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21 Mar 2025

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Tokelau is 'my heart and soul' - New Ulu-o-Tokelau Tuisano
Fakaofo's Esera Fofo Tuisano takes on the Ulu-o-Tokelau, or Head of State, for the second time.

Young boy dies after two year fight with rare brain cancer
Lachie Love was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer in December 2022.

Tonga's Sisifa appointed interim head of Oceania Netball
Tonga Netball chief executive Salote Sisifa says she is honoured to be given the role.

The myth of the flat belly
Women have long been sold the message that a 'flat' tummy is something that is both ideal and achievable. The reality is that it's not.

New Zealand wine sales in US increase, for 16th year in a row
Sales of New Zealand wine have increased in the US - "a bright spot in an otherwise declining import sector", the New Zealand Winegrowers industry body says.

New Zealand Defence Force proposing to cut hundreds of roles, union says
Staff have been told of plans of a major restructure that could see 374 civilian roles gone, according to the PSA.

Explosive Meta memoir tops US best-seller list
Sarah Wynn-Williams' scathing book on Facebook's parent company has topped the New York Times bestseller list after its first week.

Get Lexar’s speedy 4TB portable SSD for just $230 — today only!
Do you need a lot of external storage? Do you need lots of external storage that’s tough? Do you need lots of tough external storage for not a lot of money? Then head over to B&H because they’re selling a massive 4TB Lexar Armor external SSD for just $229.99. That’s $190 off the original retail price. That’s an absolutely huge drive for the price—you’d be hard-pressed to roll your own with a standalone drive and an enclosure, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near as small or tough as this one in its IP66-rated case. With USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds that max out at 2,000 MB/s, it’s among the fastest drives out there (assuming you’ve got a USB-C port that can handle it). B&H is featuring this deal for the rest of today, with the countdown ending at midnight US Eastern time. But it’s entirely possible it could go out of stock before then, so if you want it, hop on it quickly! Save 45% on Lexar's high-performance 4TB portable SSDBuy now from B&H

IOC elects first woman president
There are two firsts for the person taking over arguably the biggest job in sports.

Moana Pasifika v Chiefs: what you need to know
Moana are back from their bye week and face the toughest test yet of their season, coming up against a Chiefs side that's leading the competition.

'Babies born positive with meth': Northern Mariana Islands child abuse and neglect cases rise
"When parents are stressed, a lot of things can happen in the home," US territory's Division of Youth Services diretor says.

Game developers are losing faith in VR as a gaming market
According to one late 2024 survey conducted by the Game Developer Collective, over half of the game developers surveyed consider the VR market to be stagnant or in decline. Worse still, barely a quarter still believe the market is growing. Among developers not currently working on VR projects, fewer than half see any possibility of their studio investing in VR in the future. Even Apple’s entry into the market doesn’t seem to have made much of an impression on those surveyed. Meanwhile, research firm Omdia reported that sales of VR headsets dropped by 10 percent in 2024, with further decline expected in 2025. The big studios don’t seem to have an appetite for VR. Despite the success of Half-Life: Alyx, Valve has yet to release anything else, instead focusing on multiplayer ventures like Counter-Strike 2 and Deadlock as well as hardware like the Steam Deck. Alyx was in 2020 and was only available on PC VR devices. Even Apple has failed to drive much developer interest with its Vision Pro headset. What’s the problem here? Well, while technological limitations tend to ease and shrink over time, that doesn’t seem to be the case with virtual reality. It’s hard enough to pack a ton of processing power into a portable device, but VR headsets need to be extra lightweight and comfortable. There’s also the optical technology, which still has a way to go before we reach ultra-realistic immersion. Battery life is a concern, as is the susceptibility of some to VR motion sickness. There’s also the need for ample physical space, with high-end PC-based setups requiring enough room to deploy external sensors. But even simpler options—like the Meta Quest 3 or PSVR2—can still be impractical in a smaller apartment or living room. There simply isn’t always space to wield a lightsaber or move around freely. Despite constant technological advances and the involvement of major players, virtual reality still seems to struggle with the same problems today as it did years ago. Developers are reluctant, sales are falling, and the lack of major game releases makes it difficult to attract a wider audience. Will VR ever be the revolution once promised? Or will it remain an expensive niche for enthusiasts only?