watch

The 6 best televisions that I recommend to watch the 2026 World Cup

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He Soccer World Cup 2026 It’s just around the corner. If there is something that defines this tournament (from a technological point of view we are talking about) it is the need for a good TV with extreme brightness (especially for matches that are held during the day), impeccable movement management (so that the moving ball does not get lost on the screen) and large inches, to enjoy the matches to the fullest. If you are thinking of buying a new TV to watch this year’s World Cup with the best qualitythese are some of the best TVs that I can recommend to you right now. TCL 65C8K 65 Inch QD-Mini LED Television The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG OLED evo G6 by 1,247.46 euros: 55 inches and with 165 Hz refresh rate. Sony Bravia 9 QLED by 2,999 euros: 75 inches and with Mini-LED. TCL C8K QD-MiniLED by 1,149 euros: 65 inches and with 5,000 nits of maximum brightness. Hisense RGB MiniLED evo by 1,199 euros: 55 inches and with RGB MiniLED technology. Hisense 116UX RGB MiniLED by 17,999 euros: 116 inches and with a 6.2.2 channel audio system. LG OLED evo G6: the queen of contrast If you’re looking for the cleanest image on the market, the LG OLED evo G6 series is the answer. In your 55 inch versionyou can get it now, at the LG outlet on its website, for 1,247.46 eurosthus achieving a 48% discount on its recommended RRP (2,399 euros). Your technology Reflection Free Premium It is ideal for football, as it will allow you to watch a game at four in the afternoon, with the blinds up, so that you will not see a single reflection in your living room. Furthermore, by having 165 Hz refresh rate You can enjoy totally fluid movement. Smart TV LG OLED evo AI G5 55 inches 4K 2025 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Sony Bravia 9 QLED: a TV with good processing 75 inches and ideal for watching big games, now you can get this Sony Bravia 9 at a discount at MediaMarkt. Its usual price is 75 inches, but you can get it now with 300 euros discountby 2,999 euros. If there is something that can be highlighted about this TV QLED Sony is its technology MiniLED backlight as well as algorithm XR Motion Claritywho is very good at managing ball movement. Furthermore, thanks to Acoustic Multi-Audioits speakers simulate the ambient sound of the stadium. 75″ QLED TV – Sony Bravia 9, XR | Mini LED, 4K HDR The price could vary. We earn commission from these links TCL C8K QD-MiniLED: a giant at a knockdown price If you are looking for a good TV but without having to break the bank, this is TCL C8K 65 inch It is a good option to watch the Soccer World Cup with excellent quality. You can take it, in its 65-inch version, for 1,149 euros. Its QD-MiniLED panel reaches a maximum brightness up to 5,000 nits. It has a refresh rate of 144 Hz and its audio system is signed by Bang & Olufsen. It supports Dolby Atmos, comes with Google TV as an operating system and a wide connectivity section. TCL 65C8K 65 Inch QD-Mini LED Television The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense RGB MiniLED evo: a technological surprise Although it is not on sale yet, you can pre-purchase it for 1,199 euros and receive it at home from May 19, this Hisense 55UR8S TV aims to be a technological revolution (just as has happened with the new Samsung TVs for this year), thanks to RGB MiniLED panelwhich uses a much more precise light structure. This is a TV with very good value for money and its AI assisted sports mode automatically detects when the game starts and adjusts the saturation and image smoothing, without you having to touch anything on the controller. It supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+. Hisense 55UR8S – RGB MiniLED Smart TV 55 Inch The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense 116UX RGB MiniLED: a 116-inch beast And if you are not worried about the budget and want to set up your own VIP box at home to watch the 2026 World Cup, this gigantic Hisense from 116 inches It is one of the top on the market. Of course, don’t be scared by its price; costs 17,999 euros. This TV also debuts the technology RGB-MiniLEDwhich replaces the traditional standard blue LEDs with red, green and blue, which will allow you to enjoy greater color purity. It reaches 8,000 nits of brightness and has 165 Hz refresh rate and a 6.2.2 channel sound systemso you will hear the game as if you were in the stadium. 116″ RGB Mini LED TV – Hisense 116UXQ, UHD 4K The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Hisense, LG, TCL and Sony In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 140 euros

look at the OPPO Watch X3

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Today is a big day for OPPO. Taking advantage of the launch of its new flagship, the Find X9 Pro, the company has presented two most interesting devices: its new OPPO Enco Clip2 headphones, and its OPPO Watch X3 smart watch. The latter is the brand’s most advanced smartwatch to date, one that lands in Spain to compete with some of the best rivals in its segment. We tell you all the specifications and features of this OPPO Watch X3, a watch whose predecessor managed to conquer us in a few daysand now it comes looking even more wonderful. OPPO Watch X3 technical sheet OPPO Watch dimensions and weight 47.70 x 47.0 x 11mm 43 grams (without strap) screen 1.5 inch LTPO AMOLED Resolution 466 x 466 pixels 310 DPI Refresh rate: 60 Hz Maximum brightness: 600 nits HBM: 1,500 nits Peak brightness: 3,000 nits 2D sapphire crystal processor Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 ram memory 2GB internal storage 32GB 4GB eMMC for RTOS Sensors Acceleration sensor Gyroscope Optical heart rate sensor Optical pulse oximetry sensor Geomagnetic sensor light sensor Barometer Temperature sensor on wrist Battery 648mAh VOOC fast charging Autonomy Up to 16 days in saving mode connectivity WiFi 2.4/5GHz Bluetooth 5.2 endurance MIL-STD-8710H 5ATM IP68 buttons Side action button rotating crown compatibility Android 9.0 or higher operating system Wear OS 6.0 with Color OS OTHERS Auto Brightness AoD mode Heart rate monitoringSleep monitoringSpO2 monitoringStress monitoring Electrocardiogram Vascular health Fall detection NotificationsMusic control More than 100 sports modes Google Play PRICE 379 euros A familiar face, with better hardware than ever The OPPO Watch X3 has a design quite similar to the one we saw in the previous generation. It stands out mainly for being finished in aerospace-grade titanium alloy, resistant to corrosion and even tighter in weight this generation: only 43 grams without strap. Specifically, it is 13.4% lighter and 6.3% thinner, without losing any of its premium finish. The screen repeats with 1.5 inches, with LTPO AMOLED technology and a noticeably higher brightness than the last generation. How much? No less than 3,000 nits of peak brightness and 1,500 nits of typical brightness. Specifications higher than many high-end mobile phones. It also improves its battery, which it repeats with the silicon-carbon but now it goes up to 646mAh. One of the main advantages of this technology is that manufacturers can increase the gross capacity of the battery without increasing the physical size of the battery. In other words, although this watch is much thinner than the previous one, it will have better autonomy. Wear OS performance accompanies. The most complex operating system is responsible for moving the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1but the OPPO Watch OnePlus Watch 2). The Snapdragon is joined by a BES2800BP, an ultra-low consumption SoC that drives an RTO system. What is this paraphernalia for? So the coprocessor can handle daily low-power operations while the performance chip handles the heavy lifting. For everyday and the most extreme use The OPPO watch is not just a pretty face, it is also an ideal health and sports accessory. It has more than 100 sports modes, integrates certified ECG function, SpO2 monitoring, general health check mode in just 60 seconds… Being a watch with WearOS, we can download Google Pay, Google Maps, and all the apps optimized for Google’s wrist operating system. Despite the careful design, it is a watch with MIL-STD-8710H grade resistance, being water resistant up to 5 ATM and withstanding both bumps and scratches (without going overboard, of course). OPPO Watch X3 price and availability The OPPO Watch X3 will be sold in Spain at a price of 379 euros, available in two colors: Misty Titanium and Obsidian Black. It can be purchased both at the official OPPO store and at the main distributors in the country. In addition, from April 21 to May 31 we can get it with an offer of 40 euros off. In case this was not enough of a discount, you will get some Enco Air4Pro as a gift. Image | OPPO In Xataka | The foldable that comes closest to the perfect screen avoids all problems except one: the OPPO Find N6 points the way forward

With the new increase, the Netflix plan with ads already costs more than what it cost to watch the platform without advertising two years ago

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Netflix has just confirmed a new price increase in Spain. When the platform presented the plan with ads in 2022, it did so as the economic option for those who did not want to pay the full rate. Four years later, as Antonio Ortiz emphasized in Xthat plan with advertising costs more than the old basic plan cost without any type of advertising, which was eliminated in 2023. The new prices. The increase affects the three rates available in Spain. This is how they look: Standard Plan with ads: It goes from 6.99 to 8.99 euros per month, an increase of two euros or close to 29%. Standard Plan without ads: It goes up from 13.99 to 14.99 euros. Premium Plan: Access to four simultaneous screens, 4K resolution and without ads, scale from 19.99 to 21.99 euros, surpassing the barrier of 20 euros per month for the first time. This is the second price increase in less than two years, since in October 2024 the company increased its rates in Spain. The new prices are now active for new users and will apply to current users in the next billing cycle. Ten years reviewing upwards. Netflix arrived in Spain in October 2015. Since then, the evolution of its rates describes a trajectory without exceptions. In 2017 the Standard plan increased by one euro and the Premium plan by two. The same pattern was repeated in 2019 and 2021. In 2022 it introduced the plan with ads at 5.49 euros, and in 2023 it eliminated the basic plan of 7.99 euros to push towards that advertising option. Already in 2021 we were talking about how the Premium plan had risen 50% in four years. It has not stopped doing so: currently it costs 21.99 euros, in 2017 11.99. Almost double in nine years. The paradox of the cheap rate. As we say, when the plan with advertisements arrived in Spain it did so 5.49 euros per month. Subsequently It went to 6.99 euros and now stands at 8.99 euros, which represents a joint increase of around 64% since its launch. That is, Netflix’s cheapest option has gone above what the old Basic plan without ads cost, which remained at 7.99 euros until its final elimination. In other words: whoever today wants to pay as little as possible on Netflix accepts advertising and pays more than what those who had a completely ad-free subscription paid two years ago. Because. The company often justifies these revisions as necessary to sustain investment in content. Netflix plans to allocate about $20 billion to this aspect in 2026, 10% more than in 2025. But there is a very clear reason for these increases to arrive at a fixed and almost biannual cadence: Netflix has more than 325 million global subscribers and previous increases have not caused significant falls in its user base. Put into practice: the plan with ads accumulates more than 190 million monthly active users and represents 55% of new registrations in markets with enabled advertisingaccording to the company’s own data. It is the segment that has grown the most, and also the one that suffers the greatest percentage increase in this last round. The end of the climbs? At the beginning of this month, a court ruling in Italy It could mark a before and after in the relationship between the platform and the continent’s regulators. A court in Rome ruled that price increases applied by Netflix in Italy between 2017 and 2024 are illegal under the national consumer code, which requires specific and advance justification of any price change. Premium subscribers active since 2017 could receive refunds of up to 500 euros and those on the Standard plan, around 250. Netflix has 90 days to notify all those affected through its website and national media, under penalty of 700 euros per day for delay. The judges’ decision is a good blow for the finances of Netflix, which is going to appeal the ruling, and which could affect the platform’s more than 5.4 million subscribers in Italy. The potential bill for the platform could exceed 2 billion euros. The door to similar litigation in other European countries remains open, although the transposition of European Directive 93/13/EEC on which the Italian court’s decision is based varies between legislations. In Spain, for now, it can be applied but a comparable judicial resolution has not yet been reached, although FACUA has filed a complaint before the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, which could also end the platform in court. In Xataka | 29 years later, Netflix has become the television it promised to replace. That’s why Wall Street has punished her

You can watch Atlético de Madrid-Barcelona without permanence and regardless of which operator you are

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April is passing and little by little we are getting closer to the Champions League final. We don’t know who will reach the final, but what we do know is that tonight one of the best ties that the quarterfinals have given us will be decided. We are talking about Atlético de Madrid-Barcelona FCa great game that we can see on Movistar Plus+ for 9.99 euros per month (or 99.90 euros per year). Although, of course, the platform has much more. Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus+ The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Without permanence, you can try Movistar Plus+ for a month for very little The option of going to a bar or a family member’s house to watch football is always there, but if we have the opportunity to watch it at home, even better. Movistar Plus+ broadcasts tonight’s game and we can get a month of the platform to watch it. The best? We have several weeks ahead of us to see a lot of things and, if it doesn’t convince us, we can unsubscribe at any time. By subscribing today, obviously the greatest incentive we have is the great game between two of the best teams we have in LaLiga. Now, as we have a whole month to watch Movistar Plus+, we will also have the chance to see other very interesting matches. We summarize some of them below.: Betis – Sporting Braga: April 16 Atlético de Madrid – Real Sociedad (Copa del Rey): April 18 Manchester City – Arsenal: April 19 Girona – Betis: April 21 Getafe – Barcelona FC: April 25 or 26 Champions semi-finals (one match): April 29 With the Free Plan of Movistar Plus+ we cannot see any of these matches, but neither his extensive catalog of movies. There’s a lot to choose from right now with tapes like ‘The Fury‘The Pianist, ‘Conclave‘ either ‘Sirat‘, just to mention a few examples. And that’s without counting what’s to come, with gems like ‘Weapons‘. To all of the above we must add that we can download what we want from Movistar Plus+ and watch it offlineideal if you plan to take a getaway next long weekend. In addition, it also supports two simultaneous plays, even if they are not at the same address. This way you can share your password with a friend or family member without problem. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Movistar Plus+ In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more In Xataka | The best streaming platforms 2025 | Comparison of Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Movistar Plus+, Filmin, Apple TV, SkyShowtime and Rakuten TV: catalog, functions and prices

We have been obsessed with measuring deep sleep with a watch for years. Science says what matters is dreaming vividly

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The reality is that waking up feeling like you’ve fallen asleep like a dormouse is one of the greatest pleasures in life, since it makes you start the day in a very different way. Until now, sleep science has told us that to achieve that feeling of rest we had to maximize deep sleepbut now the rarity and the intensity of dreams They are also gaining a starring role here. A new study. A recent published research in the prestigious magazine PLOS Biology by an Italian team has revealed that vivid and immersive dreams are directly related to a greater subjective sense of deep sleep. And most fascinating: this occurs even when the brain’s electrical activity tells us that we are in a phase of light sleep. How they have done it. To reach this conclusion, the researchers did not settle for morning surveys, but rather They took 44 adults healthy people to a sleep laboratory for four consecutive nights. Here they simply had to be connected to a high-density electroencephalogram to monitor their brain activity in real time. The methodology used was quite methodical, since all of them were awakened repeatedly, reaching the figure of 1,900 awakenings in total throughout the entire study. But they were not waking them up at any time, but rather sleep phase N2 which is what belongs to non-REM sleep and is what is considered relatively light sleep, where the biological need to sleep usually decreases as the night progresses. But the important thing is that, after each awakening, the participants had to describe their previous mental experiences and rate, from 1 to 10, how deep they felt their sleep had been just before opening their eyes. The result. By crossing the data from the dream stories with the EEG activity and the subjective perception of the participants, the scientists found a pattern that indicated that when the participants reported vivid, strange dreams, with high emotional intensity or very visually rich, they reported having been immersed in a very deep sleep. In contrast, if the mental activity before waking up was abstract, vague, or the participants had “meta-awareness,” which is thinking about real problems or being aware that they were sleeping, they felt that their sleep had been very superficial. A change. In this way, this sensation of dreamlike depth challenged the electroencephalograms themselves. And the fact is that, although the EEG showed that the participant’s brain activity was dangerously close to wakefulness, if he was immersed in an intense dream plot, his brain interpreted that he was resting peacefully. Memory doesn’t matter. One of the most interesting details of the study points to a situation that can be frustrating: waking up knowing that you had an incredible dream, but unable to remember the entire plot. Here the scientific study demonstrates that narrative memory is not necessary for rest, since the participants continued to rate their sleep as deep and restorative despite not remembering it. In this way, the simple fact that the brain has been “disconnected” from the physical environment and immersed in its own virtual world seems to be enough to preserve the subjective perception of rest. What does it mean? This discovery opens the door to new treatments for sleep disorders, since, in the case of insomnia, the problem could not only be in the clinical architecture of sleep, but in an alteration of dream activity or a lack of mental disconnection from the environment. And this is precisely where science has to begin to investigate. Images | iam_os In Xataka | Waking up at 3 in the morning is totally normal: sleeping straight through is a modern invention, not an evolution

a million Spaniards continue to watch it every year

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Each Easter weekWithout fail, something happens that defies any logic of the audiovisual market: millions of Spaniards sit down to watch a film that they have already seen, which lasts almost four hours, which was filmed 65 years ago in Rome and which is not recommended by any algorithm. A chariot race that, for some reason, continues to draw viewers as if it were a recent release. The figures. Since 2008, the film ‘Ben-Hur’ has been broadcast on Spanish channels (free and pay) a total of 85 times over 17 Holy Weeks. That is equivalent to an average of five passes per holiday period, according to data from the consulting firm Barlovento Comunicación. has provided ‘El País’. No other religious-themed title has accumulated so many broadcasts in that interval. It is followed by ‘Quo Vadis?’, with 73 appearances on the grid, and ‘The Ten Commandments’, with 61. Completing the usual group are films such as ‘Barabbas’, ‘Spartacus’ or ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’, almost all of them produced between the 1950s and 1960s. It doesn’t sound familiar to me. Well, they are all titles from a time in which Hollywood turned the biblical epic into an industrial venture, with million-dollar budgets and excessive technical ambition. ‘Ben-Hur’ cost $15 million in 1959 (the largest budget of any film up to that time) and grossed approximately $80 million worldwide. It won eleven Oscars from twelve nominations, a record that only ‘Titanic’ (1997) and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003) have equaled. Why do they still work? ‘Ben-Hur’ has an advantage: Jesus appears in it as a peripheral figure, with his back turned or in the distance, which turns the film into an epic adventure production with a Christian subtext, rather than a typical religious film. The chariot race, filmed in five weeks with 15,000 extras and on a gigantic set in Cinecittà, works as a hook regardless of the viewer’s beliefs. ‘Quo Vadis?’ places Saint Peter fleeing Rome during Nero’s persecutions, but a vision of Christ appears to him asking where he is going, and Peter turns around and returns to the city to remain with the martyrs. It is the only scene in which Jesus has a direct presence, since he always appears mediated by his apostles, or with the conversion process of the Roman commander Marcus Vinicius. But the spectacle that the film sustains for the non-believing public is another: the burning of Rome, the circus with the lions, the megalomania of Nero… The hearings. Since 2021 La 1 has programmed ‘Ben-Hur’ every year on the after-dinner meal on Thursday or Good Friday. The results: screen shares of 11.4%, 10.7%, 12.5%, 11.3% and 11.1%, with figures around one million viewers in the three and a half hours that the film lasts. Today few programs achieve those numbers on a regular basis. The record remains the Holy Thursday screening of 2012, when more than two million people watched it on the night of La 1. For this year, RTVE has confirmed that La 1 will broadcast ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘Pompeya’ on the afternoon of Good Friday, and ‘The Ten Commandments’ during the weekend. La 2 will offer ‘The Sacred Robe’ on Holy Thursday at 10:00 p.m. The private ones, less pious. Since 2018, La 1 has broadcast a total of 45 films with religious themes or those linked to Holy Week. Antena 3 barely reached seven. Telecinco, four. Atresmedia and Mediaset are betting on other types of programming on these dates, leaving the religious field almost exclusively to RTVE… …and the autonomous ones. These have turned this niche into their own asset. Between 2018 and 2025, Telemadrid programmed 99 films with religious themes, Canal Sur 82 and CMM (Castilla-La Mancha Media) 72. These are figures that reflect both the cultural harmony of these stations with their territories and a very economically efficient programming strategy: the rights to these classic titles are considerably cheaper than those of recent productions. And Channel 13. This is what takes logic to its ultimate consequences. The Episcopal Conference network has broadcast almost 300 religious films during Holy Week over 17 years. In 2025 alone, it programmed 19 different titles in that week, with more than 50 hours of special content that included broadcasts of processions, connections with the Vatican and film series ranging from Cecil B. DeMille classics to premieres such as ‘His Only Son’ (2023). Thirteen seems like a television built specifically for these dates. Last stop: ‘The Life of Brian’. There is a case that deserves separate analysis: ‘The Life of Brian’, the 1979 Monty Python film, has been broadcast at Easter on Spanish channels on 22 occasions over 17 years. In most cases it was on thematic channels, and La 2 only dared to program it in 2020 and 2021. The results were clear: a 7.4% share in full confinement and 5.5% in 2021, figures well above the channel’s usual average. Neox issued it the last two Good Fridays with equally notable results for its usual figures: 2.6% and 3.4%. The data is revealing because it makes it clear that the viewer of Holy Week is not necessarily looking for devotion, but rather cultural markers of the period. ‘Life of Brian’ fits that way just like ‘Ben-Hur’, albeit from the opposite end of the spectrum. In Xataka | We believed that Generation Z was returning en masse to the Church. An error in a survey is to blame for the mirage

robot vs robot battles where humans only watch

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In the year 2024, a relevant event occurred in the context of the war in Ukraine. So the number of drones produced for military use far surpassed to that of traditional armored vehicles, with tens of thousands of units deployed on the front. That change not only reflected a question of cost, but a profound transformation in how a modern war is conceived and fought today. One where humans have less and less to say. Forbidden to humans. In Ukraine, a new type of battlefield has emerged that breaks with everything known: the called “kill zones”those strips of several kilometers where any movement is detected and destroyed almost instantly by swarms of drones. In these spaces, human presence has become extremely limited and dangerous, almost inaccessible, forcing soldiers to remain buried for weeks or months and move alone in exceptional conditionswhile the terrain between the lines becomes a kind of permanent “no man’s land”, one saturated with sensors, mines and constant surveillance. If in the 19th century battles and quarrels were fought with steps and guns in duels in the sunTwo centuries later, duels have mutated into disputes between machines. Wars without troops. I remembered a few weeks ago the financial times that, in this new environment, direct combat between people has ceased to be the central element, replaced by confrontations where machines take center stage. Aerial drones patrol, detect and attack targets continuously, while unmanned ground vehicles advance, hold positions or execute ambushes in places where an infantryman I couldn’t survive. There have even been documented situations in which systems from both sides confront each other without direct human presenceevidencing a qualitative change in the nature of combat. Robots against robots. The most striking result is the appearance of authentic “duels” between unmanned systems, where UAVs and UGVs search, hunt and they destroy each other. Drones waiting on the ground like smart mines, vehicles that ambush routes supply or systems specifically designed to locate and neutralize other robots reflect an autonomous combat dynamic in constant evolution. Thus, each advance generates an immediate response from the adversary, creating a cycle accelerated innovation which is more reminiscent of a technological ecosystem or a futuristic war video game than a conventional war. Fully automated logistics. Even tasks that historically defined the rear, such as supplies, evacuation or minelaying, have been absorbed and replaced by machines. Now drones transport food, water and ammunition, while ground vehicles extract wounded people or deploy explosives in inaccessible areas. This change, furthermore, is not only tactical, but rather structural, because the battlefield seems not to admit The human presence continues, forcing a kind of outsourcing of essential functions to systems that can take risks that no soldier could accept. The leap to self-employment. They explained in Forbes that, although many of these systems continue to depend on human operators, the trend points towards a increasing autonomywith robots increasingly capable of detecting, deciding and acting with less intervention. If you also want, the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced sensors and coordination in swarms anticipates a scenario where hundreds of systems operate simultaneously in air, land and sea, further expanding these inaccessible areas and reducing the room for human maneuver. The future in real time. In summary, what is happening in Ukraine It is not only an adaptation to the current conflict, but it could be said that it is a preview of what they will be like. the wars of the future. The unprecedented combination of total surveillance, combat automation and progressive replacement of the soldier in the most dangerous areas is transforming war in an unprecedented confrontation between systemsone where humans are relegated to supervision and strategic decision-making. From that perspective, rather than a gradual evolution, the conflict in Eastern Europe has suddenly accelerated a transition that seemed very distant a few years ago, turning science fiction into something similar to an operational reality. Image | Telegram In Xataka | Ukraine has become the world’s leading specialist against Iranian drones. And he won’t share his antidote In Xataka | If Ukraine promoted the use of drones, Iran has triggered the Terminator algorithm. And that was already a problem in science fiction

Nintendo knows that most people who go to its parks and watch its movies have never touched a video game. and he loves it

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The success of the park Super Nintendo World and of the Mario’s first animated film (with a sequel just around the corner that also promises to break the box office) has confirmed what the company has known for years: that its characters are worth as much inside a console as in an outdoor version. The strategy coordinated by Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, points towards an entertainment model where the video game is only the origin, not the objective. Not just video games. Shinya Takahashi, senior CEO of Nintendo, He has been repeating a phrase for years which sounds almost like a wake-up call: “People see us as a video game company. But we have always considered ourselves an entertainment company.” The distinction is important: Nintendo was founded in 1889 in Kyoto as a manufacturer of Hanafuda cards. It went through toys, taxis and hotels before reaching video games in the seventies. Software and consoles have been its core business for decades, but they were never the only thing the company thought it could do with its characters. The problem is that for a long time all of the company’s forays outside of video games had been failures. 1993: disaster. The most famous case is the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993. Nintendo transferred the rights through a simple licensing agreement and did not participate in the production. The result was an experiment that It raised only 40 million dollars with a budget close to 50 and which is remembered as one of the worst video game adaptations in history (although over time it has acquired, thanks to its outlandish production design, a well-deserved cult status). Miyamoto himself acknowledged the root of the problem with that film in an interview, and why it took them so long to try again: “We were afraid of all the failures of IP adaptations of the past, where there is a license and a distance between the original creators and those of the films.” The consequence of that failure was almost thirty years without giving up film rights to its main franchises. Nintendo stopped licensing its IP to external studios and only allowed occasional appearances of his characters in films like ‘Wreck-It Ralph!’ or ‘Pixels’, none with real creative control. New adaptations. When Nintendo sat down to negotiate with Universal and Illumination for an animated film, the conversation started from a different beginning. Miyamoto served as executive producer and was involved in every significant decision, from casting to animating key characters. The same logic was applied to the construction of their first amusement park, Super Nintendo Worldin collaboration with Universal and announced in May 2015. Construction of the park in Osaka began in 2017. The investment reached 351 million dollarsa scale comparable to what Universal once dedicated to the Harry Potter franchise. A real game. Super Nintendo World is designed so that visitors feel like they are in Mario’s world. They wear an NFC bracelet with which they interact with the question blocks, collect coins, complete challenges and end up facing Bowser Jr. as the final boss. There is no controller, but there are game mechanics, score markers, hidden secrets, and a slight internal narrative. Attention to detail permeates spaces such as bathrooms and restaurants. Nintendo is doing well. The financial results support the bet. According to Comcast data released during an earnings call, CFO Jason Armstrong noted that Universal Studios Hollywood (home to one of the two Super Nintendo Worlds in the United States) recorded its best gross profit in that period of the year in its entire history, thanks to the impact of the Nintendo park, and experienced an increase in visitors of 15%. The Super Mario movie has also been extremely profitable: 1.36 billion dollars worldwidebecoming in just 26 days the first adaptation of a video game to exceed one billion. It was the second highest-grossing film of that year, only behind ‘Barbie’. New philosophy. There is a quote from Takahashi that sums up this new business philosophy: “We knew that Mario was adored by video game fans, but the park helped us understand that Mario also has non-gaming fans.” and Miyamoto adds: “There are many people who know who Mario is but have never played the game.” The park’s target audience, according to Takahashi, is not any age group or any specific player profile: “It’s all-encompassing, whether it’s someone who knows Mario from the games or a kid who’s never played before.” Mario is an IP that generates value regardless of whether its audience has ever touched a controller. In other words, he is a much more valuable client, because there are no limits regarding age or hobbies. It doesn’t stop, it doesn’t stop. The expansion continues: Donkey Kong Country opened in Osaka in December 2024, expanding the space of Super Nintendo World by 70%. Epic Universe, Universal’s new park in Florida inaugurated in May 2025has its own Super Nintendo World. And there is a version under construction in Singapore. Takahashi has mentioned that franchises such as ‘Splatoon’ or ‘Zelda’ are part of the expansion plans into new media, although there are hardly any specific announcements. Of course, the sequel ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ arrives on April 1. Video games are just one more link in a chain of dividends that have turned Nintendo into a very different company than it was a few years ago. In Xataka | No one would think of leaving ‘Super Mario 64’ on for 14 months. But whoever does it will find a surprise

I am a paddle tennis player and finally a smart watch brand has remembered me

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I have carried a paddle tennis racket in my hand since I was little. I am worse than hunger, I am not hiding, but I like this sport and I must admit that I look with envy at the fans of, for example, golf or the running. As a lover of smart watches, I have always seen from afar manufacturers launch specific models and functions for runners and golf players with cool metrics, interesting analyzes and specific functions: yes, 3D courses, yes, footfall analysis, yes, that niche data that only the pros care about… And meanwhile, the padel players we were still thereusing the “tennis” mode that tells us little or nothing or, if available, the “paddle” mode that also does not give information about performance in the match. That’s why, walking through the halls of the Mobile World Congress, I couldn’t help but stop at the Mibro stand. Because? Because their watches have a paddle mode, but a useful one with relevant information for players of this sport. Yes, we really exist. Padel mode in the Mibro GS Explorer S-Ti | Image: Xataka My what? Mibro, “your brother in sport”, as one of the company’s workers at the stand tells me with a laugh. Mibro is a company of Zhenshi Information Technology, a Chinese company founded in 2015 with financing from Xiaomi and Nokia. The company specializes in sports wearables and has found a way to increase its presence in the European market in paddle tennis. In fact, they openly recognize it: it is not that padel is gaining traction in China, it is that they know that it is important in Europe and they believe they have a way to differentiate themselves there. And what do they offer? The company has a catalog of watches with a rather high-mid-range price. The most expensive model is the Mibro GS Explorer Swhich costs 349.99 euros and is made of titanium (it is the one in the photos and I must admit that it feels scary, although I would change the strap, which looks very good, for a silicone one for sports). However, it has cheaper models, such as the GS Active2which remains below 100 euros. The operating system is Mibro Galaxy OS 2.0, a very fancy to call an RTOS system that is very reminiscent of Huawei’s HarmonyOS. An example of the metrics associated with paddle tennis | Image: Xataka But let’s talk about padel. The key to these watches, and the reason why they have caught my attention, is because of their paddle tennis analysis. For the uninitiated, in paddle tennis there are different shots: forehand, backhand, volleys, spikes, layups, lobs, drop shots, etc. Understanding well which shots you are doing the most and why can help you understand a match and discover your areas for improvement. For example: if you have lost a match in which you have made many layups (cut, high and deep shot to keep the net), you may have to work on the volley and the force you apply when hitting, because they have been constantly knocking you out of the net with lobs (high and deep balls). If you have made many lobs and few volleys, layups or shots, it is probably because they have managed to keep you down and have not let you go up to the net to attack. Analysis of forehands and backhands | Image: Xataka And that’s where Mibro comes in.. As they have shown us at the stand, the watch is capable of detecting the number and percentage of each of the shots we make in a match. The watch allows us to know how many backhands, drives, layups, spikes, forehand and backhand lobs and forehand and backhand drop shots we have made and, for example, manually cross-check them with our heart rate to see which points have put us in trouble. Example of analysis of blows | Image: Xataka Speed ​​of blows | Image: Xataka It also counts calories and, even more importantly, the speed of the strokes. Although it is easy to associate paddle tennis with strong and very loud hits, the truth is that playing slowly is usually much more effective against players… nervous, let’s say. A weak ball to the side wall will probably do more damage than a strong shot or volley, in the same way that a layup does not necessarily have to be very fast. Knowing that information that, until now, we could not know, can be useful to focus training or take action. To recognize hits, the device is based on a six-axis accelerometer and intelligent algorithms, as is already done in many other watches and many other sports. How does it work? Unfortunately, and although we always want a padel, we have not had the opportunity to pick up the racket and throw some balls in the halls of the MWC, but the fact that it exists is already progress. Counting layups and shots | Image: Xataka An ideal world. At the expense of testing the watch in a real match situation, a function that would make a lot of sense (even via AI) is to be able to cross-reference the heart rate with the shot you have made or with the duration of the points, as well as the number of shots. That would allow us to see at what level of intensity we start to make mistakes, what shots we make when we are tired (perhaps we abuse the shot or miss more layups). The higher the intensity, the more the technique is distorted, and that causes errors. That type of information, well interpreted, is valuable if you are looking to train and improve. Images | Xataka In Xataka | I have been playing paddle tennis for years and I think Playtomic is an absolutely brilliant invention

OPPO Watch X2 Mini, analysis

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Wear OS left behind the obligation to charge watches every day with the enormous step forward that the OnePlus Watch 2. I was able to analyze it and was surprised by its duality: dual processor and dual operating system. OnePlus has promoted this innovation, so has OPPO. The Watch X2 Mini that I have tested is a worthy heir. Very compact, loaded with features despite being contained, with five days of autonomy and good performance in the sports record. At least for a smartwatch that is not specifically geared toward workouts. With these credentials, I have to say that the OPPO Watch X2 Mini seems like a great recommendation to me. I explain step by step why. OPPO Watch X2 Mini technical sheet OPPO Watch X2 Mini SCREEN 1.32 inch round AMOLED panel 466 x 466 pixel resolution 352 PPI Brightness from 600 to 1000 nits 2.5D Crystal DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 43.2 x 43.2 x 11mm 37.8 grams PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ BES2800BP RAM 2GB STORAGE 32GB BATTERY 354mAh 6.5W magnetic charging Autonomy from 2.5 to 7 days OPERATING SYSTEM Android 14 with ColorOS Watch 7.0 RTOS Compatible with Android 10 and iOS 14 CONNECTIVITY eSIM 5G and 2.4G WiFi NFC Bluetooth 5.2 OTHERS Resistance 5 ATM and IP68 Optical heart rate and blood oxygen sensor Compass Barometer Stainless steel case PRICE 299 euros OPPO Watch The price could vary. We earn commission from these links OPPO Watch X2 Mini, our experience Design: classic and with exaggerated frames. The watch is quite small for a large wrist like mine. Even so, it does not give a reduced experience, quite the contrary: OPPO has made an effort to maximize the X2 Mini in all aspects. From its excellent stainless steel case to the hardware that beats under the 1.32-inch round screen. The watch is mini, the front shows it. Even so, the frames are thick: around 5 mm. It includes two control buttons that are enough to control anything that is beyond touch. And the back side maintains the heart sensors and a POGO connector for charging. The alignment with the charger is magnetic and said charger has a USB-C port. This way the cable, which also comes in the box, is not damaged. The OPPO Watch X2 Mini seems like the perfect watch for those looking for a complete smartwatch without feeling like they are lifting weights every time they raise their arm. He’s small, but he’s tough. And with a detail: the strap pin is the standard 18 mm. Finding compatible straps is as simple as it is cheap. Blood oxygen saturation measurement The screen shines with its own light. OPPO mounts an OLED panel that is perfectly visible outdoors, even training in sunlight. The brightness is automatic and adapts without problems to the light conditions. It is compatible with Always On, with what that entails: battery life is reduced in that mode. The screen has smoothed edges so that the edges do not interfere with gestures. It is tactile and is protected with hardened glass: I did not scratch it during the weeks of testing (miracle). The watch includes a good number of watch faces, supports video watchfaces, and is compatible with the thousands of Wear OS on Google Play. It’s impossible to get bored. Two is much more than double. When I tested the OnePlus Watch 2 I marveled at the idea of ​​including a dual processor and dual operating system. After the evolution, the OPPO Watch For me it is the way to go in Wear OS. Smartwatch and activity bracelet chip; with software that maintains this duality: Wear OS when the watch uses apps and RTOS for the rest of the tasks. The result is an experience out of ten: the X2 Watch Mini 2 switches between the SoC and soft tandem without the user noticing anything. I have not seen it slow, the jump between sports activities is fast, the registrations are accurate, it has access to Google Play and there are no problems with NFC payments. OPPO has the recipe for the best smartwatch and knows how to cook it perfectly in the Watch X2 Mini. What do smartwatch manufacturers have against mountain biking? A good watch for amateur athletes. Although I play sports every day (or try to), I do not consider myself an athlete. Yes, I like to keep track of all the training sessions to see the evolution. I use a Garmin Epix 2 and it’s fantastic for me. Well: the OPPO Watch X2 Mini is not far behind. I have tested the watch running, walking, high intensity routines, strength training and mountain bike rides. The results have been good for a general purpose smartwatch: It supports more than 100 sports training modes. Too bad the mountain bike is not available (neither is the padel, sorry). Heart rate tracking is sufficiently accurate at low and medium heart rate. Above 150-160 I have seen a margin of error of up to 40 keystrokes. Everything compared to a chest strap connected to the Garmin. Above, OPPO Watch X2 Mini; Below, chest strap connected to Garmin. The OPPO does not register variations or very high heart rates as well. Same exercise: 6.08 km run Related to the previous point, the Watch X2 Mini follows pulse variations as long as they are not triggered by high-intensity interval exercise. In outdoor distance measurements, the positioning system remains at a very good level: the margin of error of the routes is around 50 meters per kilometer. Very quick positioning before the start of practice: less than ten seconds is usually enough. The track record has some saw teeth and may not follow the paths on the map 100% accurately. In terms of total distances, the overall result is decent. Left, Garmin GPS; right, Vivo GPS. About mountain biking practice The personal trainer is suitable for practice, the watch looks great outdoors and withstands harsh weather conditions. Also sweat. Recording height is also suitable: use the … Read more

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