Tech'Forget Switch 2 as this new powerful handheld AI PC is available for preorder now'MSI is looking to bounce back from the first Claw model with an AI-powered new model, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ here's why it could be worth a look as a Switch alternativedailystarBookmarkShareTechByLloyd CoombesGaming Editor11:50, 17 JAN 2025BookmarkCould the MSI Claw 8 AI rival the Switch 2?In case you missed it yesterday, Nintendo has finally revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 with a video focusing on the hardware. While we've previously waxed lyrical about the Steam Deck OLED, the handheld PC movement has gathered plenty of momentum in recent years which means the Switch 2 is launching into a very different space than its predecessor. One of the offerings coming for the crown is the MSI Claw 8 AI+. While it may have one of the least sexy names in tech, it could be a genuine contender to the handheld PC throne thanks to fantastic performance and access to PC and Android games. You can preorder this Switch 2 rival now The Claw 8 is MSI's latest effort in the handheld gaming PC space Let's get the awkward part out of the way first the first MSI Claw was profoundly disappointing. The console was priced too high, and had worse performance than some of its cheaper rivals. MSI has gone back to the drawing board, however, and might have struck gold. The console will pack the latest Lunar Lake chip from Intel, and has 32GB of RAM and a 120Hz screen. It's probably overkill for playing your Steam library's indie game collection, but something you can't play on Steam Deck like, say, Destiny 2, it could really find an audience. It's a huge system, but wants to be just as useful as a PC as it is a games console. To that end, there are a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, and better cooling. Could you use it as a mini PC? Maybe! It also has Microsoft's Copilot+ AI features, and MSI says it has a 113% higher peak FPS and an average 20% higher FPS under identical power conditions. That means to be seen, but with Windows 11 running natively and support for Android games too, it could be a 'one-stop-shop' for PC gamers on the go. UK gamers can preorder it from Currys now for 899, and it launches on February 11. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.More On

Kratos is remaining offline-only (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Sony has cancelled two games at two of its biggest studios, as it dials back its live service plans even further.Following the abrupt death of Concord, Sony has been giving mixed messages about its commitment to more live service games.An earnings call in November suggested Sony was prioritising single-player games over its live service experiments, but recent comments from PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst indicated little has changed, despite Concords historic downfall.Sony once promised 12 live service games by 2026, but reports since suggested many have been cancelled. Now, we have confirmation that two projects at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games have been officially scrapped.As confirmed by Bloomberg, a Sony company spokesperson said two games were cancelled following a recent review but that PlayStation will continue to make both single-player and online games.Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family, and we are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects, the spokesperson said.While Sony confirmed neither studio will be closed, the company didnt specify if these cancellations will lead to layoffs. In a memo to staff, obtained by the publication, Sony state it plans to do everything we can to ensure there is minimal business impact.Theres no official word on the games themselves, but Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier later posted on BlueSky that Bluepoint, who are known for the remakes of Shadow Of The Colossus and Demons Souls, were working on a live service God Of War game.PlayStation fans have speculated for years about Bluepoint's new projects since the well-received PS5 remake of Demon's Souls (2020).I can report that from 2020-2022 they were helping on God of War Ragnarok. Since then they've been on the live-service project that was canceled today. Now, unclear Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2025-01-16T23:32:21.940ZIn a post about Bluepoint, Schreier wrote: I can report that from 2020-2022 they were helping on God Of War Ragnark. Since then theyve been on the live service project that was cancelled today. Now unclear. This is surprising news as while Bluepoint has not announced a new project since Demons Souls, they were believed to be working on a new IP. Whether they were doing that at the same time as the God Of War title is unclear but Schreiers comment gives no indication of them working on anything else.As for Bend Studio, images of a live service game leaked from the developer last month. The studio previously described its next title as a new IP with multiplayer which builds upon the open world systems of Days Gone, so its likely this is the shelved project.At one point Bend Studio were believed to be working on an Uncharted game but thats thought to have been cancelled or moved to a different developer. That means Bend has not announced a new game since Days Gone in 2019, which puts them in a precarious position if theyve produced nothing in the last five years and now have to figure out something new to start on.None of this is a great sign for Sonys software line-up for the near future either, with two of its bigger first party studios having done nothing for years and now having to start again from scratch with new projects.While these cancellations might suggest a retreat from live service titles, Sony still has several in development. Bungies reboot of Marathon is still in the works and Sony has given no indication that heist shooter Fairgame$ has been cancelled.Ironically, the game weve heard most about in recent months is one thats never been officially announced: a Horizon multiplayer spin-off by series creator Guerrilla Games.While Concord is the perfect illustration of everything that can go wrong with a live service game, Helldivers 2 is the opposite and its success seems to have dulled whatever impact the failure of Concord might have had.Nevertheless, the list of cancelled live service titles at Sony is now very long and includes The Last Of Us Online, a Twisted Metal reboot, Spider-Man: The Great Web from Insomniac Games, Payback from Bungie, and an unnamed fantasy title from the now defunct London Studio.More TrendingBut Sonys future slate remains thin in general, with the only currently announced single-player projects being Ghost Of Ytei, Marvels Wolverine, and Naughty Dogs Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet none of which have specific release dates. Concord couldnt have been a bigger failure (Sony Interactive Entertainment)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.GameCentralSign up for exclusive 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

New year, new phone? Amazon has the Google Pixel 8a as part of a limited time deal, knocking off 20% from its price. That brings it down from $499 to just $399saving you a whole $100. Its gone down to this price before in the past, but that is the lowest discount weve seen on it yetits a great time to upgrade to it if your considering.See at AmazonThe Google Pixel 8a has a comfortably-sized 6.1 inch screen making reading emails and watching videos easy. The display is bright and vivid, even in sunlight. The Pixel 8a comes in a variety of colors including obsidian, porcelain, aloe, and bay. Battery life is exceptional, lasting over 24 hours on a single charge. Put it in extreme battery save mode and you can make it last of up to 72 hours before needing to plug it in again.Versatile PhotographyThe Google Pixel 8a is capable of amazing photos. Magic Editor lets you make studio-like enhancements to any photo you take. You can improve the lighting and background or even move a subject with just a few taps. Photo Unblur can improve blurry photos, even ones taken with non-Pixel phones. Photos taken at night or in low light can be made vibrant with Night Sight and group photos can use Best Take to combine similar photos taken in succession into one picture where everyone looks their best.This smartphone is durable. Its got an IP67 rating to protect for water and dust, the display is scratch-resistant. Google touts it as the most durable A-Series design yet.The phones got built-in Gemini Googles proprietary Ai assistant because, well, I guess everything needs to have AI baked into it these days. It can be used to combine photos to make group shots easier, generate images, summarize unread emails, and more. Use Circle to Search to find what you need on Google faster. Literally just draw a circle around an image, text, or video to do a reverse image search on it.The phone is unlocked so you can set it up with a carrier and data plan of your choice, be it Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, or any other major carrier.Right now, you can save yourself a solid $100 when purchasing the Google Pixel 8a Android smartphone. Thats a 20% discount, bringing the price down from $499 to just $399. This is the same price it was going for during Black Friday weekend, so you know its a good deal.See at Amazon

Insights on the Architecture of Public Space as a Driver of Transformation: A Journey Through 10 Projects in SpainSave this picture!Plaza del Zarrn / BOV ESTUDIO. Image Javier BravoSpain boasts a vast diversity of natural and urban landscapes, where public space plays a leading role. Its relevance has grown in recent years, solidifying it as a key axis for interaction. Beyond its architectural and landscape qualities, public space offers visitors and citizens high-quality environments that contribute to improving living conditions, whether, in an urban park, a pedestrian axis within the city, or a space simply meant for being in a natural setting and connecting with the territory.The architecture of public space acts as a bridge between the private and the collective, creating meeting points and marking milestones in people's lives. Its true value lies in being accessible, inclusive, and universal, fostering environments that belong to everyone. Moreover, the design of these spaces becomes a key tool for bringing good practices in public spaces closer to users, who, even without a deep knowledge of the discipline, perceive and enjoy the changes that transform their cities and surroundings.Save this picture!In this regard, architects Ana Amado, Xevi Bayona, and Jaume Prat have designed and curated the exhibition De puertas afuera, which explores ten public space projects in Spain that have significantly transformed their surroundings and the lives of their users. Currently hosted at La Casa de la Arquitectura in Madrid, the exhibition immerses visitors in these projects through audiovisual materials that highlight not only their architectural and landscape qualities but also the human stories behind each work, narrated by the users themselves. Related Article Towards the Renaturalization of Urban Spaces: How 08014 arquitectura's Projects are Reclaiming Barcelona's Streets Save this picture!The exhibition itself is another initiative aimed at bringing the community closer to the well-designed public spaces created in recent years across different regions of the country, fostering a valuable exchange of knowledge. To delve deeper into the significance of public space and the journey through the projects, ArchDaily spoke with Jaume Prat, one of the curators, asking key questions about these topics.Save this picture!Save this picture!ArchDaily (Paula Pintos): What was the initial motivation or premise for developing the exhibition? What were the key themes you, as curators, were interested in showcasing?Jaume Prat (JP): The exhibition began without any prejudice from the three curators. The competition proposal was developed according to its guidelines and with the primary mandate of the Casa de la Arquitectura: to bring a public good of general interest closer to the audience. To achieve this, we experimented with a dual approach: working with architecture from the perspective of the citizen whose life is improved through an exemplary architectural project. On the other hand, we aimed to create an exhibition space that was an atmosphere in itself, allowing us to showcase these projects primarily through their use, with minimal added elements.AD: What were the fundamental criteria for selecting the projects included in the exhibition?JP:The selection of projects was influenced by an exhibition format that allowed us to showcase only ten projects and film three of them. Each project had to be complex enough to represent several things at once. The parameters for the selected projects were: inclusivity, as all selected projects, except one, were signed by at least one woman, and two of the three projects represented were signed exclusively by women. Territorial distribution: the initial intention of the exhibition was to represent the entire territory through its 15 Autonomous Communities and two Autonomous Cities. Given the impossibility of doing so, we tried to be as diverse as possible, from the center to the peripheries, the three oceans, and the Canary Islands. Proximity: there are architects who remain in the place, who have internalized it and have a closer relationship, intervening with more complexity, returning, and taking responsibility for the projects in the long term. We have predominantly chosen this type of architect.Save this picture!Undiscovered projects: architecture is present. It can be seen on the streets and shared on social media. Architecture is not known unless it has been disseminated beforehand. There are varying levels of exposure and projects that, for complex and often arbitrary reasons, are more or less known. We aimed to work with projects that have a lower profile to step away from the more well-known architectural corpus. Architecture is more varied and complex than the examples chosen to represent us. Landscape design: the selected projects tame the exterior public space, the space of exchange and difference. The common space. The space of citizens. Landscape is the dignity of the territory.Representativeness: These projects are not unique. They are not just them, not just that place. They represent a sensitivity, a way of doing, of understanding the place based on a cultural heritage. Many of these places are enjoyed for the first time thanks to these projects. They even emerge because of them. They represent new opportunities to adapt an ancestral use of space to its audience. To its inhabitants. They represent the updating of a way of life.Other criteria have been beauty and, lastly, social diversity: different voices in places that accommodate them all.Save this picture!Save this picture!AD: In what ways has the relationship between users and the public spaces showcased evolved or changed, especially when considering their historical connection to these places?JP: Cities evolve in a non-linear way. Some of the public spaces showcased had deteriorated to the point of needing a project to revitalize them, rethink them, and deliver them to a city different from the one that originally created them. This is the case with the Parque de la Hoya, the Parque de los Jardinillos, or the Llanas de Burgos.Save this picture!Other spaces have been created where there were once marginal or degraded areas, such as the Explanada del Horizonte or the landscapes of Huelva, or spaces that did not exist at all, like the one in Almazn, which resulted from the redevelopment of a block of houses that had become obsolete both in urbanistic and health terms.Save this picture!Other spaces have been created to preserve heritage that had been neglected for centuries, such as the Plaza de la Sinagoga in Onda. Finally, Calle Consell de Cent is pure innovation: rethinking the city on a large scale, analyzing it, confirming that the street can function differently by removing cars, and executing an architectural project that responds to this.Save this picture!In all of these projects, architecture has gone beyond the demands of the commission, enabling new uses, representing the local community, changing the face of the cities, and requalifying the existing in a way that is both respectful and bold to adapt it to the new urban conditions.AD: Given that the exhibition is also aimed at an audience outside the field of architecture, what relevance do you believe such exhibits and, therefore, architectural projects have in relation to the future of accessible public space and their impact on society in general?JP: The two parts of the question should be carefully separated. Regarding the representation of architecture, our taskbacked by the Architecture Quality Lawis to be one of the first links in a chain of exhibitions and actions that address architecture outside the usual codes with which we typically represent it: use instead of form, narration instead of analysis. The person must be at the center. Architecture is what simplifies life, represents, and gives identity. Architecture should never be represented isolated from its context.Regarding architectural projects, the work is being done. Architecture is in good health, with a new landscape sensitivity emerging. The task is to identify these projects and explain them in relation to their environment. Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorPaula PintosAuthorCite: Pintos, Paula. "Insights on the Architecture of Public Space as a Driver of Transformation: A Journey Through 10 Projects in Spain" [Perspectivas sobre la arquitectura del espacio pblico como motor de transformacin: un recorrido por 10 obras en Espaa] 17 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025817/insights-on-the-architecture-of-public-space-as-a-driver-of-transformation-a-journey-through-10-projects-in-spain&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

Are you facing missing material issues after importing assets into your Unreal Engine 5 project? In this tutorial, Ill show you how to quickly and efficiently fix this common problem. Whether you're seeing black materials or no materials assigned at all, this step-by-step guide will help you resolve it and get your assets looking as they should.In this video, Im working with the Modular Bakery Shop project, which recently became free on FAB. If youd like to check out this amazing asset pack, you can find it here: https://www.fab.com/listings/5fba4db8-6ecd-48c4-b484-139dda439d5f By the end of this tutorial, youll understand why this issue happens and how to avoid it in the future when working with Marketplace assets in Unreal Engine. Dont forget to like and subscribe for more Unreal Engine tips and tricks!

At the beginning of the 20th century, Santiago Ramn y Cajal, often called the father of modern neuroscience, made it clear: In adults, the nerve paths are something fixed, ended, and immutable. Everything may die, nothing may be regenerated, he wrote.The inability of adults to produce new neurons was pretty much the central dogma of neuroscience until the 1960s. But as with a lot of fathers in that decade, a younger person challenged Ramn y Cajals decree.In 1962, Josef Altman, an American biologist, published a paperin the journal Science entitled Are New Neurons Formed in the Brains of Adult Mammals? The answer was that they very well might be. In subsequent years, the work of Altman and other researchers clearly demonstrated the activity of neural stem cells (the cells that make new neurons) in adult mammals.However, the old dogma didnt die without a fight. Many, if not most, neuroscientists were skeptical, and a few studies raised questions about whether adult humans made new brain cells.Creating New Brain CellsOver the past few years, the evidence has accumulated in favor of neural stem cell existence and prolonged activity in the human adult brain. Recent studies have helped shed light on the debate, with many using single-cell RNA sequencing and other advanced technologies to look at parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus and the subventricular zone.Those studies provide strong evidence for the existence and activity of neural stem cells in humans, explains Tyson Ruetz, a scientist who specializes in the study of aging and regenerative medicine.But what are these new cells doing? While much of the evidence is based on studies in mice, says Ruetz, the studies are showing that these cells are important in memory formation and in helping to repair damage to the brain caused by traumatic brain injury and stroke, and their activity is affected by Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers disease.In those contexts, Ruetz says, there is a lot of activity, thousands or even tens of thousands of newborn neurons helping to repair those damaged sites. Or at least they do when the brain damage happens in young mice.However, as mammals age, our neural stem cells become dormant or sleepy, as Ruetz puts it. They dont wake up when the brain is injured. Its as if the alarm at the fire station is no longer working.Potential TherapiesRuetz and colleagues at Stanford University wanted to know if there are genes that are overactive in the aging brain, causing aging neural stem cells to remain dormant. Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tools to knock out each of 23,000 genes in old mice, they found more than 300 genes that, when silenced, resulted in restored neural stem cell function.Taking a closer look at these genes, they discovered that they had knocked out a gene for a protein that transports glucose: glucose transporter type four, also known as GLUT4. This was particularly interesting because, in the context of Alzheimer's disease, the brains of Alzheimers patients have severely disrupted glucose signaling, Ruetz explains.We dug deeper, and we found some really interesting metabolic changes that happened in old neural stem cells. If we knocked out just the glucose transporter type four, we saw more than a two-fold improvement in neural stem cell activity in the brain in old mice, says Ruetz. They published their results this October in Nature.Impaired glucose signaling in patients with Alzheimers and with dementia more generally have led some to call dementia type 3 diabetes, and Ruetzs research supports that idea. Its possible that severely disrupted insulin glucose signaling is having profound effects on the ability of the brain to repair and regenerate itself, in part by suppressing neural stem cell activity, says Ruetz.Some clinical trials have shown that administering insulin through the nasal passages results in more efficient delivery of insulin to the brain, and those trials have demonstrated some improvement in people with Alzheimers dementia, further supporting the idea.Ruetz recently co-founded ReneuBio, a company that is developing therapies that would make use of these findings, and those of others in the field, to boost the regenerative capacities of the aging brain. Meanwhile, a healthy diet and plenty of exercise you knew this was coming may be your best bets for nurturing those baby brain cells. Ruetz also recommends keeping the brain active with enriched environments and challenging new tasks. That can lead to some resiliency throughout aging, he says, long before you need a pharmacological intervention.Read More: 5 Thought-Provoking Facts About Brain FunctionArticle SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Nobel Prize. Santiago Ramn y CajalClinical Anatomy. The History of Discovery of Adult NeurogenesisJournal of Comparative Neurology. Joseph Altman (19252016): A life in neurodevelopmentClinical Anatomy. The History of Discovery of Adult NeurogenesisInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences. Type 3 Diabetes and Its Role Implications in Alzheimers DiseaseSpringer Nature Link. Intranasal Insulin for Alzheimers DiseaseAvery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. Shes the author of Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AIinterests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.

Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Listen up, you wild and crazy bird watchers: If youre still squinting to catch sight of that Island Scrub Jay, then youre doing it wrong. With an HD Monocular Telescope, you can finally zoom in and catch a clear view of that stunning Kirtlands Warbler or rare Glaucous Gull, and unlike most high-end hobby gear, this ones not expensive. Its only $29.97, but thats while its on sale. Usually, itd be $54.Look at some birdsThis monocular telescope is designed to take your outdoor viewing game to the next level. It delivers a powerful 50x magnification, so you can finally see in stunning detail every inch of a Three-Wattled Bellbird. If you had a worse view, you might think it was a Two-Wattled Bellbird. Can you imagine?The BAK4 prism glass and fully coated optics work together to produce sharp, bright visuals, even in low-light conditions. That means you can keep a weather eye out for the Oilbird, an exceptional creature that primarily comes out at dusk.And if you wear glasses, dont worry! The swing-up eyepiece makes it easy to use without taking your specs off.Looking at non-traditional birdsSports fans may especially like being able to watch their favorite teams, even from the nosebleed sets. Whether youre watching the Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons, Blue Jays, Ravens, or one of the many other bird sports teams, use this telescope to make it feel like youre close to the action.Get a birds eye view.Get an HD Monocular Telescope on sale for just $29.97.StackSocial prices subject to change.High Definition Monocular Telescope $29.97See Deal

NewsPhysicsHula-hooping robots reveal the physics behind keeping rings aloftGyrating objects should be hourglass-shaped to hold a hoop steady Experiments with hula-hooping robots revealed how the hoops stay up, providing some tips for humans aiming to perfect their technique.Klaus Vedfelt/Getty ImagesBy Emily Conover10 seconds agoTo keep a Hula-Hoop aloft, it helps to be in shape literally.Experiments with gyrating, hoop-slinging robots have revealed how these spinning rings stay up despite the pull of gravity. Theshape of the robots body is a crucial factor, researchers report in the Jan. 7Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The shape needs to have hips a slope that provides upward force to counteract gravity. And a waist curvature like an hourglass keeps the hoop from drifting up or down and sliding off.

Nature, Published online: 17 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00133-zMachine learning has supercharged the field of computational protein design.

The first black hole that astronomers observed "turning off" just turned back on, releasing jets of hot gas into the cosmos.