The Nintendo Switch is celebrating its eighth birthday, which means that so is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. What else is there to say? Theyre two peas in a pod. Whether talking about the console or the game, both have proven to be adaptable to different play styles for millions of players, whether youre a new or veteran gamer, and whether youre on-the-go, or in front of your TV. But, unlike the hybrid console, Breath of the Wild has always been good at hiding its age.A key age-defying component is that there are next to no rules in Breath of the Wild. For instance, the game wont stop you from confronting the final boss right from the beginning. Its an emergent gameplay machine that, at times, turns a family-friendly adventure into a a pretty deep immersive sim, letting you have total control of its mechanics and physics so that every encounter is as fresh and chaotic as you want it to be. Its music adaptively gets calmer or more frantic to better match the scenario. Nintendo figured out how to stuff so much into this game without it exploding at the seams, yet its user interface is as unobtrusive as they come in an open-world game.Despite being outshined in terms of features and traversal methods by its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, lets agree on what we all know is true, deep down: Breath of the Wild is the better game. Tears of the Kingdom is the result of a 6-year-long game jam on Breath of the Wilds core features that add in many more variables to the gameplay loop. Many of those additions are excellent (fusing items with weapons, ascending through structures), and Im grateful that it exists, and that the ancient Switch could even run it. This isnt about comparing siblings, though. I love you both!Speaking of siblings, or whatever the correct analogy might be, this is the Nintendo Switchs last birthday before its successor, the Switch 2, hits shelves later in 2025. From what we know to be true about the Switch 2, as well as what we have hunches about, its definitely a Tears of the Kingdom-level upgrade in terms of new features, so to speak. Its building off the Switchs fundamental features in some profound ways, yet it wouldnt exist if not for the incredible foundation that the Switch has laid over the past 8 years, thanks in large part to Breath of the Wild.

More groups, more variants, and higher ransom demands made 2024 a record year for ransomware.

The company conducted a marketing study to test the waters, but it could go either way.

Asian tech stocks were also under pressure from the 8.69% fall in artificial intelligence darling Nvidia's shares overnight.

How Framestore tackled fresh shooting methodologies for Paddington in Peru, while drawing on its rich history in character animation. An excerpt from befores & afters magazine.When Framestore embarked on its third Paddington filmDougal Wilsons Paddington in Peruthe visual effects studio did so with significant experience in crafting furry creature performances from the first two movies, and from a range of other projects such as the Guardians of the Galaxy films, His Dark Materials and Christopher Robin, among many others.Indeed, all the lessons Framestore had learnt over the years in creating such creatures would be drawn upon for Paddington in Peru, from animation, to fur grooming and simulation, and to rendering. Meanwhile, a significant change this time around was the setting. The earlier Paddington films were predominantly set in London and, accordingly, shot on London locations. Paddington in Peru was set, of course, in Peru, where Paddington and the Brown family head in search of a missing Aunt Lucy. However, it was not principally filmed in that country, as Framestore and production visual effects supervisor Alexis Wajsbrot explains.Some of the locations we wanted to go to were so remote that really only one guy could access the location after, say, six hours of crazy car and boat and train rides, that we decided very early on that we would shoot the principal photography with the actors in the UK at Sky Studios Elstree and at a couple of farms also in the UK. There were also plate shoots in Colombia and Peru, but the majority of the shoot was in the UK.This meant that, for exterior Peru scenes, the actors would largely be filmed on partial or bluescreen sets, and then composited into separately filmed background plates or digital environments. Looking to ensure the film remained as grounded as the first two Paddington movies, Wajsbrot says a concerted effort was made to integrate the foregrounds and backgrounds. We wanted to feel that the backgrounds were as real as possible, so we wanted to shoot as much as we could for the background in order to not feel like it was not a show with fully 3D backgrounds. Thus, a major location scout exercise was undertaken in pre-production, led by director Wilson and production designer Andy Kelly. They went to Peru and scouted loads of locations, says Wajsbrot, who worked with visual effects producer Nick King on the film. Another team scouted locations in Colombia. Then this fed prep work for storyboarding the whole movie and prevising and techvising, something Framestore Pre-Production Services (FPS) was a big part of.Wajsbrot identifies one particular sequence as a classic example of the shooting approach that Paddington in Peru took. This was for a scene of the Brown family on a boat on a river in the Peruvian jungle, as it encounters a series of rapids. The boat scenes were captured on a boat mock-up sitting on a motion base and filmed against bluescreen (the films special effects supervisor was Mark Holt). For that scene, not only did we do previs and techvis to know which speed the boat was going, we also used that to work out what height the camera would be when you are in the saloon or when you are above the deck. Then wed go shoot with a camera array in Colombia to give us flexibility for all the angles and heights. It gave us hours and hours of plate photography of the river, of backgrounds, of the beach and the rainforest.Previs.Plate.Final.Similarly, for scenes that take place at an Incan fort, production filmed plates at Machu Picchu (the tourist-heavy location meant that people would need to be painted out of the background plates). Moments that involved the characterswho were not filmed on locationrequired the building of partial sets, set-pieces or bluescreen setups in the UK that matched the background plates that had been shot.Furthermore, the many background plates went through a meticulous selects process. We came back from shooting in Colombia and Peru, recalls Wajsbrot. It was literally three weeks before we started main photography. The DOP Eric Wilson, Dougal and I locked ourselves in a room and we watched hours and hours and hours of footage of backgrounds. This was actually very hard because when you see a background, it can be anything. But, we had to select backgrounds because the process that we put in place with Eric was that we would pre-select all the backgrounds and then when we were shooting principal photography, not only could we live-comp the foreground with the background for immediate feedback on the camera angles, but also for making the lighting match.For those background platesto which Framestore would commonly be adding in a CG Paddington, in addition to other environmental or compositing worka classic balls and charts was also shot at the Peru or Colombia location. This was then replicated to some degree during principal photography, with Wajsbrot encouraging Wilson to shoot with a stand-in also holding a gray ball. It allowed the cinematographer to match the lighting in the real-time comp, and of course benefited the VFX teams later in post-production. Eric and I were able to look at the live-comp and make adjustments right away, perhaps tilting the camera up or down, says Wajsbrot. In the end, that was the gag, that it needed to look like we shot everyone over there, and I think we really achieved it. Dougal also has his very unique way of directing where he rehearsed everything with anyone, adds Wajsbrot, on the way the filming progressed. He shoots everything with what he calls his crap-o-matic, basically on an iPhone. So, you have a version of the movie somewhere out there that must be very funny where everyone on set is playing a role or different roles. Its actually very funny.Wajsbrot is particularly proud of a moment where background and foreground plates were able to be matched as two different drone shoots for a camera-crane like pullback on the family, who are on a beach. One shoot was a background plate in Colombia shot with a DJI drone and the other was a foreground element shot in the UK also with a DJI drone. It was, effectively, a motion control multi-pass done with the drones that relies on the GPS coordinates recorded by the drone to provide for accurate positioning measurement. What we wanted to do was record a plate in Colombia with the drone and then in the backlot of Elstree Studios, where we had a set, repeat that same motion, explains Wajsbrot. We worked with our drone team, The Helicopter Girls, to research how to translate all of the coordinates and offset them to where we were in London.The shoot at Elstree was not without some complications. Here, a beach set was built, with the Brown family also needing to emerge from the river, so a pool of water was also employed. The drone team rehearsed the drone pullback on the weekend and were able to show through live-comps that the two drone platesfrom Colombia and from Elstreematched up. Then, shares Wajsbrot, for the real shoot, they pressed action and the drone went down instead of up. Suddenly, the drone is underwater in the little pool! Unfortunately the drone was destroyed and they had to bring in a different one. We re-did the shot and it worked great. I think its a really good step forward in the world of how to do motion control in a simpler way.issue #28 Paddington in PeruA motion control shoot of a different, and more traditional, kind was orchestrated for scenes featuring Antonio Banderas Hunter Cabot character and Hunters ancestors, played also by Banderas. In the film, these ancestors appear to be talking to Hunter, and to be controlling him and driving him in search of gold. Explains Wajsbrot: Some of the techniques we used were real motion control, some were faux motion control, meaning that we had the camera operator redo a scene just by hand. In comp, we could stabilize it enough that it just worked. The most complex scenes were where Cabot is talking to himself, very closely. In that case wed use a double for the shot and then replace the face. We also used a different technique for where hed need to shadow himself, but hes the same person. Sometimes the performance was too long so we had to morph Antonio to make his performance shorter and then readjust the eyeline.Shooting the multiple Antoniosup to seven characterswas a challenge simply from a costume and make-up point of view. Each costume change was about four hours, says Wajsbrot. Sometimes you have all of their ancestors together in the same place, which meant we couldnt shoot them all on the same day. In that case, we had to split it over two days and ensure the motion control camera setup was in place. It was definitely a bit of a puzzle for our first AD, Nick Laurence, to put all of that together.The post Brand new challenges for a familiar bear appeared first on befores & afters.

Onirikal Studio has unveiled the VFX reel for The Initiated 2: Written from the Shadows, showcasing their exceptional work on the Amazon Originals feature film.From digital set extensions to intense particle simulations, the studio masterfully crafted 3D clouds, electrical storms, a dark eclipse, and a burning building, seamlessly blending these effects into the films raw aesthetic. Their expertise in invisible VFX ensures that every shot enhances the storytelling without breaking immersion.The post The Initiated 2 VFX Breakdown by Onirikal Studio appeared first on Vfxexpress.

Were exposed to microplastics in myriad ways: Those tiny, degraded bits of plastic are in our soil, our water, even in our air. They then get into our bodies, lodging themselves in our organsincluding our brains. An adult human brain can contain about a spoons worth of microplastics and nanoplastics, recent research foundnot a spoonful, but the same weight as a disposable plastic spoon.That amount was higherby seven to 30 timesthan the amount of microplastics found in other organs, such as livers or kidneys. The concentrations were even higher (by three to five times) in individuals diagnosed with dementia. And even more concerning, experts say, is how these levels have increased over time: Between 2016 and 2024, the concentration of microplastics in human brains increased by about 50%.Those findings came from a study by University of New Mexico researchers that was recently published in the journal Nature Medicine. A new commentary, published today in the journal Brain Medicine, builds on that research by looking at a few big questions that arise when we learn we have lots of microplastics in our brains: How can we limit our exposure, and is there any way to remove these microplastics?How to reduce microplastics exposureThe microplastics found in human brains included nanoplasticsparticles smaller than 200 nanometers (a human hair, for contrast, is about 80,000 nanometers wide). They were also mostly made up of polyethylene, a commonly produced plastic used in everything from food packaging to drink bottles to plastic bags. That helps give an idea of what sorts of exposure could lead to these particles ending up in the brain, says Nicholas Fabiano from the University of Ottawas psychiatry department, and lead author of the commentary; Fabianos research focuses on the overlap between mental and physical health.Bottled water is a particular source of these kinds of microplastics. Switching from that to filtered tap water could reduce your intake of microplastics from 90,000 particles per year to 4,000. (Though its not clear, the commentary authors note, if that would translate to a measurable drop in the amount of microplastics accumulated in our body tissues.) Plastic tea bags have also been found to release millions of microplastic particles when brewed, so avoiding those could also limit exposure. There are also microplastics in ultra-processed foods like chicken nuggets.Storing and heating food in plastic containers can release lots of micro- and nanoplastics. Switching to glass or stainless steel might be safer, Fabiano says. Canned soup could also be a source of exposure, as cans are often lined with plastic. The authors also noted a 2011 study that found that after five days of eating canned soup, participants saw the levels of BPA (a chemical used to make plastic) in their urine increase more than 1,000%.(There has since been a decline in cans with BPA in the lining, but some new linings instead contain polystyrene.)Because microplastics are even in our airmore than 60,000 such particles are inhaled by male adults per year, previous research has foundthe authors also recommend using HEPA air filters.Can we remove microplastics that are already in our brain?The original study on microplastics in human brains had an interesting finding: There was no correlation between someones age and their microplastic levels. That suggests peoples bodies are able to get rid of these microplastics in various different ways, Fabiano says. (If there were a correlation, there would be a cumulative effect: The older someone is, the more microplastics in their brain.)How exactly that happens, though, we still dont know. Is it through sweat? Is it through feces? Is it through urine? Fabiano says. Prior research has found BPA in peoples sweat, suggesting that induced sweating could potentially remove those particles, but more research needs to be done, he says.The commentary is a call for more research. For all the research identifying microplastics in the environment or in our bodies, theres little on the health impacts of this debris. And what exists on that front focuses mostly on physical health. If you have a spoons worth of plastic in your brain, surely there must be impact to your mental health, Fabiano notes.The original Nature Medicine article was a step in the right direction, he adds, for even looking at dementia patients and shedding light on the possible connection for diagnoses and microplastics. But it also raises more questions that researchers need to answernot just on the impacts, but also if scientists should establish microplastics-exposure limits, and how else we could reduce or remove the microplastics already inside us.Right now, the microplastic-and-health research is still in its early days, Fabiano says. But so far, what the research has shown is that its certainly not a good thing to have microplastics. The best thing for people to do in the meantime, he says, is to try to limit their exposure.

Female streamers are being told to hire security after a spate of recent attacks.Popular Twitch stars Valkyrae, Cinna, and Emiru were out in public at the Santa Monica Pier on March 2 as part of their sisathon streaming marathon, when a man lunged toward them, saying, Ill kill you right now. The streamers called for help from security as the man chased them before the stream turned off. He had tracked their location using the live broadcast and earlier had gotten down on one knee, proposed to the three streamers, and asked one for her phone number, which she refused.Issuing an update later that evening on X, Cinna posted, Hey everyone we are safe. Unfortunately, we have to end the marathon and need time to process what happened as we shock at the moment.hey everyone we are safe.unfortunately we have end the marathon and need time to process what happened as we shock at the moment. Thank you for all the love and support on the marathon. We love you all. cinna (@cinnabrit) March 3, 2025 Other streamers have rallied around the Twitch stars, advocating for increased safety measures, particularly for women in the industry. Popular streamer xChocoBars, who has advocated for more action to be taken against stalkers targeting streamers, posted on X: The police and security need to do more for women who get stalked. Im sick and tired of this law where they cant do anything until something HAPPENS.QTCinderella also shared details for the security firm she employs while streaming in public. There have been times where they have had to be with me 24/7. It could save your life, save their info, she posted on X.That same night, another popular streamer experienced a harrowing incident in her home. Amouranth, whose real name is Kaitlyn Siragusa, posted on social media that shed been robbed at gunpoint by thieves trying to steal her crypto funds. Im being too robbed at gunpoint. I believe I shot one of them. They wanted crypto is what they were yelling they pulled me out of bed, Amouranth posted on her X account on March 2 at 11:55 p.m.The Kick streamer and adult content creator later explained why she posted to X instead of calling emergency services. Was at gun point they gave me phone and said log in with gun to my head and I tweeted because calling would be a death sentence, she wrote. The attack comes just months after Amouranth posted a screenshot of a Coinbase account showing in excess of $20 million in BTC and ETH, along with the message, Do I sell or hold my BTC?Private security firms, such as Fast Guard Service, have reported a recent surge in demand from influencers spanning various platforms. Creators are now experiencing a number of concerning side effects that come with online fame, including unwanted attention, harassment, and even physical threats. What used to be an occupational hazard reserved for Hollywood celebrities and high-profile politicians is now a growing reality for influencers and internet personalities.

It is easily possible to double the cost of a new M4 Mac mini by buying Apple storage but if you know what you're doing, you can buy external drives, and save hundreds of dollars by working off those. Here's how.External drives are vastly cheaper than Apple's storage upgrade pricesApple's New Mac mini is a stunning bargain for its price and its performance but maybe only in its base configuration. Once you start adding anything like more storage, you hit Apple's excessive upgrade charges and the bargain diminishes, or even goes away entirely.It is true that Apple has made things better, both by increasing the amount of RAM that base model gets, and also by making 256GB the smallest amount of storage you can buy. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

NiohandNinja Gaidendeveloper Team Ninja released its first ever fully open world game last year withRise of the Ronin,and soon, the PS5-exclusive action RPG will also be making its way over to PC. With its Steam release around the corner, here, well be going over some key details that you should know about the game itself, as well as information specific to its PC version.SETTINGThere was a time when open world period Japanese settings were a rarity, though that hasnt been the case in recent years.Rise of the Ronintouts that experience as well. Set in mid-19th century Japan, it covers the final years of the Edo period. Its story focuses on the brewing civil war that ultimately ended with the dismantling of the 300-year reign of the Tokugawa shogunate. That means a number of actual, major historical figures also have important roles to play in the game, including the likes of Shoin Yoshida, Ryoma Sakamoto, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, and others.PROTAGONISTRise of the Roninsees players playing as one of two characters- a pair of twins, with players having the option to play as a man or a woman. Known as the Blade Twins, after their parents are murdered by assassins in the employ of the Tokugawa shogunate, they join a resistance group known as the Veiled Edge, with your ultimate, long-term mission being to help bring about the fall of the shogunate.OPEN WORLD DETAILSRise of the Roninis Team Ninjas first ever open world, and its quite a sizeable one. And what exactly does it encompass? The chief attractions are the three dense cities that players get to explore- Yokohama, Kyoto, and Edo (which is modern day Tokyo). In addition to the three cities (each with their own distinct architecture and atmosphere), theres also plenty of lush landscapes, countryside, and smaller settlements and villages to explore.COMBATUnsurprisingly for a Team Ninja game, combat is one ofRise of the Roninsbrighter spots. At its core,Rise of the Roninscombat places a ton of emphasis on parrying and blocking incoming blows and breaking enemies posture to find windows in which to unleash your own attacks. Also central to the combat system, similar to Ghost of Tsushima,are multiple different stances (or styles, as theyre known here), each with its unique strengths and weaknesses. Players are tasked with paying attention to enemies and swapping freely between styles based on their weapons is a fundamental part of the games combat.WEAPONSAgain, unsurprisingly for a Team Ninja joint. weapon variety is a big focal point inRise of the Ronin. Among others, the game lets player use weapon types such as katanas, greatswords, polearms, shuriken, spears, odachi, bayonets, dual swords, pistols, bows, rifles, and hell, even flamethrowers (or fire pipes, as the game calls them).TRAVERSALMileage may vary on how much youre getting out of Rise of the Roninsopen world design and content offerings, but the one area where the game shines unequivocally bright is the traversal. Getting around the games open world is quite fun, and you can do it in several ways. Simply running around is always an option, of course, as is horseback galloping. Theres also a grappling hook that you can use to pull yourself up to rooftops (or other designated high points), while a glider also lets you breeze through the air every so often.MULTIPLE ENDINGSChoice and consequence mechanics may not be the chief focus inRise of the Roninby any means, by player choice doesstill play an important role. The game will often task you with making narrative decisions, based on which you can get one of two different endings. By and large, the core story doesnt change too radically, especially where as you might imagine real historical events are concerned, though the Blade Twins personal storiesareimpacted by your choices.FACTIONSRise of the Roninsworld is populated by three different factions that several characters and NPCs belong to. Theres a pro-shogunate faction, an anti-shogunate one, and a Western one that comprises of American and European figures and powers. Which of the three factions you choose to ally with can affect several things, from whether their quests are available to you, to the bonds you forge with characters, to the business you can do with certain vendors, and more.LENGTHRise of the Roninis a pretty beefy game, for those looking to get their moneys worth, though those just looking to run through its story wont find that it overstays its welcome either. You can finish its main story in as much as 20-25 hours, while playing through the game with a good amount of side quests can easily take you up to the 40-50 hour mark. According to HLTB, meanwhile, completionists can get as much as 60-70 hours out of the action RPG.PERFORMANCE AND RESOLUTION TARGETSAs is often the case with PC ports (especially late PC ports),Rise of the Roninsupcoming Steam release is proudly touting plenty of technical highlights. For instance, the game will not only feature support for native 4K, but also 8K, as long as you have the hardware for it. You can also run the game up to 120 FPS.RAY TRACING SUPPORTRise of the Ronin feature a ray tracing mode on PS5 when it originally released last year, so it should be no surprise that the PC version wont be lagging behind on that front. Koei Tecmo has confirmed that the game features full ray tracing support on PC.UPSCALING SUPPORTThose looking to optimize their experience even further will be able to do so with upscaling tech. On PC,Rise of the Roninwill feature support for Nvidias DLSS (and Reflex), AMDs FSR, and Intels XESS.MORE PC FEATURESWhat else can PC players expect from the upcoming open world title?Rise of the Ronins PC release will feature support for ultrawide and super ultrawide screens, for 3D audio, and fully customizable mouse and keyboard support (for those who dont want to play with a gamepad).SYSTEM REQUIREMENTSIf youre looking to playRise of the Roninon PC, youre going to need a pretty powerful rig even if you want to play on base settings. On minimum settings, you will need either an i5-10400 or a Ryzen 5 1600, along with either a GeForce GTX 1060 (with 6 GB VRAM) or a Radeon RX 5500 XT (with 8 GB VRAM). On recommended settings, youll need either an i5-10600K or a Ryzen 5 5600X, as well as either a GeForce RTX 2080 Super (with 8 GB VRAM) or a Radeon RX 6700XT (with 12 GB VRAM). On either setting, youll also need an SSD and a whopping180 GBof free storage space.PRICEComing to PC roughly a year on from its original release,Rise of the Roninsupcoming port isnt going to be full priced. Though it was $70 on PS5 at launch, when it releases on Steam on March 11, it will be priced at $49.99. So far, Koei Tecmo hasnt yet confirmed if the game will be Steam Deck compatible.