The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program allows eligible teachers and public servants to have their student loans canceled after working in the field for 10 years and making 120 qualifying monthly loan payments. However, certain PSLF borrowers who were due to receive forgiveness last year may have been thwarted by administrative payment pauses.Now, the new PSLF Buyback program gives some of those borrowers an opportunity to "buy back" no-payment months that didn't count toward forgiveness while their loans were in forbearance or deferment, according to the Federal Student Aid office.In other words, if you're eligible for PSLF and have already worked the required 10 years but the federal payment pause caused you to miss the 120 payment mark last year, you can compensate for the missing months by applying for the buyback program."The buyback option is not a shortcut to accelerate your progress toward PSLF," said Elaine Rubin, director of corporate communications at Edvisors.com. You'll need to have hit the ten years of service and meet other conditions to qualify. If you're only five years into your teaching position, for example, you can't use this program to pay off your remaining five years of payments to get debt relief now.Here's what you need to know to see if you're eligible for the buyback program and file an application.What is the PSLF buyback program?The PSLF Buyback Program allows you to buy back certain skipped-payment months to count as qualifying payments under PSLF, which would speed up debt cancellation for a small number of eligible borrowers.For example, if you're a teacher who has worked 130 months in the role, you've already surpassed the required 10 years to be eligible for public loan forgiveness. But if your student loan was in deferment or forbearance for 15 months, you may have only made 115 months of payments. Normally, this would mean that you're not yet eligible for forgiveness under the PSLF program.Under the government's PSLF Buyback program, you can now make a payment (either in one lump sum or through multiple payments) within 90 days to cover the 5 months needed to fulfill your obligation and receive debt relief.What amount will you need to buy back? That depends on how many months short of the 120 goal you are and how much your monthly payment is. If you were on an income-driven repayment plan, your monthly payment could be as low as $0, Rubin said. But if your monthly payment is $200 and you've only made 117 payments, you'll need to pay $600 to complete the buyback process.After you submit an application requesting a buyback, the government will detail the total amount you must pay to your servicer within 90 days in order to have your remaining balance forgiven.Who's eligible for PSLF buyback?There are several requirements to be eligible for the PSLF buyback:You have worked at least 120 months in a qualifying public service role, including during the months when your student loan payments were in forbearance or deferredBuying back certain months of deferment or forbearance will get you over the threshold of 120 payments, allowing you to qualify for forgiveness under PSLFYour loan has a remaining balance greater than zeroIn other words, you cannot request a buyback if you have less than 10 years of service, and a buyback does not apply to defaulted loans or discharged loans.You can check on your qualifying payments for PSLF at StudentAid.gov, the central dashboard for this program. You can view more detailed information about the eligibility requirements here.How do I apply for the PSLF buyback program?Here are the steps for applying for the PSLF buyback program:If you have unreported periods of qualifying employment, submit them by using thePSLF Help Tool.Wait to review how yourpayment count adjustmentapplies to PSLF credit.Confirm the missing payment months you want to buy back and make sure you have approved qualifying employment for the same months (see how toverify these months).Submit a buyback request throughPSLF Reconsideration.Wait to hear back from StudentAid.gov about your final payoff amount.Rubin warns that the application is a bit confusing. "Be patient, but make sure that your information has been filed," Rubin said.You can check the status of your application through StudentAid.gov.Can I apply for PSLF buyback if I'm enrolled in SAVE?Yes, you can apply for the PSLF buyback if you're enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education plan. The SAVE program, an income-driven repayment plan, is considered an eligible forbearance type under the PSLF buyback.Payments have been on hold for SAVE borrowers since the summer, so if you're a PSLF borrower who would have received debt relief in the fall or winter, you're a prime candidate for the buyback program.How long will the PSLF buyback program be open?Rubin said the PSLF buyback program is currently open, and there is no hard deadline for applications.That being said, once you submit your application and learn your buyback amount, you have 90 days to make the buyback payment to your loan servicer. If you fail to pay the total amount within that time frame, you need to start over with a new application.With a new administration coming into the White House, the long-term fate of the PSLF buyback program is unclear. Rubin recommends taking the time now, while PSLF buyback is still available, to determine whether you're eligible and submit your application. More student loan advice

OpinionJanuary 7, 20255 min readBreaking the Constitution Wont Fix the BureaucracyA government efficiency panel threatens U.S. government competence and constitutional underpinnings, warn two administrative science expertsBy Thomas J. Greitens & M. Ernita Joaquin edited by Dan VerganoTesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) carries his son "X" on his shoulders at the U.S. Capitol after a media availability with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (3rd R). Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesA constitutional winter is upon us, partly enabled by last summers spike in the price of eggs. While the Federal Reserve battled egg inflation, angry voters reinstalled Donald Trump in the White House. Among his first acts: appointing two tech billionaires, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, as efficiency czars. What their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)more an advisory group, reallyproposes to do, however, involves constitutional gambits that would rob James Madison, the father of the Constitution, of sleep.Trump rode to victory attacking grocery costs and convincing voters that government was wasteful and that he alone could fix their grievances. His supporters included people fed up with Bidenomics and administrative snafus, everyday bureaucratic mazes that waste time, money and patience.Incoming presidents have often promised to address such snafus. Most famously, former president Bill Clinton, with his vice president, Al Gore, launched a reinventing government initiative that sought solutions from career public servants even as the initiative trumpeted basic business principles.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.In stark contrast, Trumps first-term agenda of deconstructing the administrative state failed in its ultimate goal of making key federal positions at-will hires to somehow deliver better government. Through DOGE, Trump will try again to overhaul the bureaucracy, this time with the help of business people whose ideas about the Constitution presage lengthy court battles.In November, what appeared as the DOGE plan in the Wall Street Journal revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of public administration. Rather than addressing administrative snafus with a scalpel, DOGE risks creating constitutional ones with its axe.DOGEs lip service to eliminating waste, fraud and abuse thinly veils an agenda aimed at dismantling corporate watchdogs, from the EPA to the FDIC, and politicizing agencies like the DOJ and IRS to pursue presidential ends, without constitutional guardrails. This approach threatens the delicate constitutional balance that has sustained the Republic for over a century, dividing power among the three branches and the nonpartisan bureaucracy in their midst.To nurture this balance, DOGE could consider mission-driven recommendations from the good government community of public administration scholars and nonpartisan research groups like the National Academy of Public Administration. They routinely investigate the best ways to make government more efficient and effective. Their past research findings can improve hiring, program implementation, cost management and other administrative techniques. These could have real, positive impacts on government efficiency while still allowing Trump to leave a positive legacy on the civil service. Plenty of these initiatives are already moving bureaucracy away from its technocratic, often snafu-riddled proceduralism to a more publicly engaged demonstration of outcomes.Instead, the DOGE blueprint blatantly ignores Congresseven with GOP controland champions the unitary executive theory of government by presenting normal bureaucratic rulemaking as a supposed scourge of democracy. Overstretching the summers Supreme Court rulings in West Virginia v. EPA and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the DOGE blueprint assumes that this executive, backed by a sympathetic judiciary, can drive action through reorganization, rule nullification and impoundments.Congress must confront this challenge and assert its status as the first among equals (primus inter pares) in the three branches of U.S. government. Congress shaped the administrative state through the Pendleton Act of 1883, creating the merit system for civil servants, and the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946, requiring participatory rulemaking in creating regulations. DOGE cannot simply rescind or replace current administrative rules without judicial approval.Even the worlds wealthiest individuals must recognize that a country is not a company. Nobody said efficiency was the reason for democracy. Efficiency is just one core public value that must take its place alongside equity, neutral competence, effectiveness and accountability. In fact, conflict among such values is typical in a democracy, hence the need for expertise, impartiality and experience among those involved in day-to-day governing. A tech bro culture that hopes to put feds in trauma harms public safety and businesses that rely on regulatory stability.Oath-bound civil servants, more than shrewd operators and artful dodgers" helped make America great. In the past, reformers who campaigned against the bureaucracy have often found it necessary to enlistguess whocompetent bureaucrats to advance their priorities. The Trump loyalty tests and DOGE measures will instead drive out such workers and deter the best and the brightest from serving. The incoming administration as well promises to institute the Schedule F reclassification of federal workers. This executive order, already attempted in the final months of the first Trump administration, would politicize parts of the federal bureaucracy by transferring many civil service positions structured on merit into this new category focused more on supporting and advocating for policies supported by a president.If implemented in the first months of the second Trump administration, Schedule F would dismantle a large part of the federal Civil Service and probably degrade more recent efforts at agency rebuilding and merit-based worker protections scrambled together during the Biden administration. It would allow for the arbitrary firing of federal bureaucrats based on perceptions of political support of the president. This could start the transformation of the federal bureaucracy back to a 19th-century style spoils system where political leaders reward supporters with bureaucratic jobs regardless of qualifications.The nations founders enshrined the separation of powers precisely to counter monarchical tendencies more than two centuries ago. Yet presidentialism, advancing since Nixons era, now invites a constitutional referendum on the intentionally limited powers, in the name of reforming bureaucracy.Musk and Ramaswamy risk taking us back to the system of patronage, corruption and incompetence that defined government through the 1800s and that past reformers eliminated. President Theodore Roosevelt also appointed a businessman to lead the reforming Keep Commission in 1905, but his progressive ethos and movement is exactly what DOGE wants reversed. Roosevelt confronted capitalisms excesses amid popular anger. Today we cannot ignore the nations alarming income gap between rich and poor. DOGE, however, wont draw your attention to the combined net worth of its leaders and the incoming Cabinet running in the vicinity of $500 billion, a level rife with conflicts of interest. Despite the irony of two commissioners heading one efficiency body, and their railing against regulatory strangleholds, our economic system seems strangely capable of churning out collective trillionaires. An overhyped overhaul that exacerbates inequality, however, will further alienate Americans from engaging in constitutional debates or defending protections they didnt realize were lost.Perhaps disruption, then, is the real point, as DOGE measures drag out in courts, competent public servants exit and presidential powers further rise unchecked. With the free press dying of competition from billionaire-controlled social media, and factionalism rising in its wake, the impulses that scared the framers of the Constitution have never been stronger, as the separation of parties tramples the separation of powers.Could it happen here? has nagged the country for a decade now. Today a waylaid Congress, a partisan judiciary, and an overreaching presidency may deal violence to the Constitution in our lifetime. If that happens, a constitutional snafu will make our current worries about the price of eggs seem quaint.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

January 7, 20252 min readPlants Photosynthetic Machinery Functions inside Hamster CellsTransplanted chloroplasts endured two days inside animal cellsand got to workBy Saugat Bolakhe edited by Sarah Lewin FrasierResearchers transplanted chloroplasts from algae into Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) cells. Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alamy Stock PhotoMore than a billion years ago a hungry cell devoured a tiny blue-green algae. But instead of the former simply digesting the latter, the duo struck a remarkable evolutionary deal. Now scientists are trying to engineer that miracle in a laboratory.In a recent experiment reported in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, researchers transplanted that algaes photosynthesizing descendants, plant organelles called chloroplasts, into hamster cellswhere they converted light into energy, staying active for at least two days.In 2021 biologist Sachihiro Matsunaga of the University of Tokyo reported how sacoglossan sea slugs can steal chloroplasts from algae they eat, fueling the slugs energy needs for weeks. His team wanted to recreate this mechanism in other animal cells.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.Scientists had previously tried transferring plant chloroplasts into fungi cells, but the cells cleanup squad destroyed foreign organelles within hours. For their attempt, Matsunagas group harvested extra-hardy chloroplasts from a red algae that thrives in acidic volcanic hot springs and housed them in lab-cultured hamster ovary cells.A fluorescence image shows chloroplasts (magenta) successfully incorporated into the hamster cells, with other features of the animal cells also highlighted: nuclei are in light blue, and organelles are in yellow-green.Incorporation of Photosynthetically Active Algal Chloroplasts in Cultured Mammalian Cells Towards Photosynthesis in Animals, by Ryota Aoki et al., in Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, Vol. 100, No. 9; 2024 (CC BY-NC-ND)The team isolated the chloroplasts from algal cells using a centrifuge and gentle stirring. Instead of then piercing the host cells membranes, as in earlier work, the researchers adjusted the culture mediums composition so it coaxed the animal cells into engulfing the chloroplasts like amoebas do, Matsunaga says, mistaking them for nutrients.The transplanted chloroplasts maintained their structure and showed successful electron transport, a crucial step in processing light, for two days before deteriorating. Previous attempts at transplanting a chloroplast into a foreign cell had worked for just a few hours. I was impressed that they were able to get that much mileage out of it, says cell biologist Jef D. Boeke of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.Challenges remain: Chloroplasts need a steady supply of proteins from the cell. Animal cells, however, dont have the necessary genes to make and transport these proteins, so chloroplasts would break down quickly without them, says Werner Khlbrandt, a structural biologist at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt. Like Boeke, he was not involved in the new study. Next, Matsunagas team plans to try inserting photosynthesis-maintaining genes into animal cells, aiming to make them more compatible with the transplanted chloroplasts.These types of transplants could someday help scientists engineer living materials, Boeke says, such as photosynthesizing fungi or bacteria that might be used on rooftops to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or lab organoids that can grow faster using a chloroplasts extra oxygen. Solar-powered humans, of course, remain pure fantasy, Matsunaga says: They would need a tennis courts worth of surface area covered with chloroplasts.

PS5 Midnight Black DualSense Edge, headset and earbuds unveiledAnd a shiny new look for PlayStation Portal, too.Image credit: Sony News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 7, 2025 Sony has unveiled its latest accessories to get the Midnight Black treatment: the DualSense Edge wireless controller, Pulse Elite wireless headset and the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, as well as the PlayStation Portal.The new range joins the existing Midnight Black colour options for the regular DualSense (released back in May 2021) and the Pulse 3D wireless headset (released in September 2021), as well as the PS5's black console covers.Sony adding more to its Midnight Black collection had previously been reported. As you'd expect, the range is coloured, well, black. Here's a video showing how it all looks:Sony's PS5 Midnight Black range.Watch on YouTube"Each Midnight Black accessory features a unique, rich shade of black, with sleek detailing on various buttons and accents such as the PlayStation logo," Sony says, attempting to spin the fact these are coloured black into a full paragraph, which I myself am also now guilty of.The charging case for the Pulse Explore earbuds is black, the charging hanger for the Pulse Elite headset is black, and the carrying case for the DualSense Edge controller is also black. However, the carrying case for the Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds will be... felt grey.The range will go on sale via direct.playstation.com and participating from 20th February, with pre-orders open on 16th January if you're feeling super keen. Pricing is as follows:PlayStation Portal remote player Midnight Black: $199.99 | 219.99 | 199.99 Pulse Explore wireless earbuds Midnight Black: $199.99 | 219.99 | 199.99Pulse Elite wireless headset Midnight Black: $149.99 | 149.99 | 129.99 GBPDualSense Edge wireless controller Midnight Black: $199.99 | 219.99 | 199.99Fancy one?

Starfield lead quest designer says players getting "fatigued" by super long games, trumpets bitesize titles like MouthwashingRince and retreat.Image credit: Bethesda News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 7, 2025 Former Bethesda designer Will Shen, who worked on several high profile titles such as Starfield and Skyrim, has said he believes players are becoming "fatigued" with games that take hours upon hours upon hours to complete.During an interview with Kiwi Talkz (via GameSpot), Shen was asked about game length and acknowledged that there are still plenty of people putting hours into Skyrim. But, do players want to invest the same amount of time into newer games coming to the market? Well, Shen feels we're kind of over that idea when it comes to new releases.The 10 Best 2024 Games, According To Eurogamer's Video Team. Watch on YouTube"We're reaching a point where people are fatigued, or a large section, a growing section of the audience, is becoming fatigued at investing 30-plus, 100-plus hours into a game," explained Shen. "Because they already have that. They already have the games that they will continually come back to, and adding another one to that list is a tall order. It's always a tall order."Shen said we are now seeing a "resurgence" of shorter games that are more easily digestible (at least in terms of playtime). He pointed to Mouthwashing - a game our Katharine called a "brilliantly refreshing and unflinching horror" in Eurogamer's four star review - as an example of how shorter games can still deliver a winning result."[Mouthwashing is] only three hours long at most, it's a very short experience," Shen said, "but part of the benefit of that is the community engagement around the story of Mouthwashing is only possible because everyone who is a fan has actually played through it all the way to the end."Shen said he understood there were other factors that had contributed to Mouthwashing's success, but that he firmly believed the game's short length was one of the key reasons it was such a hit. "You can have a fan community conversation around a game that's much shorter because the shortness allows everyone to engage fully with the entirety of the product," Shen continued, adding games that go over the 10 hour mark are often left uncompleted by many players."I would say 75 percent of your players only play through the first five to 10 hours, so that's a huge fragmenting of your overall fan community base." Image credit: Mouthwashing / Wrong OrganWhat are your thoughts on game length? Do you think shorter is sweeter, or are you still on the lookout for that one game that will become The Game you play?As a quick aside, our Jim was also rather taken with Mouthwashing, so taken in fact he named it one of his games of 2024 in the Eurogamer video team's roundup, which you can watch above.Meanwhile, while Shen is no longer with Bethesda and working on Starfield, the studio itself still is. Last year, Todd Howard confirmed at least one more DLC for the space epic following 2024's Shattered Space expansion. As for what that could be, fans believe a trademark for "Starborn" registered by Bethesda parent company Zenimax back in July could point to Starfield's second expansion.

Nvidia announces RTX 50-series graphics cards with DLSS 4 multi frame generationSpecs and pricing for RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti and 5070.Image credit: Nvidia Blog by Will Judd Deputy Editor, Digital Foundry Published on Jan. 7, 2025 As was foretold, Nvidia has revealed its new RTX 50-series desktop graphics cards at its CES 2025 keynote, which took place in the early hours UK time. The current lineup includes four cards: a $1999/1939 RTX 5090, a $999/979 RTX 5080, a $749/729 RTX 5070 Ti and a $549/539 RTX 5070. Each "Blackwell" graphics card comes equipped with GDDR7 memory, some impressive frame-rate claims and DLSS 4 multi frame generation. The two top-end cards are arriving on 30th January, while the upper-mid-range offerings are scheduled for February. The "relative performance" claims for some of these graphics cards are wild, so let's start with an idea of expected frame-rates for each card and a quick explainer of DLSS 4 multi frame generation before we cover off the architectural improvements. The $1999 RTX 5090 is unsurprisingly positioned as the ultimate graphics card, a prosumer model with 32GB of GDDR7. It's based around the GB202 GPU with 92 billion transistors, versus 76 billion on the 4090, and includes 21760 CUDA cores. Nvidia's slides promise double the frame-rates of the RTX 4090, or a comfortable 4K 240Hz with full RT and maxed settings in games that support the multi frame generation (MFG) feature. Image credit: Nvidia/Digital FoundryTo explain before we go further, MFG adds in up to three generated frames for each traditionally rendered frame. This results in higher frame-rates and therefore visual fluidity, but not necessarily higher performance as we'd typically label it, as latency is reliant on the "base" frame-rate rather than the final "output" frame-rate. The concept is similar to the original frame generation (FG) feature on RTX 40-series cards, and as such relies on developer integration and Nvidia's Reflex 2 latency mitigation tech to work well. Surprisingly, while the RTX 5090 has a rated total graphics power of 575W - right up against the PCIe 5.0 600W limit and 125W higher than the RTX 4090 - the Founders Edition design is actually slimmer than the RTX 4090 FE. It's a two-slot card that may actually fit in small form factor PC cases (with requisite 1000W PSUs), with two flow-through fans and the PCB located in the centre. It'll be fascinating to see how the new design performs, given that early 5090 prototype coolers were reportedly quad-slot behemoths! The $999 RTX 5080 is designed to double the frame-rates of the RTX 4080, with Nvidia promising beyond 2x results in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2 and Black Myth: Wukong - all heavy RT titles. The 5080 is based on the smaller GB203 die and comes with 16GB of GDDR7, 10752 CUDA cores and a rated power of 360W - with an 850W PSU recommended. The pricing matches that of the RTX 4080 Super, so it'll be interesting to see how these models compare in terms of apples-to-apples performance when FG or MFG isn't used. 1 of 4 Caption Attribution Nvidia's performance claims - click to enlarge. Note that frame generation and multi frame generation in 4x mode are used in most examples.NvidiaRTX 5090RTX 5080RTX 5070 TiRTX 5070GPUGB202GB203GB203GB205Cores217601075289606144Boost clock2.41GHz2.62GHz2.45GHz2.51GHzTensor core TOPS335218011406988RT core TFLOPS31817113394Memory32 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR712 GB GDDR7Memory bus width512-bit256-bit256-bit192-bitMemory bandwidth1792GB/s960GB/s896GB/s672GB/sTotal Graphics Power575W360W300W250WPSU recommendation1000W850W750W650WPower connector600W PCIe 5.0 (4x 8-pin)450W PCIe 5.0 (3x 8-pin)300W PCIe 5.0 (2x 8-pin)300W PCIe 5.0 (2x 8-pin)Price$1999/1939$999/979$749/729$549/539Release DateJanuary 30thJanuary 30thFebruaryFebruaryThe two February cards, the RTX 5070 Ti 16GB and 5070 12GB, hit at the $749 and $549 price points. The 5070 Ti uses a cut-back version of the GB203 GPU with 8960 CUDA cores, while the 5070 uses the GB205 with 6144 cores. It's disappointing to see the 12GB of GDDR7 on the $549 RTX 5070 card in the year of our lord 2025, but Nvidia would have needed to equip the 5070 with a 256-bit bus (or use a mixed VRAM allocation) to hit 16GB so the move is not unexpected. In terms of performance, it's the same theme: the 5070 Ti is meant to double the frame-rate of the 4070 Ti, while the 5070 does the same for the 4070. However, Nvidia also pointed out that this means that the 5070 should therefore offer the same frame-rates as the RTX 4090, which would be a huge coup at about a third of the price! Given that this relies an uneven MFG vs FG comparison, we'll need to wait for proper third-party testing to see if that claim is truly borne out and what the differential looks like in non-FG and indeed non-DLSS/non-RT titles. As well as confirming its desktop lineup, Nvidia also announced RTX 50-series laptop GPUs. These will arrive from March and include smaller memory allocations. These include the RTX 5090 24GB, RTX 5080 16GB, RTX 5070 Ti 12GB and RTX 5070 8GB. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Now that we've got the line-up covered, it's worth quickly mentioning some of the architectural changes that contribute to both faster overall performance and the key gains in terms of RT and AI performance. These improvements are derived from beefier SMs with more throughput and tighter Tensor core integration, improvements to shader execution reordering and acceleration for FP4 compute. There's also enhanced hardware flip metering needed for multi frame gen, new RT cores with double the ray triangle intersection rate and better compression. The cards also support the PCIe 5.0 interface and come with DisplayPort 2.1b UHBR20 ports, matching AMD's prior-gen cards. If you're interested in learning more about the Blackwell architecture, Nvidia's blog has more detail on these architectural details, and we expect the usual tech press like Gamers Nexus or TechSpot will offer more detailed breakdowns of these changes once they've had a chance to digest the information. In terms of our output, we expect to publish more information about DLSS 4 multi frame generation in the near future, so look out for that, and of course we're keen to put the new GPUs through our refined test suite as soon as possible.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereThe First Descendant had an excellent debut year in 2024, and there are lot of hopes that 2025 will be even better for Nexon. There are a lot of exciting plans for TFD over the next 12-months, and Nexon has just delivered their first patch of the new year. Theres a quite bit to the update, but theres one particular fix that has The First Descendant players ruing a nerf we did not need or deserve. Players can check out the 2025 roadmap for The First Descendant to see everything exciting Nexon has announced so far. On January 16th, we will receive the new playable character, Ines Raya, and its confirmed that she has electric-based abilities. As for the rest of the year, we are set to get jiggle physics at some point in time, meanwhile, Nexon are hoping to add photo mode for Season 3. Fans of TFD should be excited for the games future, but right now Nexon just released update 1.2.3. There is a lot included in the patch notes, and players are tongue-in-cheek devastated by a nerf to Ultimate Sharen. The First Descendant fans bemoan Ultimate Sharen nerf As part of The First Descendant update 1.2.3 patch notes, Nexon listed the following fix for Ultimate Sharen: Fixed an issue where when the Descendant Ultimate Sharen respawned with the Classic Maid Uniform Body Skin equipped, the Descendants appearance was incorrectly displayed.For those who do not own either Ultimate Sharen or the classic maid uniform, the bug resulted in the bottom portion of the maid uniform disappearing to basically show Sharens lingerie. Now that the glitch has been fixed, some players on Reddit are tongue-in-cheek saying R.I.P with one user claiming its the nerf we did not need or deserve. In more serious changes, there are actual buffs included in the update. They are as follows for weapons and modules:Maximum capacity of High-Power Rounds has been increased from 25 50.Increased the efficiency of the High-Power Rounds Conversion ModuleGeneral Rounds Charge Improvement: Reduced the number of General Rounds consumed from 200 50.Special Rounds Charge Improvement: Reduced the number of Special Rounds consumed from 120 30.Impact Rounds Charge Improvement: Reduced the number of Impact Rounds consumed from 25 6.Reduced the capacity of the High-Power Rounds Exclusive Rounds Conversion Module.Reduced the capacity from 16 to 6 to 12 to 2.Unfortunately, while the above buffs are appreciated, players are still not happy with how Nexon is using heavy weapons. As per one user on Reddit, [Nexon] can reduce the round conversion all they want; hell they can make it free and 1:1 the issue is they take a mod slot at all. The user further explains that Nobody wants to give up power or have to flip to a stat stick to fuel the dumb ammo economy in the game for the guns you actually WANT to use. Running out of bullets is the most unfun mechanic you can have in a looter shooter. In addition, a lot of players are still upset that Nexon has not fixed the issue with crashes in Albion, with some claiming that game is constantly crashing and is unplayable. The next big update for The First Descendant is happening on January 16th with the release of Ines Raya, so hopefully this update manages to fix the issues with crashing and more. Check out Nexons post on X for the full update 1.2.3 patch notes. For more The First Descendant, we have a guide to thebest skills and loadout for Viessa, along with thebest skills, gear, and mods for the hugely popular Bunny. We also have a guide forFreynaalong with fundamentaltips for beginners.The First DescendantPlatform(s):PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Action, Adventure, RPG5VideoGamerRelated TopicsThe First Descendant Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereIts now 2025, and Konamis Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater still doesnt have an official release date. Announced with a vague 2024 release, Konami has still failed to give players a standard release date for the upcoming remake, all the while apologising for not doing so. Despite hopes that Konami would reveal a launch window at the end of last year, Metal Gear fans have entered 2025 clueless as to when the much-anticipated remake will land. To make matters worse, the Production Hotline series which acted as a bridge between the developers and the fans, providing updates on Deltas progress, hasnt released a new episode in a couple of months. Where is Metal Gear Solid Delta?However, while news is scarce, there have been some murmurings from Konami addressing Deltas development. Speaking to Japanese publication 4Gamer for their annual mass developer interview(and highlighted by YouTube channel SecondAct) on what his ambition were for 2025, Metal Gear Solid Delta producer Noriaki Okamura stated that: Our biggest challenge is to make Metal Gear Solid Delta into a good product, and deliver it to our fans. While theres still no official window, Okamura has previously stated that the game is already fully playable from start to finish. This means that the game should be in its final stages of polishing and bug fixing. Judging from previews of the game running natively on console during Gamescom in August 2024, performance was already rock solid, so the game should be nearing release.Our biggest challenge is to make Metal Gear Solid Delta into a good product, and deliver it to our fans. METAL GEAR SOLID DELTA PRODUCER NORIAKI OKAMURAUnderstandably, MGS fans have grown impatient as a result of radio silence regarding Deltas release. At the Tokyo Games Show towards the tail-end of last year, Okamura apologized for the companys failure to reveal when fans can play the game, despite confirming a number of gameplay details such asnew Codec and camo setups, thereturn of Phantom Pain mechanics.At the time Okamuraexplainedthe developers dont want to make a promise to fans that they cant keep, pleading to fans to wait a little longer for the games release date. Its still widely expected that MGS Delta will arrive in the first part of this year, although this is pure speculation.Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is expected to release in 2025 for PC, Xbox Series and PlayStation 5.Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake EaterPlatform(s):PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Third PersonRelated TopicsMetal Gear Solid Delta Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereBungies free-to-play looter shooter Destiny 2 has hit another all-time low in concurrent player numbers as players fail to be engaged by the games new content. Following the end of the series original arc with the release of The Final Shape, Destinys Revenant storyline isnt bringing in the player counts the game used to have.Destiny 2 player numbers hit another all-time lowWith Destiny 2 Revenant Act 3 just around the corner, many players expected others to come back to the game for a new round of content. However, it turns out that many players are leaving Bungies free-to-play game behind despite additional content still releasing.After wrapping up its main storyline, Destiny 2 has managed to hit its all-time concurrent low. Via journalist Paul Tassi, Destiny 2 has managed to lose 90% of its player base since the release of The Final Shape.I know it was the end of the arc and all that but a 90% drop-off for a live ongoing game in seven months is crazy, Tassi explained. Its why these recent conversations about game health feel different this time.Since its release in 2017, Bungies looter shooter has always had highs and lows in terms of concurrent player traffic. However, since The Final Shape, no new content has managed to properly grab the player base, and before that the game was already in an obvious decline.With Marathon now nearing release, it seems that the studio has a chance at delivering a new experience for players. However, for those who want more Destiny, or a better Destiny, it seems that the games lifespan may be reaching its end.Nevertheless, Bungie is still working hard on the looter shooter with a host of new updates on the way. Following Revenant Act 3, 2025 will see the release of two expansions and four major updates from now until Spring 2026. But will anything come after?Destiny 2Platform(s):Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Web, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Adventure, First Person, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter8VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

In a world where living space is becoming increasingly expensive and coveted, creative solutions for stylish space-saving ideas in small apartments are more in demand than ever. Whether we are talking about dorm rooms, small apartments, or cozy mini-lofts, efficiently using limited space can make the difference between a chaotic home and an inviting one. The good news is that there are a number of ingenious tips and tricks that can help you make the most of every square inch of space, stylishly.Multifunctional furniture, in particular, can be especially helpful. Beds with integrated storage or dining tables that can be folded up and stored when they arent being used are practical, and often attractive, solutions. Youll also want to think verticallyinstalling shelves up to your ceiling will allow you to use space that might otherwise be wasted. Furniture choices, however, are just the start. Here are 11 of AD Germanys top tips that combine style and functionality.1. Dont leave corners unusedThis bathroom fits perfectly into the unusual floor plan of a small apartment in Paris. Glass mosaic tiles from Bisazza were used right down to the last corner and they pair perfectly with the JK21 brushed aluminum faucet from Zazzeri and other details in black.Photo: Christophe CononIn old buildings and ones that have grown organicallythat is buildings that have been gradually converted and adapted over time and where apartments may have been combined while previously unused spaces like attics have been converted into living areasyoull often find sloping corners and odd angles. But if you dont have much space available, dont let the challenge put you off. With some smart planning, even these areas can be turned into usable and stylish space. The bathroom above is in a compact 431-square-foot attic apartment in Paris. Its designer managed to tuck a vanity unit and a full-sized round washbasin into an awkward corner. Mirrors are mounted above it, following the angles of the wall, giving the bathroom a luxurious hotel flair while also making the tiny room appear larger than it is. The small mosaic tiles are especially suited to small bathrooms and here they are used for every last corner of the shower floor which doesnt have any right angles.2. Find room for built-in wardrobes and cabinetsThe entryway is an ideal place to add storage space in small apartments. The front door can be screened off from the rest of the room by a cupboard, like the one here from Reform, creating privacy as well as space for jackets and shoes, as well as bed linens, mops and brooms, an ironing board, and other household items. Then the rest of the apartment can look perfectly tidy.Photo: ReformSome storage solutions like cupboards with glass fronts, exposed clothes racks, and open shelving systems are unfortunately not the best choices for small apartments. A better choice is built-in wardrobes with doors that fill a space from wall to wall and up to the ceiling with storage. Clothes and other items can then disappear behind their understated and uniform fronts. Even better: If you can make changes to the floor plan, dont leave any walls unused in the first place. Instead incorporate storage space directly into non-load-bearing walls. This will also allow you to create wardrobes that can be opened from the rooms on both sides of the wall as it does double duty both as a partition and a storage space.3. Choose furniture that can play multiple rolesA console table is attached to the back of a kitchen island in this design by Bakkali Rnovation Gnra. It can be used both as a desk and a dining table.Photography Courtesy of Oracle ParisThis luxurious, small kitchen is located in another compact Paris apartmentthis one measures only 269 square feet. The kitchen island is made of okoume wood and its not only beautiful to look at, but also extremely functional. Along one side of the island, theres a console table that can be used as a desk or as a small dining table for two to three people. Its an ideal use of an awkward low area underneath a sloping roof. At the end where it is too low to sit, theres a cabinet underneath the worktop.4. Create a room within a room with semi-transparent windowsA laundry room is located behind the kitchen in this apartment. Theres no need to look at piles of clothes, but the textured glass door still lets in plenty of light.Photo: Sergey KrasyukMost PopularCulture + LifestyleThe Best Coffee Table Books to Gift This Year, According to AD StaffersBy Jessica ChernerArchitecture + Design9 Fascinating Buildings Carved Out of Mountains, Stones, and HillsBy Maya Chawla TravelThe Savannah Historic District Is a Living Museum of American ArchitectureBy Yelena Moroz AlpertEven in small apartments, it can be useful to separate different functions such as cooking, showering, and sleeping with partitions. To avoid creating a shoebox feeling in these mini rooms, windows or transparent elements assure that every space receives natural light. It was an unusual decision to give some of the precious square feet of this small apartment in Kazakhstan for a laundry room but in order to allow light throughout the unit, a window was added to the functional space. It is separated from the kitchen with a metal frame. The designers at Studio Sdelaemremont explained that if the owners laundry and suitcases (he travels often for work) remained behind a closed door, the rest of the apartment would immediately appear tidier and more appealing. The door to the laundry room is made of textured glass, so dirty clothes are hidden, but light continues to flow into the apartment.5. Make a pantry kitchen disappear behind sliding doorsHidden behind pocket doors, the interior designers of this apartment integrated a built-in kitchen module from IKEA.In Europe, Paris has a reputation as the capital of very small apartmentsand the citys designers are experts at stylish space-saving. In this 344-square-foot home, the kitchenette in the living area is fitted into an alcove next to a cupboard with large panel doors. Behind the doors there is space for an oven, a cooktop, an extractor hood, a tea kettle, and a coffee machine. This little kitchen sits inside an inexpensive and invisible IKEA built-in module. The built-in module allowed us to focus on the aesthetics of the kitchen, which is completely clad in marble right down to the sink with its bronze fittings, explain designers Alexandra Bouthier and Alice Lefebvre.6. Install a kitchen bench for extra storage spaceA bench with drawers is a clever solution for small kitchens, combining seating and storage space.Photography Courtesy of ReformMost PopularCulture + LifestyleThe Best Coffee Table Books to Gift This Year, According to AD StaffersBy Jessica ChernerArchitecture + Design9 Fascinating Buildings Carved Out of Mountains, Stones, and HillsBy Maya Chawla TravelThe Savannah Historic District Is a Living Museum of American ArchitectureBy Yelena Moroz AlpertAre you looking for places to add storage space? Starting by taking a look under your seat. A lot of seating, like a stool with a lid or a bench with an open shelf, can double as storage space. The latter can be a particularly cozy solution in an eat-in kitchen and it offers as much storage space as a small cupboard. The space below a window is also often overlooked and left unused. Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution.7. Free up room with a sleeping loftLook up: In this 118-square-foot micro-apartment in Berlin, a sleeping loft above the kitchenette is reached via a staircase that plays several different roles.Photo: Jordana SchrammWhen living space is scarce, it can make sense to think in terms of cubic feet rather than square feet. Stacking different functions one above each other instead of next to each other is an approach that will maximize the space you have. This is an especially good strategy in older apartments which often have taller ceilings. Theres often room to add a second level though it will, of course, then have a lower ceiling height. That makes it more suited to serving as a sleeping area, as with this 118-square-foot micro-apartment in Berlin. Access to the mezzanine level is via a staircase with the lower steps being larger so that they can also be used as a workspace or a dining table.8. Use storage space under bedsFor this platform bed in his home, furniture designer Kilian Schindler recycled old cupboards and covered them with colored plywood fronts. The bed is painted in Artcore No 88 by Caparol.Photo: Fabian FrinzelMost PopularCulture + LifestyleThe Best Coffee Table Books to Gift This Year, According to AD StaffersBy Jessica ChernerArchitecture + Design9 Fascinating Buildings Carved Out of Mountains, Stones, and HillsBy Maya Chawla TravelThe Savannah Historic District Is a Living Museum of American ArchitectureBy Yelena Moroz AlpertEven in bedrooms with very low ceilings, you can create storage space thats the equivalent of a large wardrobe by opting for a platform bed. This option is particularly elegant if you paint the bed to match the bedroom walls, for example in a dark blue or, as in the apartment of furniture designer Kilian Schindler, in a fresh lime greeneven a bedroom can can have a playful and lively look. Lively does not mean cluttered, however. With a platform bed, objects disappear instantly into the large drawers under the mattress. If you are ready to give your bedroom a new look, a platform bed provides an efficient storage solution and makes a bold and contemporary visual statement.9. Use a headboard as a room dividerA custom headboard can be a clever way to create a dressing area behind a bed. It adds another dimension to small bedrooms in particular and helps to keep things tidy.Photo: Herve Goluza for Plum LivingThe first thought when placing furniture in a room is typically to line it up along the walls. However, it can also be a good idea to place the bed a little bit in front of the closet. An extra-tall headboard, like this one in the home of interior designer Lucie Socrates, can act as a room divider. Clothes and other items will be out of sight, and you can create a separate space that almost feels like a luxurious walk-in closet.10. Replace a clunky desk with a narrow worktopFor this project by Constanze Ladner, a narrow board serves as a desk. The designer also chose a wallpaper with oversized bumblebees to give the space an additional playful element.Photo: Robert RiegerMost PopularCulture + LifestyleThe Best Coffee Table Books to Gift This Year, According to AD StaffersBy Jessica ChernerArchitecture + Design9 Fascinating Buildings Carved Out of Mountains, Stones, and HillsBy Maya Chawla TravelThe Savannah Historic District Is a Living Museum of American ArchitectureBy Yelena Moroz AlpertEven very, very small rooms or unused corners can offer enough space for a workstation. If, for example, a typical desk wont fit, an elegant and budget friendly alternative is to have a narrow board run between two walls. It can then serve both a shelf and a desk, as in this project by interior designer Constanze Ladner. For her, a small space doesnt necessarily mean resorting to smaller details: In this small study she used a wallpaper with hand-sized bumblebees.11. Use curtains to hide storageThe use of a curtain to hide shelves and other storage can be an ideal solution for small and even very small apartments. A sofa is placed in front of the shelves and a curtain can be pulled back both to hide the shelves and create a different atmosphere.Photo: Thomas SkrochAs we mentioned in tip 9, sometimes placing furniture a bit out from the edges of a room can be an elegantly different approach. Here that same strategy is carried out in the living room by placing the sofa in front of a bookshelf. This saves wall space and creates a coziness while providing some extra dimension to the room. The curtain in front of the shelf removes visual distraction and can also be used as a form of sound insulation, creating a space that is more peaceful and quiet.