New Persona annoucement due this week but prepare for disappointment GameCentral Published May 13, 2025 4:37pm Updated May 13, 2025 4:37pm Persona 5: The Phantom X – there’s too much red for it to be Persona 6 (Atlus) Atlus has confirmed that a new Persona title will be unveiled on Thursday but despite what fans hope it’s almost certainly not Persona 6. Persona 5 will be 10 years old next year. In that time there’s been innumerable spin-offs, as well as a remake of Persona 3 and rumours that Persona 4 will be getting the same treatment. What there hasn’t been any word on though is Persona 6. It was eight years between Persona 4 and 5, so even taking longer development times into account this isn’t unusual, but it’s frustrating for fans that literally the only thing we know about Persona 6 is that its main colour is green, rather than the red of its predecessor. Hopes rose today that maybe there’d finally be a reveal, as Atlus announced a livestream for a new Persona unveiling, but instead of Persona 6 it’s just yet another Persona 5 spin-off. Persona 5: The Phantom X is a free-to-play live service game from Chinese publisher Perfect World, that has already been available in open beta in China since last April. It features a completely different Phantom Thief team but with similar gameplay to Persona 5, albeit streamlined for smartphones and filled with microtransactions. In short, it’s probably the last thing fans wanted but presumably the annoucement this week is for the full release in Japan and (probably but not definitely) the West. Some fans have tried to convince themselves it is for Persona 6 but not only is the colour scheme and art style clearly that of Persona 5, but the owl emoji is a reference to the character Lufel, who is the game’s equivalent of Morgana from the main game. When will Persona 6 be announced? If you have to see it all for yourself, the livestream takes place on Thursday, May 15 at 3pm BST. The YouTube video for the stream is already live and features artwork that makes it very clear that this is Persona 5: The Phantom X and not Persona 6. More Trending Sadly, there really is no clue as to when Persona 6 will be revealed, although when it does arrive it’s expected to be multiformat, including for Xbox and the Switch 2. Given the critical and commerical success of Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus is in no rush to say or do anything about Persona 6, but the further we get away from Persona 5’s original launch date the more likely an annoucement gets. It’s possible Atlus may use one of the not-E3 summer showcases to unveil it, but it’s just as likely they’ll reveal it via one of their own events. There may even be a tease in the livestream on Thursday, but that seems unlikely. Perhaps the main question now is whether Persona 4’s remake will be announced and/or released before Persona 6. Considering there’s more evidence for its existence than for the sequel, that’s probably quite likely. A spin-off mobile game is tantamount to trolling fans (Atlus) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign 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 Source: https://metro.co.uk/2025/05/13/new-persona-annoucement-due-this-week-prepare-disappointment-23079773/ #new #persona #annoucement #due #this #week #but #prepare #for #disappointment

The Qatari royal family has proposed gifting President Donald Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane to use as a temporary Air Force One during his remaining time in the White House. The aircraft would then be donated to his presidential foundation after he leaves office, opening up the possibility of Trump using it for personal travel. (While the New York Times reported that a Qatari official said the proposal is still being discussed, Trump plans to accept the gift — though he told reporters on Monday that he would not use the plane once his presidency ends.)The plane is estimated to cost around $400 million, and Democrats have criticized the idea of the president receiving such an expensive gift. “This is not normal. This is blatant corruption,” Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts wrote on X. “Trump First, America Last.”Trump defended the plan, saying he would be a “stupid person” if he declined the gesture. “So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!”But it’s not just Democrats who are worried about the transaction. Some Republican senators have also raised security and legal concerns, with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia saying that the White House would “need to look at the constitutionality” of the gift.It’s true that part of the job of being president of the United States is to engage in diplomacy, and that very often includes exchanging gifts with foreign dignitaries and governments. Many of these gifts are symbolic gestures, like the pair of pandas China presented to President Richard Nixon in 1972. Other gifts are luxurious and intended to impress, like the $20,000, 7.5-carat diamond India presented to former first lady Jill Biden in 2023. Presidents have also received gifts in the form of 300 pounds of raw lamb, a puppy, oriental rugs, a gold mechanical bird, swords, and a Burberry coat. So what’s different this time? And why should we care about what other countries give to the president? How presidents are supposed to accept giftsAs past administrations have shown, it’s typical for presidents to accept gifts. But there are still laws in place to ensure that governments, be they foreign or domestic, can’t curry favor with presidents this way. In 1966, Congress passed a law — the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act — to cap the monetary value of a gift the president is allowed to personally accept. As of 2023, that amount is $480. This means that the president can accept gifts of any amount on behalf of the country but, after leaving office, they can only keep the gifts that are worth less than $480. If they want to hold on to a more expensive gift, they have to buy it themselves from the government at the estimated market rate. Otherwise, these gifts are typically sent to the National Archives, ultimately transferring ownership to the American people, not any specific individual. That’s why the Bidens didn’t take home the diamond from India and instead left it behind in the East Wing for official use. And the puppy was given to a family in Maryland because, per Axios, it “couldn’t be archived.” And it’s probably safe to say that no president has ever accepted a gift worth $400 million. In addition to the Foreign Gifts and Declarations Act, the US Constitution also has two emoluments clauses. These bar presidents from receiving money or gifts from foreign governments, as well as other branches of the US government, to prevent special interests from having undue influence over the president’s decision-making. So before the 1966 reforms, per the Constitution, Congress had to approve every gift that a president received if they were to keep it personally — something that became harder and harder to do as the United States’ influence grew and gifts became more commonplace. Trump was sued for violating the emoluments during his first term, though the Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the cases in 2021.Why this mattersThe first and perhaps most important question you should ask about the whole plane gifting controversy is this: Why would a foreign government even want to give the president a gift worth $400 million? Sure, it might be intended as a good gesture, but a gesture that pricey almost certainly comes with the expectation that the president will give Qatar something in return. There doesn’t need to be an explicit quid pro quo to assume that the gift might be more of an investment — just like those looking to buy influence in the Trump White House might flock to buy stock in his media company or some of his meme coins. The fact that this proposed gift comes at the heels of the Trump Organization striking a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar should also raise eyebrows.But while the plan to gift Trump the plane is not finalized and might not happen, the fact that Trump considered and defended the idea is still concerning, even if his past history shows that it’s entirely unsurprising. After all, in his first term, foreign governments spent millions of dollars on his private businesses. Last year, his media company went public, making his conflicts of interest even worse by allowing anyone to buy shares in his business. And just last month, he offered to host a dinner for the top investors in his crypto meme coin — which he launched days before the start of his second term — calling it “the most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the World.” That Trump is not only open to receiving a $400 million plane but also argues that it’s a prudent move clearly shows that the US president is more than willing to accept extravagant gifts. That’s a problem in and of itself because it encourages other foreign governments to offer similar gifts in the hopes of currying favor with Trump or generating goodwill. This will only add to the many conflicts of interest Trump already has, making it even harder to understand where his loyalties stand and whom he might be beholden to.It’s likely that Trump will run into a legal headache trying to accept this particular gift, especially because of his desire to transfer it over to his presidential library. House Democrats are already seeking a probe into the potential jet, and some have argued that it’s outright unconstitutional. “A gift you use for four years and then deposit in your library is still a gift (and a grift),” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland wrote on X.In theory, if the president accepts the plane and the government maintains ownership of it — be it through the National Archives or keeping it operational for future presidents or some other official use — then it wouldn’t necessarily violate any ethics laws.But even if Trump can find a technical legal argument for why he can accept the gift, the question is whether he should given the conflicts of interest it raises. And it would be hard to find an ethics expert who would not raise concerns. See More: Source: https://www.vox.com/politics/412901/trump-qatar-plane-gift-air-force-one #how #corrupt #trumpampamp8217s #plan #accept #qatari #plane

Artificial regulation GOP sneaks decade-long AI regulation ban into spending bill Sweeping provision would halt all local oversight of AI by US states. Benj Edwards – May 13, 2025 10:58 am | 51 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more On Sunday night, House Republicans added language to the Budget Reconciliation bill that would block all state and local governments from regulating AI for 10 years, 404 Media reports. The provision, introduced by Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, states that "no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the 10 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act." The broad wording of the proposal would prevent states from enforcing both existing and proposed laws designed to protect citizens from AI systems. For example, California's recent law requiring health care providers to disclose when they use generative AI to communicate with patients would potentially become unenforceable. New York's 2021 law mandating bias audits for AI tools used in hiring decisions would also be affected, 404 Media notes. The measure would also halt legislation set to take effect in 2026 in California that requires AI developers to publicly document the data used to train their models. The ban could also restrict how states allocate federal funding for AI programs. States currently control how they use federal dollars and can direct funding toward AI initiatives that may conflict with the administration's technology priorities. The Education Department's AI programs represent one example where states might pursue different approaches than those favored by the White House and its tech industry allies. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, chaired by Guthrie, scheduled consideration of the text during the budget reconciliation markup on May 13. The language defines AI systems broadly enough to encompass both newer generative AI tools and older automated decision-making technologies. The reconciliation bill primarily focuses on cuts to Medicaid access and increased health care fees for millions of Americans. The AI provision appears as an addition to these broader health care changes, potentially limiting debate on the technology's policy implications. The move is already inspiring backlash. On Monday, tech safety groups and at least one Democrat criticized the proposal, reports The Hill. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee, called the proposal a "giant gift to Big Tech," while nonprofit groups like the Tech Oversight Project and Consumer Reports warned it would leave consumers unprotected from AI harms like deepfakes and bias. Big Tech’s White House connections President Trump has already reversed several Biden-era executive orders on AI safety and risk mitigation. The push to prevent state-level AI regulation represents an escalation in the administration's industry-friendly approach to AI policy. Perhaps it's no surprise, as the AI industry has cultivated close ties with the Trump administration since before the president took office. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk serves in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), while entrepreneur David Sacks acts as "AI czar," and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen reportedly advises the administration. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared with Trump in an AI datacenter development plan announcement in January. By limiting states' authority over AI regulation, the provision could prevent state governments from using federal funds to develop AI oversight programs or support initiatives that diverge from the administration's deregulatory stance. This restriction would extend beyond enforcement to potentially affect how states design and fund their own AI governance frameworks. Benj Edwards Senior AI Reporter Benj Edwards Senior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 51 Comments Source: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/gop-sneaks-decade-long-ai-regulation-ban-into-spending-bill/ #gop #sneaks #decadelong #regulation #ban #into #spending #bill #sweeping #provision #would #halt #all #local #oversight #states

“Wherever I go, the wind follows. And the wind smells like rain.” If those words came from the mouth of Humphrey Bogart or Edward G. Robinson in a crime flick from the 1930s or ’40s, they would sound like the cry of a tortured soul, living in the dregs of society. But because they come from the mouth of Nicolas Cage in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, they sound like melodramatic jokes, just as silly as anything said by the Looney Tunes-esque Spider-Ham, voiced by John Mulaney. And Cage is now reprising his role as Spider-Man Noir for the upcoming series Spider-Noir. But as the show’s first teaser reveals, the live-action Amazon MGM series has done away with the goofy tone of the movie that preceded it. Presented in black and white, the show is all moody visuals and implications of violence, in which a morally conflicted Spider-Man, still in his fedora and trench coat, does battle with the 1930s criminal underworld. As surprising as this shift may be to those who love the Spider-Verse movies, Spider-Noir is drawing its inspiration from the comics, and that’s a good thing. Marvel’s Great Depression The first issue of the 2008-2009 miniseries Spider-Man: Noir, written by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky and illustrated by Carmine Di Giandomenico, sees the police busting into the offices of Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson, only to find Spider-Man standing over him. Images such as this are well-known to fans of the wallcrawler, but this one is different. It’s not just that this scene takes place in 1933, nearly 30 full years before Spider-Man makes his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15. It’s also that Jameson has been shot to death and Spider-Man, dressed in a black trench coat (no fedora here), is holding the gun. Of course Spidey didn’t do it, and the series follows his investigation into Jameson’s murder. But the very shock of the image does underscore the tone of Spider-Man: Noir. Gone is the quippy Spidey, with his relationship problems and lovable hard-luck. In its place is a Spidey who dwells on the edges of society. He’s still Peter Parker, but he now lives among the downtrodden who lost everything in the Great Depression, listening to the socialist speeches delivered by his Aunt May, reimagined here as an Emma Goldman-type figure. Surprising as that description sounds, it follows the original appeal of Marvel Comics, described by Stan Lee as taking place in “the world outside your window.” 1933 was a period of great social change, with the excesses of the Roaring ’20s still enjoyed by some while others were consumed by the ravages of the stock market crash. Hitler has just become the German Chancellor, but a mistrust of the institutions that had failed them and a general nativism and xenophobia kept most Americans from seeing yet another world war on the horizon. Instead most Americans turned their attention to more immediate enemies, which include the upper classes who wanted to cling to Gilded Age power (and the institutions who supported them), as well as immigrants who continue to make their way to the U.S. All of those tensions inform Spider-Man: Noir, making for a more morally complex story than one would expect. The teenage Peter Parker is still the pure-hearted kid we know and love, but the general cynicism of the world gives him no clear moral standing as he fights Norman Osborn, aka the Goblin, and his thugs. Seriously Dark The Spider-Man Noir of Into the Spider-Verse played more like a parody of a film noir, which literally translates to “black film,” as coined by French critics analyzing moody American crime pictures of the 1940s and ’50s made in the wake of this era. In those films, the hero was a a hardboiled cynic, a la the detectives in The Big Heat or The Maltese Falcon. But in Spider-Verse, he’s a buffoon to be laughed at for his melodrama and inability to understand color. It’s a good joke, but not the sort of thing that can sustain an entire television series. So it’s a good thing that Spider-Noir seems to be taking its cues from the comics instead of the movie. Granted, though, that some things need to be changed. Even if Spidey remains masked, Cage sounds every bit like the 61-year-old he is, and no amount of digital de-aging will make him into the young teen from the comics. Thus he can’t quite be the same innocent he was in the comics, nor can he have a firebrand Aunt May. She and Ben would be long gone by the time sexagenarian Spidey is working. However, she could still have been a leftist, perhaps a union organizer or suffragist. More than a matter of political preference, though, the depiction of Spider-Noir’s Aunt May matters because the series cannot be a bunch of winking nods at movies and literature of the ’30s and ’40s. That worked for maybe 10 minutes of screen time in Spider-Verse, but it won’t hold a series—in part because modern audiences don’t know enough about film noir to get the reference. Instead it needs to be a story grounded in a type of reality, especially because it has a fantasy character at the center. Spider-Man: Noir and its sequel miniseries The Eye of the Beholder are a great model for the show and, if this first teaser is any indication, the model that Spider-Noir intends to follow. Spider-Noir will stream on MGM+ in 2026. Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/spider-noir-teaser-retains-the-spirit-of-the-marvel-comics/ #spidernoir #teaser #retains #the #spirit #marvel #comics

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 might be the most fun I’ve had playing a role-playing game since 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3. Its turn-based combat is more engaging than at first blush, and defeating powerful enemies provides the same elation that taking down a boss in a FromSoftware game does. It also offers some of the more challenging gameplay I’ve encountered in some time, with dodge and parry timing that’ll leave even the most experienced soulsborne vets pulling their hair out. Clair Obscur’s six playable heroes all have unique combat mechanics, so no two heroes play the same. This is great once you’ve mastered Gustave, Maelle, and the rest, but mastering them takes plenty of trial and error. You’re only presented each character’s tutorial once, so you’ll have to learn how to use them on the fly in battles with Nevrons. How does Sciel enter Twilight again? What exactly are Lune’s stains? How does Monoco’s Bestial Wheel move? There’s a learning curve to each character, but once they click for you — knowing how to best leverage Maelle’s stance switching, quickly overcharge with Gustave — you’re off to the races. Using my A-team of Maelle, Lune, and Sciel makes the game almost too easy, and I barely felt in any danger during Act 2’s late-game boss fights. They bounce off one another well, and at higher levels, can easily knock off enemies before your opponents have even had a turn. Unfortunately for Clair Obscur’s other characters, the strengths of Maelle, Lune, and Sciel put the rest of the group on the sidelines. Look, I like Verso — nice guy, great hair, plays the piano, ageless wonder. But his skills mostly rely on not taking damage, which is difficult when fighting enemies for the first time as you’ve yet to learn their attack patterns. Parrying is perhaps the greatest challenge in Clair Obscur’s combat, and trying to parry as Verso just opens the door to getting hit and therefore lowering his Perfection Rank, his own special ability. (Did I mention there’s a lot to learn in Clair Obscur? Because there’s a lot to learn.) Monoco, too, ends up getting the short end of the stick in my party. He arrives in the game when I’ve already settled on a good rhythm with Clair Obscur’s three women leading my party, and timing his Bestial Wheel to make the most use out of it is something I’m still struggling with going into Act 3. Alas, Monoco and Verso are warming the bench as my “B-team Boys,” itching for some playing time. Verso and Monoco gave way to my A-team trio late in Act 2. Around when I had to go fight the Axons, I finally started to get the hang of using Maelle, Lune, and Sciel as a team, synergizing their abilities in a way that I could wipe the floor with enemies before those enemies even got a turn. Once I hit that stride, I never had any use for the other playable characters (Sorry, Monoco and Verso. See you at camp?). Clair Obcur’s battles rely on leveraging your characters’ skills and unique mechanics, like Maelle’s Stance switching or Sciel’s Foretell stacking, to pummel your foes to dust. Lune might be the toughest hero to pin down as generating and using her elemental stains at first is a confusing matter. When using Lune’s skills in battle, the element(s) between the skill name and the Action Point (AP) cost are what stains are generated. Each of her powers can consume those stains for additional effects, like enhancing damage or increasing the duration of a power. When I fully understood how to leverage Lune’s stains, the game opened up for me. Lune can use Wildfire to burn all enemies, but I prefer positioning Maelle first and using her Rain of Fire right off the bat. Lune’s Thermal Transfer can then generate AP for her when used against the burning foe, meaning, depending on your Pictos and Luminas setup — Clair Obscur’s system for stat bonuses and passive effects — she could have the max of 9 AP by her next turn. With foes on fire, Maelle can then use Swift Stride to put her in Virtuose Stance, and on her next turn stay in Virtuose Stance with Fleuret Furyuse. Maelle’s Virtuose Stance sees her dealing 200% damage, and using it in conjunction with her high damage-dealing skills is your path toward hitting — or exceeding in Act 3 — the damage cap. Even post-nerf, she’s still a powerhouse. With Lune’s Chapelim weapon, I fall into a bit of a rhythm for each bout. At level 20, it generates an Earth Stain on each turn, and Thermal Transfer consumes two Earth Stains to allow Lune to play again and continue to wreak havoc. If Lune and Maelle are low on AP, no matter — Sciel’s Plentiful Harvest consumes all of an enemy’s Foretell and distributes AP among the party for each Foretell consumed. When in Twilight with 20 Foretell applied to a foe, this skill can easily top off everyone’s AP, leaving you free to continue your onslaught. Venturing into Act 3, with even more “Danger” areas and tough Chromatic foes ahead, knowing the end is in sight, I’ll be sticking with Maelle, Lune, and Sciel for the battles to come. They’ve gotten me this far. Source: https://www.polygon.com/opinion/598952/clair-obscurs-three-female-characters-make-me-never-want-to-switch-my-party #clair #obscurs #three #female #characters #make #never #want #switch #party

A former Call of Duty developer is wondering the same thing you are: if the franchise — which has released 21 mainline installments since 2003 — has run out of ideas.“It’s almost like The Simpsons — it’s been around so long that it feels like they’ve run out of ideas at times. It kind of wandered into left field,” Chance Glasco told an Oklahoma news station on Monday. Glasco is one of the founders of Infinity Ward and helped co-create the franchise with 2003’s Call of Duty.There’s a chance Glasco worked on your favorite COD game; Infinity Ward was responsible for series standouts like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2. “I wouldn’t say it peaked at Modern Warfare 2, but that was probably the best game we made,” Glasco said.While the series may or may not have peaked with MW2 (though anyone who misses running around with a silenced UMP45 might say it did — *raises hand*), there’s no arguing the Call of Duty of today is massively different than the Call of Duty of prior hardware generations. You may look at Squid Game and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossovers and think they’re cool, but longtime players might see them as signs the annual franchise is running out of steam in the “fresh gameplay ideas and innovation” department. Glasco clearly shares some of that sentiment.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the latest entry in the franchise, and it being the sixth BLOPS should tell you all you need to know about whether Call of Duty is running out of ideas or if that even matters. Consider: the game had the best launch for the series, and was, of course, the best-selling game of 2024.Perhaps the most innovative Call of Duty has been is with the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. The battle-royale gameplay was a slight shift from the series’ classic multiplayer gameplay, and launching in March 2020 certainly helped boost its popularity. And yet. “These days, I don’t play much outside of Warzone,” Glasco said. You and plenty others, Glasco.Just like people are still going to watch The Simpsons, regardless of its varying levels of quality, people are still going to play whatever Call of Duty launches this fall. Regardless of its quality — or innovative ideas.See More: Source: https://www.polygon.com/gaming/598920/former-call-of-duty-dev-wonders-if-the-franchise-has-run-out-of-ideas #former #call #duty #dev #wonders #the #franchise #has #ampamp8216run #out #ideasampamp8217

RandomlyRandom67 Member Jul 7, 2023 2,535 Was the rumoured Switch Pro actually Switch 2 all along? The Switch 2's main processor has been analysed - and its design is older than you might imagine. www.eurogamer.net Remember the discourse surrounding a proposed Switch Pro? Rumours of an upgraded Switch model began as early as 2018, but it wasn't until 2020 that the Pro's attributes including "more computing power and 4K high definition graphics" were reported on by Bloomberg. Simultaneously, it was understood that the Pro would also feature a seven-inch OLED panel. Of course, the OLED upgrade happened for the original Switch but the Pro did not. However, recent coverage of the Switch 2's main processor may provide a partial explanation. Forensic analysis of a final Switch 2 chip by Geekerwan and Kurnal suggests that the hardware was finalised way back in 2021. With the benefit of hindsight, it now seems plausible that the Switch Pro was an amalgamation of rumours: a combination of the Switch OLED model and formative work on the console that'll finally hit stores on June 5th this year. Click to expand... Click to shrink... .... Even more telling is that both analyses reveal that the chip was "taped out" - basically meaning the design was complete - in 2021. Geekerwan compares this to Nvidia's GA107 processor - another 8nm product, taped out in 2020 and released in the form of various GPUs (RTX 3050, for example) in 2021. The implication is that Nintendo had the new Switch 2 processor ready up to four years ago and could conceivably have released a Switch successor in 2022. Bearing in mind that processors take some time to create, it's very likely that leaks from Nintendo in Japan, or via its partners, could have started in 2020 when the Switch Pro reports began - at the same time as the platform holder was planning its OLED upgrade. However, it wasn't until June 2021 that noted leaker kopite7kimi named the new processor as T239 and stated that it would sit at the heart of the next Nintendo console. It seems as though the leaker got wind of the project just as T239 completed development at the taping out stage. So, the question is why it has taken so long for Switch 2 to arrive, bearing in mind that Nintendo would have had final silicon in 2021. Being familiar with console design having spoken to console system architects in the past, final silicon does typically arrive a year before a console releases. Bearing in mind that T239 was ready in 2021, it would have taken years to get to that point. Maybe an earlier Switch 2 was considered - but of course, plans can change. At the beginning of the project, one might imagine that Nintendo would still not understand just how long-lived the original Switch would be and the extent to which the Covid pandemic would elevate its sales. In turn, game development for the older system would continue. In the meantime, one might imagine that the production cost for the new T239 processor would have decreased - the 8nm process is old technology now, but thanks to Nintendo and Nvidia, the production lines can still continue with a brand new console to sustain them. The firm didn't release Switch 2 any earlier because there was no business case for doing so: the original model was still wildly popular. Then there's the fact that development resources were still invested in the existing Switch - the transition period to Switch 2 and the need to build up enough software for a new console would obviously delay the release of the machine. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Ultimately, the controversy surrounding the make-up of the Switch 2 processor comes from a good place - the desire for the new Nintendo hardware to be the best it can be - but perhaps this idea misses the point. Developers work with what they're given, often delivering remarkable results. We were concerned about the Tegra X1 powering the original Switch based on its showing in the Nvidia Shield Android TV micro-console - and yet developers delivered miracles from its relatively meagre capabilities. Click to expand... Click to shrink...   SharpX68K Member Nov 10, 2017 11,781 Chicagoland Oh boy. This is gonna be one for the ages...  DC5remy Member Jan 20, 2018 9,751 Texas lol. First reply nails it   ConflictResolver Member Jan 1, 2024 4,726 Midgar No they cancelled Pro because of Covid.   Ant_17 Member Oct 28, 2017 2,889 Greece Yes.   tucah Member Oct 25, 2017 1,488 maybe!   BabyDontHurtMe Member Dec 9, 2018 30,627 New Jersey Wouldn't be surprised   YuriLowell Member Oct 26, 2017 4,477 Yes.   Jswanko Member Oct 26, 2017 43 ConflictResolver said: No they cancelled Pro because of Covid. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Ant_17 said: tucah said: There you have it!  yap Avenger Oct 25, 2017 10,779 why not   OP OP RandomlyRandom67 Member Jul 7, 2023 2,535 ConflictResolver said: No they cancelled Pro because of Covid. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think the implication being made here is the Switch OLED and Switch 2 rumors collided to form an amalgamation rumor of a "Switch Pro." Switch Pro might have never existed, it was just the fact that a Switch OLED revision was coming while T239 was deep into design phase and presumably taped out in 2021   Homura ▲ Legend ▲ Member Aug 20, 2019 6,940 Of course. Leakers assumed around 2020-2021 all the T239 information was about a Pro version, not realizing Nintendo was just planning the successor all the way back then.  Kouriozan Member Oct 25, 2017 24,678 Oh I so wished Switch Pro was real, years and years of bad performances and I had enough, can't really fucking wait to get a Switch 2 lmao. iirc Switch Pro rumors did start to appear around 2020, so it could line up and people mistakenly thinking Switch 2 preps was a Pro model.  Glio Member Oct 27, 2017 27,708 Spain Sometimes you get a rumor wrong and that's it.   natestellar Member Sep 16, 2018 853 It seems to be the case.   RivalGT Member Dec 13, 2017 7,449 Probably not related to a switch pro, but DF is likely right. Why release the switch 2 when switch 1 was selling amazingly well.   Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/digital-foundry-was-the-rumoured-switch-pro-actually-switch-2-all-along.1188360/ #digital #foundry #was #the #rumoured #switch #pro #actually #all #along

Google’s recent announcement of an AI Futures Fund shows the company wants to invest in AI startups. It sees itself as providing capital, early access to AI models yet to reach production, and support for startups from experts at the company.This is not Google’s first rodeo. To date, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) has invested in 38 AI companies. Big name acquisitions to date include the UK’s DeepMind, Waymo, the autonomous vehicle intelligence company, and home automation specialist Nest.While such investments signal a broad intent to at least associate Google with startups coming to market with a smart idea (if not necessarily to swallow up smaller companies), the current situation regarding the US courts’ attitude to monopolistic behaviour by Google questions just how far any relationship may go in the longer term.If Google faces increased scrutiny in the next few years on the back of any eventual ruling the US Department of Justice makes, having what might be interpreted as a monopolistic position in AI could bring down the ire of the judiciary.On the other hand, if Google is forced to divest itself of some of its more profitable divisions – the Chrome browser, the Android mobile operating system, some or all of its ad networks – the company may have to double down on its other sources of revenue; and AI could become its favoured métier.If the board at Alphabet decide to bet large stakes on AI, one core aspect of doing so will need clear and definite resolution: the economic viability of continuing AI implementation in the forms that users have become familiar with in the last couple of years. According to some industry commentators, the AI ‘whale’, OpenAI, is struggling to monetise its operations to the extent that will satisfy its investors. Google’s share of the AI market is tiny in comparison with OpenAI’s, but it suffers from the same potential financial issues.Google’s way through may be to continue its original role as provider of information searched for on the internet, and use its models to improve the search results given to online queries, and perhaps monetise around that transaction: either charging end-users for AI-powered search, or having advertisers pay for top spots in AI-generated search results.In that role, Google would be returning to its original function, but with the addition of AI algorithms under the surface – AI that improves a service that’s proven to be in massive demand, rather than AI being the main focus of user activity.Meta’s latest earnings call signalled that Mark Zuckerberg wants to do just that: return to the roots of the Facebook platform as a social connector, but have AI improve users’ experiences.It’s proposed that any acquisitions by Google of AI companies in the future would have to get the approval of the US Department of Justice. The company says such a move would limit investment in future AI technologies, a sentiment echoed by Anthropic representatives during the anti-monopolistic search practices court case brought against Google by the DOJ.If such a government approval edict were in place for Google, it would change the nature of companies that Google might fund via the AI Futures Fund or similar scheme. Rather than risking censure by appearing to add companies to the Alphabet stable that are in line with Google’s AI offerings, those benefiting from the company’s largess would be more likely to be niche players, bringing unique products to sectors of the economy where Google doesn’t already hold sway.Amazon’s acquisitions have been, at first glance, more in line with that seeking out of niche products to snap up. The Ring home smart device company (acquired in 2018 for $1bn) and One Medical (2022, $3.9bn) were purchases well outside of Amazon’s core cloud and retail verticals. Both, however, are prime sources of training data for AI models – consumer behaviour metrics and healthcare information are prime data real-estate.Google’s strategy for investment in smaller companies will need to be similarly canny, given that whatever the outcome of the DOJ case, its activities will be subject to intense scrutiny by the courts, end-users, and the press.No article discussing the activities of US big tech companies would be complete in 2025 without the addition of caveats around the present American leadership’s attitude to competition in the sector. The elephant in the room is the real possibility of executive veto of, or significant amendment to, any judicial ruling. Those potential game-changing elements could affect Google and Alphabet’s investment plans with little notice and less reason.(Image source: “Dallas DA LGBT Task Force visits DOJ FBP” by Dallas County DA is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)See also: Apple AI stresses privacy with synthetic and anonymised dataWant to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here. Source: https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/google-ai-futures-fund-doj-ruling-unclear-undecided/ #googles #futures #fund #may #have #tread #carefully

Humans display different ways of attaching to one another, shaped largely by how our caregivers responded to us in early childhood. Some of us may shy away from closeness and prefer emotional distance, while others feel anxious in relationships, seeking reassurance and fearing abandonment. Understanding these underlying attachment styles can help us navigate emotions and relationships — and, as it turns out, might even help us better understand ourselves through the eyes of our primate relatives.A recent study led by the Ape Social Mind Lab at France's University of Lyon offers insight into mother-offspring attachment types in wild chimpanzees. Their findings suggest that some patterns we assumed were uniquely human may be more deeply rooted in our evolutionary history — while others may be distinctly modern.The Different Attachment StylesAttachment theory, grounded in the work of 20th-century researchers John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (among others), proposes that children develop mental templates, or “attachment styles,” based on how consistently and sensitively their caregivers respond to their emotional needs. The styles include:Secure attachment arises when caregivers are reliably supportive. The child feels safe, explores confidently, and trusts others.Anxious attachment emerges when caregiving is inconsistent. The child may become clingy, fearing abandonment and needing constant reassurance.Avoidant attachment develops when caregivers are emotionally distant or rejecting. These children tend to suppress their emotional needs and rely only on themselves.Disorganized attachment, often linked to trauma or fear-inducing caregiving, combines both approach and avoidance behaviors — wanting comfort, but also fearing it.In psychological research, secure, anxious, and avoidant styles are considered “organized” because they reflect clear, if not always ideal, strategies for seeking support. Disorganized attachment, by contrast, is erratic and conflicted, and often associated with later emotional struggles.Wild Chimpanzees and HumansResearchers observed 50 wild chimpanzees in Côte d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast, West Africa) over nearly 4,000 hours and found that their young showed only organized attachment styles — either secure or insecure-avoidant. Some infants stayed close to their mothers during threats, showing secure-like behavior. Others remained more independent, resembling avoidant styles. But perhaps what is most striking is what researchers didn't find.“In the wild, we found no evidence of disorganized attachment patterns, which supports the hypothesis that this type of attachment may not be an adaptive survival strategy in the face of environmental constraints,” said lead author Eléonore Rolland in a news release.This differs sharply from humans, where studies suggest around 23.5 percent of children display disorganized attachment. Among captive, peer-raised chimpanzees, that number jumps to 61 percent, a clue that caregiving environment plays a massive role in shaping attachment.“By identifying attachment patterns in wild chimpanzees, we provide important insights into the roots of human social behavior,” added senior author Roman Wittig in the statement.Rethinking Parenting Through a Primate LensSo, what does this mean for us?If disorganized attachment is nearly nonexistent among wild chimps — but relatively common in modern human societies — it raises important questions about how contemporary caregiving practices align with our evolutionary needs.“Our results deepen our understanding of chimpanzees’ social development and show that humans and chimpanzees are not so different after all,” said Rolland in the release. “But they also make us think: have some modern human institutions or caregiving practices moved away from what is best for infant development?”As senior author Catherine Crockford notes, “The high prevalence of disorganized attachment in humans and captive orphan chimpanzees, in contrast to wild chimpanzees, also supports the idea that the rearing environment plays an important role in shaping attachment types.”These findings not only deepen our understanding of our primate cousins but also invite us to reflect on how early relationships shape emotional health — for chimps and for us.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Journal of Pediatric Health Care: A REVIEW OF ATTACHMENT THEORY IN THE CONTEXT OF ADOLESCENT PARENTINGHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard. Source: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/what-chimpanzees-can-teach-us-about-attachment-styles-in-relationships #what #chimpanzees #can #teach #about #attachment #styles #relationships

end-of-life planning Office apps on Windows 10 are no longer tied to its October 2025 end-of-support date Windows 10 will stop getting free security updates on October 14, 2025. Andrew Cunningham – May 13, 2025 11:24 am | 26 Microsoft 365 will encompass Teams, OneDrive, and the suite of productivity apps formerly known as Office. Credit: Microsoft Microsoft 365 will encompass Teams, OneDrive, and the suite of productivity apps formerly known as Office. Credit: Microsoft Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more For most users, Windows 10 will stop receiving security updates and other official support from Microsoft on October 14, 2025, about five months from today. Until recently, Microsoft had also said that users running the Microsoft Office apps on Windows 10 would also lose support on that date, whether they were using the continually updated Microsoft 365 versions of those apps or the buy-once-own-forever versions included in Office 2021 or Office 2024. Microsoft has recently tweaked this policy, however (as seen by The Verge). Now, Windows 10 users of the Microsoft 365 apps will still be eligible to receive software updates and support through October of 2028, "in the interest of maintaining your security while you upgrade to Windows 11." Microsoft is taking a similar approach to Windows Defender malware definitions, which will be offered to Windows 10 users "through at least October 2028." The policy is a change from a few months ago, when Microsoft insisted that Office apps running on Windows 10 would become officially unsupported on October 14. The perpetually licensed versions of Office will be supported in accordance with Microsoft's "Fixed Lifecycle Policy," which guarantees support and security updates for a fixed number of years after a software product's initial release. For Office 2021, this means Windows 10 users will get support through October of 2026; for Office 2024, this should extend to October of 2029. Some Microsoft support sites still list the old end-of-support dates for Office apps running on Windows 10. We've contacted Microsoft to see whether these sites will be updated to match the new dates. Microsoft is likely extending this Office support date and the Windows Defender definitions to help cover people who buy into the Extended Security Updates program for Windows 10, which will allow individuals and institutions to stay on Windows 10 past the official public end-of-support date. Businesses and other institutions will be able to buy between one and three extra years of security updates, with costs that steadily increase for each year of updates. Individuals will be able to buy a single extra year of updates for a flat $30 per PC. For people who aren't paying for extra Windows 10 updates, Microsoft has stayed firmly committed to both Windows 10's end-of-support date and Windows 11's minimum system requirements, which will prevent many active Windows 10 systems from upgrading to the newer operating system. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Microsoft's solution is that these people should buy a new PC entirely; the company declared 2025 "the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh" back in January. It's possible to install and run Windows 11 on older "unsupported" PCs, and the day-to-day experience is often indistinguishable from running the software on a "supported" PC. But there are additional hoops to jump through when you're installing and upgrading the OS that may keep most non-technical users from wanting to give it a try. Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham Senior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 26 Comments Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/microsoft-extends-office-support-on-windows-10-through-2028/ #office #apps #windows #are #longer #tied #its #october #endofsupport #date