Japan only, but English language support is included.Following the release of the beat 'em up Night Slashers: Remake in September, a physical release has now been confirmed.The catch is it's Japan only for now. Fortunately, it does include English language support. It's around the $30 USD mark (or your regional equivalent) on sites like Play-Asia and is expected to ship in February 2025. The physical distribution is being handled by Rainy Frog and pre-orders are now live.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

ZDNET's key takeaways The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has a reliable 1-inch CMOS sensor that captures stabilized 4K footage. It's compact, has a built-in gimbal, and is very easy to use. The control pad can be wonky, and low-light performance takes a hit. more buying choices I didn't expect a pocket camera to be one of my favorite tech gadgets of this year -- not when smartphone cameras have gotten so good -- but the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 managed to change that.I've seen the Pocket 3 takeover firsthand, witnessing other tech journalists slowly replacing their heavier, bulkier, and more complicated DSLRs and smartphones with the flip-out camera. My default shooter, a Sony A7S III with a GM 16-35mm lens, weighs almost three pounds, so I get it.Also: The most versatile camera I've tested costs $499 and is not from Sony or CanonBut there's more than meets the eye with the Pocket 3; its portability and convenience will draw you in, but its extensive shooting modes and recording tools will make you come back for more. I've been testing the Pocket 3 for about two months now, and here's what you should know about the hottest camera in tech. details View at Amazon While this is the third iteration of the DJI Pocket, the company has upgraded the device in almost every way, from the larger two-inch display that can flip from vertical (portrait) video recording to horizontal (landscape) to the larger, more capable one-inch CMOS sensor. Altogether, you're getting a very capable camera that will fit in most pants pockets, shoulder bags, and backpacks.That flip-out display is one of the Pocket 3's best features, as it lets you quickly turn on the camera (when you flick it out) and record in your desired orientation. In this day and age, the ability to shoot both vertical and horizontal videos is essential, whether you're casually grabbing a clip for social media or posting on TikTok and YouTube as a content creator.Also:The best vlogging cameras of 2024: Expert tested and reviewedThere will be occasions when you're shooting at a lower or higher angle and won't be able to use the viewfinder as effectively, but I generally found the two-inch touchscreen panel reliable enough to frame subjects. Like with most other cameras, you can always pair the Pocket 3 to your phone for a larger review screen. Kerry Wan/ZDNETNavigating the settings is a simple system of swipes, taps, and long presses. If you've used an action camera before, the user interface will be very familiar, from basic recording functions like adjusting zoom and video format to more professional modifications like turning on D-Log M, should you want to further modify colors and contrast levels or better match your footage with a second camera.One advantage of using the Pocket 3 over the latestiPhone 16 Pro Max, for example, is its three-axis gimbal mechanical stabilization. Compared to the smaller optical image stabilizers found in smartphone cameras, which are often paired with some level of artificial electronic stabilization, there are noticeably fewer jitters and shakiness when recording with the Pocket 3. Since the camera is held up by a rotating gimbal, you can swivel it side-to-side for smooth-panning videos and turn it 180 degrees for vlogging.Also: DJI has the ultimate power accessory for drone pilots needing even more flight timeWhile I found software-enabled tracking features like ActiveTrack 6.0, which prompts the camera to automatically follow your desired subject, very useful when capturing products at tech briefings or of presenters walking around, the physical, joy-stick-like control pad was clunkier to operate. For example, holding the control pad in one direction for a panning shot often resulted in footage with less natural movement. The camera also moves a bit too slowly for my taste, so I've reconfigured the control pad to adjust the zoom range instead. Kerry Wan/ZDNETIn terms of video quality, I wouldn't put the Pocket 3 above a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a true lens, but it certainly beats out flagship phones from Apple, Samsung, and Google -- at least in average to good lighting conditions. The one-inch CMOS sensor gets the credit here, pulling far more light and detail while developing a natural separation (read: bokeh or blur) between the subject and background. The camera and gimbal system are less effective when shooting videos at night, where it struggles with noise and motion blur.Since a lot of my video work involves focusing on a product in hand, the Pocket 3 is very ideal. Its portability, especially, helps me grab shots that I'd typically struggle with when using a larger camera.Also: I streamed with Logitech's Mevo Core camera and it almost beat my $3,600 CanonDJI offers the Pocket 3 with an assortment of optional accessories, including an expandable battery pack (that comes with a 1/4"-20 mount) and a Mic 2 transmitter for on-device audio recording, but I actually found the standard configuration (the camera on its own) good enough for casual use. I just wish the Pocket 3 came with a 1/4"-20 mount by default, as it's useful to mount onto tripods and other stands for more creative shots.My usage, which includes 15-minute stints of 4K recording for work and some 1080p videos when capturing scenic views during travel, often left me with 10-20% battery by the end of the day. When I'm done, I connect the Pocket 3 to my laptop via USB-C for both charging and data transfer.ZDNET's buying adviceThat's to say, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has become a mainstay in my work and travel backpack. Its portability, ease of use, and flexible shooting modes make it almost irreplaceable for content creation. At a starting price of $519, the Pocket 3 is pricier than most action cameras and even some mid-range phones. But the value is justified, based on my testing and all the real-world testimonials that I've gathered throughout the past year.If you're serious about content creation or want to invest more in your travel camera, I'd highly recommend the $669 Creator Combo, which bundles the camera with a Mic 2 transmitter, battery handle, mini tripod, carrying bag, and wide-angle lens attachment. For vloggers who want a device that can do it all, that package is almost as good as it gets.Featured reviews

Sam Altman and deputies at OpenAI discuss the performance of the new o3 model on the ARC-AGI test. OpenAI/ZDNETThe latest large language model from OpenAI isn't yet in the wild, but we already have some ways to tell what it can and cannot do.The "o3" release from OpenAIwas unveiledon Dec. 20 in the form of avideo infomercial, which means that most people outside the company have no idea what it really is capable of. (Outside safety testing parties are being given early access.)Also: 15 ways AI saved me time at work in 2024Although the video featured a lot of discussion of various benchmark achievements, the message from OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman on the video was very brief. His biggest statement, and vague at that, was that o3 "is an incredibly smart model."ARC-AGI put o3 to the testOpenAI plans to release the "mini" version of o3 toward the end of January and the full version sometime after that, said Altman.One outsider, however, has had the chance to put o3 to the test, in a sense.The test, in this case, is called the "Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus for Artificial General Intelligence," or ARC-AGI. It is a collection of "challenges for intelligent systems," a new benchmark. The ARC-AGI is billed as "the only benchmark specifically designed to measure adaptability to novelty." That means that it is meant to test the acquisition of new skills, not just the use of memorized knowledge.Also: Why ethics is becoming AI's biggest challengeAGI, artificial general intelligence, isregarded by some in AI as the Holy Grail-- the achievement of a level of machine intelligence that could equal or exceed human intelligence. The idea of ARC-AGI is to guide AI toward "more intelligent and more human-like artificial systems."The o3 model scored 76% accuracy on ARC-AGI in an evaluation formally coordinated by OpenAI and the author of ARC-AGI, Franois Chollet, a scientist in Google's artificial intelligence unit.A shift in AI capabilitiesOn the website of ARC-AGI, Chollet wrote this past week that the score of 76% is the first time AI has beaten a human's score on the exam, as exemplified by the answers of human Mechanical Turk workers who took the test and who, on average, scored just above 75% correct. Franois CholletChollet wrote that the high score is "a surprising and important step-function increase in AI capabilities, showing novel task adaptation ability never seen before in the GPT-family models." He added, "All intuition about AI capabilities will need to get updated for o3."The achievement marks "a genuine breakthrough" and "a qualitative shift in AI capabilities," declared Chollet. Chollet predicts that o3's ability to "adapt to tasks it has never encountered before" means that "you should plan for these capabilities to become competitive with human work within a fairly short timeline."Chollet's remarks are noteworthy because he has never been a cheerleader of AI. In 2019, when he created ARC-AGI, he told me in an interview we had for ZDNET that the steady stream of "bombastic press articles" from AI companies "misleadingly suggest that human-level AI is perhaps a few years away," while he considered such hyperbole "an illusion."The ARC-AGI questions are easy for people to understand and fairly easy for people to solve. Each challenge shows three to five examples of the question and the right answer, and the test taker is then presented with a similar question and asked to supply the missing answer. The basic form of ARC-AGI is to have three to five examples of input and output, which represent the question and its answer, and then a final example of input for which the answer needs to be supplied by providing the right output picture. It's pretty easy for a human to figure out what picture to produce by tapping on colored pixels, even if they cannot articulate the rule per se. ARCPrizeThe questions are not text-based but instead consist of pictures. A grid of pixels with colored shapes is first shown, followed by a second version that has been changed in some way. The question is: What is the rule that changes the initial picture into the second picture?In other words, the challenge doesn't directly rely on natural language, the celebrated area of large language models. Instead, it tests abstract pattern formulation in the visual domain.Try ARC-AGI for yourselfYou can try out the ARC-AGI for yourself at Chollet's challenge website. You answer the challenge by "drawing" in an empty grid, filling in each pixel with the right color to create the correct grid of colored pixels as the "answer."It's fun, rather like playing Sudoku or Tetris. Chances are, even if you can't verbally articulate what the rule is, you'll figure out pretty quickly what boxes need to be colored in to produce the solution. The most time-consuming part is actually tapping on each pixel in the grid to assign its color.Also: Why Google's quantum breakthrough is 'truly remarkable' - and what happens nextA correct answer produces a confetti toss animation on the webpage and the message, "You've solved the ARC Prize Daily Puzzle. You are still more (generally) intelligent than AI."Note when o3 or any other model takes the test, it doesn't directly act on pixels. Instead, the equivalent is fed to the machine as a matrix of rows and columns of numbers that must be transformed into a different matrix as the answer. Hence, AI models don't "see" the test the same way a human does.What's still not clearDespite o3's achievement, it's hard to make definitive statements about o3's capabilities. Because OpenAI's model is closed-source, it's still not clear exactly how the model is solving the challenge.Not being part of OpenAI, Chollet has to speculate as to how o3 is doing what it's doing.He conjectures the achievement is a result of OpenAI changing the "architecture" of o3 from that of its predecessors. An architecture in AI refers to the arrangement and relationship of the functional elements that give code its structure.Also: If ChatGPT produces AI-generated code for your app, who does it really belong to?Chollet speculates on the blog "at test time, the model searches over the space of possible Chains of Thought (CoTs) describing the steps required to solve the task, in a fashion perhaps not too dissimilar to AlphaZero-style Monte Carlo tree search."The term chain of thought refers to an increasingly popular approach in generative AI in which the AI model can detail the sequence of calculations it performs in pursuit of the final answer. AlphaZero is Google's DeepMind unit's famous AI program that beat humans at chess in 2016. A Monte Carlo Tree Search is a decades-old computer science approach.In an email exchange, Chollet told me a bit more about his thinking. I asked how he arrived at that idea of a search over chains of thought. "Clearly when the model is 'thinking' for hours and generating millions of tokens in the process of solving a single puzzle, it must be doing some kind of search," replied Chollet.Chollet added:It is completely obvious from the latency/cost characteristics of the model that it is doing something completely different from the GPT series. It's not the same architecture, nor in fact anything remotely close. The defining factor of the new system is a huge amount of test-time search. Previously, 4 years of scaling up the same architecture (the GPT series) had yielded no progress on ARC, and now this system which clearly has a new architecture is creating a step function change in capabilities, so architecture is everything.There are a number of caveats here. OpenAI didn't disclose how much money was spent on one of its versions of o3 to solve ARC-AGI. That's a significant omission because one criterion of ARC-AGI is the cost in real dollars of using GPU chips as a proxy for AI model "efficiency."Chollet told me in an email that the approach of o3 does not amount to a "brute force" approach, but, he quipped, "Of course, you could also define brute force as 'throwing an inordinate amount of compute at a simple problem,' in which case you could say it's brute force."Also, Chollet notes that o3 was trained to take the ARC-AGI test using the competition's training data set. That means it's not yet clear how a clean version of o3, with no test prep, would approach the exam.Chollet told me in an email, "It will be interesting to see what the base system scores with no ARC-related information, but in any case the fact that the system is fine-tuned for ARC via the training set does not invalidate its performance. That's what the training set is for. Until now no one was able to achieve similar scores, even after training on millions of generated ARC tasks."o3 still fails on some easy tasksDespite the uncertainty, one thing seems very clear: Those yearning for AGI will be disappointed. Chollet emphasizes that the ARC-AGI test is "a research tool" and that "Passing ARC-AGI does not equate to achieving AGI.""As a matter of fact, I don't think o3 is AGI yet," Chollet writes on the ARC-AGI blog. "o3 still fails on some very easy tasks, indicating fundamental differences with human intelligence."To demonstrate we are still not at human-level intelligence, Chollet notes some of the simple problems in ARC-AGI that o3 can't solve. One such problem involves simply moving a colored square by a given amount -- a pattern that quickly becomes clear to a human. An example problem from ARC-AGI where the o3 model failed. ARCPrizeChollet plans to unveil a new version of ARC-AGI in January. He predicts it will drastically reduce o3's results. "You'll know AGI is here when the exercise of creating tasks that are easy for regular humans but hard for AI becomes simply impossible," he concludes.Featured

Looking for help with today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle? Here are some hints and answers for the ... [+] puzzle.Credit: NYTIn case you missed Fridays NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here:Its the last weekend of 2024. These are the final Mini Crosswords well solve before 2025 arrives this coming Wednesday. Its hard to believe! The year has gone by fast. Its been rather a blur, actually. Heres to hoping next year is one to savor. For now, we have a crossword to solve!The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, its free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though youll need the app to tackle the archive.Answers to todays Mini Crossword below . . . .Spoilers ahead!MORE FOR YOUACROSS1 French body of water LAC4 Relating to the Vatican PAPAL6 Self-serve station with salsa and shells TACOBAR8 Way, way, way back AGESAGO9 Totally clobber DESTROY10 Sheet read before playing a new board game RULES11 Vet's patient PETDOWN1 Ties, as hiking boots LACESUP2 One of 12 depicted in da Vinci's "The Last Supper" APOSTLE3 Nightclub such as the Moulin Rouge CABARET4 Buzzing device for an on-call doctor PAGER5 Nigerian city that's Africa's most populous (21+ million) LAGOS6 Teensy-weensy bit TAD7 __ G. Biv ROYGBIVNot the trickiest Saturday Mini Crossword of all time, but a few of these threw me for a loop. I had no idea LAGOS was that big, but then again I admit to a great deal of ignorance when it comes to the urban centers of the African continent. Others were quite a bit easier, such as RULES and PET. I was more stumped by PAGER than by CABARET. One rarely thinks of those now-antiquated devices in an era of smartphones. Overall, this took me 2:45 today, though I had to pause a couple times to deal with other stuff.How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!

RTO mandates are backfiring. People thrive in workplaces that place trust and respect above being ... [+] monitored.gettyAs 2024 draws to a close, a critical question regarding the future of work looms large: are return-to-office mandates truly in the best interests of businesses and their employees? While some CEOs frequently cite the need for in-person collaboration and cultural cohesion, a closer examination reveals a more pressing concern: maximizing shareholder value. However, the relentless pursuit of RTO may be a costly distraction, obscuring deeper issues such as workforce reductions and the evolving nature of work, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence, that are hindering corporate performance.The truth is often more straightforward: many companies are grappling with the significant economic burden of underutilized office space. Long-term leases and exorbitant real estate costs exert immense pressure to maximize occupancy, leading to a renewed emphasis on in-office mandates. However, this approach frequently overlooks a crucial factor: human capital is a company's most valuable asset. Maximizing its productivity should be the paramount objective, rather than simply focusing on filling seats or resorting to headcount reductions.Productivity Paradox: In-Office Presence vs. Remote WorkThe push for RTO often emanates from the top down, with CEOs and executives mandating in-office presence while they themselves enjoy the flexibility of remote work or limited in-office hours. The Starbucks CEO gets to commute by private jet to Seattle from his home in southern California 3 days per week. This double standard undermines employee trust and exacerbates the growing gap between executive compensation and average worker pay, a trend that is increasingly detrimental to both employee morale and social stability. We have plenty of reminders around us how this has and can go wrong. The most talented people generally leave micro-managers not companies, but in this case they might leave because of a mandate.Study after study shows a significant increase in productivity among remote workers, who consistently outperformed their in-office counterparts. These findings align with other research demonstrating increased employee satisfaction, reduced stress levels, and improved work-life balance (especially those that have caregiver commitments) among remote and hybrid workers.Despite this compelling and highly documented evidence, some companies CEOs cling to the outdated notion that physical proximity equates to productivity. This not only ignores the evolving realities of modern work, including the work practices among the generations but also fails to recognize the potential for innovation and efficiency that flexible work arrangements can unlock.MORE FOR YOULogistical Hurdles and RTO FailureAmazon, renowned for its logistical expertise, provides a stark example of the challenges associated with a blanket RTO mandate. The company encountered significant logistical hurdles, including insufficient office space, resulting in delays and ultimately, a less-than-successful RTO implementation. AT&T is in the same predicament. This case study underscores the impracticality of a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to consider the unique needs and challenges of individual employees and departments. Several other companies are starting to feel the logistical reality check of their grand standing proclamations. No one is saying that the answer is fully remote, nor is it fully on-site, its somewhere in between with the key word flexibility and respect and responsibility for adults being adults. Spotify seems to exemplify this mutually respectful flexibility with its CEO stating it doesnt need to treat staff like children.Spotify counters recent RTO mandates with their proclamationSpotifyThe Rise of AI: A New Era of Work Beyond the OfficeThe rise of artificial intelligence for business underscores the outdated nature of the traditional five-day-a-week office environment. AI is fundamentally altering the nature of work in ways we are only beginning to comprehend. In this rapidly evolving landscape, competitive advantage hinges on early adoption of AI-powered solutions. The traditional model of employees spending extended periods at desks primarily to attend video calls, answer emails, or engage in instant messaging is increasingly irrelevant.Collaboration remains essential for innovation, but it can effectively occur virtually, particularly for routine administrative tasks. Physical presence is more crucial for brainstorming, problem-solving sessions, product launches, or situations requiring close, real-time interaction where spontaneous ideas and insights can emerge. As AI automates routine tasks and AI agents assume more nuanced responsibilities, a dynamic human-AI collaboration will emerge, transforming job roles. Companies must adapt and equip their staff with the necessary skills to work alongside AI agents. The rigid structure of the traditional office environment may hinder this adaptation and impede overall performance.A Broader Perspective: Distraction from Deeper IssuesIt is crucial to acknowledge the broader economic context. A significant portion of S&P 500 companies have struggled to generate meaningful value for shareholders in recent years. This raises a fundamental question: is the focus on RTO a distraction from the deeper systemic issues that are hindering corporate performance?The focus should shift from simply getting employees back to the office to optimizing their output. This necessitates a data-driven approach, a stark contrast to how readily CEOs embrace data-driven decisions in virtually every other aspect of their business. Its quite easy to assesses employee productivity and well-being under different work models. Companies need to prioritize employee needs and preferences while ensuring that business goals are met.The Magnificent Seven stocks have carried U.S. markets while the other 493 have posted little if ... [+] any gains.YChartsEmbracing the Future of Work: Flexibility and InnovationThe rise of AI for business necessitates a fundamental shift in how companies approach work. Rigid adherence to outdated models, such as mandatory in-office presence, will ultimately prove costly in the face of rapid technological advancements.The future of work demands a more nuanced and adaptable approach. For publicly traded companies, maximizing shareholder value remains paramount. This necessitates a focus on employee productivity and profitability, not simply physical presence in the office. Instead of rigid mandates, companies should embrace flexible work arrangements that empower employees to choose the work environment that best suits their individual needs and work styles. This could include remote work options, hybrid models, and flexible schedules. Furthermore, investing in technology that facilitates seamless communication and collaboration across different locations is crucial for success in this evolving landscape.The RTO push, often driven by economic concerns and a reluctance to embrace change, appears outdated in the face of the AI revolution. In 2025, AI agents will increasingly collaborate with human counterparts, signifying a new era of work. Which path will your company choose: the future of work or a bygone era? By prioritizing employee well-being, embracing flexible work arrangements, and investing in technology that supports remote and hybrid work, companies can unlock greater productivity, attract and retain top talent, and ultimately, enhance their long-term success.

If you're looking for an incredible co-op game to enjoy with your partner or a friend, It Takes Two is an excellent choice. As the 2021 Game of the Year winner, it offers a fantastic experience that's hard to top. Even better, it's currently on an 80% sale at the time of writing, making it the perfect opportunity to grab a copy.

Demakes are typically small-scale games made in the style of older consoles, such as the original PlayStation, that take beloved games developed for contemporary game consoles and "remake" them. Demakes have become quite popular in Indie game jams. These games are fan-made love letters to the original games. Two common retro esthetics of demakes are PlayStation 1 or Game Boy games.

Survival Games are often underestimated due to their limited graphics and due to being often released first in Early Access, but the truth is that some of these games offer the best slow exploration experiences to players who enjoy roaming the world leisurely and at their own pace.

El Ranchitos visual effects add a new dimension to the magical world of Netflixs One Hundred Years of Solitude. In the teams delicate yet immersive weavings in the narrative, they brought subtle yet deepened visuals which enriched the magical realism, defining the story.The artistry of El Ranchito blurs the lines between reality and imagination in creating atmospheric environments, delicate effects, and transitions that improve the mystical tone without overpowering the authenticity of the tale.This breakdown shows how the visual effects in El Ranchito elevate the adaptation, refining the balance between the real and the unreal, and making sure that the timeless legacy of Garca Mrquezs world is translated faithfully to the screen.The post One Hundred Years of Solitude: VFX Breakdown by El Ranchito appeared first on Vfxexpress.

As 2024 draws to a close, Framestore is proud to look back on a year of incredible achievements and boundary-pushing work. From over 250 commercials and 54 film and TV projects to five massive ride experiences, our global team has pushed the boundaries of creativity and innovation across every medium.This year, the work our teams have achieved earned us Oscar and Emmy nominations, VES and Annie Award wins, even a Webby for Best Virtual Experience. Of course, its impossible to put everything in here, but our VFX Showreel 2024 provides a view into the artistry, the dedication, and the technology that separates Framestore in the business.A heartfelt thank you to our incredible global team of artists, producers, and technologistsyour passion and commitment continue to redefine whats possible, inspiring audiences and collaborators alike. Heres to reframing the future together!The post Framestore VFX Showreel 2024 appeared first on Vfxexpress.