I’ve spent enough time building, testing, and troubleshooting PCs to know what’s worth your money and what isn’t. These days, I stick with gear that delivers top performance out of the box and holds up during long gaming sessions and workdays. That’s why I game on a custom-built MAINGEAR RUSH PC, paired with Glorious peripherals whilkst dreaming of an epic OLED display setup. These aren’t just products I’ve tested. They’re what I personally use every day.My MAINGEAR RUSH PC, Glorious Gaming Gear, and Samsung Odyssey 3D Incuding a free $300 Amazon VoucherRUSH | Night Drive AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT$3,498.00 at MainGearSAMSUNG 27-inch Odyssey 3D G90XF$1,999.99 at AmazonThe Essential Writing Guides Bundle | Adams MediaAcer Predator Z57 | 57" DUHD 7680 x 2160 Mini LED 1000R Curved Gaming MonitorThe Last of Us - Ellie With Handgun Bust$149.99 at IGN StoreSamsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 (G95SD)Glorious Gaming - Model D 2 Wireless Ergonomic MouseGlorious Gaming - GMMK 3 PRO HE: Wireless Gaming KeyboardToday’s roundup includes deals on that very same MAINGEAR build, the OLED ultrawide monitor I think is the best value right now, and the keyboard and mouse I rely on for everything from ranked matches to writing sessions. I’m also including a few wishlist-worthy monitors and collectibles that are worth a look while they’re on sale. If you care about clean performance, reliability, and products that feel built with intention, this is a list for you.Add MLB.TV and Get $30 Off Your First Month of SlingNow through May 31, you can tack on MLB.TV and stream every single out-of-market game and get $30 off your first month of Sling TV. Get access to ESPN, TBS, FS1, and more, plus a free month of unlimited DVR.See it at Sling TVRUSH | Night Drive AMD Radeon RX 9070 XTRUSH | Night Drive AMD Radeon RX 9070 XTAMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D custom build$3,498.00 at MainGearI use this exact PC every day, and I wouldn’t game on anything else. It runs quietly, handles everything I throw at it, and looks incredible on my desk. I picked the Night Drive Artist Series because I wanted a rig that felt personal and custom, and MAINGEAR absolutely delivered. It’s built around AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Radeon RX 9070 XT, which means I can max out any game at 4K and still get smooth performance. These aren’t just top-tier parts. They’re installed and tuned with care.When I first unboxed it, I could tell this wasn’t just another prebuilt. The case design has a glossy finish that looks better than any other chassis I’ve owned. Inside, every wire is routed cleanly, and the ten RGB fans keep airflow strong and temperatures cool. I didn’t need to touch a thing before diving into my game library. No bloatware, no setup headaches. Just clean performance from the start.I think what really sets MAINGEAR apart is the BIOS tuning they do before shipping. I’ve built my own rigs before, and I know how easy it is to leave performance on the table when settings aren’t dialed in. This PC came fully optimized. RAM was running at full speed, fan curves were smart, and the GPU boost settings were already perfect. I felt like someone had built it specifically for the way I game.Customer support matters to me, especially with a high-end purchase. When I had a small issue with an older build’s RGB sync, they walked me through a fix without any hassle. They even followed up later to make sure it was resolved. That kind of service makes me want to keep buying from them.This system is also ready for the future. I can upgrade the GPU or add more storage without dealing with proprietary hardware. If I wanted to send it back for an upgrade, MAINGEAR would handle that too. It’s a system built to grow with me, not something I’ll need to replace in two years.In my opinion, if you care about gaming performance, reliability, and build quality, this PC is worth every dollar. I use it daily for gaming and work, and I have no plans to switch to anything else.SAMSUNG 27-inch Odyssey 3D G90XFSAMSUNG 27-inch Odyssey 3D G90XFPre-order now and claim $300 Amazon Gift Card. Releases April 22.$1,999.99 at AmazonThis monitor caught my attention because it offers something I haven’t seen before. The G90XF takes your standard 4K 165Hz gaming monitor and adds AI-powered 3D effects. I think that’s a cool way to breathe new life into games I’ve already played. You also get a 300 dollar Amazon Gift Card when you buy the right bundle, which makes this an even better deal.The screen itself has a 1ms response time and FreeSync support, so games stay smooth and responsive. Built-in dual speakers and edge lighting help add to the immersive feel, and the Reality Hub feature makes it easy to jump into supported 3D games.If you want to try something different with your display setup and still want top-tier specs, this is a solid option. I think it would pair well with a high-end PC like MAINGEAR.The Essential Writing Guides Bundle | Adams MediaThe Essential Writing Guides Bundle | Adams MediaIf you’re writing your own game scripts or planning a novel, this Humble Bundle is packed with helpful tools. It includes guides like Plot Whisperer, Grammar Sucks, and Write Like Hemingway. I’ve used similar titles for game writing and storyboarding, and they’ve helped me stay focused and organized.You get all 44 titles in DRM-free formats like PDF and ePUB, and you can use them on your phone, tablet, or desktop. Buying this bundle also supports Worldreader, a nonprofit focused on literacy.For the price, I think it’s one of the best digital resource bundles out there. It’s great for gamers who want to improve their writing or storytellers looking to sharpen their skills.Acer Predator Z57 | 57" DUHD 7680 x 2160 Mini LED 1000R Curved Gaming MonitorAcer Predator Z57 | 57" DUHD 7680 x 2160 Mini LED 1000R Curved Gaming MonitorI’ve tried ultrawide monitors before, but this 57-inch Mini LED display takes it to another level. It runs at DUHD resolution, which means 7680 by 2160 pixels, and has a 120Hz refresh rate with a 1ms response time. That’s exactly what I want for smooth gaming without sacrificing detail.The curved design keeps everything in view, and the wide 32 to 9 aspect ratio is great for open-world games or multitasking. It also supports HDR1000 and has a KVM switch, so you can use it across multiple systems without constantly swapping cables.If your desk can handle the size, this is a dream monitor. I’d love to pair this with my MAINGEAR build for single-screen immersion that still lets me keep Discord, OBS, and Steam open on the sides.The Last of Us - Ellie With Handgun BustThe Last of Us - Ellie With Handgun BustPre-order for August 2025 release$149.99 at IGN StoreI think this Ellie statue captures the character perfectly. It’s a detailed resin bust that stands about 7.5 inches tall, showing her in full survival mode with a handgun drawn. It’s made by Dark Horse with input from Naughty Dog, and the quality shows. The sculpt is clean, the paint is sharp, and the expression feels true to the character.If you’re like me and enjoy collecting gaming memorabilia, this is one to preorder early. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and will ship in August. I like that it’s not overly large, so it fits easily on a desk or shelf next to your gaming setup.This is one of those collectibles that feels personal. If you’ve spent time in that world with Ellie, having this on display adds something special to your setup.Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 (G95SD)Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 (G95SD)I’ve been eyeing the OLED G9 for a while, and this price drop makes it a serious deal. For gaming, this monitor has everything I want. It’s huge at 49 inches and has a 32 to 9 aspect ratio that wraps around my field of view. The Dual QHD resolution makes games look sharp, and the OLED panel brings out every detail with deep blacks and vibrant color.What makes this great for gaming is the combination of a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time. I’ve played on high refresh rate monitors before, but this one takes smoothness to another level. It makes a real difference in fast-paced games like Apex Legends or Call of Duty. Input feels instant, and motion stays crisp even in intense firefights.Glare-Free tech is another reason I’d recommend it. I play in a bright room, and reflections usually ruin the experience on glossy screens. With this monitor, I can stay locked in no matter the lighting. At 500 dollars off, I think it’s one of the best display upgrades for serious PC gamers right now.Glorious Gaming - Model D 2 Wireless Ergonomic MouseGlorious Gaming - Model D 2 Wireless Ergonomic MouseD 2 Wireless has been my go-to mouse for a while now. It’s lightweight at just 66 grams, which helps me stay fast and precise in games like Valorant and Apex. The shape fits my hand perfectly and doesn’t cause fatigue, even during long sessions.The sensor is spot-on. It tracks every movement accurately, and the wireless connection has never lagged or dropped out on me. I switch between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz depending on what I’m doing. When I’m playing, it’s on 2.4 for the fastest response. When I’m working, I use Bluetooth to save battery.I wouldn’t use anything else right now. It gives me the performance I need without costing a fortune, and it pairs perfectly with the GMMK 3 Pro on my desk.Glorious Gaming - GMMK 3 PRO HE: Wireless Gaming KeyboardGlorious Gaming - GMMK 3 PRO HE: Wireless Gaming KeyboardThis is the keyboard I use every single day. From gaming to editing and writing, it’s the one I trust. I went with the GMMK 3 Pro HE because of the Hall Effect switches. They let me adjust actuation sensitivity so I can set my preferred trigger point per key. That’s been a game-changer for FPS games where fast reactions matter.It’s also wireless with a solid 2.4GHz connection that’s never given me issues. The aluminum frame feels strong and stable on my desk, and the 75 percent layout saves space without removing any of the keys I actually use. I also like that I can swap out the switches if I ever want to change the feel.I’ve used a lot of gaming keyboards, but this is the one I keep coming back to. It’s fast, reliable, and comfortable, and I honestly think it’s one of the best gaming investments I’ve made.Pokémon TCG Charizard ex Super Premium CollectionPokémon TCG Charizard ex Super Premium CollectionThis is one of those sets where I blinked and it was sold out the first time. I’m glad it’s back and actually on sale. You get a shiny Charizard ex, Charmander and Charmeleon promos, a display figure, and ten booster packs. That’s a solid value for under 50 bucks.Squirtle - 148/142$75.31 at TCG PlayerBulbasaur - 143/142$74.88 at TCG PlayerTerapagos ex - 170/142$57.98 at TCG PlayerDachsbun ex - 169/142$38.00 at TCG PlayerHydrapple ex - 167/142$41.99 at TCG PlayerIn my opinion, this is the kind of product that works for both collectors and anyone trying to build out a fire-heavy deck. The packaging alone makes it feel like a gift, even if you’re just giving it to your future self. You get the following packs:Greninja ex - 214/167 - SV06: Twilight Masquerade$799.95 at TCGPlayerPerrin - 220/167 - SV06: Twilight Masquerade$249.95 at TCGPlayerCarmine - 217/167 - SV06: Twilight Masquerade$174.95 at TCGPlayerEevee - 188/167 - SV06: Twilight Masquerade$89.91 at TCGPlayerBloodmoon Ursaluna ex - 216/167 - SV06: Twilight Masquerade$47.70 at TCGPlayer- Stellar Crown- Twilight Masquerade- Paradox Rift- Temporal Forces- Obsidian FlamesRaging Bolt ex - 208/162$112.94 at TCG PlayerIron Crown ex - 206/162$65.11 at TCG PlayerWalking Wake ex - 205/162$149.95 at TCG PlayerGouging Fire ex - 204/162$56.88 at TCG PlayerGastly - 177/162$50.36 at TCG PlayerXbox Wireless Controller – DOOM: The Dark Ages LEXbox Wireless Controller – DOOM: The Dark Ages LEPre-order now, releases April 30$79.99 at AmazonI want this just to display it. This controller has matte green armor, silver spikes, a sinister red thumbstick, and buttons labeled in the Sentinel alphabet. I’m convinced it could survive a drop from orbit.It’s still a standard Xbox and Bluetooth controller underneath all the theatrics, so it’ll work across consoles, PC, and cloud. I think it’s the best kind of extra. Completely over-the-top, but still totally usable.The Last of Us 10th Anniversary Vinyl Box Set - 4LPThe Last of Us 10th Anniversary Vinyl Box Set - 4LP$109.98 at IGN StoreI don’t even play vinyl and I still want this sitting on my shelf. The music from Last of Us is unforgettable, and this set leans all the way into the emotion. It includes four colored records, a slipcase that looks like it’s been through some stuff, and two beautiful lithographs.Gustavo Santaolalla’s soundtrack is about as iconic as game music gets. In my opinion, if you felt anything during that main theme, you’re going to want this in your collection.Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet — Journey Together Elite Trainer BoxPokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet — Journey Together Elite Trainer BoxI think this box is for anyone who loves both strategy and structure. It comes with nine booster packs, a full-art promo of N’s Zorua, a mountain of energy cards, dice, sleeves, and even a collector’s box with dividers. It’s basically a starter kit for organized chaos.Lillie's Clefairy ex - 184/159$224.74 at TCGPlayerN's Zoroark ex - 185/159$249.97 at TCGPlayerIono's Bellibolt ex - 183/159$149.99 at TCGPlayerHop's Zacian ex - 186/159$100.39 at TCGPlayerN's Zoroark ex - 189/159$62.95 at TCGPlayerIt’s not the cheapest trainer box out there, but the amount of content here definitely gives it an edge if you're all in on the Scarlet & Violet era.Return to Metroidvania Game BundleReturn to Metroidvania Game BundlePay less to get fewer items, or pay extra to give more to publishers, Humble, and charity Cool Effect.This bundle is a steal. For fourteen bucks, you’re getting eight quality indie games, and at least three of them could easily stand on their own. I picked it up for Gato Roboto, which is exactly what it sounds like: a cat in a mech suit.In my opinion, this is ideal for anyone who wants games that actually let you explore and experiment. The titles are highly rated, weird in the best way, and don’t take up 80 gigs of storage. It’s refreshing.Pokémon TCG - Scarlet & Violet: Journey Together Sleeved BoosterPokémon TCG - Scarlet & Violet: Journey Together Sleeved BoosterAlright, I’ll be honest. This one’s a bit of a wildcard. You get one booster pack, randomly selected, and that's it. The listing makes it clear you don’t get to pick the pack art or contents.Maractus - 160/159$2.25 at TCG PlayerArticuno - 161/159$18.69 at TCG PlayerWailord 162/159$14.55 at TCG PlayerIono's Kilowattrel 163/159$12.49 at TCG PlayerLillie's Ribombee 164/159$8.00 at TCG PlayerSwinub 165/159$4.18 at TCG PlayerLycanroc 166/159$4.55 at TCG PlayerN's Reshiram 167/159$16.00 at TCG PlayerN's Reshiram - 167/159 (Journey Together Stamped)$14.12 at TCG PlayerFurret 168/159$8.92 at TCG PlayerNoibat 169/159$6.85 at TCG PlayerHop's Wooloo 170/159$6.10 at TCG PlayerVolcanion ex 171/159$2.35 at TCG PlayerIono's Bellibolt ex 172/159See it at TCG Player

Like many gamers, I was apprehensive as Microsoft steadily acquired some of the biggest game studios in the world, including Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media. It was worrying to think this could lead to a renewed era of major titles trapped within the confines of platform exclusivity. These concerns were largely alleviated, however, in the months and years that followed with established multi-platform titles like Call of Duty and Doom remaining available day-and-date on PlayStation 5 in addition to the Xbox Series X|S. Still, what is really surprising is to see this trend now also extending to franchises not necessarily associated with multiplatform legacies. Look no further than the ZeniMax-published—and therefore Microsoft owned—title Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which is now coming to PS5 just four months after its now vaunted launch on Xbox and PC in December. This push by Microsoft Games to make its first-party titles available beyond the Xbox and PC echoes a similar strategy from Sega as the Japanese company shifted from focusing on its consoles to multi-platform games more than 20 years ago. Like Sega before it, this shift also comes as the Xbox’s standing in the console industry began to noticeably and increasingly fall behind its competitors. Here’s how Sega survived in the gaming industry with its move to ditch producing its own consoles and console-exclusive games, and how Indiana Jones could signal a similar future for Microsoft. The Reinvention of Sega Following Nintendo’s complete revitalization of the video game industry in the ‘80s with the Nintendo Entertainment System, its first major competitor in the North American market became fellow Japanese gamemaker Sega. For nearly 20 years, Sega produced its own consoles, with first-party titles like Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage suggesting a slightly edgier ‘90s-friendly aesthetic in comparison to Nintendo. However, for a variety of reasons, Sega’s place in the industry eroded throughout that decade, with each subsequent console less successful in North America than the last. This culminated in Sega exiting the console industry in 2001 after lukewarm sales for the Sega Dreamcast. The company instead pivoted to focusing on producing games for platforms from their former competitors. This switch paid off quickly, reversing Sega’s diminishing fortunes, with the company posting its first profitable fiscal year in 2003 after a prolonged period of consistent losses. For me, after enduring the ‘90s console wars, the unthinkable happened when Sonic the Hedgehog games became available on the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance; I never thought I’d see the day. But in making established franchises, like Virtua Fighter, and new ones like Yakuza, available on other consoles, Sega not only lived to fight another day but thrived better than ever. Undiscovered Country for Microsoft After the success of the Xbox 360, Microsoft has been seeing similarly diminishing returns on its own console efforts starting with the subsequent Xbox One. This downward trend continued into the Xbox Series X|S era, with the console having sold 28.3 million units worldwide by June 2024, roughly half of the PS5’s total sales in relatively the same time period. Like Sega before it, Microsoft cannot rebuild its momentum compared directly to Nintendo or Sony, meaning it has to drastically rethink its strategy and place in the gaming industry. While Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to pull out of the console industry or reduce its support of the Xbox Series X|S, it may want to strongly consider Sega’s own strategy. Microsoft Gaming has already leaned into expanding its ecosystem into the PC space, bringing it closer to Xbox with its GamePass program. In continuing to make games published by its subsidiaries to other consoles, like the PS5 and upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the biggest hint that Microsoft could alter its output to one prioritizing software over console hardware. In a 2023 court deposition, Microsoft executives tacitly admitted that they lost the console wars and that software exclusivity was not anti-competitive. Both are rare admissions that demonstrate Microsoft was aware of its long-term prospects and that its strategic future in console hardware and platform exclusivity was in doubt. To stay viable, Microsoft needs to lean into its strengths and right now that’s in software. Not console hardware. If Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the first major Indiana Jones game released in 15 years and one of the biggest games published by ZeniMax since its acquisition, has received a multi-platform release, Indy could be leading the way for big changes to Microsoft Games. Just as it was unthinkable for me to see Sonic on Nintendo consoles, maybe Halo’s Master Chief could one day make a PlayStation appearance. In this industry, stranger things have happened… Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Category: GamesApril 17, 2025 Towerborne: Introducing a Spectacular Japanese-Themed Golden Week Event Sebastian YamaguchiEditor, Xbox Wire Japan SummaryGolden Week, the beloved Japanese holiday, is coming to Towerborne from April 29 – the same day the game launches into Xbox Game Preview and Game Pass.The Japan-themed Shiro’s Golden Journey event will transform the Belfry with Japanese-inspired new quests, characters, rewards, and more – and runs until May 13.Don’t worry if you can’t collect all the rewards during the event – you’ll be able to continue after it ends.Find out how this Golden Week event came to be in our interview. Spring’s warm air wraps around Japan and its people, who have endured the cold and harsh winter, ushering in an uplifting season. This joyful time, beginning in late April, is the much-anticipated “Golden Week,” a series of holidays that locals look forward to every year – and, in Towerborne, we’ll be getting a Golden Week event to celebrate in style. During the Golden Week, the highways in Japan stretch endlessly with lines of cars patiently waiting for their turn to move. At the expressway service areas, you may find adults that stopped by for a breather, while children —perhaps unaware of their guardians’ fatigue— happily munch on local delicacies with beaming smiles. Tourist spots buzz with activity, and in hometowns across the country, greetings of “Long time no see! How have you been?” echo warmly from all directions. The Japanese Golden Week is a special time when everyone takes a break from their hectic everyday lives to enjoy a moment of adventure – and with Towerborne launching into Xbox Game Preview and Game Pass on April 29, what better time to head out on an all-new adventure? A Brand-new Take on Golden Week Centered around Golden Week —a uniquely Japanese cultural tradition— Shiro’s Golden Journey, Towerborne’s first Limited-Time Event, is set to take place starting April 29. The event features a host of new content, including a brand-new character, a new role for the Umbra companion, Boshi, a variety of exclusive themed rewards, and even a new feature: tag-teaming with NPCs. Players will team up with the mysterious, fox-masked NPC known as Shiro to complete a new questline. As they progress, they will uncover the story behind Shiro and earn a range of event-exclusive items inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics. Chris “Hiro” Harada, VP of Marketing at Stoic To celebrate this occasion, Xbox Wire Japan spoke with Chris “Hiro” Harada, VP of Marketing at Stoic and the mastermind behind Shiro’s Golden Journey, to dive deeper into the inspiration, and details of what’s coming next for Towerborne. When asked for a brief introduction, Harada shared his unique background, with roots in multiple cultures, including Japan. “I actually have two first names,” he explained. “Hiro is my Japanese name, and Christopher is my American name. To keep things simple for everyone, most people just call me by my last name, Harada. My father is from Hiroshima, Japan, and my mother was American. I spent my childhood [moving] between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Osaka, Japan. I’ve even worked with several Japanese companies over the years, and have always stayed closely connected to my Japanese heritage. Many of my close friends live in Japan, and I continue to stay in regular contact with them.” It was Harada, with his first-hand experience living in Japan, who brought the concept of Shiro’s Golden Journey to the Towerborne team, with the hope of sharing his own cherished memories of Golden Week with a wider audience. He detailed that, “it all came together very naturally. All I did was share about my stay in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima during that time of the year,” emphasizing how magical it was. Reflecting on his past experiences during Golden Week, he continued. “Most recently, we visited Hakone. My father, brother, and wife came, and it was a beautiful, unforgettable trip.” A Hub for Cultural Celebrations Harada brought his deep affection for Japan into Towerborne through the form of a Limited-Time Event, as it was clear that the game’s openness to diverse cultures and tradition, as well as its overall design philosophy, favored making such a fusion possible. “When I joined Stoic in early 2024, I was struck by how rich and expansive Towerborne already was. As a live game, it felt important that players could shape their own stories, and we approached our content through a global perspective. Taking the form of a Limited-Time Event felt like the perfect method for efforts like these, since not only do they imply a consistent yearly cadence of content, but they also allow us a framework to celebrate different cultures authentically.” He also added that “Japan was a natural starting point because the timing aligned with our development plans, as well as my upbringing,” while foreshadowing that Stoic will “continue to honor and spotlight cultures from all over the world in future events,” reflecting on their globally diverse roster. Reflecting Harada’s vision, the exclusive cosmetic items obtained through Shiro’s Golden Journey are infused with a variety of Japan-inspired designs. These rewards, rich with the traditional essence of wa (Japanese aesthetics), are also connected to his roots in Japan. “Shiro, the name for the central character of the questline, means ‘white’ in Japanese, and is inspired by my favorite pieces of folklore that feature the Kitsune (‘fox’ in Japanese), which were sometimes depicted with white fur. My extended family in Hiroshima follows Shinto, leading to us occasionally visiting the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto – and [the fox statues there] always captivated me.” Harada also brought up his admiration of the classical theatrical art of Kabuki, which inspired one of the armor set rewards, and the team even redesigned the game’s warclub weapon to resemble a wagasa, a traditional Japanese umbrella. A Deeper Dive Inside Shiro’s Golden Journey The origin of Shiro’s Golden Journey, which commences during Golden Week, can be traced back to a moment when Harada was reviewing concept materials with Towerborne’s Product Director, Alex Hunnisett, along with the artistic team. “When I was reviewing assets, one design in particular stood out to me, and I reached out to our incredible Art Director, Pedro Toledo, to explore the idea of evolving it into a Kitsune-inspired ninja character. The new character, later named Shiro, felt like a natural fit, as our Shadowstriker class already drew heavily from anime-style ninja assassins. Players can expect to really enjoy uncovering more about Shiro as the game progresses.” One of the major highlights of this Limited-Time Event is the inclusion of a brand-new feature that enables the player to tag-team with NPCs, in this case Shiro. It marks the first time that such a mechanic has been implemented in the game, and for this, Harada credits the dedication of Stoic’s LiveOps team for turning the idea into a reality. ”The LiveOps team had been exploring the idea of NPC allies for a while,” he explained, “and this event gave them the perfect opportunity to bring the idea to life. While Shiro himself will debut during the Japanese Golden Week, the mechanics of having NPCs assist in combat will continue to evolve in future updates.” Creating Special Moments, While Respecting Players’ Time Harada also explained that, while designing Shiro’s Golden Journey as a Limited-Time Event, the team made a conscious effort to respect players’ time by including a system that allowed them to continue to obtain exclusive items even after the event ends, which stems from Stoic’s collective decision to being “as fair and considerate to the players as possible.” He notes that, “while The Golden Week questline will only be available during the event, once you’ve unlocked the cosmetic bundle, you can finish it at any time, even after the event ends.” This approach, which is complemented by the event’s extension of an additional week after the actual Golden Week concludes in Japan, “gives everyone enough time to enjoy the event fully, and also decide whether they’d like to unlock this special cosmetic bundle to continue earning exclusive rewards.” A Love Letter to Japan When asked for a closing statement for the fans in Japan, as well as those who appreciate Japanese culture, Harada concluded by reflecting on the spirit behind Towerborne’s development, as well as his hopes for future adventures in the Belfry: “To everyone in Japan or those interested in Towerborne, I hope you kindly consider trying it out. It’s a love letter to the kinds of games we grew up playing, and we’ve worked hard to bring back the joy of couch co-op and shared adventures. For current players, we hope it brings back those warm memories of playing with friends and family. And for new players, we hope it’s the start of something just as memorable. “Fans around the world, especially those who love anime or Japanese culture, know that this is just the beginning. Towerborne is built with a global mindset, and this event is one of many, inspired by beloved stories and traditions. We’re excited to keep building a world that reflects and celebrates different cultures through meaningful content.” Towerborne’s Shiro’s Golden Journey event will begin on April 29, and runs until May 13. Also on April 29, Towerborne arrives for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via the Xbox app, and with Game Pass, through the Xbox Game Preview program. It is also available through Steam Early Access. The Class Mastery Update – arriving on the same day – includes an all-new progression system, big changes to the game’s World Map and quests, new items and enemies, gameplay and social system improvements, and more across all platforms. Related Stories for “Towerborne: Introducing a Spectacular Japanese-Themed Golden Week Event” Category: ID@XboxAre You Ready to Enter Leila’s Mind and Journey into Her Past? Category: GamesBuilding a Soulslike: Why Lords of the Fallen Version 2.0 is Worth Your Time Category: GamesMaster the Art of Combat in Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree The post Towerborne: Introducing a Spectacular Japanese-Themed Golden Week Event appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope say they have detected the “strongest evidence yet” that life exists outside our solar system.   Scientists at the University of Cambridge found signs of the gases dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. On Earth, these gases are only produced by living organisms like phytoplankton, suggesting that K2-18b may also support life.  Located 124 light years away, K2-18b is almost three times the size of Earth and inhabits a region in space where temperatures might allow liquid water. This has long made the exoplanet a top candidate in humanity’s search for alien life.  Armed with the world’s most powerful space telescope, scientists are closer than ever to unearthing the mysteries of this far-off world.  How did the team spot signs of extraterrestrial life? View the full agenda To arrive at their conclusions, the scientists employed a technique known as transit spectroscopy.  When K2-18b transits in front of its parent star, some of the starlight passes through its atmosphere before reaching Earth. Different gases absorb specific colours or wavelengths of the starlight, which can be picked up by James Webb’s instruments.  By studying the “missing” light colours, the scientists could piece together which gases are present in the exoplanet’s atmosphere.  The new findings support existing theories that K2-18b is a “hycean planet” — home to vast oceans and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. “Given everything we know about this planet, a Hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with life is the scenario that best fits the data we have,” said Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who led the research.  Madhusudhan and his team admit that an unknown chemical process may be the source of these gases. However, the observations reached a “three-sigma” level of statistical significance, meaning there’s only a 0.3% probability they occurred by chance. That’s not the 0.00006% needed to reach the accepted classification for a scientific discovery — but it’s compelling evidence nonetheless. In 2023, the same team of Cambridge researchers found signs of methane and CO2 in K2-18b’s atmosphere using two different James Webb instruments — the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) and the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). This marked the first detection of carbon-based molecules on an exoplanet within the habitable zone.  During these first observations, the researchers also noticed faint signals that potentially indicated DMS. Intrigued by this possibility, the team conducted follow-up observations two years later, this time using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).  “This is an independent line of evidence, using a different instrument than we did before and a different wavelength range of light, where there is no overlap with the previous observations,” said Madhusudhan. “The signal came through strong and clear.”  The researchers estimate that 16 to 24 hours of follow-up observation time with JWST may push the findings past the threshold for a scientific discovery.   Story by Siôn Geschwindt Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehic (show all) Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicles, he's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. He has five years of journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. When he's not writing, you can probably find Siôn out hiking, surfing, playing the drums or catering to his moderate caffeine addiction. You can contact him at: sion.geschwindt [at] protonmail [dot] com Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with

Apr 18, 2025Ravie LakshmananMalware / Email Security A new multi-stage attack has been observed delivering malware families like Agent Tesla variants, Remcos RAT, and XLoader. "Attackers increasingly rely on such complex delivery mechanisms to evade detection, bypass traditional sandboxes, and ensure successful payload delivery and execution," Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 researcher Saqib Khanzada said in a technical write-up of the campaign. The starting point of the attack is a deceptive email that poses as an order request to deliver a malicious 7-zip archive attachment, which contains a JavaScript encoded (.JSE) file. The phishing email, observed in December 2024, falsely claimed that a payment had been made and urged the recipient to review an attached order file. Launching the JavaScript payload triggers the infection sequence, with the file acting as a downloader for a PowerShell script from an external server. The script, in turn, houses a Base64-encoded payload that's subsequently deciphered, written to the Windows temporary directory, and executed. Here's where something interesting happens: The attack leads to a next-stage dropper that is either compiled using .NET or AutoIt. In case of a .NET executable, the encrypted embedded payload – an Agent Tesla variant suspected to be Snake Keylogger or XLoader – is decoded and injected into a running "RegAsm.exe" process, a technique observed in past Agent Tesla campaigns. The AutoIt compiled executable, on the other hand, introduces an additional layer in an attempt to further complicate analysis efforts. The AutoIt script within the executable incorporates an encrypted payload that's responsible for loading the final shellcode, causing .NET file to be injected into a "RegSvcs.exe" process, ultimately leading to Agent Tesla deployment. "This suggests that the attacker employs multiple execution paths to increase resilience and evade detection," Khanzada noted. "The attacker's focus remains on a multi-layered attack chain rather than sophisticated obfuscation." "By stacking simple stages instead of focusing on highly sophisticated techniques, attackers can create resilient attack chains that complicate analysis and detection." IronHusky Delivers New Version of MysterySnail RAT The disclosure comes as Kaspersky detailed a campaign that targets government organizations located in Mongolia and Russia with a new version of a malware called MysterySnail RAT. The activity has been attributed to a Chinese-speaking threat actor dubbed IronHusky. IronHusky, assessed to be active since at least 2017, was previously documented by the Russian cybersecurity company in October 2021 in connection with the zero-day exploitation of CVE-2021-40449, a Win32k privilege escalation flaw, to deliver MysterySnail. The infections originate from a malicious Microsoft Management Console (MMC) script that mimics a Word document from the National Land Agency of Mongolia ("co-financing letter_alamgac"). The script is designed to retrieve a ZIP archive with a lure document, a legitimate binary ("CiscoCollabHost.exe"), and a malicious DLL ("CiscoSparkLauncher.dll"). It's not exactly known how the MMC script is distributed to targets of interest, although the nature of the lure document suggests that it may have been via a phishing campaign. As observed in many attacks, "CiscoCollabHost.exe" is used to sideload the DLL, an intermediary backdoor capable of communicating with attacker-controlled infrastructure by taking advantage of the open-source piping-server project. The backdoor supports capabilities to run command shells, download/upload files, enumerate directory content, delete files, create new processes, and terminate itself. These commands are then used to sideload MysterySnail RAT. The latest version of the malware is capable of accepting nearly 40 commands, allowing it to perform file management operations, execute commands via cmd.exe, spawn and kill processes, manage services, and connect to network resources via dedicated DLL modules. Kasperksy said it observed the attackers dropping a "repurposed and more lightweight version" of MysterySnail codenamed MysteryMonoSnail after preventive actions were taken by the affected companies to block the intrusions. "This version doesn't have as many capabilities as the version of MysterySnail RAT," the company noted. "It was programmed to have only 13 basic commands, used to list directory contents, write data to files, and launch processes and remote shells." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

Given the outsized role AI has taken in discussions about the future of work, not to mention humanity, it is no surprise that a C-level role focused on this technology has emerged.  “There's this trend line when something is massive, important, game-changing from an industry perspective, and people don't know how to react to it, they name a C-Level title who is ultimately responsible and accountable for incubating new ideas, trying new ways of working, and pivoting an organization culturally,” Casey Foss, chief commercial officer at West Monroe, a business and tech consulting firm, tells InformationWeek.  West Monroe conducted a survey of 1,000 professionals at the director, vice president, and senior vice president levels to get an idea of what they expect the C-suite to look like in five years. The chief AI officer (CAIO) role played a prominent part in the responses; 40% believe that this position will grow in influence and importance over the next five years.  What exactly does the CAIO role look like today, and how will it have to change to keep up with the breakneck development of AI technology and its capabilities?  What Does a Chief AI Officer Do? When a new leadership role begins its rise to prominence, there is a lot of room for individuals and companies to define what it looks like. A CAIO’s job at one company might look quite different from another.  Related:“Some AI officers are identifying use cases. Some are heavily focused on the technology. Some are heavily focused on upskilling the people and delivering value through how they do the work,” says Foss.  For Ivalua, a cloud-based procurement software company, AI was so important that the company’s founder David Khuat-Duy shifted from his position as CEO to CAIO at the beginning of this year.  His first objective in his new role is to deploy AI internally at the company. Then, he wants to take those lessons learned to customers.  LinkedIn appointed its CAIO, Deepak Agarwal, at the beginning of this year as well. “To help LinkedIn use the best AI technology available for our purpose and goals, my team and I focus on developing and deploying cutting-edge AI solutions that enhance how members and customers connect, learn, and grow on the platform,” he tells InformationWeek via email.  Given just how quickly AI is advancing, a primary responsibility of CAIO could be keeping up with those changes and understanding what that means for their enterprises.  Vivek Mohindra, senior vice president, corporate strategy at Dell Technologies, a technology solutions company, works closely with John Roese, Dell’s CTO and CAIO. “John and I collaborated to set up what we call AI radar. We really track on a daily basis the changes in our landscape and think about what the implications of that could be,” he shares.  Related:CAIOs could be heading up efforts to build models internally or finding ways to leverage externally built models. And managing data is intrinsic to that task.” There’s a lot of data categorization, storage, cleaning that needs to happen,” says Khuat-Duy.  As CAIOs identify use-cases for AI and champion their implementation, they are likely to be spearheading the accompanying changes in process and culture. “Chief AI officers must also serve as internal advocates for AI while guiding teams through emerging regulations, ethical considerations, and increasing stakeholder expectations for what AI can achieve,” says Agarwal.  The regulatory and ethical dimensions of the job are no small piece. AI governance is integral to the CAIO’s responsibilities.  No matter how a CAOI is tasked with doing their job, the overarching goal is almost certainly going to be delivering value from AI to their enterprise. How Does the Role Fit into the C-Suite? AI is poised to touch every aspect of business operations, if it isn’t already. That puts the CAIO in a position that requires communication and coordination with other executives and their teams.  Related:Roles like CTO, CIO, and chief data officer are natural complements to the CAIO. Indeed, Dell’s CAIO is also its CTO.  “My weekly meetings with the CTO are extremely important both because the CTO's office builds out a lot of the architecture that we have to fit into but also we have a big impact on with that architecture has to look like in order to get the data to the right place,” says Craig Martell, chief AI officer at Cohesity, an AI-powered data security company.  They might find themselves in regular conversations with a chief people officer or chief human resources officer about sourcing talent and how AI is reshaping the day-to-day for existing talent.  Interaction with the CFO is inevitable. How much of the budget can a CAIO secure for their AI strategy? AI comes with cybersecurity concerns. Naturally, the CISO is going to want face time with a CAIO to understand how to mitigate those concerns. Of course, CEOs and boards are going to want to know how AI can drive an enterprise toward its business goals.  Martell also finds himself spending a good deal of time on compliance issues, particularly around data usage. “The chief AI officers are going to have to become much more legally adept,” he notes. That is going to mean coordination with chief legal and compliance officers.  How Could the Role Change? The AI landscape is no stranger to shakeups. DeepSeek came onto the scene, sparking an avalanche of discussion around the possibility of a cheaper model undercutting the more entrenched players.  The enticing possibilities of AGI and quantum computing hover in the future, albeit one of uncertain timing. Big questions about how to regulate AI are still open. What do all of these potential changes mean for the position that is meant to shepherd organizations’ AI strategies?  For now, the role is less about exploring the possibilities of AI and more about delivering on its immediate, concrete value.  “This year, the role of the chief AI officer will shift from piloting AI initiatives to operationalizing AI at scale across the organization,” says Agarwal.  And as for those potential upheavals down the road? CAIO officers will no doubt have to be nimble, but Martell doesn’t see their fundamental responsibilities changing.  “You still have to gather the data within your company to be able to use with that model and then you still have to evaluate whether or not that model that you built is delivering against your business goals. That has never changed,” says Martell. Will Chief AI Officers Face Pressure to Deliver? AI is at the inflection point between hype and strategic value. “I think there's going to be a ton of pressure to find the right use cases and deploy AI at scale to make sure that we're getting companies to value,” says Foss.  CAIOs could feel that pressure keenly this year as boards and other executive leaders increasingly ask to see ROI on massive AI investments.  “Companies who have set these roles up appropriately, and more importantly the underlying work correctly, will see the ROI measurements, and I don't think that chief AI officers [at those] organizations should feel any pressure,” says Mohindra.  Will Chief AI Officers Last in the C-Suite? AI is certainly not going anywhere, but what about the CAIO?  Khuat-Duy argues that there will continue to be the need for a central team that manages this technology. “Managing data and the architecture around LLMs is clearly something that needs to be thought [about] in a central, global way for a company,” he says.  Mohindra envisions the CAIO role at Dell as a temporary one.  “This role is finite by design. It is to launch and integrate AI until it becomes inseparable from how our company operates and it is embedded in the DNA of the company, at which point you really don't need a separate role to capitalize the momentum that one needs for an AI-powered enterprise,” he says.  That could mean the CAIO simply steps into a different position. Or, the role gets folded into another. “I think the most likely path is sort of a combination of data and AI,” says Martell. The fate of the role, like its current form, is likely to be dictated by the needs of individual companies.  

At first glance, the Bathhouse spa in Brooklyn looks not so different from other high-end spas. What sets it apart is out of sight: a closet full of cryptocurrency-­mining computers that not only generate bitcoins but also heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams, and showers.  When cofounder Jason Goodman opened Bathhouse’s first location in Williamsburg in 2019, he used conventional pool heaters. But after diving deep into the world of bitcoin, he realized he could fit cryptocurrency mining seamlessly into his business. That’s because the process, where special computers (called miners) make trillions of guesses per second to try to land on the string of numbers that will earn a bitcoin, consumes tremendous amounts of electricity—which in turn produces plenty of heat that usually goes to waste.   “I thought, ‘That’s interesting—we need heat,’” Goodman says of Bathhouse. Mining facilities typically use fans or water to cool their computers. And pools of water, of course, are a prominent feature of the spa.  It takes six miners, each roughly the size of an Xbox One console, to maintain a hot tub at 104 °F. At Bathhouse’s  Williamsburg location, miners hum away quietly inside two large tanks, tucked in a storage closet among liquor bottles and teas. To keep them cool and quiet, the units are immersed directly in non-conductive oil, which absorbs the heat they give off and is pumped through tubes beneath Bathhouse’s hot tubs and hammams.  Mining boilers, which cool the computers by pumping in cold water that comes back out at 170 °F, are now also being used at the site. A thermal battery stores excess heat for future use.  Goodman says his spas aren’t saving energy by using bitcoin miners for heat, but they’re also not using any more than they would with conventional water heating. “I’m just inserting miners into that chain,” he says.  Goodman isn’t the only one to see the potential in heating with crypto. In Finland, Marathon Digital Holdings turned fleets of bitcoin miners into a district heating system to warm the homes of 80,000 residents. HeatCore, an integrated energy service provider, has used bitcoin mining to heat a commercial office building in China and to keep pools at a constant temperature for fish farming. This year it will begin a pilot project to heat seawater for desalination. On a smaller scale, bitcoin fans who also want some extra warmth can buy miners that double as space heaters.  Crypto enthusiasts like Goodman think much more of this is coming—especially under the Trump administration, which has announced plans to create a bitcoin reserve. This prospect alarms environmentalists.  The energy required for a single bitcoin transaction varies, but as of mid-March it was equivalent to the energy consumed by an average US household over 47.2 days, according to the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, run by the economist Alex de Vries.  Among the various cryptocurrencies, bitcoin mining gobbles up the most energy by far. De Vries points out that others, like ethereum, have eliminated mining and implemented less energy-­intensive algorithms. But bitcoin users resist any change to their currency, so de Vries is doubtful a shift away from mining will happen anytime soon.  One key barrier to using bitcoin for heating, de Vries says, is that the heat can only be transported short distances before it dissipates. “I see this as something that is extremely niche,” he says. “It’s just not competitive, and you can’t make it work at a large scale.”  The more renewable sources that are added to electric grids to replace fossil fuels, the cleaner crypto mining will become. But even if bitcoin is powered by renewable energy, “that doesn’t make it sustainable,” says Kaveh Madani, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health. Mining burns through valuable resources that could otherwise be used to meet existing energy needs, Madani says.  For Goodman, relaxing into bitcoin-heated water is a completely justifiable use of energy. It soothes the muscles, calms the mind, and challenges current economic structures, all at the same time.  Carrie Klein is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Czech architecture studio Jan Žaloudek Architekt has converted an old Baroque barn into a light-filled house with perforated gable wall in the Kamenná Lhota, Czech Republic.Named House Oskar, the 180-square-metre house is located on the South Bohemian settlement of Kamenná Lhota. The architect Jan Žaloudek created the House Oskar, which was constructed on a spacious garden that had once belonged to the nearby chateau. The remains of a Baroque barn, old trees that date back centuries, and a stone wall that encloses the large property and opens into the charming countryside all contribute to the site's extraordinary genius loci.Contemplation, Inspiration, RecreationThe architect constructed the home for himself and his family, emulating the ideas of reflection, inspiration, and leisure. He and his spouse, art scholar and author Jolanta Trojak, had long envisioned a location where people might reconnect with nature or withdraw inward to regain their mental and physical fortitude. In addition to encouraging relaxation, they wanted the area to be a source of inspiration and creativity, two things that are essential to their daily existence.They built an environment where even the most basic daily activities may be transformed into brief but meaningful experiences by paying close attention to every little detail. The House Oskar is a singular microcosm—a peaceful haven where people may read, write, eat, and create in harmony with the cosmos beyond their windows.Perfection, Imperfection, TimelessnessThe physical characteristics of the area and the limitations of constructing on a site that is protected by cultural heritage influenced the design of the house. In order to avoid overpowering the château and to give it a timeless quality, the architect meticulously incorporated the building into the surrounding environment and historical setting. The final building, which was inspired by the concept of a chapel—lacking in the village—is a tasteful fusion of inside and exterior, modern and ancient, perfection and imperfection.By referencing the vocabulary of regional agricultural structures, the design honors the traditional elongated shape of homes with gabled roofs. The distinguishing characteristic of the building is its perforated masonry, which features air and light holes present in neighboring historic buildings. The wooden shading panels on the other façades are inspired by this element, which also serves as a sunshade for the southern gable wall. Niches on each façade—allusions to Baroque morphology—permeate the house's compact form. These niches provide adaptable shading by forming loggias and entry vestibules. The house can either seal off to emphasize its meditative quality or open completely to the surroundings, bringing its occupants closer to the outside world.The materials used in construction respect the regional identity of the nearby buildings and scenery. Reinforced concrete components and insulated ceramic masonry make up the load-bearing structure. The white stucco facade mimics the texture and color of nearby structures. Whitewashed Czech fir and spruce are used to make the shade panels, and fired ceramic tiles cover the roof.Natural Cycles and LightNatural cycles and the passage of daylight are closely linked to daily life in the home. Residents may see the dawn and moonrise from the bedroom and the main living area, which opens onto a panoramic view of the orchard. The social area is connected to the courtyard and the barn ruins by the southern façade, which features an amazing circular window and a perforated gable wall. Huge openings that flow into wooden terraces, lush foliage, and the cool embrace of old stone walls perfectly blend the indoors and outside.The home is protected from village views by its entry alcove on the western façade. Echoing the curving shapes of the neighboring Baroque château, a domed niche in the northern gable lets light into the utility, bathroom, and bedroom areas.White shade panels can be used to control the amount of sunlight that enters the house during the day. A sunny room can be transformed into a mystical, enclosed area with captivating light and shadow play in a matter of seconds. The light changes direction at night, and the home beams into the surrounding landscape, lit by its incandescent recesses. Japanese washi paper lanterns and the flickering light of a wood-burning fireplace are used to enhance the interior's basic white lighting fixtures.Sacred InspirationThere is an original interior behind the house's classical morphology. Warm and rounded, the interior contrasts with the white exterior. Its holy theme is highlighted by the main space's unexpectedly large, seven-meter-tall vaulted roof. Large aluminum-framed windows and white stucco walls accentuate the room's ethereal feel. The two-meter-wide circular window that pierces the house's southern gable is another example of ecclesiastical architecture.A curving wooden kitchen with an island composed of Indian Shivakashi granite that resembles a church altar serves as the interior's main feature. The focal point of every everyday routine is this. A 19th-century wooden carving of the Madonna overlooks the dining area with an oak table and seats in the southern portion of the room. On the other side of this is a lounging spot with a long sofa that overlooks the courtyard with its barn remains and the surrounding countryside. A tapestry composed of undyed sheep's wool frames the sofa.The ground floor comprises one of the bedrooms, a laundry room, a bathroom, and a toilet in addition to the main living space. The architect's custom-made stone and wood furniture around the house gives it a unified look. This features matching bedside tables, a black granite bench in the entryway, and solid oak beds and closets.The upper level is intended to be a distinct apartment with a studio, bathroom, and bedroom. The attic is a confined, cocoon-like place that is perfect for reading, creating, and reflecting, in contrast to the ground floor, which has an open link to the outside world. Cultivated by arches and recesses, the white, tiny cavern is lit by small roof windows.Art in Every DetailThe family values art greatly, and their collection includes both modern and Czech Modernist pieces. This passion for art permeates every aspect of their house. In addition to a large-format modern painting by Antonie Stanová and sculptures by Michal Janiga, the bedroom has a 19th-century Japanese panneau. In the attic, stone sculptures by Vanda Hvízdalová are on exhibit on travertine platform.Every element of the home reflects the family's curatorial style. A wooden ceremonial mask from Gabon greets guests in the entry hall, and Martin Hanuš's original pottery and an African stool made from a single piece of wood are featured in the main living room. Isamu Noguchi created the sculptured Akari lights that light the attic and bedrooms. A sizable library of art books contributes significantly to the atmosphere of the house.A Living GesamtkunstwerkThe owners wish to share the House Oskar, which is named after the cosmopolitan composer Oskar Nedbal, who wrote his operetta Polish Blood at the nearby château. The public can hire this one-of-a-kind Gesamtkunstwerk or use it as a space for workshops, pop-up events, and artist residencies. Around the house, the owners hope to cultivate a lively community of imaginative and motivating people.Site planGround floor planAttic floor planEast elevationWest elevationSouth elevationNorth elevationProject factsProject name: House OskarArchitects: Jan Žaloudek ArchitektLocation: Kamenná Lhota, 391 33 Borotín, Czech RepublicCompletion year: 2025Built-up area: 180m2Gross floor area: 171m2Usable floor area: 154m2All images © BoysPlayNice.All drawings © Jan Žaloudek Architekt.> via Jan Žaloudek Architekt

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April 18, 20256 min readNASA’s Next Major Space Telescope Is Ready to Launch. Trump Wants to Kill It and Other Vital ScienceAmid harsh cuts, the Trump administration has proposed canceling the nearly ready-to-launch Nancy Grace Roman Space TelescopeBy Nadia Drake edited by Dan VerganoThe Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is designed to observe hundreds of millions of galaxies and thousands of supernovas to investigate dark energy and the universe's accelerated expansion. GSFC/SVSTechnicians at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center are nearing the finish line on the space agency’s newest flagship astrophysics mission. Called the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the eagerly awaited $3.5-billion observatory could solve the secrets of the dark universe, spot untold undiscovered worlds and light the way toward finding alien life. It only awaits final integration and testing, a short hop down to Cape Canaveral, Fla., and a longer journey to a sun-circling orbit near the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In a triumph for NASA, reliable sources say that Roman could launch as early as the fall of 2026, well ahead of its May 2027 target and potentially under budget.But a leaked draft of the president’s 2026 budget request, which Scientific American has reviewed, instead calls for canceling Roman.“This is nuts. You’ve built it, and you’re not going to do the final step to finish it?” says astrophysicist David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation and former co-chair of Roman’s science team. “That is such a waste of taxpayers’ money.”On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Roman isn’t the only casualty in the president’s draft NASA budget, which is still in flux and will ultimately require congressional approval. The proposal cuts heavily into the $25-billion space agency’s science division, home to missions that include JWST, the twin Voyager probes, the Hubble Space Telescope and a fleet of Mars rovers that have colored in our understanding of the cosmos and captured imaginations worldwide for half a century.The draft budget includes an almost 50 percent cut to heliophysics, which studies the sun and space weather, reducing it to $455 million; a more than 50 percent reduction in Earth science funding, which includes climate monitoring, taking it down to roughly $1 billion; and a 30 percent cut to planetary science and solar system exploration, resulting in $1.9 billion. The last cut kills the upcoming DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission to Venus and NASA’s beleaguered mission to bring rocks back from Mars. Notably, the document also cleaves off two thirds of the funding for NASA’s astrophysics division, which studies stars, galaxies and cosmology, dropping it to $487 million and specifying that “no funding is provided” for telescopes other than JWST and Hubble.Space policy observers expressed dismay at the budget cuts, particularly at the notion of throwing away a flagship space telescope. “This is a wholly unserious budget proposal,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking member of the spending committee for NASA, in a recent statement.Privately, space policy experts have been even less charitable about the proposal: “It sets back a program that is clearly the leading program in the world—in a historic fashion,” says a former government official, speaking to Scientific American on condition of anonymity because of concerns about retaliation. “You take that program and shoot it through the head.”NASA has refrained from saying much publicly. A spokesperson for the agency has only issued a statement that it has the draft “and has begun the deliberative process.” (The White House has not responded to requests for comment.) The agency received the draft on April 10, one day after Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator, insisted in his nomination hearing that the U.S. could send humans to the moon and Mars and “do all the other things” with NASA’s current budget. “I do believe the president is looking to usher in the golden age of science and discovery,” Isaacman said. Now observers suggest that instead of ushering in that golden age, the Trump administration simply seems to be trading in the entire universe.“If you want to take the most successful fleet of missions ever built, and the leadership that accompanies that fleet, and throw that all away, this is the budget to do it,” says another senior space scientist, speaking anonymously because of concerns about budgetary retribution from the Trump administration. “This budget is like, ‘Here is a shit sandwich with no side of pickle.’ You don’t even get the plate!”“It’s like 200 Hubbles”This isn’t the first time Trump’s White House has tried to zero out Roman—it’s the fourth. But in each previous instance Congress kept the program alive. Observers are hopeful that lawmakers will again rescue the telescope because space science has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.In 2020 NASA named the project, which until then had been called the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), after Nancy Grace Roman, an astronomer who played a pivotal role in developing Hubble. The Roman telescope has been ranked as a top priority in astrophysics since a National Academy of Sciences review in 2010—a status that was only bolstered two years later, when the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which builds and operates spy satellites, donated two large, unused mirrors and associated optics to the mission.American astronomer Nancy Grace Roman at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland in the early 1970sNASA/Interim Archives/Getty ImagesDesigned to survey our own planet, the NRO’s 2.4-meter-wide mirrors match Hubble’s in size. But they have a shorter focal length that makes them better suited for doing wide-field imaging surveys that monitor millions of stars and take broad looks at exploding stars, early galaxies and large-scale cosmological structures. “Every Hubble image you see—make it 100 times bigger,” Spergel says. “It’s like 200 Hubbles. We will survey the entire sky, with Hubble-quality images.”The project was initially overbudget, but after a hefty course correction, the team is on track to deliver Roman ahead of its planned 2027 launch—and, if so, below cost. That comes on the heels of repeated criticism from federal and congressional watchdogs over price tags and schedule overruns for large space agency missions in the past two decades.“The team should be given an award, not beat up!” says the former government official. “This is what we want. This is exactly what we want to achieve.”Riddles in the DarkLike JWST, Roman sees the universe in infrared light—which means that it can spot very old, very faraway objects whose light has stretched into longer, redder infrared wavelengths as it has traversed the expanse. One of the mission’s primary scientific goals is to gather the multitude of observations we need to understand dark energy, the mysterious force that is causing the universe to balloon outward.“Roman has the sensitivity we need to understand what’s going on with the 70 percent of the universe that we don’t understand, which is dark energy,” Spergel says.Crucially, recent results from other surveys suggest that this still mysterious dark energy, whose force is seemingly pushing galaxies apart at an accelerating rate, might surprisingly weaken over time. And Roman is designed to be complementary to the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope, which makes similar observations at visible wavelengths, and the U.S.’s powerful, ground-based Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is coming online later this year in Chile. “These are not missions that do the same thing,” says Henk Hoekstra, an astronomer at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who studies dark energy. “We have this strange universe—would you trust a single result and build our whole understanding of the universe on just this one measurement?” Another Roman instrument—a starlight-blocking coronagraph—is a key prototype for NASA’s next major astrophysics flagship mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory. That space telescope will look for signs of life in the atmospheres of faraway, habitable planets. Zeroing out Roman would mean losing all the information we’d get from that tech demo. And observers say the cut would also erode current and future astrophysics. Plus, pulling the plug on Roman would not only erode expertise; it would also damage international collaborations. For those to work, Hoekstra says, international partners need to trust that “people can’t just suddenly turn off the tap and say, ‘We’re not going to do this.’”Many of the budget’s proposed cancellations do exactly that.“Why do we even plan on doing great things if, on a whim, we can just decide ‘nah’?” the senior space scientist says. “These things take a generation to build and enable multiple generations of scientists. They should not be blithely thrown away.”