Sony has confirmed that the Stellar Blade in-game art alluding to a racial slur will be patched out with a day one update, saying it was “unintentional.”
As first reported by IGN, it was discovered that in the forthcoming action role-playing game from Shift Up Corporation, there features a coincidental reference to a racial slur that appears as graffiti.
As the screenshot below shows, the word “Hard” can be seen painted onto a wall next to the “R Shop” – which indicates the location of an NPC called Roxanne and her store – resulting in the unfortunate reference to the racial slur when combined.
This “Hard” graffiti can be found throughout the game in numerous places, however, and is used as generic scenery dressing. Sony claims that this one instance wasn’t intentional on Shift Up Corporation’s part.
Sony says the ‘Hard R Shop’ graffiti in #StellarBlade was ‘unintentional’ It’s since been removed pic.twitter.com/DbrCvlZm0FApril 24, 2024
“The placement of two graphics near each other in Stellar Blade resulted in an unintentional objectionable phrase,” said PlayStation in a statement to IGN. “Shift Up had no intention of creating offensive artwork and will be replacing the graffiti for the Day 1 patch.”
When asked if there were plans to remove the art from the physical version of Stellar Blade as well, PlayStation’s reiterated that it “should be removed for all users in the Day 1 update.”
Although Sony said that the graffiti would be removed in the Day one patch, it looks like it’s already done so. According to a report from Kotaku, when visiting the same location with an early review copy of the game, it was discovered the “Hard” graffiti has now been replaced with blue graffiti reading “Crime.”
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Stellar Blade is set to launch on April 26 exclusively for PlayStation 5.
In TechRadar Gaming’s full review, hardware editor Rhys Wood called the game “an incredibly fun and stylish action game” packed with “engaging combat” and “huge enemy variety”.
The Reference Series Hemp headphones started out as a limited edition – but thanks to popular opinion, Grado has decided to make them a permanent part of its catalog. How likely are the Grado Hemp to feature in our best wired headphones buying guide? Very, with just a few caveats.
In many ways – certainly aesthetic – it’s Grado business as usual. Which isn’t all good news, exactly, because it means these headphones are nothing special where perceived value is concerned, are far from luxurious as objects, and become less than comfortable more quickly than, say, the Sennheiser HD 660S2 they’re likely to face off against on most people’s shortlists.
Happily, it’s also business as usual where sound quality is concerned. The combination of the open-backed configuration, along with the acoustic talents of the maple-and-hemp construction of the driver housing, means these headphones sound spacious, detailed and thoroughly engaging. So much so, in fact, that you’ll almost certainly find they’re becoming just slightly uncomfortable before you’re really ready to stop listening to them.
Striking wooden ear cups in an otherwise so-very-Grado build (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Price & release date
Release date: February 1, 2024
Price: $479 / £479 / AU$799
The Grado Reference Series Hemp wired open-backed over-ear headphones are available now – originally this model saw the light of day back in 2020, but then it was a limited edition and now it isn’t. In America, the price is a pun-tastic $420, while in the UK the headphones cost £479 and in Australia they’re AU$799.
There isn’t really space here to list all the very many pairs of alternative over-ear headphones this sort of money will buy. But direct, hard-wired open-backed rivals are thin on the ground (although the FiiO FT3 is one option), and those partially constructed from a semi-illegal botanical species are thinner still…
Grado Hemp review: Specs
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Drivers
44mm Dynamic (open-back)
Active noise cancellation
No
Impedance
38 Ohms nominal
Weight
218g
Connectivity
3.5mm, 6.3mm
Frequency response
13Hz – 28kHz
Cable length
177cm
Grado has now fitted a 3.5mm termination with a 6.33mm adapter supplied – good to see (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Features
44mm dynamic drivers
13Hz – 28kHz frequency response
Chunky 177cm cable
There’s not much you need from a pair of passive headphones when it comes to ‘features’, is there? The Grado have the essentials: properly suspended, nicely isolated 44mm dynamic drivers delivering a claimed frequency response of 13Hz – 28kHz, and that just about covers it.
Each earcup is wired using the familiar eight-conductor cable Grado has favored for a while now – and here, just as in every other application, it’s almost wilfully eager to twist in on itself and heroically resistant to straightening. At least Grado has seen sense and fitted a 3.5mm termination with a 6.33mm adapter supplied – back in the day, the company would terminate with a 6.3mm jack and then provide a huge, unwieldy 6.3mm/3.5mm adapter. So progress has definitely been made where that particular feature is concerned…
Grado is sticking with its ‘friction pole’ design principle, but it means you may experience wearer fatigue after a while (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Sound quality
Open, organised and expansive presentation
Nicely balanced and detailed sound
Straightforwardly enjoyable to listen to
Buying open-backed, hard-wired headphones strongly suggests you take your listening pretty seriously – after all, you haven’t hit on a pair of Grado Reference Series Hemp headphones for their convenience. So it seems reasonable to assume you’ll plug them into a worthwhile source of music, rather than straight into the headphone socket of a laptop or smartphone.
And sure enough, attach the Hemp to a half-decent headphone amplifier, feed in some digital audio content of reasonable resolution (a 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of Nick Drake’s Which Will, for instance, a 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC copy of Petra Haden’s version of I Can See For Miles or a 24bit/192kHz FLAC file of Astrud Gilberto’s Chup Chup I Got Away) and the fact they neither look nor feel like $480-worth of headphones becomes a moot point. Because they sound like it, and then some.
The soundstage they’re capable of creating, for example, is spacious, well-organised and, most of all, big. So big, in fact, that even if you choose to listen to a full symphony orchestra gearing up for a full assault, there’s more than enough room available for each individual instrument to enjoy a little space in which to do its thing without fear of being trampled over by any other. The layout is explicit, and the distance in the front/back and left/right planes is significant. Switch to a small-scale, guitar-and-voice recording, though, and the Hemp makes it sound unified, intimate and direct. As far as creating a big picture goes, these Grado are vivid and confident.
The cable is chunky and 1.7mm long, but it’s prone to tangles… (Image credit: Future)
Detail levels are high, across the board – the bottom of the frequency range is just as information-rich, varied and articulate as the midrange and the top end. At every stage, the Grado are able to identify and contextualise even the most minor events in a recording, as well as keeping a close eye on the bigger picture. It’s able to amalgamate every strand into a singular event with a strong sense of ‘performance’, and the integration of the entire frequency range is smooth (although just fractionally midrange-forward in the established Grado manner). This might seem to be a given, on the basis that the Hemp are producing the whole frequency from a single driver per earcup, but I’ve heard enough similarly specified headphones that simply can’t manage it to know it’s not good to make assumptions.
Control of the bottom end is good, which means rhythms are handled with assurance – the Grado’s overall sonic signature is one of momentum and engagement, rather than dry analysis. Oh, they can peer deep into a recording and bring back all the minutiae – but that’s not where they’re at their most effective. It’s their sense of energy and drive, well-supervised attack and simple musicality – that’s where their fundamental talents lie.
Big dynamic shafts are handled without alarms, and with just as much positivity as the low-level dynamic variations that are apparent in a solo instrument or unaccompanied voice(s) as in the Petra Haden recording. There’s plenty of punch and attack when it’s called for, but the Hemp are just as capable of soothing as they are invigorating.
These drivers are incredibly talented, but the open-air (read: open-back) design means sound leakage… (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Design
Hemp/maple driver housing
Leather headband
Foam ear pads
Despite the fact that every pair of on-ear headphones is fundamentally the same when it comes to ‘design’, the Reference Series Hemp could only be a Grado product. The established design cues are all here.
Thin metal headband, modestly padded and covered with stretched leather? Check. Prosaic ‘friction pole’ headband adjustment mechanism? Check. Metal mesh covering the rear of the driver enclosure, ordinary-feeling foam forming the ear pads, a rudimentary yoke allowing just a degree of ear cup movement? Check, check and check again. Grado hit upon these design features a while back, and quite obviously sees no reason to mess with them.
No pair of headphones stays comfortable indefinitely. At some point during a listening session you’ll become aware of heat, or fatigue, or both, somewhere or other – but the design and execution of the Reference Series Hemp means that time will come a little sooner than with some alternative designs.
Grado’s rudimentary yoke doesn’t allow for much cup adjustment (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Value
Unremarkable in look and feel
Perceived value is not all that high
Excellent sound quality at the money
You can look at this one of two ways. The first way says that the Reference Series Hemp are fundamentally unglamorous, and in no way look or feel like they cost as much money as they cost. The second way says that a combination of sonic talents such as those exhibited by these headphones justifies the asking price all day long. You will very much make your own mind up…
Should I buy the Grado Hemp?
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Section
Notes
Score
Features
The category of open-backed headphones isn’t particularly feature-rich, but there’s everything you need
5/5
Sound quality
Spacious, well-organised and most of all big sound – and it is beautiful
5/5
Design
Typically Grado, which means great sound, but you’ll notice a bit of discomfort over time
4/5
Value
Unglamorous, yes, but in the sound-per-pound stakes they’re worth every penny
4/5
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Striking, but the metal mesh won’t keep your tunes private (Image credit: Future)
Grado Hemp review: Also consider
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell – Column 0
Grado Hemp
Sennheiser HD-660S2
FiiO FT3
Price
$479 / £479 / AU$799
$599 / £499 / AU$949
$299 / £289 / AU$449
Drivers
44mm Dynamic (open-back)
38mm
60mm dynamic (open-back)
Weight
218g
260g
391g (without cable)
Connectivity.
3.5mm; 6.3mm
6.3mm, 4.4mm, 3.5mm
3.5mm, 4.4mm, 6.3mm, XLR-4
Frequency response
13Hz – 28kHz
8Hz – 41.5kHz
7Hz – 40kHz
Cable length
1.77m
1.8m
3m
How I tested the Grado Hemp
Used with various sources
Tested for over a week
Many different types of music played
Headphone amps of various types, music from vinyl records and hi-res digital audio files (and plenty of them) plus a long, hard listen is basically how I tested the Grado Reference Series Hemp.
This is how I was able to establish they like good sources of music better than average ones (no surprise there), they couldn’t care less about the sort of music you like to listen to (which is good news), and they get a little uncomfortable once you’re hours deep into a listening session (which is slightly less good news).
It also didn’t take me long to establish that the noise they leak is an irritation to anyone who might be in the vicinity…
For audio experts, the quest for the perfect sound is a continuous journey. Sennheiser steps up to this challenge with its HD 490 PRO headphones, designed to meet the demands of producing, mixing, and mastering audio. These headphones are built to provide an accurate and detailed listening experience, which is essential for professionals who need to dissect and understand every layer of sound.
The HD 490 PRO headphones are known for their precise sound reproduction. They are equipped with lightweight voice coils and a flat frequency response, ensuring that sound is delivered accurately across all notes. The headphones also feature a special design that keeps bass sounds clear and prevents distortion. This is thanks to their open-back construction and angled transducers, which mimic the setup of monitor loudspeakers and allow for precise sound placement within a mix.
HD 490 PRO studio headphones overview
Comfort is just as important as sound quality for professionals who spend long hours in the studio. The HD 490 PRO headphones address this with an ergonomic design that includes a special comfort zone for those who wear glasses and a unique adjustment system that ensures a comfortable fit. The headphones come with two types of ear pads—velour and fabric—that can be swapped out depending on the user’s preference and the type of work they are doing.
Sennheiser has incorporated several thoughtful features into the HD 490 PRO headphones to cater to the needs of audio professionals. The headphones have a detachable cable that can be attached to either side, and a special cable coil structure that reduces noise. For ease of use, there is braille on the headband fork. Additionally, the headphones come with a free license for a plugin that simulates a virtual mixing studio, enhancing the user’s experience.
Sennheiser studio headphones
The HD 490 PRO headphones are priced at EUR/USD 399 and include two sets of ear pads and a standard cable. For those who want additional features, the HD 490 PRO Plus is available for EUR/USD 479 and comes with a longer cable, a transport case, and an extra headband pad. These items can also be purchased separately. For audiophiles who demand the highest sound quality, there is an optional balanced headphone cable available for EUR/USD 39.
Sennheiser HD 490 PRO
Sennheiser’s HD 490 PRO headphones are a valuable tool for audio professionals. They combine precision and comfort to help users produce, mix, and master with more accuracy and clarity. These headphones are designed to be a reliable partner in any studio environment, helping professionals to focus on the fine details of their work.
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If you would like to improve your Midjourney AI art creations you might be interested in learning more about the differences between Midjourney’s image prompting and style reference. Each method has their own distinct approach to generating visual art, each catering to different creative needs and objectives. These tools, integral to the Midjourney platform, offer users subtle control over the creative process, enabling the transformation of ideas into visual representations with precision and flair for any application.
When you dive into the world of Midjourney, you’re met with a suite of tools that can transform your creative ideas into stunning visual art. Understanding how to use these tools effectively is crucial for anyone looking to craft images that truly capture their vision. Let’s start with image prompting.
Think of it as a way to direct the outcome of your visual creation with a high level of specificity. You begin with a base image, which sets the stage for what’s to come. Then, you add text prompts, much like adding pieces to a puzzle, to fill in the details. The final image is a blend of the original picture and the new elements you’ve introduced. This method is perfect when you want to maintain the core aspects of your starting image while adding distinct touches.
Midjourney Image Prompting vs Style Reference
For instance, if you have a photo of a cat and you prompt Midjourney with “wearing a superhero cape,” the software will generate an image of that very cat, now sporting a cape. The influence of the base image is unmistakable, making image prompting ideal for projects where you want to keep the essence of the original image intact.
Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of Midjourney Styles :
On the other hand, style reference is like mixing a unique cocktail. You’re not looking to replicate the base image but rather to capture its style, tone, or mood. The images produced through this method will have a stylistic connection to the reference but won’t be direct copies. If you provide a picture of a starry night, for example, and ask for a “landscape infused with the night’s mystique,” Midjourney will create a new landscape that embodies the atmospheric qualities of the starry night without replicating its exact appearance. This approach is best when you’re aiming to evoke a certain style or feeling rather than replicate precise details.
Midjourney also offers a way to fine-tune the balance between your reference image and the generated artwork. This is done through the D-ssw parameter, which can be adjusted from 0 to 1,000. A higher value means the reference image will have a stronger influence on the outcome, while a lower value gives more weight to the textual prompts. This allows for a high degree of control over how much your final image resembles the reference.
To put these concepts into practice, consider the task of creating an image of a woman with emerald earrings. Using image prompting, you can ensure that the earrings are depicted just as you envision them. Alternatively, if you’re inspired by the lushness of a forest, style reference can help you channel that greenery into your artwork, resulting in a piece that captures the forest’s essence without directly copying its exact look.
Midjourney Image Prompting
Image prompting in Midjourney allows users to start with a base image and then direct the outcome of their creation with high specificity through text prompts. This method is akin to guiding the artistic process step by step, maintaining the essence of the original image while incorporating new elements or alterations as specified by the user. It’s especially useful for projects where the original image’s core aspects are to be preserved, but with added distinct touches.
Key Characteristics:
Precision in Details: Image prompting is perfect for adding specific elements to an existing image, such as dressing a cat in a superhero cape. The final image blends the original picture with the new, prompted features.
Maintaining Original Essence: The base image heavily influences the outcome, making this method ideal for projects requiring fidelity to the original’s visual identity.
Midjourney Style Reference
Style reference, on the other hand, is about capturing the essence, style, tone, or mood of a reference image rather than its exact visual details. This approach is more about evoking a certain aesthetic or feeling in the artwork, creating images that have a stylistic connection to the reference but are not direct replicas. It’s best suited for projects aiming to convey a general atmosphere or theme inspired by the reference image.
Key Characteristics:
Creative Freedom: Offers more leeway in interpretation, focusing on the mood, style, or tone rather than precise replication of the reference image.
Thematic Consistency: Ideal for projects that require the artwork to embody the atmosphere or essence of the reference without duplicating it.
Points to remember :
Control Over Outcome: Image prompting offers a higher level of control over specific details within the artwork, while style reference provides a broader control over the artwork’s overall aesthetic.
Creative Intent: The choice between the two depends on whether the goal is to replicate specific elements of an image (image prompting) or to create something that conveys a general style or feeling (style reference).
Parameter Adjustment: Midjourney allows users to fine-tune the influence of the reference image through parameters (e.g., D-ssw), which is crucial in balancing between the base image and textual prompts in image prompting or the desired style in style reference.
The choice between image prompting and style reference ultimately hinges on what you’re trying to achieve with your art. Do you need to replicate specific elements, or are you looking to create something that conveys a general aesthetic? Armed with this knowledge, you can navigate Midjourney’s features to produce artwork that aligns with your creative goals, whether that means a faithful recreation of your initial idea or a more interpretive piece of art.
As you explore the possibilities of Midjourney, remember that these tools are at your disposal to guide the creative process. By mastering image prompting and style reference, you can bring a new level of sophistication and intention to your visual projects. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a newcomer to digital creation, these features can help you turn your imaginative concepts into compelling visual narratives. So go ahead, experiment with these tools, and watch as your ideas take shape in ways that are as unique as your own creative journey.
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