Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Now that multiple Nintendo theme parks have been built, it's likely on the minds of many whether they should save up the large amount of funds to make a trip out for this. While we can't make that decision for you, we've written in the past about the overall experience you'll find visiting the smaller scale version of Super Nintendo World located in Hollywood, California, and we've just visited the larger park in Orlando, Florida. We did our best to capture the lands in these early stages from as many angles as possible. From the shops and snacks, the collectible relics, and games on offer to the staff that help keep the place under control. So get ready to take a walk with us through Universal Epic Universe, Super Nintendo World, the new home of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and co. We'll soon be sharing our own thoughts on the Donkey Kong Country portion, but for now we hope you enjoy this Nintendo Life look inside the park... You'll enter Super Nintendo World through this portal — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life The sheer height of everything does a great job of convincing you you're no longer on earth — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Gambling in the Mushroom Kingdom? Not really, but a fun minigame to play, no doubt! — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Look through these telescopes for long enough and you may get a quick glimpse of a different world... — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life We weren't allowed to take photos on the ride itself, but we hope these help illustrate how chill and lovely Yoshi's Adventure is — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life The queue itself wasn't as vast and intoxicating as the Yoshi portion found at the Hollywood park, but we still enjoyed the little details — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Bowser Jr. and more baddies are waiting for you in the underground — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Even the queue for Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge has been extended, more in line now with the Japanese park — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Once you exit the Mario Kart ride, you'll drift around a few corners and find yourself in this massive gift shop, decorated in racing decor and equipment — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Peach's Castle at sunset is a sight to behold — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life and look, there's the Princess herself! If you ask nicely, she may even take a photo with you — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Located in Celestial Park, you'll find a store adorned with stone statues of Nintendo's characters — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Just like in Super Mario 64, don't forget to look up while you're in the shop for a surprise! — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Again, we beg of you. Let us buy miniature versions to take home — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life We're so glad to see Mario and Bowser could set aside their differences for a moment to pose for this photo...unless Bowser is planning a sneak attack? — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Just outside the shop, you'll find this fountain which makes for a nice spot to stop and take a breather if you need, just make sure you've applied some sunscreen to help beat that angry heat — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Now let's head back inside and roll on over to the Donkey Kong Country portion of Super Nintendo World! — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Believe it or not, you can choose to get tossed through that barrel — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Aside from the main Minecart attraction, there are a few other ways to spend your time in the countryside — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life We found Funky's plane, which some humans seem to have converted into a shop for him! You'll find lots of swag featuring the dynamic duo, but nothing here features Dixie or even Funky Kong. At the time of writing, Funky himself remains to be seen as well — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Donkey Kong, however, was out in full force! At the ready with fist bumps for anyone willing to admire his banana hoard — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life DK only comes down from his hut every now and again, so go say "OKAY" and snap a picture with him if you can! — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Cranky Kong and Squawks can found within the park bickering away at each other, but we'll let you discover them on your own... — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life If you're feeling something cold and sweet, you can try the DK Crush Float! An chilly desert made up of banana and pineapple soft serve, pineapple Fanta soda, sprinkles and...uhhh...caramel popcorn? — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Alright, it's time we make our way into the queue for the main attraction of Donkey Kong Country, Mine-Cart Madness! There's not as much to see here as there is in the Mario Kart queue, but there are two key players that make this line completely worth the wait... — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life We weren't allowed to take photos on Mine-Cart Madness either, but we did our best to capture a few areas we could see from within the park! For Donkey Kong Country fans, it's something you absolutely have to ride if you're here and able — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life The park takes on an entirely new image at night, adding a soft neon glow to most things, even turning the ride itself into something more reminiscent of a dark ride at times — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Now that we've somehow managed to spend all day in Super Nintendo World, let's make our way back through the Mario portion and head towards exit gate. Just make sure to not wake any of the piranha plants on our way out — Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life With that, our time at Super Nintendo World comes to a close! We hope you had fun roaming the park with us. Let's give a round of applause to all the park staff that made our day so special and smooth! — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Universal Epic Universe is now officially open to the public. Travel costs for this trip and access to the park were provided by Universal. Get the most from your visit to Hollywood, CA Share:0 1 Zion's been crafting videos and photos with our team for over half a decade now. While you'll usually find Zion playing RPGs, platformers, and adventure games, anything with a good story is sure to be right up his alley. For an on brand example: MOTHER 3 may not be recognized much by the Western side of Nintendo, but he still found a way to play it anyways and hopes it makes it way to the West officially so others can enjoy it more easily. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Feature: Universal Won't Say Anything About A Zelda Theme Park, But They Don't Have To Let's use the Lens of Truth Gallery: Nintendo Gives Us A Closer Look At Its New Store In The US Update: Now open! #gallery #intimate #look #inside #nintendo039s

To Universal Monsters fans, the Dark Universe is everything we’ve wanted to see come alive in a horror theme park dedicated to the terrifying and strange. Without the films, there would be no Universal Pictures or the first Universal Studios theme park, for that matter. Epic Universe’s Darkmoor is a monument to the monster legacy at the studio, and it’s befitting of all the creature comforts in store for fans. The moment you enter, Danny Elfman’s score for the land echoes through the nooks and crannies of the cobblestone streets and bounces off the brick buildings. You’ll see little homages to various characters, such as Dr. Jekyll’s Apothecary, which we wish was a real shop. There’s a number of walk around characters that share the lore of the monsters, and you might run into the bandaged form of the Invisible Man, or even the Bride and the Monster. On the attractions, the first monsters of the franchise including the Hunchback of Notre Dameand the Phantom of the Opera make their presence felt. The haunting worlds of original films are canon but do get expanded on in intriguing ways. When you meet the Monster you find out he’s just the Bride’s friend, and the experiment from the James Whale movie she was made for lies dead in the queue of Monsters Unchained. To really get the sense of what those stories would have evolved to in the modern day, you actively have to pay attention to all the small details. When you get there, Ygor asks you to volunteer to help Victoria Frankenstein bring glory back to the family name on her quest to control Dracula. And even the vampire familiars at Das Stakehaus echo the sentiment that there’s no tying that undead man down. Over at the Burning Blade Tavern ,you get more about the villagers’ sentiments about who the real monsters are in Darkmoor: the creations or the humans who seek to overpower them? I wish I’d been able to spend more time in the area to talk to every performer to get as much lore out of them as possible because it’s dense. And we only got a few hours there to gather as much spooky intel as possible and try the food and do the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience. I am already itching to go back! To an extent, for the casual theme park fan, it might be a bit much to really wrap their heads around when they ride Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. You do get to see that Victoria has continued the work of her family name in many ways including making her own version of the monster. But there’s also video clips that play of her and Ygor capturing the Creature From the Black Lagoon and the Wolf Man—there might be more clips but we went through the queue rather quickly. I imagine that she thinks that by making some sort of Monster Squad she’ll live up to her family reputation but might be in over her head. We can’t wait to see how the world continues to grow as more people visit Darkmoor. Check out the gallery below to get a taste of the fun details and Easter eggs! © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo © io9 Gizmodo Epic Universe is now open at Universal Studios Orlando. Travel and accommodations were provided for the purposes of this review. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #all #spooky #details #loved #epic

Reallusion combines Vicon technology with industry-standard timecode support in iClone. Reallusion announces its official partnership with Vicon, enabling direct motion capture support for iClone. For the first time, Vicon systems can seamlessly connect with Motion LIVE, offering full integration of real-time, high-fidelity body capture, along with facial and hand mocap, all within one unified platform. Jeff Sheetz, founder of Monkey Chow Animation Studio, shares his experience with this powerful iClone-Vicon suite, which he believes delivers studio-quality results faster than ever before. Jeff Scheetz, Motion Capture Orlando Since leaving his role as co-founder of The Digital Animation & Visual EffectSchool, Jeff Scheetz, alongside his wife Anne, has been running Monkey Chow Animation Studio in Orlando, Florida. In 2021, they expanded into motion capture with the launch of Motion Capture Orlando, serving the theme park industry. Their work can be seen at Universal Studios and Walt Disney World, and they’ve also produced various motion capture packs for iClone and ActorCore, such as Run for Your Life, Bank Heist, and Avenging Warriors. Jeff’s team also collaborated with Actor Capture on the Netflix movie The Electric State. Key team members include senior mocap technicians Kaszmere Messbarger and Nelson Escobar. iClone and Vicon—The New Dynamic Duo One of the most exciting aspects of Jeff’s relationship with Reallusion is getting to test out cutting-edge technology before it’s officially released. When he was informed that iClone would soon support Vicon integration and timecode synchronization, it was a game-changer. Motion Capture Orlando has been using Vicon’s cameras and software since they started investing in mocap gear, but they were unable to integrate Vicon data directly into Motion LIVE until now. This breakthrough is especially significant for Jeff, as the previous workflow involved streaming Vicon data into Motion Builder for retargeting, and then moving that data into Unreal Engine. The integration of facial data, hand motion, and the inherent latency in this multi-step process presented challenges. Now, with iClone’s Motion LIVE, Vicon streams directly into iClone, allowing for seamless integration of face, body, and hand all within the platform. This streamlined approach reduces complexity, making it easier to execute live shows and set up production workflows. Record, Edit, and Render Previz in iClone When it comes to previz, speed and cost-effectiveness are essential. Traditional mocap workflows can be time-consuming due to the necessary exports and imports between different software tools. However, by recording directly into iClone, you can immediately start blocking shots, working out camera moves, and rendering previews. Jeff’s team recorded a few assassin chase scenes on their stage, using Motion LIVE to capture data, and the resulting iProject files served as the foundation for their productions. The quality of the capture was impressive due to starting with Vicon data. This allowed them to present high-quality previz to a director quickly. The renders included vital data on the edges, such as version info, lens used, and notes for feedback, helping the team stay organized throughout the process. From Previz to Polished Video: Cleaning and Syncing with Timecode After capturing mocap for the previz, the team performed proper data cleaning using Shogun Post, and motion edits were carried out in iClone. They identified the best takes—approximately 20% of what was shot—and cleaned only those pieces. One major challenge was syncing the cleaned data, but the introduction of timecode has made this process much easier. Using the new Timecode Plugin, Jeff could instantly sync the cleaned motion data with the original timeline. By dropping the new motiononto their character and selecting “Align Clip to Embedded Timecode”, iClone automatically aligned it with the original recording. This feature works not only for motion data but also for facial capture, hand data, audio, and video. Seamless Mocap Sync with Live Action This seamless integration was especially useful when creating a sitcom scene for Life with Bob! in which a live actress performed against a CGI character. Mocap actors, placed just out of frame, could improvise and interact with the CGI character. The use of a Tentacle Sync device transmitted timecode across all systems: Vicon, the Live Face app, the video camera, and sound recording devices. This made it incredibly easy to sync everything once the master shot was completed. Reshooting and Updating with Motion LIVE One of Jeff’s favorite features of this new workflow is the ability to quickly make adjustments, such as reshooting facial animation without the need for a full reshoot. Using his iPhone, he could capture just the parts that needed improvement, like the lips, while leaving other aspects of the face intact. The flexibility to isolate and reshoot specific elements is a major time-saver and enhances the overall efficiency of the production process. The New Workflow: Speed, Efficiency, and Creativity For creators using Reallusion products, the integration of Vicon with iClone opens up new possibilities for creating high-quality animated content in a fraction of the time previously required. For a more detailed insight into the workflow, please find the full article here. The new workflow allows for fast, professional results with minimal overhead. With the addition of the Timecode plugin, keeping everything aligned and organized is simple. Motion LIVE, combined with Vicon’s mocap system, empowers creators to focus on what matters most: creativity and storytelling. And after all, that’s why many of us got into animation in the first place. Brought to you by Reallusion: This article is part of the befores & afters VFX Insight series. If you’d like to promote your VFX/animation/CG tech or service, you can find out more about the VFX Insight series here. The post Pro-Level Mocap Sync: Stream Vicon in iClone for Real-Time Animation appeared first on befores & afters. #prolevel #mocap #sync #stream #vicon

AT&T is buying CenturyLink's consumer fiber broadband division for billion, "giving the internet provider another 1.1 million fiber customers in 11 states," reports Ars Technica. "The all-cash deal is expected to close during the first half of 2026 assuming the companies obtain regulatory approval. AT&T will gain new customers in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington." From the report: The deal will give AT&T room to grow its user base by more than the 1.1 million existing CenturyLink customers, as AT&T said the network areas being sold include over 4 million fiber-enabled locations.The company, previously called CenturyLink, is officially named Lumen now but still uses the CenturyLink brand name for home Internet service. AT&T, which has 9.6 millionfiber customers and 14.1 million broadband customers overall, said the infrastructure it is purchasing will help it expand fiber construction to new locations as well. The deal is also notable for what it doesn't include: Lumen's enterprise fiber customers and the old copper DSL lines that were never upgraded to fiber.The deal seems unlikely to improve matters for CenturyLink copper users.Lumen will retain the CenturyLink consumer copper broadband and voice services, but selling the consumer fiber business makes it clear that the telco isn't focused on residential customers. Lumen said that offloading consumer fiber lines will help sharpen its focus on selling services to large businesses. The company is maintaining its business fiber lines."The transaction will enable AT&T to significantly expand access to AT&T Fiber in major metro areas like Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle, as well as additional geographies," AT&T said. "AT&T will gain access to Lumen's substantial fiber construction capabilities within its incumbent local exchange carrierfootprint and plans to accelerate the pace at which fiber is being built in these territories," AT&T said. "AT&T now expects to reach approximately 60 million total fiber locations by the end of 2030 -- "roughly doubling where AT&T Fiber is available today." of this story at Slashdot. #atampampampt #has #billion #deal #buy

Epic Universe is massive. Spanning over 110 acres, the new Florida theme park from Universal Studios, which opens today, has created four different themed lands that captivate the imagination and offer a wide array of thrills for park enthusiasts: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. That count jumps to five if you count Celestial Park, the hub of Epic Universe, with several restaurants and two big rides of its own. The park is massive financially as well. Universal spent an estimated to billion to create the theme park. Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, estimates it will generate billion for the state of Florida in its first year and create more than 17,500 jobs in year one. Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, saw the division’s theme park revenue drop in the first quarter of 2025 due to the L.A. wildfires. But the company expects to see a big boost from the new Orlando park. A one-day adult ticket runs while children will pay for a single-day pass.Each of the lands in Epic Universe is painstakingly detailed, creating several different incredibly immersive experiences. But the grandeur of Epic Universe comes at a cost: Crowds.  If you’re planning on going anytime soon, be prepared to wait. Some lines in previews of the park were more than five hours long—and they’re likely to be longer at times in the opening months. If you opt to wait until the lines are shorteror simply are looking for something to do besides shop and eat in your downtime, the park’s developers have included a slew of Easter eggs—little details and hidden secrets that make the experience even more fun. Here are some to keep an eye out for. Super Nintendo WorldLearn the secret drink at Dark Universe Head to the DR. H. Jekyll Apotheker in Darkmoorand listen closely. You’ll hear Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde arguing. Stick around and you’ll learn the name of an off-the-menu drink, which you can order at the Burning Blade Tavern. Find a key piece of Harry Potter lore If you’re willing to shell out you can buy an interactive wand to cast “spells” at certain locations in Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which trigger effects. One of those in Epic Universe’s Ministry of Magic will reward you with a look at the Sorcerer’s Stone, which fans of the books might remember, was in Paris in the time frame of this land. Look in the area of the Le Gobelet Noir restaurant. The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter – Ministry Of Magic at nightTry a ride more than once If the lines aren’t too bad, it’s worth taking a second ride on several of the coasters, not just to get the adrenaline rush once again, but because the dialogue and soundtrack are often different on different tracks. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, for instance, has different dialogue from the dragon trainer, depending on whether you choose the right or left track. Look for nods to other Universal franchises Stardust Racers is one of the best and most intense rides in Epic Universe. Located in Celestial Park, it’s not tied with any of the themed properties of the portals, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a link to a well-known franchise. On the back of the coaster, sharp-eyed fans will see a flux capacitor, the device that powered Doc Brown’s time machine in Back to the Future.  Maybe that’s what gives the coaster its three incredible bursts of speed through the course of the track. Not a fan of Back to the Future? The Curse of the Werewolf ride has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to the classic An American Werewolf in London film, with a replica of the iconic red jacket worn by David Naughton in the 1981 film hung in the barn you’ll zip through a time or two.  Hiccup’s Wing GlidersStudy the bathroom details Bathrooms usually aren’t a lot of fun, especially at theme parks. But Epic Universe does things a bit differently. For instance, you’ll notice there aren’t a lot of mirrors in the Dark Universe. And Super Nintendo World highlights the pipes, since Mario often uses warp pipes to transport through his world. #universal #studios #epic #universe #opens

I just returned from SAP Sapphire 2025 in Orlando, and while SAP painted a compelling vision of an AI-powered future, I couldn’t help but think about the gap between their shiny new announcements and where most SAP customers actually are today. Let me cut through the marketing hype and give you the analyst perspective on what really matters. The Cloud Migration Elephant in the Room SAP’s biggest challenge isn’t building cool AI features – it’s that the vast majority of their customer base is still running on-premise ERP systems. While SAP was busy showcasing their AI Foundation and enhanced Joule capabilities, I kept thinking about the thousands of companies still on SAP ECC 6.0 or older versions, some of which haven’t been updated in years. Here’s the reality check: nearly every exciting AI announcement at Sapphire requires SAP’s cloud solutions. The AI Foundation? Cloud-based. Enhanced Joule with proactive capabilities? Needs cloud infrastructure. The new Business Data Cloud intelligence offerings? You guessed it – cloud only. For the average SAP shop running on-premise systems, these announcements might as well be science fiction. They’re dealing with basic integration challenges, struggling with outdated user interfaces, and fighting to get reliable reports out of their current systems. The idea of AI agents autonomously managing their supply chain seems laughably distant. AI: Useful Tool, Not Magic Wand Don’t get me wrong – the AI capabilities SAP demonstrated are genuinely impressive. The ability for Joule to anticipate user needs and provide contextual insights could indeed improve productivity. But let’s pump the brakes on SAP’s claim of “up to 30% productivity gains.” I’ve been analyzing enterprise software implementations for years, and productivity gains of that magnitude typically come from process improvements and workflow optimization, not just from adding AI on top of existing inefficiencies. If your procurement process is broken, an AI agent won’t fix it – it’ll just automate the broken process faster. The more realistic wins will come from: Reducing time spent searching for information across multiple systems Automating routine data analysis and report generation Providing better decision support through predictive analytics Streamlining repetitive tasks in finance, HR, and supply chain operations These are valuable improvements, but they’re evolutionary, not revolutionary. The Partnership Strategy: Hedging Their Bets SAP’s partnerships tell an interesting story. The Accenture ADVANCE program acknowledges that many mid-market companies need significant hand-holding to modernize their SAP environments. The Palantir integration suggests SAP recognizes they can’t be everything to everyone in the data analytics space. The Perplexity collaboration admits that their AI needs external data sources to be truly useful. These partnerships are smart business moves, but they also highlight SAP’s dependencies. If you’re planning an SAP transformation, you’re not just buying SAP – you’re buying into an ecosystem of partners and integrations that adds complexity and cost. What This Means for Your SAP Strategy If you’re currently running SAP on-premise, Sapphire 2025 should reinforce one key message: the innovation train is leaving the station, and it’s heading to the cloud. But before you panic about missing out on AI capabilities, consider these pragmatic steps: For On-Premise SAP Customers: Audit your current state first. Most companies I work with aren’t maximizing their existing SAP capabilities, let alone ready for AI enhancements. Plan your cloud migration timeline. SAP’s 2030 end-of-support deadline for older systems isn’t going away. Use that as your forcing function. Focus on data quality. AI is only as good as the data it works with. If your master data is a mess, AI won’t help. Start small with cloud integration. Consider hybrid approaches that connect your on-premise core with cloud-based analytics and AI tools. For Companies Already in SAP Cloud: Evaluate which AI features actually solve business problems you have today, not theoretical future use cases. Pilot before you scale. The productivity claims sound great, but test them in your environment with your data. Invest in change management. The biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t technical – it’s getting people to change how they work. The Bottom Line: Evolution, Not Revolution SAP Sapphire 2025 showcased legitimate innovations that will improve how businesses operate, but let’s keep expectations realistic. The companies that will benefit most from these AI capabilities are those that have already modernized their SAP infrastructure and cleaned up their business processes. For the majority of SAP customers still on legacy systems, the real question isn’t whether AI will transform their business – it’s whether they can execute a successful modernization program that positions them to eventually take advantage of these capabilities. Your Next Steps Here’s what I recommend you do this week: Assess where you stand on your SAP modernization journey. Are you cloud-ready, or do you have years of technical debt to address first? Map your business cases for the AI capabilities that caught your attention. Can you quantify the value they’d deliver in your specific environment? Build a realistic roadmap that acknowledges both the exciting possibilities and the practical constraints of your current SAP landscape. Start the conversation with your leadership about long-term SAP strategy. The decisions you make in the next two years will determine whether you’re positioned to benefit from the AI revolution or left behind with legacy systems. The AI future SAP is promising will arrive eventually, but for most companies, the path there runs through cloud migration, data governance, and process optimization. Focus on building that foundation first, and the AI capabilities will follow when you’re actually ready to use them effectively.   The post SAP Sapphire 2025 appeared first on Gigaom. #sap #sapphire

A theme park is only as good as its rides. The shows and parades can be colorful and entertaining; the theming can be immersive; the food can be delicious. If the rides aren’t thrilling, the park will not survive.Thankfully, Universal’s newest Orlando theme park, Epic Universe, delivers in the ride department in a major way. Some seven years in development, the property is divided into five lands; four inspired by famous franchisesand a central hub, Celestial Park, that connects them all via the “portals” that you enter to access them. All five contain at least one or two show-stopping centerpiece attractions.Epic Universe opened on May 22, 2025 with 11 rides. Every single ride in the park is fun; some are downright incredible, with groundbreaking technology and stunningly intricate design.After trying every single attraction at the Epic Universe press preview, I assembled this list ranking all of the opening day rides in the park. The first couple are a hoot; the top three should not be missed under any circumstances.Every Epic Universe Ride RankedHere’s every opening day attraction at Universal’s Epic Universe, ranked in ascending order from the ones that are good to the ones that are instant classics.READ MORE: 20 Beloved Universal Rides That No Longer ExistGet our free mobile appAmazing Theme Park Rides Based on Movies That Were Never Built #every #epic #universe #ride #ranked

SAP executives, led by CEO Christian Klein, told IT and business leaders attending this year’s SAP Sapphire event that by tapping into SAP’s “flywheel” combination of the broadest suite of enterprise apps, context-aware data, and world-class Business AI, they can conquer uncertainty. In a kickoff keynote at the Orlando event, they unveiled a raft of new AI tools, business apps, and partnerships designed to help customers overcome these challenges, transform their operations, and “bring out your best.” Uncertainty “All of us face one problem – every company, no matter which industry or geography. And that problem is uncertainty,” said Klein. “Uncertainty about trade disruption, about new regulatory requirements, and about how AI will transform my business and impact my workforce.” SAP can’t take away macroeconomic uncertainty, he said, “But you have my commitment that we will help your business become more resilient and more resilient – especially in times like these. We will help you bring out your best.” Flywheel effect SAP can do this by utilizing what Klein and other senior SAP executives called the “flywheel effect,” explaining that in physics this is about bringing individual elements together to create new energy. “The first element of the SAP flywheel is our applications,” Klein explained. “Not only do we have the broadest application portfolio in our industry, we also run the most-mission critical business processes end-to-end. No one understands business and industry like SAP does.” The second element of the flywheel is data. “The apps give us the richest treasure of mission-critical business data, and no other tech company has more access to semantically rich business data,” he said. This data then feeds into the third element of the flywheel: AI. Having access to an enormous amount of business data is key to developing extremely powerful Business AI. SAP Business Suite “Then we make the flywheel spin by infusing AI back into the apps, which run your company,” Klein said before introducing the first of several on-stage demos showing how a company can manage uncertainty like shifting tariffs with the power of SAP Business Suite and AI. Expanding the flywheel theme, Muhammad Alam, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE leading SAP Product and Engineering, noted that the demo highlighted how the flywheel of apps, data, and AI is critical to the company’s quest to reimagine business applications. To achieve this, a company needs an application suite that is end-to-end and seamlessly integrated; a data layer that provides a harmonized data model with high-quality data, strong governance and a rich semantical context; and AI that is built on high-quality data and natively available in the apps used every day. Alam noted that while the concept of the flywheel effect isn’t new and most company CIOs have been working hard to achieve it, they have been frustrated by the disparate and heterogeneous applications landscape often built up over time out of necessity. Fragile balance Most companies spend a significant amount of time and money integrating the apps they use together and extracting and bringing together disparate data sets. “In fact,” Alam said, “We estimate that organizations can spend up to 80 percent of their effort and budget in putting together this fragile balance of apps and data, leaving only 20 percent of your resources to focus on value creation.” While this fragile balance has existed for a while, he explained that it breaks down completely in the age of AI, because to create exponential value you need to have your data available with the end-to-end business process context. “Enabling this in a disparate, disconnected landscape is close to impossible,” he said. The only real solution is to move to a best of breed as a suite, or what SAP calls “suite-as-a- service,” Alam told the audience. “The new SaaS is what will allow you to take advantage of the flywheel effect.” “In the age of AI, true differentiation will lie in how you create value from this end-to-end context for your organization,” he said. “This can only happen when you simplify and innovate your core, and not add another layer of complexity to your landscape.” This is what the SAP Business Suite offers. SAP Business Data Cloud Klein and Alam also emphasized the importance of the launch of SAP Business Data Cloud in February and its positive reception from customers and partners. Klein described it as “the crystal ball we need in times of uncertainty, because it offers you the biggest semantical data layer in the industry harmonizing SAP and non-SAP data.” Klein also announced the expansion of business data analysis capabilities in SAP Business Data Cloud through a new partnership with Palantir, while Alam unveiled a new partnership with Adobe to develop an intelligent application on SAP Business Data Cloud that combines SAP Cloud ERP data with data in the Adobe Experience Platform. To enhance the power of the flywheel, Klein and Philipp Herzig, CTO and chief AI officer of SAP, also made a series of AI-related announcements. “At SAP, our goal is to make every end user 30 percent more productive,” said Klein. Joule To achieve this goal, SAP is enabling end users to use human language to interact with Joule, SAP’s generative AI copilot, as our new UX, he said. Joule will provide answers to any business questions they have, while in the backend, very smart Joule Agents will take over tasks from employees across end-to-end processes. “Today we are proud to announce that we are making Joule available to you everywhere and giving you answers on everything,” the SAP CEO said. By combining Joule with WalkMe, the adoption platform acquired by SAP last year, Joule becomes an omnipresent, always-on, proactive, and personalized AI assistant. “No matter in which app the end user is working, SAP or non-SAP, Joule will be everywhere,” Klein said. In addition to making Joule available everywhere, SAP is also enabling Joule to answer everything through a new partnership with Perplexity whose CEO, Aravind Srinivas, joined Klein onstage to demonstrate how Perplexity’s answer engine will integrate with SAP data to provide trusted answers to everyday business questions. Business AI During his keynote section, Herzig highlighted the progress made with SAP Business AI. “We committed that 80 percent of our most-used transactions would be managed via Joule, and we have delivered more than 1,600 skills supporting a wide range of tasks across HR, finance, supply chain, and more out-of-the-box,” he said. “We also introduced Joule for developers and Joule for consultants, helping tens of thousands of people every day to achieve more.” Herzig said SAP is on track to deliver more than 400 AI scenarios by the end of this year, and he is thrilled to see more than 34,000 customers are already using SAP Business AI every day to transform the way they work. For example, he shared that British Telecom is already saving 85 percent of the time it took to find the right skilled candidates for jobs with Joule, which is also helping employees to complete HR tasks in 40 percent less time. “Our AI strategy is super simple, it’s really about three things,” Herzig said. “Joule as the new UI in the age of AI, its Joule Agents to reimagine business processes and AI Foundation on SAP BTP, which is becoming the operating system for AI.” Joule Agents While Joule transforms the experience layer, Herzig said, Joule Agents are transforming the business process layer, “reimagining business processes from the ground up.” Instead of designing enterprise apps around the principle of “insight-to-action,” Joule Agents streamline decision-making through reasoning and action. “With this, we are making a paradigm shift in enterprise software, going really from insight to action to reason and action with AI,” Herzig said. “Joule Agents will take your business processes to a completely new level.” Soon, he said, companies will have a huge team of agents – Joule Agents, third-party agents, and custom agents built in Joule Studio – as part of their workforce. To control and govern these agents, Herzig announced the launch of AI agent hub in SAP LeanIX. “SAP LeanIX already knows your business processes and enterprise application landscape, so it was just a logical step to expand the methodology to Joule Agents too,” he said. Among other innovations, Herzig announced that SAP is introducing more than 60 new and updated capabilities into AI Foundation, including a prompt optimizer in AI Foundation developed in joint collaboration with Not Diamond, a frontier AI lab out of San Francisco. Prompt optimizerautomatically converts existing prompts to different models, and a futuristic new partnership with Neura Robotics and Nvidia is designed to blend digital and physical worlds and help empower humanoid robots to achieve business outcomes. SAP runs SAP Rounding out the kickoff keynote, Sebastian Steinhaeuser, chief operating officer and newest member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, explained how the company has achieved considerable gains by running its own operations on SAP using the combined power of apps, data, and AI. “With Joule, our developers, consultants, and HR are seeing strong efficiency benefits today. Across SAP, we track several hundreds of millions in AI-powered efficiency gains committed to our budget.” Steinhaeuser also discussed the benefits of SAP Business Data Cloud, noting, “Earlier this year, we became customer zero of SAP Business Data Cloud, offering us distinct advantages: First, we can connect all data in one semantically rich data layer. Second, this helps us generate better insights faster, and across our financial, workforce, and sales planning. And third, we can fuel even better Business AI.” Next up, he said, we are excited to go live with the first set of intelligent applications, starting with People Intelligence. Moving to SAP’s own app layer, Steinhaeuser shared more about SAP’s own RISE with SAP journey. He also emphasized the importance of tools like SAP Signavio and SAP LeanIX in mapping process landscapes and enterprise architecture, for SAP’s own transformation journey. “Many of our meetings no longer start with PowerPoint, instead we use Signavio and LeanIX to discuss how we can improve our processes and architecture,” he said. Summary Summing up the keynote messages, Christian Klein said: “Together we have seen how the SAP Business Suite infused with Business AI can help you in times of uncertainty, and how we help you to get there faster, simpler, and at lower cost.” “Let me finish this keynote with a personal commitment which is really dear to my heart: We will continue to listen to your needs, we will continue to deliver great innovations, and we will stay by your side along the entire journey – especially in times of uncertainty – so that you can run your business in sheer harmony.” This story also appears on SAP.com. #sap #unveils #new #capabilities #help

The portal into a whole world of gods and monsters has been opened at Epic Universe, Orlando, Florida’s newest theme park. The Universal Monsters reign supreme at the Dark Universe, where you explore the world of Darkmoor that just so happens to be the place where so many of Universal Studios’ classic horror films intersect. io9 was thrilled to be among the first to ride its main attraction: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. At the center of the action is the Frankenstein Manor, where Victoria Frankenstein resides and continues the mad work of her ancestor Victor. She’s built a new monster prototype and aims to capture the horrors of the icons of fright. Under her watch she’s got the Phantom of the Opera, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, and more with the help of her Frankenstein she aims to dominate Dracula. © io9 Gizmodo What transpires is an awesome and action-packed thrill ride into the monster mash of your dreams if you’re a horror fan. You see Victoria, a badass leather-donning scientist, and her monster attempt to harness Drac’s power—but it might be more than they can keep their grip on because: BAT! Dracula can burst into smaller creatures of the night and aims to escape domestication for some sort of Monsters Avengers team-up. Yes, really. The ride itself uses a similar mechanism to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, where you are moved around practical and video scenes to witness the story. Along the way you bear witness to exciting monster squad squabble up moments with state of the art animatronics. To me, it’s my favorite ride and I love how passionate the lore crafted around it seemed to be. If the ride were to breakdown, I’d say “Well, I guess I live here now”—that’s how amazing the showrooms are. For thrill ride fans, Epic Universe also features Curse of the Werewolf, a spinning coaster inspired by the Wolf-Man that also features incredible animatronic work. © io9 Gizmodo While you might not be able to live there, Darkmoor feels the most lived-in, in the best way. The wandering interactions with Igor, the Invisible Man, the Monster, and the Bride of Frankenstein weave a new classic story you’re a part of. The Bride even calls this new Frank her friend as the body of her Frankenstein rests in the queue of Frankenstein Manor. They’re existing in a timeline where monsters are celebrated and feared by the villagers. They even have a Burning Blade Tavern, which homages the studio’s original horror film universe and incorporates the lore into the ambiance and even the menu items. I love myself a character-shaped pretzel and you’ll find a Frankenstein one here to suit your snacking needs. And one of the most killer facts? The score of the land is composed by none other than “Dead Man’s Party” legend Danny Elfman. There’s even a part-exclusive vinyl you can buy of his work, pressed for a limited special release only in the theme park land. © io9 Gizmodo The Dark Universe also offers the chance to not only walk among the creatures of the night but be one too, thanks to the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience. It’s the most important spooky, scary appointment you need to make if you go. Mad scientists, er, makeup artists transform you and help you look like you walk among the shadows beneath the scorching Florida sun. It’s worth it and there’s even cosplay lite fashion gear to feel like you belong. For the first time in my life, I finally found a theme park land where I felt the most at home and in my true form. Epic Universe opens this Friday at Universal Studios Orlando. Travel and accommodations as well as the monster make-up demo were provided for the purposes of this review. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #epic #universes #best #ride #might

Don't miss Unreal Fest Orlando, June 2-5, if you're passionate about building immersive worlds.Get insights into creating experiences with photorealistic 3D assets, & connect with fellow artists pushing the boundaries of visual fidelity.Tickets here! #don039t #miss #unreal #fest #orlando