Our Experts Written by Ty Pendlebury Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement How we test What to consider Channels If youre looking for a Dolby Atmos receiver, the minimum number of channels is seven -- which is written as either 7.1 or 5.1.2 channels). Power specs are mostly made up, but anything over 100 watts per channel in stereo is good. HDMI inputs All modern components use the universal HDMI standard and so you should choose a receiver that has as many of these inputs as possible. If youre a gamer choose one which has HDMI 2.1 so it can transmit 4K/120Hz to a TV as well. Dolby Atmos capability Most receivers over $500 include Dolby Atmos capability, but you dont need to buy height speakers straight away. You can always add them later. Wi-Fi music streaming Alongside Bluetooth, many models have onboard Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless music streaming. Standards to look for include Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast built-in. Table of Contents If youre serious about bringing theater-like sound into your home then an AV receiver is the best choice. A modem receiver is a sophisticated device which fulfills two roles -- it acts as a TV video switch between components like a streaming box or gaming console, and it decodes and amplifies audio signals so you can hear them on your speakers. The best receivers offer excellent sound quality and come equipped with 8K video, Dolby Atmos and music streaming capabilities, and they connect to your TV via HDMI. You can start with as little as a pair of stereo speakers and add new speakers and a subwoofer as your budget allows. Our Picks Best AV receiver overall Onkyo TX-NR6100 View details $799 at Best Buy View details Best receiver for gaming Sony STR-AN1000 View details $898 at Amazon View details Best receiver under $1,600 Onkyo TX-RZ50 View details $1,600 at Best Buy View details Best receiver for movies Yamaha RX-A4A View details $814 at Amazon View details Table of Contents What is the best AV receiver overall?If you divide your time between watching TV and listening to music, there are several models that can do both well, including two excellent Onkyo receivers in the TX-NR6100 and TX-RZ50. The recently reviewed Sony STR-AN1000 is also a strong performer under $1,000, although it isn't quite as well specified as its competitors.Which is the best AV receiver for you? I've tested the most popular models between $500 and $2,000 to help you find the best AV receivers 2025 has to offer.Best AV receivers of 2025 Photo Gallery 1/1 $799 at Best Buy Pros One of the best music streaming suites Excellent home theater performance Fun to use Compatible with Xbox Series X/4K 120Hz signals Cons Not as dynamic with music Number of Channels 7Power in Stereo 100 wattsNumber of HDMI Inputs 6HDMI Version 2.1 Full Review Read full review 8.3 $799 at Best Buy The TX-NR6100 is the follow-up to my favorite receiver of the past few years, the Onkyo TX-NR696. Like its predecessor, the NR6100 offers great sound and a wealth of connectivity (including 4K/120Hz support for gaming consoles). Streaming options include Chromecast built-in, DTS Play-Fi, Spotify Connect, Sonos, AirPlay and Bluetooth. With a bit more power than the Sony STR-AN1000 and a keener price than any competitor, the Onkyo TX-NR6100 is the best receiver value under $1,000. CNET Score Breakdown 8.3 /10 SCORE 8.3 8.2 Sony went away for a couple of years but came back better than ever with the STR-AN1000. This model offers all of the latest features including HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz) support. It includes "works with Sonos" certification, but the reason to buy it is that it's a solid performer, especially with video games. It also has one of the most sophisticated setup routines yet, so dialing in great sound is even easier. CNET Score Breakdown 8.2 /10 SCORE 8.2

January 24, 20252 min readLos Angeles Fires Delay Release of New Fire Risk MapsClimate disasters such as the recent Los Angelesarea fires are making it harder to prepare for more climate disastersBy Camille von Kaenel & E&E News In this long exposure photo, fire smolders on a hillside during the Lilac fire in unincorporated San Diego County, California on January 21, 2025. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | SACRAMENTO, California The Los Angeles fires are delaying California's rollout of new fire hazard maps that broadly detail more danger than previous versions, the state's fire marshal said Wednesday.What happenedCal Fire is already behind schedule in putting out new statewide recommendations for local agencies detailing which areas are at very high fire hazard, down to the parcel level. LA's wildfires will delay the agency further, State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant told POLITICO in an interview.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.He said Cal Fire is now planning to release the new map recommendations for Northern California first, sometime in the next few weeks, and Southern California second, sometime in the months to follow, so as not to overwhelm local officials in LA, who are required by law to review and adopt the maps within three months.Why this mattersThe fire hazard severity zones in Cal Fires maps determine where the state government enforces certain wildfire prevention regulations, like fire-resistant building codes and fire risk disclosure requirements for home sales. The maps, which are supposed to be updated every five years by state law, were last updated in 2007.While Cal Fire finalized its new fire hazard zones for areas under state firefighting jurisdiction in April 2024, including much of rural fire-prone California, it hasnt yet released the new fire hazard zone recommendations for areas under local jurisdiction, including most urban areas.Since Cal Fire last updated the zones in 2007, it has developed a new scientific model to reflect the risk of extreme wind-fueled wildfires, like the ones that tore through Pacific Palisades and Altadena.The result: Even more areas, especially at the edges of current fire hazard zones, will be categorized as very high fire hazard in the coming update, Berlant said.There's going to be some tough conversations, Berlant said. There's going to be a lot more cities and even some counties that would get a fire hazard level that they don't currently have.Whats nextOnce Cal Fire publishes the new maps, cities and counties must review the recommendations, make any changes and formally adopt the zones.Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the Legislature were in talks late last year to reform and streamline the fire hazard maps, but those talks stalled amid opposition from environmental groups who feared the changes would put more people in the line of danger. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who authored the bill, SB 610, said earlier this month it was too soon to decide whether he would reintroduce the proposal this year.Rachel Bluth contributed to this report.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereFortnites frequent updates include weekly hotfixes, which aim to improve the games balance, keep players engaged, fix issues, add new features, and change the meta by making certain weapons and items stronger or weaker. To keep everything in the game interesting and up-to-date, this strategy has been most noticeable in Chapter 6, when major adjustments have been implemented.Epic Games has been hard at work improving the games weapons and gameplay in Chapter 6 Season 1 through a series of upgrades. One of the major hotfixes this week was a buff in the Godzilla event where the spawn rate of the kaiju has been increased from 40% to 100%, where every match is now potentially a kaiju showdown.In addition, the update brings several weapon tweaks, which balance out the existing meta by making some choices less powerful and strengthening others. Here are all the buffs and nerfs made with the January 24 update.Fortnite January 24 hotfix buffs and nerfs Chapter 6 weapons majorlyFortnite deployed a hotfix on January 24, 2025, where Epic introduced weapon adjustments just in time to enable players to battle Godzilla with more confidence. These adjustments have been made to weapons like the Typhoon Blade, Holo Twister AR, Oni Shotgun, Twinfire Auto Shogun, Veiled Precision SMG, and Fury Assault Rifle.Several weapons have undergone changes with the update. Image credit Epic Games.In the X post, Epic mentioned, Weve made some balance adjustments to Battle Royale and Zero Build! Oni Shotguns will now fire shots slightly faster. Typhoon Blades now deal slightly less damage to both players and structures. Holo-Twister Assault Rifles shoot slightly slower and reload takes slightly longer. Twinfire Auto Shotguns, Fury Assault Rifles, and Veiled Precision SMGs now all reload quicker.To help you understand the fixes better, heres a full breakdown of each weapon buffed and nerfed alongside its past and new stats.Typhoon Blade has been nerfedNormal Slash Damage to players: 30 -> 28Normal Slash Damage to the environment: 50 -> 44Holo Twister AR has been nerfedFire rate decreased by 6%Reload time increased by 4%Oni Shotgun has been buffedFire rate increased by 8%Twinfire Auto Shotgun has been buffedReload time decreased by 4%Veiled Precision SMG has been buffedReload Time decreased by 4.5%Fury Assault Rifle has been buffedReload Time decreased by 1.8%These changes have significantly shifted the current weapons meta in Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 1. If youre wondering about the best weapons in the game as of yet, check out our full-tier list right here. FortnitePlatform(s):Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter9VideoGamerRelated TopicsFortnite Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereEpic Games Godzilla collaboration in Fortnite is going harder than ever before with the King of Monsters now a guaranteed addition to the battle royale game. If you thought avoiding Tohos iconic kaiju was difficult before, hold onto your rear, because the Big-G has just received a monumental new buff.Fortnite Godzilla always spawnsRevealed by reknowned leaker Loolo, Fortnite developer Epic Games has significantly buffed Godzillas spawn rate inside the standard battle royale matches. On release, the G-Man only had a spawn rate of 20% which was later increased to 40%, but now players will encounter the horrifying metaphor for nuclear destruction in 100% of Fortnite matches.With players wondering how to play the Godzilla event in Fortnite, Epic Games has now made the monsters appearance unavoidable. While you wont have to defeat Godzilla in every match, the iconic monster will now be present no matter what you do.Alongside the increase spawn rate, Epic has also increased G-Mans overall stats. Via FN_Assist, the world boss Weak Spot Health has been buffed by 88% up to 1500 points and the creatures Damage Multiplier when max damage taken has been decreased by 27%.Of course, Epic has not changed the rewards for killing the monster, although it would be cool if players now needed to find an Oxygen Destroyer for the ultimate Kaiju experience. This means that youll still be able to nab the Godzilla Medallion, giving you a recharging dash ability, as well as the Burst Quad Launcher.Additionally, anyone who picks up the Godzilla Medallion will still be snitched out by the game and have their location shown to every other looter in the map. Good stuff.For more Fortnite coverage, read about the massive leak that reveals an awesome new theme and read about the best new landing spot in the game.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

In early January I watched in horror as beloved communities in Los Angeles burned in the Palisades and Eaton fires. While I live two hours east of LA, near Joshua Tree, witnessing the lives of friends and strangers splinter in an instant felt all too familiar: In April of 2019 I lost my apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to a five-alarm fire started by a careless neighbor who left a candle burning by a curtain on a windy day. In minutes the conflagration tore through the roof, leaving our 56-unit, six-floor, pre-war building uninhabitable.Now, watching thousands of Angelinos try to make sense of their loss, I remember how I rebuilt my life and the surprising lessons I learned about accepting community support, mourning, and moving on.The loss of a future is as painful as the physical and financial lossId lived in Sunset Park, a working- and middle-class neighborhood in southwest Brooklyn thats home to generations of immigrants from Scandinavia, Latin America, and China, for 17 years and owned my one-bedroom condo for 10. I planned to make it my forever home. I was at work when the fire began, so I only had the belongings in my purse and gym bag, and I had no chance to rescue my cat, Crackers.Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where the author previously lived.Photo: Bus Photography/Getty ImagesIt took time to understand how to grieve. I could mourn Crackerss passing, but I was physically safe, and no people died. Unlike some of my neighbors, I had personal property insurance and could stay with my boyfriend at the time. Its just stuff, well-meaning acquaintances told me, but my loss was a dark hole that had been kicked through my life. Trauma studies professor Sandra Stark Shields recently noted on KCRW that losing a home is similar to the sudden death of a family member, and this short sentence helped articulate the grief I tumbled into.When the ash settled, the damage assessed, and repairs estimated, it became clear that the condo board lacked sufficient insurance coverage and could not afford to rebuild. We would not get our homes, or their equivalent value, back. As reality sunk in, I grieved the future I once dreamed of: Growing old in Sunset Park, a predictable routine of summer park picnics and swims in the public pool and stunning winter sunsets observed from my fifth-floor fire escape. I was experiencing ambiguous loss, a term coined by Pauline Boss in the 1970s, to describe loss without true closure. More than the undoing of financial or physical security, losing my imagined future has been the hardest to reconcile.I had to be specific about what I neededIn the dizzying aftermath of the fire, support from our neighbors through donation drives, fundraisers, and skill sharing enabled me and other building residents to get our immediate bearings. However, securing what I would need to move forward was overwhelming. After a few weeks, I had a rental apartment, but little furniture; a refrigerator, but no desire to cook; blank walls, and empty bookshelves. I learned to ask for the specific help I needed in order to establish some kind of normalcy. My friends set up a gift registry of necessary household items, from baking dishes and spatulas to pillows and a pressure cooker. Others dropped off homemade lentil soup and kitchen staples like fresh spices and Maldon salt. A fellow writer arranged for book lovers to send me my favorites to rebuild my library. These generous acts grounded me, and these objects serve as a daily reminder of the community support I received.Solidarity is energizing, but only goes so farThough I had scarcely known many of my immediate neighbors before the fire, in the aftermath the solidarity between owners and tenants, and English, Chinese, and Spanish speakers was energizing. We shared resources, attended community meetings in search of solutions, and checked in regularly to support each other in person and over text. However, our unity was fragile, and within a year fractured along the lines of class and language. While I quickly moved into a nearby rental, paid by my personal insurance for one year, others had to move out of the city, and later the country, because they did not have sufficient support. The disintegration of our community as residents attempted to move on was a deep, and unavoidable, loss.

Being named to the AD100ADs list of the worlds leading talentis a professional milestone that can make a designers career, opening the doors to new, high profile clients, brand and licensing deals, and a closer relationship with one of the worlds top magazines. In this one-hour virtual event, AD100 designers open up about the path that got them into the pages of AD, share the lessons and surprises they encountered along the way, and offer up their best advice for others.On January 22, Alison Levasseur, ADs Global Interiors & Garden Director, caught up with three AD100 2025 debuts, Heidi Caillier, Little Wing Lee, and Ross Cassidy, to glean their lessons learned in navigating client projects, product deals, building a brand, and more. Watch the full video recap below.Meet the Panelists

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Don't Be GloomyHelldivers 2's latest mission is about collecting samples, but it could have a much more interesting payoff: using the Gloom to zip about faster than lightGimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme the extra FTL travel I desire.Image credit: VG247/Arrowhead News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 24, 2025 Helldivers 2 just got a fresh Major Order and no matter whether you're still reeling from failing the last one, or have just discovered that you can access the game via Steam for the first time in ages, you might want to pay attention not just to your latest task, but what it could lead to.After the last MO brought the freshly-updated Democracy Space Station back into play to help battle the Illuminate, now you're back off to the bug front. Not that you necessarily weren't there last order, if you're a hardcore bugdiver.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. At a glance, this latest MO looks like nothing special. Extract 22 million common samples from Erata Prime, 15 million rare ones from Gacrux, and make sure Super Earth's in control of Fenrir III by the end of the order in about four days' time.It's what this is in aid of that's a bit more interesting. You'll be helping develop tech to aid the divers in dealing with "The Gloom" - that's the weird spore cloud that's long filled a bunch of Terminid-controlled sectors. As it turns out, it might be useful for more than just making your ship need foglights. To see this content please enable targeting cookies."Recent experimentation on Terminids using collected Gloom spores indicate that Gloom-induced mutations may dramatically increase Element 710-yield," reads Arrowhead's full briefing, adding that tests have suggested that yield can go up to as much as ten times the norm."The implications of this result are monumental," it continues, "The Gloom may represent a vast, untapped source of new energy. Its exploitation could enable FTL travel beyond military and colony settlement operations - expanding to trade and research sectors, as well as to more military and colony settlement operations."So, maybe it'll help add some new elements to the stuff Super Earth has at its disposal, beyond just the DSS. Or, maybe it do exactly what a lot of players think - go totally wrong and have a consequence like making a bunch of even tougher bugs, possibly escaped Gloom mutation test subijects or something like that.We'll just have to wait and see, but this is Helldivers 2 - it'll probably be both.

Back On WickedNo Rest for the Wicked's The Breach update will be its first big one of 2025; and here's our first look at itMoon Studios promised to make 2025 a big year for No Rest for the Wicked, and the developer is finally ready to tease some of what's to come.Image credit: Moon Studios News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Jan. 24, 2025 Just before the end of last year, No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios apologied for the extended period of radio silence that followed the games early access launch, and promised to communicate more regularly with players throughout 2025.This is part of a plan to release big new content updates for the game throughout the new year, and today, the developer lifted the veil - slightly - off the first one of those.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The first major No Rest for the Wicked update to arrive in 2025 is dubbed the Breach. The developer calls it a "monumental" update, and released a stunning - and a little terrifying - two-minute teaser.Its hard to glean much from it, but it seems to be teasing a new region, and what looks to be a big new boss to take on. Unfortunately, this is one of those announcements of announcements, because the teaser is really more of a preamble to the next Wicked Inside showcase, scheduled for March 11.Presumably, this is when were going to get an actual release date for the Breach. The good news is that the update looks to be significant enough to warrant an entire showcase of its own, not a simple blog post. So expect a deep dive into everything coming to the game with the Breach. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.On that note, Moon Studios also promised to release an updated roadmap then, too, which only bodes well. Even unfinished as it was - and is - No Rest for the Wicked remains one of last years most interesting genre-blending games. It ended up in my top three favourite games last year, and Im certainly looking forward to seeing what Moon has been cooking up.

Image: Nintendo LifeI suspect many of my fellow parents can relate to this, but when you have your first child, a whole bevvy of problems that never existed before are suddenly thrust upon you.Do we have enough nappies?Oh God, she missed the potty again.No, you cant sit there Daddy, my Peppa Pig toy is sitting there.Granted, a lot of these arent necessarily problems as such, rather minor inconveniences that, along with frequent moments of unbridled joy, make up the weird and wonderful world of parenthood. I do, however, have a bit of a bone to pick with Nintendo; specifically with its approach to game difficulty in the last mainline Mario, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube Before having a child, the idea of lowering a games difficulty had honestly never really entered my mind. If anything, I would crank the difficulty up wherever I could in the hope that it would both extend my overall playtime and provide a unique sense of accomplishment. Halo on Legendary? No problem. Bayonetta on Climax? Is that all you've got?This all changed, however, when my daughter expressed interest in playing Mario Wonder. She watched the Super Mario Bros. Movie and became somewhat obsessed with the characters especially Princess Peach. Shes only three, so I knew immediately that if Im going to let her play, Id need to make sure it was as approachable as possible, despite my own proclivities.As you might know, however, Super Mario Bros. Wonder essentially locks its lower difficulty setting to specific characters: Nabbit and four Yoshis. So when the character select screen came up, I gently tried to explain this to my daughter, knowing full well how the conversation would go.Now listen, if you go for one of these characters, the game will be a bit easier for you and youll have a lot more fun.I want to be Princess Peach thoooough!That might be a bit trickier. If you go for the purple rabbit, itll be better.No, Princess Peach!"You'll play as Nabbit and you'll LIKE IT!"Sigh. Anyone whos had the pleasure of raising a three-year-old knows that its borderline impossible to change their mind once their heart is set on something. In this case, Princess Peach is my daughters favourite character from the movie, so of course shes going to want to play as her. This meant we'd have to do without the perks including invincibility that come with Yoshi or Nabbit.Wonder's Badge system would have potentially eased certain tricky scenarios, but they're not a comprehensive replacement for proper difficulty optionsSo how did it go? Well, rather predictably, not well. The opening stage Welcome to the Flower Kingdom was doable, but it went rapidly downhill from there. I knew that changing to Yoshi or Nabbit wasnt suddenly going to make the game a cakewalk; after all, while both characters boast unique abilities that would theoretically make most scenarios easier, theres still the task of actually navigating the levels. Given my daughters age and inexperience, even that would no doubt prove quite the challenge.Still, it seems baffling to me that Nintendo would create a game aimed at children and families and not offer any optional difficulty settings for the majority of its 12 playable characters. No offence to Nabbit, but no child wants to play him when the likes of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are sitting right there; especially when the Illumination movie had such an immediate, profound influence on my daughter's perception and preferences.And yes, I know Wonder's Badge system would have potentially eased certain tricky scenarios, but they're not a comprehensive replacement for proper difficulty options, in my eyes.I wish I could say that I managed to convince her so she could enjoy the game, but she was exceptionally stubborn in her desire to play as Peach. And honestly? I'm quite proud of that. It makes me think that perhaps, way off in the future, she'll be playing her games on higher difficulties just like me... Or she just loves Peach and wants to play as her yeah, that's probably it. In the end, though, she gave up and went back to playing with her Peach plushie.Yeah... She never got this far.Games like Celeste have proven that even the most challenging of experiences can be accessible to almost anybody when it has the right options in place. Quite frankly, I think with invincibility turned on and unlimited stamina applied, my daughter could probably have more fun with Celeste than she did with Mario Wonder and I consider the latter to be much easier on its default settings.So come on, sort it out Nintendo. You've made some strides with difficulty and accessibility options over the years, but you've clearly got a long way to go. Applying blanket difficulty settings to a tentpole Mario title seems like the most basic of tasks when your goal is to reach as many potential players as possible, but as ever, the company stubbornly things its own way.Forcing those who want a breezier time to play as a specific character, though..? Nah, that ain't it.