Spoilers follow for Moon Knight episode 1.
Moon Knight has finally landed on Disney Plus – and, unsurprisingly, the show's premiere contains a reference to the Marvel hero's comic book history.
There's a lot to take in during Moon Knight 's first episode (check out our spoiler-free review if you haven't yet), so there's a chance that this particular Easter egg may have passed you by. After all, we're introduced to Steven Grant, his two alter-egos in Marc Spector and Moon Knight, the scary Egyptian god known as Khonshu, the villainous Arthur Harrow, and Layla (albeit only through a phone call) during the Disney Plus show 's opening salvo. Add in the spooky and horror-infused scenes, mind-bending but brief time jumps (as Steven and Marc each take control of their body), the humorous quips, and the wider mystery at large and... well, as we said, there's lots to unravel.
Still, the first entry in the latest Marvel Phase 4 project is hiding a pretty prominent Easter egg in plain sight. It's possible that Moon Knight comic fans will have spotted it a mile off but, for those of you who didn't, we've got you covered. Big spoilers follow for Moon Knight episode 1 , so turn back now – bookmark this page for later, once you've seen the episode – if you haven't caught it yet.
Moon Knight episode 1 Easter egg explained: who is Duchamp, aka Frenchie?
The Easter egg in question can be seen just before Layla tries to call Marc Spector on the flip phone Steven Grant finds in his apartment.
Before the mobile phone rings, we see Grant scrolling through a seemingly never-ending list of missed calls from Layla. However, there's one name that obviously stands out among the numerous references to Layla on the flip phone's screen: Duchamp .
Of course, this being a Marvel production, a name like this would ordinarily pique the interest of most Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans. But, as we've mentioned before, there's so much going on in Moon Knight's opening episode that you may have forgotten about it by the time the credits roll.
So, who is Duchamp? Moon Knight's comic history holds the answers.
Jean-Paul Duchamp – otherwise known as Frenchie – is a former French army officer who befriends Marc Spector, a former soldier-turned mercenary, when the pair cross paths in North Africa. Duchamp made his comic debut in Werewolf by Night #32 in May 1975, and the duo go on to become very close friends in the comics, with Spector being the one who gives Duchamp his iconic nickname.
Unsurprisingly, the duo eventually join forces on a number of missions, excursions, and other assignments, with Frenchie becoming the full-time helicopter pilot for Spector. The pair end up working with another mercenary called Raoul Bushman (more on him in a moment) to conduct raids on historical dig sites, including one on the Tomb of Pharoah Seti II on the Egypt/Sudan border.
The heist, though, goes awry. Bushman ends up killing the archaeologist leading an expedition on Seti II's tomb – Doctor Peter Alraune – among other innocent people, which enrages Spector, who is unsurprisingly against murdering civilians. Spector turns on Bushman, but the latter ends up leaving Spector for dead in the desert after the pair's gruelling showdown sees Bushman come out on top.
Spector makes his way back to civilization, but collapses due to his injuries. It's here where a group of locals carry him to a tomb containing a shrine to Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, with the deity appearing before Spector and saving his life. In return, Spector agrees to become the "Fist of Khonshu", aka the vigilante known as Moon Knight, who enacts vengeance on those who Khonshu considers to be unjust.
Meanwhile, Duchamp believes Spector died during the raid on Seti II's tomb. So he's shocked when Spector reveals that he's still alive and, after Spector explains what happened, Duchamp vows to help Spector get his revenge on Bushman and his henchmen.
Long story short, Duchamp ends up being installed as Moon Knight's permanent sidekick. He becomes Spector's trusted confidant, transporting him to various locations in his Moon Knight-designed helicopter, and assisting him on missions. After spending many years – read decades – as a Moon Knight associate, Frenchie currently works as Maître d' at the restaurant he set up.
Major spoilers for Moon Knight episodes 2, 3 and 4 follow. Don't read past the image below if you don't want further spoilers.
Given that his name is dropped – well, shown – in Moon Knight's premiere, does that mean we'll see Duchamp make a cameo appearance in the MCU TV show?
It's certainly possible, although there's no guarantee that he will. This could just be another subtle nod – on Marvel Studios' part – to Moon Knight's comic history. We've seen the first four episodes of the Disney Plus limited series, and we can confirm that Duchamp hasn't shown up yet.
There's a chance that he could turn up in one of the final two episodes, though. Back in September 2020, Marvel were reportedly seeking two new cast members (per The Direct ) for Moon Knight, and one particular casting call described Duchamp down to a tee. "20-40 (years old), White male," the description reads. "A stereotypical good looking, overly enthusiastic, less intelligent than average but still lovable. Actor must be fluent in French." All signs point to someone being hired to portray a character called Frenchie then, eh?
Of course, it's been over 18 months since that casting call was sent out, and Marvel's plans for Moon Knight's supporting cast could have changed by then. In our view, though, we'd be shocked if Duchamp doesn't appear as part of the show's cast.
We already know that Marc Spector's parents will show up in the TV adaptation – presumably in episode 5 – so maybe they'll turn up alongside Duchamp. The latter is Spector's closest ally, after all. So, if something happened to him, Duchamp would surely be on the first flight – or should that be helicopter ride? – to aid his friend in any way he can. It won't be too long before we find out for sure.
For more Moon Knight-based content, read our exclusive coverage about why those George Clooney directing rumors are false , and why Moon Knight could pop up all over the MCU .
Oculus Quest 2’s amazing 2021 sales figures spell doom for PSVR 2
According to new market research, Meta’s Quest 2 sold 8.7 million units in 2021, that amounts to almost double the total number of VR headsets sold in the previous year.
The report - carried out by the International Data Corporation (IDC) (via Android Central ) - shows that the Quest 2 was by far the most popular headset, making up 78% of all sales last year. A long way behind was DPVR which captured 5.1% of all sales and ByteDance's Pico VR devices came in third with 4.5%. HTC and iQIYI rounded out the top five, leaving both Sony and Valve nowhere to be seen.
Looking at market trends (and which companies performed best during 2021), it’s clear to see that the vast majority of users want affordable, all-in-one headsets and they want VR devices that don’t need an external computer in order to run. If this trend continues in 2022 (and we suspect it will) it could spell doom for the PSVR 2 and Apple’s rumored MR headset.
Analysis: The PSVR 2 will be Sony’s Wii U
VR fans have long been waiting for Sony to announce the follow-up to its much-loved PSVR headset, and earlier this year, they finally got their wish. With greatly improved tracking, beautiful OLED screens, and a comfort-focused design, the PSVR 2 sounds like a worthy successor to Sony’s 2016 headset.
However, while the original PSVR headset was popular at the time , the industry has moved on now.
Going against general market trends, Sony has decided to tether its PSVR 2 headset to the PS5 via a single USB-C cable. This may not seem like a big deal, but it introduces a number of constraints that you won't get with rivals like Meta’s Quest 2.
For starters, users will be limited to playing wherever their PS5 is. If your home cinema set up is in a room with sufficient floor space (about 2m in each direction) you’re golden, otherwise, you’ll have to lug your PS5 to another room in your home to be able to use your new headset.
As well as that, you’ll be spending a lot more on your PSVR 2. While prices have yet to be confirmed for the headset - though we suspect it’ll cost around $499 (£399, about AU$650) like the original PSVR did at launch - we now know that you’ll also need to buy a PS5.
Assuming you can get your hands on one you’re looking at spending at least $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$749.95 for a PS5. With our estimates for the PSVR 2’s price, you’d be looking at around $1,000 / £900 / AU$1,400 for the whole setup, which is roughly triple the cost of the Quest 2.
If that wasn't enough, the Quest 2 has a massive head start. Just like we’ve seen in Sony’s console war early popularity acts as an unstoppable feedback loop that encourages more and more players into the ecosystem - however this time Sony is likely to be on the losing end.
We will have to wait and see what the PSVR 2 has in store for us when it launches, but don’t be surprised if it winds up gathering dust like your PSVR headset before the end of next year.
Nearly a year after it was announced, where is Spotify HiFi?
According to Spotify itself, high-quality music streaming is time and again the most requested feature users want to see - yet in 2022 we’re still stuck with the same standard definition playback we’ve had for years.
It wasn’t meant to be this way though - almost a year ago in February 2021, the company unveiled Spotify HiFi , a new benefit for Premium subscribers to upgrade their sound to a lossless format that sounds as good as a CD.
The announcement was hyped up by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS who were brought on to explain why audiophiles should opt for high-quality audio - and it came with a promise that select markets would be able to try the feature “later this year.”
As the months flew by Spotify remained tight-lipped about when ‘later’ would arrive - and it turns out that it never would. That’s not to say Spotify HiFi has been canned, but we’re now done with 2021 and so far it has yet to materialize.
So where is Spotify HiFi?
Why should you care about Spotify HiFi?
Spotify HiFi - like other streaming services - will be a huge deal for audiophiles looking to get the best performance out of their sound system or headphones .
The best speakers and headphones can help you detect minor details in songs, from the subtle ways that a guitar’s strings are plucked to inflections in a backing singer’s performance. But to relay this information your speakers need to actually receive it in the first place.
If you’re playing music from a low-quality stream the slower speeds they operate under will cause some of these finer details to be lost. They’re cut for space in order to push through the most prominent aspects of what’s playing.
Lossless audio uses higher speeds and more data-filled streams in order to prevent these details from being left behind, with none of the audio lost in transmission i it’s lossless.
The highest quality MP3 track has a bitrate of 320kbps (this is the bitrate Spotify uses currently), CDs are transferred at 1,411kbps and a 24-bit/192kHz file is transferred at a rate of 9,216kbps - the latter being the level considered hi-res audio .
In the case of Spotify HiFi we’ve been told that it will be at CD-quality, and a previous leak showed music playing at 16-bit/44.1kHz quality. Your quality will still depend on the quality of your tech, but HiFi should help you get more out of cheaper headphones and speakers too.
Why is Spotify HiFi delayed?
Spotify hasn’t issued any statements addressing the delay at the time of writing, so it’s not 100% clear why Spotify HiFi has yet been released.
That said, we do have several ideas for why it appears to be caught in development hell.
For starters, we suspect Spotify may still be unsure if it should charge extra for the service.
It wouldn’t be the first to do so, Tidal and Deezer users must pay more for HiFi. However, Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music now include lossless streaming options without any added cost.
Both of these services cost $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 - the same as Spotify Premium - and Spotify could run the risk of losing subscribers to its competitors if it goes above the price they’ve set.
Spotify hasn’t expressly said that it plans to charge more, but if it was certain prices wouldn’t be raised to accommodate Spotify HiFi we expect it would have proudly declared that during the announcement. Instead, it opted to reveal that information at a different time.
In addition to price, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions in many parts of the world have impacted the development of Spotify HiFi. We’ve seen the same happen across the tech industry as the shift to working from home has had a toll on productivity as workflows adjust to the new normal.
If Spotify has faced its own fair share of problems then a delay to Spotify HiFi makes perfect sense.
Plus, if HiFi is still in development we can’t imagine that Spotify’s current Joe Rogan problem is helping the situation much either.
Spotify bought the exclusive rights to host the audio version of Rogan’s podcast (The Joe Rogan Experience) in 2020. The show was - and continues to be - one of the most popular podcasts in the world, but the show and its guests have faced a continuous conveyor belt of controversy - with Spotify now in the firing line too because of its association.
Most recently, singer Neil Young successfully requested that his music be removed from Spotify to protest Rogan’s show spreading Covid-19 and vaccine misinformation.
The move - which some suspect could inspire other artists to follow suit - caused Spotify to lose more than $2 billion in market value. The situation has started to improve again with Spotify now adding warnings against potentially harmful content .
Yet we suspect that Spotify’s main priority right now is ensuring it actually has content to stream - regardless of its audio quality.
When can we expect Spotify HiFi to launch?
That’s the question we all want to know the answer to, and disappointingly we aren’t too sure when the release date will arrive.
Leaks and accidental rollouts last year seemed to suggest that the service was nearing launch - a reader even sent us photos of Spotify HiFi in action on their device.
Yet right now we’re stuck with measly 320kbps streaming rather than the 16-bit/44.1kHz quality leaks suggest will come with HiFi.
Hopefully, a release date announcement is imminent but the ball is in Spotify’s court - at this point, we’d happily take a minor status update just to know that the service is still in the works.
We have reached out to Spotify to find out more, if a representative gets back to us we'll be sure to update this piece with their response.