Elden Ring: Nightreign publisher Bandai Namco has released some player statistics from the game's network test last month, and it seems players were struggling to finish it. Read more

Stop me if you've heard this one before: a Wii U classic arrives on Switch with improved character models, smoother visuals and more. This one might be the end of an era though, as Xenoblade Chronicles X looks like one of the final Wii U titles to receive a Switch version. It's a bittersweet moment, but Xenoblade X is a heck of a game to end on, being one of the most visually impressive titles on Wii U and a technical marvel of its day. How does it fare on Switch? In truth, Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch is a straightforward affair. There have been tweaks and changes made to the experience, but the most notable improvements come from technical changes. The game ran on 1280x720 on Wii U at a (mostly) stable 30fps, relying on post-process anti-aliasing and other post-process effects, including per-pixel motion blur that holds up today. In fact, this version was almost competitive with open world games on PS4 and Xbox One, though it has some limitations too. With the leap to Switch, the game using dynamic resolution scaling and tops out at a native 1080p, making it noticeably sharper than the original game, while the portable mode seems to mostly match the resolution of the Switch's built-in display at up to 720p. Contrary to some of the early trailers, developers Monolith Soft also maintained parity in terms of visual effects and features. Things like motion blur, which is reasonably subtle, are still present and accounted for, and the game looks great in motion. Here's John with the full story of the last great Wii U to Switch conversion. Watch on YouTubeComparing the Switch remaster versus the Wii U original, the Switch version boasts significantly more environmental detail, with improvements to shadows, textures and polygonal complexity. Hand in hand with more vibrant lighting, boosts to distant detail and increases to overall image quality, it makes for a noticeable upgrade. Character models have also been revamped versus the slightly awkward originals, with changes to eye size, colour and positioning, improved skin shading and more appealing face shapes. It feels true to the original, but with a better overall design - mirroring similar changes made in the original game's sequels. Monolith Soft has also upgraded the game's user interface and modified other elements related to battle. I didn't have the chance to play far enough compared to the original to see how it plays out long-term, but it does feel more intuitive and easier to navigate. You will note, however, that there's no attempt to add collision detection to moving vehicles and such. You can still clip right through them, just like the original Wii U version. It's so funny, though, that a part of me is happy they kept this. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. So are there any things that aren't improved then? Well, thankfully, the game is almost universally enhanced but I do have one nitpick: the pre-rendered video sequences all exhibit raised black levels and therefore look washed out on Switch, something that wasn't an issue on Wii U. It's not a huge deal due to the relative lack of video sequences, but it's perhaps something that could be fixed in a future patch. Performance also hasn't changed much on the new platform. The game proceeds at a largely steady 30fps, but it's certainly not locked. A 60fps flag has been found in the game's code, so perhaps there's a possibility that we'll see a 60fps release on Switch 2? We might be revisiting this one down the line if that's the case.Beyond the relatively straightforward tech upgrades, I wanted to speak on the quality of the visuals themselves. Even today, this is a surprisingly attractive game, and what Monolith managed to achieve on Wii U feels like a miracle. Delivering a game that managed to look better than most PS3 and 360 open world games - and even approach some PS4 and Xbox One titles! - on a less powerful system is a huge achievement for a 2012 release. As well as running at a higher resolution, the game exhibits changes to lighter, geometric detail, LODs and more. | Image credit: Digital FoundryLooking at it with fresh eyes, there are a few very important things they get right that allow it to shine. Firstly, micro vs macro: a lot of effort was clearly poured into merging both near- and far-field elements into something that feels very coherent. It's not that more detail is being drawn out into the distance compared to other games, it's that what they draw in that distance looks attractive even in its lower detail state. I remember looking at Halo Infinite, released on vastly more powerful hardware, and finding that Xenoblade X handles far-off areas in a more pleasing way, with less obvious tiling and distant shadows. Essentially, Monolith does a great job breaking up sight lines and creating these beautiful silhouettes that stretch out before the player while minimising visual anomalies. Couple this with nice use of fog and the beautiful sky system and it manages to hold up. It's not actually more detailed than Halo in the distance, but your eye almost perceives it that way - so it's smart art design. The limitations are still very much there, of course. While the world is huge and open, it's also fairly static - foliage doesn't really move or react to players, water is simple and shadows are fixed in place - you don't get the fully dynamic world simulation that has become more common in the last decade or so. These are sensible development decisions, and they paid off completely here. The masterful way in which Xenoblade Chronicle X is assembled allows it to be more fetching in some ways than the relatively recent Halo Infinite when it comes to distant detail - and it's surprisingly competitive with Xbox 360, PS3 and even PS4 and Xbox One open world releases in some aspects. | Image credit: Digital FoundryRevisiting this again a decade later, I personally can't wait to see what the development team has been up to on Switch 2 - I expect to be blown away by whatever they've been cooking. It's also worth noting that since the game ships on a cartridge or is downloaded to flash memory, there is no need for an additional installation pack. If you recall, the original game offered an optional download for disc users to improve streaming performance - but if you didn't download it when the Wii U shop was running, that pack is no longer available. It's nice not to have to worry about that detail now, as it loads faster than Wii U right out of the gate.Another thing I wanted to note is that Xenoblade X does offer surround sound support - this is something else that never became as common as I'd have liked on Switch but the team delivers here. The rear channels are fully active. The soundtrack also remains excellent - it sounds very different from other games in the series but it works beautifully for this game and is a real highlight for me. I didn't have a huge amount of time to test Chronicles X, but I forward to making progress again in the game as it's been nearly a decade since I last played through it. We've mostly focused on visuals here in this video, but it seems that a lot of gameplay enhancements are also introduced here that I can't wait to check out. For now though, this new version of Xenoblade is a genuine improvement across the board and actually lives up to the Definitive Edition name. If you missed out on this back on Wii U, it's worth diving in!

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereNetEases Marvel Rivals is a pretty well optimised game, especially for an Unreal Engine 5 title. While the team behind the game has managed to optimise Doctor Stranges portals and environmental destruction, theyre aware of the games massive RAM usage on PC.As it stands right now, Marvel Rivals on PC is a RAM glutton with recent patches almost requiring 32GB of RAM. (You could probably make do with 24GB but who does that?) Speaking to PCGamer, game director Guangyun Chen promised that a new feature is coming to remedy this issue.Marvel Rivals RAM usage will be fixedTalking to the outlet at GDC 2025, Chen explained that the superhero game will be introducing an experimental feature to the game that should fix the absurdly high memory issues.On PC, we realize that [optimization] is a big problem, especially for the memory consumption, the game director said. So it may be that in Season 2, we will have an experimental check box in our launcher players can use to reduce memory [consumption] significantly.On launch and even in early beta tests, Rivals ran just fine with 16GB of RAM on PC. Additionally, the game runs extremely well on console, including Xbox Series S which has just 10GB of GDDR6 RAM. In fact, only 8GB of that is used for games.In the interview, Chen admitted that Marvel Rivals RAM usage is a very big issue for the game right now. With millions of players across the world, many of those likely dont have access to high-spec PCs, and less players means less money for NetEase.Its a very big problem, but its a lot of work to organize [a fix], the director continued. We cannot just release it in a small patch, we have to fully test it. But we realize the problem and were going to keep optimizing.Chen also put a fair amount of blame on Unreal Engine 5. While the engine is great to work with, it can be a pig to optimise, and thats the issue NetEase is facing right now. Its hard for all developers to use the engine and make it good, the director explained. Its a new engine for us. We have a lot of hard work [ahead] to optimize it.Nevrtheless, Rivals is continuing to go forward with heaps of new content. With a new hero coming every month-and-a-half with new events, maps and modes, players always have something to do. Whats this I hear about a twerking Venom?Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Its hard to believe it has already been 10 years since Toby Foxs Undertale set the internet alight with fanart, memes and countless Game Theory videos. Now, to celebrate the games 10th anniversary, the adorable RPG is receiving a one-night only orchestral concert.Undertale Determination Symphony announcedCommencing on June 22, 2025 at 6:30PM, the Undertale Determination Symphony will kick off at the Eventim Apollo theatre in London, just opposite the Broadway Shopping Centre.The concert features a 25-piece orchestra performing music from throughout the games story. Players are invited to fall into the Underground as the orchestra takes players through a musical journey from your initial fall at Mount Ebott, leading you through Froggit Village, the Snowdin Forest, Temmie Village and so much more!While the concert plays the iconic video game soundtrack, a huge screen will play gameplay relating to the tunes.Tickets for the concert start at 30.25 entry with better seats costing a total of 97.25, which is surprisingly affordable for a one-day-only concert in London. To book your own tickets for the event, follow the link here.Even the poster is adorable.An undying legacySince its release in 2015, Toby Foxs Undertale has become one of the most inspiring video games to ever release. The whimsical tale does take some very dark turns, but at the end of the day its a tale of friendship and belonging.With the game kicking off a new wave of whacky indie games, as Fox works hard on their upcoming successor Deltarune, the legacy of Undertale is one of undying love from its community. There will likely never be such a thing as an Undertale 2, but thats because its a game that truly doesnt need one. (Thats what the dozens of fan games are for.) Im sure well see a hell of a lot more merch, though.UndertalePlatform(s):Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Indie, RPGSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Shirley Temple was just three years old when she made her first film. Born in 1928, the curly-haired cutie was launched into stardom with the release of the Fox studios feature film Stand Up and Cheer! in 1934. From 1935 to 1938, Temple was the biggest box office draw in the world, filling more seats in theaters than leading man Clark Gable and bona fide superstars like Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Earnings from the tiny tots films even pulled Fox out of financial distress and made them competitive with other large studios. At the time, the Great Depression wore heavily on Americans, and Shirley Temples effervescence, wit, and perpetually bright demeanor seemed to give the country hope amid dark days. Her impact on the nation was acknowledged by President Franklin D. Roosevelt: During this Depression, when the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time, it is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles.While she was celebrated all the world over, Temples family worked to ensure she had as normal a home life as possible by switching abodes to accommodate the star as she grew up in the spotlight. Read on for a look inside the spots Shirley Temple called home.Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images1/15Temples first homeAhead of her breakout performance in Stand Up and Cheer!, Temple lived in a Spanish-style Santa Monica bungalow, at 948 24th Street, that her parents had purchased a year before the future superstar was born. Built in 1926, the 2,000-square-foot home had a two-car garage, a red-tiled roof crawling with bright bougainvillea, a large backyard by the ocean, and the jungle gym Temple plays on in this 1933 photo.Photo: Screen Archives/Getty Images2/15Fan mailIts said that Temple began receiving over 4,000 letters a week in 1934 following the release of Bright Eyes, the film in which she performed one of her most popular songs, On the Good Ship Lollipop. The barrage of fan mail and gifts became commonplace for the child star and space for their storage was partly why the Temples upgraded dwellings twice. First, they decamped to a bigger Santa Monica home, then to their three-acre property at 227 North Rockingham Avenue in Brentwood, where Temple spent most of her childhood. Among the actors most unique fan gifts: a baby kangaroo all the way from Australia, a Shetland pony from the chairman of the board of 20th Century Fox Studio, and a well-appointed playhouse from the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, which featured a modernist flat roof, French doors, and walls of glass block and concrete. The playhouse remains on the property to this day.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images3/15Childs playThe actor, pictured here at home in 1943, received hundreds of dolls from admirers worldwide. Her parents built a two-story Tudor-style bungalow a few hundred feet from their main house in Brentwood exclusively for the young star to stash fan gifts and entertain visiting friends. According to Anne Edwards, author of Shirley Temple: American Princess, the interior of the playhouse looked like a department store display window the week before Christmas. It hosted a theater, a soda fountain room, a kitchen, and a bowling alley.Photo: Screen Archives/Getty Images4/15A typical teenagerTemple spent the years between 1939 and 1945 enrolled at the prestigious Westlake School for Girls (now Harvard-Westlake School) in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. The entertainers box office appeal began to wane in her adolescence, but she thrived in her offscreen life experiencing school as a normal teenager. Temple was quite popular and excelled in the sciences. She was also a member of the schools glee club and clandestinely wrote her school newspapers gossip column. This 1944 picture shows the teen in repose on her living room couch the year before her Westlake graduation.Photo: Earl Theisen/Getty Images5/15The baby grand pianoOne of Temples most treasured possessions was the baby grand piano pictured here, gifted to her in 1939 by Theodore G. Steinway of the legendary Steinway piano-making dynasty. The Chippendale-encased instrument featured a sweet message from Steinway himself: I hope dear Shirley that you will like this piano as much as the Steinways like you! And thats a lot! The piano remained in Temples possession until it was auctioned off by her children the year after her death. Its much harder to say goodbye to something like the baby grand piano, the stars son, Charles Black Jr, told the Guardian. Thats been around the house since our earliest memories. We all learned to play on that.Photo: Screen Archives/Getty Images6/15Refined tasteTemples eye for craftsmanship was evident from a young age, and she held onto the decorative items she cherished throughout the many moves of her lifetime. There are pieces in the house that traveled through her life with her, Temples eldest daughter, Susan, told the press after her mothers death. The exquisite pair of cut-glass candlestick lustres gracing her baby grand piano in this 1944 snapshot stayed with the star until her death. The base, body, and holder of each are crafted completely from faceted glass.Photo: Earl Theisen/Getty Images7/15Famous furry friendTemple was an animal lover and owned three ponies: Little Carnation, Spunky, and Roanie. The trio resided in the stables of the familys Brentwood estate. Temple also had a Scottish terrier, a cocker spaniel, and a miniature Chinese Pekingese, the latter of which was initially her costar; the pup played Temples pet in the 1936 film Stowaway and was named Ching-Ching after her character in the flick. She and the dog, her favorite, are seeing relaxing at home in this 1944 image.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images8/15Wedding bells ring at the Brentwood estateAfter tying the knot at the Wilshire Methodist Church when she was 17 years old, Temple and her new groom, army sergeant and actor John Agar Jr., headed to the expansive backyard of Temples Brentwood family dwelling to celebrate the nuptials with 500 guests. The rambling French Normandy-style home, complete with central turret and combined stucco and stone walls, was custom-built by the Temples in 1936. The property boasted a 5,000-square-foot main residence, a badminton court, a stable for Temples ponies, a shallow swimming pool, a mini roller coaster, a merry-go-round, the glass-brick playhouse, and Temples two-story cottage.Photo: Screen Archives/Getty Images9/15Temples go-to pattern and paletteOn the heels of their wedding celebration, the newlyweds posed for a photograph in their marital home, which the teenager decorated with her favorite colors and motifs. She loved fabrics with color and prints, Susan, Temples eldest child, once shared with the press. She could look at a fabric and visualize it in a room for a house that hadnt even been completed yet. It was just a gift she had, a real affinity with color. Her preferred patterns featured flowers and large leaves in rich oranges and greens.Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images10/15Play cottage turned family homeFor the four years Temple and Agar were married, Temples former play cottage served as the couples marital home, though the structure had to be reconfigured to accommodate the Agars. The theater was transformed into an expansive living room, Temples prized soda fountain room was converted into the primary suite, the kitchens footprint grew, and the former bowling alley became their dining room. The child star parted ways with the residence after her split from Agar and sold it to her parents.Photo: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images11/15Homemaking in AthertonBy 1950, Temple had moved on to her second marriage to blue-blooded businessman Charles Alden Black. At the time of this photo in December 1957, the pair had settled into their Northern California home with their children. The house was located in Atherton, which was described as an upper-middle-class suburb of San Francisco by biographer Ann Edwards in 2017. (It is currently the wealthiest zip code in America.) The family lived in a custom-built redwood ranch, designed in the Japanese modern style sometimes referred to as Pacific style. Temple, who reportedly became a licensed interior decorator in 1954, wove east Asian motifs throughout the home, such as the lamp stand on the end table pictured here behind Black. The homes detached guesthouse was a round, shingle-roofed wooden structure with glass doors that opened up to a raised patio.Photo: Gerald Smith/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images12/15Polka-inspired decorShirley Temple was an avid collector with a surprising affinity for polka music (or at least its ephemera). This 1957 photograph shows the former child actor gesturing toward a framed collection of vintage polka sheet music covers used to decorate one of the hallways in her Atherton home. The distinctive piece of wall decor was sold at auction in 2016, two years after her death.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images13/15Family timeWhen she married Charles Black in 1950, Temple also publicly announced her retirement from making movies. The former box office star dedicated most of the following decade to caring for her husband and three children, Susan, Charles, and Lori. As a mother, she was devoted and generous, although she could be a little bit stern if we didnt behave, Susan told the press after her mothers death. Family was a really, really important part of her life. She was all about her children and her husband.Photo: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images14/15Room to growThe familys home, which was situated on about one acre of land, offered Temples children lots of space to play. The expansive outdoor area was filled with mature trees, flower and vegetable gardens, and a jungle gym complete with a swing.Photo: Gerald Smith/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images15/15An off-screen careerIn 1958, Temple made her television debut on NBC as the hostess, narrator, and sometimes-actor on a live anthology series of fairy-tale adaptations called Shirley Temples Storybook, which ran for two seasons. This photo shows The Littlest Rebel star in her Atherton home office the summer before the shows debut. Ten years later, Henry Kissinger appointed Temple as a delegate to the 24th United Nations General Assembly, jump-starting her career as diplomat. I have no trouble being taken seriously as a woman and a diplomat here, the former child star said after her appointment as US ambassador to Ghana in 1974. My only problems have been with Americans who, in the beginning, refused to believe I had grown up since my movies.

SSAs core logic is also written largely in COBOL. This is the code that issues social security numbers, manages payments, and even calculates the total amount beneficiaries should receive for different services, a former senior SSA technologist who worked in the office of the chief information officer says. Even minor changes could result in cascading failures across programs.If you weren't worried about a whole bunch of people not getting benefits or getting the wrong benefits, or getting the wrong entitlements, or having to wait ages, then sure go ahead, says Dan Hon, principal of Very Little Gravitas, a technology strategy consultancy that helps government modernize services, about completing such a migration in a short timeframe.Got a Tip?Are you a current or former government employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at makenakelly.32.Its unclear when exactly the code migration would start. A recent document circulated amongst SSA staff laying out the agencys priorities through May does not mention it, instead naming other priorities like terminating non-essential contracts and adopting artificial intelligence to augment administrative and technical writing.Earlier this month, WIRED reported that at least 10 DOGE operatives were currently working within SSA, including a number of young and inexperienced engineers like Luke Farritor and Ethan Shaotran. At the time, sources told WIRED that the DOGE operatives would focus on how people identify themselves to access their benefits online.Sources within SSA expect the project to begin in earnest once DOGE identifies and marks remaining beneficiaries as deceased and connecting disparate agency databases. In a Thursday morning court filing, an affidavit from SSA acting administrator Leland Dudek said that at least two DOGE operatives are currently working on a project formally called the Are You Alive Project targeting what these operatives believe to be improper payments and fraud within the agencys system by calling individual beneficiaries. The agency is currently battling for sweeping access to SSAs systems in court to finish out this work. (Again, 150-year-olds are not collecting social security benefits. That specific age was likely a quirk of COBOL. It doesnt include a date type, so dates are often coded to a specific reference pointMay 20, 1875, the date of an international standards-setting conference held in Paris, known as the Convention du Mtre.)In order to migrate all COBOL code into a more modern language within a few months, DOGE would likely need to employ some form of generative artificial intelligence to help translate the millions of lines of code, sources tell WIRED. DOGE thinks if they can say they got rid of all the COBOL in months then their way is the right way and we all just suck for not breaking shit, says the SSA technologist.DOGE would also need to develop tests to ensure the new systems outputs match the previous one. It would be difficult to resolve all of the possible edge cases over the course of several years, let alone months, adds the SSA technologist.This is an environment that is held together with bail wire and duct tape, the former senior SSA technologist working in the office of the chief information officer tells WIRED. The leaders need to understand that theyre dealing with a house of cards or Jenga. If they start pulling pieces out, which theyve already stated theyre doing, things can break.

Business Insider used OpenAI's tool to generate a Ghibli-style image of Sam Altman. Effie Webb/OpenAI's 4o tool 2025-03-28T12:22:53Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? OpenAI released a new image generator this week, sparking a meme frenzy and controversy.Users flooded social media with images in the style of the Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli.The trend has fueled a debate on copyright, with some accusing OpenAI of exploiting artists' work.From meme madness to copyright concerns, the release of OpenAI's new image generator this week has been nothing short of dramatic.Soon after "Images for ChatGPT" was unveiled on Tuesday, an X user said OpenAI's 4o tool generated a "sexy man" but wouldn't create "sexy women." That caught the attention of OpenAI's chief, Sam Altman, who blamed a "bug" and promised a fix.Then came the tsunami of images generated in the distinctive style of the renowned Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. X users flooded the platform with Ghibli-fied versions of their own photos, popular memes, public figures such as President Donald Trump, and scenes from films including "The Wolf of Wall Street."Even Altman joined in on the hype and swapped out his profile picture with a Ghibli-style photo of himself. The White House's official X account jumped on the bandwagon, too, and shared a Ghibli-fied photo of a woman arrested by ICE for illegally entering the US.Ghibli tsunamiAt first it seemed like a lighthearted moment of things being reimagined through a Ghibli lens, until things took a darker turn.OpenAI users Ghibli-fied images of historic events including JFK's assassination, the 9/11 attacks, and World War II.OpenAI said Wednesday that it had started blocking requests for Ghibli-style images and that it was taking a "conservative approach" by refusing user attempts to create images in the likeness of a living artist. An OpenAI spokesperson told Business Insider on Wednesday night that it still allowed users to generate images in "broader studio styles."Savvy users found workarounds. BI's Pranav Dixit tried out the tool on Thursday using the paid-for version and found it would still generate several images in the Ghibli style.OpenAI then decided to limit the number of images users of its free tier model could generate a day. Altman joked on X that OpenAI's servers were "melting" from the surge in demand.It now appears the free version of ChatGPT is refusing image requests entirely, citing copyright rules.Copyright questionsWhile the internet had its fun, a fierce debate about whether OpenAI was unfairly using the work of artists including Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki has begun.Some X users criticized those Ghibli-fying images, arguing that Miyazaki, a famed Japanese artist renowned for his meticulous hand-drawn animations that can take years to create, poured his heart and soul into his work.Ghibli is known for its animated features, which include "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away." "Spirited Away" is one of Studio Ghibli's animated features. Studio Ghibli Ed Newton-Rex, the CEO of the nonprofit Fairly Trained, which certifies AI companies with fair training practices, described the controversy as a "takeoff moment for AI protests."It's reminiscent of the Scarlett Johansson saga last year, when the actor threatened to sue OpenAI over a voice chatbot feature that many said sounded like her.It raises the question of whether Ghibli-gate will be the latest copyright headache for OpenAI following a barrage of lawsuits from news outlets, authors, and musicians who say their work was used to train its models without consent.Newton-Rex wrote in X post on Thursday that "obvious and egregious IP theft by AI companies has united authors and artists in outrage.""Suspect protests will only grow as the effects are felt by more & more professions," he added.There's also growing concern about what the new tool means for graphic designers and AI image-generator startups.Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said on X that he was "not as amused as many others" as OpenAI's latest offering had "wiped out" some companies and had "serious implications for countless jobs."Recommended video

Fuse-alicious"We wanted to create new ways to experience the game" 2XKO game designer manager breaks down the big changes coming in Alpha Lab 2Clockwork sits down with us for an exclusive interview about the two new Fuses, wider gameplay adjustments, and whether he's the best MvC player on the team.Image credit: Riot Games Article by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on March 28, 2025 Yesterday, fans of 2XKO were blessed with a lot of news related to the upcoming Alpha Lab 2 test. Not only did we learn about what changes are coming, but also when players will be able to hop back in to 2XKO, as well as a few teases for the future such as the launch number of characters that'll be available at launch.But of course, even with the latest video closing in on an hour in length, there's still plenty of questions surrounding the changes coming this April. So to help peel back the curtain a little, I sat down and talked to one Daniel "Clockw0rk" Maniago from the development team. Below you can find the full 20-ish minute interview, filled with insight on the two new fuses, Fury Break, and more.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. VG247: Let's start with the two new fuses: Juggernaut and Sidekick. Both appear to be attempts to make the onboarding process easier. To start, could you speak to the design philosophy behind Sidekick?Clockwork: "Yeah, we wanted to create new ways to experience the game of course. Sidekick for starters, we wanted to improve the duo experience. The duo experience is really important to us. So we wanted a Fuse that's meant to serve the cohort of duos where one player doesn't want the pressure of being the point and would rather be in a supporter role. So the way the Sidekick Fuse works is that you can't switch champs in combat, but we provide additional tools to the assist character to help the point character.""Sidekick also works for solo players who want to experience the game's assist mechanics, but want to focus on a single champion on point, so Sidekick is a simplified Fuse for those players. I'd also like to mention for this Fuse there's pre-round agency. So at the start of the match you can tag between the characters to play on point. That works for Sidekick too, so if you're playing assist and say "hey, I want to play point this time" you can switch."VG247: One thing I like about Sidekick is the ability for the support champ to time button presses with opponent attacks to lower damage. Where did that idea come from? It seems to me like an effort to make the support role player have more agency, rather than sitting back and spectating.Clockwork: "That's exactly it. With Sidekick and the game in general, we were very cognizant of assist players who were playing duos, we didn't want there to be too much downtime, that they were alt-tabbing to other tabs especially after the KO. So we wanted to make sure they had something to do and stay engaged. Not only stay engaged, but feel like they have a meaningful impact on the match.""It's funny, right when I joined the team they had this idea of like a combo sweetener and a combo softener. It didn't have any gameplay functionality, but it would play a sound when you were in a combo and the opponent was hitting you. It would give you something to do, and that was something that inspired us to add something to Sidekick to give the assist something to do." Both Sidekick and Juggernaut will depend more on the point champion, who'll be granted powerful bonuses. | Image credit: Riot GamesVG247: Given we've got Juggernaut as well now, you said the team got feedback from players who wanted to play solo. How did the team approach making Juggernaut, and how do you balance the desires from those players with the reality that 2XKO is fundamentally a 2v2 game?Clockwork: "So we wanted to provide a game for players who - like you said - wanted to experience the game as a solo champion with no tag mechanics at all. For those who don't typically play tag fighters and want to ease themselves into the game, maybe while they're finding a second champion that they like. Or maybe there are players out there who only like one champion! Even though Sidekick provides a similar experience, we were looking out for those players who don't want to choose another champion, and don't want to be forced to play a champ they don't like. You still do pick another champion and you can still quick tag, but you don't have to.""Obviously in 2XKO you're losing a lot of power if you aren't using a second champion. So we wanted to do something similar to Sidekick, and add some additional power to Juggernaut. The idea is that if you've focused on Juggernaut, we do want to give you some tools to use so it is competitive. We have Eject, additional metre they can work with, and more health."VG247: Would you say you've designed these Fuses are introductory, that for the most part are intended to be moved on from as people become more familiar with the game? Or have they been built to remain powerful in high-end gameplay?Clockwork: "I'd say it's a mix of both. We're expecting a lot of players who play Sidekick and Juggernaut, once they get comfortable with two champions and playing them on point, to move on to other Fuses that have more intricate tag functionality. But we are expecting some players, maybe if they find these two Fuses to be their preferred way to play the game, to stick with it and be competitive. We're really curious to see how it shakes out during Alpha Lab 2 and beyond and what players do with them." Regardless of what Fuse you use, Jinx will be playable from Alpha Lab 2 onwards. | Image credit: Riot GamesVG247: How do you and the team expect it to shake out? How popular do you think they'll be initially compared to the tail end of the Alpha Lab?Clockwork: "I would say Fuses like Double Down, Freestyle, and 2X Assist are really strong and we've seen what players are able to do with these Fuses. Whereas I think we've yet to see the true potential of some of these additional powers we've added with Sidekick and Juggernaut. My general expectation is that the more advanced Fuses will be really strong, but I do expect some breakout performances from Sidekick and Juggernaut. Maybe not dominating the meta by any means, but I am expecting people to put in the work with these Fuses."VG247: I'd like to move onto Fury Break, which is particulary interesting, especially talking to you about it. Clockwork, you're well known for your history with the Marvel Vs Capcom series, and played MvC3 for over a decade. I know you know the conflicting feelings some people had about X-Factor as a come back mechanic. You mentioned that Fury Break is a comeback mechanic added in response to players' feelings that it was hard to make a comeback, but how has the team balanced it so it's not too strong and comebacks don't feel underserved.Clockwork: "From my personal experience, it's maybe not as bombastic as some of the other comeback mechanics you've seen in fighting games, but there's certainly a lot of power there. There's even more power as you learn the intricacies too. For example, in the old Fury Fuse, you could use dash cancels to help your offense and combos. That's been ported over to Fury Break, as well as of course the straight bonuses to damage and defence.""So I think that there's an added layer of strategy here when you get deep into it. Depending on the context you use it, you can use Fury Break still as a regular break to get out of a combo and get some benefit, or you can use it raw. When we first introduced Fury Break to internal testing, players were still using it as a combo breaker, but as players get better and find opportunities to use it offensively for combo extensions or using it raw, I'm expecting Fury stocks to go up." Fury might offer that x factor needed to make a big comeback.Image credit: Riot GamesVG247: I imagine the limit to Fury is that dash cancelling using Fury removed five seconds off the Fury duration right? Do you feel that should adequately limit the power of Fury Break?Clockwork: "Yeah, and really a lot of that has to do with one of our big overarching themes of the updates from Alpha Lab 1 to 2, we want to improve decision making. Not only in combos, but also with Fury. So there are decisions on when to activate Fury, decisions on what you're doing in Fury, and even before your Fury Break is active you have to make decisions on how much you want to save for Fury Break as opposed to the regular break. So it's all about decisions, and different players will make different ones, that's one separates players and play styles."VG247: One thing that was mentioned in the dev update was combos being shortened, or at least combos feeling shorter. Was this an easy decision to make? I know after Alpha Lab 1 there was a big discussion around this, but on the other hand big flashy combos are still a major draw for fighting game fans!Clockwork: "It's a delicate balance. You want to make sure players don't feel like they're stuck in long combos frequently, but you also want to ensure there are flashy combos players can aspire to learn. There were some tough decisions, but there were also some easy decisions. In AL1 we saw a lot of the top end of combos had to do with Double Down and using it multiple times in a combo, so we've limited that. Also, some of the easier bread-and-butter combos Ahri was doing, adjusting that was also an easy decision.""But we do also want there to be juice, and for characters to be performing cool combos that are unique to them." Take Jinx, who'll be using various traps and projectiles for distinct combos. | Image credit: VG247VG247: Given your history and the history of other former players on the team like MarlinPie, how do you ensure that there is still room for some really disgusting stuff?Clockwork: "It's a combination of a lot of different things. One of the core tenets to champion design and combos is we want to make sure the combos you can do are very unique to the champions you're using. So Yasuo is a good example, he can do combos that link together with his special attacks. But maybe some of the combos where you have a lot of light-medium-heavy filler over and over again, those are the things we want to address. So keeping the champions and the champion fantasy intact, and having that reflected in the combos, rather than having these filler combos is important."VG247: Taking a macro view now of Alpha Lab 2, it looks like a lot of these gameplay changes appear to be a helping hand to newer fighting game players, giving them more options to learn, making it easier to see what's going on in regards to blocking / parrying, making it easier to hit certain assists and do wall bounce combos. Was that a major takeaway from the first alpha lab? That more had to be done for that kind of player?Clockwork: "Yeah I think we got a lot of feedback regarding clarity, not knowing why things were happening, or why players got hit with certain things. So gameplay clarity, not just in gameplay but the HUD as well, was something we focused on. Not only that, but also the excitement. Big callouts. We consider a parry to be a huge callout right? So we wanted to make sure that not only that was clear to those playing and watching, but also players making those big callouts were getting rewarded for making those big plays."VG247: One final fun question. Your community manager Ben Forbes has been talking sh*t about how good at Tekken 8 he is. Is he the best Tekken player in the office?Clockwork: (laughs) "So I've never played him in Tekken, but I believe every word that comes out of Ben's mouth word-for-word. So if he says he's the best Tekken player in the office, if he told me he was the best Tekken player in the world, I'd believe him."VG247: That's a very good PR answer. Who's the best Marvel Vs Capcom player in the office?Clockwork: "That's a ridiculous question. It's obviously me. Ask around the office, they'll tell you the same thing (laugh)."The 2XKO Alpha Lab 2 is going live in the Americas on April 18-20. If you're able to play, let us know what you're the most excited to test out below!

If you hopped into Elden Ring Nightreign's network testing back in February, now's your chance to look at some numbers and say 'I contributed to that'. FromSoft's put out some stats about the usual stuff - from boss kills to runes lost. Read more

As opposed to "Switch 2 exclusive"Jim Norman, Staff WriterImage: Nintendo LifeSwitch 2 Edition we need: Pokmon Scarlet & VioletSwitch 2 Edition I want: Super Mario OdysseyI'll get the low-hanging fruit out the way to start. Pokmon Scarlet and Violet is the Switch game that is most in need of a 'Switch 2 Edition'. I was so very excited for Gen IX, but ended up skipping it upon the realisation of what it actually was. According to everyone who has played it, there's a very fun game under there, and a bit of Switch 2 polish would have me coughing up full retail price instantly.In terms of the Switch 2 Edition I want, let's go crazy and say Mario Odyssey. It's never going to happen (particularly if a new 3D Mario is in the launch lineup like we're all expecting), but I'd really love to go back to this one with boosted performance and a couple of extras thrown in for good measure we never got any meaningful DLC and that still brings a tear to my eye.Ollie Reynolds, Staff WriterImage: Nintendo LifeSwitch 2 Edition we need: Bayonetta 3Switch 2 Edition I want: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildMy issues with Bayonetta 3 extend beyond its technical limitations, but I'm confident that I would happily give it another shot if Nintendo and PlatinumGames gave it a much-needed performance boost on Switch 2. In terms of frame rate, it already runs quite well, but it looks absolutely terrible in places as a result, especially in handheld mode. Characters look blurry, and there's a horrible dithering effect applied during heated battles. Get it enhanced on Switch 2, though, and I might be tempted back.There are other games that almost certainly need a bit of TLC, but I couldn't say no to an enhanced Breath of the Wild. Nintendo's pretty ambitious when it comes to its flagship franchises, and I reckon it would go well beyond a simple boost in frame rate for what is one of the finest games of all time. Imagine exiting that introductory cave again to a completely revamped lighting system, improved weather effects, even more blades of grass... It could look absolutely stunning, worthy of a relaunch. Give it to me.Gavin Lane, EditorImage: Nintendo LifeSwitch 2 Edition we need: Super Mario Maker 2Switch 2 Edition I want: Smash Bros. UltimateBeyond a new Wonder game style to slot in next to the 3D World option, it's hard to see how Nintendo could justify a Mario Maker 3. However, a new version a 'Deluxe' upgrade in all but name which adds that theme plus 'Mouse Mode' input that brings back the control precision and convenience of the Wii U original? I could get into it. The sequel added so much, but from a control POV, it always felt worse to me. This could be its shot at redemption.And I'd like to give Smash another shot. Cards on the table: it's never clicked for me. When Banjo arrived, I bought the game and the DLC, but I never got too far with it, and then I got distracted by something else. It seems Masahiro Sakurai has taken the series to its logical conclusion with Ultimate, so short of a total reimagining of what a platform fighter can be (which, actually, sounds interesting to someone who bounced off Ultimate), an updated edition of the old game with a wave of new fighters would be a great excuse to get up, brush myself down, and try again.There are our picks, but what do you think? You can enter one Nintendo-published Switch game into each of the following polls to let us know what needs a Switch 2 Edition and what you'd most like to see. After that, why not take to the comments to explain your picks?Which Switch game needs a 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' the most? (41 votes)What Switch game do you want to see get a 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition'? (38 votes) A complete guide to Switch 2 - confirmed details, rumours, leak historyRelated GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesRumour: Nintendo Switch 2 To Launch In June With 3-Phase Software PlanGoing through phaazesTalking Point: Nintendo Direct Predictions - What Do You Want To See?No, not THAT Direct, THIS Direct!Poll: So, How Would You Rate The Nintendo Direct For March 2025?Beyond expectations..?