The Valhalla DLC for God of War: Ragnarok was more than an epilogue; it was a creative pivot that fused the series' core combat with roguelike progression and introspective storytelling. What began as an experimental postscript became a defining part of the game’s legacy. It gave players randomized encounters, branching upgrades, and emotional growth for Kratos—all for free.

As a tech journalist, I often travel across the US -- and sometimes out of it -- to attend product launch events, trade shows, and other briefings for news that readers care about. It certainly helps to be based in New York City, where most of the gadgetry madness tends to take place, but when I am out and about (for work or play), there's a bag full of tech that I always lug around with me.My treasure trove of electronics has evolved over recent years, transitioning to newer GaN chargers and more capable yet still portable camera systems. The five picks below are among my current arsenal of travel tech, and if you're traveling soon, I highly encourage packing a few of these items into your carry-on. I'll make this a little more exciting for you by stating the obvious: My phone and a reliable Bluetooth tracker are always with me, so I've opted not to put them on this list. Instead, you'll find products I've personally tested that are useful enough for you to consider for your next adventure. Sony ZV-E10 II Kerry Wan/ZDNET While smartphone cameras have become very capable at capturing life's moments, I still prefer the output of a larger image sensor and portability of a dedicated pocket camera, especially when I'm recording reader-facing shots of product demos and scenery. The camera I've most recently settled on is the Sony ZV-E10, famous for its ability to record up to 4K resolution through a 26-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. The output I've gotten has been reliable and impressive, both for vertical and horizontal footage, which the touchscreen viewfinder quickly adjusts to as you rotate the camera.Also: I tested Sony's successor to one of its most popular vlogging cameras, and it blew me awayDoes carrying an additional camera feel unnecessary? Not when the quality is noticeably better than a smartphone, and it greatly reduces the battery consumption you'd otherwise put on your handset when recording videos. The best part is the battery life, which is powered by the same Sony NP-FZ100 cartridge found across the brand's more premium cameras. Show more Steam Deck OLED with Dbrand Killswitch case Kerry Wan/ZDNET I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I've found traveling, especially when on long flights, to be the perfect opportunity to get my NBA 2K and Rocket League fix. Lately, my vehicle of choice for gaming has been the Steam Deck, a SteamOS-powered handheld with a punchy HDR OLED display, a fairly sizeable battery (twice that of the original Steam Deck LCD), and a swath of PC games that you can play with the standard analog sticks and gamepad or touchpads.Also: Valve's Steam Deck turned this 40-year-old dad into a gamer againThe Steam Deck OLED isn't the perfect portable gaming console, especially when it weighs a good 1.41 pounds, but it's the most consistent one I've tested, making it ideal for when I'm lounging on the plane or at the airport and want to immerse myself. I've been pairing my Steam Deck with a Dbrand Killswitch case, which greatly improves the grip and ergonomics of the device. There's also the benefit of more protection, for when you're stowing the system in a luggage or backpack full of other gear. Show more View now at Amazon Lenovo Go Wireless Power Bank 10,000mAh Kerry Wan/ZDNET Lenovo's power bank may look unassuming, but trust me when I say there's more to it than what meets the eye. Besides having a 10,000mAh capacity, meaning there's enough juice to power a phone (and other accessories like earbuds) two to three times, a fairly long USB-C cable is built into the battery pack, saving you the hassle of carrying a separate one. Also: The best power banks you can buyHere's the second trick: the Lenovo Go can wirelessly charge Qi-supported devices (though not Qi2) when you place them on top of the accessory, allowing you to charge two devices at once (via wired and wireless) if you're feeling adventurous.While the charge output is capped at 30W, many customers on Lenovo's website have found the power bank adequate for powering phones, tablets, and earbuds, and have been particularly satisfied with the built-in charging cable. Show more View now at Lenovo Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Kerry Wan/ZDNET While the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are fantastic for recording hands-free videos, I've found them more practical as a wearable tour guide. Thanks to recent Meta AI updates, the glasses now even support live translations, broadcasting the translated audio of who you're speaking with as you're conversing. I've also used the smart glasses to identify unfamiliar landmarks, tell me the most popular food items at a local restaurant, play music from artists from the city that I've traveled to, and more.Review: Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses: The best AI-powered AR glasses to buy right nowThe general sentiment toward the Ray-Bans has been mostly positive, with friends and family members praising the ease of use, comfort, and various capturing capabilities. The price point of the glasses, starting at $299, is fairly competitive as well. (Pro tip: You can also use your vision insurance to buy them.) Show more Nomad 65W Slim Power Adapter Kerry Wan/ZDNET Besides carrying a portable battery pack, I also travel with Nomad's 65W Slim Power Adapter, which features two USB-C ports to charge tablets, phones, earbuds, and even laptops, like my MacBook Air. To help with portability, the prongs are collapsible, the charger is very slim, and it lies flush when plugged into the outlet. Carrying the accessory around is like carrying a pack of mints.Also: Nomad's 130W charger has one unique feature that's game-changing for meCustomers, including ZDNET's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, have expressed satisfaction with Nomad's 65W Slim Power Adapter, appreciating the speedy power delivery and support for two USB-C inputs. I especially recommend this charging adapter for users with ultraportable devices like lightweight and smaller laptops and iPads. If you require a more powerful charging adapter, Nomad also sells a 100W variant of the same thing now. Show more View now at Nomad Goods Why should you trust me? When I'm not writing about technology, I'm probably working overtime as my family's IT support guy. And when I'm not working at all, I'm likely watching, reading, or consuming some form of content about technology. So when I make product recommendations, I suggest gadgets I've personally tested and have proven to deliver the value (if not more value) that manufacturers promise.My main expertise is mobile, from phones to wearables to accessories, which plays hand-in-hand with the topic of this story. I also travel about 10 times throughout the year, including from New York to California, so I've developed an understanding of which gadgets are essential and which are optional. Show more How do you pack electronics for traveling? When traveling, storing any devices with lithium-ion batteries, such as laptops, tablets, and power banks, in your carry-on baggage is best. If my gadgets aren't already stored in a tech pouch or cushioned bag, I'll surround them with clothing to prevent any damage during travel. Show more Other travel-friendly tech we think you'd love ZDNET Recommends

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Apple CEO Tim Cook oversaw his company's deep investment in China. That was an enormously successful strategy for Apple — but now it's a real problem, argues author Patrick McGee. VCG/VCG via Getty Images 2025-05-23T16:56:30Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Donald Trump wants Apple to make iPhones in America. There's no chance that will happen, says Patrick McGee, a journalist who just published a book on Apple's deep ties to China. McGee also argues that Apple's end-around on Trump's China tariffs — saying that some iPhones and other products are made in India and Vietnam — is misleading. Donald Trump says that iPhones need to be built in the US, or they'll face a 25% tariff.But it doesn't matter what Trump says: iPhones are never going to be built in the US.That's according to Patrick McGee, a journalist who just published "Apple In China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company" — a detailed look at all of the money and effort Apple spent over decades to enmesh itself in China.McGee, who has covered Apple for the Financial Times, explains why this has been enormously helpful to Apple — because it created an ecosystem that lets it make ultra-complicated devices at vast scale. But he argues that it was even more helpful to China — because Apple gave Chinese engineers access to valuable technology that has let them build other high-value supply chains.And that McGee posits, has created both a problem for Apple CEO Tim Cook — because he can no longer practically extract the company from China — and for the US — because its adversary is now using American know-how to compete with American companies.(I asked Apple if it wanted to weigh in on McGee's book. Via a rep, the company said that "claims in the book are untrue" and "filled with inaccuracies" and that McGee didn't fact-check the book with Apple.)I talked to McGee for the newest episode of my Channels podcast. In the edited excerpt below, we talk about why he thinks it's impossible for Apple to move iPhone production to the US. And why McGee thinks that Apple saying it's moving some production to India and Vietnam, in order to escape some US tariffs on China, is deeply misleading.Peter Kafka: The Trump administration says it wants Apple to move all of its manufacturing to the US. You and anyone else who knows anything about Apple saying that is literally not possible when it comes to the iPhone. Why?Patrick McGee:And then they're moving on to another project. So Apple doesn't bear the cost. It's using the likes of Foxconn to do manufacturing as a service.There's an analyst quoted last month who said it would be like if in the city of Boston, every person dropped what they were doing and just worked on iPhones. And as quotable as that is, that understates the challenge. Because it would like the city of Boston transporting itself to some other place, like Milwaukee, assembling iPhones for a few weeks and then moving on to some other project.China has this floating population — that's literally what it's called — and that workforce alone is greater than America's entire labor force. So we're never going to match them in terms of density of population and, more especially, dynamism of the population.Let alone that it's happening at way lower labor rates. Let alone it's got way better machinery and automation. It's not a matter of willpower and cost — that seems to be what the MAGA dream is based on. It goes so much beyond this.We often say Americans don't want to do these jobs. The Chinese don't want to do these jobs. But there are so many people that would rather be doing that than toiling in the fields for 14 hours a day. We just don't have a base of labor that would do that.One of the other arguments you and others make is that China has people, but there's also just huge infrastructure: a whole series of plants and subplants and subcontractors that all are sort of built around getting Apple the products it needs, at a drop of a hat.Yeah. In the amount of time that it would take China to build a new factory, we would still be doing the environmental paperwork.But in Apple's most recent earnings call, the company said that for the next quarter at least, every iPhone they sell in the US is going to come out of India, and most of the other electronics they sell in the US — AirPods, etc — are going to come out of Vietnam.So what am I missing here? It makes it seem like Apple has gone ahead and figured out how to move this stuff out of China.Not at all. Think of it like this: If there's a thousand steps in making an iPhone and the final one is now in India, you're avoiding tariffs. The final assembly is considered "making it in India."Like if I took every step of baking a cake except for putting the icing on or ...Putting it in the box or something.Honestly, not much is happening in India. That might change in the next five to 10 years, but the idea that there is actual production happening in India is just wrong.If you buy an iPhone next year, it'll say "made in India." I think that's a near-certainty. But that phone will be no less dependent on the China-centric supply chain than any other iPhone you've ever purchased.On that earnings call, Apple also said that the existing tariffs will cost them $900 million in the next quarter. That may sound like a big number, but Apple makes $100 billion in profit a year, so it's not. If that was just the only impact from the tariffs, that seems like a pretty solvable problem for Apple: They have to move final assembly to India, and eat some costs, but they could do it.Yeah, absolutely.Where I think things are much dicier is that the political ties that Apple has with China are unbreakable. I shouldn't say political ties — I really mean the business ties. They are not going to leave China anytime soon.Yet the technological transfer that is engendered by designing cutting-edge products every year and building them in China inherently causes a technology transfer from America to China on a crazy level. And if you think of China as a threat, if you think of them as America's biggest adversary, it is insane that the world's greatest company is equipping China with this technological know-how year in, year out.The Wall Street Journal just reported that Apple is thinking about maybe tacking on some of these additional costs to the next round of iPhones they start selling this fall — passing those costs on to the consumer. Does that sound right to you?Yes, because the other alternative is that you're squeezing out more from your suppliers. Some analysts have suggested that, and it's kind of laughable. Because if there's anything to squeeze out of the supply chain, you damn well better know that Apple's already done it. Apple pays its suppliers very slim margins. There are not a bunch of fat cats out there that they can just be squeezing

Humpback Whales Can’t See as Well as Scientists Thought, and It Might Explain Why They Keep Getting Tangled in Fishing Gear Despite having big eyes, the whales can’t make out details of objects more than a few body lengths away, according to a new study Humpback whales have poorer eyesight than previously thought, according to a new study. by wildestanimal via Getty Images With large, grapefruit-sized eyes, it would make sense if humpback whales had decently strong eyesight. So, why do these intelligent cetaceans continue to become entangled in fishing gear? Scientists have dissected the left eye of a juvenile humpback and revealed the species’ eyesight is weaker than biologists previously suspected. Their results, published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, carry implications for how humans can help humpback whales steer clear of fishing nets. When lead author Jacob Bolin, at the time studying marine biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, cut open the specimen with his colleagues, they found that the white of the whale’s eye was particularly thick at the back. This made the humpback’s focal length—the distance between the eye’s lens and retina—shorter than expected, as Bolin tells bioGraphic’s Marina Wang. Longer focal length usually indicates sharper eyesight, so this was one sign that humpbacks may have poor vision. Another limitation they discovered involved the number of retinal ganglion cells, which are like “the pixels of the eye,” as Bolin says to the New York Times’ Elizabeth Anne Brown. These neurons are responsible for converting the image on the retina at the back of the eye into electrical signals for the brain. The dissection revealed that humpback whales have a surprisingly low density of these cells, especially compared to humans. The whale had, at most, 180 retinal ganglion cells per square millimeter; humans, meanwhile, have up to about 40,000 in the same area. The researchers also found that the humpback whale could see at 3.95 cycles per degree (CPD), a measure of vision determined by how many pairs of black and white lines an animal can make out in one degree of visual space. Humans have much higher visual acuity, between 60 to 100 CPD, per the paper. Researchers investigate a preserved humpback whale eyeball. Michael Spencer / UNCW The team processed these observations with computer models to simulate how humpback whales see their environment. Their visualizations demonstrated that while the animals can see large, faraway shapes, like schools of fish, they can only detect smaller details within about three to four body lengths of the whale, according to a University of North Carolina Wilmington statement. (That’s about 150 to 200 feet.) Overall, humpback whale eyesight is surprisingly less sharp than what scientists had suggested it might be, given the size of their eyeballs, per a Nature research highlight. That means humpback whales might not see fishing nets until it’s too late. Researchers measuring the dissected humpback whale eye.  Michael Spencer/UNCW “[A low CPD] is bad for a human, but not bad for a whale at all,” says Thomas Cronin, a visual ecologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who did not participate in the study, to bioGraphic. Whales don’t typically need sharp vision to catch their prey, he adds. In other words, if humans’ boats and nets didn’t get in their way, the whales could get along perfectly well. “This work helps fill a major gap in our understanding of the sensory ecology of large whales, how humpbacks experience their world,” Lori Schweikert, a co-author of the study and neurophysiologist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, explains in the statement. Elena Vecino Cordero, a biologist at the University of the Basque Country in Spain who has previously analyzed whale eyes but didn’t participate in the study, tells the New York Times that the research might even be overestimating humpback whale eyesight because of how the dissected eye may have changed after spending more than a decade in a jar. Ultimately, the researchers suggest their work could help inspire fishing net designs that are more visible to humpback whales and potentially result in fewer entanglement incidents. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Crossing Eden Member Oct 26, 2017 58,491 Doug Cockle had some words to say to people who think Ciri being the protag of the Witcher is some "woke" sin or affront to the material of the Witcher. The Witcher 4 was officially announced at the 2024 Game Awards, and it kicked the hornet's nest by daring to have Ciri star as its protagonist. Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, strongly defends the choice. "It's a cool character from the Witcher, and they're gonna focus on that character," he says during a Fall Damage video, responding to a post regarding people calling Ciri's newfound spotlight "woke." "I think that's awesome. You can't just have Geralt for every single game for The Witcher ad nauseam through eternity." Click to expand... Click to shrink... To avoid any doubt on where he stands, he continues: "Celebrate Ciri, I celebrate her being the protagonist. So all you people who think it's 'woke' [blows raspberry]... If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue. Click to expand... Click to shrink... As the years have gone by, the books have become more about Ciri. Geralt may be a witcher, but he's getting old, so passing the torch was inevitable. It's either that, or no more Witcher. Click to expand... Click to shrink... More at the source. "You can't just have Geralt for every single game" says his voice actor, and if you think The Witcher 4 making Ciri the protagonist is "woke," then "read the damn books" The story was always going in this direction www.gamesradar.com Highkey tho, And yes that applies to the people who wrote entire essays about how women can't be witchers because A)that's fucking stupid B)CDPR already reinforced that retcon by including the School of The Cat in TW3  Last edited: 17 minutes ago closer Member Oct 25, 2017 5,592 Asking ppl who call it woke to read is sort of a large ask   Zukkoyaki Member Oct 25, 2017 14,290 Jokes on him because reading is woke   Catchphrase Member Nov 28, 2023 2,329 if those chuds could read they'd be very upset   MarcosBrXD Member Aug 28, 2024 1,701 9/11 for chuds   Kadzork Has got mad skills!! Member Oct 27, 2017 24,158   Jedi2016 Member Oct 27, 2017 20,058 Just got my lynx medallion a few days ago, it's hanging right next to my wolf medallion. I'll be there day one.   SomeOneInaHat Member Nov 9, 2017 1,135 Edit: Beaten by better version  Xterrian Member Apr 20, 2018 3,552 Any female protagonist is "woke" to these people. It's just that some were too engrained in pop culture/their franchises before the whole chud movement got started, so they're seen as "female protags done right." If Lord of the Rings was done today, there'd be endless rage over Eowyn being the one to kill the Witch King. Same with Leia's role in Star Wars.  OP OP Crossing Eden Member Oct 26, 2017 58,491 Xterrian said: Any female protagonist is "woke" to these people. It's just that some were too engrained in pop culture/their franchises before the whole chud movement got started, so they're seen as "female protags done right." If Lord of the Rings was done today, there'd be endless rage over Eowyn being the one to kill the Witch King. Same with Leia's role in Star Wars. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Hard ditto on Leia, this shit would break people's minds if only because so many characters who're inspired by Leia break their minds.   Lotus One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 124,050   bitcloudrzr Member May 31, 2018 20,757 MarcosBrXD said: 9/11 for chuds Click to expand... Click to shrink... That was KCD2.   ClickyCal' Member Oct 25, 2017 65,480 Xterrian said: Any female protagonist is "woke" to these people. It's just that some were too engrained in pop culture/their franchises before the whole chud movement got started, so they're seen as "female protags done right." If Lord of the Rings was done today, there'd be endless rage over Eowyn being the one to kill the Witch King. Same with Leia's role in Star Wars. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah. Like to them, Jill Valentine, Samus, Lara Croft and some others are grandfathered in, but would break them.   jmood88 Member Oct 28, 2017 1,726 It's not going to change much, but it's always nice to see someone explicitly push back against the disingenuous conservative bullshit.   Lotus One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 124,050 bitcloudrzr said: That was KCD2. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Or Stellar Blade  DoradoWinston Member Apr 9, 2019 8,387 idk how you play witcher 3 and not think Ciri (who everyone also LOVED btw) wasnt going to be the protag for 4 lol   Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,455 I just wish every answer about these creeps and their likes and dislikes was met with "who fucking cares about them or what they want?" Every time. And that's all. Because they do not matter.   Dark Fairy Princess Member Feb 5, 2025 338 Dracula’s Castle Hate these sexist losers that calls everything woke. I tried not to pay attention to them but it's frustrating to see how stupid and hateful some people could be. Hope Witcher 4 becomes even more successful than 3 just to piss them off more. Witcher 3 is one of the best games I've played. Most of the characters were well made. I like Geralt but always liked Ciri more and wanted more parts with her so I'm glad they went with her as the main character.  OP OP Crossing Eden Member Oct 26, 2017 58,491 ClickyCal' said: Yeah. Like to them, Jill Valentine, Samus, Lara Croft and some others are grandfathered in, but would break them. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They unironically argued that these are woke ugly versions of Jill and Lara, so yes they did get broken by them.   NHarmonic. ▲ Legend ▲ The Fallen Oct 27, 2017 10,778 Catchphrase said: if those chuds could read they'd be very upset Click to expand... Click to shrink... Instant reminder of that "reading is gay" tweet from mastermind turd Tate. 

Image: Nintendo LifeShigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and Pikmin, recently sat down with IGN to talk about the new Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, of which Super Nintendo World and its Donkey Kong Country expansion are a part. Now, we all know Miyamoto is basically untouchable at this point, but for the purposes of the interview, even he was given a few guidelines to follow. Primarily, he was told not to talk about the Switch 2, since the purpose was to focus on the theme park. When he was asked about the upcoming console, however, Shigsy just couldn't help himself... So Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here. My family has a calendar on our fridge where we're crossing off the days until it's here. In your opinion, what's the most exciting thing about it? Miyamoto: So I’d love to, but I've been told by PR that this is not an interview about Nintendo Switch 2. Looking at the younger, next generation of players, I think one of the most exciting things about Nintendo Switch 2 is the ability to have the upgrade patches to original games that provide a more enhanced experience and then add on top of that new experiences. And so leaving the development environment as is, we're able to build these games and now that we have more powerful hardware, there's more power left over that can be used for other experiences. I think for example, it gives indie developers the ability to expand on the unique experiences that they've been able to provide with a smaller group. And so because of that, I think the fact that the mouse or voice chat is part of the Nintendo Switch 2 package is something that's very attractive and exciting. And obviously look forward to the new Donkey Kong game as well! Oh Miyamoto-san... never change, sir. It's clear his enthusiasm got the better of him here, but it's nice to see that he's equally as excited about the Switch 2 as everybody else. He also touched on why Donkey Kong had received such a drastic redesign, noting that Nintendo wanted the character to become more expressive. You want expressive? You got it Have any thoughts about Miyamoto's answer here? Leave a comment down below and let us know. [source ign.com] Related Games See Also Share:0 0 Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Nintendo Unveils Diddy Kong's Brand New Design Cap's off Nintendo Switch 2 Final Tech Specs Have Been Confirmed GameChat has a "significant impact on system resources" 12 Switch Games Are Getting Free Switch 2 Upgrades, Here's What You Can Expect Nintendo's free updates arrive next month

Michelle Williams says she wants her kids to grow up seeing their mother work. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner 2025-05-20T04:36:35Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Michelle Williams knows how challenging it is to be a working mother. She says balancing her career and motherhood is like figuring out "which master you're going to serve." "Because the truth is, if work is going well, somebody else is taking care of the kids," she said. Michelle Williams knows balancing her acting career with being a mom is tough.During a Monday appearance on the "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" podcast, Williams, 44, shared how she juggles life as a mother of four while keeping her acting career on track."Kids are such great life checkers. They force you to put your best self in front of them," she told podcast host Dax Shepard. "You can't abdicate your life and your work and your own desires, but you do have to put them in check and figure out which master you're going to serve."The "Brokeback Mountain" star welcomed her first child, Matilda, in 2005 with her then-boyfriend, the late actor Heath Ledger. In 2020, she married director Thomas Kail, with whom she shares three children.For her, being a working mom is about striking a careful balance — never letting her kids or her career go "unattended for too long.""Because the truth is, if work is going well, somebody else is taking care of the kids. And if you're in a high point with your kids, the work is shoved to the side," Williams said."You can't be equally good at them at the exact same time, and you have to allow for that give and take, but then also replenish the other things. If you have a big period of being at home, you need to go back to what you've left unattended and put some light over there," she continued.Williams says she also wants her kids to grow up seeing their mom work, which makes it hard to step away from her career for too long. However, the pull of being a mother is hard to resist."My best day with my children is better than my best day at work. I am more thrilled with that high than I am with a work high," she said.This isn't Williams's first time speaking about being a working mom."So you have to figure it out because we have to stay in the workforce, even though it often feels like it's untenable. My heart obviously belongs to my children; they tug at it the most. But I really want to be able to have both," she told Entertainment Weekly in a January 2023 interview.Other female Hollywood stars have also spoken up about balancing their personal and professional lives.Naomi Watts, 56, said she tried freezing her eggs when she was in her early 30s to focus on her career."Because I came into it late — at least with my launching — I was told to work, work, work because it'll all be dried up at 40," Watts told Katie Couric in a January interview.Cameron Diaz, who took a decadelong hiatus from Hollywood, said she spent those 10 years "trying to stay alive just like every other mother."During Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit 2024, she elaborated on her decision to stop acting."It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family," Diaz said.A representative for Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours. Recommended video

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a very good game that animal lovers can enjoy because there’s no way to harm a single creature in the game (except for people, of course). That’s a first for the franchise and I wanted to learn why Ubisoft went this route for its latest open-world adventure. Suggested ReadingThe Week In Games: Pokémon With Guns And More New Releases Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested ReadingThe Week In Games: Pokémon With Guns And More New Releases Share SubtitlesOffEnglishWhen I played and reviewedAssassin’s Creed Shadows in March, I was surprised to discover that the player can never attack or kill any animals in the game’s virtual recreation of feudal Japan. You can, however, pet them and draw pictures of the various wildlife you encounter. Unlike so many other open-world games, including previous Ubisoft projects, there aren’t even any aggressive predators in Shadows. You are never forced to kill any wolves or bears to survive and craft upgrades. I recently asked Ubisoft about this change, and learned from AC Shadows creative director Jonathan Dumont that there were a few reasons behind it. Kotaku: In Shadows, players can’t hurt or hunt animals. The only way you can interact with them is by petting or painting them. What was the rationale/design decision behind this? Jonathan Dumont: There are several reasons behind this design choice. Firstly, feudal Japan didn’t have many large, aggressive animals to challenge players. When we reviewed the available animal roster, it seemed more appealing to observe and pet them rather than engage in combat. Additionally, we wanted to incorporate world activities that offer a zen-like experience, providing spiritual or contemplative moments in nature to balance Naoe and Yasuke’s journey. When did the idea of letting players add animals to the base happen? And did you expect people to start building petting zoos (like I did)? JD: It happened really early on. In a team meeting, we saw the first implementation of the Sumi-e activity, where the initial design was to collect only the paintings, but as soon as we saw the animals it was unanimous that we needed to make them pets for the hideout. And yes, it immediately led to team members making cool-looking petting zoos and animal shelters. Has the team appreciated the mostly positive online response to the lack of violence against animals in Shadows? JD: I can’t speak for everyone, but I think players appreciated that it gave a different dimension to the exploration we were going for. Does the team/Ubisoft feel like hunting animals could return in future installments, or is this a new direction for the series? JD: I think it will depend on the setting and player fantasy. For AC Shadows, it made sense. This interview has been lightly edited and formatted.

Halfpipe, full hearts, can't loseWe got our hands on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 on this week's pod: http://xbx.lv/3S4sJEl