advanced crafts like high-speed vessels, patrol boats, and marine platforms that are uniquely designed. They smartly create these structures through designing it according to its specified operational needs instead of just focusing on its standard model. DLBA gives emphasis on combining customization with performance-focused engineering design services. That is why they always make sure that each vessel they create really meets the standard requirements needed.
The Shearer Group, Incorporated, is a company that specializes in designing inland and river vessels, like barges and workboat operations. They are based in Houston and are focused on making vessels that can be operated in canals, coastal waterways, rivers, instead of the open oceans. They are really innovative as they create practical and efficient designs that don’t just handle standard loads, instead heavy-loaded ones and continuous operations. They really stand out apart from other companies since they have a deep understanding of the inland waterway operations, helping companies that are looking for a reliable partner that aims for a purpose-built working vessel.
Herbert Engineering Corp. is known as an expert in ship design and advanced marine engineering analysis. They are all about creating ships that would work more efficiently through in-depth studying of how vessels work through water and clearly look through ways where they can improve its speed, fuel use, and the entire vessel performance. They are pioneers in marine survey drawings. Instead of just focusing on common design, Herbert Engineering Corp. gives more emphasis on its performance improvement and technical consulting, leading them to become a very trusted partner for businesses that aim to optimize vessel operations.
Appledore Marine Engineering Inc. is a company that highly focuses on marine inspections and water structures. They evaluate and maintain every improvement of the marine structures, just like in piers, docks, and all coastal facilities. The firm ensures that these structures are well-managed enough to be durable, safe, and comply with the standard regulations, focusing on the importance of on-site evaluation and maintenance support so that they could spot and assess issues early on before they become major problems along the way.
Argonautics Marine Engineering is best known in figuring out how to lift big and heavy things over water. They specialize in planning out and thoroughly analyze how to properly transport big cargo like modules, industrial equipment, and offshore platforms. In this work, it requires detailed calculation, custom transport solutions, and risk assessments just to ensure that everything is being transported securely at the right place. They are very commendable in a way that they are able to handle high-risk and large-scale transport projects, ensuring that everything gets from one point to another.
Quantum Marine Engineering of Florida, Inc. is a marine engineering company that is based in the US, which is highly known with its expertise in hydraulic equipment and engineering support, specifically for marine structures and vessels. They focus on maintaining, designing, and troubleshooting marine hydraulic systems, which includes cranes, winches, and many other onboard equipment that are very important for operations in the ship. Its services really ensure that everything operates efficiently and safely and all are aligned to the demanding conditions of the maritime.
Vigor Marine Group focuses on building and fixing ships of different kinds, may it be ferries or workboats. They handle various kinds of vessels like commercial workboats or ferries and even government and defense ships. Vigor effectively combines hands-on fabrication and engineering, ensuring to deliver high-quality vessels that eventually meet the client’s needs and the standard regulation. They provide services like fabrication, engineering, and maintenance services, all while ensuring a reliable and efficient performance.
Huntington Ingalls Industries is known to be the largest U.S.-based naval shipbuilder, since it is expert in designing and building complex military vessels, like aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels. They work on everything from the naval architecture to its marine engineering, down to the construction process and integration of systems. HII specializes in advanced warships, amphibious ships, and aircraft carriers, all while combining its precision and innovation strictly meeting the military standards. They follow this specific comprehensive approach to make sure that the ships are not just combat-ready, but also durable and efficient for long-term operations. The company has been operating for decades and has been a partner of the U.S. Navy and government agencies since they provide high-performance naval vessels all throughout the years.
General Dynamics NASSCO is a shipyard on the West Coast that is based in the U.S. It is particularly known for being expert in maintaining and building commercial and naval vessels. They focus on constructing ships, repairing, and marine engineering services that typically deliver large-scale projects like tankers, cargo ships, and support vessels. The company’s team combines system integration, novel architecture, and practical shipyard in order to make sure that the vessels that they are creating are efficient and safe and are durable. NASSCO is highly recognized for being able to handle complex vessels, which makes them a very trusted partner for clients that aim to have high-quality construction along the West Coast area.
Fincantieri Marine Group is a shipbuilder that is based in the U.S., which is known as an expert in naval and commercial vessel construction. They mainly focus on designing and building vessels for both military and commercial purposes with the combined efforts of advanced design engineering services and hands-on shipbuilding experience. The integrated teams of the company handles system design, naval architecture, and project management in order to ensure that the vessels are being delivered efficiently, safely, and on the right amount of high performance. Fincantieri is known for customizing engineering solutions where they ensure that every ship meets the specific needs and standards regulations.
Bath Iron Works is a naval shipbuilder that is also based in the U.S., which is known for designing and building surface combatant naval vessels wherein their expertise technically lies in constructing frigates, destroyers, and a lot more advanced warships. Through the combination of naval architecture, integrated systems, and marine engineering, they are able to deliver vessels that really meet strict military standard requirements. The firm specializes in creating ships that are ready for combat, efficient, and durable, incorporating engineering solutions that are tailored for operations that require high-risk performance. The company is highly trusted by the U.S. Navy since it has proven its track record in providing surface combatants that actually performs reliably, even in maritime environments that are risky and demanding.
Austal USA is a shipbuilder that is based in the U.S., which is known as an expert in constructing and designing high-speed commercial and naval vessels. They focused on creating aluminum ships like expeditionary fast transports, combat ships, and ferries. The engineering team behind its creation mainly focuses on systems integration, marine engineering, and advanced ship design in order to have a creation that is durable, fast, and, of course, ready for any missions. The company is recognized for being innovative in lightweight and high-performance ships, which makes them a trusted partner for the commercial clients and the military since they ensure to provide reliable and efficient operational vessels.
Tetra Tech is based in the US where they specialize in engineering and consulting for marine infrastructure, coastal engineering, and environmental solutions, focusing on improving and designing harbors, waterfronts, ports, and many other marine facilities, all while making sure to integrate environmental responsible practices with sustainability. The services they offer are engineering analysis, project planning, and course consulting, not just for public clients, but also open for private ones. They are particularly known for its environmental stewardship combined with technical innovation, providing clients with projects that are not just safe and efficient, but also eco-conscious with the marine infrastructure around.
Sea Engineering and Operation is known as a marine engineering firm based in Honolulu that is expert in shoreline protection, coastal infrastructure, and marine construction support. The company focuses on assessing, managing projects, and designing just like piers, sea walls, and coastal development, all while ensuring that everything is made durably, safely, and is resilient against all possible environmental challenges. The services they offer mainly includes planning, engineering design and analysis, and also consulting for public and private clients. They are especially known for local environmental understanding combined with technical knowledge, which makes them a perfect partner for clients that seek projects that give protection to the coastlines while also improving the maritime infrastructure across Hawaii and beyond.
A consulting firm that is based in Florida, which is known as an expert in marine and coastal engineering projects. They mainly focus on evaluating and designing marinas, seawalls, docks, and waterfront infrastructures, all while making sure that everything is created safely, ensuring it is functional, and resilient to any possible waves and despite any weather. The services they offer are planning, engineering analysis, and of course, consultation for any public or private clients. They stand out for its practical solutions that specifically tailor to its coastal environment, making them a perfect partner for projects that aim to have a balance of both efficiency and safety.
AMI Consulting Engineer is an engineering design firm located in the U.S., where they are known as an expert in waterfront and marine infrastructure projects, focusing on evaluating and designing seawalls, piers, docks, and many coastal structures, all while making sure that it is durable, safe, and compliant with the rightful engineering standards required. They also offer structural and civil engineering services, providing clients a comprehensive support for developments in any waterfront matters. They are really capable in integrating marine, structural, and civil expertise, which makes them very reliable partners for clients that seek efficient engineering solutions right along the waterfront and coastline.
Sparkman and Stephens is a naval architecture firm that is based in the U.S. were known as experts in yacht design and commercial vessel design. The firm has been operating for decades and has proven a long-standing reputation all while combining practical engineering with innovative design in building vessels that are not just externally beautiful but guarantee high performance level. It can be seen on their portfolio all the luxury yachts, commercial vessels, and racing sailboats that they have built where it reflects the deep understanding on stability and functionality of hydrodynamics.
A marine engineering and consulting firm that is based in the U.S. where being known as experts in marine survey, subaltern design, and engineering support. The firm specializes in providing structural and system assessments, evaluating ships, and also offering practical solutions for the improvement of every vessel. They offer marine engineering, naval architecture, and graphic consulting, not just for commercial vessels, but also for recreational ones. They combine hands-on survey experience with technical expertise in order to gain trust from clients who aim to have safe and reliable marine solutions that they longed to efficiently achieve.
25. Katz Naval Architecture & Engineering Services, Inc.
Katz Naval Architecture & Engineering Services Inc. mainly focuses on helping to create ships to be strong, safe, and can really work well in the water. They specialize in designing the ships on how its system would fit, by varying its stability so that the vessel can have a proper movement, which is smooth and safe. The firm works collaboratively with clients who aim to ensure that every boat and ship meets its operational needs and will really work well and ready for action.
This design engineering company is located in the U.S. which is an expert in designing and improving ships and marine structures. They specialize in making sure that the ship can work well, having a thorough plan on its port topography and the systems that could fit together, making sure that it keeps steady and that everything works reliably as it should. Their work combines both practical solutions of the real-world marine projects and the engineering knowledge, all while keeping in mind its safety and efficiency.
Birdon America is a company in the U.S. which focuses on helping with building ships or vessels. They mainly provide support in the entire phases of the process, from designing, constructing, and up until the improvements of the both, just to ensure that everything is built strongly, safely, and can work efficiently. They are known for having practical solutions which are very helpful in the performance of the vessels that are applicable in the real-world conditions.
HCB Yachts is an architecture company in the US that specializes in designing and engineering yachts. They are particularly building yachts that ensure its speed, safety, and style, all while making sure that every intricate detail is being designed to perform smoothly on the water. Through their expertise, clients are able to receive outcomes that are high quality and well-engineered that really look great and also can sail efficiently in the water.
Brunswick Group is a company in the U.S. which specializes in designing and engineering recreational boats. What they do is that they focus on creating boats that are not just safe and reliable, but also fun. While ensuring that it smoothly sails and performs above the water. Some of the boats that their boat designers design, are personal watercraft and larger leisure vessels. Also meeting the quality standards it requires. Brunswick is a highly trusted company in the recreational marine industry since it continuously produces enjoyable and well-designed boats.
A company that is located in the U.S. focusing and providing marine services, vessel operations, and engineering. They mainly specialize in supporting the projects offshore by making sure it is operated, designed, and maintained efficiently and safely despite any challenging marine environments. The engineering team behind its successful creations makes sure that every ship and equipment are ready and reliable to use despite tough offshore operations.
National Oilwell Varco NOV, is a company that is based in the U.S. where providing engineering solutions for offshore maritime operations are what they specialize in by focusing on systems and equipment that ensures in helping gas and oil companies to ensure a safety operation at sea. They do services like drilling rigs to marine support tools, all while focusing on the fact that everything works efficiently, even under tough offshore operations. Through their expertise, clients keep on trusting them as they provide safe and productive operations.
SAIC is a company that is located in the U.S. which is known for providing engineering and 3D design services for naval platforms, maritime systems, and ships. They also help in designing and integrating vessels and maintaining its systems to ensure that it is reliable, efficient, and ready for any mission. All of their work includes everything while you install advanced electronics and control systems, which enables operational support, ensuring that every ship is performed efficiently and safely no matter how challenging the environment is.
Seakeeper, a company that is based in the U.S. wherein they focus on marine stability and systems design. They specialize in creating technology that maintains vessels and boats’ speed, making sure it’s smooth and steady despite sailing in rough waters. The systems they are using helps in reducing rolling and making sure that it’s comfortable, safe, and improves the performance for recreational and commercial vessels. They are best known for making an enjoyable and safer boating experience. They’re also addressing the biggest challenge at the sea, which is vessel stability.
Willard Marines focuses on designing and engineering small crafts that are strong, reliable, and safe to sail, ensuring that boating experience would be enjoyable and stress-free. This is a company that is based in the U.S., creating boats or traditional crafts and commercial vessels, ensuring that every design we create can really work well in real-life conditions in the maritime environment. They are very practical while combining smart engineering with the real-world disability of the vessel, making sure that the boat doesn’t just look good, but also functional and dependable on the seawater.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group is a very known company when it comes to creating and building ships that are efficient and reliable. It is located in the U.S., wherein naval architecture, shipbuilding, and marine design is what they are focusing to create, making sure that clients’ ideas are successfully turned into a vessel that can really perform well on the seawater. Creating specialized vessels and commercial ships, the mechanical engineering team behind ensures that every decision they create leads to a safe, efficient, and practical outcome. They are really amazing since they combine real-world usability with the engineering precision so that every ship that they create is ensured to be ready no matter how tough the conditions are.
Edmonds Design is a US-based firm which focuses in marine and naval architecture consulting, simply turning ideas from paper to a real vessel that smoothly sails in the water. The expertise behind its success are people who really make sure that every system and layout is intricately engineered to really work well in real-life applications. By the help of Edmonds Design, clients are able to receive efficient and practical boats that are already ready to sail.
Eagle Harbor Engineering, PLLC is a specialized naval architecture and marine engineering firm founded in 2006 by John Van Buskirk. This company focuses on vessel design, structural modifications, and marine operations, as well as providing 3D modeling design and drafting services. Their core capabilities and specialization includes Vessel Design & Modification, Custom design, Alteration of maritime craft, Engineering & Consulting which means assisting with vessel operations and compliance. Lastly, Modeling & Drafting which provides accurate 3D modeling and structural drawings.
CMI Waterfront Solutions is the great answer when having to build or approve any waterfront structures since they help indicate smooth work. This is a firm that is located in the U.S. and focuses in marine engineering consulting wherein they offer guidance on piers, seawalls, docks, and all other waterfront projects. The main focus of this firm is creating designs that are not just practical, but also safe and really built to last. So, they always make sure that all things are well when performed in real-life coastal conditions. The clients really trust CMI Waterfront since they provide expert advice and engineering solutions that are practical with a balance of efficiency, durability, and safety.
Kemplon Marine Engineering Services focuses on helping marine projects, especially in times where ships and vessels really need its smart engineering solutions. This is a firm that is based in the U.S. wherein marine engineering consulting is what they specialize in, so it’s really important for them to help clients in solving technical challenges, ensuring safety, and high-quality performance. Their team of product engineering experts handles everything from the very beginning of the system design to structural assessments, ensuring that every project they create is reliable, practical, and really lasting. A lot of companies trust Kemplon since they provide professional guidance and are proven to be focused in making marine engineering projects efficiently and smoothly.
A US-based firm delivers marine design and engineering support services is what they specialize in. Top priority of this firm is to assist clients in the process of project creation, right from the very beginning of planning, designing, until the optimization of the vessels, all while ensuring that it is stable, safe, and efficient. Structure Incorporated makes the creation of vessels possible, ensuring it performs well on the water. The company’s work is to provide reliable and practical ships that are perfect to perform in the real-world conditions, leaving clients with confidence that their vessels can weather whatever the water will throw at them any moment of the time as they sail through.
Submersed Technologies, Inc. is what comes to help every time a marine project needs expert technical guidance. It is a company that is based in the U.S. wherein they mainly provide marine engineering technical services, ensuring to help clients with structural assessment, system design, and operational support thoroughly. Every work they do is supported with mission to create a safe, reliable, and efficient ships and boats that can perform well even when the water condition is challenging or risky situations. Submersed Technologies is highly known for being professional and in offering practical solutions that greatly provide marine projects the way of taking ship its very initial plan up until its execution.
Wave dispersion Technologies Incorporation focuses on designing marine structures such as the seawalls, breakwaters, ensuring that everything they create is built to stand and last long. This is a company that is based in the US wherein they provide marine engineering solutions for marine structures. All the creations they are doing are backed with the consideration of its safety, efficiency, and stability whether the water conditions may be at the specific time they sail. The work they provide ensures that everything is practical, reliable, and able to handle the tides, currents, or waves of the water. Behind all these successes are engineers who work collaboratively with clients that really rely with the wave dispersion technologies since they provide effective solutions, smart, and reliable in protecting both the vessels and the projects in the waterfront.
Coastal Engineering Co. focuses on helping in making waterfronts, coastal projects, and piers to be durable, efficient, and safe. It is based in Massachusetts, and in this firm, they focus on specializing marine engineering design and coastal, wherein they assist clients right from the very beginning of the planning, designing, up until to improving its structures that can weather the tides, waves, and weather while they sail. The work behind it ensures that everything is reliable, practical, and really built to last since it is in a maritime environment. Coastal Engineering Co. is a really trusted partner for any clients since they value professional guidance more and providing smart engineering solutions to whatever waterfront and coastal projects they handle.
The world of marine engineering can really be overwhelming, especially as you navigate through the process and whys of every ship and vessel that’s being made. The companies that are listed above showcase the right innovation and expertise, whether it’s a custom yacht, coastal structure, or a commercial vessel, according to the track records they have been operating for years and years. From designing small crafts to constructing a large naval ship, it can really be challenging and difficult, especially without the proper guidance of expert professionals.
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Minecraft Dungeons IIis paving the way for a bold new chapter for Minecraft as a whole. Not only is it giving us a new and robust ARPG that levels up the original dungeon crawler, but also a vibrant new dimension to explore with the Sift when it launches tomorrow, September 29.
Going hands-on with Minecraft Dungeons II ahead of its global launch, we sampled some of its new additions including the deeper character builds, more detailed gear, and the ability to jump(!). Yet the feature that impressed me most was its massive, interconnected world: a landscape filled with distinct biomes, side quests, and dungeons for you to explore and uncover that makes it a huge part of the adventure.
What’s Over There?
Where the original game sent heroes on missions with clear beginnings and ends, Minecraft Dungeons II has turned the journey between quests into part of the fun. Its connected regions encourage detours, discoveries, and shared exploration that allow you to navigate through the forest-filled Howling Woods, to the icy Frozen Highlands, all the way down to the muddy Rainy Plains with no loading screens to break up the journey.
Not only does that let me get my steps in but also lets me appreciate just how great Minecraft Dungeons II looks – now powered by Unreal Engine 5 – as I walk through its world. The series’ classic block design aesthetic has never looked better with incredible lighting and detailed characters that help to make the entire world pop – especially once you enter the Sift. Its unique hues and pastel-infused design make it stand apart from anything we’ve seen in Minecraft before.
I also appreciated being able to explore freely, discover side quests, or take on enemy encounters as they appeared on my own time. And of course, getting my battle on while facing off against zombies, creepers, skeletons, spiders, and other foes makes the world feel alive and more immersive, just like core Minecraft.
Put It on Repeat
Repeatable events deepen that loop, giving you a reason to return to the underground caverns of the Deep Dark and other locations in pursuit of better loot. One of my favorite spots to come back to early on was the Witch boss encounter in the northern part of the Howling Woods. Interacting with the nearby Boss Totem reactivates the fight, giving you a second, third, or 10th attempt at its loot drops. These rematches were useful for not only learning the combat and testing different builds, but also for chasing rare equipment to outfit my adventurer.
The same is true for the Rifts and Dungeons. These encounters are packed with foes and loot chests and are great deviations from the mainline story. Rewards can also include Enchantment Books, which fuse unique abilities to your equipment, as well as Echo Shards, which are used to upgrade Merchants, Blacksmiths, and equipment. Loot is one of Minecraft Dungeons II’s central pillars, so it is encouraging to see multiple, easy-to-access paths to acquire better gear spread across the world map.
A quick note on the Enchantment Books – they’re absolutely worth your time to track down, opening a whole new world of character customization and upgrades as the game progresses. Some of my favorites to infuse in equipment include Healing Smite, which gives a chance to produce a healing circle around you after defeating an enemy; Ender Mines that deploy exploding crystals; and Somersault (which can be stacked) to allow you additional dodge rolls. So, make sure you spend some time building your library with repeated dungeon runs you find on the world map.
I Get Around
Speaking of the map: it’s huge. After roughly a dozen hours, I still feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface of both the Overworld and the Sift. Thankfully, each realm offers generous fast-travel options through Minecart Stations and Teleport Statues, keeping that scale exciting rather than exhausting.
Another player-friendly feature I leaned on often was the Guidance Trail, a temporary line that points toward your active quest when you click down on the left thumbstick. It was especially helpful when I needed to navigate around steep cliffs, broken logs, and deep valleys as I got further into Minecraft Dungeons II with multiple side quests in my back pocket. And, of course, you can always ignore it if you see something shiny off the trail…
Respawn Shrines are also scattered across the map, typically near Dungeon entrances or Boss Totems. If you fall in battle against foes in the Overworld or the Sift, you resurrect back at Brave Haven. From there, interacting with the Teleport Statue sends you back to the nearest Shrine you previously passed, saving you from retracing the entire route on foot.
I can’t tell you how often I found myself leaning on all these player-friendly features during my time with the game, usually after my arrogance had gotten the best of me, thinking “I could take ’em…” when I absolutely could not. At least not yet. But the ease in which I could swiftly get back into the fight with no penalty and get back to my adventure? That’s a great player-focused feature I’d like to see in more ARPGs.
Compared with the first game’s streamlined, chapter-driven adventure, Minecraft Dungeons II has really opened its world to players. Now every trip, whether it leads to a new route, a sudden encounter, or an unexpected discovery, makes the journey itself feel like part of the adventure.
Minecraft Dungeons II arrives on September 29 and will be available for XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, cloud, and included with Game Pass. Play it on both console and PC at no additional cost with XBOX Play Anywhere. Also available on Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Minecraft Dungeons II Deluxe Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆ 7
★★★★★
$49.99
Drop the pickaxe, grab a sword, and charge into a thrilling new adventure in the Minecraft Dungeons II Deluxe Edition, featuring unique cosmetics, pre-order cosmetics, and DLC 1+2 (when released)! Journey through unexplored lands in a quest to stop a new evil from causing chaos in not one, but two worlds. Clash with menacing foes in explosive encounters and fight your way through hordes of mobs that will do everything in their power to stop you from saving the day. The challenges will be tougher than ever, so face them solo or with up to 4 players in online or couch co-op. With a crisis upon us, will you and your friends rise to meet it?
Includes the Minecraft Dungeons II base game and the Deluxe Edition, featuring 4 hero skins, the Soul cape cosmetic item, the Blub pet companion, and DLC 1 & 2 (available as released)
Minecraft Dungeons II
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆ 7
★★★★★
$29.99
Drop the pickaxe, grab a sword, and charge into a thrilling new adventure in Minecraft Dungeons II. Journey through unexplored lands and mysterious locations, in a quest to stop a new evil from causing chaos in not one, but two worlds! Clash with menacing foes in explosive encounters and fight your way through hordes of mobs that will do everything in their power to stop you!
The challenges will be tougher than ever, so face them either solo or with up to 4 players in online or couch co-op. Pre-order today to get 2 hero skins, the Twisted cape, and the Twisted chicken pet! With a crisis upon us, will you and your friends rise to meet it?
