2025-02-10T11:40:02Z Read in app I took Japan's bullet train Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo and had a mostly smooth experience. Amanda Adler This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? After riding the rails around the world, I was eager to try Japan's bullet trains.My trip from Osaka to Tokyo was smooth and comfy, but I felt motion sickness for the first time.I couldn't enjoy the scenery, but the efficiency of travel made it worth the downsides.I love traveling by train because doing so often offers me a smooth and stress-free travel experience.So, on a recent trip to Japan, I was excited to book a journey on the country's famous Shinkansen, a bullet train that can reach top speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour. My one-way ticket was about $81.Although I felt a bit sick during my two-and-a-half-hour trip from Osaka to Tokyo, I would jump at the chance to ride the Shinkansen again. Here's why. Japan's train system is famously reliable.Many trains in Japan have a reputation for arriving on time. Amanda Adler Japan's extensive train network is renowned for its on-time performance. It's one of the most punctual train systems worldwide, with an average delay of just a few seconds.Punctuality was important during my trip as I had planned a very packed schedule for my 10 days in Japan.Whereas I would be nervous about scheduling a longer Amtrak train ride here in the US where delays can be somewhat common I had no such concerns in booking my 500-kilometer (311-mile) Shinkansen journey.The atmosphere on the train was very peaceful.The train felt quiet and peaceful. Amanda Adler While boarding our train car, I was struck by how tranquil it felt.There were no loud phone calls, no seat-kicking toddlers just the sounds of hushed talking and some scraping noises as we placed our carry-ons above our seats.It felt very different from the experiences I've had on American trains, which are generally much noisier.Each train car had designated spots for storing larger luggage, although these must be reserved in advance.We didn't reserve space for our larger luggage because we didn't feel like lugging it around. Amanda Adler To avoid the hassle of hauling our larger luggage onto the train, my family chose to just bring onboard our small carry-on bags.We used a luggage delivery service to transport our larger suitcases from our hotel in Osaka to our destination in Tokyo. This allowed us to have an easy, hassle-free travel experience.If we'd wanted to bring our large bags, we would've had to reserve our car's oversized-luggage spot ahead of time.I enjoyed the legroom, which far exceeds what I've had while flying economy.I had more legroom on the train than I ever have when flying economy. Amanda Adler I was surprised by how roomy the seats were, especially because I didn't pay to upgrade to the more luxurious first-class train car.My tween son even opted to keep his carry-on bag at his feet (instead of in the overhead storage area) and said he didn't feel cramped.Many travelers (including me) brought prepackaged bento boxes on board.I wasn't able to finish my bento box because I began to feel motion sickness. Amanda Adler Stores in the train station in Osaka were selling a large selection of bento boxes that travelers could enjoy during the journey.I chose a beef option that effectively curbed my hunger. However, as the train sped up, I began to feel some motion sickness that left me unable to finish my meal.I was disappointed by the views and found the train's motion to be too fast to enjoy the scenery.I found it hard to look out the window without feeling nauseous. Amanda Adler Before my trip, I had read lots of tips for seeing Mount Fuji from the Shinkansen. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast the day I traveled, limiting visibility.My attempts at looking out the window only exasperated my already growing motion sickness. The scenery whizzed by at breakneck speeds, making it hard to take in what I was seeing.I didn't feel like I was missing much though, as most of what I did see looked rather industrial.The efficiency with which I arrived in Tokyo negated the downsides of traveling via bullet train.I felt like we got to Tokyo in record time. Amanda Adler This was not the most scenic train ride I've ever enjoyed, but the speed with which I arrived in Tokyo was unmatched. Taking a bus or car from Osaka to Tokyo would've taken around three times longer than this train ride.However, this trip marked the first time I experienced motion sickness. I was sensitive to the high speeds and had trouble enjoying the views which are normally my favorite part of a train journey as the scenery whizzed by too fast.Even so, my trip was comfortable, smooth, and relatively affordable.I still prefer more leisurely rides, but I'd love to travel this way again, though maybe I'd pack something to help me deal with motion sickness.

For decades, experts have accused American presidents of neglecting the Western Hemisphere in favor of faraway conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Both Republicans and Democrats have carried out a policy of either benign or malign neglect, allowing threats to grow and missing valuable opportunities. No one can accuse the new Trump administration of neglecting the United Statess backyard. Instead, its seen a flurry of regional activity fairly unprecedented in modern times. Trump devoted a significant part of his inaugural address to demanding that Panama return control of the Panama Canal. Its not quite clear if hes joking by repeatedly suggesting that Canada should become the 51st state, but he has made it quite clear hes serious about taking control of Greenland considered geologically, if not politically, part of North America from Denmark. One of his first executive orders renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.Less than a week into his presidency, he threatened punitive tariffs and visa restrictions on Colombia a longtime close US ally after that countrys president, Gustavo Petro, blocked military aircraft from returning migrants deported from the United States. The standoff ended in an agreement, and Trump appears to have won the dispute, though the specifics are still a little unclear. The Colombia fracas was just a preview of this weeks brinksmanship, in which Trump threatened 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, then postponed the tariffs for 30 days in exchange for agreements by those governments to beef up border security. Meanwhile, Trumps secretary of state, Marco Rubio, went to Central America, where he pressured the government of Panama to reduce the Chinese presence around the canal. He also stopped in El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele made the unprecedented and probably illegal offer to put US deportees of any nationality including Americans in his countrys notorious prisons. On top of all that, Trumps envoy for special missions Richard Grenell traveled to Venezuela, where he met with the countrys autocratic president Nicols Maduro who is not recognized as the countrys legitimate leader by the US government and secured the release of six detained Americans and claimed to have reached an agreement for the return of Venezuelan deportees, including gang members. Rubios trip ended up being somewhat overshadowed by Trumps meeting at the White House with Israels Benjamin Netanyahu and proposal for the US to take an ownership position in the Gaza Strip. Trump has already threatened to use economic pressure against South Africa and reinstated so-called maximum pressure sanctions against Iran. And there are indications that the EU may be next in his crosshairs for a tariff fight. But even if the administration turns to other parts of the globe, this focus on the Western Hemisphere is still a historical anomaly.The focus is intentional. For many reasons, US foreign policy has long focused on other regions while overlooking our own, Rubio wrote in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal called An Americas First Foreign Policy. As a result, weve let problems fester, missed opportunities, and neglected partners. That ends now.The Trump/Rubio approach to the Americas and its embrace of spheres of influence thinking hearkens back to the early 19th-century Monroe Doctrine. In its original form, it was a vague statement from President James Monroe in 1832 that European powers should not intervene in Latin America. Over the years, it has come to be widely viewed as the US acting as a preeminent some would say paternalistic power in its region.The Trump administration is not shying away from the comparison. In an interview with Fox News shortly before Trump took office, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said that part of the administrations America first agenda will be reintroducing America in the Western Hemisphere an approach he said could be called Monroe Doctrine 2.0.The Trump administration is trying to create a kind of a security perimeter, a zone of security in our own shared neighborhood first, before they begin to look at other theaters of the world, said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. During the Obama administration, Secretary of State John Kerry grandly declared, The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over. Trumps first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, first declared it to be back in 2018. Now, it seems, its back again.But the other nations in the neighborhood may not welcome it. This is a continent that has been raised on the Monroe Doctrine as synonymous with US aggression, with US interventionism, with Yankee imperialism, said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States.But what will this look like in practice and how will the region respond?What Trump wants from the Western HemisphereA number of the administrations main priorities have a strong regional component especially immigration. Trump and Rubio have pressured governments throughout the region to accept deportation flights. The government of Brazil has raised objections to the treatment of deportees on the flights, including the fact that deportees were handcuffed. Mexico even refused one flight. These incidents got relatively little attention. That was not the case with Colombian President Petro, who chose to go toe-to-toe with Trump on social media, announcing in a 4 am message on X that he was refusing entry to two military deportation flights. The Trump administration responded by threatening a 25 percent tariff on Colombian goods, financial sanctions, and a visa ban on Colombian government officials a response that was about as aggressive as it gets, short of a military threat. After Petro first threatened retaliatory tariffs, then posted a lengthy diatribe that referenced Walt Whitman and called Trump a white slaver, Colombia eventually agreed to accept deportation flights going forward. The incident sent a message, backed up by the later tariff showdown with Mexico and Canada, that US allies would not be immune from US threats. Colombia is a longtime US security partner and one of the few countries in the region that still has the US, rather than China, as its largest trading partner. While relations have been a little more strained under Petro, a leftist former guerrilla leader, Colombia has accepted dozens of US deportation flights in recent years. Basically, the bilateral relationship, which is the single most important security relationship for the United States in South America, almost imploded in a matter of hours, said Beth Dickinson, a Colombia-based analyst for the International Crisis Group. One country that took a keen interest in the affair was China. During the crisis, Beijings ambassador to Colombia posted comments to his social media accounts claiming that Colombia-China relations were at their best moment since they established ties 45 years ago. The question of Chinese influence is also central to Trumps fixation on Panama. As is often the case, it can be a little difficult to separate the presidents bluster from the actual issues at stake. Trump has inaccurately claimed that Chinese troops are operating the canal, through which about 5 percent of global maritime trade travels. But it is true that Hong Kong-based companies control the ports on either end of the canal. During the Biden administration, military commanders raised concerns that these ports may be used for military purposes.A possibly generous reading of Trumps approach is that the talk of retaking the canal is a negotiating ploy to pressure Panama into agreeing to curb the Chinese presence around the canal. The administration also wants Panama to do more to curb migration through the Darien Gap, connecting North and South America. After the meeting, Panama denied the State Departments claim that it had agreed to let US warships transit the canal for free.But could threats like the ones Trump used against Petro backfire and push more countries closer into Chinas orbit? Trumps tactic may have worked, but its also clearly going to push people in the region to think about alternatives, said Dickinson. The catastrophe that nearly fell upon us is not something that I think we can risk happening again.Canadian jittersThe Americas First foreign policy does not only apply to countries south of the Rio Grande. Since taking office, Trump has devoted a surprising amount of attention to Canada, which according to him we pay hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidize. The ostensible reason for Trumps tariff threat was the fentanyl crisis, but relatively little fentanyl enters the US from Canada. Trump has lodged an array of other complaints against Canada, including its low military spending and banking regulations, and repeatedly suggested it should become the 51st state. This has prompted a public backlash in Canada ranging from buy Canadian campaigns to the booing of the US national anthem at NHL and NBA games. Ive been an analyst in this country for 50 years. Ive never seen outrage like this, Janice Stein, director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, told Vox. The reason, in her view, is that the president of the country that we have thought of as our best friend chose to do this.Canadian President Justin Trudeau and Trump seem to have forestalled a trade war for the time being. (Beyond establishing a fentanyl czar position, its not clear how much Canadas new commitments go beyond what it has already promised on border security.) But it seems unlikely that the threat of tariffs wont return. Chrystia Freeland, the former Canadian finance minister and a candidate to replace Trudeau as prime minister, has called for a summit of countries targeted by Trump, including Mexico, Panama, and Denmark. But, suggests Stein, the country has relatively few good options so long as its southern neighbor is under a hostile government. This is our best market, she said. We dont want to diversify to China.Back to the 19th centuryWhile Berg of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the new administrations focus on Latin America is overdue and provides opportunities for productive cooperation, he also noted that countries used to the US governments benign neglect could find the new approach jarring. Now they have not just the attention in the United States, but a fairly assertive posture, he said. We can just do policies that try to build a zone of peace and security within the Western Hemisphere without having to bang our fists on the table and say, Monroe 2.0.Jay Sexton, a professor of history at the University of Missouri and author of a history of the Monroe Doctrine, said it has always been embedded in culture wars, and tied to debates between internationalists and isolationists over Americas role in the world.Today, were living in an era of renewed geopolitical competition, volatility, and uncertainty, Sexton said. Regional spheres of influence are the name of the game these days, whether youre talking about China in its region, or Russians in Ukraine. It kind of looks like the 19th century.From the British and French in the 19th century to China today, Sexton says, a throughline in US history is that the United States is most interested in Latin America when theres a perceived threat.See More: Politics

We seem to be in the middle of 16 constitutional crises at once. President Donald Trump and his allies are trying to kill an entire provision of the Constitution, cut Congress out of the federal budgeting process, and cut off agencies control of their computer systems.Lets imagine that all six of the Supreme Courts Republican justices wake up tomorrow and decide that their many, previous decisions enabling Trump were wrong, and each pledge to do everything in their power to rein in the seemingly out-of-control executive that they helped create.Even in this world, where the federal courts could be counted on to aggressively enforce the Constitution and any statutes that are intended to constrain Trump, the United States would still face a constitutional crisis. The reason why is fairly basic: Courts are inherently reactive institutions. They do not preemptively tell the government how to operate, and they arent even allowed to advise the government on whether its planned actions are lawful. Rather, before a federal court can do anything at all, it must wait for the government to do something illegal, wait for a plaintiff to come along who is injured in some way by that illegal action, and then, if conditions are right, the court can intervene.By the time that happens, permanent damage may already be done. To understand why, consider this example.The Trump administration plans to essentially shutter the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Shutting down USAID is almost certainly illegal the agency is funded by Congress, and the president cannot lawfully cut off congressional appropriations (including money set aside to run USAID) without legislative approval. Because of these facts, theres also a lawsuit, known as American Foreign Service Association v. Trump, seeking to block these efforts to shut down USAID. And that lawsuit may ultimately succeed the most recent development in that suit is a temporary court order blocking the Trump administrations attempt to put USAID employees on leave.By the time this lawsuit fully plays out, however, many of USAIDs employees may have already found new jobs. If the Supreme Court ultimately rules that the agency must continue to function, that decision could take months or years. And, by that point, the agency may have experienced such severe brain drain that it will be a shadow of its former self. (And thats all assuming that Trump even complies with a court order reopening the agency.)The Trump administration, in other words, will always be the first mover in a conflict between it and the courts. The federal judiciary can often stop someone who is already violating the law from continuing that behavior, but it cant prevent the violation from happening in the first place. Thus, even if we could trust these courts to apply the law fairly and impartially to a Republican administration and, in a world with Trump v. United States, the decision that said its okay for presidents to commit crimes, we simply cannot Trump and his people can do extraordinary damage before any judge has a chance to even look at what they have done.Standing, explainedThe reactive nature of the federal judiciary is not an accident, it is an integral part of its design. Under Article III of the Constitution, federal courts may only hear disputes involving live cases or controversies between a defendant and a plaintiff who claims theyve been injured in some way by that defendant. This requirement is known as standing.As the Supreme Court held in Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife (1992), no one may file a federal lawsuit challenging the governments actions unless they have suffered an injury in fact that is fairly traceable to the action that they are challenging.This means that the Trump administration gets to act first, before anyone can even file a lawsuit trying to stop them. Elon Musk and his cronies at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could potentially crash the entire computer system used by air traffic controllers in the United States, and no court can do anything about it until someone whose flight is grounded or, worse, someone whose loved one is killed in a plane collision files a lawsuit alleging that they were hurt because of Musks actions.Even after someone does have standing to file a lawsuit under Lujan, moreover, theres no guarantee that this individual can obtain a court order that will meaningfully constrain the administration. Thats because the Supreme Court has placed even stricter restrictions on who is allowed to seek an injunction a court order requiring the government to take a certain action or to cease an action it is already engaged in.The seminal case is City of Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983). In that case, Los Angeles police officers pulled over Adolph Lyons for a broken taillight, and eventually placed him in a chokehold. Lyons sued, seeking an injunction forbidding the LAPD from using such a chokehold again except in situations where the proposed victim of said control reasonably appears to be threatening the immediate use of deadly force.But a majority of the Court concluded that Lyons could not seek an injunction at all. Past exposure to illegal conduct, Justice Byron White wrote for the Court, does not permit someone to seek an injunction. Rather, Lyons standing to seek the injunction requested depended on whether he was likely to suffer future injury from the use of the chokeholds by police officers. It was not enough, in other words, for Lyons to show that he had been a past victim of an illegal chokehold. He had to show that the LAPD were likely to place him in another chokehold at some point in the future.The implications of the Lyons decision for much of the Trump administrations shenanigans are pretty obvious. Suppose, for example, that Musk introduces some glitch into the Treasury Departments payment systems that causes it to randomly fail to make payments to 1 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries every year. Any one of those beneficiaries should be able to obtain a court order requiring the government to pay them what they are owed, but could they obtain an injunction seeking to undo Musks action? Probably not, because no one whose payments were cut off would be able to show that they are likely to have their payments cut off again a second time.The courts may soon grow even weaker than they already areTheres an ongoing debate with the courts about just how broadly any injunction can sweep. One uncertain question is whether the Supreme Court will continue to allow lower court judges to issue nationwide injunctions that attempt to shut down an illegal federal policy altogether.In recent years, some lower court judges have claimed the power to enjoin the entire federal government when they believe it is acting illegally, effectively setting a new policy for the entire nation. Such injunctions, for example, were a particular thorn in former President Joe Bidens side, as right-wing judges would often use them to block his immigration and other policies.The upside of allowing a single trial judge to issue such an order is that, if the governments action actually is illegal, it will be promptly shut down. The downside is that these nationwide injunctions are often issued by judges with idiosyncratic or highly partisan views, and can sabotage an administration that is not actually breaking any laws.Some members of the Supreme Court, most notably Justice Neil Gorsuch, have railed against these nationwide injunctions claiming that a single outlier judge should not have this kind of power. According to Gorsuch, injunctions are meant to redress the injuries sustained by a particular plaintiff in a particular lawsuit, not to allow one low-ranking judge to set national policy.There are strong arguments in favor of Gorsuchs position, but if Gorsuch ultimately prevails in this fight, it will mean that lower court judges will grow even more powerless against the Trump administration. They will still be able to issue narrower orders prohibiting the government from taking a particular action against a particular plaintiff. But they will no longer be able to order the Trump administration as a whole to abandon an illegal policy altogether. The courts typically depend upon voluntary complianceUnlike lower courts, the Supreme Court clearly has the power to declare how the law should apply to the entire federal government. But there are also limits to the Supreme Courts ability to enforce its decisions against non-parties to a particular lawsuit.When the Supreme Court declares a particular action illegal, the government typically stops engaging in any similar actions because it knows that it will lose any lawsuit challenging those actions now that the justices have spoken. But what happens if the government decides to only narrowly comply with the Courts decision?Think of it this way. Suppose that John is a Social Security beneficiary whose benefits are illegally cut off by DOGE. Now suppose that John brings a case to the Supreme Court, and obtains a decision holding that DOGEs action was illegal. Ordinarily, the government would also start paying benefits to people similarly situated to John, rather than making each of them file their own lawsuit.But what if the government only narrowly complies with the Supreme Courts order, paying benefits to John and John alone? Perhaps some of the other people whose Social Security benefits were cut off could join together in a class action lawsuit that would allow them all to present their case to a court at once. But that class action might only apply to people with lost Social Security benefits, and not to other individuals or businesses who had other payments cut off by DOGE.The Trump administration, in other words, could attempt to grind down people hurt by its decisions by forcing them each to bring their own lawsuits, each of which could take months or even years to complete.There is a very famous precedent for this kind of massive resistance to a Supreme Court decision. In the 10 years following Brown v. Board of Education (1954), public school desegregation almost completely stalled in much of the country. By 1964, just one in 85 Black students in the South attended an integrated school.One of the biggest reasons why is that Southern school districts refused to voluntarily comply with Brown. Instead, they insisted that a Black student who wanted to attend an integrated school had to file a new lawsuit and obtain a court order letting them in. Terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan also helped ensure that few Black families were willing to be plaintiffs in such lawsuits.In fairness, it is unlikely that DOGE will send roving bands of hooded terrorists to hound anyone who tries to sue them. But the fact remains that the Supreme Court cannot apply its orders to parties that are not already before it, at least until someone files a new lawsuit.The least dangerous branchFinally, theres a question looming over everything Trump does: What if he simply refuses to comply with a Court order?As Alexander Hamiltion famously wrote in the Federalist Papers, courts have no internal mechanism to enforce their decisions. They may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments.When a losing litigant refuses to comply with a federal court order, that order is enforced by the US Marshals Service, a law enforcement agency housed in the US Department of Justice. The Marshals, in other words, are executive branch officials subordinate to the president. So Trump could theoretically order them not to enforce a court decision against him.If that happens, the United States is in truly uncharted waters. Congress could potentially impeach Trump for refusing to obey the court order, but given Republican control of both houses of Congress, impeachment is unlikely to succeed. Heck, impeachment failed even after Trump incited a mob to attack the US Capitol and threaten the lives of the members of Congress themselves. So its hard to imagine a Republican Congress standing in Trumps way over something like refusal to follow a court order.Even if we never have a showdown over whether Trump will follow the courts decisions, the judiciary only has limited power. Courts can block many of Trumps illegal actions, but only after he and his subordinates have done considerable harm.See More:

The PlayStation Network (PSN) is down, depriving online gamers around the world from accessing weekend events.The PSN is the service that Sonys PlayStation console owners use to access its online gaming network. It allows players to connect with other gamers around the world.The outage began in the UK at about midnight on Friday.About 71,000 gamers reported the outage to PlayStations website. Many users can no longer access online gaming lobbies, the PlayStation Store or their online accounts.The PSN runs a model that costs 13.49 a month, 39.99 for three months or 119.99 for 12 months for its premium subscription. Many gamers have pointed to these costs when complaining to Sony.The weekend is when certain games host special tournaments and online events. FC 25, Electronic Arts popular football simulator, hosts Championship matches, known colloquially as weekend league, on its Ultimate Team platform. Gamers spend hundreds of hours and often hundreds of pounds investing in their Ultimate Team squads.The outage also means Call of Duty fans will be unable to play during its promotional weekend and will not benefit from double XP (experience points) in Black Ops 6 and Warzone.Thousands of angry PlayStation users have expressed their frustration with the outage on social media in memes, jokes and rants.Lets be real; everyone deserves this months PS Plus for free. Paying monthly for the network to be down on a weekend is belligerent. Did someone fall asleep during their night shift? Heading into hour 5, one X user wrote.I work a 9 to 5 and come home just to see the PlayStation servers are down on a Friday, another posted.PlayStation network down, time to get to know my wife of 5 years, joked another.Sony responded to confirm the problems with its digital service. On its support webpage, PlayStation said it was aware of the issue and that it was working to resolve it as soon as possible.The Guardian has contacted PlayStation, FC25 developer Electronic Arts, and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard for comment.

PlayStation 5 is dominating this console generation according to Take-Two, with the GTA 6 publisher revealing some stats that make for worrying reading for XboxTech11:33, 10 Feb 2025Updated 11:35, 10 Feb 2025Xbox is being outsold by PS5(Image: AFP via Getty Images)The PlayStation outage may have seen internet searches climb for Xbox as fans threatened to jump ship, but the story of this console generation is apparently all too familiar to Microsoft.That's thanks to Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive, which has revealed some fresh console numbers in last week's earnings call that also reaffirmed GTA 6 is due to launch this year.Since Microsoft doesn't report its own sales figures anymore (and hasn't done for almost a decade), we rely on third-party data to ascertain console sales, while Sony will occasionally beat its chest at certain sales milestones. Take-Two's update paints a grim picture for the Xbox console business, though.The network is down for many players(Image: AFP via Getty Images)In Take-Two's earnings report for Q3 2025, we've learned that there are more than 94 million PS5 and Xbox Series S and X consoles out there, but with Sony claiming to have shipped 65.5 million of those in September 2024, that means Xbox has sold 28.5 million less than a third of its rival.That would mean Xbox has ceded more market share than it did with its Xbox One console, which was heavily outsold by PS4 but managed to maintain around a 3:1 ratio.Xbox and PlayStation have been competitive for years, but in recent times they've begun to play nicely as Xbox moves to a multiplatform approach to great results. Microsoft has also committed to developing a handheld that fans are dubbing the 'Xboy'.Avowed could be one of the best reasons to have Xbox Game Pass this year(Image: Obsidian Entertainment)It's also expected to be a colossal year for Xbox which could swing things back into Team Green's favour. 2025 will see the arrival of South of Midnight, Fable, DOOM: The Dark Ages and South of Midnight, although some are slated for PS5, too.. Avowed, a hotly-anticipated RPG, launches this month.Which console, if any, do you own? Or are you holding out for the Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.For more on Take-Two's earnings call, check out everything it didn't tell us about GTA 6, as well as the company's CEO's comments onArticle continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

PS5 owners will have a whole new slate of games revealed for PlayStation Plus this week, so here's when you can expect the PS Plus Essential reveal and the games people are asking forTech11:31, 10 Feb 2025Fans are hopeful of Assassin's Creed Mirage for PS Plus(Image: UBISOFT)PlayStation fans are hoping Sony has something big to announce for the PS Plus Extra titles for February.Gamers already have this month's PS Plus Essentials titles to download but after an outage stopped everyone across the globe playing PS5 games over the weekend fans will want a big announcement this month. The company has already revealed its way of making up for the issue, but this could mark a chance to remind console owners why it's worth subscribing.Essentially PlayStation's answer to Xbox Game Pass, Extra brings a rotating selection of games, and the next tier up, PS Plus Premium, adds retro games, too.Fans are hoping for Assassin's Creed Mirage(Image: UBISOFT)The PS Plus Extra and Premium reveal time is 4:30 PM on February 12 (that's Wednesday), meaning we're just a couple of days away.Sony usually has its reveals on the second Wednesday of every month, but the Holiday season and New Year celebrations nudged everything back a little last month but we're back to normal this time.As it does every month, the PS Plus subreddit has been rolling out its predictions, and Ubisoft titles are popular yet again.Assassin's Creed Mirage comes up a few times, alongside Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (one of last year's most underrated adventures).Elsewhere, Hogwarts Legacy is a popular prediction as always, alongside Resident Evil Village. The community always jokes that the games tend to be ones that they've just spent their hard-earned cash on, so maybe don't pick anything up until Wednesday evening.There's every chance the games have been chosen weeks in advance, but with the community still reeling from last weekend's outage, there's every chance Sony sweetens to deal with one of its own games.We've recently seen titles like God of War, but we're still waiting for The Last of Us Part II could this be the month?Content cannot be displayed without consentDon't forget that the following are available already be sure to download them if you haven't already!Payday 3 - PS5Revel in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist in this high-octane, co-op FPS experience for up to four players online. Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crews reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.High on Life - PS4, PS5Fresh out of high school with no job and no ambition, youve really got nothing going for you until an alien cartel that wants to get high off humanity invades Earth.Now, you and a team of charismatic talking guns must answer the heros call and become the deadliest intergalactic bounty hunter the cosmos has ever seen. Travel to a variety of biomes and locations across the cosmos, go up against the nefarious Garmantuous and his gang of goons, collect loot, meet unique characters, and more, in the latest comedy adventure from Squanch Games.Pac-Man World Re-Pac - PS4, PS5Article continues belowIn this 2004 remake of the original PlayStation platformer, with improved UI, fine-tuned mechanics and updated visuals, Pac-Man arrives home on his birthday to find the Ghosts have kidnapped Pac-Mans family & friends and ruined his party. Off to the rescue, Pac-Man sets out to Ghost Island. Dodge Ghosts, solve environmental puzzles, rescue the Pac-Fam, and more in this platforming adventure. Play a collection of 3D mazes in Maze mode, clear Quest mode to unlock the original Pac-Man game in Original mode.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

The concept art depicts Disneys Fortnite universe as a virtual theme park (Disney)Its still not entirely clear what Disneys big entertainment universe in Fortnite is but one year after its announcement, a leaker claims its in a stable build.Last year, Disney invested a whopping $1.5 billion (about 1.2 billion) into Epic Games for the purpose of building an expansive and open games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite.Since then, the two have continued to collaborate on new Fortnite skins. Not just for more Marvel and Star Wars characters, but also ones based on Pixars The Incredibles and villains from classic animated films like Sleeping Beauty.As for Disneys persistent universe, there have been no real updates on it since, but a prominent Fortnite leaker has suggested progress on its development is going well.According to HYPEX on X, who is known for accurately sharing info on upcoming Fortnite updates, Epic Games moved the project into a stable build on February 7, which so happened to be the same date that Disney and Epic announced their big partnership.HYPEX theorised that this means a lot of progress has been made and the team behind it has moved onto the next milestone on its internal roadmap.Its unclear, though, if this means Epic Games and/or Disney will have anything meaningful to share about the project any time soon nor does it indicate when its expected to release.Epic Games and Disney never provided an estimated date for the project and its honestly not entirely clear what this entertainment universe even is.Although from the way its been described, it sounds akin to something like Roblox, with its Play Watch Create Shop giving a vague indicator of the sort of things youll be able to do.More TrendingThe new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more, said Disney at the time.Epic has found success in a similar collaboration with Lego, which sparked the separate Lego Fortnite survival mode that has continued to receive updates since its late 2023 launch, as well as a Brick Life spin-off more focused on social role-playing.Even if the Disney universe is still a long way off, you can definitely expect more Disney themed Fortnite skins throughout the rest of 2025. For instance, skins based on the new Captain America movie have already been rumoured.More recently, another Fortnite leaker simply named Leaky shared images of cosmetics based on the Avatar movies by James Cameron, including two skins based on protagonists Jake Sully and Neytiri. These cosmetics will likely be added to Fortnites store fairly soon (X)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

Therell be another round of hunting (Capcom)Capcom has announced plans for an additional open beta test for Monster Hunter Wilds, after the first was affected by the PlayStation Network outage.PlayStation players were left unable to access the PlayStation Network (PSN) for nearly 24 hours over the weekend, in what Sony has described as an operational issue.The service went down in the early hours of Saturday, February 8, and was back up and running just before midnight on the same day. Due to the inconvenience, Sony is gifting all PlayStation Plus members an additional five days for free.Beyond the annoyance of being unable to play online games like Call Of Duty and Fortnite during that time, or access the PlayStation Store, this outage also impacted limited time events specifically the open beta for Monster Hunter Wilds.Following the outage, Capcom announced plans to extend the beta test planned for this week for an additional 24 hours.PlayStation 5 hunters, thanks for your patience and understanding during this weekends PSN service issues, the original statement read.To account for reduced [open beta test 2] play time due to the outage, we are considering running OBT2 for an additional 24 hours at a future date. Exact details and timings are [to be determined], so please stay tuned.What time does the next Monster Hunter Wilds beta start and end?Following the first test, the second open beta will begin on Friday, February 14, at 3am UK time. For US players, this translates to 7pm PT on Thursday, February 13. It is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.With the extra 24 hours following the PSN outage, the beta will now run until Tuesday, February 18 at 3am in the UK, and until 7pm PT on Monday, February 17 in the US.What is included in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta?This beta will include everything in the first test, with access to the character creator and the opening hunt against Chatacabra to learn the basic mechanics.Beyond that, theres the Doshaguma hunt and quests for both Arkveld and Gypceros. Players can also fight against these monsters in private lobbies for up to 16 players, or experiment with all the different weapons on offer in the training area.Does Monster Hunter Wilds beta progress carry over to the final game?You can carry over your character creation data (both hunter and Palico) into the final version, but sadly none of your other progress will be saved.More TrendingAnyone who participates in the beta, however, will receive a bonus pendant and bonus item pack (with various traps, bombs, and pods) in the final game. You can find more details here. If you participated in the first open beta, your progress does carry over to the second beta test.Monster Hunter Wilds is set to launch on February 28, 2025. As noted on SteamDB, the most recent beta hit a concurrent player peak of over 258,000 players. Monster Hunter Wilds launches later this month (Capcom)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

Ring of Starlight / HDEC AIR-CoLAB StudioSave this picture! Arch-ExistPavilionChengdu, ChinaArchitects: HDEC AIR-CoLAB StudioAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:490 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Arch-Exist More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Stage at the Centre of the "Vortex" - The Luhu Ring of Starlight project is located on the island at the centre of Vortex Park, which Z+T Studio designed. The entire park is surrounded by a commercial plot and three residential plots, presenting a unique semi-enclosed layout. Although the location of the Ring of Starlight is at the geographic and visual centre of the park, its connection to the outside world is somewhat isolated due to being surrounded by water. Visitors must traverse forest paths or take a small boat, trekking nearly a thousand meters to reach the island from any direction. As a result, this small island has become the most tranquil corner of the entire park, far from the noise and fast pace of the city, resembling an idyllic paradise.Save this picture!Save this picture!Varying Sceneries with Changing Viewpoints - In this environment closely connected to nature, the developer hoped that the small building, with a diameter of only 25 meters, could become the central landmark of the park. After spending a few days on the site, an inspiration gradually emerged: we did not wish to make its presence known through a vast mass but rather hoped for it to harmonize with nature, giving it a vitality akin to other natural elements, revealing different aspects over time and with changing scenes. Thus, we expanded our vision to encompass the entire park and drew inspiration from the concepts of traditional Chinese gardens, carefully planning two paths leading to the small architecture one land route and one water route. Visitors, during their journey, can experience the feeling of "changing views with every step."Save this picture!Save this picture!In the initial concept design, a water curtain was planned for the cantilevered structure. When people first step into the park, they hear the gentle sound of water flowing in the distance. The mist created by the water splash formed a barrier, like a thin veil, making it difficult to see clearly. Unfortunately, the water curtain could not be retained during the implementation of the project. As visitors proceed along the winding paths, the building, hidden in the natural landscape, can only be partially glimpsed, presenting different appearances as the angle of view changes. Upon reaching the building, visitors enter a new world wrapped in white concrete. The railing of the pedestrian bridge across the water has been intentionally enlarged here, naturally forming a pavilion that provides shelter from wind and rain.Save this picture!Save this picture!At the centre of the site, the bridge meanders downward to the water surface, naturally forming an open-air theatre. The stage at the end is level with the water level, resembling a lotus leaf. Visitors coming from the water can also board the platform by boat and ascend the stairs, following the cantilevered bridge along the water's edge, enjoying the view from the railing, or becoming part of someone else's scenic view. As night falls, everything quiets down. The busy residents return home, and looking down from the windows of the high-rise buildings, the Ring of Starlight appears like a crescent moon on the water's surface, adding a poetic touch to the tranquillity of the night.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!A Theater for Self-Reflection - The character of this small building is multifaceted. It can serve as a performance theater for 100 people, host small press conferences, or become a gathering place for intimate salons. The cantilevered bridge over the water, narrow enough for only one person to pass at a time, becomes an adventurous playground for children. People can also bring a book, sit quietly on the steps, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon, immersing themselves in the world of words. The concept for the waterside theatre came from a wonderful travel experience: in the ancient theatre of Hierapolis, sitting on the empty semicircular stone steps, the sunlight gradually disappeared overhead, casting a glow on the horizon behind the theatre. The ancient ruins and nature's dialogue transported people from the real world into a pressure-free, liberated space where time seemed to stand still.Save this picture!Save this picture!Our design intentionally enhanced the sensory connection between visitors and the natural environment. The view of the water theatre faces the water's surface, drawing visitors' attention to the ripples caused by the breeze, the changing reflections in the water, and the delicate rhythm of light and shadow on the clear concrete walls. This hidden space will become a brief refuge from reality, where people can find inner peace and harmony during their time of self-reflection.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on February 10, 2025Cite: "Ring of Starlight / HDEC AIR-CoLAB Studio" 10 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026606/ring-of-starlight-hdec-air-colab-studio&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

Save this picture!Courtesy of BuildnerThe registration period for MICROHOME 2025 Competition is coming to a close. The competition offers a 100,000 EUR prize fund to celebrate cutting-edge, sustainable solutions for compact housing. Sponsored by Kingspan, this global competition invites architects, designers, and creative thinkers to redefine the concept of small-scale living.Visit the competition page to register before the deadline on 13 February 2025.The ChallengeParticipants are tasked with designing a modular, self-sufficient, and energy-efficient microhome with a maximum footprint of 25 m. The designs should push boundaries in innovation, functionality, and sustainability while addressing real-world challenges such as urban density, affordability, and environmental responsibility.The competition is open to all, including professionals and students, offering a unique platform for both seasoned architects and emerging talent.Key Objectives: Innovation and Functionality: Create an efficient, livable space that combines usability, aesthetics, and technological advancements. Sustainability: Integrate environmentally responsible materials, energy-efficient systems, and strategies for minimal environmental impact. Affordability: Propose designs that make microhomes accessible to diverse populations. Adaptability: Explore designs that can adapt to various urban, rural, or off-grid settings. Save this picture!Prize Fund and RecognitionThe 100,000 EUR prize structure is as follows: 1st Prize: 40,000 EUR 2nd Prize: 20,000 EUR 3rd Prize: 10,000 EUR Buildner Student Award: 10,000 EUR Sustainability Award: 10,000 EUR Kingspan Award: 10,000 EUR: To be eligible for this award, participants must use at least one of the Kingspan products listed in the competition brief. Competition Schedule Final RegistrationDeadline: February 13, 2025 (23:59 GMT) Submission Deadline: March 18, 2025 (23:59 GMT) Winners Announced: April 29, 2025 Jury PanelThe MICROHOME 2024/25 jury comprises a diverse group of globally renowned architects, designers, and sustainability experts.Anne Cecilie Haug Senior Architect and Member of Research and Innovation, SnhettaFlora Lee Associate Partner, MAD ArchitectsSandra Del Bove Group Head of Innovation, KingspanBrent Trenga Director of Sustainability, Kingspan Insulated Panels North AmericaSilvana Ordinas Co-Founder, Peter Pichler ArchitecturePaulo Flores Director, Zaha Hadid ArchitectsHighlight projects from the 2023/2024 edition:Buildner Sustainability Award - 10,000 EURTitle: Cellula(r)Authors: Hazem Elshafei, Manuel Villalain Gonzalez and Pedro Xavier Martins Silva, from the NetherlandsCellula(r) presents a sustainable, modular housing solution addressing urban housing crises caused by limited space, rising property prices, and environmental challenges. The concept revolves around compact, adaptable living units designed for efficiency, flexibility, and well-being. Each 25m unit optimizes spatial arrangements, integrates eco-friendly materials, and incorporates functional, multi-use furniture. The prefabricated modules are easy to transport, assemble, and disassemble, enabling quick deployment and customization to diverse urban contexts, including rooftops, parking lots, and waterfronts. Designed to promote social interaction and green living, the structures include shared spaces and greenery, contributing to community well-being.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Kingspan Compliment Award - 5,000 EURTitle: The Forest Keeper's OutpostAuthors: Matthew John Fallowfield-Cooper and Airydas Mikalajnas of Fallow Studio, from United KingdomThe Forest Keeper's Outpost is a sustainable initiative in Bio Bio and Araucana, Chile, designed to promote reforestation, habitat restoration, and cultural exchange. This project integrates ecological tourism with habitat conservation by using lightweight, modular structures that respect site constraints and adapt to their surroundings. Key features include renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting, and locally sourced, prefabricated materials for minimal environmental impact. The compact, flexible units are designed for diverse uses such as accommodation, community hubs, and educational spaces. By creating a network of interconnected outposts, the project fosters community engagement, land stewardship, and ecological balance while supporting indigenous practices. The Forest Keeper's Outpost showcases how thoughtful design can blend environmental preservation with sustainable living.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Kingspan Compliment Award - 5,000 EURTitle: About TimeAuthors: Yi Yang Chai and Ng Yi Ming, from MalaysiaAbout Time is a compact, 25 square meter modular dwelling designed to embrace sustainable, off-grid living. Balancing functionality and comfort, the design incorporates a flexible floor plan with zones for living, working, cooking, and resting. Its efficient use of space is complemented by a high-performing envelope featuring rainwater harvesting, solar panels, and passive ventilation. The structure's lightweight, prefabricated components ensure quick assembly and adaptability to diverse environments. With a circular design ethos inspired by natural rhythms, the microhome promotes mindful living by encouraging a seamless transition through daily activities. Emphasizing self-sufficiency, this prototype offers an innovative approach to sustainable housing, merging minimalism with ecological responsibility.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Kingspan Compliment Award - 5,000 EURTitle: series.GreenHouseAuthors: Davis Russell Drury, from United StatesSeries.GreenHouse is a modular micro-living concept focused on sustainability, community nourishment, and ecological efficiency. Each unit combines Shelter, Subsistence, and Scale to address contemporary housing challenges while supporting self-reliance and environmental stewardship. The design integrates a compact 25m living area with hydroponic systems for local food production and a prefabricated structure for ease of transport and assembly. Rainwater harvesting, renewable energy from solar panels, and efficient greywater management support off-grid living. Supplemental terraces and shared communal spaces promote interaction and resource sharing. By occupying underutilized urban and suburban spaces, Series.GreenHouse offers an affordable housing alternative, fostering local resilience through sustainable architecture and reducing dependency on external resources.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Kingspan Compliment Award - 5,000 EURTitle: MeshAuthors: Alessandro Carlodalatri and Francesco Cavaterra, from ItalyMESH is a modular housing system designed around the aggregation of triangular units, creating a flexible 25m living module. The adaptable structure can be configured for various uses and expanded to suit different contexts, from rural landscapes to urban environments. The module is optimized for two occupants, featuring a central entrance dividing the sleeping and living areas, a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and technical utilities. Constructed with Kingspan panels, the envelope offers customizable finishes, ensuring thermal efficiency and aesthetic versatility. The integration of sustainable materials and off-grid systems, such as photovoltaic panels and rainwater collection, enables self-sufficient living. MESH's scalable design allows it to evolve into larger configurations, encouraging communal living while maintaining an efficient and eco-friendly footprint.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The Kingspan MICROHOME 2025 Competition is your opportunity to redefine compact living, gain global recognition, and contribute to the future of sustainable housing.Visit the competition page to register before the deadline on 13 February 2025.