Latest news with #nVidia
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Nintendo Switch 2 is out today – here's everything you need to know
Since its announcement in January, anticipation has been building for the Nintendo Switch 2 – the followup to the gaming titan's most successful home console, the 150m-selling Nintendo Switch. Major console launches are rarer than they used to be; this is the first since 2020, when Sony's PlayStation 5 hit shelves. Whether you're weighing up a purchase or just wondering what all the fuss is about, here's everything you need to know. The Switch 2 is out today, 5 June, priced at £395.99 ($449.99/€469.99) or at £429.99 ($499.99/€509,99) bundled with its flagship game, Mario Kart World. Like its predecessor, it's a portable games machine with a built-in screen – you can use as a handheld mini-console when you're out and about, or slide it into the dedicated dock device and plug it into your TV via an HDMI cable for a big-screen experience at home. A little bigger than the original Switch, with a crisp, clear 7.9in LCD touch screen, as opposed to the old 6.2in display, it comes with two Joy-Con controllers, which are chunkier than the previous versions. These now attach magnetically to each side of the screen with a pleasing clunk, replacing the fiddly sliding mechanism that most Switch owners disliked. They've also got bigger L and R buttons on the top, which sounds like a minor detail but is a huge deal for anyone trying to perfect their Mario Kart power-slides. The tech inside the Switch 2 is a lot more advanced than the previous console, featuring a custom nVidia processor, and a screen capable of displaying at 4K resolution (when plugged into a compatible TV) or 1920x1080 resolution in portable mode. It's also got 5.1 surround sound, and supports high-dynamic range lighting (HDR) graphical effects at frame rates of up to 120hz. This brings the Switch 2 almost up to scratch with other modern consoles: most experts are placing its tech specs somewhere between the PS4 and PS5, or between Xbox One and Xbox Series X. The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with the console itself, two Joy-Con controllers, a power adaptor and USB-C charging cable, a dock, a Joy-Con grip (which allows you to connect the two Joy-Cons together to create a traditional-looking games controller), and two Joy-Con wrist straps to stop them flying out of your hands. Nintendo is going big on the social features of the console. Its GameShare function will allow you to play compatible games with other people who don't own a copy – they just need their own Switch or a Switch 2, and can play along in the room with you or connect online. This is particularly important for families sharing one copy of a game. Meanwhile, GameChat is kind of like Zoom, but for games: you can invite a bunch of pals into a group video chat session where you can talk to each other while playing the same game, playing different games, or just hanging out. If you all buy the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera you'll be able to see little video windows of each other on the screen, too. GameChat requires a paid subscription to Nintendo's online gaming service, which costs £17.99 a year or £3.49 a month. The console is launching with around 25 games, though many of these are enhanced versions of older Switch titles. The big newcomers are Mario Kart World, an open-world take on the classic karting game; the introductory game Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour; the co-op survival challenge Survival Kids and anti-gravity racer, Fast Fusion. Some favourites making it across are Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. Most games will retail for between £45–£70 and will be available to buy and download online, or as physical boxed copies. You can also still play almost all your old Switch games on the new console, and there's a huge back catalogue of retro NES, Nintendo 64, SNES and GameCube classics from the 1980s, 90s and 00s available to play with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. There are three things you may want to buy alongside the console. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller is a traditional console joypad intended for serious play. Then you have the Nintendo Switch 2 camera, basically a webcam compatible with the GameChat service, but also with any games that might use camera features. You may also want a microSD Express card to provide additional storage for your games. If you haven't pre-ordered, you may have to be patient and shop around. Some of the larger retailers including Amazon, Argos, Currys and John Lewis are saying they may have a few in stock today and it's worth trying Nintendo's online store. Be extremely wary of buying from private sellers on eBay or similar sites – there will be a lot of con artists out there. Remember when people found their PlayStation 5 deliveries were instead full of bags of rice?
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The AI Robots Coming For Blue Collar Jobs
Robots have been used in manufacturing since the 1960s. What is new is the application of AI, which potentially gives robots much more powerful analytical, cognitive, and learning capabilities. AI is already seen as a threat to many white-collar jobs, but soon, AI may play a part in replacing some blue-collar jobs. How soon will an AI robot show up at your house to fix your plumbing? AI-enhanced robots are the next wave of AI on the technological horizon. Until now, AI has most often been associated with software, particularly computer-based chatbots that answer our questions. Agentic AI has also surfaced, in which AI applications—agents--make decisions and perform tasks with minimal human oversight. But more recently, some companies have been working toward mating AI technology with hardware. In January 2025, Jensen Huang, CEO of nVidia, announced a new technological platform called Cosmos at the Consumer Electronics Show. This platform is meant to promote 'physical AI,' which means robots. In March, Huang said widespread use of humanoid robots is only a few years away. And a new Chinese training facility for humanoid robots will open in July 2025; it will share AI data and technologies among many robot developers. Robots aren't new, of course; they've been used in manufacturing since the 1960s. What is new is the application of AI, which potentially gives robots much more powerful analytical, cognitive, and learning capabilities. Instead of simply following a script, AI-enabled robots will be able to access ever-growing data models to make decisions, act, and improve their capabilities, on the fly. Those capabilities will contribute to the humanoid robots market growing to at least $38 billion by 2035, though some predict that market to be $60 billion. Citigroup predicts that 1.3 billion physical AI robots will be in operation by 2035. However, 'humanoid' robots are ones that attempt to mimic human capabilities and perform tasks that humans can do, and more recent versions incorporate advanced AI capabilities. Many resemble humans, at least in shape and form. These robots run marathons and shoot film movies. Other humanoid robots include: But I don't want a robot that I can pack into a suitcase; I want a robot that carries my suitcase for me (but for which I don't have to buy a seat on the plane). And drives me to work (assuming that I still have a job in the age of robots), cooks my dinner, does the dishes, washes my laundry, and walks my dog. I want a robot that fixes my plumbing, my electricity, and my car. In short, I want a robot like Rosey the Robot from the Jetsons cartoon, but without all the lip. And I want just one robot to do everything, not 15 robots that work on different chores. For some jobs, if a robot does a job half as well as a human can, that's an achievement, and acceptable. I am more than willing to tolerate having a kitchen that's half as clean as if I did the work myself, as long as I don't have to do it; if it really bothers me, I'll perform the rest of the cleaning. But other jobs require at least an on-par level of work; no one wants a half-as-good appendectomy. But eventually, we should be able to expect that robots can perform at least some jobs better than humans, because they don't have human limitations. Robots are precise, and consistent; they don't perform a task one way and then a different way the next time, unless they've learned a better way to do things. They don't get tired; they are never late. They can be trained and remember 100 percent of their training. They don't take shortcuts, and they aren't sloppy. They don't argue, or try to upsell you, unless their programmers build that in; they don't try to cheat you (unless their programmers build that in). On the one hand, I love the idea or AI-enabled robots. But on the other, if robots take over the jobs that I now depend on people to perform, what do those people do for a living? The standard response is always, jobs will change, new jobs will emerge, and people will have to adapt. In the long term, that seems reasonable, but in the transition phase, many people are going to be out of work. And the truth is, nobody really knows what's going to happen. In any case, it's probably inevitable. On Bill Gates's podcast, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said of AI in general, 'It's going to happen; this is now an unstoppable technological course. The value is too great.' Altman also said that AI was originally expected to impact blue-collar jobs first, white-collar jobs second, and creativity 'maybe never,' but that that order has been reversed. Nevertheless, blue-collar jobs will eventually be affected. As of now, the blue-collar jobs that are most threatened are fixed-location ones—jobs in manufacturing or industrial locations. But eventually, with the advances being made by mobile, connected, humanoid robots with access to immense computing power, more jobs will be impacted. The idea was that robots would take over jobs that humans don't want to do, or jobs that are simple, and that humans would migrate to new types of jobs—jobs that robots can't do. But it seems like the kinds of jobs that robots can't do is shrinking quickly.
