Starbucks is in the middle of a turnaround effort.The coffee chain is making changes, including some later this month, aimed at improving sales.Here are the biggest shifts, from more free refills to the end of Starbucks' open-door policy.Starbucks is starting off 2025 with some big changes.Former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol took the helm of the coffee chain in September. Since then, Starbucks has announced a series of shifts meant to get customers ordering drinks and food again.The turnaround attempt comes asStarbucks' sales,both in the US and globally, fell during its fourth quarter.Here are the biggest changes that Starbucks has announced over the last few months:Starbucks will require a purchase to hang outStarbucks visitors will have to order something or be with someone who does in order to hang out at one of the chain's stores, starting January 27.The coffee chain confirmed the change on January 13. It replaces the previous open-door policy, which Starbucks implemented after two black men were arrested in 2018 after one asked to use the bathroom at a Philadelphia store without buying anything.The new policy, part of the "Coffeehouse Code of Conduct," is meant to "prioritize our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafs or need to use the restroom during their visit," a Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider.Starbucks is offering free refills to more patronsAnother change taking effect on January 27 will allow all Starbucks customers, not just members of the chain's rewards program, to get free refills on many brewed coffees and teas.Customers can get them by using a clean reusable cup of their own or an in-house ceramic one provided by the chain. They also have to order their drinks in-store, and refills are only available on a beverage during a single visit.Starbucks' self-serve condiment bars are returningStarbucks said last year that it would bring back self-service condiment bars in early 2025.The change means customers will have to add their own milk, sugar, and other condiments to their drinks instead of relying on baristas to do it behind the counter. It will cut the time it takes baristas to serve hot cups of coffee, Niccol said on an earnings call in October.Rewards members are getting fewer promotions through the appThe days of plentiful buy-one-get-one-free Frappuccino deals appear to be over.Starbucks has been cutting back the number of promotions that it has offered rewards members through its app, the Wall Street Journal reported in October. It's part of a push to make the coffee chain feel more upscale, the Journal reported at the time.The change was welcomed by some baristas, who previously said that they were overwhelmed when customers used the Starbucks mobile app to order multiple drinks at once, including through deals such as four beverages for $20.Do you work at Starbucks and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com.

In 1889 in Kyoto, craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi founded a hanafuda playing card company. He called it Nintendo a phrase whose meaning is lost to time according to Nintendos own historians, but which can be translated as leave luck up to heaven. In the 1970s, Nintendo eventually transitioned from paper games to electronic ones, making its own luck in the process. It has been a permanent fixture in living rooms across the world ever since.For budding artist Takaya Imamura, an art student who had been captivated by Metroid and Super Mario Bros 3 in the 1980s, working at Nintendo was a dream. Back in 1985 when Super Mario came out in Japan, everybody was playing it, he recalls. I was at an art university, studying design at the time. Back then, game design wasnt a thing people didnt even know what game creators were.Imamura assumed that hed need to study science to land a job designing these exciting pieces of software. But then he found out that the team at Nintendo that had created Super Mario Bros was run by someone called Miyamoto not a programmer, but a designer who had himself once aspired to be a comic book artist. Someone in the year above him at art school had just landed a job at Konami. So he decided to apply for a job in video games, too. To his surprise, he was invited for an interview at Konami and at Nintendo.People didnt know what game creators were Takaya Imamura in the 1990sAt Nintendos HQ, Imamura found himself face to face with Shigeru Miyamoto. We talked about the films that we liked, Imamura remembers. Miyamoto-san is actually a very good artist himself, and I brought in a manga Ive been working on called Omega Six. He really took a proper look at it it seemed like that impressed him.After taking sage advice from his mother on whether he should go to work at Konami or Nintendo she favoured the company with the 100-year history over the relatively novel upstart Imamura would go on to spend 32 years at Nintendo, beginning in 1989, the year of Nintendos 100th anniversary. (Imamura expected a celebratory atmosphere but then-company president Hiroshi Yamauchi deemed parties a waste of money.) On his first day, he was led through the drab office where his interview took place and into a new world beyond: the development building.Suddenly there were monitors with brand new games being developed, all of this fun stuff going on, says Imamura, It was like in a James Bond film, where they go into an office that is all prim and proper, then they go into an elevator and ta-da! I was lucky enough to be assigned to Miyamoto-sans team. Me and three or four other new recruits got called into a room with him, and he said, you guys are going to work on Super Famicom games. This was before [the console] had even been revealed! I was listening and thinking, OK, be calm but inside I was doing the Mario jump.Takaya Imamuras artwork for the SNES racing game F-Zero. Photograph: NintendoAs the Japanese gaming giant perfected the rules of platforming, wrote the rulebook for 3D and ensnared a generation with touchscreen play over the 80s, 90s and 00s, Imamuras pen designed many of the companys most iconic characters. His first ever project was the breakneck speed-racer F-Zero, and he dreamed up the games whole backstory for a comic book that would come inside the box, designing its most famous character Captain Falcon. Imamura tells me that Miyamoto favoured more western-style comic art over Japanese comics at that time, so F-Zeros look was more Marvel than manga. Nobody asked me to create these characters, or that world, he says. I just felt that if were making a game that there should be something there now, [these characters are] loved by people all around the world. It gets the old tear ducts flowing.After F-Zero, his next project was 1991s Zelda: A Link to the Past, for which he designed the logo, the map of Hyrule, and many of its iconic bosses. After that it was Star Fox. an SNES space epic. It was a science fiction game, so, at first we were thinking humans, aliens lots of aliens! Imamura recalls. Then one day Miyamato-san pops by and says, lets make these animals instead, and the main character a fox. And I was like, a fox?! At the time, Miyamoto walked past a shrine of a fox god every day on his way to work. He is not necessarily a religious man, but its something he saw daily and felt some kind of connection to, and well, hes the boss! Imamura laughs.Taking Miyamotos eyebrow-raising idea and running with it, Imamura designed most of Fox McClouds companions, taking inspiration from Japanese folklore. Miyamotos request, Imamura feels, encapsulates Nintendos unique design philosophy. A 3D space shooting game is not something thats particularly original, so Nintendo added something new to it, and in that process, you create something new as a whole, he says. Its tried and tested technology and ideas, but adding that secret sauce to create something special its what Nintendo does best.Looking back, I was extremely lucky to be a part of that moment in history Takaya Imamura todayImamura was named art director on Zeldas infamously dark Nintendo 64 offering, Majoras Mask, for which he came up with its terrifying, leering moon, and the onesie-wearing nightmare character that is Tingle. Looking back, I was extremely lucky to be a part of that moment in history, reflects Imamura. Its probably the time period when technology and the games industry itself changed the most, and in such a short amount of time.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionAs the gaming world changed rapidly, so did Nintendos leadership. Programming whiz-kid Satoru Iwata was appointed company president in 2002. He had this vision that we need to build not just Nintendos customer base, but a bigger population of people who can enjoy games, says Imamura. We as games developers were seeing that there was a contraction in the number of people playing games, but then the DS arrived It was a games machine, but it also had Brain Training, tour guides, all kinds of things that were not anything to do with games. I remember thinking, wow, thats a pretty impressive vision.As Beyonc appeared in Nintendogs adverts, and elderly relatives humiliated their families at Wii Bowling, Nintendo saw huge success something Imamura attributes to a less arrogant style of leadership. Yamauchi-san was not interested in market research at all he wasnt interested in the data. The market is something that we make, he would say. But Iwata-san would look at the data. I think that more logical, facts and figures based thinking of Iwatas was what brought about the Nintendo blue ocean strategy with Wii and DS.My vision for it back then is still my vision now Omega 6: The Triangle Stars. Photograph: Clear River GamesImamura found those years a creative struggle. He regrets that he never released a single game on the Wii, struggling to get his pitches through internally. After creating a slew of downloadable 3DS games, Imamura left Nintendo in 2021 to go independent. His very first game as an indie creator? A playable adaptation of the same manga he showed Miyamoto during his interview 32 years ago Omega Six. Its a sci-fi adventure game that, appropriately, looks like a lost SNES classic, and its out next month.My vision for it back then is still my vision now which is quite surprising! Imamura smiles. President Yamauchi used to say that the name Nintendo meant leaving luck up to heaven itself, which meant putting everything you can into these games, and once youve done that, the rest is up to luck I really think, looking back, that I got very lucky at Nintendo. And now its manifesting in Omega Six.Omega 6: The Triangle Stars is out on PC and Nintendo Switch on 28 February

Bathrooms play a significant role in our daily lives, serving multiple functions beyond basic hygiene. Research highlights their importance as relaxation, introspection, and personal wellness spaces. A bathroom's design and comfort can profoundly influence how we begin and end our day, framing our routines with a sense of ease or disruption. When traveling, hotel bathrooms often leave a lasting impression, as a well-designed and thoughtfully executed bathroom can significantly elevate the overall experience of a stay.

Nature, Published online: 20 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04253-wSurvey of more than 1,600 biomedical researchers also flagged small sample sizes and cherry-picking of data as leading causes of reproducibility problems.

We think the Peloton Bike is nothing short of excellent, with a genuinely game-changing app thats well-suited for those who struggle with workout motivation

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See how @blu1304_hs works with hair for this WIP version of Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3 created using Unreal Engine 5.Check it out: https://80.lv/articles/fan-3d-take-on-shadowheart-from-baldur-s-gate-3-rendered-in-unreal-engine-5/#Baldursgate3 #3D #3dart #digitalart #art #characterart #UnrealEngine5 #unrealengine

The First Berserker: Khazan is an upcoming Soulslike game based on the iconic Dungeon & Fighter universe. The game is set to release on all major platforms in the coming months. While console players wont need to worry about hardware, PC players must ensure their system meets the requirements.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Were a couple weeks into 2025, and all the excitement of 2024s Black Friday season is behind us. But that doesnt mean some of the best deals arent still surfacing. Walmart once again has the LG B3 OLED going for just $798 for a 55-inch modelthis is the lowest price yet, matching their Black Friday deal. And with an OLED panel, this model is ready to challenge the many QLED displays you might be seeing at a sub-$1000 price. LG B3 OLED 55-inch TV $798.00 at Walmart $1,199.00 Save $401.00 Get Deal Get Deal $798.00 at Walmart $1,199.00 Save $401.00 The LG B3 OLED sits as something of a budget version of the LG C3, which PC Mag gave an "outstanding" rating in their review for its color, contrast, and design. The LG B3 carries over a lot of those same qualities. The OLED panel naturally has exceptional contrast, as black pixels simply turn off to deliver contrast that LCD-based panels cant match. And the B3 gets a similarly wide color gamut for beautiful visuals. These visual talents are paired with the LG B3s support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision content.The LG B3 also has much in store for gamers. The display can run at up to 120Hz with both ALLM (auto low latency mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate), allowing for super-smooth, responsive, clear gaming. Thats on top of another advantage OLED panels bring: their super-fast pixel response time, which helps avoid motion blur in games.

Sometimes, the best gaming headset doesnt need to be a gaming headset at all. While many people view these devices as their own niche, theyre ultimately still headphones, just with a boom mic and some fancy branding attached. While the general quality of dedicated headsets has improved over time, they still tend to cost more compared to a good pair of wired headphones (which, yes, still exist). If you need to chat with friends, you can always buy a microphone separately and get superior sound quality there as well.That said, we understand that many people just want the convenience of a headset with a mic built right in. So after testing dozens of contenders over the past couple of years, weve rounded up a few commendable gaming headsets and headphones that work well for gaming. As youll see, the two arent quite the same thing. Whichever way you go, though, all of our picks should make your game time more enjoyable, no matter which platform you use, and whether you play competitively or just for fun. What to look for in good gaming headphones The HyperX Cloud Stinger 2. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Evaluating headphones is a particularly subjective exercise, so calling one pair the absolute best is something of a fools errand. At a certain point, whether you're an audiophile or not, everything becomes a matter of taste. For most, a headphone with a wide soundscape and strong imaging performance i.e., the ability to position sounds correctly, so you can more precisely tell where footsteps and other game effects are coming from will provide the most immersive gaming experience, the kind that makes you feel like your head is within a given scene. For that, you want a high-quality pair of open-back headphones. That is to say, an over-ear pair whose ear cups do not completely seal off the ear from air and outside noise. These are inherently terrible at isolating you from external sound and preventing others from hearing what youre playing, so if you often play games in a noisy environment, their benefits will be blunted. But in a quiet room, the best open-back pairs sound significantly wider and more precise than more common closed-back models. More up for debate is how a good gaming headphone should sound. If you want something thatll help you in competitive multiplayer games, you may prefer a headphone with a flatter sound signature, which'll keep a games mix from being overly boosted in one direction and is less likely to mask the smaller details of whats happening around you. A slightly brighter sound, one that pushes the upper frequencies a tad, may also work. Open-back headphones almost never have huge sub-bass, so you rarely have to worry about low-end sounds muddying up the rest of the signature. In this light, the fact that an overwhelming amount of gaming headsets are closed-back and bass-heavy seems counterintuitive. Lots of people love bass, though. And if you don't really care about competitive play, some extra low-end can add a touch of excitement to action scenes or rousing soundtracks. You still dont want a pair that boosts the low-end too hard as many gaming headsets do but the point is that what makes a pair immersive to one person may sound dull to another. Other gaming headsets we tested The PlayStation Pulse Elite. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Note: This is a selection of noteworthy gaming headsets and headphones weve put through their paces, not a comprehensive list of everything weve ever tried. PlayStation Pulse Elite (and Pulse Explore) The PlayStation Pulse Elite is a reasonable alternative to the Turtle Beach Atlas Air for PS5 owners, as it allows you to change volume, swap between different EQ presets, adjust the game-to-chat mix and mute the mic right from the consoles native UI. Its similar to the way AirPods integrate with iPhones. This pair also lets you connect to a second device over Bluetooth at the same time, and the planar magnetic drivers a rarity for $150 headphones do a decent job of reproducing smaller details. The sound profile as a whole is narrower and more uneven in the bass and treble than the Atlas Air, however, while the all-plastic design is comfortable but flimsy-feeling. It also doesnt do much to block outside noise, despite being closed-back, and the control buttons are awkward to reach. We also tested the in-ear version of these headphones, the PlayStation Pulse Explore, but found it too uncomfortable to wear over extended sessions. That one is limited to roughly five hours of battery life, too. Astro A50 (Gen 5) The Astro A50 (Gen 5) is effectively the same headset as the A50X, just without any HDMI ports on its base station. It costs $80 less, so its a worthy alternative to the Audeze Maxwell if you mainly play on one platform and want a superior microphone. But the ability to automatically switch between consoles is the thing that makes the A50X worth buying in the first place, so that convenience is still worth paying for if you game on multiple devices. The Corsair Virtuoso Pro. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Corsair Virtuoso Pro The $200 Corsair Virtuoso Pro is another one of the few dedicated gaming headsets with an open-back design. It has a relatively dark sound with mostly underemphasized treble and elevated upper-bass, though the highs are clearer here than they are on the Astro A40, and it still delivers a wider soundstage than most gaming headsets. We preferred this signature over Astros pair with some games, though in others it felt less balanced. The Virtuoso Pros mic is decidedly less muffled than the A40s but still sounds fairly thin, so its merely decent compared to the wider headset market. Its headband adjustment mechanism feels cheap, too, and you cant detach the mic without swapping cables out entirely. Its round, breathable ear cups and manageable weight do make it easy to wear, though, and it comes with a sturdy travel case for protection. Ultimately, its a decent buy, but its hard to justify over the more featured and easier-sounding Atlas Air. HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless can last well over 300 hours at moderate volumes, which is remarkable and by far the best of any wireless model weve tested. Its light and not too snug on the head, and its powerful bass lends a real sense of excitement to in-game action. But it blunts more detail than the Atlas Air, Maxwell and A50 X, and its mic isnt as good. Several users have also reported latency issues when using the headset with HyperXs Ngenuity software, and theres no Xbox, Bluetooth or wired audio support. Still, if battery life is paramount, you may be able to look past all of that. The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed If the Audeze Maxwell is out of stock, the Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed is another quality wireless headset worth considering. It sounds better than the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, with satisfying but more controlled bass and more accurate mids, and its lighter on the head than the Maxwell. Logitech rates its battery life at 50 hours, but we found it to last much longer at moderate volumes. However, similar to the Astro A50 X, a dip in the treble makes it sound darker and more veiled than the Maxwell, and it doesnt have any HDMI-switching tricks to fall back on. Its mic also sounds less natural than those of the Maxwell, A50 X and Cloud Alpha Wireless. Plus, while it can connect over a USB dongle, Bluetooth or a 3.5mm cable, it cant pair to two devices at once like Audezes and Astros pairs. Our biggest issue is the price: Value-wise, its in something of a no mans land at its MSRP of $250. Its a fine choice if it dips below $200, though. Razer BlackShark V2 Pro The wireless Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is tremendously comfortable and has a good mic, but its boomy sound is less refined and detailed than the Audeze Maxwell. As a closed-back headset, it also lacks the width of the Atlas Air. Theres no support for wired audio either. Logitech G535 Lightspeed The Logitech G535 is an impressively light (0.52 pounds) and comfy wireless headset thats often available for $100 or less. It has a relatively neutral sound signature: not flat, but not beholden to big, thumping bass. It can make details in the mids sound thin, and if anything it could use a little more sub-bass, but its an agreeable listen overall. However, its mic isn't especially full, and its 35-or-so-hour battery life is a significant drop from our top recommendations. It doesnt work with Xboxs wireless protocol or Bluetooth either, and it forces you to crank the volume to reach a listenable level. But if you dont want to spend a ton on a wireless headset, its a fine value. The Logitech G535 Lightspeed. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Xbox owners who want a more affordable wireless headset than the Audeze Maxwell could do worse than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X. Its another bass-forward pair, and its mic is comparable to that of the Cloud Alpha Wireless. It offers multiple connectivity options, including Bluetooth and a 3.5mm cable. While it's marketed for Xbox, it can also connect to PCs and PS5s. Its 30-ish-hour battery life is well short of the Maxwell and Cloud Alpha Wireless, however, and its uneven treble can cause things like in-game dialogue to sound masked in certain titles. HyperX Cloud Alpha The wired HyperX Cloud Alpha often goes for $80 or less, and at that price its a decent middle ground between the Cloud Stinger 2 and Astro A40 if you really want a closed-back gaming headset. Its old, but its plush earpads and headband are comfy, and its detachable mic, while not superb, is still better than the one on the A40. Its treble is underemphasized, however, and again it sounds more in your head than Astro's pair. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is comfortable and has a noticeably clearer mic than the Astro A40. It also comes with a useful DAC that makes it easy to adjust the headsets EQ and game-to-chat mix on the fly. However, its closed-back design cant provide the same enveloping sense of width, and its default sound can sound piercing in the treble. Like the Virtuoso Pro, its also a bit too pricey, typically hovering in the $200 to $220 range. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is largely similar to its wired counterpart but adds a passable level of active noise cancellation. Being able to hot-swap battery packs and connect to multiple devices at once is also nice. Its not as convenient for multi-console play as the Astro A50 X, though, and it usually costs more than the Audeze Maxwell, which sounds better, has a superior mic and lasts longer on a charge. The Beyerdynamic MMX 200 (left) and HyperX Cloud III Wireless (right). Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Beyerdynamic MMX 200 The wireless Beyerdynamic MMX 200 locates in-game effects accurately, feels sturdy and has a great boom mic, but it sounds less articulate than the Audeze Maxwell, with heavily exaggerated bass and recessed lower-mids. There's no game-to-chat mix or custom EQ tools, which is tough for a $250 headset, and its 35-hour battery life is unremarkable. We also found its sweat-inducing ear cushions and headband to clamp down too tight for comfort. However, the built-in transparency mode is nice and the tight fit does a good job of isolating outside noise. Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro Theres nothing particularly bad about the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro: It uses the same drivers as the DT 900 Pro X, its velour earpads are comfy and its mic works well. Its just hard to recommend spending $300 on a wired-only headset when the Audeze Maxwell offers wireless functionality and similarly excellent sound with slightly less spiky treble and more even bass for the same price. The MMX 300 Pros mic isnt detachable either, and the closed-back design keeps it from sounding as wide as the DT 900 Pro X. HyperX Cloud III Wireless The HyperX Cloud III Wireless is comfy and can last up to 120 hours per charge but sounds less dynamic than the older Cloud Alpha Wireless, with weaker bass response. Like that pair, it also lacks a 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth audio support and Xbox compatibility. The Cloud Alpha Wireless still gets nearly three times the battery life, too, so it remains a better buy if you want a wireless headset for PC or PS5 in the $150 range. Sennheiser HD 490 Pro The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro are studio-focused open-back headphones that also work well for gaming. They come with two sets of ear pads, one that slightly elevates the bass and another that bumps the midrange, though they deliver impressive width and detail either way without pushing too hard in one direction. Theyre a pleasure to wear over long stretches, both lighter than the DT 900 Pro X and less stiff than the HD 560S. That said, they cost $400 and their sound profile is more of a nice alternative to our top picks than something clearly more natural or resolving. Most people dont need to pay the premium. Recent updates January 2025: Weve looked over this guide to ensure our picks are still accurate and added notes on a few more headsets weve recently tested, including the PlayStation Pulse Elite, Astro A50 (Gen 5) and Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro. November 2024: We've updated this guide with a new recommendation for the best dedicated gaming headset, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, and reorganized our picks accordingly. We've also added notes on other gaming-friendly headphones we've tested, including the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro and Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, and removed a couple of write-ups on headsets that are no longer available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-gaming-headset-130006477.html?src=rss