Model Link: https://www.fab.com/listings/1dc8b654-ae51-4c71-a3cb-9c4ad88d679d submitted by /u/Cyclo_Studios [link] [comments]

.@mattiaslind93 showcased this WIP from his new amazing project, a portrait of a kind-hearted grandma.More artwork: https://80.lv/articles/3d-artist-showed-this-stylized-wip-portrait-of-a-kind-grandma/

Navigating the AI Integration Landscape in Product DesignJust now--AIs role in product design is expanding, yet integrating it effectively requires thoughtful strategies. This article delves into the common pitfalls and best practices to ensure AI enhances user experience and product functionality.https://jasonhopkins.co.uk/blog/articles/ai-integration-product-design.html#ArtificialIntelligence #ProductDesign #UXDesign #Innovation #DataPrivacy #GenerativeDesign #DigitalTwins #SustainableDesign #AIinDesign

nogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450To preface- I've tried xenoblade chronicles three times (Wii, 3ds, switch) each time I've gotten a few hours in. The furthest I've gotten is a village with the most obnoxious little furry character from memory who wa honestly so annoying (and I was already dealing with another annoying huge dork, reyn, and it just threw the annoying into overdrive at that point) the boring side quests, the boring open world and the not so great characters have made me sell the game each time.HOWEVER I am stubborn and some of my favourite games of all time have been games I've tried on repeat occasions and they have eventually clicked for me. There have been many games where I try 2, 3, 5 times whatever and I end up somehow loving and become obsessed. I don't know if it's mindset, time of the year, vibe, whatever. But it happens.SO with switch 2 coming and the inevitable performance and resolution patches coming, I'm going to give the series another shot. I'm even willing to give 1 another shot if it's the best one to the hardcore fans. I'm stubborn like that. Plus, I love jrpgs. Favourite genre.So what's your favourite game in the series and why? Would love to get solid opinions.And in regards to x I don't want to ever play it again. I did not know it was a single player mmo style game and I have no interest in this type of game. Even just seeing that gif of the mech launching and panning the camera annoys me. Thanks in advance!Last edited: Yesterday at 1:50 AM SkojeMemberOct 26, 20171,819Go play XenogearsShinobido HeartMemberDec 23, 20179,960I really like Xenoblade 2. From the world, to the characters, combat, and music. Even had something for Xenosaga fans.That said, they all play like single player mmo's with a large open world to explore.OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450Skoje said:Go play XenogearsClick to expand...Click to shrink...Finished way too many times my brother. One of my all time favourites even with the bleh disc 2ShamanMemberJan 18, 20243,093Will always be 1 followed by 3 for me. One holds a very special place in my heartNot going to talk about X since you despise it but listen to this lad:Skoje said:Go play XenogearsClick to expand...Click to shrink...BonefishMemberOct 28, 20175,0252. Best story and characters, great world and amazing music.SupersonicHypertonicMemberApr 20, 20223,2601 > 3 >>> 2.1 has best story especially after the half way point, the freshness of the world and had a cool visions gimmick. Gameplay is pretty basic and side quests all suck.3 has the combat and best set of flesh out characters, emotional story for most of the game. Story falls flat toward the end.2 has the best setting and the most light hearted fun characters. Combat really drags until 3/4 when you have full access to parts of the Battle system. Field skills, blade gacha suck big time.Last edited: Yesterday at 1:10 AMBeelzebufoMemberJun 1, 20225,542Canada1 has the best story, 2 has the best gameplay, 3 is the best compromisecriteriondogI like the chili styleMemberOct 26, 201713,1553 is my favorite. I love the series. All of them are great.Pick one of them and enjoy.BottledLightningMemberNov 25, 20211,053My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post" flatearthpandasMemberOct 26, 20176,7643 > X > 1 > 2I like them all but 3 and X are like digital crack.Edit: 3 and X both just have a very engaging gameplay flow completely outside of the story where you explore the world, recruit characters, and earn new classes. I can easily just fuck off for like 5-10 hours in between chapters or story elements without even thinking about it. Plus, these two have the mechsLast edited: Yesterday at 1:14 AMaraMemberOct 26, 201713,600BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Ditto. We get enough persistent, loud-ass whinging about these games (especially 2) on here already, don't really need more people hateplaying them lol.GameflowMemberApr 14, 2022558Beelzebufo said:1 has the best story, 2 has the best gameplay, 3 is the best compromiseClick to expand...Click to shrink...This. Also all dlcs are great and in some cases even outshine their base game. But considering ops post, I am not sure if they would like any tbh (which is fine)OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450ara said:Ditto. We get enough persistent, loud-ass whinging about these games (especially 2) on here already, don't really need more people hateplaying them lol.Click to expand...Click to shrink...They do?Genuine question- I don't frequent these threads and I thought they were mostly loved (hence wanting to want them to click)geehepeaMemberAug 5, 2024273BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Here's the best answer you're going to get.Side note; the games are connected so if you're like me then you'll want to play them in order to get the most out of the narrative and include titles like X and any sequels to X, probably consider this a factor in your choice.BurstLayerMemberFeb 6, 2019270BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Agree with this based on your post, but if I had to give a recommendation it would be 1 because the combat is the most like X which is the best one (sorry). Also has the best story id saySynohanMemberOct 25, 20174,529Given your post, this series isn't for you. Best to move on.jonjonaugMemberOct 25, 20176,133It's 3.It has the best cast in the series. One big flaw of Xenoblade 1 and 2 is that most party members get one or two chapters of focus and are just around for the rest of the story. In 3, every character feels like a "main character" throughout the whole game, and everyone gets long development arcs. This extends to sidequests, which have actual dialogue for all your party members even in the minor ones, instead of the canned dialogue of 1 and 2.It has the best gameplay in the series. The class system is excellent and allows for a lot of party building variation, while the break combos and chain attacks are more intuitive than 1 or 2. Being able to shift which character you're controlling during battles is also great.It has the best sidequest design in the series. 3 takes X's sidequest design, where you have lots of long quest chains that intertwine while developing all the minor characters you meet throughout the game, and elevates it to the next level. It feels great to see the soldiers from each Colony interacting and learning from each other as you progress. Not only that, but the game world and plot are strucured in such a way that it actually makes sense for the party to be doing most of these sidequests (outside of stuff in earlier chapters that takes a while when Mio's still gonna die in like a month lol), as opposed to 1 and 2 where there's really no logical or practical way for the party to even go back to other areas.It has the best music in the series. Even if 2's more bombastic soundtrack is more fun to listen to, 3 has better compositions that are used more effectively. There's an excellent (and sadly, unfinished) thread going over 3's soundtrack in detail. https://www.resetera.com/threads/xenoblade-chronicles-3-ost-appreciation-analysis-thread.661096/They all play like single player MMOs though so IDK why you keep trying to play them if you don't like that.Jakenbakin"This guy are sick" and Corrupted by VengeanceMemberJun 17, 201814,1523>2>X>1 but I dunno it's just not a franchise for everyone and I don't get the feeling you'll love them. I kind of always suspected I should love them, hence I kept buying them, it was just hard for me to actually get into them. Your willingness to try and try again might be a virtue that helps you love them too though.If it helps, I played 1 twice up to the same point as you and dropped it, I played X for a similar 25 hours then dropped it, then I bought 2 and it was a top 10 favorite in the genre for me and I have played them all now and it's easily my favorite franchise in gaming (with 3 being my favorite game ever). 2 is super obnoxious, far more than any entry, but moving the combat from the row of buttons to actual controller style inputs completely turned my opinion around on playing them. And the story has a lot of great aspects to it, just there's so much baggage.H2intensityOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 27, 20171,026X>2>1>3 but since you don't wanna play X then 2 is the best. DrBillRivermanAvengerOct 27, 2017660EnglandFor my money it's Torna: The Golden Country.Peak Xenoblade combat. Amazing music.Really fleshes out the story of Jin and adds a lot to the base game.Listen. Idc that you have to do all the damn affinity missions. I want to do them anyway. Torna is the absolute best Xenoblade experience for me.fixing rangerMemberAug 24, 2021893They are all single player MMO games, so X is not really different, just with better side quests.Honestly, I feel like they all are flawed and recommend not to play since you tried multiple times. I think they have the potential, but they all have meh plots, the combat balancing is ruined by chain attacks, and each have specific problems.They have their moments, the sense of exploration is good, mid game combat is good in every one of them, some story beats are decent.texhnolyzeShinra EmployeeMemberOct 25, 201725,684IndonesiaWhy no X though? It's the best RPG with actual player agency which directly affects the world building. Lots and deeper character customizations too compared to the very linear numbered games.psynergyadeptShinra EmployeeMemberOct 26, 201718,634Xenoblade ChroniclesI has the better cast, interesting world, and the best story!3 is a close 2nd though, I'd give the best world; especially if you played 1 & 2.1>3>>>>>>>>2 and I haven't played X yetI enjoyed two but I think it was a step back from 1.Last edited: Yesterday at 11:02 AMJasperMystPowered by FriendshipMemberSep 25, 2023661Loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I think it has the best setting, charm and the whole exploration on these giant Titans, it was very unique and unlike anything I ever played at the time.But ultimately 2>X>3>1 but all of them are good in my opinion; monolith went total beast mode with Xenoblade Chronicles.gamewhooprMemberDec 10, 20185963 has the best characters and combat. 1 has the best world and story. 2 is great too, although some character designs are questionable and some gameplay systems feel like they were meant for the series' mobile venture at some point.Both Torna and Future Redeemed are better than 2 and 3, though. They iterate on what made the main games good while also never managing to struggle with pacing and both tie up some loose ends story-wise.araMemberOct 26, 201713,600nogoodnamesleft said:They do?Genuine question- I don't frequent these threads and I thought they were mostly loved (hence wanting to want them to click)Click to expand...Click to shrink...They are mostly loved, it's just that the haters really fucking hate them lmao. I don't know how Xenoblade threads are nowadays, but particularly anything about XB2 was infested with people from regular users to straight up forum admins always coming to shit the thread up instantly, from unimaginative drive-bys at best to calling fans of the game pedophiles at worst, for years. You could have the most positive LTTP thread imaginable and someone would pop in to call the game the biggest pile of shit ever, and also fuck you too for liking it, within 5 posts.But to also actually contribute a little: I can definitely relate to your insistence on giving games you initially disliked a second, third, fourth try, because I also do that and have found it to be very rewarding, both with regards to introspection and figuring out my own likes, dislikes, prejudices, and simply by just having a lot more stuff to enjoy nowadays, and being able to enjoy them in a bigger variety of ways. So the way I would summarize the three numbered games is this:1 is the most consistent. Mostly everything about it is good to very good, but aside from the world concept and maybe the plot--which is very fun and exciting--nothing about it really stands out to me.2 is the most interesting if you are able to look past the surface (e.g. some questionable character designs and anime silliness, bad performance on the technical side, some janky mechanics). It does the most with its story and characters, and I personally found the world the most fun to explore and the gameplay the most engaging of the lot.3 is the one you play if you really love characters. Like, character development, dialogue, intraparty interactions, banter, drama. The cast is fantastic and play off of each other wonderfully. It is also absolutely chock full of good side quests if you like mini-narratives--gameplay-wise they aren't that special. I found the gameplay to be far too chaotic to be enjoyable, though, and the plot is a bit of a slog, although with some incredible character drama peaks.That said, they all seem to have an equal amount of fans, so you're probably going to get about an equal amount of "n is the best" posts for each entry lol.OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450jonjonaug said:It's 3.It has the best cast in the series. One big flaw of Xenoblade 1 and 2 is that most party members get one or two chapters of focus and are just around for the rest of the story. In 3, every character feels like a "main character" throughout the whole game, and everyone gets long development arcs. This extends to sidequests, which have actual dialogue for all your party members even in the minor ones, instead of the canned dialogue of 1 and 2.It has the best gameplay in the series. The class system is excellent and allows for a lot of party building variation, while the break combos and chain attacks are more intuitive than 1 or 2. Being able to shift which character you're controlling during battles is also great.It has the best sidequest design in the series. 3 takes X's sidequest design, where you have lots of long quest chains that intertwine while developing all the minor characters you meet throughout the game, and elevates it to the next level. It feels great to see the soldiers from each Colony interacting and learning from each other as you progress. Not only that, but the game world and plot are strucured in such a way that it actually makes sense for the party to be doing most of these sidequests (outside of stuff in earlier chapters that takes a while when Mio's still gonna die in like a month lol), as opposed to 1 and 2 where there's really no logical or practical way for the party to even go back to other areas.It has the best music in the series. Even if 2's more bombastic soundtrack is more fun to listen to, 3 has better compositions that are used more effectively. There's an excellent (and sadly, unfinished) thread going over 3's soundtrack in detail. https://www.resetera.com/threads/xenoblade-chronicles-3-ost-appreciation-analysis-thread.661096/They all play like single player MMOs though so IDK why you keep trying to play them if you don't like that.Click to expand...Click to shrink...ara said:They are mostly loved, it's just that the haters really fucking hate them lmao. I don't know how Xenoblade threads are nowadays, but particularly anything about XB2 was infested with people from regular users to straight up forum admins always coming to shit the thread up instantly, from unimaginative drive-bys at best to calling fans of the game pedophiles at worst, for years. You could have the most positive LTTP thread imaginable and someone would pop in to call the game the biggest pile of shit ever, and also fuck you too for liking it, within 5 posts.But to also actually contribute a little: I can definitely relate to your insistence on giving games you initially disliked a second, third, fourth try, because I also do that and have found it to be very rewarding, both with regards to introspection and figuring out my own likes, dislikes, prejudices, and simply by just having a lot more stuff to enjoy nowadays, and being able to enjoy them in a bigger variety of ways. So the way I would summarize the three numbered games is this:1 is the most consistent. Mostly everything about it is good to very good, but aside from the world concept and maybe the plot--which is very fun and exciting--nothing about it really stands out to me.2 is the most interesting if you are able to look past the surface (e.g. some questionable character designs and anime silliness, bad performance on the technical side, some janky mechanics). It does the most with its story and characters, and I personally found the world the most fun to explore and the gameplay the most engaging of the lot.3 is the one you play if you really love characters. Like, character development, dialogue, intraparty interactions, banter, drama. The cast is fantastic and play off of each other wonderfully. It is also absolutely chock full of good side quests if you like mini-narratives--gameplay-wise they aren't that special. I found the gameplay to be far too chaotic to be enjoyable, though, and the plot is a bit of a slog, although with some incredible character drama peaks.That said, they all seem to have an equal amount of fans, so you're probably going to get about an equal amount of "n is the best" posts for each entry lol.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Thanks a lot for taking the time to write these posts Actually from my own personal research it does seem like I would like 2 the most. Whats this torna I hear everyone talking about? Is it like a deluxe edition of 2 or its own thing?mnkMemberNov 11, 20177,796If you're saying 1 has boring characters and a boring open world, then this series just isn't for you. Maybe you'd gel more with 2's Titan regions, but I would expect you to find 3's world even more boring. But if you're that annoyed by Riki and Reyn, I'm not sure I can suggest 2 either. You'll hate Tora and will probably find Zeke and maybe Rex super annoying too. I would maybe guess 3 might be the best bet for you.jonjonaugMemberOct 25, 20176,133nogoodnamesleft said:Thanks a lot for taking the time to write these postsActually from my own personal research it does seem like I would like 2 the most. Whats this torna I hear everyone talking about? Is it like a deluxe edition of 2 or its own thing?Click to expand...Click to shrink...Torna is the DLC campaign for 2. All three games on the Switch have sizable DLC expansion campaigns with new characters, new areas, and shaken up gameplay from the base game. 1's DLC is a sequel, while 2 and 3 are prequels that are still meant to be played after you finish the base game.Although 2's can be played around 2/3rds of the way into 2's main story if you want as well since it fits nicely after both chapters 6 and 7, although going back and forth between different game designs might feel weird. MaNuuMemberMay 11, 2024130Xenoblade 2, my favorite switch gameNimbat1003MemberNov 14, 20211,919Huh u've made it past the point I find the story kicks in in 1, but that's still my fave.worth saying I collect all the side quest but never actively do any of them in 1 and 2. I hand in any I accidently complete and moved on but I basically do that in in all openworld games outside of Bethesda.3 at least has great side side quest but the weakest story imho.SpellSwordFoxxMemberFeb 27, 202587of the main trilogy, I enjoyed my time with 3 the most. Although I think your conflicting taste in gameplay may not gel with it, since it was the closest to X to me, which I consider the best of the games overall (outside of main narrative).They all play like some form of single player MMO-lite, so if that isn't what you're here for, you may want to look elsewhere. In the case of the main trilogy, they are all much slower paced cooldown-based combat wise. Compared to X post DE version, is almost comically fast with quick recasts lolLast edited: Yesterday at 1:58 AMApolloCorrupted by VengeanceAvengerOct 25, 20179,748I won't recommend X even though IMO it is the best one, so looking at the numbered trilogy, I dislike 1 and think 2 and 3 are pretty equivalent. You should probably play 3 though since it sounds like you don't like the Nopon, and so you may not care for Tora who is a major character in 2. (Okay Nopon are major characters in every XB but Tora is pretty uniquely prominent in that game).AntonyMemberOct 25, 20174,008Torna.Best protagonist, best soundtrack, everything from 2 is refined and perfected and I loved the focus on community building.TsumamiMemberFeb 3, 20226,662It's 2 and by far.Nose MasterMemberOct 27, 20172,864Probably 1. 2 and 3 get a bit tales like in anime cringe. It's there in 1, but not as bad.hydruxo Legend MemberOct 25, 201722,331For me, it's XC3 by a large amount. I just adore the cast of 3, and the world / gameplay is fantastic. Eunie >>> everyone else in the whole seriesXC1 is also excellent but I think the first half of the game is top tier and it kind of drops for me a bit in the back half. XC2 I couldn't really get into much. I'm a little baffled that 2 is winning the poll because usually it's the most divisive while 3 and 1 get the most love.DynoAVALANCHEThe FallenOct 25, 201716,4561 probably. First game was pretty good, second game was a full price game with gacha mechanics gating you from content and that was enough for me to never even consider 3. I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteNightShiftMemberOct 25, 201710,173AustraliaIf you think the world of XC1 is boring than the series simply isn't for you.If you still want to try than I'd recommend XC3 because that one's carried by the characters more than the world and even the plot itself. It's also the best game in the series by far.Dyno said:1 probably. First game was pretty good, second game was a full price game with gacha mechanics gating you from content and that was enough for me to never even consider 3. I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink...I don't think you know what XC3 is. It contains no gatcha and harem shit. flatearthpandasMemberOct 26, 20176,764Dyno said:I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink...WatmnkMemberNov 11, 20177,796Dyno said:I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink......I don't think you've read enough about 3.BernkastelTeyvat TravelerThe FallenJan 15, 20182,385Brazil2>>>>3>1AlehMemberOct 27, 201719,471Xenoblade 2 is one of the best games of all time, 1 and 3 are merely very good :)HelixMayor of Clown TownMemberJun 8, 201926,627Torna and 3HellstruckMemberJun 29, 20222,105Oh boy here we go again.Anyway, it's 2.Best characters.Best story.2nd best world design (behind X, Mira is a masterpiece)Best OSTIt's main lacking point is its sidequests. There are some interesting ones along with some fun blade quests, but 3 and X soundly beat it in this department.KhanimusAvengerOct 25, 201745,209Greater Vancouver3Best castBest storyDynoAVALANCHEThe FallenOct 25, 201716,456NightShift said:If you think the world of XC1 is boring than the series simply isn't for you.If you still want to try than I'd recommend XC3 because that one's carried by the characters more than the world and even the plot itself. It's also the best game in the series by far.I don't think you know what XC3 is. It contains no gatcha and harem shit.Click to expand...Click to shrink...2 definitely contains gacha shit but why is it when I've seen 3 come up people always talk about the ending involving him having impregnated multiple characters or something? I'm still baffled how we went from 1 or 2 to that somehow. Is that not the actual story? Because I've seen it referenced a shit load of times on this site lol. Even skipped it due to itDreyarnMemberOct 28, 2017187Dyno said:2 definitely contains gacha shit but why is it when I've seen 3 come up people always talk about the ending involving him having impregnated multiple characters or something?Click to expand...Click to shrink...It's a meme about a 3-second segment in a cinematic and it sticks out specifically because the game is not like that.To OP, I prefer XC2 but in this case I'd recommend 3 for the character focusAtomMemberJul 25, 202114,959Shulk has the best yells, so that one.

The Switch 2 is a social machine. For the consoles second iteration, Nintendo prioritized processing power capable of large-scale multiplayer. The Joy-Cons new C button lets you instantly join a group chat with shared-screen play options. Extensions in the Nintendo Switch Online app will add dimension to old titles, including autobuild-sharing in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As producer Kouichi Kawamoto put it in Nintendos post-reveal Ask the Developer update, development of the Switch 2 was inspired by memories of playing games together as children at a friends house or in a student lounge, where everyone brought their own consoles. The clear goal is to bring frictionless community play to Switch 2 that will be safe for all ages.The pitch is harmonious on paper and, based on footage in the Switch 2 Direct, existentially terrifying as a practice. Inspired by one of the defining experiences of the early 2020s, in which many of us were sequestered inside our homes playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo has, intentionally or not, optimized Switch 2 for the next global shutdown. Work on the Switch 2 began in earnest in 2019, according to Kawamoto, and the early focus was on improving software performance through tech upgrades. But development soon became entangled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown protocols forced Nintendos teams, among millions and millions of others, to work from home. The frustrations the team experienced while making the setup work led to one of Switch 2s major features: GameChat. Back then, we were using a video conferencing system to check the software we were developing with our team, but the screen-sharing function built into the video conferencing system only allowed us to share one gameplay screen at a time, Kawamoto says in the Ask the Developer interview. So, we had each person place their game screen in front of their camera instead of their faces. When we did that, it felt like we were all in the same place, each bringing our own console to play the game together, which was a lot of fun. Based on this experience, we proposed adding a feature to Switch 2 where people can share their gameplay screen with other players.As demonstrated in a video Nintendo released on Thursday, GameChat looks and feels exactly like a Discord or Zoom call. After receiving a notification for a GameChat invite from a friend, a player simply hits the C button to open a multi-window grid that allows for the seamless continuation of play while peeking in on whatever their friends are playing and chatting back and forth. The sizzle reel shows up to four people participating in a call, playing games individually or together in multiplayer spaces like Splatoon 3 and Mario Party Jamboree. Players speak to each other using the onboard console mic and can activate video using the new Switch 2 camera accessory. If for some reason a Switch 2 player needed to remain in their house without making human contact for two to 12 months, Nintendo has them covered on the socializing front.In many ways, Nintendo is beyond late to the game. Discord is right there, but even before the ubiquitous social platform, Microsoft strove for a similar connection when it launched Skype integration for the Xbox One in 2013, allowing for a party-chat-like experience. Nintendos dream of bringing distant friends closer together during remote play also predates GameChat; the Wii had the Wii Speak mic accessory and the few people who bought a Wii U had the ability to ring friends with Wii U Chat. But GameChat stands to be the cleanest collision of social and play on a console yet, and one with greater protection for kids thanks to Nintendos walled-off friend-list gardens. In the Switch 2 era, no distance will keep friends apart.Its a far cry from the vision for the original Switch. Nintendo revealed that console in a vibrant 2016 teaser that highlighted the hybrid consoles on-the-go possibilities. Players could kick back on the couch to play the new Zelda, or they could also traverse Hyrule literally anywhere else in airports, in parks, huddled around a beer hall picnic table with friends. Those memories of playing games together as children were part of the Switch DNA too, with an emphasis on breaking down the living room walls. With the Switch 2, Nintendo has retreated back indoors, and wants us to lean in closer to the TV.Image: NintendoNintendo hasnt abandoned the hybrid nature of the console and it never will, but GameChats Zoom aesthetic is a jarring departure from the limitlessness of the 2016 Switch reveal. In Nintendos promo video for Switch 2, good-looking 20-somethings chill in each of their loft apartments, remotely chit-chatting with each other as one plays Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and another explains the inner workings of Untitled Goose Game. In another vignette, a Japanese woman tells her three friends about a pizza place they once visited together in the outside world, which she has recreated in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game which has no negative connotations to our social reality whatsoever. Read the news, and you know Nintendo is making a smart call. As has been widely reported over the last year, the outbreak potential of H5N1, dubbed bird flu, looms as the virus jumps from avian species to mammals. The fear at this present juncture is not just that H5N1 could evolve to affect a wider spread of humans than just poultry and dairy workers who contract it on farms, but that combating bird flu is looking more and more like a potential U.S. infrastructure failure. Scientists say bird flu has been under-addressed on a political level over the last few years, while the Trump administrations mission to cut jobs in the health sector may impact the meager work that is being done. When asked recently what should be done about the continued emergence of bird flu, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nations top health official, suggested letting it run its course through bird populations, which scientists seem to agree is a pretty terrible way of mitigating viral mutation.Thats a lot of doom to erupt out of the introduction of Nintendos GameChat function, but then again, who could forget the time when GameChat would make the most sense? During my quarantine days in 2020, I spent an ungodly number of evenings playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online with a few non-gamer friends who lived just a few blocks away. Like the majority of people, the easiest way for us all to catch up face to face and talk a bit of smack as we swerved around Rainbow Road was to load up the Switch on the TV and a Zoom call on a laptop. With Switch 2, well have GameChat. In a way, I pray we never have to use it.There are less apocalyptic reasons GameChat is a tremendous advancement. There are families spread out around the state, the country, the world, who will come together to play Kirby Air Riders and feel closer than they ever would over a quick FaceTime check-in. The FromSoftware fans will have a helluva time screaming at each other as they embark on whatever The Duskbloods turns out to be. All of that will happen from the comfort of home the same home, the same walls, the same sofa, the inescapable familiar.The global population might completely avoid H5N1 or whatever the next close call looks like. Nintendo isnt taking a chance. It has built a console for socializing in solitary confinement that, thankfully, still has a handheld mode. Ill be taking it outside while I can.See More:

Product InfoGALAX GeForce RTX 5070 1-Click OCMarch, 2025TypeGraphics CardPrice$549 USIt's been two years since NVIDIA introduced its Ada Lovelace GPUs, kicking things off with the RTX 4090 and finishing up the initial lineup with the SUPER family At CES, the company unveiled its new RTX 50 "Blackwell" family which features a brand new architecture and several changes such as new cores, AI accelerators, new memory standards, and the latest video/display capabilities.NVIDIA has released the fourth entry within its "RTX 50" portfolio, the GeForce RTX 5070. The GeForce RTX 5070 retains its high-end positioning with the green team promising lots of performance at a price point of $549 US, which is $50 US lower than the 4070 SUPER. Today, we will be trying out GALAX GeForce RTX 5070 1-Click OC, which is a custom SSF design aiming for the MSRP price.NVIDIA GeForce GPU Segment/Tier PricesGraphics Segment20252023-20242022-20232021-20222020-20212019-20202018-20192017-2018Titan TierGeForce RTX 5090GeForce RTX 4090GeForce RTX 4090GeForce RTX 3090 TiGeForce RTX 3090GeForce RTX 3090Titan RTX (Turing)Titan V (Volta)Titan Xp (Pascal)Price$1999 US$1599 US$1599 US$1999 US$1499 US$1499 US$2499 US$2999 US$1199 USUltra Enthusiast TierGeForce RTX 5080GeForce RTX 4080 SUPERGeForce RTX 4080GeForce RTX 3080 TiGeForce RTX 3080 TiGeForce RTX 2080 TiGeForce RTX 2080 TiGeForce GTX 1080 TiPrice$999 US$999 US$1199 US$1199 US$1199 US$999 US$999 US$699 USEnthusiast TierGeForce RTX 5070 TiGeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPERGeForce RTX 4070 TiGeForce RTX 3080 12 GBGeForce RTX 3080 10 GBGeForce RTX 2080 SUPERGeForce RTX 2080GeForce GTX 1080Price$749 US$799 US$799 US$799 US$699 US$699 US$699 US$549 USHigh-End TierGeForce RTX 5070GeForce RTX 4070 SUPERGeForce RTX 4070GeForce RTX 4070GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GBGeForce RTX 3070 TiGeForce RTX 3070GeForce RTX 3070 TiGeForce RTX 3070GeForce RTX 2070 SUPERGeForce RTX 2070GeForce GTX 1070Price$549 US$599$549$599 US$499 US$599$499$599$499$499 US$499 US$379 USMainstream TierGeForce RTX 5060 TiGeForce RTX 4060 TiGeForce RTX 4060GeForce RTX 4060 TiGeForce RTX 4060GeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce RTX 3060 12 GBGeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce RTX 3060 12 GBGeForce RTX 2060 SUPERGeForce RTX 2060GeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce GTX 1660GeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1060PriceTBD$449$299$399 US$299 US$399 US$329 US$399 US$329 US$399 US$349 US$279 US$229 US$219 US$249 US$249 USEntry TierGeForce RTX 5060RTX 3050 8 GBRTX 3050 6 GBRTX 3050RTX 3050GTX 1650 SUPERGTX 1650GTX 1650 SUPERGTX 1650GTX 1050 TiGTX 1050GTX 1050 TiGTX 1050PriceTBD$229$179$249 US$249 US$159 US$149 US$159 US$149 US$139 US$109 US$139 US$109 USNVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Gaming Graphics CardsWith Blackwell, NVIDIA is going full-on into the AI segment with loads of optimizations & AI-specific accelerators.The Blackwell GPU does many traditional things that we would expect from a GPU, but simultaneously breaks the barrier when it comes to untraditional GPU operations. To sum up some features:New Streaming Multiprocessor (SM)New 5th Gen Tensor CoresNew 4th Gen RT (Ray Tracing) CoresAI Management ProcessorMax-Q Mode for Desktops & LaptopsNew GDDR7 High-Performance Memory SubsystemNew DP2.1b Display Engine & Next-Gen NVENC/NVDEC2 of 9The technologies mentioned above are some of the main building blocks of the Blackwell GPU, but there's more within the graphics core itself which we will talk about in detail so let's get started.ContentsNext page

Since Toriyama's death, fans have been wondering about what will happen to Dragon Ball in the future. While it is impossible to predict the future, we can try to understand Toriyama's views on the series and thus try to guess what is likely to happen likely to happen to Dragon Ball.

The first thing I worked on for this week was a final puzzle that would allow access to the next area (the forest). After trying out some different ideas and concepts, I decided to have an evolved version of the puzzles used on the island house and castle. The premise of the puzzle is that there are a bunch of crates blocking off the forest, and the player has to find five separate switches to get rid of them all (each switch revolves 1/5). The player needs to activate all five switches to ge

As it barrels through its characteristically outlandish fourth and final season, Danny McBrides HBO comedy The Righteous Gemstones has cemented a reputation for itself. Yes, its side-splittingly funny. Yes, its failchildren of a crumbling empire narrative is surprisingly relevant. Yes, there is a core of sincerity at the center of the madness. But Gemstones legacy wouldnt be complete without talking about the bold ways McBride and co. spend the budget on ridiculous props and movie-level set pieces. Its the best-looking comedy on television because of the care put into the details of the production, and because you see every single dollar on the screen.Season 4 has continued that tradition with aplomb, opening with a Civil War flashback episode that included a long, chaotic battle sequence edited to look like one extended take. Its one of the biggest action pieces on TV this year so far, and involved 100 background actors, 20 reenactors, 13 stunt performers, and 12 horseback wranglers. (McBride is happy to hold up the HBO big battle mantle until Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight premieres later this year.)But the second episode upped the ante even more, as the core Gemstones (McBride, Edi Patterson, and Adam DeVine) were strapped to jetpacks and sent flying around the cavernous North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center. The scene is one of the best examples yet of the Gemstone childrens ostentatious excess they are ostensibly holding an event to honor the legacy of their late mother, but instead, of course, make it all about them. A lesser show would have green screened the whole thing, but not Gemstones: While stunt performers were used for the most dangerous parts, all three cast members flew as high as 50 feet in the coliseum to capture the high-wire act.It was a big challenge for supervising stunt coordinator Cory DeMeyers (Rebel Ridge) and his stunt team. While he had never worked on a jetpack sequence before, his wirework experience as a stuntman and time spent shooting a similar (but ultimately reshot) sequence in Netflixs Project Power made him confident in what to do. Along with director Jody Hill and VFX supervisor Bruce Branit, the first step: sitting down with a bunch of G.I. Joes and choreographed the sequence with the toy soldiers.It [helped us] come up with the concept of like, OK, how are we going to do this? DeMeyers told Polygon. What is the actual performance? Are they rising together? Opposite, spinning, changing position?After briefly considering using real jetpacks (more trouble than it was worth) and green screens (not the vibe), the team settled on a classic, but taxing practical stunt approach: 13 different wire rigs, two high-speed winches from a team that works with Cirque du Soleil, old school hand-operated stunt lines, and over 7,000 feet of tech line weaved around the 100-foot-tall coliseum. In all, DeMeyers and his team had three weeks of rigging, testing, and rehearsing a blessing in the fast-paced world of television shooting.I do not know how I got our [Unit Production Manager] and our line producer to agree to that, DeMeyers says. In television, it never really feels like you have enough time. But [the Gemstones team] are trying to give you as much time as they can while still allowing every other department to put as much on screen as possible. Theyre very much about making sure everybody has what they need to be successful. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cory DeMeyers (@corydemeyers)The Civil War battle from the first episode helped DeMeyers execute within the time he had the two sequences were shot back-to-back, with a couple of days in between. That meant he could bring the rigging team to Charleston early to help with some of that sequence, before sending them to the coliseum to get started scouting and wiring the place. But the design of the coliseum itself and the necessities for filming an evangelical extravaganza there posed its own problems.Theyre rigging for a rock-and-roll/television show with their lighting setups, DeMeyers says. So now we have 7,000 feet of line that we have to put up in the air. We have to be able to fly our actors 50 feet up at times and our stunt people 50 feet up at times, but we also have to fly them like 75, 80 feet across the entire coliseum. And so how do you do that when you have 150 lights on grids up in the air?The answer: color-coded rigs (to keep all 13 of them straight), and some old-fashioned theater tricks. Because the majority of the jetpack sequence has Danny McBrides character flying higher than the other two in the middle, with Adam Devine and Edi Patterson level on either side of him, the team set up one system for both Devine and Patterson, and a different one for McBride. But the team only had two winches, instead of four. With two, you can control flight in two dimensions, while four allows you to move in three. Since the characters were flying both vertically and horizontally, thats where the theater techniques came in: Counterweights and strong arms.We put the winches on one axis, and then we operated hand lines with counterweights the same way they used to do it in stage productions, he explains. So up and down might be on counterweights and a stuntman on a line helping you travel upwards smoothly on this counterbalance system. But forward would be programmed speed, and timing would be on the high speed winch, or vice versa.An unexpected wrinkle for DeMeyers and the stunt team was the Gemstones ostentatious costuming. There are a few different outfits they wear during the flying sequences, including extravagant angel wings and astronaut outfits. The astronaut suits were easy, but the wings were a pain in the butt. In rehearsals, the team used makeshift wings made out of PVC pipes and foam to recreate the right size, but they realized later the weight was off and had to make late adjustments to account for the approximate 50 pounds of weight from the jetpack prop (made by production designer Richard Wrights team, complete with lights and fans inside) and the costumes.While stunt performers were used for the crashes, McBride, Devine, and Patterson (the only one of the trio without prior harness-flying experience in her career) did most of our flying, DeMeyers says, including moments where they send the actors flying towards walls to get their genuine reactions (stopping them just before impact, of course, with stunt performers swapping in for that part). That includes the final shot of the episode, where McBride flies 50 to 75 feet up in the air towards a hanging disco ball he did the flying himself.All three of them Danny, Adam, and Edi were just champions in that sequence, he says. They were nervous for sure, but we brought them in for a rehearsal day beforehand and gave them an opportunity to fly a little bit.You can make people as comfortable as possible in a harness, and a day might be all right, but when youre in that harness testing for an entire day and then shooting for two or three days [] And they werent just flying in harnesses for three, four days. They were also carrying an additional 50 pounds while doing it. And that doesnt necessarily feel the best, but it looked amazing and we accomplished everything we set out to accomplish and it was safe, and I think it looks good.One of the most important elements for the team to get right was the jetpacks crashing during the Gemstones rehearsals, because it was a unique opportunity to recreate where real jetpack technology is at right now. The programmable winches use a node-based program (like you were editing a slow motion timeline) that allowed the team to be exact with the way jetpacks can sputter and sway.Weve all seen jetpacks now, he says. They really exist in our world, and if you watch em, they dont necessarily fly the way that you had imagined them when you were a kid.During the jetpack sequence, McBrides character bowls into a group of dancers, hitting one directly in the back with his helmet. The performer hit, MaryGrace Colburn, was a first-time stunt performer a former dancer who had worked on the show as a PA and had talked to DeMeyers about getting into stunts. (Its not uncommon on the show: DeMeyers says the crew are encouraged to try out other jobs theyre interested in.) This was her first real opportunity, and she did so well that it put a serious scare into her coordinator.She took the hardest hit out of all the girls, and it was her first job ever, he beams. From the audience, I was standing back watching the whole thing, and she sold it so well, I thought she bounced her face off the ground. I was like, Oh my God, we killed MG. She broke her nose. This is her first job. Shes never going to want to do stunts again. And one of our other girls starts to crawl over to her and check on her. And their acting was so good, because as soon as they called cut, both girls jumped up with the biggest smiles on their faces and high fived each other and were stoked.That spirit of collaboration and giving everyone their time to shine is a big part of what makes Gemstones special, especially because it runs so counter to the instincts of the characters within the show. And as episode 2s jetpack sequence showed, when you work like that, the skys the limit or maybe, a disco ball is.New episodes of The Righteous Gemstones air Sunday nights on HBO.

Lessons from sidestepping Microsoft 365's aggressive subscription renewaltacticsA few weeks before my long standing Microsoft 365 Family subscription was due for renewal I received an email stating that it will automatically-renew, one thing it failed to mention was the new price was 30% more than lastyear.In the first email received therere no mention of pricechange.Now even in these inflationary times, this feels like a ridiculously heavy price bump, considering that in 2024 Microsoft had a net income (revenue minus expenses, interest and tax) of $88B thats a 22% increase from 2023. If youre thinking maybe Office 365 sales werent great in 2024well they had seen over 11% growth driven by Office 365. In a nutshell, Microsoft have been doing pretty, pretty well, so why the bump? Well, it looks like they want subscribers to adopt their embedded Copilot AI and are aggressively pushing it with all their new and renewing subscriptions.After reading that first email I went into my Microsoft account management area to see if could find a renewal option similar to my existing 365 Family one without Copilot, I found none. The Microsoft website shows only a new 365 Family plan with Copilot. At this point it felt like they has pulled the rug out from under me. Ive been a subscriber for well over a decade and use their apps and cloud storage, I was inextricably tied into their platform and they were deploying tactics to aggressively extract more fromme.No mention of any options for renewing subscribersI didnt have the bandwidth at this point in time to cleanly migrate my family and data from the 365 platform so I resigned myself to having to pay the higher fee, albeit with a lot of resentment and made a mental note that in the next twelve months to find an alternative office suite and cloud storage provider.About eight hours later I received another email, stating there was a price change to my subscription.Notice how this email has more details about the price changechange.I dismissed this email as I had already come to the conclusion that I was somewhat stuck with Microsoft 365 for the next twelvemonths.Deceptive patterns uncoveredA few days before my renewal was due a friend informed me there was a way to retain the original 365 Family plan without Copilot. Its only available to existing subscribers that attempt to cancel their subscription, at which point they are presented with this cheaper renewalplan.Now this option is very much hidden, its not meant to be found unless youre pretty adamant on cancelling and click through on that cancel button. Now I never thought of this as an option, as I had no intention to click on a button that might jeopardise losing all the data I had in the cloud just to switch down on to a different plan.The Cancel subscription button hides the renew existing planoptionFollowing some re-examination of those original emails, I saw the second email has a link to a support article which explains your two main options and in a small foot-note style addendum mentions there is a way to get a plan without Copilot. But of course you have to follow another link to Learn more about how to finish the final steps in thisdance.The options to switch to a Copilot free plan are hidden in a foot-note. Full supportarticleSo I could finally renew without the added Copilot feature, but Microsoft had employed some pretty deceptive patterns to hide and obfuscate this renewal option from their existing subscribers.Lets do a quick review of the practices deployed in this deceptive pattern,Misleading email messagingEmail messaging omits information to imply subscribers only have the options presented tothem.Lack of transparency on renewal optionsExisting subscribers were not clearly shown or told all their renewal options via email or on platform.Concealed renewal instructionsInstruction to retain the existing plan are embedded deep in support articles.Hidden user controlsThe action to retain the existing plan is hidden behind a cancelbutton.Microsoft seem to be betting on subscriber inertia to increase fees and sell customers something they havent really signed up for and hoping they swallow this bitter pill. I expected more from Microsoft, whove created a solid design system (Fluent) as well as championed inclusive design even in their new product packaging. It then struck me that I had seen this behaviour beforeThe XboxshuffleIf you have an Xbox you might be familiar with Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service for access to a Netflix style library of games, similarly it comes in a series of different tiers Core, Standard or Ultimate and you pay a monthly subscription fee to access the platform.Now hold you breath for this part, Game Pass has a feature where if you pay up front for a number of months using gift card codes on a cheaper tier, you can convert these into a slightly fewer months on the higher tier and make a saving on the overall subscription over the period. In short if I buy 3 months of the cheaper (Core) tier I can convert it into just over 2 months of the higher (Ultimate) tier and make a saving over just paying monthly for the higher tier (if youre inclined heres an explanation on Game Pass conversions; and the official article about Game Pass conversions).Ive done this a number of times to renew my subscription and its quite a danceto make sure you buy the codes for the right region, so you can then add them to your account and finally convert them. Its a game untoitself.Microsoft isnt new to taking advantage of subscriber inertia, in 2022 they were forced to change auto-renewal of Xbox subscriptions in the UK as it was a concern many customers were being charged for services they werent using. (Source, Reuters:Microsoft agrees to change Xbox auto-renewal practices inBritain)Designing systems fortrustIn each of these instances the practices employed left me feeling a sense of distrust with Microsoft. I wasn't just a customer as much as I felt exploited and cheated, in the organisations eyes I was simply there as a revenue source to be drained for as much and as long as possible.These types of practices by their very nature sow distrust, as theyre intentionally designed to mislead, when users uncover them theyre not easily forgiven like a shoddy outdated UI mightbe.Good systems embrace design principles that foster transparency, clarity and empower user to have control, these can build customer loyalty and drive advocacy because theyre rooted in a sense of integrity.I believe as a design community we need to shine a light on these deceptive patterns and questionable practices, so we can continue to keep the importance of responsible design at the forefront of our design discussions.Together we can set better industry norms that prioritise user trust and engender more honest and equitable experiences. As digital systems grow more powerful and control more of our data, the stakes are only getting higher and ethical design cant take a backseat.The Microsoft 365 renewal dance: uncovering deceptive patterns was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.