Tom Russell, 40, got in shape while maintaining his busy social and work calendar.He lost 17 pounds by strength training and focusing on eating protein.He didn't cut out alcohol, but drank less to help him lose weight.Tom Russell, a director in the hospitality industry, has a grueling schedule. When he spoke to Business Insider from New York City, he was about to head back to London before setting off to Tokyo the week after.He's also in the best shape of his life.Russell used to work out but his sessions weren't structured or efficient. After teaming up two years ago with personal trainer Harry Cox, who runs London's private gym Club Q, Russell dropped 17 pounds over 18 months.He built strength and maintained his busy social life and career including lots of networking drinks."I look after teams in Asia as well as right through to the west coast of America. So my day can start relatively early and then it can run pretty late," Russell said.He and Cox told BI how focusing on strength training, planning ahead, mindset, and a high-protein diet helped Russell change his approach to health and fitness and his physique. Tom Russell before working with Harry Cox (left) and 18 months in. Club Q Planning aheadIn an average month, Russell spends two to three weeks abroad, he said. This can make sticking to a regular workout schedule challenging.However, Cox showed Russell how he could still get results.Every Sunday, Cox checks in with Russell and asks about his plans for the week ahead. Cox then Googles the gyms Russell will be able to access and plans workouts accordingly."It's hard enough for him to find the hour a day to get it done, but he doesn't want to have another hour on top of that figuring out how to do it," Cox said.Russell has essentially outsourced one element of his life."He likes the mental freedom of just having to wake up, check his phone, know exactly what he needs to do, and doing it. Then he can get back to all the other things inside his head," Cox said.Focusing on strength training and steps Russell did strength training to build muscle, lose fat, and improve his health. Club Q For the past two years, Russell has done at least four strength training workouts a week, ideally including one with Cox.Russell's main motivation was dropping fat and building muscle so he mainly does bodybuilding-style training, but Cox keeps longevity in mind too."My responsibility as a trainer is to make sure he doesn't get injured and his body's still healthy," Cox said. So, when Russell is feeling particularly tired or has a more taxing week, Cox doesn't program exercises like deadlifts which fatigue the body."Having a high-performing job, one can't dedicate one's whole life to the gym," Cox said. "So it was important to me that he was also able to maintain good energy levels throughout the day. He was not going into the gym and absolutely battering himself."With little free time, Russell didn't do cardio workouts, as strength training was a more efficient way to achieve his physique goals. But he tracked his steps and made sure he was walking plenty for his overall health (and calorie burn).Controlling the controllableEntertaining is a big part of Russell's life so it's impossible for him to control or track everything he eats and drinks.With that in mind, Cox encouraged him to "control the controllable" and make smart choices the rest of the time.In practice, that meant lower-calorie, high-protein meals for breakfast (Weetabix, a banana, and a protein shake), lunch (chicken salad), and healthy home-cooked dinners including plenty of protein and vegetables when he was eating in.At events, Russell didn't worry too much about what he ate and drank, but tried to choose lean meats such as chicken breast and fillet steak, as well as white fish.Cutting down on, not quitting, alcohol Tom Russell maintained his healthy lifestyle despite traveling and socializing. Club Q Russell feels working in hospitality comes with certain expectations, including drinking at his company's events."We need people to drink alcohol, it's a huge part of our business," he said.Russell also enjoys alcohol, so didn't cut it out.Cox encouraged him to reduce from drinking five or six evenings a week, to two or three. When he was drinking, he stopped after a couple and also prioritized lighter options like wine over beer. While beer typically contains around 200 calories per serving, a small glass of white wine contains around half that.Understanding the calorie content of alcohol helped Russell realize that he wanted to hit his goals more than he wanted to drink a whole bottle of wine."If I'm going to eat X amount of calories through food, then I'm going to go and lob on another 500 calories through alcohol, then I'm never going to start losing weight," he said. "And it just kind of put it all into perspective."Having the right mindset and being disciplinedWhen Russell first approached Cox, he felt ready to make a change. He'd been shocked by his body in vacation photos and decided that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he was going to take action.But Russell knew he didn't want to do anything drastic or punishing that he could only stick to short-term."I'm still doing this job and I'm still being social, I'm still having people over and we're still going out," he said.That said, he has put the work in."You have to go into it with the right mindset, with discipline," Russell said. "You say the word 'discipline' and everyone sort of shivers and runs away, but discipline doesn't have to be bad."He added: "It's not a negative thing. If anything, it actually just gives you some structure so that you know when you want to enjoy yourself and have a good time, you can do it."

My son was arrested, and I was struggling to understand how I could support him.I decided to let him face the consequences on his own while I wrote him a letter of support.I'm glad I took a step back because it was a turning point in my own growth.I'm not sure any parent is prepared for the jarring phone call that their child has been arrested; I certainly wasn't.When my son, Johnathan, was in high school, he began experimenting with drugs and pushing every boundary. At the same time, I was drowning in my own struggles. After both of my parents died, grief and depression left me physically present but emotionally distant in ways I didn't fully realize.Looking back, I see that Johnathan needed more than I could give. I wasn't absent but wasn't present in the way he needed; I was barely holding myself together.Then came the call I never expected: My son was in legal trouble, and I had to step up as a parent in a whole new way.I had to decide how to support my son without oversteppingWhen I was first facing my son's arrest for possession of marijuana, my sisters were quick to ask how I planned to "fix this" for my son. I, of course, wanted to wipe the slate clean, but I had no control over the legal system. This wasn't going to go away.The truth was, I had no idea how to fix anything for him or myself.This incident happened after Johnathan had graduated from high school and moved out; I had just begun to surface from my own grief, thanks to a therapist I deeply trusted. But I was still struggling and didn't know how to handle this huge event.However, in a session with my therapist, I suddenly realized what I needed to do: I needed to support my son, but he needed to face the consequences on his own. He got himself into this mess, and he was going to get himself out.My therapist was moved. Over the years, she had watched me struggle with codependency, working to support others in a way that was healthy and didn't cross my boundaries. It was a turning point for me, especially in my parenting.Still, showing up for my son was the most importantSince I couldn't influence his legal situation, I did what I could: I wrote him a letter. I wanted Johnathan to know how deeply I felt his pain; when he hurts, I hurt. I encouraged him to lean on faith and surrender to the situation, even though I knew it felt impossible. I reminded him of our shared belief that "everything happens for a reason" something we believed so strongly we even had it tattooed.I reassured him of his worth and his accomplishments, especially his success in sales. I highlighted his strong work ethic and the respect he'd earned from colleagues and managers. I listed the qualities that made him stand out: his leadership, communication skills, reliability, and the trust he fostered with people.I ended the letter with an unshakable truth: I love him no matter what. He could never do anything to make me love him less. I wanted him to know I would always be there for him in every way possible.I believe I did the right thing for my sonWhile it took me some time to enforce boundaries, Johnathan and I have always had great communication skills. Like many challenges we've faced, our ability to communicate, see each other's hearts, and respect each other's outcomes enabled us to move past this issue with grace. He did face the legal issues head-on, and I took a step back but supported him nonetheless.Thankfully, it all worked out. Johnathan is now happily partnered with a wonderful woman, and they're building a life together in California. Letting go of control helped both Johnathan and me. It taught me that real love isn't about shielding children from mistakes but walking beside them as they learn.

Were less than two months into the second Trump administration, but one thing is clear: President Donald Trump would very much like to be unbound by the Constitution.A whole range of Trumps early actions, from his attempt to roll back birthright citizenship, to his attempt to freeze a whole range of federal spending, to his attempt to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), are just blatantly unconstitutional. The Constitution explicitly states that people born in the US are citizens, with narrow exceptions that do not apply to Trumps attempt to roll back birthright citizenship. Similarly, Congress, and not the president, gets to decide how the United States spends its money.Thus far, the courts have not been particularly tolerant of Trumps unconstitutional actions.Indeed, Trumps attempts to subvert the Constitution have been so frequent and so unapologetic, that many scholars are already labeling the situation a constitutional crisis a situation in which the Constitution either fails to work as designed or is simply ignored by those in power. If the United States is actually in a crisis it so far has been a managed one. Thus far, the Trump administration has complied with court orders blocking many of its unconstitutional actions. Some members of the administration, most notably Vice President JD Vance, have suggested that Trump should simply ignore these orders and behave as if he is unbound by law. But, for the moment, the Trump administration is not openly defying any of the orders against it.This tenuous moment could escalate into a full-blown constitutional crisis at any moment, however. And it could get there in one of two ways.The first is if Trump actually did openly defy a court order insisting that he must comply with the Constitution. If that were to occur, the only lawful mechanism remaining to control his behavior would be impeachment. And, when you consider the fact that the Senate couldnt find the required 67 votes to disqualify him from office in 2021 after he incited a mob to attack the US Capitol, a successful impeachment seems highly unlikely.The second possibility is even worse: if the courts, and, especially, the Supreme Court, choose to be complicit in Trumps attacks on the Constitution.Its not hard to imagine the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 Republican supermajority, deciding to cast its lot with the leader of the Republican Party. Just last July, the Republican justices ruled that Trump is immune from prosecution for nearly all crimes he commits using his official powers as president. Worse, much of that opinion argued that Trump cannot face consequences even if he orders the Justice Department to target his political rivals. So the Republican justices have already preemptively given Trump permission to use state power in a manner thats inconsistent with the rule of law.If the justices were to uphold some of Trumps unconstitutional actions, such as his attack on birthright citizenship or his attempt to impound federal funds he does not want to spend, that would grant a patina of legitimacy to those actions. And it would likely give Trumps allies in Congress another excuse to continue backing the president.It remains to be seen whether Trump or his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court will decide to trigger the kind of crisis that would result if he openly defies the courts, or if the courts decide to place loyalty to the Republican Party over loyalty to the Constitution. For the moment, all we can do is wait and see if that crisis arrives.This piece originally ran in the Today, Explained newsletter. For more stories like this, sign up here.See More:

The first time I heard about AI agents, I thought they could monitor your computer use, anticipate your needs, and manipulate your behavior accordingly. This wasnt entirely off base. There is a dystopic future about what AI technology could enable that experts issue regular warnings about. Theres also the present reality of agentic AI, which is here and clumsier than you would have guessed.Last month, OpenAI released something called Operator. Its what experts would call an AI agent, meaning a version of AI technology that can not only recall information and generate content, like ChatGPT, but can also actually do things. In the case of Operator, the AI can use a web browser to do anything from buying your groceries to updating your LinkedIn profile. At least in theory. Operator is also currently a research preview thats only available to ChatGPT Pro users, who pay $200 a month for the privilege.The reality is that, in its current form, Operator is not great at doing things. Ive spent a week using it and, if Im being honest, am happy to report that Operator is slow, makes mistakes, and constantly asks for help. Far from the frightening digital bermensch I once feared, what appears to be the state-of-the-art for a consumer-grade AI agent is impressive yet unintimidating. If you ask it to find you a road bike in your size thats on sale and nearby, it can do it. Give it the right amount of context and constraints, and Operator truly works. But if I put in the time myself, I could still find a better bike. Im very optimistic about using AI as sort of a dumb assistant, in that I dont want it to make decisions for me, Aditi Raghunathan, an assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. I dont trust it to do things better than me.The basic concept of an AI agent is simultaneously alluring and horrific. Who wouldnt want an AI to handle mundane computer chores? But if the AI can use a computer to do boring things, you have to imagine it can do scary things, too. For now, for people like you and me, scary things include buying expensive eggs or briefly screwing up your presence on the worlds largest network for professionals. For the economy as a whole, well, it depends on how much we trust AI and how much freedom we give it to operate unchecked.Global leaders gathered for the Paris AI Action Summit this week to discuss the future of the technology. Past summits in Bletchley Park, famous for its code-breaking computer used in World War II, and Seoul focused on AI safety, including the kinds of regulations governments should adopt in order to keep AI in check. But this meeting seemed to highlight a growing sense of competition between global powers, namely the US and China, to win the AI arms race. JD Vance was in attendance and said, The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety. So now Im feeling a little nervous. While OpenAIs entry into the AI agent space currently feels like a parlor trick, I have to wonder what the industrys endgame is here. AI could usher in a friendly future of digital assistants who make our lives easier without any negative consequences. Or it could finally realize the paperclip scenario, in which we give AI free rein to solve one problem, like making paperclips, and it diverts all global resources toward that problem, destroying humanity in the process. The future will almost certainly be something in between the best- and worst-case scenarios. In any case, plenty of experts say fully autonomous agents should never be invented. I have to say, if the AI agents of the future are as clumsy as Operator is right now, Im not too worried.AI agents for the rest of usWhether you like it or not, the next wave of AI technology will involve computers using computers. Its already happening. In the big agriculture industry, for example, farmers are already handing over the keys to their John Deere tractors to AI-powered software that can work through the night. Others, like the global development nonprofit Digital Green, are giving farmers in developing countries access to Operator so that it can lower costs and improve crop yields.A farmer can take a picture of a crop, and they can determine the crop is not doing well because of a bug, or it can check the weather to see if its weather-related, said Kevin Barenblat, co-founder and president of Fast Forward, a tech nonprofit accelerator that supports Digital Green. Giving the agent more flexibility to figure out what the problem is really helpful for people when theyre trying to solve problems.Another arresting example of AI agents in action is also a pretty boring one, which tells you something about how this technology can be most useful. Rekki, a startup in London, recently told Bloomberg that it sells access to AI agents that are trained to help restaurants and their suppliers streamline inventory management. A restaurant, for instance, could give the chatbot a long list of ingredients it uses and make sure everything is ordered on time. It works well enough that some companies are cutting staff and paying for the software instead.RelatedOpenAIs new anti-jobs programEnter AI-curious consumers, like me, with problems to solve. If you pay the $200 a month for access, you can gain access to a user-friendly version of Operator that looks and acts a lot like ChatGPT. While it currently works as a separate app on ChatGPTs website, OpenAI ultimately plans to integrate Operator into ChatGPT for a seamless experience. Interacting with Operator is already a lot like using ChatGPT: You get Operator to do tasks by typing prompts into a familiar-looking empty box. Then things get interesting. Operator opens up a tiny browser window and starts doing the task. You can watch it try and fail in real-time.A couple of things Operator successfully did for me: It bought me a new vacuum, and it initiated an exchange for a mattress I bought online. In both cases, however, I essentially did the heavy lifting. Operator cant currently log into websites on your behalf, solve CAPTCHAs, or enter credit card information. So when I was purchasing the vacuum, Operator got as far as finding the product listing, but I pretty much did everything after that. In the customer service example, Operator found the right form, but I filled it out and then the whole transaction moved over to email, where Operator had no jurisdiction.These seemingly innocuous tasks are exactly the kind of thing that OpenAI wants Operator to do right now. It actually serves up suggestions under that prompt box for things like making restaurant reservations, booking plane tickets, and ordering an Uber. If you consider youre not actually handing over your credit card to the AI, getting Operator to do your shopping sounds like a good idea. It will compare prices for you and that part requires little supervision. In one instance, Operator even flagged a potentially fraudulent website selling a Dyson vacuum for $50. But you can also imagine a future in which fraudsters know the AIs weaknesses and exploit them.In its current form, Operator amounts to a painfully slow way to use Google or rather Bing, thanks to OpenAIs partnership with Microsoft. It can do tasks for you while youre doing something else, but like ChatGPT before it, you always have to check Operators work. I asked it to find me the cheapest flights for a weekend visit to my moms house in Tennessee, and it returned a two-week-long itinerary that cost double what Id expect to pay. When I explained the error, Operator did it again but worse.Operator is, in many ways, a mirage. It looks like a proof-of-concept that AI can not just generate text and images but actually perform tasks autonomously, making your life effortless in the process. But the more you ask the agent to do, the more agency it requires. This is a big conundrum for the future of AI development. When you put guardrails on tools not letting Operator go wild with your credit card, for instance you constrain its utility. If you give it more power to make decisions and operate independently, it may be more useful but also more dangerous.Which brings us back to the paperclip problem. First popularized by philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2003, the paperclip scenario imagines giving a superintelligent AI the task of manufacturing paperclips, and the freedom to do so unchecked. It doesnt end well for humans, which is a stark reminder that responsible AI development is not just about preventing an AI from using your credit card without permission. The stakes are much higher.One of the most high-risk scenarios would be AI agents deployed to accelerate biological weapons development, said Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University. A committed, nefarious actor could already develop bioweapons, but AI lowers the barriers and removes the need for technical expertise.This sort of thing is what global leaders were discussing in Paris this week. The consensus from the AI Summit, however, was not encouraging, if you care about the future of the human race. Vice President Vance called for unparalleled R&D investments into AI and called for international regulatory regimes that fosters the creation of AI technology rather than strangles it. This reflects the same anti-guardrail principles that were in the executive order President Trump signed in January revoking President Joe Bidens plan for safe and responsible AI development. For the Trump administration, at least, the goal for AI development seems to be growth and dominance at all costs. But its not clear that the companies developing this technology, including OpenAI, feel the same way. Many of the limitations I found in Operator, for instance, were imposed by its creators. The AI agents slow-moving, second-guessing nature made it less useful but also more approachable and safe.Operator is very clearly an experiment. Its telling that OpenAI rolled it out for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who are clearly enthusiastic enough and bullish enough about AI that theyre willing to spend a four-figure sum annually to access the latest features. Based on their feedback, OpenAI will undoubtedly release a tweaked and improved version and then iterate again. In a couple of years, when the kinks are worked out, maybe well know how scared we should be about a future powered by AI agents.A version of this story was also published in the Vox Technology newsletter. 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It is said that every 100 years, a small fishing village on the southern coast of an unknown fantasy realm holds a magical artisanal cheese festival. As an adventurer and fan of ethically produced dairy products, you are determined to attend the fabled event, arriving at the dock on a small boat with only a few gold coins and a dream. This is the backdrop to the worst role-playing adventure I have ever experienced and, entirely coincidentally, the only one I have ever designed.The game creation package RPG Maker has been around since 1992, the first version launching on the Japanese PC-98 computer. Since then, development has been passed from veteran software publisher ASCII to Enterbrain and then Chiyoda-based Gotcha Gotcha Games, and dozens of instalments have appeared. Although it has become increasingly complex over the years, RPG Maker remains a remarkably intuitive way to make adventure games with no development experience at all.The package comes with thousands of pre-made maps, buildings, characters and items, which creators can use and modify; but you can also start from scratch, crafting your own assets to make unique games. Your projects can be shared with the RPG Maker community and several acclaimed indie games have been built with the program, including To The Moon, Corpse Party and Omori. I can tell you that Artisan Cheese Quest will not be joining them.An exclusive screenshot of Artisan Cheese Quest on RPG Maker. Photograph: NIS AmericaTo be fair, the game only took me and my 19-year-old son Zac about two hours to make, using the PlayStation 5 version of RPG Maker (launching on 21 February). At first we chose the Swamp location from the huge variety of pre-made maps, which mostly offer traditional fantasy and sci-fi options. Then we selected a character a cute little anime-style warrior. From here you start the actual process of making a game that offers challenging things to do. Everything that takes place in the world is called an Event, and to create one you need to construct a set of conditions using a very simple visual programming language.If youve ever tried Scratch, the popular coding tool used in schools throughout the world, youll be right at home. Say you want to hide a magic key in a treasure chest: you place the chest on the map, then use the menu system to place a key inside it. Add a locked door then place a condition on that door: if the player has the key, the door opens, if they dont, they get a fail message.With the same system, you can add branching dialogue with characters, plan enemy patrol paths and eventually craft a combat system everything is controlled via a series of if/then commands. During lockdown, Zac and I used Scratch to make a very simple maze game where you guided a mouse towards a block of cheese, so we decided to stick with our established game design expertise here. We built a tavern, attached the tavern interior to a building on the main landscape map, added characters to provide hints and hid an artisan cheese festival pass in a treasure chest on a small island. We didnt use any original assets but we did write all the dialogue and the story i.e. find the pass, open the tavern door, eat cheese. Please keep us in mind for this years Bafta games award for best narrative.RPG Maker on PlayStation 5. Photograph: NIS AmericaMost importantly, the process was enormous fun. Youre able to select background music and sound effects, and going for wildly inappropriate options had us crying with laughter: we put very dramatic combat music in the most innocuous areas; our treasure chest screamed when you opened it; villagers randomly barked and growled. And however basic the final result is, you still get that thrill at having made something that functions and looks a lot like an actual game. As you get used to the system, your ambitions grow: we later added a zombie who wanders around the map complaining about his lactose intolerance.Im not going to lie although the system is intuitive, it gets extremely demanding when you start thinking about creating multi-stage boss encounters or designing a levelling up system for your character. If youre not used to working with lengthy routines and sub-routines and game mechanics that all mess with each other, youve a long road ahead. True, any time we werent sure how to make something work, the games online community helped: there are hundreds of videos on YouTube and lots of helpful people on Reddit. But I feel were some way from making anything even slightly resembling a commercial game.Perhaps at some point in the future, Artisan Cheese Quest will be one of the finest fromage-based fantasy role-playing adventures available on PlayStation 5. For now, were just going to keep adding stupid sound effects until it stops being funny. Honestly, dont hold your breath.

GTA 6 may not have a release date, but Leslie Benzies, formerly of Rockstar Games, is preparing his studio's first title MindsEye for launch this Summer here's what you need to knowTech11:52, 13 Feb 2025MindsEye definitely gives off GTA vibesTake-Two Interactive recently confirmed that GTA 6 is launching in Fall 2025, and while last night's State of Play gave us a Borderlands 4 release date which narrowed that window somewhat, another title arguably stole the show.With Grand Theft Auto 6 absent once again, it was a former Rockstar developer who made an appearance instead. Leslie Benzies, who was the lead developer on GTA for GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA 4 and GTA 5 (including GTA Online) finally showed off gameplay from MindsEye.The game, which marks the debut of Build a Rocket Boy Games, looks a lot like a near-future GTA, with car chases and weapon-based combat, but one question remains.The trailer above is certainly action-packed, flitting from wartime scenes to futuristic technology and what looks like an open-world city to explore.The footage, which is all captured in-game, looks incredible (almost like Grand Theft Automaton), but fans are curious about where this leaves Everywhere.The ambitious project, which would serve as a place to build games and play them, was originally tied into MindsEye when it was first announced, but given this now appears to be a standalone title published by IO Interactive (of Hitman fame), that may not be the case anymore.MindsEye has more of a sci-fi side to it than GTA"Play as Jacob Diaz, a former elite soldier fitted with The MindsEye, a mysterious neural implant that haunts him with fragmented memories of a covert mission that changed his life forever," a press release from the studio explains."Fight to uncover the truth in a world where AI, high-tech experimentation, and unchecked military power shape every encounter. Jacob isnt the only one searching for answers, forces working from the shadows may be more powerful and dangerous than he ever imagined."Get ready for intense combat - on foot, behind the wheel, and in the air - where every decision can mean the difference between survival and defeat."The press release also mentions that tactics and using the environment will play a key part in "third-person shooter encounters".Today's State of Play also revealed the release date for the Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater remake (which leaked earlier), underlining how massive 2025 is for games and that's before we consider the Switch 2.For more on GTA 6, be sure to check out the fans getting their excuses for missing work on the release date, as well as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick hinting at an eventual PC release.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will get a full reveal on April 2, but with each passing week fresh leaks emerge about the console's price point, with Costco the latest to suggest a figureTech10:33, 13 Feb 2025It seems unlikely the Switch 2 will be cheaper than its predecessorWe love the Nintendo Switch, but there's a reason the Switch 2 is one of the most-anticipated gaming releases in 2025 we've been waiting years.While the company has already shown off the hardware, we're still waiting to hear about the console's price and release date, but we've had leaks about each, as well as those all-important launch games.Now, another retailer has put a figure on the Switch 2, with Costco suggesting the console will retail at $499.99 CAD (that works out at around 280) as per an apparent Costco employee on Famiboards.The console's price should be revealed on April 2We know that sounds almost too good to be true, and it probably is (sadly). While we've previously heard that the Switch 2 will be cheaper than expected (and priced lower than its rivals), it's unlikely to be priced drastically lower than the original Switch is.Considering the Switch OLED is selling for $450 CAD at present, would the company really position the new system just $50 CAD higher, risking a situation where the upgrade isn't entirely obvious?Nintendo has previously expressed an interest in making the system easier to get hold of than the first Switch, pointing to "affordability" as its goal while also aiming to tackle pesky scalpers.In an investor meeting earlier this month, Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo's president, had the following to say:"We are aware that, in addition to how inflation is currently proceeding, the exchange rate environment has also changed significantly since around the time we launched Nintendo Switch in 2017."We also need to consider the price range that consumers expect for Nintendo products. We think a multifaceted consideration of these factors is needed when deciding on the price of a product. I cannot tell you a specific price for Nintendo Switch 2 at this time, but we are taking various factors into account.Article continues below"Currently, there are no plans to change the pricing of Nintendo Switch hardware."For more on the Nintendo Switch 2, check out a former employee's suggestion that Nintendo has more surprises in store, and GTA 6 publisher Take-Two's comments on the console.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

To quote Homer Simpson, The lesson is never try (Sony)Despite so few first party exclusives in 2024, the PlayStation 5 has had a very successful Christmas, and is now performing almost as well as the PlayStation 4 did.Considering Sony only managed to release two new PlayStation 5 exclusives from its own gaming studios in 2024 (and one of them isnt even playable anymore), youd be forgiven for assuming the console might be struggling at the moment.And yet that couldnt be further from the truth. At the same time as EA and Take-Two have shared their financial results, Sony has announced their third quarter earnings, which cover the months of October 2024 to December 2024.It turns out it was their most successful Christmas period in the PlayStation 5s whole lifecycle, even though no major console exclusives launched during that time. (Alas, Astro Bot didnt sell nearly as well as it reviewed and it was released in early September.)Altogether, 9.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles were sold during those three months, which is 16% more than the 8.2 million sold in the same period in 2023.Thats especially impressive when you remember that Sony had Insomniacs Spider-Man 2 in 2023, to help push PlayStation 5 sales ahead of Christmas.For the last three months of 2024, Sony had to rely almost entirely on third party support, with its only exclusives being the Until Dawn remake and the Horizon Zero Dawn remaster, both of which also launched on PC.This brings the PlayStation 5s total lifetime sales up to 75 million. That includes sales of the more powerful (and more expensive) PS5 Pro, which launched last year although Sony hasnt specified exactly how many PS5 Pros its sold.While its nowhere close to matching the PlayStation 4s lifetime sales (which were last recorded to be at 117.2 million), the PlayStation 5 is on track to catch up. At this point in the PlayStation 4s life, it had sold 76.6 million units, so the two are almost neck and neck. Could the PlayStation 5 eventually reach the 117 million sales mark? (Sony/ResetEra)Sony adds that of all the people who purchased a PlayStation 5 during those three months, 42% of them were brand new PlayStation users, as evidenced by them creating fresh PlayStation Network accounts.Its not clear who these people are, but a sizeable proportion are likely to include disgruntled Xbox owners, given the collapse in hardware sales of Microsofts format.All in all, its a very impressive showing for Sony and far better than its rivals. Nintendos holiday period was perfectly solid, but the company did admit Nintendo Switch sales were flagging faster than expected. Although thats hardly surprising after eight years and with a successor on the horizon.While this is all good news for Sony, it does risk discouraging the company from making any new efforts with its own internally developed games. For as much as some fans joke about how the PlayStation 5 doesnt have any games (meaning first party exclusives), that clearly hasnt deterred customers from buying one.More TrendingThere are a lot of cool third party titles on the way, as evidenced by last nights State of Play, but as far as exclusives go? Only Ghost Of Ytei is on the 2025 release schedule (Death Stranding 2 is made by an external company), with Returnal successor Saros not out till 2026.Insomniacs Wolverine and various live service games remain no-shows, and the recent cancellation of live service games at Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio point to Sony frantically walking back its commitment to such projects.So while more hardcore fans may criticise Sony for taking its foot off the pedal, in terms of releasing the kind of big name exclusives that seemed to make the PlayStation 4 a success, that hasnt affected their sales at all.In fact, because sales have increased on last year, instead of continuing to decline, it may even pause plans for the PlayStation 6 which Sony may now consider not quite so urgent. We wonder how many of those new users had always planned to get a PlayStation 5 but couldnt acquire one yet (Sony/ResetEra)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

Beaufort Residential Tower / Orange ArchitectsSave this picture! Sebastian van DammeArchitects: Orange ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:4400 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Sebastian van Damme Lead Architects: Jeroen Schipper, Julija Osipenko, Rik Meijer More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. This design for a sculptural tower of stacked forest villas, named Beaufort, is located on the edge of a forested area in the middle of the country. The building contains 19 spacious apartments offering panoramic views of the forested surroundings. The tower is part of a plan to restructure the Kerckebosch neighborhood in Zeist and is the last in a series of new apartment buildings in one of the green wedges on the edge of the forest.Save this picture!The green and wooded area and sandy soil provided the immediate inspiration for the design of the residential tower. The concept and material elaboration of the tower are based on the themes of 'sand', 'tree trunk', and 'leaf'. Stacking these themes as layers on top of one another generated the design. Like this the tower reads as an irregular stack of balconies and parapets, weaving them in a natural way into the wooded setting. At the same time, it is a landmark that indicates the entrance to Kerckebosch. The building is rooted in its green setting. Accessible via a gently sloping forest path, the entrance is located where the angled facade folds inwards to create an invitingly designed opening. Immediately inside, visitors enter a double-height hall with views of the surroundings and the centrally positioned core, containing the lifts and staircases to the apartments.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The tower looks sculptural, but it is also composed within a rational grid, with a supporting structure made up of the core and the columns set into the facade. This structure extends into the half-sunken car park, where the storage units of the apartments are also located. The building contains 10 floors above ground, with two L-shaped apartments arranged symmetrically on each floor, which are rotated 90 degrees with respect to the floor below. The exception within this configuration is the top floor, containing a penthouse with a 360-degree view of the surroundings. The apartments feature spacious outdoor spaces on all sides. The alternate floor slabs extending outwards create 'outdoor rooms' at strategic points. Here, the border between inside and outside seems to blur, allowing the wooded surroundings to become part of the living experience on this remarkable site. Because the apartments on each floor are mirrored, the outdoor spaces on each level are positioned differently. The theme of 'sand' encompasses the balcony parapets and terraces. Outdoor ceilings are designed as part of the 'leaf' theme, taking the form of an informal green finish on all the lower sides of balconies and cantilevered surfaces. Finally, the supporting columns and Frake timber faade cladding are elaborated as part of the 'tree trunk' theme.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The nature-inclusive landscape design surrounding the building aims to preserve and enhance the existing biodiversity and qualities of the natural environment. By planting a rich variety of local vegetation species on the semi-underground parking garage, the forest extends to the facades of the building. Besides the planting, various other design solutions have been implemented to make the parking garage disappear into the landscape; the use of turf bio-blocks for cladding the retaining walls, open paving for the parking spaces, and tree trunks as retaining structures. Rainwater collected from the roof and terraces is directed to the nearby swales.Save this picture!The building itself is designed with changing needs, sustainable material use, and efficient energy consumption in mind. The column structure of the building provides flexibility and adaptability for future use. Sustainable Frak wood cladding and very thin prefabricated GRC panels are easily demountable and reusable facade elements. A collective geothermal heat pump system, with ground loops for heating and cooling, solar panels on the roof, triple glazing, external sun shading, and ventilation with heat recovery ensures a sustainable energy concept that amply meets 'Nearly Zero Energy Building' (NZEB) standards. From the entrance of the apartment complex to the outdoor spaces of the apartments, all floors are threshold-free, ensuring optimal accessibility for all age groups and people with mobility impairments. Enormous panoramic windows and very generous balconies offer soothing views and a connection with nature.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Zeist, The NetherlandsLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeOrange ArchitectsOfficeMaterialsWoodConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on February 13, 2025Cite: "Beaufort Residential Tower / Orange Architects" 13 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026323/beaufort-residential-tower-orange-architects&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

Make It New: Exhibition in London Explores Sir John Soane's Modernist Influence Through Unseen DrawingsSave this picture!"Soane and Modernism: Make It New" Exhibition. Image Gareth Gardner"Soane and Modernism: Make it New" brings together architectural drawings from Sir John Soane's extensive collection in dialogue with works by renowned modernist figures, including Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Adolf Loos, and Ern Goldfinger. Curated by Dr. Erin McKellar, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions at Sir John Soane's Museum, the exhibition highlights the presence of 20th-century modern architectural design ideals in the work of 19th-century architect Sir John Soane. The selection of works is based on the idea that Soane's designs can be considered a precursor to many architectural principles adopted in the twentieth century.Save this picture!Sir John Soane, born in 1753, was a British architect of the Regency era, a Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, and a dedicated collector of paintings, sculptures, architectural fragments and models, books, drawings, and furniture. He is recognized for his use of light in architectural design and his experimental approach to classical precepts. As stated in the exhibition, Soane reimagined the architectural traditions of his time, favoring a minimalist aesthetic over excessive ornamentation and replacing rigid spatial arrangements with interconnected or open-plan spaces. Approach captured in his manual drawings, that can be analyzed and appreciated today.Save this picture!Beyond his architectural projects, Soane's legacy also includes the properties that today house the museum, designated a British National Museum in the early nineteenth century. The historical arrangement of its interiors and collected objects has been reliably preserved until today. At the time of Soane's death in 1837, his comprehensive collection of architectural drawings comprised around 30,000 works. Due to their fragility and preservation requirements, some are rarely displayed to the public, including selected drawings featured in this exhibition. Related Article Hanif Kara of AKT II Receives 2024 Soane Medal for Pioneering Engineering and Architectural Innovation 'Make it new', a slogan widely attributed to American poet Ezra Pound, became the rallying cry of modernists, as they sought to create art and architecture that were appropriate to a changing world. This exhibition uses 'Make it new' as a lens through which to examine how Soane's own designs were visionary when they were made. The show invites visitors to learn about Soane anew and notice the most innovative aspects of his architecture. - Dr Erin McKellar, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions at Sir John Soane's Museum Save this picture!Save this picture!Structured around core modernist architectural ideals such as light and modularity, Soane and Modernism highlights the characteristics shared by Soane and the architects who followed him. His distinctive use of light is compared to Le Corbusier's daylighting systems in the Chandigarh Museum, while his approach to materials and textures is paralleled with Frank Lloyd Wright's method of combining natural materials. These connections are made possible through a collaboration with Drawing Matter and the professionals at Drawing Matter Trust, who have lent part of their collection for this exhibition.Save this picture!The exhibition also examines two more recent case studies that share affinities with Soane's work: lvaro Siza's Boua Social Housing in Porto, Portugal, and Tony Fretton's Lisson Gallery in London. It will be on display at Sir John Soane's Museum in London from February 12 to May 18, 2025, Wednesday to Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM, with free entry. Remote access to Soane's legacy is also available through the book Architectural Drawings: Hidden Masterpieces from Sir John Soane's Museum by Frances Sands, as well as through a digital version of some of the museum's chambers in a virtual tour.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Antonia Pieiro. "Make It New: Exhibition in London Explores Sir John Soane's Modernist Influence Through Unseen Drawings" 13 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026897/make-it-new-exhibition-in-london-explores-sir-john-soanes-modernist-influence-through-unseen-drawings&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