Polar has revealed its first new GPS running watches of 2022: the entry-level Polar Pacer, and the mid-range Polar Pacer Pro. Both watches are slimmer and lighter than devices like last year's Polar Vantage V2 , with some new features and design tweaks to help improve your training.
The Polar Pacer is designed for people who are new to running and want to get their training off on the right foot, putting it in competition with watches like the Garmin Forerunner 55 and Coros Pace 2 . One of its most interesting new features is a walking fitness test that provides an estimate of VO2 max (the amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise) if you aren't yet ready to run for an extended period at a stretch. Just walk for 15 minutes on a flat surface and the watch will do the rest.
The watch also provides workout suggestions and training guidance to help new runners avoid getting stuck in a rut, or overtraining and putting themselves at risk of injury (a common problem when people are starting out).
The Polar Pacer Pro is intended for runners who want to take their training to the next level, and perhaps start competing in events. It features a new, faster CPU that should make the interface feel noticeably smoother, plus a barometer that allows it to measure power from the wrist so you can track your effort in real time.
It has a more compact case than most of Polar's recent watches, with a thin aluminum bezel and ergonomically designed buttons that should be easy to press and weather resistant, even if you're training in heavy rain.
Polar has also redesigned the Pacer Pro's GPS antenna in a way that it promises will deliver more accurate satellite positioning than earlier running watches. We don't yet know exactly what the change looks like internally, but it's possible that the antenna is now housed within one of the lugs securing the strap, as with the recently released Huawei GT Runner .
Brightness and battery
Both watches sport backlit memory-in-pixel (MIP) screens, which Polar claims will be clearly visible in all lighting conditions, including direct sunlight. MIP displays use significantly less power than OLED, but can sometimes be hard to read with muddy colors. That was one of our main complaints with the otherwise excellent Garmin Fenix 7 , so we're very interested to see how the Pacer and Pacer Pro compare.
Both watches promise battery life of up to 100 hours on standby mode, which is relatively short for a running watch, most of which run for a full week on a single charge. However, it lasts 35 hours with GPS tracking and heart rate monitoring enabled, which is very respectable.
The comparatively short battery life in standby mode might be due to the backlight, which is probably set to 'always on' to improve visibility. We're hoping to test both watches and bring you a full comparison of the two very soon.
GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X update includes a must-try graphics setting
A new GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X update is now available which includes numerous improvements, bug fixes, and even adds some new features.
Chief among them is a new motion-blur slider, which lets players turn motion blur on or off. Motion blur has always been a polarizing setting, with some players preferring to have it off completely, while others like the visual effect. The motion blur effect in the next-gen version of Rockstar’s evergreen classic has been a point of contention for some players, so it’s great to see it can now be turned off.
Update 1.56 also fixes an issue that could cause a prolonged load time when switching from Story Mode to GTA Online, which is particularly pleasing considering the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of GTA 5 already loaded far quicker than the last-gen versions.
The PS5’s adaptive triggers have also been tweaked in some scenarios where the effect was too strong, music will now continue to play on Xbox Series X |S when users are in an Xbox Live party, and car shadows have been fixed on for the Xbox version, too. You can also choose to hide activities on the game’s map.
The GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X update includes countless other bug fixes, too, including improvements to stability and performance, fixes for several crashes, and tweaks for various miscellaneous problems some players encountered.
Is next-gen GTA 5 coming to PC soon?
Interestingly, the new GTA 5 update also alludes to a PC version coming soon. According to Kotaku , some players have discovered the update adds next-gen files to the PC version, but they’re currently empty. It means we might see an improved GTA 5 experience on PC in the near future, though those who are comfortable with modding the game can already make dramatic improvements to the vanilla version of GTA 5 on PC.
Despite being released on three generations of consoles – PS3 and Xbox 360, Xbox One and PS4 , and now PS5 and Xbox Series X|S – GTA 5 continues to be incredibly popular. The open-world epic still holds up today, and the next-gen version is – perhaps predictably – the definitive version of the game . Thankfully, GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S wasn’t released in a disastrous state like the GTA Trilogy .
With GTA 6 still rumored to be many years away – though thankfully in production – Los Santos and GTA Online , in particular, will continue to attract thousands of players in the run-up to the game's release.
Bridgerton season 2 has already broken a Netflix record
To nobody’s surprise, Bridgerton season 2 has posted record-breaking Netflix viewership numbers in its first week of release.
As per the streamer’s weekly popularity data , the sophomore outing of the period drama amassed 193 million hours of viewing time worldwide between March 25 and March 27 – marking the best-ever opening weekend of any English-language Netflix series .
What’s more, only part one of Money Heist’s fifth season accrued more viewing hours in its first three days, suggesting Bridgerton season 2 is on track to join its predecessor among the top 10 most successful Netflix shows of all-time.
Following the departure of Bridgerton season 1 star Regé-Jean Page, the series’ latest instalment places the spotlight on the eldest Bridgerton brother, Lord Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), as he embarks on a quest to find a bride. Sex Education ’s Simone Ashley joins the show’s cast as a potential match, Kate, who finds herself in one corner of Lord Anthony’s messy love triangle. Standard Bridgerton shenanigans, then.
Judging by the initial performance of the series’ second season, it’s almost a formality that Bridgerton season 2 will soon rank among the ten biggest-ever English-language series on Netflix – the streamer makes that judgement after the first 28 days of a show’s release.
Bridgerton season 1 currently tops that list, having accrued 625.49 million viewing hours in its opening month back in January 2021. It's closely followed by Stranger Things season 3, The Witcher’s debut season and another Shonda Rhimes production, Inventing Anna .
The question of whether Bridgerton season 2 makes the list of Netflix’s biggest-ever shows (in all languages) is altogether larger – but its early numbers bode very well.
Unsurprisingly, Squid Game reigns supreme on that front, having scored an almighty 1.6 billion viewing hours in its opening month of release. Money Heist season 4 and Korean drama All of Us Are Dead also feature alongside Squid Game and those aforementioned English-speaking shows on the list, so Bridgerton season 2 will have to rake in around 300 million more viewing hours in the next month to break into Netflix’s all-time top ten.
By our estimations, though, it’ll manage the feat in just a couple of weeks. When it does, Grey’s Anatomy super-producer Shonda Rhimes will have three titles in the streamer’s list of most successful series – which goes some way to justifying her $100 million Netflix payday .
Analysis: No sex? No problem
Early reactions to Bridgerton season 2’s first few episodes suggested the series might struggle to replicate the success of its debut outing – mainly due to a noticeable reduction in steamy sex scenes.
Bridgerton without the sex? I can hardly bear it read one headline on the weekend of Bridgerton season 2’s release, while Marie Claire said the show’s new episodes “betray its romance roots by barely acknowledging or indulging women’s sexual desires that the [period] genre is celebrated for.”
The criticism, though, hasn’t seemed to affect the series’ performance – and the pro-sex sentiment has since turned to admiration for Bridgerton season 2’s more reserved approach. Digital Spy ’s Janet A Leigh recently published a piece claiming “Bridgerton season 2's lack of sex is actually a good thing,” while Twitter users have likewise voiced their support for the show’s re-tooled focus on sexual tension.
Perhaps, then, abstinence is the key to a successful Netflix series in 2022.