9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: NFTs in Games, NASA's Moon Rocket and More
We look into the uproar over gaming's brush with crypto and visit the site where NASA is building its most powerful rocket ever. Plus: Prime Day.
Cryptocurrency is making inroads into video games, including a surging wave of blockchain-based games that range from free-to-play mobile titles to big-budget AAA games for PCs and consoles. NFTs are creeping in, too. Not everyone's thrilled.
The fear is that crypto and NFTs will contort gaming into a side hustle, focused more on money making and less on entertainment, as CNET's Dan Van Boom reports. But he notes as well that for many developers, the goal isn't to make titles that benefit crypto speculators, but rather to make games fun enough that people can justify playing them regardless of whether they earn crypto or not. CNET's Oscar Gonzalez, meanwhile, looks into an earlier backlash that might offer clues about how all this will unfold.
Those articles are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don't want to miss.
NFTs Don't Have to Suck the Fun out of Video Games
Gamers scorn games that use crypto and NFTs. A new wave of these "Web3" games hopes to prove them wrong.
Building Artemis: Inside NASA's Enormous Moon Rocket Factory
For 50 years, humans haven't traveled more than a few hundred miles above Earth. Now NASA's plan to return to the moon is kicking into high gear.
Why Stranger Things' Season 4 Finale Was an Epic Letdown
Commentary: With a runtime longer than most feature films, Stranger Things' finale should have delivered more.
EV Road Trips: An Ounce of Prevention Saves a Pound of Stress
Even a little bit of hubris can set a journey back by hours if something goes sideways.
Prime Day Deals May Not Tempt You Like They Used To
In its eighth year, the shopping event aims to make you buy in spite of inflation and constant online sales.
Chasing Ghosts: Unlocking The Mysteries of Human Hibernation
A multiyear search attempts to explain one of the most extreme, and baffling, cases of human survival.
These Standards Could Protect Your Data From Quantum Computer Attacks
The US government has overseen the design and testing of new post-quantum cryptography technology since 2016.
Why an iPhone With No Charging Port Makes Sense
Commentary: The iPhone has become much less reliant on physical tethers, furthering the argument for an iPhone with no ports at all.
'Thor: Love and Thunder' Review: A Disappointing Marvel Encore for Taika Waititi
This shallow Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster doesn't give Natalie Portman's mighty return or Christian Bale's creepy baddy nearly enough time to shine.