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The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
A night at New York's biggest Switch 2 launch event
I'm standing outside the GameStop at Union Square in New York City on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, with plenty of cars rolling by and people basking in the late spring sun. On the corner of E 14th Street and University Place, a line has formed around the block. Tonight is the official launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, a console people have been waiting for years to arrive. Some publications and influencers received theirs one day early, but for the rest of the world, tonight is the first opportunity to play it. And for a lot of the people in this line, that means they're willing to wait a little longer. By 7PM I've talked to plenty of people queued up, and the overwhelming sentiment is that everyone is excited for Mario Kart World. 'It's been forever since the last one,' Kyle and Andrea tell me. 'It only makes sense to get it now. Might as well.' The last version, Mario Kart 8, first launched in 2014 for the Wii U, eventually becoming Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when it launched on the Nintendo Switch. Mario Kart World is the first truly new console edition in a decade, and fans are eager to start playing. Chris has been waiting in line for about four hours and brought his own chair. He tells me that his friends have been working all day, so he's trying to hold them a spot. 'These are crazy hard to get. I don't have a lot to do today, so I'm gonna see if I can save a spot in line for them.' Finally, I find one fan who tells me he's excited for the Switch 2 because of its power. 'I had the Switch and then the Switch OLED, and I'm honestly pretty stoked to run this thing at 4k 60fps. It's a huge jump,' Anthony tells me. Inside the store, staff has been working since 11AM, pre-processing customers to make tonight's launch go smoothly. They take four people at a time from the line outside, check them out with consoles and accessories, and hand them a ticket with a number to come back and claim later. There are still a few hours to go, so most people are walking down the street to grab dinner or drinks. To tide over patient customers, GameStop has set up various stations. There's a body painter giving people Nintendo-themed paint-jobs, a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate set up, and, of course, Mario Kart. Kids flank the stations while their parents check out, and the store even lined up a DJ to keep people entertained. GameStop has completely outfitted the store with Mario -themed ornaments. There are full-sized cardboard cutouts of various characters spread throughout, and a map of Mario Kart World embedded into the floor. It's clear the retailer knew this would be a massive launch, and it decked out the store to help fans celebrate. Around 9PM, Doug Bowser, the CEO of Nintendo of America, makes a surprise appearance. Bowser talks to customers and recites a likely pre-scripted conversation with GameStop staff on camera which will probably appear in a LinkedIn post, then moves to the mural on the wall for a photo with employees. I asked Bowser what he was most excited for, and he blasts off a quick speech about Mario Kart. It's expected at this point — a theme of the night. People start merging back into the line at 11PM, now stretching down the block and around the corner. Earlier in the night, GamStop employees handed out raffle tickets for free games, and they start calling numbers for the winners. If you won, you were graced with a copy of Splatoon 3, a game not currently updated to take advantage of the Switch 2's superior hardware. At 11:55PM I head inside, alongside the first few customers awaiting the midnight release. Dawn is the first to receive his Switch 2 after waiting outside this GameStop since 4:17AM. 'I can't really believe I've been waiting this long, but it was worth it.' Everyone cheers and the line starts flowing faster. Crowds of people who didn't pre-pay for the console continue to show up and get in line. They'll probably be here until morning. I left the store about 30 minutes after release, wondering how many instances of anecdotal evidence it would take to make the console a success. But if this store is anything to go by, the Nintendo Switch 2 is already a hit.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
School dropout Kai Cenat launches 'Streamer University' and millions rush to enroll
"Streamer University" is a project for aspiring content creators, founded by American streamer Kai Cenat, the most-subscribed streamer on Twitch. In recent years, he's become a global internet celebrity, known for coining viral catchphrases like 'rizz.' The term, which is internet slang for charisma, even became so popular that Oxford University Press named it the 2023 Word of the Year. Cenat also made headlines after a giveaway that he organized in New York City spiraled out of control – ultimately leading to him being charged with inciting a riot. It was during a Twitch stream, Cenat had announced a 'huge giveaway' in Union Square, promising computers, PlayStation 5s and gift cards. Thousands of fans flooded the area, turning the event into a chaotic scene that led to injuries, property damage and multiple arrests. Streamer University is his next viral venture. On X, he described it as an 'all inclusive trip paid to where all creators will be living on a college campus for FREE and just enjoying getting content in general'. The college campus in question is yet to be announced. Notable courses mentioned on the university's site are sex education, business management and music production. Despite its educational framing, it will likely take the form of a weekend-long influencer meetup. The initiative was launched earlier this month through a Harry Potter-inspired comedy video on Cenat's X account, where he currently has 2,8 million followers. Related Inoxtag: the incredible success story of France's most phenomenal influencer Meet the trad wives: the anti-feminist influencers calling for traditional values Applications are still open – both to students and to professors. Through a Google Docs form, candidates must answer questions such as 'Can you bite your elbow?', 'How many jumping jacks can you do?' and 'Which planet has the most moons in the solar system?' to enroll. Potential professors are also required to disclose their pants size and follower count on social media. Within minutes of the site's launch, more than a million applications were allegedly filed, causing it to crash. On 17 May, in an almost four hour long video, Cenat announced the professors and students for the class of 2025 – a mix of well known streamers, Youtubers and influencers, including Cookingwithkya, Agent 00 and Duke Dennis. Many of the professors are members of Cenat's own group, AMP (Any Means Possible), a content collective made up of some of the internet's biggest streaming personalities. Founded around 2019, AMP has built a massive following with more than seven million subscribers on YouTube. By collaborating on videos, stunts and challenges, the group amplifies each other's reach – which is also the point of the university. But the announcement of professors and students wasn't without backlash. Many fans went to social media to criticize the selection, arguing that the chosen students were already well-known influencers, undermining the idea of giving newcomers a chance. Kai Cenat didn't hold back in his response, addressing the criticism during a recent livestream. 'I'm never doing this shit again,' he said. 'No matter which direction I go, no matter which way, I try to make sure things are good, I always get the bad end of the stick.' Given Cenat's frustrated response, it remains uncertain whether Streamer University will return for another class – raising the possibility that the project may have collapsed before a single streaming lesson was ever taught.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Can a Restaurant Be Both Glamorous and Comforting? Cafe Zaffri Is.
There's an old term in Hollywood: a 'four-quadrant movie.' It describes a film that appeals to every demographic — men and women, young and old. A blockbuster like 'Finding Nemo,' 'Jurassic Park' or 'Wicked.' Allow me to introduce you to the four-quadrant restaurant. This is the place where you can take your parents, and where you can also host your birthday dinner. Where you can have a power lunch. Where you can take a picky eater. Where you can find a flaky croissant and a well-prepared steak. That restaurant is Cafe Zaffri, a majestic, marble-tiled home for Levantine cuisine that opened in February near Union Square. I have tested the restaurant — a soaring space with two dining rooms, one open and sun-soaked, the other dark and moody — with differing audiences, at various mealtimes. My friends and I have basked in the ivory atrium over crisp cigars of halloumi-esque jibneh dusted with so much lemon zest they taste like sunshine. When some British comrades complained to me that American restaurant food was too sweet, they experienced a change of heart over a simple lunch of skewers: silken ribbons of cabbage and pine nuts, slippery hunks of striped bass flickered with tart black lime powder, and grilled pork belly smeared with sticky date molasses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Nintendo opens flagship store in San Francisco's Union Square
Video game giant Nintendo opened its newest flagship store Thursday in San Francisco's Union Square, as the area seeks to recover from multiple store closings. With Mario in the background, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie joined Dog Bowser, the company's North American president for the ribbon cutting at the store located at 331 Powell Street. The Union Square store is the only the second one the company operates in the U.S., joining a store in Rockefeller Center in New York City. On the first floor, fans can find exclusive toys and merch of their favorite characters. Fans can also go downstairs to play new games along with the classics. "Union Square is just one of those iconic locations that has activity, that's unique to this space. And also, we think the throughput and the traffic in this area is perfect for what we're trying to do" P.J. Sadler, senior manager of Nintendo America told CBS News Bay Area. The opening of the Nintendo store is providing a boost to the area as several stores in and around Union Square have closed or announced plans to close. Last week, Saks Fifth Avenue closed its location at the corner of Post and Powell streets. Earlier this year, Bloomingdales in the San Francisco Centre closed its doors, leaving the struggling mall with no anchor stores. Due to the anticipated large crowds, Nintendo said reservations would be required to enter the San Francisco store through Sunday and during the Memorial Day weekend.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘The end of an era': Saks Fifth Avenue shutters its iconic San Francisco Union Square location after 45 years
Saks Fifth Avenue joins a string of legacy stores, including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Old Navy and Nordstrom, in an exodus from Union Square in San Francisco. The store has been a landmark in the area since 1981. But after nearly 45 years, the high-end retailer said it would close its doors on May 10. 'While the closing of Saks marks the end of an era, this was not an unforeseen development considering their recent changes to an appointment-only model, and Neiman Marcus acquisition,' said Will Reisman, a spokesperson for the Union Square Alliance in a statement. Reisman continued in the statement, "We expect the path to downtown revitalization to have its twists and turns — still we are extremely optimistic about the future of Union Square.' Since the pandemic, Saks Fifth Avenue and other retailers in Union Square have struggled with the changes in foot traffic. Last year, the iconic store transitioned to an 'appointment only' model. Presumably, the luxury retailer intended that this change would make the store more sustainable. Additionally, Saks' parent company acquired the Neiman Marcus Group in December 2024. With a Neiman Marcus location essentially across the street from Saks Fifth Avenue, the parent company seemed unwilling to maintain such a large presence in Union Square. 'While we saw meaningful engagement and success through the appointment-only format, we have made this decision as part of our integration process as we focus on long-term growth,' a Saks Global spokesperson said in a statement. With this store closing, the first question is where the employees will go. For some, the answer lies right across the street. The company claims it will offer some employees transfer opportunities to the Neiman Marcus San Francisco location. Since this isn't possible for every employee, others will receive appropriate separation packages. For locals, the rash of store closings is sad. 'I bought my suit at Bloomingdale's only to see a month later that they're gone,' said Grant Johnson of San Francisco to NBC Bay Area. 'I just think these stores are magnificent, I'd like to see them stay, they're kind of fun to shop in.' Saks Fifth Avenue isn't immune to the changes happening in downtown San Francisco. Since 2020, once-bustling retail districts of the city have seen declining foot traffic due to a combination of factors, including increased remote work, reduced tourism, and the perception of crime, according to CBRE. In fact, it said Union Square's foot traffic declined by 45% between pre-pandemic levels and October 2023. "In the first quarter of 2025, the overall vacancy rate in Union Square was up by 70 bps from the last quarter's figure to 22.8%," said commercial real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield. "Despite the increase of the vacancy rate, tenant touring activities were active in the first quarter, showing strong interest from national and international retailers looking for an opportunity in the San Francisco market." Union Square isn't down for the count just yet. While the old guard of retailers might be moving out, new retailers are moving in. Newer tenants include Banana Republic, IKEA, a flagship Zara location, World Network, and a highly anticipated Nintendo store opening on May 15. It will be the Japanese company's second official store in the U.S. City leaders are pushing for Union Square and other retail locations to thrive. As a part of the city's 'Vacant to Vibrant' program, new pop-up retailers will arrive in Union Square soon. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
