Switch 2 delivers GameCube emulation - but Nintendo has had a great Wii/GC emulator since 2017 Nvidia Shield's emulator ran more demanding games on less powerful Tegra X1 hardware - at higher resolutions. Feature by Thomas Morgan Senior Staff Writer, Digital Foundry Published on April 9, 2025 Announced during the Nintendo Switch 2's big reveal, GameCube games will be officially be added to the roster of classic titles available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. 24 years and four console generations on, Nintendo is finally able to tap into a truly rich, much-beloved catalogue on its new platform. The long wait to see GameCube games appear is a surprise though. Both because it is a Switch 2 exclusive feature, and also given that Nintendo has had official Wii emulation - essentially an overclocked GameCube in GPU and CPU - working already for the last eight years. We actually covered this back in 2018 (a year after its launch), with Nintendo's Wii emulator running on the Nvidia Shield TV - which uses the very same Tegra X1 chipset as the original Switch. Nintendo's emulated games were only released for the Chinese market on the Nvidia store, but included the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros Wii, and Punchout. In short, it showed how the older Switch processor could in theory run an emulator capable of not just Wii games, but almost certainly GameCube too, given the exceptional similarity of their architectures. Before we go into depth on what might have been, it's worth acknowledging what we're getting on Switch 2. To start, there will be over ten GameCube titles available (three at launch), each with the promise of enhanced resolutions, faster loading times and even online play if there's a multiplayer mode. The games shown in the Direct all arrived in the west in 2003 and include some bona fide classics: the futuristic racing of F-Zero GX, the iconic The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, and third-party fighter Soul Calibur 2. Tallied alongside the full list, it broadens an already expansive library of emulated ports on Nintendo's online service, but the snag is that the GameCube back-compat is exclusive to Switch 2. So why are we getting GameCube games now, and why only on the new hardware? An early preview of the state of GameCube emulation on Switch 2, and how Nintendo's efforts on Nvidia Shield TV paved the way. Watch on YouTube It's a tricky question to answer bearing in mind that the Wii is more capable than GameCube, while the Tegra X1 processor in both Shield and OG Switch is significantly less capable than Switch 2's T239. Looking back at that older emulated titles, these were born out of the Nvidia/Nintendo partnership that resulted in Switch's use of the mobile Tegra X1 chipset - considered a great deal at the time for Nintendo, given the availability of the part. As part of that deal, core development of four Wii titles for the Chinese market were handled by Nvidia Lightspeed Studios. The route to getting these working is onerous if you want to give them a go: you'll need a Chinese Shield TV unit - or flash your Shield TV, update your console and then use a VPN to access the store. After these steps though, the games ran well on essentially Switch hardware, proving that GameCube and even more ambitious Wii emulation has been viable on Tegra X1 all this time. The games weren't simple ISO dumps either. Rather, there were plenty of bespoke tweaks to suit the Shield hardware, including 3x resolution boost to 1920x1404 in Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy, improved texture filtering and scaled-up vector-based text elements. Most surprising of all though is that the Shield version of Twilight Princess is something of a hybrid between the GameCube and Wii versions. It sports the GameCube version's left-handed Link - rather than the mirrored Link (and entire world!) of the Wii version - and traditional gamepad controls, while keeping the more modern 16x9 aspect ratio of the Wii release. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. There are a few limitations to these Nvidia Shield releases too. Twilight Princess is locked to 30fps, just like the originals, though it is a stable 30. Mario Galaxy also matches its source material at 60fps, but with some frame dips en route. The key distinction to make here is that this emulation is built for an Android-based OS in Nvidia Shield, while Switch benefits from much lower-level GPU access to the Tegra X1 by using Nvidia's NVN graphics API. In theory, a proper Switch release might handle this with fewer dips, with an API that's closer to the metal. Interestingly, looking at the official release of Mario Galaxy on Switch later on in 2021, via the Mario 3D All-Stars Collection, we got exactly that. The 3D All Stars version pushed to 1080p in a similar way, improving the texture filtering, fonts and even going further with a wholesale asset swap for Galaxy's pre-rendered videos. Between this, and the Lightspeed efforts on Shield, it is proof of concept that Tegra X1 is not only in the right ball-park hardware-wise, but that a working emulation layer has been available for quite some time. With all that in mind, let's jump back once again to what Nintendo is offering on Switch 2. The GameCube games are running in emulation with their own set enhancements, starting with a resolution boost to 900p. In Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2, that means a native 1280x900 picture with a limited form of anti-aliasing, scaled to the maximum 4K output of the Switch 2. It's a decent boost in image quality over the 480p output of a GameCube of course, though whether resolution targets differ in the other supported GameCube games remains to be seen. 1 of 6 Caption Attribution Nintendo Switch 2 emulates its GameCube catalogue with a much-needed res boost, taking us to a native 1280x900 in both F-zero GX and Soul Calibur 2 (shown here) - and also Wind Waker. This resolution stays in place regardless of whether 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ration modes are selected. Also good news is that widescreen support is now confirmed to be available here as well, if it was originally supported in-game. Hence, by adjusting the settings in F-Zero GX or Soul Calibur 2 we're able to remove the black pillars to either side to max out a 16:9 display. However, the catch is that doing so will stretch that 1280x900 pixel structure horizontally - rather than adding more pixel data to the frame's sides. Impressively, we'll also be able to enjoy games like F-Zero GX online, something that was never possible on the GameCube original. Exactly how responsive and reliable online play will be needs testing, but for slower-paced games like The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, it looks like an effective way to run through each puzzle with friends. Having all these GameCube games accessible today is a hugely welcome move. That 1280x900 resolution figure is curious though, as it's far lower than the 1920x1404 used on the Nvidia Shield for more taxing Wii releases. This could be just to ensure overhead for online play or GameChat support, but it seems conservative for the hardware capabilities of the Switch 2's Nvidia Ampere-based GPU. Frame-rates are also faithful to their original GameCube targets here too, just like on the Shield: F-Zero and Soul Calibur 2 run at 60fps as expected, with some very minor drops in the emulation. The Wind Waker situation is more frustrating though, as its 30fps cap is unevenly frame-paced by the emulator, adding instances of judder where there was none in the original. The latest DF Direct Weekly is a Switch 2 special, with PS4 vs Switch 2 comparisons, head-to-heads between the OG and the new console and a deeper dive into the new console's technical specifications.Watch on YouTube On a final note, Wind Waker's release as a GameCube classic via a Nintendo Online sub is something of a monkey's paw for those who'd rather have gotten Wind Waker HD. The enhanced 2013 Wii U remaster added widescreen support, improved lighting and a slew of quality of life improvements that would have been appreciated today. Still, it may resurface in some way in the next few years, alongside the also-MIA Twilight Princess HD from developer Tantalus Media. So why didn't Nintendo bring these GameCube games to Switch any sooner? We can only speculate at this point, but a likely theory relates to limitations in the Switch's CPU. While the emulation approach works well on the Shield TV, its Tegra X1 chip runs at a much higher 1.785GHz CPU clock speed, versus just 1.0GHz on the Switch itself. Likewise, the GPU side of the Tegra X1 SOC is clocked down from a circa 1GHz on Shield to either 768MHz (docked) or lower on the portable side. These battery and thermal measures may have, ultimately, been significant enough factors to rule out GameCube emulation on original Switch hardware. Still, as long overdue as these GameCube releases are, I'm glad to see them on Switch 2 - even if the evidence from the old Shield emulator suggests that there was plenty of overhead for extra enhancements. There's also much more to see from the purple cube's catalogue on the new console, beyond this initial smattering of games in the Direct, and we'll be sure to report back on each. Some personal highlights here include Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Strikers and Luigi's Mansion. Some of these have become quite rare to find in physical form, so it's great to see them become more widely accessible - even if we still wonder if perhaps all of this could have been achievable years ago on the original Switch.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Battle Royale is all about the last player standing, and that is precisely what’s happening in 2025. The genre is in sharp decline, dropping down by seven percentage points over the last few years. However, this decline hasn’t affected Fortnite, which remains the king of battle royale games. At the risk of sounding cliché, one might say that Fortnite has achieved a Victory Royale over its competitors. A recent gaming report by Newzoo reveals many interesting details about the gaming industry. Among them is the decline in popularity of the battle royale genre, which no longer ranks at the top. Fortnite still dominates the battle royale genre, nearly eight years after its release Back in September 2017, when Fortnite Battle Royale was just released, it primarily competed with PUBG. Epic Games’ title didn’t take too long to take off, as it became a global sensation in mid-2018, hitting its first prime. Shortly after, many new competitors emerged, from Apex Legends to Call of Duty’s Blackout, but none posed a significant threat to Fortnite. In 2025, nearly eight years after Epic released its hit game, it still dominates the battle royale genre. Fortnite’s overall playtime increased by 17% in 2024, while Apex Legends’ decreased by 13%. PUBG and Warzone seem to have quietly faded and no longer pose a threat to Epic’s game. In total, the genre made up just 13% of playtime in 2024, a sharp decline from 19% in 2021. Despite the genre’s overall decline, Fortnite has solidified its dominance, commanding 77% of all Battle Royale playtime, leaving just 23% to be split among Apex Legends, PUBG, and the rest. Fortnite’s popularity keeps growing, despite the decline of its genre. Image by VideoGamer Millions of gamers play Fortnite in 2025, with its count of concurrent players exceeding 2 million on the weekends. This number has been relatively consistent over the past few months, and it’s safe to say that it won’t drastically drop anytime soon. Besides its regular Battle Royale mode, Fortnite also has the OG mode for players who prefer simpler mechanics. Furthermore, Epic has added many new non-combat modes, such as LEGO Fortnite and Festival, attracting different kinds of players. All of this has contributed to the game’s success, as well as to its bright future. Fortnite’s popularity on consoles Fortnite was the most popular video game in 2024, taking up 9.3% of the total playtime, up from 9.1% in 2023. To put this into perspective, Minecraft ranks second with 4.7%. The game was especially popular on PlayStation and Xbox, accounting for more than 12% of playtime last year, including spikes of over 20% in its last quarter. PeriodSystem% of playtime2024PlayStation13.8%2024Xbox12.5%Q4 2023PlayStation20%Q4 2023Xbox21%Fortnite’s popularity on PlayStation and Xbox On top of this, the popularity of Fortnite on PlayStation has increased by 53% since 2022. On Xbox, the game has been quite consistent, starting 2024 with 16% of total playtime and ending with 14%. Despite the battle royale genre’s steady decline, Fortnite continues to thrive, solidifying its position as the undisputed leader. Epic Games‘ ability to evolve the game, diversify its gameplay, and maintain a massive player base ensures that Fortnite’s reign is far from over, and we expect it to dominate the gaming industry for many years to come. Fortnite Platform(s): Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X Genre(s): Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter 9 VideoGamer Related Topics Fortnite Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Skyscrapers that seem to rise endlessly above the cities at their feet fascinate more than just architecture enthusiasts. And nothing proves that more than the tallest buildings in the world. Their striking design plays a part, no doubt, but their seemingly physics-defying existence is what really draws a viewer’s eye up. While tall buildings can be found all over the planet, most of the tallest are located in Asia. In fact, half of the building in this list are in China alone. Read on to learn about these wonders of engineering, where they’re located, and some of the fascinating stories behind them.15. Central Park Tower (New York, United States of America)Central Park Tower (left) among other skyscrapers in New York City. Photo: Michael Lee/Getty ImagesSituated on Manhattan’s Billionaires’ Row, Central Park Tower is a 1,550-foot skyscraper by American firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Its bottom few floors are occupied by a Nordstrom department store, but the rest of the 98 levels are dedicated to luxury condos, making it the tallest primarily-residential building in the world.14. Wuhan Greenland Center (Wuhan, China)Wuhan Greenland Center is Central China’s tallest building. Photo: Wirestock/Getty ImagesAnother Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture masterpiece, Wuhan Greenland Center is a 1,562-foot tower that reduces wind resistance and vortex action with its tapered tripod shape, rounded corners, and domed top. It was originally designed to be nearly 500 feet taller, but airspace regulations thwarted the lofty plans.13. International Commerce Center (Hong Kong)The International Commerce Center in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Sergeev/Getty ImagesThe International Commerce Center, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), was also supposed to rise even taller than its 1,588 feet, but laws forbade it from exceeding the height of the surrounding mountains. Even so, the skyscraper is the tallest structure in Hong Kong and 13th tallest around the globe. It sits atop the Elements mall and overlooks Victoria Harbour.12. Shanghai World Financial Center (Shanghai, China)Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai. Photo: Slalomgigante/Getty ImagesAdjacent to the taller Shanghai Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center rises 1,614 feet into the sky. Because of its unusual shape, it has earned a tongue-in-cheek nickname: the bottle opener. It was also designed by KPF.11. Taipei 101 (Taipei, Taiwan)Taipei 101, in Taiwan's capital, is the 11th tallest building in the world. Photo: Getty Images/Sean Pavone PhotoRising 1,667 feet tall, Taipei 101 towers well above the other rooftops in its namesake city. Its facade, which was inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, is decidedly less contemporary than that of most other super-talls on this list. The skyscraper mainly houses offices, but also restaurants and a viewing platform. Every New Year’s Eve, fireworks are set off from the roof, attracting celebrating spectators from all over the world.10. CITIC Tower (Beijing, China)Beijing’s China Zun Tower, the 10th tallest building in the world, has a distinct profile. Photo: Ian.CuiYi/Getty ImagesBeijing’s tallest building is CITIC Tower, a skyscraper full of offices that stands at 1,732 feet tall. It’s also known as China Zun for its distinctive silhouette that echoes a zun, an ancient Chinese vessel for wine. The design was a collaboration between the architecture firms Farrells and KPF.9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre (Tianjin, China)Tianjin, a port in northern China, is home to the Tianjin CTF Finance Center, the ninth tallest building in the world. Photo: Govan Zhang/Getty ImagesIt’s not just similar names that the Tianjin CTF Finance Center and the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center have in common—they're the same height too. Both towers come in at 1,739 feet. The Tianjin tower is recognizable for its softly curving glass walls that reduce exposure to wind, sun, and moisture. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it includes offices, apartments, retail space, and hotel rooms.8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (Guangzhou, China)The Guangzhou CTF Finance Center in Guangzhou, in southern China, is the eighth tallest building in the world. Photo: Yurou Guan/Getty ImagesThe Guangzhou CTF Finance Center, on the other hand, is boxier in silhouette and sits atop an eight-story podium. The building houses offices, hotel rooms, and retail space. Forth Bagley, the lead architect on the project, used white glazed tiles for the vertical mullions of the structure, a nod to a local craft tradition. This soaring building is another from KPF.7. One World Trade Center (New York, United States of America)At the southern tip of Manhattan, One World Trade Center in New York is the seventh tallest building in the world. Photo: JGI/Daniel Grill/Getty ImagesAt 1,775 feet, One World Trade Center in New York is the tallest building in both the city and the country. By comparison, the Empire State Building—which was once the tallest building in the world—is only 1,453 feet high. The skyscraper was designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and constructed on the site where the original World Trade Center towers stood until September 11, 2001. One World Trade Center is not only a soaring skyscraper, it also serves as a powerful memorial and symbol of resilience.6. Lotte World Tower (Seoul, South Korea)The Lotte World Tower, the sixth tallest building in the world, has become a landmark in Seoul. Photo: Kokkai Ng/Getty ImagesThe Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea and the sixth tallest building in the world, with 1,821 feet to its name. Also designed by KPF, it holds offices, apartments, stores, a hotel, a concert hall, and a viewing platform.5. Ping An International Finance Centre (Shenzhen, China)Shenzhen, which sits just to the north of Hong Kong, is home to the Ping An Finance Center, the fifth tallest building in the world. Photo: Xiaodong Qiu/Getty ImagesA 1,965-foot skyscraper that rises above Shenzhen’s skyline, the Ping An Finance Center was built to anchor the city’s business district. The 100-story building is centered around an atrium space and serves as the headquarters for the Ping An Insurance company. It was designed by KPF too.4. Makkah Royal Clock Tower (Mecca, Saudi Arabia)The Makkah Royal Clock Tower, the fourth tallest building in the world, is part of a complex with seven hotels. Photo: clicksbyabrar/Getty ImagesMakkah Royal Clock Tower, also known as Abraj Al Bait, reaches an astounding height of 1,972 feet—and the clock on top is the largest in the world. The massive timepiece features faces on all four sides, each with a diameter of 141 feet. Makkah is part of the Clock Tower complex, which includes seven hotels that cater to the millions of pilgrims who visit Mecca each year. The Great Mosque of Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, is located less than a quarter-mile from the development.3. Shanghai Tower (Shanghai, China)Located in one of China's financial capitals, the Shanghai Tower (pictured on the right) is the third tallest building in the world. Getty Images/zorazhuangShanghai Tower, which was designed by American architecture firm Gensler, rises 2,073 feet into the air, making it the tallest building in China. Among the many features that make the tower impressive is its nine different indoor zones, each with its own atrium, garden, and cafes. Its twisting shape is both aesthetically-pleasing and practical, as it reduces wind resistance. Plus, it’s situated directly next to Shanghai Financial Center, the sixth tallest building in the country.2. Merdeka 118 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, is home to the second tallest building in the world, the recently completed Merdeka 118. Photo: Stockyme/Getty ImagesFormerly known as PNB 118, Merdeka 118 is the second tallest building in the world and the newest addition to this group of record-breakers. It was completed in 2023, coming in at 2,228 feet. Its original name was short for Permodalan Nasional Berhad, a Malaysian investment management company that developed the project and occupies most of the building. But its current name means “independence” in Malay and was chosen in honor of nearby Stadium Merdeka, the site of the country’s declaration of independence in 1957.1. Burj Khalifa (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world. Photo: dblight/Getty ImagesBurj Khalifa currently holds the title of the tallest building in the world—and the one with the most floors. The 2,717-foot, 163-floor skyscraper comprises apartments, offices, and hotel rooms, as well as the world’s highest restaurant and the world’s highest viewing platform. Designed by Adrian Smith, the building’s construction began in 2004 and finished in 2010. It’s named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the UAE.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is the tallest building in the world?As noted, the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world. A handful of other skyscrapers have held the title previously, including the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Taipei 101.Who built the tallest building in the world?Adrian Smith is the American architect behind the tallest tower in the world, Burj Khalifa. He designed the Dubai skyscraper while he was a principal at Chicago-based architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, but the project was completed after he left the company and launched his own firm with Gordon Gill, which is aptly named Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The two men also designed the under-construction Jeddah Tower, a Saudi Arabia skyscraper that is expected to exceed the height of Burj Khalifa and assume the title of tallest building in the world.What is Jeddah Tower?Jeddah Tower, also known as Burj Jeddah, is a neo-futuristic skyscraper that is currently under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is planned to be 3,281 feet tall—which would make it the first ever one-kilometer building. But fans will have to wait another few years to see if Jeddah Tower reaches its goals, since it isn’t slated for completion until 2028. Builders first broke ground in 2013—but then paused work in 2018 for five years. It has been reported that 63 of the 157 floors were finished as of October 2024. When Jeddah Tower does open its doors, it’s expected to offer residential, commercial, and office spaces. There will also be an observation deck and a Four Seasons hotel.What are the tallest buildings in the United States?The two tallest buildings in the US, One World Trade Center and Central Park Tower, appear on this list—but the country boasts lots of other skyscrapers that qualify as “super-tall” according to the guidelines of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Anything taller than 984 feet makes the cut. Chicago’s Willis Tower, commonly referred to as Sears Tower, is 1,450 feet, while New York’s 111 West 57th Street, also known as Steinway Tower, is 1,428 feet. The tallest building west of the Mississippi River is Los Angeles’s Wilshire Grand Center, which stands at 1,100 feet.

Credit: FMT/EPA. In early January, a peculiar warning rippled through the offices of the Environmental Protection Agency. It didn’t come in an official memo or policy update. Instead, it was whispered among managers, passed down from political appointees to federal employees: Be careful what you say, what you type and what you do. The warning referred not to a new code of conduct, but to a new kind of surveillance — one allegedly powered by artificial intelligence and quietly embedded by a team working directly under Elon Musk. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has become one of the most controversial instruments of the Trump administration’s second term. It was launched with the stated goal of slashing $1 trillion in federal spending and eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse.” Since then, DOGE has been rapidly redrawing the boundaries of how technology is used within government. But according to nearly 20 insiders and hundreds of pages of court documents reviewed by Reuters, what’s happening inside DOGE looks less like reform and more like a shadow state. Surveillance, Algorithms, and Loyalty At the center of the controversy is DOGE’s alleged use of artificial intelligence to monitor internal communications across at least one federal agency. According to three people familiar with internal discussions at the EPA, DOGE operatives are rolling out tools to scan Microsoft Teams chats and emails for signs of sentiment considered hostile to Trump or Musk. “We have been told they are looking for anti-Trump or anti-Musk language,” said one source with direct knowledge of the EPA’s internal guidance. EPA officials later confirmed they were exploring AI to “optimize agency functions,” but denied using it for personnel decisions. Still, the climate inside the agency has shifted dramatically. Since January, more than 600 workers have been placed on leave, and the agency is preparing to cut 65% of its budget. Ethics experts say this raises red flags about free speech and political intimidation within federal institutions. Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, put it bluntly. “It sounds like an abuse of government power to suppress or deter speech that the president of the United States doesn’t like.” Behind Signal and Grok Secrecy defines much of DOGE’s operations. Staffers routinely communicate using the encrypted messaging app Signal, which allows messages to disappear. That practice could violate federal record-keeping laws, which require documentation of official communications. And yes, this is the same app where Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz included a journalist in a group chat about plans for US strikes in Yemen. It has now emerged that Waltz mistakenly saved the number of Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic, under the contact of someone else he intended to add, according to three people briefed on the matter by The Guardian. “If they’re using Signal and not backing up every message to federal files, then they are acting unlawfully,” Clark said. Adding to the opacity, DOGE employees are also said to collaborate on official documents via shared Google Docs. This method bypasses traditional vetting procedures and chains of custody — an unusual workflow for government policy, where edits are typically logged and traceable. These practices are part of a broader pattern. After Musk’s team took over the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in January, they locked out more than 100 technical staffers from key cloud systems, including databases containing sensitive information about millions of current and former federal employees. Today, only two people reportedly retain access to that data: one long-time federal worker, and Greg Hogan, a political appointee and former AI startup executive now serving as OPM’s chief information officer. What is DOGE Actually Doing? The full scope of DOGE’s technological apparatus remains murky. Insiders say the team has “heavily” deployed Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok, as part of its cost-cutting mission. But what Grok is actually doing inside government systems is unclear — even to some of the people working with it. Musk, who holds a special government employee status, is legally barred from using his role to benefit himself or his companies. Yet the lines are blurring. One person with direct knowledge of Musk’s earlier plans said he envisioned using government data to “build the most dynamic AI system ever.” That system, they said, could potentially “do the work” of public servants. The Trump administration insists DOGE is exempt from public records laws because it operates under the Executive Office of the President. But a federal judge disagreed. On March 10, the court ordered DOGE to begin turning over records to the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. So far, no documents have been delivered. “An Experiment With No Oversight” To some, the DOGE project is a long-overdue modernization effort — an attempt to drag the federal government out of its paper-clogged past and into the digital age. Few dispute that the government’s legacy computer systems are outdated and inefficient. But critics warn that modernization is coming at the cost of transparency, legal norms, and the rights of civil servants. They say the administration is replacing career experts with loyalists, bulldozing institutional safeguards, and weaponizing new technologies to pursue ideological goals. “This isn’t just about efficiency,” Clark said. “This is about power—who has it, who watches, and who gets watched.” As DOGE’s influence spreads through federal agencies, the line between Silicon Valley disruption and government accountability is rapidly eroding. For now, much of what happens inside DOGE remains hidden from public view. But the signals — both literal and metaphorical — are growing louder.

Molasses Merged The Witcher spin-off Project Sirius is "going to be an amazing game, one for the books", former design director says as CD Projekt properly absorbs The Molasses Flood "I cannot wait until the rest of the world learns about what we've been working on." Image credit: CD Projekt/Molasses Flood News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on April 9, 2025 The Molasses Flood has now formally been merged into The Witcher 4 developer CD Projekt, which acquired the studio behind The Flame in the Flood back in 2021. The move means TMF has ceased operating as a separate legal entity to CDPR, but one of its co-founders reckons it's a good one for the studio, and that the Witcher spin-off it's working on has a "very bright future". "We want to let you know that on April 1, 2025, The Molasses Flood LLC ('TMF') merged with CD PROJEKT RED Inc. ('CDPR Inc.'), a company being a part of the CD PROJEKT Group," reads a notice on The Molasses Flood's website (thanks, Game Developer), which confirms the move CD Projekt announced would be coming during its latest earnings call. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "As a result of the merger TMF, in its former legal state (of a separate legal entity) ceased its operations, while CDPR Inc. assumed the rights and obligations of TMF. The merger will not affect the availability or distribution of 'The Flame in The Flood' and 'Drake Hollow' video games, which will continue to be published by CD PROJEKT Group." As part of the merger The Molasses Flood co-founder Damian Isla has opted to depart the studio, but in a lengthy LinkedIn post about that decision, he seems pretty bullish on the merger being positive news for both the studio and Project Sirius. "Tucked away in one of the recent CD Projekt Red earnings calls was the announcement that The Molasses Flood, the studio I co-founded with some of my ex-Irrational friends, was to be absorbed into CDPR proper," Isla wrote, "To be ultra clear: this is a GOOD AND HEALTHY thing for the studio, and it was long-expected. It breaks down some organizational barriers, and better integrates the TMF team with the rest of the amazing CDPR org. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "Overall, it shows a very bright future for Project Sirius (aka 'the multiplayer Witcher game,' of which I was the Design Director for three years)," he added, "It's going to be an amazing game, one for the books, and I cannot wait until the rest of the world learns about what we've been working on." Here's hoping Isla's predictions do come true, because as of 2023, Project Sirius looked to be navigating some pretty turbulent development waters, with both a project reset and reportedly some layoffs as a result. CD Projekt's latest earnings presentation from late last month listed Sirius as being in the pre-production phase. Are you keen to give it a go whenever it finishes its witcher training and heads out on the path? Let us know below!

DKK Wrap.For all the excitement of last week's Direct, Nintendo's Switch 2 pricing has gone down like a cold cup of something nasty. £75/$80 games, a sizeable bump in cost for the system itself, current economic conditions, and tariffs have melded into the perfect storm, with the once-affordable Nintendo now appearing a little more out of reach.It's a problem around the world, but Switch fans in Scandinavia are feeling particularly hard done by the pricing after the region's main distributor has apparently driven up prices further, leading to some eyeing early-June flights abroad to save some cash on a launch-day Switch 2.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

After months of hearty marketing efforts and large-scaleacross the U.S., Nuro has secured $106 million in fresh funding to help scale its autonomous driving technology and advance commercial partnerships.  The Series E round brings Nuro’s total funding raised to $2.2 billion and its valuation to $6 billion. That’s a drop from the $8.6 billion post-money valuation Nuro secured after its $600 million Series D in 2021, but most startup valuations have come down from the highs seen during the era of easy money.  Usually, a down round can be cause for concern, as it might reflect diminished investor confidence among slower-than-expected progress. That said, it’s a tough funding environment out there. It’s also possible that in Nuro’s case, the company may need less capital as it pursues a recent business pivot that now focuses on licensing its self-driving technology to automotive OEMs, commercial delivery fleets, and ride-hail companies.  TechCrunch reported on Nuro’s shift in strategy in the fall of last year. Nuro’s previous go-to-market plan revolved around building and operating cute on-road delivery robots that could carry only goods, not passengers, for partners like Domino’s. But building vehicles is expensive work, and Nuro was burning cash fast. After several rounds of layoffs and putting its manufacturing plans on hold, Nuro decided to focus instead on beefing out its self-driving technology, which it had been continuously testing in California and Texas. In September 2024, Dave Ferguson, Nuro’s co-founder and president, told TechCrunch the company would rely on advancements in AI to accelerate its autonomy progress, which would extend its runway from 1.5 years to 3.5 years.  This new round likely extends that runway further. TechCrunch has reached out to Nuro for more information. Despite the down round, it’s a good sign for Nuro that its backers are mostly institutional investors – like T. Rowe Price Associates, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Tiger Global Management, Greylock Partners, and XN LP – as well as strategic partners.  “We’re excited to see strong investor enthusiasm for our Series E,” said Jiajun Zhu, co-founder and CEO of Nuro, in a statement. “Our technology, years of experience with driver-out Level 4 deployments, and focus on licensing uniquely position us to help automakers, mobility platforms, and commercial fleets accelerate their autonomy roadmaps.” While Nuro still isn’t sharing which strategic investors have joined the round, the company has existing relationships with Uber and Toyota through its investor Woven Capital, the venture arm of Toyota. Nuro’s new business model puts it in direct competition with startups like U.K.-based Wayve, which also hopes to see its technology powering everything from personal autonomous vehicles to robotaxi fleets.

Breakdown & Showreels The Substance: VFX Breakdown by Noid By Vincent Frei - 09/04/2025 Metamorphosis meets madness. For Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, the Paris-based studio Noid crafted over 40 creature shots where digital and practical effects collide. The result? Transformations as disturbing as they are mesmerizing! WANT TO KNOW MORE?Noid: Dedicated page about The Substance on Noid website. © Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2025

Milan’s Vertical Forest | © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Giovanni Nardi In Milan’s Porta Nuova district, two verdant towers rise above the skyline—not as symbols of sustainability, but as living systems of architectural and ecological integration. Stefano Boeri Architetti designed the Vertical Forest (Bosco Verticale), redefining high-rise living through a radical embrace of biodiversity, positioning vegetation not as ornament but as structure and inhabitant. As explored in the recently published book Bosco Verticale: Morphology of a Vertical Forest, the project is more than a case study—it’s a manifesto for a new architectural paradigm, one in which urbanism and nature are not opposites, but coauthors of the future city. Milan’s Vertical Forest Technical Information Architects1-11: Stefano Boeri Architetti Location: Porta Nuova, Milan, Italy Area: 40,000 m2 | 430,500 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 2007 – 2014 Photographs: © Boeri Studio, Photographs by Giovanni Nardi, Dimitar Harizanov, Paolo Rosselli, Laura Cionci The Vertical Forest is a model for a sustainable residential building, a project for metropolitan reforestation that contributes to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory. – Stefano Boeri 12 Milan’s Vertical Forest Photographs © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Paolo Rosselli © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Dimitar Harizanov Drone Image | © Boeri Studio © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Laura Cionci © Boeri Studio, Photograph by Giovanni Nardi Replacing Symbols with Systems In architectural discourse, buildings are often burdened with the role of symbolism. We ask them to represent ideologies, national identities, even personal ambitions. Yet the Vertical Forest in Milan, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, proposes a different ambition that is less about symbol and more about system. It seeks not to stand as a monument but to model a new way of living rooted in coexistence across species and time. The project’s theoretical underpinning deliberately pivots away from the exhausted rhetoric of “sustainability,” offering instead “biodiversity” as a more actionable and biologically grounded concept. The distinction is not semantic—it suggests a reorientation of priorities. Whereas sustainability is often anthropocentric, measured by human-centric metrics like energy performance and carbon footprint, biodiversity demands an architectural response to the entanglement of species and their habitats. In this sense, the Vertical Forest is not merely an environmentally responsible tower but a provocation toward a new architectural paradigm. Design Intent and Typological Innovation At the core of the Vertical Forest lies a provocative typological redefinition: a high-rise conceived not as an abstract machine for living, but as a living ecosystem. The project consists of two residential towers, 80 and 112 meters tall, populated by over 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs, and 11,000 perennial plants. These elements are not decorative but structurally and conceptually central to the project. The architectural ambition is to recreate, in vertical format, the complexity and variability of a woodland ecosystem. This is not merely metaphorical: the vegetation is carefully distributed based on solar exposure, altitude, and microclimate considerations, creating differentiated vertical ecologies. The design rejects the flattening uniformity often found in high-rise developments, proposing a living façade in constant flux instead. The project programatically expands the role of the domestic balcony. No longer just a marginal exterior space, the balcony becomes a micro-garden, a site for domestic interaction with the natural world. This domestic-natural threshold is deeply architectural. It demands careful calibration of dimensions, load-bearing systems, and environmental control. Furthermore, the Vertical Forest introduces a new occupant: the non-human. Birds, insects, and microorganisms are not intruders here—they are co-residents. Architecture, in this model, is not anthropocentric. It is relational. Milan’s Vertical Forest Materiality Technically, integrating vegetation at this scale required extensive innovation. The façade system incorporates custom-designed planters that are structurally bonded to cantilevered balconies. These planters are equipped with automated irrigation and drainage systems, ensuring the plants’ survival and minimizing maintenance demands. The material palette is sober and intentionally recessive, allowing the vegetation to define the building’s appearance. Reinforced concrete and high-performance glazing form the base infrastructure, while steel supports accommodate plant containers. Here, materiality is subordinate to life. The building’s expressive potential lies in its ability to host dynamic, seasonal transformation. From within, the spatial experience is both ordinary and radical. Interior spaces are standard in configuration, yet the constant presence of trees at eye level transforms the perception of urban dwelling. Residents are immersed in a filtered lightscape, where branches rather than neighboring structures cast shadows. The ever-changing interior and exterior relationship between architecture and nature becomes an architectural quality. Moreover, a team of specialized arborists maintains the building, who rappel from the rooftop to tend to the trees. This maintenance is not ancillary but part of the building’s operational logic. The architecture extends beyond static form to include ongoing ecological care as a fundamental element. Broader Contextual Significance and Legacy Since its completion, the Vertical Forest has attracted international attention, not just as a compelling image, but as a new urban prototype. Its replication in cities like Nanjing, Utrecht, and Paris signals the emergence of an alternative model of urbanization that considers vegetal life not as landscape but as architecture. However, the broader significance of the Vertical Forest lies in its challenge to architecture’s disciplinary boundaries. It invites collaboration with botanists, ecologists, agronomists, and environmental engineers, expanding the scope of architectural authorship. The architect is no longer the sole creator but a coordinator of living systems. By proposing biodiversity as a new metric for urban quality, the Vertical Forest calls into question many of the assumptions of contemporary urban design. It resists object-building and its preoccupation with form, reorienting architecture toward ecological integration and biological interdependence. If there is symbolism here, it is not in the building’s image but in its ambition to seed a different kind of city—one that acknowledges that the future of architecture may well depend on how effectively it can become a host. Milan’s Vertical Forest Plans Landscape | © Boeri Studio Milan’s Vertical Forest Image Gallery About Stefano Boeri Architetti ​Stefano Boeri Architetti, established in 1993 and headquartered in Milan with additional offices in Shanghai and Tirana, is an international architectural practice renowned for integrating biodiversity and sustainable design into urban environments. The firm’s diverse portfolio spans architecture, urban planning, and interior design, consistently emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between nature and the built environment. Their groundbreaking project, the Vertical Forest (Bosco Verticale) in Milan, exemplifies their commitment to innovative solutions that promote urban reforestation and ecological balance. Credits and Additional Notes Design Team: Stefano Boeri (Lead Architect), Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra Client: Hines Italia SGR S.p.A. Structural Engineering: Arup Botanical Consulting: Laura Gatti (Agronomist and Landscape Consultant) Façade Engineering: Arup and Milan Ingegneria General Contractor: ZH General Construction Company Landscape Maintenance: Boeri Studio in collaboration with specialized arborists Height: Tower D: 80 meters (19 floors); Tower E: 112 meters (27 floors) Greenery: 900+ Trees (3, 6, and 9 meters tall); 5,000+ Shrubs; 11,000+ Perennials and ground cover plants Residences: 113 Apartments LEED Certification: Gold Bosco Verticale: Morphology of a Vertical Forest by Stefano Boeri Architetti 

Chaos Rules In Unplanned Domestic Prototype, Ismael Medina Manzano deforms an apartment to refuse the regulation of life By Kelly Pau • April 9, 2025 • Interiors, International (Courtesy Hiperfocal) SHARE In Spain in the 1960s, the market was opening up to international trade. Economic liberalism and modern industrialization were brought forth from the Stabilization Plan of 1959. Homes thus followed suit, embodying the optimization and efficiency of industrialism to become compartmentalized, minimal homes that serve objective functionality and the nuclear family. An apartment in Guipuzcoa came from this era, but its layout no longer remains so. Architect Ismael Medina Manzano, who splits his time between Spain and New York, transformed the apartment into a cacophony of materials and color, stitched together by rough-hewn portals. The project, dubbed Unplanned Domestic Prototype, is an experiment that asks: What does a home look like when it’s not regulated or dictated by policy, the market, or any singular ways of life? Fluidity is key. Manzano converted the 861-square-foot apartment from three bedrooms to two with a large entrance hall-cum-dressing room, two bathrooms, and an open living room and kitchen. But the floorplan, both visually and conceptually, doesn’t adhere to static functions. Read more about the apartment on aninteriormag.com. ApartmentsSpain