A Big GambleE3 isn't being resurrected with iicon, but can the ESA pull its new thing off?A broader show that'll cover more than just games, let's see if the ESA can pull off a comeback.Image credit: ESA Article by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Feb. 7, 2025 The ESA made a massive announcement last night, one that could shape the video game landscape, at least as far as trade shows and annual events are concerned. iicon will be headed to Vegas in April next year, and with the minds behind the ill-fated E3 behind it, there's obviously a lot of hype and discussion around what it'll bring to the table. Whether or not the ESA can recapture as big a space in the events sector is the question on everyone's mind.So let's take a look at what iicon actually is. First off, it's booked in for an April 2026 slot, separating itself from other events it's competing with. Summer Game Fest is, as you may have guessed, in the Summer. Gamescom too is many months away in August, whereas Tokyo Game Show is perched all happy in September. If iicon is to be a big reveal show, a hub for news and exciting developments in the industry, it's certainly got the room to do so.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Instead, iicon might find itself competing with another event, one you may not be familiar with. You see, iicon doesn't seem to be your standard all-access public-facing trade show like E3 was. Instead, it's "a space for visionaries across industries to come together, connect, and reimagine whats possible through interactive entertainment" according to ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis. The iicon website describes it as a "summit", with "visionary keynotes, engaging discussions and workshops, and elite networking opportunities with executives" available to attendees. That sounds a lot like the Game Developer Conference (GDC) to me!This doesn't mean the show won't be a hub for news and hot new reveals, there is likely a huge amount of pressure for the event to become a hub for gaming discussion, but it does point to a change in strategy. Rather than flood the floors with the general public, lining up for hours to play the next Halo or whatever, iicon appears to be attempting to revive a lesser known, but arguably more important aspect of the show. A place where deals can be made, where face-to-face impromptu meetings can happen and hands can be shaken. After all, gamers at home have shown they're more than happy to watch a dedicated livestream from Nintendo or Sony, rather than fork out the cash to sit in a crowded hall.This, ultimately, makes sense. While there's a lot of love for E3 (and it's sad coming to the party too late to attend one) there's been a shift in what companies and consumers want. The ESA itself stated at the tail end of 2023 that dropping E3 was the right thing to do, "given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners." The fontainebleau resort is certainly a far step away from the old stomping grounds. | Image credit: VG247But there's still a real power to in-person deals. What's particularly interesting about iicon, and a make-or-break quirk that may help set it apart from the long-running and beloved GDC, is it casting the net beyond just games. The website itself states the ESA hopes to bring in sectors "that converge with interactive entertainment, including film, television, and music, as well as sports, healthcare, education, finance, and more." So less of a gaming-centric mingle, and more of a big neon arrow pointing to the video game industry, hoping to pull in interest and money. In Vegas, no less.So can the ESA pull it off? Well, it's certainly an interesting idea, and it's given itself enough space to spread its wings in the Nevada desert. It's also got some massive backers behind it, including EA (the first company to depart E3 back in the day, call that a renewed show of faith), Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Epic Games, Disney, etc. Those are some big hitters, and will certainly make the premier show one to tune in on. Ultimately though, iicon's long term success lies in its flexibility: can it provide what attendees and businesses want, and will it morph alongside these desires as they happen, year after year. If it can, maybe iicon will avoid the pitfalls E3 did. I, for one, am optimistic. There's nothing like another big competitor entering the ring, and if nothing else, the ESA has a lot to prove with its return to the events sector. It's a big gamble sure, but if there's anywhere such a gamble can pay off, maybe it's Vegas.

Image: Nintendo LifeA new patent from Nintendo was recently made public which seems to confirm that, yes, the upcoming Switch 2 will indeed feature mouse support. Phew.However, upon digging into the patent a bit more, we discovered a couple of additional nuggets that might be of some interest. Namely, it appears that Nintendo has showcased what looks to be a Joy-Con for the original Switch with the additional optical sensor on the side (alongside that extra 'C' button below the Home button, by the way don't ask us why it's missing on the left image below).Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube795kWatch on YouTube It's easily missed because they look so similar at first glance, but putting two images of the Switch 2 Joy-Con and the original Joy-Con side-by-side, you can see that the latter sports the original rail system for the Switch, not the new magnetic system boasted by the successor.Images: Nintendo, NintendoImage: NintendoSee the difference? Now, it's likely that Nintendo is simply covering all bases with its patent and we think it's probably unlikely that the company will come out with new Joy-Con controllers for a console nearly in its ninth year.However slim, mind you, it's still a possibility and a wild one, at that.The other thing we noticed is what looks to be a completely different controller utilising the mouse functionality. It could well be that this is merely a prototype design to showcase the technology, but we think it's interesting that Nintendo would go out of its way to include it in the document.Furthermore, Nintendo refers to the new Switch 2 Joy-Con as the "first embodiment" of the input device, the mysterious new controller as the "second embodiment", and the original rail-system Joy-Con as the "third embodiment", suggesting that, yes, these are indeed separate devices.Images: NintendoAs we'd mentioned earlier, it's entirely possible that nothing will come of these images and that Nintendo is simply making sure that it's covered all possible bases. It's fascinating, however, that the company is looking into the viability of mouse-support on the original Switch.We can't imagine it would be comfortable, mind you. Those things are way too small. SqueakerRollback netcode, but at a hardware level?A complete guide to Switch 2 - official details, rumours, leak historyWhat do you make of all this? Could Nintendo really release a new Joy-Con for the OG Switch with added mouse support? Let us know your thoughts with a comment down below.[source patentscope.wipo.int]See AlsoShare:02 Nintendo Lifes resident horror fanatic, when hes not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games... and the Switch 2!69 Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's 'Supercharge' eShop Sale (North America)Every game we scored 9/10 or higherEx-PlayStation Boss On Switch 2's Name: Nintendo Created So Much "Brand Value""Why would you mess with that?"Rumour: Switch 2 Game Cases Might Take Up More Space On Your ShelfHere's how they could compare to the current Switch cases"Nintendo Is Probably The Easiest To Scam" - Devs Discuss The Current State Of The eShopThe rise of "eSlop"

In BriefPosted:4:17 AM PST February 7, 2025UK government demands Apple backdoor to encrypted cloud data: reportGovernment officials in the United Kingdom have reportedly secretly ordered Apple to build a backdoor that would give its authorities access to users encrypted iCloud data.The Washington Post reports that the demand was issued in January under the U.K.s Investigatory Powers Act 2016, also known as the Snoopers Charter. Officials demanded blanket access to end-to-end encrypted files uploaded to its cloud by any user worldwide, according to the report, rather than asking for narrow access to specific Apple accounts.According to the Post, Apple will likely stop offering its encrypted cloud storage offering, Advanced Data Protection, to users in the United Kingdom. That access would not give the U.K. authorities backdoor access to encrypted files in other countries, including the United States.Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunchs questions but has previously warned that creating a so-called backdoor for law enforcement would expose users personal data to hackers.TechCrunch contacted the U.K.s Home Office for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.Topics

AI and the large language models (LLMs) that power them have a ton of useful applications, but for all their promise, theyre not very reliable. No one knows when this problem will be solved, so it makes sense that were seeing startups finding an opportunity in helping enterprises make sure the LLM-powered apps theyre paying for work as intended.London-based startup Composo feels it has a headstart in trying to solve that problem, thanks to its custom models that can help enterprises evaluate the accuracy and quality of apps that are powered by LLMs.The companys similar to Agenta, Freeplay, Humanloop and LangSmith, which all claim to offer a more solid, LLM-based alternative to human testing, checklists and existing observability tools. But Composo claims its different because it offers both a no-code option and an API. Thats notable because this widens the scope of its potential market you dont have to be a developer to use it, and domain experts and executives can evaluate AI apps for inconsistencies, quality and accuracy themselves.In practice, Composo combines a reward model trained on the output a person would prefer to see from an AI app with a defined set of critera that are specific to that app to create a system that essentially evaluates outputs from the app against those criteria. For instance, a medical triage chatbot can have its client set custom guidelines to check for red flag symptoms, and Composo can score how consistently the app does it.The company recently launched a public API for Composo Align, a model for evaluating LLM applications on any criteria.The strategy seems to be working somewhat: It has names like Accenture, Palantir and McKinsey in its customer base, and it recently raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. The small amount raised here is not uncommon for a startup in todays venture climate, but it is notable because this is AI Land, after all funding to such companies is abundant. But according to Composos co-founder and CEO, Sebastian Fox, the relatively low number is because the startups approach is not particularly capital intensive.For the next three years at least, we dont foresee ourselves raising hundreds of millions because theres a lot of people building foundation models and doing so very effectively, and thats not our USP, Fox, a former Mckinsey consultant, said. Instead, each morning, if I wake up and see a news piece that OpenAI has made a huge advance in their models, that is good for my business.With the fresh cash, Composo plans to expand its engineering team (led by co-founder and CTO Luke Markham, a former machine learning engineer at Graphcore), acquire more clients and bolster its R&D efforts. The focus from this year is much more about scaling the technology that we now have across those companies, Fox said.British AI pre-seed fund Twin Path Ventures led the seed round, which also saw participation from JVH Ventures and EWOR (the latter had backed the startup through its accelerator program). Composo is addressing a critical bottleneck in the adoption of enterprise AI, a spokesperson for Twin Path said in a statement.That bottleneck is a big problem for the overall AI movement, particularly in the enterprise segment, Fox said. People are over the hype of excitement and are now thinking, Well, actually, does this really change anything about my business in its current form? Because its not reliable enough, and its not consistent enough. And even if it is, you cant prove to me how much it is, he said.That bottleneck could make Composo more valuable to companies that want to implement AI but could incur reputational risk from doing so. Fox says thats why his company chose to be industry agnostic, but still have resonance in the compliance, legal, health care and security spaces.As for its competitive moat, Fox feels that the R&D required to get here is not trivial.Theres both the architecture of the model and the data that weve used to train it, he said, explaining that Composo Align was trained on a large dataset of expert evaluations.Theres still the question of what tech giants could do if they simply tapped their massive war chests to enter this problem, but Composo thinks it has a first mover advantage. The other [thing] is the data that we accrue over time, Fox said, referring to how Composo has built evaluation preferences.Because it assesses apps against a flexible set of criteria, Composo also sees itself as better suited to the rise of agentic AI than competitors that use a more constrained approach. In my opinion, we are definitely not at the stage where agents work well, and thats actually what were trying to help solve, Fox said.

Gucci, an Italian luxury label recognized for merging traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing, has introduced multiple Cub3d sneakers for its Spring Summer 2025 (SS25) line. Originally presented last year in a limited run of 20 pairs, the shoes now appear in five color options, including Purple, Grey, Black, Brown, and Grey-and-white.The Cub3d sneaker combines Demetra and mesh in its upper construction. Gucci developed Demetra, a material composed of at least 70% vegetable-derived raw ingredients, including viscose, wood pulp, and bio-based polyurethane. A high-frequency technique is used to create additional texture. The bi-material sole features an EVA-filled interior for cushioning and a TPU exterior, with an Interlocking G pattern that forms a 3D effect. Other design elements include a fabric lining, lace-up closure, and a 1.8-inch low heel.Cub3d at GUCCI SS25 show. Photo via Matteo Burzio.Matteo Burzio, a footwear 3D designer at Gucci, described the digital workflow behind the design in a LinkedIn post. The Gucci Cub3d Net pattern, developed in Rhino and Grasshopper and then applied to the volumes of the sneaker midsole, was also used in a more distorted way on the slip-ons. Stay tuned for more iterations.Rhino and Grasshopper are widely used parametric design software tools, allowing for precise adjustments to geometric patterns and structural details. Their application in footwear design suggests that Gucci utilized computational modeling to refine the midsole structure before manufacturing. This approach allowed designers to iterate rapidly on complex geometries and integrate digital aesthetics into the physical product. The technical process provided precise control over the patterns application, ensuring that both the midsole and slip-on variants maintained a coherent design language.Gucci Cub3d Limited Edition. Photo via Gucci.3D Printing Expands in Footwear ManufacturingNike, a global leader in sportswear, recently introduced the Air Max 1000, a sneaker developed using 3D printing for nearly all components except the air cushion. The design incorporates a single flexible material that varies in density across different sections, ensuring a firm outsole and a softer, more adaptable upper. The model was produced in partnership with Zellerfeld, a Berlin-based 3D printing company specializing in footwear production. A total of 1,000 pairs were made available through a raffle preorder.Elsewhere, Syntilay, a footwear company integrating artificial intelligence with 3D printing, has developed a line of custom-fit slides using AI-generated 3D models. Designers produce sketch-based concepts, which are refined using AI platforms before being converted into digital 3D structures. Production is handled through Zellerfelds automated printing process, reducing assembly steps and eliminating traditional manufacturing constraints. The company offers sizing adjustments based on smartphone foot scans, which are integrated into the manufacturing workflow.The Nike Air Max 1000 offers a bold and innovative design crafted with advanced additive manufacturing techniques. Photo via Nike.3D Printing Industry is hosting alive webinar to preview the 2025 AMUG Conference. Join us and our guests on Wednesday, 12th February.Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?What will the future of 3D printing look like?Which recent trends are driving the 3D printing industry, as highlighted by experts?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Stay connected with the latest in 3D printing by following us on Twitter and Facebook, and dont forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry YouTube channel for more exclusive content.Featured image shows the Gucci Cub3d Limited Edition. Photo via Gucci.

Worawut - stock.adobe.comNewsTech job postings dropped in 2024, according to research Job postings for several IT roles returned to pre-pandemic levels last year, dropping when compared with 2023 ByClare McDonald,Business Editor Published: 07 Feb 2025 10:30 The number of advertised IT jobs dropped year-on-year in 2024, according to research by the Recruitment and Employment Federation (REC).Figures from REC saw a drop in postings across most tech roles, showing a return to pre-pandemic hiring levels.REC isnt the only firm noticing these changes, with Matt Monette, country lead at Deel, seeing similar patterns.After years of aggressive tech hiring, widespread layoffs over the past two years have made companies more cautious about rebuilding headcount, leading to a decline in job postings for certain roles, he said.That said, [Deels] data shows a growing demand for specialist professional services roles. For example, we saw a 74% increase in hiring of accountants globally, suggesting businesses are prioritising financial stability in an uncertain economic climate.The tech hiring landscape has seen peaks and troughs over the past five years during the pandemic, demand for IT professionals rose as the world turned to technology to complete everyday tasks from home due to global lockdowns, followed by the great resignation, where swathes of tech workers left their jobs looking for new opportunities both in and outside the sector.Though REC figures suggest a drop-off in this uptick in demand for tech professionals, interest in tech talent is still high, as rapid development and adoption of technology forces businesses and individuals to arm themselves with the necessary digital capabilities required in the modern world.Read more about tech hiringMost businesses now have a CISO, but perceptions of what CISOs are supposed to do, and confusion over the value they offer, may be holding back harmonious relationsWomen make up a small proportion of the tech sector despite accounting for almost half of the UK workforce but are efforts to attract more women into the sector a distraction from trying to keep the women the sector already has?RECs research, which partners with labour market data and analytics firm Lightcast to collate data from thousands of job board sites, found most IT professions had at least a 40% year-on-year drop in advertised roles in 2024, with posts for roles in IT user support technicians suffering the largest drop, at 47.1%.Demand for IT networking professionals declined by 40.7% in 2024, from 60,967 advertised jobs in 2023 to 36,172 last year, and advertisements for management consultant/business analysts and web designers both saw a drop of almost 42% in the same period.While programmers and software developers are still some of the most sought-after talent in the tech sector, with 192,261 advertised roles in 2024, this was still a 44.8% year-on-year drop compared with the 348,446 postings the previous year.There are many reasons why these declines in advertised jobs may be taking place a lack of skilled workers to fill tech roles has made hiring the available tech talent more competitive. This has created a trend towards training talent internally to ensure access to workers with the right skills.Budget concerns as a result of the unpredictable economic climate have also had many employers dialling back on tech projects, in turn leaving workers worried about redundancies and businesses putting hiring on pause.But REC chief executive Neil Carberry claimed the hiring landscape in the tech sector will bounce back once the economy begins to recover and investment in technologies such as artificial intelligence increases.It was a particularly difficult year for IT professionals looking for new jobs a complete reverse of demand during and just after the pandemic, which was very high, he said. These roles will bounce back quickly as companies invest in IT transformation during an economic recovery.In The Current Issue:Forrester: Why digitisation needs strong data engineering skillsLabours first digital government strategy: Is it dj vu or something new?Download Current IssueSharp Europe's Bold Ambitions in the IT Services Sector Quocirca InsightsWhy are we waiting? Cliff Saran's Enterprise blogView All Blogs

Zendure's Supermini Q has a few unexpected features that make it stand out, and right now it's on sale at Amazon.

The new Shokz OpenFit 2 are a far cry from the company's early releases - yet they may just be their best earbuds to date.

An AI developer will need to hone skills required to monitor algorithmic output, learn to apply critical thinking and measure the impact of human intervention.

ARPU offers companies a reliable, month-over-month cash flow metric that aligns with a customers very first month.