Navigating the dense urban canyons of cities like San Francisco or New York can be a nightmare for GPS systems. The towering skyscrapers block and reflect satellite signals, leading to location errors of tens of meters. For you and me, that might mean a missed turn. But for an autonomous vehicle or a delivery robot, that level of imprecision is the difference between a successful mission and a costly failure. These machines require pinpoint accuracy to operate safely and efficiently. Addressing this critical challenge, researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have introduced a groundbreaking new method for visual localization during CVPR 2025 Their new paper, “FG2: Fine-Grained Cross-View Localization by Fine-Grained Feature Matching,” presents a novel AI model that significantly enhances the ability of a ground-level system, like an autonomous car, to determine its exact position and orientation using only a camera and a corresponding aerial (or satellite) image. The new approach has demonstrated a remarkable 28% reduction in mean localization error compared to the previous state-of-the-art on a challenging public dataset. Key Takeaways: Superior Accuracy: The FG2 model reduces the average localization error by a significant 28% on the VIGOR cross-area test set, a challenging benchmark for this task. Human-like Intuition: Instead of relying on abstract descriptors, the model mimics human reasoning by matching fine-grained, semantically consistent features—like curbs, crosswalks, and buildings—between a ground-level photo and an aerial map. Enhanced Interpretability: The method allows researchers to “see” what the AI is “thinking” by visualizing exactly which features in the ground and aerial images are being matched, a major step forward from previous “black box” models. Weakly Supervised Learning: Remarkably, the model learns these complex and consistent feature matches without any direct labels for correspondences. It achieves this using only the final camera pose as a supervisory signal. Challenge: Seeing the World from Two Different Angles The core problem of cross-view localization is the dramatic difference in perspective between a street-level camera and an overhead satellite view. A building facade seen from the ground looks completely different from its rooftop signature in an aerial image. Existing methods have struggled with this. Some create a general “descriptor” for the entire scene, but this is an abstract approach that doesn’t mirror how humans naturally localize themselves by spotting specific landmarks. Other methods transform the ground image into a Bird’s-Eye-View (BEV) but are often limited to the ground plane, ignoring crucial vertical structures like buildings. FG2: Matching Fine-Grained Features The EPFL team’s FG2 method introduces a more intuitive and effective process. It aligns two sets of points: one generated from the ground-level image and another sampled from the aerial map. Here’s a breakdown of their innovative pipeline: Mapping to 3D: The process begins by taking the features from the ground-level image and lifting them into a 3D point cloud centered around the camera. This creates a 3D representation of the immediate environment. Smart Pooling to BEV: This is where the magic happens. Instead of simply flattening the 3D data, the model learns to intelligently select the most important features along the vertical (height) dimension for each point. It essentially asks, “For this spot on the map, is the ground-level road marking more important, or is the edge of that building’s roof the better landmark?” This selection process is crucial, as it allows the model to correctly associate features like building facades with their corresponding rooftops in the aerial view. Feature Matching and Pose Estimation: Once both the ground and aerial views are represented as 2D point planes with rich feature descriptors, the model computes the similarity between them. It then samples a sparse set of the most confident matches and uses a classic geometric algorithm called Procrustes alignment to calculate the precise 3-DoF (x, y, and yaw) pose. Unprecedented Performance and Interpretability The results speak for themselves. On the challenging VIGOR dataset, which includes images from different cities in its cross-area test, FG2 reduced the mean localization error by 28% compared to the previous best method. It also demonstrated superior generalization capabilities on the KITTI dataset, a staple in autonomous driving research. Perhaps more importantly, the FG2 model offers a new level of transparency. By visualizing the matched points, the researchers showed that the model learns semantically consistent correspondences without being explicitly told to. For example, the system correctly matches zebra crossings, road markings, and even building facades in the ground view to their corresponding locations on the aerial map. This interpretability is extremenly valuable for building trust in safety-critical autonomous systems. “A Clearer Path” for Autonomous Navigation The FG2 method represents a significant leap forward in fine-grained visual localization. By developing a model that intelligently selects and matches features in a way that mirrors human intuition, the EPFL researchers have not only shattered previous accuracy records but also made the decision-making process of the AI more interpretable. This work paves the way for more robust and reliable navigation systems for autonomous vehicles, drones, and robots, bringing us one step closer to a future where machines can confidently navigate our world, even when GPS fails them. Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 100k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. Jean-marc MommessinJean-marc is a successful AI business executive .He leads and accelerates growth for AI powered solutions and started a computer vision company in 2006. He is a recognized speaker at AI conferences and has an MBA from Stanford.Jean-marc Mommessinhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/jean-marc0000677/AI-Generated Ad Created with Google’s Veo3 Airs During NBA Finals, Slashing Production Costs by 95%Jean-marc Mommessinhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/jean-marc0000677/Highlighted at CVPR 2025: Google DeepMind’s ‘Motion Prompting’ Paper Unlocks Granular Video ControlJean-marc Mommessinhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/jean-marc0000677/Snowflake Charts New AI Territory: Cortex AISQL & Snowflake Intelligence Poised to Reshape Data AnalyticsJean-marc Mommessinhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/jean-marc0000677/Exclusive Talk: Joey Conway of NVIDIA on Llama Nemotron Ultra and Open Source Models

Image: CD Projekt RedIt's now been more than a week since the arrival of the Switch 2, so we've taken another quick look at the US eShop "best sellers" chart to see what users are buying as of 14th July 2025. Mario Kart World once again takes out the top spot and Cyberpunk 2077 has moved up the ladder to second place, with the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom upgrade pack in third. Fantasy Life is also higher on the list and No Man's Sky has entered the top ten after its Switch 2 Edition update (it's also on sale right now). Switch 2 eShop Best-Sellers As for download titles in this same location, Welcome Tour has dropped from first to second, with Deltarune taking out the top spot. The other games on this list have also been in the top nine over the past week: Switch 2 eShop Best-Sellers (Download-Only Games) Keep in mind this is just one region and depending on your location, your Switch 2 eShop's top-selling games might look a bit different. Still, this provides an idea of what people are buying in the launch week of Nintendo's new system. In the UK, the lists are mostly the same - with Mario Kart in first, Cyberpunk in second, and Fast Fusion is in third place overall, No Man's Sky has also entered the top ten, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is listed as one of the most downloaded eShop titles in this location as well. Highway to Shell Here comes the choom-choom train Museum peace Have you bought any games from the Switch 2 eShop yet? Let us know in the comments. Related Games Share:2 0 Liam is a news writer and reviewer across Hookshot Media. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of many iconic video game characters. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Mario Kart World: All Costume Unlocks & Complete Outfit List It's a fashion race Mario Kart World Guide - All Courses, Cups, Missions, Collectibles, Tips & Tricks Your ultimate Mario Kart World resource Review: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - A Sublime Sequel, Now Sublimer Come on and join the Kohga

Image: NintendoNintendo mentioned how there were all sorts of surprises to discover in Mario Kart World and a week after the game's launch it looks like Totaka's Song has been discovered. As highlighted on social media and elsewhere online (via Nintendo Everything), you can hear Yoshi humming this Nintendo tune in the game's character menu. Here's a story and video shared over on the Mario Kart subreddit by the user 'charizardtelephone': "I was idling on the character select screen when I noticed Mario began humming after enough time passed. I thought, “Huh, they could totally hide hidden tunes like that.” Wait. Hidden music? In a Nintendo game? With Yoshi? It was too good to be true. But after a few seconds, lo and behold, yoshi begins humming Totaka’s song like the idle yoshis do in Mario Kart 8. Very cool Easter Egg. Not sure if anyone else has noticed it yet."When we tried this out ourselves, Yoshi started humming the same song just seconds later. It might also be a bit harder to hear depending on the music playing in the background. This famous song by the Japanese Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka is often slipped into many of company's games. And if you're wondering why it's specifically Yoshi that hums this tune, it's because Totaka also happens to be Yoshi's voice actor, and once again voices the character in Mario Kart World. This Easter Egg has also popped up previously in Mario Kart 8 along with series like Animal Crossing and Zelda, and was inserted into titles such as Mario Paint back in the day. Have a listen Have you heard this tune in Mario Kart World yet? Let us know in the comments. [source nintendoeverything.com] Related Games See Also Share:0 0 Liam is a news writer and reviewer across Hookshot Media. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of many iconic video game characters. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Mario Kart World: All Costume Unlocks & Complete Outfit List It's a fashion race Best Nintendo Switch 2 Cases To Carry And Protect Your Console Look after your Switch 2 in style

In a previous article, we looked at some practical examples of how to code SVG by hand. In that guide, we covered the basics of the SVG elements rect, circle, ellipse, line, polyline, and polygon (and also g). This time around, we are going to tackle a more advanced topic, the absolute powerhouse of SVG elements: path. Don’t get me wrong; I still stand by my point that image paths are better drawn in vector programs than coded (unless you’re the type of creative who makes non-logical visual art in code — then go forth and create awe-inspiring wonders; you’re probably not the audience of this article). But when it comes to technical drawings and data visualizations, the path element unlocks a wide array of possibilities and opens up the world of hand-coded SVGs. The path syntax can be really complex. We’re going to tackle it in two separate parts. In this first installment, we’re learning all about straight and angular paths. In the second part, we’ll make lines bend, twist, and turn. Required Knowledge And Guide Structure Note: If you are unfamiliar with the basics of SVG, such as the subject of viewBox and the basic syntax of the simple elements (rect, line, g, and so on), I recommend reading my guide before diving into this one. You should also familiarize yourself with <text> if you want to understand each line of code in the examples. Before we get started, I want to quickly recap how I code SVG using JavaScript. I don’t like dealing with numbers and math, and reading SVG Code with numbers filled into every attribute makes me lose all understanding of it. By giving coordinates names and having all my math easy to parse and write out, I have a much better time with this type of code, and I think you will, too. The goal of this article is more about understanding path syntax than it is about doing placement or how to leverage loops and other more basic things. So, I will not run you through the entire setup of each example. I’ll instead share snippets of the code, but they may be slightly adjusted from the CodePen or simplified to make this article easier to read. However, if there are specific questions about code that are not part of the text in the CodePen demos, the comment section is open. To keep this all framework-agnostic, the code is written in vanilla JavaScript (though, really, TypeScript is your friend the more complicated your SVG becomes, and I missed it when writing some of these). Setting Up For Success As the path element relies on our understanding of some of the coordinates we plug into the commands, I think it is a lot easier if we have a bit of visual orientation. So, all of the examples will be coded on top of a visual representation of a traditional viewBox setup with the origin in the top-left corner (so, values in the shape of 0 0 ${width} ${height}. I added text labels as well to make it easier to point you to specific areas within the grid. Please note that I recommend being careful when adding text within the <text> element in SVG if you want your text to be accessible. If the graphic relies on text scaling like the rest of your website, it would be better to have it rendered through HTML. But for our examples here, it should be sufficient. So, this is what we’ll be plotting on top of: See the Pen SVG Viewbox Grid Visual [forked] by Myriam. Alright, we now have a ViewBox Visualizing Grid. I think we’re ready for our first session with the beast. Enter path And The All-Powerful d Attribute The <path> element has a d attribute, which speaks its own language. So, within d, you’re talking in terms of “commands”. When I think of non-path versus path elements, I like to think that the reason why we have to write much more complex drawing instructions is this: All non-path elements are just dumber paths. In the background, they have one pre-drawn path shape that they will always render based on a few parameters you pass in. But path has no default shape. The shape logic has to be exposed to you, while it can be neatly hidden away for all other elements. Let’s learn about those commands. Where It All Begins: M The first, which is where each path begins, is the M command, which moves the pen to a point. This command places your starting point, but it does not draw a single thing. A path with just an M command is an auto-delete when cleaning up SVG files. It takes two arguments: the x and y coordinates of your start position. const uselessPathCommand = `M${start.x} ${start.y}`; Basic Line Commands: M , L, H, V These are fun and easy: L, H, and V, all draw a line from the current point to the point specified. L takes two arguments, the x and y positions of the point you want to draw to. const pathCommandL = `M${start.x} ${start.y} L${end.x} ${end.y}`; H and V, on the other hand, only take one argument because they are only drawing a line in one direction. For H, you specify the x position, and for V, you specify the y position. The other value is implied. const pathCommandH = `M${start.x} ${start.y} H${end.x}`; const pathCommandV = `M${start.x} ${start.y} V${end.y}`; To visualize how this works, I created a function that draws the path, as well as points with labels on them, so we can see what happens. See the Pen Simple Lines with path [forked] by Myriam. We have three lines in that image. The L command is used for the red path. It starts with M at (10,10), then moves diagonally down to (100,100). The command is: M10 10 L100 100. The blue line is horizontal. It starts at (10,55) and should end at (100, 55). We could use the L command, but we’d have to write 55 again. So, instead, we write M10 55 H100, and then SVG knows to look back at the y value of M for the y value of H. It’s the same thing for the green line, but when we use the V command, SVG knows to refer back to the x value of M for the x value of V. If we compare the resulting horizontal path with the same implementation in a <line> element, we may Notice how much more efficient path can be, and Remove quite a bit of meaning for anyone who doesn’t speak path. Because, as we look at these strings, one of them is called “line”. And while the rest doesn’t mean anything out of context, the line definitely conjures a specific image in our heads. <path d="M 10 55 H 100" /> <line x1="10" y1="55" x2="100" y2="55" /> Making Polygons And Polylines With Z In the previous section, we learned how path can behave like <line>, which is pretty cool. But it can do more. It can also act like polyline and polygon. Remember, how those two basically work the same, but polygon connects the first and last point, while polyline does not? The path element can do the same thing. There is a separate command to close the path with a line, which is the Z command. const polyline2Points = M${start.x} ${start.y} L${p1.x} ${p1.y} L${p2.x} ${p2.y}; const polygon2Points = M${start.x} ${start.y} L${p1.x} ${p1.y} L${p2.x} ${p2.y} Z; So, let’s see this in action and create a repeating triangle shape. Every odd time, it’s open, and every even time, it’s closed. Pretty neat! See the Pen Alternating Triangles [forked] by Myriam. When it comes to comparing path versus polygon and polyline, the other tags tell us about their names, but I would argue that fewer people know what a polygon is versus what a line is (and probably even fewer know what a polyline is. Heck, even the program I’m writing this article in tells me polyline is not a valid word). The argument to use these two tags over path for legibility is weak, in my opinion, and I guess you’d probably agree that this looks like equal levels of meaningless string given to an SVG element. <path d="M0 0 L86.6 50 L0 100 Z" /> <polygon points="0,0 86.6,50 0,100" /> <path d="M0 0 L86.6 50 L0 100" /> <polyline points="0,0 86.6,50 0,100" /> Relative Commands: m, l, h, v All of the line commands exist in absolute and relative versions. The difference is that the relative commands are lowercase, e.g., m, l, h, and v. The relative commands are always relative to the last point, so instead of declaring an x value, you’re declaring a dx value, saying this is how many units you’re moving. Before we look at the example visually, I want you to look at the following three-line commands. Try not to look at the CodePen beforehand. const lines = [ { d: `M10 10 L 10 30 L 30 30`, color: "var(--_red)" }, { d: `M40 10 l 0 20 l 20 0`, color: "var(--_blue)" }, { d: `M70 10 l 0 20 L 90 30`, color: "var(--_green)" } ]; As I mentioned, I hate looking at numbers without meaning, but there is one number whose meaning is pretty constant in most contexts: 0. Seeing a 0 in combination with a command I just learned means relative manages to instantly tell me that nothing is happening. Seeing l 0 20 by itself tells me that this line only moves along one axis instead of two. And looking at that entire blue path command, the repeated 20 value gives me a sense that the shape might have some regularity to it. The first path does a bit of that by repeating 10 and 30. But the third? As someone who can’t do math in my head, that third string gives me nothing. Now, you might be surprised, but they all draw the same shape, just in different places. See the Pen SVG Compound Paths [forked] by Myriam. So, how valuable is it that we can recognize the regularity in the blue path? Not very, in my opinion. In some cases, going with the relative value is easier than an absolute one. In other cases, the absolute is king. Neither is better nor worse. And, in all cases, that previous example would be much more efficient if it were set up with a variable for the gap, a variable for the shape size, and a function to generate the path definition that’s called from within a loop so it can take in the index to properly calculate the start point. Jumping Points: How To Make Compound Paths Another very useful thing is something you don’t see visually in the previous CodePen, but it relates to the grid and its code. I snuck in a grid drawing update. With the method used in earlier examples, using line to draw the grid, the above CodePen would’ve rendered the grid with 14 separate elements. If you go and inspect the final code of that last CodePen, you’ll notice that there is just a single path element within the .grid group. It looks like this, which is not fun to look at but holds the secret to how it’s possible: <path d="M0 0 H110 M0 10 H110 M0 20 H110 M0 30 H110 M0 0 V45 M10 0 V45 M20 0 V45 M30 0 V45 M40 0 V45 M50 0 V45 M60 0 V45 M70 0 V45 M80 0 V45 M90 0 V45" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="0.2" fill="none"></path> If we take a close look, we may notice that there are multiple M commands. This is the magic of compound paths. Since the M/m commands don’t actually draw and just place the cursor, a path can have jumps. So, whenever we have multiple paths that share common styling and don’t need to have separate interactions, we can just chain them together to make our code shorter. Coming Up Next Armed with this knowledge, we’re now able to replace line, polyline, and polygon with path commands and combine them in compound paths. But there is so much more to uncover because path doesn’t just offer foreign-language versions of lines but also gives us the option to code circles and ellipses that have open space and can sometimes also bend, twist, and turn. We’ll refer to those as curves and arcs, and discuss them more explicitly in the next article. Further Reading On SmashingMag “Mastering SVG Arcs,” Akshay Gupta “Accessible SVGs: Perfect Patterns For Screen Reader Users,” Carie Fisher “Easy SVG Customization And Animation: A Practical Guide,” Adrian Bece “Magical SVG Techniques,” Cosima Mielke

Verso is more than just a Devil May Cry stand-in. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Verso’s combat playstyle evokes this feeling of style, but style doesn’t have to stop at combat. With the right fit, you can defeat the paintress in style. Verso’s outfits unlock many combinations of expression. As you play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll find both outfits and hairstyles to experiment with. Many of them will be directly in your path, but many of them are missable — hidden behind Mimes, side quests, or complex challenges. In this Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 guide, we offer a list of all Verso outfits and hairstyles and how to unlock them. All Verso outfits in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 There are 12 outfits you can unlock for Verso. We’ve only unlocked eight so far, though, we can confirm through community sources how to unlock the other four. Included above are screenshots of the Verso outfits we’ve unlocked to date, with an asterisk (*) below to indicate those we’ve yet to unlock. Here’s how you unlock the following Verso outfits in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Verso — Available from the beginning of the game. Baguette — Defeat the Mime in the Joy sub-section of Visages. Expedition — Unlocks automatically once you reach Act 2. Civilian* — Found in the Manor. Access the Manor through the continent north of Lost Woods once you unlock swimming with Esquie, and it’s behind a secret door you find after checking the upstairs bookcase. Clair* — Complete Stage 11, Trial 3 in Endless Tower. Pelerin* — Purchase from Verogo the Merchant in Frozen Hearts. Pure — Purchase from Granasori the Merchant on the island next to the Monolith. Renoir’s Suit — Defeat Renoir in the Monolith. Sakapatate — Purchase from Delsitra the Merchant in Gestral Village. Simple — Purchase from Rubiju the Merchant on the island next to the Visages on the World Map. Swimsuit I — Reach relationship level 6 with Sciel. Swimsuit II* — Achieve the Gold Medal in the Time Trial at Gestral Beach. All Verso hairstyles in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 There are 10 hairstyles you can unlock for Verso. Similar to his outfits, we’ve only unlocked five, but through the community, we have confirmed how to unlock the other six. We’ve included screenshots of the Verso hairstyles we’ve unlocked so far, and have added an asterisk (*) below to indicate those we’ve yet to unlock. Here’s how you unlock the following Verso hairstyles in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Verso — Available from the beginning of the game. Bald* — Defeat the Mime in Sunless Cliffs with Verso. Curly* — Purchase from Sodasso the Merchant, northwest of Visages. Gustave’s Haircut — Purchase from Papasso the Merchant on the beach next to Monoco’s Station. Baguette — Defeat the Mime in the Joy section of Visages. Bun — Purchase from Blackora the Merchant next to Monoco’s Station. Expedition White* — Complete Stage 9, Trial 3 of Endless Tower. Gestral* — Received from Sastro once you find 5 Lost Gestrals. Samurai — Reach relationship level 3 with Monoco and select “Fine” when you’re able during the dialogue. Renoir Haircut* — Get the Verso ending at the end of the game. You must choose “Fight as Verso” in the final battle. For more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 guides, here’s our recommendation for how to get all endings.