Ryu Ga Gotoku fans are a special type of fandom where almost everyone involved agrees on one thing: Yakuza 0 is the best starting point in the Like A Dragon/Yakuza series. It's rare that someone disagrees that Yakuza 0 is one of the best titles in the entire franchise and still one of the best games the studio has made. Even after eight mainline titles--Yakuza Kiwami through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth--there is simply no game in the series that catches the same feel as Yakuza 0. Fans will even beg any of their friends, gamers or not, to play Yakuza 0 because it's really that wonderful.When Yakuza Kiwami was released on Nintendo Switch last fall, fans anticipated Yakuza 0 would finally make its way to the Nintendo platforms too. Although there were many technical issues with Kiwami running on an aged console, RGG fans will be happy to know Yakuza 0 Director's Cut on Nintendo Switch 2 runs smoother than a perfect score on "Friday Night" in the disco minigame.If you haven't checked out the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series yet, the Director's Cut is shaping up to be the best way to try it, as it takes place first in the story chronologically, and the new Nintendo Switch 2 version will have upgraded graphics and more features that are missing from the original.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Small apartments and homes offer plenty of charm, but they tend to be lacking when it comes to kitchen space. Luckily, there are tons of small kitchen ideas that maximize storage and efficiency. By thinking creatively about how to make the most of your tiny kitchen floor plan and utilizing whatever countertop and wall real estate you have, you can make even the tiniest of kitchens a space you enjoy cooking—and hanging out—in. Ahead, we’ve gathered 51 small kitchen design tips to help you maximize your space, be it a petite galley kitchen or just a single wall in an open-plan apartment. Whether you’re renovating and starting from scratch or just looking to refresh your existing space, read on to get your small kitchen in tip-top shape.1. Add a prep areaAdjustable Kitchen CartKaloh Storage CartsYou may not have space to expand or add a full island, so think about bringing in a slim rolling kitchen cart or bar cart to hold your mise en place or serve as extra counter space. Even a narrow console can work as a spot to set tools and ingredients on while you cook.2. Remove upper cabinetsHandmade Rustic Live Edge Floating Shelves“Open shelves are extremely functional and make it so much easier to access dishes and glasses,” says New York–based interior designer Jenny Wolf, adding that you should think about your kitchen architecturally, as it doesn’t always make sense to have upper cabinets—“especially if the ceilings are 10 feet high.”3. Get custom hardwareDesigner Catrina Stewart used red hardware to highlight the pantry in this London kitchen, as well as a tinted mirror and teal paint to fabricate an eye on the door that looks like it's winking when you open the doorFrench + Tye“I try to use hardware as statement pieces. It’s the jewelry you put on to complete the look,” says architectural designer Karen Williams, who serves as the creative director for St. Charles New York.4. Or opt for invisible hardware“When you lean up against the counter, you don’t want to feel a handle poking into your side. You also want a clean surface where you really see the materiality of [it]. We’ve worked a lot with Dada and have been generally seeing less hardware and more integrated pulls or touch-to-open cabinetry. It makes working much more efficient,” said designer Stephanie Goto.5. Get super organized inside your cabinetsExpandable Lid & Pan OrganizerShelf Risers, Set of 2For any small room (a kitchen or otherwise), getting organized is essential. When space comes at a premium, you can’t afford to waste any of it—even the hidden space inside your cabinets. Stock up on risers, lid organizers for your various pots and pans, spice-sorting systems, and anything else that will streamline and maximize your kitchen storage.6. Streamline dish dutysimplehuman Kitchen Compact Steel Frame Dish RackIf your small kitchen doesn’t have room for a dishwasher, making sure that the kitchen sink is both an efficient and tidy space is key. Consider adding in a compact dish rack, like this one from Simple Human, that drains directly into the sink and will never rust.7. Splurge on fun glasswareWave Glass PitcherSophie Lou Jacobsen Totem GlassesThere might not be room for much decor—so let your dishes do the talking. Unlike hefty serving pieces, colorful drinkware adds visual interest without bulk. Display arty stemware on an open shelf, or let a pitcher pull double duty as a countertop vase.8. Add a kitchen islandWhitmor Supreme Kitchen and Microwave CartFrench Kitchen IslandEven if your kitchen is on the narrow side, you can still bring in a small kitchen island for prep space and conversation. Consider a rolling island, which can be pushed out of the way once dinner is ready. “Don’t think if you have a tiny kitchen that you can’t have an island. You can; you just need to put it on wheels so that when you’re working and you need an island it’s there, and when the guests arrive you can push it over to the side or move it into the dining room or living room and let it be the bar,” says interior designer Ellen Cheever. Alternatively, choose an island with slim legs that you could pull a few stools up to and let it double as bar or breakfast seating.9. Use light colors to visually expand your small kitchenCookware SetThe reBoard“The lighter the kitchen, the larger it can feel,” Wolf says. “Sometimes, if there is a good view out a window, I like to focus on bringing the outdoors in and using nature to dictate the palette.” Keeping an especially light palette on countertops, backsplashes, walls, and millwork also helps a small kitchen feel more open. If you’re not in the market for a full renovation, consider the cooking tools that you always have out: Cutting boards, pots and pans, and linens can all lift a space if you opt for pieces in light shades.10. Double down on whiteCasafina Modern Classic Ceramic DinnerwareMade In Tabletop SetThe lightest palette of all, of course, is all white. “White paint will help spread and reflect light around, which also makes a space seem bigger,” says interior decorator and blogger Emily Henderson. If you have exposed shelving, create a wall of white by displaying white dish sets.11. Maximize floor space with a dining nookVera Pedestal Dining TableRound White Marble and Black Metal Bistro Side TableThe shape of the room can have just as big of an impact as the square footage. “It’s important to pay attention to the structure of your kitchen,” Henderson says. “If you have a small dining nook, then go for a round table that opens up floor space and seats more people than a square one would.”12. Pair utilitarian appliances with refined cabinetryAnza Concrete Espresso Machine“People who frequently cook want to maintain something visually appealing. For one client—a New York City lawyer who has eaten at virtually every major restaurant in downtown Manhattan—it wasn’t about being a show kitchen, but a foodie’s kitchen. It’s very utilitarian—he wanted a heavy-duty Wolf stove—yet we took care in the selection of the finishes. The white cabinets are glass, and the gray cabinets are lacquer—they really play with materiality. This way, it’s not too precious or too utilitarian,” said designer Goto. For those not in the market for a whole new range, consider a striking espresso machine, like this Brutalism-inspired one by Anza, instead.13. Think verticallyMagnetic Knife HolderJust can’t get rid of that timeworn cookbook or prized flea market find? “Installing pot racks, knife mounts, and open shelving above your stove will free up tons of space,” says Henderson.14. Build a storage benchInstagram contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Energy vs. hearts.Last week, Duolingo announced a major shift: they’re replacing their long-standing hearts system with a new “energy” mechanic. The company frames this as a way to make learning more motivating by focusing on rewarding correct answers rather than punishing mistakes.But after spending 48 hours thinking about this change and analyzing reactions across the internet, I’ve come to see it as something far more nuanced: a masterclass in behavioral psychology that serves both users and Duolingo’s bottom line in fascinating ways.What’s actually changingUnder the old hearts system, users started with five hearts and lost one for each mistake. When all hearts were depleted, you couldn’t continue learning until you either waited (hearts regenerated over time), watched ads, practiced old content to earn hearts back, or paid for premium.The new energy system gives users 25 energy units. Each lesson costs one unit to start, and mistakes also cost energy. The key difference? Users can earn bonus energy at random intervals when answering correctly.As Moses Wayne, a senior staff engineer at Duolingo, explains to The Verge: “We feel like this is a way that we can motivate you to focus on things you’re getting right rather than penalizing for the things that you’re making mistakes on.”It sounds positive on the surface. But there’s much more happening under the hood.The psychological switch: from loss to expenditureThe hearts system was built on loss aversion (our tendency to feel losses more intensely than equivalent gains). Users would desperately try to avoid mistakes to keep their hearts. In psychological terms, this creates anxiety that can inhibit learning, especially for a complex skill like language acquisition.The energy system cleverly shifts the frame from “losing hearts through mistakes” to “spending energy to learn.” This slight repositioning transforms the psychological experience. Instead of punishment, it’s now an investment.But here’s where it gets particularly interesting, and perhaps concerning.At time of writing, users will still be seeing this when they run out of hearts.Variable rewards: the slot machine mechanismThe new system incorporates one of the most powerful psychological techniques in existence: variable reward schedules, or what behavioral scientists call “intermittent reinforcement.”When completing lessons, users now receive random bonus energy for consecutive correct answers. This unpredictability is the same mechanism that makes slot machines so addictive. As behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner discovered decades ago, unpredictable rewards create stronger habit loops than predictable ones.The uncertain nature of “when will I get bonus energy?” creates a dopamine response that keeps users engaged far longer than the more predictable hearts system. One psychology research article noted that “variable ratio schedules have two benefits: They result in the most instances of the behavior than any of the other schedules… and they result in behaviors that are ‘hard to extinguish,” meaning the behavior persists even when rewards decrease.Duolingo isn’t the first app to use this technique. It’s everywhere in modern digital products, from social media (random likes triggering dopamine) to games (loot boxes with variable rewards). What’s notable is how Duolingo is implementing it in an educational context.The inverse energy model: Finch vs. DuolingoTo understand what makes Duolingo’s approach unique, it’s worth comparing it to another popular app that uses an energy system: Finch.In Finch, a self-care app with a virtual pet, users earn energy by completing wellness tasks. As one reviewer describes it: “My effort gives [my pet] energy, but my lack of effort takes none away.” The energy you earn through self-care allows your pet to go on adventures and grow.Energy in Finch and Duolingo are both symbolized by a ⚡Duolingo takes the inverse approach, i.e. you spend energy to engage with the product. This fundamental difference reveals contrasting philosophies:Finch’s model: Do real-world activities → earn in-app energy → enjoy rewardsDuolingo’s model: Spend in-app energy → engage with content → occasionally get energy backWhile both use similar terminology, the direction of energy flow completely changes the behavioral dynamics. One rewards external action; the other creates a closed loop that keeps users in the app.The business of artificial scarcityLet’s not overlook the monetization angle. Super Duolingo subscribers get unlimited energy, just as they previously got unlimited hearts. The new system maintains the same fundamental constraint: free users eventually hit a wall where they need to either wait, work harder, or pay up.What the energy system might do more effectively is increase the perceived value of the premium subscription. By creating a more engaging core loop with the variable rewards, users may be more likely to convert when they hit energy limits.The strategy is brilliant, if perhaps ethically complex. By transforming a negative experience (punishment for mistakes) into a more positive ne (spending a resource with occasional bonuses), Duolingo has maintained its monetization constraints while making them feel less punitive.Critics of the heart system have long pointed out that unlimited hearts are one of the main selling points of Duolingo’s premium tier, suggesting the constraint exists primarily to drive conversions rather than improve learning. The energy system continues this pattern, just with more sophisticated psychological underpinnings.The learning science questionThe most important question is whether this change actually improves learning outcomes.Duolingo claims the energy system helps users “get through more lessons,” as the data shows users can do more with the new system. But completing more lessons doesn’t necessarily mean better language acquisition.Language learning requires making mistakes. It’s a fundamental part of the process. The old heart system discouraged risk-taking by heavily penalizing errors, potentially leading users to stick with easier content where they wouldn’t lose hearts.The energy system might ease this anxiety somewhat — making a mistake costs the same as starting a new lesson. But the fundamental constraint remains: you still have a limited resource that depletes when you make errors.A truly learning-optimized approach might involve no penalties for mistakes at all, focusing instead on spaced repetition, comprehensible input, and other evidence-based language acquisition methods. But such an approach might not drive the same level of engagement or monetization.Duloingo falls somewhere in the center of the bottom right quadrantUsers vs. learnersThis tension highlights a key challenge for educational technology: the gap between what creates engaged users and what creates successful learners.The techniques that make an app sticky (intermittent reinforcement, streaks, gamification) don’t always align with optimal learning science. In fact, they can sometimes work against it by encouraging shallow engagement over deep processing.Duolingo has always walked this line, using game mechanics to keep people engaged with language learning when they might otherwise quit. The energy system represents an evolution of this approach, using more sophisticated behavioral psychology to maintain the same fundamental constraints while making them feel better.The verdict: clever design for multiple objectivesAfter analyzing this change from multiple angles, I’m left impressed by its cleverness while somewhat ambivalent about its implications.The energy system:Creates a more positive psychological framing than heartsImplements powerful variable rewards that increase engagementMaintains the same fundamental monetization pressurePotentially allows for more mistakes, which is better for learningUses randomness to create stronger habit loopsIt’s a change that serves both user experience and business goals, likely increasing both engagement and conversion to premium. Whether it truly serves learning outcomes remains to be seen, though it’s probably at least marginally better than the hearts system in this regard.What fascinates me most is how this change reveals the sophistication of behavioral design in today’s digital products. What looks like a simple mechanic change is actually a carefully engineered system to shape behavior through psychological principles.The next time you find yourself compulsively swiping for another lesson, hoping for that bonus energy to drop, remember that this feeling isn’t accidental… it’s by design.And while I appreciate the brilliance of that design, I find myself wishing more of this psychological ingenuity was directed toward optimizing learning outcomes rather than engagement metrics. Perhaps that’s the next frontier for language learning apps: finding ways to make evidence-based learning as addictive as a slot machine.Sam Liberty is a gamification expert, applied game designer, and consultant. His clients include The World Bank, Click Therapeutics, and DARPA. He teaches game design at Northeastern University. He is the former Lead Game Designer at Sidekick Health.Duolingo’s small UI switch that changes everything was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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ZDNET's key takeaways The Vivobook S 15, Asus' first Copilot+ PC, normally retails for over $1,000, but it's currently on sale at Walmart for $709.It's sleek and lightweight with a gorgeous OLED, 120Hz display, great battery life, and snappy performance.Users might run into the usual compatability issues seen on Arm-compatible devices. View now at Walmart At Walmart, Asus' Vivobook S 15 is currently marked down to $709, which is roughly $90 off. The configuration on sale features a 3K OLED 120Hz display with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and 16GB of RAM.Asus' first Copilot+ PC with the Snapdragon X Elite chip last year was the Vivobook S 15, a sleek and lightweight 15-inch laptop with a gorgeous display and ultra-snappy performance. It's the configuration with the Intel Core Ultra 7 chip that's drastically marked down right now.The chassis' minimalist, all-metal design is lightweight and airy, and it feels more premium than last year's Vivobook S 14. It's only 0.58 inches at its thinnest point, and it weighs just 3.13 pounds, making it particularly well-suited for hybrid or remote workers who want a powerful laptop with a nice display that doesn't weigh a ton. Also: This ultraportable Windows laptop raised the bar for the MacBook Air (and everything else)Like all of the new Windows on ARM laptops released last summer, the Vivobook S 15 is fast and responsive with nice battery life. For the average consumer, this is the epitome of a laptop that looks and feels good right out of the box, and it starts with the brilliant 3K OLED display. details View at Walmart With an 89% screen-to-body ratio and ultra-thin bezels, the screen is brilliant and high-contrast, rocking a max 600-nit brightness and 120Hz refresh rate for some silky-smooth and crisp image quality. Also: Why I recommend this budget Lenovo ThinkPad over laptops that cost twice as muchThe display's 16:9 resolution gives it that premium widescreen feel, lending itself well to both watching and editing media, but it might not be for everyone. Most 15-inch laptops come with a 16:10 resolution, which might feel more "natural" for some, but ultimately the distinction is subtle.  Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETWith 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, Asus is able to keep costs close to that $1,000 price point with just the right amount of hardware on this machine. And it feels even better in tandem with the snappy, responsive performance the Snapdragon X Elite processor provides. The Vivobook S 15 features the 12-core, 3.4GHz chip with a 45 TOPS NPU, the same one found in the HP Omnibook X 14, but slightly below the 3.8GHz chip found in the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge. The benchmarking scores in Cinebench reflect that same hierarchy, with numbers above the Omnibook and just below the Galaxy Book4 Edge. In testing the CPU's performance, I got a single-core score of 106 and a multi-core score of 969. In Geekbench, I got a single-core of 2447 and a multi-core of 14384. Remember that these scores were recorded while the device was plugged into power. While on battery, I got scores about 30% lower -- somewhat more of a difference than I expected. This is in comparison to the HP Omnibook X 14, which had a much narrower gap in scores in my testing, something I noted as I was reviewing it. Also: I replaced my laptop with Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro - here's my buying advice a week laterThis paints a picture of a laptop that has somewhat variable battery life, depending on what you're doing and what kind of mode you have the laptop in. There's no escaping the power this display requires, and if you're someone who typically ignores battery setting profiles and keeps your machine blasting at "Best Performance," you may want to adjust the power modes in either the MyAsus software or in Windows (or both) because you'll see a drastic difference. That being said, the Vivobook S 15's 70Wh battery performance is good, but the user must manage it to maximize its efficiency. During the battery test that ZDNET runs on all laptops, I got about 10 and a half hours before it died, but that number fluctuated in subsequent tests with different power mode settings. Also: Are dual-screen Windows laptop a gimmick or pure genius? My buying advice after testing oneOptimization is the theme here, and this also extends to its performance. The Windows on ARM architecture provides fantastic up-front performance in ways that are immediately apparent to most users. But when you start looking closely at more specialized tasks, things have the potential to get tricky. For example, the Vivobook S 15's aforementioned 16:9 resolution OLED screen seems perfect for editing video. While the integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU is up to the task, its interaction with different apps and their performance in Windows (via Prism) is still a work in progress.  Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETDuring my testing, I ran DaVinci Resolve for Windows on ARM, and it worked mostly fine, but the performance is still not 100% optimized. There was some lag, graphic stuttering, and quirkiness, especially with 4K video. Adobe Photoshop, however, ran smoothly, with local AI-generative tasks popping off seamlessly with help from the NPU on board the Snapdragon. I expect performance to continue improving as Windows improves and developers improve their products for the platform.The other elephant in the room is gaming, which is not entirely up to speed with Windows on ARM. Yes, technically, you can game on this laptop, but many titles still don't run, and the ones that do are not well-optimized. Although the Vivobook S 15 looks like something you might want to game on, I wouldn't recommend it as a dedicated gaming laptop. At least not yet. Also: This Asus laptop is my go-to pick for creative professionals and design teams - here's whyInstead, I see the Vivobook S 15 as a primary driver for remote workers or digital nomads who are already integrating AI into their workflows and appreciate an aesthetic laptop with a brilliant display that handles media well. Supporting that use case, it has a generous selection of ports: two USB-A ports on the right-hand side, two USB-C on the left, an HDMI port, a MicroSD slot, and a headphone jack. It also has a "full" keyboard (the number pad on the right side has slightly smaller keys, as typical for sub-16-inch machines), which is satisfying and responsive to typing on. The keyboard has colorful LED backlighting that can be configured in many different lights and effects. Still, again, this is not something that I would consider high on the priority list when optimizing battery life.  ZDNET's buying adviceThe Asus Vivobook S 15 is a sleek and lightweight laptop with a gorgeous OLED display and solid battery life -- as long as you're mindful of your power usage. I'd recommend it to forward-thinking digital nomads who want a performant, AI-ready laptop with a blazing-fast Snapdragon X Elite processor. It's a solid investment for people who regularly swap between creative work, productivity software, and media. All things considered, the sale price of $713 is very competitive for this laptop, particularly for the display alone. Featured reviews