We’ve been hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 and played some of its biggest games – here’s all we learned about the new console so far, including one game we didn't expect to loveTech14:48, 11 Apr 2025Start your engines - Switch 2 isn't that far away(Image: Nintendo)It’s perhaps a little strange that Nintendo’s April 2 Switch 2 Direct left us with a fair number of questions as well as answers, and that Nintendo has been doing its best to clarify messaging since.One of the biggest conversations around the console has been the price. Pre-orders are postponed in the US (and Canada), but even if you’re not hampered by Trump’s tariffs, it’s already an expensive purchase.‌Article continues belowAdd in a pricey launch game, lack of a pack-in title, and some pretty expensive accessories and services, and the Switch 2 might not be for everyone. In fact, having scooped up a pre-order through sheer dumb luck, I went into my hands-on session with the system expecting to find a reason to cancel it.What I found, however, is a true generational leap from the first Switch that maintains Nintendo’s whimsy while offering a profound technical improvement.Mario Kart World is Nintendo's big Switch 2 launch title(Image: Nintendo)‌My first introduction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was its biggest, most prestigious launch title – Mario Kart World.While we weren’t able to explore the open world or dig for any secrets just yet, I was able to play both docked and in handheld mode. Both support up to 120 FPS, and even if that means nothing to you, if you’ve played any amount of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe then the visual step up in both resolution and smoothness is immediately noticeable.As I hit those buttery smooth powerslides around a couple of the game’s new tracks, I managed to manoeuvre myself so close to an encroaching Elk on the track (don’t ask) that I almost brushed its hooves with Mario’s bumper.‌It’s a small thing, but it’s not something I’d have necessarily felt confident pulling off in the Switch 1’s best-selling game.In handheld mode, I wanted to see how much the lack of OLED would affect my experience. If you’ve spent time with the Switch 1’s OLED screen, you’ll know what a difference it can make to just about anything, so I was a little sceptical the same could be achieved with a reversion to LCD.Thankfully, the display is crisp and bright, and HDR makes a big difference to allowing additional nuance. I wasn’t able to compare it to my Steam Deck OLED’s display, but it’s miles better than the Switch 1’s launch panel.‌Where I think Nintendo has Valve beat is just how the Switch 2 feels in the hands. It’s not necessarily the size (although it certainly is comfortable), but it’s the thickness – or lack thereof.It’s still the same thickness as the Switch 1, meaning it felt comfortable to hold.The JoyCon's can be used as mice on the Switch 2(Image: Amazon)‌Switching away from Mario Kart, I was able to play a few more Switch 2 titles that make use of alternative controller options. I’ll cover Donkey Kong Bananza shortly because it warrants its own spot, but another game that stood out was Metroid Prime 4.With the first Switch being my first Nintendo console outside of a Gameboy Colour, my only experience of Metroid Prime was the recent remaster of the first game – a title I really enjoyed.That had me itching to see how things have evolved in the years since, and I’m pleased to say Metroid Prime 4 looks absolutely stonking on Switch 2, even at 1080p performance mode at 120 FPS.‌What I wasn’t expecting, though, was to be playing it with the Joy-Con controllers in a mouse-like configuration. While I could see the appeal of playing Civilization 7 (which worked great, by the way), Metroid Prime 4’s reliance on a pretty generous auto-lock meant I didn’t think I’d enjoy the shift – but I was wrong.We're so ready to step into Samus' boots againI was only given a fifteen-minute demo, which saw me whisked through an early game area gunning down space pirates, before using the Morph Ball to get through some vents. The new abilities shown in last week’s trailer were absent, but as I tackled an enormous boss fight, I was impressed by how intuitive the controls had become in just a quarter of an hour.‌I was jumping over projectiles, rolling under wave attacks and gunning down weak points as if I’d been playing the game this way for hours. And while the lock-on remains a core ingredient, there’s just a smidge of extra reward for those who want to nail those headshots.Other titles that use the mouse felt similarly easy to use, but I still feel as though Switch 2 Welcome Tour would be best suited as a pack-in. It’s a great way to get a feel for so much of the system’s nuances, but just feels like a bizarre thing to fork out an extra tenner at launch for.‌Two things that I wager will be worth picking up, however, are the Switch 2 Editions of Link’s latest adventures: Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom.Having experienced both, the strongest praise I can give is that each feels like it could have been launched this year. These are two of the greatest games of all time, running better than you’d have ever believed they could at launch.There’s still a slight bit of pop-in at times, but otherwise, these are stunning versions of two games I never finished because I was hoping my patience would be rewarded by Switch 2 – and it has.‌I also got to check out Cyberpunk 2077 and, while I acknowledge that I’m lucky enough to have a big, powerful PC so I’ve been somewhat spoiled by developer CD Projekt’s sci-fi RPG, I am very impressed to see it running on Switch 2.Whether the Switch 2 will keep pace with newer ports in the years to come remains to be seen (Cyberpunk 2077 launched in 2020, after all), but the fact it’s here at all is impressive.Switch 2 is just a couple of months away(Image: AFP via Getty Images)‌I loved Super Mario Odyssey on the first Nintendo Switch, and honestly felt like a sequel was a shoo-in for the new console’s launch line-up.Instead, I was initially a little disappointed when we got Donkey Kong: Bonanza instead. It’s another 3D platformer, sure, but I worried that the focus on destruction would ruin some of the hand-crafted nature of Odyssey’s lineage.After playing for 20 minutes, though, I’m impressed. That’s not to say it’ll reach the high bar that is Odyssey, but smashing through items and solving puzzles with the big ape was great fun.‌Perhaps most impressively, it showed just how comfortable the Switch 2 is with just about everything exploding on the screen at once. I smashed through entire mountains to reach the other side, and the frame rate didn’t drop.And, despite my reservations that digging underground was a recipe for getting lost or stuck, DK had me covered with a delightful 3D map and the option to reset terrain if I got too far off the beaten track.Add to that the opportunity to hurl chunks of wall, floor, and anything else at enemies, and I feel I could’ve happily smashed through even more for a few hours.‌Did I cancel my pre-order?I was all set to have that sweet, sweet moolah back in my account by the weekend, but I simply couldn’t do it.The Switch 2 is a more impressive upgrade than I (and perhaps others) had given credit for, and while I’m sure Nintendo has much more to show us in the months to come, I feel like the launch window line-up is strong enough to warrant a purchase already.Article continues belowWe’ll have a full review up on Daily Star when my pre-order arrives in a couple of months, but for now, I really wish I could’ve taken one home.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

Game over? (GAME) GAME’s head office is in the process of being shut down, as it auctions off GTA posters and pirate ship displays. GAME’s presence on the UK high street has been in decline over the past few years, with the majority of stores now housed within other Frasers Group-owned shops like Sports Direct. The high street chain has slimmed down its services as part of this transition – with stores no longer selling pre-owned games or offering reward points. For the Switch 2 launch, there will be no in-store pre-orders at all, and reportedly only a ‘small allocation’ through its website. The bones of GAME are now being picked apart from what was once its beating heart, as the retailer’s headquarters in Basingstoke is shut down and auctioned off. As shown in a listing on bidding site NCM Auctions, office equipment, storage units, and warehouse items are being sold off from GAME’s Basingstoke headquarters, which has been the company’s HQ for over two decades. ‘Clearance on behalf of GAME warehouse – due to closure,’ the listing reads. While the majority of the items are fairly dull, there are some oddities, like a pirate ship display from Beanie Babies’ maker TY and a GTA: San Andreas wall poster, which is currently going for £45. The highlight of the collection (GAME) If you’re a collector, there are some branded display cases which might be useful if you’re looking to showcase your gaming wares, priced at £20-£30. Alternatively, you can buy a vending machine or some trolleys. More Trending The downside is you have to collect these items from Basingstoke, and be available from 23-25 April. You can also view the items via an appointment on Wednesday April 16 if you want to take a look beforehand, with all bids closing on April 17. As reported by Eurogamer, staff at GAME have said in-store pre-orders will now no longer be offered on any item, despite a post on their website stating otherwise. While GAME continues to fall apart, the UK’s biggest retailer in second-hand games, CeX, has recently expanded its operations to delivery app JustEat. The future of GAME is toys (Google Maps) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Wireless charging pucks make hot phones even hotter. Sure, it allows you access to phones’ only USB-C port while charging, but the process of electromagnetic induction is still less efficient than a direct connection through a power cable. That leads to excess heat. If you’ve ever picked up a phone on the charge and immediately dropped it like you’ve touched a hot iron, then you already know that particular pain point. Which is why I’m surprised there aren’t more devices like the $60 Torras PowerCircle Qi2 charger. It’s essentially a combination wireless charger and fan cooler. Yes, it may make your phone look like its trying out its jet engine cosplay, but its the kind of device whose function vastly outweighs its form. The Torras PowerCircle slaps onto the back of any supporting phone for 15W wireless charging and can prop up the device with the rotating stand-up ring. However, with the fan whirring away, Torras claims the device will stay at an even 55 degrees Fahrenheit or lower throughout over 100 minutes of charging time. The company also claims you can go from zero to 80% in just under an hour, which seems about right for 15W wireless charging. And to account for the fan, it’s also far thicker than your traditional charging puck. Heck its even thicker than other pucks with fans built in, like the $45 MagFusion GameFrost Qi2 15w charger from Aukey. Phones that grow hot lose out in both performance and charging efficiency, which is not a big deal if all you’re doing is sticking your phone on a pad to charge while you sleep. It’s when you actually want to use your device while charging that you may see performance dip. Torras claims its burger slider-sized charging puck will maintain stable performance far better than a traditional Qi2 charger. You can also use the charger without the fan, but as AndroidCentral pointed out, that’s because you need to press a button on the charger then re-plug it in to get the fan working to begin with. Phone fan coolers—including cheap ones made by companies like Trakxy or more-expensive varieties from Black Shark—are nothing new. Yet the PowerCircle is one of the few that focuses exclusively on fast charging heat. But spending $60 (though likely closer to $50 on sale) or even $40 on a wireless charger seems a little much when a 15W Qi-certified Anker puck will cost you less than $30. The fan-cooler devices have a niche use case, but I can imagine it could be extra practical for gaming on a phone. The PowerCircle might charge your phone while the phone’s USB port is occupied by a phone controller like a BackBone One or Razer Kishi and keep it cool for uninterrupted performance. The fan on charger is really a “no, duh” now that we’re starting to see more of these on these devices on the market. According to the Wireless Power Consortium, Qi2 is supposed to achieve up to 95% power efficiency, far above the 75% of the older Qi standard. Even that 5% is enough to create a sauna on the back of your device. Anybody with experience in PC building already knows the benefit of simple fan cooling. Rather than sticking it near the air conditioner, a small dedicated fan just makes more sense. Now lets see how far we can take it.

Broomhill Road House / Urban Projects BureauSave this picture!© Kilian O'Sullivan•London, United Kingdom Architects: Urban Projects Bureau Area Area of this architecture project Area:  350 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023 Photographs Photographs:Kilian O'Sullivan Lead Architects: Yonatan Buchhandler, Alex Warnock-Smith More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. This project transformed a Victorian terrace house in East London into a four-story family home that reflects the clients' South Asian heritage. At its center is a three-story gallery inspired by Islamic courtyard houses, organizing the kitchen, living room, and study. The kitchen acts as a courtyard, connecting living spaces via staircases and a bridge, while large landscape steps lead to a new basement family room. The design emphasizes detail, color, and texture for a cohesive interior, with views connecting the front and rear gardens, integrating outdoor elements including a winter garden to enhance the home's flow.Save this picture!Save this picture!Improving well-being and liveability within the spaces of this traditional terrace house was central to the brief for a large family with diverse living and accessibility requirements. This was achieved by opening spaces up, creating large unobstructed floor planes, allowing clear visual connections between spaces and levels, and connecting spaces with specially designed slow staircases and a bridge. The project also includes the construction of a new treatment room in the rear garden.Save this picture!Save this picture!Inspired by the traditional Islamic courtyard house, the new kitchen is conceived as a courtyard at the center of the house and is linked to different living spaces by new staircases and a bridge, giving a sense of community and intimacy to a domestic space. From the kitchen island, you can see into all the other living spaces and out to the front and rear gardens. Large landscape steps lead down from the kitchen to a new basement family room encouraging family interaction.Save this picture!Save this picture!Connections with external landscape spaces, plants, and natural life are another important feature of the design, as well as ensuring good quality natural ventilation. Views are created through the depth of the house, linking newly landscaped front and rear gardens, and allowing light and air to pass through spaces and between the levels through natural cross ventilation. Natural stack ventilation is enabled from basement to roof through the new staircase and stepped section.Save this picture!An internal winter garden in the dining room creates a resting place and transition between interior and exterior, garden and house. A clay-plaster wall lines the winter garden and provides a natural bio-based breathable wall that will change in tone in response to plants, temperature, and humidity. The rear extension is lined with a green roof.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this office Published on April 11, 2025Cite: "Broomhill Road House / Urban Projects Bureau" 11 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028433/broomhill-road-house-urban-projects-bureau&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

(Image Credit: DC Studio/Shutterstock) NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsBack in 1950, Alan Turing proposed an elegantly simple yet profoundly challenging way to determine whether machines could be said to "think." Known as the Turing Test, this measure of machine intelligence sets humans and machines in conversational competition, challenging human judges to distinguish between artificial and genuine intelligence through text-based interactions. Despite numerous attempts, no artificial system had ever convincingly passed this test. Until now.Cameron Jones and Benjamin Bergen from the University of California, San Diego, have gathered for the first time empirical evidence that OpenAI’s GPT-4.5, a sophisticated large language model (LLM), has successfully passed the Turing Test. Not only did GPT-4.5 pass, but under specific conditions, it outperformed human counterparts in convincing participants of its humanity.The work has significant implications for society, ethics and humanity’s understanding of intelligence itself.Human v MachineThe Turing Test pits an interrogator against two conversational partners — one human and one machine — engaging both simultaneously via text. The interrogator's task is simple: to decide which conversational partner is human. But despite rapid advancements in computational linguistics and machine learning, AI systems have consistently failed this seemingly straightforward challenge.To take the test, Jones and Bergen recruited 284 participants from diverse backgrounds, including undergraduate students and paid crowd-sourced workers from Prolific, a tech company that employs humans to take part in AI-related experiments. The researchers pitted several contemporary AI models against humans — including GPT-4o, LLaMa-3.1-405B, and GPT-4.5. Interestingly, GPT-4.5 emerged as the winner but only when instructed to adopt a "humanlike persona." In those conversations, GPT-4.5 was judged to be the human 73% of the time: significantly more often than interrogators selected the real human participant, say Jones and Bergen, highlighting a remarkable shift in AI’s ability to emulate human conversation.The researchers also used an older rule-based chatbot called ELIZA to generate text and this was readily identified as a machine by the judges. Similarly, GPT-4o, a previous generation model, also significantly underperformed, chosen as human in just 21% of cases. "The results constitute the first empirical evidence that any artificial system passes a standard three-party Turing test," say Jones and Bergen.Jones and Bergen attribute part of GPT4.5’s success to the careful crafting of prompts designed to guide the model into adopting a persona that humans find relatable and convincingly authentic — specifically, a persona of an introverted young person fluent in internet slang and culture. GPT4.5’s ability to do this, say the researchers, demonstrates nuanced command over language patterns and interactive subtleties previously thought uniquely human."It is arguably the ease with which LLMs can be prompted to adapt their behavior to different scenarios that makes them so flexible: and apparently so capable of passing as human," say Jones and Bergen. This adaptability, rather than being a weakness, is precisely what underscores their emerging intelligence.Of course, the work also raises the thorny question of whether the Turing Test is measuring intelligence at all or just measuring the ability to pass the test. Either way, the success of GPT-4.5 challenges the conventional wisdom that genuine intelligence must include conscious awareness or deep comprehension. It may even prompt a reevaluation of the criteria used to define cognitive abilities and intellect.Evolving IntelligenceThat’s an impressive result with significant ethical, economic and social implications. "Models with this ability to robustly deceive and masquerade as people could be used for social engineering or to spread misinformation," say the researchers, warning of the potential misuse of “counterfeit humans” in politics, marketing and cybersecurity.But there is also a clear upside, albeit with important caveats. Better conversational agents could significantly enhance human-computer interactions, improve automated services, virtual assistance, companionship and educational tools. Achieving a balance between utility and risk will probably require carefully considered regulation.The work may also force humans to change how they interact with each other. Jones and Bergen imagine a greater cultural emphasis on authentic human interaction, spurred by the ubiquity of capable AI counterparts. This blurring of the distinction between machines and humans would surely have fascinated even Turing himself.Ref: Large Language Models Pass the Turing Test : arxiv.org/abs/2503.23674artificial intelligence1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as $1.99!SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 I’m waiting for my allergy meds to kick in as I write this. Even if you don’t suffer from seasonal allergies, you can benefit from a good air purifier in your home. And right now, Amazon has some of our favorite air purifiers from Coway on sale for clearance prices. The sale includes models that cover just about any type of home, from large rooms to small apartments. No matter where you live, you’ll be breathing better. This sale goes until April 15, and then prices go back up, so add to cart now. Airmega 100 (White) — $89.25 (was $129.99) Coway This affordable air purifier takes just one hour to clean the air in a room up to 810 square feet. It can scrub a 167 square-foot room in just 12.5 minutes. It’s not slacking as it works, either. The three-stage HEPA filter promises to scrape 99.999 percent of harmful particles out of the air. And let’s face it, that 0.001 percent of particles that get through have earned the honor of messing with you. You can keep this purifier in the bedroom as it operates at just 20 dB, so there’s no worry about it keeping you awake. If you still don’t want it running at night, it has a sleep mode and a built-in timer to clean the air on your schedule. AP-1512HH (White) — $173.25 (was $229.99)  Terri Williams This is our pick for the best portable air purifier for asthma. It can clean a room up to 361 square feet, and it has a burly four-stage filter to capture as much airborne crud as possible. Like the Airmega 100, it has a built-in timer function, so you can customize when it’s on. This is a great, easily packable option if you want to bring it along on a trip. After all, you don’t want to breathe in that hotel air that other guests have already breathed. Gross. More Coway air purifier deals AP-1512HH (Black) $173.25 (was $229.99)        Airmega 400 (White) $429.45 (was $649.00) AIRMEGA 250 $283.50 (was $399.00)  AIRMEGA ProX (Beige) $711.90 (was $999.99) AP-1512HHS $210.00 (was $299.00) Airmega 300 (White) $362.25 (was $549.00) Coway bidet deals Since we’re talking about Coway products on sale, it’s worth noting that the company’s bidets are also discounted right now. They’re kind of like air purifiers, but for your butt. Bidetmega 500S (E) $494.70 (was $699.00) Bidetmega 500S (R) $497.70 (was $699.00) Bidetmega 400S (E) $426.30 (was $599.00) Bidetmega 400S (R) $426.30 (was $599.00)

SlitherStephen S. HallGrand Central Publishing, $30 Snakes don’t often get to be the protagonists. From the biblical tempter in the Garden of Eden to the eponymous snakes on a plane, your stereotypical serpent often gets cast as a villain — cunning, treacherous, cruel, deadly. But human views of snakes are full of contradictions. In mythology, snakes whispered secrets about the healing arts to the Greeks and established the concept of linear time in Mesoamerica. In the real world, they continue to inspire scientists in fields as diverse as pharmacology, reproductive biology and disaster relief. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Nature, Published online: 11 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01109-9Oil and water contained in a cylinder with magnetic nickel particles form the shape of a Grecian urn.

The La Niña weather pattern ended last month as Pacific Ocean temperatures rose and the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle entered a neutral state, according to the NOAA.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will no longer require certain crypto platforms to report transaction data under President Donald Trump's administration. In a major policy reversal, Trump has signed an executive order nullifying a rule that would have compelled decentralised exchanges to report their customers' total digital asset sales to the IRS. Officially titled “Gross Proceeds Reporting by Brokers that Regularly Provide Services Effectuating Digital Asset Sales,” the legislation is more commonly known as the “DeFi Broker Rule.”The rule was introduced during the final months of former President Joe Biden's term and was scheduled to take effect in 2026. It was designed to combat tax evasion by improving oversight of cryptocurrency trading activity.In the last few months, the rule garnered criticism from crypto advocates, who reportedly argued that because decentralised exchanges are automated software applications and not real “brokers”, they could not comply with the rule.US Representative Mike Carey from Ohio, who was part of the signing ceremony for this order, highlighted that this is the first cryptocurrency bill that has been signed into law, making Trump the first US President to have done so.“The DeFi Broker Rule needlessly hindered American innovation, infringed on the privacy of everyday Americans, and was set to overwhelm the IRS with an overflow of new filings that it doesn't have the infrastructure to handle during tax season,” Carey said in his statement. He added that the IRS can now focus on the “duties and obligations it already owes to American taxpayers instead of creating a new series of bureaucratic hurdles.”The now cancelled rule could have fetched the US Treasury up to $4 billion (roughly Rs. 4,64,852 crore), as per a CNN report.In March, the US Senate had passed a resolution that suggested the overturning of this rule. In a statement issued on March 4, the Senate said that the rule inappropriately required certain DeFi participants to report gross proceeds from sales of crypto assets and submit data about the taxpayers involved.“This rule would stifle American innovation and raise privacy concerns over the sharing of taxpayers' personal information, while imposing an unprecedented compliance burden on American DeFi companies,” the Senate had said at the time.Trump Embraces CryptoDonald Trump has signed multiple pro-crypto orders since returning to the White House for his second Presidential term. He created a Crypto Task Force under the SEC to expedite the work on drafting crypto rules and also signed an executive order to create a Bitcoin reserve as well as a crypto stockpile.SEC cases against multiple crypto firms like Binance, Ripple, and OpenSea among others have been dropped in recent weeks, bringing relief to the sector.As part of his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to transform the US into the world's “crypto capital.”Earlier this week, the US DoJ disbanded the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) -- that was also established by Biden to probe crypto businesses in the US. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Cryptocurrency, Donald Trump, DeFi Broker Rule, US Radhika Parashar Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More Related Stories