The Nintendo Switch is the Japanese game companys second best-selling product of all time, bested only by the Nintendo DS. Today, it announced the long-rumored sequel, the Nintendo Switch 2.ScreenshotThe Nintendo Switch 2 improvementsSo far, all we have is a wordless teaser video, which instead of telling the story, shows the new improvements in dramatic, 3D rendered flybys (a style introduced years ago by Apples marketing team). The story it tells, however, is still compelling: a bigger screen that will be easier to see, lengthened Joy-Cons that will be easier to hold, and a thinner overall frame.ScreenshotLook closer, and youll see even more: a kickstand that can lounge deep like a Microsoft Surface, a second USB-C port (for accessories?), and a new flange around the Joy-Con stickswhich feels like it must address the Switchs only real design flaw, its fragile analog controllers that were prone to drifting (even if its benefits are largely psychologicalnote how Nintendo highlights this structural reinforcement with the Sony-black systems rare pops of color).ScreenshotOther than that, the dock sticks around (but with rounded corners now, which should make it more comfortable to place in and grab out), and the game cartridge slot is unchangedyes, Nintendo clarfieis it will support Switch 1 games with backward compatibility in most cases.Switch 2s new UX featuresThe Switch excited the world because it was all about flexibilitypay it in your lap, on your desk, on your TV! Pop off the controllers, swing them around, combine them into a new controller. Whereas systems like the Nintendo Wii made motion controls mainstream, the Switch stitched such novel UX into the greater fabric of console play.ScreenshotSwitch 2 pushes the boundaries further, but subtly. Joy-Cons now snap right on and off the Switch rather than sliding inwhich is likely Nintendos version of the iPhone Magsafe. This will make using the device more pleasant day-to-day, but given how fast switching modes looks, maybe it will introduce novel game mechanics.[Image: Nintendo]The video also teases a new use for the Joy-Conslaid on a table, they now appear to work like a mouse. How advantageous will this one UX mechanic be? Perhaps it wont matter beyond one or two games (like the SNES mouse used in Mario Paint). Then again, PC gaming has never been bigger, which still champions the mouse for first-person-shooters in particular. This single tool could make porting some titles more comfortable.[Image: Nintendo]When will we get the Switch 2 and what will it cost?Nintendo announces in the video that the Switch 2 will arrive in 2025. There is no pricing information yet (rumors place it right around the $300 launch price of the original Switch), but the company will share more in one of its Nintendo Direct announcements on March 2nd.

Los Angeles building professionals have developed lists including architects, contractors, and engineers interested in providing their services towards rebuilding and relocation efforts in the wake of wildfires spreading across the city.Design public relations firm Nelson Daly, architect Rachel Shillander and interior designer Adam Hunter are among those in the Los Angeles design community organising resources to aid in evacuation and rebuilding efforts.Over 12,000 structures in the city have been collectively lost to the Eaton, Palisades, Hurst and Auto fire, with high-velocity Santa winds threatening to spread the flames further.LA designers have begun to form aid groups to help in rebuilding efforts. Top image is by Kelvin ChengIn response, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass recently issued the Return and Rebuild executive order, which reportedly will push past bureaucratic red tape to expedite rebuilding efforts.Simultaneously, a number of building professionals are organising aid efforts where they can, with some focused on providing resources for homeowners looking to navigate building a home for the first time when safe."It's a process that unfolds day by day as we understand how policymakers will revise permitting and codes to help people get back into their homes," Los Angeles architect Populous Joanna Grant told Dezeen."Many of these people would not likely engage with an architect in their lifetimes, as they may be in generational housing, wholly unfamiliar with the design process. We want to make this process as easy and streamlined for them as possible and provide oversight so that they can feel at ease that their needs in such a time of need are taken care of."Providing services for those displaced by firesTogether with Meara Daly of the public relations firm Nelson Daly, Grant is compiling a developing master list of volunteer architects, designers, consultants and others interested in offering services.The list of professionals, which Grant and Daly are also vetting for credentials, will be available on a website called Design for LA.Among the signatories are members of local and national architecture studios such as LOHA, GLUCK+, NBBJ and HOK."We want to develop a website, produce pamphlets, and conduct community workshops to help the members of the community understand what the process of rebuilding will be like," said Grant.The pair's effort will also include an ADU resource guide.Other architects are following suit, such as Rhme Architects, whichoffersfree services including consultations, site visits and fire resilience strategies for home builders.Read: Los Angeles mayor issues executive order for "residents to rapidly rebuild"Rachel Shillander of LA LLandis compiling resources, one of which is a Rebuild LA Architecture Slack channel with over 200 people collaborating to "pool resources" to "help rebuild our community and support each other in the process", according to Shillander.Other efforts within the community include providing resources for those displaced by the fires, including the non-profit LA Can Do recently launched by interior designer Adam Hunter.The non-profit collects donated "furniture, homewares, and linens" for those affected."It's about helping people rebuild their lives and restore hope for the future," said Hunter.Close to 90,000 people in the city are under evacuation orders according to NBC Los Angeles, while the New York Times reports many evacuees are shoring up in hotels, shelters, relatives' houses, or cars.Frustrated with irresponsible development practices, LA designers and critics have called for rethinking the typical cycles of rebuilding after disaster, while several landmarks have been lost to the fires in addition to thousands of homes.The post LA architects and designers form aid groups to make rebuilding "as streamlined as possible" appeared first on Dezeen.

The Community First! Village in central Texas provides affordable housing to Austin's homeless population. Developed by Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin-based nonprofit, it currently houses 370 formerly homeless people in tiny-house-style accommodations. Now they're getting an assist from Icon, a construction company that 3D prints houses. With backing from the Lennar Foundation (the charitable arm of Lennar, a production homebuilder), Icon will print 100 houses in an expanded portion of the village. These will be a mix of homes and townhouses ranging from 380 to 1,040 square feet. Icon says construction is currently underway. The news is fairly recent, and Icon doesn't yet have any video on their socials about it. However, if you're curious to hear what it's like to live in one of their 3D-printed houses, here are some testimonials from residents at their Wolf Ranch community in Texas:

Thanks to Apple, popping earbuds in and out of their charging cases almost feels natural these days. That doesnt mean theyre convenient or easy, especially when you have to actually open the case first to get the earbuds out. It shouldnt be that hard, but convention isnt always on the side of common sense, especially when sticking to the norm is more cost-effective.This concept design for a pair of modular wireless earbuds tries to challenge the status quo on many levels. It tries to create an ecosystem that goes beyond just playing audio in your ears, resulting in a few features that are, admittedly, a bit peculiar. Curiously, one of the most interesting parts of its design isnt actually the modules but is instead its equally unconventional charging case.Designer: Dongkyun KimYes, the charging case, which is actually a lot larger than your typical design, still has a cover that you open up to reveal its contents. In fact, it might even be weirder than most charging cases because the cover opens down like a drawbridge. That doesnt matter much, though, because you dont even need to open it to access the earbuds. There are openings on each side that allow you to take them out and put them back in without opening the case at all.Its becoming more common for TWS earbud cases to have screens of their own to display important stats, and the Orbit concept is no different. Where it differs is that the screen is so small to avoid being distracting, though it also raises the question of whether it will be readable at all. Its just a minor convenience anyway, something to add some flavor to the already intriguing design.Created using Luxion Technology (luxion.com)Created using Luxion Technology (luxion.com)Of course, the real meat of the Orbit design concept is its modularity and the modules it comes with out of the box, or rather out of the charging case. Theres a cog-shaped wheel, for example, that magnetically latches onto one of the earbuds to add some tactile feedback for more precise and satisfying controls. Presuming there will be other products in the Orbit ecosystem, this wheel could also be a controller for those.The camera modules are a bit of an odd feature. Theyre supposed to improve motion tracking and spatial awareness, though that could also raise privacy concerns. It could be used to take photos or record videos that are sent to a paired smartphone in a way that looks almost natural because of their proximity to your eyes. Given their size, however, they might not be that capable of recording important memories.The wireless earbuds themselves have a rather unusual design. In addition to adopting an open-ear technology, the buds are meant to clip to the sides of the ear, which could be uncomfortable and unstable. Indeed, the concept has quite a few interesting ideas that go beyond the actual purpose of the earbuds, but its really the case that could be considered to be its selling point.The post Modular wireless earbuds concept has a case that makes removing earbuds easy first appeared on Yanko Design.

Discover how to draw a man in a standing pose with this video/step-by-step tutorial.

New photos of Mercury taken during the joint European and Japanese BepiColombo mission reveal fascinating details of the small rocky planet.

The move is under discussion as the Chinese-owned app faces a Sunday deadline to find a new buyer or shut down in the United States.

MacworldA fresh leak has given us a look at Apples release calendar for the next 12 monthsand its jam-packed. Starting in just a few weeks, the company plans to launch more than a dozen new products before the end of 2025, with nearly everything in its catalog getting a refresh.Heres a look at Apples plans based on the rumors so far:FebruaryMacBook Air: A minor refresh to the 13-inch and 15-inch models with an M4 chip and FaceTime camera.MarchiPhone SE: A major overhaul with a design based on the iPhone 14, an OLED display, and an A18 chip with Apple Intelligence support.iPad 11: Apples entry-level tablet gets a new chip and 8GB of RAM to allow it to run Apple Intelligence.iPad Air: Likely a simple spec bump that jumps the mid-range tablet straight to the M4.JuneMac Studio: An overdue update to Apples mid-range desktop with M4 Max and M4 Ultra processors and Thunderbolt 5.Mac Pro: Wed love to see the rumors of a smaller design come to fruition, but it will likely just get an upgrade to the M4 Ultra.Studio Display: The design will likely stay the same but bring mini-LED backlighting and camera enhancements.Pro Display XDR: Apples high-end monitor is due for an update to 120Hz ProMotion, possibly with Spatial Audio and a FaceTime camera as well.SeptemberiPhone 17: The iPhone will get a new design for the first time in years. This includes a new iPhone 17 Air model, which will be substantially thinner than the others.Apple Watch Series 11: The new Apple Watch isnt expected to deviate much from the design of the previous model but it could gain high blood pressure detection.Apple Watch Ultra 3: The 3rd-gen Apple Watch Ultra will also have a similar design but will gain satellite connectivity and 5G RedCap network access.Apple Watch SE 3: Apples cheaper watch will get a new look geared toward kids.AirPods Pro 3: Apples high-end earbuds are due to get an update with a new shorter-stem design, H3 chip, and additional health features.OctoberSmart home hub: A brand-new device with an iPad-like display that can hang on a wall or rest on a counter.HomePod mini 2: An update to the 2020 model with a new chip and smart home functionality.Apple TV 4K 4: Apples set-top will get a new chip and a renewed smart home focus.NovemberMacBook Pro: Dont expect much more than a bump to the M5 chip.iPad Pro: Same as the MacBook Pro, expect an M5 processor and little else.AirTag 2: Updated UWB chip and additional privacy protections.Thats a huge list, but youll notice one major product conspicuously absent: Vision Pro. While Apples headset was announced in 2023 and released in 2024, its not expected to get an update until later in 2026. The lower-cost model everyone is waiting for, meanwhile, might not arrive until 2027. And the glasses? Well, lets just say you shouldnt hold your breath.Otherwise, the only products not expected to get an update are the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max, iPad mini, iMac, and Mac mini, all of which were just updated in the fall.Apple is expected to hold its first event in March or April to announce the redesigned iPhone SE and 11th-gen iPad.

The exclusive price drop on this 16-inch MacBook Pro delivers substantial savings on a premium spec with Apple's top-of-the-line M4 Max chip.Save $420 on a premium M4 Max MacBook Pro 16-inch.Units are in stock at press time on this Space Black 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Max 16-core CPU/40-core GPU chip, 48GB RAM, and 1TB of storage that's marked down to $3,579 at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama with promo code APINSIDER.The savings are in the form of a $400 instant rebate stacked with the $20 off promo code, bringing the total discount to $420 off retail. The same coupon also takes $40 off three years of AppleCare. Activation instructions for where to find the promo code field can be found further down this page. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

A group of architects and historians in the Washington, D.C.metro area are now spearheading a push to enshrine the contributions of Black professional architecture's forefathers to the built environment of our nations capital through preservation research. Their advocacy was recently picked up recently by Washingtonian magazine, which mentioned their involvement with the DC Preservation League in creating the new Black Architects Archive.The group includes Princeton University assistant professor Jay Cephas andMelvin Mitchell, one of the more prominent advocates for the better development of an academic-to-professional pipeline at HBCUs including his alma mater Howard and Morgan State University in Maryland. Mitchells efforts at getting to a more equitable profession were also featured in last years look at existing barriers to licensure withNCARBCEO Mike Armstrong and formerNOMAPresident Pascale Sablan.