Congress should invest at least $15 billion to support biotech research over the next five years and take other steps to bolster manufacturing in the U.S., the report said.

Recent productions in Germany and the Netherlands—of classics, curiosities and contemporary works by composers ranging from Strauss to Saariaho—powerfully exemplified the scene’s risk-taking artistic ethos.

Assured access to space A military satellite waiting to launch with ULA will now fly with SpaceX The Space Force wants to launch this particular GPS satellite soon, but ULA isn't ready. Stephen Clark – Apr 7, 2025 8:08 pm | 9 The second flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket took off in October. The test flight was successful despite a malfunction with one of its solid rocket boosters. Credit: United Launch Alliance The second flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket took off in October. The test flight was successful despite a malfunction with one of its solid rocket boosters. Credit: United Launch Alliance Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more For the second time in six months, SpaceX will deploy a US military satellite that was sitting in storage, waiting for a slot on United Launch Alliance's launch schedule. Space Systems Command, which oversees the military's launch program, announced Monday that it is reassigning the launch of a Global Positioning System satellite from ULA's Vulcan rocket to SpaceX's Falcon 9. This satellite, designated GPS III SV-08 (Space Vehicle-08), will join the Space Force's fleet of navigation satellites beaming positioning and timing signals for military and civilian users around the world. The Space Force booked the Vulcan rocket to launch this spacecraft in 2023, when ULA hoped to begin flying military satellites on its new rocket by mid-2024. The Vulcan rocket is now scheduled to launch its first national security mission around the middle of this year, following the Space Force's certification of ULA's new launcher last month. The "launch vehicle trade" allows the Space Force to launch the GPS III SV-08 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as soon as the end of May, according to a press release. “Capability sitting on the ground” With Vulcan now cleared to launch military missions, officials are hopeful ULA can ramp up the rocket's flight cadence. Vulcan launched on two demonstration flights last year, and ULA eventually wants to launch Vulcan twice per month. ULA engineers have their work cut out for them. The company's Vulcan backlog now stands at 89 missions, following the Space Force's announcement last week of 19 additional launches awarded to ULA. Last year, the Pentagon's chief acquisition official for space wrote a letter to ULA's owners—Boeing and Lockheed Martin—expressing concern about ULA's ability to scale the manufacturing of the Vulcan rocket. "Currently there is military satellite capability sitting on the ground due to Vulcan delays," Frank Calvelli, the Pentagon's chief of space acquisition, wrote in the letter. Vulcan may finally be on the cusp of delivering for the Space Force, but there are several military payloads in the queue to launch on Vulcan before GPS III SV-08, which was complete and in storage at its Lockheed Martin factory in Colorado. Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader of launch execution, said in a statement that the rocket swap showcases the Space Force's ability to launch in three months from call-up, compared to the typical planning cycle of two years. "It highlights another instance of the Space Force's ability to complete high-priority launches on a rapid timescale, which demonstrates the capability to respond to emergent constellation needs as rapidly as Space Vehicle readiness allows," Horne said. The Space Force did the same thing last year, when teams from the military, SpaceX, and Lockheed Martin pulled a GPS satellite out of storage and prepared it for launch on a Falcon 9 rocket in less than five months, instead of waiting for its previously assigned slot with United Launch Alliance. Officials dubbed the exercise a "Rapid Response Trailblazer" that could be replicated to fulfill future military needs. The trailblazer mission successfully launched in December. Aside from proving the Space Force could prepare for a launch in a matter of a few months, Horne said the mission also demonstrated the Space Force's ability to adjust its manifest to minimize the impact of Vulcan delays. The GPS III SV-08 satellite shipped to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, last week in preparation for launch at the end of May. Credit: Lockheed Martin In exchange for switching the next GPS satellite to launch on a Falcon 9, the Space Force will move a future GPS payload from SpaceX's Falcon Heavy back to ULA's Vulcan. That means the next three GPS satellites will fly on Vulcan. The Space Force compensated ULA for losing a GPS launch to last year's trailblazing SpaceX mission by reallocating another future GPS satellite to Vulcan. Space Systems Command said accelerating the GPS launch campaign must overcome "challenges such as space vehicle-to-launch vehicle integration, satellite control preparation, and rapid contracting and procurement actions." This satellite, No. 8 of 10 in the GPS III series, will replace an aging navigation satellite in the constellation. The GPS network has 31 operational satellites (it needs 24 for global coverage), but some of them are quite old. The longest-lived member of the GPS constellation launched in 1997, and was built for a design life of seven-and-a-half years. The GPS III satellites broadcast more accurate navigation signals, and they're more difficult for an adversary to jam. This generation of GPS satellites also has a new channel compatible with Europe's Galileo navigation network, allowing users to merge signals from both constellations to derive even better position estimates. So, there's a hunger to launch these modernized GPS III satellites. There are two more satellites in this series after GPS III SV-08. They're both finished and in storage, waiting for launch on Vulcan. An upgraded GPS design, known as GPS IIIF, will begin launching in 2027. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 9 Comments

A gold mining area in the Peruvian AmazonERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images Mercury pollution accumulated in trees could offer a new way to keep tabs on destructive gold mining operations in the Amazon rainforest. “We could potentially see whether mining is starting to ramp up,” says Jacqueline Gerson at Cornell University in New York. Most small-scale gold mining operations separate gold from ore by adding liquid mercury and then burning the mixture, releasing large amounts of mercury – a potent neurotoxin – into the air. Together, these mining operations, many of which are illegal, represent the largest source of mercury…

IBM is releasing the latest version of its mainframe hardware that includes new updates meant to accelerate AI adoption. The hardware and consulting company on Monday announced IBM z17, the latest version of its mainframe computer hardware. This fully encrypted mainframe is powered by an IBM Telum II processor and is designed for more than 250 AI use cases, the company says, including AI agents and generative AI. Mainframes might seem like old hat, but they’re used by 71% of Fortune 500 companies today, according to one source. In 2024, the mainframe market was worth an estimated $5.3 billion, per consulting firm Market Research Future. The z17 can process 450 billion inference operations in a day, a 50% increase over its predecessor, the IBM z16, which was released in 2022 and ran on the company’s original Tellum processor. The system is designed to be able to fully integrate with other hardware, software, and open-source tools. Tina Tarquinio, VP of product management and design for IBM Z, told TechCrunch that this mainframe upgrade has been in the works for five years — well before the current AI frenzy that started with the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022. IBM spent more than 2,000 research hours getting feedback from over 100 customers as it built the z17, Tarquinio said. She thinks it’s interesting to see that, now, five years later, the feedback they got aligned with where the market ended up heading. “It has been wild knowing that we’re introducing an AI accelerator, and then seeing, especially in the later half of 2022, all of the changes in the industry regarding AI,” Tarquinio told TechCrunch. “It’s been really exciting. I think the biggest point has been [that] we don’t know what we don’t know about what’s coming, right? So the possibilities are really unlimited in terms of what AI can help us do.” The z17 is set up to adapt and accommodate where the AI market heads, Tarquinio said. The mainframe will support 48 IBM Spyre AI accelerator chips upon release, with the plan to bring that number up to 96 within 12 months. “We are purposely building in headroom,” Tarquinio said. “We’re purposely building in AI agility. So as new models are introduced, [we’re] making sure that we’ve built in the headroom for bigger, larger models — models that maybe need more local memory to talk to each other. We’ve built in that because we know it’s really the approach that will change, right? The new models will come and go.” Tarquinio said that one of the highlights of this latest hardware — although she joked it was like being asked to pick her favorite child — is that the z17 is more energy-efficient than its predecessor and supposedly competitors, too. “On-chip, we’re increasing the AI acceleration by seven and a half times, but that’s five and a half times less energy than you would need to do, like, multi-model on another type of accelerator or platform in the industry,” Tarquinio said. The z17 mainframes will become generally available on June 8.

Paramount and Skydance have released Trailer #2 for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which hits theaters on May 23. Ethan Hunt and his team are back for one last Impossible Mission… because as they say, our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise again does all his own stunts, including a ridiculously insane rid hanging from the wing struts of a bi-plane. He stars alongside Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, and Frederick Schmidt. Christopher McQuarrie directs and produces, alongside Cruise. EPs are David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, and Chris Brock. VFX on the film, under production VFX supervisor Alex Wuttke, are produced by ILM, beloFX, BlueBolt, Clear Angle Studios, Halon Entertainment, MPC, One of Us, The Mill, The Third Floor, and Untold Studios. Source: Paramount Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Jen Donahue can't help but wonder whether a fellow skier took a bit of subtle revenge on her during a recent trip to Canada. Donahue and her husband, who are from California, took a trip up to Whistler, British Columbia, in March to enjoy the slopes. On their very first gondola ride up the mountain, they were seated next to a Canadian couple. While almost everyone else they met on the trip was very nice, the woman in the couple, Donahue said, was "straight mean." She was angry about the US's recent antagonism toward Canada, insisting Donahue and her husband make sure they buy Canadian products while on their visit and expressing dismay at the state of political affairs between the two countries."I think they're taking it really personally. She felt, personally, 'How could you do this to us? We've been so kind to you,'" Donahue said.The woman's husband eventually got her to lay off, but before they parted ways, she gave the pair of American travelers some advice on which ski run to try. "She sent us down the most awful way, and we were like, 'Do you think she did that on purpose?'" Donahue said.The spring and summer travel season is upon us. It's a time when people are excited to take a much-needed break and head out on vacation, in many cases, to a foreign destination. This year, American travelers are confronting a novel political scenario as President Donald Trump has taken a hostile stance toward countries that have historically been considered strong allies, such as Canada and those within the European Union. He's put in place widespread tariffs. His administration has issued loud public complaints about trade and defense relations with Europe. The president keeps joking about taking Greenland from Denmark and making Canada the 51st US state in a way that seems increasingly not jokey.For many Americans living and traveling abroad, their home nation turning into a global frenemy is making things uncomfortable. Some are rethinking their travel plans, and those who remain undeterred are bracing for some thorny conversations. In recent days, I talked to tourists and expats about how tensions were playing out in their journeys, and the consensus was that while the situation isn't dire, it's making things awkward. People travel to get away from reality, but this year, they're having a harder time achieving that. As the saying goes, wherever you go, there you are — or, rather, there are your country's politics.Donahue goes to Whistler once a year or so, and before this past trip, she had never had a political conversation in Canada. This time around, politics came up often — people would ask about it, they'd all hesitantly laugh, and she and her husband would explain they think it "sucks," too. "Everybody else almost felt sorry for us," she said. "It's embarrassing."Inbound travel to the US from many foreign nations is expected to take a hit this year. Flight bookings from Canada to the States have plunged this year, and Canadian airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet have reduced flights to US destinations. Bookings from Europe to the US have fallen, too. Foreign travelers are turned off by America's inward turn and adversarial stance. They've also seen stories about tougher border security and travelers being detained upon entry into the US. Some countries, such as the UK and Germany, have put in place warnings for their citizens regarding travel to the US.American tourists may also be scaling back some of their international travel plans. An analysis from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, of third-party air travel bookings from major US hubs to major European cities found that 12.6% fewer reservations had been made so far this year for June, July, and August compared with the same period last year. The Airlines Reporting Corp., which provides air transaction data, found that both international and domestic flight sales fell in February for US-based travel agencies compared to a year ago. International sales fell less than domestic sales, but both declines are a bad sign, given booking habits. I'm not bringing the usual pride that I have as an American. "Because of the deeper advance discounts and higher dollar price rise closer to day of departure, summer international tends to book sooner than domestic," Bob Mann, an aviation analyst, said in an email. He added that at a JPMorgan analyst-investor conference in March, multiple executives brought up poor recent sales, including international and transatlantic. "While one month is not a trend, it could signal an inflection point," he said.To be sure, if Americans do scale back on air travel this summer, it may not be because they're worried about politics. Virgin Atlantic has said it's seeing a slowdown in travel from the US to the UK, citing economic uncertainty. Consumers are concerned about the economy and their own income prospects, and that may lead more of them to stay home or wait on booking. Still, for some travelers, the potential for negative international attitudes may be part of the calculation. Related stories Even if American travelers aren't staying home, they're readying themselves for some questions and encounters they haven't dealt with in the past. On the American travel guru Rick Steves' blog, there's lengthy advice (and debate) about whether Americans are still welcome abroad. Forums on Reddit have intense discussions among expats and tourists about what to anticipate, how to handle tense situations, and a sense that this year is different from years past.Leila Bulling Towne, an executive coach in California, told me she's rethinking her approach to her coming trips — she's going to Mexico in the spring, and then in June, she'll be in Germany and Belgium. She has both American and Irish passports, and she plans to travel with both, just in case. Bulling Towne has traveled a lot throughout her life, and she never imagined she'd be so worried about her reception as an American."I felt like in the past, the worst that maybe people assumed about Americans was that we were loud and maybe not polite in a church or didn't respect someone or assumed everybody spoke English," she said. "Now, I feel as if it's a little I'm not bringing the usual pride that I have as an American."Bulling Towne has a lot of friends and family in Germany, and she said they'd been "quite honest that there's a pretty good anti-American sentiment" there. "As much as I can try and speak the local German dialect, I'm still going to be loud and clear coming through as an American," she added.Carol Harms, a retired teacher from Seattle who's doing a lot of foreign travel in her golden years, told me in an email she tries to avoid the topic of politics as much as possible in her journeys "because, on a personal level, I am ashamed" of the Trump administration's actions. Politics talk doesn't make for great vacation talk, but it's sometimes unavoidable. She was just landing in London when the November election results came in, and people were "puzzled" — good-natured but curious.In January, on a cruise in South Africa with a lot of Brits and Australians, almost everyone asked her about the election. "Most continued to be polite but were far less cheerful than before," she said. "One outspoken Trump supporter was avoided by most people." Now she's in Japan, surrounded by many Brits and Australians once again, and their attitudes have changed drastically. "Many of them are simply angry," she said, though it's not directed at her personally. "They feel completely let down."Ambrose Conroy, a management consultant from California, has found that in many of his recent business travels, his clients in Ireland and Germany are clamoring for clarity. Related stories "A lot of these people are people that I've known for a very long time. I think they're confused and frustrated by US policy," he said. "We're dividing the world with this right now, and unless we get simplicity and clarity, it's going to continue to be divisive."Some American expats find themselves in situations where their home country is now antagonizing the country they call home. That's the case for Elizabeth Van Horne, an English teacher from Colorado who's been living in France since 2013. Her French accent is good enough that people don't immediately realize that she's American, but once they figure it out, they inevitably want to talk Trump. "He's front and center of all those conversations," she said. Some people treat her with a sense of concern — as though she's gone through a natural disaster. "The vibe that I've been getting is pity," she added. It's hard to see the place you love so much is being viewed so negatively. She teaches English to many business students, who historically have wanted to travel to the US to visit or even launch their careers. This year, she has only one student who wants to go to America; the rest are going to try Canada, Australia, or maybe the UK. A colleague who was going to visit the US with her family has decided to delay the trip."It's hard to see the place you love so much is being viewed so negatively," she said. Her infant son has dual citizenship, and she wonders what he'll think of the US when he gets older, if he'll want to visit or live there. "I don't know what his view will be."The complications of traveling while American are hardly new. American tourists have long had a certain reputation — they're loud, they're entitled, they don't try to speak the language. There's a reason "tell people you're Canadian" is common travel advice, even if that may be an urban legend. (Though reporting for this story, I did come across a Canadian who was worried people might confuse her for an American while she was abroad.)Trump is hardly the only politician whose policies American travelers have had to reckon with while on the road. During the George W. Bush years, they had to answer questions about a president who launched two unpopular wars and a culture that tried to make "freedom fries" a thing. More recently, with President Joe Biden, they had to explain why a country would try to reelect someone so old and try to justify some of his global policies.Tom Predhome, a retired consultant from New York who moved to Malta in 2023, said Trump is a "natural topic of conversation" when people meet Americans there, but he also found under Biden there was a lot of concern about foreign policy, namely, Israel and Gaza. "You'll get people saying things like, 'Oh, Biden or Trump is really no different,'" he said. In 2017, he and his wife were with a tour group in Borneo, where the topic of Trump was so contentious that things between some American tourists almost came to blows. He remembers telling the tour guide, "I'm sorry. I apologize for my country."The point of travel is that it's supposed to be a way to leave worries behind. It's a chance to escape from the day-to-day, to forget for a while about obligations and work and responsibilities — and, in theory, politics. I don't know about you, but my idea of a good time on vacation is not lying on the beach and chatting about how Republicans are going to keep their small-margin coalition together as they negotiate the next reconciliation bill.But this travel season, Americans may have no choice but to face some of the Trump-composed music and deal with some less-than-friendly hosts. As much as Donahue was a little flabbergasted that the Canadian skier had sent her and her husband down a bad path, they heeded her advice with regard to what else to do while they were there. They bought Canadian products, including sweatshirts from a very obvious local brand. They tipped extra. Her husband wore the same sweatshirt with a Canadian flag and a beaver on it every day. "We wanted to blend in," she said.Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy. Thanks for signing up! Look out for your first newsletter with today's big story in your inbox soon. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Related stories

On Monday night, the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision tossing out a closely watched district court decision, which blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to use a 227-year-old law — the Alien Enemies Act — to deport many individuals without due process. The Court largely voted along party lines, although Republican Justice Amy Coney Barrett crossed over to dissent with the three Democratic justices.Though the Court’s decision in Trump v. J.G.G. is a win for Trump, it is not a total victory. The Court does not express an opinion on whether the Alien Enemies Act actually permits Trump to deport anyone. It also rules that, before anyone is deported under this law, that person must be given “notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal.”But this decision is still a significant victory for Trump — and a loss for anyone Trump’s administration deems worthy of deportation. For starters, Judge James Boasberg, the district court judge, had issued a blanket order that temporarily blocked all deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. Those deportations can now resume.The Supreme Court’s decision also rules that anyone Trump targets must bring a “habeas” proceeding, a process that ordinarily can only be used by a single individual to challenge their detention by the government. That means judges can only bar detention on a person-by-person basis.As Justice Sonia Sotomayor warns in dissent, “individuals who are unable to secure counsel, or who cannot timely appeal an adverse judgment rendered by a habeas court, face the prospect of removal directly into the perilous conditions of El Salvador’s [Center for Terrorism Confinement], where detainees suffer egregious human rights abuses.” (The administration has sent several hundred men accused of belonging to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to that prison.) Habeas proceedings must be brought in the place where the person seeking relief is detained. Thus far, the Trump administration has transferred prisoners it intends to deport under the Alien Enemies Act to Texas, which is located in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction. The Fifth Circuit is the most right-wing court in the federal appellate system. If someone brings a habeas suit in its jurisdiction, and the decision is appealed to the Fifth Circuit, the court could hand down a precedent that means any habeas proceedings challenging these deportations would fail.The Supreme Court’s decision in J.G.G. stands on dubious legal grounds. Habeas is the correct process for anyone who challenges the government’s decision to detain them, but the individuals at issue in J.G.G. do not challenge the government’s authority to detain them. They only challenge the government’s ability to deport them under the Alien Enemies Act.As the Court said in Skinner v. Switzer (2011), there is no case “in which the Court has recognized habeas as the sole remedy, or even an available one, where the relief sought would ‘neither terminat[e] custody, accelerat[e] the future date of release from custody, nor reduc[e] the level of custody.’”Finally, while the Supreme Court does not reach the question of whether the Alien Enemies Act can be used by Trump to deport people, the answer to this question under current law is an emphatic “no.” The Act, which has only been used three times in American history before Trump took office, may only be used against citizens of a country that the United States is at war with, or against a country that is engaged in a military invasion of the United States. The United States is not at war, nor has it been invaded.Realistically, it is unlikely the Court can avoid the question of whether Trump may invoke this wartime statute for long. Indeed, in the likely event that the Fifth Circuit denies relief to the people Trump seeks to deport, one of them is likely to seek Supreme Court review of that decision.For now, however, the Court gets to delay that showdown. The one silver lining in the J.G.G. case is that all nine justices agree that anyone Trump seeks to deport under the Alien Enemies Act must be given an opportunity to find a lawyer and challenge their deportation. But that opportunity is unlikely to mean much for as long as these cases remain in the Fifth Circuit.See More:

GTA 6 fans are joking about the 'madness' of waiting for an update from Rockstar Games after almost a year and a half of radio silence on the open-world epic — thankfully, we think they're jokingTech08:00, 08 Apr 2025Rockstar could headline one of the best years in gaming(Image: Rockstar)Grand Theft Auto 6 is still slated to launch in 2025 (unless we get a delay), but you'd be forgiven for thinking it might never come out at all. That's because Rockstar Games has said nothing about the title since December 2023, when it dropped the first trailer.After some fans were convinced April 1 would see the launch of another trailer (or at least another update on the title), we're still waiting — and the process is starting to take its toll.‌Article continues belowWhile some were making their dissatisfaction known back in December, one Reddit post has been gaining some traction for describing a "descent into madness" as the wait goes on for GTA 6 news. We really hope they're joking...Posting on the GTA 6 subreddit, one fan said "I’ve been having GTA 6 dreams the past 2 nights."‌"The first one I distinctly remember playing the game and being extremely bored, Rockstar's lifelike Vice city cityscape, a barren wasteland, no civilians, no helicopters, no hustle abs bustle, no neon lights and I’m extremely bored, the rest is fuzzy."Last night was similar except I remember absolutely nothing, only that it was also GTA 6 themed."Now here I lay, at 2:32 am, waiting to fall asleep so I can be very tired when I have to get up for work in 5 1/2 hours, wondering, what’s will come next, will I be given visions of what’s to come for this community to alleviate the suffering we are all experiencing brothers and sisters? Who knows.‌"This is the tale of a GTA fan who is eagerly anticipating more news, more information, more anything about the most anticipated game of his life."Here's hoping we get a new trailer soon(Image: Rockstar)‌It's... a lot to take in, and while the poster has said they posted for comedic purposes, their bizarre commitment to the bit means they posted "I can wait" twice in a row."I'm glad you're doing well — and hey, it's kinda comforting to know we're not alone in this collective frustration," another user added, while another suggested therapy.Still, it's not a new phenomenon apparently. "I used to have nightmares about GTA San Andreas getting delayed to 2060. That was 2004," one longtime fan said.Article continues belowWhether it's real or not, it's clear Rockstar's hesitance to show, well, anything has fans chomping at the bit for the next morsel of GTA 6 news.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

The Nintendo Switch 2 is probably going to be hard to get hold of this year (Nintendo) The Tuesday letters page thinks the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was amateurish, as one reader is surprised Silksong’s brief reveal has gone largely unnoticed. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Tariff turmoil I’m not surprised to find the Switch 2 is already starting to sell out, in terms of pre-orders. Based on the success of the original Switch and Nintendo’s overall positive reputation I imagine that it will be difficult to get hold of this Christmas, even though they seem to be doing their best to disrupt scalpers.I can’t say if it’s worth it, I haven’t played it, but I can say that Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong both look good and everyone who’s played them seems to agree. I doubt I’ll pick one up this year but who amongst us can predict what their money situation is going to be by that point, given everything going on right now. I wonder if all the nonsense with the tariffs will end up hastening the end of this generation or prolonging it. If Sony can get by for a while with PlayStation 5 stock as it is, does that mean they’ll try to avoid moving to the PlayStation 6 until Trump’s gone? Or will they fast forward it and pretend it’s made in some place that hasn’t got as bad tariffs (I’m sure the UK will be happy to help!). I really have no idea but never mind delaying the Switch 2 Direct by a couple of days, I’m starting to get the feeling Nintendo should’ve waited till next year.Lomax Schoolboy errors Personally, I’m very disappointed with the Nintendo Direct. Not so much its content but the amateurish way Nintendo has handled it all. I would’ve liked to see more big budget first party games, but Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong did look good.My bigger complaint is why did Nintendo not just delay the Direct a week and see how the tariffs played out? They were announced weeks ago, so they had plenty of time to press pause. And why are they being slow to announce prices? It’s getting on for a week now and we still don’t know how much the upgrades are or games like Drag X Drive or Welcome Tour. Some of these things have been announced for other countries and some not at all, but it’s all completely random and feels slapdash. One thing I would normally think of with Nintendo is that they’re organised and sensible, but I’m not feeling that at all at the moment. And that bait and switch with The Duskbloods being some multiplayer-only rubbish is unforgiveable.Hurst99 Family upgrade Nintendo releasing games like Metroid Prime 4 with upgrade codes for the Switch 2 versions, after that whole presentation on Switch 2 cartridges being red, seems like a really silly mistake.Most of the comments seem to be focusing on how this affects the resale value, as you wouldn’t be able to pass on the upgrade code once you’ve used it, but it’s worse than that. If you’ve got more than one Switch 2 in your household, which I don’t think is that uncommon if you have more than one kid, it effectively means the one with the upgrade tied to their account get the Switch 2 version and everyone else is stuck with the Switch 1 version unless you buy a more upgrade package for a game you only own one copy of! Is it so hard to put the Switch 2 copy of the game in the Switch 2 box?Tim GC: We’d hope that you’d get the upgrade if you shared the game with your family group, given how keen Nintendo seem to be at pushing that idea. Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Definitely not definite I’d like to offer my personal opinion on the Switch 2 and Nintendo’s controversial pricing of their titles. Let’s address the bluntly obvious truth. The very same people ridiculing Nintendo, over the price of Super Mario World, will still pre-order the bundle, because why would they not? Despite the PS5 Pro’s £700 price tag, millions still brought it.Frankly, Nintendo will sell millions of copies. I understand the hatred, because it’s a cruel fact of life that Nintendo charge an insane amount for their first party titles. Metroid Prime 4 and The Duskbloods will be overpriced for definite. They’re exclusive to the Switch 2 and it’s a clever act to rope in FromSoftware to develop an exclusive. They’re one of the most renowned developers and in my top three favourites. The other two being Rockstar and CD Projekt Red. That being said, I’m absolutely pre-ordering the Mario Kart World bundle – since it seems folly to pay £74.99 for a separate copy. I love you Mario, but not that much. Unfortunately, it’s currently out of stock everywhere I see and Amazon haven’t sent an invite my way yet. Hopefully that necessitates a change and I’m soon blazing my way past Wario and blue-shelling Bowser on the racetrack.Shahzaib Sadiq Beautiful consoles Does the PlayStation 5 become more visually appealing the longer it sits under your telly? Does its bold but rather unusual design eventually win you over? The console reminds me of the occasions when I’ve asked artificial intelligence to generate an image and the AI software draws something that looks so wrong that no rational human mind would ever conceive it.What were the executives thinking when they settled on the final PlayStation 5 design? Yes, that’s the look we want. Let’s make our new console resemble a giant liquorice allsort that’s nearly been stamped in half. The plastic feet things that you have to slot onto the console’s underside to stop it falling over are good too. Of course you could design a console that doesn’t fall over in the first place. Maybe I’ll grow to like the PlayStation 5. At least it isn’t a conventional box. I think Sony really got it right design-wise once. The slimline PlayStation 2 was a seek and unobtrusive item that I was glad to own. Has there ever been a truly beautiful games console? Has any manufacturer got console design just right? I also really like the Panasonic GameCube, but part of that console’s appeal might be down to its monetary value and rarity.Michael Veal (@msv858) GC: As far as we’re concerned it only gets uglier the more you look at it. Our favourite has always been the PC Engine. The PS one is nice too, and the European and Japanese SNES (the American SNES is the ugliest). The PC Engine is a real beauty (Credits: Evan Amos Vanamo Media) Time to think Sorry for the delay, but big thanks to big boy bent for the recommendations on Streets Of Rage 4 and, in particular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. I’ll definitely play both before Marvel Cosmic Invasion, as it sounds like they’re great fun and there’s a lot of replayability to both.As to what console I’ll be playing them on, that’s up in the air since the Switch 2 Direct and previews. I haven’t managed to secure a pre-order but am weighing up when and how to fund getting one. I’m wondering whether I should sell my current Switch and PlayStation 5 to fund the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle, when it becomes available again. Selling my current Switch is a no-brainer, however, whether to also sell my PlayStation 5 is my main dilemma. I almost exclusively play console exclusives or smaller indie titles, especially since becoming a father almost a year ago. I loved Sony’s output during the PlayStation 4 era but have since found they’ve become stale on the PlayStation 5, with only Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart being a true highlight. The two Spider-Man sequels and God Of War Ragnarök were the main offenders on this formula fatigue, where they were good, not great, and didn’t feel fresh and engaging. Two PlayStation 5 games are currently making me question whether I should sell the console to facilitate my Switch 2 purchase: Marvel’s Wolverine and GTA 6. Wolverine was a major draw in me buying the PlayStation 5 when it was first (and only) teased, so the radio silence on the game for the past four years has been frustrating and we have no idea when it’ll actually be released or even how it might play. GTA 6 will generate so much hype that it’ll be hard to ignore. However, if I’m honest, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 didn’t blow my mind as much as most, probably because I don’t play online and found the core mechanics of each to be a little dated. I have some thinking to do for the next couple of months, especially if I manage to get a Switch 2 pre-order. It’ll be interesting to hear if other Inboxers are having similar dilemmas.Hubert GC: It’s not for everyone, but Returnal is by far our favourite PlayStation 5 exclusive. Printing money One thing that has interested me, for the price of Switch 2 games.Nintendo games never normally lower in value. The retail price usually stays static. Then they go ‘out of print’ and prices to buy it increase. How much could a Nintendo £70 game escalate in price to?Si-Zero GC: The only game we can think of that’s ever gone out of print is Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and that was on purpose. Ultimate appraisal I think the Switch 2 hardware looks excellent. The 1080p, 120Hz capable screen is more than I’d expected, and it looks like the docked performance is a serious upgrade over the Switch. I initially thought the 256GB hard drive was a bit stingy, but the game sizes haven’t jumped up by as much as I thought (microSD Express support is also great).The software emulation solution for backwards compatibility might be a slight concern for those looking to transfer over their Switch library but hopefully it’ll work seamlessly for the most part. Third party support looks really good, but I’m very invested in the PC ecosystem now so can’t see me diving into Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2. Thought the Donkey Kong Bananza/Ultimate Destruction game looked great, hopefully it lives up to the hype. The hardware price seems reasonable for the specs and the software prices were obviously a shock for some but weren’t far off what I expected. The higher prices inevitably mean I’m less likely to take a risk on games or to double-dip on remasters or ports. And due to my own inherent stinginess, and that of those around me, I’m less likely to give or receive games. I don’t blame the gaming companies for that though and I’m sure things will settle down eventually. All-in-all, it’s not something I’ll be rushing out to buy but I’ll pick one up eventually. Hope everyone that gets theirs at launch has a wonderful time.Magnumstache GC: We’re glad you mentioned The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, that was the first thing that came to our mind too. Inbox also-rans You know the Switch 2 reveal has got people in a spin when Silksong makes an appearance with a 2025 date, and it doesn’t make the cut for any of the articles about Switch 2. Although to be fair that might be because many see the game as vaporware at this point.SimundoGC: It was always supposed to be 2025, although we’re not sure how believable that really is. I’d forgotten how amazing the Wii Shopping Channel music was. Boo for not bringing it back!Tez More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter. 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