With Nintendo Switch 2 offering upgrades to some games for the original console, here are the titles we can't wait to check out on the new hardware, from Pokemon to ZeldaTech15:47, 21 May 2025Updated 15:50, 21 May 2025Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is one of Switch's best-looking titlesAs we covered in our rundown of the best Nintendo Switch games, we understand that the Switch 2 will be a massive upgrade, but we're still a little sad about leaving the original console behind.Thankfully, our software libraries aren't going anywhere, and as we now know, many games will see free improvements on the new hardware.‌While some upgrades will be expensive, those are typically the ones offering additional content that make the games worth revisiting, and we've put together a list of the Switch 1 games we can't wait to check out on the new console when it launches in a couple of weeks.‌Kirby is back with new Switch 2 content(Image: Nintendo)One of the paid 'Upgrade Packs' Nintendo has been showing off (alongside Super Mario Party Jamboree), Kirby and the Forgotten Land was a delightful platformer when it launched in 2022, but one common complaint was that it was a tad too easy.While we don't yet know if the Star-Crossed World content from the Switch 2 version will ramp up the challenge, we're just happy to have more to do in the game's colourful world, and to find out what mischief Kirby can get up to this time around.Article continues belowIt'll cost you under a tenner to upgrade Breath of the Wild for Switch 2(Image: Nintendo)You can also add Tears of the Kingdom to this list, but Breath of the Wild was the quintessential Switch game for many. In fact, there's an argument to be made that many may have skipped the console (at least in its earliest months) had it not been for Link's adventure being dubbed one of the greatest games of all time.The upgrade pack will set you back £7.99, but it's also included in Nintendo Switch Online memberships which is handy. Switch 2 brings with it an improved resolution and frame rates, as well as HDR support, meaning Breath of the Wild should look (and run) better than ever.‌Scarlet and Violet disappointed at launch because of performance issues(Image: The Pokemon Company)Scarlet and Violet could be cracking entries in the long-running Pokemon RPG series, but technical issues certainly dampened the excitement of their open world and nonlinear structure.Thankfully, the upgrade for the Switch 2 is free, so you can jump back into Paldea and catch 'em all. In fact, Nintendo says the game is now optimised for "improved image quality", and the frame rate is improved which was one of our biggest issues with the original version.‌Bowser's Fury is a fun, if short, adventureFeeling almost like the first Switch and Upgrade Pack game we saw, Super Mario 3D World is a cracking port of a classic, while Bowser's Fury is an open-world adventure worth the price of admission alone.Switch 2 will offer improved frame rates across both titles, and improve the image quality, meaning they'll never look better. In fact, we're a little jealous if you haven't played either because there's never been a better time.‌It's high time we got another 3D Mario titleAnother listicle, another Super Mario Odyssey mention, but this really is one of the best games on Switch 1 and it's getting free upgrades on Nintendo's new hardware.Nintendo says the patch will add HDR support, and the resolution will be improved, while GameShare will mean you can play in co-op on two consoles with a single copy of the game, with one player taking the role of Cappy.‌We'll take any excuse to revisit this 2017 classic.Xenoblade Chronicles X is an impressive technical achievement on Switch 1The most recent game on this list (or at least this version is), Xenoblade Chronicles X feels like the pinnacle of visuals on Switch 1, but the game's code suggests there's a 60FPS option available somehow.Article continues belowNintendo hasn't said anything, but if the game can run at double its normal frame rate, we'll happily jump right back in.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

Looks like Ubisoft is giving Rayman an "AAA" revival after last year's "exploration phase" Never mind the Globox. Image credit: Ubisoft News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on May 21, 2025 Remember Ubisoft's announcement last October it was currently in the "exploration phase" of a new Rayman project? Well, it seems full development has now been given the go ahead, with a recent job listing indicating the publisher is currently staffing up on a "AAA" Rayman game. To rewind a bit, all this came about following reports last year that Ubisoft had assembled a small group of developers - including around a dozen members of its now-disbanded Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team - to work on a remake of Rayman. Somewhat unusually, Ubisoft didn't immediately reach for the 'does not comment on rumours or speculation' button, instead confirming that, yes actually, it was sort of true. "We are pleased to confirm Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand," it said at the time. "The project is still in its early stages, and we will share more details later." There was a sense, then, that nothing might come of the project if that "exploration phase" didn't bring encouraging results. But it now appears those initial experiments showed sufficient promise, because Ubisoft Milan is currently seeking a 3D gameplay animator to work on a "prestigious AAA title for the Rayman brand." There's also a second, slightly less specific job listing searching for a senior game designer to "work on the Rayman brand", but it seems likely both positions are related to the same project. More of this sort of thing please Ubisoft.Watch on YouTube So that's some encouraging news for Rayman fans, particularly given Ubisoft Montpellier and Milan's historically stellar output. Between them, the studios have released the acclaimed likes of Mario + Rabbids, the beautiful Valiant Hearts series, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, plus Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends - two absolutely gold-standard 2D platformers. The only troubling element of Rayman's revival is last year's controversial admission by Ubisoft that original Rayman creator Michel Ancel had been drafted in as a consultant. Ancel departed the publisher in 2020, allegedly following an investigation into employee complaints accusing him of toxic leadership, and his involvement with the new Rayman project was reported to have "raised some concerns among team members". It is, however, unclear if Ancel is still serving as a consultant now Ubisoft's initial "exploration phase" appears to be complete. Signs that Rayman may be making a "AAA" return come at a challenging time for Ubisoft. The publisher has faced a tumultuous few years amid tumbling share prices and a number of high-profile flops, resulting in a string of layoffs and studio closures. As part of its attempts to right the ship, Ubisoft announced it was launching a new subsidiary dedicated to its big three IPs - Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry - earlier this year. With those game under a new banner, Ubisoft itself will concentrate on a number of key areas, including "nurturing the development of iconic franchises" - which is presumably where Rayman comes in.

News Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker DLC is Available The DLC is available for free for all players, and adds new story content, combat mechanics, classes, locations, minigames, and more. Posted By Shubhankar Parijat | On 21st, May. 2025 Sabotage Studio’s Sea of Stars has no shortage of dedicated fans out there who’ll take any excuse to dive back into its classic turn based offerings, and we now have another excuse. The RPG’s newest DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker, is now available on all platforms. The DLC is available for free, adding a new multi-hour storyline, bringing new story content, a new playable character, combat classes, minigames, locations, and more. As the DLC’s name suggests, it will see protagonists Zale and Valere once again crossing paths with the Watchmaker and travel to the miniature clockwork world of Horloge. Sabotage Studio is also selling the game for 35 percent off on all digital platforms, to keep luring in new players. Sea of Stars is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It has over 6 million players across all platforms as of last November, as per Sabotage Studio. Tagged With: Elden Ring: Nightreign Publisher:Bandai Namco Developer:FromSoftware Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PCView More Borderlands 4 Publisher:2K Developer:Gearbox Entertainment Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PCView More Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Publisher:Sony Developer:Kojima Productions Platforms:PS5View More Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out! Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – Creator’s Voice Video Showcases New Gameplay A new behind-the-scenes video released by Nintendo offers another extended look at the upcoming action title, ... Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker DLC is Available The DLC is available for free for all players, and adds new story content, combat mechanics, classes, location... Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Trailer Showcases Neo City Stage A new gameplay trailer for LizardCube and Sega's upcoming action-platformer showcases the futuristic and neon-... Helldivers 2 Has About 2.5 Million Weekly Players, Says Arrowhead CCO The co-op shooter recently received the Heart of Democracy update, where players fight the invading Illuminate... DOOM: The Dark Ages Reaches 3 Million Players, Biggest Launch in id Software’s History The critically acclaimed first-person shooter has reached this milestone seven times faster than its predecess... Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Brushes of Death Review – Artistic Liberty Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's first DLC is a decent filler - well-voiced and decently long, but filler all the... View More

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. It’s well documented that AI is a power-hungry technology. But there has been far less reporting on the extent of that hunger, how much its appetite is set to grow in the coming years, where that power will come from, and who will pay for it.  For the past six months, MIT Technology Review’s team of reporters and editors have worked to answer those questions. The result is an unprecedented look at the state of AI’s energy and resource usage, where it is now, where it is headed in the years to come, and why we have to get it right.  At the centerpiece of this package is an entirely novel line of reporting into the demands of inference—the way human beings interact with AI when we make text queries or ask AI to come up with new images or create videos. Experts say inference is set to eclipse the already massive amount of energy required to train new AI models. Here’s everything we found out. Here’s what you can expect from the rest of the package, including: + We were so startled by what we learned reporting this story that we also put together a brief on everything you need to know about estimating AI’s energy and emissions burden.  + We went out into the world to see the effects of this energy hunger—from the deserts of Nevada, where data centers in an industrial park the size of Detroit demand ever more water to keep their processors cool and running.  + In Louisiana, where Meta plans its largest-ever data center, we expose the dirty secret that will fuel its AI ambitions—along with those of many others.  + Why the clean energy promise of powering AI data centers with nuclear energy will long remain elusive.  + But it’s not all doom and gloom. Check out the reasons to be optimistic, and examine why future AI systems could be far less energy intensive than today’s. AI can do a better job of persuading people than we do The news: Millions of people argue with each other online every day, but remarkably few of them change someone’s mind. New research suggests that large language models (LLMs) might do a better job, especially when they're given the ability to adapt their arguments using personal information about individuals. The finding suggests that AI could become a powerful tool for persuading people, for better or worse. The big picture: The findings are the latest in a growing body of research demonstrating LLMs’ powers of persuasion. The authors warn they show how AI tools can craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments if they have even minimal information about the humans they’re interacting with. Read the full story. —Rhiannon Williams How AI is introducing errors into courtrooms It’s been quite a couple weeks for stories about AI in the courtroom. You might have heard about the deceased victim of a road rage incident whose family created an AI avatar of him to show as an impact statement (possibly the first time this has been done in the US). But there’s a bigger, far more consequential controversy brewing, legal experts say. AI hallucinations are cropping up more and more in legal filings. And it’s starting to infuriate judges. Just consider these three cases, each of which gives a glimpse into what we can expect to see more of as lawyers embrace AI. Read the full story. —James O'Donnell This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump has signed the Take It Down Act into US law It criminalizes the distribution of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes. (The Verge)+ Tech platforms will be forced to remove such material within 48 hours of being notified. (CNN)+ It’s only the sixth bill he’s signed into law during his second term. (NBC News) 2 There’s now a buyer for 23andMe  Pharma firm Regeneron has swooped in and offered to help it keep operating. (WSJ $)+ The worth of your genetic data? $17. (404 Media)+ Regeneron promised to prioritize security and ethical use of that data. (TechCrunch)3 Microsoft is adding Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud platformErr, is that a good idea? (Bloomberg $) + Musk wants to sell Grok to other businesses. (The Information $) 4 Autonomous cars trained to react like humans cause fewer road injuries A study found they were more cautious around cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. (FT $)+ Waymo is expanding its robotaxi operations out of San Francisco. (Reuters)+ How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review)5 Hurricane season is on its way DOGE cuts means we’re less prepared. (The Atlantic $)+ COP30 may be in crisis before it’s even begun. (New Scientist $)6 Telegram handed over data from more than 20,000 users  In the first three months of 2025 alone. (404 Media)7 GM has stopped exporting cars to ChinaTrump’s tariffs have put an end to its export plans. (NYT $) 8 Blended meats are on the risePlants account for up to 70% of these new meats—and consumers love them. (WP $) + Alternative meat could help the climate. Will anyone eat it? (MIT Technology Review)9 SAG-AFTRA isn’t happy about Fornite’s AI-voiced Darth Vader It’s slapped Fortnite’s creators with an unfair labor practice charge. (Ars Technica)+ How Meta and AI companies recruited striking actors to train AI. (MIT Technology Review)10 This AI model can swiftly build Lego structures Thanks to nothing more than a prompt. (Fast Company $) Quote of the day “Platforms have no incentive or requirement to make sure what comes through the system is non-consensual intimate imagery.” —Becca Branum, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, says the new Take It Down Act could fuel censorship, Wired reports. One more thing Are friends electric?Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficult—playing world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbers—they find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things. This fundamental tension—what is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what’s hard for machines is easy for humans—is at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story.—Bryan Gardiner We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Congratulations to William Goodge, who ran across Australia in just 35 days!+ A British horticulturist has created a garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show just for dogs.+ The Netherlands just loves a sidewalk garden.+ Did you know the T Rex is a north American hero? Me neither 🦖

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. It’s well documented that AI is a power-hungry technology. But there has been far less reporting on the extent of that hunger, how much its appetite is set to grow in the coming years, where that power will come from, and who will pay for it.  For the past six months, MIT Technology Review’s team of reporters and editors have worked to answer those questions. The result is an unprecedented look at the state of AI’s energy and resource usage, where it is now, where it is headed in the years to come, and why we have to get it right.  At the centerpiece of this package is an entirely novel line of reporting into the demands of inference—the way human beings interact with AI when we make text queries or ask AI to come up with new images or create videos. Experts say inference is set to eclipse the already massive amount of energy required to train new AI models. Here’s everything we found out. Here’s what you can expect from the rest of the package, including: + We were so startled by what we learned reporting this story that we also put together a brief on everything you need to know about estimating AI’s energy and emissions burden.  + We went out into the world to see the effects of this energy hunger—from the deserts of Nevada, where data centers in an industrial park the size of Detroit demand ever more water to keep their processors cool and running.  + In Louisiana, where Meta plans its largest-ever data center, we expose the dirty secret that will fuel its AI ambitions—along with those of many others.  + Why the clean energy promise of powering AI data centers with nuclear energy will long remain elusive.  + But it’s not all doom and gloom. Check out the reasons to be optimistic, and examine why future AI systems could be far less energy intensive than today’s. AI can do a better job of persuading people than we do The news: Millions of people argue with each other online every day, but remarkably few of them change someone’s mind. New research suggests that large language models (LLMs) might do a better job, especially when they're given the ability to adapt their arguments using personal information about individuals. The finding suggests that AI could become a powerful tool for persuading people, for better or worse. The big picture: The findings are the latest in a growing body of research demonstrating LLMs’ powers of persuasion. The authors warn they show how AI tools can craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments if they have even minimal information about the humans they’re interacting with. Read the full story. —Rhiannon Williams How AI is introducing errors into courtrooms It’s been quite a couple weeks for stories about AI in the courtroom. You might have heard about the deceased victim of a road rage incident whose family created an AI avatar of him to show as an impact statement (possibly the first time this has been done in the US). But there’s a bigger, far more consequential controversy brewing, legal experts say. AI hallucinations are cropping up more and more in legal filings. And it’s starting to infuriate judges. Just consider these three cases, each of which gives a glimpse into what we can expect to see more of as lawyers embrace AI. Read the full story. —James O'Donnell This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump has signed the Take It Down Act into US law It criminalizes the distribution of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes. (The Verge)+ Tech platforms will be forced to remove such material within 48 hours of being notified. (CNN)+ It’s only the sixth bill he’s signed into law during his second term. (NBC News) 2 There’s now a buyer for 23andMe  Pharma firm Regeneron has swooped in and offered to help it keep operating. (WSJ $)+ The worth of your genetic data? $17. (404 Media)+ Regeneron promised to prioritize security and ethical use of that data. (TechCrunch)3 Microsoft is adding Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud platformErr, is that a good idea? (Bloomberg $) + Musk wants to sell Grok to other businesses. (The Information $) 4 Autonomous cars trained to react like humans cause fewer road injuries A study found they were more cautious around cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. (FT $)+ Waymo is expanding its robotaxi operations out of San Francisco. (Reuters)+ How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review)5 Hurricane season is on its way DOGE cuts means we’re less prepared. (The Atlantic $)+ COP30 may be in crisis before it’s even begun. (New Scientist $)6 Telegram handed over data from more than 20,000 users  In the first three months of 2025 alone. (404 Media)7 GM has stopped exporting cars to ChinaTrump’s tariffs have put an end to its export plans. (NYT $) 8 Blended meats are on the risePlants account for up to 70% of these new meats—and consumers love them. (WP $) + Alternative meat could help the climate. Will anyone eat it? (MIT Technology Review)9 SAG-AFTRA isn’t happy about Fornite’s AI-voiced Darth Vader It’s slapped Fortnite’s creators with an unfair labor practice charge. (Ars Technica)+ How Meta and AI companies recruited striking actors to train AI. (MIT Technology Review)10 This AI model can swiftly build Lego structures Thanks to nothing more than a prompt. (Fast Company $) Quote of the day “Platforms have no incentive or requirement to make sure what comes through the system is non-consensual intimate imagery.” —Becca Branum, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, says the new Take It Down Act could fuel censorship, Wired reports. One more thing Are friends electric?Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficult—playing world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbers—they find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things. This fundamental tension—what is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what’s hard for machines is easy for humans—is at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story.—Bryan Gardiner We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Congratulations to William Goodge, who ran across Australia in just 35 days!+ A British horticulturist has created a garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show just for dogs.+ The Netherlands just loves a sidewalk garden.+ Did you know the T Rex is a north American hero? Me neither 🦖

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard. It’s well documented that AI is a power-hungry technology. But there has been far less reporting on the extent of that hunger, how much its appetite is set to grow in the coming years, where that power will come from, and who will pay for it.  For the past six months, MIT Technology Review’s team of reporters and editors have worked to answer those questions. The result is an unprecedented look at the state of AI’s energy and resource usage, where it is now, where it is headed in the years to come, and why we have to get it right.  At the centerpiece of this package is an entirely novel line of reporting into the demands of inference—the way human beings interact with AI when we make text queries or ask AI to come up with new images or create videos. Experts say inference is set to eclipse the already massive amount of energy required to train new AI models. Here’s everything we found out. Here’s what you can expect from the rest of the package, including: + We were so startled by what we learned reporting this story that we also put together a brief on everything you need to know about estimating AI’s energy and emissions burden.  + We went out into the world to see the effects of this energy hunger—from the deserts of Nevada, where data centers in an industrial park the size of Detroit demand ever more water to keep their processors cool and running.  + In Louisiana, where Meta plans its largest-ever data center, we expose the dirty secret that will fuel its AI ambitions—along with those of many others.  + Why the clean energy promise of powering AI data centers with nuclear energy will long remain elusive.  + But it’s not all doom and gloom. Check out the reasons to be optimistic, and examine why future AI systems could be far less energy intensive than today’s. AI can do a better job of persuading people than we do The news: Millions of people argue with each other online every day, but remarkably few of them change someone’s mind. New research suggests that large language models (LLMs) might do a better job, especially when they’re given the ability to adapt their arguments using personal information about individuals. The finding suggests that AI could become a powerful tool for persuading people, for better or worse. The big picture: The findings are the latest in a growing body of research demonstrating LLMs’ powers of persuasion. The authors warn they show how AI tools can craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments if they have even minimal information about the humans they’re interacting with. Read the full story. —Rhiannon Williams How AI is introducing errors into courtrooms It’s been quite a couple weeks for stories about AI in the courtroom. You might have heard about the deceased victim of a road rage incident whose family created an AI avatar of him to show as an impact statement (possibly the first time this has been done in the US).But there’s a bigger, far more consequential controversy brewing, legal experts say. AI hallucinations are cropping up more and more in legal filings. And it’s starting to infuriate judges. Just consider these three cases, each of which gives a glimpse into what we can expect to see more of as lawyers embrace AI. Read the full story. —James O’Donnell This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump has signed the Take It Down Act into US lawIt criminalizes the distribution of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes. (The Verge)+ Tech platforms will be forced to remove such material within 48 hours of being notified. (CNN)+ It’s only the sixth bill he’s signed into law during his second term. (NBC News) 2 There’s now a buyer for 23andMe Pharma firm Regeneron has swooped in and offered to help it keep operating. (WSJ $)+ The worth of your genetic data? $17. (404 Media)+ Regeneron promised to prioritize security and ethical use of that data. (TechCrunch) 3 Microsoft is adding Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud platformErr, is that a good idea? (Bloomberg $)+ Musk wants to sell Grok to other businesses. (The Information $) 4 Autonomous cars trained to react like humans cause fewer road injuriesA study found they were more cautious around cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. (FT $)+ Waymo is expanding its robotaxi operations out of San Francisco. (Reuters)+ How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Hurricane season is on its wayDOGE cuts means we’re less prepared. (The Atlantic $)+ COP30 may be in crisis before it’s even begun. (New Scientist $) 6 Telegram handed over data from more than 20,000 users In the first three months of 2025 alone. (404 Media) 7 GM has stopped exporting cars to ChinaTrump’s tariffs have put an end to its export plans. (NYT $) 8 Blended meats are on the risePlants account for up to 70% of these new meats—and consumers love them. (WP $)+ Alternative meat could help the climate. Will anyone eat it? (MIT Technology Review) 9 SAG-AFTRA isn’t happy about Fornite’s AI-voiced Darth VaderIt’s slapped Fortnite’s creators with an unfair labor practice charge. (Ars Technica)+ How Meta and AI companies recruited striking actors to train AI. (MIT Technology Review) 10 This AI model can swiftly build Lego structuresThanks to nothing more than a prompt. (Fast Company $) Quote of the day “Platforms have no incentive or requirement to make sure what comes through the system is non-consensual intimate imagery.” —Becca Branum, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, says the new Take It Down Act could fuel censorship, Wired reports. One more thing Are friends electric?Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficult—playing world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbers—they find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things.This fundamental tension—what is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what’s hard for machines is easy for humans—is at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story. —Bryan Gardiner We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.) + Congratulations to William Goodge, who ran across Australia in just 35 days!+ A British horticulturist has created a garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show just for dogs.+ The Netherlands just loves a sidewalk garden.+ Did you know the T Rex is a north American hero? Me neither

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube813k 2D action-adventure game Aurascope has completed its recent Kickstarter campaign, with backers pledging enough dosh to secure a port on the Switch and Switch 2. Created by Nick Oztok, the game sees you set off on an adventure with protagonists Trace and Aurora as they look to uncover the secrets of the 'Aurascope'. If the trailer is anything to go by, it's clear that Aurascope is taking some heavy influence from not only 2D Mario games, but also the 3D entries. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and we love the colourful, pixel-art visuals. A demo is available via the Kickstarter page if you want to get a taste of what to expect, but otherwise, we might be in for a long wait with this one, as expected delivery for the rewards is at least mid-2027. Now, let's check out some of the key features: - Over 100 Energy Cores to collect in Adventure Mode including a Hard Mode. - Dozens of beautifully crafted lively locations to explore and experience. - More than 20 arenas in the Battle Mode with lots of different items. - Fun extra modes such as Time Attack, Challenges, Minigames, and more. - Plenty of ways to customize and tailor the game to your play style and enjoyment. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one in the months ahead, but early impressions are pretty positive. Here's hoping development goes smoothly and we can expect a decent launch on the Switch and Switch 2. Jump up, jump up and get down What are your thoughts on Aurascope so far? Is it something you'd like to pick up? Let us know with a comment. [source kickstarter.com] See Also Share:0 1 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 The First Review For Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Is In A fantasy score? 27 Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games We're Excited For In 2025 The very best Switch 2 games coming soon Nintendo Switch 2 Final Tech Specs Have Been Confirmed GameChat has a "significant impact on system resources"

Cozy Game Restoration by Parasol Corp offers the ultimate satisfaction of unwrapping carefully sealed packages to uncover forgotten video game cartridges, each marked by time, stickers, dust, and imperfections.The cartridges arrive tucked inside mystery packages, and it's up to you to peel back the layers by hand. Carefully unwrap the paper, lift the flap, and uncover the treasure within. Each game is unique, with randomized condition stats and visual traits, featuring nearly 100 different titles inspired by classics from the 1980s to the early 2000s.While some games are more common, others are rarer finds: regional variants, Japanese editions, developer-exclusive models, signed copies, or even limited-edition golden shell cartridges. As you restore games, you'll unlock collection-based quests: three puzzle games, two rare platformers, and a full fighting trilogy. Completing each set rewards you with cosmetic decorations you can display on your desk, shelf, or workstation.There's no timer and no currency, just a growing backlog of dusty games and the meditative joy of restoring and shelving each one. And yes, the developer has the popping bubble wrap feature on the list.Cozy Game Restoration runs on a desktop, but it's been designed from the ground up for Steam Deck, which is ideal for immersive sessions. It's set for release in July, so be sure to add Cozy Game Restoration to your wishlist here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

By Matt Novak Published May 16, 2025 | Comments (0) | Elon Musk waves as he arrives for a state dinner at the Lusail Palace on May 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. © Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence tool Grok went haywire on Wednesday, responding to innocuous questions on X with information about “white genocide” in South Africa. It was a confusing and sometimes hilarious glitch, but we now have some answers about what happened from xAI. And frankly, they just leave us with more questions. xAI posted a tweet Thursday night laying out its explanation, including the exact time that changes were made to Grok that made it pump out sentences about “white genocide” no matter what users asked. “On May 14 at approximately 3:15 AM PST, an unauthorized modification was made to the Grok response bot’s prompt on X,” xAI wrote. “This change, which directed Grok to provide a specific response on a political topic, violated xAI’s internal policies and core values. We have conducted a thorough investigation and are implementing measures to enhance Grok’s transparency and reliability.” You’ll notice that xAI, which is owned by Elon Musk, strongly suggests there was an internal actor who made this “unauthorized modification” but doesn’t use the language you’d expect if it was an employee at the company. And we’re guessing that might have something to do with the fact that it wasn’t an employee necessarily, but the owner. Musk has long been obsessed with the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, the idea that white people are being killed around the world by nonwhite people. The conspiracy theory often includes elements of anti-semitism and is similar to the so-called Great Replacement conspiracy theory, which claims global elites are trying to replace white people with other races in wealthy countries around the world. Musk is particularly interested in the supposed “white genocide” that’s happening in South Africa, the country where he was born and raised before emigrating to Canada and then eventually the U.S., and has shared tweets where he insists white farmers are being slaughtered for their race. The day before Grok started acting oddly, Musk quote-tweeted a post about South Africa that contained misinformation. The person Musk was quote-tweeting posted video that showed a street in South Africa where hundreds of white crosses had been placed on each side. The poster claimed that each cross represented a white farmer who had been murdered. “Each cross represents a white farmer who was murdered in South Africa,” the account Dr. Maalof wrote. “And some people still deny that white South Africans/Boers are persecuted and say they don’t deserve asylum because they are white.” Musk shared the tweet with “So many crosses,” and naturally a bunch of X users asked Grok if this was true. Grok responded that the crosses were called Witkruis Monument and each cross actually represents farmers of any race who’ve been killed. The next day, people started to notice that Grok was acting weird, responding to unrelated queries with information about white genocide. Changes were made to Grok at 3:15 a.m. PT (6:15 a.m. ET), which led to jokes Thursday night about how late Musk stays up each night. The billionaire frequently tweets at all hours, but you don’t need to assume Musk was up late to think he may have been behind the change to Grok. The billionaire oligarch is currently in the Middle East with President Donald Trump, meeting with world leaders. Qatar’s timezone is 10 hours ahead of Pacific Time, meaning it was 1:15 p.m. in Qatar when the tinkering was taking place. Elon’s Jet, the social media account that tracks Musk’s plane and has been banned from X, shows the billionaire was soon to be landing in Doha when all of this was happening. Landed in Doha, Ad-Dawhah Municipality, Qatar. Apx. flt. time 16 min. [image or embed] — Elon Musk’s Jet Tracking (@elonjet.net) May 14, 2025 at 5:06 AM To be clear, we don’t have proof that Musk was involved. It’s entirely possible that some workers at xAI saw Musk getting fact-checked by Grok about white genocide and wanted to tilt the AI tool in their boss’s favor. But Musk is notorious for tinkering with his products to suit his needs and make himself feel better. There’s an infamous story, first reported by Platformer in 2023, where Musk became extremely upset about President Joe Biden’s Super Bowl tweet getting more likes and views than Musk’s. Biden’s tweet about the Super Bowl received 29 million impressions and Musk’s just 9 million, prompting Musk to fly back to Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco to demand changes to the algorithm. Those changes made it so that users on X were seeing an absolute flood of Musk tweets. It wasn’t subtle. We’re guessing something similar happened here. xAI wrote on Thursday night it would start publishing system prompts to Github in an effort to be more transparent and “putting in place a 24/7 monitoring team to respond to incidents with Grok’s answers that are not caught by automated systems, so we can respond faster if all other measures fail.” This, of course, makes it sound like this was a problem of automation rather than an insecure man-child tinkering with his multimillion dollar toy to make himself feel better. But whatever they have to tell themselves. The long and the short of it? These systems are inherently biased by the way they’re trained. And they’re also incredibly difficult to manipulate with precision, given the way large language models work. Grok is essentially just a fancy predictive text machine. And as long as Musk has control of tools to shape public opinion, he’s going to use them—unfortunately, for fascist purposes. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Isaiah Colbert Published May 16, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published May 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 16, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published May 15, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 15, 2025 By Vanessa Taylor Published May 15, 2025

Game Dev Digest Issue #282 - Unity 6.2 Beta, Level/Character Design, and more posted in GameDevDigest Newsletter Published May 16, 2025 Advertisement This article was originally published on GameDevDigest.comEnjoy!Unity 6.2 Beta is now available - Test the latest features, including Unity AI, Mesh LOD, and World Space UI for UI Toolkit. Dive in today and help shape the future of Unity!discussions.unity.comSpace is not a wall: toward a less architectural level design - People want to do level design. They grow up playing games like Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite — all 3D games with 3D worlds. And to create 3D worlds, supposedly you need this thing called “level design.” Then when you search YouTube, you'll be told that level design is about implanting secret lines that "guide the player" into walking down hallways. Such is the power of ARCHITECTURE!blog.radiator.debacle.usSound and Music in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader | An Audio Director's Perspective - In this article, I will discuss the approach to sound design and music that we took in our latest game: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.audiokinetic.comCastle Kellmore rendering - Since Castle Kellmore released on Playdate, I have had a lot of interest in the technical aspects of its rendering system. So I thought I would give a brief insight into how I made it look as good as possible, while (mostly) keeping to 50 frames per second.ligeiagames.comUnity-Advanced-Engineering-Guide - Unity Software Engineering Guide (Design Patterns, Software Architecture, Algorithms and Data Structure)MfaXyz VideosDesigning and Creating Video Game Zombie AI ft. 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I also dive into Unity's strange decision to support Android XR devices that don't actually exist yet!Fist Full of ShrimpHow to Generate Random Tilemap Decorations in Unity - In this continuation of the "How to Make a 2D Platformer Game in Unity" series we'll be generating random tilemap decorations using a rule tile.Wild Cockatiel GamesDiscover the HIDDEN POWER of Unity Property Bags and Visitors - The Property bag is the cornerstone of Unity.Properties—a powerful system that lets you generically access, inspect, and modify object data at runtime without reflection. In this video, we’ll show you how property bags, visitors, and adapters work together to build flexible, high-performance systems for tooling, UI binding, data validation, and more. You’ll learn how to write your own visitors, construct property paths, and use these patterns to create runtime features that adapt to any data structure.git-amendUnderstanding shaders is easy, actually - Shader code can be scary but... 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Infiltrate, sabotage, and seize districts in a world that fights back. Unlock abilities, recruit allies, and shape the resistance-one mission at a time. Will you rise or be crushed?__My game, Call Of Dookie. Demo available on SteamYou can subscribe to the free weekly newsletter on GameDevDigest.comThis post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article. Comments Nobody has left a comment. You can be the first! You must log in to join the conversation. Don't have a GameDev.net account? Sign up!