The Elden Ring spin-off will try some new things for fans.

Extensive footage of EA's new The Sims "game concept" surfaces onlineOoh, Rene.Image credit: EA News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on April 2, 2025 The Sims 4 might be tootling along merrily, but it's now over ten years old and fans are getting increasingly impatient for clarity on what's next for the franchise - particularly given EA's somewhat confounding communications on the matter. Amid all this, extensive footage of EA's new The Sims "game concept" have now surfaced online, fuelling all sorts of disappointment as fans ponder a reality where the future of The Sims is, in fact, just a tacky looking mobile game.To recap, EA first began discussing its "next generation" Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, back in 2022. This, many assumed, would be The Sims 5 - until, that is, EA announced Project Rene wasn't The Sims 5, that The Sims 5 wasn't happening, and that whatever Project Rene was would instead co-exist alongside The Sims 4. It also teased a bunch of "cosy games, social and collaborative based gameplay, [and] mobile narrative games" coming under The Sims banner, before revealing Project Rene (whatever it was) would begin playtesting soon.In the six months since then, playtest footage has sporadiaclly leaked online, leaving fans largely unimpressed. And it seems unlikely the sudden influx of new gameplay footage (as flagged by PC Gamer) will change that, given the bland visuals, endless reward-incentivised to-do lists, and front-and-centre currency focus feels more like a free-to-play mobile wallet squeezer than a truly "next-generation" The Sims game. City Life Game with Friends gameplay.Watch on YouTubeEA describes the playtest - officially titled City Life Game With Friends over on Google Play - as "small parts of a larger game concept". And the newly shared footage focuses on the same multiplayer-enabled plaza location we've seen in numerous leaks before, only now festooned with even more garish free-to-play style window dressing as players stroll around, strike up conversations, and hand out a few muffins. It's not especially inspiring stuff - and given EA's refusal to clarify the nature of the project, it's unclear how horrified fans should actually be.All this, of course, comes as developer Krafton's highly anticipated The Sims competitor InZoi launches into Steam early access. And while I wasn't particulary impressed with InZoi during my time with it last month, it's unlikely anyone's going to be dazzled by anything resembling EA's City Life Game with Friends when Krafton's game is around.

Op-ed Cheap TVs incessant advertising reaches troubling new lows Op-ed: TV screensavers shouldn't show immigration ads from the Trump administration. Scharon Harding Apr 1, 2025 2:19 pm | 73 Credit: Getty Credit: Getty Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreTVs offer us an escape from the real world. After a long day, sometimes theres nothing more relaxing than turning on your TV, tuning into your favorite program, and unplugging from the realities around you.But what happens when divisive, potentially offensive messaging infiltrates that escape? Even with streaming services making it easy to watch TV commercial-free, it can still be difficult for TV viewers to avoid ads with these sorts of messages.Thats especially the case with budget brands, which may even force controversial ads onto TVs when theyre idle, making users pay for low-priced TVs in unexpected, and sometimes troubling, ways.Vizio TVs reportedly show Trump immigration messaging when in standbyAn experience recently shared by an apparent Vizio TV owner illustrates how ads delivered via TV operating systems (OSes) can take ads from annoying to intrusive and offensive.Reddit user DoubleJumps claimed last week that when their Vizio TV is idle, it plays calming nature video, calming music, and then loops a message from the [T]rump admin[istration] telling illegal immigrants to gtfo over and over and over again. They explained:I left the [TV] idle while I went to the other room to play with my dog. After about a half an hour, I started hearing [US Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem praising Trump and telling immigrants to get out of America, over and over. I went in to check, and caught this video looping 3 more times before it went back to the nature clips.The user added that when trying to replicate this, the TV played the video again after about 20 minutes, but only once.As Distractify detailed, the video in question includes Noem telling people who live outside of the US that the US government will hunt you down if they enter the country illegally. Noem also claims in the video that weak leadership has left our borders wide open, flooding our communities with drugs, human trafficking, and violent criminals.This TV will be out of my house by the end of the week. Fucking dystopian bullshit company," DoubleJumps said.Ars Technica hasnt been able to replicate this internally. We also havent seen other reports of Vizio TV owners seeing this ad. Vizio and parent company Walmart didnt respond to requests for comment.However, what DoubleJumps detailed is completely within the scope of Vizios advertising efforts. Vizio TVs have something called Scenic Mode, which has the sets show, per Vizio, relaxing, ambient content when your TV is idle for a period of time," along with ads. Scenic Mode can be disabled, but if it's enabled, the ads cannot be turned off. Vizio says the ads help it pay for things like the TVs free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels and help keep Vizio TV prices low.Vizio also has ties to political ads. It has previously boasted about its work with "a political candidate on an ad campaign that combined CTV ads with our Household Connect omnichannel feature to reach potential voters both on their TV sets and on other opted in devices." The company says it can play a "powerful role... in helping political campaigns reach their intended audiences."The possibility that the ad placement was a mistake doesn't bring that much comfort either. If TV OS operators want to be so dependent on the advertising business, they owe it to customers to at least make sure errors like this (assuming this was an error) don't happen.Idle TVs are advertisers playthingsEven though Vizio TV owners can turn off Scenic Mode, a company marketing screensaver ads as an experience that adds to the environment of your home or office shows how far some TV brands are willing to go to make advertising dollars. Selling screensaver ad space to politicians delivering threats and associating immigration with drugs, human trafficking, and violence suggests a lack of discernment over what sort of ads are shown where. A political ad shown during a TV commercial break is reasonable. However, seeing one when using a TV functionality that's supposed to offer relaxing, ambient content seems wholly misguided.But TV brands, especially more budget ones like Vizio, are increasingly looking for new places to show ads. And one of the biggest opportunities for more ad space is idle TVs.TV OS operators besides Vizio are trying to seize that opportunity. For example, in 2022, Roku launched Roku City, a screensaver for devices using Roku OS that shows an animated city with advertisements in the form of logos splattered across the city. Roku claims that Roku City reaches 38.5 million streaming households a week on average. A shot of a Roku City screensaver. Credit: Roku A shot of a Roku City screensaver. Credit: Roku Smart TVs and streaming devices running Amazons Fire OS have screensaver ads, too. Even LG, which is considered a more premium brand, launched screensaver ads in September, but users can disable them.Startup Telly is a standout example of a company trying to monetize idle TV time. Announced in 2023, Telly TVs have a secondary screen that can show ads when the TV is not in use. Telly TVs are free to purchase in exchange for providing the company with user data, including disclosing your favorite news outlets, film and TV genres, foods, and services, your gender and race, and other information before youre able to order the TV. The free Telly 4K TV has a second screen for showing ads. Credit: Telly The free Telly 4K TV has a second screen for showing ads. Credit: Telly After theyre set up, Telly TVs track user behavior, including what they watch and for how long, what they search for, and where they put their Telly. If users opt out of tracking, Telly charges them for the TV.Glance is another company demonstrating the strong interest advertisers have in TV screensavers. Glance is known for custom lock screens for phones that show things like news and weather. In December, it announced Glance TV, which essentially brings the same capability to TVs with Glance TV embedded into their OS. In addition to offering a different idle screen, Glance TV delivers targeted advertising and shoppable content to TVs when they go idle. Glance TV only delivers content from Glance's partners and doesnt gather information from the web, Digital Trends previously reported.Currently, Airtel Xstream streaming boxes and sticks, which use Android TV OS and are available in India, are the only devices supporting Glance TV.Bad ad choices make cheap TVs a harder sellBuying a budget TV means accepting some trade-offs. Those trade-offs have historically been around things like image quality and feature sets. But companies like Vizio are also asking customers to accept questionable advertising decisions as they look to create new paths to ad revenue.Numerous factors are pushing TV OS operators deeper into advertising. Brands are struggling to grow profits as people buy new TVs less frequently. As the TV market gets more competitive, hardware is also selling for cheaper, with some companies selling TVs at a loss with hopes of making up for it with ad sales. Theres concern that these market realities could detract from real TV innovation. And as the Secretary Noem ad reportedly shown to Vizio TV owners has highlighted, another concern is the lack of care around which ads are being shown to TV ownersespecially when all they want is simple ambient background noise.Today, people can disable ambient mode settings that show ads. But with some TV brands showing poor judgment around where they sell and place ads, we wouldnt bank on companies maintaining these boundaries forever. If the industry cant find a way to balance corporate needs with appropriate advertising, people might turn off not only their TVs more often, but also unplug from those brands completely.Scharon HardingSenior Technology ReporterScharon HardingSenior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Toms Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 73 Comments

Digital Foundry investigates.Nintendo gave us another glimpse of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during the Switch Direct last week and some fans have been so impressed with the visuals on display they are convinced it's footage of the game running on Switch 2.If you, or anyone else you know are feeling the same way about what you're seeing, you might want to watch this latest clip from the team at Digital Foundry - perhaps unsurprisingly confirming there's no actual Switch 2 footage on display here.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Sometimes, surprises are lurking in everyday data.Take a category of consumers that Doug Rubins startup, Northwind Climate, calls climate doers. Theyre concerned about climate change and tend to prioritize climate-friendly purchases, the sort of identifiers who might be stereotypically associated with things like buying organic foods or prioritizing local businesses.Turns out that the climate doers category actually are the consumers who most frequent fast-food restaurants, Rubin told TechCrunch. Whats more, some 30% of climate doers are Republicans, he added.Northwind Climate evolved from Rubins work in the political world, where surveys are vital to understanding shifts in public sentiment and identifying likely voters. The startup has raised a $1.05 million pre-seed round, it exclusively told TechCrunch, with participation from angel investors, including Tom Steyer, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, and Alexander Hoffmann of Susty Ventures.Rather than divide people into demographic buckets that might segment along political, generational, or regional lines, Northwind Climate analyzes survey responses for behavioral clues that can be used to classify consumers.In addition to climate doers, who comprise about 15% of all U.S. consumers, Northwind Climate has identified four other behavioral groups, ranging from climate distressed, or people who are slightly less concerned about climate change and arent as financially secure as the climate doers, to the climate deniers, who tend to be retirees who think the media is exaggerating the problem.But, Rubin adds, even in that [climate deniers] bucket, there are messages and ways that work with them.Northwind Climate has found five discrete segments that describe consumers views on climate change.Image Credits:Northwind ClimateTake some analysis Northwind did on electric vehicles. For climate doers and climate distressed, two categories of consumers who are most likely to buy an EV, the startup suggests that automakers frame the cars as matter of choice. Were providing choices for those who care about reducing pollution, saving money on gas, and helping address climate change, reads one of Northwinds suggested pitches.But for climate doubters and deniers, who are less likely to buy one, the focus of the pitch shifts from choice to freedom: Americans should have the freedom to drive what they want. We want to make electric vehicles clean, affordable, and practical for the millions of Americans who want one.The startup has built a database that consists of 20,000 survey respondents across eight surveys, and Rubin says its growing by 2,500 respondents per month. Every three months, Northwind also runs an industry-specific survey to capture deeper insights for different customers.Companies that subscribe to the service, which costs $10,000 per quarter or $40,000 per year for a typical customer, can add up to four of their own questions every quarter, which Rubin said is less than what theyd shell out for one annual survey.Within the platform, customers get access to the data Northwind has collected, questions it has asked, and some basic analyses like cross tabulations. The startup is building a chatbot to allow users to ask for more specific analyses using plain language queries.Concerned consumers might cast a wary eye on such a platform, worried that it might help companies greenwash their businesses. But Rubin isnt concerned, saying surveys have shown that consumers are pretty savvy. Our data shows there is a clear risk to brands and their reputations from making claims that are exaggerated or otherwise untrue, Rubin said.Rubin said that Northwind is also developing what he calls a virtual focus group. Its essentially an AI model, trained on survey responses, that can analyze a companys marketing materials like TV spots or social media ads and provide feedback, just like a human focus group would. The startup hopes to have it available in the next four to five months, Rubin said, though it will use new data to continually refine the model.Rubin is convinced that companies have been missing opportunities to connect with climate-conscious consumers. If you look at the data and where consumers are and its across the board, its not just Democrats or Independents they really want this, and they will reward companies who are willing to be smart about it, he said.

In BriefPosted:10:23 AM PDT April 1, 2025Image Credits:Paul Morigi/Haddad Media / Getty ImagesMetas head of AI research plans to leave the companyMetas VP of AI research, Joelle Pineau, is planning to leave the company, she announced in a post on Facebook Tuesday. Pineau said shes leaving in May after more than two years overseeing FAIR, Metas internal AI research lab led by Yann LeCun.Pineaus exit comes as Meta ramps up its AI efforts, with the company planning to spend $65 billion on AI infrastructure in 2025.In a statement to Bloomberg News, a Meta spokesperson said the company does not have an immediate replacement for Pineau but is conducting a search for her successor. Last year, Meta reportedly reorganized the company to have its AI research unit report to the companys chief product officer, Chris Cox.As for Pineau, the executive said shell take some time off before jumping into an unnamed new adventure.Topics

When John Knoll first heard about Star Wars: Skeleton Crew in the fall of 2021, it was through a familiar channel: ILMs Rob Bredow, asking if hed be interested in heading up visual effects on one of Lucasfilms new streaming projects. For Knoll, the prospect was immediately appealing, not just because of the storys tone or its place within what ILM affectionately calls the Favre-verse (the Jon FavreauDave Filoni era of Star Wars TV)but also because production was based in Manhattan Beach Studios, a welcome proximity bonus given how many countries projects could now shoot in.What sealed the deal, though, were the scripts. John Knoll was taken with their humour and spirit of the project (with early Speliberg overtones). His early meetings with director Jon Watts made it clear this was a collaboration built on trust and shared creative instinct.And that trust was crucial. Knoll prefers to show VFX work earlyearly enough to course-correct meaningfully, but not so early that a client might panic at a rough version. With Watts, he found a Director open to that kind of iterative process. That kind of openness meant fewer surprises laterand, more importantly, visuals that aligned closely with the storys intent.Noe the use of practicals (but with a viewing gauze on the truckFinal shotThe puzzle of working with kids (and their doubles)One of the unique challenges of Skeleton Crew was the cast itself: the show centers on a group of kids navigating a Star Wars-scale adventure. That meant tight work schedules, limited hours on set, and a heavy reliance on planning. Knoll and the team strategically structured shoot days, starting with adult doubles for wide shots and saving close-ups with the child actors for their limited hours.The use of doubles, who were carefully matched in proportions and costuming, proved more effective than expected. In some cases, edits progressed far into post before anyone even realized a particular shot featured a double, not the child actor. There are more shots than youd guess, Knoll noted. They were pretty darn good doubles.Blending miniatures and digital: the art behind the illusionSkeleton Crew continues ILMs modern embrace of miniature photography, something thats become a staple on Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. But for Knoll, this isnt about nostalgia or marketing opticsits about results.He recalls how The Mandalorian kicked off the return to miniatures with a bit of uncertainty. An early Razor Crest flyby received mixed feedback from Favreausomething about it just wasnt selling. What began as a suggestion to build a reference model for lighting escalated into a full miniature shoot, complete with motion control. The resulting footage wasnt just usableit was inspiring. ILM ended up reworking their CG Razor Crest to match the practical version, and the result was indistinguishable. That pattern repeated on Ahsoka, and again with Skeleton Crew.For Knoll, the process has become a proven workflow: shoot a beautiful miniature, use it to inform the CG model, and evolve the digital version until its virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Whether its subtle scuff marks, directional scratches on metal panels, or the play of stylized bounce cards sculpting highlights in space, the final CG shots benefit immeasurably from miniature-informed lighting and texture references.A puppet with personality: SM-33When it came to SM-33, the shows quirky droid character, Knoll leaned on a tried-and-true method: full-body puppetry with puppeteers removed in posta technique that traces back to his work on The Phantom Menace. Drawing inspiration from Japanese Bunraku puppetry, the approach allowed for expressive, in-camera performances.https://www.fxguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Skeleton-Crew-Creatures-Droids.mp4Legacy Effects built a beautifully detailed puppet, and the performance imbued it with a distinct, slightly wobbly charm. For the shots where the puppet couldnt do what was neededrunning, fighting, complex movementCG took over. But by carefully matching the puppets physical quirks in animation, the handoff between real and digital remained seamless. In many shots, viewers wouldnt know the switch had occurred at all. Knoll recalls a shot of SM-33 where he starts as a puppet, turns and walks away using a seamless handoff from puppet to fully CG animation part way through the shot.Invisible VFX: from faceplates to falling childrenNot all of the effects in Skeleton Crew are big establishing shots or complex visual effects space sequences. Some of the most difficult were the ones viewers arent meant to notice.Take KBs visor, for instance: a piece of costume design that needed to shift positions on her face. The mechanical motion couldnt be practically achieved, so ILM animated it digitally. But that motion had secondary consequenceslike changing her hairstyle as the visor moved, requiring CG hair replacement. Then there were the safety concerns: the visors mesh obscured vision in dark scenes, so it was sometimes omitted entirely and replaced digitally. It was clearly unsafe to have child actors walking around complex dark sets with restricted vision.Similarly, scenes involving stunts or hazardous terrain often relied on digital doubles. For example, when the kids are ejected from garbage tubes onto a beach, that fall was entirely CGno safe or practical way to shoot it live, Knoll commented. In many cases, ILM used a combination of adult stunt doubles and CG, depending on the shot and risk level.The volume and the value of real sunlightSkeletal Crew also made extensive use of ILMs StageCraft volume. But Knoll is quick to point out: its not a blanket solution. For him, its a tool best used when it makes creative and logistical sense. The real benefit comes in longer scenes, where the ability to amortize the upfront content build over many pages of dialogue outweighs the cost of per-shot VFX.And yet, despite the advances in LED volumes, Knoll remains a staunch advocate for real sunlight when it comes to outdoor scenes. Bad daytime exteriors on a soundstage, he says, are the bane of my existence. He comes armed with a library of examplesgood and badto help DPs and production designers understand the visual trade-offs. With the right planning, he says, everyone can align early to avoid the common pitfalls. Controlled chaos: simulated destruction and stylized spaceOf course, Skeleton Crew still has its share of large-scale spectacle. From tug-of-war sequences between ships and garbage munchers, to debris-littered space battles, Knolls team tackled destruction scenes by starting with animation to define story intent, and then layering simulations to support and enhance the motion.And in space, visual stylization remains key. The lighting philosophy draws from the original trilogya willingness to place mysterious bounce cards in the void for the sake of sculpted forms and cinematic readability. Youre not trying to replicate NASA footage, Knoll explains. Youre trying to make something beautiful and clear. A playbook for better VFXKnoll keeps a mental list of top production pitfalls, and he runs through them with every new team. From improperly lit interiors with mismatched window comps, to awkward soundstage exteriors, to vehicle shots with static lightinghes seen the same mistakes repeat across the industry.Knoll has compiled a personal playbook of common VFX pitfalls, which he shares with production teams early on and he shared with fxguide. His Top 5Pitfalls for VFX includes:Daytime exteriors on a soundstage.Daytime interiors with blown-out window blue screens.Static lighting on moving vehicles.Poorly designed shots with no visual solution.Imbalanced composites that simply need regrading.Most of what goes wrong on VFX shows, he says, falls into one of those buckets.But his goal isnt just to avoid problems; its to empower productions to get it right from the start, and that ethos runs through every frame of Skeleton Crew. Its a show where high-end visual effects serve a heartfelt, youthful adventureand where the seamless blend of puppetry, miniatures, CG, and practical lighting creates a galaxy that feels every bit as lived-in and magical as the Star Wars of our childhoods that inspired so many of us to enter Visual Effects.

Architect Sketches | Marvin Meyer via UnsplashArchitecture is undergoing a digital transformation. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, 3D modeling, and parametric design are reshaping how architects conceptualize, plan, and execute their work. These tools accelerate workflows, increase design precision, and enable more sustainable outcomes.Architecture magazines such as ArchEyes play a vital role in documenting this shift. By highlighting forward-thinking projects, digital workflows, and tech-integrated design philosophies, ArchEyes helps bridge the gap between innovation and inspiration for a global audience of architects and students.To keep pace with these changes, architecture students often seek academic support through services like diplomarbeit ghostwriter. These platforms help manage the growing demands of design education by assisting with research and writing, allowing students to focus on developing digital skills and design thinking.This article examines how digital tools are redefining design processes.Architectural Technology: The Foundation of Modern DesignArchitectural technology blends advanced systems with creative processes to improve building conception and construction. Real-time 3D modeling, AI-driven analysis, and automated workflows have become essential to modern practice.Key Benefits:Automation & Efficiency: Digital tools speed up repetitive tasks, allowing architects to focus on design quality.Precision & Accuracy: AI supports spatial planning and structural logic, reducing the risk of human error.Sustainability & Innovation: Architects can assess environmental impacts early in the design process, leading to greener buildings.These technologies enhance performance and efficiency and unlock new creative possibilities, empowering architects to design for the future.AI in Architecture: Merging Logic with ImaginationAI-powered design tools allow architects to explore various solutions by setting parameters such as site conditions, climate factors, or spatial needs. These tools assist in developing optimized building forms, reducing energy usage, and maximizing natural light.For example, Zaha Hadid Architects reports a 50% increase in design-phase productivity after integrating AI into their workflows. The firm leverages AI to explore innovative geometries and accelerate iterationan approach that would have been impractical through manual processes alone.AI also allows architects to focus more on creativity while maintaining technical accuracya balance that defines great design.3D Modeling: A New Dimension in Visualization and Execution3D modeling is now integral to architectural workflows. It allows architects to precisely simulate and refine design ideas before a single brick is laid.Key Applications:Design Development: Explore complex geometries and material options through parametric modeling.Client Communication: Use immersive models to present concepts clearly and convincingly.Collaboration: Coordinate effectively with engineers and consultants using shared models.Real-Time Adjustments: Make data-driven decisions quickly with parametric or BIM tools.Construction Planning: Generate accurate documentation to reduce on-site delays and misinterpretations.3D modeling strengthens every process stage, helping architects design more creatively and build more efficiently.Expert Writing Support for Architectural and Design Students Ryan Ancill via Unsplash Ryan Ancill via UnsplashAcademic Support: Balancing Innovation and EducationAs architecture becomes more technologically demanding, students face increasing pressure to balance studio work, research, and theoretical studies. Managing academic responsibilities while keeping up with evolving software and tools can be overwhelming.Many turn to ghostwriting erfahrungen to find trusted services that support academic success. These platforms assist with structuring research, writing academic papers, and documenting projectsallowing students to focus on design execution and skill-building with confidence.When used ethically, these tools provide practical value to emerging architects navigating academic and professional expectations.Architectural Innovation: Pushing the Boundaries of PracticeInnovative technologies are redefining whats possible in architecture. From generative design and responsive facades to robotic fabrication and smart building systems, architecture is increasingly data-informed, adaptive, and performance-oriented.Digital publications like ArchEyes serve as essential platforms for showcasing these advancements. ArchEyes helps architects stay current with the future of design and construction by documenting experimental projects and tech-forward methods.Digital Design Tools: The Architects New EssentialsTo succeed in this evolving landscape, architects must master various digital tools. These are some of the most widely used and impactful in contemporary design practice:Rhino + Grasshopper: Essential for parametric and algorithmic design, enabling advanced geometries.Revit: A leading BIM platform that facilitates real-time collaboration and detailed documentation.SketchUp: An intuitive tool for quick concept development and visualization.Lumion: Real-time rendering software for creating high-quality architectural visualizations.AutoCAD: Industry-standard software for precise 2D drafting and construction drawings.These tools form the core of a modern architects digital toolkiteach one expanding the ability to design smarter, faster, and more creatively.ConclusionThe intersection of architecture and technology is a fertile ground for innovation. From AI to 3D modeling and beyond, architects are now equipped with tools that allow them to design with unprecedented speed, precision, and sustainability. Publications like ArchEyes play a vital role in documenting and disseminating these shiftshelping students and professionals alike stay informed and inspired in a rapidly evolving field.technology by ArchEyes TeamLeave a comment

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