Ubisoft reportedly held an emergency conference call yesterday following Assassin's Creed: Shadows being delayed here's all we know about reports that the company is looking to sellTech10:46, 10 Jan 2025Assassins Creed Shadows will feature two protagonists(Image: Ubisoft)Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft announced yesterday that Assassin's Creed: Shadows (which was delayed to February 2025) will now launch in March 2025.This was followed by an 'emergency' conference call with investors who reportedly asked CEO Yves Guillemot and CFO Frederick Duguet for answers regarding reports that the company is looking to sell to Tencent.Bloomberg previously reported that the company could go private after a series of misfires. Reports have suggested that Ubisoft lost more than half of its market value in 2024, with Star Wars Outlaws reportedly underperforming.On the call, Duguet said "we will inform the market if and when a transaction materialises" when asked about a potential deal with Chinese investor Tencent, which owns around 40% of Fortnite developer Epic Games.Star Wars Outlaws underperformed(Image: Ubisoft)"With the appointment of leading advisors, we are actively exploring various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders," Guillemot said."We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value for Ubisoft assets and franchises. This process will be overseen by the independent members of the board of directors."Star Wars: Outlaws' launch was described as "softer than expected" in September's earnings call, and in recent months Ubisoft has announced plans to shut down its first-person shooter, XDefiant, while also closing down multiple studios.Skull and Bones, which had been in development for years, launched this year to middling reviews despite being described as Guillemot as a 'AAAA' video game.As for Tencent, the US Department of Defense has recently deemed the company as potentially working with China's military, meaning any potential sale may face additional hurdles or scrutiny.A report from Insider Gaming has suggested the fate of Ubisoft's deal with Tencent could come down to the response to Assassin's Creed Shadows a game we dubbed one of the most anticipated of 2025.Article continues belowIf it performs well, Ubisoft may have additional leverage for negotiations. If it doesn't, Tencent is likely to be able to count on the company's share value dropping.Ubisoft have been contacted for comment.RECOMMENDED

The Switch 2 announcement might be very soon (Nintendo)The avalanche of Switch 2 leaks has prompted a response from Nintendo, as a reveal for the console looks imminent.While some details around new consoles usually leak ahead of their official reveal, theres been an unprecedented amount in the build-up to Nintendos Switch successor.Weve seen clips of the seemingly magnetic Joy-Cons, a bunch of images showing replicas of the console and dock, along with the alleged pictures of the logo. All these leaks bubbled up at CES 2025 this week, where an accessory company showed a very convincing mock-up and even appeared to reveal an April launch window.Following the leaks at CES, Nintendo has responded and while its difficult to say how upset they are, they havent denied any of it is real.Speaking to Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun, Nintendo stated on January 9 that the images and videos are not official. This is through a machine translation, so there might be some nuance lost in the process, but its very unlike Nintendo to offer any response to leaked materials.The lack of any firm denial around the images suggests they are at least somewhat close to the final product, which was already assumed to be the case as there have been so many overlapping details.View post on imgur.comWhile all the images of the console so far have been mock-ups based on details sent to accessory manufacturers, an image has popped up online which appears to show an actual Switch 2 console for the first time.Posted by Famiboards user lanamoon, who has previously shared leaks around the Switch 2, the image appears to show the top-right corner of the console with the screen turned on. A top flap is also opened, which is believed to be the cartridge slot, like on the original Switch.The main indicator that this isnt a picture of the original Switch is the curve on the Joy-Con, which doesnt have as sharp an angle and appears to be larger. This would match up with the replica designs of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons which have circulated over recent months.Nintendo hasnt confirmed anything about its next console, aside from it being backwards compatible. Its set to be revealed at some point before April, but with the amount of leaks which have emerged recently, many are expecting an unveil this month.More TrendingThe big question is when it will launch, with insiders claiming it could be anywhere between April and sometime in June. Mario & Luigi: Brothership may have been the last original Switch game (Nintendo)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ifdoor cameras fail to dissuade porch pirates, perhaps a giant, pin-code-locked package safe will. TheHyve delivery pod asks drivers to drop packages in a bin secured to your doorframe. Even if pirates manage to take the pod, the safe will scream at them until they put it down. Hyve isnt just another attempt to shake up the home delivery market. Its a good way to reveal the many problems with todays online retail environment. The startup Hyve showed off its first solar-powered patio-based lockbox for deliveries during CES 2025. It can connect to other Matter-enabled smart security systems, though the delivery pod is relatively low-tech compared to Ring-type door cams. Theres a pin code and app-activated lock on the outside, but the pod itself is tied to a quarter-inch carbon fiber cable you screw to the inside of your front doorframe. You may be able to get through it with industrial-sized bolt cutters, but theres added security with an in-built accelerometer. If you start to move it, the pod issues a high-pitched screech. It then sends an alert to the owner or any connected neighbors through an app. You can give any number of users Bluetooth or WiFi access to the pod so they can retrieve packages. Hyve pods would also need to rely on drivers to do their part. You could leave your PIN and delivery instructions with your online order, but drivers are not guaranteed to follow those instructions. At least the pod includes a window allowing drivers to snap a photo of delivered packages.Hyve co-founder Melissa Kieling told Gizmodo that the startup is currently finalizing a deal with one delivery company to allow drivers access to the pods without needing homeowners pin codes. The other end of these partnerships is the possibility that Amazon or other online retailers wont need individual boxes for each order. However, that would also require companies to modify their distribution processes.But if the Hyve does get popular, it may eventually work with returns. The device could ping nearby drivers to inform them of a returned package rather than companies requiring customers to drop it off. Hyve will ship in June this year. Its starting price is $300, and the app requires a yearly subscription fee.

Social Modern Housing in Spain: Addressing the Crisis with Adaptable and Sustainable SolutionsSave this picture!Social Housing 1737 / HARQUITECTES. Image Adria GoulaThe housing crisis, the need for effective land management policies, and the growing demand for housing aid are global challenges, and Spain has taken significant steps to address these issues in recent years. While this effort is closely tied to rehabilitating obsolete buildings, it also tackles the challenges of densification and gentrification. These factors have prompted the exploration of new housing models and ways of living, leading to the development of affordable residential buildings designed to accommodate large numbers of inhabitants while maintaining high-quality living standards.These initiatives aim to address urgent housing needs by integrating energy-efficient designs with a focus on social and community cohesion. The goal is to ensure that daily living is not only sustainable but also fosters a sense of belonging and collective well-being. A defining feature of these housing projects is their use of modern typologies for apartment blocks, which accommodate many people while maintaining high-quality, environmentally sustainable spaces. What sets them apart is their respect for the plots and surrounding neighborhoods, resulting in a valuable contribution to the site.The flexibility of the homes, a key characteristic of modern housing, is essential for adapting units to different living conditions, family structures, and uses. Below, we selected six outstanding examples of social housing projects in Spain that reflect these ideas. These projects not only embrace adaptability and sustainability but also demonstrate how innovative design can create vibrant, inclusive communities while addressing pressing housing needs. Read on to discover 6 social housing projects, along with excerpts from the project descriptions provided by the architects. Related Article Reimagining Models for Living Together: 4 Projects Showcasing Cooperative Architecture 72 Social Housing Units at the Marina del Prat Vermell / MIAS Architects + Coll-Leclerc ArquitectosSave this picture!Save this picture!To accommodate multiple social housing units, each with two rooms and optimal conditions for ventilation, solar exposure, typology, and views, we divided the triangular plot into five volumes, introducing two patios and two passages oriented precisely from north to south. The two corners, east and west, house unique dwellings. Rather than opting for a layout with an interior triangular block courtyardwhich would be too small and create an excess of north-facing unitswe proposed blocks with four corner dwellings, ensuring compliance with regulations that require two hours of solar exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.Save this picture! 159 Social Housing Units in Madrid / TAAs arquitectos, Javier + Alia Garca GermnSave this picture!Save this picture!The deep buildings are lit and ventilated by a public network of wind-catching patios, corridors, and social condensers which are connected to the plazas, and where most of the social interaction will take place. The morphology of this network has been designed to take on board Madrid's Northwestern nocturnal cool winds which have the potential to cool down any building. This network of spaces has been designed parametrically to ensure its climatic performance.Save this picture!Social Housing 1737 / HARQUITECTESSave this picture!As the plot provides good views and pleasant surroundings, an additive system generates the building and intensifies relations between the inhabited spaces and their environs. All rooms face outward, toward the landscape. At the same time, however, these rooms enclose a cloister-like central atrium where the services and circulations are concentrated, giving generous natural light and cross ventilation to all the spaces. The project shapes 3 continuous rings terrace, program, and circulation with the compact vertical communication cores placed inside the atrium to serve 4 dwellings per level. This layout yields 136 apartments. The central atrium, a sheltered and slightly tempered space, ventilates the stairwell, nuances the dwellings, and makes the residences more comfortable.Save this picture!Social Housing in Ibiza / RipollTizon Estudio de ArquitecturaSave this picture!Save this picture!The aim is to escape from what the immediate surroundings represent and build a building whose identity is linked to the climate and way of life of the island, just like popular architecture does. We look at the Ibizan "payesa" houses as an example of architecture that responds to the place: white walls and controlled openings with sun protection, porches, and shaded spaces. Constructions that are perceived volumetrically as a sum of concatenated pavilions, due to their growth over time according to the spatial needs of those who inhabited them. This way of building by stacking, adding, and adding modules according to the programmatic needs of a house is taken as a reference and starting point for the development of the proposal.The proposed system, strict in the laws that govern it, gives rise to a versatile typology of homes that allows the different units to adapt to the intended particular situations without giving up the standardization of solutions required by the development of social housing.Save this picture!85 Social Dwellings in Cornell / Peris+Toral.arquitectesSave this picture!Save this picture!The building is organized around a courtyard that links a sequence of intermediate spaces. On the ground floor, a portico open to the city anticipates the doorway of the building and filters the relationship between public space and the communal courtyard that acts as a small plaza for the community. Instead of entering each of the building's hallways directly and independently from the outer faade, the four communication shafts are located in the four corners of the courtyard, so that all the inhabitants come together and meet in the courtyard plaza.The size of the rooms, in addition to offering flexibility based on the ambiguity of use and functional indeterminacy, allows an optimal structural space for the wooden structure. As this is social housing, to ensure economic viability the volume of wood required has been optimized to 0.24 m3 per square meter of built area.Save this picture!49 houses / Arquitectura Produccions + Pau Vidal + Vivas ArquitectosSave this picture!Save this picture!On the ground and roof levels, there are common and outdoor spaces (multipurpose room, laundry, orchards, terraces, porches) that expand the way of living beyond the apartments, thus compensating for their reduced size.Save this picture!Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorPaula PintosAuthorCite: Paula Pintos. "Social Modern Housing in Spain: Addressing the Crisis with Adaptable and Sustainable Solutions" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025514/social-modern-housing-in-spain-addressing-the-crisis-with-adaptable-and-sustainable-solutions&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! 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La Grange Burgundy Farm Renovation and Conversion / Le Dvhat Vuarnesson ArchitectesSave this picture! Charles PtillonFranceArchitects: Le Dvhat Vuarnesson ArchitectesAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:260 mPhotographsPhotographs: Masonry: Lambert CyrilHeating: Gelin DuryPainting: Lebeau-LangloisMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Introduction - Erwan Bouroullec asked the LVA architectural studio, founded by Guillaume Le Dvhat and Charlotte Vuarnesson, to carry out his project to rehabilitate an old farm in Burgundy (France). A long and meticulous project under the sign of benevolence, respect and collective intelligence, to respect the existing, enhance the traces of the past, and ancestral gestures and give this place a character that is both versatile and long-lasting. All the while, integrating the site into its natural surroundings as seamlessly as possible. From this emerges a landscaped house on a gentle slope with an almost 360-degree view of the surrounding valleys and forests: a new generation of peasant architecture of pure, radical beauty, as humble in its language as it is efficient in its environmental qualities. A place capable of evolving into multiple scenarios - for gathering, creating, resting, contemplating... - a resilient place also capable of withstanding time. Marion Vignal. A home anchored in the landscape, the story of a construction site told through fifteen verbs of the act of building. Understanding the layers of the building, and its memories, and bringing it to a new life without erasing its history. Composing with what's already there, without distorting it but transforming it.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Revealing and magnifying the quality and beauty of rural architecture. Unveiling materials, uncovering structure, preserving the raw state. Tending towards an obvious simplicity, to reach as far as possible the reality of the material. Advancing step by step. Converting, rehabilitating, and setting a framework within which things will continue to evolve. Maintaining the natural slope of the land, which the buildings follow. Gently shaping the ground to create new pathways. Creating areas of natural balance to allow flora and fauna to develop freely. Ventilating the house naturally. Positioning openings judiciously to circulate air. Revealing the building's open character and letting in natural light. Constructing building and landscape hand in hand. Bringing the landscape into the house, guiding vegetation onto the facades. Experiencing cold, wind, sun and rain. Observing the movement of landscapes and light through the seasons. Preserving the structure of the general organization of buildings around the courtyard. Retaining as many of the existing buildings as possible. Opening up the view from the courtyard to the south by removing the small courtyard, which was collapsing. Replacing part of the asbestos roof of the old stabling to create a large, open, multi-purpose space. Reusing the old silage pit to create a natural swimming pool.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Redoing the framework, softening the light with the warmth of Douglas fir, bringing together new wood and aged stone. Finding the right geometry. Filtering natural light from the workshop hangar with polycarbonate panels. Creating workshops in intermediate, covered, closed, unheated spaces that keep cool in summer and protect from cold and wind in winter. Working in these spaces, warming up around the wood-burning stove. Creating a virtuous path for rainwater, stored in an underground tank and reused to water the garden and supplement the water in the naturally filtered swimming pool. Punctuating the faade with a rainwater basin made from a galvanized steel pasture trough. Embellishing with fish and vegetation. Bringing comfort to the house, insulating the roof from the outside with wood fiber, installing double-glazed woodwork, underfloor heating and wood-burning stoves. Bringing light and sunshine into the house through huge fixed windows. Storing heat through inertia. Keeping cool in summer with blinds.Save this picture!Reinforcing the existing structure with collaborative floors. Creating large central through rooms, lively or quiet foyers depending on the time of day and activities. Providing rooms for seclusion. Offering several ways in and out of the house. Conserving the house's stone-dividing walls, adding lightweight wood-frame partitions. Reusing the oak from the removed trusses to create the lintels for the new openings, composing three stair treads with stones found on the land around the house, and recovering the terracotta tiles to place them on the window sills. Rebuilding the networks, using gravel from the local quarry visible from the building site. Considering the future renovation of the beautiful little building, a former dovecote, with its simple volume and lauze-edged roof.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeMaterialsWoodStoneMaterials and TagsPublished on January 10, 2025Cite: "La Grange Burgundy Farm Renovation and Conversion / Le Dvhat Vuarnesson Architectes" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025422/la-grange-burgundy-farm-renovation-and-conversion-le-devehat-vuarnesson-architectes&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! 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How to Create Dynamic Visualizations Using D5 Render 2.9's Phasing Animation FeatureSponsored ContentSave this picture!Courtesy of D5 RenderThe Phasing Animation feature in D5 Render 2.9 redefines how professionals present complex projects. It simplifies the creation of dynamic, step-by-step visualizations, perfect for showcasing construction phases, product assemblies, and landscape transformations. With pre-designed templates like Drop/Rise or Ascend/Descend, users can quickly arrange objects in sequence without the need for complex keyframing, making it easier to illustrate how a structure is built, how a product is installed, or how elements grow and evolve within a landscape.The intuitive interface allows for easy multi-selection, grouping, and precise control over movement, timing, and effects. The Animation Controller offers settings like Linear and Ease In, letting users preview animations from different angles and apply effects such as rotation or bounce for added polish. This flexibility ensures that every animation flows smoothly, creating engaging and professional presentations that clearly convey complex processes.By integrating with D5 Sync plugins, users can import models directly from software like SketchUp, 3ds Max, Rhino, and Revit, retaining their group structures. This seamless setup, combined with features like Free Camera Playback and customizable animation properties, saves time and enhances storytelling. Phasing Animation bridges the gap between design and understanding, helping clients and stakeholders visualize projects with clarity and impact.The Phasing Animation feature is just one of many powerful updates in D5 Render 2.9 that elevate project presentation. Alongside this, the latest version introduces 19 new features and over 320 assets designed to streamline design workflows and boost creative flexibility.Effortless Landscape Design with the New Terrain ToolThe new Terrain tool in D5 Render 2.9 simplifies the process of landscape creation by enabling designers to sculpt directly within the software. Users can choose from preset heightmaps or import custom maps to design anything from smooth plains to rugged hills, then refine every detail using various sculpting modes like Upward, Downward, Smooth, and Flatten. By integrating the Terrain tool with D5 Scatter, adding realistic elements such as rocks, shrubs, and grass becomes effortless, allowing for the creation of dynamic, lifelike environments with minimal effort.AI for Post ProcessingD5 Render's upgraded Post-AI tool brings advanced image processing and AI Style Transfer, allowing users to add artistic styles and improve clarity up to 6K resolution. The new Random Placement feature helps create natural-looking scenes by adjusting asset size, rotation, and location, avoiding uniform patterns and adding variety.Discover the Future of Rendering with D5 Render 2.9D5 Render 2.9 is more than just an upgradeit's a leap forward in design innovation. From terrain sculpting to complex animations, this version equips you with the tools to work faster, smarter, and more creatively. Download D5 Render 2.9 and see the difference.Image gallerySee allShow lessCite: "How to Create Dynamic Visualizations Using D5 Render 2.9's Phasing Animation Feature" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024827/how-to-create-dynamic-visualizations-using-d5-render-s-phasing-animation-feature&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Nature, Published online: 10 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00067-6The Nobel prizewinner worked tirelessly with wife Rosalynn Carter to eradicate Guinea-worm disease.

Nature, Published online: 09 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08577-5Repurposing of a gill gene regulatory program for outer ear evolution

There's a significant imbalance between matter and antimatter in our universe, but a strange particle called "the Majoran" could finally explain it, an audacious new study suggests.

The Wolf Moon the first full moon of the year and of winter in the Northern Hemisphere will be best seen on Jan. 14, shortly after it has occulted Mars.